The 2019 cell/smart phone plan thread

[omni550]

This should not happen, it has to be a setting. I bet it's still set to Sprint for the MMS messages. I think AT&T is GSMA and if so I found this.



https://help.goredpocket.com/hc/en-...-How-do-I-setup-my-phone-on-the-GSMA-network-


Of course I suggest that you talk to RED Pocket before messing with any settings

RALI,

Thanks.

These are the same settings that Red Pocket had me input, multiple times, as each agent I dealt with had me redo everything.

One tiny difference (and this MAY be the key)...the Red Pocket customer service guys obviously cut and paste these settings into the chat sessions...and I noticed that the link you provided has

proxy.mobile.att.net

whereas the settings the Red Pocket guys sent me (several times) had a comma (ipo a period) after "proxy". (I actually stopped and double-checked this a few times as I was entering and reentering this info).

I've made the change from comma to period and will reboot the phone.

---

Just to make sure this isn't due to operator error, here are the complete APN settings (below) from the link you provided.

I have entered them all as key strokes. I am wondering about the 2 that show up in blue, as hyperlinks. Is there something I should be doing on my cell phone to make them turn into blue hyperlinks or is entering them as plain black text sufficient? (FWIW, they aren't turning into blue hyperlinks automatically.)

omni

 

[JoeWras]

A "," after proxy in proxy.mobile.att.net would be bad. That small difference matters for texting!

Don't worry about the blue links. That's an artifact of the web page rendering. On your phone, it doesn't need to go blue.

BTW, I have the exact same APN settings on Consumer Cellular, using the AT&T network. They don't default to that, they default to SMS and not MMS, probably to be conservative and help people avoid chewing up data accidentally.

 

[Cobra9777]

I prepaid $15 for a month of Red Pocket (1000 min. talk, unlimited texts, 1GB data). They sent me a free sim card to use in my 2-year-old Sprint (Samsung Galaxy S8) phone on the AT&T network.

My experience after 1 week...

Pros:
>>Set up went quickly. They sent me the settings that I needed to change on my phone, which took me a few minutes. Porting my number over took about 15 minutes and I was good to go.
>>Good sound quality (on Sprint, I always had a few dead spots in my house, even with the Sprint AirRave booster).
>>Calls to Canada are included. (This is very nice as I often speak to a dear friend in Toronto.)

Cons:
>> WiFi is not offered or included, so data usage is higher than I anticipated.
>> I tried sending a photo. It got hung up and never got transmitted. Customer Service tells me I'm limited to sending photos that are 600 MB max. (My phone's setting is 650 MB. So I have to trim each photo before sending?)
>> Several friends tried sending me photos and I could never download/open them. Not sure what the exact issue is....but Customer Service said the largest photo I can receive is 700MB.
>> My friends and I were texting to make plans to meet up on Sat night. They added my number to several group texts. Sadly, I could not open/read any of these, which made the planning a royal pain. When I raised this issue with Customer Service said they'd have to do some sort of tech update which would take 24 hrs...and I'd receive a notice when it was completed. It's been more than 48 hrs. since I raised the issue. I've not received any notice, and I STILL cannot participate in group texts.

So, I'm not finding Red Pocket to be compatible with my usage needs. YMMV

I'm now researching other MVNOs.

omni

We've been on Redpocket for about 1.5 months now with none of these issues. MMS works fine, group text works fine, long texts are no problem, sending and receiving large photos is no problem.

We have a Moto G4 on Verizon and OnePlus 3T on AT&T. Both phones are ~3 years old. Configuration was fairly smooth. One small snag with the Verizon set up which I described earlier. But all APN settings were imported automatically. We didn't type anything into settings.

These functions obviously work with Redpocket. I think it's clear that you have some kind of configuration issue. My suggestion would be to get on a landline phone with Redpocket tech support and don't hang up until everything works correctly. Borrow a second cellphone and with both phones sitting in front of you, test everything with the rep still on the phone. Make sure WiFi is turned off, so that you are testing with only the mobile network.

 

[omni550]

We've been on Redpocket for about 1.5 months now with none of these issues. MMS works fine, group text works fine, long texts are no problem, sending and receiving large photos is no problem.

We have a Moto G4 on Verizon and OnePlus 3T on AT&T. Both phones are ~3 years old. Configuration was fairly smooth. One small snag with the Verizon set up which I described earlier. But all APN settings were imported automatically. We didn't type anything into settings.

These functions obviously work with Redpocket. I think it's clear that you have some kind of configuration issue. My suggestion would be to get on a landline phone with Redpocket tech support and don't hang up until everything works correctly. Borrow a second cellphone and with both phones sitting in front of you, test everything with the rep still on the phone. Make sure WiFi is turned off, so that you are testing with only the mobile network.

It is very helpful to know that you are not experiencing these issues on your two phones. Thanks.

I purchased my Samsung Phone two years ago through Sprint (they use CDMA). It is new enough that it is supposed to be compatible with the AT&T (GSM) network, also.

I'm struggling a bit with your excellent suggestion as I don't have a landline nor access to a second cell phone. Perhaps I will start with a call to Customer Service and see what they say.

omni

 

[omni550]

A "," after proxy in proxy.mobile.att.net would be bad. That small difference matters for texting!

Don't worry about the blue links. That's an artifact of the web page rendering. On your phone, it doesn't need to go blue.

BTW, I have the exact same APN settings on Consumer Cellular, using the AT&T network. They don't default to that, they default to SMS and not MMS, probably to be conservative and help people avoid chewing up data accidentally.

Thanks. I changed the comma to a period, and rebooted the phone, but nothing seems to have changed. (I couldn't download any of the messages and/or photos that my friends sent. I was able to do this while I was still on the Sprint network just last week, with no issue.)

omni

 

[omni550]

Thanks. I changed the comma to a period, and rebooted the phone, but nothing seems to have changed. (I couldn't download any of the messages and/or photos that my friends sent. I was able to do this while I was still on the Sprint network just last week, with no issue.)

omni

Turns out, changing the comma to a period allowed me to send long texts, which was a huge improvement over the 2-3 lines I was able to send prior to the change.

Unfortunately, I could never get a resolution to the issues with group texts and sending/receiving photos. I spent a lot of time with Red Pocket customer service and researching on forums, etc. I found one guy's post about porting 2 different phones to Red Pocket. His worked OK but his wife's had the same issue as mine (with group texts and photos), even though she had a different Android phone than I do. He never did say if or how her problem was solved. I also tried a bunch of different APN settings I found online, but nothing helped.

I wonder if my issues might stem from having a Sprint-issued (CDMA) phone that I was trying to use on an AT&T (GSMT) network....even though the Samsung phone is supposedly OK for "universal" network use.

Anyhoo, it's no longer worth it to me to stay with this Red Pocket 'hampered set up', especially as I will be on the road soon. Having a fully-working phone is critical, as it's my 'connection to the world'.

For the time being, I have opted to return to Sprint. ("The devil you know...." plus I know my phone works on their system.) Their no-contract unlimited everything plan is $40 ($35 autopay), so that is what I now have. (So I'm now paying Sprint less than I was 10 days ago for better service. )

Going with an MVNO is not off the table, just on hold for a while.

omni

 

[pb4uski]

Why don't you just get a new phone? I recently purchased a new Moto g7 Play from Best Buy for $170 that works on both GSM and CDMA.

 

[Cobra9777]

Why don't you just get a new phone? I recently purchased a new Moto g7 Ply from Best Buy for $170 that works on both GSM and CDMA.

+1

I suspect Sprint has yet to fully unlock your device... resulting in you returning to Sprint.

What's more, Sprint is the worst in terms of coverage area. Not even close to the other three. Maybe it will get better after the T-Mobile merger. Then again, maybe it doesn't matter based on your location, usage patterns, etc.

That said, MVNOs are not for everybody. It's largely a DIY affair, even with big names like Ting.

After our very positive experience with Red Pocket, I convinced DD and her SO to sign up with Red Pocket annual prepaid plans. They are both heavy mobile data consumers and were paying WAY too much with Ting. They bought the plans/SIMs on ebay same as us but never received the activation PINs via email. I have no idea why. We got on chat with Red Pocket and after some identity verification, they sent us the PINs for each plan. After that, both activations went very smooth. This is fairly typical for MVNOs, in my experience.

I thoroughly tested all functionality on both of their devices... everything worked fine, including MMS, long text, group text, large photos, everything I could think of. It all worked fine. Once again, all device configuration happened automatically. There was no manual typing of APN settings or anything else. But you have to follow their instructions very carefully.

 

[omni550]

Why don't you just get a new phone? I recently purchased a new Moto g7 Ply from Best Buy for $170 that works on both GSM and CDMA.

I hate to spend money on a new phone when the 2-year-old Samsung one I have works perfectly fine.

Eventually, I'd rather find a decent MVNO that 'plays well with' my current phone.

omni

 

[omni550]

+1

I suspect Sprint has yet to fully unlock your device... resulting in you returning to Sprint.

What's more, Sprint is the worst in terms of coverage area. Not even close to the other three. Maybe it will get better after the T-Mobile merger. Then again, maybe it doesn't matter based on your location, usage patterns, etc.

That said, MVNOs are not for everybody. It's largely a DIY affair, even with big names like Ting.

After our very positive experience with Red Pocket, I convinced DD and her SO to sign up with Red Pocket annual prepaid plans. They are both heavy mobile data consumers and were paying WAY too much with Ting. They bought the plans/SIMs on ebay same as us but never received the activation PINs via email. I have no idea why. We got on chat with Red Pocket and after some identity verification, they sent us the PINs for each plan. After that, both activations went very smooth. This is fairly typical for MVNOs, in my experience.

I thoroughly tested all functionality on both of their devices... everything worked fine, including MMS, long text, group text, large photos, everything I could think of. It all worked fine. Once again, all device configuration happened automatically. There was no manual typing of APN settings or anything else. But you have to follow their instructions very carefully.

I'm happy to hear that you've gotten 4 phones running on Red Pocket.

Before I decided to pursue switching to Red Pocket, I'm fairly certain my phone was unlocked (= it said "unlocked" on it, and I called Sprint about a month ago to ask about the process to port to another carrier and they confirmed it was unlocked.)

I'm a huge DIY person (witness prior threads on fixing my leaking dishwasher, alleviating my PF, and getting my laptop working). So I do not shy away from the DIY aspects of MVNOs. Had I not found that forum post where someone's phone was exhibiting the same exact issue as mine on Red Pocket, when her husband's phone worked great from the get-go, I likely would still be chasing a solution. At this point, it's not worth it to me, especially as there are plenty of other MVNOs to choose from.

omni

 

[FreeBear]

I'm happy to hear that you've gotten 4 phones running on Red Pocket.

Before I decided to pursue switching to Red Pocket, I'm fairly certain my phone was unlocked (= it said "unlocked" on it, and I called Sprint about a month ago to ask about the process to port to another carrier and they confirmed it was unlocked.)

I'm a huge DIY person (witness prior threads on fixing my leaking dishwasher, alleviating my PF, and getting my laptop working). So I do not shy away from the DIY aspects of MVNOs. Had I not found that forum post where someone's phone was exhibiting the same exact issue as mine on Red Pocket, when her husband's phone worked great from the get-go, I likely would still be chasing a solution. At this point, it's not worth it to me, especially as there are plenty of other MVNOs to choose from.

omni

Thanks for the detailed story of your unsuccessful journey with Red Pocket, although I suspect this could have happened with any MVNO. Risking my and esp DW’s primary phone has keep me with AT&T for years, although we finally switched to consumer cellular several months ago. I agree that at some point you just want things to w*rk.

 

[steelyman]

It looks like Verizon made a little splash today by announcing new pricing plans and 5G. The headlines say the new plans are $35/mo. That’s a per-line price for 4 lines. I checked the price for 1 line: $70/mo. These are post-paid (contract) plans.

 

[JoeWras]

The headlines say the new plans are $35/mo. That’s a per-line price for 4 lines. I checked the price for 1 line: $70/mo. These are post-paid (contract) plans.

They've been doing this 4 line pricing thing for a while and I admit, it got me to look. Then it got me cranky when I read the fine print. (Let's see, 2 lines at $35, hey not bad. Oh wait, not really...)

Also, I thought post-paid was post-paid. When I cancelled my AT&T, my last bill showed a credit of $66. They sent it to me as a debit card, which I promptly loaded on Amazon because it had a $3 per month fee. So what does post-paid really mean? I thought my last bill would be small. Instead, I got the refund.

 

[jimbee]

They've been doing this 4 line pricing thing for a while and I admit, it got me to look. Then it got me cranky when I read the fine print. (Let's see, 2 lines at $35, hey not bad. Oh wait, not really...)

Also, I thought post-paid was post-paid. When I cancelled my AT&T, my last bill showed a credit of $66. They sent it to me as a debit card, which I promptly loaded on Amazon because it had a $3 per month fee. So what does post-paid really mean? I thought my last bill would be small. Instead, I got the refund.

Post-paid means rip off, typically.

 

[steelyman]

Post-paid means rip off, typically.

Yes. It means pay attention to threads like this to learn how/where others get better deals for their money.

 

[JoeWras]

Ha ha! Not the technical answers I was looking for, but you both are spot on regarding the general issue of post paid.

 

[folivier]

I ordered a Red Pocket 30 day SIM card and have been trying it out in my Motorola X4. Easy to install and get working. Did have to email RP a couple times to get hotspot and MMS text messaging working with pictures & videos. Although the MMS texting was just a couple settings that had been changed when they added hotspot. They answered my emails in a couple hours.
Service is as good as my ATT service locally. Haven't had an opportunity to travel with it yet. So I'll probably switch from ATT unlimited premium + more and save about 1/2 on monthly cost. I upgraded our ATT plan to have service in Canada this summer.
Thought about Google Fi but they are almost as much as ATT.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Virgin Mobile (Sprint) text announcement today. This is probably related to the Sprint/T-Mobile merger, rumor is that Dish network will probably end up with all the Sprint Prepaid brands, Sprint Prepaid, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. I'm with Tello who is not owned by Sprint but uses their towers. I'm hoping this will not affect me., I'm really happy with their service.

" Virgin Mobile USA is discontinuing and your account will auto-transfer to Boost Mobile. PayPal is not accepted on Boost Mobile. Login to your account and change paymet to a major credit card prior to 2/2 to avoid interruption. Your specific transfer date & addt'l details wil be shared soon."