yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zorachus:
My brother just got the unlocked Nexus, he's using the pre-paid T-Mobile plan, he said he read that Google Voice doesn't work on it ? He misses his visual voicemail he had on Sprint previously. But I said Google Voice should still work no problem, he says it's not.

By the way, I don't think my Brother has ever used Google Voice period before. So aren't there some special settings that need to be done on your Google account first to help set it up ?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
The only thing that doesn't work out of the box on T-Mobile Prepaid + Google Voice is "conditional call forwarding" which lets people call your

carrier #

and have it go to your

Google Voice Voicemail

. You can remedy this by calling T-Mobile and disabling the carrier voicemail. Once this is done, Google Voice Voicemail will work fine.

If he's using his GV# as a primary # (people are dialing GV directly) then there's nothing to be done, as there's no forwarding. Voicemails are retained in GV.

ALL other functions of Google Voice work just fine. You can forward calls to T-Mobile prepaid, place calls via your GV #, SMS with the app, everything. T-Mobile has no restrictions.

Yes, of course there is setup to be done. You need to get a lot of stuff working if you want to use Google Voice as your primary number. If you are simply referring to using Google Voice as a VVM provider, then just do what I've stated above and call it a day.

And when you post ITT, specify if you mean "Google Voice" or "Google Voice Voicemail" to cut down on confusion. Most people here are using GV as a primary number, not just for voicemail.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zorachus:
My Bro said he tried earlier and gave him a warning saying it doesn't work on pre-paid. That is strange, I thought Google Voice was totally separate from the carriers ?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
It works 100% on prepaid, considering I'm using it on prepaid. The only problem is what I noted on conditional call forwarding for VM (as I've shown it's an easy fix), and that's the only place GV should/would throw you a "warning". Seriously just call T-Mobile and cancel your carrier voicemail and it'll work just fine. I'm assuming you're referring to this page:

View attachment 1065923

Which is ONLY for voicemail. That short-code under #1 is to set up conditional call forwarding... which as I've said 3x now does not work. You have to cancel T-Mo VM first.

Google Voice is carrier agnostic, that's the whole point.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zorachus:
Thanks for the help, appreciated
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] sk63:
I had this problem when I switched, did online chat with T-Mobile, took maybe 5-10 minutes before everything was done. No problems, wasn't even asked why, they just did it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jbeez:
You can do straight talk with att service...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
I think I found a way to cheat Straight Talk's 100MB/2GB limit. Just received the sim from FedEx today. I ordered T-Mobile compatible sim for my brother because he's a light data user and has a Nexus S. Before giving it to him, I already activated it and using it on my phone right now. I'm pinning music from Google Music, downloading large files, and a bunch of other stuff to get the data up there to see if they would cut my service or not. So far, I'm at 200MB and it's still working without signs of throttle. I think I might order the AT&T compatible sim for myself. By the way, the download speed is pretty fast.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
As I understand it, ST's limit is more of a soft-limit. Some folks are able to get more data usage out of them before getting shut down. Keep it up for a few days and I bet you'll get capped.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
That's what I'm trying to do. Attempting to hit 1gb today to see what happens. If I get cut, I'll just call them and tell them I didn't know and wouldn't do it again :D. If they won't reactive, I'll just buy my brother a $45 refill card.

---------- Post added at 01:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:46 PM ----------

What I'm trying to say is, I think I know why some people get hit with the cap and some can go up to 5gb without any cap or warning. I'll use this for a couple of days and let you guys know my results.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
I must be misreading something then... What are you doing differently, that most folks aren't doing?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
That info I got was from Haward Forums, not here. Some people there get capped barely at 100mb a day, and some using up to 500mb a day and 5+ GB a month without being capped. I got some information from them and think I found out how to cheat them. Like I said, just testing right now. Will let you know how everything goes. So far, I'm at 300+MB and it's still working without signs of throttle (all within a couple of hours lol).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jlczl:
Well I didn't do anything special and I managed to upload a 250 mb file to you tube on top of my approximate 150 mb daily usage and I never got throttled or even a warning. Soft cap has been fairly soft with me I'd say.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
Are you using AT&T or T-mobile compatible sim?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] wintrxtrem:
Some people on ST section of howardforums seem to disagree: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1764627-Will-T-Mobile-BYOD-SIM-roam-on-AT-amp-T
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jlczl:
at&t
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jazzruby:
Hey guys/gals, thanks for the great thread (LionAR10).

This is great; my phone arrived yesterday, my SIM card today and my Sprint contract ends TODAY!

Got my Nexus (Unlocked/Play Store) on ST (at&t), I just set the APN with no proxies.

I got a killer easy-to-remember local number.

I'd rather keep this new number, as my previous Sprint # (12+years) is no longer local to my area.

1. Will I be able to port this new number to Google Voice?

2. Is there any reason to keep the default APN (eg: Cingular 410) or should I delete it.

Thanks again,

-JR-
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
Are are the speeds with AT&T straight talk? The T-Mobile one is pretty fast.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
Just hit 1GB and no throttle or cap
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] xur17:
If you are getting a new number anyways, it would be easier and cheaper just to get a new number from Google Voice instead of trying to port your number out.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
Here are some speed test results for T-Mobile Sraight Talk and how much data I used since a few hours ago.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Bigjim1488:
I'm thinking about dropping my ATT data plan, getting a regular phone and then putting my gnex onto the tmobile 5gb plan. I'd save a few bucks and have more data available. I just hope the coverage is good on long island.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
Any of you guys have problems with turning off voicemail with ST T-mobile sim? They told me they're unable to do it. I got transferred up so many times and they all said it's not possible.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Why deal with 2 devices? Just use a larger T-Mobile plan and use the GNex for everything.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] killabee44:
Speed differences bet. AT&T and Tmobile...

Guys,

Can someone that has used both please speak on the speed differences between AT&T and Tmobile's 4g on Straight Talk?

Thanks.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rock7632:
I haven't used both but I do have the At&t one. Its capped to around 7mbps and with T-Mobile, from what I've heard you get the max speed possible depending on the coverage and your area
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] airegin7:
I just ordered today the GSM GN from Google Play and the sim from ST. The ST site chose Tmobile for me based on my zip code though I know we have AT&T here too. Im hoping it's plenty fast data. I can't wait to say goodbye to my Verizon contract even though I'll have pay a ton to get out of it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] darkfire2024:
Where are you in socal?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
Riverside county
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jbeez:
I wouldn't call it cheating them, its an unlimited data plan... they should publish some limits otherwise.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
No they don't. Its in their fine print they can cut you off whenever they would like to. I believe the way they word their ToS is "unlimited mobile web browsing", which leaves a lot to their own interpretation.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jazzruby:
Actually; I thought this was kinda odd, when I was activating, it read something like 'unlimited MB web browsing'
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] tonker83:
Damn double post. Anyway since I posted twice I'll share my speeds on the 5g $30 monthly 4g plan.

All and all I'm happy with it. I know I get bad ATT signal at my house.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jbeez:
Sure, so does everyone's tos. Overly strict tos doesn't mean anything to me to be honest. If they ****ed me I would first back charge my monthly airtime charge with am ex, if that got denied I'd file in local small claims. If you're selling me a service and don't give it you better be prepared to defend your decision. I don't care if its $5 or $5000.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] thawkth:
Question: What about roaming?

There's no such thing on prepaid. Take a look at AT&T's coverage for postpaid contract and prepaid. There's a difference! Same goes for T-Mobile. Again, if you're in a position that you HAVE to roam on all these podunk little operators, then do what you must. But I do suggest you think critically on whether you really need coverage at that cabin in the mountains you go to once a year... is it worth the contract game for that one weekend a year?

That's not entirely true by my understanding - Straight Talk, at least according to popular belief on HowardForums, has full Postpaid (contract, which includes roaming) coverage. If that's indeed true then the $45/month Straight Talk plan does include roaming.

That said, I have not personally verified this. Thank you for the AMAZING guide - I've learned it's contents on my own over 3 years or so and you summarized everything perfectly. This needs to be shared!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] :
Does anyone know what the lowest plan one can drop too on Verizon would be? I am thinking of doing that instead of the ETF. Can I get a $9.99 dummy plan for the remainder of my contract or something?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
I don't think that's an option. You purchase the subsidized phone with the agreement to have X service at X per month for two years. I doubt they'll let you drop down to a plan that's significantly less than the plan on which you entered into the contract.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] :
Thanks! I will probably just pay the ETF. It isn't too bad. Still saving money anyways.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
You do have the potential to save $1200 over a two-year period. That should hopefully cover that ETF ;)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] :
Yea definitely. Even with the price of the phone and the ETF. I am still saving money, no doubt.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bdeitemeyer:
Just wanted to say thanks for this thread, I recently switched my phone from an AT&T contract to the $30/100-minute T-Mobile plan and so far I'm very pleased with the change. Rather than porting my old number over, I wanted a fresh start and stayed with the new number from T-Mobile. However, I can't verify that number with Google Voice or port that number over to Google Voice...so I'm still in an awkward state of using 2 separate numbers for phone calls and SMS/MMS messaging. Has anyone else been able to port their prepaid number over to Google Voice? I didn't find much about that topic in the previous posts, it seems most people prefer to retain their old number for obvious reasons.

Thanks in advance guys!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] wintrxtrem:
Someone must be able to testify to this. I'd rather know before buying a Gnex and trying it out..
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] KnuckleSandwich:
trial

Great thread, and I'm on board with the concept.

My apologies if this has been asked, I made it to page 70 and decided just to post up the question.

My wife and I are currently on a VZW family plan (700 minutes @ $50/month) and my contract expires in August. Is there any reason I can't just buy the Galaxy Nexus and:

1. port my number to GV now

2. call VZW and remove the data plan from my phone, while leaving the wife's half untouched

3. get a ST plan and run a trial until my VZW contract runs out

4. cancel my contract in August without ETF

The reason I ask is I would like to test drive the coverage and speed, this way the wife is unaffected while I eval the new plan.

Any help is much appreciated.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
From http://www.straighttalk.com/control...ght.faq.category.landing&category=trouroaming :

But from their Terms and Conditions:

So it seems that ST GSM handsets *may* roam on their partner networks, but only for voice and SMS.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Well it makes sense when you think about the fact that Straight Talk offers both AT&T and T-Mobile service. They're really "roaming" on their own network.

---------- Post added at 11:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:30 AM ----------

What I'm saying is their ToS protects them so that you can't take them to small claims and try to get a judgement. They can kick you off at their discretion and its completely okay.

Just because the marketing materials say "unlimited" doesn't mean you're actually

entitled

to use as much as you want. Its up to them to kick you off for whatever they deem to be "abusing" their network.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
Yup. And those are the terms that you agree to by using their service. If you don't like it, the only recourse you have is to stop using their service.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Which is fine. Both teams can play their own game. We're allowed to leave w/o paying an ETF.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
Is there a way to check if you're using AT&T or T-Mobile's cell tower? I think Straight Talk allows AT&T to T-Mobile and vice versa roaming. At work, I usually have 1 bar Edge connection with T-Mobile, now I'm at full bars Edge. My friend works with me and she's on T-Mobile with her Nexus One and barely gets any edge signal. I think my phone roamed on to AT&T's Edge network, not sure.

A little update about the data usage. So far, I hit 2.21 GB in less than a day with no throttling or capping consequences. I'm loving these fast data speeds. For some reason, it seems to get faster speeds at similar places than the $30 T-Mobile plan.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jgrinst1:
A lot of great info in this thread - thanks!

There is another way to get GV voicemail to work without turning off T-Mo voicemail.

I know because I did this but I think the original idea came from HoFo... can't remember who, though, so can't give proper credit.

Record your T-mo VM greeting as some music but make it longer than your GV number of rings before it goes to VM - i.e. about 45 seconds.

What happens is that GV checks to see if anyone is talking before it transfers the call to VM.

This works - I use it daily.

Also, if you have ICS, you can move the VMs to your native dialer call log using the GV app settings. If you have the "GV Full integration" app, you don't need to see the GV app ever again.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] PaddyOFurniture:
Hello XDA'ers. I have been reading this excellent site a lot over the years but haven't posted any questions or answers until now. I had an EVO 4G on Sprint for a 2 year contract and had great result reading through the forums on how to root the phone etc. Synergy is a nice ROM btw, thanks for that.

I have since wanted to go prepay and got the Galaxy Nexus (nice phone!). So, I went with the prepaid T-Mobile service. Works pretty good and I am happy with the voice, sms, and data services. But there is one thing that I miss from my Sprint EVO. Visual Voice Mail. Now on a T-Mobile prepaid account, the carrier visual voice mail is disabled and they won't turn it on for you unless of course you switch to the contract...boo. So, how do you get visual voice mail working via Google Voice and T-Mobile prepaid. On Google Voice, it basically says T-Mobile prepaid doesn't work due to no call forwarding. I have seen some posts relating to get around that, and tried the disable carrier voice mail but no dice. The call just rings and rings and no voicemail until the call ends after about 30 seconds.

So, the real question is: Is it possible to use Google Voice for Visual Voice Mail on a T-Mobile prepaid account while still using the carrier number and not the Google Voice number? If someone has got it working, I would be very appreciative to know what the steps are to accomplish this and whether this is even possible.

Thanks
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ttabbal:
No. Use the Google voice number and it's not a problem. If you must keep your number, pay $20 to port it to gv.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Well we've talked about this quite a bit in the last few pages. There are literally just 2 steps. Call in (or online chat) and disable your T-Mobile Voicemail. Then go through the app / web interface and setup your Voicemail / call forwarding settings. It should work just fine once you have set it up.

The reason why it doesn't work w/o disabling T-Mo VM is that T-Mo Prepaid doesn't support "conditional call forwarding", which is the feature that allows the call to be "forwarded" to the GV # to be a GV VM.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] PaddyOFurniture:
I did try that set up Google Voice with my carrier number as the Phone 1 under registered phones in the GV interface and disabling the T-Mobile carrier voice mail by calling into T-Mobile tech support, but the call never seems to go to voice, it just rings. Is there a step I am missing?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
Were people calling your Google Voice number or your carrier number? On this set up, Google Voicemail will only work on calls made to your Google Voice number.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] urinsane:
Are you calling your T-Mobile number or google voice number? You need to use your GV # for everything.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] PaddyOFurniture:
Ok, I got it. It pretty much doesn't work if you are trying to use the carrier number, due to the fact that the prepaid T-Mobile doesn't do call forwarding right?

---------- Post added at 10:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:14 PM ----------

I was using carrier number, not the GV number. Thanks for the help, much appreciated.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] scoobdude:
Read all 90+ pages. blah. have a question on the t-mobile plan however. If you get the $30 plan and go over you 100 minutes and there are no funds in the account what happens? Would it be wise to keep a bit of extra cash in there in case you need it one day? I would think it would cut you off as there would be no for sure way to recoup those costs <shrug>

One other question, does any one know if ordering a GNEX of the play store charges tax? I see they are no longer do the free shipping :(
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jazzruby:
Purchased my GNex on the 13th, S&H was $10.50, tax $26.43, the total was $453.93
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
If/when you go over 100 minutes, you get charged at $0.10/min. At that point, if you have no money in the account then they have nothing to take and you just can't make calls (except emergency calls). The phone will cease to make calls until you add money to the account.

It would be in your best interest if you plan on going over 100 at all to leave $5-$10 on your account for those "reserves". For myself personally, I am refilling $60 (2 months) at a time, so if I ever go over it'd just eat into the next months reserves and I have time to top it up. I still have the $3 from the activation kit on my account from over 3 months ago.

To my understanding (from reading their FAQ), the money you add is good for 90 days, and when you refill, it refreshes the 90 day "timer" on all money in the account.

Yes they charge tax if your state has a sales tax.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] scoobdude:
Thanks for the quick (at this hour) responses. Hoping to move to this soon and finally get some data speeds. Ugg sprint sucks. Even their wimax was getting 56K modem speeds at one point.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jbeez:
I hardly call downloading over 200mb in a single day abuse. Sometimes you just need to grab a file. You can't say one thing in your marketing materials and do another. We call that false advertising.

That said I'm almost a month in and I haven't even used 1gb yet according to my phone. I'm not anticipating any issues with them, but if they give me **** ever I'm not just rolling over and taking it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] airegin7:
I think you meant $436.93. My tax was a couple of $'s less, otherwise the same.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
I'm at 3GB and never had any problems with them. I finally gave the sim card to my brother so I can no longer test it out. I did 2.4GB in a day and didn't have any problems. With Straight Talk, I think if you leave out proxy and port, you'll be fine. I left everything blank except for APN because I don't use MMS. That said, I'm gonna order an AT&T compatible straight talk sim and use that when my current GoPhone plan expires.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Think you're having trouble understanding this. It doesn't matter what you deem "abuse", it's all about what

they

deem to be abuse. They're the carrier and they choose when to cut you off. It's not false advertising although I'd say it is disingenuous. As I've said before they cover all their bases with the ToS that gives them the right to cut you off.

I understand why you feel this way, but you literally have no other option other than to just deal with it. You 100% have no recourse if you get kicked off for using lots of data. They're not at all obligated to provide you truly unlimited data. Again, it may be slimy but that doesn't mean you have a reason to fight them on it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jazzruby:
Yea, actually it was $435.93 but thanks for the correction.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] scoobdude:
In Texas it was 441 with tax. I think they have a presence here though in Austin.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] arifagic:
Great guide!

Thanks i will test it out for sure!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] killabee44:
AT&T Straight Talk vs T-Mobile Straight Talk...

Guys,

I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on AT&T Straight Talk vs T-Mobile Straight Talk.

What are the differences?

Is it just about coverage in your area?

How does the speed compare?

Thanks.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] scoobdude:
After reading the thread it seems:

Coverage is best under ATT

Speeds are best on Tmobile
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] darkfire2024:
Because of the huge differences in coverage in the u.s., a generalization like that cannot be made. You'll simply either have to experiment with both Sims, ask buds with T-Mobile and att how their coverage is, and check out the carrier stores.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Cabal_:
For those still taking their chances with Straight Talk, they're now sending our warning voice messages to people using only 500 MB in a month:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...-Called-me-too-(Very-Odd-Though)-800-989-1506

Example:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] jazzruby:
Just called a friend and he said the caller ID was 'Becky B.....'

That ain't me.

Does anyone know anything about this?

ST (at&t)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] mjs2011:
Just wondering if anyone is using straight talk with this phone. What are your thoughts? How's reception and data speed? Is there actually a data cap of 100mb per day?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bfroehlich:
In my experience with ST, there haven't been any caps or throttling. The only thing I've noticed are seemingly random calls from ST telling me my data usage is excessive and adversely impacting their network. I say it's random because I'll get them with light usage and heavy usage. It's like once you get the call, they never stop coming.