yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jjjtriplej:
T-Mobile Prepaid

I recently came to the same conclusion and today stumbled upon your post. I sold my Verizon Unlimited contracts on ebay for $200 each, sold my Verizon phones, and picked up a T-Mo Galaxy S3 for my wife and I. We are currently trying the $30/month plan, and will likely try Straight Talk next month. We ported our numbers over to google voice and haven't looked back!

Thanks for the great thread!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
A Straight Talk employee supposedly just confirmed a "case by case basis" of throttling for unlimited customers. It doesn't make this any more clear, but at least someone inside is admitting to it:

http://www.phonenews.com/straighttalk-confirms-data-throttling-policy-no-iphone-hotspot-support-22244/

I still like Straight Talk. There are better quality prepaid services out there for just a little bit more money, but Straight Talk is one of the best values if you need to conserve cash.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] shev7chenko:
Why do people say there is a 100mb daily limit on straight talk att?

They don't want people streaming HD content or downloading huge files. Basically don't saturate the bandwidth and slow other people down.

I have used over 7gb in one month and no throttle yet when i streamed twitch TV in HD for over an hour and was throttled even though I was under 2gb of data.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] phoenixfriend:
I just did my straight talk swap on a at&t captivate. Figured I'd give it a shot. Seems good so far. Are they still throttling the speeds then? I guess if they try with me I'll have to get nasty with them.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
Be careful how you treat your service reps. Being a **** doesn't get you anywhere, especially when they're in Guatemala making (probably) $5 a day. I've never had good luck getting mean with service reps. If you've ever worked in a call center or known someone who does, you know that they often have latitude in how they handle your issue. If you treat them poorly, they'll do the same to you.

Besides, what do you expect for $45 a month? If you need truly unlimited highspeed data, then you belong on the T-Mobile unlimited plans. Or, just use wifi whenever you can and accept the limitations of a $45 plan (like many of us do).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
The Nexus 4 became available again on Google Play 20 minutes ago. It's a great prepaid phone and I just ordered two (the limit is currently 2).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
i just activated my net10 sim...

speeds/coverage are identical to straight talk which isnt surprising since they're the same company.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] phoenixfriend:
Sorry I misspoke. I don't intend to be mean just that I'll inform them that I'll take my business elsewhere. Speak of the meaning of unlimited and truth in advertising and mention my family attorney. He was very helpful when all state tried to up my premium after an accident that was no fault of my own. I don't tether or stream videos. I browse. I browse a lot. Insomnia sucks. This is but one of 4 android forums I'm a member of and that's of the 15 in total ranging from cars to eye care. I read the forums until I fall asleep. If sleep comes. If not I go to work and use my phone there for researching small things.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] shev7chenko:
Browsing is unlimited. Bandwidth saturation is not.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] phoenixfriend:
These are my speed tests from the last few days.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
^ looks like att 3g
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brownieelf:
Quick question if anyone can help me.

I'm currently with sprint. I finally got a chance to place an order for a nexus 4. It ships in 1-2 weeks. I've been watching this thread for awhile.

I'm leaning towards a straighttalk tmo sim. I would have probably went with the at&t one and settled for the slower data speeds, but they seem to have pulled them. Not sure if solavei is a better option or not, and I don't like that i have to wait for the imei to get a sim either.

I am really intrigued with the idea of google voice. I don't know if i'll use all the features or not, but I like the idea of having all my voicemails and texts right to my email. I use an app right now for the texts, but voicemails are stuck on my phone.

I plan on rooting, and trying out different roms, and I hate the idea of having to backup stuff and copy it back all the time.

My question is this. I would like to keep my number...it's not a dealbreaker though.

Do I port my sprint number to google voice before I cancel my sprint account, or do I port my number to straightalk first, and then to google voice?

My other question is can you port your number from google voice back to a carrier if you don't like it?

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ogp:
Port to Google Voice. When the port completes, your Sprint contract will be terminated. Do not port to StraightTalk. You want to leave your number with Google Voice to offer the most flexibility down the road. Any time you get a new number, you add it to Google Voice and then configure it to forward to said new number. That way you never have to notify anyone that you've changed carriers and have a new number.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brownieelf:
Ok. Ty. So basically I can activate the new phone and SIM (with a new number) and then port my number to gv. Then forward the new number. Wouldn't this mean a lapse in cell service though? How long does a port to gv take? Obviously I would not do it till I have the new phone, but I need for my kids to be able to contact me.

Will I have any problems setting up voicemail with straight talk...I'm not even sure how t mobile is going to work. When I zoom in on coverage maps I'm in a dead spot...meaning it's not red. Map says I'm in a dead spot for Sprint too, but I have service...sucky, but still.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
GV port takes 1-3 days. my buddy just ported his and it took 1 day.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brownieelf:
Ok...just trying to figure this out. Gonna end up in court in a few weeks cause my ex is giving me problems. It's gonna be tough to not fire up that nexus the minute I get it :). I want to minimize problems as much as possible
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ogp:
You can continue to use your Sprint phone right up until the port completes. When it does, your Sprint phone will no longer work. I believe my port took a day as well.

You could also carry your new phone with new sim and give that number out temporarily. And then once the port completes basically abandon it (just don't give it out anymore).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brownieelf:
That makes me feel better. Only thing I'm not sure about now is Google voice. I so want to use this for the ease of switching these Sims to see what I like, or to get a better deal.

I know about the mms's not working, and I was just going to deal with it. But in reading about it I found out that group messages that come from iPhone's are all converted to mms's. I have 5 family members using IPhones, this would cause problems unless I give out the new number too. Constantly porting my number would suck though too.

The more I learn the bigger the headache. Any other downsides to consider?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ogp:
The only other thing I consider a downside is the way texting is handled. You can't use the native SMS app as it will send these from your SIM phone number. You have to use Google Voice to send text messages if you want them to come from your Google Voice number. Fine, right? The only downside has to do with the way Google Voice receives text messages. I guess they have to get translated or forwarded or something. Anyway, what happens is you'll have a thread of text messages from the same person until you reboot your phone. After rebooting your phone, when you receive new text messages from these same people, you get a new thread. So it is harder to keep track of a texting history. Not a huge deal, but it can be something of an inconvenience. You can get around this by using GV SMS integration but the free version was annoying to use (I think it had something to do with pop ups) so I just live with it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brownieelf:
That app seems like it would help some. Still don't address the mms issue, but that's my problem...Lol I did get a kick out of the comment section though..from awesome to it ruined my phone. I just don't want any headaches, and I know I'm gonna flash some roms...some is probably an understatement, can't seem to help myself :) I just want simplicity...gv would give me that with the Sims, and give me more problems with texts. I have researched so much that I'm paralyzed..lol
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ogp:
I don't really receive MMS so that hasn't been an issue for me. I put up with the other minor things because I'm saving a ton on monthly service. I figure I'm paying less than half what I used to and have an awesome phone, I can put up with minor SMS inconveniences.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] brownieelf:
I hear ya. I'll end up saving probably 25 bucks a month by switching. Could be 40 if I had the guts to go with the T-Mobile 30 plan. And use gv for most calls. I'm driving a lot though so it would never work. I could always port my number, try it, and if I don't like it just give out my actual phone number and stop using gv. Need the stinkin phone already.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Dynotrick:
when porting the number out of sprint what is the process? I'm assuming the following, can anyone tell me if i'm right or not?

First disable GV integration on my sprint number then initiate the port process.

I don't see any option for porting or getting a new number in my settings now, and I think it's because i'm integrated.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ogp:
That sounds correct but it's been quite a while since I've done it so I can't be sure....
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] scoobdude:
That is what I did for both my number and last my wife's. Congrats and enjoy the freedom
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] dbarracuda:
Google Voice call cannot be completed.

Has anyone had trouble with getting "call cannot be completed as dialed" on a Google voice number?

I setup a number with Google voice to test out VOIP. However, most of the time if someone calls that number they get the "call cannot be completed as dialed" message. Sometimes it goes through just fine. It doesn't seem to match up to a specific carrier. I tried the suggestion to go to the troubleshooting section and report it but there doesn't seem to be the option anymore.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks,

David
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
I had that happen once a long time ago when I inadvertently setup a forwarding loop. Make sure your carrier voicemail is off and that you only give out your Google Voice number. If that isn't the issue, then try to contact Google or perhaps try some of their forums.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] urinsane:
Well, I must have finally hit the 4gb limit on Solavei, as they did throttle me down to EDGE speeds. Average about 150kbps up and down. Unfortunately I flash ROM's so frequently that my data usage counter is useless, but I was travelling for about a week and know my usage was higher than normal. (I've been with Solavei since beginning of September; this is the first month I've been throttled)

My reset date is the 11th so I'll have to suffer a few more days. Cannot stream through Google Music anymore, which sucks, but it is enough for basic web browsing. Still overall happy with the service for the price, but I do wish there was a way to add more data if needed. Hopefully we'll see one of these prepaid carriers offering $10/gb for additional data eventually, and everyone quickly following suit. It seems stupid to just throttle customers and make no additional income when you could charge for the additional service and make both sides happy.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
I noticed today that GoSmart Mobile provides a plan that's competitive with the $40 SIMple Mobile plan for $35. If you look on ebay, you can get the GoSmart service for $30/mo. It's not full highspeed, but it's a great value and gives the $30 T-Mobile plan a good competitor, depending on your individual usage.

https://www.gosmartmobile.com/compare-prepaid-cell-phone-plans

When my 6 months of Straight Talk (caught a sale for $220/6 mo) is up, I will likely be trying GoSmart. I will also be switching some of my friends, who I have helped switch to various prepaid providers.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] post-mortem:
It's unlimited everything for $35/mo for 2G, $45/mo for 3G. No 4G, apparently.

-- Sent from my TouchPad using Communities
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] andriodee:
I'm on the $70 prepaid monthly with T-Mobile and I'm at over 15GB of high-speed data with no throttle/cap/dreaded EDGE default. Also, my phone (GSM Galaxy Nexus) operates at 2G, 3G, AND 4G. The downside to this excellence is T-Mobile does not allow tethering for the $70/unlimited plan (sad face). I asked them why and they simply responded with: "If you'd like to use the tether and hotspot services, you need to downgrade your plan from unlimited to [x amount of GB]… once you've reached/exceeded x amount of GB, you will be throttled." My phone's "high-speed internet" is my computer's as well -- since I have no ISP (sigh) -- so I have to tether, but I REFUSE to be throttled like some insubordinate child. I've been using some app called Orbot along with PDANet to hide my tethering activities from T-Mobile, but it's only USB-tether that is hidable (epic sad face). Also, every so often it'll shut off (in the middle of WHATEVER you're doing) and prompt you to restart the service -- how annoying. If anyone knows of any ways to resolve/work around this issue, please respond to this or send me a PM ASAP.

Thanks in advance!

Dee
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] noneone:
No solution, but, I can confirm PDANET+ paid version occasionally will stop and need to be restarted for me too. I don't tether on TMO often, but, on trips sometimes for games, and its annoying to be in the middle of an online game and have to restart PDANET and hope you're not already in game dead. :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Telemachus13:
You might want to look into a vpn service. If you are connected through a vpn T-Mobile can't detect that you're teathering because everything they see is encrypted.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
Get a Mac. Problem solved.

That's not a fanboy comment. I'm sure a Linux system would also work...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] colonelcack:
Or just get a plugin for your browser called "user agent switcher" to trick tmobile into thinking you're using a different web browser. Worked for me
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Pkt_Lnt:
Change your browser user agent to android.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1727162
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] xdp:
Apparently Straight Talk is no longer doing AT&T SIMs? Would be a major loss if it stays this way!

http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...AT-amp-T-Sims-Removed-From-Straight-Talk-Site
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] adambomb6:
Last time I checked on Walmart.com you could still buy an att sim there.

Not sure why it is not on the ST site.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] player911:
AT&T service at my home is fantastic... except even with full bars, people are still missing/dropping calls. It is horrible. My gf has an unlocked AT&T iPhone 4 and looking to moving over to either StraightTalk or SimpleMobile.

Any suggestions?

What are the pros and cons or anything to look out for when choosing? Basically she is looking for "as cheap as possible" for an Unlimited Voice plan. She HAD text and data blocked on her AT&T and she was cool with it, but I bought her an iPhone 4 from a buddy for cheap for her to use (status icon girl crap). AT&T now keeps wanting to charge her for the iPhone plan even though she ONLY wants voice.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ttabbal:
Well... Yes, but that won't help iPhone users unless the area they are in is "modernized" as iPhones can't use the 1700/2100 bands that TMO uses for 3G. In those areas they have updated, the iPhone will work great with 3G though. :)

For a pentaband phone like the gnex, it doesn't matter as it can work on 3G with either carrier/band plan. But there aren't that many pentaband phones out there.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
I just checked and 6 month Straight Talk services cards are available on Amazon currently for $220 again!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AYZKE8/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
Can I buy two and essentially refill my service for 1 year with ST?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
You can buy as many as you want and load up your Straight Talk reserve. I hesitate to do that because prepaid prices generally keep dropping, but this is still an excellent deal.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
yes but why would you want to? you're basically in a contract plan at that point.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jazzruby:
Can someone check login at straighttalk.com; I've already verified through 'forgot password' that my username and password are correct, but it keeps failing login.

Thanks,

-JR-
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
Just did - no problem.

---------- Post added at 03:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:11 PM ----------

At less than $37 per 30 days, I don't mind. Though my concern is if they throttle me, I would have to wait a until next 6 month cycle to reset? :eek:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
Use WiFi as much as possible and don't hog bandwidth. Then there's no issue with throttling. Bandwidth hogs belong on the T-Mobile monthly 4g plans, not Straight Talk.

I used to consume 10GB per month on Verizon LTE. Now I consume 500-1000 MB per month by using WiFi at home and work. Be sure to understand your specific usage patterns.

I believe they still reset your data every 30 days even on the multi month plans.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] tnizzle:
Straight Talk ATT

Straight talk decided to throttle me to about 120kb per second because they said I am in violation with their policy. They said I was either downloading game or podcast, or keeping the facebook/twitter/browser application open. I am definitely using under 100 MB, under 2 GB per month, and I do not stream any video. Pandora is the only app I use a couple of times a week during my 45 min drive to LA. I'm guessing they are even cracking down on Pandora now, or it was the fruit Ninja I downloaded last week. What to do...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] dbarracuda:
@player911 You might look at Airvoice wireless. My wife is on it with unlimited talk and text no data for $30/mo
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] post-mortem:
Who want to put together a whitehouse.gov petition to get this "unlimited" BS straightened out?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
Have you confirmed your data usage via the built in data usage tracker in Android? I frequently stream music on Rhapsody (standard def, not HD) without any problems whatsoever.

---------- Post added at 02:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:30 PM ----------

I would gladly sign a petition regarding the unlimited marketing. It probably wouldn't even require any legislation, just some leaning on the FTC and/or the FCC to get them to act.

Just keep in mind, the restrictions on the plans may be substantial (worse than what we have now) if this were addressed. Imagine if "Unlimited" were changed to 500 MB? Or what if every "Unlimited" plan were throttled to 2G speeds?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] tnizzle:
yeah, i'm using Data manager to monitor my daily usage. I phoned in, and asked them to reset it. They said it was suspended for violations 6 and 7, and this will be a warning. It can lead to termination, blah blah blah. He asked abut 10 questions to try to figure out what I was doing to violate the terms. I can only think of Pandora as the problem. I did have a battery leak with the Facebook app because of gps or something. I deleted that app. Anyways, My contract ends in April 16, because I like to get the 3 month plans from Walmart since it's 3 dollars cheaper a month. Next time they decide to throttle me again, does it usually get reset after every 3 months, or on a monthly basis. I ported my number over to straight talk because I wanted to get mms, but now i'm scared if they decide to just terminate me the next time.

I'll sign the petition ....
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] nibrwr:
And this is exactly why I don't have ST anymore...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] huntnyc:
Deciding what service I should, what did you find that replaced ST? Thanks.

Gary
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Aerogriff:
Tmobiles $30 plan is great, but I talk to much. I'm gonna research some of the prepaid carriers that use att and don't throttle you. Even 2gb would be good for me.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
Simple Mobile and Solavei are also good options. I liked Solavei when I had it because they were very upfront about your data limits - 4 GB before 2G speed throttling. P-Tel also is pretty upfront with their data limits.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] nibrwr:
I couldn't find a GSM service to provide service while travelling for work. I did enjoy T-Mobile and their $70 unlimited prepaid plan, but service between metropolitan areas was abysmal at best.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
In some areas, prepaid GSM just isn't an option. Verizon does provide some MVNO options such as Page Plus Cellular and Straight Talk (Galaxy Proclaim). They don't provide LTE yet on those MVNOs, so you would need to decide how important LTE is to you and what it's worth. Sprint prepaid service could also be an option, but once again it just depends on your specific local coverage.

For me, both ATT and T-Mobile have superb network coverage in Minnesota. It's a prepaid paradise here. :D
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
Simple mobile is probably the worst mnvo out there. They are not "up front" about any of their data policies. When I used them, they would throttle me almost every month.

Use anything other than simple mobile.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jswede:
It all depends on your needs. Their data policies are highly documented on message boards. Frequent and extended high bandwidth use will typically get you warned or booted. If that's what you need, then pay a little more and get T-Mobile monthly 4g if they're good in your area.

With SIMple Mobile and even Straight Talk there are many people who use 5+ GB, but they don't use extreme bandwidth. Some streaming apps (for sure Rhapsody and YouTube) have options for HD or low bandwidth. This can help control your use and still allow you to use these services.

I don't care about the crummy data policies for my own needs because I have a 25 Mb Comcast connection at home and 50 Mb at my office, so I really don't care to use much mobile data. I figure I'm still money ahead when paying for a cheap cable or DSL connection.

Like the OP says, determine your needs and choose the provider that matches them. Some people have usage patterns that aren't good for the currently available prepaid services.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jordanishere:
"Frequent" and "extended" are relative terms. How exactly does that constitute solid documentation?

Nobody knows the limits simple mobile uses to determine who gets throttled, and who doesn't.

In actuality, simple mobile probably doesn't either. They buy their bandwidth from tmobile, and need to make sure enough exists for everyone. Therefore if simple mobile has a lot of data hogs, their throttle limit will kick in sooner. If they have fewer hogs, then that limit may increase.