Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cellphone

Samsung Transfrom Ultra Battery Problems

Snyder — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:38:59 -0800

Transform Ultra with an overheating, fast-discharging, spontaneously-turning-off battery. I bought a Samsung Transform Ultra phone from Boost Mobile a little over a year ago. Phone worked great, no battery problems at all until about January this year. First noticed when I either turned the phone off or on while charging the percentage charged would jump up, sometimes 40% or more. When using the internet the battery would drain noticeably. Talking or texting wasn't as bad, but still a quick drain. It got worse and worse. By the end it killed the cells in my battery, and could not hold a charge for more than several hours of non-use, or a minute or two of use.

I bought a new battery, same model, at a Boost distributor. When I went to charge the phone while off, it displayed a nearly full charge indicator, but I let it finish charging, and it seemed all right for a day or so, but then it was back to draining really fast, as well as the aforementioned problems. I can fully charge it, and after using the internet will cause it to drain in about an hour and a half. The battery will get really hot, almost uncomfortable to touch through the case and cover. I believe it might be effecting the cells already. As mentioned, it will also sometimes turn off when still holding a moderate, say 40%, charge. When I turn it back on, it will be at about 1% and power off on it's own. (This time with the "Powering off" screen.

Android version is 2.3.6, Kernal 2.6.35.7 Build # Gingerbread.FF27, Hardware version M930.02

I have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, background data and sync off nearly all the time. My battery use breakdown is currently:

Android System: 80%, Voice calls: 10%, Cell Standby 5%, Display 4%, Phone Idle 3%

What can I do?

I need to buy a phone in the US for somebody else to use in Mexico.

jeoc — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:46:43 -0800

My mom moved to Mexico recently, and I have had a hard time contacting her via phone. She's staying with relatives of her boyfriend, but it seems like she's not able to use their phone to make international calls. I'd like to get her a mobile phone that she can use to call me and her other kids (or anybody else), but I'm a bit overwhelmed by what I'm finding with google - a lot of which seems targeted to making international calls from the US to other countries or just seems spammy. What is a good way to buy a phone here and send it to Mexico? I'm having a bit of a hard time contacting my mom via phone since she moved (about a month ago), and I'd like to make it easier to contact her. I rather send a phone than a phone card, because I'd like it to be her phone.

Ideally I'd like a pay-as-you-go phone that I could buy top-up cards for and keep her stocked in minutes. I'm not sure she's in a position to get a local sim card and put it in a phone, so I'd rather send something that is ready to go. I'd rather not spend a fortune, but it is important to me to get something that will work. What brands should I be looking for? Where should I buy this? I'm in the US, in North Carolina.

I'm worried she's in a bit of a bad situation. I'm in contact with her intermittently via email, and her last message was concerning. I tried calling her today, but haven't been able to reach her. I have been in email contact, but not phone contact since she moved (my fault - I didn't realize she wouldn't be able to call and I've been busy and distracted). She moved with her boyfriend, a Mexican national, to Mexico City about a month ago with the plan of moving to Merida about a month after arriving. They seemed to have a great relationship before the move. I can't tell if she's just having adjustment difficulties with the new place and the language barrier or if there is a real issue. I think it was not terribly smart of her to do this, particularly without a plan for how she would communicate with the states, but I'm trying NOT to panic here and focus on ways to figure out what is really going on and be genuinely helpful. My plan right now is to send emails and try to call every day and send her a phone.

Am I going to have problems getting a SIM card in Italy?

teg4rvn — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:51:32 -0800

Previous AMF questions have discussed walking into various mobile providers in Italy and just buying a SIM card. Glancing around internet currently suggests that SIM card sales are (more?) heavily regulated in Italy than previously, even to the point of not offering them for sale to someone showing a passport. Curious if any current Italy residents, expats, or students can provide info for the following: US unlocked GSM smartphone owner heading to Italy for 10 days and would like to have reasonable phone and text options to call/text back to states to check on house and pets with housesitter. Data a plus but absolutely not necessary. Any advice to smooth the process of buying a SIM card in Italy would be greatly appreciated.

Cell phone options for a short trip to Canada

RedOrGreen — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:48:29 -0800

We're driving from NY to Montreal for a short 5-day trip, and we'll need to be able to make a few calls and/or send and receive texts while on the road. I've found a bunch of older answers to very similar questions (for example) but surely things are better by now? What are my cheap prepaid (I assume) options for a short trip to Canada? Is there a simple way to pick up a prepaid SIM card over the border and use it for the trip? We will have:
* Two unlocked GSM phones (Sony candy bars, originally from Australia), currently with T-Mobile pre-paid SIMs. It looks like they want 59 cents/min for international roaming, which may not be the worst option. But T-Mobile's website gets very confused when I try to sign up for International Roaming.
* An unlocked iPhone 4, currently on an AT&T GoPhone plan. Looks like they charge 39 cents/min to roam, but the whole plan/service situation is fragile and keeps breaking on me and I'd rather not mess with it if possible.
* A Google Voice number that I could redirect, if that's useful in Canada.
* A stand-alone GPS unit as well as a GPS app on an iPad, so I'm not too worried about maps. Data service might be nice if it worked with my iPhone but really not that important, since I expect to have wifi most of the time.

I'm not interested in signing up for a contract plan or changing our current service in the US. So it would probably be simplest if I could pick up a prepaid (e.g. Virgin Mobile or Vodafone) SIM, put some twenty bucks on it for basic calling and messaging, and put it in one of the candy bars. What say you, Canadian (or Canada-visiting) Mefites, eh?

Texting across the ocean?

colfax — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:11:38 -0800

My best friend is currently insanely busy. She is in the U.S and I am in Europe. Texting is the best way to stay in touch with her, but I need some help doing it across the Atlantic. So, my best friend has a very small child and is in her first year of medical residency. She is working so hard right now and has such unpredictable hours that it is hard to schedule a phone/skype date with her. I am in Europe for the foreseeable future, but when I am in the U.S. it is easier to stay in touch with her because we can text when she happens to have a free moment. Is there a good, not-expensive way to text across the ocean? The advantages of texting are that she always has her phone on her (compared to sitting in front of a computer), and as long as the phone is on, she gets texts in real time (rather than having to first log onto a website like Facebook to check if she's got new messages).

Other relevant information: I have a non-smartphone, can call/text internationally relatively cheaply, and I have an internet connection at home that is relatively reliable. My friend has a smartphone, but I'm her only friend abroad, so she only has a national calling/texting plan, and I don't feel like I can ask her to spend a lot of money just to talk to me. She's currently so busy that asking her to set up anything complicated on her end means it probably just won't happen. I am not the most technologically advanced person ever, but I do alright with very specific instructions.

I'd be willing to spend a little money on this, if something existed like a gift card for 200 international text messages. Do you have any suggestions for what we can do?

I'm sorry if this sort of thing has been asked before. I've looked at some earlier questions about cell phones and texting from abroad, but I kept getting overwhelmed by all the details, and I really miss my friend.

My car is where cell phone chargers go to die. Please help.

DirtyOldTown — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 13:09:29 -0800

I have a service/sales job for which I drive a lot. Between Spotify, podcasts, and using GPS to locate various places, my cell phone gets a workout in the car. Add to that the steady stream of phone calls I make and receive while not driving and the typically fidgety gadget nerd surfing, app-using etc. I do all day long, and my Android phone's battery has a lot of work to do every day. I end up leaving it charging pretty much whenever I'm driving. The problem is, I burn through chargers at a rate something like one every three to five weeks. It's expensive and I need a better solution. Ideas? Now when I say I go through a lot of chargers, what happens to them, almost without exception is this: over time, they go from...

Phase one: constantly charging whenever plugged in
to...
Phase two: charging most of the time but occasionally not showing as plugged in
(even when they are)
to...
Phase three: begging and pleading for the phone to acknowledge the damned thing even a little

I've tried licensed Samsung and Sprint car chargers (my phone is a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, via Sprint), various other carrier/manufacturer name brand chargers, BestBuy's Rocketfish brand, whatever those select-your-charging-tip things are they sell at big box stores, and just about everything else you could name. I've tried plugging my reliable wall outlet AC chargers into a car lighter to AC converter; they developed the same issue. Recently, I had the brainstorm to try cheapo Monoprice.com USB car chargers with generic micro USB cables plugged into those, but about 60% of the cables I got started off at phase two and not one of them made it two weeks before hitting phase three. I've probably spent $300 on car chargers in the past 18 months.

I'd blame the phone, but I've had a half dozen phones since starting this job, from various makers, and they all had the same issue. Plus, whenever I buy a new car charger, they work great again... for a while. I'm inclined to believe it's just the wear and tear caused by a device getting banged around while driving and getting picked up and put down over and over while plugged in. I'm not allowed to talk on the phone while driving my work car (and I don't). But I frequently use it in parking lots while still plugged in. Maybe this is hard on a charger? not doing that isn't really a practical option.

Has anyone else had this issue? Is there a brand of car charger that can stand up to this level of use? Would I have better luck with a dock of some kind? Are there quality-made docks that would work well in say, a cup holder? What about those power mat wireless charge pad things? Has anyone had any luck with one of those in the car? Would that be more forgiving?

Assume for the purposes of this answer that I'm not going to buy a new phone and changing my workday phone usage patterns is not going to happen.

How do I stop a christian page in my facebook timeline?

dash_slot- — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 07:41:22 -0800

How do I stop a christian page in my facebook timeline? I could pick a different 'sponsored page' to give as an example, but this one annoys me because I am not christian [or religious at all].

So...like other flavours of religion, I guess, this is sub-optimal for me. I cannot see a button on my timeline, nor on their page 'https://www.facebook.com/gospelship', which says 'stop'. It has appeared three times now, and others also appear unbidden. Any ideas? Specifically or generally about them or others, would be useful.

Is there a catch to MVNOs?

Aizkolari — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:08:02 -0800

Are there any drawbacks to using an MVNO/prepaid cell carrier? I'm changing jobs soon and will need to get my own phone and cell carrier. I live in Boston, MA and want to buy a Nexus 4. Looking at carrier option, it seems like someone like Straight Talk would be a good option, especially since I'd be bringing my own device.

My only concern is if the service quality of the service. With Straight Talk, for example, I'd be on AT&T's GSM network in Boston, I think. I have friends who have AT&T service and they say it's fine, but I wonder if as an MVNO customer I'd get second-tier access or service.

I'm essentially wondering if there's some kind of a catch here that pays for offering connectivity at lower pricing. I've read this previous thread and people are generally positive but I thought I'd check again specifically on service quality.

Do any mefites use these kinds of prepaid providers? If so, how good is your coverage and service access?

How To Ensure a Phone is Logged Out of Google

Irontom — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:26:03 -0800

I have a broken cell phone that I dropped. I have insurance, so they will replace the phone. However, the phone was logged into my Google account, so once it gets fixed, I am afraid that somebody might get it and be able to do bad things to my account. How do I handle this?

What happens if a cell phone alarm goes off while it's in the mail?

pete_22 — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 02:55:46 -0800

So I broke the screen on my new Nexus 4 and just mailed it off yesterday to be repaired, and I realized too late that the daily alarm clock may go off while it's in transit. What will be done with the package if that happens? I mean, hopefully it's in some cargo hold at the time (6:50 am) and no one hears it, but if someone does, will they open it and turn it off and deliver it in one of those "damaged mail" bags? Will they return it to me? Will they discard or destroy the whole package? Call in the bomb squad? Fine me for the nuisance?

I'm sure postal employees have seen it all, and there are other gadgets that could also turn on or make noise accidentally during shipping ... just curious if there's a standard policy in these cases.

Also, do most cell phone alarms "time out" after a certain time or will it just go off until someone turns it off? (or the battery dies?)

Bonus question: if I had remembered to do it, how WOULD one even turn off a phone like this with an internal battery, if the screen doesn't work? Holding down the power button just restarts it. And don't some phone alarms work even when the phone's off?

International travel is a great excuse for an upgrade!

Tehhund — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:14:30 -0800

What fast Android phone can I use in the US and Costa Rica? My Droid Bionic is good enough, but it occasionally suffers from slowdowns. I'm an Android addict and am considering getting something faster. (Faster meaning more responsive; the data speeds are fine. Also, I don't want iOS, no iOS derails please)

Also, I'm travelling to Costa Rica for a week and a half in June. While I would be okay renting a feature phone while I'm there to keep for emergencies, it might be nice to bring a smartphone and just buy a (prepaid?) SIM with a data plan for my vacation. So it would be nice to kill 2 birds with one stone: buy a faster phone, and use it in Costa Rica with a SIM I buy there (or that I buy before I arrive). I would probably buy the phone outright and use it as a Wi-Fi device or with US prepaid SIMs, though I'm open to other options.

So I really have 2 questions. 1) What phone should I buy that is probably more responsive than a Bionic and works in Costa Rica? 2) How do I get a Costa Rican SIM with a data plan for it?

Finding out where a cell call is coming from

youdontmakefriendswithsalad — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:25:07 -0800

I have been getting annoying and possilby disturbing calls from an old friend. I looked up the number and it's registered as a cell phone with an out of state area code. However, since it is a cell, the person could still be placing those calls from the local area. I called my phone provider and unsuprisingly, they couldn't help. Is there another way to find out the physical location of the caller?

Best mobile data provider in Montreal?

signsofrain — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:53:34 -0800

I want to replace my cell phone with a mobile data plan and VOIP client. What's the most cost-effective option in the Montreal, Quebec area? Snowflake details inside. I recently got my hands on a portable 3G hotspot device. If I stick my cell phone's sim card into it it provides a handy wi-fi hotspot I can connect all my devices to. Since there are now many free and cheap VOIP options to choose from, I was thinking that if I got an all-data plan it might be cheaper to use VOIP than to pay the cell phone company for minutes. I am also planning on starting a business in a couple of years and would like the flexibility of VOIP to be able to take customer calls anywhere I happen to be, with whatever device I happen to be using. Aside from the VOIP, I'd also like to use it for the usual internet stuff, checking e-mail, watching streams, browsing, if I could find a decently priced option maybe even a torrent now and then.

Ideally, I could take this all over Canada without paying any kind of roaming fees, and an option for affordable roaming to the U.S would be important too, since I'm usually south of the border for about 2 weeks a year.

Either the government or the movies are calling.

Jon_Evil — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:28:50 -0800

For the last four months, I've been getting anywhere between 3 and 60 calls per day on my cell phone from (555) 555-5555, at all hours. If I pick up, it's a recorded voice, somewhere between a computer and a british lady saying "one... one... one..." What the hell is going on, and how do I make it stop? I downloaded a call-blocker app for my iphone, but it did not work. I know that there are ways to mask your number from caller ID, and that sometimes makes it show up as all 5s. Usually they'll call a few times a day, but sometimes I get like 10 calls in a row, and sometimes it's a couple calls every hour all through the night. It's a little disconcerting, but it's mostly annoying. But I don't want to change my phone number, because that would be equally annoying.

YouTube Brainfart

Scattercat — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:38:19 -0800

I am trying to find a silly meme-esque video: It was being linked around various places back when I was in college (so around 2001, give or take). In it, a young man is awoken by a call on his phone, after which someone calling from the outside tells him (something like) "I am the cellphone genius. Now I will play for you." They then play a little ditty on the phone keys. The sleepy dude goes from shocked and annoyed to appreciative of the sound, and then the video ends with one of those now traditional abrupt shouting of insults and/or nonsense.

I've tried searching variations on "cell phone genius," "cell phone maestro," etc., as well as poking around old sites I used to frequent, but nothing. Does anyone else remember this? Did I dream it?

Calling, texting, data for American traveler in Taiwan

Korou — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:09:28 -0800

I am traveling to Taiwan for about two weeks very soon. I will be there with about 20 fellow students from my university. Being able to communicate amongst us while about Taipei will be pretty important. What do you recommend to use around the city? Inexpensive and easy would be great. I have an iPhone 5 with AT&T, an iPad, and laptop; also a Skype account and Google Voice. Payphones and calling cards are of course on the table. Calling each other in Taiwan would be top priority, followed by texting and data. Calling home is unimportant.

Tmobile android phone recommendations

lalochezia — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 23:01:17 -0800

Jumping into smartphone world for the first time.…..i) I would like advice on an android phone that works on T-mobile 4G for email/websurfing/productivity. ii) Would also like advice on buying used phones in general. I have the tmobile value plan which is cheap and requires me to bring a smartphone of my own...I want an android phone.

Phone advice - In order of importance
the phone must:

0) Be reliable hardware*

i) Run smoothly, without crashing, on at least some version of ICS (Android 4.0+). Don't need highest graphic speed/gee whiz, do need RELIABILITY and SMOOTHNESS (would rather have a basic visual interface that works quickly than one with the most cool UI w/beautiful animations). Can't deal at the moment with uploading/beta testing nightly builds.

ii) Is possible to use with 1 hand: I have a long thumb(!) and would like to be able to use w/ one hand. Either swiftykey's new gizmo or swype look like I could actually type on it with the thumb too.... so no giant 5" phones.

iii) Is international - works with UK sim cards and frequencies for phone

v) Has removable storage and removable battery

vi) Has a decent camera

---

Buying used phone advice

Advice request: I'm a little paranoid about buying an unlocked GSM phone off ebay or swappa (or craigslist!) only to find that IMEI is locked, or about to be locked, or the phone is a dud.

I have an active tmobile sim….

If you buy in person off craigslist, what simple tests can you do on the phone in person?

If buying online, what can you look for?

Bonus: Have the galaxy S3 handset death rumors been put to bed?

You never call, you never write. And you never ring.

sciencegeek — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 07:59:34 -0800

Sprint Android smart phone question: the phone rings for essentially all calls except those from one specific number. Make & model: Nexus S 4G, running Android 4.1.

The reason this matters: this is my husband's phone and the person whose calls don't cause the phone to ring is his mother.

Geographical area his phone is NYC and outlying areas

Geographical area her phone is outlying areas of NYC and completely outside of NYC area. None of these calls are being made or received in areas with poor coverage.

Her number is area code 914 (also fairly local, if that matters) and carrier is AT&T. His is area code 845, Sprint.

His phone sometimes has troubles with other calls as well, but this one number always goes straight to voice mail without ringing.

Any ideas? If more information is needed to solve this, please let me know and I can get that.

Can I use Airplane Mode on an airplane?

KogeLiz — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 20:26:57 -0800

What's the real deal with electronic devices on airplanes? Flying on Allegiant tomorrow. I need noise distraction and cannot find my old ipod.
Can I use my cell in airplane mode after take off? I tried looking for answers but keep finding conflicting answers.

How do I get old texts onto new iPhone?

fozzie_bear — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:03:25 -0800

How do I get texts, contacts, and photos off my old dumb phone and onto my new iPhone? I bought a used, unlocked iPhone 4 off ebay. I've got a Straight Talk Micro SIM for it. I haven't put the Micro SIM in or ported my number yet. Is there any way to get my texts, contacts, and photos off my LG flip phone and onto the iPhone before I cancel my Verizon account?

Is it a good idea to break a contract with TMobile to get a phone?

cowmix — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 09:27:16 -0800

I might go on and then break a TMobile contract to get Nexus 4 phone. Is that a good idea? Google has sold out of the Nexus 4 phone for the foreseeable future. Some TMobile stores still have the phone in stock for $199 *if* you go on contract with TMobile for 2 years. I'm reading that it costs $200 to break a TMobile contract. So, according to my calculations, I can get the phone for $399. (The phone, if it were in stock, is $350 direct from Google.)

What's wrong with this plan? Does anyone else have experience with this plan of attack?

Phone for a Dandy Man

Greg Nog — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 18:31:58 -0800

I have a Fancy Cousin who uses Virgin Mobile pre-paid, and my Fancy Cousin would like to get a new Android phone during this weekend's sales. A few questions: - Is there a reason my Fancy Cousin should buy direct from Virgin Mobile, or will any phone he buys work? Is there something specific the phone would need to work on Virgin Mobile?

- What is a good mid-range model? My Fancy Cousin would like something that's around $200. An older model is fine (he says, foppishly), but something with good battery life and responsiveness is key. He says he would like one of Google's own models, if possible.

- Which online retailer is likely to have the best deal?

How to manage the logistics of a cellphone provider switch? Added Difficulty: Christmas Gift

Rock Steady — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:54:21 -0800

We are switching from AT&T cell phone to service to Verizon, and I'd like to perform the switch smoothly while also using one of the new phones as a Christmas gift. Your advice on the proper procedure would be welcome. We are going to be adding my family's three lines of service onto my parents' two lines of service (so we can split the data cost more efficiently) and porting our existing numbers in the process. As part of that switchover, we will be upgrading my daughter to an iPhone, and we'd like that phone to be one of the gifts she unwraps on Christmas morning.

How can we allow her to continue using her AT&T dumbphone right up until Christmas (or at least within a day or two of the holiday) and the switch over seamlessly to the new iPhone once it is unwrapped?

I'm willing to lose a few bucks on the transfer, so if it means temporarily porting her number to a "burner" cellphone that could work, if that is feasible when going to Verizon.

Any ideas?

Need a cheap cell phone

roaring beast — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:31:14 -0800

Shopping for a cell phone - new unlocked GSM or t-mobile android smart phone, good camera (at least 5 MP), respectable battery life and under $200 without a plan (ebay ok). Any recommendations?

Can I Make It Stop?

gladly — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 12:03:58 -0800

During the past three and a half hours, I've received ten telemarketer calls on my cell phone. They seem to be from the same company using different numbers and area codes (I stopped answering and they don't always leave a message, so I can't be sure). What can I do, and what did I do? They're all recorded robocalls from Senior Medical Advisory for a life alert thing. I've done their unsubscribe, but the recording says to allow them seven days. Is there any way to stop this sooner? I am on the Do Not Call registry, and I did file complaints on the numbers with them. Is there anything I can do on my end to stop the calls?

This is the first time I've had this happen--is there a likely suspect I might have given my cell number to that would cause this sudden rash of calls?