Help with Consumer Cellular Activation

[BarrySN]

I am trying to switch over to Consumer Cellular. I want to use my T-mobile Galaxy S5 and am having a nightmare dealing with their customer support. The phone connects to the CC network but no voice. CC customer support insists that the phone is not voLTE capable but that is nonsense. I do not find a Settings choice to turn on voLTE but there is an option in the Phone app settings and that is turned on. I am hoping someone has a solution to this issue.

 

[ironass]

The stock Galaxy S5 most certainly does support VoLTE.

Which CC APN settings are you using as you may need to experiment with each one. See...

https://bestmvno.com/apn-settings/consumer-cellular-apn-settings/

 

[svim]

Yeah, it does seem like that Consumer Cellular customer service person mislead you. You might want to try contacting that Consumer Cellular again for better, more informed help, hopefully it will be a different service rep.
Otherwise, I'd also suggest you look into the APN settings in your phone as @ironass posted. Typically when you put a new SIM card into a smartphone it will detect and configure itself automatically, but occasionally that process might fail. In that case, if you do have multiple CC entries try each one. If there's only one, you should just create your own new APN entry, using those exact same settings as in that web site.

 

[BarrySN]

Thanks, I'll give these a try. I did add an APN based on CC's web site but I'll try these.

 

[BarrySN]

I tried several of the APNs in the link but no luck. I can send and receive MMS text messages including attachments. The only issue is with voice. I just checked the IMS status and it says Not Registered and I suspect this may be the issue. My VZW 900V has IMS status ON.

 

[svim]

.....I do not find a Settings choice to turn on voLTE but there is an option in the Phone app settings and that is turned on......

You need to use the Settings menu in your S5, not the Phone app's Settings menu. The Phone app Settings only relate to the app itself, your Settings menu manages and maintains your S5 phone. Two different items that are similar by name only.

But if you're still having the same problem, perhaps you might want to have Consumer Cellular send you a new SIM card and see if that helps. There's obviously something wrong when it's this bothersome to just switch carriers. Or is it a matter where you initially bought your S5 directly from T-Mobile?
If it is a carrier-locked, branded model than yeah, switching can be messy and cumbersome. But if your phone is carrier unlocked, you might want to try using Consumer Cellular's customer service again, the odds you're encounter that same questionably knowledgeable person are slim.
https://www.consumercellular.com/contact

 

[BarrySN]

The 900T does connect to the CC network so it is unlocked and there are no issues with data. There is nothing in the settings menu that lets me select voLTE. The only option is Settings → More networks → Mobile networks → Network mode. Under network mode I have LTE/WCDMA/GSM (auto connect) selected. That is different than my VZW 900V that has a Settings option for Advanced Calling that turns on/off what VZW calls HD Audio, which is voLTE. My understanding is that for voLTE to work, IMS has to be registered, and as I mentioned, my 900V shows IMS status on. I am not sure what is needed to switch the IMS status in the 900T from Not registered to on but I expect the SIM is involved. I am thinking of just getting a cheap CC flip phone which should get me a known good SIM and then popping that in the 900T. If the SIM is the problem, I would expect that should get the 900T working.

 

[kate]

The 900T

Consumer Cellular uses AT&T and T-Mobile, if you are using the AT&T side of Consumer Cellular then only the G900A model of the S5 is compatible according to AT&T:
https://www.att.com/idpassets/images/support/pdf/Devices-Working-on-ATT-Network.pdf

 

[nickdalzell]

Also there's a whitelist (a stupid one too) for AT&T and their MVNOs that blacklists a ton of VoLTE handsets. There were myriad complaints on Reddit about even Pixel 3's that won't work because they're not whitelisted, as well as many OnePlus variants that were unlocked that also weren't whitelisted. If the particular phone you want to use isn't on their whitelist, it's not gonna work. VoLTE or not.