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The past couple of days I have been noticing my texts have been taking longer to send. And I mean much longer. They occasionally stall in a queue. Because this was super annoying and I spent so much time troubleshooting it I thought I'd open this up and let everyone know its not a bug related to 4.4.2 or anything.
I did some digging around with some other customers who have the same problem on T-Mobile and the reports have been plenty. T-Mobile seems to be upgrading service nationally and whatever their doing is causing occasional blackouts.
If its old news I apologize but I didn't see this anywhere. This thread will be closed when the problem has been fixed.
Edit : Things have been reported as fixed and things are running much better on my end. Have yet to see a problem so I'm closing this thread. It may take hours or a day for the changes to roll out to everyone so be patient or call T-Mobile if it hasn't been fixed by tomorrow, 5-10-2014.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Edit : service is back for most
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I'm getting real tired of T-Mobile. Literally the only reason I left grandfathered unlimited data on Verizon was to get this phone. I regret it every day. I hate this service, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.
I checked their coverage maps like a hawk before I signed with them and my whole entire area was covered in "Excellent 4G Coverage" as well as "Excellent Voice coverage". Got the phone November 18th 2013 and didn't see LTE even ONCE at my house or in my neighborhood until February 2014. That was after calling them EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Mostly 2-3 times a day. Not to mention all the dropped & spotty calls that I STILL have at home.
This is what you call "excellent" service? Really now... Excellent is supposed to be the best according to their maps. Which, might I add, they changed after I started calling them about my issues. I'd screen shot the maps before they changed them and sent them to customer service Rep after he told me I wasn't in a 4G zone. So I showed him and said that's not what your coverage map said last week when I joined...
Whatever they're doing they better do it quick. So tired of this T-Mobile BS. I love my nexus, but they're ruining it for me. I'd go back to Verizon in a heartbeat if I could get my unlimited data back. No hesitation.
RoyJ said:
I'm getting real tired of T-Mobile. Literally the only reason I left grandfathered unlimited data on Verizon was to get this phone. I regret it every day. I hate this service, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.
I checked their coverage maps like a hawk before I signed with them and my whole entire area was covered in "Excellent 4G Coverage" as well as "Excellent Voice coverage". Got the phone November 18th 2013 and didn't see LTE even ONCE at my house or in my neighborhood until February 2014. That was after calling them EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Mostly 2-3 times a day. Not to mention all the dropped & spotty calls that I STILL have at home.
This is what you call "excellent" service? Really now... Excellent is supposed to be the best according to their maps. Which, might I add, they changed after I started calling them about my issues. I'd screen shot the maps before they changed them and sent them to customer service Rep after he told me I wasn't in a 4G zone. So I showed him and said that's not what your coverage map said last week when I joined...
Whatever they're doing they better do it quick. So tired of this T-Mobile BS. I love my nexus, but they're ruining it for me. I'd go back to Verizon in a heartbeat if I could get my unlimited data back. No hesitation.
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If you are that unhappy, then change carriers.
Edit: Looks like there was a network issue in a few states. http://downdetector.com/status/t-mobile/map/
I understand his frustration. Its not easy just to change carriers anytime you want. Depending on where you live, your budget, the kind of phone you want, etc. T-Mobile is a hit or miss depending on where you live. They're upgrading like a madman though to try to give everyone good coverage. I just can't use Verizon because of 3 reasons.
1. No unlimited data.
2. No Nexus 5?
3. Higher phone bill with no unlimited data.
T-Mobile is generally a pretty good carrier. I've been with them since 1999 and they've gotten better ever since. I suggest you speak to a higher up to see what can be done if you're not happy then. The SMS problem seems to be fixed for the most part I'm no longer having problems. If you do have problems that aren't fixed you should call T-Mobile and ask them to have a look at your line.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Won't go back to big red without my unlimited lol. Sprint is garbage in my area. Utter and completely useless garbage. ATT is an option I'm currently looking into. Don't worry mate, I'm in the process. They won't have my business for long.
Not after they f'ed me at the drive thru (lethal weapon 2 ref)
Edit: checked that link, my whole area is currently down (according to that map). This is just ridiculous now.....
RoyJ said:
Won't go back to big red without my unlimited lol. Sprint is garbage in my area. Utter and completely useless garbage. ATT is an option I'm currently looking into. Don't worry mate, I'm in the process. They won't have my business for long.
Not after they f'ed me at the drive thru (lethal weapon 2 ref)
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AT&T may be your only option using the Nexus 5 reliably in your situation. Sprint and Verizon I have no experience or knowledge of at all. But Sprint until 4.4.3 won't work reliably.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Post screenshots. As of now I don't think Wideband in Columbus, Ohio is live. My speeds are the same as before. What speeds should we be getting?
Anyone know the screen mode # for the flex to see the information?
I see this hidden menu option but not sure where to find if I'm on 15mhz.
*3845#*959# And don't want to mess my phone up. Lol
http://www.lg-phones.org/lg-g-flex-hidden-service-menu.html
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk
Hmmmmm i tried them numbers for Sprint and it didn't work but in your menu do you see lte engineering? I know for Sprint what i do is ##debug# takes me to a menu where i can see lte engineering and in there it would show which band your connected to.
yellowman82 said:
Hmmmmm i tried them numbers for Sprint and it didn't work but in your menu do you see lte engineering? I know for Sprint what i do is ##debug# takes me to a menu where i can see lte engineering and in there it would show which band your connected to.
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I looked and don't see that. Maybe I'll post all the options later. It's like 3 screen shots.
3845#*959# This is the hidden menu for T-Mobile. In the OP I had a * in front and was wondering why it didn't work. lol
For AT&T: Go to dialer and enter 3845#*950#
For Sprint: Go to dialer and enter 3845#*995#
39.51 down, 11.86 up, on VOLTE inside my house, outside of Chicago..
wase4711 said:
39.51 down, 11.86 up, on VOLTE inside my house, outside of Chicago..
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Nice but do VOLTE has anything to do with your network speed? Thought VOLTE was voice over lte so you can talk on the phone while browsing the web using lte?
yellowman82 said:
Nice but do VOLTE has anything to do with your network speed? Thought VOLTE was voice over lte so you can talk on the phone while browsing the web using lte?
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Not sure if it does anything for speed, since I am usually on wifi, and dont pay alot of attention to OTA data speed..
If I recall, when I did some tests awhile ago, I never got more than 14-20 megs down, and 6-7 megs up while in my house.
I thought those speeds were acceptable.
T-Mobile has a fantastic network in my area, and I was very happy with their phone/data speeds and quality, even before these updates..
wase4711 said:
Not sure if it does anything for speed, since I am usually on wifi, and dont pay alot of attention to OTA data speed..
If I recall, when I did some tests awhile ago, I never got more than 14-20 megs down, and 6-7 megs up while in my house.
I thought those speeds were acceptable.
T-Mobile has a fantastic network in my area, and I was very happy with their phone/data speeds and quality, even before these updates..
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Yea i just did a google search and basically VOLTE really doesn't improve network speeds either T-Mobile updated something through that update or probably the tower around you got a small upgrade. I'm on sprint and i can't complain much as to they are really improving their network and trying to get everywhere covered here's some speeds of mine on sprint.
wow, where are you located?
before I came to Tmobile in February, I was a Sprint user for many years, and, I never had many problems with their network, although the data speeds were horrible.
when they announced the "new" network last year, I was excited that Chicago was one of the first cities to be upgraded; however, once the "upgrade" started, the network was horrific for me; we couldnt make phone calls from our house, data/calls would drop everywhere, and even with an AirRave, their service went from OK to unusable for me. Fortunately, Tmobile announced their program to pay your cancellation fees and such at that time, so we switched to TMO, and have had fantastic service from Day one.
I hated to leave Sprint after all those years, and especially when there was this promise of their great "new" network, so I am amazed to see you have such fantastic speeds and good call quality with them now.
wase4711 said:
wow, where are you located?
before I came to Tmobile in February, I was a Sprint user for many years, and, I never had many problems with their network, although the data speeds were horrible.
when they announced the "new" network last year, I was excited that Chicago was one of the first cities to be upgraded; however, once the "upgrade" started, the network was horrific for me; we couldnt make phone calls from our house, data/calls would drop everywhere, and even with an AirRave, their service went from OK to unusable for me. Fortunately, Tmobile announced their program to pay your cancellation fees and such at that time, so we switched to TMO, and have had fantastic service from Day one.
I hated to leave Sprint after all those years, and especially when there was this promise of their great "new" network, so I am amazed to see you have such fantastic speeds and good call quality with them now.
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I'm located in Miami and before having a sprint spark phone i had the note 2 which was really struggling on the band 25 network, i too was considering leaving them for T-Mobile but when the flex came out i went to the store to check it out and ran some speed test while i was there and i was amazed by sprint spark new bands so i decided to stay but I'm pretty sure Chicago should be good now or atleast picking up, sprint choose the best route in upgrading their network so it's really going to pay off when they are complete.
Stay on topic please both of you. Hehe j/k.
I left Sprint after 14 years for T-Mobile a little over a year ago. It's kind of funny how Sprint and T-Mobile switched roles at least in some places. T-Mobile use to suck but now Sprint does. I'm really surprised how quick T-Mobile improved the network. I thought Softbank would turn Sprint around quickly but that didn't happen. Now if the Sprint/Tmobile merger happens I don't see that being a good thing. If it does happen I'll probably go to AT&T.
I get around 20mbps with T-Mobile and that's more then enough for me. I'm running a lot of speed test waiting for the Wideband LTE to be active though. Lol
Man those Spark speeds from Sprint are insane! Honestly if Sprint could roll those numbers out for majority of consumers, I'd all be for the merger, lol!
JesseMT4G said:
Man those Spark speeds from Sprint are insane! Honestly if Sprint could roll those numbers out for majority of consumers, I'd all be for the merger, lol!
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I was more shocked when i ran the app and got these results when i'm usually averaging between 25~40mbps. I would like the merger to happen because it will actually give them a chance to compete against the big 2 major carrier especially with their prices.
I cant imagine that with the hundreds of millions they have both spent recently to upgrade their networks, their networks beings incompatible with each other, that there will ever be a merger between these 2..would the "merged" company be GSM or CDMA? Would they have spent 100's of millions to upgrade their incompatible networks, if a merger was in the works?
Doesn't make any sense, but who knows..
Sprint is taking years upgrading it's network even with Sotfbanks $. T-Mobile upgraded the network in a year. I really don't see prices going down if the merger happens. If anything they would go up. I'm just shocked Hesse still has a job. I do want to see Sprint turn things around though.
sweets55 said:
Sprint is taking years upgrading it's network even with Sotfbanks $. T-Mobile upgraded the network in a year. I really don't see prices going down if the merger happens. If anything they would go up. I'm just shocked Hesse still has a job. I do want to see Sprint turn things around though.
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Well you see that's where you don't know the difference the reason they're taking longer is the direction they went by also changing the whole equipment base etc at each site which are going to pay off in the long run tmobile isn't doing that they just upgrading their speed and such that's why they are finishing way quicker which is going to hurt them later on in the future when they really realize that it would have to replace almost all the equipment in that base site which will lead to problems like customer calling and complaining about the issue they are having with their service and such basically its going to be a deja vu all over again.
Here's what I'm seeing in Birmingham, Alabama. War Eagle !
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk
yellowman82 said:
Well you see that's where you don't know the difference the reason they're taking longer is the direction they went by also changing the whole equipment base etc at each site which are going to pay off in the long run tmobile isn't doing that they just upgrading their speed and such that's why they are finishing way quicker which is going to hurt them later on in the future when they really realize that it would have to replace almost all the equipment in that base site which will lead to problems like customer calling and complaining about the issue they are having with their service and such basically its going to be a deja vu all over again.
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Dude take off your Sprint blinders. lol I was with Sprint for 14 years and had so many phones I've lost track. lol My point is I know what's going on in the wireless industry. Sprint is taking years to upgrade the network because they keep making bad decisions. Clearwire was a bust. WiMAX was a bust. LightSquared deal was a bust too – granted, that one wasn't really Sprint’s fault. Oh and the big Nextel mistake. Sprints history shows an inability to pick a winner. The only customers calling to complain are Sprints. I feel bad for Sprint customers when Hesse says "just wait for the network of your dreams". lmao They have been waiting for years. Sprint should be giving them a credit since some can't even watch a youtube video. I was one a year ago and Sprint said all 4 of my phones were defective. lol They offered me a one time $5 credit. I laughed then hung up the phone and went to T-Mobile. Then Sprint comes out with Framily. lol I think that's so stupid. I don't want to have recruit strangers and then worry about them paying the bill on time so my bill doesn't change.
T-Mobile has expanded Wideband LTE into 16 total markets, giving all T-Mobile LTE devices a speed boost with capable peak network download speeds up to nearly 150 Mbps. In January T-Mobile bought a swath of unused spectrum from Verizon Wireless for $3.3 billion that will help expand its coverage to more regions outside of the metropolitan areas.
I really hope the merger doesn't happen because T-Mobile is hot and Sprint will just cool them off. lol Hopefully T-Mobile can get another 3 billion for the failed deal like what happened with AT&T. No one can predict the future as far as you saying T-Mobile will go through what Sprint is going through now. Good thing is I'm not in a contract. Hopefully Sprint can turn things around and fix the bad image they have now. No one can deny, 2013 was T-Mobile’s year.
Report: T-Mobile best, Sprint worst carrier in KC
http://m.bizjournals.com/kansascity...e-best-sprint-worst-carrier-in-kc.html?r=full
Seems like I read somewhere that as of Jan 1st 2014 T-Mobile opened up 75,000 new towers in North America, supporting 4g LTE. I had Verizon for years then went to AT&T for about 6 months and now on T-Mobile. Verizon did have the best coverage of 4g lte , at&t was OK but I always had to fight them about BS on my bill and overages. I had a GS4 on AT&T during the 4.2 to 4.3 update, I was rooted with unlocked boot loader I couldn't take the OTA but that didn't stop them from sending the 592mb update 17 times one month and 22 times another month. Forcing me to have overages. I had to call and fight my way out of them both times. And if I didn't know as much as I do about android and our systems I couldn't have convinced the customer service MANAGER that that was what it was. Then after having issues with the network cust. Service told me they couldn't support or help me with my issue until I took the update. They said "Our tech support is trained to handle issues with 4.3" so I asked "what happened to the crew that was trained on 4.2, did you fire all of them?",
Long story short I left and got ETF paid by T-Mobile and got unlimited data again. I average 40-45 mBs download speeds and have had the best customer service experience with tmo.
And I love being able to use thus much data :
thats ALOT of Porno viewing, bro..:cyclops:
Agree with everything you said; Verizon is great if you travel for a living, but I dont do that anymore, so I only care what works in Chicago land; ATT was fine after they updated their network here a couple of years ago, but, their cust svc/tech support was lame at best, and after a brief try with Sprint, and their "Alleged" great new network, we decided our last hope was T-Mobile, and we love everything about them, for us, in Chicago land..
Great Customer service when we need them, great low pricing, great service in our area, and all issues are taken care of immediately, without a question or argument...We couldnt be happier with our cellular choices right now, and hope it stays this way for a long time..
We are moving to the Dallas area in a year or 2, so I hope their coverage is as good down there as it is up here..
I even bricked my first rooted g flex and took it to the T-Mobile store and for $5 shipping charge they sent me a brand new one not refurbished but new. The first one was only 3 weeks old.
The CEO and Head of Marketing are determined to make T-Mobile a monopoly and out to show other carriers it can be done better, faster, cheaper, and unlimited. Any company, mobile carrier or not, that does not take cues or adapt this mentality of business and customer care is run by morons.
I have been on ATT in the Chicago burbs for a few years now, been happy and satisfied with their service, no issues, and we have a good plan = 2 lines Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts, and 10GB shared Data for $130/Month. And with me on next it is $155/Month.
But I always like to at least root my Wife's phone for AdAway and XPosed stuff to tweak her phones better, and me I always root, and install Custom Recovery and ROM my phones, right now on a HTC One M8 converted to GPE and love this phone.
My point is, ATT has gotten worse and worse the last 18 months with locking down their phones, even root can take months to come by on flagship phones. And on principle it is really pissing me off, why give ATT money, if they won't even let me customize my phone anymore ? The ATT Note 2 I had two years ago, was the last best ATT phone IMO, I rooted it and ROM'd the heck out of that phone, but sadly with the new Note 4 those days are long gone and history with ATT.
Long story short, does T-Mobile offer competitive plans to what i currently have ? And how is their service in Chicago area ? Thank you
Well, you have two choices based on what you're interested in:
1. Switch service to T-Mobile. I also live in Chicago. The service isn't as good as AT&T here in the city, or elsewhere. LTE/3G data doesn't penetrate buildings as well. The calling and texting seems to be about the same when towers are near, but I know for a fact that AT&T has them beat in terms of coverage outside of major metro areas. I frequently drive between Chicago and Indianapolis- AT&T has 4G or LTE about 85% of the drive, while T-mobile will barely get phone calls to go through, much less high speed data. T-Mobile is cheaper service than AT&T, but you're getting what you pay for.
2. Buy the T-Mobile Note 4 off-contract and unlock it for AT&T. There are lots of threads here on xda about this- and it's what I've just done with my T-Mo note 4! I had done the same with my Note 3, there are presently no issues with t-mobile samsungs and at&T. connecting to LTE, phone calls, mms, sms, etc all works perfectly.
As you said, the AT&T variants are locked down and will probably remain that way. The ONLY note 4 you can buy that has the unlocked bootloader AS WELL AS support for LTE networks in the United States is the T-mobile Note 4. How much of a premium are you willing to pay for having the unlocked bootloader, is what you need to ask yourself. An off contract Note 4 from T-mobile costs $850 after Illinois taxes, and you'll need to activate the line for at least one day, meaning a few more bucks.
Hope that helps. I would go with option #2, especially if you're like me- grandfathered unlimited data from at&t.
obviously, the cost of the note 4's from t-mobile will decrease after the product is widely available and the initial hype dies down. So if you're enjoying your M8, wait a few months and grab a note 4 from swappa.com, ebay, or craigslist
Good points thanks.
I would almost like to test drive T-Mobile first for like a week, see how it is around town and in my office, etc... I am happy with ATT the past couple years, good service, it's just the principle of them locking down phones really irks me, and makes me want to take business elsewhere.
hey man, nice to see you here
I dont know about that other dude, but my service in the burr ridge/willowbrook area is fantastic with T-mobile
Also, I travel through lombard/villa park/elmhurst alot, and always have super strong signal, and in 8 months, I dont think I have dropped a single call; 4g speeds usually between 15-35 down,and 6-15 up, so I am one happy camper with Tmobile in chicagoland..
Do the test drive if you want confirmation yourself..
wase4711 said:
hey man, nice to see you here
I dont know about that other dude, but my service in the burr ridge/willowbrook area is fantastic with T-mobile
Also, I travel through lombard/villa park/elmhurst alot, and always have super strong signal, and in 8 months, I dont think I have dropped a single call; 4g speeds usually between 15-35 down,and 6-15 up, so I am one happy camper with Tmobile in chicagoland..
Do the test drive if you want confirmation yourself..
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Hello neighbor
I work in Willowbrook, and most of my business is in the western burbs, so thanks for your input.
And the principle of the idea is pushing me away from ATT, the whole lockdown is so upsetting.
How quick is a port of our numbers from ATT to T-Mobile, if I pick up the Note 4 ?
If I recall, when I switched, the number porting was done by the time we left the store!
just bring in your old ATT bill, and make sure you know the password on your ATT account, and the porting should be really fast..
I am in IL, but downstate and live in the Metro St. Louis area. The comments about T-Mo coverage are spot on. If you are downtown, or within about a 10-15 mile radius of it, you should be good. I was a long time Verizon customer, and I jumped to T-Mo when VZW pissed me off with that "network optimization" nonsense.
My experience at the office with T-Mo has been great. Faster even that Verizon. At home (30 miles NE of downtown STL) it is a different story. Maybe 1 bar of HSPA (never LTE) inside my house. I don't travel much, so I can't comment there yet, but I will say that if you spend a lot of time on the road you probably are best off buying the T-Mo Note 4 and staying with AT&T.
I really like what T-Mo is trying to do, they just have to get more towers out there.
Porting the number takes less than 30 seconds flat... It is incredibly fast. (done it already with 2 lines from AT&T to T-Mobile) Now I have 3 lines in total with T-Mobile, (an old one plus 2 new ones coming from AT&T)
robroy90 said:
I am in IL, but downstate and live in the Metro St. Louis area. The comments about T-Mo coverage are spot on. If you are downtown, or within about a 10-15 mile radius of it, you should be good. I was a long time Verizon customer, and I jumped to T-Mo when VZW pissed me off with that "network optimization" nonsense.
My experience at the office with T-Mo has been great. Faster even that Verizon. At home (30 miles NE of downtown STL) it is a different story. Maybe 1 bar of HSPA (never LTE) inside my house. I don't travel much, so I can't comment there yet, but I will say that if you spend a lot of time on the road you probably are best off buying the T-Mo Note 4 and staying with AT&T.
I really like what T-Mo is trying to do, they just have to get more towers out there.
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you know you can get them to "give" you a asus router, so you get a super wifi signal in your house, for data and calling...
wase4711 said:
you know you can get them to "give" you a asus router, so you get a super wifi signal in your house, for data and calling...
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Thanks, but I already have a better WiFi solution than their router. I had them send me their new LTE Booster and it helps a little, but it is still very spotty.
robroy90 said:
Thanks, but I already have a better WiFi solution than their router. I had them send me their new LTE Booster and it helps a little, but it is still very spotty.
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can I ask what solution you have that is better than a free AC router?
I had the asus RT-AC87, but returned it, because I got the same wifi speeds from the T-Mobile router, as I did from the $300 RT87..
How did you get tmo to give you an Asus router? I just switched from att to tmo here in jersey and my reason was for cheaper prices. I'm still within my 14 days but I will say I'm impressed so far. Greats LTE speeds, no issues with calls. I have derive at work & home so I think I'll be staying. I'm on the note 3 now waiting for n4 pre-order.
idelgado782 said:
How did you get tmo to give you an Asus router? I just switched from att to tmo here in jersey and my reason was for cheaper prices. I'm still within my 14 days but I will say I'm impressed so far. Greats LTE speeds, no issues with calls. I have derive at work & home so I think I'll be staying. I'm on the note 3 now waiting for n4 pre-order.
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info here and via google..
http://www.phonearena.com/news/T-Mobiles-CellSpot-Wi-Fi-router-available-now_id60802
https://www.google.com/search?utm_s...tmobile+wifi+router+available+date&gws_rd=ssl
edouble312 said:
Well, you have two choices based on what you're interested in:
2. Buy the T-Mobile Note 4 off-contract and unlock it for AT&T. There are lots of threads here on xda about this- and it's what I've just done with my T-Mo note 4! I had done the same with my Note 3, there are presently no issues with t-mobile samsungs and at&T. connecting to LTE, phone calls, mms, sms, etc all works perfectly.
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Click to collapse
So can you confirm the t mobile note 4 works fine with 4g lte on att? How did you unlock it? I current have the att note 3 on contract so would be paying out of contract prices and it seems to make more sense to go with t mobile if I want to customize it at some point or switch to t mobile later on. Also the t mobile note 4 is cheaper out of contract than att. If you are currently using the t mobile note 4 on att and everything works that's the route I'm going to go too. Just waiting for someone to verify that works as there are some threads with people having issues when going this route with the note 3. I've also heard if att ever asks for your imei or other phone info you should give them the numbers from an older att phone so they don't blacklist you and block you from using lte.
mike__o said:
So can you confirm the t mobile note 4 works fine with 4g lte on att? How did you unlock it? I current have the att note 3 on contract so would be paying out of contract prices and it seems to make more sense to go with t mobile if I want to customize it at some point or switch to t mobile later on. Also the t mobile note 4 is cheaper out of contract than att. If you are currently using the t mobile note 4 on att and everything works that's the route I'm going to go too. Just waiting for someone to verify that works as there are some threads with people having issues when going this route with the note 3. I've also heard if att ever asks for your imei or other phone info you should give them the numbers from an older att phone so they don't blacklist you and block you from using lte.
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correct about the imei. phone's working fine for me. speed tests are great, no issues with any LTE coverage. Maybe a little better than my previous phone- the T-mo Note 3 unlocked on AT&T.
I found a seller on eBay who got me the code. There's a thread in the questions/problems section that discusses my guys and all the other sellers.
I just wanted to put a feeler out there. Hopefully those who may have switched from Verizon might chime in and give me some helpful advice.
I've been with Verizon since the GS3 came out and I've had it with that company. They have excellent service, and I have signal just about anywhere I go, but there are a lot of things about them that bother me, and I'm ready to jump ship. This all started when I had a Note 4 in hand at the VZW store the other day, and after speaking to the ASSociate there, I'm ready to leave. I'm on the EDGE plan (kinda like JUMP), and was an early adopter to that, so I had the 50% pay off to get a new phone after 11 mo. First thing I don't like is the cost. With a 21% discount, I was paying $121/mo for the Note 3 with 5GB data, 450min, and 1000 text messages (I never used up the minutes or texts). I didn't think that was too outrageous since I was paying off that N3 every month, and I was OK with it because I'm a complete nerd and like to have a new phone every year. However, they now want you to pay off 75% of the phone over 18 months. What is that bs? If I'm paying 75% of an $800 phone, I might as well just sell it on eBay. Another issue is the bootloader, of course. Verizon locks down their phones hardcore. Even rooting them is a chore on VZW, and I'm tired of it. I'm not even a huge "power-user". I just like to have my Titanium Backup and freedom of controlling my system apps. T-Mobile obviously doesn't have any of these issues, but everyone I talk to says the service isn't that great, especially in rural areas. I take a lot of trips to remote locations, and fear that I will not have signal at any of them. For a person who always has their phone on them and is an extension of themselves, this could be a deal-breaker.
Any advice? I'm seriously considering it, and TMo is sending me an iPhone 5s to test this week, but I'm still afraid of the commitment.
I just traded in my Verizon Note 3 and switched to tmobile. I am loving it so far. I actually get better reception that Verizon here in my part of Pittsburgh. I recently upgraded to the unlimited 4g plan and decided I am going to ditch Comcast too. I will get a Chromecast and/or MHL cable to hook my note up to my tv and occasionally for youtube ans netflix, wifi Hotspot when I am using the computer.
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i made the switch from verizon to t-mobile on friday. i'm giving up verizon's unlimited data plan because they won't let me upgrade unless i pay full price or give up the unlimited. i chose to go with t-mobile's $80 unlimited everything plan w/ 5gb of hotspot. my situation is a little different than yours, though. i was already a t-mobile customer (back when they were voicestream until 2010), so i already know what i'm getting myself into in terms of quality (plus, my parents, brother, and sister-in-law are on t-mobile). i live in chicago also, so that makes a difference. i've never had an issue with t-mobile's service. the only reason i had originally switched the first time is because when the smartphone race began, t-mobile had some of the worst selections.
again, i live in chicago, so your results might vary, but i did a ookla speedtest on my brother's note 4 (on t-mobile) and my galaxy s4 (on verizon) and his numbers beat my numbers consistently (which genuinely surprised me).
Do the T-mobile test drive first available here http://explore.t-mobile.com/test-drive-free-trial?cmpid=WTR_PB_N62kxn2C&002=2202007&004=13691619257&005=47088372328&006=45480286217&007=Search&008=&025=c&026=&gclid=Cj0KEQjwt7KiBRD9lOePpe_BhrgBEiQAHaS_116jcCU3lPFxN-073akQkOmUEMwL_jAlA8fhsqPxLb4aAuDY8P8HAQ. They will send you a phone to try out for a week. I wanted to switch, but found out that they actually have no service at my home and half of the areas on my way to work, even though on their website it says there is full 2g service in all these places. Their coverage map is extremely misleading. Just read all the customer dissatisfaction with coverage via this link. http://support.t-mobile.com/community/coverage/content?filterID=contentstatus%5Bpublished%5D~objecttype~objecttype%5Bthread%5D
Cicatrize said:
I just wanted to put a feeler out there. Hopefully those who may have switched from Verizon might chime in and give me some helpful advice.
I've been with Verizon since the GS3 came out and I've had it with that company. They have excellent service, and I have signal just about anywhere I go, but there are a lot of things about them that bother me, and I'm ready to jump ship. This all started when I had a Note 4 in hand at the VZW store the other day, and after speaking to the ASSociate there, I'm ready to leave. I'm on the EDGE plan (kinda like JUMP), and was an early adopter to that, so I had the 50% pay off to get a new phone after 11 mo. First thing I don't like is the cost. With a 21% discount, I was paying $121/mo for the Note 3 with 5GB data, 450min, and 1000 text messages (I never used up the minutes or texts). I didn't think that was too outrageous since I was paying off that N3 every month, and I was OK with it because I'm a complete nerd and like to have a new phone every year. However, they now want you to pay off 75% of the phone over 18 months. What is that bs? If I'm paying 75% of an $800 phone, I might as well just sell it on eBay. Another issue is the bootloader, of course. Verizon locks down their phones hardcore. Even rooting them is a chore on VZW, and I'm tired of it. I'm not even a huge "power-user". I just like to have my Titanium Backup and freedom of controlling my system apps. T-Mobile obviously doesn't have any of these issues, but everyone I talk to says the service isn't that great, especially in rural areas. I take a lot of trips to remote locations, and fear that I will not have signal at any of them. For a person who always has their phone on them and is an extension of themselves, this could be a deal-breaker.
Any advice? I'm seriously considering it, and TMo is sending me an iPhone 5s to test this week, but I'm still afraid of the commitment.
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Click to collapse
I made the switch yesterday . Screw Verizon I had the note 3 and was out of contract . So I just switched over got the note 4 and so far so good . I stay in Caldwell Idaho .
NWNJ said:
Do the T-mobile test drive first available here http://explore.t-mobile.com/test-drive-free-trial?cmpid=WTR_PB_N62kxn2C&002=2202007&004=13691619257&005=47088372328&006=45480286217&007=Search&008=&025=c&026=&gclid=Cj0KEQjwt7KiBRD9lOePpe_BhrgBEiQAHaS_116jcCU3lPFxN-073akQkOmUEMwL_jAlA8fhsqPxLb4aAuDY8P8HAQ. They will send you a phone to try out for a week. I wanted to switch, but found out that they actually have no service at my home and half of the areas on my way to work, even though on their website it says there is full 2g service in all these places. Their coverage map is extremely misleading. Just read all the customer dissatisfaction with coverage via this link. http://support.t-mobile.com/community/coverage/content?filterID=contentstatus%5Bpublished%5D~objecttype~objecttype%5Bthread%5D
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Click to collapse
I think my anger with Verizon caused me to leave that part out of my long post, lol. I did that, and they're sending me an iPhone 5s to test, which will be here on Tuesday. I'm excited to try it out, but the consensus around my office with T-Mobile customers is that it's not very good service. Time will tell, I guess.
How is T-Mobile's customer service? I was a T-Mo customer about 10 years ago and it was excellent back then.
JUST DO IT. VERIZON SUCKS. COMPLETELY OVER RATES THEM SELVES.
I've had better coverage data speeds and call quality in the last week with my note 4 then the last 8 years with Verizon. Not to mention Tmobiles not a bunch of ****ing blood suckers.
I switched from att to tmobile two weeks. I'm in northern new jersey and I'm not looking back. I originally got the note 3 but decided I wanted to make sure I had the latest phone so I got the note 4 before the return period was up. I ported over two lines and a tablet. I'm saving about $50 per month on tmobile. The service has been great so far. The speeds have been excellent and coverage at my job and house is five bars. The fact that their phones have unlocked bootloaders is of course a plus. I'd say if coverage is good then make the switch.
Taking Notes on my Note 4
Well these are interesting responses.
As far as my work goes, nothing seems to penetrate that building except AT&T, which would be nice, but they have the same issues that Verizon has. It's interesting, because I thought TMo piggy backed off of AT&T towers for roaming...
Depends on the service in your area. I live in NYC so I've notice hardly any difference in service and faster speeds with T-mobile. However if you travel a lot I would say Verizon is better because that map does not lie, you really do have service everywhere with them.
idelgado782 said:
I switched from att to tmobile two weeks. I'm in northern new jersey and I'm not looking back. I originally got the note 3 but decided I wanted to make sure I had the latest phone so I got the note 4 before the return period was up. I ported over two lines and a tablet. I'm saving about $50 per month on tmobile. The service has been great so far. The speeds have been excellent and coverage at my job and house is five bars. The fact that their phones have unlocked bootloaders is of course a plus. I'd say if coverage is good then make the switch.
Taking Notes on my Note 4
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Click to collapse
Ditto. I switched from Verizon this past Thursday and not looking back. I love the freedom with bootloaders. I was with TMob 8 years ago and the service to be honest was horrible. But now TMob has greatly improved. I haven't dropped calls and data speeds are fast.
Cicatrize said:
Well these are interesting responses.
As far as my work goes, nothing seems to penetrate that building except AT&T, which would be nice, but they have the same issues that Verizon has. It's interesting, because I thought TMo piggy backed off of AT&T towers for roaming...
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Click to collapse
As far as penetrating buildings goes, earlier this year tmobile just bought the rights to new frequencies that have a lower wave length and will penetrate buildings considerably... they haven't made the activation on this frequency everywhere yet, but the Note 4 is one of the first phones(if not the first?) to have the ability to receive this frequency built in, so as soon as it goes live in your given area, you'll get the benefits! This is a hardware thing too, so it's not like they can just update other phones n they'll have it too, only new phones built to receive it
p()()pypants said:
As far as penetrating buildings goes, earlier this year tmobile just bought the rights to new frequencies that have a lower wave length and will penetrate buildings considerably... they haven't made the activation on this frequency everywhere yet, but the Note 4 is one of the first phones(if not the first?) to have the ability to receive this frequency built in, so as soon as it goes live in your given area, you'll get the benefits! This is a hardware thing too, so it's not like they can just update other phones n they'll have it too, only new phones built to receive it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting. I didn't know that. Did they give an eta when they expect to turn on those frequencies?
Taking Notes
p()()pypants said:
As far as penetrating buildings goes, earlier this year tmobile just bought the rights to new frequencies that have a lower wave length and will penetrate buildings considerably... they haven't made the activation on this frequency everywhere yet, but the Note 4 is one of the first phones(if not the first?) to have the ability to receive this frequency built in, so as soon as it goes live in your given area, you'll get the benefits! This is a hardware thing too, so it's not like they can just update other phones n they'll have it too, only new phones built to receive it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you referring to the 700MHz spectrum they're rolling out? Link here: https://sites.google.com/site/cellularbinder/t-mobile-700a-spectrum
If that's the case, I'm in Southwest Michigan, and it looks like they need to clear up some stuff before that happens in my area (if I'm reading that correctly)?
EDIT: Also, is not the 700MHz for LTE band 12 only? I would love to have LTE inside of work, but less necessary than just a regular GSM phone signal.
Verizon sucks...PERIOD
the ONLY reason to even consider them is if you need coverage in the most obscure areas of the US; if not, kick those scumbags to the curb..
If you have decent coverage in your area, then no one can beat T-mobile for coverage, price, customer service, and everything else.
Do the test drive, go to all the areas you are concerned about, and if you get coverage, then switch
wase4711 said:
Verizon sucks...PERIOD
the ONLY reason to even consider them is if you need coverage in the most obscure areas of the US; if not, kick those scumbags to the curb..
If you have decent coverage in your area, then no one can beat T-mobile for coverage, price, customer service, and everything else.
Do the test drive, go to all the areas you are concerned about, and if you get coverage, then switch
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Click to collapse
My fiancee and I are both geocachers and use an app to post our finds immediately, so we do actually need coverage in obscure areas. We often have trouble even with Verizon, but that trouble is 1-2 bars of 3G. I'm hoping that doesn't translate into zero signal with T-Mobile. You are right, though. The plan is to do the test drive and see how it goes. With an unlocked bootloader and an eventual SIM unlock, I could always switch to AT&T if it ends up not working out very well. I have none of those freedoms with Verizon.
yeah, as much as I dislike "the deathstar", I hate verizon more, so given the choice of 2 evils, ATT would be your way out..
but, here again, go nuts on the 7 day tmobile test drive and see how good/bad they are in your area..
I use AT&T go phone prepaid with my tmo gn4. $60mo unl talk and text and 3gb LTE. I can add additional lte at $10 per gb. Just have to pay full price for my devices. I LOVE my set up. I travel, so tmo isn't an option for me. Hope you find a set up. Also, vz just released their prepaid plan mostly the same at $65mo with LTE service, and they're getting the gn4 developer edition with bootloader unlocked. Again, just have to pay full price.
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk
I have both so I know. I'd go with TM any day. Don't think about it. Just do it. Depending on your usage, if you don't talk much, the $30 pre paid plan is unbeatable. 5gb of data.
Well I've had this iPhone for an hour now. Hate the phone, but one thing I've seen already is the LTE speed is DOUBLE what I get from Verizon. It gets around 40mbps down and 10mbps up in my house, which is ridiculous. I can't even get that on Verizon outside with full bars.
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Free mobile app
I am seriously considering ditching sprint in my area. Their network (Sacramento) has been the worse I've ever used.
I've heard about TMobile taking care of your ETF if you switch to them by offering customers what amounts to a credit card that you can use.
Has anyone done this?
I've moved from Sprint to T-Mobile about two months ago. I really wanted to stay with sprint but there mobile service sucked... As I see your experiencing the same thing. I've heard T-Mobile service can be spotty in places but in Seattle and Honolulu (where I'm usually at), it's really good.
The only impact negative impacts are the cost of the phone. You just plain have to pay the $500 - $900 uncontracted phone. I'm not use to that huge amount lingering over me.
And I could be the only one, be I found Sprint customer service significantly better than t-mobile.
Anyway, if you can muster the cost of the phone, I don't think you'll regret the way better data /phone service. I did the 5-day try the service out from t-mobile initially. You'll get an iPhone 5s and try it in your area. Good luck!
EDIT: did get the ETF reimbursement, and you can apply it towards your bill /phone, that's what I did. Lastly, don't expect you'll use the same data amount between Sprint and T-Mobile. The data service is much better and I found out my wife and I use about 2x to 3x. So go unlimited if you can.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
puhiniho said:
I've moved from Sprint to T-Mobile about two months ago. I really wanted to stay with sprint but there mobile service sucked... As I see your experiencing the same thing. I've heard T-Mobile service can be spotty in places but in Seattle and Honolulu (where I'm usually at), it's really good.
The only impact negative impacts are the cost of the phone. You just plain have to pay the $500 - $900 uncontracted phone. I'm not use to that huge amount lingering over me.
And I could be the only one, be I found Sprint customer service significantly better than t-mobile.
Anyway, if you can muster the cost of the phone, I don't think you'll regret the way better data /phone service. I did the 5-day try the service out from t-mobile initially. You'll get an iPhone 5s and try it in your area. Good luck!
EDIT: did get the ETF reimbursement, and you can apply it towards your bill /phone, that's what I did. Lastly, don't expect you'll use the same data amount between Sprint and T-Mobile. The data service is much better and I found out my wife and I use about 2x to 3x. So go unlimited if you can.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
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Click to collapse
Very good point regarding the use of the data once you actually get better service, I'm certain that it will increase. So, you're right, I may have to go with unlimited. Yeah, the coverage map for sprint is much worse than TMobile's. In fact TMobile's 3G is faster than Sprints 4LTE.
Tmobiel is going to have a server where you can stash your unused data if you are paying 30+ on your data (not counting unlimited) you can make use of that if you do not want unlimited as well.
I also just ditched Sprint, data speed is faster and more reliable for me.
puhiniho said:
I've moved from Sprint to T-Mobile about two months ago. I really wanted to stay with sprint but there mobile service sucked... As I see your experiencing the same thing. I've heard T-Mobile service can be spotty in places but in Seattle and Honolulu (where I'm usually at), it's really good.
The only impact negative impacts are the cost of the phone. You just plain have to pay the $500 - $900 uncontracted phone. I'm not use to that huge amount lingering over me.
And I could be the only one, be I found Sprint customer service significantly better than t-mobile.
Anyway, if you can muster the cost of the phone, I don't think you'll regret the way better data /phone service. I did the 5-day try the service out from t-mobile initially. You'll get an iPhone 5s and try it in your area. Good luck!
EDIT: did get the ETF reimbursement, and you can apply it towards your bill /phone, that's what I did. Lastly, don't expect you'll use the same data amount between Sprint and T-Mobile. The data service is much better and I found out my wife and I use about 2x to 3x. So go unlimited if you can.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mgbotoe said:
Tmobiel is going to have a server where you can stash your unused data if you are paying 30+ on your data (not counting unlimited) you can make use of that if you do not want unlimited as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? That is cool. I didn'tt know that.
heyjoojoo said:
I am seriously considering ditching sprint in my area. Their network (Sacramento) has been the worse I've ever used.
I've heard about TMobile taking care of your ETF if you switch to them by offering customers what amounts to a credit card that you can use.
Has anyone done this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just made the switch (in Mass.) after 10+ years with Sprint. Just got sick of their lousy LTE, and also wanted better international options. It's only been a few weeks, but I haven't been hit with the Sprint ETF yet. Anyone know how long it usually takes?
I left Sprint and did the ETF for the $350 from Tmobile. I was sick of hearing from Sprint..."We are in the process of working on our Towers today thats why your LTE is not there" and that was at 3am in the morning...ummm.ok..
Ever since I have left LTE has been lightning Fast...I even saw I was on AT&T this last week when I was in the Central Valley and not in T-mobile Coverage...I was able to make and Receive calls. The LTE on T-mobile as far as I'm concerned blows Sprint out of the water...I was tired of the False Promises and the 7+ years of service from Sprint to be treated like crap.
The Downfall as others have said T-mobile phones are not cheap but as I don't have a house phone I am connected all the time with my cell phone.
I have a friend in Carmichael...Not far from you and he Switched to T-mobile and has been very very happy...
OP...make the switch and you will be very happy..
I hope this helps you...
Brian
kg6bki said:
I left Sprint and did the ETF for the $350 from Tmobile. I was sick of hearing from Sprint..."We are in the process of working on our Towers today thats why your LTE is not there" and that was at 3am in the morning...ummm.ok..
Ever since I have left LTE has been lightning Fast...I even saw I was on AT&T this last week when I was in the Central Valley and not in T-mobile Coverage...I was able to make and Receive calls. The LTE on T-mobile as far as I'm concerned blows Sprint out of the water...I was tired of the False Promises and the 7+ years of service from Sprint to be treated like crap.
The Downfall as others have said T-mobile phones are not cheap but as I don't have a house phone I am connected all the time with my cell phone.
I have a friend in Carmichael...Not far from you and he Switched to T-mobile and has been very very happy...
OP...make the switch and you will be very happy..
I hope this helps you...
Brian
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Click to collapse
Lol, exact same story for me. I was tired of their "promises to upgrade", it never happened. I left Sprint and never looked back. We had to use our credit card to pay Sprints ETF because they wanted full payment when we ended. It took us about 1 1/2 month to get our rebate card, but this was when T-Mobile started this deal so it might be quicker now. I have the 3GB of LTE data and never go over it since most of the place I am at have WiFi. And now with there rollover data plan, I am set! I live in Los Angeles county but I have had great service and speed from San Diego to Santa Cruz.
Just an FYI, sprint will let you out of the contract if you roam too much.
Right before we switched away from Sprint, we drove across the country and roamed practically the entire trip. The next month we called up and they offered to cancel our contract if we sent the phones back. Done and done.
The only real problem with t-mobile reimbursement system is it can 1-2 months for them to reimburse you. They did 2 of my 3 lines in just over a month, and it took almost 2 more months for the 3rd cuz they kept denying it despite it being legitimate.