Mentor
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9 Messages
Pixel / Pixel 2 / VoLTE / Wifi Calling / HD Voice
I don't expect an answer here, I mean I've gone back and forth with ATT "support" for a while on this one and I am at the point where I'm done. But, I wanted to state this in the public forums because I know (based on threads here) that I'm not the only person annoyed by the ignorance set forth by not allowing phones to participate in HD Voice / VoLTE / Wifi calling. I currently own an OG Google Pixel XL and have recently ordered the XL 2. I pay a premium for service from ATT and both the other two large carriers support both the OG Pixel and the new one with those features. So... I'll vote with my wallet.
If ATT chooses to continue to have the stance that they will harbor critical functionality that I'm paying for and I do not receive a credit for not being able to use - then I guess you don't want customers like myself. Customers who's monthly bill is over $170/month, customers who use DirectTV Now at over $65/month and a customer who has been with ATT since 2011. I will gladly drop all of those services because there are options. Do I like the service? In general - yes. But I'm not going to continue to pay premiums and have a carrier dictate I have to buy a phone, that I don't want, to get a feature my phone already supports.
So... Best of luck ATT. I hope someone on the inside understands the point here. I'm not the first, or the last to complain about this.
David606
Employee
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3.5K Messages
6 years ago
Prepaid is a basic, low cost service. If you need VOLTE that's what post-paid is for. The technical nuances don't matter here. It's a market segment discussion. Expecting parity among a cheaper service and a more expensive one is a far fetched expectation.
Now about non-branded phones. This has been known for a long, long time. If it doesn't fit someone's needs then there isn't anything that can force a carrier to meet that need. Cellular is not a utility so everyone has the choice to find a provider that can suit their needs and wants. No one pays for VOLTE. It's a feature, not a base service. There isn't any FCC or other government regulations that dictate what technology a provider must make your calls happen with. If you can make calls over 3G/4G-UMTS then you can make calls. Coverage, indoor reception, the ability to use RCS tied to VOLTE is never, ever going to be guaranteed. I understand the frustration but it does come down to the end user picking what fits their needs.
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yeahno
Mentor
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9 Messages
6 years ago
Did you know, David606, that the original telecom providers used to force customers to use specific land line phones branded as their own? Sounds pretty backwards right? I mean - those old analog phones, nobody questioned plugging in different brands of those into the carrier network and expecting them to work. ATT is using the playbook from the 60s/70s, awesome. I also think you failed to read my original post correctly. I never said anything about pre-paid. My lines have been post-paid the entire time I was a customer and still - no VoLTE! Because, in your words - only post-paid customers deserve the right to have VoLTE enabled (unlike other providers I might add).
Sure, ATT doesn't need to allow my Pixel phone to leverage the features it supports and the features ATT offers. They can provision my phone without those options. Keep in mind, however, that they make exceptions for Apple, right? And the trend in the wireless industry is that more and more people buy their phones unlocked and off contract with an expectation they work correctly. ATT has every right to choose to not support this and they will continue to bleed customers off.
Other carriers are capitalizing on this already, and have been for a while. Go watch T-Mobile earnings released today for some insight on how to treat a customer.
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yeahno
Mentor
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9 Messages
6 years ago
Sandblaster - not expecting a positive result? Well, if that's the expectation of ATT customers - then I guess I got just that. Customer reps who are uninformed and can't do their job because they're not enabled. Seems legit.
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yeahno
Mentor
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9 Messages
6 years ago
Glimmerman76 - Go read about band 71, that may be the case in some areas still. But, at least it's changing!
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GLIMMERMAN76
ACE - Expert
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23.9K Messages
6 years ago
@yeahno
Full band 71 deployment is 2 years away... In smaller areas getting broadcasters to leave the 600mhz space is going to take longer... Its a moot point as there is only 1 device at the moment that can use it. And the pixel and pixel 2 sure cant... The LG v30 is it....
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Tpero
Contributor
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1 Message
6 years ago
I reached out to AT&T social media team last week asking why these features were being blocked on the network. I have been with AT&T since 2006 (and on Singulair (sp?) and AT&T on my family's plan before that). I told them I was very tempted to move to Verizon so that I could get the most out of my Pixel 2 and my wife's OG Pixel. They called me a couple of days later and told me the Pixel 2 was supported for advanced LTE features, and that they would submit a system override request to get those features provisioned to my line (but they couldn't do so for the OG Pixel my wife is using).
Two days later, I received the following text from AT&T:
"ATT MSG: the HD calling and WIFI calling has been enabled on your line ending xxxx, review at www.att.com."
The agent with whom I spoke mentioned it might take up to 15 days for the network to refresh my settings based on the system override. It's only been a couple of days since I received the that text, and so far wifi calling has not appeared as an option on my phone, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it shows up in the next 10 days or so.
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SadGirl
Contributor
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1 Message
6 years ago
Just purchased a pixel 2, disturbing that at&t is not supporting WiFi on my new device! For the same premium costs they are withholding a service in order to strong arm customers in purchasing hardware from them alone?
Beenan at&t customer since the first cell phone...'89 or '90? Where is the value in customer loyalty? Grandfathered in on old "unlimited data" plan also, yet get throttled on the few occasions I reach a limit (usually an annual family trip when using maps, etc).
I don't get cell service in my home (that's on you at&t), and rely on the WiFi service to receive calls... Really a shame here. Very poor character, after 30+ years with at&t, looks like I will be shopping for new service, I have the right to choose any phone, while paying premium for service. #resist
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David606
Employee
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3.5K Messages
6 years ago
Pixel 2 does support VOLTE.
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yeahno
Mentor
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9 Messages
6 years ago
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David606
Employee
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3.5K Messages
6 years ago
The Pixel 2, on AT&T, is a VOLTE supported device. It's just like an unlocked iPhone. If you're not getting HD Voice then there is a provisioning issue or the IMEI simply isn't being recognized.
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