HoFo Blog

From The Web:

Qualcomm wants to buy ARM and it may need Samsung’s help

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G vs Samsung Galaxy A73 5G: Which one to buy?

Instagram begins to roll out AMBER alerts across 25 countries

Microsoft just saved the Android ecosystem from a widespread security issue

Tim Hortons App Violated Privacy Laws by Collecting ‘Vast Amounts’ of Location Data, Concludes Probe

From The Forums:

It's back - SPIN-THE_WHEEL

eSIM on Tracfone?

Sprint LTE Sunset

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Garmin announces Forerunner 955 with solar charging and Forerunner 255

Our verdict on the Garmin Instinct 2S GPS smartwatch

Poco Watch review – one of the best affordable smartwatches

Counterpoint: Smartwatch market grows in Q1, Apple maintains top spot

Apple’s digital state ID cards are now available for Maryland residents

From The Forums:

Alternative ways to authenticate account?

Does the AT&T Cell Booster work with Prepaid/Unlocked phones

no internet connection

Need advice in choosing next phone

Need a hotspot plan for Canada

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Samsung June 2022 update is now rolling out for these Galaxy devices

Samsung Galaxy A53 vs. Google Pixel 6a: Which deserves your $450?

Tech Industry Groups Are Watering Down Attempts at Privacy Regulation, One State at a Time

Apple can’t dismiss Cydia’s amended antitrust lawsuit, judge says

Rogers, Shaw Agree to Put Deal on Hold Until Competition Tribunal Decision

From The Forums:

Harvesting buckets before phone goes inactive

Anyone currently on Twigby? I have a few questions and a favor.

DENT high ping times and slow speeds on Tmobile

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

The iPhone Lock Screen Is Poised for an Upgrade With iOS 16

Likely Google Pixel tablet gets USI certification and stylus support

Huawei phones haven't been banned but consumers are turning away from them

You can now download the (second) earliest known build of Android ever

Flashback: some crazy phones had three or even four SIM card slots

From The Forums:

TF Verizon SIMs No Longer Reusable?

Anxious for Elon's new phone

So a unlock Verizon branded phone will only work with CDMA prepaid plans?

Road Trip Calling Questions

Asking for recommendations for phone plan. I'm currently on Red Pocket.

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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It's time for a new thread of the week, our way of recognizing forum members for promoting valuable discussion here.

Every weekday yours truly posts a morning briefing, including the most popular forum threads—that is, the posts with the most replies—for the previous 24 hour period. For reference, here are the briefings for the past seven days:

Your Morning Briefing for Monday, May 23rd, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, May 24th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, May 25th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, May 26th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, May 27th, 2022

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so all weekend posts are similarly eligible.

In each briefing, forum posts are ranked by the number of replies (from highest to lowest). That's subject to change, of course, so I did a quick recount of replies for all forum posts in the briefings above. With 59 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

Bullying text message from Tracfone

Congrats to happygrrl1 for starting our one hundred and twenty-seventh thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy a monthlong Premium Membership on us. Benefits include ad-free browsing, increased private message count, access to a subscriber-only forum, extra attachment space, a referral/affiliate signature link, the ability to post referrals, and a custom avatar and user title!

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Amazon Third-Party Delivery Driver Injuries Increased 40% in 2021, According to Report

Apple VP discourages retail workers from joining a union in leaked video

Apple’s iOS App Economy Now Supports 2.2 Million Jobs in the U.S.

Google seems to be panicking as its free news empire starts to crumble around it

Canada’s Telecom Oligopoly Is a Hungry Beast That Will Never Be Sated

From The Forums:

Questions about wi-fi calling

Network unlocking my visible iPhone (fully paid off) before 60 days using external services?

PayGo or Pay-per-use plans

Cricket phone notification: giving you more

Using rSIM to network unlock iPhone 13 in 2022... does it work for both eSIM and SIM slot?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Apple's iPhone development schedule hit by China lockdowns

Google reportedly further postpones foldable Pixel phone

Google Pixel 6a vs. Pixel 6: Which Android powerhouse is the best pick

Saskatchewan Not Happy It Has to Rip Out Huawei 4G Gear

I converted my Visible SIM card to an eSIM on Android: Here’s what happened

From The Forums:

Galaxy A53 5G problem with consumer cellular

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Xiaomi unveils Mi Band 7, Redmi Buds 4 and Redmi Buds 4 Pro

Sony LinkBuds S review: supreme comfort doesn’t come cheap

Google Pixel Buds A-Series review: Basic, but not bad

AirPods Pro 2: Design, features, release date, price, more

Amazon finally gets with the times, brings USB-C to the Fire 7 tablet

From The Forums:

Bullying text message from Tracfone

Very confused by totally weird Tracfone behavior

Is there an easy way to confirm the account PIN without customer service?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Huawei confirms that its partnership with Leica has ended

Motorola confirms next Razr will have Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1

MediaTek Dimensity 1050 is the company’s first chip with mmWave 5G

Material You on Android 12 awarded prestigious iF Gold Design Award

Google nearly quadruples its share of North American smartphone market to a whopping 3%

From The Forums:

Switching from ATT BYOP SIM to Verizon BYOP SIM on iPhone SE that was SIM hot swapped a few times?

US Mobile requires unlocked phones???

IMS Service stoppage with LG phones on T-Mobile and MVNOs

IMS Service: Major nationwide LG device hang associated with T-Mobile & MVNOs

Some LG Android phones stopped to work on T-Mobile network today, May 23 2022

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Top 10 trending phones of week 20

Xiaomi officially announces partnership with Leica, first jointly developed phone arrives in July

Xiaomi wants to put an end to extracting APKs on Android, but Google doesn’t

Apple display supplier could lose out on large iPhone 14 order after it was reportedly caught cutting corners

U.S. State Department cheers Canada's long-awaited ban on 5G gear from China's Huawei

From The Forums:

can't send or receive mms texts on Samsung s10e

Tracfone old unlock policy and lowest cost plan now or best way forward

Can't unlock TF refurb A21 - neither can TF CS

Accessibility Features & Accessories

TracFone forcing me to Verizon

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

It's time for a new thread of the week, our way of recognizing forum members for promoting valuable discussion here.

Every weekday yours truly posts a morning briefing, including the most popular forum threads—that is, the posts with the most replies—for the previous 24 hour period. For reference, here are the briefings for the past seven days:

Your Morning Briefing for Monday, May 16th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, May 17th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, May 18th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, May 19th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, May 20th, 2022

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so all weekend posts are similarly eligible.

In each briefing, forum posts are ranked by the number of replies (from highest to lowest). That's subject to change, of course, so I did a quick recount of replies for all forum posts in the briefings above. With 33 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

Cheap Phones w/ LTE Bands 1, 7, 20

Congrats once again to mobile_nut for starting our one hundred and twenty-sixth thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy an additional monthlong Premium Membership on us. Benefits include ad-free browsing, increased private message count, access to a subscriber-only forum, extra attachment space, a referral/affiliate signature link, the ability to post referrals, and a custom avatar and user title!

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Vivo's latest flagships are bringing their massive camera bumps to the rest of the world

Canada bans Huawei and ZTE from 5G network

Globalive signs network sharing deal with Telus, boosting Freedom Mobile offer

Verizon starts selling the Moto G Stylus 5G, a mid-range Motorola phone you might actually want to buy

North American smartphone shipments grew steadily in Q1 2022 with Google up 380%

From The Forums:

Voices coming from phone when not in use

Can TracFone sub-brands on T-Mo service use locked T-Mo phones? What about 5G access?

Complaining about SMS not working

Incoming calls (only) sometimes don't work until phone is restarted

611611?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Moto G 5G review: The sweet spot

Motorola Moto G 5G review: a tough sell

Motorola Moto G42 renders and certifications surface

Google got complacent with Pixel OS updates: Now it lags Samsung

Electric Vehicles Surpass Smartphones for the First Time as Top Source of Cobalt Demand

From The Forums:

New SIM purchased, now email from Cricket says Number Transfer Cancellation

Has TF quit my old plan? $20/90 days, 60/60/60

Tracfone Customer Service

Ooh, is Verizon committing to keep PayGo alive here?

PagePlus - I'm using data, but it's not being depleted from my balance

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Apple’s and Google’s outdated apps bans would cut each store by a third

Every way the sale of Freedom Mobile could play out

The defunct LG Wing is getting Verizon C-band, because 5G in this country is silly

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G hands-on review

Amber Alert on AirPods damaged teenager's hearing, lawsuit claims

From The Forums:

Tracfone Support has been no support

T-Mobile US throws down 5G gauntlet to slow-moving rivals. Lowband 5G covers 315 Million Americans

Administrative Fee Increases Coming

What’s on this tower?

how to reset the frp on a asus zentab p001 tablet

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Apple Releases iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 With Wallet and Podcast Updates

Apple will let your subscription apps charge you more money without asking

How does Google’s Pixel 6a compare to the iPhone SE and iPhone 11?

Open source, privacy-focused smartphone coming soon from Android app maker Simple Mobile Tools

Samsung Galaxy A23 review

From The Forums:

Cheap Phones w/ LTE Bands 1, 7, 20

Need data for international trip

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Facebook Doesn’t Know What It Does With Your Data, Or Where It Goes

Canadians supportive of federal measures to regulate internet

Bolder action needed on telco competition say industry watchers

Top 10 trending phones of week 19

From The Forums:

Are stand-alone hotspots de-prioritized?

Samsung Galaxy A51 S515DL Android 12 Update

Very Disappointed - NY to SC (and back) over 3 days...

Question about moving from unlimited plan back to yearly for mothers phone..

Greatly Reduced 5GUW (C band)

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

It's time for a new thread of the week, our way of recognizing forum members for promoting valuable discussion here.

Every weekday yours truly posts a morning briefing, including the most popular forum threads—that is, the posts with the most replies—for the previous 24 hour period. For reference, here are the briefings for the past seven days:

Your Morning Briefing for Monday, May 9th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, May 10th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, May 11th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, May 12th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, May 13th, 2022

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so all weekend posts are similarly eligible.

In each briefing, forum posts are ranked by the number of replies (from highest to lowest). That's subject to change, of course, so I did a quick recount of replies for all forum posts in the briefings above. With 34 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

Move Tracfone service to new AT&T Prepaid phone?

Congrats to mobile_nut for starting our one hundred and twenty-fifth thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy a monthlong Premium Membership on us. Benefits include ad-free browsing, increased private message count, access to a subscriber-only forum, extra attachment space, a referral/affiliate signature link, the ability to post referrals, and a custom avatar and user title!

---------
Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

AT&T is about to get away with its bogus $1.99 ‘administrative fee’

Behind the expert testimony in the ‘Fitbit murder’ trial

The iPod made the iPhone possible

Facebook Doesn’t Know What It’s Doing With Your Data

DuckDuckGo rallies users against Google's latest replacement for cookies

From The Forums:

How to activate an iPhone without the original sim

Even support at corporate is useless

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Google’s biggest announcements at I/O 2022

Google unveils Pixel 6a with Tensor chipset for $449

Google’s new Pixel Buds Pro come with noise cancellation and long battery life

​Google teases Pixel Watch at I/O – launches this Fall

Google is making a Tensor-powered Android tablet, coming in 2023

From The Forums:

gUDP users can get C-band now? Tested 412 Mbps down.

New Developments in Nebraska?

Visible: Do iphones get faster hotspot speeds than Androids?

Orbic magic

Need quick Speed Test App for iPhone

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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