Getting Global Coverage while you travel: All about Google Fi!

When you’re traveling abroad, have you ever had trouble getting coverage or getting your cell phone to work as usual? With Google Fi, you can stop worrying about booking a cab, contacting your hotel, or letting your loved ones know you arrived safely without suffering a stress attack.

In fact, it is an app especially designed to make it easy to manage those moments when you’re traveling internationally, and what’s more, recently, Google’s team has announced several improvements to Fi coverage to help you stay connected on more types of phones and in more places. Then, here you have a sneak peek of what’s coming.

Access more international 5G coverage

In the latest updates, Google has tripled their international 5G network coverage by adding 5G to 26 more countries and making it available on compatible Samsung phones. Thus, if you’re part of the Flexible or Unlimited Plus plan and have a compatible Pixel or a Samsung Galaxy S22 series phone, you can now enjoy 5G speeds in 39 countries.

Are you not using one of those devices? No problem! You can still get full-speed 4G coverage with Google Fi in over 200 countries. Anyway, if you’re on the Unlimited Plus plan, there are no separate data caps on international coverage, so while you travel, you can use unlimited high-speed data up to 50 GB, which is included in your plan.

Another thing you have to know is that this is the fast coverage you already get on all Fi plans, including nationwide 5G for supported phones, and as we mentioned before, Google has promised to expand its 5G coverage over time, so you can start connected no matter where your travels take you.

Use your iPhone as a hotspot abroad

Google Fi plans don’t need extra setup, and that is not all because if you have an Android phone on either of the premium plans, there are some features you can take advantage of. For instance, you can use hotspot tethering while abroad. 

In other words, you can use your mobile phone as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot to share its internet connectivity with your tablet, laptop, or other devices. But what is new here is that all these features are now available for iOS users!

Make Wi-Fi calls on your iPhone

Anyway, those are not the only characteristics that Google has enabled for the iPhone. Indeed, before, if you had an Android phone on Fi and you were in an area where your cellular coverage may not be as strong, like in a large building or underground on the subway, you can already use Wi-Fi to make phone calls if it’s available and now, the team is bringing Wi-Fi calling to iOS.

That’s why, currently on both Android and iPhone, if both Wi-Fi and cellular networks are available, Fi will route your call over whichever one gives you the best connection, even if you’re traveling abroad. Also, Wi-Fi calling can help reduce calling costs (this depends on the country you’re in).

Get more value from your phone plan

Many people are wondering if their plans will become expensive with all of these updates, but the truth is that Google has ensured that with today’s coverage updates, you’ll see no changes to the price of your phone plans. In fact, we can forget that a few days later, the team announced reduced pricing for all the unlimited phone plans and feature updates.

You’ll see, the Unlimited Plus plan starts at just $40 per month per line for four or more lines, and includes 100 GB of cloud storage with Google One for each person on the plan. If you don’t need international features, the Simply Unlimited plan starts at $20 per month per line for four or more lines. The Flexible plan will continue to help you save if you use less data, at $17 per month per line for four lines of unlimited calls and text, plus $10 per GB for data at home and abroad.

Therefore, it doesn’t matter if you’re an international traveler or a homebody, as all Google Fi plans include fast coverage, privacy, and security features to keep your personal information safe and family features to help you block contact from strangers, set data budgets, share your location with your relatives, and more. So, don’t think twice and explore the plans Fi has for you, so you’ll have an international backup ready before your next trip.