3G shutdown: check your phones

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#3424477 12-Oct-2025 17:35

freitasm:

From Google blocks hack that let Pixel users enable VoLTE anywhere

What's the risk here? Users install a custom app and all their voice calls get routed through a malicious gateway? Bizarre. Why go to all the effort when you could just record the calls anyway?

freitasm

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#3424483 12-Oct-2025 17:54

There's a risk. There's always a risk.

Apps that have access to Phone and/or Messages can send and receive calls and SMS, not only record.

Next time you receive a spam call from a NZ mobile number it could be someone installed some app that started spamming calls out...

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#3426520 19-Oct-2025 21:12

Had to find a replacement phone for my father-in-law. He only uses it while out fishing, just to text when he's coming in or heading out. So the use case is simple a basic brick phone with calling and texting, no swiping or apps needed.

I checked out 2degrees first. Their option was $85 but had a very poor user experience hard to navigate and not intuitive. Spark had one for $50 that was much easier to use, so we went with that.

I also visited the One NZ store in Wellington, but they had none on display and wouldn’t open one for us to try. While we're happy with the Spark phone, my FIL still has $30 credit on his One prepaid card. There really should be a way to get a refund for prepaid balances in situations like this.

I tried contacting One via chat, but they just repeated that his old phone wasn’t 4G compatible and would soon be cut off. There’s a real lack of good, simple phones for older users who just want to text or call using physical buttons.

yitz

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#3426525 19-Oct-2025 21:59

Is the new phone locked to Spark?

Stu1

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#3426531 19-Oct-2025 22:02

yitz:

Is the new phone locked to Spark?

They all seem to lock the non smart phones , Spark , 2Deg and One all locked . Not a biggie just a waste and a pain having to change providers. Shame Nokia is not still around would be perfect

Stu

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#3426535 19-Oct-2025 22:07

The HMD 105 is likely the $50 phone you purchased from Spark. HMD is the latest iteration of the company that was Nokia phones.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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yitz

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#3426536 19-Oct-2025 22:09

They are offering a $30 joining credit offer (equivalent to the unlock fee)

snj

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#3426539 19-Oct-2025 22:45

Stu1:

Had to find a replacement phone for my father-in-law. He only uses it while out fishing, just to text when he's coming in or heading out. So the use case is simple a basic brick phone with calling and texting, no swiping or apps needed.

I checked out 2degrees first. Their option was $85 but had a very poor user experience hard to navigate and not intuitive. Spark had one for $50 that was much easier to use, so we went with that.

I also visited the One NZ store in Wellington, but they had none on display and wouldn’t open one for us to try. While we're happy with the Spark phone, my FIL still has $30 credit on his One prepaid card. There really should be a way to get a refund for prepaid balances in situations like this.

I tried contacting One via chat, but they just repeated that his old phone wasn’t 4G compatible and would soon be cut off. There’s a real lack of good, simple phones for older users who just want to text or call using physical buttons.

One NZ have Requesting a refund - form which says "If you're a One NZ Prepay customer, or [irrelevant], please give us a call.", might be worth calling again and this time cite that form. From memory the chat moved towards the same sort of setup that Spark switched to a few years ago, so each message potentially comes from a completely different person and it's not really a chat anymore.

Stu1

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#3426646 20-Oct-2025 12:50

yitz:

They are offering a $30 joining credit offer (equivalent to the unlock fee)

Thats the phone we got, really easy to use . Won’t need a plan will just be basic prepaid pay as you go

sleemanj

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#3436832 22-Nov-2025 20:32

Hackaday article about how (as I understand) VoLTE capable phones that make emergency calls on VoLTE can fail to make an emergency call on VoLTE because they pick the strongest network to make the call and isn't compatible with that network's VoLTE configuration.

Which potentially contributed to at least one death :-(

Why Samsung Phones Are Failing Emergency Calls In Australia | Hackaday

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#3436836 22-Nov-2025 21:25

Correct VoLTE is a dogs breakfast and then we have VoNR coming

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#3436953 23-Nov-2025 13:03

It is really getting to the point where I only recommend new Samsung or Apple phones sold from official NZ suppliers these days -- the only two brands to consistently to have good VoLTE/5G/etc compatability across all three NZ networks. Everyone else is, to borrow sbiddle's phrase, a dogs breakfast e.g. HMD may well have the Spark VoLTE config given Spark sells these but no way of knowing whether they also have the OneNZ/2deg config as well...

scottjpalmer

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#3436958 23-Nov-2025 13:44

KiwiSurfer:
It is really getting to the point where I only recommend new Samsung or Apple phones sold from official NZ suppliers these days -- the only two brands to consistently to have good VoLTE/5G/etc compatability across all three NZ networks. Everyone else is, to borrow sbiddle's phrase, a dogs breakfast e.g. HMD may well have the Spark VoLTE config given Spark sells these but no way of knowing whether they also have the OneNZ/2deg config as well...

Close, @linux is @sbiddle's brother from another mother

MaxineN

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#3436959 23-Nov-2025 13:46

KiwiSurfer:

It is really getting to the point where I only recommend new Samsung or Apple phones sold from official NZ suppliers these days -- the only two brands to consistently to have good VoLTE/5G/etc compatability across all three NZ networks. Everyone else is, to borrow sbiddle's phrase, a dogs breakfast e.g. HMD may well have the Spark VoLTE config given Spark sells these but no way of knowing whether they also have the OneNZ/2deg config as well...

Google Pixel...

😉

Ramblings from a mysterious lady who's into tech. Warning I may often create zingers.

KiwiSurfer

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#3436993 23-Nov-2025 16:09

scottjpalmer:
KiwiSurfer:

It is really getting to the point where I only recommend new Samsung or Apple phones sold from official NZ suppliers these days -- the only two brands to consistently to have good VoLTE/5G/etc compatability across all three NZ networks. Everyone else is, to borrow sbiddle's phrase, a dogs breakfast e.g. HMD may well have the Spark VoLTE config given Spark sells these but no way of knowing whether they also have the OneNZ/2deg config as well...

Close, @linux is @sbiddle 's brother from another mother

Oops my bad. :)

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