After three years, Google\u2019s finally decided to expand Project Fi to more handsets beyond the few phones that have supported it, such as Google\u2019s Pixel and Nexus series, as well as a handful of LG and Moto phones. Crucially, the service is now (mostly) compatible with iPhones, and to celebrate the change, Google is rebranding the service to just Google Fi.<\/b>
\nAfter three years, Google\u2019s finally decided to expand Project Fi to more handsets beyond the few phones that have supported it, such as Google\u2019s Pixel and Nexus series, as well as a handful of LG and Moto phones. Crucially, the service is now (mostly) compatible with iPhones, and to celebrate the change, Google is rebranding the service to just Google Fi.
The draw of Project, er, Google Fi includes features like international data in 170 countries at no extra cost, spam protection, data-only SIM cards for extra devices, and that sweet ability to switch between multiple cell carriers so\u2014in theory\u2014you\u2019re always getting the speediest network at a given time. It\u2019s also relatively inexpensive, with plans starting at $20\/month for unlimited talk and text, with an additional $10 for each GB of data. If that sounds too good to be true, well for the most part it was limited to just a few Android phones. iPhone users were either out of luck, or had to employ complicated workarounds.
Now, iPhones are Google Fi-compatible, but there\u2019s still a catch or two. For starters, Fi\u2019s most unique feature\u2014 carrier switching\u2014isn\u2019t available for iPhones. And because the program is still in beta, Google says users are required to go through a \u201cfew extra steps\u201dto get the service working via the Google Fi iOS app. Google\u2019s blog notes that anyone who wants the best Fi experience is still better off using a \u201cDesigned for Fi\u201d smartphone.
You can check phone compatibility here and here. But in general, iPhones will have access to calls, texts, and data powered by T-Mobile\u2019s network. However, they can\u2019t make calls or send texts over wifi, use visual voicemail, or use data hotspots overseas. Also, texting itself requires additional setup. iMessage, however, apparently works straight away.
There are some caveats for non-\u201cdesigned for Fi\u201d Android handsets, too. For example, Samsung phones won\u2019t be able to make calls over wifi and require the Messages app to be set as default to enable texting over wifi. As for the LG phones, Google merely says,\u201cYou might be able to make calls or text over wifi.\u201d
If you\u2019re willing to put up with these inconveniences, now might still be a good time to tell your current carrier where to stick it. Otherwise, you\u2019re probably better off waiting for Fi support to mature past the beta stage.
[ Mashable]<\/p>\n