Google’s MVNO wireless option, Project Fi, has found itself in the news more than a few times recently, especially with rumors suggesting the name was going to change and Google was planning on adding support for additional devices outside of the ones it sells directly.
Turns out all of those rumors were true! Google’s Project Fi is now officially known as Google Fi, and the MVNO now supports a host of new devices from manufacturers like Samsung and OnePlus. And yes, even Apple’s iPhone lineup is supported as well. Apple’s devices are supported in a beta, though, so there may be some growing pains.
There are some caveats. As expected, Google has to make some concessions with Project Fi’s features and the devices the network supports, along with the features that come along with it. Some handsets just won’t get the full Fi experience, as outlined by Google in today’s announcement:
“Some plan features will depend on the Android or iOS device you use. So if you’re looking for the full Google Fi experience, including Fi’s unique technology to seamlessly switch between multiple cellular networks, you can use a phone designed for Fi—like the Pixel 3, Moto G6, and any other phone available on the Google Fi website. These phones include special hardware and software to move effortlessly between Google Fi’s networks and provide you with even more security and reliability through Fi’s new enhanced network feature.“
These changes are in effect starting today, so start getting used to dropping that “Project” when you tell people which carrier you use. And to help celebrate the changes, Google is offering up different promotional offers, the best of which is up to $999 in travel gift cards. So when you buy a new phone, Google will dole out gift cards that are equal to the value of the phone.
If you buy the 128GB Pixel 3 XL, you can mix-and-match individual gift cards for services like Delta Airlines, Airbnb, Southwest Airlines, and Hotels.com, equal to $999. And if you bring over your own device, you can get up to $200 in Fi service credit.
So there you have it. A brand change, promo offers, better network features, and more devices supported. Are you thinking of switching to Google Fi now?
Sources: Google Fi, Google Blog, @GoogleFi
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