https://fi.google.com/about/
Pretty cool...definitely leaning towards canceling Verizon and making the move.
Pretty cool...definitely leaning towards canceling Verizon and making the move.
Google fi is giving out instant invites today
- Thread starter begranter
- Start date
Looking at the billing plans, it looks like there's no reason to sign up for anything but the minimum data, right? It looks like all data costs the same whether it's over/under your data plan total, but any data refund comes as a credit on your next bill whereas simply not paying for the higher data plan saves you money immediately.
Am I looking at that correctly, or am I misunderstanding something?
Am I looking at that correctly, or am I misunderstanding something?
You understand correctly.
Reasons not to do this -
1. If Sprint AND TMobile coverage sucks where you are and you make calls/data outside of wifi range.
or
2. You use a ton of data and have a plan that (perhaps grandfathered) is significantly better than $10 gb.
My bills are fluctuating between $28 and $33 per month incl all taxes and fees - I use a little less than a gig each month.
Reasons not to do this -
1. If Sprint AND TMobile coverage sucks where you are and you make calls/data outside of wifi range.
or
2. You use a ton of data and have a plan that (perhaps grandfathered) is significantly better than $10 gb.
My bills are fluctuating between $28 and $33 per month incl all taxes and fees - I use a little less than a gig each month.
InsideTheParker said:
Invites were sent out sporadically previously - I waited a few months for mine. That's when the plan was only available on Nexus 6. With new phones now supporting the plan, they're making access easier. I'm sure soon enough you won't need an invite at all.
Monbo Jumbo said:
One other factor that may apply to some current T-Mobile customers. I *assume* that their inclusion of free international data/text doesn't carry over to Fi, so if you travel a fair amount and take advantage of that it's something to consider. It's keeping me from switching.
Monbo Jumbo said:
Yeah you can also call from Wifi abroad using the hangouts app for cheap (free to the US from many countries). I don't think international should really be a deterrent. Really the only downsides right now are 1) having to purchase a Nexus 5x or 6 if you don't already have one and 2) having to cancel any contract you may have with a current provider. My family was planning on dropping Verizon soon anyway...my brother and his grandfathered unlimited data is going to be pissed, but it's going to be better for everyone else.
Somehow I missed that international data was the same price as domestic. Baller.
So I'm currently T-mobile, paying $90 a month for unlimited data. I use between 8 and 12 GB a month, but I don't make any effort to be on WiFi (I rarely ever turn on Wifi, actually) because LTE has been so fast. So I could shape data to be much lower.
Really the only thing stopping me is the phones. I want the guts of the 6p at the size of the 5x. Then again, if they hadn't gimped their normal sized phone I would have bought it already, and used my existing SIM card.
edit: Fuck it: I can sell it if I don't like it. 6p purchased. It won't ship for a few weeks, so I have plenty of time to stock up on JNCOs that the phone will fit into.
So I'm currently T-mobile, paying $90 a month for unlimited data. I use between 8 and 12 GB a month, but I don't make any effort to be on WiFi (I rarely ever turn on Wifi, actually) because LTE has been so fast. So I could shape data to be much lower.
Really the only thing stopping me is the phones. I want the guts of the 6p at the size of the 5x. Then again, if they hadn't gimped their normal sized phone I would have bought it already, and used my existing SIM card.
edit: Fuck it: I can sell it if I don't like it. 6p purchased. It won't ship for a few weeks, so I have plenty of time to stock up on JNCOs that the phone will fit into.
Stores should have the two new phones as of today, right? The only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger is that I want to see how the 5x actually feels in my hand before dropping a few hundred bucks on it.
Overall though, i'm not seeing a downside. If the service sucks, I can just switch to another provider, and I'm going to upgrade from my cracked Galaxy S4 to a brand new Nexus and still chop off $20-$30 a month on my bill.
Overall though, i'm not seeing a downside. If the service sucks, I can just switch to another provider, and I'm going to upgrade from my cracked Galaxy S4 to a brand new Nexus and still chop off $20-$30 a month on my bill.
No - stores won't have it yet - the 6p doesn't ship for a bit yet, and the 5x is only on the Google online store. Other carriers will get them eventually, but not sure that any have announced it yet.
I requested an invite last week and was pleasantly surprised when it came through today. I'll be getting a 6p and ditching VZW.
I was all excited to switch, got my invite this morning... but then digging in, this is just about what I pay Verizon. $5 more per line and about $0.50 more per GB.
Other than not paying for unused data, is there reason to switch?
Other than not paying for unused data, is there reason to switch?
So, if I'm reading this correctly I can continue to pay ATT $100 for 3 gigs and unlimited call/text, while my wife and I continue to use our crappy free iPhone 4s.
Or, I can switch to Google Fi, get a brand new Nexus 5 with 3 gigs, unlimited call/text and pay about $100.
And I'm guaranteed cell service at home because it will run off of my WiFi. Am I missing something or is this going to totally change how cell phones work?
Or, I can switch to Google Fi, get a brand new Nexus 5 with 3 gigs, unlimited call/text and pay about $100.
And I'm guaranteed cell service at home because it will run off of my WiFi. Am I missing something or is this going to totally change how cell phones work?
ThePrideofShiner said:
You need to shell out $$ for the new Nexus phones.
But yeah, if your cell service is shitty at your house, it's a huge plus for everything to default to wifi first.
Google believes that data should be priced like other utlities, such as electricity. Your bill is for how much you use. Unused data is a profit center for cell carriers.
Monbo Jumbo said:
Based on the price list on the website, I can get the Nexus 5 for $15 per month.
So, Fi Basics plus 2 GB of data plus the phone is: $45.79 each.
That is crazy.
I pulled the trigger on the 5X this evening. Should have it in about a week or so. I was planning to ride that Galaxy S4 into the ground, but if Google wants to come along and improve my service, give me a brand spanking new phone, and chop $20 off my bill every month, who am I to argue? Thanks for answering the questions Monbo.
I pulled the trigger on the 6 for both my wife and I just now. Will be $94 a month, so $6 less than I'm paying ATT. And brand new phones.
Thanks for starting this thread, as I've never heard about this before now!
Thanks for starting this thread, as I've never heard about this before now!
I think you're off by $10.ThePrideofShiner said:
Fi Basics = $20
2GB = $20
Phone = $15.79
$55.79 per month.
Tangled Up In Red said:
Oh, I meant 2 GB total ... so 1 GB per phone. It's kind of confusing that you can't do family plans.
Been on it a couple of months. I live where there is no service but Verizon (lakes region - NH), and I was coming off of ATT. I get most of my calls and texts on the WiFi wherever I am, so the cell service hasn't been an issue. Sprint/T-mobile tend to work anywhere there's civilization and there tends to be WiFi wherever else I go.
My first bill was $31. My second bill was $27.
It also came with a real nice battery backup. Decent capacity, too. Enough to charge my phone more than once. and a 2.1A charging port so it's like charging from an outlet, not a PC USB port. I pretty much only use it to chrage my PS4 controller, but still, nice little bonus.
Definitely worth it if you can do it.
My first bill was $31. My second bill was $27.
It also came with a real nice battery backup. Decent capacity, too. Enough to charge my phone more than once. and a 2.1A charging port so it's like charging from an outlet, not a PC USB port. I pretty much only use it to chrage my PS4 controller, but still, nice little bonus.
Definitely worth it if you can do it.
Just got a notice that my 5x should arrive next Wednesday. I was approved on the Fi instant invite but still haven't gotten notice that the SIM card has shipped yet.
SumnerH said:
It's not entirely clear from the email they sent, but it looks like on the Order Status page that both are being shipped together, at least in my case. They both show the same tracking number. I'm getting mine Tuesday.
mg-girl:
I had already pre-ordered the phone so they're in separate orders. :-/Hendu for Kutch said:It's not entirely clear from the email they sent, but it looks like on the Order Status page that both are being shipped together, at least in my case. They both show the same tracking number. I'm getting mine Tuesday.
Is everyone who is signing up for this dropping Sprint / T-Mobile?
I'm contemplating signing up (if I get an invite, I put in for one a few days ago) but I'd be dropping Verizon who has fantastic coverage in my area so I'm wary to drop them. In addition I assume that if I decided I didn't like Google Fi that phone wouldn't work on Verizon's network so I'd have to buy another phone at that point, is that right? I'm out of contract with Verizon and about to sign up again on their newer type of plan whre I pay a little each month for the phone.
I'm contemplating signing up (if I get an invite, I put in for one a few days ago) but I'd be dropping Verizon who has fantastic coverage in my area so I'm wary to drop them. In addition I assume that if I decided I didn't like Google Fi that phone wouldn't work on Verizon's network so I'd have to buy another phone at that point, is that right? I'm out of contract with Verizon and about to sign up again on their newer type of plan whre I pay a little each month for the phone.
Phones purchased from the Google store will work on all networks. While I was waiting for my Fi invite, my old HTC died. I bought the Nexus 6 from the Google store and activated it on Sprint for a few weeks until my invite came through.
caveat - Verizon may not have sim cards for new Nexus phones yet until the phones are released on Verizon.
caveat - Verizon may not have sim cards for new Nexus phones yet until the phones are released on Verizon.
http://www.androidheadlines.com/2015/10/activated-verizon-sims-work-on-nexus-5x-6p.htmlrembrat said:
Verizon new activations don't work with nexus phones.
I thought Verizon had a different type of 4g network so it wouldn't work, but I admit to only barely understanding this stuff.
I'm switching from Verizon, too, but I'm not terribly worried about coverage in most populated parts of New England. If it's a complete failure I don't really want to go back to Verizon anyway, so I'd probably go to Cricket or something.
Cellar-Door said:
That's not really a problem, if you want to switch to Verizon you just get the cheapest phone they offer and move the SIM into your Nexus.
steeplechase3k said:
Switching from AT&T. The Wifi calling is a big part of the appeal; if you're on wifi, you have coverage regardless of sprint/T-mobile (and around here Sprint's pretty good anyway).
steeplechase3k said:
I'm in this same boat. I'm part of a family plan where I'm paying around $38/month for 2 GB of data and unlimited everything else, but my mom is getting gouged and is paying ~$80/month for a basic phone (no data) while my brother is paying ~$45/month for grandfathered unlimited data. I guess Verizon offered to make the bill $120/month total with 8GB of shared data, which should be more than enough for my brother and me. When I got the invite I also had this response
mg-girl: but I'm not sure if the downgrade in network is worth it at this point.
The number porting was painless: entered my old number, account number, billing name/address, and last 4 of SSN. Immediately received a message saying the port was in progress and could take up to 1-2 business days, and then 30 seconds later received another message saying the port was done--texts/phone immediately worked on the new Nexus 5x and the old phone showed the "Invalid SIM, only emergency calls" message.
The fingerprint scanner is fantastic, that's one of the things I missed most on the LG G2 (it was present on my old Motorola Atrix). So far it seems accurate and the positioning's even easier than the Atrix.
I forgot how much the stock Google keyboard sucks; Swiftkey fixed that.
The fingerprint scanner is fantastic, that's one of the things I missed most on the LG G2 (it was present on my old Motorola Atrix). So far it seems accurate and the positioning's even easier than the Atrix.
I forgot how much the stock Google keyboard sucks; Swiftkey fixed that.
The new, fast chargers on phones make battery life a less critical spec for most people now, IMO.
Battery life is still important when you're away from convenient charging. And the hype about the charging speed on these phones is overblown; I just took my 5x from 61% to 95% with 40 minutes of charge time (using the bundled fast charger); that's fine, but it's not any faster than my old phone charged--maybe even slightly slower.Monbo Jumbo said:
So the service seems great, but the phone is a little iffy. It's down to 46% battery now even being pretty locked down, when the G2 would've never been under 75% by now. Flip side is that I'm saving $60 a month, but the battery life is sketchy for sure.
Also even one week with the new phone has made it painfully obvious that quick-charging is no substitute for battery life; now I either need to plug it in at work or when I get home, or face being at a low-ish charge and possibly having an issue late at night. That means that either when I'm at work or when I get home and am sitting watching TV at night or making dinner, I don't have the phone for note-taking, IMDB or recipe purposes.
It's technically a brief thing, but when you're used to having the phone with you whenever you're awake it makes a little bit of a difference. It's not earth-shatteringly bad, it's just noticeable, and even the fastest charging in the world is no substitute for having a phone that never dips below 75% when you're awake unless you miss a night of charging while you sleep.
It's technically a brief thing, but when you're used to having the phone with you whenever you're awake it makes a little bit of a difference. It's not earth-shatteringly bad, it's just noticeable, and even the fastest charging in the world is no substitute for having a phone that never dips below 75% when you're awake unless you miss a night of charging while you sleep.