Well, it's definitely got more of a change of getting VoLTE than the S4 has, let's put it that way!

I was thinking about the LG G4 because it is much cheaper than the G5 (I saw one sell on eBay for £200 only yesterday, and it was in good condition with a load of accessories), yet also has the field test mode that would definitely be useful to me.

I have heard on here about iPhones getting all of the latest carrier settings, but I'd have to relearn a new OS (I've always used Android, and I don't know if all my apps are available on iOS), plus there's the no widgets thing, no apps from outside the Apple App Store, no expandable memory (I need to keep my microSD option) and there's even the possibility of 3.5mm support being dropped on the iPhone 7 and newer - which is something I cannot live without. So I'd much prefer an Android that will get VoLTE....

Apart from an iPhone, anything else that would be likely to get VoLTE? (No Samsungs, as I'm fed up with the "let's drop down to 2G" nonsense that the S4 has.)

That's a shame, although I'll still be getting the phone regardless as I doubt I'll be spending much time on 2G anyway and the 4G+ icon is just something good to see and not the be all and end all. I certainly won't be trying to alter the firmware on a brand new phone when I'll be new to Android.

I don't agree with networks being able to block certain features though. If it's available on a phone, then it should be available on any network, be it 4G+ icon, 2G only mode (excluding Three who don't have 2G) or even Visual Voicemail on iPhone that only EE supports. Why the others don't support it is beyond me.

Going back to my original question, out of interest, is there a way of getting 2G only to work using an app? Looking on Google Play, I see there are several apps that claim to do this although some don't appear to be compatible with Samsung's?

Why don't you move to Three? I'm on Three now (moving to EE soon though, hopefully tomorrow) and, although the 4G coverage isn't a patch on EE's, the 3G coverage is excellent and almost always works, even for videos, so your radio streaming should be fine. With Three, you'll end up with nothing at all if you can't get a 3G signal, but at least it would cling onto 3G for as long as possible and not drop to 2G too early. You'd also have the advantage of Supervoice on a lot of phones as well.

Well yes, it's got more chance of getting it than the S4, but seeing as that's zero, it's not much of a gain...

I don't have an iPhone but would be amazed if there are more than a couple of apps that are not available, that are currently on Android. It's usually the other way around.

I wouldn't worry about the learning curve from what I've heard.

With an old and probably insecure S4, if you're adding third party apps from outside the Play store it may be better if your ability to do this in the future is limited.

I agree that dropping the 3.5 audio port would be a PIA. If they do - future flagship Androids will probably follow suit and move to audio via USB C, which I think is within the spec.


I never found one that worked on the S6 - I think it's as much to do with changes in Android versions as it is Samsung, but I'm not certain.

Give me an example of an app and I'll try it, I can only find ones that bring up the phone's own settings.

Most of those apps just do the *#INFO# code - and that doesn't work on some phones, including Huawei and presumably Samsung (also LG I think).

If anyone wants the codes for LG they are usually something like:

*#546368#*<model>#

Where <model> is the actual model number only, no letters, just the model number. So for example mine is an LG V10 H960, so my code is *#546368#*960#

Do be careful what you do though as there are bugs in some of the devices and certain menu options can brick the phone. It IS safe however to go to: field test -> modem settings -> RAT selection, where you can select LTE only, or field test -> modem settings -> network mode, where you can select the 4G bands you specifically want, a reboot resets the network modes back to normal.

I have seen reports of people messing in other menus like IMS and stuff and causing their phone to not boot, so again... warning, it isn't safe to just play around, these are fairly locked away for a reason.

In my experience with Three if you have a signal, it always works. With EE, sometimes I have a decent signal but very little to no throughput. So it's unusable.

It's totally location based unfortunately - both 3 and EE suffer from the 'full signal, no throughput' problem around here, primarily due to borked masts and backhaul. Many shared of course.

Spent weekend in Stourton / Wincanton / Frome area on business and have to say EE and 3 3G were poor to be honest. Didn't have a phone that could do EE 4G (iphone 4) but didn't see 3 4G once (Honor 7). VOD 2G relatively solid but even that wasn't amazing. Didn't try VO2 data as they rip you £2 for it and couldn't be bothered.

For such a flatish area of the country I expected much better. Maybe EE 4G is good there? 3G was rubbish to be honest.

That's annoying. The EE map shows its not brilliant in Frome, but I know personally that EE 3G is good on the A36, but haven't been that way for a while to try 4G. Don't know the other towns. Westbury is good for EE 4G. Maybe there is a problem getting the backhaul (Virgin media, BT etc) in to those towns, or there have been people protesting against masts for years. (This problem in west sussex means villages without coverage now!).

When I've tested both 3 and EE side by side, I've noticed that they are both usable in the vast majority of areas. Sometimes, on 3G, I have noticed Three being faster than EE, but then again, with areas getting EE 4G, EE seems to be the faster option in many areas.

As for your area, sounds like all masts are either on copper backhaul, or on microwave backhaul (with all masts being in a single daisy chain - with the "supply" mast being on copper itself). Some of the older Orange masts tend to have copper backhaul, and hence there is very little throughput.

I know that Three's 3G are just as good as EE's (due to the mast share agreement) but I am currently in the 16GB EE contract SIM for £20, and EE's network in general is very good. On Three, you won't be able to get a good eal for that - either 8GB for £19, 12GB for £20, or 30GB on a 12 month contract for £20. However, the 30GB only comes with 200 minutes, which would be a problem as I would likely require more minutes than that. Plus of course, Three's 4G isn't great - when I last tested it in Leicester, I was barely getting 3Mbps from 4G and found out that 3G was actually better.
With EE on WCDMA mode, that's how the phone behaves as well - either 3G or nothing - but then I don't have anything when I get to one of these weird 2G/4G masts (why would anyone make a mast like that, is anyone's guess, 3G isn't dead yet....) Plus, I know it's not the networks fault, it's the S4's fault, as most other phones don't do this "drop down to 2G" thing! Hence why I was asking whether the LG G4 would ever get 4G Calling....

Yep, so pretty much as I said then.

I have to say, looking at the map and where we stayed, both EE and 3 maps are highly exaggerating actual 3G at least. Good coverage to me is not waving your phone around in a flat field with views miles around trying to hold a signal long enough to do anything. This exact area shows excellent 3G on both. I never did see 3 4G on my phone and again this shows decent coverage.

I can only think the network was under heavy strain or that there was work being done to a view masts.

I see you're in Cheshire. I've never encountered that issue on Three in West Cheshire or Merseyside. Also seems fine in North and Mid Wales, Central London, Kent, Edinburgh and Cumbria! They are just the places I've been to recently.

I switched to EE last week and this has become. Regular problem, not good.

Coverage map updated for 4G today.

Seems the Hunstanton mast has been 4G'ed Similar coverage pattern as the 3G but definitely worked indoors on Hunstanton High Street.

A bit more 4G now available in North/North West Norfolk, North/South Creake 4G'ed along with Weybourne. Hoping all the sites along the A149 will be done soon. Streaming radio drops out along the A149 between Hunstanton and Wells though it's fine between King's Lynn and Hunstanton.

An ex Orange 2G only site on the A43 at Bulwick has had 4G added so now continuous data coverage along this stretch of the road. It's good to see continued progress on these ex Orange 2G only sites.

Good progress being made in North Norfolk sadly not so good in Suffolk, Between Thetford and Bury St. Edmunds still a couple of masts running old 2G no whiff of 3G either.

Just signed up for an iPhone SE on 25GB at £38 a month on business so no BT Sport to worry about. Probably a bit cheaper to buy and go SIM only but I just went with it. Seems a good deal if I can add on another phone and maybe router sim for a few quid more a month and share the data.

Awesome! So it looks as though the EE/3 panels haven't been altered, which isn't great because there are still very weak areas along the seafront and in some of the shops (certainly for 3G, haven't tested 4G yet as I haven't been there since the 4G switch on). The panels need realigning so that one of the panels points down into the town center, by the shops, because the flats on the seafront (and that area) have no 3G outdoors, let alone indoors....

I know that the 3G drops out a little bit just the other side of Kings Lynn, where you go down that rather large steep hill on the way to Heacham/Dersingham etc. Hopefully that holds on better with 3G and 4G.... Looks like I'll have to test both 3G and 4G out the next time I go to Hunstanton!

Excellent, it's good that these Orange 2G masts are finally being done. I wonder if MBNL will pop along soon and add 3G to it as well, or will it be one of these weird 2G/4G ones, which are rather anti-Galaxy S4...

Maybe backhaul or landlord/planning issues possibly, as I know that in those rural areas, it would have almost certainly have been copper backhaul to those masts and copper backhaul is unsuitable for 3G, let alone 4G....

Just a quick bit of mental arithmetic would say you might be wrong.

IPhone SE is around £15 a month over 24 months for the 16GB, £23 a month for 25GB a month seems cheaper than an EE sim only for that amount of data at present.

No idea. Seemed like a good deal. Take into account this is a business phone so prices are ex VAT.

May have done it cheaper sim only but I doubt by much. If I can share a couple more sims on the 25GB for a few quid more then happy days,. Just got so hacked off with Android on my recent business trip I had to get back to iOS. Coming tomorrow then the old phone on eBay. Quite a relief to get back to the land of the living.

Out of interest what is your old phone? More modern than an S4?

In a phone cradle my phone hung onto a 4G signal and was still able to stream radio at Babingley Bridge which is in that dip.

Historically my phone always used to drop to 2G around Sandringham until I got to the Dersingham roundabout but last week 4G throughout.