Soon after extending the Jio Preview Offer to 4G-enabled Samsung and LG smartphones, Reliance Jio has reportedly opened the offer to everyone. Here’s how to avail it and a quick look at the content services bundled with the offer.
Reliance Jio may still be far away from starting its commercial operations, but the company has already made its presence felt in the market. Before the nationwide roll out takes place, Reliance Jio wants to optimize its network, and to do so, it has already come up with 4G ‘Preview Offer’ where customers using 4G-enabled Samsung or LG can get the Jio SIM card and use all its services for free for 90 days. Now, multiple reports are indicating that the preview offer has been opened to everyone. As a part of the package, Reliance Jio has also bundled offering unlimited HD voice calls, unlimited high-speed internet access and downloads and an unlimited access to Jio app ecosystem for 90 days.
Multiple reports suggest that some Reliance Digital stores are offering Jio 4G SIM cards to any customer using a 4G smartphone. While Samsung and LG users will have to download the MyJio app and generate the code, other smartphone users can just walk in to the store, submit documents and get the Jio SIM card. The only catch is you still need to install all the Jio apps on your smartphone, so it would be better if you install them from here on your Android smartphone before reaching the store. It would also make sense to call your nearest Reliance Digital store before landing up there since many have not received any update from Reliance Jio about the offer being opened up to everyone. We contacted some Reliance Digital stores in Mumbai and they said that they haven’t received any such update, yet. We have also reached out to Reliance Jio, and waiting for confirmation. In case the Reliance Digital Store in your city hasn’t received any update, these are the other ways you can get a new Jio connection along with preview offer.
Jio Preview on LYF smartphones
Reliance Digital, the retail arm of Reliance Industries has launched a slew of Android smartphones under its LYF-brand. With prices starting at Rs 2,999 for the and going all the way up to Rs 19,999, there’s one for every budget. One of the key highlights of all the LYF-branded smartphones is that all of them support VoLTE voice calling feature. On buying a Reliance Digital LYF smartphone, you also get a free Jio SIM card along with the 4G preview offer for a period of 90 days.
JioFi 2 MiFi portable hotspot
If you don’t want to shell out some money to buy a LYF-branded smartphone, you might as well go for the JioFi 2 MiFi portable hotspot device. The company had introduced the JioFi 2 with exclusive offer for HP laptop users, but now, it has been made available to everyone. Priced at Rs 2,899, the JioFi 2 also comes with the free Jio SIM and the Preview Offer with validity of 90 days. ALSO READ: Reliance Jio: Hands-on and first impressions of the JioFi 2 MiFi portable hotspot
Unlike other MiFi devices where you can only connect up to 10 devices, the JioFi 2 lets you connect up to 31 devices at the same time. Armed with a 2,300mAh battery, the company claims to offer uninterrupted usage of up to eight hours. The JioFi 2 also lets you make HD voice calls, even from a 3G/4G smartphone that doesn’t support VoLTE network. All you need to do is, download the JioJoin app on your smartphone, login using the Jio number and you’re good to go.
What’s more, it also includes a microSD card with support up to 32GB and wireless sharing feature that lets you use the JioFi 2 as portable wireless pen drive. ALSO READ: How to use Reliance Jio JioFi 2 portable Wi-Fi hotspot as a wireless pen drive
Jio Preview on 4G-enabled Samsung smartphones
Initially started with a handful of premium Samsung smartphones, Reliance Jio has now extended the preview offer to all 4G-enabled smartphones from Samsung. The list has a total of 42 smartphones, right from Galaxy S-series (S4 to S7), Galaxy Note-series (Note 3 to Note 7), Galaxy On-series (On5, On5 Pro, On7 and On7 Pro) to Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy A-series (A3, A5, A5 Duos, A5 (2016), A7 and A8), Galaxy J-series (J1, J2, J3, J5, J7) and more. Even the two year old Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime, Galaxy Core and Galaxy K Zoom are also a part of the preview offer.
Jio Preview on 4G-enabled LG smartphones
The Jio Preview offer has also gone live for select 4G-enabled LG smartphones as well. These include the likes of – LG K7 LTE, G5 (H860), X Screen (K500I), Stylus 2 (K520DY), Stylus 2 Plus (K535D), G4 Stylus 4G (H630D) and LG Spirit LTE (H442). ALSO READ: Reliance Jio 4G has spoilt Indian users even before launch, but we are not complaining
How to avail Jio 4G Preview Offer on Samsung and LG 4G smartphones
Step One: The procedure to avail the Jio 4G Preview Offer is pretty simple. On your 4G-enabled Samsung or LG smartphone, you need to download the MyJio app from the Google Play Store.
Step Two: Open the app and enter your details, such as name, surname and alternate phone number.
Step Three: Select your state, city and click on next. This will generate the barcode coupon, which will automatically get saved in your photo gallery as well.
Step Four: Head over to a Reliance Digital or Reliance Digital Xpress Mini store along with the smartphone, bar code coupon and your documents — photocopy of Aadhar Card and one passport size photograph. If you don’t have an aadhar card, a copy of driving license or passport will also do.
Step Five: Once all your documents are submitted, you will be given the SIM card for free. With 48 hours, you will receive an activation message on the alternate number that you provided. Now, insert the SIM card in your smartphone and dial 1977 to activate the connection.
Reliance Jio app ecosystem
Reliance Jio is trying to differentiate itself from other operators by focusing on three key areas — VoLTE HD voice calling, high speed data and content services. The company has already rolled out its app ecosystem — available across Android and iOS platforms. Let’s take a quick look at these apps and what they do.
MyJio: This is the core app where you can find all details about your account – such as your tariff plan, account balance, data consumption, recharge, profile, and more.
JioJoin: The app works in conjunction with the JioFi 2 or your Jio SIM card — allowing you to make HD voice calls, even from a non-VoLTE supported smartphone. As of now, the app is only available for Android, since all of the iPhones on sale now are LTE enabled. You can also send and receive text messages and chat with other Jio users with stickers, emojis, send files and more. ALSO READ:Reliance Jio: How to use JioFi 2 wireless hotspot and JioJoin app to make HD voice calls to any number in India
JioBeats: It is a music streaming app just like Hungama Music, Gaana, Saavan and Apple Music. The service has a collection of 2.5 million HD songs in 20 different languages including Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Bhojpuri and more. In terms of genre, you can choose from Gazals, Jazz, Hiphop, Party, Rock and more.
JioOnDemand: The app lets you watch OnDemand movies, just like Netflix, BigFlix, Google Play Movies and other services. It also includes popular TV shows such as Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma, CID, The Kapil Sharma Show, Aadalt and more.
JioPlay: It is a live TV steaming service that lets you catch all the live TV shows on the go. With more than 291 live TV channels, including 41 HD channels, you can watch your favorite TV shows and movies in 15 different languages. It also includes daily TV guide, record option and repeat telecast option too. Jio has also tied up with Hotstar, which gives access to premium Hotstar content for free. ALSO READ: JioPlay Review: Good service, let down by poor interface
JioSecurity: Android being an open source platform, it is also highly prone to a large number of viruses and vulnerabilities. We recently came across QuadRooter vulnerability that allowed hackers to take control of Android smartphone by gaining root access. Powered by Norton, JioSecurity app aims to keep your Android smartphone save from such attacks.
JioChat: Just like WhatsApp, WeChat, Hike Messenger and others, the JioChat is an instant messaging app. The app let you make voice and video calls, and chat with users. You can also send stickers, doodle, share files and do a lot more using the JioChat Messenger app.
JioMoney: The JioMoney app, as the name suggests, is a digital wallet that lets you pay for different services such as landline and electricity bills, mobile and DTH recharge, send money to recipients and more. You can also pay at participating merchants without having to carry your credit or debit cards. We did try out the app and here are our initial impressions. ALSO READ: Reliance JioMoney Wallet app first impressions: Good potential, needs design overhaul
JioDrive: The app is a one stop shop to all your data storage, backup and recovery needs. JioDrive users get 5GB of cloud storage space to backup photos, videos, contacts, SMS and more. The best part about the service is that you can also access it from multiple devices — including your smartphone, tablet, desktop PC or laptop.
JioMags: Reliance Jio has two apps – JioMags and JioExpress News. While the JioMags lets you read all the popular magazines and comics, the JioExpress News app is similar to Flipboard and News Republic – letting you read all the latest news from tech to sports, business, lifestyle, health and more from variety of online publishers across the globe.
Do Note: Access to Reliance Jio suite of apps is free and zero rated at the moment (which means, you are not charged for the data downloads). However, there is no word on the pricing after the end of preview offer. It is something that we will come to know after the commercial launch of Reliance Jio 4G LTE services takes place.