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hello
I have had my note 3 or about a week now.
I cannot successfully make calls. I can receive calls and do pretty much everything else. Browse internet, sending texts etc.
As soon as i dial a number it takes a while to connect and then it ends the calls.
I am on Three. uk
I have tried with wifes Sim and the phone also fails with her sim but my sim works fine in her phone. so can rule out problem with the sim.
I have tried changing caller id to network mode as read that fixed Galaxy s II devices but that has not worked.
I have tried messing about with the different types of network mode. Only GSM mode works.
I am getting a full 4 bar signal.
I am on stock firmware SM-n9005
baseband n9005xxudmj7
build number jss15j.n9005xxudmk2
Anyone got any idea why this is happening or how i can fix it without sending phone off for repair ?? I have read elsewhere that the December update might have caused an issue like this ?
Many thanks
johnbhoy said:
hello
I have had my note 3 or about a week now.
I cannot successfully make calls. I can receive calls and do pretty much everything else. Browse internet, sending texts etc.
As soon as i dial a number it takes a while to connect and then it ends the calls.
I am on Three. uk
I have tried with wifes Sim and the phone also fails with her sim but my sim works fine in her phone. so can rule out problem with the sim.
I have tried changing caller id to network mode as read that fixed Galaxy s II devices but that has not worked.
I have tried messing about with the different types of network mode. Only GSM mode works.
I am getting a full 4 bar signal.
I am on stock firmware SM-n9005
baseband n9005xxudmj7
build number jss15j.n9005xxudmk2
Anyone got any idea why this is happening or how i can fix it without sending phone off for repair ?? I have read elsewhere that the December update might have caused an issue like this ?
Many thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try factory reset with your wife’s sim inside, if still same problem I think service centre is only option.
by any chance, have you set your network mode to 4G only? cause afaik, the phone wont receive call if youre on LTE 4G only mode in network. once i too cant make a call when i set my network mode to LTE only, then i choose LTE/GSM/WCDMA auto, i can receive and make call again
Thanks.
I have tried reset and this does not work.
its definitely not on 4g . I have tried all the network modes and the only one that works is GSM... I dont want to leave it on GSM though as i want to be able to connect to internet whilst out and about.
Seems a bit ridiculous though that i cannot make a call on a phone. Will be off the the three shop tommorow.
Hi all,
I have the dual sim S7 SM-G935FD running the XSP firmware. Rooted with the microSD Mod on Sim 2. It's being used in the USA at the moment. Sim 1 is AT&T and Sim 2 is T-Mobile. Both are USA sim cards. Everything goes through Sim 1 AT&T - Voice, Text and Data. Sim 2 is just for receiving calls only. Sim 1 is set at LTE/3G/2G and Sim 2 is 2G only.
Since day one I have this connectivity issue pertaining to data connection.
When Sim 2 gets a weak signal and eventually drops out, data connection on Sim 1 remains - everything works. However, when Sim 2 is picking up signal again, the data connection on Sim 1 drops out.
When this happens, the pull down notification will display that the data connection is on Sim 2 - as if the phone switches the data connection from Sim 1 to Sim 2 by itself. However, if I go to the Sim Manager, it will show that the data connection is still on Sim 1 like it originally was. At this point, the phone has no data. And yes, the phone is displaying conflicting information. Notification says Data is on Sim 2 but Sim Manager says Data is on Sim 1.
To fix this, I have to use the Sim Manager, select Sim 2 for Data. Wait a few minutes. Then, choose Sim 1 for Data again, then everything comes back normal. Data connects.
This is quite annoying in a poor reception area.
Troubleshooting steps that I have tried but they do not fix the problem-
Flash stock firmware no root
Use a different stock firmware - XEU
2 sim cards only with no microSD card on the back of Sim 2
Choose 3G/2G only for Sim 1 and 2G for Sim 2
Swapping Sim 1 and Sim 2
If I disable Sim 2 the problem goes away, but of course, what's the point of dual sim then?
I also have a S6 Edge+ Duos SM-G9287 but it does not have this problem.
Any ideas? Thanks.
Just wanted to add that I am experiencing this as well.
Man this is getting unbearable. Is there a specific forum for the FD devices? I'm thinking I might just return this phone while I still can.
Wow I was going to put something on boards as well with literally the exact same setup in USA. It gets way annoying when tmobile gets weak and switches even though I have it set on sim 1 data. I really hope there is a fix or else I might make the switch to htc10 (if they even get a dual sim) and keep my fingers crossed it works better. My S6 duos works better than this but I don't have additional memory with hybrid SD sim card on s7.
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app
FYI -
I have been running XSG firmware. I just upgraded from APC8 to APD1 and the problem still remains.
Just trying to save some time for those of you who thinks upgrading will resolve the issue... it will not.
It is amazing how the S6 Edge+ Duos does not have this problem. Things went backwards for Samsung.
No problems here though mine is the G9250 dual sim version (HK).
G9250 is s6 edge is it not? We are on g935FD. It seems like I can never find the elusive perfect dual sim! Always some kind of bug! Might be heading back to my Xperia z5 premium. Can you guys confirm that it's wifi causing it? Seems like whenever I come off of a wifi network it never picks mobile data back up.
That seems like part of the problem too..as soon as wifi loses connection then it switches and then no more data
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app
Has anyone fixed this? I have tried to flash a couple different modem firmwares to no avail. The T-mobile one won't flash as it uses a snapdragon chipset.
Mine was doing fine until I did a firmware update and now the data connection problem appeared. I was on a B6 firmware with a B9 modem on a AFG CSC so I will try to go back to this and report back whether the issue resolves. Any firmware starting D1 (tried D3, D6 and D8) causes the data connection lost issue. Even just going back to a B9 modem with the D8 firmware didn't help. What a pain in the rear...
Follow up to my previous post:
Officially, G935FD is a piece of crap. Tried every combination of modem/AP to get this work but no luck. Resorted to single sim mode for now.
I have this same issue. the only way it works is to manually select one sim in use at a time. I just removed the second sim and added a micro sd card for now.
craigg1 said:
I have this same issue. the only way it works is to manually select one sim in use at a time. I just removed the second sim and added a micro sd card for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you update your firmware to a different CSC? That's when my issues started (went from AFG to BTU and even after going back the problem wasn't fixed)
What is your original CSC?
onurd said:
Did you update your firmware to a different CSC? That's when my issues started (went from AFG to BTU and even after going back the problem wasn't fixed)
What is your original CSC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine didn't work out of the box with stock firmware. I have since upgraded the stock firmware but haven't tried using two SIMs with the latest update. Maybe I'll test it over the weekend.
+1 on this bug existing for me since day one. I have been sticking it out and staying with dual sim as I don't have any other option. Kinda wishing I had just returned it... I have gone through hell trying to talk with people in India (where the phone is apparently from) about just getting the bug's existence up the chain. If only we could get a dev to take a look at our logs so I can have a reason to just root the damn thing already. Has anyone tried maybe flashing the sim manager apk from the s6 edge? Is there even a sim manager apk?
I have exact same problem with S6 edge+ dual sims. SM-G9287. Problem started since marshmallow updated. Didn't have this problem before under old android version. Has anybody found any fix yet? Right now, If I disable one of the sim, then it seems ok, but I need both sim to be on to receive call on either number.
My phone was stock firmware. Problem seems to be with Marshmallow 6.0.1 , not because of custom firmware.
vietmax said:
I have exact same problem with S6 edge+ dual sims. SM-G9287. Problem started since marshmallow updated. Didn't have this problem before under old android version. Has anybody found any fix yet? Right now, If I disable one of the sim, then it seems ok, but I need both sim to be on to receive call on either number.
My phone was stock firmware. Problem seems to be with Marshmallow 6.0.1 , not because of custom firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kind of same problem here, but it happens only since I received the update to APD1.
I live on a border zone, so I have to force my LTE sim card to its own network. The second SIM is only on 2G.
When the phone loses its own network, SIM with LTE completely disappears, everything is moved to SIM 2G and of course I lose network. The problem is that the SIM with LTE is not seen anymore, even if I go back where the signal is, and the "mobile networks" option disappears in the Settings. I cannot do anything else the reboot the phone to see the SIM again.
Ciao Marina
I have similar issues with my s7 duos not the edge model. Sim1 tmobile, sim2 at&t. Sim2 seems to be the issue for me. Cell quality at my house is not great. I also have a xperia z5 premium dual that has similar problems mainly with lte. The samsung does hold lte signal but the bars are misleading. But the samsung, I woke up this morning and sim2 was offline no calls or text or data. Call quality with sim2 isnt as good either. I blame cell signal on that since the sony has similar issues. But I have seen it with sim1 set to calls and texts and sim2 for data the pull down says sim1 even though sim manager says sim2 is data. Wtf right? Disabling sim2 and reenabling gets it back working again but what happens when the phone does this is you lose data since sim1 data would be gsm only. The common theme is sim2? Also seems signal quality is a big factor. My CSC code is ECT which is Nigeria. I have not changed firmware yet other than the APD1 update. Ironically my xperia z5 dual didnt have these issues at all with lollipop the problems started with marshmallow. I am in the US by the way.
Temporary fix?
Looks like I accidentally ran into a temporary fix, that's working for me for the last few days. I'm on Vodafone for SIM1 and T-Mobile for SIM2, EU&US.
When I restart the phone and set SIM1 for data on LTE/3G/2G it connects, but looses the connection after a while and defaults to SIM2 (with no data). No BT, no WIFI, no data icon anywhere the screen.
When this happened, I ejected the SIM card holder and pushed it back in 2 seconds. Suddenly SIM1 was trying again to connect and the 4G icon appeared. At his point I turned on WIFI.
The weird stage: WIFI on, 4G icon flashing every 5secs – but it's working as it should. If I loose reception, it does not switch cards. Actually never switches card if I don't want to. I can live with the flashing 4G until we have an official fix.
Let me know if it works for you guys!
Im learning that mine is a lot more stable if I set everything to the same sim and not split up talk/text on sim1 and data only on sim2 like I was doing. Not sure if this is placebo for now but I have everything set to sim2 and so far so good with no drops.
I just "upgraded" to Android 7.0 today. My carrier is Verizon.
I'm not sure what's up with it or how to troubleshoot it, however I need my phone back up as soon as possible.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! This is kind of a big deal for me.
Under Dual Sim Settings->Network mode it says the following:
Card 1: LTE/WCDMA/GSM
Card 2: missing or error
However, it's not connected to Verizon's network at all.
I've tried popping the sim in and out, along with restarting the device.
edit:
A SOLUTION HAS BEEN FOUND
aijorgenson said:
I managed to get a hold of a friend's active AT&T phone. Put his sim into slot 1, rebooted and put the Verizon sim back into slot 1 once the AT&T sim was recognized.
This resolved my issue. I just did it so I don't know if it's a permanent fix or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to remove both my SIMs, put my GSM (T-Mobile) SIM in slot 1...wait for the phone to recognize the SIM...then reboot a few times...then turn it off...put my Verizon and T-Mobile SIMs in slot 1 and 2 respectively...and then reboot. It's worked fine ever since. An old, inactive GSM SIM or a friend's will work fine for this procedure.
But yeah lots of people are having this issue with Verizon SIMs after the update. Really annoying...but it does seem fixable in most cases.
flyer_andy said:
I had to remove both my SIMs, put my GSM (T-Mobile) SIM in slot 1...wait for the phone to recognize the SIM...then reboot a few times...then turn it off...put my Verizon and T-Mobile SIMs in slot 1 and 2 respectively...and then reboot. It's worked fine ever since. An old, inactive GSM SIM or a friend's will work fine for this procedure.
But yeah lots of people are having this issue with Verizon SIMs after the update. Really annoying...but it does seem fixable in most cases.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I have a friend with a GSM sim. I'll try this out tomorrow night.
@flyer_andy has helped me too with this problem. I had to buy a straight talk sim from Walmart for $50 to get this thing working. I had to do it because i updated on the way to work. Once got to work i had no phone :crying: lol
I had to use my sisters sim card. I turned off the phone, put hers in, once it saw T-Mobile, I took the SIM out while the phone was on, swapped and was good to go. Boots just fine with Verizon data.
I managed to get a hold of a friend's active AT&T phone. Put his sim into slot 1, rebooted and put the Verizon sim back into slot 1 once the AT&T sim was recognized.
This resolved my issue. I just did it so I don't know if it's a permanent fix or not.
Just had a similar issue, running dual SIM. My T Mobile SIM which I use for the mobile data lost its data connection and would not reconnect, showed full Signal but no data. I eventually had to swap the 1 and 2 positions and now it is working.
tolymatev said:
I had to buy a straight talk sim from Walmart for $50 to get this thing working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope a phone came with it for that price.
I picked up a SimpleMobile (T-Mobile MVNO) SIM at Family Dollar for $1.
I also had the unexplained automatic reboots after installing B15 last night. It also wasn't recognizing the SIM. It wasn't even recognizing the GSM SIM. I did a couple factory resets and reboots with the GSM installed. I t looks like it needed the radio reset like back in the old A20 days. It eventually recognized the GSM SIM. I then switched out the PagePlus SIM, and added the Tracfone APN.
Everything I looked at seems to be working. Speedtest is showing 5.46 mbps down, but only 100 kpbs up. I think that's about normal for me.
pauldow said:
Everything I looked at seems to be working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wrote too soon. I'm back to no service. I'm not sure when service disappeared
I tried putting in the GSM SIM and rebooting a few times.
I put my PagePlus SIM in my old Galaxy S4 to try to have that recognized on the network.
I powered off the Axon and replaced the SIM with the PagePlus one.
It starts up and shows No SIM card, then No Service, then Verizon Wireless for a few seconds, then back to No Service.
It looks like the problem I had when going to A29, but the solution to fix it then isn't working.
Edit:
I did a factory reset with the PagePlus SIM inserted. It came up with phone service. I had to add the TRACFONE.VZWENTP APN.
It then showed an LTE connection. I shut off Wifi, and it started to load a web page. It then stopped loading, and went back to No Service at the top.
pauldow said:
I wrote too soon. I'm back to no service. I'm not sure when service disappeared
I tried putting in the GSM SIM and rebooting a few times.
I put my PagePlus SIM in my old Galaxy S4 to try to have that recognized on the network.
I powered off the Axon and replaced the SIM with the PagePlus one.
It starts up and shows No SIM card, then No Service, then Verizon Wireless for a few seconds, then back to No Service.
It looks like the problem I had when going to A29, but the solution to fix it then isn't working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a Verizon phone that you can stick your PP SIM into, to verify that the SIM correctly works?
i'm having similar data connectivity issues with my Axon 7 and at&t after the Nougat update. Axon 7 is rooted with B15, using 1-sim and a microSD, here's my issue description
-
day 1-3: 4G/LTE connection working, no data issues
day 3: 4G/LTE connection working, can connect to web pages, but could not connect to Google Play, Youtube,Google News and none of my 3 Exchange email accounts. Switch to Wifi and no issues connecting to any Google Play, Youtube,Google News and none of my 3 Exchange email accounts
day 4: Same issues as day 3, factory reset manually reinstall all apps, email accounts, etc. after a couple of reboots, could not connect to Google Play, Youtube,Google News and none of my 3 Exchange email accounts. tried Lineage OS and 4 hours after fully setup, problem is back. with Lineage OS, signal bars showed no signal with each connection attempt and after 30 seconds, connection timed out and signal bars would return.
Troubleshooting:
- swapped sims from two working devices into the Axon 7 and same no-connection/time-out connectivity issues with Google Play, Youtube,Google News and my 3 Exchange email accounts
- all 3 sims tested work in every device except the Axon 7
- at&t re-provisioned my account and confirmed there are not issues on their end.
i'm stumped. any suggestions would be appreciated. otherwise, i'm in my 14-day window and my have to return the device. thanks.
When the verizon sim is installed, is global mode an option under settings, network settings (not the 4636 menu)? If so, try that.
xtermmin said:
Do you have a Verizon phone that you can stick your PP SIM into, to verify that the SIM correctly works?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should have been clearer. The PP SIM works fine with my old Galaxy S4. I miss a lot of incoming calls with it, but that isn't configuration related. It's always done that.
Thank you for the reply.
Can't recognize ATT sim either..
Pull the sim and factory reset, reset network settings also. Then put the sim in and keep factory resetting until it's recognized. Took 3 tries on my phone and 5 on my friends.
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Are you all able to use HD Voice & video calling with the native dialer on the Verizon network? Some phones have an option under settings called 'Advanced Calling'. This is where you can turn on HD Voice & Video Calling for Verizon.
I've been a T-Mobile customer with my OnePlus 1, got the OnePlus 5 today and went by the local T-Mobile store and got a new SIM card. A couple hours later I got around to actually setting up my phone. I realized I wasn't getting app verification codes, so I called T-Mobile to make sure the SIM card activated properly. She had me confirm the SIM card was inserted properly, then she had me turn the phone off and she "sent it a signal." That got text and data working, but still no go on the phone. She transferred me to the next tier up tech support. On the phone with them, we turned off WiFi, WiFi calling preferred, VoLTE, and automatic selection for Network operators. The phone did it's search and we selected T-Mobile 4G for the Network operator. The phone says it registered on the network, but T-Mobile says it didn't. We tried the second SIM slot but no change. We did a couple reboots and still a no go. I was then told that since it's not a T-Mobile branded phone, they can't guarantee that it will work. They recommend I put the SIM in a T-Mobile phone to confirm that the SIM works - I'll do that when I get home and try it in my wife's phone.
When I turn on VoLTE, I get text and can make calls, otherwise if I make a call, it just calls T-Mobile.
Under Settings > About phone > Status > SIM status, Cellular network state shows disconnected.
I also see under Settings > SIM & network > SIM 1 > SIM name it shows the name as T-Mobile but Carrier says Unknown
Fresh out of the box, running 4.5.3. Has anyone else had any problems getting their OnePlus 5 to register on T-Mobile? I searched the T-Mobile support site but didn't find anything helpful.
I'll try the SIM card in the wife's T-Mobile S7 when I get home, but if anyone has any pointers, I'd appreciate the help.
OnePlus 5 on T-Mobile here and no issues at all.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
jasonrhodes32 said:
OnePlus 5 on T-Mobile here and no issues at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I also have 0 issues
Are you using the latest 4.5.4 update for OP5? They had fixes for VoLTE not connecting. Even though I think that was Europe only thing, the download made its way to my phone automatically. If you're not on 4.5.4, go upgrade (it's a simple thing to do)
What are your APNs set to?
Goto...
Settings
Sim and network
Sim x (1 or 2, wherever the sim is installed)
Access point names
Without doing anything besides entering my sim card into the phone and starting it, I have 4 options
If you have anything outside of your current provider, add them. The easiest way to do this is to open up another TMobile phone you have, goto to the same location on that phone and copy settings manually to your OP5.
I did this for my wife's S7 coming from Verizon. Although she doesn't get WiFi calling without flashing firmware (which I'll be doing when she's ready) you shouldn't have that issue.
Bad SIM card
Turns out the SIM card was bad. Went to the T-Mobile store, let the guy double check everything, then he grabbed a new SIM card, popped it in and two minutes later everything was working. I asked him how often he sees bad SIM cards, he said one or two a year.
I am currently in India, and trying to use my Essential PH1 with a Vodafone India 4G sim card. The SIM is not registering with the phone, and I am unable to get any network. I keep getting the message "your SIM is not allowed to use this network". I have tried contacting the local service center, but they tell me that the handset settings need to be changed. The same SIM works well with other phones in India.
I am using a Vodafone India 4G sim.. its a 'postpaid' connection (if that matters). When I manually select the network, all the available networks are listed, when I select "choose automatically", a message pops up "already registered on the network", but i dont get any signal.
When I manually try to select Vodafone IN from the list, pop up message says "your SIM is not allowed to use this network"
I have checked with Vodafone customer care, and they are sure its a phone config issue.
The same SIM works perfectly fine in any other handset. (Currently running the same SIM in Nexus 5)
Since this phone has not been launched in India yet, there is no technical knowledge or troubleshooting database available locally. Would you be able to help me with the correct settings so that the I can continue using the phone in India?
HI
I am having the same Issue with my phone, just bought it from US. indian SIMS not registering, were you able to find a solution for this?
Thanks
No.. not yet. The Essential customer care was supposed to get back, but they are not responding since the last couple of days. Do keep in touch if you are able to find a solution...
rahuljj said:
HI
I am having the same Issue with my phone, just bought it from US. indian SIMS not registering, were you able to find a solution for this?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
Received an OTA today for the device, Airtel and Vodafone are now registering ,. Jio is not able to register.
Cheers
I'm having a similar problem in Japan with Softbank, which ironically bought Sprint - the sole carrier of the phone in the USA.
There is no signal at all, and when selecting Softbank manually from the list of carriers, an error message stating it can't authenticate on the network popped up.
I faced the same issue a week ago, with both Airtel and Jio not registering the device on their networks. Yesterday, I booted up the phone again, installed the OTA, and was on my way to the Airtel store to talk about it. When I put in my SIM and turned it on, it got a signal and LTE data. I didn't try the same with Jio.
The most likely reason for the phone not being detected initially is that Essential has just one SKU, as far as I know, with all IMEIs of the 99x series. That's the typical IMEI series for Verizon and Sprint in the US, which are CDMA networks. Most other GSM IMEIs are of the 35x series.
I had planned to contact Essential support about this, but I didn't get down to it. I'm not sure what exactly made it work the second time. Maybe the OTA update changed something, or maybe Airtel took a while to auto-register (whitelist) the IMEI of this phone after it first detected it being used with a legitimate Airtel SIM. Regardless, it works just fine now.
NOTE: After I was able to get a signal, I could see the LTE symbol with no internet connectivity. I changed the preferred network type to "Global" in Settings and then it worked just fine. The default setting of LTE/TDSCDMA/CDMA/EVDO/GSM/WCDMA didn't allow data, only calls and SMS.
Yes am too facing same problem with essential PH1
used all operator Indian 4g / 3g sim card
even cdma also ...no result ...no network
Product Name -Mata
Variant Openus
Baseband 2.0.c4-M1.2
Secure boot Yes
Device State Locked
anyone some clue ???
regards,
When using outside of the U.S.A change network type to Global. Secondly insert the Sim (with the phone turned off). You should receive service when you turn the device on. In case you don't, give it a moment.
I had to replace my Sim as a last resort and then it worked without a problem.
Good luck.
-Nav
https://www.reddit.com/r/essential/comments/761q61/reliance_jio_india_coverage_works/
Can you please test it for jio sim also
Hi,
I am planning to import the unlocked essential phone from USA. Can you please check and confirm if it works with jio sim or not. As my primary sim is on jio.
Thanks
Riyaz
sashank said:
I faced the same issue a week ago, with both Airtel and Jio not registering the device on their networks. Yesterday, I booted up the phone again, installed the OTA, and was on my way to the Airtel store to talk about it. When I put in my SIM and turned it on, it got a signal and LTE data. I didn't try the same with Jio.
The most likely reason for the phone not being detected initially is that Essential has just one SKU, as far as I know, with all IMEIs of the 99x series. That's the typical IMEI series for Verizon and Sprint in the US, which are CDMA networks. Most other GSM IMEIs are of the 35x series.
I had planned to contact Essential support about this, but I didn't get down to it. I'm not sure what exactly made it work the second time. Maybe the OTA update changed something, or maybe Airtel took a while to auto-register (whitelist) the IMEI of this phone after it first detected it being used with a legitimate Airtel SIM. Regardless, it works just fine now.
NOTE: After I was able to get a signal, I could see the LTE symbol with no internet connectivity. I changed the preferred network type to "Global" in Settings and then it worked just fine. The default setting of LTE/TDSCDMA/CDMA/EVDO/GSM/WCDMA didn't allow data, only calls and SMS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------- Post added at 02:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:48 AM ----------
Hi,
I am planning to import the unlocked essential phone from USA.
And my primary sim is JIO
Can you please check and confirm if it works with jio sim or not.
Will the essential phone support volte
Thanks
sashank said:
I faced the same issue a week ago, with both Airtel and Jio not registering the device on their networks. Yesterday, I booted up the phone again, installed the OTA, and was on my way to the Airtel store to talk about it. When I put in my SIM and turned it on, it got a signal and LTE data. I didn't try the same with Jio.
The most likely reason for the phone not being detected initially is that Essential has just one SKU, as far as I know, with all IMEIs of the 99x series. That's the typical IMEI series for Verizon and Sprint in the US, which are CDMA networks. Most other GSM IMEIs are of the 35x series.
I had planned to contact Essential support about this, but I didn't get down to it. I'm not sure what exactly made it work the second time. Maybe the OTA update changed something, or maybe Airtel took a while to auto-register (whitelist) the IMEI of this phone after it first detected it being used with a legitimate Airtel SIM. Regardless, it works just fine now.
NOTE: After I was able to get a signal, I could see the LTE symbol with no internet connectivity. I changed the preferred network type to "Global" in Settings and then it worked just fine. The default setting of LTE/TDSCDMA/CDMA/EVDO/GSM/WCDMA didn't allow data, only calls and SMS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse