Pixel 3xl drops calls after half hour

[Jengoddard]

My pixel 3xl drops every call (made or received) after exactly 29 minutes and 50 seconds. I don't know if this is related to phone settings, network or what so wondered if anyone had had similar issues or knew of a fix. It's a real pain in the backside as currently working from home and means I get cut off in every conference call!

[mdc1983uk]

@KayleighHIt's a good plan. No dropped calls means no problem in their eyes and even if they fix it you'll never know because you'll be on the old system with 4G calling off.

@Lord_SnootyGood news I guess. I assume you made sure the calls were going via 4G and they haven't just sneaked in a update on the handset to make them all go via 3G? You need to turn the WiFi off, not the WiFi calling just so it gives you the icon at the top showing what network mode you are on. If it stays on 4G on a call and lasts more than 29:50 we can call it fixed and that will be fantastic news.

[mdc1983uk]

@PayPro  Ahhh. And this is what I fear. At the bottom line Vodafone have a problem that is probably nothing to do with manufacturers.  It's proved by people buying 2nd contracts and then using their old phone with a new number and not having a problem.... It 100% proves by elimination that the phone can't be faulty.

But if they are using their power of being a large MNO and making manufacturers do stuff to software and it just gives a few extra seconds? Hmmm. We'll have to see what @Lord_Snooty says with his fixed firmware update if he's actually making 4G calls or they just did something else. I've never came across a problem like this before - if every other network in the world doesn't have this problem it ain't down to them to fix Voda! That's just fact. And why would they want to?

[KayleighH]

Okay so I have had 4g and WiFi calling turned back on and currently on a call to see what happens and see if it drops. 

@mdc1983uk When I look at the status as you suggested it says it's using 4g but it also says mobile network state disconnected. When I looked at ways to solve this, one of the suggestions is to switch to 3g/2g network preference. So I think it is very likely the call will drop.

[mdc1983uk]

@KayleighHIt will still drop, trust me! Mobile network disconnected just means you left the WiFi connected on your phone so you don't have 4G at the top in the status bar?  Long at the mobile voice network says 4G you are on 4G!  If you do the airplane mode trick as well, it will say you are connected via IWLAN and the same thing will happen 😉

[KayleighH]

Ah got ya! And yep, just as expected the call dropped after 29 minutes and 50 seconds! 

I'm not sure I can do the WiFi calling as it doesn't even come up as a setting on my phone. I had to do a *#*# code on my phone to get the 4g call setting show up but the code to get the WiFi one just does nothing. 

Vodafone kept the chat open and said to contact them again if the call drop happened so I will see if I can get anything from them. 

[mdc1983uk]

@KayleighHYep told you. I've also lost that WiFi calling option as well. They are either trying very hard to fix, or very hard to cover up. I'll leave individuals to decide which!  I suppose everyone lost their 4G calling option in app/account as well many months ago just to stop someone turning it on by accident and bringing themselves back into this problem. They turn 4G calling off on your account and call it a fix cos last thing they want is someone turning it back on.

Keep it on, keep getting dropped calls and hassle them! We want a fix not workaround and 2G next year!

[KayleighH]

Yep, I am definitely going to keep on at them! It's definitely not right. For the important calls that need to be longer than 29 minutes, I will just switch the preferred network manually but it's really not on. 

Persistence is key though I think. Hopefully with many of us posting here consistently it will help. 

[mdc1983uk]

Yeah i'm going to write a email to the CEO office in the next few days. Gotta be very precise and to the point with them though. I'm already upto 3rd line tech support escalation and the resolution manager clearly said these are the people you won't talk to.  I said I don't care if they are CS trained or not i'd love to have a converstion with them about it.  But engineers can be a funny bunch, may be really good with computers/network planning and that but unable to hold a converstation or maybe letting something slip when quizzed under pressure 😂. It's not their job to talk to the public, you know?

I asked the manager if there was any way I could get her details to post on here and have people direct contact to add to complaint but no, they do themselves zero favours everyone has to go through tech support first. Even said with such a ongoing problem if you let me out my contract I still have a vested interest in seeing how this goes... Cos after 24 month contract I could have left and come back and still been affected so no. I'll take credits for dropped calls and hassle yet hope to see a resolution at the end.  They just seem to not want to be helped which is unfortunate....

[KayleighH]

That sounds like a good plan. I would be very interested to see if you get a response from the powers that be! 

Have you tried any other network sims in your phone? I am not in a contract so I could switch but I actually do like the bundle I have with Voxi and the signal is very good, it's just this damn issue which is so frustrating.

It's interesting about the Oppo phone for Lord Snooty having had an update that has potentially resolved the issue. 

Well, we shall keep on going and hopefully the issue will be resolved at some point. 

[mdc1983uk]

Ignore me guys, just doing a roundup of 2 years key posts for CEO email. Looking like actually contract release might be the better option to be fair!  Please don't post this thread unless you are 100% sure you are using 4G calling, on affected device and a fix has been implemented.

@jgfrancis 25-05-2020
Over three weeks now, five messages to Vodafone complaints and no further forward. I've been told it must be my phone, theres a problem with the mast in your area and switch off 4g on your phone. What they don't seem to be able to explain is why my other Vodafone sim works perfectly in the same phone. I'm really fed up now, but they won't release me from my contract. Don't know what to do next.

@jgfrancis 04-06-2020
I don't have a Pixel, I have a Sony Xperia XZ2, so I don't think the problem is handset related. The problem seems to be with 4g calling(Volte). If I set the phone to 3g, then my calls were not dropped, but on 4g, calls were always dropped at 29m 50s. I also had a second Vodafone contract sim which worked perfectly in the same handset. I think its probably something to do with the way the account was set up, but Vodafone either didn't understand the problem, or were not prepared to trace the fault.

@velodan668 ‎13-07-2020  (WISE GUY!)
There is a solution. Buy a different handset. This will never be fixed. Trust me.

@OLIVERSWWARD ‎24-07-2020  ( THIS WAS THE POST THAT GOT THIS WHOLE THREAD MARKED SOLVED, MASSIVE SOLUTION!!!) 🤣
Hi all, I have a Pixel 3 on Vodafone and have the same issue. I followed some advice to disable WiFi calling on my account (webpage) and on the settings on the phone. After a reboot I am now able to call > 30 mins! Hope that helps!

@neilhunter14 ‎24-01-2021

Hi again,

Well, since my new SIM arrived a few weeks ago, I have made my first long call, and sure enough, as expected, it bombed out on me again after 29m 50s. Android is up to date. I can't fathom why the phone's OS would have an effect on the ability to make long phone calls. Surely this is Vodafone making people's lives difficult?

The phone call I just made did not have 4G switched on, only my local home wifi connection. Are we saying that if you want to make a long call, then wifi needs disabling and 4G (or maybe 5G) switched on?

Regards,

Neil.

@Tash Moderator ‎01-02-2021

I'm so sorry to hear this has happened @KirstyD85.

I've chased this up with the investigating team again this morning, as the last update I had was that we'd raised this to our Logistics department.

When searching through Google's and Sony's forums, they've suggested switching the phone to safe mode to see whether this is caused by an app. Others have also mirrored our thread here, stating that switching to 3G only has been a temporary workaround if removing the Wi-Fi and 4G Calling feature from their account hasn't been the fix.

For those affected on Pixel phones, you can find out how to switch to safe mode to test this on Google's support page. If using a Sony phone, please follow the steps on Sony's safe mode page.

Should this not resolve things, you can switch to 3G only in your phone settings when following the steps for your phone in our device guide when searching 'Select network mode'.

I appreciate this has been ongoing and I'd like to apologise again for any inconvenience this has caused during this time. Rest assured we're pushing for answers and working hard to ensure this is resolved, so that you can use 4G calls or Wi-Fi Calling as normal. I'll continue to post any updates as soon as I have them on the thread here.

@Tash Moderator ‎01-02-2021

Hi everyone, I've received an update from the team who've advised that software including the fix for this issue was approved and released to Pixel 3 and above in early December 2020. They've confirmed this now looks to have resolved the issue. Please ensure you have the latest Android version installed if using a Google Pixel.

I've also been advised the equipment on our network which is the root cause of the issue is being removed, with a completion date being end of March to wipe out these instances regardless of which Android version your phone will be using.

For Sony phones, a fix hasn't yet been put in place regarding the software and once our changes are completed by the end of March, this should also fix the issue across different devices.
If you have any further questions regarding this, please let me know.

@donnydeadlight ‎25-03-2021

As a Sony handset user who continues to experience this issue, and has done now since June of last year, I have escalated this formally through Vodafone complaints and the response quite frankly has been appalling! I have been redirected back to your tech team for more pointless troubleshooting where it is clear from posts in this forum that VF have finally acknowledged it's own internal hardware/software/infrastructure as the root cause of the issue. As per previous posts, for a company whose core business is communication, it has been abysmal at all levels, and clearly no internal comms to customer advisors or your tech teams has gone out, meaning that they are still wasting customers (and thier own) time in taking people through pointless hours of troubleshooting and sending out SIM cards that will make no difference. During the course of my complaint one of your customer relations team had the audacity to imply I was being dishonest about this issue in order to get compensation. When I directed him to this thread he informed me he couldn't see any of the relevant posts because he was 'working from home'!! and that even if he could, anyone could post here and so he 'couldn't trust' any information in this thread!! I have been with Vodafone for 15 continuous years, and can honestly say I have never experienced such utterly unprofessional, arrogant and now patently offensive and dishonest customer service. It is quite frankly a disgrace, and something Vodafone should be truly ashamed of. I would encourage any users who continue to experience this issue to contact OFCOM as I will be doing for an independent and impartial review. Vodafone and its customer relations leadership should hang their heads low in shame. Disgusted.

@neilhunter14 ‎02-04-2021

@Tash

Please can you advise what is going on? It is now April. You said Android customers would be sorted by end of March - this has not happened.

We are still being cut off.....

Vodafone need to reimburse us. The Contract is not being met. You seem to be happy to take our money, but then our phone calls get cut off. This is despicable. OFCOM will be notified next week after the Easter break. This shameful saga has been going on for over a year which I find just appalling.

@jgfrancis ‎18-04-2021
I had this problem a year ago, and as Vodafone were unable to resolve the problem they allowed me to end my contract without penalty. I rejoined on the same plan, but with a new account and everything has worked perfectly since then. No more dropped calls. I believe the problem is to do with which part of the core system the account is hosted on. I'm not sure, but the GSM system uses a series of databases or Home Location Registers. When a new account is set up it is allocated to a specific HLR. I may be wrong, but I think this problem relates to accounts on one specific HLR (or other database) which has incompatibility issues with certain phones such as some Sony and Pixel models. When I changed my service my new account was probably set up on a different piece of kit with no such issues. I continued with the same handset with no more problems.

@SkodaNut66 ‎07-05-2021

Hi Tash. Please add me to the list of people with this issue. My XZ1 Compact drops 4g calls at 29:50 exactly, and has been doing so for nearly a year. Luckily I was able to cancel my new 24 month sim only deal, and I'll be leaving Vodafone if this isn't sorted. I have spent HOURS with online chat advisers, who each assure me whatever 'solution' offered will definitely work, but it NEVER does! The latest is you sent out a new sim, which as I suspected did not work. Utterly appalling, and no sign that Vodafone has a clue how to solve it. I am using 3g calls via the my Vodafone app settings, as it's the only way to make a call longer than 29:50!

What an actual sorry lot of helpless people doing their best to work togther to fix a problem against the company they pay for service.  Vodafone should be ashamed.