Project Fi already makes it cheap and easy to use your phone all over the world without needing to swap a new SIM card in every country, but if you’re planning a trip to China, there’s one huge reason to check out Google’s service.
One writer at Android Authority recently took his Fi-friendly phone to China and found that the service allowed him to bypass all of the country’s internet censorship without any extra software. The Chinese government blocks a bunch of different websites, including Facebook, all the Google services (Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Drive, etc), and various news sites. Most people get around this by using a VPN to spoof their locations, but Project Fi apparently works just as well.
It’s unclear exactly how Google’s service manages to get around China’s online restrictions. The article suggests that it may have something to do with the deal the company signed to get 4G service across the entire country. It’s also possible that the government doesn’t care much about when foreigners use Project Fi to access censored websites, since the service isn’t actually used by anyone living in China.
Whatever the reason, this is a useful trick if you’re heading to China anytime soon – especially if you’ll need regular access to any of the sites or services that are blocked in the country. Project Fi works with a handful of Android phones, including Google’s Pixel 2 and the budget-friendly Android One Moto X4.
You can head to the official Fi website for a full list of supported phones, along with more info on how to get set up with the service.
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