Enabling VoLTE Option on LG V40 - and Other LG Phones

Forums › Android › Enabling VoLTE Option on LG V40 - and Other LG Phones

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superspritely

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Wannabe Geek

#3413812 11-Sep-2025 15:17

Asteros:

The V40 will become a 4G tablet essentially except for app based calls such as via WhatsApp etc. Any mid range and up modern phone will be a much better experience than this V40, plus I think it has Android 10 and I don’t know how long modern apps can be installed on these older Android versions.

I may be misunderstanding this so would really appreciate someone chiming in: Is it true that this phone like many others will stop working purely because the network operator will not provision the phone for voLTE?

KiwiSurfer

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#3413829 11-Sep-2025 16:02

superspritely:

Asteros:

The V40 will become a 4G tablet essentially except for app based calls such as via WhatsApp etc. Any mid range and up modern phone will be a much better experience than this V40, plus I think it has Android 10 and I don’t know how long modern apps can be installed on these older Android versions.

I may be misunderstanding this so would really appreciate someone chiming in: Is it true that this phone like many others will stop working purely because the network operator will not provision the phone for voLTE?

It's more the other way around -- the phone manufacturer has to sort out their firmware/software/etc.

superspritely

4 posts

Wannabe Geek

#3413834 11-Sep-2025 16:08

I see. I have a Pixel 4a, which I know has voLTE but it very much looks like it's not provisioned by Spark because it's not certified by them. In other countries, it is certified.

What changes would be needed on the handset exactly?

Linux

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#3413839 11-Sep-2025 16:50

superspritely:

I see. I have a Pixel 4a, which I know has voLTE but it very much looks like it's not provisioned by Spark because it's not certified by them. In other countries, it is certified.

What changes would be needed on the handset exactly?

@superspritely does your SIM card get VoLTE in another handset? Approved handset

Just cause a handset supports VoLTE does not mean it is going to work with VoLTE

wellygary

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#3413841 11-Sep-2025 16:55

superspritely:

I see. I have a Pixel 4a, which I know has voLTE but it very much looks like it's not provisioned by Spark because it's not certified by them. In other countries, it is certified.

What changes would be needed on the handset exactly?

VOLTE =/= VOLTE....

Each operator implements it differently , the device manufacturers need to include each operators versions....

superspritely

4 posts

Wannabe Geek

#3413849 11-Sep-2025 17:07

Thanks for the reply, it's all very murky I and I can't help thinking the issue lies solely with Spark.

I thought the handset had a generic implementation and Spark just need to push the IMS/CarrierConfig profile for the Pixel 4?

Maybe I'm missing the nuance here?!

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Linux

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#3413850 11-Sep-2025 17:10

@superspritely Nope that is not how it works with VoLTE far more complex than that

Geekzone has a Pixel thread with further information in it (yes it is a Pixel 8 thread but has lots of helpful information)

Pixel 8 release soon

mudguard

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#3413884 11-Sep-2025 19:20

superspritely:

I see. I have a Pixel 4a, which I know has voLTE but it very much looks like it's not provisioned by Spark because it's not certified by them. In other countries, it is certified.

What changes would be needed on the handset exactly?

How did you get around the battery update?? The forced update killed my partner's 4A so we've got her an NZ Samsung.

robjg63

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#3413888 11-Sep-2025 19:30

@hinko

It might be worth getting a $1 or $2 sim card from someone other than spark the next time you are at the supermarket and testing your phone.

I rjust read your post and it reminded me of a problem my wife had with a new phone.

Turned out Spark hadnt enabled VoLTE on the account/SIM - she had been a Spark user for decades....

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=39&topicid=304592

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Asteros

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#3413892 11-Sep-2025 19:37

superspritely:

Thanks for the reply, it's all very murky I and I can't help thinking the issue lies solely with Spark.

I thought the handset had a generic implementation and Spark just need to push the IMS/CarrierConfig profile for the Pixel 4?

Maybe I'm missing the nuance here?!

From memory Google has included VoLTE profiles in the Phone software for the 3 big NZ networks for Pixel 6 and newer. The networks provide the profiles but it is up to the manufacturer to include them. There have been various reasons mooted why Google has not included them for their older Pixels. Have a look in that Geekzone Pixel 8 forum but also look for another forum called Pixel Volte working NZ (I think?)

superspritely

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Wannabe Geek

#3413901 11-Sep-2025 19:49

That makes some sense.

Just seems fairly incredible that thousands of New Zealanders are being told that their phone is not 4G capable (when it is) and that they have to buy a new handset

Meanwhile, over in the UK:

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

Asteros

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#3413909 11-Sep-2025 20:04

To be honest it was a few years ago - we're onto Pixel 10 for reference - but the gist of the situation was that Pixel has never been officially released into NZ by Google so including NZ networks was not on their radar. I think there was some sort of outcry regarding roaming not working and step by step they included NZ roaming on Spark and features kept being added until finally the 6 arrived and 5G, VoLTE and VoWifi was enabled for all networks. I could be wrong but I don't think there's an easy and reliable way to turn on VoLTE on your Pixel 4. Please search those old threads.

tripper1000

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#3421109 3-Oct-2025 16:41

superspritely:

Thanks for the reply, it's all very murky I and I can't help thinking the issue lies solely with Spark.

I thought the handset had a generic implementation and Spark just need to push the IMS/CarrierConfig profile for the Pixel 4?

Maybe I'm missing the nuance here?!

"Nuances" is putting it lightly.

I've tinkered a lot trying to get VoIP working on handsets that were not supported by (all or some) NZ networks with little luck. What I have learned (in simple terms that may not be 100% technically correct) is the following:

2G/3G phones were primarily voice networks with data added on. Voice was baked in and worked the same on almost all networks since it took so much effort for carriers not to to roll with "the standard". Therefore there was almost universal voice compatibility (aside from regional things like frequencies).

4G is primarily a data network. The way devices connect to data is pretty much baked in. Voice is not baked in but a VoIP add-on. Most carriers initially setup data-only LTE networks and only added voice later as an afterthought. There was a standard for how to add it on but many carriers (and some OEM's) deviated from the standard. So no two VoLTE networks work the same.

VoLTE is essentially VoIP with some updates to conserve bandwidth and so forth. Just like VoIP, every carrier has a different server with different login credentials and different codecs profiles. The phone therefore has a table with many, but not all of the carriers server login details. The OEM collates data from all the carriers around the world (or not), builds the table and puts it in the phone.

Vodafone launched VoLTE in 2019, so a phone from 2018 will not have a record of the Vodafone VoLTE profile unless there has been a update which varies by manufacturer. Also NZ isn't a big market, so we were sometimes overlooked when these tables were being built, so your 2020 phone may not have the correct profiles either.

The carrier can also provide a custom firmware load that includes their VoLTE profiles. So there are older phones where VoLTE will work on 2dgrees but not Skinny etc. Where a model is supported by several NZ carriers you may still have to reload the firmware to use it on another NZ network. This is also why parallel imported phones may not work when the same model purchased from from the local carrier does. Some reputable shops in NZ have sold phones missing the local profiles, so two identical models can behave different on the same carrier.

Once you get under the hood, there are a thousand different VoLTE settings so it isn't simple to just add the necessary details. There are also configuration problems on some older phones, where they have the necessary VoLTE profile data, but the VoLTE enable switch is hidden/disabled.

VoLTE is pretty complicated and ugly.

Hinko

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#3421112 3-Oct-2025 17:10

robjg63:

@hinko

It might be worth getting a $1 or $2 sim card from someone other than spark the next time you are at the supermarket and testing your phone.

I rjust read your post and it reminded me of a problem my wife had with a new phone.

Turned out Spark hadnt enabled VoLTE on the account/SIM - she had been a Spark user for decades....

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=39&topicid=304592

Thanks Rob, FWIW I did try a 2 degrees sim, regrettably no better than a ONE sim. Seems a Spark SIM may not be worth trying?!

Given getting VoLTE working seems remote now, I bought a iPhone and am annoyingly reminded just how good the android LG V40 is! It just starts with a finger print, no need to find the face, no need to get the angle right to process the face for the ID, the processing of the finger print is reliable and fast. Also is much thinner and 2/3 the weight. However the camera is significantly inferior. The MAG charging option is a significant advance (that could be added to the V40 too now!)

Thinking about it further I recall I had asked the seller of the phone PBTech "Please advise whether my phone I bought from you is affected as per one NZ advice: "our 3G network is shutting down from March 2025. You'll need to upgrade to a fully 4G capable mobile (which supports both 4G voice calling and 4G data) before then to keep connected." When I look into the phone specs it says its connected using the LTE part of the network."

Their Product support had replied :"Your phone is 4G capable, you wont have a problem with the 3g shut down." Hmmm.

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