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Google Fi: Anyone care to post their experience?

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Old Sep 3, 2017, 5:37 am
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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:
  • 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 547 Belize now appears on the "supported" international list
If you are having trouble connecting, level 1 Fi reps recommend you try the following steps before they will escalate. Try each step in the order listed below to see if it fixes your issue - if not, move on to next step.

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.
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Google Fi: Anyone care to post their experience?

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Old Mar 6, 2019, 10:20 pm
  #946  
 
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Yeah, my email arrived today too.
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Old Mar 6, 2019, 11:27 pm
  #947  
 
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When on pause do calls go to hangouts?

I just read that someone said on reddit that when they paused their account they still got calls on hangouts. Does anyone know if this is common - and if so would that apply to texts (sms) as well? (Actually I don't even know how to get texts in hangouts since the chat function seems to require someone to accept an "invitation" even if they are already on hangouts?)
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 3:53 am
  #948  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
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Originally Posted by estnet
I just read that someone said on reddit that when they paused their account they still got calls on hangouts. Does anyone know if this is common - and if so would that apply to texts (sms) as well? (Actually I don't even know how to get texts in hangouts since the chat function seems to require someone to accept an "invitation" even if they are already on hangouts?)
Just tried calling my paused Fi line. I got a pleasant voice telling me that "we could not complete your call. please try again." I texted it and the SMS disappeared into the ether--it wasn't received nor was an error returned.

Hangouts is confusing. If you turn SMS integration on, you can use it to send SMS/MMS in addition to Hangouts messages. You can turn it on in Hangouts' settings for the account linked to your Fi number, just flip the "incoming messages" toggle and hit OK to the popup asking if you want to integrate SMS into hangouts. Then, when you hit the little + to compose a new message, one of your options will be "new SMS". Text conversations show up in the Hangouts inbox mixed in with your Hangouts messages (if any); you can tell them apart because the circular icon for the contact will have a little blue "SMS" on it.
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 7:33 am
  #949  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
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I got my $600 service credit for Black Friday Price Protection. I noticed that this is different than the $200 service credit from the phone. The $200 can only be used toward Fi service. The $600 applies to the phone's installments. So now my monthly bill will be $0 for the next 10/11 months! And I pay was the tax for the Pixel 3 XL and first 2 months Fi bill. Best deal ever!
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Old Mar 7, 2019, 1:56 pm
  #950  
 
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Originally Posted by der_saeufer
Just tried calling my paused Fi line. I got a pleasant voice telling me that "we could not complete your call. please try again." I texted it and the SMS disappeared into the ether--it wasn't received nor was an error returned.

Hangouts is confusing. If you turn SMS integration on, you can use it to send SMS/MMS in addition to Hangouts messages. You can turn it on in Hangouts' settings for the account linked to your Fi number, just flip the "incoming messages" toggle and hit OK to the popup asking if you want to integrate SMS into hangouts. Then, when you hit the little + to compose a new message, one of your options will be "new SMS". Text conversations show up in the Hangouts inbox mixed in with your Hangouts messages (if any); you can tell them apart because the circular icon for the contact will have a little blue "SMS" on it.
Thanks I find Hangouts confusing and thought that when I paused my Fi hangouts would be unusable b/c it is the same number. I found the place to turn on sms
  1. Under “Google Fi calls and SMS,” check the box next to “Messages” and confirm
Once you do this, your text messages and voicemail will sync across Hangouts everywhere, including: Gmail chat, Chrome desktop app, Android phone or tablet, iPhone or iPad, Inbox by Gmail, or the Chrome extension."
I don't get a lot of texts so I don't know if this actually works - but according to what I've read when I pause it should turn everything off - but a reddit post said it didn't for one person. I guess I'll find out when I pause it next week.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 3:43 am
  #951  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEL
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Originally Posted by estnet
Thanks I find Hangouts confusing and thought that when I paused my Fi hangouts would be unusable b/c it is the same number. I found the place to turn on sms
  1. Under “Google Fi calls and SMS,” check the box next to “Messages” and confirm
Once you do this, your text messages and voicemail will sync across Hangouts everywhere, including: Gmail chat, Chrome desktop app, Android phone or tablet, iPhone or iPad, Inbox by Gmail, or the Chrome extension."
I don't get a lot of texts so I don't know if this actually works - but according to what I've read when I pause it should turn everything off - but a reddit post said it didn't for one person. I guess I'll find out when I pause it next week.
Let us know if it does work... I have Hangouts integration enabled on my Fi account, and it definitely does not work while paused--you can "send" messages but they go nowhere, and messages sent to that number are not received nor is an error message returned to the sender. Given Fi's track record I wouldn't be at all suprised if they either didn't actually pause that user's service or somehow paused his/her billing without pausing the service itself.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 1:02 pm
  #952  
 
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Originally Posted by der_saeufer
Let us know if it does work... I have Hangouts integration enabled on my Fi account, and it definitely does not work while paused--you can "send" messages but they go nowhere, and messages sent to that number are not received nor is an error message returned to the sender. Given Fi's track record I wouldn't be at all suprised if they either didn't actually pause that user's service or somehow paused his/her billing without pausing the service itself.
Sure - but so far the Hangouts integration for sms definitely doesn't work - I get and can send texts from Hangouts out my computer but TEXTS to me DO NOT APPEAR on my phone unless they are sent from my phone and texts I send or receive on hangouts on the phone don't appear on the computer - so no integration at all just two separate but parallel systems???????
Note I am not using a "made for Fi" phone so don't know if that matters.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 2:28 pm
  #953  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
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Originally Posted by estnet
Sure - but so far the Hangouts integration for sms definitely doesn't work - I get and can send texts from Hangouts out my computer but TEXTS to me DO NOT APPEAR on my phone unless they are sent from my phone and texts I send or receive on hangouts on the phone don't appear on the computer - so no integration at all just two separate but parallel systems???????
Note I am not using a "made for Fi" phone so don't know if that matters.
I have a Pixel 3XL and it seems to work perfectly. I can send and receive SMS from computer (Gmail Chat) and on the Hangout app on the Pixel.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 4:54 pm
  #954  
 
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I too have the Pixel 3 XL and turned it on for a day. Texts went to my computer and if I had logged Hangouts into that account on my Pixel it probably would also have worked but texts didn't otherwise go to my phone which was a bit annoying to figure out. I'm back to the standard texting operation for now.

Originally Posted by estnet
Sure - but so far the Hangouts integration for sms definitely doesn't work - I get and can send texts from Hangouts out my computer but TEXTS to me DO NOT APPEAR on my phone unless they are sent from my phone and texts I send or receive on hangouts on the phone don't appear on the computer - so no integration at all just two separate but parallel systems???????
Note I am not using a "made for Fi" phone so don't know if that matters.
Originally Posted by Need
I have a Pixel 3XL and it seems to work perfectly. I can send and receive SMS from computer (Gmail Chat) and on the Hangout app on the Pixel.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 5:50 pm
  #955  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
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Originally Posted by Need
I have a Pixel 3XL and it seems to work perfectly. I can send and receive SMS from computer (Gmail Chat) and on the Hangout app on the Pixel.
I"m not sure we're talking about the same thing? I have one number that I use for my Fi account (it is the same number on hangouts -don't use gmail chat unless that is the same as hangouts chat).
The description says if I send a text from phone or hangouts on my computer it should all sych eg if I send (or receive text) from my phone (thru messages) I should see the same thing on my phone text as I see on computer in hangouts - but I don't I see what I sent only on the format it was sent and not on the other.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 6:15 pm
  #956  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 916
I signed up for Google Fi information ,but not an account about a month ago ,
Today I got an offer for a free month,

So if you are a little interested this might work for you to try it out ,
They did want you to port a working number....

I am still on the fence as I only want the international data ,
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 6:21 pm
  #957  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
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Posts: 4,833
Okay I think I have it figured out - I thought they meant texts would synch across everything - but it appears that it synches only in hangouts on the various devices. Since hangouts is not my default text app - the texts do not show up in messages (default app). They operate as separate entities - I thought text was text but I was wrong.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 9:29 pm
  #958  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,784
Originally Posted by estnet
Okay I think I have it figured out - I thought they meant texts would synch across everything - but it appears that it synches only in hangouts on the various devices. Since hangouts is not my default text app - the texts do not show up in messages (default app). They operate as separate entities - I thought text was text but I was wrong.
Yeah you have to have hangout as your default SMS message app on the phone with Fi service. I don't use hangout app on PC, but I check Gmail all the time and in Gmail, there is a Chat box in there and all your hangout messages will pop up there including Fi voicemail transcripts. I could also start a Chat and type in a phone number to send SMS and receivers will see it as if I send the txt from my phone.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 9:42 pm
  #959  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,784
One thing you will need to be aware is that if you use hangout as your default SMS app, Google stores everything... and I think forever. I had been using hangout as my default SMS app since 2 phones ago and when I was on AT&T. On the PC browser GMAIL chat app, I could see every single SMS conversions back years and years.
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Old Mar 8, 2019, 9:43 pm
  #960  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: bay area, ca
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Posts: 4,833
Originally Posted by Need
Yeah you have to have hangout as your default SMS message app on the phone with Fi service. I don't use hangout app on PC, but I check Gmail all the time and in Gmail, there is a Chat box in there and all your hangout messages will pop up there including Fi voicemail transcripts. I could also start a Chat and type in a phone number to send SMS and receivers will see it as if I send the txt from my phone.
Thanks, thought I had it figured out but I just got a text in hangouts from someone I had only texted with thru messages????? And it appeared hours after it was sent - color me completely confused.
Thanks for the info on chat - I thought I had to go to hangouts - neat shortcut
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