Google Fi is bringing back multiple cell network support for better coverage

Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

Google Fi will swap users between two 5G networks, but only if your phone is a Pixel 9 or newer.

Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

Google Fi is launching a new “super network” that can automatically switch users between two different 5G networks depending on which one has better connectivity. The feature is rolling out starting today on Pixel 9 and newer phones that have Google Fi active on eSIM and have any non-Fi SIMs disabled.

When Google Fi first launched in 2015, users were originally able to switch between T-Mobile and Sprint’s networks. But those two networks eventually became one when T-Mobile acquired Sprint in 2020, and so the network switching stopped there. Jane Harnett, Google Fi Wireless senior product manager, told The Verge that Fi stopped offering the feature because “the wireless landscape consolidated via mergers and limited our ability to offer multiple networks within the US.” (Networking switching has continued to be available internationally.)

Now the feature is returning to the US, with Fi once again hopping between two networks. Harnett declined to share which networks Fi will be working with to make this happen. Google Fi’s FAQs say it currently provides coverage through T-Mobile’s network.

According to Harnett, Google Fi’s new approach to network switching is faster than what it offered before, and uses eSIMs’ ability to connect to multiple carriers at once:

“Previously Fi’s switching was single-SIM switching which could only connect to one network at a time, so your phone had to wait until service dropped completely before performing a slow SIM profile swap into another network without knowing if coverage was actually better there. Fi also tried dual-SIM iterations that required both a physical SIM and eSIM which could be slower to transition.

Now we are back with added networks domestically. We have rebuilt the experience from the ground up for the modern era. With our new switching on newer Pixel devices, your phone keeps two eSIM network profiles on standby at the same time (via MEP technology) and uses the Android OS to monitor live connection quality. It also lets your phone transition faster and more fluidly with minimal battery impact—knowing a better connection is available before it switches.”

A free daily digest of the news that matters most.