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Does anyone know how well iPhones do on Fi? I know they don't do the network switching, but what about wifi calling? Does that work at all?
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Jul 29, 2018 13:12
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They updated the keyboard again, didn't they? loving hate when they do that, my poo poo is all out of whack now.
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Jul 29, 2018 14:14
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So I somehow broke the back glass cover for my camera on the X4 despite having a case. What's a really cheap way to fix this?
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Jul 30, 2018 05:02
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MOVIE MAJICK posted:So I somehow broke the back glass cover for my camera on the X4 despite having a case. What's a really cheap way to fix this? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Back-Rear-Camera-Glass-Lens-Cover-Replacement-For-Motorola-Moto-X4-X-4th-Gen/292484109103 + https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoYLvmcVSWY I'd use plastic spudgers for most of that instead of a matting knife but that guy isn't too worried about it. Make sure you move the heat gun around so you're not just blasting one spot with 750 or 1000 degree heat.
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Jul 30, 2018 05:48
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St_Ides posted:Does anyone know how well iPhones do on Fi? I know they don't do the network switching, but what about wifi calling? Does that work at all? i used my old nexus 4 on fi for a few days once. everything seemed to work fine: calls, text, data. i don't know about wifi calling the downsides for non-supported phones are kind of bad, though. you only get T-Mobile and you can't roam like most normal TMobile accounts. i doubt the international features will work, either. if those downsides don't matter to you, and you use very small amounts of data each month, it might not be the absolute worst choice
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Jul 30, 2018 20:16
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If you want t-mobile's lovely coverage you may as well just pay t-mobile directly. It'll probably cost less, and support won't tell you to get hosed because your device isn't on their supported list.
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Jul 30, 2018 23:31
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Javid posted:If you want t-mobile's lovely coverage you may as well just pay t-mobile directly. It'll probably cost less, and support won't tell you to get hosed because your device isn't on their supported list. Last I heard, T-Mobile was tied with Verizon for best coverage among the big four... is that no longer the case?
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Jul 31, 2018 00:19
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I have never heard that and it is definitely not the case in the area I live. T-mobile has the worst coverage by far here. If I ever look at my phone and it has no data service, it's because it's switched to TMobile for no loving reason. Setting it to us cell fixes it (for two hours before it switches to tmo again because gently caress you)
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Jul 31, 2018 01:51
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Javid posted:Yeah, I rocked my 5x with no case, and my old Moto x before that. I don't like cases. But with a glass backed phone it's nearly mandatory. I was this way for a while until I dropped my Nexus 5 on its edge on concrete and cracked it.  Now I'm a Ringke Fusion shill for life.I've dropped my 5X enough times that getting a bumper case for it has long since been worth the price. I just needed something minimal to absorb those nasty corner/edge hits. It also fixes the problem with not laying face-up evenly due to the protruding camera on the back.
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Jul 31, 2018 02:16
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Man, for all the issues the 5x has, mine tanked some serious drops without any screen damage. Including more than one where it landed screen down on asphalt. No case ever.
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Jul 31, 2018 02:32
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Javid posted:I have never heard that and it is definitely not the case in the area I live. T-mobile has the worst coverage by far here. If you are suggesting that Sprint and US Cellular have better coverage where you are, I can definitively state that you are living in the exception, not the rule.
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Jul 31, 2018 02:35
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My understanding is that in terms of area T-Mobile isn't really any better than Sprint. However where they do have coverage, it's consistently higher quality. And I admit that may be out of date info. Q_res fucked around with this message at 04:03 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 02:40
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Javid posted:Man, for all the issues the 5x has, mine tanked some serious drops without any screen damage. Including more than one where it landed screen down on asphalt. No case ever. Ride or die, naked for life.
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Jul 31, 2018 02:50
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Us Cellular is reigning king here. Verizon is either tied or a very close second. Sprint is ~ok~ but falls significantly short of the previous two, and t-mobile is basically in town only, no rural coverage at all. I'm not surprised this area is a fluke, I guess.
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Jul 31, 2018 03:17
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Javid posted:I have never heard that and it is definitely not the case in the area I live. T-mobile has the worst coverage by far here. Where I live T Mobile is the good one and Sprint is the one I have problems with. It's not such an issue since I moved because apparently I'm no longer next to a Sprint tower
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Jul 31, 2018 13:45
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Javid posted:I have never heard that and it is definitely not the case in the area I live. T-mobile has the worst coverage by far here. Congratulations, you live in Bizarro World. Any time my service is poo poo outside of towns/cities in my area is because it decided Sprint was The One To Use.
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Jul 31, 2018 22:13
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My parents live in a weird rural area in PA where T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular coverage is like a partially-assembled jigsaw puzzle. That's where having Fi is really nice. T-Mobile comes in the loudest and clearest in and around Philly, though.
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Jul 31, 2018 22:24
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That's why I got fi, having three big options seems like better odds of having service anywhere I go than betting on any one specific carrier. I also have a few hundred bucks into signal boosting equipment so my needs are really outside the average, here.
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Jul 31, 2018 22:38
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I think I tend more toward T-mobile, although there are a handful of places I've noticed at work (oddly enough inside buildings) where Sprint kills it big time. Out in rural Michigan, however... you have to walk out to the end of the boat dock or drive about half a mile to get reception from anybody.
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Jul 31, 2018 22:41
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Merv Burger posted:Congratulations, you live in Bizarro World. "Bizarro World" = Nebraska
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Aug 1, 2018 00:57
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Javid posted:If you want t-mobile's lovely coverage you may as well just pay t-mobile directly. It'll probably cost less, and support won't tell you to get hosed because your device isn't on their supported list. yeah i should say to my previous post, T-Mobile is good here. if you are going to bring a non-supported phone to Fi, and T-Mobile is even slightly questionable in your area, please don't because it will be terrible for you
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Aug 1, 2018 02:03
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Endless Mike posted:"Bizarro World" = Nebraska To be honest, Fi is pretty good even when heading out into the thar's-poop-in-the-well-again-yall-boil-yer-water hellscape towards like oneill/burwell/antelope/valentine
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Aug 1, 2018 06:32
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I’m traveling to Paris in a couple weeks, and I’ve been trying to figure out my best bet for mobile internet while I’m there. It seems like Verizon wants to charge me 10 bucks per day, which is about the same as any of the numerous mobile 4G international hotspot rentals charge. Is signing up for Google Fi and buying a cheap 4G hotspot an option, or do they discourage that sort of thing? I’ve been able to find shockingly little information about it on the internet, which leads me to believe it’s not really an option, but I figured I’d ask anyway.
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Aug 6, 2018 00:14
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OldSenileGuy posted:Is signing up for Google Fi and buying a cheap 4G hotspot an option, or do they discourage that sort of thing? I’ve been able to find shockingly little information about it on the internet, which leads me to believe it’s not really an option, but I figured I’d ask anyway. Data-only SIMs can only be added when you have an active Fi voice line. So to even get started you'd need a compatible unlocked phone and a Fi SIM for that, at which point you might as well just use the phone as a hotspot unless you really need more battery life on your hotspot. (And even then you'd probably still be better off just buying a power bank for the phone. Edit: Do note, though, that European and Asian regulations are starting to get really strict about what levels of stored charge are allowed to clear security and board, so check ahead and don't show up at your first connection with a fully-charged high-capacity power bank.) But yes, Google will gladly take your $10/GB for glorious foreign LTE data in any case, and 4G hotspots will generally work (though support won't offer help) so long as they are unlocked and compatible with T-Mobile. Molten Llama fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Aug 6, 2018 |
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Aug 6, 2018 00:36
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FAUXTON posted:To be honest, Fi is pretty good even when heading out into the thar's-poop-in-the-well-again-yall-boil-yer-water hellscape towards like oneill/burwell/antelope/valentine
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Aug 6, 2018 14:04
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Endless Mike posted:Mostly my comment was that Sprint is based in Nebraska, so historically other providers tend to not be as good there. Last I looked at coverage maps, this still seemed to be the case, though they've at least gone from "there's coverage on highways kinda" to "there's coverage everywhere, but not as good as in most other states" Sprint's based in Kansas but yeah, they're bigger in the plains states than most of the other carriers. USC is positioning itself as the rural carrier too, and I'd bet they're providing better quality of service overall than sprint where they do have coverage.
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Aug 6, 2018 14:15
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Molten Llama posted:Data-only SIMs can only be added when you have an active Fi voice line. Thanks for this info! I've done a little more research and found what seems like a good workaround. Apparently, as long as I have an active Fi voice line, I can order data-only SIM cards and pop them into mine and my wife's iPhones and use them for everything except making phone calls/SMS. This seems like the best option for me. As far as I can tell, I have three options for this trip: 1) Use Verzion's international plan at a rate of $20/day for me and my wife's phones. PROs: Easiest, least effort option. That's it. CONs: Most expensive option. Uses the data from our regular plan, so very likely we go over our monthly data allotment and have to pay even more. TOTAL COST: At least $200, probably a little more. 2) Rent an international hotspot. PROs: Pretty easy to use. Less expensive than option 1. CONs: Most hotspots limited to 500MB/day high speed data, then they limit you to 2G. We won't be able to use our phones to make calls without installing some kind of VoIP app. Another device to have to carry in order to have any sort of connectivity. TOTAL COST: Roughly $100, probably like $125 after taxes, fees, etc 3) Buy a Nexus 6 and use Google Fi PROs: Able to use our own iPhones for everything except calls (using the Fi Data sim card). Also will have a phone to make an actual call with if necessary. Buying the phone will mean I will be able to use this method again for future trips (assuming that Fi continues to support the Nexus 6). Don't have to worry about my high speed data being limited. CONs: Higher upfront cost to have to buy the additional phone. A lot of SIM-switching to do? TOTAL COST: Big question mark here - guessing about $150? ($110 for nexus 6 off Swappa + $20 for month of voice service + $20 for 2GB of data) Am I missing any other hidden charges or "gotchas" that would make this not work, or financially not viable? Does Fi charge any other sorts of startup fees or cancellation fees? Or am I really looking at a cost of $20 + $10/GB for using it for just one month?
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Aug 6, 2018 17:06
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OldSenileGuy posted:Thanks for this info! I've done a little more research and found what seems like a good workaround. So I thought about doing what you are doing and I just ended up sticking with Verizon another thing you are missing is that you can make calls and your number doesn't change. While this doesn't seem like a big deal if someone was trying to get in touch with you while you are away its a so much easier for them to do that. Also Verizon limits you do 500mb of LTE data and after that its slow as gently caress so be aware of that too. I kinda doubt you'd go over your data allotment with that restriction in place lol. I know Fi would be cheaper and probably better but I like the peace of mind knowing that people can get in touch with me if needed. Also all the regular texts go through like normal. One option you haven't even brought up is just getting a SIM card when you land. Threes is a pretty good company and they offer unlimited data for like 30? for the month. That way it would be a flat $60 for you and your wife and you have unlimited data for your stay. You can keep the sim cards and then next time you travel you can top them up for the same price. Only issue with this is that you can't top them up from here in the US so you have to wait till you land at your destination to do it. Threes also works in like 800 different countries with no roaming charges.
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Aug 6, 2018 17:21
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Ha, that's funny. For me, the fact that people won't be able to get in touch with me is a PRO, not a CON. Also, I can give a select few people the number to my Fi Phone for emergencies, I guess. I thought about doing the "buy a SIM card locally" thing, but I did that during my trip to Italy a few years back and it was terrible. The SIM took like 5 tries to activate, and when it finally did, my phone kept jumping from network to network, never even gave me great service on any of the networks it was on, and drained the battery super fast. I realize this is one anecdotal example and there's a very good chance that my experience would be better this time, but it really made me wary of relying on that again. One other question - if a phone is Google Fi compatible, does that automatically mean it will work internationally? Are there any Google Fi phones that WON'T work internationally? I had been looking at a Nexus 6 for $110, but I found that the Nexus5X is also compatible with Fi, and I can get one of them for $85. EDIT: And as long as I've already basically made this decision, anyone have a referral code they want me to use? OldSenileGuy fucked around with this message at 19:16 on Aug 6, 2018 |
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Aug 6, 2018 18:01
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I'm like 90% sure if you activate a Fi SIM you can pop it into an iPhone and it'll work internationally just fine since it's just piggybacking off T-Mobile's international data. You'll need an officially Fi-compatible phone to activate, though.
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Aug 6, 2018 19:29
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Endless Mike posted:I'm like 90% sure if you activate a Fi SIM you can pop it into an iPhone and it'll work internationally just fine since it's just piggybacking off T-Mobile's international data. You'll need an officially Fi-compatible phone to activate, though. What is the cheapest Fi phone one could get?
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Aug 6, 2018 19:36
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I just bought a Nexus5X off eBay for 80 bucks. Plus I've had 30 bucks from HQ winnings (  ) sitting in my PayPal account for months, so real out of pocket costs for the phone was about 50 bucks.Also, last chance for someone to give me their referral code before I ask someone from my office.
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Aug 6, 2018 19:47
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OldSenileGuy posted:I just bought a Nexus5X off eBay for 80 bucks. Plus I've had 30 bucks from HQ winnings ( TTR540
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Aug 6, 2018 19:51
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OldSenileGuy posted:I just bought a Nexus5X off eBay for 80 bucks. Plus I've had 30 bucks from HQ winnings ( XU4013 is my code.
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Aug 6, 2018 19:51
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Also, I just spent 4 days in Paris with a Fi phone a couple months ago. I had good reception and coverage the entire time, but my wife's TMobile iPhone 8 couldn't make or receive calls 
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Aug 6, 2018 19:55
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canyoneer posted:TTR540 I got you, but it might not go through since I'm only using it for a month. I just looked at the terms and it says something about how you'll get the credit after two billing periods. Sorry!
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Aug 6, 2018 19:59
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OldSenileGuy posted:I just bought a Nexus5X off eBay for 80 bucks. Plus I've had 30 bucks from HQ winnings ( Personally, I would have saved that money for a better phone. It's definitely an upgrade on lots of older devices, but man, I've had so many random issues with it that my previous devices just never had.
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Aug 6, 2018 20:09
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If your only goal is to activate fi then put a data sim in the phone you actually want, a $80 5x isn't the worst idea.
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Aug 6, 2018 20:12
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Javid posted:If your only goal is to activate fi then put a data sim in the phone you actually want, a $80 5x isn't the worst idea. Fair enough. I'm probably just being overly harsh on the 5X. If you got one for $50-80 and it's in great condition then that's not bad at all. There are definitely worse phones out there.
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Aug 6, 2018 20:30
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Except for the part where they randomly and catastrophically fail I really liked the 5x
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Aug 6, 2018 20:34
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