Pixel XL apn read only?

[WearySky]

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. 

[Big_Rudy]

SMS was absolutely this-  Thank you!

[Anonymous]

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@Big_Rudy wrote:

My Asus Zenfone 4 has the same issue.  I can't make any changes to my **bleep** APN, and I really need to since neither myself nor my wife (same model phone) have been able to send or recieve SMS messages since signing on with PM two months ago.   

If something doesn't change (and fast) we are just gonna have to jump ship and find a new provider, since it doesn't seem there's anthing we can do with the SIM's locked out.  

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Do you mean MMS? Or SMS? MMS would need the right APN. SMS might be this.

[computergeek541]

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@Big_Rudy wrote:

In that case i may be out of luck-  since this seems a common theme with androids and the latest update.  

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For the most part, this phenomenom only affected phones running Android 8.1.  Cell phone manufacturers have long been blocking the editting of APN settings on these devices.  However, what was new with Android 8.1 was the removal of the option to add new APN settings, for which could be used as a way to enable cellular data where there was not APN information available or if there were mistakes in the pre-programmed settings.

Additionally, this issue is not universal across all phones running Android 8.1.   Some still allow you add APN settings, while others do not.  I know for sure that the Moto x4 and Samsung Xcover 4 running Android 8.1 do not disable that option.  The fact that Samsung hasn't messed around with that would lead me to conclude that most phones running Android 8.1 are still fine. 

[Big_Rudy]

In that case i may be out of luck-  since this seems a common theme with androids and the latest update.  

[computergeek541]

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@Big_Rudy wrote:

I wonder, if i order a new SIM card from PM, will they have their **bleep** together and the right settings loaded on it, or will i be in the exact same pickle? 

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APN settings are not stored on the sim card.  In fact, this has nothing to do with Public Mobile, but rather the software on the phone.

[Carld123]

@Big_Rudy

Maybe send a message to a moderator see what they say...someone here may have a solution also..hope you get it figured out..

[Big_Rudy]

I wonder, if i order a new SIM card from PM, will they have their **bleep** together and the right settings loaded on it, or will i be in the exact same pickle? 

[Big_Rudy]

That's all well and good, but I have only TELUS.SP and Koodo listed as APN's and can neither add new ones nor modify the two existing.  

[Carld123]

@Big_Rudy

This was the solution in a previous thread if the same model as yours.

[Big_Rudy]

My Asus Zenfone 4 has the same issue.  I can't make any changes to my **bleep** APN, and I really need to since neither myself nor my wife (same model phone) have been able to send or recieve SMS messages since signing on with PM two months ago.   

If something doesn't change (and fast) we are just gonna have to jump ship and find a new provider, since it doesn't seem there's anthing we can do with the SIM's locked out.  

[will13am]

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@sheytoon wrote:

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

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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. 

[sheytoon]

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

[will13am]

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.

[sheytoon]

@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 🙂

[stonechucker]

@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...

[koimr1]

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@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?

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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. 🙂

[PunkSlack]

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.

[WearySky]

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?

[sheytoon]

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

[WearySky]

@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.

[koimr1]

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. 🙂

[WearySky · Accepted solution]

@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?

[koimr1]

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

[WearySky]

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@computergeek541 wrote:

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@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. 

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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.

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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.

[computergeek541]

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@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. 

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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.

[WearySky]

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. 

[will13am]

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. 

[koimr1]

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.

[mimmo]

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