Need help figuring out new phone to get that will work on Public

[BradL2]

Hi there,

I've tried getting help from Public support staff and they've been less than helpful so wanted to ask here.  Public has informed me that due to upgrades in their system, as of Feb. 14th my phone will no longer work to send or receive MMS texts, and the only option is to get a new phone.  It's frustrating, because I really wasn't planning to afford a new phone right now.  The one I have is a Motorola Moto E (2nd Generation) with 4G LTE.  I guess I've had it for going on 8 years now.

I definitely need to keep the same phone number I have now because it's tied to everything.

I don't need a lot of bells and whistles in a new phone (afterall, I was still satisfied with this one for 8 years).  

Basically just need to be able to use some apps, send and receive texts, and just a decent enough camera (doesn't need to be anything special).  I really don't care how the phone looks or any other features.  

Bearing all that in mind, I also want it to be as cheap as possible! (And don't want to get a refurbished/used one).  Ideal if I can just order it through Amazon or something, too.

So, with those criteria, I've been trying to figure out, exactly which phones can I get that I can be assured will work on Public and let me keep my current phone number, and are not going to run into a problem like this anytime soon where it's not compatible with their system.  If anyone can either point me to how I could figure that out, or give me a few suggestions of specific ones to consider (again cheap as possible for new phones), I'd really appreciate it. 

Thanks!

[BradL2]

Wow, very helpful, thank you so much!!  Sorry I thought I had posted this as a new topic, it won't seem to let me credit you for the solution since I guess I posted it as a follow-up question on the same topic and had already credited someone for the solution on the original question.  Either way, thanks a lot, this will save me the headache of having to order a new sim card!! 🙂 

[hairbag1]

the micro sim can be reduced to nano sim...it's been pre-punched to be able to do so. You'll just put it in new phone and you're good to go.

[BradL2]

Thanks very much!  I'm now looking at a Samsung A15 instead, but very good to know about the charging tips, appreciate it!

[BradL2]

Hi, following up on a previous question, I've now narrowed down a new phone I'm going to get and seem to have confirmed that it will LIKELY work on Public Mobile (seems to be as much assurance as their staff is able to give me).  It is a Samsung Galaxy A15 5G 128 GB which I'll get from Best Buy.

My question is, since this new phone will require a Nano-sim card and my current one has a micro-sim card, how do I make sure that I can retain my current number when I'm getting BOTH a new phone and a new type of sim card and won't be able to transfer anything from the old phone to the new one?  If I order a Sim Card from Public Mobile for $10 (presumably that's a Nano one since they don't list types), does it somehow have my phone number embedded in it automatically because I'm making the order?  If not, how do I get that current number transferred over to the new phone when I can't use the old sim card in the new phone nor the new sim card in the old phone?

Thanks in advance for any help with this, much appreciated!  (I don't have either the phone nor the sim card yet, just wanting to be absolutely certain about this because I buy it, because I definitely want to keep the same phone number).

[BKNS27]

@BradL2 

My friend have the 2023 Moto G Play with no issues but I see they did have some issues with swelling battery on the 2021 models.

They must have fix the issue. Common swelling is caused by over charging and leaving it charging over night.

I normally charge my phones to 85% and not 100%.

[BradL2]

Appreciate your help, thanks for the tip, I hadn't heard of that before!  Good to know!

[BradL2]

Thanks a lot, I appreciate the ideas!  I was hoping for something $250 or less, though I know that limits it a lot, haha.  I saw a Motorola one that was under $200 but a lot of people were saying about having issues with battery swelling.  I saw a Samsung one at Best Buy but it's not showing up on the list of PM approved phones, but I may message them and ask if it will work. (https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/samsung-galaxy-a15-5g-128gb-blue-black-unlocked/17663300)  Thanks for your help

[BradL2]

Great to know, thanks a lot, I'd never even heard of that before!  Appreciate it, thanks.

[BradL2]

Thanks a lot, I appreciate your help, and the link too!  Good to know about the sim card for keeping the same number. Yes, mine is as old as the phone itself, so about 8 years.  Thanks for letting me know about the adaptors!

[BradL2]

Excellent, thanks very much for the tips and links.  The Moto G Play looked like a good option, unfortunately I'm seeing some reviews about swelling batteries with it, but the price is right, haha.  The links are helpful too, thanks!

[PhoneHome8932]

Hi 🙂

You can still use RCS chat in Google messages to send and receive photos via text. Yes it uses  data and the other person needs to have it on too. RCS was made to replace SMS/MMS. Just an idea.

[hTideGnow]

HI @BradL2 

any new phone sold in Canada will allow you to get full service on PM

But I suggest you to stay with big brands like Motorola, Google or Samsung (since you are using Android)

you can get good Motorola or Samsung form Costco 

or you can buy Samsung and Google phone directly from their site

May I  know what budget you have?  Maybe we can suggest something based on that

[HALIMACS]

@BradL2 

Check out the nearest Mobile Klinic location in your area, if there is one.

https://mobileklinik.ca/stores/

They have pretty well adopted the device supply side of the business that used to be supplied here through public mobile. 

[Phil_Adelphus]

@BradL2   There's information on the MMS-related changes, and a list of phones compatible with Public Mobile here:

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles/picture-messaging-updates 

Having said that, do you actually use MMS (group and picture messages) because as far as I know regular texts (SMS) are not affected.

As for keeping the same phone number, you should just need to take the sim out of the old phone and put it in the new one.  If they're a different size there are adaptors or you should be able to remove the outer parts and scale it down.  If the sim is as old as the phone I'm not sure whether you would need a new sim if they didn't come with adaptors then (someone else here may know).

[BKNS27 · Accepted solution]

@BradL2 

You might consider the Moto G Play from Costco for $140. The phones from Amazon are mostly refurbished phones. My friend got a Blackview phone and it didn’t work on some Canadian carriers.

You can check your possible on this website if it is compatible with Canadian carriers:

https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/CA 

Keep in mind that you need a minimum 2 frequencies in 3G, 4G or 5G for it to work properly without dropouts.

Here is PM frequencies and device check:

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on/get-help/articles/check-your-phones-compatibility