What is Google Fi and what does it mean for Android & iOS equipment?

Following is a summary of details of that article that Jeff helpfully provided, where my comments are in the order stated in the article.

They switched a husband and wife from T-Mobile to Google Fi, where the guy wrote about his experience.

Once they received the Google SIM card, they said it was simple except for Google Voice (which used conflicting technology), but the guy worked around the GV issues.

They said it uses only the Sprint, T-Mobile, & (encrypted on) public Wi-Fi networks, which, for me, means T-Mobile since none of the others exist in quantity where I go. And T-Mobile sucks, but no more so than does Verizon or AT&T where I live. In the valley, they're all good.

They said they saved money on Google data by making phone calls over the public WiFi networks, but that they never knew *when* they were on public WiFi (which means they didn't really check it out for sure).

Besides, why not just make those "unlimited" calls and texts over the T-Mobile or Sprint network, which shouldn't *use* data in the first place?

Anyway, they did say there are the obligatory taxes and fees of about "four bucks and change" per phone line.

In the end, just like I had roughly calculated, he paid almost *exactly* what he had paid on T-Mobile (only he had a limited number of calls on his T-Mobile plan, while I have unlimited).

With the four bucks in taxes added, he averaged $32.23/month, while his wife averaged $29.05 a month, which I'll just call 30 bucks a month per phone, which is *more* than I'm paying now for unlimited calls and texts and 3.5GB of data per phone for 4 phones with T-Mobile.

He then discussed International Roaming (which my plan with T-Mobile also has, and, in fact, is *why* I moved from $60 for 4 phones to $100 for 4 phones since we travel to Europe for at least a month or two every year).

He did describe a *data-only* SIM, much like the free 200MB/month T-Mobile data-only SIM that I have in my tablets, where the cost is $10/GB to Google. This is a nice option for those who need data on their tablets over the free amount provided by T-Mobile to anyone who asks for it in the USA.

He liked the Fi customer support and the voicemail.

Near the end, he said Google Fi is probably not for you unless you use at

*lot* of data (between 1GB and 3GB).

He said the primary concern is the T-Mobile coverage, as the WiFi is bogus (my words) in that you can never depend on public WiFi coverage. This is the same concern with my current plan, which is 20% cheaper than Google Fi, for just about the same service (even if I had one of the 3 phones it works with).

In summary, his costs are 20% higher than mine, and, his coverage is essentially the same.

Doesn't sound like a good deal for me - but YMMV if you're a heavy data user, which I'm not.

The only part of the article that I didn't completely understands was how the public WiFi was gonna save him money on *calls* and *texts*. I can easily see how it saves money on data - but calls and texts?

Thanks Jeff for that URL:

It basically says that Google tries to "make it simple", which is a really lousy value equation, since using a cellphone is already ridiculously simple.

So, I'm not sure *what* Google Fi is trying to make simple.

They say that simplicity is the primary goal again, here:

But anyway, they discuss right off the bat that Google Fi uses VPN when connected to a public WiFi hotspot, but, as anyone knows, it's ridiculously simple already to use VPN (I'm never NOT on a free VPN, for example) on either iOS or Android devices.

So, as with most well MARKETED things, they're only making it simple for the morons who don't know how to use a freeware VPN at public WiFi hotspots (which isn't likely anyone on this newsgroup other than the common trolls).

At the time of that publicication, you needed an *invitation* to sign up, and that took weeks, they said (which is a negative if it's still so).

The advantage, he says, is that if T-Mobile coverage isn't available, it falls back on Sprint, and if a WiFi is stronger, it uses that (but really, where do you folks find free public WiFi of any decent quality?).

So, in reality, since Sprint sucks, and free public WiFI basically doesn't exist (and even if it did - you could use it *without* Google Fi!), it's really just a T-Mobile network (which is easier to get with a cheaper T-Mobile plan).

The *one* advantage is that switching between WiFI callinga and cellular calling didn't *drop* the connection. OK. That's nice. But is it worth a

*special* phone and service for that one nicety?

This sub link has the best summary of what Google FI is (which, to me, is no big deal whatsoever, and certainly not worth anything yet):

"The gist of it is this: Project Fi lets you use a combination of different mobile data networks -- Sprint's and T-Mobile's, for the moment -- along with public and authorized private Wi-Fi networks (with added security) to make and receive calls, send texts, and get online".

Shortened, and simplified, Google Fi is just another 'carrier' who has a simple cost structure which is about the same cost as your current carrier for about the same service. If you're a moron who can't figure out how to set up a free VPN at public WiFi hotspots, you'll like what they call the "simplicity" of Google Fi. If you use a lot of data (over 3GB), you'll like the simple cost structure of the data plan (although T-Mobile already has a simple data cost plan of about the same price anyway). If Sprint has great coverage by you, then maybe Google Fi is for you; otherwise, it's hard to justify the purchase of four specific new phones just to use a system which has no advantages over your current setup.

Thanks Jeff for that article:

An interesting sentence was this one: "Your phone will seamlessly hand off to the cellular network when you move out of Wi-FI range."

Mine easily makes WiFi calls when I'm at home, where I also have a T-Mobile cellular repeater, but when I move out of range of my WiFi, it drops the WiFi call (and it says it will do that with a notification before it happens).

It may be my older version of Android though (Jellybean) or it may be that I have "WiFi preferred" set by default (as opposed to "Cellular Network Preferred").

I just read *all* the articles suggested, so I think I now have a pretty good handle on what Google Fi is.

Pretty much, since the MARKETING guys play up *simplicity* as their

*biggest* benefit, and *cost* as their second-biggest benefit, you can see that they play to morons who can't figure out such things on their own.

For example, the *cost* is about the same as my T-Mobile plan currently, so, Google Fi is only cost effective for peoople who are too stupid to find a good plan on their own. (I admit, carriers make plans complex, and Google Fi is simple - but it doesn't cost any less than a good carrier plan for the same features, essentially).

As an example of cost, on my tablet, I already have 200MB/month free from T-Mobile, but if I wanted 2GB/month, it would only cost $10 from T-Mobile, whereas from Google Fi, it's $10/GB (which is twice as expensive). Google Fi gives some of that money back though, so I'm not sure yet if Google Fi charges that *every* month, or only when you actually use it.

The *simplicity* isn't really there either, as the Google Voice FAQ shows that there is certainly complexity involved.

Google Voice aside, Google Fi is just as simple as popping a SIM card in your phone, which, um, er ... is the *same* simplicity of T-Mobile. They also tout the simplicity of WiFi calling - but - again - it's trivial to do WiFi calling (it's just a button in the Android settings) so that simplicity is only for the morons.

The only place where they can actually tout simplicity is that they automatically institute a free VPN whenever connected to a public WiFi hotspot. OK. That's nice. For morons.

Personally, I am *always* on a free VPN no matter *what* I'm doing on the net, and that includes whenever I'm at a public WiFi hotspot on either iOS or Android. So, there's no value to "me"; but to morons who can't figure out how to set up a free public VPN, then it *is* simpler when connected to public WiFi hotspots.

As for Google Fi cellular *coverage*, there's really no value there either, as far as I can tell. It uses T-Mobile (which I already have) plus Sprint. Hmmm.... what's Sprint's coverage? I don't actually know (and don't care because T-mobile works for me most places.) All the carriers suck in the mountains, so I can't imagine Sprint being any better than T-Mobile is.

It gets a little complex when you try to figure out whether the Google Fi data plan is worthwhile because with T-Mobile, if you don't use the data, you lose it - but - the data is *half* as expensive on T-Mobile as it is on Google Fi.

Here, for the record, is my T-Mobile's current data charges for my plan: TABLET:

- $0 for 200MB/month

- $10 for 2GB/month

- $20 for 6GB/month PHONE:

- $100 for 4 phones unlim talk/text & 2.5GB/month per phone (They gave me a "special promo" from 9/22 to 2/19 of 4GB/month per phone)

- $15 for 6GB/month

- $30 for 10GB/month

- $45 for unlimited data

Google Fi, on the other hand, charges twice as much for data at $10 for 1GB per month, but, if you don't use it, it rolls over (although I don't know how long it rolls over).

Overall Google Fi isn't a horrible deal on price; it's just not a good deal on anything. It's only a good deal if you already have a bad deal.

However, does anyone know if the Google Fi $10 for 1GB rolls over forever? After a few years, you'll have so much data accumulated that I wonder if you can stop paying the $10/month and just use up all the accrued data?

I forgot that you can add and cancel the T-Mobile data plans at any time, so, effectively, you can use them whenever you think you'll *need* data.

So that makes T-Mobile far *cheaper* than Google Fi for data (half the price).

Given that, I must ask: Is there *any* compelling reason to use Google Fi?

Fi seems better because it refunds the unused data as cash at the end of the month .

that's not the only part you didn't understand.

The service requires a phone that can do both GSM and CDMA, since it uses T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular.

Those are the phones you can buy through Google, so they're Google's own phones.

no it doesn't. it requires a phone specifically designed to switch among multiple carriers on the fly, and there aren't a whole lot of those. as in three.

More to it than that, lots of phones have that support. It is the switching of carriers and/or wifi that makes the difference and that is only in the firmware/software of the Nexus 5X, 6 and 6P

Yep, only those 3 at the moment. Most likely that the new Pixel branded phones will also since they are the next generation of Google's phones.

But that really limits just how big an MVNO Google wants to be. In the Android world Samsung is the elephant in the room, but Project Fi does not now work with them or any others. And no iPhone support either. In the Project Fi G+ community there are all sorts of ideas about how to make iPhones work on the system. You can put an already activated Project Fi sim in an iPhone, but it only works on T-Mobile, no switching. Or you can use the data SIM in it and use something like Hangouts, but again only on T-Mobile since the data SIM only does TMO.

When I was with Project Fi I had the 5X and a data sim in my iPhone, but it was less than satisfactory for a number of reasons, the biggest being that in spite of TMO's (and other carriers), coverage maps, the data on TMO was pretty weak and spotty around here. Hell even Sprint was weak as hell. So I dropped them and went back to Verizon, could just as easily gone to AT&T for about the same cost and coverage. It is just the other actual cell carriers that aren't so good in this rural area.

Exactly! We dumped our two $30/mo. (plus taxes) T-Mo prepaid plans (100min + unlimited texts and 5GB of 4G data) in favor of Project Fi. Now we have unlimited calling and texts and have always had refunds/credits at the end of each month because we don't use the 1GB of data for which we are paying; so our bills have always been less than $30/mo. (excluding taxes).

My Nexus 5X is almost always connected to T-Mo, but every now and again I see that it's connected to Sprint. No US Cellular in this area.

If I am not mistaken, a Project Fi phone will roam to Verizon if the T-Mo, Sprint, and US Cellular signals are inadequate.

One potential benefit (although I have not yet had occasion to take advantage of it) is that I can configure the phone as a WiFi hotspot, which was not possible with the $30/mo. T-Mo prepaid plan.

The one minor inconvenience is that I cannot set the Caller ID seen by the people I call. Project Fi gives only two options: "Wireless Caller" and " ".

For a large family or other group with several lines and consuming a lot of data, several individual Project Fi plans *may* not be the cheapest option, but it works fine for the two of us. (But it's being reported that the latest version of the Project Fi app contains code that seems to support group plans with the ability to manage/ration the data available to each user. No such capability has so far been announced by Google.)

Perce

With the T-Mobile plan that I have, I can tether or hotspot at will, without penalty (AFAIK); so Google Fi has no advantage there.

Google Fi does have an advantage of switching seamlessly better than my phone does, from WiFi to cellular - but that may be a function of the special Nexus phone and not of the Google Fi service itself.

This is interesting that CID isn't available with Google Fi. Thanks for pointing that out.

To summarize, the T-mobile tablet data is *half* the cost of the Google Fi data, but the Google Fi data is refunded.

The math works out differently whether you *use* the 1GB/month data, or not.

a. If you *use* the 1GB in a given month, then you're paying *twice* as much for that Google Fi data as you would have with T-Mobile for that same data.

b. If you don't use the data, then Google Fi is cheaper (because you only pay twice as much for the data that you actually use).

I must complement you on your rather astounding ability to be unhelpful in every communicade.

google fi isn't for tablets.

Except that you can get a data-only SIM to go along with a regular Project Fi account. Your tablet would share the data allocation with your phone.

Perce