I am a huge Google Fi fan. I have been a customer since last August and have used them in many countries around the world. When they launched the data only SIM last year also, that opened the path to “officially” use devices other than the Google only devices. It works perfectly for me as I dropped it in my iPhone and have data on the go!
Google Fi Increases Speeds Around the World
Review: Google Project Fi Review
The one bad part was the fact that it was restricted in speeds. It was capped (officially, though some people mentioned they were getting 4G speeds) internationally (not the US) at 256Kbps. In the internet age we live, that is sloooowww! Still, some internet is better than nothing and I wasn’t streaming or anything like that so it was not a big deal.
Graphic from Official Android Blog
But, as of Tuesday, Google announced that their Google Fi program was now going to be upgraded to hit faster speeds around the world! That is tremendous news for those customers that enjoy paying a mere $10 per 1GB for data anywhere in the world. Here is what the announcement had to say about it:
Starting today, all Project Fi subscribers have access to high speed data in 135+ destinations. With the addition of Three to the Project Fi network, we’re now able to deliver speeds 10-20X faster than before. And, just as before, there are no extra fees for using data internationally – you pay the same $10/GB that you do at home.
I have tried out my Google Fi sims in Greece and am not yet seeing the increased speed so I am not sure if this is a staged rollout to the areas most frequented by Fi customers or not. Hopefully, I will get those faster speeds soon.
Review: Google Fi Data Sim with iPhone
If you are not on Google Fi yet, Google is running a promo for a week to take $150 off the Nexus 6P if you would like to get a quality smartphone to activate on Google Fi (you need a Google Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, or Nexus 6P to activate an account). See the details here.
Have you used Google Fi internationally this week? What are your speeds like?
Hi Charlie. So you can use other devices now BUT you have to have to have a Google Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, or Nexus 6P to activate? Contradictory? Thanks!
Yes, you can use anything with the system and Sim but you do need to activate it with one of those phones. I never use mine now, it just sits in a drawer. 🙂