This is the unofficial guide for starting your experience with Project Fi to ensure a smooth and successful sign-up and activation.

This guide is a compilation of community recommendations. Your use of this guide is at your own risk with the understanding that information contained herein may change before the guide is updated.

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Make sure you do a cost analysis of what you expect Project Fi to cost you compared to other carriers. Typically, users who consume more than 3GB of cellular data can find better deals through other MVNO's. However, users who use less than that may get better coverage and service for a comparable price with Project Fi.

If you're signing up, consider using this refferal code, N7016N, which will get you $20 off your second month of service! Legal stuff here about that.

Go to https://fi.google.com/signup. Follow the prompts to go through the process for setting up your Project Fi service. When they ask you what number you'd like to use, choose to let Project Fi assign me a numberchoose to use your Google Voice numberchoose to port in your number from another service. Since you aren't sure if you want to stay with Project Fi, this will ensure you have no interruption in your regular service while you try out Project Fi. If you decide to stay, just contact Project Fi support and request a late port. Remember, nothing here will be finalized until you activate your service with your Project Fi SIM inside your Fi compatible device.

Once you finish this process, declare that you're bringing your own Fi compatible devicechoose the phone that you'd like to purchase.

When your SIM card arrives, pop it into your phone. Not sure how? There's a video for that.When your Project Fi device arrives, it will have the Project Fi SIM already inside. Power on your device. Your device will download updates before proceeding with the activation, which will require a reboot.

Once that completes, you'll be presented with a Project Fi activation screen. At that time, make sure that you're in an area that is covered well by T-Mobile within the US to complete the activation process. You cannot activate the SIM card or service internationally. If you want to activate Project Fi and begin to port your number or be assigned your number, hit continue. Otherwise, skip the process. Note, porting may take anywhere from a few seconds to 24 hours.

Once a number ports, it may take 24 hours for texting services to work fully. Data service should be working from the start, and calls should start working once the port is complete.

Once your activation has completed, you may be asked to 'extend your coverage'. This is laymans terms for activating your Sprint profile. This may take your device offline for a minute or two while it activates, but it will result in more cellular carrier options once it's complete. US Cellular has its own activation process, which is typically done silently overnight.

If you're having troubles activating, don't panic! There are some common issues:

• Make sure you have a valid address for your location
• Make sure that you have the correct porting information
• Make sure that you are not activating in a known maintenance period (typically Saturday night into Sunday, announced via email or here)

If none of that fixes your issue, contact Project Fi support by calling 1-844-TALK-2-FI, requesting a call back or starting an email via the Project Fi app, or online from the help center or account page. They should be able to diagnose the issue and advise you on the next steps to correct it.

Now that you're on your way (or are completely) activated, it's time to make sure your device has everything you need!

We recommend downloading a Project Fi companion app, such as Signal Spy, to make sure that you have all of the information you need about your Project Fi service. It also allows you to manually swap carriers in a pickle easily. For full disclosure, the creator of this getting started guide is a co-developer of the app.

Speaking of Project Fi companion apps, you may hear about dialer codes. Apps like Signal Spy contain dialer codes that you can enter manually or with the assistance of these apps to manually force different carrier partners, fix bad activations, and more. It's recommended during your first two weeks using Project Fi to avoid using dialer codes so that the Fi app can learn your coverage area naturally. In general, dialer codes should only be used when requested by Project Fi support or when you get zero service and Project Fi doesn't switch you appropriately.

If you're coming from another OS, check out the migration tips here.

Now would also be the time to figure out what app you'd like to use for texting. The two supported SMS apps you can use are Hangouts and Google Messenger. Hangouts via Project Fi integration is a toggle you can enable and disable from Settings -> (Your Project Fi Email) -> Project Fi calls and SMS -> Messages. If you wish to use any other texting application, you must turn off this integration.

You will only receive SMS email gateway messages via your default texting app. This includes 2 factor authentication codes from Google. They will not appear in Hangouts on your desktop or other non-Project Fi devices.

Whatever you do, don't disable, block, or restrict data/power consumption from Hangouts, Carrier Services, Project Fi, and Android Messages. These apps play a critical roll in Project Fi services such as Wi-Fi calling and texting and may disrupt your service if any of them are impacted.

Project Fi is an amazing service that is well loved by its users. However, there are a few pain points that users have brought up that you should be aware of when starting out with the service.

• Project Fi doesn't have all the features of the carrier partners. Specifically...
  • T-Mobile
    • Binge-On
  • US Cellular
    • Some agreements/roaming, except on 3G Verizon
• Wi-Fi calling isn't preferred; it's a last resort.
  • If you have some signal, your device is probably is going to try to call out via cellular, not Wi-Fi
  • If you're having trouble calling out, try putting your phone into airplane mode and turn on Wi-Fi. If you don't use hangouts, open it up. Then try making a call. Alternatively, use the Hangouts Dialer. Be aware that calls not made on Wi-Fi through the hangouts dialer will use data.
  • If this is something that affects you often, please don't stay silent. Let me know and send feedback within the Project Fi app.
• Wi-Fi Assistant doesn't work everywhere.
  • Auto-connecting to Wi-Fi with a VPN only happens on open Wi-Fi access points that Google can run the VPN and still have reliable internet. They also can't have a captive portal where you have to accept terms of service.
  • A VPN will not be activated on any old Wi-Fi access point, so unless you see the VPN key in the status bar, you're not secure on public Wi-Fi.
  • Any Wi-Fi access point you've connected to previously will not use the VPN automatically. However, you will now see a notification to secure connections that may have previously been connected without the use of the assistant.