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I have a dreaded Verizon. For the time being, I really only need to alter the radios to tune for Tmobile frequencies. No one seems to advertise or understand this but since the S4 is fully capable of nearly every frequency world wide, and I get next to no signal when on T mobile, I believe Verizon purposely only turned on frequencies that they use.
So, unless someone else has a slick work around for the time being, I will have to figure out a root procedure for this configuration. I looked at this late last year and seemed to be a big hurdle.
King root seems to be inconsistent. What are my options for this?
cobra112 said:
I have a dreaded Verizon. For the time being, I really only need to alter the radios to tune for Tmobile frequencies. No one seems to advertise or understand this but since the S4 is fully capable of nearly every frequency world wide, and I get next to no signal when on T mobile, I believe Verizon purposely only turned on frequencies that they use.
So, unless someone else has a slick work around for the time being, I will have to figure out a root procedure for this configuration. I looked at this late last year and seemed to be a big hurdle.
King root seems to be inconsistent. What are my options for this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not possible
sorry
the only way it could work is that if you had a i545 running a MDK which lets you run custom kernels
as of now there is no way to flash non-verizon modems to the device
Mobile Networks> Network Mode>
select UTS/GSM is about all you can do
verizon even remove the service menu that shows the available bands
Wow, Verizon must have done their homework on locking down phones. That boot loader is hosery. I consider this much like the government forcing them to give the keys, but did not say they had to put air in the tires. Without the ability to run or select alternate frequencies, service is a no-go
I am mostly in desktop computers but curious why these phones are not being wipes and reloaded with a new OS from scratch? Why all the work arounds and hacks? What am I missing? Does Android have all this on lock down?
cobra112 said:
Wow, Verizon must have done their homework on locking down phones. That boot loader is hosery. I consider this much like the government forcing them to give the keys, but did not say they had to put air in the tires. Without the ability to run or select alternate frequencies, service is a no-go
I am mostly in desktop computers but curious why these phones are not being wipes and reloaded with a new OS from scratch? Why all the work arounds and hacks? What am I missing? Does Android have all this on lock down?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its entirely samsung and verizon's doing
S4 Is a terrible device you would be better off with something like a huawei honor or moto g or moto X
I am curious about your phone selections. My basic needs are only a high end device with good signal, mic, speaker, display, battery life, and memory capacity. However, I really felt I MUST have a phone with SD card ability but I really don't remove it, I don't take many pictures, and probably don't need that feature.
What I DON'T want is a device that is HUGE. I like the size of the S4. T mobile felt sorry for my phone issues and gave me an LG Leon. I simply hate it.
I should mention that I later intend to consider writing some custom apps for basic wifi and blue tooth functions so I want a playground that affords me some latitude.
cobra112 said:
I am curious about your phone selections. My basic needs are only a high end device with good signal, mic, speaker, display, battery life, and memory capacity. However, I really felt I MUST have a phone with SD card ability but I really don't remove it, I don't take many pictures, and probably don't need that feature.
What I DON'T want is a device that is HUGE. I like the size of the S4. T mobile felt sorry for my phone issues and gave me an LG Leon. I simply hate it.
I should mention that I later intend to consider writing some custom apps for basic wifi and bluetooth functions so I want a playground that affords me some latitude.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then the honor x5 is what you want its slightly wider then the s4 5.64 5.53 has sd dual sim dual radio and a factory unlockable bootloader
http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_honor_5x-7590.php
remember huawei is the OEM for google meaning they designed and manufactured the nexus 5x and 6p
Thank you! I find phone shopping to be rather daunting. I see a lot of developers using the Nexus product but also see a lot of people using Samsung due to all their included gadgets on board.
One thing that may be handy is the IR emitter. Is there a site that compares different products well? I do notice the honor does not get high marks for their display performance.
As well, due to using T mobile, I am unsure on compatibility. I need to know if the boot loader is responsible for toggling certain bands on/off? If I buy an honor for ATT, I assume it will be toggled for ATT frequencies? Since the BL is unlocked, can I toggle other bands to ensure I get the best service possible?
cobra112 said:
Thank you! I find phone shopping to be rather daunting. I see a lot of developers using the Nexus product but also see a lot of people using Samsung due to all their included gadgets on board.
One thing that may be handy is the IR emitter. Is there a site that compares different products well? I do notice the honor does not get high marks for their display performance.
As well, due to using T mobile, I am unsure on compatibility. I need to know if the boot loader is responsible for toggling certain bands on/off? If I buy an honor for ATT, I assume it will be toggled for ATT frequencies? Since the BL is unlocked, can I toggle other bands to ensure I get the best service possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
click the compare button on gsm arena
idk why you said the honor doesn't get high marks 1080p ips is pretty dam good
tho I guess some `review sites`
having a 2 or 4k display on your phone does no good if the gpu can't drive it
it will look real pretty but real world performance will suffer
different phones vs different carriers e.g CDMA phone like the i545 verizon s4 can not be used on GSM carriers such as ATT and Tmobile
read here for more info on that http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407896,00.asp
a unlocked bootloader grants you the ability to run custom roms and flash certain portions of the phone that are normally inaccessible
the bootloader has nothing todo with radio bands
the honor or any other factory unlocked phone should work on your carrier without issue
Thank you! I guess my only real requirement in the display is having one I can actually see outdoors! Amazing how poor the screen is on this old LG leon.
Maybe you can help me better understand how the bands are configured and/or locked on a phone? The reason I ask is the Verizon Galaxy S4 is technically capable of all bands that Tmobile uses yet I see poor functionality with it, indicating tome it is not picking up certain frequencies. I made the assumption the boot loader would be isolating the bands? Is this software controlled? Or not at all? Which would leave me wondering.
For reference, the Verizon S4 DOES work on Tmobile though. It holds 4GLTE signal but texts will not go out because I believe Tmobile is using 2G or 3G for that.
The way I assumed this worked is the phone is capable of a WIDE range of bands and frequencies, but the service provider would invoke only certain frequencies that they use?
cobra112 said:
Thank you! I guess my only real requirement in the display is having one I can actually see outdoors! Amazing how poor the screen is on this old LG leon.
Maybe you can help me better understand how the bands are configured and/or locked on a phone? The reason I ask is the Verizon Galaxy S4 is technically capable of all bands that Tmobile uses yet I see poor functionality with it, indicating tome it is not picking up certain frequencies. I made the assumption the boot loader would be isolating the bands? Is this software controlled? Or not at all? Which would leave me wondering.
For reference, the Verizon S4 DOES work on Tmobile though. It holds 4GLTE signal but texts will not go out because I believe Tmobile is using 2G or 3G for that.
The way I assumed this worked is the phone is capable of a WIDE range of bands and frequencies, but the service provider would invoke only certain frequencies that they use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if its holding lte then all you need todo is change the APN to point to t-mobiles servers (store should have offered todo this for you)
t mobile uses slightly differing frequencies depending on your area you are lucky enough to be in one of the area's that use the higher bands
instructions are here https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-2090
this will not change the fact that you may or may not get data signal depending on where you are connecting too
I would install textra from the playstore and set it as your mms app it has some over-rides for the apn settings if it won't let you change it via the system UI
alt instructions use the`fast` for lte
http://www.4gtricks.com/2013/04/t-mobile-4g-apn-t-mobile-4g-apn-settings.html
Right now the S4 indicated locked to 4GLTE but signal is -90dbm, 50asu. I tested data and I am able to use it though it is slow. I, however, still cannot send an sms. I am able to edit settings for the APN but have verified all settings are per tmobile specs. Any ideas where to go from here?
In the network modes, I am able to chose, 1) global, 2)LTE/CDMA 3) LTE/GSM/UMTS
I have it on LTE/GSM/UMTS right now. IIRC, the GSM is the 2G/3G for sms and voice?
Is it possible that the I545 is trying to operate on the Verizon 750mhz instead of the 700mhz of Tmobile?
cobra112 said:
Right now the S4 indicated locked to 4GLTE but signal is -90dbm, 50asu. I tested data and I am able to use it though it is slow. I, however, still cannot send an sms. I am able to edit settings for the APN but have verified all settings are per tmobile specs. Any ideas where to go from here?
In the network modes, I am able to chose, 1) global, 2)LTE/CDMA 3) LTE/GSM/UMTS
I have it on LTE/GSM/UMTS right now. IIRC, the GSM is the 2G/3G for sms and voice?
Is it possible that the I545 is trying to operate on the Verizon 750mhz instead of the 700mhz of Tmobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery&hl=en\
should tell you what band its connecting on
install textra and go into its options and enable the 't mobile fix'
OK, I loaded Textra and LTE recovery. I honestly am not certain of what I am looking at on the LTE app but looks like I am connecting to band 4 LTE. At that time, I could not and still cannot send a text. However, at some point, it switched over to a UMTS connection and I was able to fire off texts normally so I know my APN settings are right and there is something odd going on. Textra did nothing different and there is no setting for tmobile other than a wifi setting.
I have read many other people having this exact problem which hovers around those using a verizon S4 on tmobile and upgrading to 5.0 OS.
What I need to figure out, and maybe an area that would require another thread but I need to learn if I may need to reflash the modem to function properly on tmobile and if that can even be considered on an unrooted, boot loader phone? If not, what are the best options? Just dump the phone and get something else? I read of a few roots on the OC1 platform but not sure on that.
If I knew my efforts would work and I knew what I needed to do to fix this issue, I would. I almost just upgraded to the latest revision hoping for a patch in there but not sure I should do that if I want to root? Is OC1 and above all the same for rooting issues?
you don't even have to root to work around this. you can downgrade modem to MDK build. Then use QPST/QXDM to change item 6828 to value 4096
Sins07, I am very interested in the modem mods you suggest as I also came to the conclusion the modem is the issue.
Would I out of line to ask if you can dumb this down a little for a newbie? You mention downgrading the modem only and was not aware you could do that. Can you explain how this modem issue is occuring and how the modem mods will fix it?
Hi, as many users have reported before i was playing around in the service mode when i selected the Bands options there was only 4 options, United Sates, Cellular 800, PCS and Class 10, i was unsure which to click and i clicked Us, well it turns out my carrier works on one of the UK bands and now i only get LTE but i cant make voice calls or anything else, i think this so frustrating that there is an option to basically render your phone useless, please help me solve this, i cant root or flash because my phone is Moto g 4 amazon prime, there must be an app or something to fix such a simple problem, i mean the bands are available the phone always worked on that but not it seems its stuck on US pleasee help i dont know what to do
What is the best way to try to get working Wi-Fi Calling and VoLte on this model phone? Just ordered it yesterday so I don't have it yet
Thanks
I am not a developer but experienced user.
There is MUCH confusion about VOLTE .
To get VOLTE in the past on 99% of phones you needed 2 Things .
1] A VOLTE capable phone .
2] Network SOFTWARE on that phone to enable VOLTE ( and often WIFI calling ). This means you only get VOLTE on Tmobile , for example with a Tmobile BRANDED [ or Metro OCS phone ] with the preinstalled software from the Manufacturer for that specific NETWORK.
Android was supposedly going to ADD this into their system but I don't think it's possible technically or legally.
A friend as recently as a week ago on SPRINT had an S9 with a VOLTE On/OFF setting and when he engaged VOLTE is affected call quality negatively - I heard it.
This is one of the reasons Sprint is merging with TMO , IMO.
I have heard rumors of 'generic ' or AT&T Iphones having VOLTE on Metro PCS/Tmobile for example but real VOLTE stays on LTE always and you never lose Internet due to a call - simultaneous STABLE voice and data is the benefit - not some little trick on /off thing.
If the F/DS is an Exynos you may have issues however someone pointed out in another thread that the Exynos should work with T-Mo WiFi calling.
I am using the firmware for the 965U1, it is generic software for US Based Snapdragon phones. When I flashed and put my SIM in, it detected T-Mobile and set up WiFi calling automagically. The VoLTE also works with no adjustments or settings.
So I am thinking at a minimum you should be able to get WiFi calling. Hopefully.
Scott said:
If the F/DS is an Exynos you may have issues however someone pointed out in another thread that the Exynos should work with T-Mo WiFi calling.
I am using the firmware for the 965U1, it is generic software for US Based Snapdragon phones. When I flashed and put my SIM in, it detected T-Mobile and set up WiFi calling automagically. The VoLTE also works with no adjustments or settings.
So I am thinking at a minimum you should be able to get WiFi calling. Hopefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you link the other thread? I plan on buying Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus (SM-G965F/DS) for use with T-Mobile US
How was your experience with stock?
I plan to keep updating this XDA forum thread with what I find out about this problem, potential solutions, and hopefully what solves it. Hopefully this will be useful to those with the same or similar problem.
Please excuse typos...
The Solution
The reality is, prevention is the best solution here, do a bunch of research to make sure you don't encounter this problem. Read the rest of the post to better understand.
Original
Thank you in advance for reading this and helping me. (I also posted this in r/LGG8X, and am posting it here because some people don't have accounts with both. The more people that see it, the better, if by chance someone has ideas, wants to help, and has time to post the ideas)
It seems like a lot of people are having this issue, so maybe someone might have an idea.
I bought this phone to replace my Xiaomi Mi 9 (which was on the fritz, turning itself off randomly), about 1.5 weeks ago. I did my research and reasonably concluded that this phone has LTE band 12 and VoLTE; also it would be foolish of LG to not to have that. I could not find the VoLTE or Wifi Calling switches anywhere in the settings app, or in the phone app. I then dialed " *#*#4636#*#* " which opened up the "Testing Settings" (as usual). I click on the "Phone Information" tab, scroll down and find both the VoLTE and Wifi Calling switches, which are, to my dismay, greyed out.
I called Ting and they said, (after getting the IMEI), that this doesn't have LTE band 12, therefore no VoLTE. That confused me, because like I said, my research before buying had already concluded that it has band 12. The Ting rep said that's all he could do for me, so we ended the call. I did another 30 mins of research, again concluded it has band 12 with VoLTE. I also called LG themselves, and the rep there confirmed that this phone has band 12 with VoLTE, they also said "we would be more than happy to verify that the phone works with you carrier through phone conferencing". I asked the rep about about the previously mentioned VoLTE and Wifi Calling switches being greyed out, and they said that's because the phone has those 2 capabilities, but the carrier has to enable them.
I really love this phone, especially in comparison to the Mi 9 (even tho the Mi 9 is a good phone). I love the software better (even with the weird quirks that it has), and the value proposition is quite good. I really don't want to have to get a 3rd new phone in one year. If anyone has any ideas/help that would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
[Edit]: P.S. I think this is partly a problem with LG, and partly with the carriers. I suspect that LG messed up with the IMEI/etc and other important identifiers as to what the device is, what exact version (i.e. LM-G850UM, etc) of a particular model (i.e. LG G8X Thinq Dual Screen, etc). This leads to the cell carrier's infrastructure seeing this phone as incompatible (doesn't see LTE Band 12, when it really is. The cell carriers, (from my own experience with 2 Ting Reps, and from what others have said on other forum threads), can't or won't solve this problem, even tho it may be solvable. From what I have seen on other forums, some got it solved by the cell carrier entering codes on the phone and doing something on their side. If LG and the all the networks would talk to each about this problem and get it solved if possible that would be awesome...
Update - 11/04/2020:
It seems I unintentionally bought a G8X with the Canadian rom LMG850UM20e. I am doubtful, but is the hardware the same or similar enough to flash the USA unlocked rom LMG850QM? Or is there something else I can do to make the Ting network allow VoLTE? As far as I can tell, the Canadian model still supports VoLTE LTE Band 12, but correct me if I'm wrong.
Update - 11/05/2020:
Ting says that my phone has LTE Band 12 and therefore VoLTE, but that will only work on ATT. A bit confusing because (like I said) the particular rom on my phone is Canadian (LMG850UM20e), so why ATT? The explanation for that, it seems is that ATT, (and Sprint), and the unlocked Canadian version have the same sub-model: LMG850UM. The USA unlocked version has a different sub-model (LMG850QM), the rest of the world has yet another sub-model (LMQ850EMW). There are around 15 different versions it seems; see this reddit post on the different models: (can't post the link yet) title: "Hey G8X owner, what is the submodel number and regional code of your unit? And where did you buy it from? I am trying to complete this list, also relating to timing of security updates and Android 10 release." posted in r/LG G8X
It seems like all the versions (LMG850......) have the same hardware, the only difference are the roms, which seem artificially disable certain capabilities of the phone. I am pretty sure my phone would do VoLTE just fine on Ting (or most other carriers). The thing wrong here, I think, is that the IMEI and other specific identifiers of the phone artificially show that the phone does not have the functionality, so the networks don't enable it. It also seems like LG made an agreement or something with ATT as well as Sprint (separately), to release carrier-specific version (as most brands seem to do), and that the phone would fully work on their respective networks and MVNOs, at least the versions in the LMG850UM sub model group, and the USA unlocked sub-model group. LG and T-Mobile seem to have come to no such *official* agreement, unfortunately. I am wondering any of the versions work with T-Mobile and it's MVNOs out of the box, some *modifications* may have to be done in order to get it working on TM towers. There may also be unintentional bugs in some or all roms that are possibly causing, or more likely, adding on to the problem.
Obviously, I am still trying to find my around this problem. I'm considering flashing a USA unlocked rom (LMG850QM sub-model), though not sure if that's possible, or if it'll change what the IMEI and the other specific identifiers tell the cell carrier about compatibility. I also wonder if carriers have the ability to override the artificial restrictions. There is also one report of T-Mobile supposedly fixing the same/similar problem with Sprint for a customer, see u/Veshtarii's comments on this reddit post: (can't post link yet) title: "LG G8X unlocked models having issues with US carriers." Posted in r/LGG8X. Another reddit user used a cheap Tracfone sim card to make his phone work on T-Mobile: (can't post link yet) title: "Tutorial: How to Update eBay Unlocked ATT / AT&T LG G8x" Posted in r/LGG8X. I am unsure if he also has VoLTE working.
Update - 11/06/2020
I'm done with this... It is pretty much impossible. I commented on the "Tutorial: How to Update eBay Unlocked ATT / AT&T LG G8x" post, and the OP responded and said he can't get VoLTE working, even with doing that update. The only thing that could possibly work, is flashing the USA unlocked sub-model onto it. However I probably don't know enough to do it right, but the bigger reason is that it'll probably brick it. I've realized, and should realized when I was doing the research for a new phone, that ATT and TMO's VoLTE/Wifi Calling work differently. They both use propriety coding, which they license to each brand to use in the models they both come to agreement on, and a similar agreement with each MVNO under their towers. LG and TMO seem to have made no such agreement for the G8X, therefore in all practicality, no G8X will work on any of their towers. Also, I called H2O Wireless just to see if my phone works with them, but they said my IMEI is not compatible; so I'm not the Canadian model that I have works in the US at all, that makes me think that not even the versions inside each sub-model aren't even compatible with each other. There is that one situation I mentioned, where the person who was having problems with Sprint before the merger, took it to TMO after the merger and the TMO tech fixed it for him. But I think he must've been having a different problem, because his phone is probably still technically running on Sprint towers. Sprint made the agreement with LG, so VoLTE would work in that instance. Flashing is practically not a solution for most people.
I should've done more research than I did before buying the phone. That is the moral of this story; make sure you do all your "homework" before buying any phone anywhere but the shop of the carrier you are using (or plan to use). That leads me to my number one complaint with phone brands and especially cell carriers as whole: they make it incredibly annoying, often difficult, and confusing to find a compatible phone that isn't on the carrier store. And the problem with that is that everything in any carriers' stores is everything is stupidly overpriced, and then they get you hooked with pricey deals you don't want. If you're reading this, you're most likely like me, you know better than to spend more than you have to on a phone and plan in the carrier store, you know (or at least kinda know) how to get past that. I get that cell carriers want to make money, but I tell you, this is too far. Anyways, the point is, there is no immediate solution, in other words, your only worthwhile solution is prevention, doing a bunch of research. I'm done with this... I'm returning this phone and getting the vanilla G8...
I have the LMG850QM. It has no VOLTE icons while in call even if on band 12. It uses HD+ and that will be shown in dialer during call. Internet does work while in call so believe that it is working. The switches are on like yours but greyed out. Wi-fi calling does work. By turning on airplane mode and then turning back on wifi the dialer will show that calls are being made over Wifi. The OnePlus 6T has VoWifi icons in status bar and this phone doesn't. I will say that this phone gets service in buildings where neither of my 6t's would have service.
(US ATT and T-Mobile)
I have this phone, but only by way of ATT telling me my non-VoLTE 4G LTE phone would not work after ATT shuts down 3G.
I move over to T-mobile recently. All works ok. I then activate VoLTE on the Mi. All works ok.
But I had to call a T-mobile rep regarding my iPhone, in that conversation I asked if VoLTE was even needed, and he tells me no, that T-mobile will still do voice data w/o VoLTE enabled.
So, VoLTE is a feature of LTE and implemented on 4G/5G, and really has nothing to do with 3G being shut down.
There's so many sites stating you "need" VoLTE to keep making voice calls after 3G is gone. This is not true.
"As 3G is switched off, you need VoLTE or HD Voice support to make calls on 4G networks."
Explained: AT&T and T-Mobile VoLTE phone cutoffs
Everything you need to know about AT&T's move over to HD Voice and T-Mobile's transition to VoLTE, and what it means for smartphone calls.
www.androidauthority.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand it you need 3G for voice.
You may be able to use internet service but without VoLTE, no phone service.
If the device is not white listed it likely will not be able to have phone service as your link states.
I have straight talk with AT&T sim, I was using my Black Shark 3 pro which has volte and all of a sudden Friday at midnight, no data or phone service. At that time my bs3pro has been having heating issues, so i moved everything over to my redmagic 6 which has volte. I noticed my sim was locked in apn, totally different apn info than my bs3pro, so i called support, since everytime I tried to make call it blocked calls and sent me to support. The CS person did something on their end, had me restart phone, then service was back to normal and been fine since.
If your service provider only provides 4G infrastructure like mine... then you need VoLTE otherwise no phone calls. They are new and never had any 3G and below infrastructure. I tried making calls .... it doesn't.
My service provider annoyingly doesn't provision volte for my volte capable handphone (this makes my eyes swivel) but does provide an app to support phone calls without volte.. but it chews up battery
@roger_rex
But T-mobile (US) runs 4G and 5G, but # of towers with 5G not as plentiful as 4G. I connect 4G LTE most of the time, voice & data works just fine. T-mobile rep told me it will work w/ or w/o VoLTE enabled on phone. The APN used is the "fast" APN one.
A 5G connection does not negate any benefits from using VoLTE.
Was on phone again today with a T-mobile "tech team supervisor" for a service issue (they accidentally turned off one of my SIM cards). I then asked about VoLTE, he tells me it's no longer needed on T-mobile 4G or 5G LTE, but using VoLTE will still work. He seemed to suggest VoLTE not needed at all on 5G because the speed of the wireless can carry both voice and data fast enough. He also hinted their 4G can do the same.
If you have a fast pipe then you really don't need a side channel for the voice.
But duly noted, everything technical that I have read about on VoLTE, using that feature gives better voice call on any LTE that supports VoLTE. The supervisor also mentioned that "VoLTE" will basically go away at some point.
Pretty sure on 4G LTE you need either VoLTE capability or a 3G connection for voice calls.
Redirect Notice
4G VoLTE will likely be here for a long time as 5G is distance/obstacle limited, the former is very hard to overcome due to the wavelength's physical properties.
@blackhawk
I am not disputing how online info says it's required, I am just copying what T-mobile has told me.
T-mobile store rep tells me VoLTE is not really needed, then their online support supervisor tells me the same thing. So it is for sure confusing.
Call a T-mobile support # and ask.
Why would a 3G/4G-LTE phone have an option to turn off VoLTE?
https://www.republicworld.com/technology-news/mobile/what-is-volte-and-what-it-does-is-5g-volte-know-everything-here.html
ChuckStein123 said:
@blackhawk
I am not disputing how online info says it's required, I am just copying what T-mobile has told me.
T-mobile store rep tells me VoLTE is not really needed, then their online support supervisor tells me the same thing. So it is for sure confusing.
Call a T-mobile support # and ask.
Why would a 3G/4G-LTE phone have an option to turn off VoLTE?
https://www.republicworld.com/technology-news/mobile/what-is-volte-and-what-it-does-is-5g-volte-know-everything-here.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never paid much attention to this and still have questions but it's back burnered for when I run across it. From what I'm reading the T-mobile reps sound like they don't understand it either.
Even if they don't understand it... the only thing that matters immediately is if it will work. Hopefully that intel is correct!
Really until AT&T implements the change I won't be 100% sure. However pretty sure I'm ok as the devices don't use the 3G band and in hidden user settings VoLTE is toggled on. The only indication other than the 4G that VoLTE is active.
Probably HD too, but no indicator or setting other than very good call quality.
To make matters even more confusing AT&T changed the format and models listed drastically 2 weeks ago from their December whitelist. So small wonder reps might be confused too. Makes you wonder if it was deliberately self serving, an oversight or ongoing system modifications?
So, I have not been paying close enough attention to cellular these days. The cell companies have amassed large sets of licensed bands, probably near 200+ bands between 2G/3G/4G LTE and 5G NR.
Interestingly enough, 5G is not LTE at all. I suspect operators call their crud "5G LTE" to signify they support 5G-NSA or 5G-NR (or both), and, the older 4G LTE.
Some airlines are worried about two cell C bands (n77 and n79) that back up onto aircraft radio altimeter that run 4200-4400Mhz.
VoLTE has a long history, but it seems 5G-NR does not even use VoLTE (because VoLTE is a LTE feature, and 5G is not LTE). Can a 4G/5G phone still use VoLTE? Sure, if the firmware is implemented to use it. Likely will use it if the device connects 4G LTE, but perhaps will not when connected to 5G-NR. It's not clear to me if a device will use both 4G LTE and 5G-NR at the same time, but I suspect not. I mean, you could technically connect a device on 5G-NR for data, and then use VoLTE on 4G LTE for facilitating voice calls.
Some reference links for the interested reader.
5G Frequency Bands & Spectrum Allocations - CableFree
5th generation wireless systems, or 5G, may use existing 4G or newly specified 5G Frequency Bands to operate. Technologies include: Millimeter wave bands (26, 28, 38, and 60 GHz) are 5G Massive MIMO, "Low-band 5G" and "Mid-band 5G" use frequencies from 600 MHz to 6 GHz, especially 3.5-4.2 GHz.
www.cablefree.net
5G NR frequency bands - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
LTE frequency bands - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
List of LTE networks - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Voice over LTE - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
What is 5G LTE, NR, NSA, and MIMO Technology | How Will 5G RAN be Deployed? | Corning
Learn about 5G deployment including RAN, 5G-NSA, 5G-NR, and what they mean for LTE networks.
www.corning.com
LTE vs NR: Reference signal design
NR downlink reference signals are tailored for specific roles and can be flexibly adapted for different deployment scenarios and spectrum. 5G Training
www.5gworldpro.com
ChuckStein123 said:
@roger_rex
But T-mobile (US) runs 4G and 5G, but # of towers with 5G not as plentiful as 4G. I connect 4G LTE most of the time, voice & data works just fine. T-mobile rep told me it will work w/ or w/o VoLTE enabled on phone. The APN used is the "fast" APN one.
A 5G connection does not negate any benefits from using VoLTE.
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My understanding on this is that voice was using some 3G or below service. My provider was purely 4G and above - so unless my phone was provisioned by the cell company - no voice calls. I tried & it didn't work. I changed to an older device that they did support via VoLTE and calls worked. I can download an App from the cell company that allows my pixel 2XL to work on their system.
I can only guess T-mobile has 3G and below network infrastructure still. My provider is brand new and never built any 3G stuff and have no intention of rolling out obsolete stuff. VoLTE is annoying in that the provider gets to pick and choose which cellphones they allow (to use a standard protocol)
This may not be 100% - I've been kind of forced into a crash course on this myself over the last few days
@roger_rex - Take a read here
{Guide} QXDM Port activation on Pixel 2 XL, (VoLTE,WoWIFI,CA)
Hi all. First of all I DO NOT PROVIDE ANY KIND OF SUPPORT. YOU ALONE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY POSSIBLE ISSUES. I wrote this post during my vacation. I know it could be quite handy, but unfortunately/thankfully my primary sources of money are...
forum.xda-developers.com
Pixel 2's all have ability for VoLTE.
A cell operator should not be blocking any phone from using VoLTE.
When you call your provider what do they tell you when you tell them your Pixel 2 has VoLTE for 4GLTE but your Pixel won't make calls on their network?
I can tell you for sure, the operators play games with their support of hardware.
My iphone XS was connecting to ATT with a "5G" icon from time to time, so why does T-mobile say 5G is a "no"? I moved the XS to T-mobile and the phone won't ever connect to 5G, and the APN settings appear to be blocked.
Tutorials | T-Mobile Support
Update: I find many sites that say the Xr and Xs do not support 5G, so now I scratch my head, my Xs would sometimes show "5G" icon for cell wireless, when it was on ATT network. Apparently AT&T supports Xs and 5G, hence the Xs does have 5G capable radio.
Apple iPhone Xs / Xs Max - Signal & Cellular Data - AT&T
Get Apple iPhone Xs / Xs Max support for the topic: Signal & Cellular Data. Find more step-by-step device tutorials on att.com.
www.att.com
ChuckStein123 said:
I can tell you for sure, the operators play games with their support of hardware.
My iphone XS was connecting to ATT with a "5G" icon from time to time, so why does T-mobile say 5G is a "no"? I moved the XS to T-mobile and the phone won't ever connect to 5G, and the APN settings appear to be blocked.
Tutorials | T-Mobile Support
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I think they go at least partially by number of a given model in use. My guess is it's not a painless procedure for them to configure their system for a given model.
AT&T first listed their Note 10+ variant but not the unlocked variant, a month later it was added as well. It may be a work in progress... it seems sort of helter skelter, oh my gawd get it done, whatever it takes... kind of deal
You know they are catching Berlin air raid volume flack
Before buying Mi 11 Lite 5G I went into a T-mobile store (not an affiliate). I asked if the Mi 11 Lite 5G will work on T-mobile and the rep told me all phones work on T-mobile as long as they are not locked to another carrier, and, the T-mobile freq bands ("channels") are covered by the phone.
Unless LTE or 5G-NR/5G-NSA is improperly implemented on the device, then I don't see why all phones should not work. They should all work.
Think about hotspot. The carrier can control is the device can use that service, or at least can with some devices, but why bother, who cares how the data on the data plan gets chewed up. Go over the plan and get charged. Thus far I have not seen unlimited hotspot data, T-mobile only allows 40G on their Magenta Max plan.
Good thing is, Mi 11 Lite 5G phone (model M2101K9G) works a-ok on T-Mobile USA. I did have to manually set the APN to the "fast" one, and had to use dial code for VoLTE, 4GLTE and 5G works.
Straight talk now keeps shutting off my service every 3 days, last night again, so 3 times now. Call and back working. But seems like they only care about giving me some crappy free phone and seems like they outsource. The redmagic 6 is not on AT&T list, if any more issues I will switch to T Mobile, T Mobile recognized my phone by imei and said it is fully compatible. I Noticed on my Redmagic 6, sim 1 is only 14 digits but sim 2 is 15, so I moved sim card, might be issue, but doubt it.
@Rotwiler I see you posted about the IMEI digit thing in another post/forum. *#06# should reveal a 15 digit IMEI. If it shows only 14 then the phone is hiding one digit. Put sim card in sim slot that has the 15 digit IMEI.
What does *#*#4636#*#* get you? Do some gooling around for activating VoLTE on RedMagic 6
Phone lists for carriers are mostly for support reasons. If the phone has all the cell bands the operator uses, then it should be good to go. If the phone only has some of the cell bands used, then the phone may work ok in one area, but not good in another, all depends on how the operator runs the bands in different areas. The cell operator does not want the support headache for a phone that only has partial bands, "hey ATT, my phone not working in Timbuck-too", etc.
The RM6 appears to have most of the ATT 4GLTE bands (all the major ones), so it should work a-ok on ATT (US). 5G should also work. It appears the RM6 had a firmware update about 26d ago. Make sure the firmware is updated to latest.
Are your APN settings correct?
Program Data Settings for Your Device
Can’t connect to the internet on your mobile device? Here’s how to set up the access point name (APN) to get you going again.
www.att.com
I am using AT&T through Straight Talk. I did move sim card to slot 2 to see if issue was due to sim one showing only 14 digits. Phone is fully updated. Odd thing is I cannot change the APN since this new Volte, there is red check mark and everything is grayed out. I have always been able to modify APN until now. My sim card is really old, used to be full size and over the years cut it down for new phones, is probably 8+ years old, had it since Android phones came out, but has always worked great.
Rotwiler said:
I am using AT&T through Straight Talk. I did move sim card to slot 2 to see if issue was due to sim one showing only 14 digits. Phone is fully updated. Odd thing is I cannot change the APN since this new Volte, there is red check mark and everything is grayed out. I have always been able to modify APN until now. My sim card is really old, used to be full size and over the years cut it down for new phones, is probably 8+ years old, had it since Android phones came out, but has always worked great.
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APN settings are grayed out when the phone is locked to carrier. Can you at least see what the APN settings are? If the phone is owned outright by you then tell the Straight Talk folks you want the phone unlocked.
As for old sim card, then just go get a new one from the store for a few $, and then move your number to the new sim card via online.
Phone is Redmagic 6 global version, never was locked.