Calls keep dropping after 53 seconds ( exactly 53 seconds)

[Freebird2222]

my calls keep dropping for the last few days . I never had this problem before. ( every call drops exactly after 53 seconds) i did things like rebooting / taking the SIM card off but nothing works.  

Loud beeps and then dropped call

when placing a call I hear a large double beep around 22 seconds and it then drops around 53-54 seconds.  it’s happening to both incoming and outgoing calls

i am currently roaming in the U.S , U.S talk add on

I am having this problem for a week and unfortunately public mobile team couldn’t solve the issue .

I submitted 2 tickets but haven’t received any response from public mobile ( team _ moderator)

any suggestion how to get this issue resolved ?

[Freebird2222]

when placing a call I hear a large double beep around 22 seconds and it then drops around 53-54 seconds.  it’s happening to both incoming and outgoing calls

i am currently roaming in the U.S , U.S talk add on

I am having this problem for a week and unfortunately public mobile team couldn’t solve the issue .

[darlicious]

@Nezgar 

Oh I see what you are saying the same thing is achieved with a roaming sim the difference being and what i was thinking for @Freebird2222  was they could keep the pm sim in the phone for texts but be connected to the portable hot spot along with a laptop etc....since it can connect 5 devices. Then access to fongo and text now is easy and portable. The hotspot comes with 50gb of US data on sale with device for $128 and good for a year ( I think) but also gave the possibility of using a mint mobile sim for cheaper service than pm's roaming add ons (and current service issues.) Seeing as the OP will continue to do business in the US in the future it would pay for itself in savings in the next two months alone. 

For it to work you would still have to purchase a sim in Canada, change sim card in the account and program the call forwarding  and then send the sim card to @Freebird2222  by registered mail or courier to be able to use it to recieve text messaging.

[geopublic]

@Freebird2222  That is a known issue with PM if I remember correctly the fix is for PM to reset your account but I think you need to be connected to PM and not roaming. 

I think a long time ago another user was able to resolve a similar issue by swapping their sim. Might be worthwhile to order a new sim from Amazon and do the swap via your selfserve account.

[Nezgar]

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@darlicious wrote:

@Nezgar Thank you. Did you check out that link?

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Yeah, seems decent. But there's a lot of carriers doing this - you can shop around for any SIM provider that gives data and either use any phone to be your "hotspot" or these special-purpose devices that do only that... Only difference is maybe the battery lasts longer when not plugged in... A search on Amazon for "Roaming SIM" returns a plethora of options LOL. I remember a youtube video recommending a SIM from Thailand or something that was the cheapest they could find.. You can use it in Canada with lots of data, but all of the Internet access is backhauled through the original carriers country, so you have to put up with that lag as it hops back and forth around the world... If you only need data, who cares about the phone number..

[darlicious]

@Nezgar 

Thank you. Did you check out that link?

[Nezgar]

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@darlicious wrote:

Could a work around on the sim in the US issue be achieved by having s family member get a cheap one from CCS and the OP changing the sim in the account and the family member putting the sim in a phone to call forward the number? Text messages wouldn't be sent but is there a way around that?

Indeed switching the SIM to one someone can put in a phone in Canada would ensure calls continue to forward even without a roaming add-on... Again not great since it doesn't forward texts... I've read some posts where people suggest an App on the phone which if left on and charged can do the work of forwarding texts - I don't know one myself to suggest.

What do you know about wifi hotspots?

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Not much, but they exist and should work well for Data and VoIP calling... I used to like Roam Mobility, but when they went under they suggested Ting. https://ting.com/ I haven't been to the US since so haven't had a first-hand experience to base any recommendations from...

[darlicious]

@Nezgar 

Could a work around on the sim in the US issue be achieved by having s family member get a cheap one from CCS and the OP changing the sim in the account and the family member putting the sim in a phone to call forward the number? Text messages wouldnt be sent but is there a way around that?

What do you know about wifi hotspots?

https://m.glocalme.com/US/cloudsim/u2

and thank you!

[Nezgar]

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@darlicious wrote:

(@Nezgar where are you? Does the bulb in the bat signal need changing?) 

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Heheh, Busy long day today, was kept away from the party! But it seems most others here have already thought of the obvious stuff....

@Freebird2222 Usually this symptom is caused by having TWO (or more) active US Roaming Talk add-ons at the same time. IE, there's 3 combinations that include talk: talk only (will still allow incoming texts), talk+text, and talk+text+250mb data... Previously, you would need a moderator to resolve by removing one of conflicting add-ons - but I see you have already done that with the moderatrors to no avail. Still leaves me scratching my head unless you can again review your account with a fine tooth comb what it shows which add-ons are present on the account.... maybe post a screenshot with personal info redacted...(maybe you did already, I might have missed some earlier posts) I'm sure you've already tried manually switching between AT&T/T-Mobile as well...

What plan are you on? Since you are in the USA long-term, there's no point in using a plan any higher than the lowest $15 plan since none of your usage will come from the base plan. There was an old $50 or $60 plan that included US roaming, and that could also conflict if you added a US roaming add-on... But I'm sure that's not the case...

Based on past accounts I've researched, call forwarding will not work while the phone is in the USA without a US talk roaming add on after the phone has registered to a US tower. After that point, call forwarding can only be continued by renewing a talk plan... If someone wants their phone to continue to call forward without a US roaming add on, they would have forward the phone while in Canada, and ensure the phone NEVER registers to a US tower while they are away - best done by removing the SIM from the phone - but then you can't receive texts.... I know it's a conundrum. In my mind the 'lowest' option would be to purchase *only* the TALK US add-on to allow calls + forwarding, and still be able to receive incoming texts.

Another app option that is a little more polished than Fongo is TextNow. Free canadian number, can use for incoming+outgoing calls, but again requires wifi or data for use, and sends that temp number for outgoing caller ID, not your own. Textnow also can be used via the website and a PC to make calls. Maybe nicer if you have a decent USB headset for calls.

If this is a long term thing, you could consider a full-fledged VoIP service like voip.ms and use a softphone, hardware IP phone or ATA and have it send whatever outgoing caller ID you want... Actually with no hardware you could use it as a DISA service (Direct inward system access)  and use it like a calling card to dial in, enter  a PIN, and then get a 2nd dialtone - but you can set it so that outgoing call uses an alternative caller ID such as that from your mobile number. for a few cents per minute anywhere in US or Canada...

🤔

[darlicious]

@Freebird2222 

I mentioned the incoming texting at some point..... so if you can enable call forward to the fongo number and use google hangouts for the time being to display your phone number then the 1gb  roaming add on will work for you. You can recieve texts and text out using textnow or RCS?   

(@Nezgar where are you? Does the bulb in the bat signal need changing?) 

So for the moment we have figured out a workaround to the issue thanks to some extra insight from @srlawren  and @hairbag1 . Now that all three of the pm managers that handle community business have bern tagged there should be some proper customer service/support come your way.....and a credit! But getting you reliable roaming while you are in the US for another 2 months is most important.

If any of the three members I have tagged in this post know how the wifi hotspotting would apply in the OP's situation I would love to know!

[Freebird2222]

You are absolutely right . I can receive text messages without any U.S add-on . 

[hairbag1]

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@Freebird2222 wrote:

I tried most of your suggestions but didn’t resolve the issue . ( I am using android phone ) 

as for forwarding , you are absolutely right and it can be done thru Fongo without needing any U.S roaming add-on. However,  I won’t be able to receive any text messages ( SMS) if I do not renew U.S add-on.  

You are also right that forwarding can be enabled from the U.S but it has to be done before my add-on expires . Otherwise , I won’t be able to enable or disable the forwarding service due to not having a network connection . ( I believe forwarding can be enabled or disabled while my SIM card is registered on PM network or it’s roaming partners )  

unfortunately , forwarding cannot be done online/ through PM website . 

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Even without a US Roaming text add-on...you'll still receive texts while in US. You just won't be able to respond with your PM plan.

[Freebird2222]

I tried most of your suggestions but didn’t resolve the issue . ( I am using android phone ) 

as for forwarding , you are absolutely right and it can be done thru Fongo without needing any U.S roaming add-on. However,  I won’t be able to receive any text messages ( SMS) if I do not renew U.S add-on.  

You are also right that forwarding can be enabled from the U.S but it has to be done before my add-on expires . Otherwise , I won’t be able to enable or disable the forwarding service due to not having a network connection . ( I believe forwarding can be enabled or disabled while my SIM card is registered on PM network or it’s roaming partners )  

unfortunately , forwarding cannot be done online/ through PM website . 

[Freebird2222]

I am using an android.  

I did reset my network multiple times but didn’t help .  I now came to believe dropping call is due to U.S roaming functionality issue . When i renewed my add-on last week , it didn’t work at first and I had to submit a ticket to get the issue resolved . The add-on was showing purchased and active on my online account but when I was trying to make a call , PM operator was saying that there is no U.S roaming subscription included in my plan . In fact ,  I  have been renewing U.S add-on for the last several month and never had any problem with the service .  That’s why I am sure U.S roaming is the source of issues which I’m experiencing at the moment and it has nothing to do with my phone . PM removed the add-on , credited back and reactivated it but it didn’t help . 

[srlawren]

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@Freebird2222 wrote:

for outgoing calls , I use hangout app and it displays my PM number when I make outgoing calls . 

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@Freebird2222 FYI, they have not announced exact timing yet, but Google is retiring Hangouts Dialer support in "early 2021".  Unfortunately the replacement (Google Voice) isn't available to Canadians, so once that stops, you'll be out of options (of which I'm aware) to be able to outbound dial via VoIP with your PM phone number displayed.  Just an FYI.

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@Freebird2222 wrote:

And I need to renew my U.S roaming with PM in order to forward my incoming calls to Fongo. Otherwise I won’t even be able to use Fongo for any forwarding purposes .

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@Freebird2222 call forwarding is done at the network level, so I *think* you should be okay without the add-on.  PM should continue to forward your calls to Fongo which will reach your device over WiFi or roaming mobile data.  This is basically the workaround people usually suggest for incoming calls for customers roaming internationally, as long as they turn on the forwarding before leaving.  I think you're okay if you were able to enable it from the US, it *should* continue forwarding.  Perhaps try it out before you purchase another add-on?

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@419mainstreet wrote:

1) You may have a damaged SIM card.

2) This may sound simple, but try turning it off and on again.

3) Close background apps. 

4) Activate your Caller ID.

5) One more strange trick: set your iPhone’s time and date automatically.

6) If nothing else works, try checking to see if your carrier has any updates.

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@419mainstreet while at least some of these can be useful things to try (never heard of #4, for example), this symptom is generally associated with a network-side issue that has nothing to do with your device or it's settings.  PM actually need to fix this for the OP.

@Alan_K @Melinda_H  is it possible to get this escalated?  It seems the moderators were not able to resolve this and have asked @Freebird2222 to work with the US roaming partners directly to resolve.  I don't believe this is the right course of action.  Thank you in advance if you're able to help.

[darlicious]

@Freebird2222 

A little more investigation came up with a few things...are you using an iPhone? If so theres a suggestion from at&t to turn data on and your phone will start using 4G instead of 4G LTE for calls. Worth a try....they say if it persists reset your network settings but i think that pertains to US customers of at&t only I believe.....

A more likely culprit is the recent US roaming functionality issue and how it is affecting your account. A very similar issue that would occur sporadically to customers since 2016 after an unusual renewal (did you have one?) but the US roaming issue may have caused the same issue along with the 2 roaming talk add on bug.....anyhow from what I could glean from the solution by Mary the mod was the removal of the plan from the account, a reset, add the plan back, a device reboot and a network reset.

All of those moderators are now gone since telus outsourced moderator support so the exact solution may be lost but I am going to message one of the members who also had this issue to see if they can offer any insight....but they are not a regular contributor so we will see.....

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Phones-Hardware/Phone-calls-dropping-after-about-55-s...

Even more insight on the origins of the problem are supplied by a link in the above thread by the OP which subsequently supplies yet another link to a thread. You fall into this category....hopefully your ticket is still open because i just passed the 60 hour mark in a pm to the mods so not good.....

[419mainstreet]

1) You may have a damaged SIM card. If it’s been damaged for any reason (often a dropped phone, or a poorly inserted card) then you could drop calls on your iPhone. If it’s bent, chipped, broken, or not properly inserted, you could drop calls. Here are some things to try:

• Take out the SIM card carefully. Check to see if it appears at all damaged. If it looks fine, then make sure that the notched corners line up in the right places to insert it and push it back in. Since the cards can only be inserted one way, you’ll know immediately if you’re putting it in correctly.
• Once the SIM card is back in the phone, get someone to call you and see if the call is dropped.
• On the other hand, if the card looks damaged at all, you can be pretty certain that it’s the problem.

2) This may sound simple, but try turning it off and on again. Power the phone off and wait for a few seconds, then turn it back on. See if that fixes the problems of dropped calls.

3) Close background apps. So many of us switch from app to app that we forget what’s running on the phone, and soon we have twenty or thirty apps running at once. That’s another cache memory issue, and it could cause dropped calls.

4) Activate your Caller ID. Another non-intuitive solution here: if you go to Settings, then Phone, then Show My Caller ID, this might fix the problem.

• Dial #3#. This is like the caller ID trick. IT is meant to disable your phone’s outgoing anonymity status, and that might be the problem.

5) One more strange trick: set your iPhone’s time and date automatically. This is particularly an issue if you’ve traveled recently and crossed time zones. Connect to WiFi, then go to Settings, then General, then Date and Time, and see if Set Automatically is turned on. If it isn’t, turn it on.

6) If nothing else works, try checking to see if your carrier has any updates. If there have been updates you haven’t installed, they could be dropping your calls. Go to Settings, then General, then About. If there’s an update available, one will pop up and you can install it. If nothing pops up, this isn’t the issue.

[darlicious]

@Freebird2222 

Hey its helping me out too......learn as you go......I could barely operate a smartphone 16 months ago. Then I switched to public mobile and I had to learn the basics and I went from there.... I have a dual sim samsung galaxy A3 i bought 3 years ago for travel (and I have 2 accounts) to use cheap local sims. This wifi hotspot device is very interesting and could be a good investment and very useful for your business travel. The clearance priced ones on the website  with the data deals are fantastic...

I'm assuming this is in US$99 or w/ 24gb $109 or w/50gb $128 and/or use the sim slot for local sims ie mint mobile

[Freebird2222]

I truly appreciate all the valuable information/ solutions you just offered .  

[darlicious]

@Freebird2222  

When @Nezgar posts his suggestions you will have more options . I don't have the expertise in call forwarding etc that he posesses but the general idea ( unless your sim card has to be in canada to do the programming) would be call forwarding thru fongo  to meet all of your needs either using just the US roaming data option or possibly a mint mobile sim card . With the data only or if necessary the data/talk/text add on you can then  call both on wifi and mobile data. Fongo uses about 0.5mb per minute so 250mb=500 min of calling.

I realize this can mean extra phone expenses on your part but at the same time either thru a directive from Catherine_T or just at a later date when the crazy customer support backlog is cleared you would ask for and had better recieve a credit equal to the added expenses or possibly up to 30 days  worth of roaming add ons for the frustration , lack of roaming functionality and very poor customer support.

On the other hand with your length of stay and as previously mentioned a downgrade in plan ( as long as you dont have a grandfathered plan) some ingenuity from  @Nezgar  we could possibly save you enough money and find a great deal on a dual sim phone to then use both your pm service and mint mobiles service. (3 months of mint $45+$30 min 2 month of pm=$75÷60 days=$1.25 per day)

(2 month min pm service=$30+6×$20 10 day roaming='$150÷60 days =$2.50 per day)   That would save you $75+ $30 pm credit?=$105 towards a dual sim phone!      food for thought!

Edit: Maybe this is an option if not now maybe for the future.....

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YDPPS5H?tag=toomanada-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

https://m.glocalme.com/US/cloudsim/u2

[Freebird2222]

And I need to renew my U.S roaming with PM in order to forward my incoming calls to Fongo. Otherwise I won’t even be able to use Fongo for any forwarding purposes . 

[Freebird2222]

The current U.S talk add-on expires in a few days and I’ll be staying here two more month before flying back home. 

[darlicious]

@Freebird2222 

When does your current roaming add on expire? How much longer are you in the US?

[Freebird2222]

I got a free number with Fongo and forwarded my PM number to Fongo . It kinda solved the problem temporarily so I can have incoming calls without any dropping. 

for outgoing calls , I use hangout app and it displays my PM number when I make outgoing calls . 
It is needless to say that none of the above solutions work without an internet connection 

Sadly , PM made me go though too much hassle. Very disappointing.

[darlicious]

@Nezgar 

I can't quite remember how call forwarding works with fongo and US roaming etc...can you read thru this thread and possibly offer some work arounds for the OP?

[darlicious]

@Freebird2222 

Quick phone calls only then except with wifi....you downloaded fongo so you can call forward and/or use the wifi calling?

If you do a lot of business in the US you should consider a dual sim phone the next time you plan on purchasing a new phone. There are several chinese manufacturers such as Umidigi that offer excellent dual sim phones in the $100 - $200 range that you could switch to for business and take advantage of mint mobiles cheap rates while south of the border but still have access to your pm number. ( Downgrade your plan amount and only have the US roaming calling add on if its even necessary....and you can still recieve texts on your pm phone without a roaming add on .)

[Freebird2222]

Thanks for understanding what I’m going through with PM.

the reason I have been paying for U.S roaming is that I need to use my Canadian phone number  for various reasons such as receiving calls from my Canadian clients / security alerts from banks ( Canadian banks) as well as singing up for things which need a Canadian number . 

I can still send / receive  text messages but all my incoming and outgoing calls drop within 53 seconds .  

[darlicious]

@Freebird2222 

Wow thats a completely unacceptable answer. I dont think either of those companies could or would help you as you are not a direct customer. But they do have pretty good community help if thats helpful at all. I'm sure @Catherine_T would be very interested in this developement. You may want to private message her yourself with the moderator messages you have recieved.

I'm not sure how long you are in the US for.....and this ideally work much better with a dual sim phone but check out the mint mobile rates.....i think 3 month purchases only but gads of service  starting at $15/3gb per month including unlimited calling/texting to Canada and Mexico.

https://www.mintmobile.com/plans/

and a 7 day money back guarantee......

What is Mint Mobile’s 7-Day Money Back Guarantee refund policy?

All of our full plans and Starter Kits feature a 7-Day Money Back Guarantee for all purchases made on mintmobile.com or using the app. You can cancel your service for any reason within 7 days of activation and we will refund you 100% of the purchase price, including any fees and taxes. Shipping is not refunded.

Got an unused SIM card? We’ll honor returns for these within 10 days of purchase. It must be returned in its original unopened packaging and the SIM card must not be activated (condition counts—we aren’t called Mint for nothing).

[Freebird2222]

After 7days of back and forth messaging with PM / submitting several tickets , I was told to contact AT&T or TMOBILE in order to get dropped calls fixed . ( PM said there is nothing they can do to resolve this issue ) 

I feel extremely disappointed with PM roaming service as well as lack of solution . 
I am now left on my own to resolve a very sophisticated network issue between PM and it’s U.S roaming partners . 

[srlawren]

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@fdrcamb519 wrote:

to me sounds like a phone problem, try sim in other phone 

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@fdrcamb519 this is almost certainly a service issue that would also occur in another phone.  As I noted a few days ago, it's usually caused by having > 1 active US Roaming Talk add-on active at a time but as @darlicious noted it seems to be related to a system issue PM had recently with US roaming functionality.

[stevenanto]

I would suggest the same.

[fdrcamb519]

@Freebird2222 

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@Freebird2222 wrote:

my calls keep dropping for the last few days . I never had this problem before. ( every call drops exactly after 53 seconds) i did things like rebooting / taking the SIM card off but nothing works.  

Loud beeps and then dropped call

when placing a call I hear a large double beep around 22 seconds and it then drops around 53-54 seconds.  it’s happening to both incoming and outgoing calls

i am currently roaming in the U.S , U.S talk add on

I am having this problem for a week and unfortunately public mobile team couldn’t solve the issue .

I submitted 2 tickets but haven’t received any response from public mobile ( team _ moderator)

any suggestion how to get this issue resolved ?

---

to me sounds like a phone problem, try sim in other phone 

[fdrcamb519]

when placing a call I hear a large double beep around 22 seconds and it then drops around 53-54 seconds.  it’s happening to both incoming and outgoing calls

i am currently roaming in the U.S , U.S talk add on

I am having this problem for a week and unfortunately public mobile team couldn’t solve the issue .