Today two readers have reported only getting 2G, Edge data connections using Straight Talk wireless with their BLU smartphones.
First, Amy, writes:
Okay I’m about to send this phone(BLU Studio 5S) back ..no matter what I can not connect to my data plan only get edge and I tried everything
Next, Cindy commented…
I have a blu studio 5c HD d535u and can’t seem to find the appropriate straight talk APN settings for it. I also wonder why I’m only able to operate on 2g network? I would be so grateful for some help please.
Hi Amy and Cindy,
First, for the benefit of other readers, both Cindy and Amy report that they are getting a 2G or Edge data connection. A 2G data connection means that their phones are only connecting to a older and much slower network. 2G networks are barely usable for email and web browsing, and essentially too slow for streaming music and video. You can tell if you have a 2G connection by the E in the top right of the screen in the status bar.
That said, there are a few reasons why you might be getting a 2G connection. The first is that with some BLU phones, there are two SIM slots, one of the slots is 2G only. I am not sure if that is the case with our phones. Second, it possible, that your settings are configured wrong. Check Settings->More->Mobile Networks->Preferred Network Types and make sure that your phone is not set to 2G. The exact options might be different on your BLU phone than my Android phone.
Most likely, these two reason are not the problem but we needed to rule them out.
The third and most likely reason you are getting a 2G connection is because of the cellular network in your area. Straight Talk uses either the ATT network or the TMobile network depending on which SIM you activated. The easiest way to tell which network you are using is by the color of the plastic card your SIM came on. If the card was red or pink your using the TMobile network. The blue or gray cards are the ATT network. You can see what the different SIM cards look like here:
Straight Talk Wireless Bring Your Own Phone Activation Kit SIMS Packaged Incorrectly
If you are using Straight Talk’s T-Mobile network, sometimes transferring your service to their ATT network helps. TMobile had made a huge investment in updating their network in many parts of the country, but in some areas coverage is still sparse and you’ll get a 2G connection. Transferring your service from your current Straight Talk SIM to a new Straight Talk SIM is pretty straight forward. See Transferring Your Existing Straight Talk Service to a New Straight Talk Phone or SIM
The ATT network has better coverage, and its usually a better choice. But, there are some areas of the country, where the ATT network doesn’t have coverage. Many readers tell me that in their area, everyone uses the Verizon network because ATT doesn’t work well. Straight Talk also uses the Verizon network as well, but you need a Verizon compatible phone, and unfortunately your BLU phone isn’t.
I hope this helps. Check out these options and let me know what you find.
Hey Bob…am in Kenya and I have a blu xl life phone….the phone doesn’t connect to 4g or 3g network and even when I try forcing it….it still goes back to edge and its annoying… Our service providers here are safaricom and Telkom and when I look at other phones….they connect to 4g…. Can you help please?!!!…reply as soon as possible.. Thanks
I am not familar with Kenyan wireless providers so I really cannot help. My guesss is that your phone is only compatible with your carrier’s 2G network and not their 3G or LTE networks. Contact your carrier, verify you are using the correct APN. Looking in the settings on your phone and make sure you have 3G or LTE enabled. If the APN is correct and 3G / LTE is enabled, then the problem is likely your phone. Not much help here I guess, I get a lot of questions about this. Where is everyone over there buying BLU phones from?
I am using a blu studio 6.0 HD and I am in Kenya and the network is always edge I have tried all type of setting but it is not working I really need you help
I am not familar with Nigerian wireless providers so I really cannot help. My guesss is that your phone is only compatible with your carrier’s 2G network and not their 3G or LTE networks. Contact your carrier, verify you are using the correct APN. Looking in the settings on your phone and make sure you have 3G or LTE enabled. If the APN is correct and 3G / LTE is enabled, then the problem is likely your phone.
Hi Bob, i have tried to change my sim to another slot but still can not connect to 3G
And at the preffered network option there is both 2G & 3G but when i try to save to prefered 3G its unable to save still goes back to 2G, what could be the problem?
Which BLU phone do you have? what wireless company are you using?
Am using BLU LIFE XL but I cannot connect to 3G/4G network it is only 2G. I tried in settings cellular network –> preferred network type –> 3G/4G the network went off instead. Help me what should I do?
What network are you using and it which country?
I too have a Blu Life XL. They sell it as a package deal with T mobile and AT & T cards so I didn’t think it would be a problem.
I use T-Mobile and I live in the US. I have called the manufacturer, T Mobile, the seller, everyone. They each say the problem is the others fault.
I have gotten 4g on this phone an hour and a half from my house. T mobile swears I have coverage and that Two of their Three bands are in my area but I’m not getting anything but Edge.
I’ve hard reset, run trouble shooting, rebooted it, changed APN and Network settings, all multiple times and nothing works. I’m about ready to just have my money refunded and buy something better. Can you think of something I may have missed?
Hi,
It’s tough to say. Does anyone else in your house or any of your neighbors use T-Mobile? how is their coverage? If possible try your sim in a different phone. Do you get 4G LTE in other locations? Have you tried the phone in other areas that are known to have great T-Mobile coverage? What does your phone do there?
Borrow an AT&T sim and try it in the phone. if it doesn’t get LTE, then many the problem really is the phone. While many people have no issues with their BLU phone, from time to time I hear similar stories to yours.
I have not been able to try the SIM in another phone successfully. The phones I have tried either say invalid SIM or they will refuse to be unlocked.
I borrowed an AT&T SIM and received perfect 4G signal. T-Mobile says they are Refarming in my area, does this mean I won’t be able to get LTE at home?
That is a possibility. Yes. Every year the T-Mobile network gets much better. It works well in many areas but in some not so well. What are you paying for metro (or Tmobile) would you consider prepaid service than uses the ATT network.
am in Nigeria using blu studio 6.0 hd …and am getting 2g network to browse….plus can someone help on how to get 3g….
I don’t know but I’d guess your phone isn’t 3G compatible with whichever network you are using.
I ordered the blue dash 5.0 and was not able to receive text messages from my husband or my father so I changed service back to my old phone. Now I cant get ahold of the company to return the phone. Does anyone know how to help since now my IPhone is acting up? I am just about done with straight talk all together.
Hi Brittany,
If your husband and father are using iPhones, their messages may be being delivered to your iMessage account. Check their phones to see if the messages were sent with iMessage. Understanding the Difference between MMS and iMessage on Your iPhone
Let me know how it goes.
Regards
Bob
I have a blue studio 6.0 phone and my coverage is still edge coverage since I first got it. The cellular companies that I tried (straight talk & t-mobile) says the reason was because of the phone I got. But after traveling and going out to the next town which is about 130/miles or so out…I hit 4G coverage. And right there I knew that it wasn’t my phone. The area where I live says we should have atleast 3G coverage all around for miles and nothing. T-Mobile and straight talk should be taken to court for their false advertising. I’m surprised no one has done it yet. For sure it isn’t the phone or its settings but if anyone is noticing their just getting edge coverage… Not to blame the phone…but the cellular companies. False advertising everywhere!
Michael,
Did you use Straight Talk’s ATT or Straight Talk’s TMobile SIM.
Regards
Bob
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I lost my data service as the evening went on and never got it back. Hopefully it will be back on tomorrow. But in December when I first hooked up the phone I used Straight talks t-mobile sim card. And I saw that it was slow so I switched over to the straight talk AT&T sim card. The AT&T sim card worked well only in my closest town (about 15 miles away) and back to my house but only til I reached the front gate then the service cut off. So I had to switch back over to the T-Mobile sim card and the service was still on edge coverage. So I got tired of it….went over to the main T-Mobile company and hoped it will work that way but I got the same coverage, but even worse. I would miss a lot of my texts. I stuck with that for about 2 months til last month and had to go back to straight talk T-Mobile sim. Its still the same…same edge coverage. Not the phone but the coverage. And that’s what I keep using. I live in the mountains. And one would figure that because I live here that’s the problem…but its not. In the closest town its the same…the town out 60 miles…the same but worse…not til I head east to a bigger town about 150 miles and then I get 4G coverage. Its all false advertising my friend.
Hi Michael,
Umfortunately it is the case that many areas in the US don’t have adequate coverage by some of all of the 4 major cell networks: Att, Verizon, Sprint, and TMobile. I know many readers in the northeast, update New York and New Hampshire, report that Verizon is the only big company that works where they live. Sometimes it’s not even Verizon, but a local wireless company.
What wireless company do your friends in your town and neighbors use? You need to find the network that works in your area, and I recommend you find that by asking people what they use and how well it works.
Let me know,
Bob