HoFo Blog

From The Web:

Messaging is no longer Android’s mess, it’s an iPhone problem: Talking RCS with Hiroshi Lockheimer

Apple Reportedly Demoed Mixed-Reality Headset to Executives in the Steve Jobs Theater Last Week

This woman left her AirPods on a plane. She tracked them to an airport worker’s home

Gordon Moore, Intel co-founder and creator of Moore’s Law, has died

Top 10 trending phones of week 12

From The Forums:

Is Tracfone still worth it?

Windows 11 versus Prepaid website

Satellite Connectivity In Cell Phones

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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, March 20th, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, March 21st, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, March 23rd, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, March 24th, 2023

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 31 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

Inactive Phones

Congrats to Senkoboy for starting our one hundred and sixty-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:

Banning TikTok Is Unconstitutional, Ludicrous, and a National Embarrassment

TikTok CEO fails to convince Congress that the app is not a “weapon” for China

The DEA Quietly Turned Apple’s AirTag Into A Surveillance Tool

A first look at using iMessage from a PC with Microsoft’s Phone Link app

Bill Gates Calls ChatGPT the Biggest Tech Advance of His Time

From The Forums:

TCL Flip 2 Modding Info

How to move line from one account to another

Visible forcing me to buy a new phone

Wi-Fi Calling?

USB Tethering still available after Visible network upgrade?

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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:

A Eulogy for Dark Sky, a Data Visualization Masterpiece

iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation for Cellular Phone Calls

Here's what users do with old iPhones vs old Android devices

Galaxy M54 quietly launches in selected regions w/ 108MP camera, 6,000mAh battery, more

Samsung’s photo “remaster” knows what this baby pic is missing: teeth

From The Forums:

Can I combine a line if I no longer have the phone?

Transfer existing physical SIM service to eSIM

Any value to old double minutes sim?

$10 loyalty discount ?

New MyVerizon tool to report network problems coming…

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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 Pixel Watch will now show you the time even when the battery is dead

Apple menstrual health study shows importance of femtech features

Garmin Forerunner 265S review: the Goldilocks of running watches

Samsung launches its own Exynos-branded ultra-wideband chip to compete with Apple

Public Mobile offering $40/mo 15GB plan for a limited time

From The Forums:

Google finds security flaws with Wifi calling

is there a way to send and receive SMS internationally?

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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:

Oppo’s Find X6 Pro is the latest smartphone to get a massive 1-inch camera sensor

Microsoft’s new Xbox mobile gaming store may launch in 2024

iPhone 15 Pro Leak Reveals Unified Volume Button and Mute Button

Google rolls out March 2023 update to Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, 6a

New T-Mobile Dining Rewards program entices you to save your appetite for Tuesdays

From The Forums:

2 Bars but no Data?

Default line on Tracfone account?

Moto G Stylus startup screen?

Reward Point Equivalents

Spin the Wheel

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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 introduces modular camera accessories for the Galaxy S23 series

iPhone 15 Pro rumored to ditch stainless steel for titanium: What we know

Apple Music boosts streaming music revenue to record $13.3 billion in 2022; vinyl outpaces CDs for first since 1987

Sony WF-1000XM5 design leaked

Top 10 trending phones of week 11

From The Forums:

Inactive Phones

Verizon Motorola Moto Z4 (XT1980-4) on T-Mobile - How do I get VoLTE to work?

Problem with attaching pictures

My Experience of VZW 5g

SYNC Moto G Pure to another Moto G Pure as backup phone

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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, March 13th, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, March 14th, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, March 15th, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, March 16th, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, March 17th, 2023

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 15 replies each as of this posting the most popular threads started last week are:

Locked Out of Web Account - Tracfone Support No Help
Transfer from S5 to A53. Possible to keep triple minutes?

Congrats to Betulo and 54321ZERO for starting our one hundred and sixty-fourth threads 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.
---------

From The Web:

Google: Turn off VoLTE, Wi-Fi calling due to severe Exynos modem vulnerabilities on Pixel 6, more

Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 debuts, coming to devices this month

Canadians Still Pay Some of the Highest Prices for Wireless and Internet in the World, Shows Fed Report

Moto Razr 2023 leaked live photo reveals new hinge design

Google Pixel Fold spotted out and about in New York

From The Forums:

Transfer from S5 to A53. Possible to keep triple minutes?

Question about iPhone use in Canada, Europe and Asia

Best verizon plan for living part-year in Mexico?

Is there a good AT&T plan for living in Mexico half the year?

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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:

T-Mobile is buying Ryan Reynolds’ Mint Mobile for up to $1.35 billion

Bell, Rogers, Shaw, Quebecor to Get Millions from Google and Meta if Bill C-18 Passes

Here’s everything new in Android 13 QPR3 Beta 1

iPhone 15 Pro Launching This Year With These 11 New Features

6G is shaping up to disappoint, and the industry can blame itself

From The Forums:

T-Mobile buying Mint

Mint mobile: T-mobile reaches agreement to acquire mint mobile for up to $1.35 billion

No incoming MMS messages from Verizon users after porting out from verizon

Locked Out of Web Account - Tracfone Support No Help

GV cancelled my account and I used the number the last day, Anything to do ?

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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:

Pixel Watch sales power Google to No. 2 in worldwide wearables marketshare

Fitbit making full Health Metrics Dashboard available without Premium

Samsung to launch a new Galaxy SmartTag later this year

Rogers releases blocks of blacked out text under CRTC order to share redacted information

Samsung responds to fake Moon controversy

From The Forums:

Transferring to new sim from ebay

Galaxy Watch On Visible?

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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 updates old Pixel phones, Pixel Watch with new features

Google One brings VPN to $1.99/month plan, adding dark web info monitoring

Canadian Wireless Prices Dropped 2.6% in 2022, Touts Minister

Bell Promo Offers $80/20GB ‘Unlimited’ Plan, Only in Ontario

How to keep your smartphone healthy during frigid Canadian winters

From The Forums:

Pixel 6 Pro front (selfie) camera cloudy

New cheap Smartphone vs. the $50 / 365 service day add on?

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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:

Data thieves expose millions of AT&T customers' names and phone numbers

11 incredible Samsung One UI features to try on your Galaxy phone

Magic Eraser rolls out to all Pixel phones, Google One subscribers, & iPhone

Google Pixel 7a stars in live photos, more specs confirmed

Top 10 trending phones of week 10

From The Forums:

Free T-Mobile line and getting a discount?

International calling charges from US to Greece

---------
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, March 6th, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, March 7th, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, March 8th, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, March 9th, 2023
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, March 10th, 2023

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 79 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

I need a new tracphone what should I get

Congrats to NoTechie for starting our one hundred and sixty-third 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:

Google rolling out Android 14 Developer Preview 2

All of the iOS 16.4 Features

Motorola ThinkPhone review

Unihertz Titan Slim Review: The BlackBerry I never had

Using Tasker to talk with ChatGPT on your phone looks equal parts powerful and terrifying

From The Forums:

Dish to conduct 5G tests at 800 MHz

Android: New cheapie or old flagship?

Disney Bundle offer ending?

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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 First to Capture 8 Spots in List for Global Top 10 Smartphones

2024’s OLED iPad Pros May Arrive With a Starting Price of Around $2,043 in Canada

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G review: A whole lot of phone for $200

Samsung Galaxy A34 and A54 prices leak: higher than the A33 and A53 last year

Basic smartwatches rescue market as Apple, Samsung stutter

From The Forums:

How does Tracfone react to moving a T-Mobile SIM between phones

Got the Pop-Up for a FREE Verizon Phone

Reconditioned iPhone 11 "reactivated" rather than "activated."

Verizon UWB 5G now covers 2/3 of US population

Testing cheap 5G phone speeds

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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 reveals a yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus

Google I/O 2023 will be on May 10th

Google Messages rolling out the new icons for read receipts

Pixel 7 and Pixel 6a listed for all-time low prices

First images of Xiaomi Mi Band 8 drop

From The Forums:

"Tracfone Mind Experiment" - can this be done?

Data only plans under $10?

Can the same phone get pending AAL points again if AAL is raised in the future? Care to test this?

Port out to G-Voice

Where are blocked numbers stored on an Android phone?

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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 is developing its own high-end CPU cores again, wants to use them by 2027

Samsung: Reports of new internal CPU development team are not true

Data breach exposed millions of Verizon customers' account info

Freedom Mobile Debuts New 30GB, 40GB and 50GB Unlimited Data Plans

Apple’s iPhone SE 4 may use OLED screens from a Chinese supplier, not Samsung or LG

From The Forums:

AT&T sim

Correcting wrong Zip Code on Account Page Forces New Phone Number?

Question about Tracfone $200 year plan, unlimited text/Voice + 24G data, please ?

StraighTalk Home to TracFone Cell?

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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:

MWC 2023 wrap-up

Apple iPhone 14 Pro wins best smartphone in 2023 GLOMO awards

Rogers Launches Roam Like Home Promo Ahead of Spring Break

Legacy Sprint customers on T-Mobile are about to lose a major perk

Top 10 trending phones of week 9

From The Forums:

I need a new tracphone what should I get

Way more exciting than Tracfone's Rewards Program?

Switching phones on an active line - best practices

Old plan switch

Service enddate

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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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