I see some people saying they already turned on their VoLTE, how does one go about doing this? I'm on the latest Kernel, running the latest PacMan ROM.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Free mobile app
It's in call settings. Isn't pacman AOSP? it might be limited to TouchWiz roms.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
you need to return to stock in order to get the volte. when you try to restore via KIES it will ask you if you want to upgrade to the ne6 baseband. click on yes and be patient
So we can't use custom roms to get volte? We have to stick to stock rom?
visiovis said:
So we can't use custom roms to get volte? We have to stick to stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct
PhilPan said:
I see some people saying they already turned on their VoLTE, how does one go about doing this? I'm on the latest Kernel, running the latest PacMan ROM.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Volte will not and does not work at all if you are using Pacman rom
or any other AOSP, AOKP, CM or ported roms.
You will need to flash a Samsung N900T Kitkat 4.4.2 Touchwiz stock or
stock based custom rom if you want to get the Volte feature working.
Good luck.
yea i tried flashing all the different options/roms trying to figure it out. only the stock telco rom works for volte. thanks
XtreStoLite custom rom
visiovis said:
yea i tried flashing all the different options/roms trying to figure it out. only the stock telco rom works for volte. thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been searching for custom ROMs that can do VoLITE and i think I found one called XtreStoLite but I do not think it will work yet on your device. Someone told me something about wrong kernals, and until they make it install from a universal zip it is not workable yet.
But I would keep an eye out on that one and I think they are going to soon come up with more custom roms with volte.
:fingers-crossed:
***voLTE, WiFi calling, Tmobile***
=======================================
(linked from "David Ruddock, XDA" )
T-Mobile Unofficially Speaks To Us About Band 12 LTE / VoLTE And Unlocked Smartphones,
And Yep It's Still Confusing
-----------------------------------
Yesterday, we published an article asking an open question: what is up with T-Mobile band 12 support being removed from some unlocked smartphones?
Today, T-Mobile contacted us to speak about said article. Unfortunately, T-Mobile was unwilling to provide any official on-record responses to our questions. But after a short discussion, I can provide you some information I have learned on background (journalist speak for "cannot be directly quoted or attributed to anyone"). First:
On T-Mobile, any device on its network with band 12 LTE data support must also support T-Mobile Voice over LTE services and E911.
The E911 part isn't particularly important in terms of the certification requirement - all phones sold in America are technically E911 compliant, because by law they have to be. The problem is that E911 compliance is inextricably linked to T-Mobile's VoLTE requirement for band 12. Without VoLTE support, a device on band 12 service would be unable to make phone calls of any kind if no other T-Mobile band was available (it will not know to fall back to AT&T roaming - the call will just flat-out fail), and that would include making 911 calls, meaning the device would for legal purposes likely be out of E911 compliance, and T-Mobile could get in trouble with the FCC. Not to mention, you could have somebody trying and failing to dial 911 in an emergency, which would of course be terrible. And yes, by removing band 12 support, you can make E911 work, because the phone then has no signal at all and knows to try to roam onto another compatible network (AT&T usually) to complete the call. This is both a safety and liability issue, and it is easy to understand where T-Mobile would be coming from in terms of concern about this - they do have something of a history with E911 debacles. Clearly this is a very real safety concern, and I do sympathize with T-Mobile in the sense that they obviously can't just sit here and do nothing about it. But there are practical concerns for OEMs here - adding T-Mobile VoLTE isn't just as easy as flipping a switch.
In order to obtain VoLTE compliance for band 12, phones must go through T-Mobile's rigorous network certification process (and yes, unlocked phones can go through this certification).
Speaking off the record to one major smartphone vendor, we have learned that there are very real costs and complexities associated with obtaining that certification, and it must be done on a device-by-device basis. Many phone OEMs, then, may simply choose to remove band 12 support from their unlocked smartphones sold in America. This could mean phones like the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 (4.7 and 5.5), the Huawei Ascend P8 Lite, the Huawei SnapTo, OnePlus 2, Moto X Style (aka Moto X 2015 PE), Moto X Play, HTC One M9 Unlocked and Developer Edition, Saygus V2, and various imported phones (ie, some global unlocked Sony or Samsung devices) or unlocked branded AT&T phone models may lose band 12 support in future software updates. The fact is, we don't know what will happen, or to which phones, or when. Some manufacturers may choose to get T-Mobile VoLTE certification (Motorola has hinted as much with the new Moto X 2015 PE), but many may also simply choose to quietly disable band 12 for T-Mobile in software updates. Motorola, as we know, has already done this with the Moto E.
It is not clear what action, if any, T-Mobile will take if a smartphone vendor refuses to remove band 12 data support from their device and also refuses to undergo the T-Mobile VoLTE certification process. (Ie, they want to keep B12 data but not bother with B12 VoLTE certification.)
This is basically the kicker. What will T-Mobile do if a vendor says "no way" to dropping band 12 data, but also doesn't want to go through the VoLTE certification process? We don't know. They might not do anything. But they might do something. Again, this is why speaking to T-Mobile about this situation was so frustrating. Not only we were unable to directly quote or attribute any of the information we were provided, but there was also no clarity as to what would happen in the event the band 12 situation comes to a head with an OEM that refuses to "play ball."
It seems unlikely that any OEM would refuse T-Mobile's request here, though, as most of them are also partnered with the company on T-Mobile-branded devices.
We have asked T-Mobile again for an on-record statement about this entire situation, because it would help clarify it immensely. As things stand now, T-Mobile is attempting to put the ball in the court of manufacturers. Which, to be fair, manufacturers do have a role to play here - they have to make the decision to drop band 12 or go through the T-Mobile certs for these unlocked band 12 devices. Or, potentially, just ignore T-Mobile's band 12 requirements entirely and see what happens. Unfortunately, as you might guess, most smartphone OEMs have zero desire to discuss upcoming software updates in detail, or to ever put their product in a situation where it is being highlighted for losing a feature. That makes our job here a difficult one.
We will update you on any more information we receive about this situation, including any response from T-Mobile or potentially-affected device manufacturers we have reached out to.
---------------------------------------------------------
hey there, im using galaxy note 3 t-mobile running on AOKP rom android 7.1.2 with synergy kernel, the problem is when i switch my network to LTE from GSM, my device getting freezed and unresponsive after 3-4 minutes, this occured in Resurrection Remix and Linage OS, can anyone help me fixing this problem? and i dont want to go back to stock rom, thanks in advance
It's my understanding that these features (advanced calling, like WiFi calling and VoLTE) Doo not work on unbranded devices like Pixel and others. This was the case with my unbranded SM935F or Galaxy S7 Edge until we got some files, an appropriate CSC, and also had AT&T switch our account to an IMEI of an AT&T branded device that had working WiFi Calling (others have apparently just called AT&T and had them provision WiFi Calling)
Note: for me, I have a business account so I could just go into my business portal and put in an IMEI that I got from an S7 Edge model in an AT&T store
I am attaching the files that we needed to add to our system to get WiFi calling to work on AT&T. I think I remember all I had to do was to add them and make sure permissions were correct
Here is an IMEI that I saw on another post that may work ..... But I do know that the AT&T system needs to recognize your phone IMEI as an att branded device that has working WiFi calling. So if you aren't business customers it will require a call to customer support.
Possible working IMEI:
Mod edit: Removed
Any Pixel AT&T users that could try this and report back would be greatly appreciated!
Btw, I'm not completely sure which files are needed in the Pixel as compared to the S7 Edge .... I would have a backup available
Here's link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4qgtyu0rDEbU3dGNnhLZ0FXTWM/view?usp=drivesdk
File too late to upload here
You don't need any of that for WiFi calling or VoLTE. That all works fine on custom roms
spaceman860 said:
You don't need any of that for WiFi calling or VoLTE. That all works fine on custom roms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I obviously could be wrong ...... But I'm 99% sure that what you are saying is not true for AT&T and maybe even other USA carriers!
I KNOW that I'm right for S7 phones and ROMs .... And the problem is so pervasive that they have even been able to get unbranded S8's to obtain WiFi Calling on AT&T or other USA carriers (even though WiFi calling works great on branded S8 phones)
AT&T users a different mechanism to provision WiFi calling than other carriers
jcrompton said:
I obviously could be wrong ...... But I'm 99% sure that what you are saying is not true for AT&T and maybe even other USA carriers!
I KNOW that I'm right for S7 phones and ROMs .... And the problem is so pervasive that they have even been able to get unbranded S8's to obtain WiFi Calling on AT&T or other USA carriers (even though WiFi calling works great on branded S8 phones)
AT&T users a different mechanism to provision WiFi calling than other carriers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct that AT&T does not allow unbranded phones to use those features. It's all BS too. I have great LTE coverage but many times I will go to make a call and have crap service because they have canabalized a lot of the hsdpa towers for LTE. Then the switch back to LTE can take forever. And I don't care what they or anyone says AT&T's hspa+ is no where near as fast
None of this works, as AT&T blocks access to VoLTE on Pixel phones. Denies me the use of Numbersync for my tablet and android wear 2.0 watches. AT&T service techs keep promising to fix it and try to force it to work, but still blocked. It is simply a situation for Google to get the Pixel certified for the AT&T network, which is problematic, as AT&T uses a non-standard protocol for HD Voice that is unique to their network. So, as best I can tell, AT&T has to release the source code, for a price, I presume, to Google to add to the phones and then pay for the certification process with the FCC. Seems a stand-off as long as Google has an "exclusive" arrangement with Verizon. So for me, I'm pissed not to have numbersync for my devices, but unwilling to give up all the advantages of the Pixel phone.
That's why I switched to T-Mobile.
So there is no way to get VoLTE on the Pixel XL with AT&T then?
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
chipstien said:
So there is no way to get VoLTE on the Pixel XL with AT&T then?
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not currently
If AT&T carries the upcoming Pixel 2, is it possible Numbersync would start working on Pixel 1 devices?
jkimrey said:
If AT&T carries the upcoming Pixel 2, is it possible Numbersync would start working on Pixel 1 devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt it. They only support advanced features on devices sold by them so it's not as if older Pixels will suddenly be grandfathered in just because they start carrying newer ones.
This annoys me to no end... If I buy a phone from att, do they have to give me an unlock code when the phone is paid off? I really need WiFi calling for a trip I make multiple times a year
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
murso74 said:
This annoys me to no end... If I buy a phone from att, do they have to give me an unlock code when the phone is paid off? I really need WiFi calling for a trip I make multiple times a year
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to get the code the same day or next for the att Note 8 that was bought from Samsung. The device is paid off.
muzzy996 said:
I doubt it. They only support advanced features on devices sold by them so it's not as if older Pixels will suddenly be grandfathered in just because they start carrying newer ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah according to a rep I spoke with, the pixel 2 will support Numbersync even though att isn't selling them. There are, however, no plans to change the restriction on the original pixels.
I'm in the same boat but I'm genuinely curious - if I don't need wifi calling - is it really a big deal not having VoLTE? I'm taking in terms of better signal or faster LTE internet speed. Or does VoLTE is just having clearer phone calls? I guess what I'm asking is what other benefits are we losing (on a technical standpoint)
keplenk said:
I'm in the same boat but I'm genuinely curious - if I don't need wifi calling - is it really a big deal not having VoLTE? I'm taking in terms of better signal or faster LTE internet speed. Or does VoLTE is just having clearer phone calls? I guess what I'm asking is what other benefits are we losing (on a technical standpoint)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Late response but as far as AT&T goes besides VoLTE what I experienced on my Pixel XL was random issues with group text (MMS) reception from certain individuals from other carriers.
In particular it seemed as though if senders of MMS texts to a group chat that I was participating in sent a text from a carrier like T-Mobile and they were using Samsung devices with VoLTE and enhanced LTE stuff enabled on their end I'd not receive the text. I would instead receive texts from others in the conversation. I could freely text any of the same individuals in a separate standard SMS conversation just fine, and they could send me an MMS text like a photo, but as soon as we were in group MMS I'd lose the ability to receive their texts and no amount of APN changes or combinations of texting apps would fix it.
I can't tell you how many times over the course of the first 5 months of owning my Pixel XL with an AT&T SIM in it I missed out on half the conversation in group MMS. Doing nothing to my phone other than porting number to T-Mobile and putting in my new T-Mobile SIM all of my group MMS issues went away (replaced with ****ty signal LOL but that's a different story). I'm now on Verizon with my XL and am a happy camper, albeit poorer having wasted money jumping around.
All U.S. V30/V3O+/V30S will need stock firmware, not LOS-based custom ROMs. When?
3G CDMA and HSPA is going away. U.S. users will NEED VoLTE and/or Wi-Fi calling for carrier phone calls. V30 LOS-based ROMs do not have that and will never have that.
By "all", I mean customers of U.S. carriers Verizon, T-mobile (& Sprint), AT&T -- and all MVNOs (Straight Talk, Ting, etc) using those major carriers. There are some regional carriers (not MVNOs) who have their own towers and FCC bandwidth licenses, i.e. parts of Appalachia, upper Michigan peninsula, remote areas of Texas, parts of Alaska, for which this timetable ostensibly seems not to apply. BUT IT DOES. All these regional carriers have roaming agreements with at least one of the major national carriers for when their customers travel outside their isolated regional towers coverage. If you can't make phone calls in another state or even another part of your state, what good is roaming?
No, this doesn't affect people outside the U.S., unless they come to visit U.S. (tourist, work, school).
In 6 months, you will not be able to use LOS-based custom ROMs with V30 on Verizon or T-mobile and T-mobile owned Sprint (that brand is going away).
In 18 months, you will not be able to use LOS-based custom ROMs with V30 on AT&T.
* As of December 31, 2020 Verizon is dropping 3G CDMA to repurpose bandwidth for 5G.
After that date, to make any phone calls on Verizon you will need Verizon VoLTE/Wi-Fi Calling. No V30 LOS-based custom ROMs have carrier VoLTE/Wi-Fi calling or will ever have those features. You will need stock Verizon firmware and an account with VoLTE enabled by Verizon. It can be rooted stock firmware; you can use Magisk modules to add custom ROM type features -- but it needs to be on Verizon firmware for VoLTE. Verizon calls it "HD Calling". That feature has to be enabled on a Verizon IMEI phone. People who have it enabled in their Verizon account can then use any North American variant flashed to Verizon VS996 (even rooted) firmware. Some people use older Verizon phones to enable the "HD Calling" (VoLTE) feature then switch SIM card to their non-Verizon V30 (like LS998 V30+ converted to VS996). Another workaround is to use a Verizon MVNO like Total Wireless which gives you "Enhanced 4G LTE Mode" (a.k.a. VoLTE) while using Verizon towers. You don't need Verizon's permission. However, if you have native Verizon VS996, you don't have to worry about such workarounds.
* T-mobile users are in the same predicament, almost same timeline.
In January 2021, T-mobile will be dropping 3G HSPA for same reasons. At that date, T-mobile users will need VoLTE or Wi-Fi Calling to make carrier phones calls. Those features only come with V30 stock firmware (or stock-based ROMs). However, T-mobile is less stingy than Verizon. They also allow V30 phones with US998 firmware to have VoLTE/Wi-Fi calling with T-mobile SIM. Whereas Verizon not only requires Verizon stock firmware, VoLTE needs to have been activated on a phone with Verizon IMEI at some point.
* AT&T will also eventually drop 3G HSPA -- but not until February 2022 (18 months from now).
So, for U.S. V30 owners who wish to run V30 LOS custom ROMs a little longer, you should check out AT&T Prepaid. It's a lot cheaper than "regular" AT&T (Postpaid, a.k.a. contract AT&T), but AT&T Prepaid is only for people who own their phones (not financed). It you own your phone outright, it's a GREAT deal! AT&T Prepaid uses same AT&T servers as AT&T Postpaid. On the 8GB plan I am not throttled whatsoever (70 Mbps - 90 Mbps)and have very low pings (low lag). See plan rates at that link.
Right now, AT&T (Prepaid and Postpaid) still allows you to Bring Your Own Phone. I have three US998 on AT&T; two of them are on AT&T Prepaid, one on AT&T Postpaid. And AT&T won't shut down 3G HSPA for another 18 months!
What happens when AT&T finally does shut down HSPA?
AT&T only gives VoLTE to AT&T IMEI phones, as well as iPhones and some other phones I would never own. Even though I'm a long-time AT&T customer, I've never used an AT&T branded phone on AT&T. I always buy carrier-unlocked Android flagship phones with specific checklist of features I want. I'm an AT&T customer with three native US998 V30/V30+ for myself, my wife, my mother -- so I'll cross that bridge when I come to it in February 2022. Will probably give my mother a AT&T V35. Maybe my wife, too. (V35 is basically a V40 in a V30 case; no notch.) Also, by 2022 LG may get their act together and produce a good phone for the LG V70 or LG V80. I may not own V30 by then. Or AT&T may decide to VoLTE whitelist US998 V30 like they whitelisted carrier-unlocked V35...
18 months is a long time. Anything can happen in 18 months!
To reiterate, any MVNOs (Straight Talk, Ting, etc.) which use Verizon, T-mobile/Sprint, and AT&T will also be affected by these upcoming 3G shutdown/VoLTE required decisions.
_________
When the deadline does hit -- like for Verizon or T-mobile and you need to stay on that carrier for some reason -- you can flash back to stock firmware via KDZ with Dev Patched LGUP or via TWRP-flashable zips (stock ROMs) located in the V30 Development section.
Again, if you don't want to do this in the next six months (you still want to run V30 LOS-based ROMs), and you don't NEED Verizon or T-mobile (Sprint), simply switch to AT&T Prepaid and you can postpone until February 2022! Yes, you could also use an AT&T MVNO, but I'm not a fan of most AT&T MVNOs. Most MVNOs throttle to low speeds (like Cricket) and/or have high pings (lag). The only exception I'm aware of is Red Pocket MNVO, which is actually pretty good. Just make sure you choose their "GSMA" (AT&T) SIM card -- since they have a choice of carrier towers. You want AT&T to be the underlying provider, to keep 3G HPSA as long as possible.
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_______
Yes, XDA News had a write up of this couple of days ago. See link below. But it was more general -- focusing on what phones you needed to have for each U.S. carrier's VoLTE. This post is more specific -- about not being able to use LOS-based custom ROMs on any LG V30 variant phone when the deadline hits, and how to DELAY that deadline.
T-Mobile will require VoLTE for all phones starting January 2021, AT&T to follow suit in February 2022 – Here’s what that means for you
https://www.xda-developers.com/t-mobile-att-require-volte-phone-calls-shut-down-3g/
ChazzMatt said:
snip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this only effect the V30? Or is this every device running LOS?
Sent from my Samsung SM-T867U using XDA Labs
BROKEN1981 said:
Does this only effect the V30? Or is this every device running LOS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This post is specific to LG V30 series as there is no VoLTE for LG V30 LOS-based custom ROMs.
LG in particular uses a borked version of IMS, which is hard for LOS-ROM devs to decode and implement. Allegedly it's easier other non-LG phones have LOS custom ROMs with VoLTE.
However, I have not kept up with how many other Android phones have LOS-based custom ROMs with VoLTE, and for which U.S. carriers.
Besides rooting becoming harder and harder with new phones, now users will have another thing to worry about -- whether or not they can even use LOS custom ROMs, to make carrier phone calls. I think the answer is going to be different even depending on carrier. AT&T has a VoLTE whitelist for example. Maybe it can be spoofed, maybe it can't.
But the days of buying a cheap Sprint LS998 128GB V30+ -- then Frankenstein converted to Open Market US998 or even AT&T H931 -- to use on AT&T network will end in February 2022. I don't need 5G, but at that point in time I will need access to VoLTE. (Even though I have Google Voice. My Google Voice Wi-Fi calling is spotty. I prefer to piggyback on my carrier phone number.)
Until now it's just been India Jio carrier users who absolutely needed VoLTE for custom ROMs on various phones. And with V30 they can't use LOS custom ROMs... That carrier launched in September 2016 with LTE only, with no legacy 2G or 3G bands. But in the near future (next 6 - 18 months), it will be all U.S. users, too.
I think this means it would be a good idea to resume research of how to get VOLTE working on non-stock phones. I'd love to see this happen as well. Maybe we resurrect the bounty on this opportunity (I recall we had one a while ago on the forums here?)
FWIW, I just checked in with my BIL (brother in-law) as he has a V30 that I converted to US998 for him, and he's using it on ATT. His phone is working with VOLTE and VOWIFI from what we can see (his 4G symbol stays white when he called me). I also saw the call was showing "HD" on my end (using the Google Phone app).
Granted, his old phone was purchased from ATT (one of the Samsung Galaxys) and we just swapped the SIM into the V30 without issue. In addition, his phone was originally H931, so the IMEI would work on ATT... but we didn't have to do anything special to get VOLTE/VOWIFI working on this phone. I don't know ATT myself, so I don't know if this is normal or not, but I wanted to mention it... particularly since we can't get H931 ROMs as a download...
schwinn8 said:
FWIW, I just checked in with my BIL (brother in-law) as he has a V30 that I converted to US998 for him, and he's using it on ATT. His phone is working with VOLTE and VOWIFI from what we can see (his 4G symbol stays white when he called me). I also saw the call was showing "HD" on my end (using the Google Phone app).
Granted, his old phone was purchased from ATT (one of the Samsung Galaxys) and we just swapped the SIM into the V30 without issue. In addition, his phone was originally H931, so the IMEI would work on ATT... but we didn't have to do anything special to get VOLTE/VOWIFI working on this phone. I don't know ATT myself, so I don't know if this is normal or not, but I wanted to mention it... particularly since we can't get H931 ROMs as a download...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the key here is it's still AT&T IMEI and he probably already had that feature enabled from a previous AT&T branded phone?
I have an AT&T V35 still on AT&T firmware and AT&T V35 which was converted to North American Open Market (NAO). Between the two, I'll get my wife and mother onto AT&T VOLTE. May have to give my wife the native one first, then switch her to the converted after we confirm. (This would emulate what your brother-in-law did.) Then pass the V35 with AT&T firmware on to my mother.
I have 18 months to pull that off.
Not sure what I'll do for myself... All North American V35 came only in 64GB. I want more storage than that, and not just microSD card.
Red Pocket is hard to beat: They offer plans on all four carriers (GSMA=AT&T, GSMT=TMO, CDMA=Verizon, CDMAS=Sprint) with VoLTE on all of them. Verizon plans require a Verizon branded phone, but other plans allow BYOD. It only has to be supported by the phone, no whitelisting.
I have GSMA (AT&T) and VoLTE works on US998 converted from LS998, tested on both 20h and 30b. Just open a chat with their support and ask them to enable VoLTE and VoWiFi (WiFi Calling), wait 15 mins, then reboot the phone.
US998 doesn't have VoLTE in the network menus on AT&T, but it works. It can be configured using Hidden Menu *#546368#*998# | Field Test | IMS Settings.
* IMS Settings | Test | Load Preset Config | Initialize Config to re-initialize VoLTE & VoWiFi.
* IMS Settings | GPRI VoLTE/VoWiFi | Registration | VoLTE | VoLTE indication to show VoLTE indicator in status bar (see attached screenshot)
Unfortunately US998 does NOT support AT&T WiFi Calling. Flashing the H931 TWRP flashable ROM brings support for both VoLTE and WiFi Calling, including menus to toggle it and statusline indicators. I tried it on my converted LS998, and it's a fairly nice ROM (even a few extra AT&T LTE bands). But unfortunately we don't have the latest Oreo version of it, let alone Pie.
Red Pocket GSMA is NOT throttled: I get 30Mbps inside our concrete block apartment with terrible reception and barely one bar. I am sure significantly faster anywhere with good reception. That said, I have no doubt that AT&T will give priority to their post-paid customers in case of congestion. Maybe to their pre-paid too, although I wouldn't be so sure.
My wife is on Red Pocket's $19 monthly Unlimited Talk/Text + 3GB LTE plan, which is a pretty great deal. Discounted annual and quarterly plans are available through the Red Pocket store on eBay. I am on their $60 annual ($5/mo) 100/100/500MB plan. I work from home so am on WiFi most of the time There is also a $240 ($20/mo) Unlimited Talk/Text + 5BG LTE plan. They have frequent deals on that store with even better prices for those willing to lock in 3 or 12 months. No taxes.
Edit: GSMT (T-Mobile) supposedly works even better on US998, since it supports VoLTE and WiFi Calling with network menu commands. I tried switching, but my super-cheap plan isn't available on GSMT. And my wife doesn't want to switch, as TMO has traditionally had the worst reception in our apartment -- although some of the best reception when out and about.
View attachment 5069803
TheDannemand said:
Red Pocket is hard to beat: They offer plans on all four carriers (GSMA=AT&T, GSMT=TMO, CDMA=Verizon, CDMAS=Sprint) with VoLTE on all of them. Verizon plans require a Verizon branded phone, but other plans allow BYOD. It only has to be supported by the phone, no whitelisting.
I have GSMA (AT&T) and VoLTE works on US998 converted from LS998, tested on both 20h and 30b. Just open a chat with their support and ask them to enable VoLTE and VoWiFi (WiFi Calling), wait 15 mins, then reboot the phone.
US998 doesn't have VoLTE in the network menus on AT&T, but it works. It can be configured using Hidden Menu *#546368#*998# | Field Test | IMS Settings.
* IMS Settings | Test | Load Preset Config | Initialize Config to re-initialize VoLTE & VoWiFi.
* IMS Settings | GPRI VoLTE/VoWiFi | Registration | VoLTE | VoLTE indication to show VoLTE indicator in status bar (see attached screenshot)
Unfortunately US998 does NOT support AT&T WiFi Calling. Flashing the H931 TWRP flashable ROM brings support for both VoLTE and WiFi Calling, including menus to toggle it and statusline indicators. I tried it on my converted LS998, and it's a fairly nice ROM (even a few extra AT&T LTE bands). But unfortunately we don't have the latest Oreo version of it, let alone Pie.
Red Pocket GSMA is NOT throttled: I get 30Mbps inside our concrete block apartment with terrible reception and barely one bar. I am sure significantly faster anywhere with good reception. That said, I have no doubt that AT&T will give priority to their post-paid customers in case of congestion. Maybe to their pre-paid too, although I wouldn't be so sure.
My wife is on Red Pocket's $19 monthly Unlimited Voice/Text + 3GB LTE, which is a pretty great deal. Discounted annual and quarterly plans are available through the Red Pocket store on eBay. I am on their $60 annual 100/100/500MB plan. I work from home so am on WiFi most of the time
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I've heard good things about Red Pocket. That's why I attached screenshot of their plans, specifically the AT&T SIM card.
I think they must pay AT&T more money or something. Not only no throttling, but for some reason their SIM cards allow LG firmware updates on AT&T branded phones when even (AT&T owned) Cricket doesn't. Talked about over in the V35 forum last year with Pie update.
ChazzMatt said:
I've heard good things about Red Pocket. That's why I attached screenshot of their plans, specifically the AT&T SIM card.
I think they must pay AT&T more money or something. Not only no throttling, but for some reason their SIM cards allow LG firmware updates on AT&T branded phones when even (AT&T owned) Cricket doesn't. Talked about over in the V35 forum last year with Pie update.
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Yes, I remember that discussion about AT&T updates on V35. Very surprising that Cricket owners wouldn't get them while Red Pocket would.
As it is now, it seems that GSMT (T-Mobile) is the most expensive for Red Pocket since several of their plans (including mine) are only available on the other carriers, but NOT on GSMT. On their eBay store, some plans come in two variants, with only the higher priced variant offering GSMT, but allotments otherwise the same. I guess T-Mobile is moving up in the world
Red Pocket Verizon plans also seem to be a steal for those who can use them, particularly in those rural areas where Verizon is the only game. Again, you need a Verizon branded phone. I don't know if you activate on one and move the SIM to a US998, if it will stay activated.
I just got my LOS set up how I like it and I was planning to leave it be for a long time... when I saw this thread and my heart sank . Fortunately, I'm on AT&T, so I have 18 months. By then, I may have upgraded to a new phone (or the thought of having to use stock firmware may push me to upgrade). Also, I won't be surprised if AT&T eventually pushes the deadline further down the road. Basically, it's not something that I'm going to worry about or even plan to do anything about. It's good to have it in the back of my head, though, since it'll affect me eventually, so thanks for the thread. I appreciate it being specific to the V30 because, if I had read the news elsewhere, I probably would've had questions about what it means exactly for my V30.
TheDannemand said:
Unfortunately US998 does NOT support AT&T WiFi Calling. Flashing the H931 TWRP flashable ROM brings support for both VoLTE and WiFi Calling, including menus to toggle it and statusline indicators. I tried it on my converted LS998, and it's a fairly nice ROM (even a few extra AT&T LTE bands). But unfortunately we don't have the latest Oreo version of it, let alone Pie.
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Just to be clear, I'm not sure this statement is necessarily true. My BIL's phone is on ATT with US998, and I mentioned above that we did test VOWIFI and VOLTE and both worked. Full disclosure, this was an H931 IMEI, but the ROM is US998, and it works, so the "limitation" may just be another big-carrier-lie.
schwinn8 said:
Just to be clear, I'm not sure this statement is necessarily true. My BIL's phone is on ATT with US998, and I mentioned above that we did test VOWIFI and VOLTE and both worked. Full disclosure, this was an H931 IMEI, but the ROM is US998, and it works, so the "limitation" may just be another big-carrier-lie.
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Thank you, very interesting!
Did you have to tweak IMS settings in Hidden menu to make it work?
Again, I got VoLTE working easy enough, but I could NOT get VoWiFi going, despite many hours of testing various IMS settings. That's on a LS998U converted to US998.
It DID work right away after I flashed H931 ROM on the same phone, so I know it's not the IMEI and that I'm provisioned for VoWiFi.
I took dozens of screenshots of the IMS settings on H931 in the hope of replicating them on US998, but many of the settings from H931 don't even exist on US998. That's when I concluded that AT&T had added some proprietary code to their VoWiFi implementation.
Of course your post would indicate that may not be the case after all.
I do notice that VoWiFi doesn't show as provisioned in the Testing menu on US998 ROM. Of course it showed as provisioned on H931 ROM. So focus should be on IMS registration to get it to pick up that provision.
So now I am tempted to go back into the IMS rabbit hole to try and get it working. But that's a very deep rabbit hole, and I don't really have the time
Edit: Could I ask you to verify with your BIL that he really has VoWiFi working, not just VoLTE?
Just making a phone call and seeing that it stays on LTE won't prove that it's using VoWiFi. Neither is the HD icon on your end, since VoWiFi and VoLTE both use the same codecs.
I guess the best way would be to see that WiFi Calling is provisioned in Testing menu *#*#4636#*#* | Phone information
Alternatively toggle Hidden Menu *#546368#*998# | Field Test | IMS Settings | GPRI VoLTE/VoWiFi | Registration | VoWiFi | VoWiFi indication to show VoWiFi indicator in the status bar.
Thanks in advance :good:
TheDannemand said:
Thank you, very interesting!
Did you have to tweak IMS settings in Hidden menu to make it work?
[snip]
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No, I didn't have to do anything... it appears to have just worked. Again, the BIL was coming from an ATT phone, so it was simply a SIM card swap... so it may have been enabled on his old phone, so it "carried over" easily? I don't know... but I didn't have to do anything other than flash US998 (KDZ), swap SIMs, and then setup his login etc. I don't remember if I gave him root, but he is BL Unlocked IIRC. He doesn't need the fancy rooting and stuff, so I didn't want to confuse him with that.
schwinn8 said:
No, I didn't have to do anything... it appears to have just worked. Again, the BIL was coming from an ATT phone, so it was simply a SIM card swap... so it may have been enabled on his old phone, so it "carried over" easily? I don't know... but I didn't have to do anything other than flash US998 (KDZ), swap SIMs, and then setup his login etc. I don't remember if I gave him root, but he is BL Unlocked IIRC. He doesn't need the fancy rooting and stuff, so I didn't want to confuse him with that.
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Thank you. Again!
I still can't see any logical difference, although obviously there has to be one. Say the provisioning was carried over on the SIM card previously activated in an AT&T phone. However my account and SIM showed as provisioned -- and worked with VoWiFi -- when running the H931 ROM. But didn't work when moving the SIM to a phone with a US998 ROM. (I have two LS998-converted-US998 phones and was able to move the SIM between the H931 and my other US998 at the time.) And if it were the genuine AT&T IMEI that made the difference, then why did it work when my LS998 IMEI phone had the H931 ROM
Had it been just VoLTE I could understand, since that works out of the box on US998, as long as provisioned on the account (and supported by the SIM). And had it required some tweaking of IMS settings to get VoWiFi going, I could understand that too, as I obviously haven't tried all combinations of the hundreds of settings.
Oh well. I apologize, I don't mean to sound like I am doubting you. It just frustrates me to know that the ROM can do it, but I cannot for the life of me see how. Particularly not without any setup.
I am just going to chalk it up to a miracle case instead disappearing down the rabbit hole again. I spent too much time down there last time around.
Thanks again!
Obviously if anybody discovers anything about how to make AT&T WiFi Calling work on US998, I am highly interested.
ChazzMatt sorry for hijacking your thread there for a while. I guess it was somewhat within the topic
I feel your pain, and I'm not taking offense... we're all trying to learn here!
Just to throw another wrench into the situation, with my phone (US998 converted to VS996, and originally connected to VZ) I had to do the IMS settings game to get VOWIFI/VOLTE working. From what I see here, not many others had to do that... so I fell on that side of the puzzle back then... kinda like how you're having this issue now on ATT.
I posted some info on how to get these working in VZ-land... and I had to use ShortcutMasterLite because I couldn't get VS996 to show me any hidden menus. I found SML easier anyway. That said, you may try to see my post about that and see if that helps you with some ideas on how to get it working on your ATT. Note also that on VZ I believe you have to keep the Verizon Mobile app to let these work. I don't think ATT has anything like that, but if you have frozen any apps or something, maybe that adds to the problem? I didn't do any of that for the BIL's phone...
If he lived closer to me, I'd offer to help dig into the settings (maybe the SML options, for example) to see if we can get you running... but unfortunately that's not an option. And he's not technical enough to follow me through the process, so I can't bother him to do it remotely.
I might suggest trying to go to a fresh US998 and seeing if it works "out of the box". If not, we can try SML things (like I did with my VZ setup) and see if that helps you get running. Or there may be other threads that can help in a similar manner, that are more specific to ATT.
EDIT: This thread https://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1912223 seems to imply that ATT does check the IMEI "often" and then decides if they will allow VOLTE/VOWIFI. Again, since the BIL's phone was H931, the IMEI is probably "good" on their side, so they let it happen.
If you ask me, this is all BS and should be illegal. They're effectively saying it "can't" be done, when there is no real reason for this, as we have proven many times here with various devices. This is just like the old days of POTS phones where ATT would say you have to buy "their" hardware to use the phone. It was a lie then, and this is just another modern version of the same lie. I expect the current FCC won't do jack for this, but maybe next year (I hope) things can be improved and potentially they might do something about it. It would likely take a large push by many... not sure how to make that happen.
Given all this, I might suggest trying an MVNO instead... F-VZ and F-ATT if they want to pull this crap. I'm so much happier on TW now... everything works great!
schwinn8 said:
This thread https://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1912223 seems to imply that ATT does check the IMEI "often" and then decides if they will allow VOLTE/VOWIFI.
Again, since the BIL's phone was H931, the IMEI is probably "good" on their side, so they let it happen.
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Yeah, as I said earlier, I think the native AT&T IMEI is helping tremendously, even though the phone isn't currently on AT&T firmware:
ChazzMatt said:
I think the key here is it's still AT&T IMEI and he probably already had that feature enabled from a previous AT&T branded phone?
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TheDannemand said:
ChazzMatt sorry for hijacking your thread there for a while. I guess it was somewhat within the topic
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No problem. I said pretty much all that can be said on the actual thread topic in posts #1 and #3.
The rest of this is ancillary and it's OK.
I expect as January 2021 gets closer we'll see more U.S. users getting anxious and possibly even other LG device owners (V20?) asking questions in here -- even though this is V30 series specific.
I know some LG G6 were able to get VoLTE on LOS, but not others. Like Sprint maybe? Don't remember. But in the G6 Telegram thread one of the rules you could get warned/banned over was asking about VoLTE. . Because people just wouldn't stop.
Then people tried to tell our LOS dev to look at the G6 Sprint configuration (if that was it) for V30. But he says it doesn't apply like that. Different chipset, different phone series, and the G6 people couldn't even get VoLTE for all their carriers.
schwinn8 said:
I feel your pain, and I'm not taking offense... we're all trying to learn here!
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Thank you for bearing with me
I agree 100% about the shenanigans of AT&T and the other big carriers. But in my case I am certain that my problem isn't one of account provisioning or AT&T blocking my use of VoWiFi: I use Red Pocket (MVNO) who expressly provides VoLTE on all 4 carriers (as long as the phone supports it, some limitations on Sprint) and VoWiFi on AT&T, TMO and VZ. Both are enabled on my account.
And indeed, the moment I flash H931 ROM, it works right away. On US998 ROM, VoLTE works right away, but VoWiFi shows up as not provisioned. I am sure the problem is in the US998 ROM not negotiating VoWiFi properly and thus not picking up the provision. This is consistent with findings of other AT&T users in the H931 ROM thread who Frankenphone and root their H931s, then flash back to that H931 ROM in order to get VoWiFi working again.
The only explanation I can think of why this works on your BIL's phone with US998 ROM is that either his H931 IMEI or his AT&T SIM means that a different (simpler?) VoWiFi provisioning process takes place because AT&T trusts the hardware. An unlocked IMEI can STILL use VoWiFi, but the provisioning then requires a different path -- which is known to the H931 ROM, and possibly to newer phones, but not to US998.
So just to state this very clearly: This would mean that EITHER an AT&T IMEI (or maybe SIM) OR AT&T firmware (such as H931) is required to negotiate AT&T VoWiFi provisioning. The VoWiFi provisioning process is far more complex than VoLTE, the latter relying on an already established mobile network connection to the carrier. VoWiFi can provide access to the carriers network through any WiFi network, so extra steps are required to authenticate the user.
The IMS implementation is significantly different on H931, with hundreds of settings and some services which are not found on US998.
As for IMS settings, they're all fully accessible in the Hidden menu on US998 and H931 (if I understand you correctly, that isn't the case on VS996 ROM). ShortcutMasterLite gives access to a few Settings menus to toggle WiFi calling, but nothing that cannot be done through the Hidden menu.
ChazzMatt said:
No problem. I said pretty much all that can be said on the actual thread topic in posts #1 and #3.
The rest of this is ancillary and it's OK.
I expect as January 2021 gets closer we'll see more U.S. users getting anxious and possibly even other LG device owners (V20?) asking questions in here -- even though this is V30 series specific.
I know some LG G6 were able to get VoLTE on LOS, but not others. Like Sprint maybe? Don't remember. But in the G6 Telegram thread one of the rules you could get warned/banned over was asking about VoLTE. . Because people just wouldn't stop.
Then people tried to tell our LOS dev to look at the G6 Sprint configuration (if that was it) for V30. But he says it doesn't apply like that. Different chipset, different phone series, and the G6 people couldn't even get VoLTE for all their carriers.
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Thank you!
VoLTE really shouldn't be a problem for you: You already use US998 stock ROM, which supports it our of the box. And if AT&T prepaid won't provide it, then use Red Pocket -- or any carrier or MVNO which may provide it come that time. I seem to recall you have poor AT&T reception in your house, so you could even consider a TMO MVNO, which would give you BOTH VoLTE and VoWiFi out of the box.
As long as you don't buy TMO phones, but I don't think there is any risk of that
TheDannemand said:
Thank you for bearing with me
The only explanation I can think of why this works on your BIL's phone with US998 ROM is that either his H931 IMEI or his AT&T SIM means that a different (simpler?) VoWiFi provisioning process takes place because AT&T trusts the hardware. An unlocked IMEI can STILL use VoWiFi, but the provisioning then requires a different path -- which is known to the H931 ROM, and possibly to newer phones, but not to US998.
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To be clear, the implication of your statement is that US998 CAN do VOWIFI, and that ATT is blocking it... because the BIL's phone DOES work, hence US998 can understand and allow VOWIFI. Correct? Or am I missing something?
Again, the carriers are lying about the matter... they say it "won't work" when, in fact, it does... that's what's most annoying.
Of course, this doesn't answer your question/issue of why it's not working on your device....
schwinn8 said:
To be clear, the implication of your statement is that US998 CAN do VOWIFI, and that ATT is blocking it... because the BIL's phone DOES work, hence US998 can understand and allow VOWIFI. Correct? Or am I missing something?
Again, the carriers are lying about the matter... they say it "won't work" when, in fact, it does... that's what's most annoying.
Of course, this doesn't answer your question/issue of why it's not working on your device....
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I don't believe AT&T is actively blocking it, at least not on Red Pocket (whom expressly provide it). What I am saying is they provide an easier path for the phone to pick up the VoWiFi provision when an AT&T IMEI is detected (supported by US998) and a more difficult path on phones without an AT&T IMEI. H931 supports this more difficult path, but US998 does NOT. Or at the very least does it require changes to US998's built-in AT&T configuration (so-called MCFG) which we haven't figured out yet.
Essentially it's what you and Chazz have been saying all along: The AT&T IMEI is why it's working for your BIL. Except an AT&T IMEI is NOT required if you're on H931 ROM (as I and others found).
No doubt AT&T marketing will say anything to sell their hardware and their services. In this case VoLTE and VoWiFi absolutely DO work on their network through Red Pocket, even on non-AT&T IMEI phones. AT&T is just making it difficult for us. I think there is a good chance newer phones will work out of the box, as they may have updated AT&T MCFG
I'll probably pick up my experiments on this again at some point. Your posts have given me some ideas. I am just too busy with other things at the moment.
Thanks again for your input!
I don't believe ViWIFI is being blocked by the big three us carriers via IMEI. Roms like US998 for the V30 and other open market models have a carrier config file for provisioning in /oem/OP/OPEN_US/config/vo_carrier.xml. If you look, you'll see VoLTE is enabled but VoWIFI and other features associated with calling are off. I am with Verizion and have an open market v30. VoWIFI works fine if I install the VS996 rom. A similar directory structure and vo_carrier.xml does not exist. I take that as evidence that the big carriers force VoWIFI to be disabled by the manufacturer on open market phones. That is just so slimey.
A visit to the G7 forum (https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g7-thinq/how-to/wip-guide-enable-volte-vowifi-uk-mobile-t3835167) shows folks in EU region have figured out how to edit vo_carrier.xml and make other adjustments to get VoWIFI running. I am tantalizingly close with Verizon. Provisioning is active, but I can't get the menu to appear in the settings menu and attempts to manually enable VoWIFI and register emergency info using ShortCut Master do not succeed. Ideas welcome! I think this can be cracked.