Question

PLEASE help me! New SIM & approved phone - Can't make or receive calls

Decembersangel72
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Hi all 👋


I know this has been asked a lot and I apologise for adding yet another post but I can’t find a definitive answer and I am so depressed over this😢
So, please can you just take a minute or two to read through my post to see if you can help 🙏🏻


My phone is a SAMSUNG GALAXY J4+ (2018) Model: SM-J415FN


I have just swapped from SMARTY Mobile (to iD) as they did not ‘support’ my phone model and because of this I was unable to receive or make calls as I had no VoLTE/4G calling support (3G got switched off here in the Midlands at the end of April) although I could still send/receive texts and use data. I did contact their web chat who suggested a replacement SIM but when I got one I still had the same problem.
So, before I moved over I checked the iD  ‘Approved phones’ list and my device was on there YAY🎉!!!!!

Unfortunately, since swapping over (Wed 15/04/24) I still can’t make or receive calls as the phone says ’calling’ but doesn’t ‘ring’ and doesn’t connect 😤 (I rang my home phone to test this). 

I can send/receive texts and use data but I could also do this when with SMARTY and now I’m wondering if the SMARTY network was actually the problem.

So details…...
I have spent many, MANY hours on the internet trying to figure out why this is happening but I just can’t find anything that works 😭
All OS/Software/Firmware is up to date as I have done the ‘Software update’ on my phone and also checked this using the ‘Samsung Switch’ app on my laptop.

The relevant bandwidths (for VoLTE) are available on this phone - 
1 - 2100MHz / 3 - 1800MHz / 7 - 2600MHz / 8 - 900MHz / 20 - 800MHz

I have good signal strength.

I’ve tried removing SIM, turning off phone, reinserting SIM etc etc...nada

Tried resetting Network settings….nada

Tried ‘turn off wifi/turn on data/make a call and the connection should stay on 4G’ …… the signal stays on 4G but the call doesn’t connect.

Turn on aeroplane mode/turn on wifi/turn on data/make call…. nada, as phone gives a meassage that says ‘aeroplane mode needs to be turned off to make this call’.

There is no VoLTE or WiFi Calling ‘toggles’ in the Settings either, although (apparently) some devices are just set up with these enabled and so don’t have the options to turn them on/off.

My J4+ doesn’t support the *#*#4636#*#* code to see the Phone Information so I can’t check the details with regards to VolTE/Wifi calling.

The many websites I HAVE checked about my phone, with regards to these details, have all stated that VoLTE is enabled with this device.

Honestly, I have tried EVERYTHING!!

One difference I did find, when I moved to iD, was that when my SMARTY SIM was in my phone I had ‘IMS Registration Status’ under the SIM Card Status but that doesn’t seem to be present with my iD SIM 🤔 

So, is this a ‘ME’ thing or an iD thing??? Does iD have to do something on their end to get the IMS registered and then again be able to see the details in the SIM Card Status?

 

Also, when I checked the ‘Wifi Calling Approved phones’ mine wasn’t on the list. There was only the Samsung Galaxy J4. I assumed that if a device supported VoLTE it also had Wifi Calling 🤔

 

The most recent thing I found (which I never knew before) was in a post here on the Communith with regards to being unable to use VoLTE/WiFi Calling and that was ‘on some phones Firmware is Flashed with a particular network and certain features e.g. WiFi Calling, only work when used with that networks SIM. Some customers have Flashed their Firmware and found that things now work fine’

Has anybody had any experience with this? If so, where did you find out how to do it and did it work? 

I think this might be a viable solution as in my ‘CSC/Service Provider SW Ver’ details it states ‘VOD’ which is Vodafone and I am now wondering if my phones Firmware is flashed to their network?? Is this what these details mean? Is it worth doing ‘just in case’? Is the best CSC to change to ‘BTU’?

(Please forgive me if I am using terms wrong in these questions as I’m not exactly ‘tech savvy’ but I hope you get the jist of what I am trying to ask.)

 

I haven’t had a ‘working’ phone now for over 3 weeks and I just don’t have any spare money to purchase another phone. Knowing I have a VoLTE ready phone but can’t get it to work is so frustrating to the point of tears as this is sending my all ready poor mental health into a tail spin and I haven’t been able to find anyone that is willing to just take a bit of time to help me with this.

So, PLEASE… can anyone help me?

12 replies

andewhite
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Has your J4+ handset been network unlocked at some point, @Decembersangel72? 

Anyway, others members of this community - in your situation - have switched networks. 

Member @Riprop switched to Talk Mobile, and reports everything works.

Talk Mobile have a 2G network (unlike iD Mobile), so your handset should work to some time to come.

Updated: 
Okay ​​​​​@Decembersangel72, if the handset reports the IMS Registration status as “Not registered” - that’s NOT good news.

Use of the operator’s IMS infrastructure is required for VoLTE calls, on 4G & 5G mobile networks.

   

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Tom
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Hi @Decembersangel72 

 

Sorry to see this, SMARTY and iD Mobile both use the same parent network of Three UK, are you able to use manual network selection to select a different network (disconnecting from iD/Three UK) and try connecting back to see if this helps?

 

If this is affecting your mental health as suggested, my best recommendation would be to contact the vulnerable customers team at the following link.

 

https://www.idmobile.co.uk/legal/accessibility

 

Tom

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Decembersangel72
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Userlevel 1

Hi @andewhite  @Tom 👋

@andewhite I’m not sure if it was network locked as this is a ‘hand-me-down’ phone from my sister but I know that my SMARTY SIM worked fine for everything BEFORE they shut off 3G 🙄.

With regards to the IMS Registration status as “Not registered”…... I couldn’t tell you if it is or it isn’t with the iD SIM in the phone as there are no details on it (See pics in original post). With SMARTY SIM you can see the IMS details but with the iD SIM there isn’t even a field for the information🤔
I know that it was ‘Not Registered’ with SMARTY because they didn’t support my phone and hence wouldn’t work on their network.
This is why I am questioning WHY it doesn’t even show up on the iD SIM Status info?????? Should it show up??? @Tom is this something you can look into for me???

I will have to have a look at moving to TalkMobile if this can’t be sorted. It just seems like I’m going backwards when everything should work I just can’t seem to find out why it doesn’t.

 

@Tom I understand that iD and SMARTY both use the same parent network of Three UK but because of all the checks I did before moving over i.e. approved phones etc, I then used that information to choose iD as they were the only ‘budget’ provider that actually stated my device was ‘supported’ (other providers didn’t have a list, that I could find, so I couldn’t even consider moving to one of them).

I have now tried changing to another network and back but still the same as before. 

 

I have tried so many, MANY things and yet I am still no further forward ☹️
I think my last option is to flash my phone to an unbranded CSC (BTU) and keep my 🤞 and hope that it is down to the Firmware being flashed to the Vodafone network.

Thank you kindly, both of you, for your help and support, it is very much appreciated x

andewhite
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Okay @Decembersangel72, things mentioned in your last post suggest your Galaxy J4+ might have been supplied by Vodafone, during an era when network operators supplied handsets with network specific firmware. If the handset was supplied by Vodafone, this could be the reason for the issues you’ve had.

In your situation, I’d just save time and hassle, and switch to another service provider. Just choose a provider with a 2G network (e.g. EE, O2 and Vodafone). Talk Mobile use Vodafone as their network partner. 

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Decembersangel72
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Thanks @andewhite but I don’t see why I have to ‘accept’ an inferior service (2G) ‘just because’ Vodafone decided to limit their network in the devices firmware. 
Since finding out that ‘flashed’ firmware, to a specific provider, was an issue I have done a lot of research and have found a ‘work-around’ so I am going to try that (and it has many positive reviews on how it has helped sort out the ‘provider firmware problem’ for many other people who have had the same problem).
Worst case scenario I have to find a ‘new’ compatible device for the iD (or any other) network but then again who can say that that phone I find will not have the same problem (unknowing to the seller?!?) unless I buy from the source (iD Mobile) which will then be more expensive and I may not be able to afford!?!?!?
If anything it SHOULD be up to the specific network operator to freely inform anyone, who wishes to remove this limitation, on HOW to change it so that this is not an issue BUT that will never happen 😤!
All in all I will either…… (1) get a phone that will actually work correctly with ALL networks (once it is flashed to an unbranded CSC), (2) I am only able to use a 2G network (as this is all my device will be capable of using) OR (3) I purchase a ‘new’ phone that may have the same problem (or not?!?!).
Damned if I do and damned if I don’t as there are no certainties to this!
Thank you for your feedback! It has been taken into account as to the options I have moving forward, x x

andewhite
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Good luck on this journey, @Decembersangel72 - hopefully you’ll arrive at a solution that works for you.

🤞

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Decembersangel72
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Userlevel 1

Hi @andewhite 👋

Well bugger me, I only went and sorted it!!😁😁
I flashed my phone with the BTU software and I am now able to use my phone as a phone as it now has the ‘VoLTE’ button and also WiFi Calling!! Woop Woop!!🎉🎉🎉🎉
​​​​So, for anyone else that is unable to use their phone then Google (other search engines are available😁) ‘how to Flash (your device)’ and do a LOT of research and reading BEFORE actually going through with it. Once you have all the details and tools required to perform it, it is easy to do and works a treat!!
Now to put everything back on my phone 🙄

I can’t thank you enough @andewhite for having the patience in helping me. You have been a ⭐ and your advice was very much appreciated!

andewhite
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Hi @andewhite 👋

Well bugger me, I only went and sorted it!!😁😁
I flashed my phone with the BTU software and I am now able to use my phone as a phone as it now has the ‘VoLTE’ button and also WiFi Calling!! Woop Woop!!🎉🎉🎉🎉
​​​​So, for anyone else that is unable to use their phone then Google (other search engines are available😁) ‘how to Flash (your device)’ and do a LOT of research and reading BEFORE actually going through with it. Once you have all the details and tools required to perform it, it is easy to do and works a treat!!
Now to put everything back on my phone 🙄

I can’t thank you enough @andewhite for having the patience in helping me. You have been a ⭐ and your advice was very much appreciated!

Glad you’ve got this sorted, @Decembersangel72.

Your J4+ will probably also work with a SMARTY SIM now - without the Vodafone customisation.

 

 

Forum member (non-iD)
Tyler
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Hey there @Decembersangel72, we’re glad to hear all is sorted now, and thank you so much to @andewhite for the support!

 

Please let us know if you have any further issues moving forward.

 

Have a lovely evening!

 

Tyler

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D

I hv just switched to iD and hving same trouble as above, I hv an iPhone 11 and was with EE before. All the above looks bloody lengthy and technical! Was expecting to just change sim over and restart home but appears not that simple?! Pls resolve and advise in simple terms how I can get phone to make and receive calls, this is all too stressful!!! If not simple to resolve then where can I request refund and I’ll just sign up with someone else who doesn’t come with all this hassle and requirement for IT degree to use yr ruddy phone!!!!!😡

andewhite
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I hv just switched to iD and hving same trouble as above, I hv an iPhone 11 and was with EE before. All the above looks bloody lengthy and technical! Was expecting to just change sim over and restart home but appears not that simple?! Pls resolve and advise in simple terms how I can get phone to make and receive calls, this is all too stressful!!! If not simple to resolve then where can I request refund and I’ll just sign up with someone else who doesn’t come with all this hassle and requirement for IT degree to use yr ruddy phone!!!!!😡

Unfortunately @Donna Gurr, members of this iD forum can’t look at your iD account, nor your iD network profile, to protect your online privacy and security. 

If your switching date was today, then iD Mobile might not have completed your number port - it can sometimes take until 10pm on the date selected to complete your switch.

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Tom
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Hi @Donna Gurr 

 

The above is not standard, typically it is as simple as putting your iD Mobile SIM card in an unlocked, supported device and going.

 

Are you still having issues?

 

Tom

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