HoFo Blog

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.
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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 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!

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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:

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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The Google I/O keynote just wrapped up with the expected announcement of a new a-series phone. But unlike the 5a, this new model will be available in many more markets — Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan and the UK, as well as the United States. Notable specs are as follows:

6.1 inch OLED display, 1080 x 2400 pixels @ 429 ppi
Google Tensor processor / Titan M2 security co-processor
6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage
12.2 MP wide & 12 MP ultrawide rear cameras
8 MP selfie cam
4,410 mAh battery with fast charge
Stereo speakers
Chalk, Charcoal & Sage colourways
$449 USD / $599 CAD
Available online July 21st and in stores July 28th

Source: Google Store

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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:

Sony's latest Android phone is exactly what you'd expect

Sony Xperia 1 IV review

How to watch the Google I/O 2022 keynote live

Google’s Pixel 6a has reportedly started production

Apple discontinues the iPod after 20 years

From The Forums:

How to make international calls while overseas?

which phone after unlock can be used overseas?

New Visible Party Plan Members

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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 Galaxy S22 depreciates nearly 3x more than iPhone 13 just two months after launch

Samsung US sale: Galaxy S22 Ultra gets a $250 discount, Z Fold3 up to $1,100 trade-in credit

TWRP officially adds support for Galaxy S20, Note 20 series, plus more

KDE Connect is Now Available for iPhone & iPad

What to expect from Google I/O on Wednesday

From The Forums:

Multiple accounts

Account Disconnected

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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 global chip shortage is forcing BMW to ship its vehicles without Android Auto and CarPlay

Mozilla's Thunderbird is going mobile, ten years too late

Competition Bureau Tells Rogers and Shaw it Will Oppose their $26 Billion Merger

Leaked Motorola Razr 3 images reveal an upgraded camera and a boxier design

Top 10 trending phones of week 18

From The Forums:

Move Tracfone service to new AT&T Prepaid phone?

5G UWB and Samsung Galaxy S20 plus

Does PagePlus now support Wifi Calling?

Looking for new US prepaid company

AT&T Motivate (Emblem Solutions LLC V341U)

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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 2nd, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, May 4th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, May 5th, 2022
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, May 6th, 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 18 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

How Do I Request Call Detail Records (CDRs)

Congrats to nellobird for starting our one hundred and twenty-fourth 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:

Government tracked Canadians’ movement via smartphones amid the pandemic

Freedom Mobile user managed to get 30GB for $50 due to new ‘Spring Sale’

US Smartphone Sales Decline 6% YoY in Q1 2022 as Pandemic Demand Cools

Bose is reportedly laying off staff amid poor sales

Telegram ‘Premium’ subscription is showing up in beta builds of the app

From The Forums:

4 Prepaid Accounts Hijacked, "Account Disconnected."

Moto E4 on Tmobile and Verizon?

How Do I Request Call Detail Records (CDRs)

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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:

OnePlus Nord N20 5G review: a better budget phone

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) review: stylus and substance

Foxconn Abruptly Halts Hiring at iPhone Factory Amid New Lockdown and iPhone 14 Delay Concerns

How QR codes work and what makes them dangerous – a computer scientist explains

Warning for ALL iPhone and Android users – signs your handset has been hacked

From The Forums:

How to refill no-plan TF feature phone?

Cannot remove photos/mystery 15g of space from Moto6

Cross-carrier hotspot device unlocking question – need help with this (ambitious) undertaking!

Is Google Fi service now cheaper than TM?

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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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