Are you ready to dump those big carriers with all their contracts, hidden charges, and unreasonable fees? There are some great alternatives, but many argue Google Fi (previously known as Project Fi) is among the best. It is affordable, simple, and transparent. That means no surprises when it comes to pricing. You either choose an unlimited Google Fi plan for a fixed price or a flexible plan with a base rate and added costs for the amount of data used. In this post, you'll find everything you need to know. Let's get to it!
How does Google Fi work?
Google Fi is the company's first real attempt at entering the carrier market, and it's taking a slightly different approach to the competition. In essence, Fi is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) with a twist. In the US, Google Fi piggybacks off three other networks: Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular.
Fi chooses which to use based on which network has the strongest signal at any given time, so you should always get the optimal signal! Not only that, but Google has another trick up its sleeve, this time designed to save you cash. When connected to Wi-Fi, Google Fi routes all calls, messages, and (of course) data through your internet connection. This can significantly reduce your bills if you live near a Wi-Fi connection.
It's a very nifty and unconventional system, which also means you need nifty and unconventional software to handle things.
Google Fi supported devices
Until recently, Project Fi supported a limited number of Android phones. However, when Google rebranded the service to Google Fi, it also added support for many more Android phones as well as Apple's iPhones.
While many more phones now work on Google Fi, not all support the carrier's nicer features, like automatic carrier switching, VPN, or Wi-Fi calls. You can go here to check if your phone is compatible with Google Fi and which features may or may not be missing. For a quick reference, here is a brief list of the majority of phones supported.
Note: Apple phones are still listed by Google as being in beta, though this isn't mentioned in the iTunes Store listing.
* = Supports automatic network switching, Google Fi VPN, and Wi-Fi calls
Apple
- iPhone 5S
- iPhone 6/6 Plus
- iPhone 6S/6S Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 7/7 Plus
- iPhone 8/8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone XS/XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max
Essential
- Essential PH-1
- Nexus 6*
- Nexus 5X/6P*
- Pixel/Pixel XL*
- Pixel 2/2 XL*
- Pixel 3/3 XL*
- Pixel 4/4 XL*
HTC
- HTC U12 Plus
- HTC U11
- HTC U11 Life
- HTC U11 Eyes
Huawei
- P20/P20 Lite/P20 Pro
- Mate 20/Mate 20 X/Mate 20 Pro
- Mate 10 Pro
- Honor 8
- Honor 8X/8X Max
LG
- K20 Plus
- K30
- G7 One
- Aristo 2/2 Plus
- X Charge
- X Power
- X Venture
- Stylo 3
- Stylo 4
- G6
- V20
- V30/V30S
- V35 ThinQ*
- G7 ThinQ*
- V40 ThinQ
Motorola
- Moto E4/E4 Plus
- Moto E5/E5 Play/E5 Plus
- Moto G4/G4 Plus
- Moto G5/G5S
- Moto G5 Plus/G5S Plus
- Moto G6*
- Moto G6 Play/G6 Plus
- Moto G7/G7 Power/G7 Play/G7 Plus
- Moto One/One Power
- Moto Z
- Moto Z2 Play/Z2 Force
- Moto Z3/Z3 Play
- Moto X4 Android One edition/Open Market edition*
Nokia
- Nokia 7.1
- Nokia 8 Sirocco
OnePlus
- OnePlus 3
- OnePlus 3T
- OnePlus 5
- OnePlus 5T
- OnePlus 6
- OnePlus 6T
- OnePlus 7/7Pro
- OnePluys 7T
Samsung
- Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus/Note 10 Plus 5G
- Galaxy Fold/Galaxy Fold 5G
- Galaxy Note 9
- Galaxy Note 8
- Galaxy S10e/S10/S10 Plus/S10 5G
- Galaxy S9/S9 Plus
- Galaxy S8/S8 Plus/S8 Active
- Galaxy S7/S7 Edge/S7 Active
- Galaxy S6/S6 Edge/S6 Edge Plus/S6 Active
- Galaxy J7 (2018)
- Galaxy J7 (2017)
- Galaxy J3 (2018)
- Galaxy J3 (2017)
- Galaxy A6
Xiaomi
- Mi A2
- Mi A2 Lite
- Mi A1
While this is a good offering, it's strange to see some options left off the list, such as newer offerings from smaller OEMs like Nokia.
You get all the perks!
What makes Google Fi so awesome, especially if you use a phone with all of its features, is that it gives users all the perks of a large carrier with none of the downsides.
For starters, you can opt to buy a phone with installments, which is always a nice option if you don't have hundreds of dollars to drop on the spot. Hotspot data sharing is included for free. You can also trade handsets in for credit towards your next phone (or towards your account if the price of the trade-in exceeds the value of the new phone).
Another great perk you get with Google Fi is international coverage. You can roam within more than 170 countries without paying extra charges for data, calls, or texting. That means it is completely free for those on unlimited plans. Those on flexible plans will pay the same rates while traveling. Unlimited users will also benefit from free calls to 50+ countries and territories, while all other destinations start at 1c/min (which is the cost of all calls to other countries on Flexible plans). You can check international rates here.
What about 5G support?
5G is already available in quite a few countries around the world, but Google hasn't issued a comprehensive guide to 5G support on Fi.
Nevertheless, Sprint announced back in February 2019 that Google Fi users with supported phones will receive 5G connectivity as well. The carrier says you'll need a "Sprint 5G compatible Designed for Fi" handset, and notes that you'll automatically be connected to its 5G network.
Read: The best 5G phones you can buy now and coming soon
Back in December 2019, Neowin reported that T-Mobile 5G supports Google Fi as well. At the time of the news, support was reportedly limited to the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G.
We've asked Google for more details regarding Fi 5G but haven't heard back from them. Nevertheless, it seems like there aren't extra charges involved here. But we do wonder whether Google will offer 5G plans with higher data allowances.
Google Fi plans: Let's talk money
If you want to sign up for Google Fi, then you will need to choose either an Unlimited Plan or a Flexible Plan. Unlimited plans give you unlimited data for a fixed price, whereas Flexible plans charge extra for the amount of data you use (but of course start much lower). You can make considerable savings by buying more than one line for a whole family, too.
Keep in mind that "unlimited data" is high-speed up to 22GB, but slows down beyond that point. On the flexible plan, data is capped at $10 per gigabyte, but anything over 6GB is free. That means that no more than $60 will ever be added to your bill.
Here are the plans as they currently stand:
| Google Fi plan | Cost |
|---|---|
| Unlimited for 1 | $70/mo |
| Flexible for 1 | $20/mo + $10/GB data |
| Unlimited for 2 | $60/mo |
| Flexible for 2 | $18/mo + $10/GB data |
| Unlimited for 3 | $50/mo |
| Flexible for 3 | $17/mo + 10/GB data |
| Unlimited for 4 | $45/mo |
| Flexible for 4 | $17/mo + 10/GB data |
| Unlimited for 5 | $45/mo |
| Flexible for 5 | $16/mo + 10/GB data |
| Unlimited for 6 | $45/mo |
| Flexible for 6 | $16/mo + 10/GB data |
We are fans of Google Fi's simplicity. You know what you are paying for with no weird surprises. Google ensures you only pay for what you use — you don't even get charged for a full GB if you don't use it all! Google also offers Bill Protection for free when it could have easily made it a premium option.
It seems insane you could be paying under $30 for your phone plan, especially with Wi-Fi hotspots, international coverage, and much more. Since Google Fi uses three big US networks, you rarely have a weak signal either. It's easy for any one network to mess up, but three going down at once is rare indeed. When all is said and done, Google Fi offers the best of all possible worlds.
Also read: Google Fi vs T-Mobile: Which is right for you?
There you have it — that's all you need to know about Google Fi plans. We'll make sure to update this post when plans change, new phones start supporting the network, and so on.
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