Google Fi Rolls Out eSIM support for Existing iOS Subscribers

[rui no onna]

This isn’t entirely accurate. T-Mobile and Sprint both offer free unlimited 2G data in pretty much every country in the world. In all my time spent abroad since I’ve had T-Mobile, which collectively add up to multiple months, the free 2G data has been perfectly sufficient for basic web browsing, looking up maps, getting public transportation directions, or requesting an Uber. If, for whatever reason, I need full speed LTE I can always log in to my T-Mobile account and have it in 30 seconds by paying $5 for the day, $35 for 10 days or $50 for the month. I’ve only ever found myself using that a handful of times though.

This is one advantage with Google Fi. Their international roaming is high speed.

That said, I find even the $5/day, $50/month too expensive particularly for a family.

Our usual overseas travel is to the Philippines to visit relatives. With local SIMs, $50 is enough to get prepaid service for one month for 4 people. A 7-day prepaid promo with unlimited text + unlimited call to same network + 3GB data (w/rollover) + 1GB/day for videos, social media and gaming is only $2.50.

Now that I actually have a dual SIM iPhone (SE 2020), Wi-Fi Calling on the US line (probably on eSIM) + data on local SIM seems pretty ideal. We do need the local number to contact friends and family anyway.

 

[Brian Y]

What's the rest of the world pay? I'm paying about $35/month for unlimited everything for the phone and 20GB hotspot data.

It's quite common here to get unlimited everything, including worldwide international roaming for £18-20/month.

Other networks (EE for example), tend to be faster and are a bit more expensive, but even then I was only paying £30/month for unlimited everything, roaming in the EU and US/Canada/Aus and NZ.

 

[Victor Mortimer]

My point was that they offer the service to US residents...

So sign up while in the US or use a VPN with a US endpoint to sign up for it. Not a real problem.

 

[Brian Y]

I hope this will be available for visitors to the US. I recently visited and I was able to get a SIM at the airport but it was very expensive for not much data. It'd be great to be able to arrange something before travelling rather than worrying about having to find a SIM card there.

If you're from the UK, pick up a 3 pay as you go sim and activate it before you leave!

 

[hallux]

So sign up while in the US or use a VPN with a US endpoint to sign up for it. Not a real problem.

Just don't complain and tell people not to use the service when your account is dumped for violating the ToS when Google finds out. Also - there's the issue of the billing address and that the same ToS also dictate it's for PRIMARY USE IN THE US! Yes, people HAVE been kicked off the service, some losing their number, for violating this...

 

[ChromeAce]

Spent many days trying to get a Google Fi number working as a physical SIM in my dual-SIM iPhone last year and it never worked. I finally found out on my own it’s not compatible with a G-Suite account.

 

[tyr2]

If you're from the UK, pick up a 3 pay as you go sim and activate it before you leave!

This is exactly what I did, but when I got to the USA it turns out Hotspot doesn't work on PAYG SIM's, which they neglected to mention when I bought it and also is not mentioned on their website.

The support guy said that hotspot only works on a contract sim, they refused a refund and offered a partial credit, I ended up throwing the SIM in the bin and bought a local one from a store in the airport. 20 quid down the drain.