Sep 3, 2017, 5:37 am
Last edit by: Zorak
Which countries are supported?
https://support.google.com/fi/answer...intl_countries
Note that in some locations Hangouts (and Gmail) are not available (e.g., China, Russia, Thailand, South Korea, Mexico, Argentina, and more: see link below for full list of excluded countries), so you will need a VPN to access them (or to make VOIP calls via Hangouts Dialer)
https://support.google.com/hangouts/answer/3205646
Exceptions:
Listed, but no/spotty service:
Not listed, *did* have service
1- Reboot phone
2- Toggle "airplane mode" on/off. Wait five seconds after toggling off (it resets phone modem).
3- Try manually connecting to each available network (rather than using the auto select feature).
4- Toggle down from 4g to 3g (removing the recommended 4g option) and then try manually connecting to each available network.
5- Toggle down from 3g to 2g and then try manually connecting to each available network.
https://support.google.com/fi/answer...intl_countries
Note that in some locations Hangouts (and Gmail) are not available (e.g., China, Russia, Thailand, South Korea, Mexico, Argentina, and more: see link below for full list of excluded countries), so you will need a VPN to access them (or to make VOIP calls via Hangouts Dialer)
https://support.google.com/hangouts/answer/3205646
Exceptions:
Listed, but no/spotty service:
- Ukraine (Aug 2018) - no service, all providers listed as "forbidden". Post #660
- Alaska (Jul 2018) -- had voice service, but inconsistent/spotty data (try forcing Sprint)
- Peru (Sep 2016) post 341, 360
- Grand Cayman Island (Jan 2018) post 547
Not listed, *did* have service
Belize (Jan 2018) post 547Belize now appears on the "supported" international list
1- Reboot phone
2- Toggle "airplane mode" on/off. Wait five seconds after toggling off (it resets phone modem).
3- Try manually connecting to each available network (rather than using the auto select feature).
4- Toggle down from 4g to 3g (removing the recommended 4g option) and then try manually connecting to each available network.
5- Toggle down from 3g to 2g and then try manually connecting to each available network.
Google Fi: Anyone care to post their experience?
Nov 29, 2016, 9:59 am
#391
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,018
Hangouts Dialer works for me... try resetting your phone. Once you have hangouts dialer installed, you should see the phone dialer available within your Hangouts APP as well.
Remember when making phone calls to use the format +1-999-888-7777 where 1 is the country code and 999 is the area code.
As for cost:
Google FI uses the old Google Voice / Hangouts infrastructure and billing structure for the most part. VOIP calls to the US/Canada from anywhere are free... calls via wifi to other destinations are billed as if you were making a long distance call from home.
https://www.google.com/voice/b/0/rates?hl=en&p=hangout
Last week I was in India. If I used cellular... then normal FI roaming applies and I'm charged 20 cents/min no matter where I call.
If I used Hangouts dialer, it makes the call via VOIP. This can work over wifi or the cellular data network. If I was on the cellular data network then the voip called used a small amount of data from my allotment. If I was on Wifi, it used nothing obviously...
From India, using Hangouts dialer (Voip or wifi) to call the US/canada costs nothing as the rate is free. If I use Hangouts Dialer to call other countries (including India where I happened to be) the price was whatever the normal US-International rate was for the destination. In my case using Hangouts Dialer, if I was calling India, the rate was 1cent/min. Calling Germany? 1-4cents / min depending on the recipient's provider. etc.
https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6157794?hl=en
Remember when making phone calls to use the format +1-999-888-7777 where 1 is the country code and 999 is the area code.
As for cost:
Google FI uses the old Google Voice / Hangouts infrastructure and billing structure for the most part. VOIP calls to the US/Canada from anywhere are free... calls via wifi to other destinations are billed as if you were making a long distance call from home.
https://www.google.com/voice/b/0/rates?hl=en&p=hangout
Last week I was in India. If I used cellular... then normal FI roaming applies and I'm charged 20 cents/min no matter where I call.
If I used Hangouts dialer, it makes the call via VOIP. This can work over wifi or the cellular data network. If I was on the cellular data network then the voip called used a small amount of data from my allotment. If I was on Wifi, it used nothing obviously...
From India, using Hangouts dialer (Voip or wifi) to call the US/canada costs nothing as the rate is free. If I use Hangouts Dialer to call other countries (including India where I happened to be) the price was whatever the normal US-International rate was for the destination. In my case using Hangouts Dialer, if I was calling India, the rate was 1cent/min. Calling Germany? 1-4cents / min depending on the recipient's provider. etc.
https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6157794?hl=en
Trying to figure out your setup & hardware - Pixel smartphone on Fi network, easiest might be to make a free call to Fi support from abroad - they can troubleshoot for/with you while on the call & check your settings (or, chat online w. tech support)
Hangout and Hangout Dialer Apps are both fine, just checked and use it here (inside the U.S.) - no issues. If your Android OS is up-to-date and you're already tried a simple reboot - set aside a few minutes to call or do a live, online chat with Fi support, it's free & they are pretty qood without being on hold, unless the legacy ones.
WiFi calling to the US (from overseas) are free and for as little as 2 cents, 4 cents (some slightly higher, made a few at 8 cents a minute) are still very, very cheap. When we're on cruise ships - WiFi calling onboard using "their" App & satellite network was 79 cents a minute (vs. traditional maritime call from the stateroom at $4.99 USD a minute,) ouch !! Given the quality of the Fi connections with their 100+ partners, I'm okay with that.
In a few countries, Hangout calling is blocked or not available, for whatever technical, governmental or operational reasons (they are noted in the user's guide/info, easy to look up) ... fallback plans for us are typically Skype.
Hangout and Hangout Dialer Apps are both fine, just checked and use it here (inside the U.S.) - no issues. If your Android OS is up-to-date and you're already tried a simple reboot - set aside a few minutes to call or do a live, online chat with Fi support, it's free & they are pretty qood without being on hold, unless the legacy ones.
WiFi calling to the US (from overseas) are free and for as little as 2 cents, 4 cents (some slightly higher, made a few at 8 cents a minute) are still very, very cheap. When we're on cruise ships - WiFi calling onboard using "their" App & satellite network was 79 cents a minute (vs. traditional maritime call from the stateroom at $4.99 USD a minute,) ouch !! Given the quality of the Fi connections with their 100+ partners, I'm okay with that.
In a few countries, Hangout calling is blocked or not available, for whatever technical, governmental or operational reasons (they are noted in the user's guide/info, easy to look up) ... fallback plans for us are typically Skype.
EDIT: Unfortunately after trying to make a call it still doesn't work. Ridiculously frustrating to be abroad and not be able to make a call!
Well - after a long call and chat with Google Fi Support I figured out why I can't make calls: Thailand is not a supported country:
Don't see the phone call feature?
If you are outside of the U.S. and don't see the option to make calls, the feature probably hasn't been made available in your country. Here is the list of countries it won't work:
Countries where calling in Hangouts and Gmail is not available https://support.google.com/hangouts/...id&hl=en&oco=1
Argentina
China
Cuba
Egypt
Ghana
India (Users in India can make calls to all countries except to locations within India.)
Iran
Jordan
Kenya
Mexico
Morocco
Myanmar
Nigeria
North Korea
Peru
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
South Korea
Sudan
Syria
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
Vietnam
Last edited by TravelinSperry; Nov 29, 2016 at 11:23 am
Nov 29, 2016, 11:16 am
#392
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: New York
Programs: BAEC Silver, &c.
Posts: 446
Count me among as a very happy Google Fi customer: I've traveled to Italy (via the UK) and Brazil in the last month, and it all worked perfectly. No problems with calls, SMS, or data. Nothing required any intervention on my part. I'm very happy I made the switch.
Nov 29, 2016, 7:29 pm
#393
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: LGA - JFK
Programs: UA, AA, DL, B6, CX, KE, Latitude, VIFP, Crown & Anchor, etc.
Posts: 2,589
I rebooted my phone and now I am able to make a call via Google Hangouts ... It does not show a dialpad like other dialer apps. And further it wasn't even available as an option prior to the reboot post Google App Play install ... after a long call and chat with Google Fi Support I figured out why I can't make calls: Thailand is not a supported country:
...
...
with this feature. Uploaded 2 attached *.JPG images - first with the Hangout main screen, tap the button/spot in the middle at the bottom of the screen, it will bring up the Hangout Dialer screen, as shown next. This is on my backup Motorola that's set mostly to be WiFi only and Hangouts
calls displaying the Google Voice # - also, very important - for those Hangout Calls, you need to have Google credits available (this one has zero balance, the GV line on the Nexus 5X still has a positive balance of over $9 - refill/start with as little as $10 ... as these calls are separate from Fi charges)
Don't need any credit balance for callings within the US but you do need it if calling other countries or while traveling abroad, i.e. calling from TPE to ICN at 4 cents a minute (and, that's when I realized Hangout doesn't work anywhere in South Korea ... much like Thailand.)
Hangout on N5X running Nougat (7.0) is V14 on mine - if you don't or can't find the Dialer screen, uninstall, reboot first and reinstall both App, then reboot and it should be there ... I think
Nov 29, 2016, 8:24 pm
#394
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,018
That's good to know, a simple reboot helped fix some of your trouble - now, you are ready to go once you are out of Thailand with this feature. Uploaded 2 attached *.JPG images - first with the Hangout main screen, tap the button/spot in the middle at the bottom of the screen, it will bring up the Hangout Dialer screen, as shown next.
This is on my backup Motorola that's set mostly to be WiFi only and Hangouts
calls displaying the Google Voice # - also, very important - for those Hangout Calls, you need to have Google credits available (this one has zero balance, the GV line on the Nexus 5X still has a positive balance of over $9 - refill/start with as little as $10 ... as these calls are separate from Fi charges)
Don't need any credit balance for callings within the US but you do need it if calling other countries or while traveling abroad, i.e. calling from TPE to ICN at 4 cents a minute (and, that's when I realized Hangout doesn't work anywhere in South Korea ... much like Thailand.)
Hangout on N5X running Nougat (7.0) is V14 on mine - if you don't or can't find the Dialer screen, uninstall, reboot first and reinstall both App, then reboot and it should be there ... I think
with this feature. Uploaded 2 attached *.JPG images - first with the Hangout main screen, tap the button/spot in the middle at the bottom of the screen, it will bring up the Hangout Dialer screen, as shown next. This is on my backup Motorola that's set mostly to be WiFi only and Hangouts
calls displaying the Google Voice # - also, very important - for those Hangout Calls, you need to have Google credits available (this one has zero balance, the GV line on the Nexus 5X still has a positive balance of over $9 - refill/start with as little as $10 ... as these calls are separate from Fi charges)
Don't need any credit balance for callings within the US but you do need it if calling other countries or while traveling abroad, i.e. calling from TPE to ICN at 4 cents a minute (and, that's when I realized Hangout doesn't work anywhere in South Korea ... much like Thailand.)
Hangout on N5X running Nougat (7.0) is V14 on mine - if you don't or can't find the Dialer screen, uninstall, reboot first and reinstall both App, then reboot and it should be there ... I think
At least I know how to make calls now once I get into a supported country.
I wonder why certain countries aren't supported. Isn't this a VOIP service? That is, aren't we making calls over the web rather than over cell service? In such case, who cares what country we are in as long as we have wifi. Obviously I'm not well versed in VOIP.
Nov 29, 2016, 8:35 pm
#396
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,304
I don't think it is tech related. It is probably a legal issue for most of the countries on the not supported list.
Nov 29, 2016, 9:17 pm
#397
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,018
Oh and btw his info was wrong as I was able to download the hangouts dialer app from abroad and I assume it will work when I arrive in a supported country (although that has yet to be seen).
Looking at the country list I agree. Although South Korea? And Mexico? Hmmmm.
Dec 1, 2016, 2:12 pm
#398
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEL
Posts: 1,057
If you VPN back to the US, you can use Hangouts dialer (or the sidebar in Gmail) as if you were in the US. I've done it in Mexico. Call quality suffers a bit thanks to the extra latency, but if your wifi connection is fast and your VPN doesn't suck, it's perfectly usable.
Hangouts dialer should also work over a cellular data connection with Fi (or any other US cell carrier) in countries where they have coverage even if Hangouts normally doesn't make phone calls there because the cellular data routes back through the US.
Dec 7, 2016, 7:20 pm
#399
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: n.y.c.
Posts: 13,988
Just got an email from Project Fi, the kind I usually ignore, with the subject
Happy Holidays from Project Fi
but it was worth opening since I got $10 in Google Play credit from following the link and playing some silly game where you have to click on items on the screen after given some clues.
Keep an eye out for it and good luck!
Happy Holidays from Project Fi
but it was worth opening since I got $10 in Google Play credit from following the link and playing some silly game where you have to click on items on the screen after given some clues.
Keep an eye out for it and good luck!
Dec 8, 2016, 6:16 am
#400
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,947
Just got an email from Project Fi, the kind I usually ignore, with the subject
Happy Holidays from Project Fi
but it was worth opening since I got $10 in Google Play credit from following the link and playing some silly game where you have to click on items on the screen after given some clues.
Keep an eye out for it and good luck!
Happy Holidays from Project Fi
but it was worth opening since I got $10 in Google Play credit from following the link and playing some silly game where you have to click on items on the screen after given some clues.
Keep an eye out for it and good luck!
but outside the US, so I wonder if that's throwing it off.Fi/T-mobile service has been pretty good this trip -- cruising to Aruba, Curaçao, Cartagena, Panama, Costa Rica. Have generally had signal on land (or even close to it
) except in more remote places, and H or LTE most of that time.
Dec 8, 2016, 6:40 am
#401
Moderator, Amtrak & Spirit Airlines
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: EWR :rolleyes:
Programs: AC 50K, AS MVP, AA Plat Pro, DL Plat, UA Silver, IHG Spire, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 9,634
I just got a 10 dollar Play Store credit from the holiday game.
Worth checking it out.
I have had Google Fi for about 6 weeks or so. Managed to visit two countries that aren't on the list. Marshall Islands and Micronesia. Got a message from the Fi app when I landed that basically said sorry no service here.
I had a nice 4g connection in the Philippines, and good service on both Trinidad and Tobago. It really is great to have to worry about international data roaming anymore.
Worth checking it out.
I have had Google Fi for about 6 weeks or so. Managed to visit two countries that aren't on the list. Marshall Islands and Micronesia. Got a message from the Fi app when I landed that basically said sorry no service here.
I had a nice 4g connection in the Philippines, and good service on both Trinidad and Tobago. It really is great to have to worry about international data roaming anymore.
Dec 13, 2016, 11:54 am
#402
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,947
I noticed also in the app that there's now a refer-a-friend credit for of $20 each for both the referer and the referee, which is timely for me as after our experiences on the cruise a friend of mine is very interested in signing up now
maybe we can start a FT conga or something.
Dec 14, 2016, 8:09 am
#404
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,947
Pretty well it seems. You have to activate service in a supported phone but then you can switch the SIM card to another phone.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ProjectFi/c..._in_an_iphone/
http://www.provideocoalition.com/use...-consequences/
Do a search inside this thread only for "iphone" for some experiences:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...l#post26972499
https://www.reddit.com/r/ProjectFi/c..._in_an_iphone/
http://www.provideocoalition.com/use...-consequences/
Do a search inside this thread only for "iphone" for some experiences:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...l#post26972499
Dec 22, 2016, 12:51 pm
#405
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: I 35 south bound, finally stopped
Programs: LT Plt, 4mm, *A GLD, burned out medical provider, executing our estate plan
Posts: 1,665
Data Point- in addition to a Tmo data only sim, I use Project Fi in a Nexus 6. It initially had some issues but when I did a factory reset, it has been perfect since (this was in Greece). Was just in Argentina, Buenos Aires and Ushuaia. It connected immediately, had LTE, in both cities, and phone calls were fantastic. Two gb of data has been working for me, but really their policy of billing for what is used makes it a no brainer to just buy 1 gb and use what you want.