Sprint

Patty is having issues with coverage in her area, and it's all of a sudden. Leo says that her carrier may have turned off a tower to do maintenance. But it may also be that Patty needs to go into the store and get an updated SIM card since they recently merged with Sprint and turned off that tower. So you need a new T-Mobile Sim. Patty should also consider changing carriers. Word is, that Verizon is better in her area. But it's also the most expensive. 

Chuck is still using the iPhone 6 and is planning to get a new model soon. He hears that T-Mobile is merging with Sprint. Will his phone work after? Leo says the merger isn't a done deal... but if it is, his iPhone will probably work better since it's all LTE and his coverage will increase greatly.  

Dale has problems with his text messages: He doesn't get the entire long message, and it's all chopped up out of order. Leo says it's the carrier that is limiting, or "truncating" his SMS text message to 160 characters, chopping it up, and sending it out in multiple bursts. It's an issue with Sprint, unfortunately. If he can start using a messaging app and convince everyone in the family to do the same, he won't have this issue.

John heard about Sprint's free for a year deal. Is it legit? Leo says it is, but the devil is in the details. He'll have to pay taxes on it. He'll have to pay $12.99 up front, and he'll have to bring his own phone. He can read more about it here.

Robert wants to know if his new Samsung mobile phone will support Wi-Fi calling. Leo says that all phones do these days, but the real issue is, does the carrier? Sprint is his carrier and they say they support it on the iPhone as well as most Android phones. So Robert should look in his Wi-Fi settings and see if it's enabled. It'll be under advanced features.

Gene is getting huge bills from Sprint with overage charges. He thought he was supposed to have unlimited data. Leo says that Gene should call Sprint and see if there's been a billing error. It may also be that Gene has malware on his phone that is causing overages by using the data.

Paul wants to buy a hotspot. Leo says that the Karma Go is one he uses. He can pay as he goes, or pay monthly if it is to be his primary subscription. It uses Sprint, so he should check the coverage map. T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T offer similar devices for around $10 a GB. No rollovers.

Steven has a Motorola Droid phone and he has to move over to Sprint. But if he does, he has to get another phone and he doesn't want to lose the great battery life with his Droid. Leo says he doesn't have to get the phone from Sprint. His old Droid is probably carrier locked and if he's paid for it and is in good standing, he can request that they unlock it. Once that's done, he can take it to Sprint. If they refuse, he'll have to get another phone. His choices are going to get more limited because battery life is decreasing. Right now, the iPhone 7 Plus has the best battery life.

Nick wants to buy a hotspot or MiFi card and use wireless as his home internet connection. Leo says if he's in a remote area, then that's a great way to go. He'll have to make sure he has a good package that doesn't include bandwidth caps, though.