Back to School Cell Phone Data Issues?

Has Covid-19 crashed or congested our cell phone networks?  Are you experiencing a full cell phone signal but your data connection is slow or non-existent?

Are you experience more data congestion issues on your wireless network in the last six months since more people are working from home during the Coronavirus started?

We are looking for someone with some knowledge to help us write an article about how the wireless carriers are doing since more people are working from home. I and others have noticed a lot of bandwidth issues traveling around. Curious if you have any data on this?

Back-to-School Help for Students Without Internet. For millions of families, broadband access is a challenge. These resources can help bridge that digital divide.

The global internet will probably survive coronavirus, according to stats from Ookla Speedtest, but America's home service plans and the UK's 3G mobile networks might not.

Empty offices and full homes during the Coronavirus.

A new state-by-state report on America's K-12 students by Common Sense and Boston Consulting finds that almost 16 million students and 10 percent of teachers lack adequate internet or computing devices at home. Minority households are among the most affected. Though 18 percent of white homes lack broadband, the figure rises to 26 percent for Latinx homes and 30 percent for Black homes. The percentage is even higher among Native American house olds.

Read this excellent article and see where slow cell phone speeds are happening.

Republic Wireless Plans & Service Review

Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Republic Wireless is an innovative mobile provider with a mission to provide certainty and savings to their member’s budgets. They want to kill the myth that you need unlimited data and an expensive cell phone plan. Plans start as low as $12.50 per month with the annual payment plan or $15 with month-to-month payment! Members can add one-time data any time directly through the app for just $5 per GB.

Republic Wireless believes that people have better things to spend money on than their cell phone plan. Their mission is to help members meet their financial goals by providing an alternative to expensive cell phone service.

  

Beyond the savings, Republic obsesses over delivering remarkable value to its members.

●       Two nationwide carrier partners: Sprint and T-Mobile to ensure you can get the best coverage possible.  

●       Republic is the pioneer of WiFi Calling technology, with over 50 patents to their name. Start a call in your home on WiFi and the call will switch to cell automatically when you leave – without dropping the call. Need to make a call or send a message where there is no cell coverage, but you have a WiFi connection? No problem!

●       Monthly home phone service included: With New Extend Home service, Republic Wireless is the first cell phone service provider to give customers the option to extend their mobile numbers to traditional home phones. This offers the ability to receive and make calls even when your cell phone is lost, broken or charging a dead battery. Extend Home enables 911 calls for kids too young for a cell phone, better sound quality, and the ability to take a break from your cell phone from time to time.

●       Additional features: Unlimited messages and calls, hotspot capabilities at no additional cost (using the 4G LTE data on your plan), free WiFi calls back to the US when overseas, and built-in spam call blocking.

  

Phones & Activation:

●       Republic Wireless proprietary technology is compatible with many of the top Android smartphones including Samsungs, Motorolas, and LGs.

●       Activation and account management is done through the Republic Wireless app and can be downloaded directly from the Google Play store. Simply download the app, enter your credit or debit card information, and pick your plan.

Plans

-        Republic’s My Choice Monthly Plans start at $15 per month for Unlimited Talk and Text (T&T). Data can be added at any time for just $5 per GB. The average member uses the 1GB plan for $20 per month.

-        Republic’s My Choice Annual Plan gives 12 months for the price of 10. The base plan starts at $150 per year for Unlimited Talk & Text, with most Annual Plan members on the 1GB per month plan for $200 for the whole year.

-        All My Choice plans include our new Extend Home unlimited home phone service at no extra monthly cost.

Coverage

-        Republic Wireless provides nationwide coverage using the same networks as T-Mobile and Sprint.  Read T-Mobile & Sprint Coverage Map Reviews. 

-        They are the pioneers of WiFi calling and their patented WiFi technology allows people to stay connected using WiFi anywhere it is available, including areas where cell coverage is not strong.

-        Republic offers a 14-day money back service guarantee and offers sim card swaps for those who aren’t getting the coverage they want (i.e. if someone has sprint service and wants to try t-mobile, Republic can switch their networks to help improve their coverage).

-        You can view their Interactive coverage map here. 

Products

-        Republic Wireless sells phones and accessories on their site and is only compatible with Android phones.

-        All the phones they sell are heavily tested by their engineers and QA teams to ensure they work seamlessly with their unique technology.

-        They also sell their Extend Home Adapter which brings free home phone service to all My Choice members. Members just have to purchase the $49 adapter and traditional handsets. Learn more about Extend Home here. This product could be extremely relevant in this time where so much of America is working from home. Some highlights of this product include crystal clear call quality, and the ability to make calls simultaneously from different devices using the same phone number. 

Bring Your Own Phone Program 

-        Their Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) program allows people to bring a compatible, unlocked Android device to their service. All they need to do is purchase a $5 SIM card. People can make sure their device is compatible with Republic’s service by going here and searching for their current phone.

-        Once the SIM card arrives there will be instructions on the package to help them easily install it into their phone, download the Republic app, and begin a simple activation.

HOW IS REPUBLIC DIFFERENT?

Republic innovates to save you time and money.

●       Republic Wireless are the pioneers of WiFi calling and encourage you to use data over WiFi instead of cellular networks to save you money.

●       Among the over 50 patents held by Republic Wireless is Adaptive Coverage technology. This provides maximum voice quality and coverage with seamless transitions between WiFi and cellular, along with Bonded Calling that uses simultaneous connections to WiFi, 4G LTE and 3G to ensure the strongest signal. 

●       Republic does not want you to waste cell data and have to spend more, so they provide exclusive data protection tools. Easily monitor data usage within the Republic app, which shows how much you have left and where you are using your data. If you are using too much in a certain app, you can shut that off to preserve data.

●       You can also freeze all cell data usage and set WiFi reminders in case you disabled your WiFi connection for a short period of time.

●       Only Republic extends your cell phone number to home phones at no extra monthly charge. The Extend Home service allows you to make and receive calls on a home phone, even if your cell phone is lost, broken, or needing a charge.

●       Republic has exclusive spam-blocking tools built in so you can block spam calls and/or voicemails. The list of blocked spam numbers has greatly increased, and, if some new numbers get through, they can be blocked directly from the dialer on your Android phone.

●       You can use the cell data you choose with your Republic plan as hotspot data for another device at no extra charge. Some carriers charge extra for hotspot data.

Republic obsesses over making things easy and affordable.

●       Simple plans with the average member spending only $20 per month.

●       No surprise fees or overages. It’s all in your control on the app.

●       Republic works on many popular Android phones, so you can bring your own phone if you want to keep it and get a SIM card from Republic.

●       You never have to wait in line with Republic. They are the original 100% direct-to-consumer cell phone service provider with no brick and mortar stores, so the phone or SIM is sent straight to your door.

●       Republic has an award-winning online knowledge center with the answer to any question you have in articles right at your fingertips, so you never have to wait for help.

●       Republic customer support treats you like a member, not a customer or number on a network. They genuinely care and will work through any issues you may have to your satisfaction, which is why Republic is the top-rated cell phone service provider on TrustPilot, the leading online review site.

●       Members can join an active member community where they can get quick answers, discuss and review new products and services, and even take part in early adopter programs and contests.

Republic delivers over the same networks as the big carriers, but with a personal touch.

●       Republic uses the same cell networks as T-mobile and Sprint.

●       The patented Bonded Calling brings together the strongest of the 4G LTE or 3G cell signals and WiFi for better coverage and quality.

●       Republic consistently wins awards for customer support and member happiness.

iPhone Not Enough Storage Backup Scam

The latest annoying "Not Enough Storage" iPhone scam is very hard to get rid of and will keep popping up on your phone even if you say "Not Now" repeatedly.   This reminder comes up on the phone almost weekly and it's impossible to make this setting permanent.  

There is absolutely no need to backup your applications in the cloud even if you lose your phone or get a new one.  Most people don't realize that if you are smart about your cloud data management you don't need to pay for it or pay very little.  

Apple is notorious at creating planned obsolesce scams trying to trick people into thinking their phone is broken or they need to upgrade their phones.  

Google makes backing up your photos on your phone very easy and cheap.  There is no reason you need to pay Apple for storage you don't need.  Google Photos is an amazing phone application and also a great place to organize your photos.  There are many free options and also some very affordable paid options as you accumulate more photos and videos.   

SiriusXM Roof Rack Interference

XM satellite radios will experience dead zones or dropouts if the receiving is not properly installed far away from the roof rack.  This interference will become a major problem especially when you are near a T-Mobile cell phone tower. 

Don't mount the antenna close to a roof rack. Adjust the rack so it's further away from the antenna. If you have a surfboard or something on the roof this will also interfere with the signal.  

Troubleshooting Tips for Common Signal and Audio Reception Problems Here are ways to identify and correct some of the common signal and audio reception problems you may encounter:

• PROBLEM: XM RADIO DISPLAYS "CHECK ANTENNA" or "CHECK ANTENNA CONNECTION" or "ANTENNA"
• Possible cause #1: The antenna is not properly connected to the Radio or Vehicle Dock, or the connection has become loose.
• Solution: Check the antenna connection to the XM Radio or Vehicle Dock and make sure it has a good, snug fit.
• Possible cause #2: If the antenna is properly connected to the XM Radio or Vehicle Dock, there may be a break in the antenna cable, or a problem with the antenna.
• Solution: Replace the Magnetic Mount Antenna.
• PROBLEM: XM RADIO DISPLAYS "ACQUIRING SIGNAL" or "NO SIGNAL"
• Possible cause: The Magnetic Mount Antenna is not receiving a satellite signal.
• Solution 1: Make sure the vehicle is outdoors with a clear view of the sky.
• Solution 2: Make sure the antenna is mounted on the outside of the vehicle in an optimal location. (Follow the mounting tips described earlier for your vehicle type.)
• Solution 3: Move the vehicle away from any obstructed area. For example, if you are parked in an underground garage, you should receive a signal after leaving the garage.
• PROBLEM: There is static or loss of clarity in the XM Radio's audio
• Possible cause #1: If you have connected the audio of your XM Radio to your vehicle's FM radio using the FM transmitter, the FM channel you have selected is most likely being used by an FM radio station. This interferes with the audio of the XM Radio.

iPhone 6 & 7 Slowdown Scam Class Action Lawsuit

If you had an iPhone 6 or iPhone 7 that you noticed was slowing down significantly back in 2017, you can collect about $25 from Apple. The company agreed to pay $500 million dollars to settle a 2017 lawsuit that claimed it was intentionally slowing speeds on the devices to get customers to buy new, more expensive phones. You can submit a claim on the official settlement website. If you owned more than one device, you have to submit a separate claim form for each device.

Apple Settlement Website 

If you are or were a U.S. owner of an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and/or SE device that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21, 2017, and/or a U.S. owner of an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus device that ran iOS 11.2 or later before December 21, 2017, you could be entitled to benefits under a class action settlement.

Notice of Public Action

What is the Lawsuit About?

In a consolidated class action lawsuit pending against Apple, Plaintiffs claimed that a performance management feature introduced for iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and SE devices in iOS 10.2.1, and introduced for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus devices in iOS 11.2, diminished the performance of some of those devices. Apple denies all allegations and is entering into this settlement to avoid burdensome and costly litigation. The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by Apple.

What Does The Cash Payment Provide?

Apple will provide a cash payment of approximately $25 per eligible device, provided that Apple will not pay more than $500 million in aggregate to the Settlement Class Members. If the total value of approved claims submitted exceeds the $500 million Ceiling, the value of each approved claim (per eligible device) will be reduced on a pro-rata basis. Additionally, under the proposed settlement, if the total value of approved claims submitted by Settlement Class Members do not exceed the $310 million Floor, the value of each approved claim (per eligible device) may be increased on a pro-rata basis, up to a maximum of $500 per device. For more details, please refer to the Settlement Agreement available at www.SmartphonePerformanceSettlement.com.

The cash payment per eligible device depends on the actual number of approved claims and other factors, including the award of attorneys’ fees and 5 expenses and Named Plaintiff service awards. Under the proposed settlement, Apple shall pay a minimum of $310,000,000 (the “Floor”) and a maximum of $500,000,000 (the “Ceiling”). Under no circumstances shall any of the Floor revert to Apple.

How to get the cash settlement?

To qualify for a settlement benefit, you must submit a valid Claim Form. The online Claim Form, including instructions on how to make a Claim, can be accessed at www.SmartphonePerformanceSettlement.com. If you wish to receive this cash payment electronically by ACH, please be sure to have your routing and bank account number available when completing the online Claim Form. You can also download a Claim Form to mail in by clicking here, or you may request a Claim Form by emailing the Claims Administrator at: Questions@SmartphonePerformanceSettlement.com or by calling toll-free 1-833-649-0927.