Porting Sprint # to TMobile/Straight Talk 101 questons - Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So, yesterday I said goodbye to Sprint and the account is activated and I have till 1-7-13 to port the number out or they will charge for another month of service rates. I have ordered a Nexus 4 and will be here in 6-7 weeks, patience is a virtue. In the meantime I am using an old flip phone with AT&T pay as you go for $25.00 I want to port my sprint number but, do not have the new phone before 1-7-13 when the account will be closed.
Questions:
1-I ordered a Tmobile prepaid micro sim card and should get it tomorrow. Should I go ahead and activate the sim card and port the number even though I do not have the Nexus 4 yet?
2- If I activate online, can I port the Sprint number online or should I call TMobile to do it?
3-Can I buy a cheap TMobile prepaid phone, activate it and then switch the sim card to the Nexus 4 when it comes in? Doing this will allow me to test TMobile in my area before I get the phone or since it is a cheap phone I should wait to get the beast?
4-What is the advantage of porting the number to Google Voice? If I am possibly going to be testing TMobile and ATT Straight Talk plans for a month each. I do not want to lose my 13 year old phone number and have to notify all my contacts of a new number from either ATT or TMobile.
I am just trying to make a smooth and simple porting of the phone number from Sprint asap since the account will be closed on -7-13 before the Nexus 4 gets to me. Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
It is a bit confusing when the Walmart employee tells me that the TMobile sim cards with the phones they sell are tied to those phones and you can not switch to the Nexus 4. She also told me that the $30.00 plan on TMobile only applies to Walmart purchased phones. When I questioned TMobile on this, they stated that was not true and since I am not buying the phone from Walmart, I can order the TMobile prepaid sim card and activate it online and still get the $30 plan. Then, to call TMobile and they would port my number over.
Thanking in advance,
Ian B

1) Unless you have a phone in which you can activate the MicroSIM card you plan to use in the N4, wait. The setup process asks for an IMEI, and while I don't think it matters, you wouldn't have your Nexus 4's IMEI yet.
2) When you activate the T-Mobile MicroSIM, the process will include having them transfer the number from Sprint. Just have your Sprint account info handy.
3) The advantage of using Google Voice is that it adds some flexibility in how it's used, without using "minutes". This is popular on, for example, the $30/month T-Mobile plan, since it only has 100 minutes of talk.

Ajfink said:
1) Unless you have a phone in which you can activate the MicroSIM card you plan to use in the N4, wait. The setup process asks for an IMEI, and while I don't think it matters, you wouldn't have your Nexus 4's IMEI yet.
2) When you activate the T-Mobile MicroSIM, the process will include having them transfer the number from Sprint. Just have your Sprint account info handy.
3) The advantage of using Google Voice is that it adds some flexibility in how it's used, without using "minutes". This is popular on, for example, the $30/month T-Mobile plan, since it only has 100 minutes of talk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AJ;
Thanks for the info but, as you can see the account will close on 1-7-13 before the Nexus 4 gets to me at the end of January 2013. I could get the cheapest prepaid TMobile phone to activate the sim card and get the Sprint phone number ported over before I lose it on 1-7-13 which I do not want to lose.
What do you think on buying the cheapest prepaid TMo phone idea?
Thanks again,
Ian B

Mr Ian B said:
AJ;
Thanks for the info but, as you can see the account will close on 1-7-13 before the Nexus 4 gets to me at the end of January 2013. I could get the cheapest prepaid TMobile phone to activate the sim card and get the Sprint phone number ported over before I lose it on 1-7-13 which I do not want to lose.
What do you think on buying the cheapest prepaid TMo phone idea?
Thanks again,
Ian B
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You shouldn't need a device to activate your sim card through Straight Talk (i'm on it now with AT&T). The only thing it will ask for is your straight talk SIM Card information and the phone number you want to port.
https://www.straighttalk.com/secure/Activate - Select "Transfer my number from another company"
It will walk you through the steps, I did this with both my wife and I account (both coming from Verizon).
Porting for my wife took only 30 minutes while mine took close to 8 hours. It will still port even though you dont have it in a device. From what I remember you can only confirm the port was successful is when you use the SIM (it shows as HOME instead of No Service).
If you want to ask straight talk directly, best to use their twitter feed as they respond better there.

ibegary said:
You shouldn't need a device to activate your sim card through Straight Talk (i'm on it now with AT&T). The only thing it will ask for is your straight talk SIM Card information and the phone number you want to port.
https://www.straighttalk.com/secure/Activate - Select "Transfer my number from another company"
It will walk you through the steps, I did this with both my wife and I account (both coming from Verizon).
Porting for my wife took only 30 minutes while mine took close to 8 hours. It will still port even though you dont have it in a device. From what I remember you can only confirm the port was successful is when you use the SIM (it shows as HOME instead of No Service).
If you want to ask straight talk directly, best to use their twitter feed as they respond better there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Ibegary;
I will hold off on buying a prepaid phone then. I called earlier Straight Talk customer service and had a hard time understanding them. I don't use Twitter but, your link is pretty self explanatory. I think is the same issue with TMobile. They just shipped my sim card today and once it comes in, I can port the number to them without having a device and activate the sim card. They told me I have 120 days to get money into the account.
Ian B

ibegary said:
snip.....It will walk you through the steps, I did this with both my wife and I account (both coming from Verizon)....snip...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About Verizon -- Do you know how the Verizon billing process comes into play. I am currently with Verizon, on contract. Waiting and preparing for the N4. Received a shipping confirmation today, for the Straighttalk ATT microsim card. Will I need to call Verizon and cancel my service, after ST ports the number from my Verizon account? If the number is ported in the middle of the Verizon billing cycle, do I get nicked for the whole billing period? Or, are Verizon charges suspended, automatically, once ST takes control of the number? I would like to avoid the charge for a whole month of Verizon, if the N4 arrives on or shortly after the start of a new billing period. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Bill M

First question: Do you plan to use Google Voice?
If NO, then hold off on activating the SIM until you have your phone in hand.
If YES, then this is the perfect time to port your number to Google Voice from Sprint (as I did) so you get to keep the same phone number and use VOIP to make and receive your calls, plus all the benefits of Google Voice. It will take 24 hours exactly until the number port is complete. It will take a day or two more until you can receive text messages through Google Voice. When you finally have your Nexus 4 phone in hand, activate the SIM per the included instructions in conjunction with the IMEI number on the new phone. You DO NOT want to port your number to T-mobile during the activation, just get a new number. You can quickly forget about this new number. There are guides already on how to setup VOIP with Google Voice + Pbxes.org using SipDroid to do all the configuration for you, then you can delete the SipDroid app off your phone. You DO want to install CSipSimple on your phone and configure it to connect to Pbxes.org (which is already wired to use GTalk and Google Voice by now). CSipSimple will integrate with the android stock dialer, or you can use CSipSimple as your default dialer. One more thing, I got tired of Android asking me if I want to make a VOIP call using Pbxes or Cell (T-mobile minutes) that inside CSipSimple I made a rule that ALL calls be made by Pbxes. So, I just use my phone as normal and CSipSimple makes the call and answers my calls. It really really is wonderful when I look at my T-mobile minutes, but none have been used and I get great call quality.

Antebios said:
First question: Do you plan to use Google Voice?
If NO, then hold off on activating the SIM until you have your phone in hand.
If YES, then this is the perfect time to port your number to Google Voice from Sprint (as I did) so you get to keep the same phone number and use VOIP to make and receive your calls, plus all the benefits of Google Voice. It will take 24 hours exactly until the number port is complete. It will take a day or two more until you can receive text messages through Google Voice. When you finally have your Nexus 4 phone in hand, activate the SIM per the included instructions in conjunction with the IMEI number on the new phone. You DO NOT want to port your number to T-mobile during the activation, just get a new number. You can quickly forget about this new number. There are guides already on how to setup VOIP with Google Voice + Pbxes.org using SipDroid to do all the configuration for you, then you can delete the SipDroid app off your phone. You DO want to install CSipSimple on your phone and configure it to connect to Pbxes.org (which is already wired to use GTalk and Google Voice by now). CSipSimple will integrate with the android stock dialer, or you can use CSipSimple as your default dialer. One more thing, I got tired of Android asking me if I want to make a VOIP call using Pbxes or Cell (T-mobile minutes) that inside CSipSimple I made a rule that ALL calls be made by Pbxes. So, I just use my phone as normal and CSipSimple makes the call and answers my calls. It really really is wonderful when I look at my T-mobile minutes, but none have been used and I get great call quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A couple of questions, Straight talk and TMobile prepaid do not handle mms, correct? If that is so, can I get mms through google voice?
Your set up sounds too complicated for me and I only average about 40-60 mins of talk time per month so not worried about the 100 mins in the $30 TMob plan.
Thanks,
Ian B
P.S.---if someone in the Austin, Cedar Park area w a Nexus 4 with ST or TMob prepaid, send me a pm so you can call me and I can pick your brain on this stuff.

bmoke said:
About Verizon -- Do you know how the Verizon billing process comes into play. I am currently with Verizon, on contract. Waiting and preparing for the N4. Received a shipping confirmation today, for the Straighttalk ATT microsim card. Will I need to call Verizon and cancel my service, after ST ports the number from my Verizon account? If the number is ported in the middle of the Verizon billing cycle, do I get nicked for the whole billing period? Or, are Verizon charges suspended, automatically, once ST takes control of the number? I would like to avoid the charge for a whole month of Verizon, if the N4 arrives on or shortly after the start of a new billing period. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Bill M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do not call Verizon in fact you do not need to talk to Verizon at all
What will happen is straight talk will take your account number and billing pin and start the port for you with Verizon once the port is complete Verizon will close the line for the account
About 2 to 3 weeks later you will receive your final bill from Verizon that will include any ETF charges and any credit for the remaining of your billing cycle where there was no usage
So for example if your billing cycle is on the 29th and you ported on the 14th then you'll be charged for 14 days of service and then you'll be credited the other 14 or 15 days
Hope this helps
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Related

two sims, one number, two phones

Is it possible to clone a sim card and then have say an mda running with one installed and a going out phone with the other.
i'm guessing its possible but am after a step by step if anyones feeling helpful.
I wouldn't want to have both phones turned on at once if that makes it an easier process. Just getting hacked off at swapping sim all the time.
You cant clone a Sim like Hollywood Movies ... not normal Guys like you and me!
Talk with your Provider!
Same have a Service with Master Slave Cards. In Austria you can have 1 numbers and a lot of device they ring at the same time or in priority.
Cheers netrunner. Yep i probably have watched to many films. I tried to call my provider (tmob uk) but i'd have more luck getting into Angelina Jolie's knickers than speaking to someone there with an ounce of savvy.
ClashOfThe said:
Cheers netrunner. Yep i probably have watched to many films. I tried to call my provider (tmob uk) but i'd have more luck getting into Angelina Jolie's knickers than speaking to someone there with an ounce of savvy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it possible to clone the sim...yes...but illegal. You buy one of those 6 in 1 or 12 in 1 sim's plus reader for about $10 on ebay. (oh...only Tmobile still uses the Version 1 sim's that these can clone..everyone else has upgraded to version 2 which is uncrackable currently)
Is it possible to clone the phone..yes..but illegal....the hacking and development board has a thread on a free IMEI changer...you would have to run that and make sure both phones had the same IMEI.
---
Even if you did ALL those things there is no way you could have both on at the same time....every 20 minutes the phone reconnects with the tower...the tower is only going to allow 1 connection at a time so your connection is constantly going to switch from one to the other...and they will notice this and bad things will happen to your account and men in suits may show up at your door. The best you could manage is to turn one or the other on at a time which basically defeats the purpose.
Now go to your provider and pay them the extra for a 2nd line and use conditional call forwarding (forward to phone 2 when phone 1 doesn't answer..used to forward to voicemail normally) to accomplish the same thing.
Good thinking
famewolf said:
Is it possible to clone the sim...yes...but illegal. You buy one of those 6 in 1 or 12 in 1 sim's plus reader for about $10 on ebay. (oh...only Tmobile still uses the Version 1 sim's that these can clone..everyone else has upgraded to version 2 which is uncrackable currently)
Is it possible to clone the phone..yes..but illegal....the hacking and development board has a thread on a free IMEI changer...you would have to run that and make sure both phones had the same IMEI.
---
Even if you did ALL those things there is no way you could have both on at the same time....every 20 minutes the phone reconnects with the tower...the tower is only going to allow 1 connection at a time so your connection is constantly going to switch from one to the other...and they will notice this and bad things will happen to your account and men in suits may show up at your door. The best you could manage is to turn one or the other on at a time which basically defeats the purpose.
Now go to your provider and pay them the extra for a 2nd line and use conditional call forwarding (forward to phone 2 when phone 1 doesn't answer..used to forward to voicemail normally) to accomplish the same thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right with that clever piece of logic i'll try it with a pay as you go sim and forward from the contract one and that should do what i want. (just hope the forwarding charge comes off my free mins)
Called Tmobile uk who have told me that the call forwarding to the pay as you go sim wont cost any more and will come out of my contracted minutes.

[Q] At&t users, Did you call to activate your Streak after you recieved it?

I ordered my streak on friday and got this email yesterday
Thank you for your purchase on Dell Online Shop.
We are eager to activate your device and complete your phone number transfer.
When you receive your device, your device transfer will not be complete. Please call us at 1-877-662-7640 and reference your Activation ID to complete your device transfer. If you do not call within 14 days upon receipt of this email, your device will be automatically transferred with AT&T
Click to expand...
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What is this for? I have a family plan and my number isn't eligible for an upgrade so i used one of the other numbers on the plan to get the $250 discount. If i call them will they cancel the number i used and activate the sim that came with it as that number?
Just confused as i've ordered many phones from many different sites and never had to call to activate... just popped my sim card in and was good to go.
i have a family plan and ordered on one of my other lines that was eligible for an upgrade (so i did the same thing you did). And i did call them to activate the phone on the number i ordered it on, and nothing on my account was changed.
Normally i would just pop in my sim and go, however i didnt want to risk them coming back to me and billing me another 250 for not activating the phone. I could just be paranoid, but ive never ordered an upgrade from a 3rd party and didnt want to risk it.
shogunmark said:
i have a family plan and ordered on one of my other lines that was eligible for an upgrade (so i did the same thing you did). And i did call them to activate the phone on the number i ordered it on, and nothing on my account was changed.
Normally i would just pop in my sim and go, however i didnt want to risk them coming back to me and billing me another 250 for not activating the phone. I could just be paranoid, but ive never ordered an upgrade from a 3rd party and didnt want to risk it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was it an automated line or you talked to someone? Guess it doesn't matter since it doesn't do anything, i'm just curious and patiently waiting for my device...
Also i'm excited that you got the streak as well and look forward to your great work! I used to run your Death roms on my Tilt!
Same Situation as me
I ordered the streak on a secondary phone on my plan to use on my primary line. I was puzzled just like you. I called and told them up front what was going on and they said no problem and they activated the phone on my primary line. I think there is a minimum amount of minutes and you have to set up the right data plan on the phone. I had an N1 on the plan before. They did not object to applying the phone on my primary line.

Google Voice / Porting Number Help

Hopefully someone can help me out here. I just ordered a Nexus 4 and will be receiving it in a day or 2. I am currently on Verizon and will be switching to T-Mo when I get the Nexus 4. I am not sure how good the service will be so I kind of want to test it out before canceling my Verizon account since I have a pretty decent plan that I would not be able to get again.
Can someone explain what would happen if I port my number to Google Voice? Will that cancel my Verizon contract? I would like to keep my number on the new phone but still be able to keep my Verizon account active all without getting new numbers to give out to people.
If I port my number to GV, what happens to my Verizon phone number? Would they need to give me a new one? Will my contract still be good until I know for sure that T-Mo coverage is good and I call to cancel.
Hope this makes sense and appreciate any help you guys can offer.
Normally, moving your number to GV cancels your Verizon account.
What I have heard about people doing is calling verizon telling them you want to move to GV. They will give you a new verizon number and you move your old number to GV. Once you get GV setup you can have it call your new verizon number and your new tmobile number. Once you are comfortable with tmo, you can can cancel verizon.
Word of caution though. GV works well 98% of the time, but sometimes it is lacking. I have missed calls being sent to my phone (Im on ATT/StraighTalk/) You have no technical support available. Google doesn't give a **** about GV anymore.
Another question, if I port my number when I dial out will it show my GV number? How would that work? Also, what about text messages and mms messaging? Since I am now jumping around on pre-paids I think it would be easier if my number was with GV instead of having to port it to each carrier every time. Is this doable and would my GV number be used for everything?
I have never used it for anything but voice mail but figure it must work with everything if people would port a number to it?

No mobile data after porting Google Voice number

Good afternoon,
After being on the T-Mobile $30 plan for about a year my VOiP setup stopped working. It didn't take me long to discover that 100 mins was not enough to get by on.
So, I dumped some money into my account to cover mins and bought a Straight Talk T-Mobile SIM and a month of service.
With my VOiP I was using Google Voice number. I attempted to port my Google Voice number to Straight Talk. Straight Talk called me a day after I attempted to initiate the port and told me I needed a new SIM. A day later my Google Voice number was ported over to ST. I was without my number for 2 days while I waited for my new SIM. Upon recieving my ST new SIM I cut it down to micro size and popped it in. Huzzah! Calls and texts work great but all grey bars, no connection to Google servers. So, I call ST and they tell me the porting is not complete. 24 hours later I call back and am told they cannot find the records of the port and will need 24 hours to submit a new ticket to provision my data. 24 hours later they call me and say everything should work. It does not. Today I spent an hour on the phone while "customer support" and "tech support" attempt to resolve my issue. No go. Every time i attempt to access the web I get directed to a T-Mobile site telling me my data plan does not work on this device. I have deleted all old APN's and know my APN is the correct APN for ST.
Any help you guys out there could provide would go a long way. Thanks.

[Q] Help! with Straight Talk

I purchased a Galaxy s5 outright. It's locked. I don't have a Straight Talk account. I'm starting brand new. Can I take my phone to Walmart, purchase the Straight Talk Activation kit for Galaxy s5 and have the associate get my phone working? The activation kit costs $60. I presume that includes the SIM card I will need for it to work in this phone. Or, do I have to get an AT&T account first in order to unlock the phone so it can be used with Straight Talk? Please be as specific as possible when answering because i am new at this and need all the help I can get! Thank you!
just moved FROM straightalk myself to verizon.
1. not sure if S5 is even supported... maybe
2. check the straightalk website for BYOP (bring your own phone). you input your IMEID number or whatever and itll tell you if the phone is useable.
3. you have to have an "unlocked" phone
4. not sure about the activation kit; sometimes they are like $7, no 60... but i could be wrong.
5. walmart folks are not ST folks, so no, i would not count on them assisting you; you could try the phone, but service will vary depending on who you talk to; be prepared to talk to like 8 different people: i had to just to port my number over, very frustrating.
I've been on ST for about 2 years, using 99% iPhones, which were very hard to set up (back when ST started). Now, I have S5 Active and iPhone 5 and both work very well.
You don't need no $70 BS activation package. Just go to http://www.straighttalkbyop.com click Option 2 and buy yourself an AT$T compatible SIM card, assuming you have an AT$T S5. The SIM card is LTE ready, costs $6.99 and ships FREE via FedEx 2-day service.
1. If you're getting a new phone number, register your sim at www.straighttalk.com when you receive it and system will assign you a new number.
2. If you are porting your old phone number you can still do it from straighttalk.com (you'll need your old carrier account password or access PIN for that). Avoid calling ST, they have horrible CS. It will take an hour to set it up and this is if you understand what CS rep says 100% of the time which is close to impossible Their website is easy to navigate, you'll figure it out.
Now, pop the SIM in and enjoy your new $45 *unlimited* service. You will need to create a new APN entry for ST. Here you can get the right APN settings.

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