The official VM Defectors thread

[ziddey]

Same exact story. Switched from TMO 3G to VM $25 a couple of years ago. Great choice at the time. TMO 3G wasn't that fast yet, at least in the places I needed it / the phone I had. VM at the time was about as fast / a little slower but quite usable.

By the end, I moved to Brooklyn and it seems data is completely useless everywhere I go. Went back to TMO and am putting down around 500 minutes through Google Voice a month since.

Some trade secrets:

AutoAir
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ngSoft.AutoAir

Plane Mode Tweaker
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...planemodetweak

AutoAir switches the phone into airplace mode if wifi is connected. If wifi connection is lost, it switched the cell radio back on.
Very useful for battery life, and so you don't get dual incoming calls.

Normally, when airplane mode is triggered, wifi and bt are shut off. Wifi is allowed to be turned on again, but on most phones, bt is disallowed while airplane mode is on. Plane Mode Tweaker makes it so wifi/bt don't automatically turn off when airplane mode is triggered, and allowed bt to be used with airplane mode on.



I've tried tons of sip clients, from the native client (really wished it worked better. who doesn't like native?) to the beloved csipsimple (ran into issues playing nice with the google voice app), and sipdroid.

When all is said and done, sipdroid is what I'm preferring nowadays. When you first install it, it allows you sign up for a pbxes.com account with free google voice trunking (must use the app to sign up). Sipdroid itself isn't too horrid an app. Disable all audio codecs except for speex, or if it's too cpu intensive for your phone, try the gsm codec only.

Sipdroid has an option to play with your wifi signal for better battery life. Worth experimenting with. Also, sipdroid + pbxes has a proprietary feature in which data is sent twice to greatly mask any packet loss. Besides, speex has tolerance for packet loss and jitter as it is (sure wish the native client would support this). Using a TCP connection also saves on battery a bit.


At first I was pretty worried about running over my 100 minutes. This month, I've got a few days left and I didn't touch my airtime until a few days ago. I've used maybe 300 minutes of voip and 3 minutes of actual airtime.

You can set it to always use google voice to place calls, and sipdroid to when available. The combination will result in sipdroid hijacking the outbound call attempt if available, and to automatically use google voice otherwise. This way, your google voice caller id is always shown, and it prefers voip calling.

Using autoair allows you to keep both the cell phone and google chat selected, without both sipdroid and the native dialer ringing (bad things happen)

[Whyzor]

Here's a thread with more tips on using the $30/mo 5 GB + 100 min Tmobile Prepaid plan with a smartphone (or any number of GSM smartphones of your choice):

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1646755

[rawrr_847]

VM is throttled back.

[503ducati]

VM is throttled back.

Sprint prepaid wireless data is routed differently than Sprint postpaid. The most basic easy to understand method to demonstrate this is running "mobile speed test" app on a Sprint phone and prepaid phone. The app will pick different servers typically located much father away from user's current location.

[maestroteague]

OK, I bolted in February to put an iphone on ST. Lost my iphone on a roller coaster last month and bought a Galaxy Nexus. Wife likes it, and we are leaving her $25 plan to try her on the T-Mobile $30 100 minute plan. I figure with talkatone using GV, she should be OK as many months she didn't go over 100 minutes on VM anyway. But she finally got so fed up with her OV that she couldn't take it any more. And since changing a device on VM will bump her up to $35 anyway, figured it was worth trying T-mobile. If that doesn't work, I may put her on ST as well.

My question - can't remember what all info I will need to port her number on Monday (her plan resets/expires on Tuesday). Is it just her phone number and the pin that we use as password on the VM website to sign into her account? I didn't port when I left - but sold my number and phone and grandfathered plan all together to a friend. So please, any help as to what VM uses for the info I need to port would be great. I'd rather not have to call them up to get it. Thanks in advance.

[QE2]

They will ask for your phone number, account number, and pin. The account number is your ten digit phone number and the pin is the same one you use on the website.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2

[primetechv2]

Also this of course:

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/portabilit...vice-providers

Just keep everything set up with Virgin Mobile... excetp your money, which I would recommend draining from your account before leaving.

[idbl_fanatic]

Also this of course:

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/portabilit...vice-providers

Just keep everything set up with Virgin Mobile... excetp your money, which I would recommend draining from your account before leaving.

Yes, you will lose all of your money that is on the account, buy a phone, or whatnot, and sell it.

[djcue95]

I'm leaving Virgin Mobile after two months to join ST. I bought an unlocked iPhone 4S for less then I'd get it on VM. I have no issues with VM. The quality of service is great and Sprint's network in my area is fine. I ran into some coverage issues when I went on vacation and I'd imagine I'll have much better coverage with the AT&T side of ST. I just couldn't justify buying the locked VM iPhone 4S when I can get it unlocked for less money and use AT&T's network for $5 more a month than I currently pay on VM. I know ST data is limited to 2GB a month, but even when I tried hard to use 2.5GB on VM, I couldn't. That was with no WiFi usage at all and Slacker streaming. So as a tradeoff, I now have unlimited minutes. Not too shabby. If anyone wants my mint condition EVO V, contact me for more info!

[vmobi]

I'm leaving V...!

You might want to consider the Net10 sim card ... it's delivers less data problems compared to ST.
https://www.net10.com/direct/ShopSims?lang=en&app=NET10

[maestroteague]

You might want to consider the Net10 sim card ... it's delivers less data problems compared to ST.
https://www.net10.com/direct/ShopSims?lang=en&app=NET10

I'm not sure that's accurate. They are both really the same company, even share the same customer service reps. Main difference is tht net10 refills can be had at many locations while ST can only be bought at Walmart stores, Walmart.com and straighttalk.com, and ST refills are $5 cheaper. If you do go net10, I can get refills and discounts at callingmart that may beg hot about the same cost of the ST refill with tax, depending on the tax rate in your state. Net10 will also give you the $45 rate if you use their autopay with a credit card on file, but they will charge you tax just like ST. Other than these distinctionsk though, they're the same company, American Movil.

With that said, you should be aware that ST AT&T BYOD has had some data problems for the last 2weeks. This has happened before, but not lasted this long in the past. Symptoms like having to hit refresh a couple times before a web page will load, apps timing out trying to connect. It's been frustrating to those who have had the issue, and it's been rather widespread. We hope that it will end soon, some sort of upgrade by AT&T that is causing ther problem. There are some reports of stabilizing for some over the last couple of days. But you should be aware none the less. Don't want you to port over in the middle of this mess and think this is how it is all the time. If you need help once you make the jump, the ST board here on HOFO is generally very helpful, although it's been a little crazy over the last few days with people frustrated by the data problems fussing with each other as a result of their frustration. You'll want to search here for the ST iPhone wiki - it will have the information you need to get everything up and running on your new iPhone under ST.

[vmobi]

I'm not sure that's accurate. They are both really the same company, even share the same customer service reps. Main difference is tht net10 refills can be had at many locations while ST can only be bought at Walmart stores, Walmart.com and straighttalk.com, and ST refills are $5 cheaper. If you do go net10, I can get refills and discounts at callingmart that may beg hot about the same cost of the ST refill with tax, depending on the tax rate in your state. Net10 will also give you the $45 rate if you use their autopay with a credit card on file, but they will charge you tax just like ST. Other than these distinctionsk though, they're the same company, American Movil.

With that said, you should be aware that ST AT&T BYOD has had some data problems for the last 2weeks. This has happened before, but not lasted this long in the past. Symptoms like having to hit refresh a couple times before a web page will load, apps timing out trying to connect. It's been frustrating to those who have had the issue, and it's been rather widespread. We hope that it will end soon, some sort of upgrade by AT&T that is causing ther problem. There are some reports of stabilizing for some over the last couple of days. But you should be aware none the less. Don't want you to port over in the middle of this mess and think this is how it is all the time. If you need help once you make the jump, the ST board here on HOFO is generally very helpful, although it's been a little crazy over the last few days with people frustrated by the data problems fussing with each other as a result of their frustration. You'll want to search here for the ST iPhone wiki - it will have the information you need to get everything up and running on your new iPhone under ST.

You forgot to mention the Daily Data limits on ST.
Net10 does not seem to be hindered with/by that important performance limitation.
Same company... yes.
Same end-user experience ... not quite.
Same horrid customer service ... absolutely!

[JDubTrey]

You forgot to mention the Daily Data limits on ST.
Net10 does not seem to be hindered with/by that important performance limitation.
Same company... yes.
Same end-user experience ... not quite.
Same horrid customer service ... absolutely!

Hmm, ST doesn't have daily limits in its T&C's either, though they seem to in practice. From reading Net10's usage guidelines, they seem to be exactly the same as ST's (no tethering OR streaming).

[firepaws]

Has anyone left VM and gone to Ting? I was checking it out and it really doesn't sound bad. They have roaming and they will be allowing you to byod soon. Any cons you guys know of?

[vmobi]

Hmm, ST doesn't have daily limits in its T&C's either, though they seem to in practice. From reading Net10's usage guidelines, they seem to be exactly the same as ST's (no tethering OR streaming).

They should work the same, yet they do not. ST limits your usage, Net 10 does not. More current info @ the Net 10 forum. After using Net 10 with heavy data use through out the month a few months ago, there was never any data issues, can not say the same for ST. Similar trouble-free data experiences are still being reported on the Net 10 forum along with those Data Troubles @ ST.
http://www.howardforums.com/forumdis...Tracfone-Net10