very poor quality phone calls for 2 weeks

Does this call quality issue happen in just one location, or everywhere, ​@Agathaofpne? 

Hello ​@Agathaofpne 

Thanks for getting in touch with us here on the community. 

We are very sorry to hear you are experiencing issues with making/receiving calls. 

Can you please confirm if this is happening in one location or all over? 

Have you taken a look at our service page to check for any known issues? You can do this here. 

Thanks, 

Nat 

Hi its happening all over to both me and my wife , using a samsung s22 and s24 , it does say service issue in area but this has been saying the same thing for over 2 weeks now with the same message 

Thank you ​@Agathaofpne 

Can you please provide some example postcode of where you find the issues occur?

This will help us to run some checks from our side. 

Thanks, 

Nat 

PR2 9

Okay ​@Agathaofpne, pop your full postcode into the Three UK online coverage and network status checker. 

https://www.three.co.uk/support/network-and-coverage/coverage

You may find the following network status reported for your area: 

Thank you ​@Agathaofpne 

Can you please use the coverage checker as suggested by ​@andewhite and let us know what the results are?

Nat 

Hi, I'm having exactly the same problem. Location is Greater Manchester, I've checked coverage for both ID and Three, none showing any issue. I'm using S24 and it's almost impossible to have a communication over the phone without feeling so embarrassed. Any help, please? 

Just to add my thoughts.

​@Agathaofpne If you go back to the coverage checker (not the service status) and toggle from the default of 4G to 3G does your area show that 3G has now been turned off? If it has have you enabled VoLTE on both phones?

Even if you have enabled VoLTE and 3G has been switched off have you considered altering the phones to use 4G only? - however please note that in the event of a 4G outage (as what happened on 23rd and 24th) if you needed to dial 999 this call would likely fail - the reason is that in the event of what was then 3G and 4G if either were not available the emergency services calls revert to 2G voice calling.

The likely reason why your area has been showing there is a known issue for ~2 weeks is because every man and his dog are now using 4G and this currently must be suffering with congestion - though those areas with 4G and 5G are likely to not be as affected as just 4G areas.

Another thing to consider is the phones - there is a known issue with newer style Samsung phones whereby when moving from a SIM to an eSIM and (in most cases I’ve heard about) moving back to a physical SIM causes the phones to fail - if this is the case then Samsung have been busy with warranty claims. If you’ve never used an eSIM I would highly recommend you stay well clear of them in case your phone is out of warranty and then you use an eSIM - the internal motherboard, the SIM card reader are 2 items that need replacing and that must cost a fair packet.

​@Jarda The same applies to you - check for 3G - consider 4G only BUT be sure you’re happy to do this in the event of needing the emergency services if 4G falls over - never use an eSIM.

Further reading/checking can be found here

• 3G is being switched off and I can't make calls. What do I need to do? F.A.Q.

Hi ​@Jarda 

Thanks for getting in touch. 

We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the issue. 

Can you please look at the information posted by the wonderful ​@Daz_S and let us know how you get on?

Thanks, 

Nat 

Hi ​@Natalie W 

I have checked the coverage on both and yes, 3G has been switched off. I have enabled VoLTE, and I never used eSim. I have checked for updates, restarted my phone, etc. 

Also, for some reasons, WIFI calls are available on my phone only sometimes, regardless if I am connected to WIFI at home or at work, so the quality of calls is usually very poor for me. I was even thinking if my phone is not hacked? 

​@Jarda Regarding the Wi-Fi calling.

What tends to happen is although you’re on Wi-Fi the SIM is still affected by the signal strength and when the signal drops too low it causes the Wi-Fi call to drop, ask me how I know…..

However, there is a workaround for this - Enable Wi-Fi calling → toggle Airplane/Flight mode ON → toggle just the Wi-Fi back on → WiFi calls are no longer affected by the dropping mobile signal and you should find that as long as you’re in range of the Wi-Fi the calls should be fine.

Just remember to take it out of Airplane/Flight mode when your leaving the Wi-Fi network.

Thank you ​@Jarda 

Have you tested the SIM in an alternative handset at all?

Would you be open to trying a replacement SIM to see if this helps improve the service? 

Thanks, 

Nat 

Hi ​@Daz_S 

That's great advice! It looks like WiFi calls work in this setting! Thanks a lot! 🙏

Hi ​@Natalie W 

I don't have another handset available so I can't try. And of course I'm happy to try a replacement SIM to see if it can improve the service! 

Thank you! 

Thank you ​@Jarda 

We’ll shortly send you a Private Message to your Community account, so we can discuss your issue further. 

To access your messages, click your profile picture in the top right hand corner and then click ‘Private Messages’. 

Alternatively, if you are currently logged in, you can use the following link: https://community.idmobile.co.uk/inbox/overview  

We’ll see you there. 

Nat 

No problem at ​@Jarda, happy to help 👍

Thanks for your support with this ​@Daz_S 

Thanks, 

Nat 

No problem at all Nat 🙂

Maybe having that Wi-Fi calling workaround added to your Wi-Fi calling help page might be beneficial too, as this should also help when there are network outages - just saying😉

Hi I have this issue too regardless of who I call and if I'm using wifi calling. Very strange. WhatsApp calling is fine but on the regular phone app I can barely hear the other person. They are stuttery.

Hi there ​@techmiker 

Assuming the SIM is in slot1, that 3G has been turned off at your postcode or other postcodes you normally frequent and you’ve enabled VoLTE on your phone, plus being as you’ve said the WiFi calling doesn’t work I can only suggest a replacement SIM for starters. You can pick one up for free from Currys (it is quicker this way). You’d then need to activate the replacement SIM prior to swapping them over

Hey there ​@techmiker, sorry to hear that.

What’s your full postcode and what phone do you have please?

Thanks,

Tyler