US Roaming Talk Not Working

[hncfreyja2]

Someone help me please.  My husband is assisting with power restoration in the states and he cannot call me.  He was able to call me elsewhere in the states but not from Santee, SC where there should be no tower issues or Augusta, GA where I understand service is still spotty.   But everyone else from Canada with him is able to call and he was able to call me when he was travelling through Pennsylvania and Massachusetts en route.

What am I missing here?  I got him to switch networks manually and to GSM only etc and restart his phone but he still cannot call me.  Text and data work. . He has the US Canada Plan.  Any suggestions for these other areas he's in?  Is there just no T-Mobile coverage or what?  TIA

[hTideGnow]

hi @hncfreyja2 what phone he has? did he try different networks?  And I believe he has data, try calling with WhatsApp or iMessage or download VoIP apps like TextNow or Fongo to make calls

[Wayworn]

Texting is best - you can wait to hear his voice again when he’s done helping others . 

[Nezgar]

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@hncfreyja2 wrote:

Yeah, it's not on that official list, is my understanding.  But it works in other areas just fine.  Just not in Santee or Augusta.  Crap.

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The places it *IS* working is not using VoLTE, its using the last vestiges of the old 2G GSM network, where available. I myself for example was able to use a 2G GSM network for calls in San Diego & Los Angeles last year, but not in Spearfish, South Dakota since T-Mobile no longer has any 2G GSM coverage there. (or 3G for that matter either).

What I would recommend in the mean time is seeing if your husband can install the TextNow VoIP calling app. It will let you make and receive calls for free with a new Canadian number over your mobile data or Wi-Fi instead. Fongo Mobile is another canadian VoIP calling app as well.

[Nezgar]

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@hncfreyja2 wrote:

It is set to WDMA/GDA/LTE Only.  He said he has tried all the networks.  PM keeps telling me voLTE is not compatible (it's an LG G6) but it works fine and uses VoLTE here in New Brunswick as I have previously verified.  We don't have a setting on that model.

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I also have a phone (BlackBerry KeyONE running Android 8.1) that works for VoLTE in Canada, but not in the USA. Since it's not on the official list, it's basically blocked by the USA carriers. The USA carriers are even more strict on which devices they permit VoLTE to work on than in Canada.

[hncfreyja2]

Yeah, it's not on that official list, is my understanding.  But it works in other areas just fine.  Just not in Santee or Augusta.  Crap.

[hncfreyja2]

It is set to WDMA/GDA/LTE Only.  He said he has tried all the networks.  PM keeps telling me voLTE is not compatible (it's an LG G6) but it works fine and uses VoLTE here in New Brunswick as I have previously verified.  We don't have a setting on that model.

[Nezgar]

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@hncfreyja2 wrote:

Someone help me please.  My husband is assisting with power restoration in the states and he cannot call me.  He was able to call me elsewhere in the states but not from Augusta, GA but everyone else from Canada with him is able to call.  What am I missing here?  I got him to switch networks manually and to GSM only etc and restart his phone but he still cannot call me.  Text and data work. . He has the US Canada Plan.  Any suggestions?  TIA

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For calling to work in the USA, the phone needs to be new enough to support VoLTE for calls, and in addition needs to be on the US Carriers "allow list" of specific models of phones to work with the feature as well.

There is a short list of models of phones at this official help article, any phone not on that list has risk of not working in Canada and/or the US for calls over LTE (VoLTE).

Otherwise as you discovered, the only workaround is to manually force the phone to T-Mobile GSM to make calls, but this 2G network has very limited coverage across the US.

[Handy1]

@hncfreyja2  Tell him to try phone set to 4G/LTE not 5G and make sure he’s connected to T mobile AT&T and can try Verizon. Also if I’m his phone /account doesn’t have voLTE enabled he would be stuck trying to use phone on 2G