How to Activate Google Fi Outside the US

In this article, I will explain how to set up your Google Fi account, how to obtain a US address, and how to activate your account outside the United States.

I crossed over to Canada with my phone still activated with my $25 plan with Visible (Verizon) and immediately realized that it wouldn't work in any part of the country. It was time to reactivate the e-Sim in my Google Pixel Phone and switch back to Google Fi.

Table of Contents

1. Easy: Activate Google Fi With a VPN (Windows) – I step you through setting up how to set up Connectify + Speedify on your Windows 7/8/10 computer and activate your Google Fi International account.
   • – OR –
2. Advanced: Activate Google Fi With a VPN (Windows/Mac/Linux) – Alternatively, we setup our router to route all traffic through a US-based VPN service so we can activate our Google Fi account and protect our data from prying eyes.
   
3. FAQ for Google Fi – I answer your questions in this section.

Google Fi Activation Outside the United States

I switched to my Google Fi eSIM to activate the service and got an inexplicable error message every time I tried it. It really didn't seem to work with all Android VPN apps on my Pixel 3 XL because the Google VPN (comes with Google Fi) that wants to boot up, which would immediately close the VPN connection.

I share two different ways of overcoming this problem.

1. Easy: Activate Google Fi With a VPN (Windows)

Requirements:
1. Google Fi Compatible Phone + Fi SIM OR eSIM
2. WiFI-enabled Windows 7/8/8.1/10 Computer
3. Your Google Fi account address needs to be listed somewhere in the United States like a co-working space or other address inside the country.

OR Use Borderlinx to get an address for the shipping of the Google card + phone for activation. Alternatively, you only need to use the built-in eSIM in your Pixel 3 / 4 / 5 phone and do not need a SIM card, but still need a United States address.

4. Connectify Hotspot (create a WiFI hotspot for your Fi Phone)
5. Speedify (this is your VPN which integrates with Connectify)

Sign up for Connectify Hotspot

Sign up for Speedify

Hotspot connects all devices easily to Wi-Fi

Connectify Hotspot makes all your devices happy. It's an easy-to-use virtual router application that lets you share the Internet from your laptop to your smartphone, tablet, media player, e-reader, other laptops and even your friends nearby. Use it anywhere in the world without restrictions.

Setup Connectify Hotspot 2020

1. Download Speedify VPN. There is a free Speedify Trial which I will walk you through step by step.

3. Click on the gray ‘X' at the top left.

4. Click OK

5. Your screen should look something like this and you should be connected to the nearest VPN location.

Use all of your Internet connections at once

Whether at home, at work or on the go: Speedify is the only VPN that makes your online experience faster, more reliable and more secure. It also works effortlessly with Connectify Hotspot.

Setup Speedify VPN

1. Download Speedify VPN. There is a free Speedify Trial which I will walk you through step by step.

With Speedify, you can combine multiple Wi-Fi, 3G/4G, and wired Internet connections for higher speeds and increased reliability, but in this tutorial, we will only use it for the great way to create a hotspot for your future Google Fi phone and ease of use.

1. Download Connectify Hotspot. There is a free trial that I will guide you through step by step.

We've detected an active 3G/4G device!

5. You can ignore or sign up here if you want, but you can just close this window if you want to start the free trial. No credit card is required.

6. You will be prompted with three options: Click on “Try it Out” to test it for free.

7. Here is the Connectify Hotspot 2020 interface. You will be prompted with a tutorial.

8. From Settings tab, click on “Start Hotspot” at the bottom of the window.

9. The button you just clicked on now indicates the current status “Starting Hotspot“.

If you encounter any problems here, you may need to stop / start Speedify and try to turn on the Connectify Hotspot again.

Instructions

1. We will use Speedify + Connectify to get a US IP address and create a hotspot. There is a 2GB starter plan, which is free!
2. Make sure your account address is listed somewhere in the United States, such as a co-working space or other address within the country.
3. OR use Borderlinx to get an address for sending the Google card + phone for activation. Alternatively, you only need to use the built-in eSIM in your Pixel 3 / 4 / 5 phone.
4. Register for Google Fi while connected to your USA VPN and download the Google Fi app from the App Store.
5. Now we use Connectify on your WiFi enabled computer so that you can share your VPN connection with your phone.
6. I found out that I was still receiving non-descriptive errors while my phone was connected to a VPN, so I went to Settings => Network & Internet => Mobile Network => Tap ‘Google Fi' and tap “Advanced'” at the bottom of the screen, last tap “Delete SIM'” and I found out that my eSIM was activated on Google Fi while I was in Canada! Enjoy!

How did it go? Please leave a comment below if I missed something or if everything worked for you. I would love to hear from you!

I found Speedify + Connectify to be one of the easiest ways to make things work instantly and without too much effort. You can use other VPNs, but you still need a way to somehow get your phone into the VPN network and they have set up these two tools to do that.

I used Google Fi from Comber, Ontario to Quebec and had service most of the time, except for Mont-Tremblant National Park, where there is little cell phone reception. If you can, try calling via WiFi apps, otherwise it costs 20 cents per minute when you call home to the United States.

2. Advanced: Activate Google Fi With a VPN (DD-WRT)

FAQ for Google Fi

Sign up for Connectify Hotspot

Sign up for Speedify

Disclaimer

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