Unlimited minutes using WiFi Calling (On a minute allotment plan)

Unlimited minutes using WiFi Calling (On a minute allotment plan) - HTC Amaze 4G

I did a quick search and didn't see this mentioned anywhere here... so I wanted to give out this little tip because I've found it incredibly useful.
When I was doing some research into T-Mobile's wifi calling, I came across a press release that stated WiFi calling would not use your plan minutes... I was quite confused as I use WiFi calling all the time and it certainly did deduct from my 500 Whenever minutes. So I did some more research!
What my research led me to find was that the 'free wifi calling' is a feature that T-Mobile doesn't add to new accounts. It seems like this is an undocumented feature that T-Mobile goes out of their way to NOT advertise or even display on their My Tmobile website, you can't add it yourself. Oh, and it's only available to people on the classic plans (or so i've read) that have a minute allotment (I have the 500minutes/month classic talk package).
You can get this feature added by simply calling t-mobile, or through their live chat on their website (available 24/7).. I emailed TForce, who also awarded me 150 bonus minutes.. not even sure why haha. All you have to do is ask that the "Free WiFi Calling" feature be added to your account, and best of all it's FREE!
Once this feature is added, all calls placed over WiFi will not use your minute allotment. They will appear on your usage as "T-Mobile HotSpot minutes" which are unlimited.
I have found this INCREDIBLY useful.. because with only 500 minutes I really wasn't able to use the phone as a land-line replacement... But NOW I can... because I'm connected to wifi a good 80% of the time.
TL;DR: If you call/live chat/email t-mobile and request the 'free wifi calling' feature be added to your account, all calls placed over WiFi will not use any of your anytime minutes. You effectively have unlimited minutes while connected to wifi.
You CANNOT add this feature using the T-Mobile website. You can't even really find any evidence of its' existence on the site.
Another cool 'feature' is that while abroad, you can use your new unlimited WiFi calling to save on costly roaming charges...
Sorry if this was already 'well known'... it came as a very pleasant surprise to me. Hope this helps some people!

ericdjobs said:
I did a quick search and didn't see this mentioned anywhere here... so I wanted to give out this little tip because I've found it incredibly useful.
When I was doing some research into T-Mobile's wifi calling, I came across a press release that stated WiFi calling would not use your plan minutes... I was quite confused as I use WiFi calling all the time and it certainly did deduct from my 500 Whenever minutes. So I did some more research!
What my research led me to find was that the 'free wifi calling' is a feature that T-Mobile doesn't add to new accounts. It seems like this is an undocumented feature that T-Mobile goes out of their way to NOT advertise or even display on their My Tmobile website, you can't add it yourself. Oh, and it's only available to people on the classic plans (or so i've read) that have a minute allotment (I have the 500minutes/month classic talk package).
You can get this feature added by simply calling t-mobile, or through their live chat on their website (available 24/7).. I emailed TForce, who also awarded me 150 bonus minutes.. not even sure why haha. All you have to do is ask that the "Free WiFi Calling" feature be added to your account, and best of all it's FREE!
Once this feature is added, all calls placed over WiFi will not use your minute allotment. They will appear on your usage as "T-Mobile HotSpot minutes" which are unlimited.
I have found this INCREDIBLY useful.. because with only 500 minutes I really wasn't able to use the phone as a land-line replacement... But NOW I can... because I'm connected to wifi a good 80% of the time.
TL;DR: If you call/live chat/email t-mobile and request the 'free wifi calling' feature be added to your account, all calls placed over WiFi will not use any of your anytime minutes. You effectively have unlimited minutes while connected to wifi.
You CANNOT add this feature using the T-Mobile website. You can't even really find any evidence of its' existence on the site.
Another cool 'feature' is that while abroad, you can use your new unlimited WiFi calling to save on costly roaming charges...
Sorry if this was already 'well known'... it came as a very pleasant surprise to me. Hope this helps some people!
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Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing this, great post to read!

For international usage, you can use WiFi Calling regardless if you have the free "hotspot" minutes or not. All calls made internationally using the WiFi Calling feature are treated as a domestic call.
I used my phone in Mexico over WiFi at no additional cost.

haha, wait till your first bill.
WiFi calling is a free feature available to ANYONE with a wifi calling capable phone. I does deduct from your minutes.
This is not a secret feature.
I work here and we go out of our way to mention it to every customer. It solves most issue of in home signal strength.
PER TMOBILE WEBSITE
What is Wi-Fi Calling?
Wi-Fi Calling is a free feature for T-Mobile customers with a Wi-Fi capable phone. Wi-Fi Calling is an excellent solution for coverage issues in and around the home or wherever cellular coverage is limited. Minutes used while connected to the Wi-Fi network count against available rate plan minutes.

mikeschevelle said:
Minutes used while connected to the Wi-Fi network count against available rate plan minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he is talking about is there is a free WiFi Unlimited Option you can add to WiFi capable phones that does not count against available rate plan minutes. I added it yesterday and got it back dated to my previous billing cycle. I checked it today and it does exactly that.

I didn't know about this. Thank you bic boi
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using XDA

I figured being on T-Mobile, they all just had unlimited everything for either 59.99 or 79.99 based on classic or value

http://www.tmonews.com/2011/05/t-mobile-bring-unlimited-wifi-calling-back/

mikeschevelle said:
I will again say that there no secret option for free unlimited minutes.
Wait for your bills guys
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Click to collapse
Accidentally thanked you. But aanyways, its not secret. Lol. I talked to a tmobile rep earlier and he said that its unlimited to call any mobile carrier here in the U.S without using minutes as long as its through WIFI.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using XDA

its available to all plans including value plan.
It being free is just a feature that they have to add, as in not automatically added when you sign up.
Our old plan was 3000 minutes and unlimited texts for 3 lines. We used about 700 to 1100 minutes per month. With free wifi calling on the value plan we were are able to share 1000 minutes and get 3 phones at and $15 per month each and add data for all 3 for about the same price we were paying before.
None of the other 3 major carriers come close to tmo on price. The one complaint I do have though is that they have so many plans and plan options that even their employees seem confused most of the time. It took a meeting of 3 reps, 15 minutes, and a computer to confirm that you can use wifi mintues without them counting on my plan.

I would use it more if the latency wasn't terrible almost all the time. I know bandwidth isn't the issue, it's latency and jitter, but I'd expect better from Comcast paying $100/mo for a 50mbit Internet connection.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium

mikeschevelle said:
haha, wait till your first bill.
WiFi calling is a free feature available to ANYONE with a wifi calling capable phone. I does deduct from your minutes.
This is not a secret feature.
I work here and we go out of our way to mention it to every customer. It solves most issue of in home signal strength.
PER TMOBILE WEBSITE
What is Wi-Fi Calling?
Wi-Fi Calling is a free feature for T-Mobile customers with a Wi-Fi capable phone. Wi-Fi Calling is an excellent solution for coverage issues in and around the home or wherever cellular coverage is limited. Minutes used while connected to the Wi-Fi network count against available rate plan minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That wouldn't be the first time there was something on T-Mobile.com that was tragically outdated Intel wise. I'd be extremely careful about representing yourself as a t mobile employee on forums. It sucks, i know, but it is a pretty serious offense. There was a time several years ago where all I was doing was helping some customers out on T-Mobile support forums and they suspendednmy account for presenting myself as a t mobile representative. Acknowledging yourself as being an employee of t mobile is a gray area. I think they're more sensitive about circumstances such as this (that I was guilty of before I was aware) where you say "I work for t mobile and let me tell you..." Etc etc.
I would give you the link if I could, but (not trying to argue, only educate) what you posted is true of OLD WiFi calling features, yes. there was a change (sometime a little less than a year ago I think) that occurred that once again provided free minutes over WiFi, which is still in effect today.
As far as being billed for calls over WiFi (now addressing the op and everyone in general) - its not possible, at least not on the Amaze at any rate. If you dont have the feature, you're not actually making any calls over WiFi at all. There are two types - those that have the feature built into the settings of their phone (this is the case with the amaze) and those that require an additional WiFi calling app that t mobile included on certain models.
It is possible to be billed minutes for calls over WiFi for the latter of the two.
With the amaze and most other new models (the ones that have the feature built into their settings itself), provided that the feature is enabled (on ICS its settings > more > WiFi calling and WiFi calling settings) it automatically connects to the network and gives you a blue or red notification depending on if it was able to connect to the network over WiFi. If you dont have the feature, it won't connect and there's a very obvious red notification that appears informing you of sich. I'm thus a bit surprised that you were under the impression that you were making WiFi calls and hadn't noticed that notification.
The feature itself is more of a provisioning feature than anything. If its applied and you have a compatible simcard... It will work and you'll have a blue notification. If you don't have the feature, the system rejects the connection over WiFi, you get a red notification and your voice services continue to be connected over the network. While your data itself is all that's connected to WiFi. If this feature isn't offerred to you when you activate or buy your new phone, the rep is probably pressed for time (hustle and bustle makes it hard to remember every last detail sometimes), neglectful, or lacks the knowledge necessary to properly present the service. Everyone is human guys, give your reps the benefit of the doubt. No one is out to get you. From my experience, most of t mobile's workforce is full of genuine, honest people who believe in the company they work for. T mobile tends to attract people with a much higher caliber of values since the company's operations in general tend to be much more customer advocate based than other cell phone companies. I've actually known more than a few people in the industry who want to work for t mobile more than any other company and who have stayed with t mobile when other more lucrative opportunities have presented themselves because of T Mobile's high standard for recognizing their customers as people and not another metric to be achieved.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium

AndroidAutobot said:
That wouldn't be the first time there was something on T-Mobile.com that was tragically outdated Intel wise. I'd be extremely careful about representing yourself as a t mobile employee on forums. It sucks, i know, but it is a pretty serious offense. There was a time several years ago where all I was doing was helping some customers out on T-Mobile support forums and they suspendednmy account for presenting myself as a t mobile representative. Acknowledging yourself as being an employee of t mobile is a gray area. I think they're more sensitive about circumstances such as this (that I was guilty of before I was aware) where you say "I work for t mobile and let me tell you..." Etc etc.
I would give you the link if I could, but (not trying to argue, only educate) what you posted is true of OLD WiFi calling features, yes. there was a change (sometime a little less than a year ago I think) that occurred that once again provided free minutes over WiFi, which is still in effect today.
As far as being billed for calls over WiFi (now addressing the op and everyone in general) - its not possible, at least not on the Amaze at any rate. If you dont have the feature, you're not actually making any calls over WiFi at all. There are two types - those that have the feature built into the settings of their phone (this is the case with the amaze) and those that require an additional WiFi calling app that t mobile included on certain models.
It is possible to be billed minutes for calls over WiFi for the latter of the two.
With the amaze and most other new models (the ones that have the feature built into their settings itself), provided that the feature is enabled (on ICS its settings > more > WiFi calling and WiFi calling settings) it automatically connects to the network and gives you a blue or red notification depending on if it was able to connect to the network over WiFi. If you dont have the feature, it won't connect and there's a very obvious red notification that appears informing you of sich. I'm thus a bit surprised that you were under the impression that you were making WiFi calls and hadn't noticed that notification.
The feature itself is more of a provisioning feature than anything. If its applied and you have a compatible simcard... It will work and you'll have a blue notification. If you don't have the feature, the system rejects the connection over WiFi, you get a red notification and your voice services continue to be connected over the network. While your data itself is all that's connected to WiFi. If this feature isn't offerred to you when you activate or buy your new phone, the rep is probably pressed for time (hustle and bustle makes it hard to remember every last detail sometimes), neglectful, or lacks the knowledge necessary to properly present the service. Everyone is human guys, give your reps the benefit of the doubt. No one is out to get you. From my experience, most of t mobile's workforce is full of genuine, honest people who believe in the company they work for. T mobile tends to attract people with a much higher caliber of values since the company's operations in general tend to be much more customer advocate based than other cell phone companies. I've actually known more than a few people in the industry who want to work for t mobile more than any other company and who have stayed with t mobile when other more lucrative opportunities have presented themselves because of T Mobile's high standard for recognizing their customers as people and not another metric to be achieved.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Before I added the 'Free WiFi Calling' feature, WiFi calling worked fine, but it deducted minutes from my 'Whenever' minutes. I use the HTC Amaze with the WiFi calling built into the settings.
After adding the feature, the only change is calls that are placed over WiFi now use "T-Mobile Hotspot minutes" instead of my "Whenever" minutes.
I'm 100% positive that I was making calls over WiFi before adding the 'Free WiFi calling feature'. When I go into my Usage on the t-mobile website, the calls are have a "U" next to them, indicating they were placed over WiFi, but they were deducting my Whenever minutes.
If you dont have the feature, it won't connect and there's a very obvious red notification that appears informing you of sich. I'm thus a bit surprised that you were under the impression that you were making WiFi calls and hadn't noticed that notification.
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Click to collapse
This wasn't my personal experience. Before adding the feature, calling over WiFi worked fine (i don't get ANY t-mobile signal in my house), but it did deduct my whenever minutes. After adding the feature, the only change is that it now uses the unlimited "T-Mobile Hotspot minutes". I'm positive I was making calls over WiFi before the feature, though. I can confirm this because looking in my online call log I see plenty of calls labled as "WiFi (U)" that definitely deducted my whenever minutes.
When I signed up for my account, the sales rep informed me that WiFi calls still use my "Whenever" minutes and did not inform me of this feature at ALL... thus why I complained to TForce who awarded me the 150 bonus minutes as well.

Wonder if I should call tmo and ask about this.. I've been paying $10 a month for the last couple of years for the [email protected] There are 4 lines on my account tho.. 2 g2's, 1 amaze, 1 mt4g
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium

Got it added
Based on this thread, I just did the T-Mobile website chat and got this added to my account. Will report how we go from here when I get a bill. Certainly, the rep didn't seem at all surprised, and explained that this meant I could use wifi without drawing minutes from my rate plan.

My apologies, thought you were talking about any wifi calls.
CC is only supposed to add that feature to those with signal issues, not talking to much issues

ericdjobs said:
I'm confused why you said 'wait for your first bill' when you can login to my.t-mobile.com and clearly see your usage. Before adding the "Free WiFi calling" feature, any calls I placed over wifi clearly deducted from my Whenever minutes. After adding it, those minutes are now in a new column "T-mobile hotspot minutes"... I checked this a couple of times.. placed a call using WiFi before adding the feature and my used Whenever minutes went from 55 to 60. After adding the feature, I have talked for hours and my whenever minutes are still at 60.
Yes. Minutes used deduct from your rate plan UNLESS you add the "Free WiFi calling" feature by either calling t-mobile or using their live chat. That's the 'secret feature'. The sales rep definitely did NOT go out of his way to tell me about this feature.. the sales rep actually told me what you are saying, that WiFi calls use my plan minutes. I never claimed that WiFi calling itself is a 'secret feature'. The 'secret feature' is the "Free WiFi calling" service addition that gives you unlimited minutes using WiFi calls. You can use WiFi calling JUST FINE without "Free WiFi calling" added as a service, at least I was able to.. it just uses your plan minutes.
Now, after adding that feature, all of my wifi calls are being billed as "T-Mobile Hotspot minutes" (check my screenshot in OP) which are unlimited. I'm surprised that you claim to work for T-Mobile yet are unaware of this feature. All you have to do is hop on the live chat and they will tell you all about it if you ask.
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Click to collapse
I understand now. The feature the people who activated you was the old feature. Perhaps your activation took place before the free WiFi calling feature became available. That would seem to make the most sense because there's nothing really secret about it. "Free WiFi calling" is listed in the features of the activation system and does not deduct from minutes. If you activated before this current feature was available, it would make perfect sense that they were able to add the older feature to your account instead and it would also make perfect sense that they told you it would use minutes. I might be wrong about the time frame. Perhaps it was late last year that this became available. There's currently no way of implimenting the wrong WiFi calling feature from the billing system. It's simply impossible.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium

Man, I wish this was the case last year when I was on a 750 minute family plan and I was in a bad signal area and always used Wi-Fi calling. Sure enough it always came out of our dedeucted bucket of minutes.
Now I am unlimited....go figure, lol!
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using Tapatalk 2

OR, You can do it the other route,
which is downloading GrooveIP, and setting up your Google Voice number to Groove, and you can make UNLIMITED calls, and texts from your Google Voice number on both Wifi, 3G AND 4G.
I'm on the Walmart 100 minute, Unlimited 4G plan for $30 bucks, and I use Groove to make most of my phone calls. So i never really use minutes unless I'm too lazy to use Groove.

Related

Excessive tethering use

Anyone use tethering to download too much data and had repercussions from T-Mobile? I'm just wondering if/how much I should limit my bandwidth use. Use tethering frequently on the train and such.

After 5gb of data you will likely get throttled to EDGE-only speed. You will receive a message from TMO if this happens. If you are just checking email, chat, facebook, etc it is highly unlikely you will kill your 5gb.

I just recieved the text message yesterday and I have to say the speed that they throttle you down to renederd my laptop practically useless. Even just trying to log into Yahoo my browser timed out. Just FYI.

How much bandwidth did you use? I was up to 2.3 gigabyte last month.

KerryG said:
After 5gb of data you will likely get throttled to EDGE-only speed. You will receive a message from TMO if this happens. If you are just checking email, chat, facebook, etc it is highly unlikely you will kill your 5gb.
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its not even EDGE speeds. more like a little bit better than GPRS speeds around 50-59kbps. my edge speeds is almost triple this and my 3g speeds peak at 5.3mbps at night and 3-4mbps during day
to OP- Tmobile used to allows 10GB of bandwidth but now its cut to half to 5GB which can be easily used up by tethering,but then again tethering using USB in settings, MobileAP, or an app like EasyTether and PDAnet is not covered in the contract and actually goes against the terms of use

Of course, most probably already know tethering is expressly forbidden by the terms and conditions for most (if not all) contracts with TMO. While they've cast a blind eye to in the past, this is changing.
Beginning Nov 3, TMO will offer a $15 Tethering option which is less expensive than other carriers. Each activated IMEI (phone serial) will get no more than one IP address. All tethered data will count toward your 5GB monthly limit. Like other carriers, your monthly data cap doesn't increase just because you pay more. Unlike other carriers though, you will NOT be charged overage fees unless perhaps you somehow manage to tether without a proper plan in place.
The DHCP pool which currently assigns / allows acquiring of the additional addresses for any tethered devices that you may be using will be limited to just "one" address. In order to tether after this change, you'll require a minimum of 2 IP addresses. This limitation will only be officially lifted upon adding a monthly paid tethering plan to your account. Being rooted or on an unoffical rom likely won't change this as it'll all be controlled by the TMO's network hardware which is out of our reach.
Update to reply to the post by 2000nits below...
That assumes that TMO won't modify the normal operation it's APN gateway to prevent Private DHCP then tethering as we know it might not be possible. Then, you'd be forced to get your addresses from their DHCP server alone.

Yeap . this is a sad sad day for tmob...
I am going to look for a better carrier ./ option
I can get Virgin mobile wifi unlimited , and someone else cheaper for the phone

You think they will send a notice to all users with a 'Change of Terms' letter enclosed???
Also, does anyone know how to monitor my usage?? How do I know how much data I've transfered thus far in my billing cycle??

ndhr3d said:
You think they will send a notice to all users with a 'Change of Terms' letter enclosed???
Also, does anyone know how to monitor my usage?? How do I know how much data I've transfered thus far in my billing cycle??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can monitor usage with netcounter in market. Free and I have been using it since g1.

epakrat75 said:
Of course, most probably already know tethering is expressly forbidden by the terms and conditions for most (if not all) contracts with TMO. While they've cast a blind eye to in the past, this is changing.
Beginning Nov 3, TMO will offer a $15 Tethering option which is less expensive than other carriers. Each activated IMEI (phone serial) will get no more than one IP address. All tethered data will count toward your 5GB monthly limit. Like other carriers, your monthly data cap doesn't increase just because you pay more. Unlike other carriers though, you will NOT be charged overage fees unless perhaps you somehow manage to tether without a proper plan in place.
The DHCP pool which currently assigns / allows acquiring of the additional addresses for any tethered devices that you may be using will be limited to just "one" address. In order to tether after this change, you'll require a minimum of 2 IP addresses. This limitation will only be officially lifted upon adding a monthly paid tethering plan to your account. Being rooted or on an unoffical rom likely won't change this as it'll all be controlled by the TMO's network hardware which is out of our reach.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as tethering still works like it did with usb tethering on cyanogen roms we do not get 2 ips from the carrier. Your phone gets 1 ip address from carrier and then acts as a router giving you private ip addresses that your carrier does not see. Same as you home ISP does not give out multiple ip addresses if you have multiple PCs at home conneted to a router.
Conclusion: Pay tmo $15/mo extra or root and do it for free (at your own risk). I have done it since the g1 days but very rarely, never had a prob.

Removed by author.

2000nits said:
As long as tethering still works like it did with usb tethering on cyanogen roms we do not get 2 ips from the carrier. Your phone gets 1 ip address from carrier and then acts as a router giving you private ip addresses that your carrier does not see. Same as you home ISP does not give out multiple ip addresses if you have multiple PCs at home conneted to a router.
Conclusion: Pay tmo $15/mo extra or root and do it for free (at your own risk). I have done it since the g1 days but very rarely, never had a prob.
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Click to collapse
^ This. I don't see how t mobile could track that you are tethering. Your phone requests the data, than transfers the data to the device you are tethering just like a router. The "outside world" only ever sees your router, or phone in this case. Unless I am misunderstanding the way tethering works.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

AFAIK, an APN is required for tethering to work. The carrier controls this. Without APN access and one that plays nice with tethering apps, tethering may become impossible with existing tethering / wifi router apps?

Tethering Via Kies or Tethering Via Dial-Up Connection
Currently you can easily tether via Samsung Kies or by creating a dial-up connection. How will these two options change?
How would T-Mo know you are tethering via keys or dial-up connection?
I do have Kies and I've set up dial-up tethering, it works, however I have internet everywhere I go, so I never have really tethered other than just testing to see if it works. I think it is a shame though, people who abused tethering kinda ruined it for everyone. Now if you need to tether in an emergency, which in my case would be maybe like once a year or something, now the option is closed to everyone? Maybe they can create an emergency tethering plan. You pay for the 1 time you need to tether. I dunno.
*dial-up isn't really dial-up in the sense you may be thinking like in the old modem dial up days.

Block Data Requests to Network on SGS2 (AT$T)

Hi community, I'm a noob to posting and I'll apologize up-front. This is my first XDA thread, but I've been a silent creeper on here since the Windows Mobile 6/6.1/6.5 era. After searching here, Google, and other forums, I am still at a loss for the proper procedure for doing what I'm about to request. I have an LG Incite (CT810), which is a Windows 6.1 phone. I'm familiar with network settings, access codes, registry edits, ROMS, etc.; however, I'm new to Android and I won't even pretend to have a solid idea of what I'm doing.
Here's the situation: with my Incite, I have a "smartphone exclusion" and "data opt-out" features on my plan. This meant that for 3 years, I did not pay for data for any of the lines on my grandfathered family plan as the data network is mostly unusable in my portion of north Florida. Where I live, work, and go to school all have wi-fi and I have been largely successful managing things that way. On the Incite, you did the following to prevent all data requests from going from the phone to the network...Start>Settings>Connections>Connections>Advanced>Select Networks. Relatively straight-forward.
I now have a new SGS2 i777 sitting on my desk with both the new and old SIM cards available (as I have not yet activated it). After working extensively with premier/enterprise customer care, my plan now looks like it did 1 month ago when I was promised that I could upgrade to anything "other than an iPhone" and maintain my contract "as-is" (i.e. no data plan). I signed into my account last night and sure enough, the Enterprise Data Pro 2GB had been removed and the Data Opt-Out had been reinstated. I've been reading about IMEI crawlers and network connection monitors...and though I can't do anything about the first, I was wondering if there's anything that can be done to prevent the second from the phone side (like my Incite did). For example, making all background and active data refer to the wi-fi connection and throw an error if it wasn't connected.
I still have 2 weeks left in my "buyer's remorse" period to activate or figure out what to do. Basically, I don't want to pay for something I can't use--especially since I'm on a fixed income. In summary, are there internal settings to prevent network data or is there more work I need to do from the customer care side?
Thank you ahead of time for your patience with me.

You ight get more help in the i727 skyrocket forums, your posting in the Original SGS2. There is a big difference in phones. Sorry I am not of any further assistance since I am not running stock samsung roms so I havent tried what your wanting to do. I am on CM7 builds. I believe in CM7 there is a spot to choose 2G, 2G+3G, and other settings. But I am not aware on stock samsung roms. Take a look or see if your post can be moved to the Skyrocket forum for better help.
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7

Headslap moment...it's an i777 SGS2 normal (non-Skyrocket) sorry about that. lol told ya I was a n00b.
I'm interested in all options: rooting, roms, apps, stock settings, etc.
Does anyone know if there's a code you dial that will take you to the engineer menu to adjust modem settings? (e.g. the Incite is 5476278#*#) 3G in this area is poor and 4G is non-existent so I probably don't need those either.

lo-fi_engineer said:
Headslap moment...it's an i777 SGS2 normal (non-Skyrocket) sorry about that. lol told ya I was a n00b.
I'm interested in all options: rooting, roms, apps, stock settings, etc.
Does anyone know if there's a code you dial that will take you to the engineer menu to adjust modem settings? (e.g. the Incite is 5476278#*#) 3G in this area is poor and 4G is non-existent so I probably don't need those either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I understand what you want correctly, you are looking for a way to completely disable data service over the cell network on the phone side, while maintaining the ability to use data over wifi? If that is the case, I don't know of a way to do this on stock firmware, but many custom firmwares include the option to disable data. Perhaps I'm missing your goal though...
Edit: menu>settings>wireless and network> mobile networks> enable packet data. If this is accessible on stock (can't remember, it's been a while) that might do what you want
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA App

I don't know how you managed to keep your old non-data plan as any new smartphone requires a minimum data plan, no ifs, ands or buts.

Miami_Son said:
I don't know how you managed to keep your old non-data plan as any new smartphone requires a minimum data plan, no ifs, ands or buts.
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Click to collapse
I gave my girl my captivate ( she had some old slider phone) and she just put her sim in and uses everrything on wifi. Didn't upgrade to a data plan.

If I understand OP correctly, then i think it's too easy to do.
I don't fully capture what OP's first or second mean but, my take
1. If you already "data opt-out", then you cannot receive any data, meaning you cannot access their network.
2. If you don't want to use their mobile network but just wifi, then turn off their network under Wireless and Network/Mobile Data (or DAta network) settings.
In fact, I turned it off frequently, for this month billing statement, I only consume 2.3MB so far LOL

Miami_Son said:
I don't know how you managed to keep your old non-data plan as any new smartphone requires a minimum data plan, no ifs, ands or buts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Persistence mostly. I don't know if it will stick when I move my SIM card over though. See screenshot below
votinh said:
If I understand OP correctly, then i think it's too easy to do.
1. If you already "data opt-out", then you cannot receive any data, meaning you cannot access their network.
2. If you don't want to use their mobile network but just wifi, then turn off their network under Wireless and Network/Mobile Data (or DAta network) settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 I'll definitely check that out when I get a chance to charge it. I just ran it down until it shut off so it'll be on the charger for a while once I get to my residence.

Idk if data opt out is same as data block but I use that on one of my lines with an Inspire 4G. With that route you lose mms though. Same with blocking it under wireless settings.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk

Changing phones does not affect your plan unless you buy a subsidized phone that requires a minimum data plan. I went from an Incite with an old unlimited plan and kept it when I went to a Tilt 2 that I bought off eBay. I simply swapped my SIM and it worked just fine. When I used my upgrade for the Captivate I was forced off my unlimited plan. If you go the full 30 days with that phone I suspect you will see yourself put on a 200mb plan. Did you get a new SIM with the phone? I got one with my SGSII and if I didn't activate it within the 30 days they would have charged me the full price of the phone.

Apndroid shuts off data through changing the apns for you.
The manual way is to type up a new apn with bad settings. Voice calls will still work, but data will never be able to connect. Wifi will be unaffected. No special settings needed anywhere else on the phone.
Sent from my páhhōniē

Settings>Wireless and Network>Mobile Networks>Use Packet Data
Uncheck the box at the menu above and you will not use cell data. WiFi data will work just fine. Just verified this on an unmodified, completely bone stock ROM. Changing the APN settings to incorrect values can be done as an added defense, but shouldn't be necessary. Hope this helps.

ou812bkewl said:
Settings>Wireless and Network>Mobile Networks>Use Packet Data
Uncheck the box at the menu above and you will not use cell data. WiFi data will work just fine. Just verified this on an unmodified, completely bone stock ROM. Changing the APN settings to incorrect values can be done as an added defense, but shouldn't be necessary. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Even better
Sent from my páhhōniē

disable data connection on sgs2
I'm using the app Android Task Manager Pro Ver 2.2.6 it really helps on stopping the data connection so i wont go over my data plan.

Miami_Son said:
Changing phones does not affect your plan unless you buy a subsidized phone that requires a minimum data plan. I went from an Incite with an old unlimited plan and kept it when I went to a Tilt 2 that I bought off eBay. I simply swapped my SIM and it worked just fine. When I used my upgrade for the Captivate I was forced off my unlimited plan. If you go the full 30 days with that phone I suspect you will see yourself put on a 200mb plan. Did you get a new SIM with the phone? I got one with my SGSII and if I didn't activate it within the 30 days they would have charged me the full price of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After speaking to enterprise business customer care many, many times, I was advised that there are extremely limited instances where business users can upgrade their plans and continue to use their old settings. I offered to buy an SGS2 on Newegg or Amazon at full price, so that I could maintain my plan (like you can with an unlocked phone and a T-Mobile Value-1000 plan utilizing the "bring-your-own-phone provision"), but the agents told me that I would be "upgraded" to a data plan based on the IMEI change from my Incite to my SGS2. Two t2 agents told me that buying a full-priced phone and then correcting the account was unnecessary as EBCC could correct the plan after the fact (even with an upgrade). I followed the instructions to a "t" and bought the phones via the EB OLAM, received them, emailed the agent 3x over the course of a week, but never heard back.
After 3 calls to EBCC, I reached a veteran tier 2 agent who said that correcting the plan based on my circumstances was "easily" done, but that the agent whom provided her email address had "owned" the problem and needed to get one last opportunity to take care of it. She said she emailed the prior agent and to call back and request tier 2 or a supervisor if she didn't contact me. Idk if she was just avoiding doing it or what, but I waited as instructed. I called back and reached a tier 1 agent who recited the normal stance regarding smartphones. Several tier 1 agents later, I reached one who spoke to her supervisor whom read the litany of notes and approved the plan adjustment. Will this work for anyone else? I doubt it, but who knows. ...probably won't work for me either lol...
The screenshots in my previous post were generated 5 minutes before I posted them--they are accurate. My concern from here on out is that the phone will attempt to download data or connect to 4G (2 of the 3 conditions that will generate a forced data plan--IMEI is the 3rd, but understandably, people don't like discussing that one on here). I'll try out the bone stock packet disable setting suggestion shortly and see what happens.
So with a quick search for a similar phone, I found *#*#INFO#*#* Which took me to the Testing Menu. From there, pressing Phone Information>Preferred Network Type>GSM Only. I'm not yet activated, but I'll reply back if that worked.
...making progress!
I saw a Captivate earlier, but has anyone had success keeping a 3.5/4G phone data plan-free?

Miami_Son said:
When I used my upgrade for the Captivate I was forced off my unlimited plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did they get away with that? I've been grandfathered for years, even when I got my first 3g phone. I don't know anybody who was actually forced down to a tiered plan.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium

mkosmo said:
How did they get away with that? I've been grandfathered for years, even when I got my first 3g phone. I don't know anybody who was actually forced down to a tiered plan.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you buy a subsidized phone you have to agree to their terms. That requires you to sign a new contract, which did not give me the choice of keeping my old plan. Maybe I could have made a stink, but at the time they no longer offered unlimited plans and I really wanted the Cappy.

That's only true if you upgrade through 3rd party retailers. Even that, you can call AT&T to get your unlimited data plan back. No, you are no forced to give up the unlimited data when signing a new contract. The problem is most 3rd party retailers can't keep your unlimited with their computer systems, only AT&T stores can do so.

Success!
I swapped out the sim cards without formal activation earlier tonight...no dreaded "We noticed that you're using a smartphone..." text! (At least not yet). Packet data was enabled in the network settings--it seemed to have no effect. From as far as I can tell, the process involves the following...
I came from a grandfathered plan with a smartphone exclusion and data opt-out. I upgraded online and then called [enterprise] customer care and got both items added back along with getting my IMEI updated as available for the opt-out. That seems to be it. Nothing on the phone side. From what multiple tier 2 agents have told me, that will absolutely not work with an iPhone, but who cares about iPhones anyways
I'm curious which combination of data block, smartphone exclusion, and IMEI database update are necessary to make that work for others in situations similar to mine (useless data network where I live/ commute). Will this work with a dumbphone and a data opt-out (block)? I don't know. Perhaps someone who's in a position to upgrade could try it. Using a 3G sim card in a dumbphone, call customer care (611) and request a wix block/ data opt-out on that line. I doubt they'll put the smartphone exclusion on it if it's not a smartphone--if it is then they'll probably put a data plan on instead. After you can log into the online account management, check the features on the line and verify the data opt-out and then try to put your 3G sim into a 4G smartphone and make some calls. Warning: in the event that you weren't intending to upgrade to a smartphone anyways, you might cause yourself a lot of headache getting the data back off once your sim is back in your original non-smartphone (assuming that data block by itself isn't enough to curb the data). Please chime in if it worked because I'm sure there's at least a few members who would be interested.
Loving the Samsung Galaxy S II and XDA...I can't wait to decide which mods I'm going to do first...

Response to the "Dandrumheller":
YES, the stock ROM has that option. It is the best solution that doesn't require any hassle.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium

simultaneous voice and data?

I got a Photon 4g, and I wanna know if there's anyway I can have simultaneous voice/data on 3G, I know its possible over "4G" (Wimax), and I really don't wanna buy a new phone outright. Will SVDO work on the Photon anywhere?

DiamondJay20 said:
I got a Photon 4g, and I wanna know if there's anyway I can have simultaneous voice/data on 3G, I know its possible over "4G" (Wimax), and I really don't wanna buy a new phone outright. Will SVDO work on the Photon anywhere?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To my knowledge this is not possible. Would be hella useful though.

only way is if "voice" if via VOIP such as google voice, skype or SIP provider.

I do it all day! WiFi and I talk and di email and FB! L
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium

i still don't get it, how in the world is this actually useful? should you focus be to the other person you're talking to?

A2CKilla said:
i still don't get it, how in the world is this actually useful? should you focus be to the other person you're talking to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Smartphones have so many features nowadays that it is honestly difficult for any given person to make use of every one of them. Hence, there are some features that are diamonds to some and useless to others. Just because you in particular don't have a use for said feature, it can be be extremely useful to someone else. For instance, my girlfriend now lives a good 150 miles away. So a lot of our casual conversations are done for long periods of time over our phones. Should I be focusing on our conversation? Sure. Do I also wanna check xda, read an article with her to keep the conversation rolling, maybe watch a funny YouTube clip or something? Definitely. My point is, its not a feature that is visibly useless for everyone. You just don't have a use for it.

A2CKilla said:
i still don't get it, how in the world is this actually useful? should you focus be to the other person you're talking to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you might have an email, or be in your car using it as the GPS with the phone on speaker or bluetooth, or wanna check an email you're talking to someone about, etc. A lotta times, when I've been on the internet with the Photon, I've missed calls, and that includes using my Strava cycling app, which simply maps where I'm going.

Calls/texts will interrupt downloads which is annoying when trying to download large files over 3g
Sent from my Kitchen Sync'ed MoPho!

As others have mentioned, if you have VoIP service independently of Sprint, there's nothing to stop you from using it on your phone. You can do a complete end-run around Sprint and cobble your own adhoc SVDO-ish work-around today. Your battery life will totally suck, and you'll be paying more money for VoIP from some thirdparty provider, but you can do it. Just run the client, forward your calls to your VoIP number, and you're in business.
So, why can't SPRINT do it? Simple. The service we all call "Call Forwarding" is heinously inefficient. It was invented ~25 years ago, and only works for its intended purpose (adhoc forwarding of calls to arbitrary numbers) because there are just a few people using it at any given point in time. If EVERYBODY (or even a large plurality of Android owners) tried doing it at once, Sprint would hit a hard limit beyond which no more users serviced by a given switch could forward calls until somebody else discontinued forwarding to free up a circuit (remember, ESS voice calls are circuit-switched, regardless of any packet-switched magic that might occur at the backhaul and trunk level. You'd be amazed how much metaphorical WD-40 and duct tape still gets used behind the scenes at Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile to glue 21st-century wireless and 19th-century wired phone circuits together & make wireless calls look like landline calls to the PSTN).
To implement large-scale SVDO that's cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable, Sprint has to make much bigger changes that involve their switches (enabling them to terminate calls directly to VoIP instead of relying on adhoc ESS-type call forwarding) and signaling (sending notifications via the same mechanism used now to notify the phone of incoming calls, deliver text messages, and carry Google & Apple's push notifications). That way, instead of forcing your phone to establish and maintain an EVDO or LTE connection 24/7 and use it to poll for incoming calls, it can still use the more power-efficient 1x method, and simply notify the onboard VoIP app that there's an incoming call when it happens.
At the end of the day, it's one of those cases where it's easy for nimble, tech-savvy, and highly-motivated individuals willing to spend a few days learning and experimenting to take matters into their own hands and hack something into working for themselves, but it's a much bigger job to make it viable for the unwashed masses who want it to "just work" transparently without disclaimers, gotchas, and devastated battery life. It's the same reason why iPhones don't have wimax on Sprint. Apple point blank refused to even consider implementing something where users have to toggle it manually and be aware of their connectivity options at all times to really make it work right. Think I'm kidding? Find a nontechnical Sprint customer with wimax-capable phone, and check out their 4G settings. 95 times out of 100, they'll have 4G disabled, even in cities where there's been 4G service for more than a year. They went to the Sprint store, complained about not being able to "surf the web" (WE know their phone was probably thrashing back and forth between 3G and 4G & kept spending 5-20 seconds at a time in "no network connection" limbo), the employee toggled 4G off, handed the phone back to them, and they never had any clue what the employee actually DID. They were just happy that their phone quit endlessly saying they had no internet connection. ;-)

Question about T-mobile's HTC One

Hi, I have a few questions about using the One on T-Mobile as its been a few years since I left T-Mobile. Thanks in advance!
As far the WiFi calling feature or UMA service goes it will only work on T-Mobile's official version is that correct? I was told the dev edition will work on T-mobile but it won't be able to use wifi calling or Hspa+
What plans have this WiFi calling feature? Is it limited to postpaid plans only or can I use that $30 5GB data plan and still have the WiFi calling feature?
If I understand correctly, the WiFi calling will allow me to use my T-Mobile number abroad to make and receive calls as if in still in the United States as long I am connected to a wifi network right? That would be great since I plan to travel abroad for a few months and it would be very convenient if I didn't have give all my contacts a new phone number every couple weeks or so.
The final question is if I go with the new uncarrier plan and buy the HTC One for $99 will they unlock the phone for me so I can use it abroad before the phone is paid off? I am not sure with their uncarrier strategy if they will force you to pay your phone off completely before they unlock it for you. I am unsure but I think before they were unlocking phones after the remorse period and you are locked into contract.

Obscurelight said:
Hi, I have a few questions about using the One on T-Mobile as its been a few years since I left T-Mobile. Thanks in advance!
As far the WiFi calling feature or UMA service goes it will only work on T-Mobile's official version is that correct? I was told the dev edition will work on T-mobile but it won't be able to use wifi calling or Hspa+
What plans have this WiFi calling feature? Is it limited to postpaid plans only or can I use that $30 5GB data plan and still have the WiFi calling feature?
If I understand correctly, the WiFi calling will allow me to use my T-Mobile number abroad to make and receive calls as if in still in the United States as long I am connected to a wifi network right? That would be great since I plan to travel abroad for a few months and it would be very convenient if I didn't have give all my contacts a new phone number every couple weeks or so.
The final question is if I go with the new uncarrier plan and buy the HTC One for $99 will they unlock the phone for me so I can use it abroad before the phone is paid off? I am not sure with their uncarrier strategy if they will force you to pay your phone off completely before they unlock it for you. I am unsure but I think before they were unlocking phones after the remorse period and you are locked into contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes.
2. I think it is included on all plans, but I'm not sure.
3. Not sure, but be aware that many hotels overseas charge for WiFi (still cheaper than calling).
4. You have to pay off the phone before they will unlock it.

To expand on the wifi calling question...If youre connected to wifi anywhere in the world, you can call anywhere in the US (assuming your 911 address is in the US) for free. Calling outside the US will result in standard TMo long distance charges. So if youre in Brazil connected to wifi, calling a Brazil number would carry the same charges as if you were calling from the US.
I have used wifi calling in 3 different countries and know this to be true. One other thing to mention, depending on where youre going, the wifi in many hotels I was in was sketchy at best. Not the best for wifi calling.

blackangst said:
To expand on the wifi calling question...If youre connected to wifi anywhere in the world, you can call anywhere in the US (assuming your 911 address is in the US) for free. Calling outside the US will result in standard TMo long distance charges. So if youre in Brazil connected to wifi, calling a Brazil number would carry the same charges as if you were calling from the US.
I have used wifi calling in 3 different countries and know this to be true. One other thing to mention, depending on where youre going, the wifi in many hotels I was in was sketchy at best. Not the best for wifi calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great info!

blackangst said:
To expand on the wifi calling question...If youre connected to wifi anywhere in the world, you can call anywhere in the US (assuming your 911 address is in the US) for free. Calling outside the US will result in standard TMo long distance charges. So if youre in Brazil connected to wifi, calling a Brazil number would carry the same charges as if you were calling from the US.
I have used wifi calling in 3 different countries and know this to be true. One other thing to mention, depending on where youre going, the wifi in many hotels I was in was sketchy at best. Not the best for wifi calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Yes, my main need is to stay connected with the US as I'll be using Skype unlimited world to make calls in the current area I'm in. As long as I can use my phone as if it is still in the States I'm a happy camper. Also I really want to know if the $30 5GB prepaid plan support this feature as I feel that the $50 uncarrier plan is a bit excessive since I will not be using my phone in the states.
Sent from my iPad Mini using Tapatalk

I work for a tmo store.
Yes the prepaid will for WiFi calling BUT unlike a postpaid plan, it will still use your minutes.
On a postpaid plan WiFi calling does not subtract from your minutes
Prepaid the WiFi calling still works but it will subtract from your minutes still

clninja said:
I work for a tmo store.
Yes the prepaid will for WiFi calling BUT unlike a postpaid plan, it will still use your minutes.
On a postpaid plan WiFi calling does not subtract from your minutes
Prepaid the WiFi calling still works but it will subtract from your minutes still
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! that is the information I needed.:highfive:

one of the roms in the international forum has included wifi calling for tmobile users. i think either trickdroid or renovate

We just spent 2 weeks in China and received all texts and phone calls while using the hotels free wifi, it is one of the greatest features that Tmobile has. Calls were mostly clear with occasional drops, we were using a stock note 2.

Question US version (XQ-CT62) t-mobile: no data/internet connection??!!

hi community, i got my usa version of 1 iv and worked with mint-mobile (using t-mobile's network) to connect/activate. Calling/word text worked fine (image via text did not work), but no internet/data connection over 5g/LTE while browsing. Tech support could not get it working and escalated ... wondering if anyone would know how/what could be done. Thx!!

You must be missing the APN config on your device for TMobile. also, check if mobile data is enabled.
Here is T-Mobile info on how to setup Tmobile USA APN:
Tutorials | T-Mobile Support

Not related to the post (getting T-Mobile service) on any of the Asian firmwares at the moment.
I flashed the Euro, US firmwares and no signal at all. The radio power in hidden menu shows as off.
Does anyone know if crossflashing with this model also flashes the radio modem?
Seems to have worked naturally for Xperia 1 II and Xperia 1 III.
Not sure why this doesn't work now aside from intentionally restricting the phone to the intended region model.

Mine is XQ-CT72 global version on US T-Mobil.
I'm getting 800+, but US version should be better because of better band selection.
Mine goes that fast only certain places.

xperialiker said:
hi community, i got my usa version of 1 iv and worked with mint-mobile (using t-mobile's network) to connect/activate. Calling/word text worked fine (image via text did not work), but no internet/data connection over 5g/LTE while browsing. Tech support could not get it working and escalated ... wondering if anyone would know how/what could be done. Thx!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own the USA variant of the phone and I have absolutely no issues with 5G data nor wi-fi. The only issues I am experiencing is the fact that voice over Wi-Fi has not been provisioned. Coincidentally my phone also tells me within engineering mode that video over Wi-Fi is also not implemented. Sony wants to point the finger at T-Mobile and T-Mobile wants to point the finger at Sony.
Other than that I love this phone.

hnt20 said:
You must be missing the APN config on your device for TMobile. also, check if mobile data is enabled.
Here is T-Mobile info on how to setup Tmobile USA APN:
Tutorials | T-Mobile Support
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the correct APN that you mentioned and still no luck for voice over Wi-Fi. I spent over half an hour with a T-Mobile troubleshooting technician and she was not able to remedy the scenario. They have created a trouble ticket and forwarded up the food chain. They claim you will take about 3 days for them to get back to me so cross your fingers (VoWifi).

igotroot said:
I have the correct APN that you mentioned and still no luck for voice over Wi-Fi. I spent over half an hour with a T-Mobile troubleshooting technician and she was not able to remedy the scenario. They have created a trouble ticket and forwarded up the food chain. They claim you will take about 3 days for them to get back to me so cross your fingers (VoWifi).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, that is a different question. that means you are able to get data and your problem is only with VoWiFi which is expected. your original post question was totally different.
Sony blocks TMO VoWiFi in their software by blocking the network code in their settings. You will never get VoWiFi with Sony and TMO together unless you root and hack your sony build settings to enable it.
Your next best option is to move to GoogleFi that uses TMO network and you will be able to get the full VoWiFi service there since it has different network code.

hnt20 said:
Ah, that is a different question. that means you are able to get data and your problem is only with VoWiFi which is expected. your original post question was totally different.
Sony blocks TMO VoWiFi in their software by blocking the network code in their settings. You will never get VoWiFi with Sony and TMO together unless you root and hack your sony build settings to enable it.
Your next best option is to move to GoogleFi that uses TMO network and you will be able to get the full VoWiFi service there since it has different network code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rats. I've been looking to upgrade from my Note 10+ on T-Mobile, and the Xperia 1 IV looked promising, but VoWiFi being nerfed is a non-starter for my needs. Curse the manufacturers for moving away from expandable storage!

T-Mobile basically did a bunch of farting around and could not provision Wi-Fi calling on my phone. I have confirmed from at least three people on XDA developers that the workaround is to jump on board with Google fi since they do support Wi-Fi calling provisioning.... Or somehow root your phone and find an engineering workaround.

igotroot said:
T-Mobile basically did a bunch of farting around and could not provision Wi-Fi calling on my phone. I have confirmed from at least three people on XDA developers that the workaround is to jump on board with Google fi since they do support Wi-Fi calling provisioning.... Or somehow root your phone and find an engineering workaround.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is Still a good attempt from TMO to try to help, It is really not TMO fault here as nothing they can do. Sony is at fault blocking TMO network code in their VoWiFi software.
Sony has decided to block this service from the second largest US carrier, wondering why Sony sales not picking up in the US

seriously genuine question......why is that so important? I mean, can't you just call a person on whatsupp or telegram or any other service? After all, it is just VOIP, right?

kinggo2 said:
seriously genuine question......why is that so important? I mean, can't you just call a person on whatsupp or telegram or any other service? After all, it is just VOIP, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since WCDMA and GSM are sunset, if you want to call someone or receive calls with your phone, you need VoLTE or VoNR. TG and Whatsapp are not that popular in the US, and imagine someone wanting to use their phone as a phone....

well, I get that. We still have 3G and GSM. And every time I work on new rollout things are more and more complicated because of all generations are still in use. Connecting to a unknown wifi every time seems very not practical and if it is not opened public network (which again is not great) how does that work then? I get it if you are at home/family/friends but my question is more like, no cell signal, jut some random wifi. To me it looks more like a patch then an actual service/solution for the lack of cell signal. Or is that something that you really can rely on?

kinggo2 said:
seriously genuine question......why is that so important? I mean, can't you just call a person on whatsupp or telegram or any other service? After all, it is just VOIP, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue is when I'm in my local public supermarket there is no T-Mobile coverage in the building. There is Wi-Fi and I do use Google meet and other apps over Wi-Fi but if someone calls my phone number my phone will not receive the call. That is the point.
Someone would have to actually know that I'm in a no coverage area and utilize one of those other apps to reach me. If not businesses, job offers, local businesses that don't know me personally, someone new that I've met etc etc would never get through to me and I would eventually receive some type of voicemail message indication. That is unacceptable when you have children and other family members and friends that need to get in contact with you immediately.

igotroot said:
but if someone calls my phone number my phone will not receive the call. That is the point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly the point, your phone number is the primary way many reach you. if your phone does not have any 3G\4G\5G coverage, then WiFi might be your only other option that gives people the ability to call you directly with your phone.

OK, but who provides wifi? I get that is is just a voip, but you still need internet connection. So instead of cellular it uses wifi.
Here, in many big business buildings or malls we have indoor base stations, sometimes it is combo indoor and out door. Indoor usually is set up as MIMO so all of the providers share the same indoor infrastructure.
Also, many of public places have a wifi but since we are covered with cell signal, nobody really cares about it. Mostly because you can't just connect to it. you need a pass from your bus ticket or your bill in bars or are greeted with front page of the mall that wants you to register and so on. So using wifi here is PITA, that's why I wonder how all that works there and why is it such a big deal.

kinggo2 said:
OK, but who provides wifi? I get that is is just a voip, but you still need internet connection. So instead of cellular it uses wifi.
Here, in many big business buildings or malls we have indoor base stations, sometimes it is combo indoor and out door. Indoor usually is set up as MIMO so all of the providers share the same indoor infrastructure.
Also, many of public places have a wifi but since we are covered with cell signal, nobody really cares about it. Mostly because you can't just connect to it. you need a pass from your bus ticket or your bill in bars or are greeted with front page of the mall that wants you to register and so on. So using wifi here is PITA, that's why I wonder how all that works there and why is it such a big deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are many places that I have frequented where cellular data and cellular calling will not go through. In those places Wi-Fi is available. While you can use WhatsApp and other individual applications to make video calls and even voice calls you will not be able to receive native incoming calls when someone calls your regular phone number nor will you be able to use your native dialer to make a regular phone call if Wi-Fi calling is not provisioned on your phone. Unfortunately our phones do not get provisioned for T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling apparently due to some issue between the Sony and T-Mobile. So by switching to another carrier or mvno, Wi-Fi calling will be enabled reportedly.
UPDATE: Switched to Google Fi.... Problem solved. Wi-Fi calling now enabled.

That part I get, but still don't know which wifi do you use for that. For mobile network, there is a SIM that handles the connection between cells. Phones can't connect to any available wifi, right. So..... I get what it is, but as someone who works on cell towers installations and from perspective of wifi networks here and my knowledge I still don't get which wifi do you use in that case.

kinggo2 said:
That part I get, but still don't know which wifi do you use for that. For mobile network, there is a SIM that handles the connection between cells. Phones can't connect to any available wifi, right. So..... I get what it is, but as someone who works on cell towers installations and from perspective of wifi networks here and my knowledge I still don't get which wifi do you use in that case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can work on any Wi-Fi network that has adequate bandwidth. I can go to my local Publix supermarket....no cellular signal in there: I turn my WiFi on, I can make/receive calls with the native phone dialer. No cellular tower needed.
Even tested this at home.... I turned Airplane mode on, then afterwards I ONLY turn wi-fi on.... Calls can be made/received.

Better Mobile App

welcome