Sim cards and carriers, discussion

[bcnaz]

....... using Disks and Balena Etcher myself

[tallfrye]

Yes, the second adapter also fails with the first microSD. The adapters work with the better microSD I took from my secondary phone. I'll have to read up on dd, I'm guessing I can use it to copy everything off that microSD, then back onto it after using it to flash the eMMC...?

[bcnaz]

I have not had a failure yet using Balena Etcher to burn sd cards for my Pinebook Pro's and Pine phones.

[Angle]

So, I'm using verizon and they don't like the pinephone's IMEI. But, I have a Samsung S5 with a micro sim - can I just pull it and transfer it over, and expect things to work? :/

[calinb]

So, I'm using verizon and they don't like the pinephone's IMEI. But, I have a Samsung S5 with a micro sim - can I just pull it and transfer it over, and expect things to work? :/

No. The IMEI is stored in the cellular modem chip so it will persist after installing the other SIM card.

Cellular providers also sometimes refuse service to Pinephone users when the Pinephone modem fails to report VoLTE capability for that network. I know that's been the case reported in these forums with Verizon, so are you sure it's the IMEI that's the problem? Sometimes activating a new SIM card in another phone and then transferring it to a Pinephone solves the problem.

Firmware updates will update the list of VoLTE approvals, but I think Verizon has been in the firmware VoLTE list that's shipped with Pinephone for a long time now. It's near the top of the list here:

https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php?title=...1133#VoLTE

Information on flashing firmware:

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?...ight=modem

Although it is a more advanced and riskier procedure than just swapping a SIM card (and it may even be unlawful where you live), it should be possible to use the IMEI from your Samsung S5 in the Pinephone. Also keep in mind that there might be undesirable consequences from continuing to use both phones at the same time on a cellular network--especially on the same network at the same time!

Information about changing IMEI. I recommend NOT speaking of this capability with any cellular service representative. It is a chipset capability that we, as Pinephone developers, testers and validators, are lucky to know about. Disclosures of this sort are typically restricted under non-disclosure agreements between developers and modem chipset manufacturers and we don't want to give cellular service providers any more reasons to blacklist the Pinephone!
https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=14743
https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php?title=...T_commands

[Angle]

So, I'm using verizon and they don't like the pinephone's IMEI. But, I have a Samsung S5 with a micro sim - can I just pull it and transfer it over, and expect things to work? :/

No. The IMEI is stored in the cellular modem chip so it will persist after installing the other SIM card.

Cellular providers also sometimes refuse service to Pinephone users when the Pinephone modem fails to report VoLTE capability for that network. I know that's been the case reported in these forums with Verizon, so are you sure it's the IMEI that's the problem? Sometimes activating a new SIM card in another phone and then transferring it to a Pinephone solves the problem.

Firmware updates will update the list of VoLTE approvals, but I think Verizon has been in the firmware VoLTE list that's shipped with Pinephone for a long time now. It's near the top of the list here:

https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php?title=...1133#VoLTE

Information on flashing firmware:

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?...ight=modem

Although it is a more advanced and riskier procedure than just swapping a SIM card (and it may even be unlawful where you live), it should be possible to use the IMEI from your Samsung S5 in the Pinephone. Also keep in mind that there might be undesirable consequences from continuing to use both phones at the same time on a cellular network--especially on the same network at the same time!

Information about changing IMEI. I recommend NOT speaking of this capability with any cellular service representative. It is a chipset capability that we, as Pinephone developers, testers and validators, are lucky to know about. Disclosures of this sort are typically restricted under non-disclosure agreements between developers and modem chipset manufacturers and we don't want to give cellular service providers any more reasons to blacklist the Pinephone!
https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=14743
https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php?title=...T_commands

I tried just physically swapping the verizon sim card over to my pinephone, and it seems to have worked - I was able to call a number, at least. I haven't tested text or mobile data or anything yet, though. :/

Edit: And by 'Doesn't like the IMEI', I meant that everytime I told a Verizon representative 'yes I'd like to use this phone with the verizon network' they went 'Oh no, that IMEI is not on the authorized devices list, you cannot use it with our network.' But yeah, activating the card on my galaxy and then physically transferring it over on my own seems to have worked fine.

[calinb]

I tried just physically swapping the verizon sim card over to my pinephone, and it seems to have worked - I was able to call a number, at least. I haven't tested text or mobile data or anything yet, though. :/

Edit: And by 'Doesn't like the IMEI', I meant that everytime I told a Verizon representative 'yes I'd like to use this phone with the verizon network' they went 'Oh no, that IMEI is not on the authorized devices list, you cannot use it with our network.' But yeah, activating the card on my galaxy and then physically transferring it over on my own seems to have worked fine.

That's great news! I was hoping that might work, which is why I reported that others have activated Verizon service with other phones and then successfully transferred the SIM card to their Pinephone.

Thanks for the clarification. I've never tried Verizon with my Pinephone but what you reported about the Verizon rep is what I would expect. I have a couple of other phones and, as a matter of best known method (BKM), I make it a habit to always activate my SIM cards in another phone before trying it in my Pinephone.

BTW, cellular phone company reps are entirely unreliable. Lately I've been using US Mobile. USM offers a black SIM card that runs on the Verizon network and also a white SIM card that runs on T-Mobile. (Each card is a separate account and activation, of course.) Both the USM rep and their online tool said the black Verizon card would work the best where I live. In fact, the rep said the white T-Mobile card would not work at all. In truth, the black SIM didn't work at all and the white SIM card works very well. Things are even more iffy with the Pinephone, because I don't think it completely covers all the cellular bands of any provider, which is probably true for most phones that are not supplied by the provider. You just have to try a service for yourself to find out what works.

[bcnaz]

So, I'm using verizon and they don't like the pinephone's IMEI. But, I have a Samsung S5 with a micro sim - can I just pull it and transfer it over, and expect things to work? :/

Try an MVNO (reseller)
I have had no problems activating or using resellers sim cards on gsm/lte carrier services.

the resellers have never refused to activate my service.

The service is actually at&t or t-mobile as the carriers,  but sold at a discount under the resellers name.

[calinb]

So, I'm using verizon and they don't like the pinephone's IMEI. But, I have a Samsung S5 with a micro sim - can I just pull it and transfer it over, and expect things to work? :/

Try an MVNO (reseller)
I have had no problems activating or using resellers sim cards on gsm/lte carrier services.

the resellers have never refused to activate my service.

The service is actually at&t or t-mobile as the carriers,  but sold at a discount under the resellers name.

bcnaz has a good suggestion there! I've used H2O Wireless MVNO (AT&T network) and US Mobile MVNO (T-Mobile network) on my Pinephone. They are both "GSM providers" but, in fact, everyone is moving quickly to complete VoLTE anyway. In rural Idaho there are still VoLTE coverage holes and GSM is an advantage for the Pinephone, which does not support the alternative CDMA modulation that Verizon used and maybe still does use in some rural areas. I don't know.

I do know that in my region of rural Idaho, the best coverage is from Inland Cellular (not an MVNO but rather a regional provider with its own equipment and network) or a Verizon "post paid" plan. Verizon and Inland have a roaming agreement. Verizon post-paid plans roam for free on the Inland network but the Inland network doesn't work with the Pinphone, because the Pinephone Inland doesn't support VoLTE and, being an end-of-life system, it the Pinephone never will support Inland's CDMA. Eventually Inland will have VoLTE up and running but who knows when?

When I visited my local Inland Cellular store, the tech there was very interested in my Pinephone. He gave me a month to try their service on my Pinephone and loaned me a phone to act as a "gold" phone that is known to work in my area to compare to my Pinephone.  What great customer service that I've never experienced from a cellular provider! Sadly, only Inland data worked on my Pinephone but no voice, due to the lack of VoLTE. Someday I hope to become an Inland customer.

I think H2O might work, at least a little, around here, if the Pinephone supported B17, which is listed as an AT&T primary band. H2O only worked for me when I traveled to a medium size city an hour away.

[tallfrye]

BTW, cellular phone company reps are entirely unreliable. Lately I've been using US Mobile. USM offers a black SIM card that runs on the Verizon network and also a white SIM card that runs on T-Mobile. (Each card is a separate account and activation, of course.) Both the USM rep and their online tool said the black Verizon card would work the best where I live. In fact, the rep said the white T-Mobile card would not work at all. In truth, the black SIM didn't work at all and the white SIM card works very well. Things are even more iffy with the Pinephone, because I don't think it completely covers all the cellular bands of any provider, which is probably true for most phones that are not supplied by the provider. You just have to try a service for yourself to find out what works.

This is the same with Tracfone, they tell you almost exclusively that you should use a Verizon SIM, and only relent and send out an AT&T one when the Verizon one has proven not to work. I haven't heard of AT&T drawing out the same favoritism from any MVNOs...