Hello, I'm going to Japan in May/June & I was wondering if the international I9100, not the Japanese SC variant, is compatible with the data networks over there. I did some Googling but didn't find any conclusive answers. I apologise if the question is "noob", or if this is not the right section to post this in.
In addition, this is my first time in Japan (specifically, Tokyo) with a smartphone so I was looking at prepaid data plans for non-Residents, and chanced upon b-mobile (http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/) which appears to offer pretty good choices. My Japanese is at around the N3 level but reading a wall of text gives me a headache so I've been referring to softbanksucks.blogspot.com for more cognitively-friendly, English translations of certain related news.
1) They've launched a new prepaid card (at least I think it's prepaid) called the Chameleon 4G which rides on DOCOMO's 4G network. My question is, since my I9100 is not LTE-capable, will I still be able to tap on the data network (if I get that card) but maxed out at a speed my phone is able to handle.
2) Since this is my first time, I would like to ask if anyone who has been to Japan has any recommendations for getting a prepaid SIM card with data (eg. Plans, things to look out for, tips, etc). I was looking at data SIMs with talktime too but they all seem to be post-paid.
Many thanks for any help rendered!
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サンソングガラクシS II からタパトクで書いた。
Docomo should work the i9100 as it uses a GSM network. From my memory, either docomo or softbank may actually deny giving you a sim card for unlocked phones. At least that was the case for my friend while he was working in tokyo.
Kaze105 said:
Docomo should work the i9100 as it uses a GSM network. From my memory, either docomo or softbank may actually deny giving you a sim card for unlocked phones. At least that was the case for my friend while he was working in tokyo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm that's strange, especially since he was working there and all. I heard both companies started selling prepaid SIM cards not too long ago, albeit at an exorbitant price. Thanks for clarifying the networks though!
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サンソングガラクシS II からタパトクで書いた。
I'm actually going in late May as well and was wondering the same thing. Fact that SGS2 will work is great news, as far as getting a sim, can't you just bs them and say a friend will give you some old phone when you meet up or whatever? If they offer and sell prepaid sims, I wouldn't imagine it being that much of a problem...
As far as networks, I gathered that majority over there is UMTS aka HSDPA these days, which most GSM phones have anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem at all.
Skv012a said:
I'm actually going in late May as well and was wondering the same thing. Fact that SGS2 will work is great news, as far as getting a sim, can't you just bs them and say a friend will give you some old phone when you meet up or whatever? If they offer and sell prepaid sims, I wouldn't imagine it being that much of a problem...
As far as networks, I gathered that majority over there is UMTS aka HSDPA these days, which most GSM phones have anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure the bs will work, 'cause from what I hear, you need an actual Japanese address & some kind of Japanese identification.
It's much easier to get a data-only SIM card & maybe couple that with a Skype Premium subscription for the period of time you'll be there, for calling.
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サンソングガラクシS II からタパトクで書いた。
Or via a friend, which is what i ended up doing. IMO much easier to just connect with or make a new friend and have them hook ya up.
Sent strait from the oven
Safe travels :laugh:
Related
So I have the US Galaxy S II variant which is an amazing phone but it's not the GS2 I fell for in February. I managed to flip (sell) my phone for a hefty price which is more than enough to buy the International version but in your opinion -- is it worth it?
I know the Nexus Prime, Razr, etc are being announced in 24 hours but I don't care -- for now. If I get the GS2 off or Amazon will it have NFC compatibility when it gains ground in the US? Is the home button really as flimsy as people make it out to be? All of your opinions are welcome.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
What about the international version do you like so much better? They are nearly the same.
They are the same, minus home button.
Only nfc-ready place I've been to is starbucks. That's like having an lte phone but no lte connection in your city
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Maybe because I've had the original Galaxy S and am not fond of the capacitive button layout, and I had numerous issues with the search button freaking out on the Captivate. The international version looks a lot better IMO, but lack of NFC is a drawback. The bad thing is someone already bought my At&t version.
re: i777 vs i9100
ErebusRaze said:
So I have the US Galaxy S II variant which is an amazing phone but it's not the GS2 I fell for in February. I managed to flip (sell) my phone for a hefty price which is more than enough to buy the International version but in your opinion -- is it worth it?
I know the Nexus Prime, Razr, etc are being announced in 24 hours but I don't care -- for now. If I get the GS2 off or Amazon will it have NFC compatibility when it gains ground in the US? Is the home button really as flimsy as people make it out to be? All of your opinions are welcome.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a lot more differences than just the front mechanical button which everyone talks about.
#1: the i9100 has a built-in FM stereo RDS radio
#2: the i9100 has three front buttons one of which is mechanical
#3: the i9100 is factory unlocked (it was NEVER locked to start with)
#4: the i9100 has slightly thinner & smaller housing dimensions
#5: the i9100 weighs a few grams less
Here are the size/weight specs for each:
Samsung Galaxy SGH i777: Dimensions 126 x 66 x 8.9 mm Weight 121.9 g
Samsung Galaxy S II i9100: Dimensions 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm Weight 116 g
Most likely there are other slight differences which I have not yet investigated.
Check it out yourself at GSMARENA on their website.
faill quote 10 char
designgears said:
faill quote 10 char
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The man himself...
I see you traded your S II and have the At&t version at the moment. A reason you settled on this one (though your phone repertoire is pretty extensive)?
ErebusRaze said:
The man himself...
I see you traded your S II and have the At&t version at the moment. A reason you settled on this one (though your phone repertoire is pretty extensive)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are only three things that are in any way advantageous in choosing the ASGS2 over the ISGS2:
1) Subsidized pricing
3) Warranty with overnight replacement from AT&T
3) The ability to buy insurance from AT&T in case its lost or stolen
You can say NFC's an advantage but everyone will probably be on their next phone by the time you'll be able to do anything meaningful with it.
What you give up: (note: a lot of these are meaningless if you root/ROM)
1) Updates directly from Samsung
2) 2 year vs. 1 year warranty
3) FM Radio
4) Features and settings removed by AT&T
5) Multi-purpose hardware home button
6) $10 unlimited fake-4G
The ISGS2 was my first non-subsidized phone. I'll never buy another carrier molested phone again. I travel overseas a lot so don't have the luxury to root/ROM because every device I've modified always had problems registering on foriegn networks.
[email protected] grams and less than 1mm even worth mentioning...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
re: grams
ngocdao said:
[email protected] grams and less than 1mm even worth mentioning...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
116g to 121.9g equals just about 6 grams difference, not 4
lol .. even at 6 grams. seriously, i cant even tell the phones in my hand or in my pocket. How light and how thin do you really need your phone to be?
i hope you dont weigh your order of french fries too fearing a few missing fries.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
BarryH_GEG said:
2) 2 year vs. 1 year warranty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of the international versions have any warranty in US. You will have to deal with someone outside the US or the seller for any warranty work.
I'm in Bangkok all week w\ my SGSII (AT&T) and the thing that drives me absolutely INSANE is that AT&T blocks the ability to select which network you want to use. I have a local Thai SIM (DTAC), but I have to let the radio\ROM auto-select the network, which bugs the sh#$ out of me, because many countries have the ability to roam on several networks, and not being able to chose annoys me.
I was at the market today and they sell the SGSII International version for $516 USD, I think I may take the plunge. The US version doesn't nor never will have the number of accessories available as the international one does, so I think I'm good there, and I know I can sell my ATT version for $450-500, so likely I'll pick one up tomorrow. Good idea? For $516 it's a good price I think.
---------- Post added at 04:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:52 AM ----------
ngocdao said:
How light and how thin do you really need your phone to be?
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Click to collapse
You're the guy on the plane next to me who pulls out the 17" Dell from 4 years ago that's 4 inches thick aren't you?
ngocdao said:
i hope you dont weigh your order of french fries too fearing a few missing fries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although congrats for the worst analogy of the day!
re: network selection
bella92108 said:
I'm in Bangkok all week w\ my SGSII (AT&T) and the thing that drives me absolutely INSANE is that AT&T blocks the ability to select which network you want to use. I have a local Thai SIM (DTAC), but I have to let the radio\ROM auto-select the network, which bugs the sh#$ out of me, because many countries have the ability to roam on several networks, and not being able to chose annoys me.
I was at the market today and they sell the SGSII International version for $516 USD, I think I may take the plunge. The US version doesn't nor never will have the number of accessories available as the international one does, so I think I'm good there, and I know I can sell my ATT version for $450-500, so likely I'll pick one up tomorrow. Good idea? For $516 it's a good price I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All you need to do if you want to be able to select different networks
is to unlock the AT&T phone........
As far as accessories you are right!
Misterjunky said:
All you need to do if you want to be able to select different networks
is to unlock the AT&T phone........
As far as accessories you are right!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's absolutely incorrect. You can NOT select network just by unlocking, that simply allows you to use the sim's default network. The manual network selection does NOT become usable after unlocking (I know from personal experience with the ATT SGSII AND the Infuse 4G). The only way to manual select on Infuse was to flash Rogers radio and install custom rom. Unfortunately no alternate radios are avail for i777 yet (if ever)
bella92108 said:
That's absolutely incorrect. You can NOT select network just by unlocking, that simply allows you to use the sim's default network. The manual network selection does NOT become usable after unlocking (I know from personal experience with the ATT SGSII AND the Infuse 4G). The only way to manual select on Infuse was to flash Rogers radio and install custom rom. Unfortunately no alternate radios are avail for i777 yet (if ever)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course you need to put a different sim chip into the phone if you want to
change service providors with an unlocked phone.
The advantage of a unlocked phone is just that, the ability to use different sim
chips from different service providors as long as they use the gsm networks.
Misterjunky said:
Of course you need to put a different sim chip into the phone if you want to
change service providors with an unlocked phone.
The advantage of a unlocked phone is just that, the ability to use different sim
chips from different service providors as long as they use the gsm networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that. Tell ya what. Unlock your phone and pop in a t-mobile SIM and try to access the network selection screen. You CAN'T. I've been through this time and time again. AT&T LOCKS the menu. So unless you replace the radio AND install a custom ROM (ie on my Infuse I had Infused 2.3.3 and Rogers Radio), you CAN NOT even get into the manual network selection screen regardless of what sim you put into the phone.
re: network settings
bella92108 said:
I understand that. Tell ya what. Unlock your phone and pop in a t-mobile SIM and try to access the network selection screen. You CAN'T. I've been through this time and time again. AT&T LOCKS the menu. So unless you replace the radio AND install a custom ROM (ie on my Infuse I had Infused 2.3.3 and Rogers Radio), you CAN NOT even get into the manual network selection screen regardless of what sim you put into the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, getting into the manual network selection with a locked or
unlocked phone depends on which rom you are using, some roms let you
do that others don't. CyanogenMod 7 roms do have that feature and some
other custom roms have it too.
But changing the network selection settings is not a very good idea even
if we can do it.
But what's the point in getting into the network selection if lets say you have
an AT&T or T-mobile sim card? With an unlocked phone both of these two
sims will work fine without needing to change the network selection.
The unlocked phone will automatically detect the correct network settings
for any sim card which it's compatible with.
Misterjunky said:
You are right, getting into the manual network selection with a locked or
unlocked phone depends on which rom you are using, some roms let you
do that others don't. CyanogenMod 7 roms do have that feature and some
other custom roms have it too.
But changing the network selection settings is not a very good idea even
if we can do it.
But what's the point in getting into the network selection if lets say you have
an AT&T or T-mobile sim card? With an unlocked phone both of these two
sims will work fine without needing to change the network selection.
The unlocked phone will automatically detect the correct network settings
for any sim card which it's compatible with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't travel much internationally, I see.
Yeah, if you are in Los Angeles with an AT&T sim it's likely going to find it's way onto the AT&T network, obviously. Try roaming across to Japan... you'll find that AT&T has roaming agreements with NTTdocomo, and SoftBank. NTTdocomo is great if you're sitting at Narita airport, but you may want to venture outside the airport, to say, downtown Tokyo, where Softbank dominates in coverage and reliability in parts of town. You can't switch because the ATT ROM\Radio will ALWAYS favor NTT, why? Because ATT likely has a more favorable roaming rate negotiated (ATT doesn't have customer experience first priority as you likely already know). Not being allowed manual selection means you take what ATT gives.
Now take an international SIM... say you go to Thailand, where I am this week. I go home with the SIM and I want to use it in the US. ATT's ROAMING list they force on me will allow me ONLY to use it on ATT... but wait, my SIM I bought here in Thailand doesn't roam with ATT, only T-Mobile... so I'm fu$#ed... see what I mean? If I had manual network selection, 2 clicks and I'd select t-mobile. To take that right away from a customer is 100% anti-customer, and demonstrates what a regional carrier ATT really is. The people who control these things don't leave their cubicle in Dallas, so they don't get it that someone might just want to not be screwed without phone service when they travel because the furthest the programmer geek has travelled is the $5 happy ending massage shop at the edge of town, lol
bella92108 said:
You don't travel much internationally, I see.
Yeah, if you are in Los Angeles with an AT&T sim it's likely going to find it's way onto the AT&T network, obviously. Try roaming across to Japan... you'll find that AT&T has roaming agreements with NTTdocomo, and SoftBank. NTTdocomo is great if you're sitting at Narita airport, but you may want to venture outside the airport, to say, downtown Tokyo, where Softbank dominates in coverage and reliability in parts of town. You can't switch because the ATT ROM\Radio will ALWAYS favor NTT, why? Because ATT likely has a more favorable roaming rate negotiated (ATT doesn't have customer experience first priority as you likely already know). Not being allowed manual selection means you take what ATT gives.
Now take an international SIM... say you go to Thailand, where I am this week. I go home with the SIM and I want to use it in the US. ATT's ROAMING list they force on me will allow me ONLY to use it on ATT... but wait, my SIM I bought here in Thailand doesn't roam with ATT, only T-Mobile... so I'm fu$#ed... see what I mean? If I had manual network selection, 2 clicks and I'd select t-mobile. To take that right away from a customer is 100% anti-customer, and demonstrates what a regional carrier ATT really is. The people who control these things don't leave their cubicle in Dallas, so they don't get it that someone might just want to not be screwed without phone service when they travel because the furthest the programmer geek has travelled is the $5 happy ending massage shop at the edge of town, lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just have to correct you on something, the $5 Happy ending places are NOT on the edge of Dallas, they are on Harry Hines near downtown... Not that I would know anything about that.
As the subject stated: I am planning to unlock my AT&T Galaxy Note to use it in Japan, but not sure if the Note will work there. I just want to be able to make calls and do light browsing at 3G speed (not 4G LTE)
Japan have 3G GSM network, so it should be, But want to confirm before I spent the $$$ unlocking my AT&T Note.
it has the proper frequencies for cellular use on 3g idont know about hspa+ so prbly dataspeeds around 2-5 mbps
drksilenc said:
it has the proper frequencies for cellular use on 3g idont know about hspa+ so prbly dataspeeds around 2-5 mbps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the information!
What kind of prepaid SIM are you going to use in Japan? I couldn't find any SIM that has prepaid voice and data together. So I'm planning to use b-mobile 1GB data plan with fusion IP phone SMART. That way, I can send/receive phone call and use data.
Did you have any luck? I can't get the bmobile sim to work with this phone. Urgent help needed. I suspect it takes some special config or different radio but I don't know. The bmobile instructions alone don't work.
Look up APN for bmobile. Just my 2 cents.
decimater said:
Look up APN for bmobile. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had all the correct settings. I suspect the card did not work with Android 4.12. I have seen references online to rolling back to 4.11 for possibly unrelated or possibly related issues. They would not refund, so I had to do a charge-back on the card. Never trust a company who fails to stand behind a product when it completely fails to work. I ended up paying the higher price for AT&T which worked well except don't trust their wifi app - it tries to connect to partners who aren't partners, which disrupts the otherwise working mobile data connection.
Well, that really sucks, man. I guess your best shot would be to try and find another carrier that is GSM if the roll back to 4.1.1 doesnt work. Best of luck.
Hello, I recently visited the USA (Las Vegas) and discovered that my UK bought (UNLOCKED) Samsung Galaxy S3 could not make nor receive calls in the USA. Roaming WAS enabled and I had an R symbol over the signal strength indicator. I have a Vodafone pay as you go sim card which I have used (as my main sim) over numerous years now. I have used it in other phones previously (HTC, Samsung, LG, etc.) over the years and they have all made and received calls in the USA (roaming) no problem. I did get a text message (eventually) when I was in the USA saying welcome to USA and calls cost £1.50, etc, etc. Yet when I tried making a call, I had an automated voice message asking me to contact my operator for some reason (can't remember the specifics). I've never had a problem using my Vodafone sim roaming in the USA and with previous phones, always made and received calls without any hassle (i.e. found a network automatically, e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). Also, I visited Las Vegas last year with the same sim card but a different phone (HTC Desire HD) and was able to make and receive calls. I recall my brother saying that he had read something on the internet about the UK spec. S3 having hardware differences with the rest of the world versions, including not being able to work in the USA for calls. However, he could not find the site again. Has anybody else had this problem or know about it?
Yee1 said:
Hello, I recently visited the USA (Las Vegas) and discovered that my UK bought (UNLOCKED) Samsung Galaxy S3 could not make nor receive calls in the USA. Roaming WAS enabled and I had an R symbol over the signal strength indicator. I have a Vodafone pay as you go sim card which I have used (as my main sim) over numerous years now. I have used it in other phones previously (HTC, Samsung, LG, etc.) over the years and they have all made and received calls in the USA (roaming) no problem. I did get a text message (eventually) when I was in the USA saying welcome to USA and calls cost £1.50, etc, etc. Yet when I tried making a call, I had an automated voice message asking me to contact my operator for some reason (can't remember the specifics). I've never had a problem using my Vodafone sim roaming in the USA and with previous phones, always made and received calls without any hassle (i.e. found a network automatically, e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). Also, I visited Las Vegas last year with the same sim card but a different phone (HTC Desire HD) and was able to make and receive calls. I recall my brother saying that he had read something on the internet about the UK spec. S3 having hardware differences with the rest of the world versions, including not being able to work in the USA for calls. However, he could not find the site again. Has anybody else had this problem or know about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea about roaming in the USA...
However, I do know that the phone works on AT&Ts network, because I live in the USA & use the I9300 on AT&Ts network. The I9300 will not work on T-Mobile's data network, but should work on T-Mo's voice network.
That probably wasn't much help to you. I just wanted to confirm for you that the phone does work on AT&Ts network here.
brkshr said:
I have no idea about roaming in the USA...
However, I do know that the phone works on AT&Ts network, because I live in the USA & use the I9300 on AT&Ts network. The I9300 will not work on T-Mobile's data network, but should work on T-Mo's voice network.
That probably wasn't much help to you. I just wanted to confirm for you that the phone does work on AT&Ts network here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks brkshr, that was helpful. Good to know that a GT-I9300 does work in the USA.
I thought the USA had different models (SGH-T999 and SGH-I747). What made you decide to get a GT-I9300?
I may try again (next time I go back to USA) and if still the same, will try an AT&T sim. I must admit, I don't know anything about the different networks in the USA. Can I get a pay as you go sim for free? In England, you can get sim cards for different networks free and then obviously pay to top up.
Yee1 said:
Thanks brkshr, that was helpful. Good to know that a GT-I9300 does work in the USA.
I thought the USA had different models (SGH-T999 and SGH-I747). What made you decide to get a GT-I9300?
I may try again (next time I go back to USA) and if still the same, will try an AT&T sim. I must admit, I don't know anything about the different networks in the USA. Can I get a pay as you go sim for free? In England, you can get sim cards for different networks free and then obviously pay to top up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct. The U.S. does have it's own variations. I decided to buy the I9300 for the quad-core & I was hoping that Samsung would be more likely to release sources for it & update it faster. They do update the I9300 faster, but I prefer AOSP (Google's stock Android) over Samsungs TouchWiz & that's where sources come in to play. So now I wish I would have gone with a U.S. variant, because sources for the US variant are released. Oh well! (Sorry for the rant)
Unfortunately, we don't get free SIM cards here. The best thing to do is buy an AT&T SIM card online ahead of time. Then activate it on a prepaid plan when you get here. You need a Micro SIM card. They should cost anywhere from $5 to $15. Otherwise, you have to go into an AT&T store & buy their 'SIM Starter Kit' for $25... Complete BS.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=at&t+sim+card
Thanks again, the link (to Amazon) is very useful. I think I will get an AT&T pre-paid sim card as suggested. At least that way I can use mobile data (when wi-fi is not available) and not have to pay extortionate data roaming charges. Especially useful for mobile data assisted GPS.
One last question though. In the UK, you can keep your number even if you don't top up for ages. In the US, can you buy a pre-paid sim card, use it once, not top up for say a year and still be able to use the sim again, i.e. it won't be deactivated will it? That way I can have it as a holiday sim (I visit the US every year).
Yee1 said:
Thanks again, the link (to Amazon) is very useful. I think I will get an AT&T pre-paid sim card as suggested. At least that way I can use mobile data (when wi-fi is not available) and not have to pay extortionate data roaming charges. Especially useful for mobile data assisted GPS.
One last question though. In the UK, you can keep your number even if you don't top up for ages. In the US, can you buy a pre-paid sim card, use it once, not top up for say a year and still be able to use the sim again, i.e. it won't be deactivated will it? That way I can have it as a holiday sim (I visit the US every year).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know the answer to that question. Sorry.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Question!!
I bought an unlocked i9300 the quad core international galaxy s3.. i'm using Simple Mobile micro simcard.. i wanted to use AT&T prepaid simcard the one amazon sell.. i 'm asking if anyone used the AT&T with this phone and make it work.. i went to AT&T store and they told me the simcard will never work on my phone so don't buy it..i live in Texas USA.
PS: i'm sorry if this question been asked before and thank you all for your time and help
Have you seen this thread?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1696025
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
to day I stated to have problems with my internet on my SGP621 LTE I'm on T-Mobile and i'm getting the connect me messages basically t-mo want's me to get a separate tablet data plan. I was wondering if there is a work around so that I can use my tablet as a regular phone with data internet access without an additional data plan which I would not pay for. is there a way to make my tablet SPG621 to show as the regular Z3 phone and not as a tablet so that I can use the internet 3G/4G LTE thank you:crying:
I think that's just an offer. You don't have to do this. As far as i know you can use your SIM in any device you like. And ... Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact can be considered as a big phaplet.
jaime4272 said:
to day I stated to have problems with my internet on my SGP621 LTE I'm on T-Mobile and i'm getting the connect me messages basically t-mo want's me to get a separate tablet data plan. I was wondering if there is a work around so that I can use my tablet as a regular phone with data internet access without an additional data plan which I would not pay for. is there a way to make my tablet SPG621 to show as the regular Z3 phone and not as a tablet so that I can use the internet 3G/4G LTE thank you:crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jaime4272 said:
to day I stated to have problems with my internet on my SGP621 LTE I'm on T-Mobile and i'm getting the connect me messages basically t-mo want's me to get a separate tablet data plan. I was wondering if there is a work around so that I can use my tablet as a regular phone with data internet access without an additional data plan which I would not pay for. is there a way to make my tablet SPG621 to show as the regular Z3 phone and not as a tablet so that I can use the internet 3G/4G LTE thank you:crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with nico_las. I use my SGP621 on T-Mobile USA as well, and it's not mandatory I switch over to a tablet plan. It's just an offer you can refuse.
Is there a way to refuse this offer? Like, my data no longer works as of maybe two hours ago, and I am not the only one reporting this. Can I refuse an offer and retain it? I called 611 but as usual the pre-paid support folk never know anything outside of their scripts...
the problem is that t-mo knows is a tablet and the internet wont work, calls ant and text does work but not mms and everything that requires internet, if any body know how to disguise as a phone/phablet like the z ultra by modifying the IMEI or something. thanks
Yes, I am currently Experiencing this Issue as well, and I told T-mobile Rep to stop forcing people like this. I can just sell this phone and buy a note 4, with smaller screen and it will work just fine.....but they basically want to force people into it, so they can make money out of it.
I am interested in how to disguise the tablet as a phone as well.
I really really want to kick Tmobile in the ass and never come back as a customer........but they know other carriers do the same thing......We are at the losing ends
we need to ask to devs if we can get help on this issue. what we need is to disguise out tablet as phone or phablet
I think you're being overly optimistic. I appreciate it. But we barely have support enough on this device to get a proper root, much less ROM support. I feel like it should be possible to pass this off as a normal Z3... But not sure. In any case it will take root at minimum and most likely an unlocked bootloader... Which I don't plan on pursuing until I know I can keep remote play, DRM, cast support, etc.
I hope it happens... And I'm with you... But I think it's a lost cause. I'd like to hear from an actual Dev about it though... Just not a lot of them in the English world with this tablet not on shelves outside of Asia.
Hey guys, a few thoughts.
First, there is chatter about this in 3 or 4 different threads. It doesn't have to be this thread, which I created yesterday, but we should band together and use a single thread for longer-term discussion.
Second, I actually don't think that this is an attempt by T-Mo to gauge more money out of us; we are a tiny percentage of their user base and are probably an attractive demographic for T-Mo in a sense. This is simply bureaucratic disorganization (I think they simply don't know how to provide 'free data for life' without considering the 621 a 'data only device,' damn you all who rallied for that), and unfortunately execs are not going to make an immediate priority of satisfying a tiny percentage of prepaid customers on cheap plans. What I personally expect will happen at some point, T-Mo will act in accordance with its 'uncarrier' mantra and be the first carrier to recognize that there is increasingly no difference between a phone and tablet. They will offer substantially the same plans for any data enabled device and will be the first carrier to officially support "phablets.'
Third, I am also very curious what can be done to trick T-Mo's system, in the mean time. I can say firsthand that altering the device model # inside your build.prop file will do nothing. Switching up the APN, nothing. But I didn't personally get that creative before giving up. One thing to note, on an older device, I downloaded a root app to ltyer my DNS servers (switched from T-Mo to OpenDNS). Within X many minutes of rebooting I could not make phone calls or receive texts and no data icon appeared either, but I did have data and T-Mo was probably unable to meter my data usage. Try at your own risk.
Fourth, *****ing accomplishes nothing. The great thing about buying unlocked, is the ability to switch carriers at the drop of a dime (which is coincidentally what T-Mo deserves from us right now). AT&T has LTE on four frequencies and the 621 supports all of em. I already made the switch to AT&T, and everything is smooth at the moment. And I can always switch back. As a light talker I miss my $30 plan (and the small $$ I had left over in my acct), but $60 for talk, text, and a tetherable 4 GBs of LTE isn't terrible when you can buy 5-10% off discounted refill cards from Calling Mart. Cricket is also on AT&T's network now and $60 will get you 20 GBs of <= 8Mbps LTE, $10 more if you want to tether without worry. I would be curious for an expanded discussion regarding our options, since I am only so familiar with the ins, outs, and possible pitfalls of them.
good one
Would anyone like to test for compatibility/pitfalls/etc on Harbor Mobile? $50/mo for unlimited talk/text/LTE and 3GB tethering on T-Mo's network, purportedly.
https://www.harbormobile.com/plans/
They also have a good looking tablet data plan ($15 for 5GB) that would be more useful if we had dual sim slots.
MetroPCS would be the other competitive T-Mo pre-paid option. Not sure how these companies detect phones/tablets. They don't offer free data for life, which might or might not make a difference.
Possible Solution?
jaime4272 said:
to day I stated to have problems with my internet on my SGP621 LTE I'm on T-Mobile and i'm getting the connect me messages basically t-mo want's me to get a separate tablet data plan. I was wondering if there is a work around so that I can use my tablet as a regular phone with data internet access without an additional data plan which I would not pay for. is there a way to make my tablet SPG621 to show as the regular Z3 phone and not as a tablet so that I can use the internet 3G/4G LTE thank you:crying:
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I work for T-Mobile and have also have the same issues with my Z3tc I, being a store manager, have limited resources available to me but i plan to submit a ticket in hopes of resolving this issue, it would help if i had multiple issues to report however. If you folks are willing to help me out with this (power in numbers as they say) i think we may have a chance of getting a fix, what i need from each of you is your T-mobile telephone number that you've been using your Z3TC on and i can submit this ticket. Email your name and phone# to [email protected] and I'll do my best
I was about to e-mail Tyson, and just saw this posted (by a post-paid customer) to a T-Mo Support thread I had participated in:
"Just got off with customer service with the solution. To fix the problem you need to get a new sim card. The customer service rep said T-Mobile will provide them for free then everything should work fine. What happened is the info on the sim says its a tablet, once the sim info gets changed on T-Mobile's end there is no way to change it back and the only solution is to get a new sim card. Hope this helps you guys."
(https://support.t-mobile.com/thread/86423?start=15&tstart=0)
thref23 said:
I was about to e-mail Tyson, and just saw this posted (by a post-paid customer) to a T-Mo Support thread I had participated in:
"Just got off with customer service with the solution. To fix the problem you need to get a new sim card. The customer service rep said T-Mobile will provide them for free then everything should work fine. What happened is the info on the sim says its a tablet, once the sim info gets changed on T-Mobile's end there is no way to change it back and the only solution is to get a new sim card. Hope this helps you guys."
(https://support.t-mobile.com/thread/86423?start=15&tstart=0)
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Click to collapse
I don't think this is correct. I already got a new SIM for mine because that's what Tmobile support had me do originally. It didn't fix the issue. However I noticed under my account that it had my device listed as a Xperia Z tablet as in the old version when I got the new SIM. So maybe if you change it to a Z3 and get a new one it will work... But I doubt it.
The tech support I most recently talked to said they updated their systems with the Z3TC information and classified it as a tablet so the data won't work unless you get on a tablet data plan. But if I get on a tablet data plan then I can't have phone and text on the same SIM. He said there was no way for them to accommodate both.
And I tried explaining that the only difference between tablet and phone is phone capabilities... Which we have... So it should be a phone.
I see that more and more people are having this problem and being that t-mo knows that our SGP621 is a tablet the only thing to do is to disguise it as something else other then a tablet. I know that phablets do work fine like the xperia z ultra. we need some technical help on doing this guys.
Need more help
tysontthompson said:
I work for T-Mobile and have also have the same issues with my Z3tc I, being a store manager, have limited resources available to me but i plan to submit a ticket in hopes of resolving this issue, it would help if i had multiple issues to report however. If you folks are willing to help me out with this (power in numbers as they say) i think we may have a chance of getting a fix, what i need from each of you is your T-mobile telephone number that you've been using your Z3TC on and i can submit this ticket. Email your name and phone# to [email protected] and I'll do my best
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Click to collapse
I've got about 5-6 people's info so far, if i could get 10 or so i think we could make some headway here. I have tried SIM swaps, tried using a regular z3 for a couple days and switching back, tried rooting and IMEI changing nothing has worked thus far... this seems like the best chance here.
tysontthompson said:
I've got about 5-6 people's info so far, if i could get 10 or so i think we could make some headway here. I have tried SIM swaps, tried using a regular z3 for a couple days and switching back, tried rooting and IMEI changing nothing has worked thus far... this seems like the best chance here.
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Are you still looking for folks for this?
I just ordered one and will be trying to use it on Tmo.
Just sent you my contact information, I'm also having the same issue with T-mobile.
Thank,
Scott
tysontthompson said:
I've got about 5-6 people's info so far, if i could get 10 or so i think we could make some headway here. I have tried SIM swaps, tried using a regular z3 for a couple days and switching back, tried rooting and IMEI changing nothing has worked thus far... this seems like the best chance here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This won't be a problem on AT&T's network. Why not just switch? For high data users, Cricket has competitive prices, for low use folks there are several mvnos to choose from.
afblangley said:
This won't be a problem on AT&T's network. Why not just switch? For high data users, Cricket has competitive prices, for low use folks there are several mvnos to choose from.
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Does anyone have an update on this? I think I got hit too. My internet stopped working this morning and I've been calling T-Mo and they said they don't know what the problem is.
I realize this might be a dumb question, but I'm asking anyway because I can't seem to find a reliable answer.
My wife and I recently purchased unlocked Verizon V10s and are traveling to South Korea. Is there a way to use our phones while we're there without purchasing Verizon's TravelPass or any other international plan Verizon offers? Can we purchase a SIM card when we arrive in Seoul, or is it just more hassle than it's worth?
We'll be there for 10 days and plan to use the phones mostly for connecting with relatives while there to coordinate visits, as well as online searches for various travel-related things (transit options, restaurants, attractions and etc.).
Thanks for any help you can provide!
Andrew
It shouldn't be a problem. Have to manually input apn to gain Internet access and mms messaging services.
"Mvno Master"
I see where my APN is listed, but there isn't an option for adding a new one. Is this a Verizon limitation?
Have to insert a gsm sim first.
"Mvno Master"
It's really that simple? Wow - coming from "old" Verizon phones where I was locked into CDMA, being able to insert a GSM SIM in a Verizon phone is crazy.
Yep..... I swap out from vzw to Cricket all the time although your data won't be at lte just h+ speeds bit thats still very fast
"Mvno Master"