[JohnCurran]

Does anyone use Google Fi currently and can speak to the quality of the service? How does it perform while traveling, does it become spotty if you leave a major metro area, do you experience dropped calls, any data throttling?

[pa7ch]

Its a great service in that regard. I've traveled the US fulltime including remote camping and hiking with Fi for a year and it did great.

The plans are a bit expensive and I don't like how when you run out of unlimted data it becomes unusabley throttled for even basic browsing.

This new plan is a complete disappointment because I was often torn between the $20 + $10/GB (too expensive per GB IMO) and the $70 for 22GB 'unlimited'. Now they offer $60 for 22GB but no tethering. I'd rather have the old unlimited still and I was tired of guessing which months I'd have little data use so I could switch to a cheaper plan. Many times I guessed wrong and paid $80. Other months I picked unlimited and used only 1.5GB.

I like Fi. I like how easy it is to manage via the app. Changing plans is easy, e-sim is great. I think i'm switching to visible or mint though after a few years of Fi. $10/GB doesn't make sense and $70 unlimited is just a bit too uncompetitive despite Fi being a nice provider otherwise.

[mdasen]

Google Fi is now just T-Mobile service given that Sprint and T-Mobile have merged.

T-Mobile's network has gotten quite good, but there will be areas where Verizon or AT&T are better (and there are areas where T-Mobile is better). T-Mobile is still integrating the Sprint network, but when they're done in around 12-18 months they'll have significantly more towers than competitors. They likely will still be working on expanding into some more rural areas, but within their footprint they should be very strong. T-Mobile will also have more spectrum which means more reliable service since there's more capacity.

Google Fi is upfront about data throttling. At 22GB, you'll drop down to 256kbps. The plan is really a 22GB plan that doesn't have overage charges.

[caturopath]

I've used it for ~5 years.

I feel like I'm always the one with service in a group when we're out in the boonies, though Verizon folks definitely have their moments.

Dropped calls happen sometimes, I guess, I wouldn't say it's worse than cell service in general. One big annoyance is that my phone defaults to calling over wifi, so leaving home after starting a call basically requires hanging up and recalling. I think you can turn this off.

Data always seems fast, but I never hit their billing cap.

MMS fails silently sometimes. This includes group texts.

[corytheboyd]

It worked well enough when I landed in Bangkok a couple years ago. I ended up buying a SIM card for the trip anyway for the better speeds, but I probably could have gotten away with just fi.

That being said I ended up switching off of it to visible to save money (I hardly use data, don’t care that’s it’s much slower). I will say, the extrication was fucking terrible. They kept charging me after canceling, I would complain, chat was slow awful and unresponsive. They kept fucking up for months, and would authorize new charges when trying to fix it. I started issuing charge backs instead. It’s resolved now but damn, keep that in mind, you’re still dealing with Google support (or lack thereof)

[robertha]

I've done a lot of road trips with it around the US for a few years now--it gets really spotty outside of larger towns. On the other hand, it's great to get off a plane in a different country and have a working connection to the internet.

[reustle]

I used it for many years as a "digital nomad" and it never let me down. Totally reasonable speeds in most countries.

The biggest pain was not being able to modify my account in any way without being in the US.

[gordon_freeman]

Google Fi auto-switches to use wi-fi or cell network to even receive normal phone calls. I suspect this technology is not perfect and because of that I've faced lots of issues when someone tries to call me but I never get ring on my end and after a few seconds I see a missed call from that person. That's super frustrating to deal with.

[lowercase1]

Coverage is pretty good. It is great for traveling abroad as it just works in most countries.

However I'm looking to leave because Google's terrible handling of Hangouts which many used for SMS messaging. Hangouts also allowed phones calls on computers, a feature I will miss.

[axaxs]

You can still use voice for these things. It's not hangouts, but it does work great.

[justicezyx]

For data roaming inside mainland China, it was smooth, just works. It also has the implicit benefit of being able to access censored website without installing VPN apps.

No idea on other parts, I doesn't make much phone calls.

[ab_testing]

I used to use it and when it just used Sprint network. It was good with just the Sprint. network for my use case. Now Sprint and TMobile networks are merged - so theoretically it should be better .

[8ytecoder]

Fi uses TMobile/Sprint + US Cellular. They are an MVNO. I don’t think they support WiFi calling on iPhone - deal breaker for those with bad coverage at home/work.

[rumblefrog]

Afaik, Google Fi utilizes networks operated by T-Mobile (Sprint is merging), and U.S. Cellular depending on GSM or CDMA.

So expect your coverage to be of those.

[albertshin]

perhaps the most "non-metro" areas I've used it in has been the outskirts of Oaxaca, Mexico and Engelberg, Switzerland and I had no issues at all with coverage.

as expected, slight delay when you switch countries (and thus carriers). it also gets a little confused at the borders of Switzerland/Germany.

[kryogen1c]

family member uses it. i can remember 2-3 times in the past year where SMS failed - random delivery order and time, for ~an hour at a time. i cant remeber that happening with non-google SMS... ever.

[albertshin]

I can confirm this... happened when texting to US from Korea a few times last summer. the message just ... disappeared?