Google Fi, despite being originally designed for Android supports iOS, and works really well there. I’ve been using it for years. The only drawback is the lack of 5G (update: it now has 5G!), but for international travel I don’t think there is anything better. The Fi eSIM option is useful too, especially since Fi is the line I never want to remove (since it works everywhere). I found the transfer of eSIM a bit confusing though, so wanted to share the steps that I’ve used a few times now, and found works every time (no pSIM required!):
- Visit fi.google.com/ios/quicksetup on your desktop
- Make sure the right Google account is selected (switch if not)
- Follow the instructions to scan the QR code from Settings on iOS
- Delete, and re-install the Google Fi App
- Open Google Fi App
- Select the correct Google account
- Tap “Set up using eSIM”
- Follow the instructions to activate.
What’s really neat about this is I was wondering recently what would happen if I was in a foreign country and my phone was stolen (especially what the impact is on all the services that require 2-factor SMS codes). The good news is that you would be able to setup an eSIM on a new phone, provided you can access your Google account. To access your Google account in order to bootstrap your eSIM without your phone to get the SMS 2-factor code, it would be wise to carry a backup second-factor authentication method.