yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
The only way I can think of to do that wouldn't really be that nice of a solution... I believe you can set up the forwarding options in Google Voice so that the caller ID for incoming calls to your Google Voice number shows up as your Google Voice number. You could then use something like Call Master to block all incoming calls unless they are from your Google Voice number. But then you'd have no idea who was actually calling ;)

I spend the majority of my day within range of a Wifi network, so I've got a handy-dandy Tasker profile (detailed in the link in my sig) that automatically shuts off the cellular radio when I'm connected on Wifi. This way I *only* receive incoming calls made to my GV number (via GrooveIP).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] dipole:
Cool, I've actually been using your setup for the past few weeks (Thanks!!) and it works great. Stupid bill collectors always manage to call that number when I'm inbetween WIFI. I'll look into your suggestions
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
You can request a new T-Mobile number. Call em up and explain what's happening I'm sure they'd be sympathetic.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] HyperM3:
I just thought of something and I dont know if its been discussed or not, dont really have time at work to peruse 142 pages.

I have unlimited everything on AT&T right now under a corporate plan and I pay $82.82/month. I just recently ordered the $45 Straight Talk SIM for my phone. My phone is not of course LTE capable but my previous Skyrocket is and my next phone probably would be.

If I get rid of my AT&T for the ST plan will this be dumb? Theres no guarantee that ST will get LTE capabilities down the road, and if they do, how much will they up the plan$ to accomodate that?

I like how much Ill be saving with the ST over the AT&T but if Im downgrading my service when Im grandfathered into an unlimited plan, this might not be a smart move.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jonathan3579:
You don't even have to explain about bill collectors. They've given me number changes in the past for "stalkers" haha.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Well I wouldn't count on ST getting LTE any time soon. I don't even see it being on the horizon of a couple years from now. If you want to have LTE and you need more than 2GB of data, then you should just stick with your AT&T plan. ST can't provide you with either one so it takes it off the table. At that point at least you're getting a deal on AT&T service...

---------- Post added at 03:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:09 PM ----------

Good to know.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] HyperM3:
Well, I honestly dont care if Im on LTE or not since Im pretty much on WiFi all day. Second, Ive never hit 2gb of data yet as I dont really stream music or movies. Maybe I just dont really need it but I want to make sure I dont get screwed by not having it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Well its all about your personal usage. So if you think that you can stay at ~2GB and you don't need LTE, I think that it may be a good option for you to think about ST. You can always go back to your AT&T + corporate discount if you find ST's service to be lacking.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] harveydent:
Get a ST ATT sim but don't cancel your ATT postpaid plan yet. If you don't like ST, you can just throw the sim away and it'll only cost you a month's bill and the cost of the sim. If you like ST, than you can terminate your ATT contracy without any anxiety
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] HyperM3:
Unfortunately, If I cancel my corporate plan, I cant get back on it. Its from an old job that I was at and AT&T never took me off it.

Thats a decent idea. The only problem is that I want to keep my same number.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] cwizardtx:
Speak to an AT&T rep. I was informed that you have 60 days to return to them, and they will simply reactivate your account "as is". Unlimited data plans and all.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] shev7chenko:
I went over 2gb in 5 days...haven't gotten booted and some have hit 6.5gb in the month and started a new one.

No proxy means no cap and no throttle...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bobsbbq:
I wouldn't bet on that. maybe lucky is all.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] shev7chenko:
With a proxy I couldn't stream or run speed tests. Left it blank now I get awesome speeds.

If they do cut me off oh well that is what is great about prepaid...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jonathan3579:
From what I've heard, you'll have to call and they'll make recommendations on how to use less data before starting you back up. That's the worse case scenario I've heard.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] :
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/uytcv/fyi_list_of_the_us_prepaid_plans_with_2gb_of_data/
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Not the biggest fan of reddit, but a nice roundup indeed. The more exposure prepaid gets, the better.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] :
Always happy to help.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Uppsala9496:
Quick question on straight talk (att):

If I port my number via google voice, I understand that I can then use that number to still receive and place calls via the forwarding ability.

What about sending/receiving sms? If I use the native sms app on the nexus will it use my ported GV number or whatever number I get assigned?

Read most of the thread and couldn't find the answer.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Correct.

By default, using the native "Messaging" app will use your

carrier

(ST) number. Using the Google Voice app will use your

Google Voice

number. You can configure in the GV app settings to have SMS forwarded to the "Messaging" app, thus allowing your replies to those threads to show up as coming from your GV #... but I wouldn't recommend it. When it does the forwarding from the GV app to Messaging app, it assigns a new number to each one of your contacts that you then have to add to their contact listing (necessary for the texts to "come from" your GV #). Its really more work than its worth.

The Google Voice app isn't great, but I wouldn't say its worse than the stock Messaging app. I use it as my primary SMS app. Not to mention that I end up doing a large portion of my SMS via voice.google.com on my computer now.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jlczl:
I hate the Google Voice app. It gets so cluttered because it doesn't keep messages in an "organized conversations" mode. Out of nowhere it'll start a different thread for a conversation with one person. Instead I have just added the Google number, that gets created for each person I text, to their contact card and continue to use the stock messaging app. It's much more organized and efficient that way.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
There is a root app that will let you use the stock messaging app to send texts from your google voice number. Its like 3 bucks

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mdrtools.apps.gvintegration

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Right. It's definitely not perfect. I just take the bad with the good and overall I think its the best choice to stick with the native GV app. I'd lose my mind having these extra phone #'s on my contacts :P .

Yep, heard its a good app, assuming you're rooted (I'm not).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jgrinst1:
It works great and is totally worth it (for me).

There are a couple of phone integration methodologies I'm working with. None are perfect with my phone (Galaxy Exhibit 4G), but we're getting there. If you have unlimited calling (a la Straight Talk), then this part is not necessary.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chw2006:
Word from Howard forums is that the Galaxy Nexus will work on AT&T's $50 unlimited prepaid plan without a data package. AT&T will figure out that you're on a smartphone with certain devices, but not with a handful of unlocked ones.

Since I haven't been all that thrilled with ST's poor data service, I may switch over and give that a spin once I'm up for the month.

Even if the unlimited thing doesn't work, I'll be happy to settle for their 250 min/unlimited text/1 GB data $50 plan. If it would stop giving me inconsistent data and assurance that I won't lose my number, it's worth the extra $5 a month. Plus, I rarely use over 150 min a month.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] phositadc:
You are getting inconsistent data on AT&T straight talk? Can you elaborate?

-Sent from a GSM Galaxy Nexus (RAScream+Trinity).-
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chw2006:
It could be the phone or it could be the service. I used to have T-Mobile and I've never had data issues with the phone I currently have.

My phone shows that I get signal pretty much everywhere. However, there are certain times where the data crawls to speeds so slow that it appears like I don't even have a data connection. These times are completely random as well. I'll get great speeds on a download from Google Play. Next thing you know, when I hit the back button to go look at some more apps after my download finishes, my data connection is dead.

It's really frustrating because it's so random.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
try removing the proxy from the APN settings.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chw2006:
It was already removed.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] harveydent:
I've seen reports in this thread (or the ST speedtest thread) that Chicago is a really bad place for ATT MVNOs since it's very congested; you only get good speeds late night/early am. I'm not sure, but you'll probably still get bad speeds if you move to ATT prepaid. Postpaid may be faster, I haven't paid attention to any Chicago ATT postpaid speedtests
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chw2006:
My thinking is that since AT&T actually owns Go Phone prepaid that they would get higher priority when there is high traffic. ST, Red Pocket, etc buy data in bulk and AT&T has the right to throttle those services when traffic is high. I may be wrong though.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] xdp:
It's unclear still if services like Straight Talk get throttled or handled differently on AT&T's end than post-paid does (other than losing roaming). I was recently in an area where I literally had no data service, couldn't even get a connection. My girlfriend's iPhone on AT&T did have data, but it was very slow, < .5 Mbps. I'm still not sure if that's a Straight Talk/AT&T difference, or if her phone was simply picking up a weak signal better than my Nexus.

Even on AT&T proper it can be a bit of a joke sometimes. With that slow data her phone was still reporting 4G. It's very sketchy and misleading.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] gadgetluva:
I live in River North, work in the Loop. AT&T is terrible (HSPA+ network) when it comes to data during any time of the day where people are using their phones. Every single one of my friends who live in Chicago with AT&T complain about data.

I had AT&T and got rid of them. T-Mobile has been fantastic...you should try a T-Mobile Straight Talk SIM instead of the AT&T one and I would assume you'll have much better service.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chw2006:
The only reason I got rid of T-Mobile was because I couldn't get reception at work. I work in a big metal building...so yeah. T-Mobile's higher frequencies can't penetrate the walls.

I don't live downtown, I live in the suburbs near Naperville/Aurora. None of my friends have complained of bad data like I've had.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Then you should just use the T-Mobile 100 minute plan. Only $30 a month and just pay the overages for the extra ~50 minutes. You'll be out $35/mo. I just don't see Go Phone offering any noticeably better data service, and you're screwing yourself. Sure its only $5 more but you're getting a limited number of minutes and at best, half the data. Sure, Go Phone is operated by AT&T, but surely they're still lower-tier than postpaid service. They're not going to be offering the exact same as postpaid service on Go Phone. At some point it has to degrade when you're paying less. You may just actually live in an area that gets pounded by AT&T users and the service is slow or inconsistent.

If T-Mobile has bad reception, its not just because of the frequencies. They must have worse tower setups in that area, because AT&T is running on 1900mhz, the difference of possibly being on 2100mhz for T-Mobile wouldn't make the difference between reception and no reception.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chw2006:
Doesn't AT&T also run on 850 MHz?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] gadgetluva:
The burbs are a completely different story. All I know is that living/working in the City, AT&T is to be avoided UNLESS you have a 4GLTE capable device.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Yes, but you'll not be able to lock yourself to 850mhz...

View attachment 1130736
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bobsbbq:
I have just tried the Vonage mobile app today and I must say it is surprisingly very good call quality even on edge and 3G. They are offering a limited time 3000 min/month free to USA and Canada. The international rates are much better than skype as well (2.4 cents/min to Asia) that means a 20 min call for about 50 cents.

It is only for out going calls but for the quality and free calls I think I will use it along with Google Voice and Talkatone for inbound calls.

Link to APP https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vonage.TimeToCall
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] killabee44:
Ok, so what's Vonage doing as far as codecs (and other settings) to make their call quality so much better?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bobsbbq:
Not sure but it is definitely better at least in my test. I'm happy on my T-Mobile 30.00 plan with 100 min. Even with my overages last month I was only at about 50.00.

So if I can use Vonage as a reliable outgoing call source during some of my driving calls and away from house or work I can save even more.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Something special that they have/license that commands a monthly fee. They obviously have a lot of expertise in VOIP considering that's their business model.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] :
The Straight Talk mobile dropped by yesterday. Seemed to confirm the 5GB monthly cap. I just laughed when the lady said that "nobody ever goes up to that." Nice people, I guess.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
Thought it was a 2GB/mo / 100MB/day cap?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Goodfella80:
More & more are seeing the light. ArsTechnica article on prepaid:

Die, contracts! Prepaid mobile phone use surges
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] roxxosteen:
just wondering if anyone knows this...

when porting a number, say from sprint to straightalk, will sprint know that the number was ported to straighttalk or do they just know that it was ported without knowing where it went?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] shev7chenko:
Almost two weeks in and I am at 2.75gb of data so I should be over 5gb by the end of the month so I will see what happens. My wife on the other hand is at 630mb...

At&t straight talk service by the way
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] phositadc:
Were you on ATT post-paid prior to ATT straight talk? If so, how do the two compare in terms of speed, coverage, etc.? Exactly the same?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] shev7chenko:
Nope I was on virgin mobile and at&t straight talk is way better in every way.

All my coworkers use iPhone 4s phones and they have same reception and data speeds with at&t.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] :
As did I. What I really think is the right arm doesn't talk to the left and everybody is caught in the middle. Frustrating. And I work for Walmart.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] luftrofl:
If a company cared, it could find out.

Curious, why do you ask?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] hurrpancakes:
I'm receiving a GSM Galaxy Nexus in the mail tomorrow (horray for overnight shipping from Amazon!), and am currently on a family plan at T-Mobile US with my mom and siblings. I'm interested in the prepaid $30 plan with 100 minutes mentioned in the OP, but does anyone know if calling T-Mobile lines/night and weekend minutes count against those 100 minutes?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
The 100 minutes is it. No nights and weekends

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
Correct. No freebies on prepaid.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] hurrpancakes:
That's a bummer, thanks for the info
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
Could go for the $45 Straight Talk plan. Unlimited minutes is unlimited minutes.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] hurrpancakes:
Yeah, that's an option. I hardly make any calls, but use about 3-5gb data per month, and since their data is pretty much YMMV, I might pick the $30/100 minute plan, and assuming overage minutes are 10¢ each, I figure I'll never go over $40/mo
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] urinsane:
Just put another $60 on my T-Mobile account through callingmart; I got the text confirmation that it had been applied within 5 seconds of hitting the payment button.

Last month I used an extra $5 in overage minutes; this month I am half way into my cycle and am already at about the same overage. Im guessing my total for the month will be right around $45. I am already at 2.5gb used as well.

I do find myself avoiding phone calls more than I normally would, and dislike having to wait for wifi coverage to use voip for longer calls. Unfortunately I do need 5gb/mo at the minimum. (Corporate IT apparently discovered my wifi router and blocked it on the network.. sucks but at least they didn't fire me). I'm going to wait another couple months to see if anyone gets booted for overages on straight talk in this thread and will likely switch if it is looking good.

There have been several people commenting about getting away with pretty high usage but to my knowledge no one here has been booted for abuse. Please continue to keep us updated if you do.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] xdp:
Just out of curiosity, what do you use all that data for?

Same question to hurrpancakes.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] hurrpancakes:
I stream music while driving, use google reader (although that hardly uses data), tether to my iPad when I'm somewhere without wifi and I'm bored and watch stuff on Hulu/Netflix/streamed from my home, or tether with my laptop to do schoolwork.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] deathinc:
Good Mobile Messaging?

Does Good Mobile Messaging (Good For Enterprise) work with Straight Talk, T-mobile or any of the other pre-paid vendors? ATT, Verizon, and Sprint all charge extra if you go through them because it is "enterprise" email.

Thank you.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jup007:
Yes, they are 10¢, I can confirm that. They give you annoying message first time you call after running out of default 100 minutes saying that now you have to pay 10 cents, but assuming you have enough credit, otherwise it's pretty painless. So if you use less then 250 minutes/month, T-mobile prepaid is better then ST T-mobile.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] pwrjam:
OP, Thanks for this fantastic thread!!!

I read through the first 55 pages then skipped a bit and just read the last ~15 pages of the thread.

Here's what I've gotten out of it so far...

As much as I like virgin mobile I think it's time to move to either T-Mobile or AT&T based pre-pay since the speeds I get on my LG Optimus V can be downright horrid at times. Even at the best of times I only get 1-2mb/s. I average around 300-500kb/s which can be painful if I need something done NOW...

Google voice seems to work best with T-Mobile? How's it work with the AT&T straight talk plan?? There seems to be a bit of "it doesn't work..." then "oh yes it does..." here. :confused:

I think the T-Mo $30/month plan will work out the best for me since most months I don't talk THAT much on my phone and tend to use more data then talk. T-mobile also seems to have some of the best speeds that I've found so far for pre-paid. If it doesn't work out well I can always goto the straight talk AT&T plan.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] shev7chenko:
My data usage so far...at&t straight talk by the way. Oh and with no proxy.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] okayokayokay:
Google Voice won't port a corporate number. You'll probably have to get AT&T to convert it to a personal account and then you can port the number. I had to do this and it was a pain in the ass. They don't make it easy to convert a number from business to personal.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Husam2011:
What are you trying to prove? You didn't get throttled? Wait for them to disable your account. You are doomed.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] urinsane:
Usually just podcasts and streaming music.. but this past month I've been streaming NBA playoffs as well. Kinda forgot about that, and my data will likely be lower after the finals. : )
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] urinsane:
What's the big deal with him sharing his results? I'm actually waiting for someone like him to get the boot, because there have been several other posters on here with similar usage that have not gotten kicked off, or have not reported back if they have at least.

To my knowledge, no one on XDA has gotten booted from straight talk due to data usage. HoFo yes, but not here. I'm very interested to see how long it lasts.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Husam2011:
Well, i thought he was bragging he didnt get throttled, and as they just suspend you not throttle you i said that. Well i would like to know what happens to him too ;)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
Last month I did 6.5GB without any problems. I'm on straight talk AT&T by the way. This is what I have so far this month and still no problems.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] roxxosteen:
I was trying to get out of my ETF but it didn't really work out. But even with that ($265) and the $400 gnex, I'm still gonna save about $250 with ST compared to my old contract. Thanks to everyone on this thread for helping me see the light :D
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] pwrjam:
That's great to see :cool:

Thanks for posting speeds... I also did see a thread where people are comparing Straight-talk to T-Mobile. T-Mobile wins the speed game, however Straight-Talk on AT&T seems to win on coverage. I'm personally thinking of testing the cheaper of the two (t-mobile) and crossing my fingers that coverage is good.

I think that post was a response to my question two posts before his :p

Seems like a good deal with Straight talk considering the unlimited everything

plan.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] shev7chenko:
Why would i brag? Jeez...all i am doing is testing the service and providing feedback to you all so that people know what to expect. So what if i get booted? Its prepaid.

I will keep posting updates for those who are on the fence about at&t or tmobile.

This thread helped me and all i am doing is giving back...no need to get your panties in a bunch.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jonathan3579:
I've been looking on Straight Talk's site and how does porting work? The whole process seems more difficult since you have to order a sim which means I'd be without service til it came in the mail? That's illogical. Does anyone have any experience with porting your number that wouldn't mind sharing? I'd really appreciate it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Just like T-Mobile... you order the SIM, when it arrives you activate it on their website (or on the phone if you need help porting) and port your number. Not seeing how its illogical lol. Continue to use your current service while the SIM is on its way, you don't port at the point of purchase.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jonathan3579:
Well their online steps were trying to get me to insert my account info to port so it seemed as if they were trying to do so at the point of purchase. (I did the $30/mo plan at Walmart which was a disaster that was eventually taken care of.) It'd be nice if they would just allow sim cards to be purchased from Walmart. I didn't ever see myself leaving this plan after so long but I have missed work opportunities with no minutes so I can't keep that going.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
My understanding is that you can call at the time of activation and port.

Another reason to use Google Voice as your primary number though :p .
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] anewday:
Does Straight Talk $45 have any taxes? Sounds like a very good deal with the GN.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
You'll pay sales tax if you fill through conventional methods (and your state has sale tax). I believe you'll also pay a fee for E-911 if you're auto-refilling online. You should be able to avoid this if you buy refill cards in Walmart.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
It comes out to $49-$50 for us.

Sent from my HTC One S