You can talk and text with your Google Fi number on any phone, tablet, or laptop that supports Google Hangouts. Your calls and messages on Google Hangouts count toward your data usage.
Note that if you see an alert in the Hangouts app about deprecation, this change doesn't affect Google Fi users.
Text messages (SMS/MMS)
You can use Hangouts for text messaging across devices that support Hangouts.
To use Hangouts for texts:
- On your phone, open the Hangouts app
.
- In the upper left corner, tap Menu
.
- Tap Settings
.
- Tap the Google Account you use with Google Fi
- Under “Google Fi calls and SMS,” check the box next to “Messages” and confirm
.
.Once you do this, your text messages and voicemail will sync across Hangouts everywhere, including: Gmail chat, Chrome desktop app, Android phone or tablet, iPhone or iPad, Inbox by Gmail, or the Chrome extension.
A few other things to keep in mind:
- You need a cellular data or Wi-Fi connection to send and receive text messages, even on your Google Fi phone.
- Cellular data used to sync messages over Hangouts is charged at a standard rate.
- If you use Google 2-step verification through text messages, you'll only receive these messages on the phone that has your Google Fi SIM card in it for security reasons.
Calls
You can make and receive calls from any device where you have the Hangouts app installed, which includes: Gmail, Chrome desktop app, mobile phones, Inbox by Gmail, or the Chrome extension.
You can find more details on how to set these up:
- Make a call through Hangouts from your computer
- Make calls with Hangouts
- Receive Google Voice calls with Hangouts
If you want to turn off incoming calls, you can sign out of Hangouts.
Tip: If your phone is out of battery (or you just can’t find it at the moment) you can make and receive calls using any device that supports Hangouts.