Mobile phone issues, maybe.

[Cobra]

I've been with BT mobile for years, in fact I left EE years ago, due to poor signal, and customer service issues.

Over the last few days, I have had no signal, intermittently, granted, but more off than on, I tried to contact BT and it seems that it is now wholly controlled by EE.
Perhaps I'm only one in the world that didn't know that, but the last time, once, years ago, when I had a mobile issue, it was handled by BT, and my contract is part of a BB contract with BT, and its them that get my money.

I've contacted EE for a fault, for the last few days, a few times, they say there are no issues in my area.
Going on the amount of 4G & 5G masts here, there certainly shouldn't be.

Its been suggested that the phone itself is the problem, but I'm not sure how that can be, everything else works ie whatsapp.
The phone itself is around 4/5 years old, and is an HTC.
Oh and the problem does occasionally sort itself out, if I reboot the phone, but I can't prove either way if that is a coincidence or not.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.
Oh and I don't want or need anything expensive, just make calls, send text and whatsapp the family.

Yes I'm a techo-dinosaur and proud.
Thanks in advance.

 

[srichards]

What is the state of the SIM card? Is it still shiny and clean looking? Is it the same age as the phone?

 

[G.K.Jnr.]

I've been with BT mobile for years, in fact I left EE years ago, due to poor signal, and customer service issues.

Over the last few days, I have had no signal, intermittently, granted, but more off than on, I tried to contact BT and it seems that it is now wholly controlled by EE.
Perhaps I'm only one in the world that didn't know that, but the last time, once, years ago, when I had a mobile issue, it was handled by BT, and my contract is part of a BB contract with BT, and its them that get my money.

I've contacted EE for a fault, for the last few days, a few times, they say there are no issues in my area.
Going on the amount of 4G & 5G masts here, there certainly shouldn't be.

Its been suggested that the phone itself is the problem, but I'm not sure how that can be, everything else works ie whatsapp.
The phone itself is around 4/5 years old, and is an HTC.
Oh and the problem does occasionally sort itself out, if I reboot the phone, but I can't prove either way if that is a coincidence or not.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.
Oh and I don't want or need anything expensive, just make calls, send text and whatsapp the family.

Yes I'm a techo-dinosaur and proud.
Thanks in advance.

Chris, I'm not too good at this sort of thing but it might be worth taking the sim card out and cleaning the contacts etc. It seems to work sometimes with SD cards in a camera so might just work with a sim card. Only a suggestion.

 

[Box Brownie]

Two thoughts......

Whatever the service (I have a dual SIM phone) I sometimes see the service drop/unavailable but my OH phone is fine......so a phone restart tends to resolve the issue.

Secondly as mentioned above it is a good to remove & reinsert the SIM.

 

[srichards]

Also is that HTC a 4G phone? If it's only 3g that could be part of the problem as EE are turning off 3G.

 

[garryknight]

Are you sure it's the signal, as in number of bars? I get great coverage from Three. But in areas where there are lots of people (and I do mean lots, as in central London) there seems to be a lot of contention on the masts. There's lots of excellent four-bar coverage in most of the main roads and yet I get lots of time-outs. I get a good 5G signal in many places, but still get time-outs. I've even tried turning 5G off in my phone, but the problem persists.

It's annoying that the phone companies get away with boasting 99% coverage but let their services get swamped.

 

[4wd]

Still no signal at all here from any of them, I use wifi calling around house.

 

[Cobra]

What is the state of the SIM card? Is it still shiny and clean looking? Is it the same age as the phone?

Same age yes, but it looked ok when I took it out to clean it.

Chris, I'm not too good at this sort of thing but it might be worth taking the sim card out and cleaning the contacts etc. It seems to work sometimes with SD cards in a camera so might just work with a sim card. Only a suggestion.

I tried that George but thanks anyway

Secondly as mentioned above it is a good to remove & reinsert the SIM.

As above done already

Also is that HTC a 4G phone? If it's only 3g that could be part of the problem as EE are turning off 3G.

I didn't know they were turning off 3G thanks for the heads up. Mine is 4G and its supposed to default to 3G when there is no 4G signal, which I assume is normal. we have loads of masts here, far too many some people would say, to close to schools the local church and generally housing estates, but that is a whole new subject

Are you sure it's the signal, as in number of bars? I get great coverage from Three. But in areas where there are lots of people (and I do mean lots, as in central London) there seems to be a lot of contention on the masts.

I usually have 3 bars,. When it acts up, I get the bars icon, faded out, and with an X through them, occasionally, I get the "limited service" note on the screen too.
As above, this has only started happening very recently, and there are more masts here, than you can shake a stick at as the saying goes.

 

[Cobra]

Still no signal at all here from any of them, I use wifi calling around house.

That's ok, if you are home and want to make a call, but if I'm out I'm screwed, plus I rarely call, or receive calls, it's mostly text.

 

[Cobra]

Do you know anyone else who uses your same network that could come over to test if it's the network, or indeed your phone? (if they have signal, then it's likely your phone)

yes and no, I had thought of that, but by the time they got over here, the problem may have sorted itself out. (Again) Its OK at the moment, but I'm not holding my breath.
My son is on EE some miles away, and obviously using a different mast, he reports no problems at all.

So maybe your network provider is not exactly telling the truth ?

That thought certainly crossed my mind too.

 

[Cobra]

Well, one way to test is to get a "burner phone", one of those ultra-inexpensive Android phones and a pre-paid SIM with £5 on it from the same provider to see if it is the network or the phone?

Gotta be worth a shot

 

[Gav.]

Sorry if it's been mentioned already, is the software up to date?

 

[Nod]

It seems that EE land lines/internet is now BT and BT mobiles are EE - all a matter of branding rather than any real changes.

FWIW, I use a 3-4 year old Huawei phone, mainly for calls and text (don't do social media or anything financially sensitive using the phone) with a little peeking at e-mails and the weather apps.

 

[Ricardodaforce]

What is the state of the SIM card? Is it still shiny and clean looking? Is it the same age as the phone?

Thats’s the first thing that came to my mind too. I’d have the SIM replaced to start with, then go from there.

 

[Cobra]

Sorry if it's been mentioned already, is the software up to date?

Pretty sure it is yes.

all a matter of branding rather than any real changes.

Every time I try and get a response from BT, as above, they get my money,
I get directed to the EE site

Thats’s the first thing that came to my mind too. I’d have the SIM replaced to start with, then go from there.

It seems I can get an EE PAYG sim, with £10 credit, for £8 that does seem to be a low cost test.

 

[Ricardodaforce]

Pretty sure it is yes.


Every time I try and get a response from BT, as above, they get my money,
I get directed to the EE site


It seems I can get an EE PAYG sim, with £10 credit, for £8 that does seem to be a low cost test.

They’ll replace your SIM free of charge.

 

[Cobra]

They’ll replace your SIM free of charge.

Cheers

 

[Nod]

Not sure what the EE shop assistants in MK are like but the 2 shops we've dealt with down here have both been very helpful.

 

[realspeed]

you just can't beat using 2 tin cans and a tight length if string between and costs nothing

 

[Cobra]

Not sure what the EE shop assistants in MK are like but the 2 shops we've dealt with down here have both been very helpful.

No idea TBH Nod I wouldn't even know where they were without googling.
I prefer live chat, that way I get to keep a record of what was said.

 

[Cobra]

The phone finally managed to stay connected long enough to call BT help.
( it seems there is no longer a live chat option)
The intermittent service is now very intermittent, and no signal for almost 24 hours.
The guy checked out "my" local mast, which seems its about 1 mile away as the crow fly's, ( I didn't know where it was TBH) and said there is no problem.
Same response from EE "remotely" when I raised the faults.

He did say that that the conversation, was very crackly and broken from my end, and suspected that it maybe a phone fault,
He didn't try to sell me another one, but said that he would send me a new sim, to check that first.

I'm now beginning to suspect that he maybe right, so I've been looking just in case.
I don't need anything expensive, or that does anything other than make calls, texts, whatsapp and take the odd snap now and again. .
And I very rarely connect to the internet, on the phone.
It looks like the Samsung Galaxy A03s @ just under £100 might just fit the bill.
Now I just need to wait for the new sim card..

​

 

[Suvv]

Not sure of I am breaking any rules or not but there is a Huawei P Smart for sale in the sales forum. I have had one for about 5 years with no problems.

​

 

[Cobra]

Not sure of I am breaking any rules or not but there is a Huawei P Smart for sale in the sales forum. I have had one for about 5 years with no problems.

​

Thanks I'll check it out

 

[Cobra]

If you are getting a new phone, could I suggest you look at a iPhone SE ?

They are rather good, and the OS easier to use than Android...

Thanks, but that is way out of my price range / what I am prepared to spend on a phone.
As above. 100 quid is more than enough, plus it's an apple product.

 

[Cobra]

in my experience they last a lot longer...I now have a Sony Xperia XA2 Plus running Sailfish OS.....

My current one is 4/5 years old, It will need to last around 20 years to be comparable.
I can't see that happening
And as above I'm a techo-dinosaur, I have no idea what that means.

 

[ancient_mariner]

hmmm.. my iPhone 3GS only stopped working a year ago, I purchased it in 2008...

I still have my original HTC desire from 2009, rooted and as slow as a very slow thing indeed. It's not realistic to expect an early phone to work effectively 10-12 years on because the tech has had to develop so far in that time. Most of us wouldn't consider a 10YO computer to be a sensible option, although that's changing as the tech has caught up and surprassed what's needed for low-level use. There's a good chance that a handset which is decent NOW will still be functional and usable in 10 years, assuming it's survived the slings and arrows of use.

All I know is that "buy cheap, buy twice" still applies for the most part, but sometime "buy expensive, buy three times" seems to be the rule, rather than the exception these days ?

We've been running Xiaomi/Poco phones here for 6 years now. I replaced our Xiaomi Note (4 IIRC) phones with a couple of Poco models because they were starting to lose fluidity and were less pleasant to use, and the battery life had dropped from 5 days to around 3. I've kept hold of the old phones so far as 'spares, but I've a mind to flog them now as they were both very usable still if you didn't mind them being a little less quick.

 

[Cobra]

Curiously, the replacement sim arrived yesterday, its been in the phone for almost 24 hours, and not one drop off.

 

[Ricardodaforce]

Curiously, the replacement sim arrived yesterday, its been in the phone for almost 24 hours, and not one drop off.

Thought so!

 

[Cobra]

Thought so!

Thanks! I appreciated your heads up with that

 

[Neilc28]

If you are getting a new phone, could I suggest you look at a iPhone SE ?

They are rather good, and the OS easier to use than Android...

That’s subjective tbh, if you’re used to Android then going to iOS and having to work apples way can be painful, anyway that’s a whole new conversation..

 

[Neilc28]

Subjective? Maybe... I have used iOS, Android and Sailfish, plus Nokia's latest offerings on their dumb-phones. Nokia's Dumb-Phone OS aside, Sailfish is by far the least complicated, iOS is is next and Android a far third.

Yes subjective as that’s your opinion. iOS used to be ridiculously natural in use, but recently it’s become a bit too bloated and some things are way more complex than they should be. The problem being that every manufacturer’s take on Android is different, different launchers, different settings, different navigation etc.. and they most definitely aren’t equal, in fact Samsung is a perfect example of this, their UI changes sooo frequently across its range of phones that it’s almost impossible to review Samsungs take on Android by virtue that they have so many implementations.

I’m an iOS user myself and have been for many years, but some of the UI in the last few years has been absolute garbage, and the less said about stage manager the better

 

[ShinySideUp]

It's threads like this that cause me to have a minor panic. I have had an LG G6 for years and years, and it still works perfectly, but at some point it is going to die (probably the battery in the end) and I will have to re-enter the minefield that is 'a new mobile phone'. It is not something to which I am looking forward. Unfortunately, LG no longer make phones.

 

[ancient_mariner]

It's threads like this that cause me to have a minor panic. I have had an LG G6 for years and years, and it still works perfectly, but at some point it is going to die (probably the battery in the end) and I will have to re-enter the minefield that is 'a new mobile phone'. It is not something to which I am looking forward. Unfortunately, LG no longer make phones.

It's not that bad, really, but there will be a few days of unfamiliarity while you get used to the difference. You can also use a launcher overlay to change appearance and behaviour to be a little more familiar.

 

[Cobra]

It's threads like this that cause me to have a minor panic.

As did my initial post!
following a lot of research, the Samsung Galaxy A03/s seemed a good bet, for me,
but following the heads up from @Ricardodaforce regarding the fact that that it may well be
the sim card, that was replaced, same provider, same number, and the HTC lives to fight another day

 

[ShinySideUp]

It's not that bad, really, but there will be a few days of unfamiliarity while you get used to the difference. You can also use a launcher overlay to change appearance and behaviour to be a little more familiar.

Oh it's not the familiarity that bothers me, I'm very tech-savvy, it's the sheer bewildering choice of processor speeds, screen size, operating system, manufacturer, at al, ad nauseum, that bothers me. It was the same the last time when I bought my LG but I was lucky in that my exasperated "Oh sod it, I'm fed up of this, I'll have that one, whatever it is" worked very well. I don't expect to be so lucky next time, so I'm trying to keep mine going as long as possible.

It's interesting to note that many manufacturers of the latest phones proudly proclaim that their batteries will last the whole day. I'm afraid I really don't consider this a 'feature' as my present phone lasts all day and it is seven years old at least. When I bought it, the battery was lasting three or four days. If they expect me to be impressed by 24 hours they are sadly mistaken.

 

[Cobra]

It's interesting to note that many manufacturers of the latest phones proudly proclaim that their batteries will last the whole day.

I know, how outrageous is that? My 4/5 year old phone lasts 3-4 days between charges, but I'm a light user.
But of course with all the technology now rammed into a small space, I guess its not really surprising.

If they expect me to be impressed by 24 hours they are sadly mistaken.

Absolutely, and I think that batteries have to be changed, when they fail, by a "professional" ?

Not like the old Nokia's where you simply bought a new one, and slid it into place.

 

[Gremlin]

Battery life, a subject very annoying for me at the moment.
My 18 month old Samsung has recently been needing charging almost twice a day.
If I leave if overnight at 50% by the mornng it is down to 3% and sometimes when I pick it up it feels very warm
despite not being used for ages
So I bought another to use whilst I send it back to Samsung, still under guarantee, moved everything over to set up the new phone and reset the old one. It was on 53% when I went to bed last noght and the same this morning
Put it back to what it was but withoug the sim and it has since dropped by just 2% from fully charge
Oh well at least I now have a spare if it happens again

 

[ShinySideUp]

I'm not sure I'd buy a Samsung as we have a TV that for a long time had problems with updating and it constantly changes apps that I'll never use but insists on me keeping them as the option to delete isn't there. I've mentioned this in another thread before but I have no use for Apple TV, Rakuten, Now TV and so on and should be able to free up memory for my own use, but no, Samsung say no, and that attitude puts me off their phones.

One hears stories of phones getting warm for no reason and Samsung seem to be towards the top of the list but that may be because there are more Samsungs than other makes in the field.

I have a history of buying a mobile phone only for the company to stop making them after a time -- Blackberry, Nokia, Windows and now LG. Perhaps if I buy a Samsung, they will stop making phones too!

 

[Nod]

Mrs Nod has had several Samsungs but when I needed a new phone (Windows phone became unsupported!), I tried one of her redundant spares and didn't get on with it - IIRC because of it constantly updating bloatware. Now got a Huawei of some description - several days of battery life and does what I want/need it to!

 

[ShinySideUp]

Now got a Huawei of some description - several days of battery life and does what I want/need it to!

I'm probably being paranoid but I always think that if I had a Huawei I would be walking around with the Chinese government in my pocket watching what I do and where I go. It's enough that Google's Android does that already.