It’s now ‘Google Fi Wireless’ with redesigned app, icon, and more smartwatches

In 2018, Google’s MVNO dropped the “Project” from its name. The service is now called “Google Fi Wireless” with a bigger family plan focus, redesigned mobile app, and expanded smartwatch support.

Adding “Wireless” to the end of “Google Fi” better explains the service right off the bat. This is accompanied by a new logo that makes an “F” out of dots and pills in the company colors. It evokes toggles and a sense of control, while you can also see it as cellular bars.

Google wants to shift Fi Wireless to “flexible, secure phone plans for families” and is positioning Simply Unlimited as the plan for that: “$80/month for two to four lines, and includes all the essentials for your family to stay connected, with unlimited data, calls and texts within the U.S., Canada and Mexico, plus 5 GB of hotspot tethering.”

Note the $5/mo increase for Simply Unlimited 3-line users, but there will be a $5 credit for the next three billing cycles.

To emphasize this focus, Google Fi is getting a family-centric app redesign that makes it “easier to manage your family’s digital safety settings, such as ensuring your child can only be called or texted by trusted numbers, and giving you the ability to add new members.”

This is primarily achieved with a people switcher in the app bar and various cards. The redesigned app is rolling out over the coming weeks.

A new feature of Simply Unlimited is support for smartwatches at no extra cost. This previously required either the Flexible or Unlimited Plus plan, and the Pixel Watch is no longer the only compatible wearable. You can now use Google Fi Wireless on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro.

All three plans now support getting a free phone “with every new line you add to your plan” via “24 monthly bill credits.” This two-year commitment works with the Pixel 6a, Samsung A14, or Moto G Power.

Meanwhile, after an initial test last month, the carrier is inviting “anyone with an eSIM compatible phone interested in trying out Google Fi Wireless to sign up for our 7-day free trial.” This trial includes unlimited data, calls, and texts in the US, as well as hotspot tethering and VPN access.