The internet has seen a sudden surge in reports of Google Fi physical SIM cards failing over the course of the last few weeks. For our audience outside of the USA, Google Fi is a mobile virtual network operator service provided by Google. It uses existing networks of different carriers, along with WiFi hotspots, to provide network coverage.
This means that it does not rely on a particular network infrastructure, nor does it have one of its own. The reason this explanation is targeted to people outside of the USA is that you need to have a US address to sign up for Google Fi. You also have to have a US number to use this service.
Google Fi Physical SIM Cards Failing
Now, coming back to the issue, a lot of users have reported that their Google Fi physical SIM cards have recently stopped working out of nowhere. People who got these SIM cards as recently as a few days ago are also facing this issue. Long-time users have it the same. Some have even gone as far as to claim that their SIM cards were dead on arrival.
A quick search on platforms like Reddit shows that this problem is widespread. Users have been unable to use services that rely on a working SIM card. The error message usually reads “No SIM” or “SOS,” but it may vary.
The users are obviously very frustrated. Some have had multiple SIM cards fail in just a few weeks. People who have been subscribed to the service since its early days are also disappointed.
Despite these online discussions, Google has not officially acknowledged this issue. Offline support has not been very helpful either, as per reports. They have said that the issue is known and that a team is working to fix it, according to one Reddit user. But that still does not count as an official statement. We hope the tech giant gives us a word soon.
What Could Be The Reason Behind This Problem?
Considering these SIM cards have stopped working for users regardless of the cards’ ages, this issue is most likely due to some update in the network that may have led to some error. This could explain why this issue is spreading like wildfire all of a sudden.
One reason could also be a faulty batch of SIM cards. But then again, people have reported using these for years before they failed recently. Some even suspect it could be because of the Google Fi app. But if that were to be true, the issue would have been resolved by now. Also, removing and re-inserting SIM cards would not make things work either.
On a related note, if your Google Fi physical SIM card has given up on you recently, it is most likely not your phone. The best way to check that is to try inserting another SIM card into your device and see if it works or not. This is backed up by the fact that people who have reported this issue include users of all different smartphone brands like OnePlus, Samsung, Google, etc. Some are iPhone users as well.
Another common speculation among users is that Google wants them to ditch physical SIM cards and move entirely to eSIMs. However, that does not make sense from a business perspective. There are still phones available on the market that do not support eSIMs. Also, if Google wanted to initiate something like this, they could just announce it publicly instead of remotely bricking SIM cards.
Here is Something You Can Try
If you are affected by this problem, try taking the SIM card out and putting it back in properly. If that does not work, you can switch to an eSIM. You can also get new physical SIM cards if you are unsure about eSIMs.
While these are not ideal solutions, they are the best you can do if you want to stick with Google Fi. But if you are ready to explore different options, there are plenty out there. Nevertheless, we expect Google to resolve this matter soon.
