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41 Messages
4G S8 to be disconnected with 3G shutdown - here is what you can do
If you own a Samsung S8 starting with model number G955U or G950U, and you have received a text/letter from AT&T saying they will disconnect you in February for using a 3G phone, take note.
FIRST: Your phone is 4G and should is supported. Samsung has confirmed this for me and showed me an AT&T web page that doubly confirms it (see https://www.att.com/device-support/article/wireless/KM1273778/Samsung/SamsungG955U/).
SECOND: AT&T is ignoring complaints about unilaterally disconnecting 4G phones under the guise of dropping 3G service. Some are speculating that AT&T is railroading you into upgrading your phone when it is not necessary.
THIRD: You should make your concerns heard by the following interested parties:
SAMSUNG: They should be concerned that AT&T is misinforming customers about Samsung product capabilities. Here is a shortcut to voicing your concern https://www.samsung.com/us/support/contact/?model=N0022597&topic=SYM0000442
FTC: Since AT&T is providing customers fraudulent information, telling the Federal Trade Commission about it will get a response. Visit https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/form/main?pid=B
FCC: Since AT&T rents the public airwaves, and since the FCC has many consumer protection rules, they too should be made aware at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=39744
Be sure to note that (a) you have a 4G phone, (b) AT&T is incorrectly identifying it as 3G and (c) is preparing to kill your service in February (and maybe scaring you into upgrading).
guyshomenet2
New Member
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41 Messages
2 years ago
ATTHelp, please see the table formerlyknownas provided, which lists S8 models G950U... as having HD Voice. This is my model phone.
This seems to be the problem. AT&T is simultaneously stating it is 4G compatible and not 4G compatible.
Since I am the caregiver for an Alzheimer's parent and need constant communications, this discrepancy needs to be resolves.
Samsung support says the device is 4G data and voice, and one AT&T page says it is 4G supported as well, but AT&T text message and letters say I will be disconnected. This needs to be escalated internally at AT&T and a definitive engineering response provided.
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Fl_retire
ACE - Professor
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2.8K Messages
2 years ago
@guyshomenet2 Some S8 models require software updates to enable HD VoLTE as noted on AT&T’s page of compatible pages.
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guyshomenet2
New Member
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41 Messages
2 years ago
JefferMC, a great response.
a) It is an unbranded, unlocked.
b) According to the page you provided, and being fully patched, it does support HD Voice (see below - first item).
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OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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22.5K Messages
2 years ago
4G Voice does not necessarily mean that it has VoLTE capability, which is the new (or old) requirement after the shutdown. Even if it does support HD Voice, has it been certified by Samsung to support it on AT&T's network? And, as @JefferMC asked, is your phone AT&T branded? If not, there is nothing that AT&T IT/Engineering can do about it. Hopefully a firmware update would correct that but where that update will come from, Samsung or AT&T, I don't know.
(edited)
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guyshomenet2
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41 Messages
2 years ago
Thanks FL_retire. The phone is fully patched, so it should be ready to rock. If anyone has a step-by-step way of validating the software patch presence, that would be more defrinative that AT&T's support service were when I called them.
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guyshomenet2
New Member
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41 Messages
2 years ago
Thanks OttoPylot. Let's assume for the moment that (a) Samsung knew about the need in advance and (b) my fully patched phone has the fix.
a) How is/can AT&T verify the readiness?
b) How can end users validate the software fix is in place?
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JefferMC
ACE - Expert
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33.5K Messages
2 years ago
Ah, they did just add the S8 to the unbranded list. Dang me for not paying attention to what they changed.
So... yeah, if your model is one of those, and you have the "latest" update, Lars has some 'splainin' to do.
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guyshomenet2
New Member
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41 Messages
2 years ago
Thanks JefferMC.
By "add the S8 to the unbranded list" do you mean to the whitelist? If so, I agree that AT&T is having a corporate stroke and is mumbling incoherently.
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OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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22.5K Messages
2 years ago
@guyshomenet2 Unfortunately those questions I can't answer but I know there is someone here who can.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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113.1K Messages
2 years ago
@guyshomenet2
If you are like myself, who purchases brand new unlocked phones and moves my SIM card and my data myself from phone to phone, the likelihood that my SIM card is the problem is pretty high when it comes to this particular problem. How old is your sim card? If you have had this phone and the SIM card since the S8 first came out that is very likely to be the problem.
https://www.att.com/support/article/wireless/KM1062165/
Please note I did not say that the phone in question had to be the AT&T branded phone, I did say it should boot with the AT&T boot screen. The unlocked S8 and S9 came with the four primary carriers software built-in. That means that changing from AT&T to Verizon to T-Mobile to Sprint would allow the phone to convert software to that carriers software for full compatibility.
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