Yep, the wife and I both got 5A 5G phones on this. The math is very favorable, and the risk is basically nil - all you pay if you bail out after a year is the remaining phone cost (to the subsidized number, which is like 250 or something for these). Before a year, worst case you’re on the hook for the retail cost.
Cool, thanks for the reply.
Since I’ve been with T-Mo from the time I got my current cell number in the later aughts (probably 2007 or so, after a number of years without a cell phone*) this would be the first time I’d be transferring a number to a different carrier. Things to watch out for on that score? I don’t want to be functionally cell-phone-less for more than maybe an hour or so if possible.
*I’d actually had one in the mid-90’s at some point for at most a year as a lark (had a very status conscious girlfriend at the time). It was an Audiovox model with a pullout antenna. In fact it was the same one that Fox Mulder used on the X-files around that time. :-)
So the number transfer to Fi would be held off till I had the new phone + SIM in my possession? How do they assure that?
I believe the transfer takes place as part of the SIM activation process, which you do from the new phone.
OK, fingers crossed. Guess I’m going to try to order it today (gotta temporarily unfreeze my credit to do so, ugh). BTW, do you have a choice of Fi plans with this thing by paying a bit more or are you stuck at one particular service tier?
Pretty sure the subscription works works with whatever plan, but idk – we’ve been on the same basic-ass plan forever.
I’ve seen multiple reddit posts saying the phone is made of the slipperiest glass on earth.
Yeah, I handled my boss’ Pixel 6 Pro when it arrived last week, to transfer all his stuff from the Pixel 2. It is indeed, really, really slippery.
Google Fi uses Experian for the credit check, and good Lord what a PITA it is to temporarily lift a credit freeze with Experian. I tried doing it over the phone with my PIN in hand and all that, and even though it seemed to let me at first, near the end suddenly it tells me to go to the website to do it. I go do it at the website and (stupidly) choose the “one-time PIN for a merchant” option but that’s not supported by Google, so when I went in figuring the phone transaction had worked, nope.
I ended up doing it again on the website opting for a one day lift, but by now the Google Fi site shuts me down before even trying the credit check again, grrrrr.
Aaand, even having deleted cookies and signing in with a different browser, it appears that Google Fi will not “reset” the credit check and try again with Experian now that the freeze is lifted temporarily. I’ve even had people from Google Fi call me but they can do nothing about it. I could try getting on the horn with someone from Experian but I don’t see how that would help at all. On their end my credit is temporarily unfrozen for today. And besides, fat chance getting hold of a person on Friday afternoon anyway.
That sounds incredibly annoying, my dude! Hope it gets sorted without too much trouble.
Thanks, but I think I screwed myself for at least 30 days at minimum. I should have made double super-sekrit sure that the temporary lift was in place before hitting that “check” button.
Maybe there’ll be a Black Friday or post BF deal next month, who knows. My Pixel 3a XL is still in pretty good shape.
Google Black Friday sale starts 11/18
5a5g will be $50 off.
I suppose that discount will require going with Fi, even with no financing, right? Or do they sell unlocked phones?
Editer
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Had a choice between a Galaxy S21 and a Pixel 5 for my new work phone. (Or an iPhone, but I already have one of those.)
I chose the Pixel 5 because I like cutting edge and I figured it’d always have a newer version of Android than the Galaxy.
I chose poorly. I forgot about IT departments and group policies. :) Still on Android 11.
And wow, I hate the dinky screen. Oh well, next upgrade cycle, I will choose more wisely.
I do like the fingerprint reader. It unlocks faster than Face ID.
Them are Fi-FREE deals for black friday I believe.
Papageno
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If that sale goes on long enough maybe I can get them to actually check my credit again (after I lift the freeze right this time, for a change) and go with the discounted phone + Fi plan, which costs less than what I’m paying now anyway (even the most expensive one).
Thanks @Thierry_Nguyen and @lordkosc for the replies.
I really dislike my Pixel 6 Pro so far. But that probably has more to do with switching to Android 12 than the phone.
It is partially the phone though. I really dislike having the fingerprint reader at the front. Such an awkward design compared to placing it on the back. I’ve designated my left thumb and right index fingers this time, instead of my left index finger like on my old phones, I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.
Harder to get used to Android 12 changes though. On the phone itself, the clock and weather that I used all the time is gone. I googled how to get it back and the answer seems to be to install widgets, but looking at the widgets available, there is no working widget for weather and time? There’s one called News and Weather from Google, but after I installed that, it just refuses to work.
Not having a back button is really going to take some getting used to. And the gesture for going back is not swipe to the side of the screen like you would think, it’s to swipe inward toward the center from either side. How intuitive is that? I just end up going Home all the time and restarting apps again and then going home. Arrrgh.
I suppose I’ll get used to it. But this is a very unpleasant experience so far.
And I still can’t use the phone to listen to things in my car. I need to find those bluetooth to aux cable thingie that Chappers linked to upthread somewhere.
