14 DAY TRIAL // Google’s wireless carrier ambitions finally got a face a few weeks ago, arriving in the form of Project Fi. For the time being, Google is limiting the availability of the service to the Nexus 6, and if you wanted to be factored into the equation, you needed to request an invite from the search giant.
If you complied with the company’s requirement and applied for the invite, the good news is that Google has started sending the invites to Project Fi in batches (as seen on Reddit).
So go ahead and check your mail to see if you find yours. What to expect? Well, Google is asking you how much data you want and it reminds you that any unused data will be refunded to you. It also wants to know if you already have a Nexus 6 or you want to purchase one.
Next, you need to sign up with all your relevant details, and in case you don’t have a Nexus 6 just yet, wait until you receive it. Then, you’ll be able to start using Project Fi.
Take a moment to consider Google Voice
Google also says that if you like your Google Voice number, you can port it to Project Fi and your credit (in US dollars) will be transferred automatically to the new service.
But there’s one important caveat that should be taken into consideration: porting your Google Voice number to Project Fi will basically eradicate your Google Voice account.
Google makes public a big list of features that won’t be supported if you choose to do so. For example, you won’t be able to make or receive calls using Google Talk, Google Voice apps or Obihai devices. You won’t be able to use Google Voice for texting or video emailing purposes either.
Moreover, all your history will be nuked from Google Voice, and if you have your Google Voice texts and voicemails turned on in Hangouts, they will remain available only in Hangouts.
And settings like spam filtering, call recording, call switch, conference calling on the fly, called ID (incoming) or outgoing called ID (anonymous Caller ID) won’t be made available.
What’s more, if you choose to sign up with Project Fi, you won’t be able to access Google Voice apps and the website anymore. Major bummer!
But if you decide against porting your Google Voice number to Project Fi, you can go ahead and continue to use the old service the same way you've always had.
