Mobile Phones

Not for me over the last 10 years. 4G coverage perhaps isn't quite as comprehensive as the major players but that could equally be my phone.

i haven't had a mobile before just starting out in this scary new world of mobile technology !

There’s a great TV show hidden here somewhere

I've been with EE since they were Orange. It now looks cheaper (and more flexible) to jump to Plusnet who also use EE's network (both owned by BT I think). Is there any particular reason not to do that and to stick with the company that actually owns/runs the network?

Various reasons:

• Customer service
  
• The app
  
• Add-ons / roaming charges / etc
  
• Actual service, second tier providers may get lower priority on the network
  

I'd wondered about those, although the speed tests reported here suggest that Plusnet doesn't get throttled.

Missing WiFi calling and VoLTE and not having access to 5G are the deal breakers for me. Those are worth the increase in price to a network that offers them.

Yes - I'm just about to find this out. Voxi (via vodaphone) don't seem to support this for my oneplus. Calls will drop to 2g. Will find out how much of a pain it becomes but a right shag if i have to change to a not-as-cheap plan (or update my perfectly adequate phone to also get 5g i guess)

Anyone sold a broken phone to Gr8 mobile?

What’s with the strange business model with case providers of buy a quantity get a quantity free?? Group buy anyone?

Update, I used Gr8 mobile, despite my skepticism, banked what they offered for my broken iphone12 pro £172.

I'm paying £41 pm with O2 for sim only and my contract expired years ago. This seems out of step with the new deals but I'm not seeing these as available to existing customers. Is it just a case of threatening to leave or should I just bite the bullet and go with Vodaphone sim only for £10 pm?

Yes to the latter.

Just switch. I just left Vodafone paying £28 pm SIM only to ID mobile which comes with 30gb data, £4 pm for the first 3 months, £8 pm thereafter. Rolling monthly contract so can quit any time and free 3 months of Apple TV.

Just switch. It's really easy to get the code and transfer your number.

I went with talk mobile which is Vodafone's cheaper arm (not really sure what the difference is) from O2 and all you need to do is text O2 to get your PAC, enter that on your new service and it will automatically end the old service.

Awesome, thanks folks. One of those jobs I've been meaning to sort for ages.

If you've got an iPhone then be aware that many of the cheaper providers don't provide visual voicemail.

But, yeah, switch. For example I'm on EE and pay ~£25 to cover three different mobiles with >100GB in total data.

Last month I rang O2 to cancel my £42 contract, as I’d discovered the sim-only deals everyone was talking about, and after about an hour on and off hold they agreed to put me down to £15 pm for a year and pay off the remaining £79 on my device.

It's at this point I leave anyway, because fuck them.

Yeah I do get you. But I’m very lazy and it meant I had to do nothing

Phoning and being on hold for an hour is a lot more work than switching.
It took me about 5 minutes of looking online, clicked order. Clicked request PAC code on my networks app, job done.

Yep, changing network is now really easy.

Well I wasn't up for the bartering but I couldn't get the PAC from the app so had to call O2 anyway and they nudged me to look the USwitch website which had comparable Sim only deals for £12 plus free European roaming which has come in handy a couple of times.
Still naughty they don't obviously offer these deals if you're already signed up.

Has anyone got a brick phone that can do Whatsapp that they'd like to sell me? Or any suggestions? Nokia 800 or similar is what I'm thinking. I'd prefer not to have a folding or sliding phone. Simple and reliable is what I'm after.

The battery in my Google pixel 3a is finally starting to wear out. Thinking about trying to replace with this: https://store.ifixit.co.uk/products/google-pixel-3a-battery-genuine

Anyone experience with this sort of thing? Worth doing with a phone that's pretty "old" now anyway?

You can get someone to do it for you for an extra tenner
https://www.ismash.com/collections/google-pixel-3a-repairs

Or you can get £200 trade-in for a 3a at the moment if you buy a Pixel 8a for £500 which is what I'd be tempted to do.