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Google To Open Project Fi To iPhone, Samsung, and OnePlus (theverge.com)
Google's Project Fi mobile service will reportedly be adding support for Samsung, OnePlus, and iPhones. "More handsets from existing Fi partners LG and Motorola will also gain Fi support," reports The Verge. "The iPhone experience is apparently 'in beta,' which is a sign that users might run into bugs or be left without some of Fi's features." From the report: The lineup of "Fi-ready" compatible phones -- those that Google says have been fully optimized for the network -- is fairly short: Google is currently selling the Pixel 3, 3 XL, 2 XL, LG G7, LG V35, Moto G6, and Moto X4 (Android One edition) directly through its Project Fi website.
And although Google is apparently about to widen support and officially allow more devices onto Fi, those "Fi-friendly" phones will still offer the best overall user experience for subscribers, according to the report. It's not yet entirely clear what that means, but we should know more once Google makes a proper announcement. Either way, adding that pool of popular hardware will allow for many more consumers to give the service a shot and see if the pricing model and performance are preferable over Fi's larger competitors.
And although Google is apparently about to widen support and officially allow more devices onto Fi, those "Fi-friendly" phones will still offer the best overall user experience for subscribers, according to the report. It's not yet entirely clear what that means, but we should know more once Google makes a proper announcement. Either way, adding that pool of popular hardware will allow for many more consumers to give the service a shot and see if the pricing model and performance are preferable over Fi's larger competitors.
There have been ways to "hack" a phone onto the Fi network but none of the ways to my knowledge have worked 100%. I would be really interested in this. I was going to leave AT&T for Spectrum phone but they do not support BYOD yet.
In case anyone was wondering why phone selection is limited: Fi's SIM card has two profiles for quickly moving to/from T-Mobile and Sprint, and wi-fi also.
Why is Project Fi only available on select devices?
These devices are the first smartphones that support our network of networks. They work with the Project Fi SIM card, which supports multiple cellular networks, and have a state-of-the-art cellular radio tuned to work across network types.
A very good wireless service. Great prices, coverage everywhere.
I've been using it since 2014 (I think) and I've got no complaints, except that sometimes on calls to certain Eastern European (Balkan) countries, there is like a 5-second delay, which makes it impossible to carry on a conversation. But usually if I just hang up and call again it works fine, and to be fair, it might have nothing to do with Google's service. Other than that, it's been the perfect service to me. Data is really cheap and you only pay for what you use, so often my monthly bill is less than I expected. I've moved a lot over the past few years and the coverage has been great in the Midwest, East Coast, Houston, and now California.
You can only pay by automatic pay, and there are only certain devices that will work with Project Fi. I started with a Nexus 5, which was a very good phone and then went to a Pixel, which is also a very good phone except I hate that fucking notch.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Project Fi is too expensive for a family plan. Four of us get unlimited data for $40 / line. And believe me, teenage kids know how to use data. If it was just me then it would be ok.
Zoid.com
It should be fairly obvious what that means: more direct (or mandated) integration with Google's caching services at the network, OS, and (probably) baseband layer.
To *some extent* this is actually not incredibly unwarranted, nor unprecedented. But the legacy mobile providers are still not, first and foremost, data collection companies... they're telecommunications providers. Google isn't that, and can no longer be trusted to be that without an abundance of caution.
Hire a Linux system administrator, systems engineer,
if you're a basement dweller. It was kind of sketchy at first, but it's been solid for me for the past year.
Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
Agreed. I drove across Oregon a few months ago and had zero T-Mobile coverage across a good chunk of the state. Spotty in Northern California as well.
WWJD -- What Would Jimi Do?
(Smash amp, burn guitar, take home the groupies)
I'm surprised. I spent time in State College last year and had no problem with Project Fi. Also, I drove straight across the state on I-80 and listened to Spotify the whole way on my Project Fi phone.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Love when a stupid ass article can't be bothered to mention what the fuck it is about.
It's a phone plan that uses the networks of Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and selected wifi, with transparent handoff between them. Prices are good. You pay only for how much you use that month.
If you regularly use your phone to stream HD video all day, I haven't compared pricing for that use case. I have FiOS for internet and TV while I'm at home.
I've been hoping it'd come to Canada though it's probably very unlikely. Our providers would probably fight it any way possible, they wouldn't want anything to interrupt their party.
I'm any case I also wonder how the Fi privacy policy looks like, considering the main business of the mothership.
I can get unlimited calls and 15GB data for €15 prepaid in Ireland. No contract, no other charges. Roaming & data works in other EU countries too. What the hell is up with the United States when it comes to fucked up expensive mobile service?
https://fi.google.com/about/
Looks weird and perplexing
I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
Project Fi is very useful if you do a lot of international travel. That's where it shines, because the data/call rates don't change and it's supported in like 175 countries. I travel to Japan a lot and it's nice to have my phone, just work. Using an original Pixel BTW.
"Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
Come to Indonesia, most expensive consumer telco is
Rp75,000 (~usd5) for 4G 15gb, 100 mins all telco, xxx sms. Will kill your prepaid credit if you don't use a plan tho.
What the hell is up with the United States when it comes to fucked up expensive mobile service?
A couple of decades of phones subsidized by carriers and paid for via long-term contracts which include carrier locking of the device. A mash-up of carrier technologies also contributed to lock-in as I don't think it was until recently you could find a phone that would do CDMA and GSM, plus the CDMA standard didn't even have a SIM card you could swap.
It may also be that the geographic size of the US actually makes carrier costs higher due to the larger number of sq. miles to cover, although you could counter this with the costs/complexity of setting up cell sites in old, densely populated European urban areas. In the US carriers can often just long-term lease ground in a parking lot or some other underutilized area.
Just waiting for Projects Fee, Fo, and Fum.
Streaming video with mobile data gets very expensive very quickly on Fi. My son left YouTube running one night and accidentally had wifi off, and I think it was 10 or 15 bucks of data. If that's your use case, do not switch to Google Fi, use a provider that gives you a bucket of data every month.
Yes, we made him pay for it.
Project Fi can be a little iffy at times. But, compared to just T-Mobile (which I used to be on) it stands a bit higher on the coverage map. And they've designed it so that it can use Wifi to supplement it's coverage quite well (Pixel phones also come with Google's "Wifi Assistant" which will auto-connect to verified open wifi networks and use a Google VPN to secure your traffic). T-Mobile also had a wifi calling option, but, I didn't have that great an experience with it in practice.
Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular use leased connectivity from ATT. There is no "transparent handoff". You're always on ATT.
Transparent wifi handoff is not a unique feature BTW. I'm on Verizon and use it regularly.
I wonder if you have any source for that, because everything I'm finding says otherwise, including Sprint's regulatory filing.
They may get some backhaul from AT&T, but that doesn't matter much to the users - the towers matter. Sprint's 3G service is CDMA, AT&T is GSM, so very obviously they aren't the same network - they aren't even the same TYPE of network.
For LTE, Sprint's legal filings compare their LTE network to AT&T's much larger network.
Since Project Fi goes over the T-Mobile network, and the Sprint network, and the Cellular One network, it has at least the same coverage as T-Mobile.
There's no throttling on Project Fi, and my monthly bill comes to $40. And there are no additional fees. The bill is the bill.
You are welcome on my lawn.