Verizon Samsung S3 3G Connection Issue / Problem

[rgdave]

Got my shiny new blue 32GB S3 today. It activated fine (using online activation), will make phone calls but won't connect to Verizon's 3G data network. (No 4G at my home yet, coming later this year.) So I was unable to do the phone set up (gmail, apps, Google Voice, etc.) Called Verizon support., went through 2 levels. For both techs, it was their first S3 call, and neither had an S3 emulator (both were working with me on their GNEX ICS emulators, which aren't the same.)

I get around -70dB signal strength, so that wasn't the issue. (My MiFi 2200 is operating here just fine, and my DroidX worked until it was deactivated to activate the S3.) And phone status shows I'm on the Verizon Network, not roaming on an extended network. Both techs were surprised that under "Wireless Networks" there was no setting to force CDMA/3G (like there is on the GNex). They went through a lot of steps --- safe mode, pulling the battery and SIM card, and trying a factory reset, but still no 3G data. Occasionally, the 3G indicator would blink on for a few seconds, but not long enough to even bring up a browser and connect.

The second level tech said there were no problem reports on this in what her was referencing. So he said to first go to a Verizon store to get a new SIM card, because that could be the problem. And if that doesn't solve it, then the phone could be DOA and they'll send me a new phone. But he didn't know if I would go to the bottom of the shipping queue (ship date for new orders is now 7/11).

Anyone else having a problem with data connections in a 3G area? Did anyone try out a SIM card switch? Did it solve it? Problem with my particular phone, or is there a wider 3G / CDMA issue with it?

Thanks for any insight to help quell my disappointment. Kinda like the FedEx Santa coming and dropping off a lump of coal.

 

[anon(77329)]

I had problems with my 3G as I'm also not in a 4G area. When I first set it up it had it with the signal strength around -101dB, but soon after it lost it. I couldn't get it back for about an hour and hopped in my car to head to the Verizon store. Just to mess around before I left I set up Google Music and it just connected to 3G out of no where. So it fixed itself for me I guess.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[rgdave]

UPDATE: Went to the Verizon store and got a new SIM today. They put in the new SIM and activated it in the store (which is also in a 4G area). The phone activated with 4G data, and when I went back home to 3G only service, it connected fine to both voice and 3G data, and has maintained a steady 3G connection all evening. Also, the S3 I brought in for the SIM swap was like a celebrity in the store ... all the sales and tech people came over to look at it, hld it and play with it because they hadn't seen one 'in the flesh' yet - they're not expecting to get their stock until sometime next week. They were all very impressed with the phone, particularly how light and sleek it is, and all commented on how much they liked the 'water drop' noises it makes.

 

[Premium1]

Glad to see you got things fixed.

 

[jacko1004]

My s3 wont receive calls.... day after activating my phone i realize i missed alot of calls, because my phone was losing connection and said there no sim card. i ask verizon for help and they said i have to wait like everyone else at the store...all they made me do is restart my phone and take out the sim and reinsert. them.... And factory reset my phone....this was something i knew how to do and i think there are more things or methods we could try. I really dont want to go out and search for the phone... and they said i just have to keep searching until i find a store because they can not make local store hold stock for them.... this makes sense??? Please help..... is there anything i could try ti fix it?

 

[tada1096]

i had the same problem went to the store got a new sim. then came back home 3G and i just keep loosing 3g from time to time. so i called verizon and i have to go get another sim now, if that doesn't fix it they are going to send me a new phone.

 

[thatfeel]

my 3g is constantly dropping too. i never had this problem with my droid 2 before but the second I started using this new phone I can't ever keep a stable connection

I already replaced the sim card at the store so I'm just going to go in tomorrow when they get their new stock and have them replace the device for me

 

[djjaeger82]

Hi guys, i'm having the exact same issue! First off this is the same thing I posted over at XDA-developers (Loss of Service - No SIM Card? - xda-developers thread with people having the same issue). Not finding much online, but glad to see theres a few more of us. Curious to know what areas everyone is in on this thread....

While I'm at my house (3G area, not 4G) when I go to hit talk it immediately drops from 3 signals to the no signal symbol, then I get the No SIM card message too. After a few seconds it'll bounce back and show full signal again. I troubleshooted over the phone with techsupport last night and they recommended to swap out the SIM card or the phone. Went to the local store this morning for a SIM swap and it was better but not 100% fixed while I was at work (10miles from home). Stopped at the store again after work and after some arguing convinced them to replacement (phone would not act up at the store in the 4G area at all, was rock solid). Just got home and again with the new phone and a 3rd SIM card its doing it. I'm not sure what to think now. There were 2 other people in the store complaining of the same issue when I was there, all galaxy s3s. Wondering if its a tower issue in the area (Poughkeepsie, NY area) or software problem. Seems hard to believe its a network issue if the phone itself thinks there's no SIM card in it (and previous phones in the same area worked fine). Maybe some kind of software / firmware issue?

I'm really bummed out. My mom and sister just got the same phone and no problems in Chicago and Detroit areas. What areas are you having issues in? Hopefully we can get more info going, not many postings about this on the web yet....

-Dan

 

[syrgrad95]

I'm having the same problem. Went to the Verizon store yesterday and the girl changed some settings. She told me if that didn't work to come back and they would change the sim card. I made her change it then but that didn't fix the problem. I found a site online that said to use the Phone Info app to change it to be a 3g. I did that and couldn't get anything even though my Droid incredible worked fine from same location. Its only been two days and I'm ready to return this phone and go back to the Droid Incredible.

 

[thatfeel]

I went in two days in a row to have my phone replaced as I keep getting dropped 3G signal (never had this problem on my other phones) as well as issues with 4G either connection or never connecting in areas that it should connect at. I even did a speed test infront of the verizon rep and hit 2.5mbps while his phones were hitting 15mbps.

He replaced the SIM card TWICE and said to come in again if it still happens. The only time my LTE is fine is if they do a factory reset, which then LTE only works for about an hour before giving me issues again. Everytime I go to the verizon store asking to get a warranty replacement they keep going "Well unfortunately from what I see you are still getting 4G speed even if it is 2mbps" and I've already gone to two different stores. It is unacceptable for me having to factory reset my phone everytime I want to use 4G

 

[kst5768]

I also was having this problem. I live in a 3G area and when I activated my phone, the 3G flickered on a few times like the OP stated, but I could get no data connection. I headed up to the nearest Verizon store for new SIM, and as I entered the 4G coverage area, the phone began to work fine. CS at Verizon took a look and shrugged, telling me to come back if acted up again. From that point on I have and no issues. *knock on wood*

I wonder if entering the 4G area did something to "reset" the SIM or some weirdness like that? I'm just guessing. I have no clue.

Just wanted to throw in my experience on this issue. Hope they figure this out quickly as it is a huge PITA.

 

[ferniesp]

I went in two days in a row to have my phone replaced as I keep getting dropped 3G signal (never had this problem on my other phones) as well as issues with 4G either connection or never connecting in areas that it should connect at. I even did a speed test infront of the verizon rep and hit 2.5mbps while his phones were hitting 15mbps.

He replaced the SIM card TWICE and said to come in again if it still happens. The only time my LTE is fine is if they do a factory reset, which then LTE only works for about an hour before giving me issues again. Everytime I go to the verizon store asking to get a warranty replacement they keep going "Well unfortunately from what I see you are still getting 4G speed even if it is 2mbps" and I've already gone to two different stores. It is unacceptable for me having to factory reset my phone everytime I want to use 4G

Mine did the exact same thing. I live in a solid 3 and 4 g area and my signal was all over the place. The phone was just to frustrating at the end of the day so it went back in favor of my iPhone 4s.

 

[rgdave]

No surprise here. Yet again, just like with the GNex signal/radio problems (which is why I returned that phone within the 14 day period), VZW isn't fessing up. There is definitely a problem. I was sitting in a parking lot today, in a strong 3G/weaker4G area, and totally lost not only data but the ability to make a call. My companion in the car had an older Droid, and had no problem either making a call or opening a browser with 3G.

My Droid X (3G) had been a reliable, rock solid companion for two years. The S3 is my second attempt at a Verizon LTE phone, and it's just flaky, and far from reliable. Is it Samsung or is it LTE (and Verizon's handoff protocols between 3G and 4G towers)? I'm not a happy camper, but feel trapped because this was my last option to stay on unlimited data. Of course, VZW's response is that there's nothing wrong with the phone. But that's what they said about the GNex for months, before the long overdue Android version update.

Samsung, if you want to be the top brand next to Apple, you need to get the basics right --- like making a call, keeping a data connection and basic Bluetooth dialing. S-Voice, in my opinion, works far less reliably in making a call than the Bluetooth voice dialer on my old Droid X.

 

[spun2u]

No issues here (thank goodness). My GSIII has a tad better signal than my old GNex did after the GNex received that last ICS update (which fixed my radio issues). No dropped calls, and no data disconnects. I live in an area that is on the fringe of 4G service and at home I mostly connect with 3G, but if I go upstairs I get about 1-2 bars of 4G.

So far loving the GSIII.

 

[d1rtyw0rm]

I have problem too with no networking signal where my iphone is full 3G.

Sometime is switche to Edge,3G and 4, sometime it work ...

It's really a big problem for me

 

[tag8330]

My wife and I have the thunderbolt and we are having the same issues. Was thinking about getting the GSIII as a replacement. Now will have to rethink my plans

 

[iganinja007]

Good day everyone. I just recently purchased a New Galaxy S3 from a local Spint store. I have been a loyal Sprint customer for 15 years. I have owned many different phones (Star-Tac, Sony, Touch-pro 1-2, Evo, EVO 4G) Over the past 2 weeks since buying the S3, I've noticed a SERIOUS drop in network connectivity, both Data & Cell for absolutely no reason. Now, stop me if I'm wrong, but on my Evo 4G, I could connect to the internet EVEN if I didn't have a 3g signal... As long as I had Cell bars, I could access the web no problem. So the S3 is giving me some headaches and I've seen on other forums that others are too. These people are on diffferent carriers too.
So here's my issue. When I'm in a GOOD STRONG Sprint network, I've been attempting to access the web (Google Store or You-Tube) and have seen the 3g or 4G icon on the bar show data up/downloading then WINK, they dissappear and I get a "No connection RETRY" window even though I see 5 bars of "signal" strength. I've made many changes, selected CDMA instead of CDMA/LTE, vice-cersa. I've updated PRL, Profile, Firmware and even have the new Jelly Bean 4.1.1
I've contacted Samsung and "Chatted" with a technician, but this person had NO clue of this issue... I gave them the links to this and other Android forums...
So do I take it back? Revert back to my Evo? I have to say, the speed and versatility on the S3 when it's good, is GREAT, but I'm not one to have some half good, especially one so expensive...
Any imput is appreciated...

 

[blueglacia]

Temporary solution to Verizon 4G disconnect problem: My Razr Maxx (ICS: less frequently) and new Razr Maxx HD (JB4.1.2: much more frequently) both had persistent 4G disconnect problems on Verizon. It tends to occur about twice (or more) a day: around 8am and 11pm (plus at other times as well). "Network Type and Strength (under Settings)" shows 4G signal remains strong during the disconnect. Rebooting obviously restores the connection immediately. Instead, I quickly toggle Flight Mode on and off, which re-engages whatever system service responsible for holding 4G connection. This suggests to me that a modification within Android could easily overcome this disconnect issue even it the problem stems from Verizon's 4G handshake architecture (read: This Is Why Your Verizon Galaxy Nexus (Or Other 4G LTE VZW Phone) Is Losing Its Data Connection). Only if Google is aware of this issue and the solution.