yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus 4 General] ballgum:
Need clarification

I've been reading through this thread, but don't see some of the answers i'm looking for.... My current galaxy s3 just went dead and I'm under contract with at&t.

So, instead of fixing, I want to get a new phone and switch to either 1) tmobile $30/month plan OR 2) Straight Talk using at&t towers OR 3) tmobile $30/month plan w/subsidized phone. I'm in the Dallas area I know at&t and tmobile are both good here.

Which is better as far as plans?

Also, since I want to get a NEW phone (GS4 or Note 3), can I get it subsidized through tmobile under the $50 plan and then cancel to the $30/month plan?? This is where I get confused. Will tmobile charge a monthly fee for getting the phone subsidized through them?

Or would I be better off just buying a new/used one and popping in a tmobile/straight talk sim?

thanks!

**EDIT - after reading more about straight talk, looks like they suck for data?? They throttle alot and get pissed off when you use much data? Maybe tmobile prepaid will be a better deal then?

**EDIT - also what about metro pcs? Do they throttle differently than tmobile? Can I bring my own phone to use with them?
[Nexus 4 General] jaybeeunix:
Most people in this thread would probably say "T-Mobile $30/5GB plan".

All of the Tracfone MVNOs (StraightTalk/Net10) are pretty aggressive with the throttling. Until recently, they didn't say what the limits were. (They're now up front with "2.5GB data" before throttling.)

T-Mobile doesn't do subsidies on their prepaid plans.

With T-Mobile's new Simple Choice plans (their post-paid plans), they only subsidize financing (aka "0% interest" ) of the phone: You still pay full price for it, split into 24 payments. The phone payment is listed as a separate line-item on your bill and goes away when you pay off the phone. If you cancel your Simple Choice plan, you'll have to settle-up on any remaining balance on the phone.

That's generally the cheapest total-cost way, assuming you can use on of these inexpensive plans (they have the minutes/data to fit your needs).
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
Motorola G. $199 off contract for 16GB. Look it up.
[Nexus 4 General] br0nx finest:
No 4G LTE though.

Moto X = better deal or Nexus 5.
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
T-Mobile HSPA+ is a fast as their LTE in a lot of areas. I just read Motorola is doing $150 off their off-contract Moto X's (including DEV and Moto Maker editions) on Cyber Monday.
[Nexus 4 General] br0nx finest:
Makes me want to sell my Sprint Moto X - and go with a $30/mo TMo off contract smartphone. I'm paying $90/mo here
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
You'd be saving a lot in the long run. I just switched to $70 unlimited everything (because I need a lot of minutes this month), and that's still cheaper than what you're paying on Sprint.
[Nexus 4 General] Ostrich Egg:
n/m wrong thread
[Nexus 4 General] kuslove2:
jaaa

just get metro pcs ..there with t mobile
[Nexus 4 General] br0nx finest:
That's what kills me. And turns out I'm eligible for like an 18% disc but in order to get that, I'd have to give permission to extend my contract to 2yrs (at the moment, I have 10months remaining).
[Nexus 4 General] Fire Ball:
You could probably get a discount on T-Mobile postpaid too though. Wouldn't apply to this plan but you could get the $70 unlimited data plan.
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
Listen, I used to work as a Sprint store employee. While they're nice because they don't brand their devices, etc, the things I hated are/were:

1. "Towers are down" is an excuse you'd hear often if you called customer service about slow data speeds. It basically means, "Sorry, the network is congested. In other news, the sky is blue." Their devices (including the Nexus 5!) are programmed to show "3G" when you're in a 1x area!

2. They're CDMA. I hate hate HATE CDMA devices because they don't allow for interoperability with other networks. There's nothing stopping Sprint and Verizon from allowing each others' devices onto their networks, but it'll never happen. On Verizon, the SIM card slots in their LTE devices are unlocked (due to a deal they made with the FCC in exchange for some LTE spectrum), so at least your device isn't completely useless if you leave Verizon and go to AT&T or T-Mobile. Sprint, however, purposely blocks out US SIM cards for their LTE devices. GSM = freedom. I can take my phone to any carrier I want, when I want.

3. Lack of prepaid. Yes, they recently opened up their own prepaid division (directly them, not talking about Boost/Virgin Mobile/Ting). But look at point #2. You buy the phone and you have to use it on Sprint.

4. Their LTE is pretty much non-existent, and if you can get it, the speeds are nothing spectacular. I'm speaking through experience; a buddy of mine has a Note 2 on Sprint right now. They always promise faster speeds way too late; everybody just bought a Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Now they come out with "Spark" (faster LTE), which neither of those devices do. Great, isn't it?
[Nexus 4 General] bob60626:
Supposedly the Moto G is only HSPA21.
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
I know, but 21 Mbps is still LTE speed.
[Nexus 4 General] bob60626:
If you get it; I never got higher than 22-ish on my hspa42 S2 in a very strong area. We really can't say hspa21 is close to LTE when lots of people are getting 50 and higher. What's next, hspa7 is the same as LTE? :D
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
I'm in an LTE area and have never hit higher than 21 Mbps. The guy I was talking to didn't want to break the bank, so that's why I suggested the G. If you can afford the X, go for the X.
[Nexus 4 General] keemer1028:
Hey everyone, running stock 4.4, has anyone else's Vonage app started force closing after updating to 4.4? Or is this a problem on 4.3 and below too?
[Nexus 4 General] baiju2012:
I am on 4.4, Vonage App works for me as before (4.3). Uninstall and then reinstall. Maybe that will fix it.

Nexus IV
[Nexus 4 General] plee3:
Did it still works on LTE? For me, it only works on WiFi and just closes when on LTE.

Thanks... plee3
[Nexus 4 General] baiju2012:
I don't have LTE. I am still on T-Mobile HSPA+ network. It works on both Wi-Fi and HSPA+. Don't know about LTE.

Nexus IV
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
Works fine for me on LTE.
[Nexus 4 General] nicotheandroidguy:
It's been crashing on me as well with 4.4 on my friends S4 on unoffical CM 11 and on my Nexus 4 running Project Kit Kat. I also Un installed then reinstalled and it's still not working.
[Nexus 4 General] New Optimus:
How many that are having trouble have changed to the ART runtime? Could the vonage app not be compatible?
[Nexus 4 General] nicotheandroidguy:
No I'm using dalvik.
[Nexus 4 General] abdel12345:
Guys theres a plan that even better than this if you need more than 100 minutes. I'm using lycamobile and it's 29 dollars a month for unlimited everything. The downside is that you only get 50 megabytes of data at 4g speed before it's throttled but it's still unlimited. The texting and calling is too. Also they have international calling really cheap and their signal is usually better than T-Mobile. With tmobile I always only have 1-3 bars. With lycamobile so far I've seen 2-4 bars the whole time. They also have pay as you go for 2¢ a minute 4 per text and 6 per megabyte. Also b they have a referral program that gives you 5 dollars free credit so if your family members want to switch too you can get free credit. They let you bring numbers over as well so you can keep your number that you have.
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
Unless you mainly call rather than use data (or you only need EDGE), that's a bad deal.
[Nexus 4 General] abdel12345:
Lol that's why I said if you need more than 100 minutes. It's good for me because I don't use data for more than basic searches and social networks. So it's perfect since I don't need the 4g speeds for that
[Nexus 4 General] kaitlynexus:
Tethering

I can't get tethering to work. There were times I get prompted a t-mobile page with enter your number field. Most of the time, the page simply times out. I would like to connect my Nexus 7 to the internet through Nexus 4. Both are running on stock.

My concern is if there's a limitation in this plan($30 w/5GB data) that prohibits tethering to other devices? Is there a setting an in-device setting or tmobile account configuration I need to turn on?

I would appreciate your insights. Thank you!
[Nexus 4 General] scottmc129:
i have 2 Nexus 4s with this plan and never had a problem tethering until now. was there an actual change to this plans structure or did Kit Kat take away the tethering?? I never had a problem with stock Jelly Bean but with Kit Kat it isn't working. can we get some clarity on this?? thanks
[Nexus 4 General] keemer1028:
Yeah I've noticed if I'm on Wifi, Vonage works just fine but if I'm not on Wifi, the app force closes. I'm using stock radios, no LTE. Isn't the Vonage app supposed to support calling over cellular data?
[Nexus 4 General] mojitochica:
Thanks. I have loaded the PIN into my account, do I have to do anything else to make a payment? I keep getting text messages that my payment is due soon. Is the system smart enough to see I have a positive balance on my account and deduct it?
[Nexus 4 General] New Optimus:
The reminders will continue even if you put 100 in the account, I do not know if there is a setting to limit the reminders.

However if there is enough money at the time of renewal it will subtract it and continue service no interaction needed on your part.
[Nexus 4 General] bob60626:
I only ever use Vonage over LTE on my 4.1.2 Note 2; it's always worked fine.
[Nexus 4 General] TreatnHerRight:
Used Vonage to make a call over HSPA+ a few days ago, and worked perfectly.

Sent from my Nexus 4 Running Vanir ROM
[Nexus 4 General] knuckhead2:
I just started getting the same message. Unfortunately, after talking to T-Mobile and getting my case elevated to their hotspot specialist, I wast told that I will now have to start paying an extra $15 month to have the hotspot activated.

Not so thrilled about this .... Anyone else getting this?
[Nexus 4 General] parrothd:
I used to get that all the time on my contract account with my laptop. Just change the user agent in chrome to say nexus 4.. :)
[Nexus 4 General] dascjb:
This has been answered here http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2512674&page=7

in summary

modifying the following sqlite database (you'll need root):

/data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db

You need to add a new entry to the global table called "tether_dun_required" with a value of 0.
[Nexus 4 General] knuckhead2:
Won't work for me. After the first specialist tried to fix the problem, I lost all data transmission to or from the hotspot across all devices and computers. I don't even get the login screen anymore.

I had an issue in October where my data use didn't seem to be recorded, and I pretty much got unlimited high speed data for a month. Could be I'm being singled out for their screwup, or their starting to roll out the $15 charge to all ???
[Nexus 4 General] knuckhead2:
Thanks for the link! Looks like it is a spreading wave ...

A mixture of morals, laziness, and incompetence will make me just pony up the $15.

It was a nice deal while it lasted.
[Nexus 4 General] SonicYan:
For those having problems tethering with this plan on a Nexus 4, are you still on Jelly Bean or KitKat? I still haven't updated my unrooted stock Nexus 4 although I do have the notice for the update already. I can still tether my Nexus 7 with no problems. Didn't sign up for anything.
[Nexus 4 General] ender979:
I lost the ability to tether with stock when I updated from Jelly Bean to Kit Kat. As outlined in this thread, if you update to Kit Kat you can modify a setting to allow you to tether once again if you have rooted your phone. So if you want to continue to be able to tether without paying extra or rooting your phone you will have to stick with Jelly Bean.
[Nexus 4 General] SonicYan:
I thought these prepaid plans came with free tethering? Their mobile app says I have a 100 MB allowance.
[Nexus 4 General] Solutions Etcetera:
Which mobile app?
[Nexus 4 General] SonicYan:
T-Mobile My Account app
[Nexus 4 General] wideasleep1:
It does...my tether works great up to just over the 100MB limit then future tethers require workarounds.
[Nexus 4 General] iameffex:
I currently have a T-Mobile $30 prepaid plan and my phone uses a Mini sim card, but I will be picking up Nexus in the near future that requires a Micro sim card. I have a question on how I can switch my service to the new sim card AND keep my phone number.

Now, I know that I can cut the card and I am willing to do so with a sim card cutter. However, if it's possible, I'd rather just start with the fresh Micro card. I ordered one off T-Mobiles site for free, just in case it's possible.

Can someone confirm how this is done and if it can be done purely online? Do I just have to activate the new card and port my number from one account to the other? That wouldn't carry over my current funds though right?

If anyone has any advice, please advise. Thanks!
[Nexus 4 General] Solutions Etcetera:
After you have the new sim, just go to T-Mobile chat and tell them you have a new phone and sim. Read them the number of the new sim and they will take care of it on the spot.
[Nexus 4 General] New Optimus:
You can chat with them on the computer or call them but they will update your account with the new sim very easily.
[Nexus 4 General] wideasleep1:
Yes..it can be purely done online or by phone auto-prompts. Select this plan and select port existing number. No need to...and I'd advise against..talking to anyone.
[Nexus 4 General] urinsane:
Unless I am missing something, you should be able to just call T-Mobile and give them the new sim number over the phone. Do not start a new account and port.

edit: whoops, started this reply a couple of hours ago and forgot to refresh.
[Nexus 4 General] iameffex:
Thank you for all the quick replies.

The only reason I asked is because I was trying to avoid customer service on the phone as much as possible as they are less than satisfactory. I couldn't find the option online, just to activate a new sim, but then again, I didn't run through the whole process as I don't have my card or phone yet. I'll look into it further once it arrives.

Thanks so much for the help!
[Nexus 4 General] Warbuff:
You can do online chat. It's worked for me
[Nexus 4 General] wideasleep1:
The activate page leads you through the entire process.
[Nexus 4 General] urinsane:
Not sure what kind of issues you may of had with customer service, but I can assure you that swapping sims is one of the most basic things they do. When I swapped mine over the phone it took less than 3 minutes to complete, and no questions were asked other than the new sim # and basic account verification.

Not trying to argue that using chat isn't more convenient, but the 3 or 4 times I've called in I received excellent service. Granted, two of those were just to turn off voicemail and then to turn it back on, but thought I should mention that they don't seem to be as bad as some make it out.

Again though, I do not believe it is possible to swap to your new sim online (other than chatting with a rep) as you seem to be trying to do. It would be nice if the online account management site allowed it, and if I am incorrect I'd be happy to know about it!

On the same note, swapping to a new sim at my local TMobile store was a very pleasant experience.. I had tried cutting my own sim down with a pair of scissors and just eyeballing it after a few drinks... Whoops! There was no line at the store, the rep grabbed a new sim from the back, swapped it, and had me out the door in about 5 minutes. No issues, and to anyone needing a new size I would recommend this route rather than having to pay for a new activation kit. Of course, there may be a bit of a line so close to the holidays/ depending on your location, but once you have service they don't seem to mind giving a new size sim at no charge.

Hell, now T-Mobile is giving out free sims and data to anyone with a compatible tablet! Sure would be nice if they could stop charging for the prepaid activation kits as well.
[Nexus 4 General] Solutions Etcetera:
I don't recommend the "store" route... the one near me wanted $20 for a nanosim, whereas a new activation kit from T-Mobile is free.
[Nexus 4 General] thref23:
^^ When I recently switched from mini to micro, I went into a T-Mo store, waited my turn in line, and then a rep swapped out my sim in two minutes. The new sim was activated immediately. No charge.
[Nexus 4 General] jherbold:
Visual Voicemail

Nevermind.
[Nexus 4 General] thref23:
Anybody else on this plan, in Phoenix, experiencing poor data performance lately? Today in particular? I am getting Sprint 3G speeds (in fairness, slightly better, which means average speeds around 0.4 Mbps here) and I can hardly run a speed test without my connection dropping during the test.

I should add that ping speeds are completely normal and I am encountering this in multiple cities. It is as if I am getting throttled but I am well under 5 GB.

EDIT - apparently this must be an issue with the EPC APN. I just switched to wap.voicestream.com and my speeds were instantly better (though ping times are worse).
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
Did you try fast.t-mobile.com?
[Nexus 4 General] thref23:
Yeah I'm actually using it at the moment. But I am on the international Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, I don't have LTE and in past tests I had found 'fast' to be slightly less effective than other options.
[Nexus 4 General] Cream$ickleHJ:
"Google Voice" text go through hangouts without having data on, and calls work without data too..I'll probably get the unlimited talk+text $35 since I really don't need data or the $3 pay by the day with 200mb 4g LTE a day
[Nexus 4 General] mojitochica:
Has anyone been charged for MMS texts with this plan? My plan is about to rollover, and I noticed my account was a quarter less than the refill I applied last weekend. I called customer service and the rep said you're over your minutes, which is false. Then he said I sent pictures which are $0.25. I said a picture text is a text and this plan includes unlimited texts. The rep said picture texts aren't included as unlimited texts, but gave me back my $0.25. Has anyone else experienced this nonsense?
[Nexus 4 General] abdel12345:
I've had similar but not with this plan. I have pay as you go for now and they charge more for an mms than an SMS.
[Nexus 4 General] SonicYan:
Nope, MMS should be free. I've sent an MMS before with $0 in my account.
[Nexus 4 General] jherbold:
My Google Voice compromise

This thread started out asking which VOIP client folks use with this plan. It has ranged far and wide, and I've read every post. :)

We all know the MMS constraint with GV. Too bad, so sad, what to do?

My compromise was to port my very well established AT&T number to T-Mobile instead of GV. I use Simonics Voip on my N4 and GrooveIP on my "spare" (wifi only) phone. Most of my contacts had been unaware of my GV number.

I emailed and texted all my contacts and asked them to list my GV number as my HOME phone number in their contacts. That way, they will know not to text me on that number and I shouldn't miss any MMS's from family or friends. When I call them using voip, their phone will identify me as the caller.

At the same time, I asked them to try calling my HOME number first. This allows me to capture most incoming calls over wifi. Since I spend 80% of my time under wifi coverage this seems to be working out fine.

I use mobile minutes only when I'm physically mobile.
[Nexus 4 General] baiju2012:
http://prepaid-refill.com/
[Nexus 4 General] schism70:
Dumb question...what do I dial on the handset to access my voicemail?

Have been on this plan since October and am very happy with the service.

Thanks.
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
If "1" on speed dial doesn't get you to it, dialing your own number works. But calling Voicemail uses minutes on this plan. Just download the free Visual Voicemail app:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tmobile.vvm.application&hl=en
[Nexus 4 General] shaunfrazier:
The T-Mobile V.V.M. app doesn't work on Android 4.4. I'm still waiting for the new one.
[Nexus 4 General] HTCMDA:
Try phone fusion visual voicemail

Sent from my SGH-M919
[Nexus 4 General] rpstrongbad:
Mine works, I have a nexus 5 running 4.4
[Nexus 4 General] shaunfrazier:
Three T-Mobiles again and still not working just tells me can't connect to network.
[Nexus 4 General] urinsane:
Same here, no problems on Nexus 5 running latest CM nightly.
[Nexus 4 General] howardsl2:
I would love to use the $30 plan, however the T-Mobile coverage is very poor in the city where I live. Maybe I will be use it next year after I move to a different state.
[Nexus 4 General] kfreem02:
It has worked just fine for me with all releases of 4.x
[Nexus 4 General] thref23:
Well, apparently T-Mobile is open to a merger with Sprint.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...sprint-deal-could-help-crack-wireless-duopoly

As much as Sprint is now owned mostly by Softbank, which probably is not incompetent, IMO this is a situation where Masayoshi Son made his play to buy into the US market, realized he had bought into the wrong company, and IMO secretly hoped the Sprint deal would not be improved. Now that the deal is final, he hopes Sprint can buy T-Mo. I am quite happy to be away from Sprint and I feel like the last thing T-Mo needs is former Sprint executives having any infuence whatsoever over the carrier.
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
Amen to all of that. I don't want Sprint in my T-Mobile.
[Nexus 4 General] jayRokk:
I have a quick question. My cycle starts again on the 2nd of February. I don't get paid until the 5th. Will my account still be active if I dont pay in time? Or will I have to get a brand new Sim,number etc?
[Nexus 4 General] HTCMDA:
You can be inactive for 90 days. So you're fine

Sent from my SGH-M919
[Nexus 4 General] jayRokk:
Thank you :)
[Nexus 4 General] djpharoah:
I've just signed up on this deal as I'm testing out T-Mobile before I transfer all my lines over. Has anyone else had issues with creating an online account? Every time I try to the website just spins forever.
[Nexus 4 General] HTCMDA:
That's normal. Try later or maybe a different browser. It's always slow and congested

Sent from my SGH-M919
[Nexus 4 General] djpharoah:
I've tried the various browsers... I guess I'll keep trying till I get through.

Thanks.
[Nexus 4 General] HTCMDA:
Yea. My payments never go through on the website or over the phone with the automated voice. I have to buy refill cards. Which is ok with me.. They make good gifts.

Sent from my SGH-M919
[Nexus 4 General] androideka31:
I have been wanting to switch to this plan. Is there a link I can go to or will I just have to call customer service?
[Nexus 4 General] HTCMDA:
I did mine over the phone after quitting my post paid plan. I made sure the person helping me was 100 percent clear on which plan I wanted, I asked her to repeat it back.

However, you can sign up online from the tmobile website via the prepaid link. Or buy a sim card starter kit at Walmart and follow instructions within.

Sent from my SGH-M919
[Nexus 4 General] Caebron:
I switched a year ago and never looked back. I got a SIM on Amazon for under $5, popped it in my phone and registered on the T-Mo website. The $30 plan is a 1-time offer, so if you don't sign up for it when first registering it wont be available any more.
[Nexus 4 General] wideasleep1:
Well...on THAT SIM. Another SIM activation is all it takes.
[Nexus 4 General] Product F(RED):
Yeah. I even asked when I switched to the $70 plan. All it takes is a new SIM.
[Nexus 4 General] Caebron:
That seemed so "that-goes-without-saying" to me that it didn't even occur to mention it.
[Nexus 4 General] HTCMDA:
It's not a 1 time offer. You can switch to it any time.. Just call them.

Sent from my SGH-M919