I moved my 5x from Project Fi to Sprint a few days ago and have had terrible signal dropping issues since. Randomly I'll look at my phone and see that I have zero signal bars. I have been running OpenSignal for the past few days and have a 10%/day average time with no signal. Prior to using the 5x on Sprint I was using an HTC One M7 and never had any of these signal drops. I did seem to have a stronger 3G signal on the HTC as well. I have contacted Project Fi to see if the ROM shipped with Fi serviced on the 5x is any different than the stock ROM -- I was told that the only difference between the two is that the Fi version ships with the Project Fi app. I don't know how often I was on 4G in my hometown before, but I have not yet connected to 4G on the 5x yet through Sprint. Any assistance in fixing this issue is welcomed and appreciated, thank you.
Doesn't Fi use both T-Mobile and Sprint towers? You might have had better signal on Fi because of the combination of the networks. Were you using your HTC One M7 on sprint before? The ROM that was shipped with the 5x and 6P were the same across the board as far as I know.
overlord727 said:
Doesn't Fi use both T-Mobile and Sprint towers? You might have had better signal on Fi because of the combination of the networks. Were you using your HTC One M7 on sprint before? The ROM that was shipped with the 5x and 6P were the same across the board as far as I know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
while it uses both networks it doesn't connect to both at the same time, it connects to whichever one is available with a decent enough signal. I'm not a fan of the Sprint signal in the Baltimore area so anytime it connects i try to move it to the T-Mobile network instead for better performance.
Also, the only difference between a Project Fi 5X is it comes preloaded with the Project Fi app. Otherwise the stock is the same.
I was using the M7 on Sprint.
metpage said:
while it uses both networks it doesn't connect to both at the same time, it connects to whichever one is available with a decent enough signal. I'm not a fan of the Sprint signal in the Baltimore area so anytime it connects i try to move it to the T-Mobile network instead for better performance.
Also, the only difference between a Project Fi 5X is it comes preloaded with the Project Fi app. Otherwise the stock is the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A Play Store 5X and Fi 5X both have the Project Fi app installed. The app is just disabled until a Fi SIM card is installed.
LancerEVA06 said:
A Play Store 5X and Fi 5X both have the Project Fi app installed. The app is just disabled until a Fi SIM card is installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UPDATE: FIXED
All I had to do was a factory reset. Fi must mess with some lower level radio settings because I have the same configuration in the 4636 menu and wireless preferences and LTE magically works now!
Factory reset worked for me too
subzero800 said:
UPDATE: FIXED
All I had to do was a factory reset. Fi must mess with some lower level radio settings because I have the same configuration in the 4636 menu and wireless preferences and LTE magically works now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that. I had the same problem and network resets wouldn't solve it but a factory reset did.
I was on Project Fi with my Nexus 6P and thought the service was fantastic. I'm not really having the same experience with the Pixel XL. For some reason the network switching doesn't seem to work nearly as well. This morning I was on a network with no bars for more than an hour and the phone never changed networks. I had to manually switch from Sprint to T-Mobile and then I went from zero bars to full network strength. Project Fi support hasn't been helpful at all. I'm curious if other people are having problems with Project Fi on this phone.
jhs39 said:
I was on Project Fi with my Nexus 6P and thought the service was fantastic. I'm not really having the same experience with the Pixel XL. For some reason the network switching doesn't seem to work nearly as well. This morning I was on a network with no bars for more than an hour and the phone never changed networks. I had to manually switch from Sprint to T-Mobile and then I went from zero bars to full network strength. Project Fi support hasn't been helpful at all. I'm curious if other people are having problems with Project Fi on this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had that issue, but I keep having the issue of no data connection on T-Mobile after I leave Wi-Fi.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
Jammol said:
I haven't had that issue, but I keep having the issue of no data connection on T-Mobile after I leave Wi-Fi.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds like a pretty annoying issue. Did Project Fi support have an explanation or help you at all?
jhs39 said:
That sounds like a pretty annoying issue. Did Project Fi support have an explanation or help you at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. However, it hasn't happened on the O Preview 2.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
That's good. Unfortunately, running O Preview 2 did nothing to solve my issue. Project Fi tech support just emailed me a bunch of tests to perform which seem utterly pointless and in no way related to my problem.
I moved to Austin Texas right after I purchased the phone and experienced the same problem. I thought it had to do with TMobile or Sprint, but it actually has more to do with the stock firmware. Install a Lineage OS-based ROM. I no longer have any connectivity issues with the phone. I'm using CrDroid from this forum, everything is working really well.
That's interesting. I'm not sure I'm ready to flash a ROM on this phone yet given all the problems people seem to have with TWRP, flashing, root breaking and the dual partitions. But I was running Dirty Unicorn rather than stock on the 6P. I suppose it's possible that could partly account for why Fi worked much better on that phone. Still, since Fi is Google's own service it doesn't make much sense that it would run better on a custom ROM than stock.
jhs39 said:
I was on Project Fi with my Nexus 6P and thought the service was fantastic. I'm not really having the same experience with the Pixel XL. For some reason the network switching doesn't seem to work nearly as well. This morning I was on a network with no bars for more than an hour and the phone never changed networks. I had to manually switch from Sprint to T-Mobile and then I went from zero bars to full network strength. Project Fi support hasn't been helpful at all. I'm curious if other people are having problems with Project Fi on this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You had a single error of network switching and you think that it's a trend? Have you ever considered the possibility that a carrier had a network outage at this time? For more than an hour?
CRAZY.
Do you know what happened to me? I got a brand new Pixel XL/FI and it wouldn't connect to the T-Mob network for about 24 hours. Out of the box, I couldn't use the phone. You know what happened afterwards. They fixed their network.
It isn't a single error--it's been a consistent problem for as long as I've had this phone. I'll be driving and my bars go down to nothing and the network never switches. I'll be in my doctor's office and have no bars and the network never switches. I'll be in a restaurant and have no bars and the network never switches. Project Fi on the Pixel is easily the worst phone service I have ever had. It seems like I have no bars nearly as much as I have actual phone service.
The weird thing is that when I have no bars the phone is always on the Sprint network. I was a Virgin Mobile customer for years. Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint network and I never had a situation anywhere in Chicago where I didn't have Sprint service. But Virgin Mobile uses CDMA phones. The Google Pixel is trying to switch between CDMA (Sprint) and GSM (T-Mobile) networks on the same radio, which I'm guessing is causing the difference in network quality I'm getting on Sprint between Virgin Mobile and Project Fi. The Virgin Mobile phones were a hell of a lot cheaper than the Google Pixel but they picked up a strong Sprint signal everywhere. It doesn't seem like the radio in my Pixel is working anything like Google promises.
jhs39 said:
It isn't a single error--it's been a consistent problem for as long as I've had this phone. I'll be driving and my bars go down to nothing and the network never switches. I'll be in my doctor's office and have no bars and the network never switches. I'll be in a restaurant and have no bars and the network never switches. Project Fi on the Pixel is easily the worst phone service I have ever had. It seems like I have no bars nearly as much as I have actual phone service.
The weird thing is that when I have no bars the phone is always on the Sprint network. I was a Virgin Mobile customer for years. Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint network and I never had a situation anywhere in Chicago where I didn't have Sprint service. But Virgin Mobile uses CDMA phones. The Google Pixel is trying to switch between CDMA (Sprint) and GSM (T-Mobile) networks on the same radio, which I'm guessing is causing the difference in network quality I'm getting on Sprint between Virgin Mobile and Project Fi. The Virgin Mobile phones were a hell of a lot cheaper than the Google Pixel but they picked up a strong Sprint signal everywhere. It doesn't seem like the radio in my Pixel is working anything like Google promises.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll be driving, and your bars go down to nothing, and the network never switches - maybe because there's nothing to switch to in the middle of nowhere?
You'll be in your doctor's office, and your bars go down to nothing, and the network never switches - maybe because there's nothing to switch to inside a concrete building?
" The Google Pixel is trying to switch between CDMA (Sprint) and GSM (T-Mobile) networks on the same radio, which I'm guessing is causing the difference in network quality I'm getting on Sprint between Virgin Mobile and Project Fi."
This makes zero sense. You think that your Pixel phone has bad "radio" reception because it uses "the same radio" to receive both Sprint and T-Mobile signals, as opposed to a dedicated "radio" in your Virgin Mobile phone? CDMA and GSM radios don't use the same circuitry inside your phone, they are usually two different chips which are completely independent.
My FI straight up doesn't work sometimes when it's on T-Mob for some unknown reason - USC has easily the strongest service in my town. But when I lose signal, the phone probably switches to a T-Mob because it's the next thing in line. This happens once every 2-3 months.
Look, Project FI is not perfect. I've had a fair share of problems with it. But it isn't because the hardware in your Pixel phone is inferior. It's buggy as **** and it's cheap as dirt (for a low data user.) I've said it from day one. Just hope that Google fixes the bugs, or just get rid of it.
nabbed said:
You'll be driving, and your bars go down to nothing, and the network never switches - maybe because there's nothing to switch to in the middle of nowhere?
You'll be in your doctor's office, and your bars go down to nothing, and the network never switches - maybe because there's nothing to switch to inside a concrete building?
" The Google Pixel is trying to switch between CDMA (Sprint) and GSM (T-Mobile) networks on the same radio, which I'm guessing is causing the difference in network quality I'm getting on Sprint between Virgin Mobile and Project Fi."
This makes zero sense. You think that your Pixel phone has bad "radio" reception because it uses "the same radio" to receive both Sprint and T-Mobile signals, as opposed to a dedicated "radio" in your Virgin Mobile phone? CDMA and GSM radios don't use the same circuitry inside your phone, they are usually two different chips which are completely independent.
My FI straight up doesn't work sometimes when it's on T-Mob for some unknown reason - USC has easily the strongest service in my town. But when I lose signal, the phone probably switches to a T-Mob because it's the next thing in line. This happens once every 2-3 months.
Look, Project FI is not perfect. I've had a fair share of problems with it. But it isn't because the hardware in your Pixel phone is inferior. It's buggy as **** and it's cheap as dirt (for a low data user.) I've said it from day one. Just hope that Google fixes the bugs, or just get rid of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not in the middle of nowhere--I'm in the middle of freaking Chicago. I also had Project Fi previously with my Nexus 6P, went to the same places and never had the problem of no bars or the network not switching. Why in God's name do people like you feel the need to post snide and ignorant comments when you clearly have nothing even remotely helpful or constructive to say? All you want to do is be sarcastic and pretend that you are smarter than everybody else. Waste someone else's time please. I'm sick of reading the garbage that you are posting.
Project Fi support has acknowledged that the service isn't working the way that it's supposed to on this phone. Hopefully that will shut up the idiot who keeps trying to argue that nothing is wrong. They are sending me a new sim card. If that doesn't fix the problem they are going to replace the phone. I started this thread because I wanted to find out if there was a problem with my device or if the Pixel XL just didn't work that well with the Project Fi service. Unfortunately I didn't really get an answer.
jhs39 said:
Project Fi support has acknowledged that the service isn't working the way that it's supposed to on this phone. Hopefully that will shut up the idiot who keeps trying to argue that nothing is wrong. They are sending me a new sim card. If that doesn't fix the problem they are going to replace the phone. I started this thread because I wanted to find out if there was a problem with my device or if the Pixel XL just didn't work that well with the Project Fi service. Unfortunately I didn't really get an answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish you luck, and I wish your efforts lead to a successful resolution of problems that many Project Fi users have been experiencing.
Good luck!
OP, you are not crazy. I had the same issues with stock ROM, all versions. I used signal spy and rooted to have control over switching. I had problems with both Sprint and T-Mo, but when I manually changed carrier, I got a full signal. It seemed to happen more when I was leaving a WiFi connection, but that may have been coincidence. Since I have switched to Pure Nexus I have had no problem at all. Don't know what the difference is, but I like that my phone works as advertised.
kcteun said:
OP, you are not crazy. I had the same issues with stock ROM, all versions. I used signal spy and rooted to have control over switching. I had problems with both Sprint and T-Mo, but when I manually changed carrier, I got a full signal. It seemed to happen more when I was leaving a WiFi connection, but that may have been coincidence. Since I have switched to Pure Nexus I have had no problem at all. Don't know what the difference is, but I like that my phone works as advertised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I build up the nerve I might try to flash DU on my phone but I've never been a fan of Pure Nexus. The thing that bothers me is that I used Virgin Mobile which is on the Sprint network for over 10 years. Sometimes I had cheap phones and sometimes I had more expensive ones but I never experienced a problem where I had no Sprint signal anywhere in the city. Yet this 900 dollar phone shows no Sprint signal all over the place. I don't understand why that is. I do see a lot of similar complaints to mine on the official Project Fi support threads. If I hadn't had such great service with Project Fi on my Nexus 6P I would probably be willing to chalk it up to issues with Fi service in my area but that can't be the case.
jhs39 said:
If I build up the nerve I might try to flash DU on my phone but I've never been a fan of Pure Nexus. The thing that bothers me is that I used Virgin Mobile which is on the Sprint network for over 10 years. Sometimes I had cheap phones and sometimes I had more expensive ones but I never experienced a problem where I had no Sprint signal anywhere in the city. Yet this 900 dollar phone shows no Sprint signal all over the place. I don't understand why that is. I do see a lot of similar complaints to mine on the official Project Fi support threads. If I hadn't had such great service with Project Fi on my Nexus 6P I would probably be willing to chalk it up to issues with Fi service in my area but that can't be the case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get your new replacement sim card? Or your new replacement phone? I have hope you can fix it for all of us.
As a side note, I was on a phone with Google Support once for over 90 minutes. This was the first day I got my Pixel XL and the Project FI sim card. Everything worked except voice. Literally data worked. Texting worked. Voice didn't.
So I spent the next 90 minutes on the phone with a very capable lad from Google. We tried everything. Things I didn't even know about.
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In the end, all it took was factory reset. And everything worked.
Occasionally, T-Mob still wouldn't work - once every few months or so, which is easily remedied by manually switching to another carrier.
Here's an app to switch stuff for your FI - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mbmc.fiinfo&hl=en
Give this buggy pos another shot!
nabbed said:
Did you get your new replacement sim card? Or your new replacement phone? I have hope you can fix it for all of us.
As a side note, I was on a phone with Google Support once for over 90 minutes. This was the first day I got my Pixel XL and the Project FI sim card. Everything worked except voice. Literally data worked. Texting worked. Voice didn't.
So I spent the next 90 minutes on the phone with a very capable lad from Google. We tried everything. Things I didn't even know about.
In the end, all it took was factory reset. And everything worked.
Occasionally, T-Mob still wouldn't work - once every few months or so, which is easily remedied by manually switching to another carrier.
Here's an app to switch stuff for your FI - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mbmc.fiinfo&hl=en
Give this buggy pos another shot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My new sim card is coming tomorrow. Since Project Fi worked fine with my other phone I'm left thinking either it doesn't work as well in general with the Pixel XL or there is something wrong with my particular phone. Since I've had this thing for less than a month I'm concerned Google will send me a refurbished phone instead of a new one. I spent a small fortune on this thing and don't want to get stuck with someone else's used phone when I spent that money for a new one. If the sim doesn't fix the problem I'm tempted to just keep the phone and manually switch networks when I need to. That seems to be what a lot of Project Fi customers get stuck doing anyway.
nabbed said:
Did you get your new replacement sim card? Or your new replacement phone? I have hope you can fix it for all of us.
As a side note, I was on a phone with Google Support once for over 90 minutes. This was the first day I got my Pixel XL and the Project FI sim card. Everything worked except voice. Literally data worked. Texting worked. Voice didn't.
So I spent the next 90 minutes on the phone with a very capable lad from Google. We tried everything. Things I didn't even know about.
In the end, all it took was factory reset. And everything worked.
Occasionally, T-Mob still wouldn't work - once every few months or so, which is easily remedied by manually switching to another carrier.
Here's an app to switch stuff for your FI - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mbmc.fiinfo&hl=en
Give this buggy pos another shot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the shortcut. I'm using Signal Spy, which seems to have largely the same functionality as other similar apps made for Fi users. It does allow me to manually switch networks if I'm on a bad one and the phone doesn't switch on its own. It also puts an icon on the bar on the top of the phone showing which carrier I'm on, which was mainly what I was curious about on my previous phone. I never had to manually switch networks with Fi on the Nexus so I didn't start using that function until I got the Pixel.
Hi all, I have Sprint and I get awful reception in my new home. Back in the day, we used to have an option to manually update the PRL file on the phone and it would connect to Verizon or another cell provider. Is there a chance that this option or modification is still available? I guess my question is, do any ROMs offer roam only settings, or is there a way to manually roam. Sprint doesn't seem to care whether I get service or not, so I have to do some manual intervention on this. Any insight would be appreciated.
southernstyle said:
Hi all, I have Sprint and I get awful reception in my new home. Back in the day, we used to have an option to manually update the PRL file on the phone and it would connect to Verizon or another cell provider. Is there a chance that this option or modification is still available? I guess my question is, do any ROMs offer roam only settings, or is there a way to manually roam. Sprint doesn't seem to care whether I get service or not, so I have to do some manual intervention on this. Any insight would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are apps like Signal Spy that are made for Project Fi users to manually switch networks since that service is supposed to pick the strongest signal from among 3 networks used on Fi. But there are a lot more networks listed than the ones Fi uses. If you have roaming enabled on your phone maybe you could switch to a different network manually even though you aren't a Fi customer.
By the way, I'm assuming you have a Pixel XL based on where you posted your question. It's more likely an issue with the phone than Sprint. I was on Sprint for years via Virgin Mobile and 100.00 CDMA only phones were much better at picking up the Sprint signal than my 900.00 Pixel XL is. I'm on Fi where Sprint is one of the carriers and Sprint shows no service all over the city which I know is not the case.
I believe with sim cards now, the prl is automatically updated, at least that is what Verizon told me
jhs39 said:
There are apps like Signal Spy that are made for Project Fi users to manually switch networks since that service is supposed to pick the strongest signal from among 3 networks used on Fi. But there are a lot more networks listed than the ones Fi uses. If you have roaming enabled on your phone maybe you could switch to a different network manually even though you aren't a Fi customer.
By the way, I'm assuming you have a Pixel XL based on where you posted your question. It's more likely an issue with the phone than Sprint. I was on Sprint for years via Virgin Mobile and 100.00 CDMA only phones were much better at picking up the Sprint signal than my 900.00 Pixel XL is. I'm on Fi where Sprint is one of the carriers and Sprint shows no service all over the city which I know is not the case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the info. I'm on the Pixel XL, but my gf has the same problem on an S7 edge. I put in my project fi Sim to see if t mobile was any better, but both seem to be weak at my house. I'll give the app a try. Thanks again
chapelfreak said:
I believe with sim cards now, the prl is automatically updated, at least that is what Verizon told me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a feeling that was the case. I wish there was a way to modify the SIM card. Thanks for verifying that, it must be easier for them to keep us from editing the files.
chapelfreak said:
I believe with sim cards now, the prl is automatically updated, at least that is what Verizon told me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon works that way, but this is one of the areas where Verizon and Sprint are different in how they implemented 4G LTE. Another example is that customers can switch sim cards between 4G LTE phones on Verizon, while you have to follow Sprint's procedure to switch service between LTE phones.
southernstyle said:
Hi all, I have Sprint and I get awful reception in my new home. Back in the day, we used to have an option to manually update the PRL file on the phone and it would connect to Verizon or another cell provider. Is there a chance that this option or modification is still available?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't used Sprint, and I also haven't tried to pull a PRL off this phone, yet this is what Sprint's website returns.
https://support.sprint.com/support/...pixel |All&question_box=update prl pixel |All
alluringreality said:
Verizon works that way, but this is one of the areas where Verizon and Sprint are different in how they implemented 4G LTE. Another example is that customers can switch sim cards between 4G LTE phones on Verizon, while you have to follow Sprint's procedure to switch service between LTE phones.
I haven't used Sprint, and I also haven't tried to pull a PRL off this phone, yet this is what Sprint's website returns.
https://support.sprint.com/support/...pixel |All&question_box=update prl pixel |All
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never used sprint because they always roam off Verizon where I live. The nearest native coverage is about 25 miles from where I live. That's good to know.
Sometimes if you aren't stuck with a contract it's a matter of finding who has the best network near you. I was on Sprint via Virgin Mobile for over 10 years and the network was great everywhere I went. Unfortunately Virgin Mobile won't let you bring your own phone so when I got a Nexus I switched to AT&T via Cricket. I couldn't get any phone reception at all in whole rooms in my apartment. It was brutal. After months of putting up with that I switched to Project Fi. I get good reception in my apartment with both Sprint and T-Mobile, although my Nexus 6P preferred T-Mobile and for some reason the Pixel XL prefers Sprint. Sometimes I have to manually switch to T-Mobile because Sprint reception is much spottier than it should be and Fi doesn't always switch on its own.
I bought my S9 last June and really like all things about it until recently.
IS THERE A SYSTEMIC ISSUE WITH THE S9 AND US CELLULAR AND DATA CONNECTIONS?
ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM?
Couple of months ago it started dropping data connectivity to the web. Would not load google maps or Waze. This started intermittently and then more frequently in the last few weeks. I am on the US Cellular network. My wife is on the same network with an iPhone and has no problem connecting. In fact, when we are travelling, I have to have her use google maps cause I cannot connect.
I have had the phone to several different stores and store technicians several times trying different settings on the phone and on the network plan. My phone is part of our business plan and we have unlimited data with about 20 phones on the plan.
The last tech told me there were two antennas in the phone, one for voice and one for data. Perhaps the data antenna was being wonky and maybe shorting out. I have no problem with voice connections, just the data access.
So I did a warranty exchange and received a new S9 replacement (Refurbished?) phone Tuesday. I loaded up my programs and noticed the same indicator (antenna symbol with ! next to it) and spotty 4G indicator. You guessed it, the Google Maps app will not connect; my wife's works fine. We took 300 mile road trip today and had to use her phone for directions.
I am beyond frustrated with the situation and do not know what to do next. I have not rooted the phone, it is stock. I have to have access to the web when I am mobile for my job.
How do I trouble shoot this problem?
Is this a known issue with US Cellular and the S9 or is my issue just an anomaly? What are my options?
I like the features and form factor of this phone and do not want to upgrade to an S10 or an iPhone.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks to all.