yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] EggosEvo:
Sprint. I'm going to switch in October once my contract is up. So I'm just preparing and planning.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] noneone:
Lots of good questions last few posts.

Google voice number or cell number?

The "recommended" way a bunch of folks (not all) are using the pay by month plans is to simply ONLY GIVE OUT / CALL FROM your google voice number. No one sees you cell number, no one txts your cell number, no one MMS to your cell number, .... because NO ONE KNOWS your cell number. You google voice number it all. :)

This way, you can switch between prepaid plans whenever, att direct, t-mo direct ($30 plan) Straight talk on ATT, straight talk on tmo, try them all. JULY 2012 ATT direct doesn't have a competitive prepaid plan, tmo does, straight talk has cheaper ATT rates than ATT does. MAYBE IN SEPTEMBER ATT WILL HAVE UNLIMITED EVERYTHING for 19.99 back to school special .... if you're using google voice, you won't have to port any numbers, worry folks can't call you, folks using your google number wont have any clue you switched.

Google voice all in (not using your cell number for stuff) makes switching easier.

MMS -

Google voice does NOT do MMS.

BUT BUT .. I want my friends to send me pictures .....

Ok cool. BUT YOU DONT NEED MMS for your friends to send you pictures ......

MOST smartphones these days have EASY SHARE OPTIONS for when the camera takes a picture. Its VERY easy to MMS, email, facebook, google+ any picture you take.

I have stopped MMS almost entirely, and do all the same stuff via email. YMMV

Voice mail or Gvoice mail?

If you are GOOGLE VOICE ALL IN, you shouldn't care if you miss a call to your cell number, no one knows it. FOR TMOBILE, In many cases, if you have both your cell numbers voicemail, when people call your google voice number, it rings your cell number ... if you don't answer, your cell phone voicemail answers the call, google voice doesn't get a chance to work. THIS IS WHY folks turn off the cell phone voicemail for t-mobile, so that calls to the google voice number go to google voice mail. CONSEQUENCE is that calls to the cell phone number get NO voice mail, nada, zilch nothing.

This is generally a TMOBILE PREPAID thing, not a general google voice thing, as most other carriers / plans (including tmo postpaid) allow you to forward your cell voicemail calls to google voicemail. (conditional call forwarding)

GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] co.ag.2005:
Thanks! The exact post I was looking for! :D
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] acras13:
OP , thanks for the great thread , I saw this and decided to drop my Verizon contract , bought a Google play store nexus last week and am excited for Sept. 7 (end of my contract date.)

Major problem I just dealt with trying to get the TMO web only $30 plan. # different stores , 5 in store agents , then customer service 800 number all said the same thing . The stores

can not sell a sim card that will work with that plan.

I was under the impression that as long as the sim hadn't been activated you could choose the 100/unl./5gb plan during activation , and I believe your OP states that you can pick up a sim in store for any of the prepaid plans including that one.

I thought I had seen people state that they had picked up a sim in store and just activated at home on line for that deal , so I was just a little pissed when the in store said I HAD to activate in store , then the 35 minute wait for CS on the phone , and that was not prepaid CS . They might have just convinced me to go to straight talk att . I know , and expect a little of the redheaded stepchild from CS after getting the account , but if getting it to begin with is this much hassle , I might have to use the freedom you have so graciously explained in this thread to spend my money elsewhere .

If anyone has managed to pick up a sim in store and get the 100/unl/5gb plan with it , please rub it in , I'm sure it's just my usual good luck. Oh , and tell me WHICH sim you got to work with it because the last store I went to pulled out 5 or 6 different sims (color and graphics) . Thanks
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
There are really only 2 ways to get this plan. The first is simply buying the SIM activation kit online for $0.99. The second is to buy a ~$30 burner phone at Walmart (which simply has a SIM and activation code in the box), and take it home and activate it. The only reason why you would buy the phone and not just the kit is if you're anxious and can't wait 5 days for shipping of the kit. You'll also save yourself the $30.

There's absolutely no reason to go into a store or deal with CS reps if you don't have to. It can all be done online; purchase, activation, refills, etc..
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] acras13:
Ah, yes , the exhaustion is setting in , forgot I could get a burner phone at walmart to do it. CS said the only way was buying the sim from them . Thanks for the reminder , and yes , I can't wait , one , because I want to play with my shiny new phone , and two , I want to make sure everything works with it inside the 14 days . I delayed ordering because I was on the fence about how many cell minutes I needed , other than knowing 100 isn't going to cut it . I'll pay for the overage on the 100 min plan for a month to test TMO coverage , I'm expecting it to be fine as I'm in L.A. Pretty much doing the cheap plan to decide which ST sim to get . Thanks martonikaj , have learned a lot from your posts.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rafa3L:
I just ported two phones from Sprint. One to straight talk and one to T-Mobile prepaid. For T-Mobile I'd suggest using their website and get a new number (since they don't offer to port via website). Then after you've activated you can call their porting dept to get the port started. With straight talk you can port online when you activate. Both of mine were complete within the same day.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DerAmi:
Ah reading all of these posts is making me so anxious to make the move to ST :D I should be getting my SIM card tomorrow and if the first month goes well, I'll be saying goodbye to VZW and saving loooots of money :)

Sent from the Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DerAmi:
OK guys I got my Sim and activated it and I even get 4G! So much faster than the Verizon 3G.. anyways, I bought the card and its $48 total. Anybody know where I can buy the card online and not have to pay the ridiculous taxes?

Sent from the Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ogp:
www.straighttalksim.com?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
"4G" on this network is HSPA+. It's... 3.5G.

You can do "email delivery" of $45 refills from Walmart, and if you list your address as one in a state w/o sales tax (like OR), you won't be charged tax. People seem to do this quite successfully, although I'm not sure on all of the details on how to get it to work.

And don't complain about 6.7% sales tax lol. Here in WA most counties are in the 10%-11% range. Wouldn't call 6.7% "ridiculous". Not to mention that on this card we're only paying sales tax, and no other regulatory fees or taxes.

So worst case scenario you auto-fill and get charged $48 a month. Not bad in my book.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] urinsane:
Does anyone have any experience with Net10? Same company as Straight Talk and the same plan but for $50 per month.

Some research on HoFo seems to indicate they are less strict on data, but that could be due to less users. The thread somewhere in xda with the guy who used to work tech support for both companies indicated both have the same data usage restrictions.

There is a guy selling the activation kits along with first month service for $50 shipped on eBay. (he confirmed he is selling the AT&T kits only)

I'm considering trying it out rather than Straight Talk once my T-Mobile credits run out. If you sign up for their auto refill program it appears the price drops to $45 per month, although I am unsure of taxes.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
I've looked at Net10 too. They've recently dropped their plans from $60 to $50 monthly I think, and as you note they drop another $5/mo off when you enroll in auto-pay. Surely there'll be state sales taxes assessed on that though just like on ST or T-Mobile auto-pay.

Because they're just another TracFone subsidiary like Straight Talk, I'd assume they follow the same guidelines for data throttling/cutoff. Even if they have fewer customers, in the end its still just a big wholesale purchase of AT&T service that they piece out.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] urinsane:
Yeah, that's my guess on data as well. Like I said, I'm pretty sure the lack of reports is mainly due to fewer total users.

I think I'll give it a shot after August (still have $50 on the tmobile account but plan renews tomorrow) as I'm wanting more minutes and hoping that AT&T network is going to have better coverage.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Cabal_:
Yes, I use it and get monthly codes at $45 tax-free (currently). I posted full details here:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=28964027#post28964027

I wouldn't expect them to be any different on data, though. I purchased my SIM through Net10 directly.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] EggosEvo:
Anyone know a site where I can see locations of towers in a certain area code? I want to figure out the where the closest AT&T and T-Mobile towers are to my home and work to help in my choice of provider.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] urinsane:
Thanks Cabal. I thought I'd seen someone else mention it.

How long have you been using them?

How much data do you average a month?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jaybeeunix:
http://www.cellreception.com/
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] noneone:
Best buy too. You can get a tmo prepaid sim activation kit from Best Buy for $20. Its the same thing you can get online from tmo for 99 cents, but, you can have it right now for cash if you don't want to wait / order on line.

---------- Post added at 06:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:24 PM ----------

NOT trying to start a big "whats 4g" debate. I would like to point out there are many speeds of HSPA+, and it varries by phone.

Iphone 4, HSPA+ on phone by ATT is now labeled "4g", but, I wouldn't ever call 2 to 3 mbs download 4g. (thats what my friend is getting on his iphone)

My galaxy S2 on T-mobile reguarly gets 12 to 16 MBS in many areas. My Verizon LTE? 12 to 20. For me, LTE is a little faster than the 42 MBS HPSA+ service, but not a lot.

So, just IMO, some of the faster HPSA+ really are as fast as 4g. Problem is, "marketing" labels even the slower HPSA+ as 4g.

HPSA+ speeds depend more on the phones than LTE. LTE = FAST. HPSA+ depends more on phone, for example, my S2 is 3+ times faster than my HTC sensation was. Same HPSA+ network.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ssCISengineer:
Your service provider should have that available on their website...mine does
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] EggosEvo:
For T-Mobile, would it be easier to go in store to port it to prepaid? There's a store no more than 5 minutes from my house.

Also, what's the longest amount of time a port can take on either provider?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DerAmi:
Excuse me, not 4G but HSPA+. I know speed wise it might only be considered 4G at a certain speed, but realistically, VZW LTE technically isn't even 4G if you're naming based only on speed. In my eyes, I see 4G as HSPA+ which is faster than 3G.

Sent from the Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] urinsane:
EggosEVO -

I'd recommend phone. A lot of sales reps don't seem to be as familiar with prepaid and will likely be calling the same porting number that was posted within the past few pages.

Or just port to Google voice :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rafa3L:
It was really easy to port on the phone with tmobile customer service. When you call their customer service # there is a menu option specifically for porting.

I'm not sure about the longest time to port. I think I've read it can take 72 hours for everything to be working properly, incoming and outgoing text and voice. But as I mentioned earlier, everything was working for me within the same day. Probably within 6 hours.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ZenDood:
Broadband --> Wireless Prepaid Experience

Hi peeps,

Thanks to this thread, I've made a decision to move entirely to Wireless, partly because my phone allows for WiFi Tethering.

I've been a Broadband user for over a decade but recently found I nolonger need to download huge files ('read' movies, streaming media nor video conference) & would be relocating in another 2months time.

So, I've been using T-mobsters unlimited txt,voice,data for $50/month. Im not thrilled at the speeds but for light surfing, calls, & the fact that i don't get dropped data, it's quite alright. The speeds are around 10-15Kbps, even though it shows 4G(on S2) on Day1 as well as 'supposed throttled' after 100MB. The signal strength is about 2-3 bars but data just don't go anywhere near 4G levels, same thing holds true when I go around the busiest parts of my city (not Metro, but not small town either).

Just wanting to share this w/ yall.. for making me take a leap of faith into the wireless world. In my opinion & from my personal experience, it's bearable IF you're happy with light surfing, unlimited voice, IM - while giving u WIRELESS freedom. Again, this might not be for everybody.

Good Luck, All. Here's hoping we get improved speeds & coverage EVERYWHERE in the future.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] pdxtechdoctor:
Buy them from Walmart online and use an Oregon street address is what I've heard... they deliver the code online and since Oregon doesn't have sales tax you dont get charged taxes...

Personally I live in Portland so I don't have to worry about it myself..
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] EggosEvo:
So when I get the sim and activate it, I can call customer support from the new number and get my number ported to the same sim completely, getting rid of the number that it was activated with? Sorry for all the questions. I'm completely new to GSM devices, and don't know much about sim cards.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] harveydent:
Yes, that's pretty much it. Get a TMo SIM and activation kit (online or from Walmart B&M), activate it at home, wait and test TMo service (and confirm you're on the right plan), then port your old number to your new TMo SIM. When you port, it cancels your previous service/provider, so make sure you're ready to cancel (ETFs, etc)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] EggosEvo:
I plan on doing this all once my contract is up. So all I will need to worry about is correctly porting my number.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] acras13:
So a question related to Gvoice , I believe it was in this thread I read that you can't have 2 Gvoice #'s forward to the same phone. If that is the case , does anyone know if you can switch between the two different numbers? I set up a Gvoice # on my primary Gmail to test drive the service while I'm still on contract , but eventually I think I will port my cell # to a new Gmail acct. Is this feasible or would it be far easier to pay Google to have both #'s on one gmail account ? I was trying to stick with the "cheapest way possible" theme , and still trying to come to terms with no mms. Baby steps. Thanks.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] pdxtechdoctor:
if you port your phone number to your current gvoice account you can KEEP both number s on you gvoice account and have both of them forward where ever you want.. $20 for the first port and then you have 90 days to pay another $20 to keep the old gvoice number.

it;s just easier to do both.. $20 for a permanent number isnit much.. of course you do have the 90 days so that spreads out the costs a little and also you can decide if you really want to keep it or not..
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] BlkSquad:
My biggest concern is having to press 1 every call just to answer. I have people hang up all the time because they think I had connection problems. Is there any way around that?

Also, if I'm using 2gb or less then ST should be fine right?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
wait... you press 1 for calls in GV? why not turn off call screening so it goes straight through
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
This.

Or you can configure a contacts group on the Google Voice website and set it so that group bypasses the call screening. I do this to deter telemarketers and the like.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] BlkSquad:
I don't think I've seen that option. Damn, I feel like a dunce. Haha.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bozzykid:
It's on the website. Just go to settings.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Steve60901:
OK update. I am now back on T-Mobile. apparently simple mobile doesn't do throttling. they just cut off your data. the terms for data use are extremely vague to the point where in 3 phone calls I actually got 3 different answers. 1.) the apps on my phone that monitor internet such as Facebook must be uninstall ed 2.) 250 mob per day 3.) any and all prolonged usage. they did cut me off next day

basically the costs are the same for 2 gb t mobile prepaid and they aren't data nazi's plus while 8 Kbps is almost unusable at least t-mobile didn't cut me off.

fyi T-Mobile does have a 5 gb plan
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DerAmi:
Since I don't have T-Mobile in my area, I've been using straight talk for the past 2 days and has been phenomenal! Hopefully I can stay under the data limit :)

Sent from the Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] muyoso:
Switching to StraightTalk as well in the DC area to give AT&T a shot. Didn't have Tmobile service for a full day of working out in the boons and it stinks when you cannot make or even receive a call. If ST would just up the data limit to 5gb or if Tmobile would just give voice roaming onto AT&T these plans would be perfect.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bobsbbq:
Well my updated, I originally had Straight talk AT&T for one month. Then I switched to T-Mobile 30.00 plan for about 4 months. I really missed the better reception when I went on Vacation across dozens of states. So I have switched back to Straight Talk AT&T again and I think I will likely stay here a while. One thing I have noticed is that my data usage was not as high as I thought it would be. After the initial speed test my monthly average has not been over 1.5 GB a month.

T-Mobile is still one of the best options if you can handle the lack of coverage in rural areas with the .10 cents per minute over the 100. I could usually stay within the 45.00 range even with overages.

The benefit now for me will be unlimited talk, without having to use VOIP solutions as I did before on T-Mobile.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] EggosEvo:
The T-Mobile prepaid sim is on sale at Best Buy this week for $9.99. Just thought everyone should know.

Now I have a question. If I were to buy that sim, how long would I have to activate it? Would I be able to wait until October or possibly later for that?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] lafester:
if you are going to wait just buy one from tmobile website for much less.

no reason to buy from best buy unless you need it today.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] mrgrim800:
I guess it depends on how long its been sitting in best buy.

I bought mine from T-Mobile 2 months ago, and it says to activate by December 2014.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Precisely. Get the $0.99 one from T-Mobile.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] noneone:
SOME people have CASH, but have not credit cards for web ordering.

SOME people may be moving soon ... many folks in the USA move durring August, to and from school and such. Then there's that forwarding address stuff if it doesn't get HERE before you move THERE ...

Sometimes, its just easier to buy stuff in the store than online.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ruggerxpunk:
I have been doing a bit of research over the past two days into switching from VZW to GSM Unlocked.

My plan is to purchase a Gnex from the Play Store, but after that...I'm confused, so I'm looking for assistance.

This is my goal, I'll lay it out, and maybe someone can help me achieve it.

1) Purchase Gnex

2) Use pre-paid plans (either T-Mobile $30 100m/5GB data or Straight Talk $45 unlimited)

My questions are mostly regarding the SIM cards and activation.

If I walk into a T-Mobile store with the Gnex while still on my VZW plan, will they provide me with a SIM for free for switching to them?

Will they activate my Gnex for free with a new T-Mobile number? (I don't care about keeping my phone#)

Do I need a separate SIM for T-Mobile and Straight Talk?

Thanks for any who can shed light on this.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] cbutt:
To my knowledge, nothing is free. I switched from Verizon to tmo about 2 years ago (albeit postpaid) & had to drop $ for a phone/plan. Yes, straight talk & tmo require different Sims.... there are separate sims for straight talk at&t & straight talk tmo, as well as a separate one for tmo prepaid (hope that makes sense)...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ruggerxpunk:
Yes, it does make sense.

Now to expand on that, if I purchase a SIM for each, and switch each month between them, at what point does the 1st SIM "expire?" As in, when would I need to re-purchase a SIM?

Also, what is an activation card, and does one come with the Gnex? (I noticed an activation card is required for these pre-paid plans).

Thanks
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] lafester:
The card comes with the sim.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
No it doesn't. You can order them together, but the service card does not come with a sim.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
I with there was an AT&T MVNO that had a plan similar to T-Mobile's 5GB $30 plan. Even just remotely similar.

>$40, at least 2GB's of data, 250 texts, and 100 minutes.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] EggosEvo:
I think he meant the activation card for the sim. Not service card.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
I wasn't sure if he was referring to T-Mobile or Straight Talk. Straight Talk doesn't, T-Mobile should.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] 4G Reaper:
You could always get a VISA gift card or something, even with the activation charge for the gift card you're still saving money.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] stopswitch:
Thinking about leaving Verizon. I am leaving the country soon in vacation, so k needed a GSM phone while I'm vacation to stay connected. So I purchased another galaxy nexus from Google play. I decided to buy a sim from T-Mobile to test our my gsm gnex and I'm actually quite impressed with their network.

So I ditch Verizon right? How much are the ETF fees?

Is there anyway to buy two simcards and activate the 30$ 5gb plan on both of them so I can get 10gb of 4g data per month? Swapping them out as I get throttled?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zepius:
ETF starts at $350 and goes down $10/mo until end of contract.

you can do that, but you would have 2 different phone numbers (may not matter to you)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] stopswitch:
Ah, with Google voice no one knows my number anyways.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] looneylu:
This is genius!!!! lol... Google voice remedies the the phone number issue... Of course, that's if you go all in with Google Voice, but 10Gb for $60/mo!?!?!?!? Love it
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] stopswitch:
Seeing how AT&Fee and Verizon want you to pay big money for data, I saw GSM prepay service as a cheap way to get fast data at a better rate. 60$ is still way cheaper for 10gb than you would ever pay at T-Mobile , ATT or Verizon if you don't use minutes. Then with Google voice and Groove IP I would basically use data for everything. No one even knows my number on Verizon, so having two numbers wouldn't be a problem.

Fast data is the future of the mobile world, minutes of voice and text is the past, which is why Verizon is moving away with unlimited data plans and moving towards shared data plans.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] lafester:
I believe you can just throw $30 in the account and have them start you on a new cycle if you get throttled. might be easier then keeping two sims going.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] harveydent:
From the prior posts in this thread, it looks like you can go up to 90 days without putting money into the account before they "deactivate" the SIM

---------- Post added at 08:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:27 PM ----------

I think you still have to call them to get the new cycle started, but yes, you pretty much get a new round of 100min/5GB for $30 even if the month is not yet over