Not being able to make or recieve calls

[StuartM_2931470]

I know this has been mentioned several times on here, but i've not found a helpful fix, recently gone over to smarty from O2, i put the new sim in my phone, i can browse the internet, send and receive texts, but cannot make or receive calls, I have a Sony Xperia 5iii, the smarty sim works fine in my work phone and my work phone sim works fine in my Sony, yet something about smarty and Sony do not work together, ive been communicating on webchat across days but they've not really helped, they did send me a second sim, but same issue, worse case, i will have to give up on smarty and find another provider but i would rather not.

Please don't lecture me on VoLTE settings, which i can find no mention of in the Sony settings, my phone was bought outright a few years ago and a virgin and then O2 sim were added.

Odd that my phone works with a virgin and vodafone sim but not a smarty's and odd that the smarty sim  works in my works samsung galaxy a22 phone

[MSF]

@StuartM_2931470 If you look at the list of compatible phones, it is perhaps odd that the only one of those Experia models not listed is yours - https://help.smarty.co.uk/en/articles/8985136-checking-if-your-device-is-4g-volte-compatible I wonder if it has simply been missed off the list.

[SmartyTrousers]

Unfortunately, if your phone isn't compatible with Smarty's VoLTE - and it sounds like it isn't - the only two options are to go to a network where it is supported, or change to a handset which is supported by Smarty. There is no fix, as such.

As I understand it, mobile device manufacturers and mobile network equipment manufacturers all implement VoLTE in slightly different ways. Carriers like Smarty need to supply the specific settings for their VoLTE to the device manufacturers to include in the firmware on their devices, who in some cases actually depend on the chip manufacturers to incorporate the VoLTE settings. Unfortunately, Smarty can't control when these updated settings will get pushed out to the devices by the device or chip manufacturers - if they ever get pushed out at all.

[TrevorPe_531395]

So why can't SMARTY just make their system compatible with the others? 

[onthwagon]

I am using the same phone and free device not from any service provided. andriod 13 os is default turning one with 4G and 5G calling. and i am able to use this on oversea 5G or 4G network. it is Smarty idiotically using the hardware not compatible and ask you to change a phone. Sony is a worldwide brand that Smarty should be available for not pushing their flaw to users.

[MSF]

@onthwagon  https://help.smarty.co.uk/en/articles/8985136-checking-if-your-device-is-4g-volte-compatible

[onthwagon]

did you see i am using xperia 5iii as well and the OP can use the 5G for O2/vodafone/virgin. Just Smarty but the hardware that can't support and blame the customer using the 5G phone that not on their list.

[MSF]

@onthwagon  It's not a question of blame. Smarty just don't support certain phones.

As forum members, we don't know why exactly., but you could raise it as a Complaint and they may give you detailed information.

[TrevorPe_531395]

So Smarty made that decision, knowing it's easier and cheaper to dump Smarty than buy a new handset. That's what I will do. 

[StuartM_2931470 · Accepted solution]

Just an update, the Sony Xperia 5iii is not on the list of incompatible phones, the xperia 5ii is, I have finally gone over to lebara, phone now works fine, making and receiving calls and smarty complaints was nice enough to give me a full refund for the 2 months I spent with them and supplying me with a PAC code, so would like to thank the complaints department for there help.

On another note i would like to see them put the Sony Xperia 5iii on their list of incompatible phones and advise there tech support guys on the issue so no one else has to spend ages resetting, checking and  changing settings on their mobile with no gains

[TsuNabs]

Had the same problem with my Xiaomi. The problem is nothing to do with whether Smarty has listed a particular model or not as some users seem to think. Provided that the phone is voLTE compatible it should work as it did on my Xiaomi for 5 years. Then it stopped making or receiving calls, but texts could be sent or received and data worked fine.  Tried the Smarty SIM in a friend's Samsung and all worked fine. Thinking that there was something wrong with my Xiaomi, wasted time doing a complete factory reset but to no avail. Then wasted money buying a new phone. The Smarty SIM worked fine on the new Motorola for a few days, then stopped making or receiving calls but texts/data ok just like on the old Xiaomi.   Conclusion, the fault is in the SIM chip and it appears to be an intermittent problem. I don't know where Smarty buy their SIMs from but there are several manufacturers and obviously the one that made mine needs to be held to account. 

Will obviously ask for a replacement SIM from Smarty but in case they disconnect me while waiting for a new SIM, I've signed up to both Asda and Lebara. Their SIMs work fine on both the old Xiaomi and new Motorola but then again, they too may fail after 5 years.        

[MSF]

@TsuNabs  Smarty suspend your account usually if you ask for a replacement sim. This is  security measure as people who request this have often had their phones stolen.

[SmartyTrousers]

This is highly unlikely to be a SIM issue as texts and data are working. Your statement that any phone that supports VoLTE should work with Smarty is incorrect.

Different mobile networks and different phone manufacturers all implement VoLTE in slightly different ways, and a phone with VoLTE will only work with Smarty if Smarty's specific VoLTE configuration has been included in the firmware of that phone (or if Three's VoLTE configuration has been included, and the phone is smart enough to know to use that). That's why Smarty have their device list - funnily enough, being a mobile network, they understand this situation a little better than you do.

If you're saying your Xiaomi worked fine on Smarty for 5 years, that will be because it will have been dropping down to 3G whenever you made or received a call in the past, due to it not being compatible with Smarty's VoLTE. It now can't do that any more because most of Smarty's 3G has been turned off, hence calls are no longer working for you.