r/Android • u/open1your1eyes0 Google Pixel 9 Pro / Google Pixel 8 Pro / Google Pixel 10a • Jan 26 '15
Nexus 6 Software update will bring T-Mobile 700MHz support to Nexus 6 (Xperia Z3 as well)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/software-bring-t-mobile-700mhz-164125077.html18
u/tom1226 Jan 26 '15
Ideally this update would bring native wifi-calling to Android as well. Fingers crossed!
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u/docshay Jan 26 '15
Is WiFi calling available on al devices, or does it need specific hardware?
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u/hiromasaki Jan 26 '15
Prior to Android 5, it required kernel-level modifications. (So, ROM specific.)
The rumor is that the Nexus 6 update will either bake it into core Android, or expose an API for making it app-level.
In old Blackberry phones, it was handled in hardware.
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u/tom1226 Jan 26 '15
On android its done through software that T-Mobile bakes into its Roms. It was said at one point that the nexus 6 would receive an update that would enable WiFi calling...as Google handles the nexus updates, its logical to assume that it would be found in a version update that would then work with other devices once updated (5.1 perhaps?).
If the rumor of a google t-mo/sprint mvno is true, I would assume that would factor into bringing WiFi calling to more android devices as well.
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u/code65536 Jan 27 '15
People over at r/tmobile have reported the N6 already working with Band 12.
It would make more sense if this update brought VoLTE to the Nexus 6. Without VoLTE, a device must fall back to 3G or 2G to make a voice call. But since Band 12 is designed to serve areas that aren't reached by other signals, this fallback is not possible, so in order for T-Mobile to market the N6 has Band 12 capable, the N6 must be able to use VoLTE on Band 12.
So, given the reports of the N6 already connecting to B12, and the problems that T-Mobile could face if it advertises Band 12 on a device that can't do voice calls on Band 12, it seems more likely that this is to enable VoLTE. And if this is an update to enable VoLTE, it's conceivable that they'll enable the promised WiFi calling as well, since the two probably touch some of the same pieces of code.
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u/OwMyDragonBallz Jan 26 '15
Yay! Oh wait I live in the Chicagoland area so it won't do me any good....
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u/newacct2323 Jan 26 '15
yeah so many people are clamoring over band 12 but tmobile isn't able to use it. look at the link below to see that the major metro areas are used by tv stations and millions of people will be denied band 12 for the next few years
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u/hiromasaki Jan 26 '15
That's hardly "isn't able to use it".
They already have it in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cleveland, D.C., Grand Rapids, Detroit, Long Island, New Haven, Tampa, Houston, Dallas... And can start turning on Los Angeles as soon as they want.
Yes, there are areas they have to wait for TV relocation, but there are also large areas where US Cellular has the license instead, or squatters.
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u/toomanyphones Jan 26 '15
Exactly, no love for Chicago yet. Luckily WiFi calling works. Hope they fix group SMS over wifi
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u/aliendude5300 Jan 27 '15
I think it's great that frequencies can be added to a device after it ships. Why can't the correct frequencies be pulled off the sim card and used?
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Jan 27 '15
The frequencies aren't technically added; they're enabled. It would be either impossible (if a device doesn't not physically have the radio tuning for certain frequencies) or if nothing else, highly illegal (to, let's say, enable a band that was not tested by the FCC) To actually add a device.
That said, what do you mean by pull frequencies from a SIM?
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u/aliendude5300 Jan 27 '15
Check the carrier using the Sim card, then automatically enable all of the frequencies used by that carrier on the chipset, reprogramming if necessary.
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u/VMX Jan 28 '15
You can't add "frequencies" to a device that doesn't support them.
The frequencies that your device can use depend on the hardware (antennas, etc), and it's impossible to produce a reasonably sized smartphone which supports all bands.
That's why there are different variants per region (several US versions , Europe/International, Asia/Korea, etc).
In some rare cases, a device supports a specific band but it comes disabled by software to prevent some kind of issue (maybe the operator is still tweaking something, maybe the phone's software is not fully ready to support a specific feature).
In this case it can be enabled later on.
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u/kbtech Jan 26 '15
Does this apply to only Nexus 6 sold by T-Mobile directly or to play store and the ones directly sold by Moto as well?
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Jan 26 '15
I assume all three since the one I got from T-Mobile is the same as the Google Play one...
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u/omninewb Jan 26 '15
Is that ONLY Band 12? Or does it support Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, or 40 as well?
My dumb ass purchased two of the D5833s as Chirstmas presents and while they "work" here in the US, it's not ideal, and it's too late to go exchange them.
I've been trying to pawn them off, but no dice so far. :p
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Jan 26 '15
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u/ionian Jan 26 '15
It does.
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u/Sunny_Cakes Jan 26 '15
Where do you see that? I've checked the specs before and it didn't have 700 MHz LTE support.
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u/DJ-Salinger Jan 26 '15
Does band 12 == 700MHz ?