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Google's cellular service, Project Fi, has recently changed its name and now offers significantly expanded device support, although support for fully encrypted traffic took place earlier this month. This support has some reservations.
The brand change is easy: Project Fi loses its "Project" designation and is now just "Google Fi". You can see above a new adorable logo, which translates "Fi" into a colorful Google line art more and more become a trend in the iconography of Google. Google has messed it up a bit by sending leaflets "Google Fi" (with the new logo) with Pixel 3 purchases earlier this month, but it's now official. It seems that the Fi website has also been redesigned.
Project Fi's biggest problem has always been limited device support, but along with the brand change, Google says Fi "now works with most Android devices and iPhones." This sounds like a big improvement over the handful of Fi-enabled devices, but the extra support for this device is a little complicated. We must first talk about the normal operation of Fi.
With Google Fi, Google acts as a Virtual Virtual Network Operator (MVNO): the company does not own any of the cellular towers that it uses for the service but buys access to major telephony companies mobile and resells it to its customers. What makes Google Fi unique is that Google licenses and licenses multiple mobile companies – in particular, using Google Fi in the US means your device will link T-Mobile networks, Sprint and US Cellular and will switch between them as needed. . This gives you better, faster and less crowded coverage than one of these carriers. But it also means that phones need specific hardware and software to be able to switch from one network to the other.
The need to specifically modify a device for Fi's multi-operator configuration resulted in extremely limited device support. For semi-current devices, there are six "Fi-enabled" phones: Google Pixel 3, Google Pixel 2, Moto G6, Moto X4, LG G7 and LG V35.
The wider compatibility announcement of today is not really solve this problem. If you want to enjoy all the power of Fi's multi-operator network, you will still need to purchase one of the "Fi-enabled" devices above. Google's extended device support will allow any normal phone to run on Google Fi as a T-Mobile-only device. Non-Fi devices will get the usual T-Mobile MVNO service, without the operator failover or recently announced VPN encryption. All this looks exactly like Fi's "data-only SIM card" for non-Fi devices, just with calls and texts added. You will always benefit from the existing toll-free pricing system with pay-per-view Fi, extensive international coverage and additional SIM cards containing only data at no additional charge. But you also benefit from a lower coverage than that of a real Fi device.
That Fi is a good deal for you will depend on your use. There is a package calculator here, but basically it's $ 20 a month for unlimited calls and texting, plus $ 10 per GB of data you use. You only pay for what you use, so your total bill can vary a lot from one month to the next, but there is a maximum monthly cap of $ 80. There is no contract, so you can suspend and resume the Fi service at any time.
To celebrate the new brand, for the moment only (11/28), Google has entered into several agreements Fi. For any phone purchased from Fi's website, Google states that you will have "the same value in terms of the travel gift cards of your choice, whether you can spend on flights with Delta and Southwest or hotels with Airbnb and has great international support, get it?). If you bring your own device to Fi, you will get a $ 200 service credit.
As this is the first time Fi is available on an iPhone, there is also a new iOS app. IPhones will need iOS 11 or higher, and Android devices will need Android 7.0 or higher and Tapes 2 and 4.
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