Google Fi privacy benefits

OpenSource-Ghost

Google is anti-privacy of course, but it does some things to protect users of Google Fi that no other carrier does - https://www.gstatic.com/fi/wormhole/whitepaper-a00cc4732620f382da5b7aac2bcb6905f970ba6b.pdf .

AFAIK, Google Fi requires Google Play Services, Google account, and Carrier Services app to work on GrapheneOS, but does it require users to be logged into their Google accounts at the time of using Google Fi MVNO cellular connections? Once logged into Google account via Google Play Services, can't users of GrapheneOS just log out of Google accounts, uninstall Google Play Services, and continue using Google Fi cellular services?

Or maybe that PDF white paper is misleading and Google Fi doesn't offer much over what other cellular connection providers offer to its users?

guser39

You'll need to log into Google Fi to activate your service. However, you shouldn't need to remain logged in after the eSIM is provisioned. So, you could theoretically set up Google Fi and activate service, then perform a factory reset (I don't think GrapheneOS clears eSIMs during factory reset).

I used Google Fi with the stock OS. After flashing GrapheneOS, I was able to use the previously provisioned eSIM without installing Google services.

I needed to switch plans and accounts recently so I had to install Google Fi (and it's dependencies). This also required deleting the former eSIM (iirc, Settings > Network & internet > SIMs).

I cannot speak to how it handles international travel when not logged in. The occasions that I've traveled internationally, I had Google Fi installed and authenticated.

OpenSource-Ghost

The eSIM is not an issue... The issue if whether being able to minimize exposure to Google Play Services AFAIK, you can't even regiser Google Fi without a Google account and without Google Fi app. Google Fi app provides all the needed features and it requires being logged in to Google account.

guser39

OpenSource-Ghost correct, you need to use Google to activate your service. After activation, you can remove the Google apps. As I mentioned, you can probably even do a factory reset; the eSIM should still be available.

OpenSource-Ghost

You can do that with eSIM, but can you do with eSIM for Google Fi? AFAIK Google Fi has its own system and requires not just activated eSIM, but being fully logged into a Google Account and having Google Play Services installed on phone. I want to be sure whether it is so or not. Does Google Fi require only activated Google Fi eSIM or does it require activated Google Fi eSIM + Google Play Services + being logged into Google account at all times to use Google Fi cellular network?

guser39

OpenSource-Ghost you only need an activated Google Fi eSIM. Caveat being that I only have a few months of experience with the setup.

As I mentioned, I am not sure about international travel. I've only ever done that with Google Play Services + authenticated account.

OpenSource-Ghost

Heh! That is really cool then. You get benefits of Google Fi's VCN (Virtual Carrier Network) without having to be logged in to Google account, even though you have to create one.

This does put a dent in Google Fi's claims that it because it uses Google account that require usernames and passwords, SIM swapping and spoofing isn't as much of a concern with Google Fi as it is with other carriers.

centauri

OpenSource-Ghost Well you need to be logged in to provision eSIM on a new device so I think it's fair to say that access to your Google account is a prerequisite for SIM swapping.

[deleted]

I recently switched to Google Fi and can confirm that (at least for me) the Google Fi app is required/mandatory or else things will not work properly after you uninstall it and you'll start receiving "MMS delivery failure"-related messages.