Develop Bugs

Is there a better way to switch 3G on and off than changing the phone's band setting?

The problem: At home, my 3G signal is very weak - occasionally it reaches 2 out of 4 bars, often it's only one and it frequently drops out altogether causing the phone to switch to EDGE. At work, however, I get a very good 3G signal, so it would be useful to use 3G.
Now, in theory the "Auto" band setting (auto between GSM and WCDMA) ought to cover this; but in practice the 3G signal at home is just strong enough that the phone keeps trying to switch into 3G mode (and thrashing the battery) but the actual data speed I get (even over HDSPA) doesn't seem much faster than EDGE, and every time it loses the HDSPA link and drops to EDGE there's a long pause before the data starts flowing again.
I've tried switching the phone's band setting between "GSM" and "Auto", using the GSM setting at home, and Auto elsewhere; but doing that plays havoc with "Microsoft Direct Push". Switching the phone band causes the data connection to drop, which switches Direct Push off; switching Direct Push back on again loses the more detailed settings I have set in ActiveSync (where I download email manually during work hours but automatically outside of work). In addition, because the data connection is lost, any application that's using it generally has to be shut down and restarted.
Is there some way of moving the phone between "Auto" and "2G only" mode without messing up the Direct Push setting and, if possible, without severing the data connection? While actually in "Auto" mode the phone happily switches between HDSPA and EDGE without any side-effects; so it seems like there ought to be a way to tell the phone "be in Auto mode but for the moment pretend that there is no 3G signal even if there actually is a weak one", and then use that setting in weak 3G areas, switching back to normal "Auto" behaviour when you know the 3G signal has improved. Or alternatively perhaps "Auto" mode could be made to not try to switch to 3G until you get a 3-bar signal, but, once switched, try and stay with 3G until it drops to 1 bar?

anyone else hearing interference during calls?

Hi. I have the volume bug and not sure if this is related but i've noticed that I can hear interference during voice calls very faintly in the background. I'm on Vodafone and have only noticed this at home where I only get 2g coverage. I have WiFi on but dont know if thay makes a difference.
Anyone else hearing anything during calls? It's the classic cellular noises a bit like the built in radiation ringtone.

If you use wifi at home for data connection you could try the following thing.
2G gives trouble as you know...
In the phone application type *#*#4636#*#* touch phone information, set it to WCDMA only and see what happens and if it gets better with calls, maybe you lose the complete data connection and you have to put it back on where it was, I disconnects de the radio for a couple of seconds when it reconnects to the provider )
This forces not to use 2G networks, so there is no interference of this source.
Maybe it helps? it's just a thought

GrandPuba2000 said:
If you use wifi at home for data connection you could try the following thing.
2G gives trouble as you know...
In the phone application type *#*#4636#*#* touch phone information, set it to WCDMA only and see what happens and if it gets better with calls, maybe you lose the complete data connection and you have to put it back on where it was, I disconnects de the radio for a couple of seconds when it reconnects to the provider )
This forces not to use 2G networks, so there is no interference of this source.
Maybe it helps? it's just a thought
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This will not fix anything especially as he specifically stated that he only gets 2G coverage at home

also, as I have already pointed out in another thread, that option does not stay persistent (at least in my experience)
oscillik said:
For all those people who are saying that you can force the phone into 3G only mode - I have some news for you -
It doesn't stick.
Try it yourself.
1. Go to the phone application
2. Hit *#*#4636#*#*
3. Select Phone Information
4. Scroll down until you find Set preferred network type
5. Change it to WDCDMA only (or indeed anything other than GSM/CDMA Auto PRL)
6. Now reboot your phone
It doesn't stay persistent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

But you don't make phonecalls over 2G are you, if you're on 900Mhz provider this will use gsm signal to make calls isn't it?

GrandPuba2000 said:
But you don't make phonecalls over 2G are you, if you're on 900Mhz provider this will use gsm signal to make calls isn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are incorrect - if your phone is in 2G mode (either due to forcing it into 2G mode via the settings option, or by being in a non-3G coverage area) all communications are done over 2G. This includes SMS, cellular calls, and mobile data access.

Ok, did not know this, and wanted to know.
Is this the case everywhere or a standard in mobile communications technology?
So no chance that GSM signal is stil there and works if you don't get 2G data connection?
Did not see my GSM signal drop out when 2G was available.

GrandPuba2000 said:
Ok, did not know this, and wanted to know.
Is this the case everywhere or a standard in mobile communications technology?
So no chance that GSM signal is stil there and works if you don't get 2G data connection?
Did not see my GSM signal drop out when 2G was available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can only receive 2G connection in your coverage area, you will not be able to make calls over 3G.

Hey so has anyone else noticed this issue? As I mentioned, it's very very faint - as in you have to be in an otherwise silent room to notice. And it occurs when I have 3G too i've noticed today.
Some more detail:
The noise doesn't start as soon as the phone connects - usually a few seconds afterwards and it actually continues for a couple of seconds after i've hung up (which I've noticed if I put the phone straight back up to my ear).
Would someone else mind doing a test call in a very quiet place and letting me know?

Hi guys sorry to bump this but quite concerned that it's only my phone this is happening to. If someone wouldn't mind just listening carefully during a call (maybe to your voicemail to avoid the weirdness!) in a quiet room to let me know if they can hear interference that would be great.

So this problem frustrated me so much that I got the phone exchanged. Guess what though - same problem.
Surely someone else has noticed this - if you're in a quiet place it's both pretty loud and very distracting.
As I originally explained - after a few seconds of any call, I get a very short mute (we're talking microseconds) followed by the kind of background buzzing noise you get when you put a phone near a speaker.
Could it be down to a faulty batch?

[Q] Grey non-working 3G after I lose wifi signal

So, I keep my wifi on mostly at all times. But I've found that when I leave my home, and get outside my wifi range, instead of naturally switching back to 3G (I usually have 4G disabled for battery purposes, unless I need speed), my 3G and bars icon will be all greyed out, and I will have no incoming data. I otherwise have a great signal here in Boston. Sometimes it will eventually start working, but other times I will need to reboot in order to have a working data connection.
Is this an issue anyone else has? It seems the transition from wifi to mobile data is glitchy?

[Q]Force gsm nexus to automatically switch to 2G sooner in low reception area?

i noticed that i get much better 2g reception in my house than 3g so would it be possible to set the galaxy nexus to make the switch to 2g sooner and automatic? im using a toggle right now but it would be nice to be able to set the point at which the phone will make the jump to 2g.
The 3g signal is so weak in certain areas that i dont lose the signal but i wont be able to receive calls and goes straight to voicemail but the annoying thing is that sometimes the phone doesnt make the jump to 2g. Im using the mod in aokp to see my signal in dBm instead of the bars and have found the difference is -111 to -113dBm for 3G and under -100dBm for 2G in the same spot. i would like to be able to set the phone to make to jump to 2G when the 3G signal is weaker than -110dBm for example.

anyone? do we know how the phone decides when to switch to 2g?

Why don't you just keep manually toggling it as needed? Problem solved. That said goto YouTube and watch the everything is amazing but nobody is happy video.
And remember kids. Your smartphone is not a pacifier.
iphone. helping computer illiteracy become popular since 2007.

cause it would be easier if it did it automatically like its suppose to. if i forget to toggle the 2g everytime i home then i miss a call in the house? this is a phone we're talking about im not asking for anything special just for it to work like its suppose to.

neotekz said:
? this is a phone we're talking about im not asking for anything special just for it to work like its suppose to.
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Click to collapse
Exactly. Couldn't have said it better myself. Now I need to go start a thread asking how come my phone won't clean my room. Ç'mon it's a smartphone.
iphone. helping computer illiteracy become popular since 2007.

receiving calls and making calls is not something special for a 700 dollar phone. this is the first phone i got that has this kind of trouble switching between 2g and 3g. go troll somehwere else if you have nothing helpful to add.

Seriously what is so hard about manually toggling your phone to 2g at home? I have to do it occasionally still even though 3g isn't the juice sucker it used to be a few years ago. Another alternative is to get a micro cell but I an sure you don't want to pay ~$200 and $20 a month. There are apps that will do the 2g toggle when you're on your home wifi. Nfc tag might be able to do it too. It seems you want somebody to write an app specifically for your "problem".
iphone. helping computer illiteracy become popular since 2007.

you're really not getting it, its not about a toggle and im not asking anyone to make an app so i dont have to use the toggle. im not talking about switching to 2g to save battery or data but when the 3g is weak or isnt there and there is a stronger 2g signal available. i am using a toggle right now but thats not a solution. this is a phone, i shouldnt have to toggle anything to make calls. All my previous android phones stayed in 2g 90% of the time in my house all by themselves.
Phones are suppose to be able to switch between 2g and 3g when 3g is not available or is too weak, the galaxy nexus is not doing that properly it hangs at 3g even to the point where it drops the signal and there's always is a good 2g signal that it should be going to. i have no 2g deadspots in my house but a few for 3g.
i've tried all the radios and they all have this problem some worst than others. i was just thinking if there is a way to mod the phone so that it will switch to 2g sooner or faster

And I am telling you to do it manually to solve your issue. You still want it done faster automatically and nobody here is going to be able to mod a radio for you. Aside from aaaaaaaall the barriers prohibiting devs from doing so, there is just plain and simple the issue of it actually transferring from 2 to 3 and 3 to 2, handshaking with the tower which is not instaneous. Like I said watch that video and get a grip and laugh. The best and fastest solution is manually. I have to do it myself occasionally for different reasons. If you don't like having to do something manually because you have a $700 smartphone then all I can tell you is good luck with the rest of your life.
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iphone. helping computer illiteracy become popular since 2007.

i looked into this some more and it turns out there is a setting that can do exactly what i want but is disabled in the new 4.0.4 update. in the *#*#4636*#*# menu you can set network preferred type to gsm auto prl which will only switch to 3g if there is a strong signal and will favor 2g. With the new update(4.0.4) the setting cannot be changed and is stuck on wcdma preferred which is the opposite of gsm auto prl, favors 3g over 2g. hopefully this can be fixed somehow so that the network settings can be changed.

neotekz said:
i looked into this some more and it turns out there is a setting that can do exactly what i want but is disabled in the new 4.0.4 update. in the *#*#4636*#*# menu you can set network preferred type to gsm auto prl which will only switch to 3g if there is a strong signal and will favor 2g. With the new update(4.0.4) the setting cannot be changed and is stuck on wcdma preferred which is the opposite of gsm auto prl, favors 3g over 2g. hopefully this can be fixed somehow so that the network settings can be changed.
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Click to collapse
I'd stay out of that menu on nexus. It has caused many a problem for gnex owners, one which is it automatically goes back to default setting no matter what you select and erasing smsc number randomly. Toggling 2g in settings or getting a 2g/3g toggle in power control is fastest and easiest solution still.
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iphone. helping computer illiteracy become popular since 2007.

Difference between Smart Switch and Wifi Calling....and performance questions

I've read (and THINK I understand) what smart switch is supposed to do (going all the way back to the Note4.
And it seems like the complete opposite of what wifi calling does.
Anyone care to explain the difference or real reasons one is used over the other?
Also on a related note, in the developer options category there is an option to turn on "Aggressive Wi-Fi cell h.."
With the explanation "switch from wifi to mobile networks more quickly when wifi signal is weak"
Kind of self explanatory and my question would be real work use. If you have unlimited data, any reason you would NOT want to check this?
Unless this just sounds great, but doesn't work well......
Thoughts?

vtcats said:
I've read (and THINK I understand) what smart switch is supposed to do (going all the way back to the Note4.
And it seems like the complete opposite of what wifi calling does.
Anyone care to explain the difference or real reasons one is used over the other?
Also on a related note, in the developer options category there is an option to turn on "Aggressive Wi-Fi cell h.."
With the explanation "switch from wifi to mobile networks more quickly when wifi signal is weak"
Kind of self explanatory and my question would be real work use. If you have unlimited data, any reason you would NOT want to check this?
Unless this just sounds great, but doesn't work well......
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Smart switch imports the data from your old phone when you switch to a Samsung phone; WiFi calling routes voice traffic over WiFi when available.

Sorry, I meant to say Smart NETWORK Switch. It says your phone will be connected to a mobile network if Wifi becomes unstable.
And Wi-fi calling kinda of says the exact opposite. If mobile becomes unstable, it will switch to Wifi......
Anyone?

Many times.. even when the wifi signal is weak, as long as wifi is turned on, the phone will remain connected to it. This especially happens when you are just pulling out of your house and you are trying to get to google maps for directions or something.. but because the phone is still connected to your home wifi, it'll remain so and since the connection is weak, you won't be able to browse or anything and google maps may say "no network connection".
I believe what Smart Network Switch does, is that in such cases, it'll immediately switch to mobile data.

androidbuff123 said:
Many times.. even when the wifi signal is weak, as long as wifi is turned on, the phone will remain connected to it. This especially happens when you are just pulling out of your house and you are trying to get to google maps for directions or something.. but because the phone is still connected to your home wifi, it'll remain so and since the connection is weak, you won't be able to browse or anything and google maps may say "no network connection".
I believe what Smart Network Switch does, is that in such cases, it'll immediately switch to mobile data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This happens to me every morning in my driveway trying to route Waze. I get a weak wifi signal that the phone hangs onto and I get a no network error from Waze.