Develop Bugs

Using T-Mo SGH-T989 on Mobilicity in Canada, a few questions..

I wonder if anybody is using this phone in Mobi here in Canada, a friend of mine got one and the first thing we noticed was that it takes FOREVER to pick the signal, even u do a manual search is painfully slow to stick to Mobi's network, also the Wifi spot is locked, and so we wonder if anybody knows a way to work around these issues without rooting (at the moment !!!).
Thanks for any input!
Btw, the phone is great, thin, light, no way that crappy mapple mockup will be even close, I mean, it does even come with Si....I mean Voice command, which works amazing!

I don't think there's another radio out yet so, i think the radio searching issue you're having isn't fixable?
I haven't heard anyone complain about the signal search so maybe it's your area or something with your particular phone. Try setting it to WCDMA preferred/only. Also, call into Wind and ask for a network reset.
Also, it seems like the wifi-spot is locked down by the t-mobile ROM. I doubt there's any fix for that other than rooting and installing a non-crippled ROM. I stand to be corrected though as I have yet to get mine in.

I know on mine when I do a Factory Reset it does take a minute or two to find the Mobilicity signal, but then it locks on, and is fine when I restart the phone. No work around for the Wifi Tethering unless you root and freeze the Tethering Manager. Sorry.

it works, i'm using it on Wind as you can see
just set the phone to look for WCDMA only as mentioned above, and it will bypass scanning the Rogers, Bell, Telus signal
so you get the Wind and Mobi towers to show up quickly that way

Funny you have the same problem as couple of other guys here (including me):
http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...-S2x-unlocked-Wont-find-network-automatically
My response remains the same:
It's definitely a problem with Mobilicity not your phone. It happens to me too when I boot up the phone it says "No Service" even though I previously registered with Mobilicity network and phone setting is set to register automatically. Don't worry. Boot up the phone, do nothing and wait for 2-3 minutes and see what happens. I usually have to wait 1 minute or so for the phone to auto-register to Mobilicity, not instant.
Also, in your mobile settings, set it to "WCDMA only" instead of the default "GSM / WCDMA auto" because Mobilicity uses WCDMA bands only. It may speed some things up.
Also, if you want to speed things up even more, go to your dialer, dial *#*#2263#*#*, select "WCDMA Band Preference", and then select "WCDMA 1700" so that the phone looks by default in the 1700 band (the band the Mobilicity uses exclusively).
---------- Post added at 09:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:34 PM ----------
goonx said:
I don't think there's another radio out yet so, i think the radio searching issue you're having isn't fixable?
I haven't heard anyone complain about the signal search so maybe it's your area or something with your particular phone. Try setting it to WCDMA preferred/only. Also, call into Wind and ask for a network reset.
Also, it seems like the wifi-spot is locked down by the t-mobile ROM. I doubt there's any fix for that other than rooting and installing a non-crippled ROM. I stand to be corrected though as I have yet to get mine in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not true.
You can root your phone, use Titanium Backup (paid version) to freeze the system app called "Tethering Manager", after that you can do wifi-hotspot with no problem. T-Mobile uses that software to block this feature.

513263337 said:
It's definitely a problem with Mobilicity not your phone. It happens to me too when I boot up the phone it says "No Service" even though I previously registered with Mobilicity network and phone setting is set to register automatically. Don't worry. Boot up the phone, do nothing and wait for 2-3 minutes and see what happens. I usually have to wait 1 minute or so for the phone to auto-register to Mobilicity, not instant..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is interesting
in WIND i do not have that problem
i power on the phone and it automatically picks up the WIND tower by itself during boot time
so by the time you see the lock screen, it already says WIND Home

AllGamer said:
this is interesting
in WIND i do not have that problem
i power on the phone and it automatically picks up the WIND tower by itself during boot time
so by the time you see the lock screen, it already says WIND Home
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the (Howard Forum) thread that I linked to, a lot of people are having this problem with registering this phone with Mobilicity. And I can personally vouch for it that every time phone boots up it takes an additional 2 minutes before you see Mobilicity.

Thx guys, so I was rt about switching the AWS setting, still it bothers me, in any case and in regards to the Wifi hotspot, what about after installing a ROM, does it stay locked or the app becomes the standard manager for the Wifi hotspot?, I wish I could rewrite the app on the stock ROM but I don't really know how to get into that...

fenrry said:
Thx guys, so I was rt about switching the AWS setting, still it bothers me, in any case and in regards to the Wifi hotspot, what about after installing a ROM, does it stay locked or the app becomes the standard manager for the Wifi hotspot?, I wish I could rewrite the app on the stock ROM but I don't really know how to get into that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My SGS2x works fine with Mobilicity, been using it with them since the 30th.
wifi tethering worked from day 1 using the stock telus install. I'm now using several custom ROMs, and overall I'm really happy with the phone on mobilicity. their 3g internet leaves lots to be desired though, perhaps it will improve, but it is an unlimited carrier.

513263337 said:
This is not true.
You can root your phone, use Titanium Backup (paid version) to freeze the system app called "Tethering Manager", after that you can do wifi-hotspot with no problem. T-Mobile uses that software to block this feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He was asking for a non-root solution.....Glad there's another way out there using root. But I think if you root the phone, you mind as well throw another ROM on there. Removes all the bloatware as well.
fenrry said:
Thx guys, so I was rt about switching the AWS setting, still it bothers me, in any case and in regards to the Wifi hotspot, what about after installing a ROM, does it stay locked or the app becomes the standard manager for the Wifi hotspot?, I wish I could rewrite the app on the stock ROM but I don't really know how to get into that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a stripped down version of the stock ROM. Never tried it but maybe that will work. You should just use one of those custom roms if you're going to root it. They have tweaks and other whatnots that improve your phone's performance. Once you go custom, you don't want to go back to stock.
Liquid5n0w said:
My SGS2x works fine with Mobilicity, been using it with them since the 30th.
wifi tethering worked from day 1 using the stock telus install. I'm now using several custom ROMs, and overall I'm really happy with the phone on mobilicity. their 3g internet leaves lots to be desired though, perhaps it will improve, but it is an unlimited carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, it's been brutal. Hopefully they can get a few more cell towers up.

goonx said:
Agreed, it's been brutal. Hopefully they can get a few more cell towers up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue isn't cell towers, the issue is back end internet, after the IP transmission gets through their cell network to whatever centre they use, the internet connection to that that all of Toronto shares it ****ty and can't keep up. It's not a single overloaded tower that's the issue, as you can see by doing constant speed tests while roaming around.
Backend internet connections are expensive, especially the bandwidth on them. Small carrier can't afford to keep up to it's unlimited bandwidth demands.

Liquid5n0w said:
My SGS2x works fine with Mobilicity, been using it with them since the 30th. Wifi tethering worked from day 1 using the stock Telus install. I'm now using several custom ROMs, and overall I'm really happy with the phone on Mobilicity. their 3g internet leaves lots to be desired though, perhaps it will improve, but it is an unlimited carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, this is not rooted yet so that's a huge difference since ur phone will for sure include modifications to the radio, in all (I just figured it) is about Samsung, I have a N8 and a NS, compared the 2 with the SMGS2 (T989) and there is a thing in common between the NS and the T989, getting signal from cold boot or out of dead spots is a pain, my N8 picks the signal almost immediately, on the NS running stock it takes a good 2 to 3 mins (or more if out of cold boot) to get signal but the NS running MIUI makes things faster, I presume and since the stock SMGS2 takes a long time (like the NS) the same will happen when u run the phone with a modded ROM, it will pick signal faster.
So I guess it's all about rooting

Liquid5n0w said:
The issue isn't cell towers, the issue is back end internet, after the IP transmission gets through their cell network to whatever centre they use, the internet connection to that that all of Toronto shares it ****ty and can't keep up. It's not a single overloaded tower that's the issue, as you can see by doing constant speed tests while roaming around.
Backend internet connections are expensive, especially the bandwidth on them. Small carrier can't afford to keep up to it's unlimited bandwidth demands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with the backend connection. But I think it's a bit of both. Some areas don't have as many cell towers as others. (in my area, i only have two) So I have a feeling it's both rather than just the backend.
Hopefully, they have a good new subs-to-upgrade interval so the speeds will get better.

well, regarding the nexus S
a lot of people in WIND also complains that it always stays in "emergency mode calls only, blah blah blah" basically unable to attach itself to the network.
i seldomly get that on my Nexus S, but that's probably because it's customized
but on the T989, i don't have that problem even in stock
so that's actually very nice
fenrry said:
Well, this is not rooted yet so that's a huge difference since ur phone will for sure include modifications to the radio, in all (I just figured it) is about Samsung, I have a N8 and a NS, compared the 2 with the SMGS2 (T989) and there is a thing in common between the NS and the T989, getting signal from cold boot or out of dead spots is a pain, my N8 picks the signal almost immediately, on the NS running stock it takes a good 2 to 3 mins (or more if out of cold boot) to get signal but the NS running MIUI makes things faster, I presume and since the stock SMGS2 takes a long time (like the NS) the same will happen when u run the phone with a modded ROM, it will pick signal faster.
So I guess it's all about rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

AllGamer said:
well, regarding the nexus S
a lot of people in WIND also complains that it always stays in "emergency mode calls only, blah blah blah" basically unable to attach itself to the network.
i seldomly get that on my Nexus S, but that's probably because it's customized
but on the T989, i don't have that problem even in stock
so that's actually very nice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That reinforce my statement, is not really the network but mostly the way Samsung works the radios on their phones on the 1700 Mhz freq or at least for us, don't know in the US.
My NS running stock is a pain, modded works nicely, takes a bit longer than my Nokia but gets the network faster than running stock Android, I bet the same happens with the T989.

I am currently on Mobilicity in Vancouver with a crappy cheap phone and it has a hell of a time getting reception on the network. I live in East Van near victoria and I get reception in only 1 room in my place. I am planning on getting the Telus GS2X in a couple of weeks. Would this help my problem? Can anyone who lives in Vancouver and has the GS2X comment on his/her reception in east van?
Thanks alot.

New_here said:
I am currently on Mobilicity in Vancouver with a crappy cheap phone and it has a hell of a time getting reception on the network. I live in East Van near victoria and I get reception in only 1 room in my place. I am planning on getting the Telus GS2X in a couple of weeks. Would this help my problem? Can anyone who lives in Vancouver and has the GS2X comment on his/her reception in east van?
Thanks alot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a new phone might not help if the tower is physically too far from your location
however a good phone with good reception could improve your problem
the only way to find out is to try the phone in your house and see if it works for you

Does anyone know the best place to buy this phone and have it shipped to usa. I know tmobile sells the phone but if I use a tmobile branded android phone they up the cost of my service.

If u want the phone not branded to T-Mo then u'll have to get the Telus version sine it comes with no T-Mo stuff, I don't know of this model to be able factory unlocked
On the other hand I have a couple of new questions:
1> Is there a way to fix/access the MMS?, on Mobi I'm getting errors when receiving MMS, the pixs come all blurry.
2> Any way to enable the Wifi Tethering?, using the T-Mo model is just impossible unless u have the T-Mo sim which is not the case and I haven't seen any of the existing ROM's addressing the issue (sorry if I missed the part, so pls let me know if it's fixed )
Thx

1) check the apn settings and match it to the mobilicity ones. Head over to hofo and there's a thread about it
2) you need to root your phone &, put a custom rom on it. There's another way of disabling a process but I suggest the former
Sent from my SGH-T989

Dropping Calls on Sprint Galaxy S3

Just got my S3, and I'm dropping calls in areas where my SE4GT didn't. The calls are either dropping, or are 'breaking up', in the words of multiple people at different phone numbers I'm calling.
The common denominator is that the Calls start off strong, and then within seconds, start to break up then drop.
Maybe the device has to be held a certain way, as with the iPhone. Just throwing that out there, as I don't know.
I'm still trying to isolate the issue.
I've read that this is happening to others, and may be a radio problem.
I just don't want to exchange device if this is a wide spread device issue, which appears to be undetermined yet.
Update:
After calling the same number from my Sprint number, and having the calls (5) fade and drop off within seconds, I called the same number from my GV #, and the call was successful. The call lasted over 1 1/2 hrs. without issue.
Imo, the above rules out an S3 issue, and the issue is with Sprint and the Network, or the Network/Switch of the person I'm calling, in regards to how their Network is handling the Call from the Sprint number.

For what it's worth, I haven't had any such issues with my sprint s3, signal strength in much of my town is sketchy.

Maybe certain S3's had an issue, and I need to exchange mine.
I'm uncertain at this point, as I just got the S3 on Tues.
Please see the Update in the OP.

My gf and I have the same issue. Ive dropped more calls with this phone than the entire 6 years ive been with sprint. Its the samsung radios. Not sure about returning it and getting another unit since it happens in my gfs as well. Its frustrating, my phone also roams in my house which has always had close to a full signal on every other phone ive owned including the epic touch 4g.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

Dropping calls as well. My friend too. The radios suck on this phone, so if you're in a marginal coverage area, you'll be dropping more calls with the S3.

kronium said:
Dropping calls as well. My friend too. The radios suck on this phone, so if you're in a marginal coverage area, you'll be dropping more calls with the S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm dropping calls in areas I didn't have trouble with my SE4GT.
On a side more, I'm not too happy with the camera on my S3, compared to my SE4GT.
On the S3, indoor pics are not as sharp, and are grainy, and the flash washes out the pics.
I thought the dropping call issue may be either:
- Hardware related
- Sprint testing of towers preparing for LTE
- a lemon S3
Regarding the camera issues, I thought may be:
- hardware related, and issue is with all the S3's
- a lemon
Because of the uncertainty regarding the causes of the above, even after extensive searching, I've decided to exchange my S3 for another S3, since I'm within my 14 day return/exchange period.
If the above issue or issues are resolved, then I just had a 'bad' S3.
If the issues aren't resolved, then:
- I got another lemon, which would be doubtful
- or these issues are inherent to all S3's
Hopefully at least one of the issues will be resolved.
I'd rather not switch devices, as I've got my current S3 just right regarding apps, programming, etc.
But I had to try another S3.
If neither issue is resolved with the replacement S3, maybe a future update will resolve one of these issues.
I'll see how it goes with the replacement.
I'd hate to see that the S3 has issues which the SE4GT never had. That's a step backwards, and if true, I most likely made the wrong decision to exchange my S3, and should have just returned it, and reactivated my SE4GT.
Hopefully though, the exchange will make a difference.
I have:
Hardware version:
L710.14
Does anyone know what the current hardware version is, if it has been updated?

I had the same issue with mine, poor signal, but even with the signal reported as ridiculously low I can still place a call.
I exchanged my first phone and thought the new phone was better, the Sprint store has the cell tower in the parking lot so it's hard to tell.
The first thing the phone did when I got home was update software, so I don't know how it would have worked before but after that my signal has remained poor.
I have tried all the other modems and not seen a measurable difference from one to the next.
Also my indicated signal strength vary around wildly swinging from lows below -220 to highs of -90 at home.
Other times closer to a tower I am getting -75, but it falls of very quickly.

This dropping of calls is getting really anoying. It's happening everywhere I didn't have issues with the SE4GT. It's like I know when I make a call, that I'm gonna hear the other side say, "I can't hear you, you're fading out!"
I thought GV solved it, I thought maybe it's a fluke. But the bottomline is, I'm fading and then dropping calls.
I'm thinking it's an internal antenna issue, andd holding the phone a certain way matters ala the iPhone.
But I'm not sure what the issue is, except that it IS an issue.
Is it Sprint working on the Towers?
Is it the LTE Radio in the S3?
I'm hoping the replacement fixes this crap, But I'm not so sure.

i drop quite a few calls as well in areas that i did not previously before. I am also getting alot of failed call attempts and have to redial the number a 2nd or 3rd time to make the call go through... not sure whats up with that.

if you are refering to making a call and it conects for a second then ends the call.
this is a known issue with sprints network and the samsung galaxy and the nexus lte line of phones
IE the S2, Nexus, LTE, and S3.
Sprint knows about this and is supposedly working on it.
(i have seen this problem with INTL GSM phones but i cant speak to there issue as its a total different radio and software)
IMPO it is an issue with the phones radios and software trying to talk to sprints network and getting booted or disconnecting.
IE its the Little seceret your not suposed to know about
(it affects Making 911 calls to)

My SE4GT hardly had any dropped calls.
My current S3 drops them like crazy.
Multiple times daily from different areas.
I can call from the same location in my room and have multiple fading of the call, then it drops.
I then call again, and it's fine.
This is usually how it goes:
- a call is made
- after a minute or so, the called party says I'm fading.
- I move around, I hold the phone differently, and the called party says ok, I can hear you.
- a few seconds later the called party says hello multiple times, and then says I can't hear you.
- the called party just hangs up the call in disgust, or the call drops
*The interesting thing is that before the call is dropped, and the called party says I'm fading, I can still hear them fine.
Maybe this is a clue to what the issue may be.
Hopefully it's a defective device, and my replacement will fair better. I'll see in a few days.
I say this because my SE4GT worked perfectly, while others dropped calls, from what I've read.

S3 Coverage, Phone / Network Problems - NYC Area
Im in the NYC area and dropping calls all over the place including on the Hutchinson River Pkwy, Henry Hudson Pkwy, Merritt Pkwy, etc.
I'm now testing my replacement and so far it looks like the radio in this phone is garbage on Sprint's network compared to every other Sprint phone I've had going back 5 years. I'll be back in NYC on Monday so I'll try the replacement then but within my home my coverage has evaporated with this phone however another Sprint model is working 100% here (both phones showing 1 bar).
My guess is that this phone is going to fade away on Sprint pretty quickly with the exception of users staying within local metro areas where hand-offs are going to be more limited as they won't be able to support the troubles with it.

I received my replacement S3, and still have the same issues, as I thought I probably would.
I installed the LG8 modem, as it had the LG2 modem as the last one did, so I'll see how that goes,
Looks like a stronger signal, but I'll know for sure shortly.

Biker1 said:
I received my replacement S3, and still have the same issues, as I thought I probably would.
I installed the LG8 modem, as it had the LG2 modem as the last one did, so I'll see how that goes,
Looks like a stronger signal, but I'll know for sure shortly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know if you find a fix. I'd rather stay with Sprint if possible.

trehouse said:
Let me know if you find a fix. I'd rather stay with Sprint if possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely will

I just found this app:
Network Signal Info
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.android.telnet&hl=en
It won't make your signal stronger, but it'll give you some important signal info, in addition to other device info, with a quick look. Includes a really nice widget.

kronium said:
Dropping calls as well. My friend too. The radios suck on this phone, so if you're in a marginal coverage area, you'll be dropping more calls with the S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If my phone continues to drop calls I'll be dropping Sprint. Ive got almost a week left on my 14 day trial. I love the phone but it just won't be with this carrier.

I'm still on LG8, and will know if it resolved the dropping call issues by early next week, and if the cause was LG2.
I don't know why the cause of the dropping of calls has not been addressed by Sprint or Samsung yet.
It appears to be an issue that was not an issue with the Samsung Epic 4G Touch.
What's going on?
I hope it is a Modem issue.
We'll see.
I'm not seeing a whole lot about this issue on the web, or on xda, unless I missed the discussions.

Confirmed Fix:
As mentioned previously, I flashed the LG8 Modem from LG2. This has resolved my dropped call issue in at least one area where I was consistently dropping calls since I received my S3. This is Fantastic news for me!
I'm in the -70's into the -60's dB range in the area I am now getting great reception in.
I didn't check the signal dB previously, but was dropping calls All the time in this location.
I have not made many calls from other areas I was dropping calls in as of yet. I'll update when I see how other previous trouble areas are.
LG8 has worked very nicely for me.
Obviously ymmv, depending on your location.
Battery efficiency is the same as before, which has been very good.
Update:
Still dropping calls all over the place, except in the area stated above.
I have never had such horrendous dropped call issues in the 14+ years of cell phone usage. At least none that come to mind as wiht e S3.
I already have a trouble ticket filed, but it is to check a tower in one area. I drop calls all over the place.
My 2nd S3, new contract, etc.
This bites Big Time!

Biker1 said:
Confirmed Fix:
As mentioned previously, I flashed the LG8 Modem from LG2. This has resolved my dropped call issue in at least one area where I was consistently dropping calls since I received my S3. This is Fantastic news for me!
I'm in the -70's into the -60's dB range in the area I am now getting great reception in.
I didn't check the signal dB previously, but was dropping calls All the time in this location.
I have not made many calls from other areas I was dropping calls in as of yet. I'll update when I see how other previous trouble areas are.
LG8 has worked very nicely for me.
Obviously ymmv, depending on your location.
Battery efficiency is the same as before, which has been very good.
Update:
Still dropping calls all over the place, except in the area stated above.
I have never had such horrendous dropped call issues in the 14+ years of cell phone usage. At least none that come to mind as wiht e S3.
I already have a trouble ticket filed, but it is to check a tower in one area. I drop calls all over the place.
My 2nd S3, new contract, etc.
This bites Big Time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Resurrecting this thread... totally frustrated with my S3 in Indianapolis. They are rolling out 4G which is great, but if I receive a call, it almost always goes silent after about 15-20 seconds then drops 5-10 seconds later. If I call the person back it seems fine and I usually don't drop the call. I feel like it's been worse since Jellybean. Another Sprint/S3 person in my office has the same issue, but a 3rd person says not that much trouble.
Already filed two complaints with Sprint--but I'm to the point of not answering calls and returning voicemails because of the issue. Sprint says "oh yea, we're working on the towers and it should be fixed". Can't wait for them to call me back and the call drops.
The S3 is great and much better than the S2--but if you can't answer your calls on your phone... I have a problem with that.
I hope anyone else with similar issues has called sprint to tell them to fix the problem. I may try Google Voice for calling to see if that helps, but the constant DTMF tones in the background of GV drive me batty.

the T-mobile signal on s4

Seems the signal isn't good on the S4, flashed the base band ,an d the problem still exists...
Bad luck

karl_2000 said:
Seems the signal isn't good on the S4, flashed the base band ,an d the problem still exists...
Bad luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
might just be your area, i get full bars and kick a** data speeds all around my city

TheAtheistOtaku said:
might just be your area, i get full bars and kick a** data speeds all around my city
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 to this

karl_2000 said:
Seems the signal isn't good on the S4, flashed the base band ,an d the problem still exists...
Bad luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue. I'm in the SF Bay Area and even though TMobile's site has where I live and work as dark green (excellent 4g) I am lucky to get even one bar. Half the time I get network errors. Anyone else with TMobile experience anything like this? Any chance it's something that'll get resolved before my 30 day return period ends?

do any of you have other tmobile phones to compare signals with? if so, do that and if there are major differences talk to a tmobile store about getting a replacement.
these might be isolated incidents, because the majority of people are getting fully functional units

Wavern said:
I have the same issue. I'm in the SF Bay Area and even though TMobile's site has where I live and work as dark green (excellent 4g) I am lucky to get even one bar. Half the time I get network errors. Anyone else with TMobile experience anything like this? Any chance it's something that'll get resolved before my 30 day return period ends?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im in SF bay area (mountain view)
my data speeds are *top notch*.
you are either in an area thats out of tmobiles footprint or have a defective unit.
best bet would be to wait till tmobile actually gets the GS4 on display in the store.
when they do, go to your nearest tmob, and do a speedtest.net comparison with the demo model, and yours. if they are similar, then your part of the bay is legacy; if there is a big difference; 3,4 5 etc megabit difference; your unit may be worth exchanging for a new unit.

Wavern said:
I have the same issue. I'm in the SF Bay Area and even though TMobile's site has where I live and work as dark green (excellent 4g) I am lucky to get even one bar. Half the time I get network errors. Anyone else with TMobile experience anything like this? Any chance it's something that'll get resolved before my 30 day return period ends?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What part of SF are you experiencing this? My GF lives by the ballpark & she won't switch with me if she gets ****ty service.

I have excellent reception (bars) on my S4.
Way better than my Note II.

I let you know. When I get my phone next week. I do a speedtest and a screenshot of the phone signal in the settings menu.
DEVICES:
NEXUS 7 32GB STOCK
(NO ROOT)
T-MOBIL LG G2X (LG-P999)
STOCK (ROOTED)
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

Have S4 and One, both show identical signal and speeds are also same.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

Im getting much improved signal compared to my Gnex and Atrix HD.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

Still no signal inside my workplace. Will do more tests. It does seem the signal is more stable, but it's only been a couple days.
Also, 4G LTE flashed for a couple seconds at my house. I live in the D.C metro area. Nice.

I have the HTC One in the Phoenix market. LTE is difficult to find more than a few bars on. 4G HSPA+ has been very easy to get full bars on.
I'm somewhat convinced T-Mobile is still working on building out in even LTE and re-farmed markets.
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk HD

Its funny how T-Mobile improves their network and yet many years later I still don't have service in places where I had no service maybe 5-6 years ago. And on top of this I noticed even more dead spots. I think T-Mobile should be working on that along with building penatration.....I would much rather have 3G everywhere then LTE almost nowhere.
Lately it became very frustrating since my wife has no service at work, i have no service at work, and i recently moved to different location and still no service....and God forbid I loose my wife in the mall, I have zero chances of finding her because no T-Mobile service inside.

Just got my S4 today and did not realize theres LTE where I work (fremont) which I never saw on my note 2. Even went out to lunch and was still getting LTE the next street over. So just to test I'm now back on my note 2 and it is not picking up LTE at my work. That tells me the radio on the s4 is much better.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

Oops
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA

Wavern said:
I have the same issue. I'm in the SF Bay Area and even though TMobile's site has where I live and work as dark green (excellent 4g) I am lucky to get even one bar. Half the time I get network errors. Anyone else with TMobile experience anything like this? Any chance it's something that'll get resolved before my 30 day return period ends?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea its something with the S4's phone/modem. I get bars and shows signal strength of 3 to 4 bars and i can make call but no internet in certain areas all around Los Angeles County/Orange County/Las Vegas/NYC. To test it i had my buddy go with me with his LG L9 and my buddy with his LG L9 phone would work fine on the calls and data/internet meanwhile my S4 would only get calls but no data as if it was a deadspot. i would have to go around like 1/4 or so before it would work again. its really strange not to mention annoying. I noticed this started happening to me after i upgraded from MDB to the MDL baseband and after i unlocked the phone using the "debug service menu". i wish i knew someone else with a stock TMO S4 to test my findings out more. I also cant wait for more tmo S4 modems. ive been thinking of ODINing back to stock MDB to test my theory, but i have just been lazy.
---------- Post added at 08:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:24 PM ----------
XeoNoX said:
yea its something with the S4's phone/modem. I get bars and shows signal strength of 3 to 4 bars and i can make call but no internet in certain areas all around Los Angeles County/Orange County/Las Vegas/NYC. To test it i had my buddy go with me with his LG L9 and my buddy with his LG L9 phone would work fine on the calls and data/internet meanwhile my S4 would only get calls but no data as if it was a deadspot. i would have to go around like 1/4 or so before it would work again. its really strange not to mention annoying. I noticed this started happening to me after i upgraded from MDB to the MDL baseband and after i unlocked the phone using the "debug service menu". i wish i knew someone else with a stock TMO S4 to test my findings out more. I also cant wait for more tmo S4 modems. ive been thinking of ODINing back to stock MDB to test my theory, but i have just been lazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think it was a TMO LTE tower upgrade issues. after doing the Settings > More networks > Mobile networks > Network mode > and switching between the WCDMA and GSM one or the other now will work. better to have some internet than no internet, weird how the S4 just wont switch over to the working GSM internet if WCDMA fails....i guess when they coded it they figured if u have bars it "should work in theory" but they were wrong ...personally i think this should be considered a "bug"

I thought I was the only one. I found that if i keep my diztronic tpu case on while in my pocket it destroys all signal for some reason. I take it off and its fine.

layzer253 said:
I thought I was the only one. I found that if i keep my diztronic tpu case on while in my pocket it destroys all signal for some reason. I take it off and its fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I further tested my theory and went without my case all day. It didnt appear to do anything different at all. I am on CM10.1, I think I might go back to stock for awhile to see if it changes the fluctuating signal issue.

Just curious on how everyones signal is and which baseband they are on?
I'm on M919UVUAMDL and I have seen up to 15% of no signal while my S3 had 0 signal loss in a regular day.

how's T-mobile connection in Chicago Area?

Thinking about switching to T-mobile in the SW Suburbs of Chicago; I'm on wifi most of the time, so data speed isnt important to me, but, we MUST have good phone call quality in our house.
Is this an issue for anyone in chicago land, or, if we get a phone that is "wifi capable", and we have a fast,strong, wifi network in our house, does this become a non issue?
We had ATT, which was no problem in the house, and recently switched to Sprint, with the hopes of a stong "Spark Network" here; well, one of our phones in Spark compatible, and works fine, but the other 2 phones are HTC One's, not spark "compatible", and have poor phone call quality and reception in the house. We are waiting on an AirRave front Sprint, but, if that doesnt work, we're ready to go to T-Mobile..
Sorry for this weird question here, but, I trust my buds on XDA to give a real report on stuff like this, NOT the people from T-Mobile
Thanks! :good:

What town are you in? I have excellent call quality in Posen/Oak Forest/Orland Park/Crestwood area. And LTE when available is super solid. Seen a best of 39MBPS in Ookla App. I also had ATT until recently. I really can say, that I'm happy I made the switch. I also know many ppl who are on sprint and constantly suffer from dropped calls and data connection issues, my house is a sprint problem area as well btw.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium HD app

I'm next to burr ridge/willowbrook, in an area called Timberlake.
My Sprint Airrave is supposed to be here tomorrow, and if it doesnt fix the problem, its tmobile and wifi calling for us!
We had Sprint for many years here, using an AirRave, and it was fine, but, a couple of years ago, their network went completely to hell, so we switched to ATT; after awhile, they were just bad to deal with, and Sprint announced this new Spark Network, in Chicago, so we thought, why not, its cheaper than ATT, and with this new network, it will be fine.
Problem is, if you dont have one of their 3 tri band phones,(which I have, but my wife/son do NOT), then making calls in some areas is horrible.
My wife works from home alot, and making calls for her is bad news, especially conference calls on Global Crossing, so if the Airrave, which uses wifi/internet to make calls, doesnt work, its t-mobile for us.
I understand that using wifi to make calls from you house with Tmobile is fantastic, and I have a great, Asus ac1900 wifi router in the house, which gives super fast and strong wifi, so I am sure that t-mobile wifi calls would be clear as a bell here!
thanks for the info :good:

wase4711 said:
I'm next to burr ridge/willowbrook, in an area called Timberlake.
My Sprint Airrave is supposed to be here tomorrow, and if it doesnt fix the problem, its tmobile and wifi calling for us!
We had Sprint for many years here, using an AirRave, and it was fine, but, a couple of years ago, their network went completely to hell, so we switched to ATT; after awhile, they were just bad to deal with, and Sprint announced this new Spark Network, in Chicago, so we thought, why not, its cheaper than ATT, and with this new network, it will be fine.
Problem is, if you dont have one of their 3 tri band phones,(which I have, but my wife/son do NOT), then making calls in some areas is horrible.
My wife works from home alot, and making calls for her is bad news, especially conference calls on Global Crossing, so if the Airrave, which uses wifi/internet to make calls, doesnt work, its t-mobile for us.
I understand that using wifi to make calls from you house with Tmobile is fantastic, and I have a great, Asus ac1900 wifi router in the house, which gives super fast and strong wifi, so I am sure that t-mobile wifi calls would be clear as a bell here!
thanks for the info :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in Joliet, and I get great service. Always connected to LTE, and never lose signal. I get spotty service in my apartment, but that may be because I'm on the bottom floor of a 3 story building. It doesn't bother me though because wifi calling works like a charm!

Poor signal ?

Hey guys,
I have had a couple people complain that when I was talking with them with my Note 4, I was breaking up several times. I think I was home every time someone complained that I was breaking up.
This is my first phone ever with Verizon and so far the data signal has been flawless, always super fast. I am worried though that my radio signal on the phone isn't good, possibly a defective phone?
When I got into work this morning I left myself a 2 minute voicemail on my work phone and played it back to see if it was breaking up. I played it back and it was perfect.
Could my house just be a "bad spot" in the area? I'm in West Bend, about 30 minutes north of Milwaukee. My signal at home was about -101dbm and its about the same at work. If my signal/service is going to suck at home thats going to be pretty annoying.
Is there a number that I can call to update the towers? I know this helped on occasion when I still was with US Cellular.
PS. My wife got the exact same phone, I'll have to check to see what her signal strength is.
Thoughts?

thegipper said:
Hey guys,
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, I've moved your thread to Q&A as it's pretty clearly a question.
Thanks.

Do you have a case of any kind on your phone? If so, which one.

No case on my phone. So my wife just called me from home who also has a white note 4 and sure enough, the call dropped twice from her. When she is in the living room, it appears to be fine (I called from my work land line phone) but if she moves into our kitchen, the call starts breaking up.
My brother said my voice was breaking up too when I called him yesterday, also from my kitchen.
This makes it sound like its not the phone, but the signal in my area. This is troubling to me because we are in a town of 30k+ just 20 miles north of Milwaukee. We have never had a single call issue with US cellular or straight talk.
What should I do at this point?

thegipper said:
No case on my phone. So my wife just called me from home who also has a white note 4 and sure enough, the call dropped twice from her. When she is in the living room, it appears to be fine (I called from my work land line phone) but if she moves into our kitchen, the call starts breaking up.
My brother said my voice was breaking up too when I called him yesterday, also from my kitchen.
This makes it sound like its not the phone, but the signal in my area. This is troubling to me because we are in a town of 30k+ just 20 miles north of Milwaukee. We have never had a single call issue with US cellular or straight talk.
What should I do at this point?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first joined with Verizon, I was having a lot of issue with poor signal and dropped calls. I called them to complain, and they told me that I could either get out of my contract, or they'd give me a network extender. Because at home was the only place where I was having issues with the service, I opted for the network extender. The one that they gave me was refurbished, but it has worked fine for over two years.
Your mileage may vary, but calling them to complain is definitely worth a try.

usmaak said:
When I first joined with Verizon, I was having a lot of issue with poor signal and dropped calls. I called them to complain, and they told me that I could either get out of my contract, or they'd give me a network extender. Because at home was the only place where I was having issues with the service, I opted for the network extender. The one that they gave me was refurbished, but it has worked fine for over two years.
Your mileage may vary, but calling them to complain is definitely worth a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I did. I told them that my 14 days is almost up and I want them to make a note on my account that if my signal doesn't improve at home, then I can cancel my service.
She did bring up a network extender but I said there is no way I'm paying for that. If they would be willing to give me one to use at home I would be ok with that.
So far I'm not happy with Verizon's coverage, which is funny, because that is what they are known for.
We have never had a single call reception issue when we had US cellular and Straight talk.
grr...

thegipper said:
That's exactly what I did. I told them that my 14 days is almost up and I want them to make a note on my account that if my signal doesn't improve at home, then I can cancel my service.
She did bring up a network extender but I said there is no way I'm paying for that. If they would be willing to give me one to use at home I would be ok with that.
So far I'm not happy with Verizon's coverage, which is funny, because that is what they are known for.
We have never had a single call reception issue when we had US cellular and Straight talk.
grr...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So they didn't give you the extender? They were very accommodating a couple of years ago when I called. They acted like they actually wanted to keep me. They were going to let me cancel AND keep the two S3s that I had just gotten. Before that, I had Sprint, and I'd have gone to two tin cans and string before I'd have spent another day with Sprint.
I used to live in Illinois, and aside from the area right near my house, the signal was pretty good. I'm in Colorado now, and Verizon out here is an entirely different story. LTE is a joke where I live. I get a decent signal, but download speeds are sometimes worse than 3g. There are only four communities out here with XLTE. I was considering going to TMob or ATT, so I asked some of my neighbors. They all said to stick with Verizon, so here I am.

They are going to have technical support first check the towers or something to that extent. She started a ticket for my complaint and are going to get back to me within 24-48 hours. If it doesn't improve, then we are going to talk about an extender. So far the only reception issues that I appear to be having is in my house.
Whats weird is the signal strength is the same at home as it is at work. I called my land line from my cell phone at work and left a 3 minute message of me babbling and not once did it ever break up. If the strength is the same, why is it cutting in and out and dropping calls at home?
Hopefully they can resolve this. They are going to give me an extender for free or I'm dropping them.

Sounds like a problem tower, or a tower that's too far away. Or a tower that's overly congested.

Well I hope they can fix it. Kind of ridiculous that I can't get a reliable signal in my own house in a town of 30k people.

Signal on mine is a little better than the S4. Call and text range is great.
I am happy with the signal overall.

I have noticed that people tend to not hear me at all when I have a call open to them
Alot of the times as I'm talking the opposite side keeps talking back words like "Hello, hello.. are you still there?" and all the while I can hear them perfectly. I swapped my Note 4 for a new one at the store and for a while I was good until today the samw thing happened again. Im beginning to worry that the antenna reception on this phone is not as good my old Galaxy S4.
Really hope it is just a software problem that can be corrected. I live in Finland and I have a non branded and non sim-locked Samsung Galaxy Note 4.