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!

[repask]

Vodafone forum admin keeps deleting proof that Vodafone knows the issue of calls disconnecting at 29 minutes and 50 seconds is caused by an incompatibility/misconfiguration between the Vodafone SBC and customers' phone where the SIP Session Timer Refresh is not correctly refreshed and the call is torn down as a result.

For EVERYONE, this issue affects 4G VoLTE calls and WIFI Calling on certain handsets.

The ISSUE IS NOT CAUSED by slow Internet bandwidth at your location, your handset chipset, your handset or whatever Vodafone is trying to convince you just so you stop asking for this to be resolved.

Please see my original post for more detail:

https://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Android/Pixel-3xl-drops-calls-after-half-hour/m-p/2725999/highlight/...

If the Vodafone admin deletes the post or continues to delete the screenshot showing a message from Vodafone in Facebook Chat confirming they know that the issue is caused by the wrong SIP Session timer refresh, then you can find the full post with screenshots here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vodafone/comments/113zbx2/vodafone_uk_call_disconnect_29_minutes_50_seconds...

Keep the pressure on Vodafone to get this finally fixed.

SCREENSHOT WAS REMOVED BY VODAFONE BECAUSE IT SHOWED THAT THEY CONFIRMED THE ISSUE IS WITH SIP SESSION TIMER REFRESH FAILING.

YOU CAN SEE IT HERE OR IN THE REDDIT POST.

https://imgbox.com/vukB2r4o

When I raised the point on 16.2.2023 that the SIP Session Timer refreshes correctly when you put it on hold and then take it off hold, each time getting another 29 minutes and 50 seconds before it expires and your call is disconnected, they replied that they know about it as well. See below. Vodafone is aware of the problem for who knows how long.

[repask]

They removed the screenshots of the conversation with Vodafone/Rachel confirming the issue is with SIP session timer refresh again. Here you go again: 

https://imgbox.com/vukB2r4o

When I raised the point on 16.2.2023 that the SIP Session Timer refreshes correctly when you put it on hold and then take it off hold, each time getting another 29 minutes and 50 seconds before it expires and your call is disconnected, they replied that they know about it as well. See below. Vodafone is aware of the problem for who knows how long.

https://imgbox.com/S0WrUDLP

Original post:

https://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Android/Pixel-3xl-drops-calls-after-half-hour/m-p/2725999/highlight/...

Full thread at:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vodafone/comments/113zbx2/vodafone_uk_call_disconnect_29_minutes_50_seconds...

[mdc1983uk]

@repask Haha it gets better. Reminds me of my time on another support forum where they eventually ended up banning me. Cos I mean the truth hurts right 😂 Unless they come back later and say image was being moderated. Few of my posts disappeared for a day or so because they had links but you seem to have gotten away with that and other picture.

And it sure does seem like Option 3. My complaint went as high as the CEOs office and only after I'd brought a 2nd identical handset direct from Vodafone store just to disprove their points about it being a software issue/3rd party handset did she agree to waive everything and take me out of contract. The advice was to upgrade and get another brand phone. Yet they still sell these incompatible ones and XFile the issues. I mean I might have actually stayed if I'd worked out hold/unhold workaround @Baysik is a diamond for working that one out. Least I know what to do if they merge with Three and bring back problem.

Anyone with a expensive contract though and this I'd be inclined to complain to CEO office and try get them to release you from contract. You can then upgrade to SIM only and pay a lot less for a phone which doesn't work properly or take PAC code and go elsewhere. They started selling plan/device seperate some time ago though so they may just ask for phone back unless you are on one of the old style contracts. I got to keep mine after 3 months of payments as it was part of the failed service payment. Ones I feel really sorry for are those on Voxi or other virtual operators using Voda. Asda, Talkmobile and Lebara I believe. They likely don't have as much knowledge of the problem or access to same level of support unless they find this thread by chance. Most people don't even know or care what their virtual operators run off unfortunately.

[repask]

I couldn't agree more. Why is this whole thing about obscuring truth? All I wanted was to get the issue looked into and confirmed they now know what it is and will work on fixing it. But what I found was they knew all along what it is and choose to lie to everyone. Then when I simply post here to show what the issue is and that they're working on fixing it, they remove the one communication screenshot that confirms Rachel saying the Vodafone engineer found the issue to be with SIP session timer refresh. If they wouldn't have tried to hide this from everyone, I would still be hoping that they are actually working on a fix. Now we know they are just preventing a fallout from an issue that they can't fix.

It's a sad state of affairs that they choose this path. Such a large company and behaving publicly like this is just surreal. 

As you said, @basik thank you for the workaround! It actually makes it possible to have a call longer than 29 min and 50 seconds, if you set up timer that beeps on you every 29 minutes just so your call doesn't Drop 😂

Vodafone do you see what a sad state of affairs this is???

I'll leave this here for future generations that might come here at some point in future, Vodafone Knows why your 4G VoLTE and WiFi calling calls are dropping at 29 minutes and 50 seconds.

They confirmed it is because their system (Vodafone SBC) handling the call session does not like the SIP session timer refresh that is sent by the phone just before the session expires. This results in the Vodafone SBC tearing down the call regardless if you are in the middle of your conversation.

This can be fixed by either side. Vodafone can change their SBC system settings to accept what all the phones with this issue are sending, or they can ask each of the phone manufacturers to change their phones software (Android, iOS) to match what Vodafone SBC expects to get.

As you can see, asking 100s of manufacturers to match Vodafone UK SBC settings is quite unrealistic, when WiFi calling and 4G VoLTE calls work fine for all other providers around the world and in the UK.

We're getting service from Vodafone thus one could at least expect they try to setup their systems to accept the SIP session timer the phones are sending and finally stop disconnecting our calls. 

Otherwise Vodafone is a good network, but their handling of this issue is abysmal and shameful that they are willing to delete their own words when I posted it here. 

[EL1234]

@repaskLebara mentioned the Qualcomm chips, but presumably they got it from Vodafone.  As you say, it's a big shame that they just won't admit the problem is with them - manufacturers should not have to send out individual patches just because Vodafone's network won't accept the generic signals.  As for telling you that handsets are incompatible, how can they be when they can receive 4G calls for hours on end and can make them for 29 minutes and 50 seconds.  Clearly they are compatible with 4G calls!

@BaysikThanks for the on hold tip, I'll try and remember that one, keep me going until I get around to moving provider, which seems to be the only long term solution here.

[repask]

There is no substance in the claim that it has anything to do with a Processor. 

The reason 4G calls work fine is that they still use 3G network to place the call. This means the call still connects over the age old technology that providers use for years. 

Only 4G VoLTE and WiFi Calling use Voice over IP protocol - SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) to establish and handle the call. In SIP, the carrier system (SBC) and the phone need to agree on certain settings when the call is being established. One of them is how often each side will send and receive notifications to say "Hey I'm still here". The Vodafone SBC doesn't care that there is audio still flowing e.g. You speaking to the other side, because the audio in a SIP call is handled by a separate system that carries the RTP media traffic. This means the Vodafone SBC needs to be told the other side is still there at the agreed time, otherwise, it won't know if you are still talking or you just lost reception or WiFi connection to the Internet and Vodafone never received the Hangup SIP message at the end of the call.

If they wouldn't implement and send the SIP session refresh timers at the agreed time, their SBC systems would have ended up with 100s of stuck calls that are no longer there, filling up the SIP channels and consuming resources, and they would have no way of knowing that the calls are dormant.

So if the SBC doesn't receive the SIP session refresh timer at the agreed time, in this case, 29 minutes 50 seconds, it disconnects the call. 

The problem in the Vodafone SBC case is that it does receive the SIP session refresh from the phone, it just doesn't like the format and it ignores it and disconnects your call.

As you can see now, this is a setting that can be changed on Vodafone SBC to accept the format these phones are sending, or they can go and try to ask every phone manufacturer to change the format because Vodafone SBC wants it to be slightly different. 

Vodafone changing their SBC settings is going to be much easier than the other way around. But for some reason they aren't able to, they must have realized this years ago and decided the best management of this fallout is to lie about it and keep blaming everything and anything else than the simple truth - It's their system's inflexibility to accept the SIP session refresh in a format the phone sends.

See the below screenshot from my communication with Vodafone - Rachael confirmed their engineer has gathered traces and found the issue is with SIP SESSION TIMER REFRESH and how the device, my phone, tries to renew the SIP session invite.

https://imgbox.com/vukB2r4o

Full post below from before Vodafone removed the message screenshot confirming they know what the issue is.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vodafone/comments/113zbx2/vodafone_uk_call_disconnect_29_minutes_50_seconds...

[mdc1983uk]

It's appalling how the moderators have all gone quiet on the matter, haven't taken the solved marker off but hid the evidence of the company being wrong all these years. I wonder who gave the OK for that? They must realise in the 2020's they can't get away with this behaviour. When you make your (ex)customers jump through hoops and treat them like fools they become more determined to fight back - in public. If you hide facts from your forum they go post them elsewhere.

A wise man once said "Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence."

I think everyone on this thread has felt the incompetence, making us individually send in reports for something even after 3 years that a tech could work out in 5 minutes with an affected phone in their hands. Still selling these phones that aren't compatible is incompetence. Hiding the screenshot which proves you know the problem is just devious and malicious and you've been caught out. All anyone has done here is try and help you diagnose the network issue and be patient. All you have done is run everyone round in circles and give false promises on fixing it. What a company!!!

[Crugath]

I upgraded to a Google Pixel 7 Pro in February this year, and it has been fine for the first few months, but this morning I had a phone call disconnect after 29:50 again.

To the mods, I do not want to reach out to someone on the social media team, I want someone to get in contact with me, I had enough of a run around with my Oppo Find X3 Pro and trying to get that sorted out to just have the same problem again on a new phone.

What is going on? It's very clear now that this is not something that's related to specific models but is clearly something systemic.

[mdc1983uk]

Watch out they are going ahead with the merger plan between Three and them. You might finally get problem solved after 3 years if they use Three's systems!! Or I might get it back after leaving them 10 months ago.

[KayleighH]

Oh gosh! Let's hope they use Three systems and you don't have to go through all that rubbish again!! 

I'm still persevering, god knows why!