yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[General Topics] 954wrecker:
I don't remember ever getting charged tax to buy a card in person here in California. I never payed tax online on the tmobile website. Maybe it's the one thing California doesn't tax

sent from my note 3
[General Topics] joey4321:
wifi calling

Does anyone know if there is a way to enable wifi calling with the Nexus 5 with the T-Mobile plan? I have a weak signal at my job, but I do have a strong wifi signal. Or is it not possible with the Nexus 5?
[General Topics] macallik:
Regular wifi calling via TMobile will use plan minutes. However, check out the link I posted a day or two ago. Vonage App allows for high-quality wifi calls for free through September 23rd and shows your real # shows on caller ID. I use Vonage at home and work so my 100m is now my emergency minutes.
[General Topics] coorsleftfield:
Grooveip also works well and has been updated to use ring.to instead of Google voice xmpp
[General Topics] BinkXDA:
FWIW, #MIN# appears to be unbroken now—everything else is still useless for minutes though.

Come on T-Mobile—you can do better.
[General Topics] yahanna:
Under the $30 plan, will wifi calling work internationally?
[General Topics] andy o:
Internet calling depends on which VoIP service you're using, not on the T-mo plan (disregarding T-mo's own "WiFi calling" which the Nexus phones don't have and is irrelevant to this plan anyway). I don't think any provides free calling to phones internationally but for most people it's easy enough to set up apps like Viber or the many others like it.
[General Topics] 954wrecker:
I'm happy to report #min# once again displays your remaining minutes.

sent from my note 3
[General Topics] cutterjohn:
...and... (I'll reply later if there's anything in the thread worth replying too, but I'm on the same plan, got it for the n4...)
[General Topics] nrvate:
I assume I can obtain a SIM, even if for $10, from the local T-mobile store and activate the $30 prepaid plan online? Website says this plan is only available online or for devices purchased at wal-mart. I'd order the free SIM online but it looks like my Nexus is going to be here sooner than I thought :)

Anyone use SIP VOIP over T-mobile LTE? any luck?
[General Topics] cutterjohn:
Yup. Used Google voice to place VOIP calls, never used any of my minutes unlike some claim, back to back reading the thread...

BTW: I got this plan by ordering a new uSIM card, putting it in my n4 ordered from the play store and "activating" it online with the $30 plan... I think that the only caveat really is that it has to be a NEW plan(probably SIM, not really up on cell network minutiae) performed online and you're good to go.

Originally, my T-Mo account showed a generic phone for a while, but eventually cottoned onto that it was a n4...

All of this said, I hardly use any voice time, and my data USED to be REALLY good here, now it's been kind of awful... not sure if it was because when I first signed on it was mid-fall(essentially winter to you people south) and the trees were practically bare, as last summer data rates plummeted(haven't really tested yet this mid-fall, and I'll wait for my n5 now...).

Thinking about re-purposing the n4 to a voice only or voice + some messaging(not good like to have data/messages all on one phone) on another el cheapo plan... although what I'd REALLY like is a nice generic nexus WORLD phone and I'd truly learn to live with only crappy GSM(I've ALWAYS had better coverage/reception/etc. with CDMA by FAR excepting Sprint whose data coverage sucked... meanwhile I had signal et. al. way out in the boondocks with CDMA carriers, while GSM they're doing good to not drop calls in urban areas... or at least this has been my US/Canada experience...)

[EDIT]

Wasting MUCH more time than I wanted too, I could NOT find a SINGLE way to buy a sim card starter kit w/o credit "approval"... They NEVER asked me for that last year, nor do I remember them pushing "plans", but OTOH I didn't dig too deeply, and I assume that they're sticking to their no plan thing for now, but still... it's ridiculous.... and I'd kinda like to have a spare uSIM or two, and wanted one to reset the n4 up as a voice only(more or less) phone maybe...

...the plans that they were pushing really suck BTW... the "unlimited" only being marginally cheaper than AT&T/Verizon...

[/EDIT]
[General Topics] br0adband:
No one has said Google Voice takes minutes from your T-Mobile $30/monthly 100 minute allotment in this thread, what I said and others have commented on is that if you have this plan, and you get 100 minutes (which we all do, those of us using this plan), and you use that T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling app they provide for you free of charge, and you make a call using that Wi-Fi app it will deduct the minutes you're talking using that VoIP circuit from your actual 100 minutes. You might go into using it thinking "Wow, T-Mobile is giving me an option to use Wi-Fi to make phone calls, how cool is this?" and not even realize that if you make a 15 minute call using their Wi-Fi calling app that you just lost 15 minutes from that 100 minute allotment and now you're down to 85.

Yes it seems a bit ridiculous that you're not even using their network to make a call at all and they're "charging you" for the privilege, but they do - it costs you to use that Wi-Fi calling so, avoid it unless absolutely necessary or use Google Voice + GrooveIP/Talkatone or one of the other available VoIP/SIP calling options (at least till April 2014 when Google will pull that plug).

As for the SIM thing, T-Mobile is giving away the microSIM activation kits (and nanoSIMs also, I grabbed a few of those for safekeeping). Get them here:

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/...ro-SIM-Card-Activation-Kit-No-Annual-Contract

YES THEY DO ASK FOR A CREDIT CARD NUMBER but THEY DON'T CHARGE YOU A PENNY, they don't even do a pre-authorization hold of any kind at all.

If you honestly don't have a credit card, period, perhaps getting a prepaid one at a convenience store sometime would help make things easier for you, they only cost like $5 and you can put $10 on 'em and never even use it especially when things like these microSIM cards are totally free - T-Mobile is even shipping them at no cost whatsoever.

We're getting to a point in our society where you're not going to be able to much of anything online in terms of purchases or acquiring goods and services without a credit card, even if it means getting a prepaid one and keeping $5-10 on it at all times. It's just how the world works nowadays.
[General Topics] nrvate:
Google Voice, at least using the official app, routes calls over the standard voice network to a Google Voice POP number, which then switches the call to the destination while replacing the calling number ID with your Google Voice number. It works pretty much the same in reverse for receiving calls. Some carriers (t-mobile?) do have "WiFi calling" features, and provide an application -- It essentially routes the call to their VOIP servers and changes you as if you were making any other call, using information on the SIM for billing purposes.

I haven't used conventional GSM voice for ages, but I also don't make many voice calls -- at all. Presently I'm using CSipSimple on my tablet for voice calling with a bluetooth headset, either over AT&T LTE or WiFi, with the SIP service provided by a 3rd party provider for 1¢/min. Carrier only provides the data connection. AT&T LTE has mostly been good enough for casual VOIP usage, although I can't say I even use it enough to form a regular-use opinion.

I'm going to drop by a T-mobile store and attempt to obtain a prepaid SIM without volunteering my information.
[General Topics] wideasleep1:
Wally World...use cash.
[General Topics] Caelrie:
You don't even need a credit card. I didn't trust Tmobile so I put it on my debit card instead. Worked fine.
[General Topics] kojaraty:
Are you guys porting your numbers or using a new phone number? I used Tmobile website to check If my phone straight talk number is eligible to switch but it says that it is not.
[General Topics] expertzero1:
To get service and not wait for a sim card.

Head to a local T-Mobile store, ask to set up a prepaid account for your phone, they'll set it up for you, you pay the activation fees etc. I think it was like 20 or so dollars due in store. Then you have to call customer support and set up a pin number or something, If not, they will ask you for the security/pin for the account, which you do not have unless you change it through the automated system first. Then tell saw the $30 prepaid plan for 100 minutes, unl text and data for 30 dollars. Can you please change it for me. Then they'll be like hold on, let me talk to my supervisor, then they will change it for you!
[General Topics] br0adband:
That's easy, since it's just $10 in the store or free online as already noted several times in this very thread. Walk in, say you want a prepaid microSIM activation kit, hand them $10 (plus tax if that's in your area), and you're out in maybe 3 minutes tops unless they're busy and you're required to wait for assistance. No personal info is required to get the activation kit (the microSIM, a booklet, and a card with the IMEI/etc info on it in a plastic bag).

But, if you intend to activate the service, you're going to have to provide information, like it or not; T-Mobile ain't something you can just run down to 7-11 and grab no questions asked and be up and running in a matter of minutes aka "a burner phone"-style.

If you want service with T-Mobile and this $30/month plan that so many of us have, you're going to have to fork over the info they require to get you situated, that's just the reality of how things are.
[General Topics] Cheater912:
I'm debating switching from Sprint to T-Mobile. So tired of the bs prices... Is it possible to pop in a SIM card and test drive their network before making a decision? First time with an unlocked phone :P
[General Topics] hammester:
You could go to a prepaid plan and get a new number from tmobile. If you end up liking the service you can go ahead and port your number over. I believe you will need a new Sim card to port your number over so make sure to order two. Also if you don't want to pay for a full month you could choose one of their Daily plans which are $3 per day.
[General Topics] br0adband:
Go to a T-Mobile store and try 'em out (if you have a Nexus 5, of course, and a T-Mobile store in your area, or maybe someone you know uses them and has a microSIM you can try out for a few).

They do have prepaid service by the day as well, but I think they got rid of the "unlimited" thing for $3 a day some time ago, sadly. Now it's $3 for a 24 hour period with the first 200MB at up to 4G/LTE speed then it throttles to 2G/EDGE so, that ain't much. You could use up 200MB with 4G/LTE in a matter of minutes just doing speedtests. :D
[General Topics] Shinyhead:
Just curious if anyone has experience transitioning from the $30 prepaid plan to a postpaid plan? Do you lose that whole month's prepaid service (pretty much like cancelling it) or does it carry over to the postpaid plan (like you pay additional on top of the $30 already paid)?

The reason I ask is because I would like to get my family into the Simple Choice Plan, but I am not aware of the signal quality in my neighborhood so I wanted to test with the $30 plan first. I would like to start one phone with the $30 and test the signal and depending on that result, cancel or convert to the postpaid plan.

Thanks in advance!
[General Topics] hammester:
How long are you planning on testing it out? If it is just a couple days you could always just sign up for the $3 a day plan. I am Not sure how they handle pro-rating the pre-paid plans but would assume you lost the remaining balance.
[General Topics] Shinyhead:
oh that is a great idea!!! thanks!!! I plan on only testing one day only. Thanks!!!
[General Topics] nrvate:
Seriously that is a great idea. I saw the day plans but didn't even think of the upside there.. Buy a day and check coverage/speeds in the more important spots. Excellent.

Screw T-mobile retail stores. Understaffed with clowns. Walmart was out of the SIM kits (3 walmarts.. everyone doing what we are, I guess) but target had them for $10. T-mobile store wanted $10 for the kit if I activated it there, $20 if I didn't... I informed the clown they were free on the t-mobile website and $10 without activation at various department stores, and walked out.

FWIW, they are willing to activate the $30 plan in-store, contrary to the "Website activation or Walmart-purchased device only" claim on t-mobile.com.
[General Topics] opiuman:
Just to clarify since this thread is pretty long already and some of the links either are old or were eaten by the forums.

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/...ro-SIM-Card-Activation-Kit-No-Annual-Contract

is what I want right? Then I just follow the instructions to activate and during the process I can choose to port or to get a new number?
[General Topics] miamidesigner:
Yes, thats just the link for the sim card. Thats $10 but they always have it for free or $1 with Free Shipping.

You will also need the link for Activating the prepaid $30 plan, search for it on the thread, should be here somewhere.

Good luck!
[General Topics] opiuman:
Thanks just confirming yea I found the link for the 30 plan. I just wasn't sure what SIM to buy since it's been a very long time since I ever had to use one.
[General Topics] yahanna:
If you mean that internet calling depends on your VoIP service for domestic calling then thats very incorrect. For international I dont know. I just thought that wifi calling would apply to any tmibile plan inxlyding the $30 plan
[General Topics] Anderson2:
I'm on the $30 plan and wonder if there is a way to delete a voice mail from the phone without listening to it.

I can't even delete its notification on the phone by swiping it.
[General Topics] 954wrecker:
it's free and you can listen to them before you delete them if you want.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tmobile.vvm.application

sent from my note 3
[General Topics] andy o:
If you're talking about T-mo's own "WiFi calling" service which requires a T-mo phone then that's not relevant to this plan or Nexus phones. Otherwise, for all the options we've talked about here, internet calling does depend on your VoIP provider. Some provide only free incoming calls (Talkatone), some free outgoing (Vonage), and some both (Groove IP/Ring.to)
[General Topics] horn34:
Since this thread doesn't have a wiki and searching "refill" returns 100+ hits, can someone recommend the best way to refill this plan monthly? Do I have to buy a new $30 Walmart card every month or can I top it off online through Tmobile?

And is there a reliable cheaper source, like ebay?

Thanks
[General Topics] Vegasden:
You can set up a credit card to do an auto refill in the T-Mobile site. Or you can watch places like Target that occasionally puts refill cards in sale.

I'm kind of miffed at T-Mobile. Yesterday they sent me a text telling me my refill was in 2 days. I made a note to hit their site this am to enter in a refill card I got in sale at Target. Woke up with a text from T-Mobile this am saying they used my CC to refill...a day early.
[General Topics] Joshmccullough:
If you're near a computer you can actually listen to them online in your T-Mobile account page; bit of a hassle, but it works. Plenty of other people were/are able to get the T-Mobile Visual Voicemail app working, I've never been able to get it running for some reason but I've got Google Voice so all's well.
[General Topics] rnaka530:
I would try looking for reputable sellers on Ebay. It is often the case you will not pay sales tax and the shipping is free.

Otherwise, paying through T-Mobile online should still be flat rate $30, and you don't have to go anywhere....
[General Topics] 954wrecker:
Play store purchases are working again for me with this plan.

***it's back to not working again***

sent from my note 3
[General Topics] Gaffadin:
I've started the process of porting my Google Voice number to T-Mobile. I was hoping Google would have done something with the Hangouts integration by now, but other than a couple of test menus nothing seem to be going forward with it, so I am just porting my number out. I'm getting tired of MMS messages just vanishing into the ether.

Has anyone done this? How long did it take?

I'm concerned as I told T-Mobile that I had no PIN number for Google Voice (they just recorded the number, the account number [which is the same] and a blank PIN). Afterwards I found that I had set a Voice PIN forever ago, I just always bypassed it for known phones so I didn't think about it.

I'm hoping the port won't fail, although if it does then I imagine this will be the reason. I unlocked my GV number at www.google.com/voice/unlock first and that was done without issue. I also had T-M re-enable my voicemail, which I had had disabled when I first started using GV on T-M.
[General Topics] adrman:
I've been considering this as well. About the only problem I see people having after the port, is receiving SMS/MMS from people on other carriers than TM. Something gets hung up in the port process. There are plenty of complaints about it on Google groups, but since people that have ported successfully aren't complaining, I'm not sure what percentage are actually having the issue.
[General Topics] Gaffadin:
I'm actually on hold with T-M right now trying to see if I can edit the first port request to give them the PIN, or whether I have to wait for it to fail and then submit a second request.
[General Topics] yahanna:
What does it mean when you port your google number to tmobile?
[General Topics] forrestcate:
Are you still on hold?
[General Topics] Gaffadin:
No :p

The port is still pending. They couldn't edit the request, but it's still not gone through. According to their automated system it's scheduled to be completed tomorrow, although previously when I've ported numbers it was done in a handful of hours, so I'm still not sure it's going to be approved.

I guess I'll be calling them again tomorrow evening if nothing's happened by then.

I did get my T-M voicemail turned back on though, and installed the T-M Visual Voicemail app; it's actually pretty slick.
[General Topics] adrman:
Post your results good or bad please.
[General Topics] Crichton333:
Just the Google Voice number.
[General Topics] Gaffadin:
Just just got a text at 2am "welcoming me to T-Mobile", and giving my Google Voice number as my new T-M number. It looks like the port went through successfully after all.

I'm receiving calls, but texts are still being held at Google Voice (seeing them in my Voice inbox). Hopefully this gets resolved in the next few hours, although since it's Google Voice I am at least still getting them.
[General Topics] yahanna:
I dont get it. What exactly do you mean? What does porting mean and what does it mean to port your google number to tmo?
[General Topics] whitedragonz83:
Porting is transferring your phone number to another carrier/service.

So in this case, from Google Voice to T-Mobile.
[General Topics] TheDannemand:
Porting is the general term for moving a phone number from one carrier (in this case Google Voice) to another (in this case T-Mo).

After porting the number OUT from a carrier, the account is normally closed (Google Voice accounts remain open, but without an associated phone number). After porting a number IN to a carrier, the number replaces whatever existing number was on that account (a temporary number in the case of new accounts).

Edit: Oops, I was beat to it :D
[General Topics] yahanna:
So the google number thats ported replaces the tmobile number. So if I port my google number it means that the tmobile number wont work since it would be a dead number. Only the google number will work. Is this right?
[General Topics] TheDannemand:
Yes, after porting any calls to your former GV number will go straight to your T-Mo phone, no GV forwarding in between. And your current T-Mo number is lost.
[General Topics] Gaffadin:
Yeah.

I basically got tired with Voice. I've been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole for some time, but Google's continual lack of attention to Voice just got too much.

Right now I can make and receive calls to my Voice number (which is now my T-M number too), and I can send texts, but incoming texts still go to my Voice inbox instead of my phone. From googling around this is a common problem, and usually resolves itself with a few days of the port. It's a minor annoyance, but I can just keep the Voice app installed for a few more days to receive them.

If it's still happening by Monday I will probably call T-M and let them know. There are apparently some things that can be done on their end which can usually resolve this.
[General Topics] TheDannemand:
[MENTION=5096590]Gaffadin[/MENTION]: We're in the same situation with my wife's number, which we ported to GV in Dec ($20) when we got Nexus 5's and switched to T-Mo. We used Talkatone at first, expecting Google to deliver something in May. But of course that never happened, and we're now thinking of porting her number to T-Mo.

To make VoIP calls with GV, the only convenient solution is to get an iPhone, where Google famously added it to the iOS version of Hangouts. I cannot think of a more effective way to alienate Android users :(
[General Topics] acegolfer:
I know this is a sarcasm. But if any Android user wants to make/receive VoIP calls with his GV number, then use Vonage mobile app. Everything is free till September.
[General Topics] whitedragonz83:
Facebook messenger has a good VOIP, for taking to friends and family.
[General Topics] Gaffadin:
I got an email from Google today saying that my number had completed porting out. At that point I saw I was still not getting text messages (since the number was gone from Google I could no longer get them from the Google Voice app). I could still send texts, but not receive them at all.

I called T-M and talked to a nice guy there. He wound up having me turn my phone off, then deactivated and reactivated the texting service on my plan. After I turned it back on (it took like 2 mins) I started receiving texts again, so whatever he did seemed to solve the issue just fine. I expected them to say just wait a few more days, but the fact he solved it almost instantly was a nice little sidebar. T-M's support has been pretty good every time I've had to get in touch, with only one notable exception.

Anyway, I now seem to be completely up and running sans Google Voice. My number is ported, I can make and receive calls and now send and receive texts, too.

One thing for anyone who is considering doing this: your online access at http://my.t-mobile.com changes to your new number once the port is completed, so you login with the new number and the existing password you previously set.
[General Topics] TheDannemand:
Thank you. I saw the posts about the Vonage app, and it sounds good, but is again only a temporary promotion. Like with Talkatone, we'd have to go through another conversion in a few months.

Another free option (as I understand) is the new GrooveIP partner. But that's a new number (unless you forward GV, which causes lags).

If there is a long-term, convenient way to use GV I'd love to hear it. But so far it's fitting square pegs into round holes, as Gaffadin pointed out.
[General Topics] adrman:
I know this is the $30 thread, but just to confirm, you did port your gv # to TM prepaid? I've had pretty mixed experiences with prepaid support. That's why I ask. If they've improved, that's a big plus. Also, did you have any problem reactivating your TM voicemail?
[General Topics] Gaffadin:
Correct, I ported from GV to T-M after having an assigned T-M number since last November or thereabouts.

The voicemail took a little longer to reactivate than it did to deactivate, but the online chat guy had it done in five minutes or so. He said they had recently changed the system they use for deactivating and reactivating it. According to him it used to take a couple of clicks, but now they have to do a bunch of other stuff. Either way, it's working fine now.