latest
Cricket starts winding down 3G network, presenting a big problem for BYOD customers
Unsupported devices won't be able to be activated starting next week
If you're still using an old, non-LTE-capable phone on Cricket, we have bad news: the company will be shutting down its 3G UMTS networks in February 2022. Additionally, customers will no longer be able to activate their unsupported devices on Cricket starting January 19th, which is only a few days away. Because of the way Cricket handles BYOD phones, this is a real problem.
This week we learned that both AT&T and T-Mobile plan to make VoLTE a hard requirement for their networks in the next couple years. Folks using older phones that don't support the technology will be left behind if they don't upgrade. Most recent phones do support VoLTE, though some enthusiasts running custom ROMs or using imported devices might be in trouble. We're curious how many of our readers might be affected by this change, so: Does your phone support VoLTE (HD Voice) on your carrier?
With all the recent issues cropping up on the Pixel 3 and 3 XL, it's probably about time for some good news, right? As it turns out, the Pixel 3 on AT&T has access to network features most other unlocked phones don't — including Wi-Fi calling, HD voice, and creating a hotspot.
Read update
Yesterday, Google opened the doors to a new beta channel for its Phone app. For those joining the beta releases, there's already a fresh update to v19 waiting for them to play with. There are a lot of changes coming through in this round, including some updates to the UI, an option to filter spam calls, and much more. If you want to get your hands on the latest version, but aren't quite ready to join the beta, grab the apk from the APK Mirror link below.
With the launch of Google's Pixel devices, consumers have to make the choice to buy from Verizon, the Google Store, or Project Fi. Unlocked phones sold outside the carrier sometimes don't work with carrier-specific features, like Wi-Fi calling. Thankfully, both Verizon and Google have confirmed to Android Police that all Pixel phones will work with Wi-Fi calling and HD voice on Verizon.
Great news, owners of the LG G3 on Verizon! Well, good news. Maybe provisionally upbeat news? OK, it's an item of information that happened this morning, so I can unequivocally say that this is... news. You're getting an over the air update to your phones starting today. It includes a Bluetooth button, some options for LG's notification system, and some new HD Voice settings in the menu. That's all. I'm sorry.
The G3 is LG's current flagship phone, but Sprint is pushing out an over-the-air update that shows some love to 2013's model, the G2, instead. This special delivery will bring in a number of general enhancements that some users may be happy to see. HD Voice is seeing improvements, and there are some LTE-related changes as well. These are joined by a security patch fixing something that's unspecified in the change log. All of this flies in under software version ZVE.
Verizon pre-announced its VoLTE service a few weeks ago, but now it's rolling out. Customers can finally start taking advantage of VoLTE calling starting today—that assumes people still make phone calls, which is debatable. You need to have a supported device of course, and there are still a few caveats.
AT&T has announced that the Galaxy S4 Mini, yes - the phone that came out back in November, is coming to the carrier May 23rd with HD Voice. It will be the first device on the network with support for making VoLTE (voice over LTE) calls. The handset isn't available for pre-order, but the carrier does have it listed as "coming soon."
Nearly every phone sold in the last few years has a 4G LTE radio, but when you place a call it's still falling back to traditional 3G technologies. The all-IP voice technology known as VoLTE (voice over LTE) is still in the early days, but AT&T is beginning its rollout this very month on May 23rd.
Prepare to temper your expectations, HTC One owners on Sprint. In the coming days you will see the update notification pop up, but it's not Android 4.2. It's not even a very substantial update. But hey, it's still an update, and that's more than a lot of phones get.