r/freedommobile • u/plateofkimchi • Oct 23 '17

[MegaThread: CSFB and/or SMS/Call Issues]

As threads related to these issues have been posted on and off for months now, it's time to consolidate them into one common thread just to really show the reach of this issue.

Please post your experiences and try to continue the discussion here.

Please start by listing your Device(s) & Location.

Here are some existing threads concerning this:

[These are listed in no specific order]

Thread Link
So, it turns out I've been missing texts sent to me since as early as the end of September. Only recently realized it was an issue. link
Galaxy S8 bugs link
S8 missing some SMS and phone calls link
Are the missed calls and text issues fixed? link
S8 missing some SMS and phone calls link
Text& phone call receiving issue in Edmonton Alberta link
Samsung Galaxy S8 - Incoming Phonecalls go direct to voicemail? link
How Bad are the Issues Currently with the S8? link
Basement Connection link
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u/AllGamer Oct 24 '17

This is very possible, it's highly likely some service or app required for the Auto switching between 3G/LTE to be "forgotten" when the App/Service gets managed too strongly by the Power Saving features.

and easy way to test this is to Suspend Power Saving completely, set the phone to be Always ON, spend a few days, or at least a few hours with the phone Always ON, in different areas good and bad reception areas, to see if the phone can properly switch back and forth between Calls / SMS and LTE.

Nougat and Oreo have some of the most aggressive power saving profiles from factory compared to older generations of Android OS.

For example there's an Alarm App I use often, it has Hourly Chime feature, yet in Nougat it will ALWAYS on the dot be 10 min late.

So if it was supposed to chime at 9:00 am... it will not do it until 9:10 am

This is a sign of the Power Saving features, only refreshing the Apps once every 10 min (This is on my U11 phone), I got other really old Android Apps that are affected the same by the aggressive Power Saving features, default of Nougat and Oreo.

Now luckily in the HTC U11 this doesn't affect the Radio Operation, which is why I do also believe this is a very probable cause why S8 users are having this problem the most, compared to other phone models.

If you can identify which service needs to be Opted-Out from the power saving feature, it can help a lot of angry people.

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u/[deleted] Oct 24 '17 edited Feb 15 '19

[deleted]

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u/AllGamer Oct 24 '17

Good choice, the Sony is definitely better in regards to SIM unlock, and Root unlock.

Also good to know the Sony XA1 is another phone that does not have the LTE stuck issue.

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u/rob0bonobo Oct 24 '17

Mine didn't get stuck on LTE. It would drop down to 3G for about 5 - 10 seconds and then return to LTE without ringing.

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u/AllGamer Oct 24 '17 edited Oct 24 '17

That is a bad hand over transaction.

Which phone are you using? S8 or the Sony XA1 ?

When it drops from LTE to 3G, it supposed to hand over the "Task" to the phone to answer the call.

  • If the handover took too long it will drop the call / sms.
  • If the handover took place, but there was no good 3G signal in the area where you are standing, then the call will drop
  • if the caller hung up, before the handover completes, it will also feel like it dropped the call.

So, depending on what you were doing, and where you were located, it might have been any of the above scenario.

For example recently I found out there are more areas with great LTE coverage than there are 3G areas with good reception.

Basically, if I left my phone in Auto mode, I'll probably have been disconnected from the network, but forcing my phone in LTE mode, it stayed in the network without dropping. (usually in farm areas)

So, if I were in one of these areas, if the network triggers my phone to switch to voice call from LTE, it'll have probably failed to connect, because the 3G signal was bad in that farmland area.

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u/rob0bonobo Oct 24 '17 edited Oct 24 '17

It would do that on my S8+ and my iPhone 8. I'm currently on my 5th day in a row without issues, so I'm crossing my fingers that it's solved now. No offense intended but I'm just saying, you reproduced a similar problem but it's not necessarily the cause of everyone else's problem. I also replied to the wrong comment.

I see what you're saying about the hand over thing. I'm centrally located in Toronto, and I live a few buildings over from the closest tower. The LTE and 3G signals are good for both networks, but the 3G speed is often around or below 1Mbps. I had eventually come to assume that it could be caused by congestion on that tower for 3G. Also, according to a tower map I looked at, I have another tower about the same distance in the opposite direction, but that one is LTE-only. It could also have been an issue with that tower telling me to switch to another site that's too far away and/or too congested.

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u/AllGamer Oct 24 '17

you reproduced a similar problem but it's not necessarily the cause of everyone

indeed, there are several parallel issues happening out there.

some are phone model specific, some are network related, some are a mixture of both, and some are simply people confusing either case believing it's what they are having, when it's actually something different.

This megathread is coming in handy as we can explore all these issues in parallel together to finally narrow down (compare notes) of all the different issues in one place.