This unlocked update situation is really looking bad

[ras47]

I'm in NY and Verizon still has better coverage than t-mobile.

Same in northern NJ (about 30 miles outside NYC). I've had all the major carriers, Sprint (if you could ever call them "major"), AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. I'm on Verizon now because their network footprint reaches more areas and has fewer dead spots than any of the others. I go all the way back to the days of CellularOne and the Motorola DPC-550.

 

[bkdodger2]

I've used them all as well. I find Verizon first with T-Mobile and AT&t close second, but there are always a few spots with better reception with Verizon. One of the reasons I left T-Mobile, even though I enjoyed them was when I used to drive in to work T-Mobile would not work for me in the Brooklyn battery tunnel. I don't know if it works now but I hated that I had to stop a call while I was in transit..

 

[bhatech]

T-mo can not hold up an update on my phone...I would pull the SIM and download than put the sim back in. What does verizon do then? Do they somehow make the phone not work?

So glad the whole East coast is ATT and T-Mo friendly. It must suck living somewhere and being stuck with Verizon.

Their FIOS on the other hand is great (Internet Only). No contract, free router, they gave me $200 for signing up and so far the price has gone down not up. Unlike cable no fees and extra charges.

Just pulling out the SIM won't work since on the backend it's still registered to T-Mobile, you would have to put another carrier SIM let's say Verizon or AT&T to change the carrier affiliation to pull the update assuming it's certified on them. I do that all the time when useless T-Mobile slacks on certifying the updates for a few days.

 

[Chex313]

I'm in NY and Verizon still has better coverage than t-mobile.

Do you have your update yet...I am going to guess that I have driven more in NY than most (3.5 million miles in a tractor trailer) My coverage on ATT and than T-Mo was great. Or are you talking about one city in NY?

I have been in just as many places with bad verizon coverage as att and tmo...It is all about where you live and where you travel to...but not getting an update is ridiculous.

 

[Chex313]

Just pulling out the SIM won't work since on the backend it's still registered to T-Mobile, you would have to put another carrier SIM let's say Verizon or AT&T to change the carrier affiliation to pull the update assuming it's certified on them. I do that all the time when useless T-Mobile slacks on certifying the updates for a few days.

Nonsense you just reset the phone...But anyway if your stuck some without good coverage I feel for you...Never had and an update that came after the 5th. Never even had top pull the sim on t-mo only on Att. Certainly no late updates in the year I had the Pixel 5.

When I switched as an over the road driver I tried a T-mo sim for a month before switching from Att...and by that time not single driver in our fleet was still on Verizon.. It is all about where you live but if you travel Att and T-mo have coverage as good as Verizon.

 

[Chex313]

Same in northern NJ (about 30 miles outside NYC). I've had all the major carriers, Sprint (if you could ever call them "major"), AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. I'm on Verizon now because their network footprint reaches more areas and has fewer dead spots than any of the others. I go all the way back to the days of CellularOne and the Motorola DPC-550.

Do you still have the one before that? The Startac I think had one in '89 or 90..It was 5 years before I saw anyone else I knew with a phone that wasn't a bag phone. Erickson users called them the fat phones. lol

 

[ras47]

Do you still have the one before that? The Startac I think had one in '89 or 90..It was 5 years before I saw anyone else I knew with a phone that wasn't a bag phone. Erickson users called them the fat phones. lol

I think it was the DynaTac. The StarTac had the slim design and a green scale screen. Slick piece of kit in its day.

 

[beantownsouth]

I think it was the DynaTac. The StarTac had the slim design and a green scale screen. Slick piece of kit in its day.

Wasn't it called a MicroTac. I was just looking at the same darn phone an hour ago in our attic. The DynaTac was fondly known as the "brick".

Here's the DynaTac brick phone. And the MicroTac.

 

[bhatech]

People don't obviously know the difference between Verizon which uses CDMA technology vs AT&T and T-Mobile that uses GSM technology. Sprint was CDMA, not sure if that changed after T-Mobile merger. But anyway, it's probably going to take Verizon a little longer than the GSM carriers. CDMA is the absolute best phone technology.

None of the modern phones uses CDMA
They have all moved to LTE and 5G networks to most part other than legacy devices. Look at the tech specs (radios) of Pixel 6 or any modern phone and you'll see CDMA radios no longer present.

That's old outdated tech which Verizon retired and almost transitioned all of their CDMA network to LTE/5G.

And, Verizon is always generally one of the first to certify updates on Pixels, instances like this month where it's still waiting happens once in a while. And it's got nothing to do with CDMA or not since that's old story.

Finally, I'm not on Verizon to support them or anything like that, but generally they are pretty good in terms of certifying updates on Pixels and pushing updates on day 1. This instance is more of an outlier than normal.

 

[bhatech]

You might want to delete your post...
"For several years now we've publicly stated that our 3G CDMA network is being decommissioned, however our 3G network presently remains operational," Verizon spokesperson Kevin King said in an emailed statement."

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/tech/verizon-3g-shutdown-paused/index.html

I have had my 4XL switch to 3G CDMA at times. So ummmm.

I mean people can make their own conclusions lol, I'm not deleting my post

Here is the list of radios and their cellular technology for Pixel 6 Pro. Let me know where you see CDMA bands

Same with any recent phone and not your Pixel 4 XL which is like 2 year old phone. The extension is basically supporting existing old devices that still have CDMA bands and giving Verizon more time to transition customers on to recent devices.

 

[vzwuser76]

Wasn't it called a MicroTac. I was just looking at the same darn phone an hour ago in our attic. The DynaTac was fondly known as the "brick".

Here's the DynaTac brick phone. And the MicroTac.
View attachment 338651 View attachment 338652

I believe the DPC-550 was just before the MicroTac line. It had a thicker flip than the MicroTac did. I had the MicroTac 650e that they tried to make a bit more stylish. The "e" stood for enhanced, because it had TWO memory presets!

 

[vzwuser76]

Just pulling out the SIM won't work since on the backend it's still registered to T-Mobile, you would have to put another carrier SIM let's say Verizon or AT&T to change the carrier affiliation to pull the update assuming it's certified on them. I do that all the time when useless T-Mobile slacks on certifying the updates for a few days.

I took my SIM out and put it back in my 5a because I'm considering returning my 6 (my fps works less than 50% of the time) so it's been sitting off for a day. I haven't reset it yet and had to look something up on it last night so I powered it up and while I was searching the update came through. This is an unlocked Pixel 6 that had a Verizon SIM in it. I'm guessing this is the update for unlocked models and not the Verizon build, so if I were to keep it, I'd have to pass on it until the Verizon build comes out.

 

[anon(40376)]

There is some confusion out there regarding CDMA.

Google website specs show NO CDMA bands.

GSMarena shows 2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 / 1700 / 1900

3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO

Would have to believe Google before GSMarena. But who knows.

I do know Verizon has stated CDMA is going the way of the analog phone; however, latest I read is now Dec 1 2022

Latest statement from Verizon:
"Since 2016, we have stated publicly that we are actively decommissioning our 3G CDMA network. Initially, we announced we would close down our 3G network in 2019. However, we extended our shut off date - first to the end of 2020 and now to the end of 2022 - in order to care for our customers and give them every effort to minimize disruptions to their service as they move to newer and more advanced technologies."

"We worked for the past several years to help those who still have 3G devices transfer to devices capable of accessing the 4G LTE or 5G networks and continue to actively work with remaining 3G customers to migrate them to new devices and technology. As a result of those efforts, we can now report that more than 99% of our customers are using the enhanced features of 4G LTE or 5G, with less than 1% still accessing the 3G network."

https://www.verizon.com/about/news/3g-cdma-network-shut-date-set-december-31-2022
That post was March 2021; might be something later too. I guess give them credit if they are going to keep CDMA around just due to 1% of their customers.

 

[vzwuser76]

Maybe you need to pickup an Unlocked Google Pixel 6 Pro at 256GBs and use an eSIM on Verizon. 2G is always active for emergencies. It lists 3G, LTE, and 5G as data options for me to switch between under SIM. I am currently on LTE opposed to 5G for battery testing. People who live in rural areas love their 3G for whatever reason.

But keep talking Mr. Head of Communications for Verizon.

The reason people in rural areas rely on 3G is because that's probably the only network that's there. Every generation of cellular is about half the range as the one that preceded it. Which means that when you bring on the newer gen network, you have to add more towers for the same coverage footprint as the previous network. That costs money and because rural means more space and less people, the carriers aren't exactly enthusiastic to increase their tower count. Now if it's near a major roadway where they can cover travellers, they feel a bit better about it. But otherwise, you're SOL in more remote areas. So rural people don't love 3G, they rely on it. Given the choice they'd take LTE or 5G over it, but they don't make those decisions, the carriers do.

As for CDMA, at least in my state, Verizon stopped selling new devices that were primarily CDMA a few years ago. And more recently manufacturers have begun selling devices without CDMA at all, like the Pixel 5a. There have been other devices before on Verizon that had no CDMA, like the HTC A9 IIRC, and that was several years ago. Plus it costs money to add more networks in your device, not only hardware but licensing fees as well. So why increase the cost of your device for a network that's got about a year of life left? Verizon is trying to get people off their CDMA network, just like they pushed people to switch from analog to digital phones during that network transition. If anything I'm surprised they had phones with CDMA for as long as they have as that slows people switching from CDMA.

 

[ras47]

Verizon is pulling the plug on CDMA 3G in a year. They're working on it now but expect it to be done and shut down in December 2022. Perhaps even earlier.

 

[Maljunulo]

This BS is why I will A. never buy any carrier branded phone, and B. never be a Verizon customer.

Carriers have to "adapt" all updates to their own version of Android, and some take quite a while to do so.

This kind of fkery should not be tolerated. Buy your phone from the manufacturer or a retailer, not a carrier,

(yust my opinion)

 

[Davidoo]

This BS is why I will A. never buy any carrier branded phone, and B. never be a Verizon customer.

Carriers have to "adapt" all updates to their own version of Android, and some take quite a while to do so.

This kind of fkery should not be tolerated. Buy your phone from the manufacturer or a retailer, not a carrier,

(yust my opinion)

Not sure i get your point. All of us who bought the Pixels using the Verizon option from Google's website, and got them shipped by Verizon, have the November update as soon as we activated them. Those who bought the unlocked Verizon are some of those not getting the update. With the Pixels, the carriers don't add any bloat, so you get the clean Android experience and updates. What's wrong with that?

 

[Torisen1]

Anyone that didn't buy a carrier version and is complaining, it's on you and your carrier. This is not a Google issue. Quit blaming your choice on Google and take responsibility for what you did.

 

[J Dubbs]

Boy things are heating up here lol. Feel the burn

 

[anon(40376)]

Agree. My updates via Tracphone on my unlocked pixel 4XL have arrived on the same day as all others. Including A12 and the Nov Sec Update. And Tracphone is owned by Verizon.