That OTA update came just in the nick of time. I pushed it myself after I read about how to do it and still hadn't received the update. I left for Manila on Friday the 12th and have been loving the wifi calling here!! It has been a life saver in terms of paying for international calling. There is zero lag and the call sounds just as good as if I were on the network in the states. I can't really imagine a use for it while in the country since it still takes minutes, but I guess if you are in an area without TMobile but yet still has a wifi connection with a fast enough speed to carry the call, then it could be useful. I just don't know where that place is... All I can tell you is that it has been working amazingly well in the Philippians and I have been able to make and receive calls without interruption all week. My colleagues who have needed to pack an extra phone with international calling abilities have been absolutely green with envy as I'm still able to do business easily in the office without needing to be on a landline or paying extra to use my cell phone in the hotel. What a great innovation!!! Even texting has worked just as if I were still in the states. Everybody I call and text have had a hard time remembering that I'm out of the country since it is still not totally normal to be receiving calls and texts from the same US number even though I'm abroad.
Anyway, I thought I'd share. I tried it while I was in the states, but didn't know if the clarity or quality of the call was influenced by being near the TMobile network anyway. I can tell you for sure that it is a great thing with no downside. You do need more than just a wifi signal though. If the signal isn't strong enough then the phone won't register to the TMobile network and it won't work. Oddly enough, when it says the signal isn't strong enough to make calls, they still come in just fine. Maybe just a couple bugs to work out, but this has definitely made me glad I went with TMobile and not Sprint when I was shopping for a new Android.
Are you sure you're not still paying for international calling? I thought T-Mo was going to charge you.
As for "getting an international phone", the G2 probably could have been unlocked (barring S-OFF issues) to work with the GSM there just fine.
I just took my G1 to Australia after getting the unlock code from T-Mo, and it worked great there, 3G with an Australian SIM.
dancingwombat said:
Are you sure you're not still paying for international calling? I thought T-Mo was going to charge you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember someone on this forum confirming that if you use Wi-Fi calling, your phone is treated as though it's roaming in the states, which makes it extremely useful for those who commute internationally, like the OP.
Does wifi calling/texting count as data charge (becouse if it does, I'll be able to text for free anywhere there is wifi)
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
WiFi Calling feature uses plan minutes and plan txt messages... there are no extra charges unless you go over your limit
I was unaware it used plan minutes. Sounds pointless now unless I have bad signal in the house
greengoldmello said:
I was unaware it used plan minutes. Sounds pointless now unless I have bad signal in the house
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As soon as you turn it on, it says it uses plan minutes.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Yeah, unless you just don't get a good signal in your house, there isn't much point to the wifi calling since it still uses your plan minutes. From here it works just like I'm in my office at home. I can call and text local numbers without having to dial any other weird country codes or anything. And people at home don't even need to know I'm out of the country since they just call my number and my phone rings just like normal.
Typically I have just used skype to call for free computer to computer since using it to call a phone number costs money. But now I can use the wifi and that is so much better! However, my hotel doesn't allow the phone to register with Tmobile, so some servers are going to put the kabosh on using this type of thing. I'm just wondering if it would work from the plane when I'm flying domestically and have the wifi available to me... FCC regulations prohibit using a phone during flight even if you are connected to wifi, so it doesn't really matter I guess.
Delta105RUS said:
Does wifi calling/texting count as data charge (becouse if it does, I'll be able to text for free anywhere there is wifi)
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The texting still counts as texting and not as a data charge. So it basically just uses whatever you already have on your plan. If you are out of text messages or minutes, then you will get charged for going over just like usual. I've got an unlimited plan for all that, so it isn't something I really keep track of.
dancingwombat said:
Are you sure you're not still paying for international calling? I thought T-Mo was going to charge you.
As for "getting an international phone", the G2 probably could have been unlocked (barring S-OFF issues) to work with the GSM there just fine.
I just took my G1 to Australia after getting the unlock code from T-Mo, and it worked great there, 3G with an Australian SIM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure it could have been, but that is why I'm glad the wifi calling update came when it did. It saved me the trouble of needing to do it. Anytime I've been away from the office where I haven't had a wifi signal to attach to has been times when I don't really want to talk on the phone anyway. Especially here... I really don't want people seeing me with a G2 in my hand when it is a pretty lusted after phone here. Everything is uber cheap here, but I was at a less than legitimate item mall yesterday and they had a G2 in the same case as an iPad. I can get a 32GB ipad for less than a G2 here.
Related
Tell me there is a way to get voice and data at the same time on the Evo with 3g. If not, I'm taking this beast back.
Nope, that's always been a limitation with 3g. You cannot do both on Sprint's 3G CDMA network. Same for VZW.
sph33r said:
Nope, that's always been a limitation with 3g. You cannot do both on Sprint's 3G CDMA network. Same for VZW.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Back to F'ing AT&T.
moosic said:
Tell me there is a way to get voice and data at the same time on the Evo with 3g. If not, I'm taking this beast back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought everybody knew sprint and verizon can't do that.
And being able to have voice ONLY with 4G has been talked about since the first day EVO was announced.
you can with WIFI on
I'm still lost as to why this is a deal breaker. I have needed that functionality only a handful of times over the last many years.
Some people really buy into the hype that at&t has been pushing these last few months
Wow, you just need to settle down. Having Data and voice at the same time isn't that important.
I just came from AT&T and I can count the number of times I have needed that feature. Most of the times has been when I am on a call and need to look for a phone number in maps or something like that.
hchavarria said:
I just came from AT&T and I can count the number of times I have needed that feature. Most of the times has been when I am on a call and need to look for a phone number in maps or something like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same, if it comes down to it i'll just call whomever back.
i'm experiencing MUCH faster data (20-30% speed improvement over [email protected] in my area). so it's a worthwhile trade off for me.
I'm going to keep it for 28 days and see how it works out. I surf the web a lot while on conference calls. Also use it to look something up while talking. Typically, when I need it, I really need it.
I can't say I've ever needed that feature. My only Q for those with the phone, is the reconnect (to data) very fast? I'm assuming it's probably instantaneous.
I had a (long ago) Windows Mobile phone that had this slight inconvenience, only issue was that it took about 15 seconds to get a data connection again.
KyleK29 said:
I can't say I've ever needed that feature. My only Q for those with the phone, is the reconnect (to data) very fast? I'm assuming it's probably instantaneous.
I had a (long ago) Windows Mobile phone that had this slight inconvenience, only issue was that it took about 15 seconds to get a data connection again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reconnection is not something you'll notice as far as time goes.
moosic said:
I surf the web a lot while on conference calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the only reason that I have ever heard that makes any sense...but of course when I'm on a conference call I am also usually at my computer.
There are not many people in your exact situation (conference calls away from desk), so really this is a slight inconvenience for 99% of people.
The ONLY time this has bothered me is when im tethering and i get a phone call or text and even then it only really affected me when I was video chatting with someone or another form of stream. The fact that it goes off when I get a text momentarily is more annoying than the phone call one though, because I tend to get many more texts than phone calls. If i'm on a phone call, I don't need to be tethering anyways generally.
06ms6 said:
The reconnection is not something you'll notice as far as time goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's also not exactly hard to test...make a phone call, then watch for the 3G symbol at the top of the screen.
I'm going to keep it for 28 days and see how it works out. I surf the web a lot while on conference calls. Also use it to look something up while talking. Typically, when I need it, I really need it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really depends on the person. I used it all time (i am sure we can find these exact points in another thread) but the EVO is well worth the sacrifice for me.
Used it today on my EVO as a matter of fact, I was in WiFi country needless to say
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
Sim. voice and data is really handy. Ever heard of Bluetooth. Browse the web and talk pretty easily. I can't say it is a deal breaker for me, but with no Wimax ( I refuse to call it 4G as it is not actual 4G) in my area their 3G speeds suck ass. AT&T I get 3.5mb down and 1.5 up. I tested on the Evo at Sprint store and was getting 900 down 900 up. Phone seemed pretty nice but don't think I want to ever go back to a CDMA carrier ever again.
You seriously walk around talking and surfing the web? I have had the urge 2 times in my entire life...
Nagrom Nniuq said:
You seriously walk around talking and surfing the web? I have had the urge 2 times in my entire life...
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Click to collapse
thats twice more than me.
No, But I get a lot of breaks at work and play on the web etc. Like I said it is not a big deal breaker for me but when you get used to it you notice it more....
Bit the bullet last night and picked up one. Really like it so far...
Long time AT&T customer probably switching to Sprint, been eyeing the Epic..
If I get a voice call, is it possible (if I'm using a BT headset or speakerphone) to fire up a web browser on it and use that while I'm in-call? To look things up, or whatever?
If it can't do that, are there any other Sprint phones that can (EVO, for example?)
Thanks!
if i remember right, you can use data and voice only when you are connected onto 4G and WIFI, but not 3G. i have not tested this out yet to confirm but i remember reading that somewhere if i read it right. i also came from att (iphone) and being able to use data (3G) and voice at the same time was a major plus. ill have to try it out though later on my epic.
Yes u can use data while on a call only if you are on WiFi or 4g. Tested and verified.
Sent from deep in a volcano using XDA App
Well, drat. Thanks fellas. Not that I do that very often, but it does come in handy. I checked and EVO "suffers" from the same problem.
Again, thanks, that's handy to know.
Its a cdma limitation, not a device one. Both sprint and verizon have this issue.
Aridon said:
Its a cdma limitation, not a device one. Both sprint and verizon have this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some might say it is a "limitation", however is it the reason why cdma networks do not suffer from dropped calls like gsm networks do.
For more information, you can check out this rather lengthy post about why cdma is better than gsm.
yeah, i experience the same thing. it's becoming pretty much a deal breaker for me, as often i am on the phone for an hour or more and am trying to look things up at the same time. no joy. plus the abysmal battery life has me glad that i am still in the 30 day window ?; i like the phone a lot otherwise. wish i could get it for ATT. i have never had problems with their service, and would love to be able to talk and surf at the same time.
On 3g only voice.
On 4g voice n data simultaneous
Sent from my Epic
remedy22 said:
Some might say it is a "limitation", however is it the reason why cdma networks do not suffer from dropped calls like gsm networks do.
For more information, you can check out this rather lengthy post about why cdma is better than gsm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 you can thank the iPhone and this great "feature" for the ****ty network over at ATT
Now that the update for the G2 is out in the wild, enabling tethering/hotspot and wi-fi calling....I was wondering if it would be possible to rip the Wi-fi calling app off the phone and use it on the Nexus One.
Give the dev some time, they will have something for us by the end of next week.
I feel like this is a slap in the face. I am a little teed off at Tmo for this.
305buddyluv said:
Give the dev some time, they will have something for us by the end of next week.
I feel like this is a slap in the face. I am a little teed off at Tmo for this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After reading more about it I doubt it's worth the time. It still uses your minutes while calling via wifi. Seems silly that t-mo would use my Comcast internet connection and still charge me for it.
Yes, it would suck coyote balls if it still uses your minutes while calling via wifi (except for those with unlimited minutes).
I absolutely cannot wait for the new whitespace to be filled with "superwifi" so we can all end this cellular carrier Kim Jong-Il madness.
I heard from a T-mobile employee that there is some discussion on internal corporate forums about bringing WiFi calling to T-Mobile 3G versions of the phone through Google. It will absolutely use your minutes (I don't see why they would change this), and will most likely be a while before we see it pushed (if at all).
I am sure there will be an .apk leaked as soon as the new myTouch launches.
[IO]ERROR said:
After reading more about it I doubt it's worth the time. It still uses your minutes while calling via wifi. Seems silly that t-mo would use my Comcast internet connection and still charge me for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory, because your comcast connection is only the air interface and the last mile backhaul, the call still gets routed over T-Mobile's phone network.
In reality, the air interface (which uses limited and expensive spectrum) and the last-mile backhaul is the most expensive part of a wireless network. So, no, they shouldn't charge you a full minute for calling on wifi. Maybe 0.1 "plan minutes" per minute of wifi calling would be fair, but would probably confuse old and stupid people.
However, the simplistic theoretical argument is what you'd get if you asked T-Mobile.
Honestly, I don't understand why people are so 'peeved' that "WiFi Calling" with TMO:
#1. It isn't out for the N1 yet.
#2. Uses your existing minutes/plan.
For the people who are grandfathered under the @Home UMA plans, it's probably still unlimited.
The majority of people who are hanging onto their BlackBerry and Nokia handsets with UMA are the ones collectively holding their breaths, including myself with a BB 9700.
If you compare with the other carriers and the way they solved "coverage" issues with femtocells, T-Mobile's solution is the most elegant and inexpensive. Are you going to carry your femtocell to a public WiFi hotspot and find an ethernet cord, power, and a clear window so the femtocell can get a GPS lock to make sure you're in the United States so it'll allow you to use the femtocell?
There's nothing like being able to make a 'normal' call, SMS, MMS, etc. (i.e. Non-Skype) where:
#1. Someone with a Verizon, AT&T or Sprint handset has no coverage.
#2. Being at a public WiFi hotspot outside of the United States (i.e. Europe, Asia, etc.) where your phone has UMA/WiFi Calling, SMS, MMS, etc. access and billing as if you're in the U.S. without paying outrageous Int'l roaming or purchasing a pre-paid SIM-card for the country you're in.
You guys have no idea...
Cheers,
Kermee
I don't care if it uses my minutes or texts, I just want some damn cell service in my apartment!
dionysos911 said:
I don't care if it uses my minutes or texts, I just want some damn cell service in my apartment!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed, it will be nice to actually be able to use my minutes
I just want to be able to call back home when I am overseas without extra fees
People that need this service dont give a rip if it uses minutes. I barely get enough coverage in my condo to send a text message (with ANY carrier). At this point I'd be willing to let it cost me double minutes. That's right I said it.
Also, as noted above, its the shiz for international calling. When we go to Mexico, I take my old BB curve so I can avoid the international rate shaft.
I'm desperate to get wifi calling on my Nexus.
smot13 said:
People that need this service dont give a rip if it uses minutes. I barely get enough coverage in my condo to send a text message (with ANY carrier). At this point I'd be willing to let it cost me double minutes. That's right I said it.
Also, as noted above, its the shiz for international calling. When we go to Mexico, I take my old BB curve so I can avoid the international rate shaft.
I'm desperate to get wifi calling on my Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amen. 10Char.
smot13 said:
People that need this service dont give a rip if it uses minutes. I barely get enough coverage in my condo to send a text message (with ANY carrier). At this point I'd be willing to let it cost me double minutes. That's right I said it.
Also, as noted above, its the shiz for international calling. When we go to Mexico, I take my old BB curve so I can avoid the international rate shaft.
I'm desperate to get wifi calling on my Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait... if I'm overseas and have wifi, I can call back to the U.S. using the app and ONLY be charged my minutes?!
uansari1 said:
Wait... if I'm overseas and have wifi, I can call back to the U.S. using the app and ONLY be charged my minutes?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hold on there partner. I'm only speaking from experience with UMA and Mexico to US. They may have closed this loophole with the change from UMA to Wifi calling *shrug* idk.
On the other hand, it very well could be identical and they only changed the name. That would be ideal, as it worked perfectly before... just nobody knew what a UMA was
From what I've seen so far, I'm guessing it's UMA-Lite (GAN). The only functionality that's missing is the seemless hand-off from WiFi to a GSM tower when you leave a WiFi area. The call would just drop instead of being properly handed off to the nearest tower.
I doubt TMO would treat UMA-Lite any different from how they handle existing UMA handsets.
Cheers,
Kermee
T-mobile really needs to push this feature onto all their phones and start advertising it. It will really give them a leg up on the competition, and people will stop associating tmobile as being the cheap carrier with lousy reception.
So I installed one of the two 2.2 builds out, and Wifi Calling works. It says that is uses the plan minutes. Is this correct? If so, what good is wifi calling?
jzero88 said:
So I installed one of the two 2.2 builds out, and Wifi Calling works. It says that is uses the plan minutes. Is this correct? If so, what good is wifi calling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's for if you are in an area that has no cell reception but you have WiFi, yes it uses minutes.
Ok thanks for the info. That sucks, wish you could use wifi calling like VOIP
jzero88 said:
Ok thanks for the info. That sucks, wish you could use wifi calling like VOIP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that were the case, you'd never use any minutes ever. LOL
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Skype works on the 2.2 builds.... it's still an annoyingly crappy app, but it works.
Lol...that will never be released by any cell carrier. Tmobile just wants to make sure you have the ability to use as many of your mins as possible.
cappysw10 said:
If that were the case, you'd never use any minutes ever. LOL
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is how the uma wifi calling on my blackberry worked. I don't see the problem with it. You're still paying for a minute plan, and someone's paying for the internet you're using to make calls. There's rarely a time where I'm in an area that can get high speed internet service but not cell service. I do see the usefulness though, but it's not quite as cool of a feature when it uses your minutes.
lol. I also thought that wifi calling won't be using any of your minutes.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
And I was going I to cancel my cell plan and only pay for data
Personally I love it and was really hoping it would come to the Vibrant. The reception at my house is spotty, so this will help immensely. I'm glad that it's a free add on, and they're minutes I would have been using anyway so no big deal.
Ahhh, I thought it didn't use your minutes aswell. I thought it was just like the blackberry uma... oh well.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
sano614 said:
Ahhh, I thought it didn't use your minutes aswell. I thought it was just like the blackberry uma... oh well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UMA on my blackberry always used minutes.
If you have a T-mobile USA plan and you are in Europe connected via Wifi, are your plan minutes counted as if you are in the USA or are you charged international minutes?
FreydNot said:
UMA on my blackberry always used minutes.
If you have a T-mobile USA plan and you are in Europe connected via Wifi, are your plan minutes counted as if you are in the USA or are you charged international minutes?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last time I have read about it, it was free. People stopped talking about it, since T-mobile did not support the feature anymore.
FreydNot said:
UMA on my blackberry always used minutes.
If you have a T-mobile USA plan and you are in Europe connected via Wifi, are your plan minutes counted as if you are in the USA or are you charged international minutes?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last time I have read about it, it was free. People stopped talking about it, since T-mobile did not support the feature anymore.
Nevermind!
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1618892-Overseas-UMA-calls-now-being-billed-as-roaming?daysprune=365
Im excited about the feature cause I have no cell signal at work (at all)
Will it work for ATT users though?
T-Mobile used to give you the option of paying an extra $9.99 per month for unlimited Wi-fi calling. They took that away so wifi (or UMA) calling uses your minutes. It is still helpful to me for overseas or certain areas that have spotty T-mobile coverage. I travel a lot and it comes up. Which is one reason I've held onto my old blackberry for when I travel. Now that the Vibrant is getting this feature I can finally ditch that thing.
maybe I am blessed But
i use and pay for a no contract unlimited plan, Since then my recurring costs are a constant 75 month. That really is not that much, unless you are really really broke. I use this phone for EVERYTHING and 75 month. I do like the wifi hookup I have used my phone in reverse to call (call on my computer using tethering) and that works very well. But I just did it to make sure i could, BTW I called out of the country........ and still 75 month
mhseraph said:
Im excited about the feature cause I have no cell signal at work (at all)
Will it work for ATT users though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have to have it enabled during? Like If I'm at work and I have bad cell reception, should I just turn it on? I guess I'm asking is there some automatic way to switch back and forth?
[Edit]
Looks like if you leave it on, under connection prefs you choose "Cellular Preferred" which calls will route through wifi if there is no cell service...
How would this work out in another country? If I travel to say Europe or Australia and have a WiFi connection can I call from my US number to other US numbers? Can I receive calls to my US number?
NWolf said:
How would this work out in another country? If I travel to say Europe or Australia and have a WiFi connection can I call from my US number to other US numbers? Can I receive calls to my US number?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Basically wifi essentially becomes an US T-Mobile tower.
Wi-Fi calling/UMA is one of those features that make or break a phone for me. I have ZERO T-Mobile service at home. My current main phone (BB8700) has UMA so I get perfect reception in my house, top floor or basement.
Any Project Fi user? How is it working out?
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
It's dope.
Yup. Very happy.
Totally satisfied!
It's awesome!
More than anything I'm happy with the bill. I think mine was $43.xx last month, I'm signed up for 5GB at $70 total. Spent the last year on AT&T Post Paid with a MiFi also on the account at 115ish a month for 15GB. Prior to that I was on AT&T Straight Talk for years.
To be honest, the service is so-so. T-Mobile is T-Mobile, the building penetration sucks, its as mediocre as it was when I got off it in 2011. Sprint does provide better building penetration but the service is slower. I'm often frustrated with Fi's lack of attempt at switching from T-Mo to Sprint or vice-versa. I have Fi-Spy installed and can easily plug in the dialer codes to switch, but why it doesn't do this more proactively is beyond me. Even with the auto switch dialer coder plugged in and a reboot, it rarely switches quickly once a drop in signal is experienced with the carrier in use. The nerd in me thinks its cool to plug in the dialer codes, the normal me is beginning to find it inconvenient. Speeds aren't spectacular, I think that's possibly a function of being in South Louisiana. The carriers invest here last most likely because of the overall poverty of the populous and the gamble that the they can just wait till the network is destroyed by a hurricane and rebuild it with insurance money.
My gut feeling is I'll wait to see if the 6.0.1 release (whenever I finally get it) will make T-Mo work better with the possibility of Band 12. If its not better soon I'll probably switch back to AT&T Straight Talk. AT&T just works everywhere I have been in the US for the last 4 or 5 years. I never have the negative experience I hear people complain about on big blue. The Straight Talk option makes the cost negligible. Although the good ole days of Straight Talk "discount" service cards being sold online for 30ish dollars seems to be gone.
Cellular service is a commodity, while I impress myself with the nerd factor of an aggregated cellular carrier like Google Fi, I just lack the patience to endure the carriers its running on. Struggling with bad or slow service is no longer acceptable with the flexibility of porting numbers to other carriers. $40ish dollars is cheap, but for 50 I could be on Straight Talk on AT&T and not worry about any of the semantics.
...but I did like the Lego kit Google sent me!
aygriffith said:
More than anything I'm happy with the bill. I think mine was $43.xx last month, I'm signed up for 5GB at $70 total. Spent the last year on AT&T Post Paid with a MiFi also on the account at 115ish a month for 15GB. Prior to that I was on AT&T Straight Talk for years.
To be honest, the service is so-so. T-Mobile is T-Mobile, the building penetration sucks, its as mediocre as it was when I got off it in 2011. Sprint does provide better building penetration but the service is slower. I'm often frustrated with Fi's lack of attempt at switching from T-Mo to Sprint or vice-versa. I have Fi-Spy installed and can easily plug in the dialer codes to switch, but why it doesn't do this more proactively is beyond me. Even with the auto switch dialer coder plugged in and a reboot, it rarely switches quickly once a drop in signal is experienced with the carrier in use. The nerd in me thinks its cool to plug in the dialer codes, the normal me is beginning to find it inconvenient. Speeds aren't spectacular, I think that's possibly a function of being in South Louisiana. The carriers invest here last most likely because of the overall poverty of the populous and the gamble that the they can just wait till the network is destroyed by a hurricane and rebuild it with insurance money.
My gut feeling is I'll wait to see if the 6.0.1 release (whenever I finally get it) will make T-Mo work better with the possibility of Band 12. If its not better soon I'll probably switch back to AT&T Straight Talk. AT&T just works everywhere I have been in the US for the last 4 or 5 years. I never have the negative experience I hear people complain about on big blue. The Straight Talk option makes the cost negligible. Although the good ole days of Straight Talk "discount" service cards being sold online for 30ish dollars seems to be gone.
Cellular service is a commodity, while I impress myself with the nerd factor of an aggregated cellular carrier like Google Fi, I just lack the patience to endure the carriers its running on. Struggling with bad or slow service is no longer acceptable with the flexibility of porting numbers to other carriers. $40ish dollars is cheap, but for 50 I could be on Straight Talk on AT&T and not worry about any of the semantics.
...but I did like the Lego kit Google sent me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about calling/texting over wifi? The initial reason I decided not to go with Project Fi was for the reasons you stated-- didn't love the carriers that support it. But the more I think about it, the more intrigued I am. I just switched from AT&T to Verizon and I am hardly using any cell data. I'm at wifi at home, wifi at work, and many places that I go. Project Fi is becoming more appealing for the ability of being able to call/text pretty much anywhere over wifi and not have to worry so much about how good the cell signal is. Plus the idea of auto connecting to open wifi hotspots and securing the connection over a VPN tunnel sounds pretty cool as well.
On another note, I don't have any first hand experience with Tmobile but 6.0.1 should help a lot with cell service in buildings if they have band 12 in your area. The geek in you should just flash the factory images instead of waiting for the OTA
I'm very satisfied with my experience so far. My only complaint, a small one at best, would be there is no way to prefer WiFi calling over cellular like with Tmobile.
It's been solid for me. Not just at home, but a number of the approved hotspots as well when I'm out. And I like that these connections are VPN'd.
coolcat67 said:
What about calling/texting over wifi?
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Data usage
I was thinking of going to Project Fi myself and got the invite already. However, I check my data status usage and it's about 4gb or more per month. And I am counting only the usage not being over wifi. I understand that Project Fi switch automatically over wifi if available so you won't use Data over the air as much. However, I'm with the family plan with 15GB and Data carry over next month on AT&T network. If I'm by myself, I would switch over to Project Fi in a heart beat but with family member, I can't. Just my 2 cents thought.
Solutions Etcetera said:
It's been solid for me. Not just at home, but a number of the approved hotspots as well when I'm out. And I like that these connections are VPN'd.
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I have the exact opposite experience, I rarely get auto connected to hot-spots and when I do they're total garbage. Not just in Louisiana, but in large metros I've traveled to in since getting the service. I think only one held the VPN tunnel indicated by the key icon for long enough to do anything.
coolcat67 said:
What about calling/texting over wifi? The initial reason I decided not to go with Project Fi was for the reasons you stated-- didn't love the carriers that support it. But the more I think about it, the more intrigued I am. I just switched from AT&T to Verizon and I am hardly using any cell data. I'm at wifi at home, wifi at work, and many places that I go. Project Fi is becoming more appealing for the ability of being able to call/text pretty much anywhere over wifi and not have to worry so much about how good the cell signal is. Plus the idea of auto connecting to open wifi hotspots and securing the connection over a VPN tunnel sounds pretty cool as well.
On another note, I don't have any first hand experience with Tmobile but 6.0.1 should help a lot with cell service in buildings if they have band 12 in your area. The geek in you should just flash the factory images instead of waiting for the OTA
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What I do love about the service is the ability to use Hangouts on all my devices and in the web browser and text & MMS from it. I think if I went back to Straight Talk I'd probably leave the number with Google Voice which traditionally I've done the opposite and took the number to the carrier and just had a miscellaneous GV number.
I have had problems with call quality over data. Mainly at my house which is AT&T U-Verse, and to top it off Fi does not seem to realize it and will not switch off to cellular when the call quality dissipates. I've literally had to run out my front door into the middle of my street if I'm mid call so it will switch to cellular. Its either this or attempt to fumble the phone and turn off WiFi. My neighbors probably are suspicious of my mid street calls :laugh:. Again, this is a function of AT&T U-verse having 18mb down at my house. Might switch my internet to cable next month to help with the abysmal ISP speeds with U-verse.
Again, don't expect the phone to just start connecting to tons of VPN'ed Google Certified WiFi networks. You'll be disappointed. I was in large metros all up and down the east coast in Nov and again, this may have happened once in each large city. You're going to be looking for the same old Starbucks and misc WiFi networks to make calls if you're really hoping to find WiFi networks in the wild for calling. I have a free Boingo plan through Amex Plat and it helps give availability to more networks than I had access to before. But its not enough that I wouldn't be worried about cell service.
Fingers crossed on 6.0.1... back in the old days I would have downloaded the image the second it was out and flashed it. As I get older and find myself making more excuses for not getting stuff done I rarely want to spend non existent free time diving into roms or any of that. I just want the phone to work and the service to work. Its a long way from chopping up Blackberry OS installers with different features from different Telcos or my first Android phone being a Sprint Touch Pro 2 launching into Android from Windows Mobile. Getting old (or boring) I guess!
Works great here. Except MMS over hangouts looks like garbage. I would love to use hangouts over my other devices with my Project Fi number, but I send to many picture messages. Anyone else have MMS hangouts quality problems?
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Ulver said:
Works great here. Except MMS over hangouts looks like garbage. I would love to use hangouts over my other devices with my Project Fi number, but I send to many picture messages. Anyone else have MMS hangouts quality problems?
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
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Are you referencing the picture quality of the photos sent? Does it look bad both in Hangouts and also in the receiver's MMS?
Its decent, but I can see why people leave back to Tmobile. I am on WIFI most of the day and yet I manage to use 1.5-2GB per month, I cant imaging using Fi without WIFI. There is no VoLTE an no proper Band 12 implementation. Support is not that great, most replies are copy/paste BS. The whole service is just not as reliable as Tmobile. I pay about $40 bucks for Fi......Tmobile would have been only $50 but everything works 100%, you get som free music and vid streaming, and data falls back to free Edge.
I am gonna stick for a while longer....They said some updates are coming to service in next few month but I call BS on this. Fi team seems to be lying alot about the service and misrepresents it in their advertisement.
aygriffith said:
Are you referencing the picture quality of the photos sent? Does it look bad both in Hangouts and also in the receiver's MMS?
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For me it looks bad on my end and the receivers end via hangouts. I also tried sending pics via my Z3 and the pics look bad on both my wife's Nexus 6 and my Mom's iPhone.
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kolyan said:
The whole service is just not as reliable as Tmobile.
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Weird... I have been on T-Mobile since the days of my RAZR v300 up until just recently. In fact, I still have it on my Moto X. Nothing about it is as good as Fi has been. Granted it is not for folks that are burning through a lot of data, but I have never gone over a Gig, so it's great for me.
Looking at the two phones side by side right now, the TM phone is on HSPA with 4 asu, and the Fi is LTE with 23 asu.
Solutions Etcetera said:
Weird... I have been on T-Mobile since the days of my RAZR v300 up until just recently. In fact, I still have it on my Moto X. Nothing about it is as good as Fi has been. Granted it is not for folks that are burning through a lot of data, but I have never gone over a Gig, so it's great for me.
Looking at the two phones side by side right now, the TM phone is on HSPA with 4 asu, and the Fi is LTE with 23 asu.
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I have Tmobile LTE and VoLTE everywhere pretty much and it switches to Sprint for no reason, I even get Sprint 3G in some places due to bugs. On top of it Tmobile band 12 is not implemented correctly so you end up missing calls and there is no VoLTE support at all. I am not even sure if Tmobile carrier aggression is working on Project Fi
I've been having issues on Project Fi since June, including some spotty roaming in Europe where Tmobile got 5 bars of LTE (capped to 128kbps). Then been dealing with carrier auto switching for over a month now....looks like it just started working with latest Fi app and Android 6.0.1. They also know about all the roaming issues and that Fi doesnt like to connect to roaming providers, thats why they seem to include manual switching in Fi app now so people dont end up with dead phones overseas
They are also kind of lying about equal coverage to Tmo and Sprint....its not equal, at least not yet, lying about 120+ countries where wifi-calling is supported....also bs, real list is around 90-95 countries (not a big deal, but they refuse to fix it)
I switched from Tmobile because I though I will get 100% Tmobile coverage + addition of Sprint with seamless switching (been very buggy) I also need that 256kbps roaming speeds since its double of what Tmobile is offering. Lower bill was just a bonus.....dont really care since its like 10-15 bucks difference
kolyan said:
I've been having issues on Project Fi since June
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Dunno what to tell you; have only been on it since 11/16, but so far it has been great on my 6P.
When I read these comments I wonder how many people were already T-Mobile or Sprint customers and used to so-so coverage and speeds already. Compared in AT&T and Verizon, you're getting what you pay for. Just calling a spade a spade as a long time AT&T customer and a really really long ago T-Mobile and Sprint customer.
It's exactly what they said it was, a beta service. If you want a cheap 5GB of LTE data that works everywhere, get a AT&T Straight Talk sim. If you really think you only use a gig and live in a large metro with a good economy (face it, T-Mobile and Sprint upgrade their carrier equipment metros with better economic conditions first) then you'll be in heaven.
Don't really care about the international, I just buy a sim locally whenever I go overseas. But for the price, if it works, it's a nice feature.
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