HTC One M8 not connecting using H+ with Vodafone

[Goodsteal]

Up until just before Christmas '14 I had an HTC One M7 that came from Vodafone and usually connected to the Vodafone network using 'H+' and would give me download speeds of around 7 Mbps. Unfortunately the phone broke. HTC replaced it with a "new" One M8. This will only connect using 'H' and only gives download speeds of less than 1 Mbps. I don't know if this is a problem with the SIM (had to swap from Micro to Nano SIM which took Vodafone nearly a month!), if the phone is missing some settings (as the phone did not come from Vodafone) or whether there is a problem with the phone.

If I try to get new internet settings downloaded from the Vodafone website, I receive a text message saying "It looks like you've swapped your SIM or updated your software. If you want to continue sending picture messages, you'll need to update your settings. We'll send you these by text shortly." However, I never receive the text message containing the settings.

Has anyone else had similar problems? Does anyone know how I could resolve this problem?

Thanks.

[hrym]

You may find that the phone is installing the settings silently in background.  If you can make a data connection at all, it sounds as though you have the correct ones, though they won't affect the actual protocol used.  You can also check by going into Settings|Networks|Mobile Data|More and looking for the "get settings from provider" option.   If it's not there, it means the device thinks all is well.  If it is, it'll install the correct settings and delete any others.

The protocol is normally set by the cell you're connected to, so it may simply be a network issue.   Have you tried other locations?

[Goodsteal]

Thank you for your help. A few people where I work are on Vodafone and were all connected on 'H+' today, while my phone was still on 'H'. Therefore I guess that either my phone has a fault or it is not configured correctly.

I have also checked the software update settings and they are not set to download or install automatically. There are no updates available when the phone checks.

I have attached an image showing these settings.

Any ideas how I might get Vodafone to look into this? From recent experience I don't hold out much hope for their telephone support or on-line chat support.

[hrym]

Some phones use different protocols more readily than others.  My wife, for instance, sometimes gets Edge on 2G or H+ on 3G when I don't.   It might be as simple as that.   There's nothing you need to do (or can do) in settings to enable it.

[Goodsteal · Accepted solution]

I think I have figured it out. If I browse the internet and quickly change to the 'Network' screen (under 'Settings' > 'About'), the 'Mobile Network Type' usually says 'HSPAP'. Then after a few seconds it drops back to 'HSPA'. It only displays 'H' in the phone status bar for both HSPA and HSPAP. So the phone is actually actively swapping between modes. I guess this could be for power saving reasons or down to signal strength. I guess when I first thought I had a problem the network must have been very busy, hence leading me to think I had a connection issue.

Thanks for your help guys.