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Why I'm glad there isn't a CDMA variant

Alright so I've been looking around on various Android forums and people seem to be very upset that there is no CDMA variant of the Nexus 4 announced so far. Coming from the Sprint/Verizon Galaxy Nexus, I am glad that they're not bothering this time around because CDMA goes against what the Nexus brand stands for, openness.
These carriers are very self-contained. You can only purchase phones to use on their network from them. Want a unlocked phone? You're out of luck BUT you can purchase the phone from their website off contract or you can go and get one from eBay or Craigslist. Because of this, the carriers have manufacturers by the balls, especially when it comes to updating phones. Want to get an update? You'll have to wait until these carriers "inspect" the update to ensure that it is not "harmful to the network" and all that PR crap they go on and on about.
Anyways, CDMA would mean that Google/LG would have to make a 4G LTE variant since these carriers only sell 4G phones now and Google doesn't seem too happy about how the CDMA variants of the GNex turned out last time. The updates were untimely to say the absolute least and the battery life was horrendous. I'm sure that the guys at Google had one hell of a time disputing against the crapware that Verizon/Sprint wanted to put on their phones so they could get a quick buck from Blockbuster and whatever other useless advertisements and applications they put on there now days.
If you want a Nexus phone, jump over to another carrier. I'm finally going over to T-Mobile and I'm getting unlimited data/text and a hundred minutes (which won't be used because I use GrooVe for voice over data/WiFi) for $30 a month. The entire move is going to cost me less than $400 and I'm sure you all have phones that you could sell to get over here. It really is the better move and the HSPA+ is amazingly fast without the battery drain.

My only option for a carrier is Verizon or sprint. At&t and T-Mobile only have gprs where my grandparents live, and I need internet for work. I'm upset there isn't a CDMA variant.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I'm pretty excited about making the move to GSM and prepaid service. Any smartphone I've ever had was either Sprint and now Verizon. I can't even get an hour and a half of on-screen time with my Verizon gnex. It'll constantly switch from 3g to LTE and most of the time get stuck in the middle, looking for signal and draining the battery, it's horrendous.

I'm glad that there isn't a CDMA variant because CDMA is dead-end technology, and anything that brings about its demise sooner is a good thing IMO. Whatever the original technical merits were that CDMA held over GSM have pretty much become nonexistent as I understand it, and you give up the huge advantage of being able to easily switch carriers without purchasing a new phone. Anyone who's spent time outside the US and in an open GSM phone system knows how nice it is to be able to switch carriers at will.
But also Google's rationale for not including LTE makes a lot more sense with no CDMA variant. As the OP mentioned, a CDMA variant would absolutely HAVE to have LTE. Verizon's EV-DO network is still Rev. A, right? That's disgustingly slow in today's day and age, and while it makes sense that the CDMA carriers would have skipped over later revisions of EV-DO and go straight to LTE, it also means they're in an "LTE or bust" situation right now. GSM networks have a much better upgrade path, and 42mbps HSPA+ is more than fast enough for just about anything you'd want to do on a phone.
Personally I'm happy with the decision, because as a GSM user I see no need to frantically jump on the LTE bandwagon. I'd much rather take better battery life and a lower phone cost than have a transmission standard that is overkill for the vast majority of phone applications forced down my throat.

You all don't remember that GSM Nexus devices always come out first. CDMA phones will most likely come out months later, and with higher storage to generate buzz. Google knows better than to shut out ~20 million subscribers.
I'm pretty confident they are offering such low priced unlocked phones to try and get as many people into their ecosystem as possible. Ignoring CDMA users is not consistent with that, so just like before, it'll likely be 1 to 5 months before we see 32gb CDMA phones later on.

disynthetic said:
You all don't remember that GSM Nexus devices always come out first. CDMA phones will most likely come out months later, and with higher storage to generate buzz. Google knows better than to shut out ~20 million subscribers.
I'm pretty confident they are offering such low priced unlocked phones to try and get as many people into their ecosystem as possible. Ignoring CDMA users is not consistent with that, so just like before, it'll likely be 1 to 5 months before we see 32gb CDMA phones later on.
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While I get where you're coming from, I completely disagree. Of course, I'm with a GSM carrier (and always have been), so I couldn't care less if they come out with a CDMA Nexus 4. Then again, I'm one of those people that don't believe the Galaxy Nexus offered by Verizon and Sprint was an actual Nexus device. If a phone's updates are coming from a carrier and not straight from Google...that's not a true Nexus and, frankly, you get what you deserve for thinking it is (in general terms...I'm not talking about you specifically).
I think all the reasons listed earlier are correct. I think Google got a bad taste in their mouths from having the carriers (re: Verizon and Sprint) dictate to them what they were going to do instead of the other way around. I also agree that CDMA is a dying technology and I'm also all for anything that bring that about faster. Wireless companies in the US need to get their #[email protected]% together and agree on a standard. All this GSM/CDMA/LTE crap is just confusing to consumers (not to me, but to uneducated consumers).
I firmly believe, though, that if you want a Nexus phone you need to get with a GSM carrier. Period. If by some miracle Google does release a CDMA version of the Nexus 4 later, I'll still believe you don't have a "true" Nexus phone. Only when the carriers have their hands off the updates can you actually make me believe a CDMA Nexus is a "real" Nexus.

I've been looking at the pre paid services but I have two lines since I pay for my mothers phone.
With the 1000 minute family plans it ends up making more sense for me to go that route since I'd get 2 free galaxy S2's.. One for her and I'd sell the other + my Sprint Galaxy s2 on eBay for my N4...
Very excited about moving back to T-mob after being on Sprint with **** service in my area for almost a year.

Please use the rant thread here or post in one of the review threads.
General section is for news/tips/tricks/guides/etc, not really for everybody to create a new thread every time they have a thought on this and that.
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Oh AT&T... how I loathe you!

Every GALAXY launch we go through the same BS. No 32GB option available, and this time no GOLD or BLUE color options available. Why? Why? Why? Is it really that difficult to include all the colors with 32GB? Now those of us who want to get the phone on launch are once again screwed just like we were last year and the year before on 32gb of storage. Of course I take all this back if the unlocked variant offered AT&T LTE support; which it doesn't by the way. Why am I not surprised? The 16gb S5 will have about 10GB of user storage.
I am so fed up with this type of BS. AT&T is, unfortunately, the only carrier that works well in my area. T-Mobile is spotty with lots of EDGE. If only their service was on lower spectrum, I'd be all over them.
Anyone else feeling just as frustrated with this mess we endure every year.

I totally agree, but the ATT S4 did come with a 32Gb. I am using it right now. I wish Sammy would up them all to 32Gb and an option for 64Gb. 16Gb is too small with how large touchwiz is with each revision. No way I will go back to only 16Gb on board.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

16GB is never an issue with me, regardless of the device. It's more than enough for my needs, considering I have maybe 2-4 very small games on my devices at any given time. What does piss me off is the lack of all the colors. I wanted the blue model, but of course, that's not possible...for whatever idiotic reason. I just said screw it and preordered the black. I guess I'll just buy a different back cover down the road.

karmuh said:
16GB is never an issue with me, regardless of the device. It's more than enough for my needs, considering I have maybe 2-4 very small games on my devices at any given time. What does piss me off is the lack of all the colors. I wanted the blue model, but of course, that's not possible...for whatever idiotic reason. I just said screw it and preordered the black. I guess I'll just buy a different back cover down the road.
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16GB may not be an issue for everyone, but why can't they just give the customer the choice at pre-launch? I have no problem paying more for storage. Why does Apple sell every color and size up front from day 1? That's what I don't get. Since they are dying so much to be like Apple, then why can't they at least do that?

MattMJB0188 said:
16GB may not be an issue for everyone, but why can't they just give the customer the choice at pre-launch? I have no problem paying more for storage. Why does Apple sell every color and size up front from day 1? That's what I don't get. Since they are dying so much to be like Apple, then why can't they at least do that?
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Agreed -- it really doesn't make any sense at all. All model options should be available from day 1, no exceptions. That's one thing Apple does an excellent job at. They announce their devices and the same day you can start preordering any color/storage model, assuming the stock is available, of course. It pissed me off even more, because we had to wait this long after the S5 announcement to just preorder it...and then we don't have all the options available? Very annoying.

karmuh said:
Agreed -- it really doesn't make any sense at all. All model options should be available from day 1, no exceptions. That's one thing Apple does an excellent job at. They announce their devices and the same day you can start preordering any color/storage model, assuming the stock is available, of course. It pissed me off even more, because we had to wait this long after the S5 announcement to just preorder it...and then we don't have all the options available? Very annoying.
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+1, Samsung never have full availability of their models. Either they announce a color but don't have it or announce a 64 GB version and don't have it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

barondebxl said:
+1, Samsung never have full availability of their models. Either they announce a color but don't have it or announce a 64 GB version and don't have it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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Yeah I know. Its ridiculous. I don't know why I had such high hopes for them to turn around and launch the S5 differently than before.

MattMJB0188 said:
I am so fed up with this type of BS. AT&T is, unfortunately, the only carrier that works well in my area. T-Mobile is spotty with lots of EDGE. If only their service was on lower spectrum, I'd be all over them.
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I know it doesnt help right now, but i recall reading on Engadget recently that T-Mobile is claiming that all of their 2g areas will be upgraded to 4g by 2015 or early in 2015. That should open up more options for you and countless others.

cloudraker said:
I know it doesnt help right now, but i recall reading on Engadget recently that T-Mobile is claiming that all of their 2g areas will be upgraded to 4g by 2015 or early in 2015. That should open up more options for you and countless others.
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That will help, but a major problem T-Mobile has it that their frequencies don't reach as far as AT&T's and therefore you get EDGE. T-Mobile has all their towers upgraded in my area to HSPA+ and some with LTE, but since those signals don't travel as far, it always turns into EDGE. They need to shut EDGE down entirely and use only H+.

New TouchWiz is just over 8 gigs of space, I've been told the 16gb version will have about 7 gigs of usable storage. I'm waiting for the 32gb version to come to AT&BS I guess a little later this year.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

This is why I am thinking of passing on s5 and going to HTC one m8. I checked out the phone at AT&T and very impressed with it plus it comes in 32gb at AT&T as default. Tired of Samsung Bs. They will release a 32gb version on AT&T 6 months down the road or never.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

sabre31 said:
This is why I am thinking of passing on s5 and going to HTC one m8. I checked out the phone at AT&T and very impressed with it plus it comes in 32gb at AT&T as default. Tired of Samsung Bs. They will release a 32gb version on AT&T 6 months down the road or never.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Yea. With the S4 I think they announced the 32GB version about 2 weeks after the 16GB went on sale; ultimately screwing anyone who wanted one because their return policy was up.
I actually ordered the 16GB because I never have come close to filling the internal storage I was just pissed its not an option. I just really wanted the blue. **** like that pisses me off. I am sure if AT&T gets the 32GB it will only come in black. I wanted white this time.

Yeah AT&T waited 2 weeks on purpose so you couldn't return the 16gb version. I bet they will pull something similar now. Hoping that somebody is desperate to open another line or pay full price to get it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Same thing with last year. 64GB M7 cost the same as a 16GB S4.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

Equally as important as the space issue is the "download booster" feature, which is disabled on all the demo devices that are popping up in AT&T stores. I'm going to wait for the actual devices to ship to customers before passing judgment because floor models definitely do have things disabled sometimes. That said, it certainly shouldn't shock anyone that AT&T would want this disabled. Years of history support the idea that they don't want people using their network, and they push people toward WiFi whenever possible. I can just see some corporate goon in a boardroom breaking out in a cold sweat over the idea of people accidentally using download booster and going over their data plans because they didn't realize what they were doing.
Let us not forget this is also the same carrier who disabled installation of non-market APKs on their early Android devices, shipped the Note 2 without the multi-window functionality until enough people raised hell, and removed the Knox security app from the Note 3. This says nothing of the fact that they still manage to get their paws into Nexus devices, successfully getting Google to code in an exception that disables tethering on the Nexus 7 if you have an AT&T SIM card in it. There's no account check or anything else. If you have an AT&T SIM card in your Nexus 7, the tethering option disappears. End of story. Not even Verizon does that. Also, does anyone remember how, for the longest time, AT&T made both Apple and Google disable video chat in Facetime and Hangouts over HSPA+ and LTE, forcing you to use WiFi?
So far, I'm leaving my preorder intact, but if my device doesn't have the download booster feature, I'm returning it. Every time I decide to give a carrier-branded device a chance, it seems I get let down. Even with Nexus devices, AT&T finds a way to let me down (thus why I have my N7 on Verizon). I'm trying to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt on the download booster, but I'm not at all optimistic. :/ I mainly stick with AT&T because they're basically the only choice if you want to use unlocked Nexus and/or GPE devices and still have Verizon-like coverage.

oldblue910 said:
Equally as important as the space issue is the "download booster" feature, which is disabled on all the demo devices that are popping up in AT&T stores. I'm going to wait for the actual devices to ship to customers before passing judgment because floor models definitely do have things disabled sometimes. That said, it certainly shouldn't shock anyone that AT&T would want this disabled. Years of history support the idea that they don't want people using their network, and they push people toward WiFI whenever possible. I can just see some corporate goon in a boardroom breaking out in a cold sweat over the idea of people accidentally using download booster and going over their data plans because they didn't realize what they were doing.
Let us not forget this is also the same carrier who disabled installation of non-market APKs on their early Android devices, shipped the Note 2 without the multi-window functionality until enough people raised hell, and removed the Knox security app from the Note 3. This says nothing of the fact that they still manage to get their paws into Nexus devices, successfully getting Google to code in an exception that disables tethering on the Nexus 7 if you have an AT&T SIM card in it. There's no account check or anything else. If you have an AT&T SIM card in your Nexus 7, the tethering option disappears. End of story. Not even Verizon does that. Also, does anyone remember how, for the longest time, AT&T made both Apple and Google disable video chat in Facetime and Hangouts over HSPA+ and LTE, forcing you to use WiFi?
So far, I'm leaving my preorder intact, but if my device doesn't have the download booster feature, I'm returning it. Every time I decide to give a carrier-branded device a chance, it seems I get let down. Even with Nexus devices, AT&T finds a way to let me down (thus why I have my N7 on Verizon). I'm trying to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt on the download booster, but I'm not at all optimistic. :/ I mainly stick with AT&T because they're basically the only choice if you want to use unlocked Nexus and/or GPE devices and still have Verizon-like coverage.
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Well said. Personally, I have never used a Nexus device. I have heard bad things about LG's nexus. But I guess it wouldn't be fair of me to judge that device without actually using it. Samsung's TW provides me with exactly what I need. I love the look and a lot of the features. Like you, and as I have already stated, I will keep my pre-order intact and wait until I actually get the device to see for myself if the feature has been disabled or not.
If they do, in fact disable download booster, I probably will go with the international variant. No carrier branding whatsoever. I believe its the same case as in the past. NO LTE, but 21mbps HSPA+ which is fine for my needs. I think loosing LTE may be worth getting an untouched/non-carrier branded Samsung phone. NO limitations, no nothing. Having the ability to have a custom recovery and kernels would be a deal breaker alone. We already know the AT&T S5 will have a locked down bootloader.
One thing I am looking forward to with the AT&T S5 is its support for carrier aggregation. I live in the Chicago land area (one of AT&T's first LTE-A markets). So I am dying to see how much faster my speeds will be.

oldblue910 said:
Equally as important as the space issue is the "download booster" feature, which is disabled on all the demo devices that are popping up in AT&T stores. I'm going to wait for the actual devices to ship to customers before passing judgment because floor models definitely do have things disabled sometimes. That said, it certainly shouldn't shock anyone that AT&T would want this disabled. Years of history support the idea that they don't want people using their network, and they push people toward WiFI whenever possible. I can just see some corporate goon in a boardroom breaking out in a cold sweat over the idea of people accidentally using download booster and going over their data plans because they didn't realize what they were doing.
Let us not forget this is also the same carrier who disabled installation of non-market APKs on their early Android devices, shipped the Note 2 without the multi-window functionality until enough people raised hell, and removed the Knox security app from the Note 3. This says nothing of the fact that they still manage to get their paws into Nexus devices, successfully getting Google to code in an exception that disables tethering on the Nexus 7 if you have an AT&T SIM card in it. There's no account check or anything else. If you have an AT&T SIM card in your Nexus 7, the tethering option disappears. End of story. Not even Verizon does that. Also, does anyone remember how, for the longest time, AT&T made both Apple and Google disable video chat in Facetime and Hangouts over HSPA+ and LTE, forcing you to use WiFi?
So far, I'm leaving my preorder intact, but if my device doesn't have the download booster feature, I'm returning it. Every time I decide to give a carrier-branded device a chance, it seems I get let down. Even with Nexus devices, AT&T finds a way to let me down (thus why I have my N7 on Verizon). I'm trying to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt on the download booster, but I'm not at all optimistic. :/ I mainly stick with AT&T because they're basically the only choice if you want to use unlocked Nexus and/or GPE devices and still have Verizon-like coverage.
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Well said. Unlocked devices in the USA pretty much only fully support AT&T frequencies. Sure they may be unlocked, but use any other carrier and you'll end up losing out on one to numerous frequencies.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

SolarTrans said:
Well said. Unlocked devices in the USA pretty much only fully support AT&T frequencies. Sure they may be unlocked, but use any other carrier and you'll end up losing out on one to numerous frequencies.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
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I can't speak for all unlocked devices, but every Nexus device with a cellular radio fully supports all bands for both AT&T and T-Mobile. In addition, the Nexus 5 fully supports all Sprint CDMA and LTE bands, and the 2013 N7 has full Verizon LTE support.
On the GPE side, you're right. The Moto G and both generations of the HTC One lack support for HSPA+ on the AWS/1700 MHz band, which T-Mobile requires for any area not refarmed to use HSPA+ on the PCS/1900 MHz band.
That said, all GPEs fully support T-Mobile LTE.
Sent from my Z Ultra Google Play Edition using Tapatalk

oldblue910 said:
I can't speak for all unlocked devices, but every Nexus device with a cellular radio fully supports all bands for both AT&T and T-Mobile. In addition, the Nexus 5 fully supports all Sprint CDMA and LTE bands, and the 2013 N7 has full Verizon LTE support.
On the GPE side, you're right. The Moto G and both generations of the HTC One lack support for HSPA+ on the AWS/1700 MHz band, which T-Mobile requires for any area not refarmed to use HSPA+ on the PCS/1900 MHz band.
That said, all GPEs fully support T-Mobile LTE.
Sent from my Z Ultra Google Play Edition using Tapatalk
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Yeah that's true I forgot about T-Mobile. Nexus 5 did it right with good carrier support. GPE supporting T-Mobile and AT&T is nice, but nowhere near ideal. Case in point the M8 unlocked and Dev editions only support AT&T. Also, I think the unlocked iPhones support all the US carriers (99% sure).
Point is, to my knowledge, unlocked device support in the USA is like this (greatest adoption to least):
1. AT&T
2. T-Mobile
3. Sprint (very little support)
4. Verizon (pretty much nothing)
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

i'm confused, why doesn't everyone that want bigger memory space to just spend 35 dollars on amazon and get a 64GB micro card? that'd what i did so now when i get my AT&T S5, I'll have a total of 70 GBs free space....
i think you guys are crying way too much about this 16GB deal.

Thinking about moving over from Verizon for the Note 4...

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.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app

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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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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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
Click to expand...
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...
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
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

[Q] Maybe leaving T-Mobile for Sprint - What will I lose? or Gain?

Although I have been a very satisfied T-Mobile customer for the last 7 years, it appears and tech support confirms that the tower that I connect to at home is oversold and instead of the 16 to 20 megs down that I used to get, I am now getting 1.5 meg on a good day and it goes down to .3 meg on bad days. I can't live with that as I have little other access to Internet bandwidth in my neighborhood and it gets worse every week. I use the Internet for business. The only fix appears to be another tower. Not a quick fix.
So, If I make the switch, what happens? Although it may work out better in switching if I give Sprint my existing Nexus 6, I will be using a Nexus 6 with them. I read comments that I will lose simultaneous voice and data use because of their Spark network. Is that true? What LTE speeds should I expect? I also understand that I will lose tethering if I opt for the unlimited plan (I am actually leaning toward the 20 GB family plan which I understand that I can share with my data enabled devices.) I don't read any nice things about Sprint.
Any thoughts you can share would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

Dont do it bro, sprint is horrible. Tell me if you find 25 people you know that love sprint more than T-Mobile. Sprint is a rotting company hiding behind sales gimmicks and ideas from T-Mobile. T-Mobile is still rolling out this year with Band 12 700Mhz and its LTE footprint roll out replacing old edge areas. More people complain about sprint way more than T-Mobile. So if you dont like T-Mobile, you might as well get shartrizon or AT$$$T. I would recommend calling T-Mobile to send a tech. to your area to fix the issue or report it for fixing.

ourtech said:
Although I have been a very satisfied T-Mobile customer for the last 7 years, it appears and tech support confirms that the tower that I connect to at home is oversold and instead of the 16 to 20 megs down that I used to get, I am now getting 1.5 meg on a good day and it goes down to .3 meg on bad days. I can't live with that as I have little other access to Internet bandwidth in my neighborhood and it gets worse every week. I use the Internet for business. The only fix appears to be another tower. Not a quick fix.
So, If I make the switch, what happens? Although it may work out better in switching if I give Sprint my existing Nexus 6, I will be using a Nexus 6 with them. I read comments that I will lose simultaneous voice and data use because of their Spark network. Is that true? What LTE speeds should I expect? I also understand that I will lose tethering if I opt for the unlimited plan (I am actually leaning toward the 20 GB family plan which I understand that I can share with my data enabled devices.) I don't read any nice things about Sprint.
Any thoughts you can share would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is Cricket Wireless an option? They are essentially AT&T with throttled LTE speeds of 8Mpbs down, no throttle up. I am paying $55/month for 20GB of LTE data. They no longer offer that plan, but have the same plan at 10GB of data.

chaunold said:
Dont do it bro, sprint is horrible. Tell me if you find 25 people you know that love sprint more than T-Mobile. Sprint is a rotting company hiding behind sales gimmicks and ideas from T-Mobile. T-Mobile is still rolling out this year with Band 12 700Mhz and its LTE footprint roll out replacing old edge areas. More people complain about sprint way more than T-Mobile. So if you dont like T-Mobile, you might as well get shartrizon or AT$$$T. I would recommend calling T-Mobile to send a tech. to your area to fix the issue or report it for fixing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, that is my feeling as well. I can't find anyone that has nice things to say. As to AT&T or Verizon, wow does the cost jump. And to the point about getting a tech out there, been there, done that. T-Mobile is very aware of the problem. They have bee running tests for a while. Sadly, it is oversold. Not broken. Don't have too many options. There were some numbers from Verizon that weren't horrible, but I don't think Verizon pays ETFs.

Someone is selling a CricketWireless 20GB LTE plan on Howard Forums...I have had ZERO issues using Cricket with my Nexus 6...in fact I am loving it.

I have looked at Cricket. The problem is that I do exceed 10 GB in some months and there is no provision for tethering or tablets that I could see. One of those options would be necessary.

ourtech said:
See, that is my feeling as well. I can't find anyone that has nice things to say. As to AT&T or Verizon, wow does the cost jump. And to the point about getting a tech out there, been there, done that. T-Mobile is very aware of the problem. They have bee running tests for a while. Sadly, it is oversold. Not broken. Don't have too many options. There were some numbers from Verizon that weren't horrible, but I don't think Verizon pays ETFs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had verizon wireless for 10 years and left them over a year ago for T-Mobile. I didn't regret anything. I didn't switch because of price because I could afford verizon, but their plans and phones suck and they are scam artists trying to rape every penny from you just like John Legere quoted. In my area and even in rural places in georgia I get pretty decent excellent coverage and service. At home I usually get from 80-112mbps down and 7-15mbps up. Verizon couldn't match that and hell, everyone I know that has sprint hate it and are jumping to T-Mobile because they get less than 1mbps and call quality sounds like pure ****. T-Mobile has nationwide VoLTE and WiFi calling and texting and the "Uncarrier" exclusives. I have unlimited data so I use it as my home internet since I have root for tethering unlimited data and its way faster than charters fastest speeds they deliver to my house lol. Sprint is also bad just like verizon because remember they are money hungry companies and they will lock u in contracts and can only use their cdma devices or select unlocked devices like the nexus 6. I heard verizon doesn't recognize the unlocked nexus 6, idk if that is true or not.

Link? And what about tablets or tethering? I need that data sometimes when I am out in the field and I have to remote into something. Yes, even my 6 inch screen is a little small. I don't see any plans for tablets.

ourtech said:
I have looked at Cricket. The problem is that I do exceed 10 GB in some months and there is no provision for tethering or tablets that I could see. One of those options would be necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although tethering is not supported, it does work.
There also would be no issue popping in a Cricket SIM in a Nexus 9. I've considered selling my WiFi N9 and getting a LTE N9 with a 20GB Cricket SIM.

metaphz said:
Is Cricket Wireless an option? They are essentially AT&T with throttled LTE speeds of 8Mpbs down, no throttle up. I am paying $55/month for 20GB of LTE data. They no longer offer that plan, but have the same plan at 10GB of data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
metaphz said:
Someone is selling a CricketWireless 20GB LTE plan on Howard Forums...I have had ZERO issues using Cricket with my Nexus 6...in fact I am loving it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I could see in the Howard forums, the 20 GB promo expired in April. Thanks though.

ourtech said:
From what I could see in the Howard forums, the 20 GB promo expired in April.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It did expire, someone is selling their account.

ourtech said:
Link? And what about tablets or tethering? I need that data sometimes when I am out in the field and I have to remote into something. Yes, even my 6 inch screen is a little small. I don't see any plans for tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an app on the playstore if you have root called "WiFi Tether Router" which will work or if you want unlimited native tethering.
#1 in SQL lite go to /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db/global
#2 add " tether_dun required " and set the value to 0
#3 in your APN settings add " dun " to APN type and set your APN to IPv4 only since IPv6 doesnt support this.

Either use OpenSignal app or their site and zoom in on your neighborhood. They have a list of carriers with their average upload and download speed.
Personally I wouldn't use Sprint as OpenSignal and Rootmetrics has shown it is the slowest network across the country.
Get a AT&T GoPhone sim and try them out for a month. Walmart sells the sims. They now have rollover data on prepaid just like T-mobile. Plus they're not throttled like Cricket.
I wait for Callingmart to announce their monthly 10% off GoPhone refills on Twitter. Then refill each month saving me $6.

Just my 2¢ but I have been with Sprint for going on 8 years. Their service is great in my area (now) and their customer service has always been outstanding. While I do agree that they don't have the best coverage, they have come a long way in my time with them. You can get unlimited, TRULY unlimited data with them for a good price. They offer payment plans on the top devices and as I said, customer service has bent over backwards for me more than once. Choice is yours, OP, just do your homework and choose wisely.

I have no complaints with Sprint. They recently upgraded my area to LTE and its fast. Its really pointless to ask random people on the internet because they more than likely do not live in your state much less your city. Signal strength is the most important aspect of cell phone service and you wont find that answer here. I would find a coverage map and compare the carriers, make sure it is a legitimate coverage map and not advertising. I would also ask people in your area with Sprint so you can compare.

bob2300nx said:
I have no complaints with Sprint. They recently upgraded my area to LTE and its fast. Its really pointless to ask random people on the internet because they more than likely do not live in your state much less your city. Signal strength is the most important aspect of cell phone service and you wont find that answer here. I would find a coverage map and compare the carriers, make sure it is a legitimate coverage map and not advertising. I would also ask people in your area with Sprint so you can compare.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To each his own. I have learned a lot from this, coverage map aside (I am in a Spark enabled area of moderate strength, the same as I am for T-Mobile and for that matter, likely AT&T, which tells me little that I didn't already know. It is a topology issue.) My question wasn't about coverage. It was about the experience. I have learned that, unlike T-Mobile, Sprint customer service is out of country, but some have had good experiences with the company. I have also received useful suggestions about alternatives. This has been very useful to me. Sprint could have the strongest signal in my area and still be a company to avoid like the plague.

Free data after you reach your limit, and free music service streaming
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app

ceo4eva said:
Free data after you reach your limit, and free music service streaming
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. Hadn't thought about those. Thanks.
This morning my Speed Tests were decidedly better. At least 8 and as high as 12 meg. I haven't seen those numbers in months. So, (holding breath), perhaps my last call got something changed. I won't make changes unless I am sure there is no hope for change.

ourtech said:
To each his own. I have learned a lot from this, coverage map aside (I am in a Spark enabled area of moderate strength, the same as I am for T-Mobile and for that matter, likely AT&T, which tells me little that I didn't already know. It is a topology issue.) My question wasn't about coverage. It was about the experience. I have learned that, unlike T-Mobile, Sprint customer service is out of country, but some have had good experiences with the company. I have also received useful suggestions about alternatives. This has been very useful to me. Sprint could have the strongest signal in my area and still be a company to avoid like the plague.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than calling to activate new phones, I have only had to call once in all my years with Sprint and I have no complaints on it. I don't generally need service, I pay my bill and use my phone lol. As far as overseas call centers, that's not entirely true; there is a Sprint call center in my city (along with a T-Mobile call center). To each their own.

I switched from Sprint to Verizon as my family plan 4 years ago, best decision of my life. Sprint will frustrate you beyond belief with their slow data, you won't even be able to load Google. I know you said the big 2 cost too much, so I'd stay with T-Mobile if I were you, avoid Sprint at all costs. I personally love Verizon, have 5 off contract smartphones with them, 15GB shared data, and pay $153+tax a month.

Is anyone using a Nexus 6 on Total Wireless?

Total Wireless is looking like a great deal. $35 for 1 line with 5GB of data on Verizon! Granted it's capped to 5mbps down but that's enough for my needs.
Just curious- is anybody running it and what is your experience? Does MMS work reliable? Does data work reliably? Do you have to mess around with APNs to get it working?

That's barely even LTE speeds... Glad the speeds work for you, it would never work for me for $5 more a month I have AT&T service, 5GB of data and over 25Mbps. When you're away from home (especially on vacation or visiting a relative for the weekend) that extra 20Mbps is very nice to have.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers mobile app

Just to let you know, all Verizon mvno's are capped at 5mb/s but I can tell you that AT&T, T-Mobile and I believe Sprint do not cap second rate customers.
taPpEd fROM mY nExUs 6

andrewjt19 said:
Just to let you know, all Verizon mvno's are capped at 5mb/s but I can tell you that AT&T, T-Mobile and I believe Sprint do not cap second rate customers.
taPpEd fROM mY nExUs 6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they all cap their mvnos, just at differing rates. for example, in my neighborhood i get around 60mbps download speeds on tmobile, yet my buddy whos on metropcs(also tmobile) gets around 8mbps download.

simms22 said:
they all cap their mvnos, just at differing rates. for example, in my neighborhood i get around 60mbps download speeds on tmobile, yet my buddy whos on metropcs(also tmobile) gets around 8mbps download.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have Straight Talk AT&T. I get 50-60 mbps with a strong signal.
I'm glad I found this thread. I was thinking about trying Total Wireless but 5 mbps, no thanks.

Anyone ever end up connecting their Nexus 6 to total wireless? Their website says its not compatible but I don't believe that since it's an unlocked phone.

snarl16 said:
Anyone ever end up connecting their Nexus 6 to total wireless? Their website says its not compatible but I don't believe that since it's an unlocked phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been trying for the better part of a month... Ended up having to pay another month on Cricket to reinstate my lapsed service.
Their compatibility checker gives me the go ahead, but i can't actually get service, just ticket numbers... Might end up buying a cheap Total Wireless phone, activate the SIM, then transfer to my unlocked N6. Wouldn't be the worst idea to have a burner around.

I enjoying my Nexus 6 with Ring plus Free $0 per month 5000 Talk/text 6 GB data 200 MMS. LTE Speed @ 25mbps. Joys!
Sent from my LG-F510L

I just switched my Nexus 6 from Metro PCS to Total Wireless. I decided to switch because Total uses Verizon wireless and we all know how much better VZW signal coverage is. In my area T-Mobile is very spotty but VZW has zero dead spots. I have been on Metro PCS for 2 years due to their unlimited data plan which used to be the only carrier that was fully unlimited without capping data or slowing speeds. On average I used 200GB-300GB a month from daily hotspot use for my Roku player. This is where I knew that owning a Nexus 6 has many hidden perks especially if it's rooted. I had the same experience with my Nexus 5 as well.
My guess is since the Nexus 5 and 6 are not carrier based or restricted by the same rules most other phones are subject to. They usually have to be manually activated for each carrier by the representative which normally have no clue what a Nexus phone is. Since my Nexus 6 is unlocked from the start the protocol is unique. I have used my Nexus on many different carriers as it can be activated with all 4 major carriers as well as any prepaid plans which use the same networks.
So my current status for 3 weeks now is Total Wireless, 35$/Mon. Unlimited talk and text with 5GB of data at full LTE speed. After 5GB you can refill data at 10$ for 3GB. By far the best deal if you are with VZW. Most plans charge 10$ per Gig.
Now that you have a good idea of my history here's the best part, which may be short lived but we will see. As I said my plan is for 5GB of data and I am currently over 260GB as Total Wi has not stopped nor throttled my speed. I have not done any type of hacks or workarounds to trick the system. My phone is rooted with a custom ROM. I use my Nexus 6 as a hotspot when at home to watch TV via Roku.
Before I realized that I was getting unlimited data I had attempted to purchase a refill of data before I reached the initial 5GB since I knew I would need more data to make it to the end of the month. When I went to my account on the TW website, which asked for my phone number or imei #, the site had no record of my phones information therefore I could not make any type of change to my account. I called and tried the automated system with the same results. Now my question is what is going to happen next week when I try and make a 35$ payment for next month. I'm not worried about TW expecting me to pay for the data used considering I have no control over when or how they limit usage. I realize that ultimately its just "data" and that's how the networks make billions by controlling the amount available. I also realize this is a nexus issue because this has happened with other carriers. This is why I will always own a Nexus phone. Not that this will always be working out in my favor, but its been 2 years and I've been able to bypass many regulations by simply owning this phone. For now I'm gonna take advantage of the current technology and I will continue to share my experience with other Nexus owners who may not be aware of the potential benefits that just happen to appear when I least expect it.

Interested in what happens at new month
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers mobile app

bchadm76 said:
I just switched my Nexus 6 from Metro PCS to Total Wireless. I decided to switch because Total uses Verizon wireless and we all know how much better VZW signal coverage is. In my area T-Mobile is very spotty but VZW has zero dead spots. I have been on Metro PCS for 2 years due to their unlimited data plan which used to be the only carrier that was fully unlimited without capping data or slowing speeds. On average I used 200GB-300GB a month from daily hotspot use for my Roku player. This is where I knew that owning a Nexus 6 has many hidden perks especially if it's rooted. I had the same experience with my Nexus 5 as well.
My guess is since the Nexus 5 and 6 are not carrier based or restricted by the same rules most other phones are subject to. They usually have to be manually activated for each carrier by the representative which normally have no clue what a Nexus phone is. Since my Nexus 6 is unlocked from the start the protocol is unique. I have used my Nexus on many different carriers as it can be activated with all 4 major carriers as well as any prepaid plans which use the same networks.
So my current status for 3 weeks now is Total Wireless, 35$/Mon. Unlimited talk and text with 5GB of data at full LTE speed. After 5GB you can refill data at 10$ for 3GB. By far the best deal if you are with VZW. Most plans charge 10$ per Gig.
Now that you have a good idea of my history here's the best part, which may be short lived but we will see. As I said my plan is for 5GB of data and I am currently over 260GB as Total Wi has not stopped nor throttled my speed. I have not done any type of hacks or workarounds to trick the system. My phone is rooted with a custom ROM. I use my Nexus 6 as a hotspot when at home to watch TV via Roku.
Before I realized that I was getting unlimited data I had attempted to purchase a refill of data before I reached the initial 5GB since I knew I would need more data to make it to the end of the month. When I went to my account on the TW website, which asked for my phone number or imei #, the site had no record of my phones information therefore I could not make any type of change to my account. I called and tried the automated system with the same results. Now my question is what is going to happen next week when I try and make a 35$ payment for next month. I'm not worried about TW expecting me to pay for the data used considering I have no control over when or how they limit usage. I realize that ultimately its just "data" and that's how the networks make billions by controlling the amount available. I also realize this is a nexus issue because this has happened with other carriers. This is why I will always own a Nexus phone. Not that this will always be working out in my favor, but its been 2 years and I've been able to bypass many regulations by simply owning this phone. For now I'm gonna take advantage of the current technology and I will continue to share my experience with other Nexus owners who may not be aware of the potential benefits that just happen to appear when I least expect it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think being able to go over the data limit was because of the Nexus phone. I once have a 1GB/month hotspot plan with StraightTalk. For the first month, I was able to go 20GB above the 1GB limit and not getting blocked at all. I didn't renew the next month. However, 2 months later, I reactivated my hotspot account and was blocked off at 0.99GB. Apparently, there must be some kind of delay in setting up quota checking for new accounts. After a few months, the check will be put in and the quota will be enforced. I was not penalized for going over 20GB though.

bchadm76 said:
I just switched my Nexus 6 from Metro PCS to Total Wireless. I decided to switch because Total uses Verizon wireless and we all know how much better VZW signal coverage is. In my area T-Mobile is very spotty but VZW has zero dead spots. I have been on Metro PCS for 2 years due to their unlimited data plan which used to be the only carrier that was fully unlimited without capping data or slowing speeds. On average I used 200GB-300GB a month from daily hotspot use for my Roku player. This is where I knew that owning a Nexus 6 has many hidden perks especially if it's rooted. I had the same experience with my Nexus 5 as well.
My guess is since the Nexus 5 and 6 are not carrier based or restricted by the same rules most other phones are subject to. They usually have to be manually activated for each carrier by the representative which normally have no clue what a Nexus phone is. Since my Nexus 6 is unlocked from the start the protocol is unique. I have used my Nexus on many different carriers as it can be activated with all 4 major carriers as well as any prepaid plans which use the same networks.
So my current status for 3 weeks now is Total Wireless, 35$/Mon. Unlimited talk and text with 5GB of data at full LTE speed. After 5GB you can refill data at 10$ for 3GB. By far the best deal if you are with VZW. Most plans charge 10$ per Gig.
Now that you have a good idea of my history here's the best part, which may be short lived but we will see. As I said my plan is for 5GB of data and I am currently over 260GB as Total Wi has not stopped nor throttled my speed. I have not done any type of hacks or workarounds to trick the system. My phone is rooted with a custom ROM. I use my Nexus 6 as a hotspot when at home to watch TV via Roku.
Before I realized that I was getting unlimited data I had attempted to purchase a refill of data before I reached the initial 5GB since I knew I would need more data to make it to the end of the month. When I went to my account on the TW website, which asked for my phone number or imei #, the site had no record of my phones information therefore I could not make any type of change to my account. I called and tried the automated system with the same results. Now my question is what is going to happen next week when I try and make a 35$ payment for next month. I'm not worried about TW expecting me to pay for the data used considering I have no control over when or how they limit usage. I realize that ultimately its just "data" and that's how the networks make billions by controlling the amount available. I also realize this is a nexus issue because this has happened with other carriers. This is why I will always own a Nexus phone. Not that this will always be working out in my favor, but its been 2 years and I've been able to bypass many regulations by simply owning this phone. For now I'm gonna take advantage of the current technology and I will continue to share my experience with other Nexus owners who may not be aware of the potential benefits that just happen to appear when I least expect it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used my nexus 6 on total wireless but they wouldnt let me activate it becvause I had used it on straight talk and for some stupid reason if you used your phone on another service owned by american movil they wont let you use it on another, stupid right ? Turn down paying customers because of this was just plain stupid.

M9guy said:
I used my nexus 6 on total wireless but they wouldnt let me activate it becvause I had used it on straight talk and for some stupid reason if you used your phone on another service owned by american movil they wont let you use it on another, stupid right ? Turn down paying customers because of this was just plain stupid.
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I was able to transfer my Nexus 6 StraightTalk Verizon service over to TotalWireless on the exact same phone. It is doable now and not too painful. You can read through my experience here
http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...et10-StraightTalk-)-VWZ-to-Total-Wireless-VWZ

sumtingwong said:
I was able to transfer my Nexus 6 StraightTalk Verizon service over to TotalWireless on the exact same phone. It is doable now and not too painful. You can read through my experience here
http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...et10-StraightTalk-)-VWZ-to-Total-Wireless-VWZ
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I posted on there too, thanks for the heads up on this. I think once enough fcc complaints are filed against them on this they will either stop it or fcc will go after them I would hope at least. I say fcc should fine them. :good:

M9guy said:
I used my nexus 6 on total wireless but they wouldnt let me activate it becvause I had used it on straight talk and for some stupid reason if you used your phone on another service owned by american movil they wont let you use it on another, stupid right ? Turn down paying customers because of this was just plain stupid.
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M9guy said:
I posted on there too, thanks for the heads up on this. I think once enough fcc complaints are filed against them on this they will either stop it or fcc will go after them I would hope at least. I say fcc should fine them. :good:
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I think all the FCC complaints since Jan until now did have an effect on them. Internally, I think they now have a procedure to switch the billing from one TracFone brand to another including TW. It looks like that was exactly what Julio did for me the second time. The Mark guy probably knew that procedure too but was trying to upsell me a TW phone the first time by scaring me off with the possibility of not being able to keep my number. All in all, the experience now won't be too painful.

Turned Down
I was on straight talk & switched to Cricket , now Total will not port my # over as they say I am a ST customer. I just filed a complaint.

M9guy said:
I used my nexus 6 on total wireless but they wouldnt let me activate it becvause I had used it on straight talk and for some stupid reason if you used your phone on another service owned by american movil they wont let you use it on another, stupid right ? Turn down paying customers because of this was just plain stupid.
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The Nexus 6 is compatible on any network, whether its prepaid plan or not. If you own it which I'm sure you do then the problem is reps who don't know much about phones especially nexus brand. Most aren't branded to a specific Carrier so the reps don't always know the right answer. I've used mine on many different mvno prepaid carriers and its always the same "issue" but I make sure I get it activated. I still love this phone
---------- Post added at 05:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:58 AM ----------
pay*day said:
I was on straight talk & switched to Cricket , now Total will not port my # over as they say I am a ST customer. I just filed a complaint.
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I know Tracfone owns Total
---------- Post added at 05:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:00 AM ----------
sumtingwong said:
I don't think being able to go over the data limit was because of the Nexus phone. I once have a 1GB/month hotspot plan with StraightTalk. For the first month, I was able to go 20GB above the 1GB limit and not getting blocked at all. I didn't renew the next month. However, 2 months later, I reactivated my hotspot account and was blocked off at 0.99GB. Apparently, there must be some kind of delay in setting up quota checking for new accounts. After a few months, the check will be put in and the quota will be enforced. I was not penalized for going over 20GB though.
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Well I don't see many others posting about unlimited data with other phones plus I know my phone well and its rooted also.

Just jumped on Total Wireless
I added four phones to Total Wireless last night - a Nexus 6, Note 4 and two LG G3s. PAINLESS. I actually called the customer service number and answered their questions (MEID, number to port, etc.). It went so well that my VZW number ported over WHILE I was still on the phone with the rep and dropped my call! Went to work on the road today and had no issues through the mountains of Western NC. Data speeds may be slower but that's not an issue for my family because we don't stream away from WiFi.