What are /r/ProjectFi's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

SignalInfo is the original open-source version that the other apps are based on. No ads or in-app purchases.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mbmc.fiinfo

https://github.com/mbmc/FiInfo

if you compare the phones specs you'll see that the pixel 3 has an extra radio for the 600 mhz band which I beleive is for T-Mobile. It also supports a higher version of LTE advanced.

https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=9256&idPhone2=8733

Actually I just did this yesterday!

Buy this app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.lweber.hangouts_convert

Go to takeout.google.com and export your Hangout conversations. Then import them in and follow the instructions. The worst part is you HAVE to assign a phone number to each conversation even if they already have phone numbers. It took me about 45 minutes to do all the work yesterday. Then at the end it gives you a SMS backup and restore compatible file. Then use that app to import them into messages.

Yikes!! That is painful! ��

I highly recommend getting the Pro version of Signal Spy if you don't have it already so that something like this doesn't happen again. In addition to showing you network info, one of its newer features is stopping data from being used past a certain daily limit that you set. It's called "Data Saver" and you can find it in the app settings.

I have Private Internet Access and I don't believe my data usage has gone up. Perhaps it's your VPN application? I do find that when I move from wifi to cellular data that I basically have to turn the phone to airplane mode and back in order for the VPN application to configure correctly.

I had a 6P while I was on Fi. Although I did sometimes get logged in (and secured) by Google, it was very rare. I think it might have only been on hot-spots that Google had pre-designated(?)...stuff like Starbucks.

That said, I highly recommend the app WiFi Web Login for anyone on Fi. It will automatically log you in to most hotspots that have a "captive portal" (i.e. where you have to open a browser and click 'Connect'). The program worked great for me while I was still on Fi and was worth the couple of bucks I paid for it.

Also...since you're new to Fi, I'll just throw this out (you might already be aware)...if you have Comcast/Xfinity for home internet, they have an app that will log you in to all their hotspots. Other ISPs might as well--but the XFinity app actually worked really well for me on Fi and provided far more coverage than anything else. YMMV.

Most of my associates either only have a mobile phone or have a cable digital voice line but don't bother sharing its number or even plugging in a handset. None have changed their number since they moved from their hometown. I'm the only one I know with a number from my area code & exchange, therefore 100% of calls "coming" from my exchange are spam. Keeping a non-local number does have a downside as many older people refuse to pick up for out of area code callers.

Project Fi should introduce a call filtering webpage that lets you set rules such as: entries in contacts list and people I have called are low risk, numbers calling for the first time are marked as such when ringing, block numbers with same exchange but not in contacts, time of day, high risk calls are presented a CAPTCHA and dumped into voicemail if not passed.

Spam control is a cat and mouse game. Caller ID led to spammers and scammers to use "private caller," "blocked," "000-000-000." Anonymous call rejection was bypassed with number spoofing. Trust in same area code/exchange has been subverted by spoofing a number similar to the victim. Any end point based filtering will be one upped once popular. Until the PSTN is upgraded to make spoofing infeasible, foreign and domestic telcos are banned for carrying spam and/or spammers' revenue is choked off this problem won't be fully solved. Unfortunately I don't think we'll be seeing public key signed caller ID anytime soon and until the very last person upgrades (e.g. job interviews, hospitals that block CID) you can't stop using the old spammy technology. Nomorobo (a call filtering service) estimated that 1/3 of calls^1 to its users are spam! I don't know how representative that is of total call flows but no telco wants to give up even 1% of its revenue. Finally some countries don't care enough about their citizens scamming foreigners and refuse to extradite.

• Moto E4 - As /u/WanderingBuffal0 mentioned.
• Moto G5 Plus

They don't auto shift between carriers, but if you have solid T-Mobile signal near you, they work well with the Fi SIM cards.

Good holdovers till Pixel 2 or the new Fi compatible Moto.

Also - The Amazon versions work fine with Fi as well.

yeah, it seems to be really hit or miss with me. Like today it connected to my Church wifi (which I've done 100x) but told me WA was on, which was interesting.

But if you want your own VPN, please check out Private Internet Access (aka PIA). They're well loved on Reddit. I use them whenever I travel abroad and man, it's perfect everything.

You should assume they can see everything, same as any other ISP.

Use encrypted browsing. Use encrypted texts (i.e. Signal). That is how you protect your privacy. Not by trusting a company's privacy policy.

In lieu of Pushbullet, have you tried Join? Based on your post, I switched over to Messenger for a while, but I'll be using Join as my desktop replacement.

I regularly get great service from t-mobs while sprint tends to suck, most likely because of the MVNO QoS shit (thanks a lot sprint! I'll be sure to switch to your shitty service first when I get tired of PFi [lolnope])
Anyway, get this app. It's useful to see who you're connected to and just opening it usually reestablishes contact with that tower that isn't giving you data for no good reason.
This how I know sprint is usually the one fucking up.

For everyone else who doesn't know what Textra is and is curious:

>Comes with a bunch of great features, notably 100+ material design theme / bubble / app icon colors, dark mode, floating Lollipop style notifications, scheduled SMS & MMS, delayed sending (stop while sending), slide to delete / call, quick snap camera, multi-select picture gallery, quick reply popup, better MMS GROUP messaging, 800+ flat style emojis, voice notes, 21 text size options, SMS blocker / blacklisting and auto video compression. > >Plus 'oh so easy' default or per contact customization for bubble colors, signatures and notifications (icon color, led color, sound, custom vibrations, privacy, reminders and muting). > >Protection from Stagefright! Video messages can contain an exploit called Stagefright that can harm your phone. Textra SMS protects by ensuring new video messages can not automatically run the exploit.

Here is the Play Store link to the app.

Fi is great! I've switched to it from T-Mobile when I got my Pixel 2 XL. The savings and service have been great! I also recommend you check out Datally, an app by Google that saves you mobile data. It really helps keep costs down.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.freighter

> can install the GV app on the FI phone so that when people call the GV number it will ring through to the GV app

To my experience it doesn't work.

This is what works:

• download the Hangout Dialer App
• add the google account associated with the GV account to the Hangout App
• set it up so that Hangout rings when someone calls the GV number.
• you will have to use the Hangout App (and not the Dialer App) when receiving or placing calls using the GV number, and it will be VoIP so at times not that clear

According to https://support.google.com/googlehome/answer/7363847

> What happens when you reach a number that has a menu and says “press 2”? > Many telephony systems today support voice input to navigate a menu, so this shouldn’t be an issue. In addition, we're working on supporting touch-tone via voice but this is not currently supported.

So, right now it doesn't seem possible. Maybe use an app like this: Simply DTMF Tone Generator to play into the mic of the Home and trick it. (Note: I've never used that app and can't vouch for it personally.)

You can force t-mobile service with dialer codes, or an app:

http://www.clintonfitch.com/2016/01/the-mysterious-project-fi-dialer-codes/

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cheekydevs.fiswitch&hl=en

it won't be the same QOS though. Depending on congestion Fi is a bit slower than t-mobile (can be, not always) but it will give you a pretty good idea of what kind of coverage to expect.

I actually picked it up on sale at Best Buy, it's the Insignia™ - 6' RGB LED Light Strip but it looks like the online price is higher.

There's cheaper options online with more features, like this one from Amazon.

One thing I'll note is that even though the back of the strip has sticky tape , it doesn't hold well. I used cable staples to secure it to the back.

Not sure if you can do by calling customer care. But you can block numbers based on area code by using apps like truecaller...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.truecaller

Adding link on how to block using truecaller. https://www.google.com/amp/s/truecaller.blog/2015/06/02/truecaller-introduces-improved-spam-blocking-features/amp/

Thanks

I made a new post about this but automod said to move it here.

RCS doesn't work if you use a VPN service.

After checking several times a day since the announcement, I finally got Chat yesterday! But I was having some issues right off the bat. At first I figured it just has some bugs since it just came out. I also considered that because my girlfriend is on Verizon, maybe cross-carrier RCS messaging isn't perfect yet. But on further investigation, it seems that if you have any sort of VPN service running, it somehow messes with RCS functionality. I use Adguard, an ad blocker that runs as a VPN. As I was sending a test message, I noticed Adguard switch on in the background. Literally right before my eyes the message changed from Chat to SMS, as it was still sending! I also tested it out with NordVPN and Datally with the same results. I'm not sure why VPNs would mess with RCS service, but if you're having issues, this may be why.

If I understand correctly, you can only make calls on Android with apps, the default on the Pixel being the 'Phone' app (made by Google).

This is a great tip. Wifi Analysis will do this quickly on Android (free, great reviews) or if you want to get a bit more technical and generate a pretty map, try Ekahau Heatmapper on a laptop (free for non-commercial use).

FCC to the rescue: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samknows.fcc&hl=en

You can configure a data cap monthly for their speed test and it uses much less data per run. Disable the auto test feature.

You also need the v3 of the Google connectivity services app and then the VPN option will show in the fi app. I'm on p2xl and it showed immediately after updating. https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-connectivity-services/google-connectivity-services-f-3-0-00-5100686-release/

The only option to stop all ads is root. Some browsers have it built in for web browsing as well. You can technically connect to a proxy server which won't serve ads, but that's sometimes a tenuous thing to do. Adblock has an app for that, go here and read the small font.

Fortunately for us all, random apps do not have the ability to view and change what we're doing when using other parts of our phone. Rooting is very easy and once you're rooted it is simple to block all adds across all apps - that's my recommended way

Project Fi doesn't discuss future plans.

With that said the newly announced LG Q7 (which I think is the Androd One version) doesn't appear to have CDMA and XDA seems to think this is a T-Mobile only phone.

I am on Fi and live in Canada and what /u/Mdayofearth said is 100% correct. One way to get around the .20 cents a minute is to use Line while in Japan-- it is their most popular messaging app.

Yep. Just login to https://hangouts.google.com/ click the menu button at the top left, click Settings, and at the bottom under "Project Fi" check [X] Receive SMS and voicemail in Hangouts.

You can then sign into Hangouts with that account on any device (phone, tablet, PC) that supports hangouts and receive calls / SMS. Keep in mind that the contacts may not be synced, so the "from" may appear as the phone number.

Install and launch this: Signal Spy

Click on "Launch Dialer Codes"

Choose the carrier you want to switch to

magic.

Just treating the symptom, but you can use an app to stay switched to Sprint (or at least not have to type the code). You can use:

Paid: FiSwitch (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cheekydevs.fiswitch)

Free: SignalInfo (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mbmc.fiinfo)

Not sure about your location, but in my area both Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts require you to log in to their WiFi via a captive portal (i.e. a webpage where you have to hit "accept"). WiFi assistant doesn't do that. I use an app called WiFi Web Login that does log you in to hotspots that have a captive portal. Works flawlessly at places like Best Buy, Home Depot, Sam's Club, Starbucks, and Dunkin. YMMV.

Welcome! I signed up earlier this week! I would recommend downloading Signal Spy so you can view what network you are on.. Pretty neat little app!

You're sure you have Hangouts logged into your Fi account, yes? Have you tried installing Hangouts Dialer and dialing out from that to see if it goes through? If it doesn't even then, chances are something is blocking the Hangouts backend when you're trying to make a call.

Obviously not an optimal solution, but if you use Signal Spy ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.novvia.fispy&hl=en ) you can have a persistent notification with "T-Mobile", "Sprint", and "Auto" buttons that will let you one-click to change this.

Set up Google Authenticator or another TOTP compatible app. This method is superior to SMS delivery because codes are generated offline right on your phone; no cellular signal is necessary. Which is great when you are in a no signal area or out of the country (although Fi fixes the second problem). Print out the backup codes. I personally keep one copy on my person in case my phone is low on battery or stolen and another copy in a safe place if all my pocket stuff is lost or stolen.

Sign up to be a beta tester

Taken from another thread. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.novvia.fispy

Try that, I can dig up the beta invite link if you need it

Edit: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.novvia.fispy

There you go

Not sure if this link will work, but here is a comparison from GSMArena: https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=7556&idPhone2=9000#*,usa,*

Looks like it has all the 5X bands plus a few more for good measure.

Adguard is the only reason I can use Fi anxiety free.

Its "App Management" system allows you to explicitly allow/deny apps to use data/wifi in the foreground/background and you get the benefit of an Adblocker if you like.

I think they meant that if the message can't be sent via data, it'll fallback to SMS just for that message. It won't sync to other devices of course. The problem comes when receiving messages with Fi integration. By default, it'll receive them over data and if there is no data, it won't work. Perhaps one way to get around that is if Google Hangouts' servers realize that a message was sent to you and you never received it on the phone, it'll re-send it to you via SMS as a fallback. That one is probably harder to implement but it'd be cool regardless.

Another way Fi integration can work is messages are always sent and received via SMS regardless, however if there is a data connection, it syncs them to all of your devices running Google Hangouts. Kind of like MightyText, which syncs your messages, which were sent through the cell network and not data, to their servers via data/WiFi.

This would make the above scenario much more possible

I use signal voice and video calling nearly daily. Much better quality than hangouts video calls.

Add to that the fact that your calls on this app are actually private. Look at the list of endorsers at https://signal.org/ . These people are credible.

The 3 month pro deal is the same price as 12 months, and 3/6 is still more competitive than Fi. $35/mo for 8gb (non promotional 3 month) is something Fi can never touch.

Sometimes life happens and you need to use 6gb of data. And regarding the point of Fi:

If you use any small amount of data, republic wireless and a few others are cheaper

If you use moderate data, Mint, RW, Visible, Metro are better.

If you use lots of data, literally anything is better.

RE VPN and Hangouts integration - you can get a more secure VPN for a couple dollars a month through NordVPN or ProtonVPN. VPN also only exists on a few compatible phones. Hangouts integration is basically a "feature" where all your correspondence takes place on a platform with 2006 architecture and security standards. Signal, WhatsApp, even imessage are much better alternatives and have desktop support.

The only thing that's hard to beat is the seamless integration of international service into Fi. So the only reasonable use case is that of a frequent international traveler who prioritizes convenience, and/or an individual who uses a lot of data sims. This is a very real use case, but not a sustainable use case to base a business around.

If Fi were able to compete on cost ($20 base is very high, $0.01/mb is very high), then they would be the service to beat, as they're a well integrated service. They need to approach RW prices and they'll grow well.

Where I am near Knoxville, TN it never uses Sprint and when I have forced it on to Sprint with fi switch the the coverage here is terrible. I mostly bounce equally between TMO and USC. It is supposed to chose the best signal for data and in all my travels around the US and UK that has been the case. Internationally it is only TMO except in the UK. Data sim is only TMO no matter where you are. You are just in an area where it percieves Sprint as having the best chance for a good high speed data connection. If you want to test different carriers install fi switch and you can force it to the different carriers. It will also give you the actual signal strength since using the "bars" is inaccurate. Below is a link.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cheekydevs.fiswitch&hl=en_US

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidyou.wifiloginnew

I've used this for a few years now. Kind of ugly looking but works great to automatically sign you in to public WiFi hotspots.

AT&T sees it as you forwarding a call to a US number, and Project Fi will see it as receiving a call while abroad, which is a flat 20c/min fee, so in this instance Fi will be the one charging you. You can try installing Hangouts Dialer and enabling inbound calling in the settings to receive calls over data, therefore bypassing the 20c/min charge.

What carrier are you on when this happens, do you know? Have you tried switching to a different carrier and seeing if that helps?

If you don't have it already, Signal Spy helps switching between carriers easier.

Or. how about going through re-activation? Dialing *#*#34963#*#* (FIX ME) should cause Fi to re-activate service on your phone.

There are a couple of things I've seen regarding this.

First off, they do have a coverage map. Just gonna throw that at the top in case you're more rural than I'm thinking.

There is supposed to be a learning curve for network switching, according to Google. From the FAQ:

>When multiple carriers are available, Project Fi will move you to the network that our analysis shows will be fastest in your current location, whether that is 4G LTE, 3G, or 2G. We’re constantly learning and improving, to account for factors such as newly-built towers or newly-available radio frequencies. And if your current network is providing weak or no coverage, we’ll adjust in real time to find you a stronger connection.

Annoyingly, PLMN selection practice is still problematic with Fi. As I understand it, Fi won't switch to a better network, it will only switch to a new network when you lose all signal from the current one. Additionally, it will try to connect to networks it remembers first. Pretty dumb. I report this stuff through the Fi app, I encourage others to as well.

If you're okay with spending $1.99, there's a pretty highly-rated app called FiSwitch that lets you switch between networks by automating a lot of dialercode nonsense. It might be worth a look.

This is likely related to the app available for some Android devices which was automatically installed when upgrading to 7.1

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.helprtc

Sounds like Google is stepping up their Android support options

When I'm at work I find myself having to use Signal Spy to switch over to Sprint from T-Mobile. Quite often it won't switch automatically and I'll be on dead air even though Sprint gives me a few bars.

To be fair, that exact spot got me to move from Verizon as it was a dead zone for them too. Sprint gives me full LTE.

If you want to switch manually, download Signal Spy to your phone. It will show you what network you are currently on, as well as let you enter the dialer codes to change networks.

Also, you can go into Settings----> Data Usage and restrtict background data on the apps that you don't want using data. That or you can Install NetGuard which does the same thing, except one step further: completely blocks all data requests for apps, even when they're open.

Seconding the Signal recommendation. I use Hangouts for most things, but I am trying to bring more of my friends into Signal.

Over on slickdeals people seem to think that dailysteals refurbs are garbage. It sounds like they aren't manufacturer refurbs. YMMV.

But if you're willing to chance it, there are coupon codes on that page to bring down the price further.

ANYBODY THAT HAS BOUGHT A PHONE BOUGHT INITIALLY THROUGH PROJECT FI (GOOGLE) - You have to call them and ask them to deregister the phone. Because Sprint is part of the FI network it looks like the phone is already active on there. Takes 24-48 hours to happen once you open a ticket by calling 1-844-TALK-2FI. Source: https://slickdeals.net/f/10235008-one-year-of-free-unlimited-data-at-sprint-then-60-mo-for-line-1-40-mo-for-line-2-30-mo-line-for-lines-3-5?src=SiteSearch

I believe that TMobile has much higher speeds overall and in general, as well as much better coverage and service in general...

Source: https://opensignal.com/reports/2018/07/usa/state-of-the-mobile-network

There are many proven and reliable sources for this comparison, the above is just the most thorough.

/u/DanRyb is right, Fi isn't always the best financially depending on your usage needs. It is more about coverage and convenience; like traveling abroad internationally etc.

For the super financially constrained individual Ringplus promotion is the way. They have different ones weekly. Example: You can get 3000 min/txt/mb a month free! Downside is you are required to listen to ads when you call someone. Customer support is bare minimal but its free what else can you expect.

Tmobile has unlimited prepaid plans for $30. You get 5GB LTE, throttled after that, 100min and unlimited txt. This plan is cheaper than the simple choice because you don't certain benefits like roaming or international coverage.

There's also the fantastic Google Hangouts web UI now, which I've only recently discovered. https://hangouts.google.com/

I just pin the tab in chrome and use that, slightly more user-friendly than the chrome extension. Feels wonky for managing contacts though.

Download the Signal Spy app, click "Launch Dialer Codes", then click "Repair". The dialer code should now be in your clipboard, then paste the code into the phone's dialer area.

See if that works.

Alternatively, you can dial *#*#34963#*#* into your phone app. After it's done "repairing" give it a minute or 2 and it should connect to data.

If not, try again when outdoors, which I know sounds dumb, but I'm currently in Dubai, UAE, and even though I have LTE, for some reason the signal is bit weaker whenever I'm indoors.

>Why are you being so thick? He explained that it's a copy paste from somewhere else, so he clearly wasn't talking to you.

He replied to me...

>Second, he says very clearly the assumptions he made when explaining what is different about it.

There is no difference, except that he doesn't trust Google...

>Most people think of vpn's as encrypted traffic sent over foreign servers to avoid snooping. Google's VPN is not that. It's going to be faster just from a latency perspective, not to mention Google has faster network connects than some Podunk Polish VPN.

Most VPN providers have local servers, and automatically connect to them, that's what most people use or think of.

>Educated people are some of the thickest motherfuckers you come across because they think they're smarter than they are.

And my first question still hasn't been answered, but I've had VPN explained incorrectly to me and I've had your rude ass call me names. Fuck off dude, Google VPN is no different from NordVPN for all intents and purposes.

Being faster because Google has a bigger pipe or whatever is not a difference in the VPN, they're the same. Claiming that Google collects all your data with no evidence is NOT a difference. There is no difference, which was the original claim.

When you do connect to a Wi-Fi network, unless you specify otherwise, your MAC address will also be randomized - the same MAC address will not be used the next time you connect to this or any other network.

Check out Datally

Limits background data usage, and can display an onscreen overlay when off Wi-Fi with a count of data usage for that session.

Round icon on the right.

>I know about the airplane-mode -> enable wifi trick. It has some drawbacks such as having to remember to fiddle with it whenever you go somewhere or come back.

That's exactly why this can be automated. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nikhilparanjape.radiocontrol&hl=en You do need root, but that will let you set it to automatically go into airplane mode (with WiFi on) when connected to WiFi. Even has options to let Bluetooth continue to work.

Put yourself on the do not call list: https://www.donotcall.gov/

There is also an app called TrueCaller witch works similarly to "Google Suspects to be spam" but the reports are crowd sourced and it catches a lot more then google I find.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.truecaller&hl=en

Since I don't actually have tasker I use a free app to do the same thing.

I use Radio Control to force my phone into airplane mode when on WiFi. You can set certain SSIDs to not put your phone into airplane mode if you need to.

One way to do it is to exclusively use Hangouts Dialer instead of the stock blue dialer for your calls. It will always call out over WiFi or data, and therefore you wouldn't be charged 20c/minute for calls, just the standard Google Voice rates + whatever data you used, if you didn't have WiFi at the time.

Calls back to the US via Hangouts Dialer are free, so that would make calls so much cheaper than calling over the cellular network.

I had the same struggle with contacts with my aunt coming from her Galaxy S3 on Sprint to the 6P. This is what I finally worked, though there may be something easier.

1. On the Samsung phone install Solid Explorer https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.solidexplorer2

2. On Samsung phone open the Contacts app

3. Verify the missing contacts are here or we are barking up the wrong tree

4. In the contacts app press the menu button

5. Click settings

6. Click contacts

7. Click Import/Export contacts

8. Click Export to device storage

9. Open Solid Explorer

10. Scroll down and find the Contacts.vcf file

11. Long click it to select it

12. Click the menu button

13. Click the Share button

14. Click Drive (This is Google Drive)

15. Click save

16. On the new phone open the Contacts app

17. Click the menu button

18. Click Import from .vcf file

19. Select your Google account

20. Select Drive

21. Select My Drive

22. If you can't find the file click sort button and sort by date

23. Click the contacts file

24. It will import

I use an app called RadioControl. It does exactly what you are asking for (turn on airplane mode when connected to a wireless network). You have to be rooted to use it. It has worked flawlessly for me. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nikhilparanjape.radiocontrol&hl=en

In DC all the time, K Street, Dupont, NW, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, etc., etc., and it seems to favor T-Mobile which has been solid LTE greatness.

Underground it's not as good, it goes back and forth between Sprint and T-Mobile and if it stays on T-Mobile I sometimes get data between the tunnels. Mostly on the Orange line. Platforms are usually faster if you stick with T-Mobe.

Best bet is to get SignalSpy (neé FiSpy) and use the dialer to force one network when you're on the metro.

I use Radio Control to force my phone into airplane mode when on WiFi to save battery

For a little while I was experiencing a bug where I wasn't getting texts/calls but it has resolved.

LOL, Hey guys, this guy plays Clash of Clans! What a dweeb! Amirite?!

But seriously, I have a 6P as well, it's great. I really miss cyanogen mod but that's only a matter of time...

I would add SignalCheck to the list. It's great for seeing which network your on and also jogging Sprint's shitty network into giving you data when it's being a douchebag about it. In an LTE area but don't have it for some reason? Just open SignalCheck, it's faster then toggling airplane mode, and gives you a bunch of cool info too.

Also I'm guessing you haven't used Marshmallow yet. You won't need Shush! any longer, that functionality is baked into android now :D

If you use Authy, then your two-step codes can be backed up. If you don't want to use that, then just make sure you print out the backup codes or store them in a file on your computer. Depending on SMS doesn't work well when you factory reset, since (for me, anyway) I can't get SMS messages until after I've done the whole setup thing on the phone.

Personally, I use Authy, since they have a Chrome extension and you can get your codes there.

Download SignalCheck:

Lite: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blueline.signalchecklite&hl=en

Pro: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blueline.signalcheck&hl=en

As long as the device you're using has the bands that work best in the destination country, you're fine. The S10 seems to have all of the important ones.

Buying an "unlocked" phone means that you have the freedom to take it to any carrier, plug in a SIM and start talking/texting, so long as the carrier you're going into supports the phone's radio. It also doesn't have any carrier bloatware. An "international" version of a phone will usually come with an extra SIM slot so you can travel and still use the different radio bands that are used in other parts of the world. A "global" version is of a phone usually comes with more radio compatibility so the manufacturer can market to a greater audience.

The short of it all is that it looks like all versions of the Huawei P30 Pro support GSM, LTE, and HSPA radio bands. This means it will work with Fi, or if you want to jump to AT&T or T-Mobile at a later date you can, and the VOG-L09,or VOG-L04 (Global) versions of the P30 will do you just fine. If you plan to travel internationally, get the VOG-L29 (International) for the extra SIM slot.

​

Check out the spec sheet here: https://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_p30_pro-9635.php

It may be worth checking out this article. It is far from optimal but could get your phone working. http://hackaday.com/2017/03/21/fix-a-brick-fighting-the-nexus-5x-bootloop/

Mine bootlooped and I tried about everything under the sun to get it working. I wish I had seen this.

The option to turn it on is in the v10 update. Says it's coming from Google fiber. Wish they offered that service everywhere instead.

https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/project-fi/project-fi-v10-release/

Get a Fi-compatible device, pause your service with Fi, and activate with a BYOD on Sprint. It's free for an unlimited plan. https://slickdeals.net/f/10235008-sprint-byod-1-year-unlimited-talk-text-data-free-w-eligible-device-sim-req

I just did this and the free thing is no joke, I pay $3 a month in taxes and that's it.

You can always resume Fi temporarily for international travel.

Here is the specs on GSMArena - https://www.gsmarena.com/lg_g7_thinq-9115.php

The LG G7 from Project Fi is compatible, so it will be able to switch carriers. The specs don't show band 71 (T-Mobile's 600 Mhz band) but looks like it has everything else.

Both the LG G7 and the Moto X4 have 3 band carrier aggregation, so it's possible that the slowness you are getting would be happening on either phone. Looks like the Galaxy S8 has 5 band CA, so any slowness would seem to indicate congestion at the tower.

There are other posts where people on data-only SIMs have slower speeds on T-Mobile versus being on T-Mobile with the regular SIM. I have not had that issue, but I also don't do a lot of speed tests.

It's not available in the PlayStore. You have to get it from APKmirror. Here is the link: https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/teslacoil-software/nova-google-companion/nova-google-companion-1-1-release/nova-google-companion-1-1-android-apk-download/

To elaborate, I have also tried messing with this to get it to work. You can install MicroG which attempts to fake your device into thinking you have Google Play Services.

Project FI still won't work. I would be curious to know if anyone else has tried to experiment and get the Project FI app and Hangouts to work without the official Google Play Services installed.

The best middle ground I've found is to install a ROM like LineageOS and use PrivacyGuard to strip the permissions of Google Play Services. Everything functions as normal, but Google can't get my personal data / location etc via the play services app

I absolutely refuse to view unsolicited advertising of any kind.

Blokada or AdGuard (local VPN) will block 90% of ads and trackers on your phone (system-wide).

Brave Browser (or Firefox with uBlock) will snag the ones that get through your browser.

Take control.

Pushbullet is an app that allows you receive notifications between devices, transfer links and files, and in this case it can be used to receive specific notifications from a channel. If you have heard of IFTTT, this feature is similar.

https://www.pushbullet.com/

https://ifttt.com/

It is a fairly well known service among Android users on reddit and enthusiast websites.

You have been able to use Android Messages for quite some time. You simply need to make Android Messages the default app AND go to https://hangouts.google.com/ and un-check the "Receive SMS and voicemail in Hangouts" option.

Go the Hangouts website, press the hamburger menu icon in the upper left corner, select settings, and the checkbox for receiving texts through Hangouts should be the last item.

I have a similar problem as OP, maybe the same problem.

If I go to https://contacts.google.com, my Gmail contacts show up. Going to https://hangouts.google.com shows no contacts, even when clicking the + to start a message. My phone and Gmail are logged into the same accounts. I obviously have a list of contacts on Hangouts on the phone.

My contacts in Hangouts on my Fi phone are not showing up/synced to Hangouts opened in the Gmail connection. In fact, no contacts show up for the Gmail connection to Hangouts when clicking the contacts icon in the Gmail connection to Hangouts. Using the Hangouts icon in gmail and clicking on the + then typing the 1st letter of a contact produces a list of contacts who's name begins with that letter and they look like my Gmail contacts, not my Hangouts contacts. It looks like I can't send an SMS, because I can't access the phone number to the name that pops up.

I can't find a way for the phone Hangouts contacts to show up in the Gmail Hangouts contacts.

There are flash drives with USB C connectors that can give you off line storage. They're a lot smaller than a laptop computer! Here's a couple. The Kingston has has both USB A and C connectors. Apparently not so for the Verbatim.Not a recommendation as I have not used either of them. There are others on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Digital-64GB-Traveler-DTDUO3C/dp/B010HWCFDA/ref=pd_cp_147_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=F38YX9FPW3GKKVP3JCED

https://www.amazon.com/Verbatim-Store-Flash-Devices-99155/dp/B01BY4MH06/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1465850806&sr=8-3-fkmr2&keywords=Kensington+thumb+drives+USB+C

If those Verizon phones are locked, then no, they won't work. That LG Shine should be put out to pasture. You wouldn't want to use that as a daily in 2017.

You can always grab a Blu phone from Amazon. That $50 unlocked phone with the ads on it is a good backup phone if you have Prime. You can probably get it same day if you live in some larger areas.

From what I read, the 5x has more problems. I'm a 6p owner and follow the battery issue fairly closely. Although it does exist, it doesn't seem quite as pervasive as the problems with the 5x.

That said, I wouldn't recommend anyone purchase a 6p at this point. Google will quit supporting the phone in Sept 2017 so there's really no compelling reason to shell out a few hundred dollars on a device that very well might have battery issues and definitely will be orphaned in 7 months.

If you're a Fi customer and don't want to buy a Pixel then I'd switch carriers. There are a ton of other pre-paid carriers that are cheaper than Fi. You could play it a couple of ways...purchase a good, but inexpensive phone like the Moto G Play for $99 on Amazon to use temporarily until Google offers a reasonably priced Fi compatible phone. Or just ditch Fi and purchase a flagship-level device like the OnePlus 3T for $439...it has better specs than the Pixel at a fraction of the price.

The one I was looking at is http://www.ebay.com/itm/162200904842?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

What I ended up ordering is https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0JY15V/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'll post back here when I get mine and get it working, but take a look at the amazon reviews, there has been some success with using this adapter with Linux. Hopefully it's pretty reliable while using a Fi data sim.

> uhs-I U3/A1/V30

A quick search shows Amazon has a good selection: https://smile.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-microSDXC-Memory-Adapter/dp/B06XYP4BR5/

https://smile.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-microSDXC-Memory-Adapter/dp/B06XYT37NK/

Of course, as with any SD card, I'd only buy from official stores -- Amazon, not eBay. Lots of fakes out there.

I'm debating too. I'm desperate enough that I was looking at $39 phones on Amazon. 512 MB of ram that's how bad it is!

Sometimes I like the soft cases. I'm gonna start with this one from Amazon. Looks OK. I still don't have the phone so I don't know how it'll fit. But I'm starting there.

And if that doesn't float my boat I'll probably do the same thing that u/onebigant said and scoop up several cheap cases to see what works.

I did not order this one but I found this on Amazon yesterday:

https://www.amazon.com/Spigen-Rugged-Resilient-Absorption-Carbon/dp/B072N3WT4J/

Definitely disappointed at the lack of very slim cases - I ended up ordering this one:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0761V9BDK/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I realize it's not Hangouts chat, but I've finally migrated to this and it's just enough to have easy/convenient access to SMS/MMS while at my desktop.

It's not Hangouts either, but if you are on a Windows PC, there's also the Your Phone Companion app which should grant access to your Messages & Photos on your Pixel devices.

This was the largest initial pain point when first migrating from more than half a decade of Google Voice usage as my primary number, to Project Fi, which I feared was going to be a trade-off. The separation of Hangouts into a clear division between their consumer facing products and business offerings has been kind of a mess in my opinion. Not an Allo style disaster, but not great. Maybe they're competing with M$ Teams and Slack, but I sincerely doubt it. Even using G Suite, it was worth the additional cost to have a Slack setup for doing business and it was simply light years ahead of Hangouts for daily communications.

You can use an app like Signal Spy to show you what network you're connected to. You can even use it to shortcut run all dialer codes. I've been using this one for over a year now with great results.

CC: u/beardedheathen

You may find that a firewall app might do the trick for you. I found this one (have not tried, however):

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.faircode.netguard

You would basically whitelist the app you want to allow internet access.

I have the same problem. I just use the Fi Switch app from the store to flip back to T-Mo when my phone tries to use Sprint.

I wonder if this isn't some convoluted issue related to me tying my Google Voice number to my Sprint number, way back when that was a thing.

It went really wierd after update took away the ability to block apps data unless on WiFi. I use (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.faircode.netguard) netguard now and it's great. Except when you forget when it's running and the app just won't work with no information!

I've used WIfi Web Login from way back when it was Hello Guest Wifi Login. Worked great while I was on Ting, not so much now I'm on Fi.... However reading some of the comments on it on the play store leads me to ask:

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Are you using Dataly or other VPN? as these may cause the background login to fail....

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You can force Fi to go to a specific network, yes. I don't believe you can "lock" it on a specific carrier but you can force it.

I would suggest using an app like Signal Spy. There is a button with handy dialer codes that will force you to specific carriers, repairs, etc..

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https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.novvia.fispy

Get the FiSwitch App and you can switch to the specific carrier you want on the fly. Also has a nice homescreen widget that shows you what carrier you're currently on.