topic Re: Pixel XL apn read only? in Get Support

Pixel XL apn read only?

WearySky — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 20:21:54 GMT

So, this is a weird one that I haven't encountered before. I was trying to troubleshoot some WiFi hotspot issues on my Pixel XL (stock rom, Android 8.1 with the latest security patch), and in the apn settings there's only one option, no ability to add another, and when I go into the one option it's all read only. Anybody have any idea wtf is going on? I couldn't find anything with a quick googling on this one.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

mimmo — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 20:13:09 GMT

@WearySky not sure what can be the problem. Deleing caches possibly? Old faithful is a factory reset but that is always a last resort.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

koimr1 — Sun, 21 Jan 2018 22:09:58 GMT

Take a read here: APN settings problem - Pixel 2 XL

Google says the ability to add or edit an APN is left to the carriers and they don't mess with that - carriers say they don't restrict that at all - I'm leaning towards this being a Google bug.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

will13am — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 01:19:26 GMT

The so called "built in" APN cannot be edited. It is pull from a configuration file based on matches with the SIM card that is in use. However, the option to add an APN has always been there. I have never heard of carriers messing with that part of the rom functionality. If the add new APN function is broken, then it's on google.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

WearySky — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 02:50:56 GMT

So according to the agent in chat support, the ability to add an APN was removed in android 8.1. No idea why. And they said to contact my carrier for help. Sigh.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

computergeek541 — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 04:54:39 GMT

@WearySky wrote:
So according to the agent in chat support, the ability to add an APN was removed in android 8.1. No idea why. And they said to contact my carrier for help. Sigh.

That's a terrible reply from Google. I would just contact them again to see if you can get any further with this. The carrier can't possibly do anything for you other than to provide the APN settings for you to program in manually. I've seen many phones that you don't allow you to edit the default APN settings, but if Google has made it so that new ones can't be added either, that's just bad software programming. Google is the only one who can help you with this. The only way around that I can think of would be to try a custom rom.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

WearySky — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 13:24:31 GMT

@computergeek541 wrote:
@WearySky wrote:
So according to the agent in chat support, the ability to add an APN was removed in android 8.1. No idea why. And they said to contact my carrier for help. Sigh.
That's a terrible reply from Google. I would just contact them again to see if you can get any further with this. The carrier can't possibly do anything for you other than to provide the APN settings for you to program in manually. I've seen many phones that you don't allow you to edit the default APN settings, but if Google has made it so that new ones can't be added either, that's just bad software programming. Google is the only one who can help you with this. The only way around that I can think of would be to try a custom rom.

Yup, but also not a surprising response. This would be a ridiculously awful decision for Google to make to remove the ability to add an APN - I'm reading reports of Google removing it for certain carriers' sims (Verizon in particular, I think), but I *highly* doubt that's the issue here. I'm certainly not afraid of custom ROMs, but not really in the mood to start messing around with that just to get tethering working (also, I can just work around it by doing bluetooth internet tethering for now). I'm going to look around a bit more to see if I can find anything, but then I'm giving up.

Someone looks to have the same issue here - their solution was to roll back to 8.0. Lol. Not really an ideal solution. The other alternative is to root and edit manually, also kind of a huge pain in the ass too (especially since apps like Netflix are starting to crack down and disallow installation from the Play store on rooted phones). I'm going to try the "launch the add apn activity from adb shell" from the last post to see if that works, but not holding my breath.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

koimr1 — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 15:40:51 GMT

@WearySky: Did you have a chance to try that command via ADB and if so what was the result?

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

WearySky — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 18:09:45 GMT

@koimr1 just tried it now. I got an error message trying to save the APN, "carrier does not allow adding APNs of type *" - but it *looks* like the APN still saved. Just tried tethering and sure enough, success!

A bit more googling after getting that error message brought me to this post on Reddit, and it appears that Google is indeed now allowing carriers more control over APN editing. I'd be surprised if PM opted into that (though, you never know with Telus, possible they decided higher up), but it's possible that there's a bug in Android 8.1 disabling it if they can't find the carrier in their DB, maybe?

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

koimr1 — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 18:16:05 GMT

Oh wow, so from that Reddit post it seems this is just a way to make it more difficult to tether if the carrier doesn't want it if I'm reading that properly.

But you got it working, that's the main thing. 🙂

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

WearySky — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 19:12:59 GMT

@koimr1 they're attempting to make it impossible to tether, if that's what the carrier wants. Which is going to piss off a lot of people. It's working for me for now, hopefully it doesn't get screwed up with my next Android update though.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

sheytoon — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 21:32:27 GMT

Wow, my Nexus on 8.1 now has the same behaviour. I can't edit or add any APNs.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

WearySky — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 21:51:19 GMT

Hey @CS_Agent, can you please confirm that Public Mobile hasn't opted in to this ability to block people for editing/adding APN information?

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

PunkSlack — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 22:05:45 GMT

I've just recently signed up for Public Mobile and have a Pixel 2 with Android 8.1. Some of the APN settings that were automatically detected appear correct, but not all.

I'm also unable to add a new APN or edit the existing.

Without rolling back to a previous version of Android, is there any way for Public Mobile to update these settings? Or to allow them to be edited?

Please advise.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

koimr1 — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 22:29:04 GMT

@WearySky wrote:
Hey @CS_Agent, can you please confirm that Public Mobile hasn't opted in to this ability to block people for editing/adding APN information?

I'd like to know this as well.

Although I don't have a Pixel, my particular phone did not have the correct PM APN info automatically added and I had to do so myself.

My phone is supposed to receive an update to Oreo this year and if this is something now built-in to that version I might be hooped in the case of a factory reset or anything else that might delete the APNs. I don't want to find out too late that the ADB thing won't work for my phone.

So yes, some clarification would be good. 🙂

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

stonechucker — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 01:18:33 GMT

@sheytoon, my Nexus 5 is stuck on Marshmallow, and no longer receives over the air updates. What Nexus are you using? I want to know if something may or may not change on me...

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

sheytoon — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 02:01:48 GMT

@stonechucker

In our house we have a 6P on Bell and a 5X on Public Mobile. Both phones have the same behaviour on 8.1.

I think your Nexus 5 is safe 🙂

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

will13am — Sun, 27 May 2018 02:38:19 GMT

This has more impact than blocking tethering. It is a great way for carriers to lock a phone to their network without using SIM lock. Just limit the APN settings to a select few that only work with their own and affiliate networks. I just checked my essential phone and the APN addition function is gone too. I was certain it was there before the 8.1 update.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

sheytoon — Sun, 27 May 2018 19:56:50 GMT

@will13am, I think once you change your SIM, the APN will change to the new provider.

Re: Pixel XL apn read only?

will13am — Mon, 28 May 2018 14:58:43 GMT

@sheytoon wrote:
@will13am, I think once you change your SIM, the APN will change to the new provider.

What assurances do we have that they don't butcher the APN file and disable adding a custom APN at the same time? In many phones the APN file is far from complete as evidenced by so many customers having problems with adding the Public Mobile APN.

Edit: I confirmed with a colleague this morning that Rogers has not disabled APN addition on their sourced phones. This is on a pixel running android 8.1, May 2018 security patch.