In January, Google Fi will stop triggering non-VoLTE phones and allow clients with older phones to update with a $100 voucher if they buy a new phone from the Fi store and trigger it before 9to5Google notes on December 31st.
Google's hand in the matter is pushed. Customers subscribe to Fi, but as an MVNO, Fi simply piggybacks to have service on the networks of T-Mobile and US Cellular. As T-Mobile has already announced its own intentions, beginning in January 2021, to phase out support for non-VoLTE phones, Fi must also do so.
VoLTE stands for "Voice over LTE" rather than older 3G software, which is the processing of phone calls over LTE info. VoLTE calls are usually smoother, with less communication drops, but older phones that only use 3G radios, and even some early LTE versions, are totally unavailable. According to the Fi FAQs, Google started enabling 2G and 3G phones on August 4 of this year but needing VoLTE all but means that the days of 3G are numbered.
There's no hard date for the termination of the 3G service at Fi, so it's coming, and the safest bet is to watch at when T-Mobile stops its coverage before Google makes an official announcement. When it bought Sprint, T-Mobile won a lot of sway on what Fi could sell, giving it control of both of Fi's biggest networks.
In reality, the Fi store has a couple of cheap options that could serve as a fast fix. We like Google's Pixel 4a, which usually sells for $349, but with Google's latest holiday offer, there are also options that you can buy for less than $100.
In the long run, switching to improved mobile coverage is beneficial for phone usability, but it is a hassle for consumers. A while later, Verizon has already made the transition, phasing out aspects of 3G offerings over time in favour of LTE and 5G. The proposals for AT&T and T-Mobile are a little more abrupt. There is an immense emphasis on moving to 5G that seems to inspire much of this, which is extremely inconvenient because 3G was only used solely by about 30 million Americans as of 2019. They could be left behind until buyers are able to update.
