TIPS Cellular.everything

[KNERD]

Well I believe Mexico and Canada are part of he Visible plan. I'm more curious if you were in Europe, would your wifi access to the service be blocked because of IP address or geolocation information? Obviously, you could not call local numbers in the foreign country because of the calling plan but I would hope you could still call back to US/Canada/Mexico numbers regardless.

The Mexico and Canada are part of the calling to, not using in. And like I mentioned, I got zero signal from any cell towers.
My Mexico IP address was not blocked by Visible, and the phone functioned as normal as long as it was connected to the internet.

Best thing to do is to tether it to another phone in the local country via Wi-Fi while traveling. That is what I did.

 

[krzykat]

That's awesome, and great timing. Still only have one account on Visible, my daughters, and we're going overseas in a couple weeks. So if we did this, we should be able to grab a pay as you go SIM where we are and she could use that while there, but still have access to her Visible account (if we were where it is usable) at the same time, correct?

Step one completed ... upgraded daughter's Iphone 12 to Esim and was seamless. Now I'll grab a SIM in Italy, put it in daughter's Iphone. Then put her phone as hotspot that my Galaxy S10 will connect to, complete with my T-Mobile SIM. Then I can make and receive calls using either my T-MObile number over WIFI, SIM, or Groundwire with any of my SIP accounts.

 

[kenn10]

Molto bene!

 

[hawk#1]

I used my Iphone with visible service while at Niagra Falls, Canada. No need to tether to another phone to get a signal while I was there in Canada.

 

[krzykat]

I used my Iphone with visible service while at Niagra Falls, Canada. No need to tether to another phone to get a signal while I was there in Canada.

Yeah, but I think things will be different when you're off of North America. I'll know soon enough.

 

[mentura46]

interesting information

 

[phonebuff]

Yesterday I got an Email that my Antique Plan was going up six dollars per line, so my two lines are now over $100.00. The issue I have with moving to Visible is what SMS gateways do they maintain / allow messaging through for the device. All the MVNOs seem to have a different process and since my current lines are covered under a Verizon EMAG gateway agreement / service not sure what would happen under Visible.

Anyone with experience with this part of the service --

 

[kenn10]

The SMS is still going through Verizon Wireless gateways. With Visible, you can still send email to <cell number>@vtext.com so I would assume nothing is different from post-paid Verizon.

 

[kenn10]

Yesterday I got an Email that my Antique Plan was going up six dollars per line, so my two lines are now over $100.00. The issue I have with moving to Visible is what SMS gateways do they maintain / allow messaging through for the device. All the MVNOs seem to have a different process and since my current lines are covered under a Verizon EMAG gateway agreement / service not sure what would happen under Visible.

Anyone with experience with this part of the service --

@phonebuff I had to lookup what EMAG is. There is no bulk messaging or EMAG type functionality with Visible. Everything is done on the Visible app and your smartphone and there is no provision in that app to send or receive messages. Only normal smartphone sms/mms messaging is available. So depending on how you use enterprise messaging, Visible might not work out. You'd spend $50/month for two lines but if you are a bulk sms/mms message user, this could be an issue. You might be better off setting up an account on a DID with sms with someone like Bulkvs if you have a messaging campaign.

 

[kenn10]

What kind of experience are folks having with Visible? I've been generally very happy with it for some time. I just had to travel from North Carolina to northern Vermont and actually had very bad data experience. I was mostly on Interstate highways the whole way and usually had at least three bars of service. I could still make voice calls but the data was almost useless. My Android Auto would have a hard time updating and my streaming of Amazon Music or iHeartRadio was intermittent at best.

I know Visible customers can have shifting priority on the Verizon network but the past week, I've felt like my service was the absolute last priority on the network. I fear as VZW is repurposing old 3G frequencies, too many people have been dumped onto the remaining LTE network and overloaded it. The few cells of 5G I hit were just fine but there were not many of them.

I'm just curious if other users are seeing this too.

 

[KNERD]

What kind of experience are folks having with Visible? I've been generally very happy with it for some time. I just had to travel from North Carolina to northern Vermont and actually had very bad data experience. I was mostly on Interstate highways the whole way and usually had at least three bars of service. I could still make voice calls but the data was almost useless. My Android Auto would have a hard time updating and my streaming of Amazon Music or iHeartRadio was intermittent at best.

I know Visible customers can have shifting priority on the Verizon network but the past week, I've felt like my service was the absolute last priority on the network. I fear as VZW is repurposing old 3G frequencies, too many people have been dumped onto the remaining LTE network and overloaded it. The few cells of 5G I hit were just fine but there were not many of them.

I'm just curious if other users are seeing this too.

The super slow data rates and bad reception is the reason why I dropped the service. Better off with T-Mobile for $50 a month plan. Recently I went into a remote area where I sometimes travel since 2015. With T-Mobile I would would connection over a large area, but with my latest visit a coupe of months ago, I was surprised to see I had very good coverage. Meanwhile I also have an AT&T phone and it lost coverage while with T-Mobile I had very good signal.

 

[kenn10]

Changes are coming to Visible:

https://www.lightreading.com/5g/verizons-visible-cuts-unlimited-from-$40-to-$30month/d/d-id/779768

 

[KNERD]

Changes are coming to Visible:

https://www.lightreading.com/5g/verizons-visible-cuts-unlimited-from-$40-to-$30month/d/d-id/779768

It does not mention the party pricing with that -$15 off. It will now be $15 for normal plan and $20 for the plus?

 

[wardmundy]

@w1ve: I smell a rat...

Q: What's Changing:
A: Since we're making it easier to save with our new plans this means we're also making some changes to Party Pay. We will be closing Party Pay and locking all Party Pay discounts based on a Members Party status on October 18th, 2022.
Yes, Party Pay is changing, BUT in the meantime, your savings aren’t. Members who remain on the Visible Unlimited plan will be able to keep their current plan and Party Pay discounts (locked in at their Party size level as of 10/18) for as long as we support the plan

Q: I’m a new member on the Visible or Visible+ Plan, why don’t I see Party Pay?

A: Our members loved the discounts, but not the hoops they had to jump through to get it. So, we made our new plans simpler and unlocked a flat-rate monthly cost for all plans from day one, with no additional action needed by members.

Q: When is it changing?

A: Starting August 17, 2022 Party Pay will only be available to Visible Unlimited Plan members - these members can still join/switch existing Parties until October 18th, 2022 when all Party Pay discounts will be locked and the Party Pay tab in your account will be removed.

(But don’t worry, as long as you're in a Party before we lock in your discount on October 18th, 2022, you will continue to get your Party Pay discount as long as you remain on our Visible Unlimited plan.)

Q: What happens when I change to a Visible or Visible+ plan?

A: At the time your plan changes, your Party will be removed from your account. This will remove the discounts from your Party applied to your prior plan and will decrease your previous Party’s size by one. Don't forget to update your device software to the latest version before you activate your Visible or Visible+ plan.

Q: When should I leave my Party?

A: You don’t have to leave your Party, you can stay while you learn about the new plan offerings. Once you know what plan you want, you’re welcome to move over and your Party will be automatically removed from your account when you do.

Q: When is the last day I can join/switch my Party?

A: Existing Parties will be available to join/switch until October 18th, 2022. Your discounts will be locked into place as long as you remain on our Visible Unlimited Plan.

Q: What happens if someone leaves my Party before Party Pay is removed?

A: Your monthly price will still fluctuate depending on the # of people in your Party before it is locked on October 18th, 2022. If someone leaves your Party after August 17th, another member on the Visible Unlimited Plan can join by searching for it on the Party Pay tab. Or you and your Party can join a bigger Party and not have to worry about your discount going up and down.

We heard the VISIBLEROCKS party is awesome! Search them any time in the Party Pay tab.

Q: How do I join a Party?

A: Go to your “Party Pay” tab in your account and either join a top 5 Party or search for a friend’s Party in the search bar

Q: My party is shrinking, how do I join a larger Party?

A: It’s easy as 1, 2, 3. First, go to your “Party Pay” tab in your account, scroll down and click “Leave Party”. Second, once you’ve left, you will click “get started” and you will be given the option to join/search for other Parties. And finally, join one of the top 5 Parties on that page.

Q: When will Party Pay be removed?

A: On October 19th, 2022 you will no longer see Party Pay in your account and not be able to join/switch Parties. But don’t worry, your savings are safe! As long as you're in a Party before we lock in your discount on October 18th, 2022, you will continue to get your Party Pay discount while on our Visible Unlimited plan.

Q: What happens when Party Pay is locked on my account and my Party members’ accounts?

A: Your Visible Unlimited Plan price will be locked and you’ll be able to join one of Visible’s new plans. After October 18th, 2022 you will not be able to make any changes to your Party.

Q: Should I leave the Party prior to the end date?

A: That’s up to you and your Party. When you’re ready, check out our new plans and choose the right option for you.

 

[kenn10]

The fact they say a new sim card is needed to switch to the "new and improved" plan indicates they've made changes to what the phone can or cannot receive. If you are on party-pay and don't upgrade, it stays the same (except for living with a lower priority in the data caste system of Verizon.)

I have been surveyed three times by Visible since I just ported to T-Mobile. They seemed especially interested in my comments about data too slow to be usable and wanted to know when (all the time), where (almost everywhere) and could I still make a call. I explained I'd have 5-bars of service and not be able to pull up a web page. Anyway, they lost me. $99 Pixel-6 phone and two lines for $70/month (Over 55 plan) and 5G service throughout most of my area won me back to T-Mobile. They also have the Pixel-6a for free. Their service has drastically improved since I tried them 2 years ago.

So with the "new plan" at Visible, I still smell a rat.

 

[tholderby]

I'm been a Visible customer and a member or your "Hulls" party since it first started. Overall my service has been great. I consistently get 80 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up near my home in central FL. There are a few dead areas nearby but no more than what I experienced with T-Mobile for triple the price. And I was lucky to get 10 Mbps at home with T-Mo, even if I went outside.

I was just looking, Hulls currently has 70 members. Their recommended VISIBLEROCKS party has 6393. Correction, up to 6411 and growing since I started writing this 5 minutes ago.

If it's likely that there will be a major bailout from Hulls then I might as well jump to VISIBLEROCKS while I still can. Is anyone else considering that?

Of course if there's any truth to the rumors I've seen about Party Pay going away completely on 1/1/23 then it's irrelevant.

 

[wardmundy]

VISIBLEROCKS appears to be a "party" designed by Verizon to peel off customers from family plans for which Verizon is having to pay commissions. At current pricing in the industry, doing away with Party Pay would make Visible more expensive than most of the offerings from the major carriers. So I doubt that's going to happen any time soon. One of the beauties of T-Mobile has been the absence of these endless pricing games and feature "realignments." I doubt the Bell Sisters will ever learn their lesson.

 

[tholderby]

In that case I guess the best alternative for an "independent" party would be Reddit_Upvote which currently has 74,716 members.

I'll just stick with Hulls for now but if I see that number start to shrink or read here about people switching to the new Visible plans or to different carriers then Reddit_Upvote looks like a good one to join. As long as my service doesn't degrade it fits my needs quite well, without buying a 5G phone.

 

[wardmundy]

I suspect much of the degradation some are seeing with current plan has to do with Visible encouraging folks to switch to the new $45 plan with "50GB of premium [uncrippled] data every month on 5G Nationwide & 4G LTE." Pretty typical stunt by the Bell Sisters.

 

[TeeDog]

I'm in Canada now visiting family, ordered Vis+ 2 weeks ago, got the sim and still can't "Upgrade" according to the web or app, however the service is working here with Roaming enabled. Didnt know if that would be the case until I crossed into Ontario.

I want to drop back to the $30 plan when I cross the border Thurs before my next billing cycle, but will likely have to go to chat to do it.

Typically, I'm 46th in line there when I do, and @VisibleCare twitter left me hanging 30 hours without a reply.

My original Vis sim took 7 days to activate on another phone. I love the service once its up and running, but getting there can be huge pain.