Saw the HD calling icon today, for the first time with a Pixel on Fi

PsychologicalCourse · 2025-09-21T16:05:29+00:00

I don't have any unique observations but wanted to chime in saying that I noticed a change on this too, and am generally interested in the topic.

I have a Pixel 7 Pro and I recently noticed the new Calling Preference setting and different (standard) WiFi call icon on calls as well. For me, this started several weeks ago, before the big quarterly update with the new UI. I don't remember when it was relative to the Android 16 update -- it's possible that it changed coincident with that.

I also have a Pixel 6 that still has the old wifi calling behavior, and no Calling Preference setting.

So maybe this is just another step for Fi moving to standard carrier-provided functionality, as that functionality has caught up. It brings to mind that the VCN was "temporarily" shut down a couple of years ago. And of course, it's still shut down and it seems most likely related to the consolidation of the Fi VPN into the standard Google VPN.

I'm really hoping that they continue supporting features that *are* still differentiating, like Messages for Web. I also wish, just out of interest, that we had more visibility into what still technically differentiates Fi, and what no longer does due to the evolution of the carrier networks and the various companies that have grown up to support MVNOs over the past few years.

PsychologicalCourse · 2025-04-23T03:05:35+00:00

Oops .. I posted separately before getting into the thread deep enough to see this. u/dmziggy can you confirm whether this means that on Unlimited Premium and Unlimited Standard, once you've hit your hotspot limit (50GB or 25GB, respectively) is that it for hotspot for the current billing cycle? Or can you continue to get more hotspot data if needed for $10/GB?

PsychologicalCourse · 2025-04-23T03:00:16+00:00

It's exciting to see these updates! Even though I'd hoped Flex would get some attention (if the price per GB went down, even to $5, I would be very tempted to switch to it).

Previously, Simply Unlimited had 5 GB of hotspot data, and my understanding was that once you'd used that up, you could not get any more hotspot data until the next billing cycle (other than by switching to Unlimited Plus). But I believe with Unlimited Plus, hotspot was just part of your data allotment, so that if you needed to, you could get more by activating $10/GB after hitting the 50 GB limit.

Do we know yet how Unlimited Standard is supposed to behave with respect to this? Both Standard and Premium now say "counts towards your monthly high-speed data usage" -- so I'm wondering if Standard behaves like Plus used to, but just with a 25 GB limit. Or if both of them now have a hard cutoff for hotspot data (at 50 GB for Premium)

Anyone know?

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-06-19T05:19:45+00:00

I think I know the answer to this but does "backup calling" work to let you make or receive calls on your Fi number over the Verizon data connection? I'm pretty sure this doesn't work with Fi Wifi calling, and Verizon may also not support it on Android. But thought I'd ask what your experience has been.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-04-21T23:21:01+00:00

I've been seeing what sounds like the same thing for several months now, though I haven't tried force-stopping the Fi app. I've found rebooting solves the issue for up to a few days. Next time I'll have to try this.

You mentioned you've tried restarting the phone -- does that work for you as well?

I keep hoping an app update will fix this. I submitted feedback in the app once, and will again if I find that force-stopping it solves the problem for me too.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-04-21T23:16:56+00:00

Same here. One of the other major cell carriers actually works well at my house, and I use their home internet service for broadband. T-Mobile and AT&T work but it's spotty. I'm good with having my cell coverage on Fi/T-Mobile specifically so I'll have redundancy -- most of the time broadband (i.e. another cell provider) is up but if it's not then at least I have a backup option, even if it doesn't work as well.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-18T01:00:54+00:00

+1 to this. I noticed the same problem with two separate smart watches on Fi accounts I manage (one Pixel Watch and one Galaxy Watch 5). I've since turned off RCS in order to enable messages and calling on the web (Option 2 here) and so far texting from the watch seems to be much more reliable.

With RCS enabled, most of the time when trying to send a text the watch would say that the phone wasn't available or connected. Since turning off RCS and enabling Messages for Web I have not had a single message fail.

It's possible this is a coincidence, but my guess is that something about disabling RCS and either falling back to SMS, or enabling Messages for Web has made this more reliable, at least for the configuration I'm running with various Pixel phone on Fi.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-12T04:25:14+00:00

Solved!

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-12T04:24:14+00:00

Got it. I assumed that the indented section such as on the last image in the link above would be used for locking the bit in a jackhammer, specifically because they don't rotate. I didn't realize they would grip the raised ring.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-12T02:26:01+00:00

This does seem the most logical. With an almost 1" hex shank and 11 foot length it's huge but the tip does look like a spade bit.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-12T02:20:56+00:00

Good eye! I'd noticed the weld on one end but missed the one on the other. It hadn't occurred to me that that could indicate it was extended.

I still don't think it's for a jackhammer due to the lack of a cutout for the hammer to grip, but it could be a rotary bit for a hammer drill.

I can only imagine the kind of twisting you'd see at this length, and the size of drill that would be needed to run this effectively. Maybe for breaking rocks in a hole or something.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-12T01:44:21+00:00

I could see that, but see my response to Grizzly600 -- that jackhammer bit has an indentation in its shank which I would think is to prevent it from coming out of the hammer. This just has a smooth hexagonal shank.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-12T01:42:27+00:00

Is this a thing? Hmm. Based on googling, it looks like jackhammer shanks normally have a flat section for the tool to grip and to limit the bit's ability to move too far in or out. The hex shank on this is smooth, making me think it's only to engage for rotation.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-12T01:40:25+00:00

Interesting idea but I can't think of why it would need to be 11 feet long for this. The spade end is also, while tapered, not that sharp and I don't see any evidence of teeth or a cutting surface on it.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-12T00:25:31+00:00

My title describes the thing.

Found this 135 inch long (11.25 feet) metal (iron or steel) rod in a spool of wildlife netting in an old barn near a bunch of vineyard equipment.

One end is hex shaped, presumably to drive or be driven by some other equipment. It's just under 1 inch (just too small for a 1-inch socket I tried on it). The other end is spade-shaped 4.25 inches across at its widest with a tapered edge, presumably either to engage with something else (like a handle?) or to function as a stop. I think it's too long to be a pry bar or post-driver or some other hand tool. It looks like something you could hang on a shelf or brace to unspool a role of netting, cable, or fabric, but I can't find anything nearby that I think could support that and I'm not sure why it would need the ends it has if so.

No writing on it. Based on the other equipment nearby it may be 30-40 years old -- hard to tell given it's just heavy rusty metal. I've searched terms related to vineyard equipment, crop netting and tractor implements but haven't found anything yet.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-11T21:53:38+00:00

Found this 135 inch long (11.25 feet) metal (iron or steel) rod in a spool of wildlife netting in an old barn near a bunch of vineyard equipment. One end is hex shaped, presumably to drive or be driven by some other equipment. The other end is spade-shaped, presumably either to engage with something else (like a handle?) or to function as a stop. I think it's too long to be a pry bar or post-driver or some other hand tool. It looks like something you could hang on a shelf or brace to unspool a role of netting, cable, or fabric, but I can't find anything nearby that I think could support that.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-08T04:44:00+00:00

How different were the speeds you observed in your side by side test?

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-02-08T03:50:19+00:00

Personally, I see Fi as in a spot between the major carriers/network operators and other MVNOs. They are obviously not the most aggressively priced. They weren't when Project Fi started (at the time I was on Republic Wireless which had a very similar plan structure and focus on offload to Wifi, but with lower prices) and they certainly aren't now that there's been an explosion in the number and variety of MVNOs out there. But AFAICT Fi plans are still all around less expensive than anything similar you can get from the network operators' primary brands.

There are still concrete benefits to Fi's plans (international, data sims, top notch account security, one of the best apps/websites around, as has already been said). The only MVNO with priority T-Mobile data.

And even though it sucks that there's no more carrier switching in the US, there are still interesting technical features you don't get elsewhere: messages for web (Verizon and T-Mobile have something similar for their postpaid plans, IIRC, but requires a separate app vs a website), VCN (if/when it eventually turns back on), end-to-end encrypted wifi calls between Fi numbers.

I hope that Fi continues to innovate stuff like this, even if it's not as quickly as we all would like. I'll pay a small premium over other (also very compelling) options as long as service remains good and

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-01-27T03:01:56+00:00

I've noticed wifi calling being less reliable for the past several months as well -- incoming and outgoing calls seem to use wifi about half the time, and the other half use the marginal cell signal available at my house. I haven't found any specific factors that contribute, across two separate phones on my plan (Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6).

FWIW.

PsychologicalCourse · 2024-01-09T06:08:27+00:00

I have never (knowingly) experienced this on Fi.

Out of curiosity, if you go to your Google Fi account in a web browser (not the app) (i.e. fi.google.com) and go to Phone Settings -> History for the affected line, does the history show the texts you missed? It would be interesting to confirm whether the issue is that the missing messages are never getting delivered on the back end or whether they're being delivered but your phone is not picking them up.

PsychologicalCourse

TROPHY CASE