FreedomPop LTE with GoPhone

Telecom
1

[Updated: I uninstalled and reinstalled the FreedomPop Messenger app and the FreedomPop dialer integrated with the Android dialer fine, this time.]

I purchased an AT&T GoPhone LG Phoenix 2 at Best Buy, today, for $59, and inserted a FreedomPop LTE SIM.

The phone is not unlocked. I took it out of the box, removed the GoPhone SIM (it's a nano, btw), inserted the FP LTE SIM, and booted the phone.

I then added an APN for fp.com.attz, selected it, and it connected to the AT&T network with no problem.

I installed the FP Messenger app (and Hangouts Dialer) and it was able to assert itself as the default messaging app. When you click the soft keypad, inside the app, it offers the stock dialer (which integrates with the FreedomPop dialer) and Google Hangouts as options. I chose the stock dialer as the default, to use FreedomPop VOIP.

I can make calls using my FreedomPop number and my Google Voice number with pretty decent call quality.

I'm not able to get the hotspot feature to authenticate and I'm not sure why. I had hoped to use this as a hotspot but it's looking like that won't be very easy.

Future Project:

I'd like to try a $59 AT&T Velocity MiFi with a FreedomPop LTE SIM. I'm hoping that it offers a data cut-off, not just a warning (like the FP Global MiFi 2 does).

2

I really like the LG Phoenix 2, btw. It reminds me of my LG G Stylo, which I love.

2GB RAM
16GB Storage
Double tap on/off
5" display
Removable battery

3

I believe hotspot is a paid extra these days.

If you are routed Wifi Tether Router is an excellent app.

4

Anyone know how to root this thing?

5

A quick scan of XDA seems to indicate there is no root solution. Sorry.

Looking at my FP ATT sim account it seems that tethering is only possible in the freedompop premier bundle for $10.99. So ridiculously expensive.

You are probably better off spending a little extra and get a moto g4 play or something like that which you can root easily and swap to a sprint MVNO if you need to. Any reason for going for a cheap gophone? Apart from new but cheap of course.

6

It's got good specs for $59. And I submitted a device unlock request, in case I get lucky.

I've tethered the LTE SIM from another phone, so I'm sure it's an ATT phone thing and not an LTE SIM thing.

7

I'm sure I can Bluetooth tether with PdaNet+, so that's good enough.

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P..S.-- I have plenty of phones, already. This was just an experiment, so no need for a G4.

9

Not having as much experience with FP as you do but I also only get those 2 options. I didn't know there was a different FP dialer since I guess I've never seen it. lol

I also only get the option for native dialer or Hangouts. I just thought that's how FP app worked. lol

When I choose native dialer it does bring up the native dialer so I can either choose a contact or just enter phone number, it then does some switching of screens & then starts "ringing" which sounds more like a beeping instead of a ringing sound. I assumed that was the FP app sound since it's not the sound I used to hear when it was on Virgin Mobile.

When I check my FP usage I can see it deducted the minute from my allotment so assumed it was using FP.

Just used native dialer, didn't even bring up or go through FP app, to call my CellNuvo phone and it worked too. Call went to VM and shows the call as coming from my FP number & it deducted a minute from my allotment .. did that twice in a row.

Third time I tried, it rang once, then silence .. saw this message "failed to connect to FP server" ... so it appears sometimes you can use the native dialer sometimes not. lol Since I tried it again & it won't connect now but will when using FP app which then goes to native dialer anyway.

And no I don't have any dialer set as the default but it appears my Stylo is using FP anyway. And this phone is NOT on the Premium Calling trial, that's all been cancelled and this phone started it's 2nd billing cycle about 12 days ago or so. The FP app actually says "try it now".

The calls shows in the native dialer call log with the same time as the Usage log on FP.

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Yes it seems like the FP dialer needs a jump start from another dialer to work. Odd but there you go

11

I think the tethering app in the GoPhone must be routed through AT&T.

When I place the SIM in my unlocked Alcatel Pop 4 Plus or my Blu Advance 5.0 I can tether just fine.

Note: I updated my OP because I can make and receive calls on my GoPhone with the FP Messenger app, now. For some reason I had to uninstall and reinstall and it cleared up whatever the problem was.

Tether is still a no-go unless I use PdaNet+, and even then it only works with USB and Bluetooth.

Still not bad, though.

12

Well, this is very interesting - indeed!

13

I'm very impressed with my LG Phoenix 2 GoPhone and FP LTE SIM.

It's good enough to use as a primary phone.

The LTE SIM doesn't seem to be as deprioritized as the global SIM. It's a very good consumer experience.

This setup has moved into the elite group of favorites in my ridiculously large collection of active phones.

14

I have yet to find a good, cheap GoPhone that one can root. Anyone know of one? I know if it's ZTE, you'll prob never be able to root. Too bad about the LG Phoenix.

15

Chelle, very interesting! Won’t FreedomPop find out that you used tethering, and charge you for it?

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I don't know why it's any different from putting the SIM in my global hotspot.

With four FP hotspots I actually have very little need to tether. It's mostly just a backup plan.

17

I thought to detect tethering, they really look for traffic patterns... if you attach an android device, everything is good... right?

18

I think that they check the Time To Live (TTL) number to see how many times it's been decremented. PlaNet+ spoofs that as one of their antidetection methods.

19

I think what PDANet+ for android and tetherme for ios does is change the DNS servers to Google. Maybe that's what it is. I haven't looked more closely. On network connect, the phone acquires the DNS server assigned by the network. These apps changes those.

20

Chelle, did you ever get around to asking AT&T to unlock the LG Phoenix? Were you successful? I'm always impressed by your innovative ideas!