[Q] Lumia 521 T-Mobile: earpiece speaker problems? - Windows Phone 8 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Both my wife and I spot Lumia 521s. I love this phone very much, and I've noticed my wife reaching for hers more often than she did her previous Windows Phone 7.x handsets (LG quantum and Samsung Focus). Anyway, there have been several occasions when I'm talking to my wife and the speaker (earpiece) sounds like it's set to speakerphone (but is a terrible one, so voices are unpleasantly loud and cracking) . When this happens, BOTH phones experience it at the same time so we are both very unhappy. Is there some kind of bug in WP8 that triggers speakerphone to go through the earpiece? Or is it the T-Mobile network? I've never had any issues talking to anyone else (and almost everyone I call has iPhones or Droids), so maybe the network is fine. We just updated to Lumia Amber and the problem has not gone away.

Upon further analysis, it appears that the issue occurs whenever my wife and I are within half a mile of each other. This suggests that we are probably using the same cell tower. So I'm suspecting that WP8 has an issue when two handsets are within the same tower range.

takawira said:
Upon further analysis, it appears that the issue occurs whenever my wife and I are within half a mile of each other. This suggests that we are probably using the same cell tower. So I'm suspecting that WP8 has an issue when two handsets are within the same tower range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I honestly doubt the system cares if 2 devices are within the same cell tower, so it is most likely TMobile's fault.

Related

UK – T - mobile voice fading during call on a Vario III in 3g mode.

I am with T- Mobile in the UK. Now and then during a call the other party will not hear me for a little while. They tell me my voice fades in the distance then comes back. This has been happening in different regions throughout the UK.
T-mobile support advised to switch the Phone Band from Auto to GSM. Seemingly to a lesser extent the issues persist nevertheless. Not to mention I don’t get 3G in GSM mode.
T-mobile support advised this issues is known and is due to the 3G network. Allegedly happens with various headsets not VARIO III only.
Can any other T-mobile subscribers comment ?
Can the phone be forced into GSM mode during voice calls but use 3G when browsing the Internet ?
Hmmm, well I've had mine since the beginning of the year and to be honest had the exact same results, I put it down to the exact same reason as you, I then started to hold the phone with my fingers instead of the palm of my hand as a test and the problem seemed to be resolved. No more complaints about my voice fading.
When I was talking there was no way my palm was over the mic but moving the phone away from my palm seemed to work, sounds silly I know but give it a try.
Trying won't cost you anything
ckx said:
Hmmm, well I've had mine since the beginning of the year and to be honest had the exact same results, I put it down to the exact same reason as you, I then started to hold the phone with my fingers instead of the palm of my hand as a test and the problem seemed to be resolved. No more complaints about my voice fading.
When I was talking there was no way my palm was over the mic but moving the phone away from my palm seemed to work, sounds silly I know but give it a try.
Trying won't cost you anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will . I hate all this because VARIO III is the only handset that does all I need. And T-mobille have the best deals on Mobile internet...
I had another phone on my previous contract with t-mobile, calls would cut off on their own after 30 seconds, they told me to disable 3G then, apparently all the staff at that shop had been told to do the same, they could still be having trouble with it.
im on o2 now and i get the same complaints, but i did also find out it depends on how i hold the phone as mentioned above.

[Q] Confusing phone issue, please help!

Here's the situation:
I have a Galaxy S, Firmware 2.3.3
1 week ago, my phone started behaving funny in my apartment (in greater Vancouver BC, north Burnaby). It would randomly cut off the other person, sometimes right away, sometimes after 20 minutes of talking.
It was not dropping calls though, the person on the other end could still hear me, but I couldn't hear them anymore. The call timer was still counting, it was just dead silence. No disconnect noise or anything, just suddenly I couldn't hear them.
I haven't dropped, upgraded, or otherwise changed my phone recently. So far it works properly in other areas of the city.
The interesting part is, my girlfriend is with Telus and her phone is behaving in the same manor. She just bought her phone 3 weeks ago, a crappy flip phone (as her blackberry curve kept dropping calls in the apartment) and hers has the same "muting" issue in at least 2 locations in the city.
Both companies suggest it is a phone issue, not a service issue, and we should buy out our contract with them and get new phones. They say that is our only option.
What can I do about this?
Well they lied about the phone issue. Only the network provider (like at&t) can cause these problems. Ive experienced it before and i know how network providers work. (been there, done that) change network provider or do whatever else you want. There isnt much choice here...
Sent From The Phone Of Gamers
Thanks for the reply
I'm paying for services not received and I signed a contract with them so there must be something they can do.
Anyone else have some thoughts?
Well you can try to unlock another phone (4g maybe) and put your sim in there...it might help but out of all my expieriencez i never thought the phone was the problem...
Sent From The Phone Of Gamers

[Q] Phone calls sound muffled to others

I am having a problem that others also seem to have on this phone, where people on the other end say it sounds like I am in a wind tunnel or several feet from the phone. My fiance has the same phone and I swapped phones with her and spoke over it and sure enough that's what it sounds like. There's a thread about it over on the sprint forums http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2262648
I am on sprint but decided to take this over here because I believe there are more users on the international side of things. Basically what I would like to know is, is anyone here having this problem. On the sprint forum about this issue they said it is a software problem, however I don't believe a software problem would be consistent through rom and kernel flashes including wipes. I rather not change out my phone even tho it has a few dings and scratches because of the risk of getting one with the updated hboot and not being able to downgrade and s-off again. However I also seem to be having an issue with bluetooth, where I have to carry the phone in my hand in order to have reception, even if I so much as tuck the phone under my arm I loose all bluetooth reception to the point the headset disconnects, so I think I have a problem with the bluetooth antennae.
Does anyone else have any of these problems?
Hi, I have exactly the same problem. I have bought an HTC One without operator in France.
Sometimes, the person I'm talking with thinks I'm in a cave or tunnel, and after 30 sec (approx.), he can hear me properly. Or sometimes, he cannot hear me at all or very very low and jerky sound. This disappears if I shout few seconds over the mic, then communication is good...
I was waiting the 4.2.2 update with impatience, hoping this will solve my problem (if there was a bug correction for that), but still have the problem after updating (jerky sound which disappears if I shout, for the moment I don't have the tunnel sound problem).
Now I suppose there is a problem with the mic (which is a twin-membrane microphone to deliver distortion free), and I think I will send it back to maintenance to fix it, unless someone knows how to solve it...
Thanks for other feedback.
I am running 4.2.2 and other people have told me the same thing about me sounding muffled.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

To All with S6/S6 Edge and AT&T Microcell Issues

Background:
I've been a long time AT&T wireless user and prior to owning the GS6, I've had an HTC One (m7). I've had poor reception at my house for as long as I remember, so I've been using the Microcell for a some time. With the HTC One (m7), there has not been a single problem, and that holds true with every other phone in the house (iPhone 5S, OnePlus One, Galaxy S4). However, ever since switching to the GS6 around the time when it was first released, I've had nothing but problems with the pair. To clarify, the GS6 has no issues initially connecting to the Microcell, but intermittently, the GS6 will disconnect from the Microcell and will not immediately switch to AT&T's tower, if at all. For me, I have seen it occurring upwards of 20 times a day, but your mileage may vary. I've been in contact with AT&T since early May 2015, and they've had me perform all the troubleshooting that they have, including turning off Enhanced 4G LTE services (HD voice) on the phone and on the account, disabling hand-off from the Microcell, turning off mobile data, using other phones to confirm the status of the Microcell during issues on the GS6, factory reset, and more. I've also gone through 3 GS6's, 3 SIM cards, and 2 Microcells through warranty replacements, and still no luck. After confirming no solution with the latest GS6 and SIM card replacements, AT&T has taken my case (and will potentially yours) to the next step, but this is where your action will help escalate this to a potential fix.
Current action:
AT&T has already investigated the case and cannot find a solution on their end, so they have escalated my case to a 'trend', meaning that they see multiple users having the same issue, but they need more people to take this 'trend' directly to Samsung for a resolution. As of today, June 24, 2015, my case is a 'trend', so whoever has an issue with your GS6 or S6 Edge and your Microcell should call AT&T's case management team to contribute to the 'trend' to take this to Samsung. Listed here, I will put my case number as a point of reference, in the case that whoever you speak to has no idea what 'trend' to look for (though I am unsure if you need my personal information as confirmation).
Case #CM20150624_104015612
AT&T Case Management Team: (877) 971-5016
This phone number is a direct line of communication to AT&T's Case Management Team, and to get the most out of your call, ask to speak directly to a supervisor, and if need be, reference my case number for the 'trend'. The last supervisor I spoke to is Brandon Ranken (spelling on last name?), so he should be familiar with the 'trend'.
tl;dr: If you or anyone you know has an issue with the GS6 or S6 Edge intermittently disconnecting from the AT&T Microcell, please call AT&T's Case Management Team at (877) 971-5016. The Microcell and S6 issues are currently trending at AT&T's Case Management, so your help to contribute to the 'trend' will help escalate the issue directly to Samsung for a potential fix. It should be easiest to ask to speak directly to a supervisor, but ymmv.
Edit: New phone number for case management team: (866) 986-0965
Interesting that you posted this. My S6 is actually better than my previous phone (LG optimus G) on my microcell. S6 connects reliably, except immediately after a reboot. The LGOG dumped it's microcell connection every night while I slept.
I want to clarify that connecting to the Microcell is seamless, even with my GS6. The issue is that when connected, intermittently I would experience a loss of network, but it isn't entirely reflected accurately in the status bar of the phone. I would consider myself a heavy user with in- and outgoing calls and texts frequently, but the issue doesn't appear as if the phone is normally in a low-signal state. It also doesn't "disconnect" from the Microcell, per se, but instead it looks as though it is connected, but nothing is in- or outbound. It is difficult to explain, because it is not working as it should.
I am within 5 to 10 feet of the Microcell for most times when I am home, and I do see AT&T Microcell up at the top left as my provider. I also see that I have full signal, which looks normal, but that is where the problem lies. I would then place a call or send a text, and seconds later, the signal drops all the way down to 1 or 0 bars. I then look into the phone's status in the settings to look at the 'signal strength', and I see the strength bouncing between -50 dBm and -120 dBm with 0 asu. Honestly, I don't entirely know what all those entirely mean, but I do have a general gist of it. During this time, whatever text messages or phone calls I am trying to make will not go through, and it takes a good amount of time before it either fixes itself or it jumps to an AT&T tower.
Now to clarify again, this does not happen 100% of the time that I am home, but it has affected all 3 GS6's, 3 SIM cards, and 2 Microcells that I have had here. I am satisfied when I do have a connection, and I can say that I do have a connection ~90% of the time (very rough % figure). This is an issue no other phone in the house experiences, and I have tested other phones during the time the GS6 is out, and have concluded that only the GS6 is affected by this issue in my home (of the phones assigned to the Microcell).
The biggest issue I'm having with my microcell is sending MMS over it from my S6.
I just set up a microcell 3 days ago, so it is too early to tell, but so far I have not had any issues. It is working quite well both on my s6 and my wife's iphone 6. I'm sure you have gone through all the troubleshooting steps, but might there be something causing intermittent interference, like a microwave oven? Also do you have the most current model of the microcell, which I think is DPH154?
I spoke too soon. I was on a conference call this morning and it disconnected twice during the call.
Wow, thanks for this thread! Was on microcell call on my s6 active and dropped 5 times. Then dropped 30 seconds into another call. Then dropped about 8-10 minutes into yet another call. I will call the case management team tomorrow. What a bummer as I will probably have to return the phone before 14 buyers remorse period now. Loving this s6 active.
On a side note, have most of you purchased your microcells or were they given to you for free by AT&T due to poor coverage?
Just out of curiosity, do any of you using an S6 Active (or a regular S6) have higher battery drain on your S6 while connected (either in standby or not) to a MicroCell? I returned my S6 Active due to it draining 3 to 4% per hour on standby. If people are having "connection" problems with S6's and MicroCells, this might have been what was draining my battery.
k6tcher said:
Just out of curiosity, do any of you using an S6 Active (or a regular S6) have higher battery drain on your S6 while connected (either in standby or not) to a MicroCell? I returned my S6 Active due to it draining 3 to 4% per hour on standby. If people are having "connection" problems with S6's and MicroCells, this might have been what was draining my battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My cell standby was biggest battery drain today at 18%. Was home most of the day. Screen at 12% battery use with 2hrs 40mins sot. Something isn't right it seems.
k6tcher said:
Just out of curiosity, do any of you using an S6 Active (or a regular S6) have higher battery drain on your S6 while connected (either in standby or not) to a MicroCell? I returned my S6 Active due to it draining 3 to 4% per hour on standby. If people are having "connection" problems with S6's and MicroCells, this might have been what was draining my battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do get higher idle drain at home, but I was attributing it to Wi-Fi. Haven't had a good opportunity to chase it down, but now will have to consider the microcell as well.
Quick search results suggest turning off WiFi scanning and hd voice to improve cell standby drain. Not sure about microcell but will monitor it through the weekend. Only day two of ownership for me after replacing an lg g4 with touch screen issues.
redeyss said:
Quick search results suggest turning off WiFi scanning and hd voice to improve cell standby drain. Not sure about microcell but will monitor it through the weekend. Only day two of ownership for me after replacing an lg g4 with touch screen issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I did all of that including clearing the phone's cache. Still drained at an unacceptable level. To compare, my Nexus 5 connected to my MicroCell only drains 1 to 1.8% per hour on standby (with location on). My Active drained 3 to 4% on similar settings (location off). Has to be the way the radio in the Active was connecting to my MicroCell. If there was a "fix" for this, I'd re-buy the Active as it is the best phone available right now.
Called in to report microcell issue, call dropped multiple times so I had to walk away from house to get on network and drop microcell signal. My issue was added to the "trend" and now I have to return the s6 active. So bummed, what a great phone!
Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
Want to pick this phone up at some point in the future after returning it today. Store waived restocking fee in part because of this thread and the one on the AT&T communities forum about this same issue. I hope the issue is resolved soon. Thanks OP!
Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
No problem! I certainly hope that a resolution is found eventually. Unfortunately, I've had the phone for too long so I cannot return the phone anymore. I have to rely on Samsung to make some kind of fix or workaround.
asdfdemi said:
No problem! I certainly hope that a resolution is found eventually. Unfortunately, I've had the phone for too long so I cannot return the phone anymore. I have to rely on Samsung to make some kind of fix or workaround.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about a workaround like using Google voice and dialer from home? Essentially using WiFi calling and bypassing the microcell. Doesn't help for incoming calls, I know. I get about one bar inside my home without MC and can go outside for two bars or more.
Edit: you can forward carrier number to ring Google voice but requires a real commitment to the GV ecosystem.
Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
redeyss said:
What about a workaround like using Google voice and dialer from home? Essentially using WiFi calling and bypassing the microcell. Doesn't help for incoming calls, I know. I get about one bar inside my home without MC and can go outside for two bars or more.
Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've certainly thought about using that workaround, and for some contacts, I have switched to using GV for texts, but it still isn't close enough to a fix than I would have hoped. It is quite a shame because I do love the phone, but it is failing me as an actual phone while I am home. But I do spend a substantial amount of time away from home, so I do prefer using my actual number.
I have this problem. First the s6 signal strength is not the greatest. It works poorly in my home, while other phones (LG G2, Z3C) do fine. So i got a microcell. The S6 faithfully drops phone calls in the 20 - 60 minute range while others (iphones etc.) do not. It really bums me out because the camera is killer and i need a fingerprint scanner. I think the signal strength on the phone is just too weak.
I am actually considering switching carriers over it.
I called the AT&T management team, reached an engineer, didn't ask for supervisor, however the woman who answered was very helpful. I told her this was part of a trend. Anyway, she told me to go to best buy and have them do a smartflash. She also said to make sure my pictures and contacts were saved. I went to best buy - they had me talk to in house Samsung rep. He did the smartflash, took less than 15 minutes. - no cost. This was done tuesday afternoon, so far no lost connectivity. It's been over 24 hrs. Before I would lose connectivity at least 10-15x a day.
This has seemed to work so far for me.
---------- Post added at 03:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 AM ----------
Slybone said:
On a side note, have most of you purchased your microcells or were they given to you for free by AT&T due to poor coverage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I purchased the microcell, but was given the same amount of credit on my at&t bill.

Question Call Quality?

Has any one noticed any issues with call quality? I am getting a noise reduction hiss. Every time the remote caller speaks I hear a background hiss around their voice. Once they stop speaking the background his goes away.
Did not get this on my pixel 6.
Is anyone else experiencing this?
Thanks,
RJR
Not here, tried a lot of calls (i use a lot the phone for work) and nothing, audio quality in-call is perfect. Sometimes those problems are on the other side and not ours. Do you have this with every call?
What is happening is when someone on the other end is talking you hear them talking with a slight background hiss. Once they stop talking everything goes silent.
I am accustomed to always hearing a very slight hiss when the call is connected whether the other party is talking or not.
Not sure if this is the new norm with cell phone moving forward.
RJR
call quality has been superb for me via US Mobile.
No issues here with Cricket Wireless as my carrier.
Call quality has been great on both Tello and SafeLink.
rrusek said:
What is happening is when someone on the other end is talking you hear them talking with a slight background hiss. Once they stop talking everything goes silent.
I am accustomed to always hearing a very slight hiss when the call is connected whether the other party is talking or not.
Not sure if this is the new norm with cell phone moving forward.
RJR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is it one particular caller or multiple?
rrusek said:
What is happening is when someone on the other end is talking you hear them talking with a slight background hiss. Once they stop talking everything goes silent.
I am accustomed to always hearing a very slight hiss when the call is connected whether the other party is talking or not.
Not sure if this is the new norm with cell phone moving forward.
RJR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its more data efficient to take the "silent" times and actually just transmit silence (a long line of "0"'s).
I've had several calls, and all were crystal clear. So much so I think I'm on a land line. Not sure what network you use, but that may have something to do with it. Also what signal you're using at the time (5G, LTE, Wi-Fi calling, etc).
I have been reading up on this and it seems that what I am hearing is called comfort noise when the other party is speaking. It is most prevalent when the volume is set all the way down.
I am trying to find out if my pixel is defected or if everyone is hearing the same same thing since this was not the case with my Pixel 6.
RJR
rrusek said:
I have been reading up on this and it seems that what I am hearing is called comfort noise when the other party is speaking. It is most prevalent when the volume is set all the way down.
I am trying to find out if my pixel is defected or if everyone is hearing the same same thing since this was not the case with my Pixel 6.
RJR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you get any progress with diagnosing?
i have the same issue. a hissing noise on-top of the caller voice, that reduces to crackles when the other side is not speaking. its with multiple callers on the same network. it happens with or without wifi calling. on regular calls using the phone app and on calls using telegram or whatsapp. i tried on 4g and 3g. it starts hissing in while making the calling sound, that means its something in the hardware. the device is rooted, and "converted" to GVU6C (global) model from G03Z5 (japan) using an alteration of the init file and also installed VOLTE module and enabled 5G using an app called network signal guru.
AJ205 said:
did you get any progress with diagnosing?
i have the same issue. a hissing noise on-top of the caller voice, that reduces to crackles when the other side is not speaking. its with multiple callers on the same network. it happens with or without wifi calling. on regular calls using the phone app and on calls using telegram or whatsapp. it starts hissing in while making the calling sound, that means its something iin the hardware. the device is rooted, and "converted" to GVU6C (global) model from G03Z5 (japan) using an alteration of the init file and also installed VOLTE module and enabled 5G using an app called network signal guru.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I ended having the call speaker (top) replaced. Did not cost anything since it was under warranty. Depending on your service center it is usually a one-day repair.
rrusek said:
Unfortunately, I ended having the call speaker (top) replaced. Did not cost anything since it was under warranty. Depending on your service center it is usually a one-day repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i found this on google support. it seems like a common issue. thats a shame. I'll have to try my luck with the importer in my country because there is no official support for google devices. fml.
I faced a different kind of issue. Every 2/10 calls i hear some sort of clicking noise In my phone earpiece. It disappears after a few seconds but it happens sometimes. I got scared when it started happening the first few times. I think this issue appeared after the November update. Anyone else faced this?
AJ205 said:
i found this on google support. it seems like a common issue. thats a shame. I'll have to try my luck with the importer in my country because there is no official support for google devices. fml.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not seeing this as a common issue but merely a few users. Support told them to either return the device or get it fixed. Returning after the 15 day period is unfortunate because you'll get sent a refurb. However, if it's noticed before 15 days after receipt then you can return it, get your money back and then buy another new device. I believe the return period for hardware related issues should be at least 30 days but that doesn't seem like it's in the cards. In your case without support I'm not sure there is anything you can do other than get it fixed which is a bummer. My call quality has been stellar as others here have said so I hope you and the OP can get this resolved.

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