Beware: VoLTE Not Being Enabled for Phones that Support it

[analogmike77]

UPDATE: After 7 months of waiting I finally received a software update today that enabled VoLTE!

ORIGINAL POST: I requested to get VoLTE turned on for my Samsung S20 Ultra because I know the handset supports it and I know that both Telus and Koodo provide VoLTE for the S20 Ultra. When talking with tech support I was told that the approved handsets for Public Mobile are much more limited than Telus or Koodo for "business reasons" and because PM is a tier 3 supplier. There was nobody I could escalate my request to. I was flat out told "no" the S20 Ultra will not have VoLTE enabled. They're enabling it for a lot of other "lesser" phones. My S20 Ultra is still much more capable than a lot of brand new phones and I don't want to be forced to upgrade a perfectly good handset.

The reason I noticed my phone does not have VoLTE is that for the past week the UMTS service has been out and I haven't been able to make or receive any phone calls. My wife and daughter had no issues because their iPhones have VoLTE enabled. I only care about VoLTE so that I don't lose voice service again.

Note that my wife's old lower end Samsung S20 FE has VoLTE service even though it's not on the list of PM supported devices. Seems random which handsets they allow and which they block.

I've been with PM for about 5 years now and I've found everything about my experience with PM to be far superior to Telus (especially support), up until now. Come on PM, there's no reason to disable capable phones and make us buy new handsets because of "business reasons". What will it take for PM to do the right thing and enable all phones supported by Telus and Koodo? This is making me seriously consider moving to a non-Telus owned cell provider.

@CS_Agent if there's any way you can escalate this to the senior management level (or the people who make "business decisions") and get them support VoLTE on the Samsung S20 Ultra (and all the other Telus/Koodo supported handsets), that would be greatly appreciated. The PM/Telus tech support person who called me about this issue today was very friendly but is unable to do anything about this. Please don't bother escalating this back to tech support.

[LTD2023]

I agree with you. Both my husband and myself have been with public mobile for 5 years and we will be cancelling our services. The whole reason we came to public mobile was affordability. We are low income pensioners and there is/was absolutely nothing wrong with our phones. We both have the $15.00 monthly plan. The listed phones are getting way out of our league and it is more economical to just use the free home phone line offered to us. I know technology has to improve but it also ends up leaving people behind that can't afford it. 

[analogmike77]

That's correct. Software update on their end.

[Pawprints1986]

Software update, on their end? 

[analogmike77]

UPDATE: Samsung phones that are currently approved for volte on Telus are slated to have volte added in the near future on PM. There's no schedule but I was promised it will happen in the next few months (requires a sw update). Thanks to Paul from tech support who followed up with me today to let me know. I recommended to him that PM add a list to the website for phones that will be supported in the future.

[analogmike77]

"You're making people want to switch *away* from telus entirely."

Exactly. And it wouldn't be just me. I would switch my wife and 2 kids as well. That's a loss of 4 customers completely because of this short sighted move.

[Pawprints1986]

"I've been with PM for about 5 years now and I've found everything about my experience with PM to be far superior to Telus (especially support), up until now. Come on PM, there's no reason to disable capable phones and make us buy new handsets because of "business reasons". What will it take for PM to do the right thing and enable all phones supported by Telus and Koodo? This is making me seriously consider moving to a non-Telus owned cell provider."

Similar vibes here. I've been happy here, and it's amazing paying only $25 after rewards for my plan (but plus tax). Very recently acquired a galaxy s20 5g thinking it'll last me a good long time, 5g just rolling out I'd be set for years - compatible on telus itself verified by imei, and koodo, but not here. Bought this thinking as long as the *device* could do it, the network would do it regardless of 3rd tier, especially due to the impending nuking of 3g (aka, the only way we can make calls right now)

@CS_Agent I agree, very garbage move - you're making people want to switch carriers, and not to your own 2nd and 1st tier. You're making people want to switch *away* from telus entirely

[softech]

@hairbag1 

lol, you just need one minor upgrade to 2017 iPhone 8 🙂

and for is.. a 2021 S21 not make the list

[hairbag1]

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@softech wrote:

@analogmike77 to have your voice heard, message support here

 https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

**Monitor your Community inbox (envelope icon on top right) after the ticket is opened.  CS Agent will reply to you there

And yes, i have an S21 and not make to cut too. Apple users are always luckier, their 7 years old iPhones will work VoLTE bit our 2 years old  Android 😞

But I truly think PM will open up its  VoLTE whitelist eventually 

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iPhone SE 2016 is volte capable but PM refuses to enable it on OUR network.

[dust2dust]

Yes it's a ridiculously restrictive whitelist. My phone is perfectly well able to do volte with another provider but this place says no. I also happen to think they're doing things proprietary, non-standard by the fact that the toggle and easily seeing the presence of volte even on the devices that work is some amount of work to figure out to verify.

An internal tech person said that with some devices that currently have volte but aren't on any known list that volte could disappear. And we have heard of some people here having exactly that.

This is also a larger problem for roaming where T-Mobile is apparently shutting down their 2G network in about a year. Then it'll be a really large problem when Canada shuts down UMTS.

[softech · Accepted solution]

@analogmike77 to have your voice heard, message support here

 https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

**Monitor your Community inbox (envelope icon on top right) after the ticket is opened.  CS Agent will reply to you there

And yes, i have an S21 and not make to cut too. Apple users are always luckier, their 7 years old iPhones will work VoLTE bit our 2 years old  Android 😞

But I truly think PM will open up its  VoLTE whitelist eventually 

[Handy1]

@analogmike77  Your absolutely right . And well written too .