Google Fi super network leans on encryption to keep hotspot traffic private

Google calls the setup a super network, and it powers all Fi plans on eligible Pixel phones.

If you’re on Fi, that encryption is the thing keeping whoever runs the hotspot from seeing what you’re doing.” Google calls the hotspots premium and high-quality but hasn’t said how it picks or vets them.

Network switching is rolling out now on the Pixel 9 and newer.

Google Fi now moves customers’ phones onto Wi-Fi hotspots and between two 5G networks without the user going into settings or logging in.

Wi-Fi Auto Connect+, a Fi feature that now reaches millions more locations, joins hotspots automatically and encrypts the connection.

When the primary connection drops, the phone moves to a secondary data connection, which Google says means fewer dead zones on highways and country roads.

The encryption keeps whoever runs the hotspot from reading your traffic.

Google pitches the Wi-Fi as a way to get faster speeds in crowded indoor spaces like airports and malls, where cellular coverage gets stretched.

On those hotspots, your privacy depends on the encryption switching on every time.

It also joins without asking, so you won’t necessarily notice when it happens.