Anyone else get a Virgin iPhone today? (Also service stuck on Edge/1x)

[Jasoco]

So I've waited to get an iPhone since they came out. I never wanted to go on a contract for various reasons, mainly because I never really had a credit card. Long story.

Today I finally got an iPhone to replace my shattered (But still working fine) iPod touch and my POS Android LG Optimus V that I bought last Valentines day when they were on sale at Radio Shack. So today after work I went into the same Radio Shack with my $10 gift card (That I got when I bought the Optimus) and asked for one. I was the first in town to get one. Probably because of the price.

The phone is great. I love the crap out of it and have it all set up the way I want with all my icons on one page with a separate page for the Apple apps I would hide if Apple would just give us the option to turn them off. (*sigh*) It's fast. And I still have half the disk space left even after syncing music, apps, books and other stuff to it.

I got the 4S for Siri, but also for the speed. It's the white one.

But I do have a problem. I am stuck on 1x speed. Also known as 2G or possibly Edge. All I have is a circle in the corner. I was able to get 3G to appear when I reboot it, but it went away immediately after trying to do anything. I am hoping that this is just a side-effect of switching over to a new phone. The whole process was handled by the Radio Shack employee the same as when I got the Optimus. It was a smooth process. But I am just stuck with 1x. So I don't know. I am going to see how it is tomorrow and hopefully it'll sort itself out, else I'll have to contact Virgin. I never had this problem with my previous two phones. My last one was the Optimus and even though it was slow, it was still usable slow download-wise. And before that I had a Rumor Touch which was a smart-phone wannabe. But it had internet and apps and worked fine too. So it has to just be a temporary problem. Hopefully.

So anyone else get one today? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

 

[blackhand1001]

So I've waited to get an iPhone since they came out. I never wanted to go on a contract for various reasons, mainly because I never really had a credit card. Long story.

Today I finally got an iPhone to replace my shattered (But still working fine) iPod touch and my POS Android LG Optimus V that I bought last Valentines day when they were on sale at Radio Shack. So today after work I went into the same Radio Shack with my $10 gift card (That I got when I bought the Optimus) and asked for one. I was the first in town to get one. Probably because of the price.

The phone is great. I love the crap out of it and have it all set up the way I want with all my icons on one page with a separate page for the Apple apps I would hide if Apple would just give us the option to turn them off. (*sigh*) It's fast. And I still have half the disk space left even after syncing music, apps, books and other stuff to it.

I got the 4S for Siri, but also for the speed. It's the white one.

But I do have a problem. I am stuck on 1x speed. Also known as 2G or possibly Edge. All I have is a circle in the corner. I was able to get 3G to appear when I reboot it, but it went away immediately after trying to do anything. I am hoping that this is just a side-effect of switching over to a new phone. The whole process was handled by the Radio Shack employee the same as when I got the Optimus. It was a smooth process. But I am just stuck with 1x. So I don't know. I am going to see how it is tomorrow and hopefully it'll sort itself out, else I'll have to contact Virgin. I never had this problem with my previous two phones. My last one was the Optimus and even though it was slow, it was still usable slow download-wise. And before that I had a Rumor Touch which was a smart-phone wannabe. But it had internet and apps and worked fine too. So it has to just be a temporary problem. Hopefully.

So anyone else get one today? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

honestly return it and get the 300 dollar HTC EVO V. It has a much better cdma radio (apples sucks especially on sprints network) than the iphone and is a much better deal.

 

[byziphone4]

So I've waited to get an iPhone since they came out. I never wanted to go on a contract for various reasons, mainly because I never really had a credit card. Long story.

Today I finally got an iPhone to replace my shattered (But still working fine) iPod touch and my POS Android LG Optimus V that I bought last Valentines day when they were on sale at Radio Shack. So today after work I went into the same Radio Shack with my $10 gift card (That I got when I bought the Optimus) and asked for one. I was the first in town to get one. Probably because of the price.

The phone is great. I love the crap out of it and have it all set up the way I want with all my icons on one page with a separate page for the Apple apps I would hide if Apple would just give us the option to turn them off. (*sigh*) It's fast. And I still have half the disk space left even after syncing music, apps, books and other stuff to it.

I got the 4S for Siri, but also for the speed. It's the white one.

But I do have a problem. I am stuck on 1x speed. Also known as 2G or possibly Edge. All I have is a circle in the corner. I was able to get 3G to appear when I reboot it, but it went away immediately after trying to do anything. I am hoping that this is just a side-effect of switching over to a new phone. The whole process was handled by the Radio Shack employee the same as when I got the Optimus. It was a smooth process. But I am just stuck with 1x. So I don't know. I am going to see how it is tomorrow and hopefully it'll sort itself out, else I'll have to contact Virgin. I never had this problem with my previous two phones. My last one was the Optimus and even though it was slow, it was still usable slow download-wise. And before that I had a Rumor Touch which was a smart-phone wannabe. But it had internet and apps and worked fine too. So it has to just be a temporary problem. Hopefully.

So anyone else get one today? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Download a app called "Speed Test"..its free..run the app while on the network and see what speeds you get...on Verizon 3G I have been getting .76Mbps through .80Mbps

 

[Jasoco]

honestly return it and get the 300 dollar HTC EVO V. It has a much better cdma radio (apples sucks especially on sprints network) than the iphone and is a much better deal.

Very disappointed that the first reply was an advertisement for an Android phone with an OS that I would never consider using again. I am done with Android. This is not a thread about Android. Please get that crap out of this thread. This is about iOS. Why would you even suggest this in a thread where it has no business whatsoever? "Better deal"? That's very very subjective and I'm not going to get into a conversation about it.

Download a app called "Speed Test"..its free..run the app while on the network and see what speeds you get...on Verizon 3G I have been getting .76Mbps through .80Mbps

I already have both Speedtest.net and Speedtest X HD and have tested both:
I am getting 0.11 down/ 0.11 up with Speedtest.net (600-700ms ping)
And 0.00 down/ 0.07 up with X HD, which does not seem right.

Believe me, I'm not getting 3G at all. Obviously this is not right. At all. I never got speeds this bad with my two previous phones. It's obviously not the phone as a whole. It's actually a quality phone. (As long as the phone is not defective that is.) I was hoping someone else here had gotten this phone and could tell me how their service compares to the previous Virgin phone they had. My service should be the same as it was before. There's no reason for it not to be. It should for all intents and purposes be as fast as, or faster than my previous service.

 

[mbell1975]

Wait, so you got a phone on possibly the crappiest service known to man because it's cheap and you are surprised it sucks? Ever hear the saying you get what you pay for? You want a cheap plan, you get cheap service. To add to that, CDMA iPhones are garbage.

 

[blackhand1001]

Very disappointed that the first reply was an advertisement for an Android phone with an OS that I would never consider using again. I am done with Android. This is not a thread about Android. Please get that crap out of this thread. This is about iOS. Why would you even suggest this in a thread where it has no business whatsoever? "Better deal"? That's very very subjective and I'm not going to get into a conversation about it.


I already have both Speedtest.net and Speedtest X HD and have tested both:
I am getting 0.11 down/ 0.11 up with Speedtest.net (600-700ms ping)
And 0.00 down/ 0.07 up with X HD, which does not seem right.

Believe me, I'm not getting 3G at all. Obviously this is not right. At all. I never got speeds this bad with my two previous phones. It's obviously not the phone as a whole. It's actually a quality phone. (As long as the phone is not defective that is.) I was hoping someone else here had gotten this phone and could tell me how their service compares to the previous Virgin phone they had. My service should be the same as it was before. There's no reason for it not to be. It should for all intents and purposes be as fast as, or faster than my previous service.

If you wanna use a cdma carrier your better off using something other than the iphone. The iPhone simply has crappy cdma radios. They use one of qualcomms cheapest radios. Not the qualcomm radios htc uses which allow simultaneous voice and data and have much better reception. Also to base your entire experience of android on a phone that has very little ram, a 200mb rom partition, and an old arm v6 processor is unfair.

If you really think the htc evo is gonna be the same thing as the V read the reviews on Virgins website. Its pretty much universally praised.

 

[Jasoco]

I'm NOT going back to Android. Sorry. Android is no longer an option for me.

 

[Satnam1989]

I'm NOT going back to Android. Sorry. Android is no longer an option for me.

doesn't AT&T have coverage in your area? Why didn't you go shell out money on a AT&T iPhone 4S and just get service on Straight Talk? You could have saved ton of money by just buying a second hand iPhone 4S locked to AT&T...or even a new one off of eBay....again much cheaper than forking out $650+Tax.....discard my post if you don't have AT&T coverage....because otherwise my friend you are not only wasting money but your valuable(possibly) time loading everything in slow motion lol...

 

[blackhand1001]

I'm NOT going back to Android. Sorry. Android is no longer an option for me.

well then your gonna have to deal with the crappy cdma radios in the iPhone. Have fun throwing 700 dollars in the garbage. Your basing your android experience on the base model from a company that is known for making buggy crappy android handsets. LG has a bad reputation in the android community. Try a decent htc, samsung, or motorola before making final judgement on android. The two phones on virgin that are truly great all around devices are the htc evo v (299) and the htc one v (199). (great radios, great build quality in feel and durability, great specs, latest android version)

 

[Jasoco]

I'm not basing my Android opinion on one phone. I'm basing it on the dozen various phones I've used with Android that all my friends, every single one of my friends, and family members, used to use until one day they too got fed up and switched to a phone that actually works and have been happy ever since.

I don't like the OS. I don't like the phones. I don't like the fragmentation. I don't like Android. It doesn't "just work" like iOS does. I lacks so many features that iOS has had forever. It isn't nearly as fluid. I can't argue anymore. I have my reasons. Please stop. I would sooner switch to a contract phone than get another Android. I like to actually upgrade my OS when new ones are released.

I highly doubt Virgin would release an iPhone if 1x is all it's going to be able to get. They probably did a lot of R&D on them.

I guess I must be the only person in the world who got one. If so, then fine. I'll just leave this thread to rot.

 

[unlimitedx]

I'm not basing my Android opinion on one phone. I'm basing it on the dozen various phones I've used with Android that all my friends, every single one of my friends, and family members, used to use until one day they too got fed up and switched to a phone that actually works and have been happy ever since.

I don't like the OS. I don't like the phones. I don't like the fragmentation. I don't like Android. It doesn't "just work" like iOS does. I lacks so many features that iOS has had forever. It isn't nearly as fluid. I can't argue anymore. I have my reasons. Please stop. I would sooner switch to a contract phone than get another Android. I like to actually upgrade my OS when new ones are released.

I highly doubt Virgin would release an iPhone if 1x is all it's going to be able to get. They probably did a lot of R&D on them.

I guess I must be the only person in the world who got one. If so, then fine. I'll just leave this thread to rot.

i would be interested to hear how your experience over time. $30/month is a very compelling offer. i guess the only downside is that the iphone is locked to virgin mobile's network, limiting the resale value of the phone.

 

[Jasoco]

doesn't AT&T have coverage in your area? Why didn't you go shell out money on a AT&T iPhone 4S and just get service on Straight Talk? You could have saved ton of money by just buying a second hand iPhone 4S locked to AT&T...or even a new one off of eBay....again much cheaper than forking out $650+Tax.....discard my post if you don't have AT&T coverage....because otherwise my friend you are not only wasting money but your valuable(possibly) time loading everything in slow motion lol...

Because I have no idea how to do that at all. If I can't just walk into a store and tell them to give me an AT&T iPhone without a contract and put me on a prepaid plan, then I'm not going to do it. I have no idea what AT&T's coverage is here as everyone else I know is on Verizon.

i would be interested to hear how your experience over time. $30/month is a very compelling offer. i guess the only downside is that the iphone is locked to virgin mobile's network, limiting the resale value of the phone.

Well, if my issue is something that can be resolved, I'll be sure to post my impressions. But if it is indeed a problem with the hardware, I can't see myself sticking with Virgin. As I said, I'd rather get a contract with AT&T or Verizon so I can have an iPhone than go back to Android. Even if it's the top of the line Android phone, it doesn't change the OS or fragmented update schedule. (Or lack thereof)

I don't want to go to a contract though and be stuck for 2 years.

Does anyone have a Sprint iPhone? Is it the same situation as my Virgin? I mean, they're the same network so I would think if there's a widespread problem with iPhones on Virgin, there'd be a problem with them on Sprint too. Surely not every Sprint iPhone user is stuck with 1x speed, else there'd be a huge uproar and outcry.

I hope that Radio Shack's return policy will let me return this if it comes to that.

 

[mbell1975]

Because I have no idea how to do that at all. If I can't just walk into a store and tell them to give me an AT&T iPhone without a contract and put me on a prepaid plan, then I'm not going to do it. I have no idea what AT&T's coverage is here as everyone else I know is on Verizon.


Well, if my issue is something that can be resolved, I'll be sure to post my impressions. But if it is indeed a problem with the hardware, I can't see myself sticking with Virgin. As I said, I'd rather get a contract with AT&T or Verizon so I can have an iPhone than go back to Android. Even if it's the top of the line Android phone, it doesn't change the OS or fragmented update schedule. (Or lack thereof)

I don't want to go to a contract though and be stuck for 2 years.

Does anyone have a Sprint iPhone? Is it the same situation as my Virgin? I mean, they're the same network so I would think if there's a widespread problem with iPhones on Virgin, there'd be a problem with them on Sprint too. Surely not every Sprint iPhone user is stuck with 1x speed, else there'd be a huge uproar and outcry.

I hope that Radio Shack's return policy will let me return this if it comes to that.

Depends on your area really. I had the 4s on Sprint and it was garbage. I would rarely get over .30Mbps down, up was non existent. I didn't have these problems with Android phones on 3G. As we have already told you, the CDMA iPhones suck. Deal with it or get a real carrier.

 

[thefreeagent]

Other options...

First of all, if you haven't done so already, I'd do a hard reset of the iPhone by pressing down the power button and the home button at the same time until the phone turns off and then starts up again with the Apple logo. It's always worth a shot....

However, if it turns out that your iPhone on Virgin isn't giving you good speeds--probably due to Sprint's network, then you should definitely consider returning it and buying an unlocked iPhone from Apple for the exact same price--as one of the other posts suggested. Once you have your unlocked GSM iPhone, you can simply go to Straight Talk and buy a microsim with a pay-as-you-go plan. They offer an unlimited messaging, unlimited calling, and 2gb of data for $45.00 a month, using AT&T's network. It's a great alternative option. There's also H2O, which you can pick up at any Best Buy, but you'll have to cut the sim card down to fit into the iPhone 4/4S.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your new device whichever way you end up with it. Congrats on finally getting the iPhone! (I love mine!)

 

[Technarchy]

Do a hard reset and go to a Sprint corporate store because they are usually right under a CDMA antenna.

See if you get 3G and compare your reception to the Sprint model.

In theory speeds and reception should be the same. If the Sprint model is 3G and yours is 1X there is a problem.

 

[Wilson1313]

I am coming from exactly where you were as well- iPod touch and Optimus V on VM. I just bought the new iPhone 4S black yesterday from Radioshack- while I'll agree the Android they have is a much better deal, I just got the MBA and there is so much I'll be able to do between the two devices to keep everything in Sync (plus all my music, apps, and the OS I like much more). There were a lot of activations yesterday, so it took about 5 hours and a 30 minute call to VM to get it working, but now all is well. I don't know why people have such a problem with VM... over two years even with the expensive cost of the phone it is still cheaper than Straight Talk and far cheaper than the big three. I also have pretty good service and can get over 1mbps 3G in certain areas. My dad has AT&T and absolutely hates it (dropped calls, poor reception) compared to Verizon, so just because AT&T is GSM and has a better antenae doesn't automatically make it the better option... anyway based on what you said I you may just want to call VM. Also, make sure your wifi is on and all the VM info is updated (I forget the code but if you call them they make you call either ##847446# and/or this other combo that updates the phone).

 

[sracer]

Wait, so you got a phone on possibly the crappiest service known to man because it's cheap and you are surprised it sucks? Ever hear the saying you get what you pay for? You want a cheap plan, you get cheap service. To add to that, CDMA iPhones are garbage.

Do you know that "it is possibly the crappiest service known to man" from extensive firsthand experience or by regurgitating thoughts of cell service fanboys?

FYI: the plural of anecdote is NOT data.

I am coming from exactly where you were as well- iPod touch and Optimus V on VM. I just bought the new iPhone 4S black yesterday from Radioshack- while I'll agree the Android they have is a much better deal, I just got the MBA and there is so much I'll be able to do between the two devices to keep everything in Sync (plus all my music, apps, and the OS I like much more). There were a lot of activations yesterday, so it took about 5 hours and a 30 minute call to VM to get it working, but now all is well. I don't know why people have such a problem with VM... over two years even with the expensive cost of the phone it is still cheaper than Straight Talk and far cheaper than the big three. I also have pretty good service and can get over 1mbps 3G in certain areas. My dad has AT&T and absolutely hates it (dropped calls, poor reception) compared to Verizon, so just because AT&T is GSM and has a better antenae doesn't automatically make it the better option... anyway based on what you said I you may just want to call VM. Also, make sure your wifi is on and all the VM info is updated (I forget the code but if you call them they make you call either ##847446# and/or this other combo that updates the phone).

The quality of cell service varies so greatly from provider to provider within the same or different geographical locations that it is impossible for any comments, positive or negative, regarding a carrier to have any value beyond that particular person's usage. I've had great experience with Sprint, VirginMobile, TMobile, and StraightTalk. That doesn't help someone who use phones in different places than I do.

So if someone claims to have bad service with those providers, my good experience does not invalidate theirs. This is a difficult concept that very few (particularly on the internet) are able to comprehend.

 

[mbell1975]

Do you know that "it is possibly the crappiest service known to man" from extensive firsthand experience or by regurgitating thoughts of cell service fanboys?

FYI: the plural of anecdote is NOT data.

Carrier fanboys? Thats a new one LOL Im Verizon till I die!!!!

 

[einmusiker]

Until the LTE iPhone comes out the only option for speed is att. Verizons is slow and their new data share plans are ridiculously overpriced. As was said earlier cdma iphones suck

 

[lordofthereef]

OP... So were you getting better data speeds on your previous (Android) phone? FWIW there really isn't a whole lot that we can recommend you here. If you have poor reception it's either because the area you are in has poor reception, OR there is an issue with the phone itself. Nothing anyone here can say is going to fix your problem.

Because I have no idea how to do that at all. If I can't just walk into a store and tell them to give me an AT&T iPhone without a contract and put me on a prepaid plan, then I'm not going to do it. I have no idea what AT&T's coverage is here as everyone else I know is on Verizon.

It's basically this. Go in, ask for the phone off contract. You pay in full and it will be unlocked for ALL GSM networks. You can buy a straight talk sim from places like Walmart, Target, etc. AT&T won't have it at their stores (to my knowledge). The good thing, though, is that this service is on AT&T's network.

 

[Iwolf]

I have a sprint iPhone 4s and it is super slow almost unusable when not on wifi even with full bars on 3G

 

[aPple nErd]

Wait, so you got a phone on possibly the crappiest service known to man because it's cheap and you are surprised it sucks? Ever hear the saying you get what you pay for? You want a cheap plan, you get cheap service. To add to that, CDMA iPhones are garbage.

excuse me but i have a coma iPhone and it is as good as any other gsm iPhone!!! just to let you kno that there really isn't a big difference

 

[blackhand1001]

excuse me but i have a coma iPhone and it is as good as any other gsm iPhone!!! just to let you kno that there really isn't a big difference

You might think so until you use a device with a proper radio like the droid RAZR. The gsm iPhones radio isn't anything special either. My old HTC incredible got much better speeds on Verizon than people at my house now get on there iPhones.

And if you bring lte into this it gets even worse. I tested my nexus against a 4s and the 4s was pulling like 250kbps. My nexus was pulling over 30000kbps in the same spot. I turned off lte and still got about 750kbps in the same spot so the 3g modem is definitely better. Both phones are on Verizon.

 

[bidwalj]

You might think so until you use a device with a proper radio like the droid RAZR. The gsm iPhones radio isn't anything special either. My old HTC incredible got much better speeds on Verizon than people at my house now get on there iPhones.

And if you bring lte into this it gets even worse. I tested my nexus against a 4s and the 4s was pulling like 250kbps. My nexus was pulling over 30000kbps in the same spot. I turned off lte and still got about 750kbps in the same spot so the 3g modem is definitely better. Both phones are on Verizon.

I wouldn't say the nexus has a good antenna, it's known for its poor reception and costant data drops. I have an lte iPad and had an lte nexus. In poor coverage, the nexus was always the first to revert back to 3G and speed tests were always similar.

 

[blackhand1001]

I wouldn't say the nexus has a good antenna, it's known for its poor reception and costant data drops. I have an lte iPad and had an lte nexus. In poor coverage, the nexus was always the first to revert back to 3G and speed tests were always similar.

4.04 fixed the data drop issue. Also a large device like the iPad has more room for a large antenna. The iPhone does not.