yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[General Topics] slowpok22:
Holly sheep dip batman, got my sim today and activated, went smoothly.

Had good lte connection at work, just got home and only have H for connection, getting 10 Mbps down load speed, testing on the gnex at Verizon lte and can only get 5Mbps. I'm happy as a pig in a mud puddle :)
[General Topics] MisterEff:
I have been running speed tests and tests through OpenSignal vs my GSIII that is still on my Verizon contract in areas where I use my phone the most, didn't want to lose unlimited data if Tmo signal was terrible, and Tmo has beated Verizon every time. Even when Tmo showed a worse signal then Verizon the download and upload speeds were like 3 times higher. Have to say I am impressed. Especially for $30 a month.

Also, it's been almost half a month and I've only used 14 minutes of the 100...this might work for me.
[General Topics] Zenoran:
People discount the 100 minutes but as long as u don't use like 500+ it's still a better deal. It's only .10 per minute over the 100! I'm paying Verizon $40 alone for 450 minutes. Unlimited text + 450 mins and data is 90 bucks. This plan with 450 mins = 65. And that's completely situational for me because I rarely will use the 100. Pay as u go is awesome and really seems too good to be true.
[General Topics] br0adband:
You folks keep giving out the wrong links to the SIM cards so...

T-Mobile Micro SIM Card Activation Kit <<<--- This is what the Nexus 5 (and 4, and other phones too) require

and just in case you need the Nano SIM card (for an iPhone 5/5S/5C or some other newer device that uses the Nano SIM):

T-Mobile SIM Starter Kit Nano SIM

Those are the correct links to use so make note of it. The other link(s) can and typically will try to wrangle you into a plan of some kind during the ordering of the SIM card activation kit(s) themselves. The links I just provided are for the SIM card activation kits, period.

And as of right now (Friday the 15th of November) they're free again, with free shipping, and you can order 2 of each (separate orders) but I'd say try and be fair about it and not hog 'em - if you don't specifically need two, then don't order two, and so on.
[General Topics] devaughnaw:
I like the $30 plan but the coverage is terrible (I live in a rural area). And I don't think Tmobile offers boosters anymore. I'm at a loss. Any advice?
[General Topics] adrman:
Wi-Fi when you're at home is a start. For example, I rented a place out in the sticks last summer with no T-Mobile service except on the main road, but the guy I rented from had a Verizon hot spot for Wi-Fi in the place, because there was no dial up, dsl or cable available. Anyway, I ended up getting and making calls over his hotspot network via csipsimple and voip.ms.
[General Topics] devaughnaw:
I downloaded Talkatone and I'm trying to use that.

For some reason though I can't send text messages, and I placed a call but there was this loud ringing noise.
[General Topics] adrman:
I can't say I had much luck with the Talkatone/GrooveIP route either. The audio quality was always unusable for me.
[General Topics] jerflash:
ok everyone i was skeptical about using this 30 buck a month plan coming from verizon unlimited but it really has not been that bad at all!

I was able to port my number to tmobile while keeping my unlimited verizon account active. I can be done look it up...it all about timing. I did not sell my unlimited yet but i did suspend the account for 3 months. Verizon lets you do this with out an issue...anyone coming from verizon thinking about this plan just do it and try it out...nothing to lose!

Anyway if you are in a big city or atleast close to one there is no reason not to try this plan out. I get faster downloads on tmobile then i did verizon because the network is less clogged up! There are times where the signal is not as great as on verizon but there at just as many places where verizon never worked well for me and tmobile is awesome. Namely the beaches on long island and the NYC subways...talk about win!

If you guys are like me you are at work 8 hours a day 5 days a week then at home after work on wifi. I suggest using the vonage app to all people on since it uses your real phone number. You can use talkatone and your google number when you are not at home. 100 minutes is lasting me way longer then i thought it would. at the end of 2 weeks i only have used 30 minutes of my 100. VOIP on wifi works very well and even if you use 200 minutes in a month its still only 40 bucks a month.

This post is long winded but these are my findings. expect to see my verizon unlimited contract for sale soon!

BTW bite the bullet and port your REAL number to tmobile. Google voice will not get mms for a while and to tell you the truth everything is working great for me. All the important people have my real number and business contacts and other people get my google voice number

Thanks about it
[General Topics] rillo561:
Signed up Wednesday night, and love it so far. Came from Sprint which was dog**** in my area.
[General Topics] aohus:
pretty close to moving back to Verizon.

Youtube videos constantly buffer for me at the 52 second mark. No matter how strong the signal is. I'm pretty sure there is some throttling going on and they're not telling us.

How is it that the first 52 seconds of a video loads instantly, but speed throttles down from 52 second onwards.
[General Topics] slowpok22:
Watched Netflix for half an hour on the way home this morning and had no issues, no complaints from the kids :)
[General Topics] dustinpn:
Been using this for 2 weeks now while my Verizon contract winds down (less than a month left... finally). No issues at all other than the initial number port and inside reception. Took about a week for all the kinks to be ironed out and get the number ported entirely over to TMobile. LTE works great and the call quality is better than anything I ever had with Verizon. Reception inside of buildings can be really bad. Even with full LTE outside, as soon as I walk into a building it will completely go out. This isn't really a big deal to me because normally when I'm in a building there is WIFI available. For $30 a month it is unbeatable.

Oh yeah... I hadn't seen it mentioned anywhere, but on Verizon I was always annoyed when I had to dial in to my voicemail and type a password and slowly listen to the messages to delete them and then still wait for a minute or two for the notification to go away. It got to a point where I would perpetually have 2-3 voicemail notifications in my task bar because the process to delete them took too damn long.

No more! T-Mobile offers a free visual voicemail app that works great and I never have to dial into it again.
[General Topics] lordroy:
What "visual voicemail app" from T-Mobile are you talking about?
[General Topics] lordroy:
Says it is incompatible with my device, wont let me install it.
[General Topics] nooktablet:
So is mine, as shown in screenshot
[General Topics] dustinpn:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tmobile.vvm.application
[General Topics] nooktablet:
Well we know the link of the app.

The problem is it's not compatible with Nexus 5
[General Topics] wideasleep1:
VERY odd, I have it on my N5!
[General Topics] lordroy:
Could you share the apk plz (since it is a free app after all)
[General Topics] dustinpn:
Weird... I never got any compatibility issues when downloading. This makes me think someone went wrong during provisioning and the number port that has given me access to them? Who knows
[General Topics] nooktablet:
So can you give us the apk of the latest version please?
[General Topics] wideasleep1:
Will do when I get a minute...lunch! :)
[General Topics] dustinpn:
I have not rooted yet so hopefully someone else can post it.
[General Topics] nooktablet:
You don't need to be rooted because this is a free app

Just use this app back up the apk

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.infolife.appbackup
[General Topics] Gaffadin:
I called T-Mobile to deactivate my carrier voicemail and just use Google Voice's instead. Since we're prepaid then we don't get conditional call forwarding (meaning that if I reject a call then it won't immediately go to voicemail), but GV does still pick it up a short time later when no one answers.

Seems to be working just fine.
[General Topics] wideasleep1:
http://www57.zippyshare.com/v/21702476/file.html
[General Topics] slowpok22:
Thanks for the apk, now to see if it works.
[General Topics] lordroy:
Thanks, seems to work fine for me... I dont have any voicemails at the moment but it loads fine.
[General Topics] chewy74:
Ok, I've got a unlimited vzw plan and looking to make the transition to t-mobile $30. With hangout update rolling out today bringing sms, mms and in call support, what do I need in order to make calls over wifi or through gv to save minutes now?

I noticed hangout only gives you the option to make a call from within a active hangout thread. I didn’t notice any call option in the contacts.

Do I still need to deactivate my t-mobile vm?

Is there a walk through on the whole working setup?
[General Topics] nooktablet:
The new reason why I lost 5% battery on standby in only a few hours.
[General Topics] wideasleep1:
That is with my .apk? I wonder why...
[General Topics] nooktablet:
Yes it's your apk

Because T-Mobile doesn't know how to make apps
[General Topics] wideasleep1:
LOL! It was in my download queue when I signed in to G Services, and a wall of apps began restoring. I admit the app is buggy...robocall hangups with zero minutes crash the app. I wonder if that is why they yanked it from Play(for our phones)?
[General Topics] nooktablet:
But does it do wakelock on your nexus 5 also?
[General Topics] wideasleep1:
Negative. Neither N4 nor N5. Both running ART, fwiw.
[General Topics] slowpok22:
I installed talkatone before I got my sim, and used it with my gv number and it worked, I haven't tried since I got my sim.

Getting much better data and call quality from T-Mobile than I do from Verizon, I think it's time to port my number over. Where I spend most of my time it works for me.

Figured the cost of the phone, case, charger, and the T-Mobile plan over 2 years is $50 a month, Verizon is no where close to that with just with the phone discounted and plan, no accessories included.
[General Topics] letakomahieu:
And remember T-Mobile give you free 200mb/mo on your tablet ! bring your tablet in side the store and buy a sim card then rock it ! :good:
[General Topics] chewy74:
Google said support for 3rd party apps for wifi calls will stop by may of 2014. So talkatone will stop working.
[General Topics] nooktablet:
Hi, I notice in android there's an option to tether my wifi connection as a hotspot, but I have not dared to try. Does this cost money or it's just a feature of android? Or tmobile has policy on it? (And of course I'm using this $30 plan)

Hangouts will be your new talkatone. On ios the free calling feature is already there. Android comming soon they said.
[General Topics] slowpok22:
Well that su_ks profusely
[General Topics] br0adband:
But at this point nobody knows what Google's plans are for Hangouts and Google Voice - they may finally just implement actual SIP/VoIP capabilities into the clients once and for all, we just don't know at this time.

Would be nice, that's for damned sure, but if not there will be other solutions that present themselves when the time comes.
[General Topics] nooktablet:
They already did

in the iOS version of Hangouts
[General Topics] chewy74:
Yea, I'm planning on getting a n5 and testing on this plan. So I wanted to also see if the 100 min talk time was reasonably possible with gv, or other method. I know hangout will soon have calls integrated, but who knows when. In the meantime what will work for the purposes of my testing.
[General Topics] devaughnaw:
How does Vonage Mobile work when people call you? Say I'm at home and someone calls me. Will the app open and give me a notification?
[General Topics] ExodusC:
I can't seem to find an up to date tutorial on exactly how to get this plan.

I want to buy a Nexus 5 now and then get this plan so I can get off Verizon, but I have no idea how to still get this plan.

Anyone have a current tutorial for dummies on what we need to do?

I searched the thread and Googled, but I can't find anything conclusive.

As soon as I figure this out, I'm biting on a Nexus 5 from the Play Store.
[General Topics] lordroy:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-33620_3-57587175-278/is-this-the-best-smartphone-plan-ever/
[General Topics] ExodusC:
I had seen that guide, but I noted that the SIM cards appear to be free with a "web-only discount" on T-Mobile's website.

I presume I am supposed to buy the free "Phone" SIM as opposed to the "Mobile Internet Device" SIM that is $10.

The "Mobile Internet Device" SIM is for tablets and non-phone devices, right?

I just want to make sure I don't screw this up and that it still works before I drop $400 on a Nexus 5.
[General Topics] lordroy:
Ya, just get the t-mobile sim, either at discount or for $10 (I ordered mine online for $.99).

I had the sim for a couple weeks before I got the phone (because of the delay on Google's part on releasing it).

I followed this guide exactly and it works as intended.
[General Topics] kayone73:
You are correct.

I bought a couple $100 T-Mobile refill cards off callingmart.com but it appears refillmobi is still sold out.
[General Topics] ExodusC:
Great, thanks for the help. I ordered a free SIM activation kit from T-Mobile's website, and will place my order on a Nexus 5 as soon as my bank account deposits resolve.

Can't wait, as it looks like they have a guaranteed ship-by time as of today. Seems they'll leave the warehouse by December 3rd.

Hopefully nothing goes wrong.
[General Topics] letakomahieu:
So did you ever try to make your phone as a hot spot wifi for your tablet? Im on 30$ plan and I got an Ipad mini WiFi ? If so, will Tmobile corrupted your plan?

Thanks!
[General Topics] kayone73:
I can't get wifi tethering to work like it did when I was on AT&T data

Sent from my Nexus 5
[General Topics] Gaffadin:
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2512674&page=8 describes how to do the fix to tether (you will need root).
[General Topics] kayone73:
You don't need a tutorial:

1. buy prepaid T-mobile sim activation kit online or in store: comes with sim card and instructions how to activate

2. go to T-mobile website under prepaid plans to activate the sim card (URL is in the sim activation kit instructions)

3. insert sim into phone

4. select the $30 100min + 5Gb data + unlimited text plan on the website

5. create new phone or port old phone number onto acct

6. follow remaining instructions on the website and you'll get confirmation text that your sim and number are active on T-Mobile

whole thing should take less than 30 min.
[General Topics] jlk_250:
I have a Nexus 4 on 4.3 with the $30 5GB data plan and use the Wi-Fi hotspot from time to time. Works great and T-Mobile doesn't seem to know. On my.tmobile it shows that we get 100MB of hotspot tethering per month but I don't know if that's correct. My wife has am N5 on the same plan and Wi-Fi hotspot is blocked.

So my question is this: when we update our N4s to 4.4, will hotspot tethering be blocked on our phones too? Anyone with the OTA update able to check and confirm?
[General Topics] h20wakebum:
Just found out I cannot do call forwarding on the nexus 5 with the $30 plan... Bummer sure would have been nice to be able to set up Google voice.

Any tricks or solutions to get around this?
[General Topics] dazz87:
Hey guys got my T-Mobile sim and I want to test it out vs GOPHONE (at&t) if I like it could I then port my number from at&t later on (week). Or do I need to port my number right away when I active it the sim? Another question looks like this plan is only for new customer. Will I be consider a "new customer" even tho I had tmobile back in Oct? My contract ended at the end of Oct this year. Thanks
[General Topics] harveydent:
That's odd. You should be able to use call forwarding via TMo prepaid. That's how the GVoice+VOIP system works. What you can't do is forward voicemails to GVoice, which is solved by simply disabling the TMo voicemail service to allow GVoice to serve the voicemail.

You need to have a phone number to have a usable phone, so when you activate a SIM it either assigns you a number or you get to port your own. I'm not sure if you're still able to port a new number after a week has passed, maybe someone here who's done that can chime in. Worst case scenario, if you can't port anymore, just get a new sim and do a new activation to port your number. (You're technically a new customer then). You'll just be out $30 for that 1 month service you applied to the first SIM. Just remember, when porting a number, do not cancel the old account! Just make sure you have no obligations (all paid up/no outstanding balance, no ETF, no equipment that needs to be returned, etc.) and when you port the number, the old account will automatically be cancelled. If you cancel first before you port, there's a chance that the number will be unavailable to be ported since you no longer own it.

Yes, you can port TMo postpaid to prepaid, I've done that myself and it's very painless, since both accounts/numbers are in their system. Getting the old number running on the new SIM took only a minute and a half.

EDIT: did a little research on the GNex $30 thread and found this:
[General Topics] livehifi:
I used this for a while on my old Pantech phone. It was great. Really the only downside is the lack of roaming. That means when you're not in the city, it's going to suck. Otherwise, Tmobile is quite nice Now I am in Korea so Olleh is a good alternative at ~20usd/month for 2GB.
[General Topics] harveydent:
Yes, and do it quickly as the SIM is usually $10 as well. The phone SIMs are free for now for a limited time
[General Topics] e1ioan:
For my home phone I have Obi110 ATA (look it up on amazon, I can't post links) which works with google voice to call/receive calls for free.
[General Topics] jimmyjoebob:
Which will stop working mid 2014.
[General Topics] e1ioan:
Considering that I used that for the last 3 years and it costed me $50, it's a good deal :)
[General Topics] lordroy:
Supposedly by then Google should have it's own VOIP solution.
[General Topics] kayone73:
My spotty research indicates indicates that Hangouts itself will be enabled for VOIP calling, hopefully that would mean VOIP SMS as well in no signal zones.
[General Topics] Letitride:
Look at it this way, the N5 is endorsing T-Mobile and vice versa, granted that T-Mo really don't want everyone to sign up on a $30 p/p pland and do GV & VOIP - you would be saving $$ between now and next May, $10 to $20 or maybe $30+ a month if the solution is workable (not everyone is able to take advantage of it) - enough to offset part of the investment for the unlocked N5 with LTE bands enabled, and this is no contract.

Switch to Straight Talk, Simple Mobile, Walmart then if there are no solutions in 2014 - meanwhile, enjoy the ride. I'm still on stupid VZW now (single # of days left on the contract) but been playing/testing T-Mo p/p with LTE on a spare/backup line - call quality is good and LTE/HSPA+ speed literally blasting Big Red's 3G speed around here. By Thanksgiving, "Can you hear me now" will be history after 17+ years - not paying $$ for upgrade fees, activation fees, $300 for a SG4 and another full 24 month contract on top with ETF x 2 lines.
[General Topics] flintdragon:
I'm trying to set up a new $30 pre-paid account on N5 while porting my number which is also on the same plan but I'm getting this error:

"Sorry, you can't transfer this number to a T-Mobile No Annual Contract Plan at this time. Please call Customer Care at 1-877-453-1304 for assistance with this transfer."

Anyone know if there is an issue here?

-- nevermind, I went ahead and called and they switched me right over using the same account. Just had to give them my account info and new sim card.
[General Topics] shadrach47:
Not sure if this will work for prepaid or not but stumbled on it. Free $50 for transferring your number. http://www.t-mobile.com/offer/transfer-cell-phone-numbers.html?AID=11456737&PID=4485850

I tried to add it to my account even though it was activated a week ago. I went to this page http://www.tmobilerebates.com/splash.asp and enter promo TRNSFR5.

Not sure if it will work but wanted to let everyone know.
[General Topics] wideasleep1:
T&Cs indicate Simple Choice Plans only.
[General Topics] Ash359:
There is an app called Spare Phone that seems to have better reviews than GrooveIP

It also allows you to make 3g and 4g calls using your massive pool of data. Costs a little more than a meg a minute.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guidology.sparephone

Sent from my Jedi Master Note II
[General Topics] schwab002:
My nexus 5 is coming in a couple weeks and I'm trying to decide between the t-mo 30$ plan or straight talk $45.

I usually use around 120 minutes on my current sprint plan so the tmobile plan will be at least $10 per month even with overages, but my concerns are with the t-mobile network vs the AT&T network you can get with straight talk. AT&T sounds like they have better network coverage and building penetration. I live in NYC but I visit rural areas in Connecticut usually a couple times a month.

Thoughts or advice? Maybe I'll have to order sim cards from both and try them out for a month each.
[General Topics] Mutalator:
I had an interesting experience over the past weekend. I signed up for the plan and got a new number (soon to be off-contract on Verizon), in order to test drive the network for a month and see how things go.

I was having problems with the phone at first, I was able to send calls/texts but not able to receive them. Come to find out, that T-Mobile had given me the same number as someone with a landline. The guy called me a day after I had activated and was mad that he was getting all these calls from random numbers... sorry man, not my fault.

Coverage is spotty at my house, edge speeds only and depending on where you are/how you are holding the device you might not have reception. Great coverage at work along most of the ride and in the places that I frequent.

I know that ATT has full coverage at my place, so I might try out one of their MVNO options after my month is up.
[General Topics] Ash359:
It all depends on where you live, my T-Mobile speed is seldom less than 4G

Sent from my Jedi Master Note II
[General Topics] STi_Fanatic:
Saw this on SD this morning....I don't want to pay $10 for a SIM and another $12 for expedited shipping, wonder if it will work to go activate in store and then try to retroactively apply the deal.
[General Topics] schwab002:
I don't think it'll work if you're just getting the 30$ pre-paid plan:

"To qualify, you must meet all of the following Eligibility Requirements between November 14 and November 28, 2013.

Your T-Mobile account must be active and in good standing at time of validation

You must transfer or port-in your current phone number from another carrier and activate a new line of service on a qualifying Simple Choice plan with T-Mobile

You must add Unlimited 4G Data to your qualifying Simple Choice plan"

http://www.t-mobile.com/Promotions/ResourceTemplate.aspx?PAsset=Pro_Pro_PortInTermsAndConditions
[General Topics] adrman:
I had my GNex on StraightTalk/ATT before I switched over to T-Mobile. I had some pretty big dead zones in midtown where I couldn't make calls much less get data. In rural areas, I found the coverage difference to be negligible, as in, both aren't that good. I get much more reliable service in the city though with T-Mobile.
[General Topics] gloppe:
Why is North America so incredibly behind on cell plans.

In my home country in Europe I pay 10 Euros for 1000 minutes, 1000 text and 1GB data. And no contract!

Why is NA so expensive?
[General Topics] STi_Fanatic:
Historically Europe's model for cellular telephony involved people paying high prices (read: retail) for a device, but saving money on their plans.

NA has been the opposite. Cheap devices, more expensive plans. This is starting to change, but it's not quite the same.