How To Activate Volte On Iphone 6

Taylor Aboold · Friday, December 3, 2021

iPhone 6S (A1688) "incompatible" with VoLTE?

Wife's old 5S was constantly rebooting, so I bought her a 6S and put her SIM card in and everything was seemingly fine for 3-4 days until today. She texts me (over wifi) that her phone says "No Service".
4 calls to PP tech support:
Call #1 (before I had the phone physically in my hand) I called to update the IMEI with PP system (I figured something didn't update automatically.) Agent asked for the SIM card info, but I didn't have the phone to look at it. He gave me a priority number to call back with a PIN# to get through directly without holding very long.

Call #2 6S in hand. I call and the agent runs the IMEI and tells me the device isn't compatible with VoLTE. Offered no additional support, and never mentioned the SIM card.

Online research reveals that
ALL iPhone 6 and above are built with VoLTE functionality. Went under Cellular Settings and tried to check "Enable LTE for Voice & Data" (it was set on Data only). I get the device message, "Cannot Activate LTE Calls. To enable LTE calls on this account, contact TFW."
Call #3 agent checks IMEI again and tells me "device is not compatible".

Go onto HoFo and read at least one post that mentions that the old SIM card may not be provisioned for 4G LTE service. Sounds plausible since she's had that phone for over 3 years.

Call #4 I ask this agent about the SIM card issue and she tells me that "ALL currently active SIMs have been provisioned for 4G LTE service". Asks to check IMEI and I decline because I know what "the system" is going to tell her.....

Finally, I swapped my son's newer SIM card into the device and the functionality was instantly available to enable "LTE Voice & Data". I suspect the old SIM card is the issue and since they are only $0.98, I ordered new ones for my wife (and my soon to be purchased) phones.

I'm really disappointed in the support team right now. I suspect that the first agent may have been leading me in the correct direction, but I didn't have all of the information necessary for him to help me. The next three agents were clearly going off of scripts and not at all knowledgeable about my equipment. Once I receive the new SIM cards, I'll get to speak to another agent(s) to get them activated to the phone numbers on my account and see if that solves the issue.
They simply don't update their scripts and don't train their reps properly. Page Plus flat out sucks.
See my recent rant here: https://howardforums.com/showthread....9#post17083359

I too have an older sim card in a 6s that's still locked to TF. I bought it new at Walmart in March. The TF sim card that came in the phone also wouldn't work for VoLTE. I don't remember exactly what I was trying to do a couple months ago, switching around sim cards, but I ended up with a 3-year old PP (not TF) sim card in the phone with the same phone number. VoLTE still doesn't work with either sim card.
Originally Posted by mmeriaux

Finally, I swapped my son's newer SIM card into the device and the functionality was instantly available to enable "LTE Voice & Data". I suspect the old SIM card is the issue and since they are only $0.98, I ordered new ones for my wife (and my soon to be purchased) phones.

Next time just run down to a BestBuy or some other big box and pick up a Tracfone SIM kit ($1). What you get from PagePlus is a Tracfone Vzw SIM. Always worked fine for me.
Originally Posted by mmeriaux

Once I receive the new SIM cards, I'll get to speak to another agent(s) to get them activated to the phone numbers on my account and see if that solves the issue.

The SIM card is not so much responsible for VoLTE, as is the account itself. Swapping the 5S SIM to the 6S was a mistake, as that account is not (and can't be) VoLTE provisioned. A transfer of service should have been done with a new account for the 6S. Not sure about PPC, but Tracfone has been doing VoLTE provisioning on activations for just about a year. Accounts activated before that don't have VoLTE, even if the phone is capable. In theory the 5S SIM could be reprovisioned, but poor chance you can find a CSR smart enough to do that. Just use a new SIM to activate.
Originally Posted by loboheeler

The SIM card is not so much responsible for VoLTE, as is the account itself. Swapping the 5S SIM to the 6S was a mistake, as that account is not (and can't be) VoLTE provisioned.

Please remind me about the iPhone 6... is/was that capable of VoLTE or more like the 5S?
Originally Posted by monkeyboy

Please remind me about the iPhone 6... is/was that capable of VoLTE or more like the 5S?

The iPhone 6 WILL work for VoLTE. The 5s will NOT.
An additional issue with the Model 6 right now is (if it at all matters) that the coming transition to the introduction of version 13.x.x of iOS will not be including it. So if you're just carrying forward an existing 6 it's one thing, but if shopping for a "new to you" device and have any interest in how it'll work with the latest iOS apps a year or two from now, it might be something to consider, and look for a 6S.
That sounds like good advice!
Update.
The reason for my original post was the incompetent phone-in tech support. Every person I spoke with AND another 1-2 that my wife talked to (trying to "help" out) were useless in helping get the phones (multiple iPhone 6S devices) working. Once I finally figured out how to navigate to the online chat-based support, the first person (Geo) was able to give me the APN profile download instructions which got all of my update issues resolved!
Update #2.
I now have four (4) iPhone 6S phones working. I am not 100% sure they are all provisioned for VoLTE service yet, but they all can make calls and use cellular data. The two newest phones can use LTE for both Voice & Data, but the older accounts (previous 5S devices) are only provisioned for LTE Data Only for now. I�ll try and reach a competent CSR through chat in the near future and attempt to get the accounts updated.
Originally Posted by mmeriaux

Update #2.

I now have four (4) iPhone 6S phones working. I am not 100% sure they are all provisioned for VoLTE service yet, but they all can make calls and use cellular data. The two newest phones can use LTE for both Voice & Data, but the older accounts (previous 5S devices) are only provisioned for LTE Data Only for now. I�ll try and reach a competent CSR through chat in the near future and attempt to get the accounts updated.

Maybe I missed it but did you put in new SIMs instead of the old ones taken out of the 5s. It's been mentioned several times above. Keep in mind a TF SIM = a PP SIM. From other posts around the threads if the SIM's too old it likely can't/won't get reprovisioned. Maybe you'll get a CSR that can do it. Also, I've never found PP CSR's to be any different on these issues then other carriers CSR's. It's luck of the draw. Good luck.
After reading other threads about PP and TF provisioning accounts for VoLTE and/or Visual Voicemail services, I noticed that my account was updated last night. I received the odd text regarding Visual Voicemail service (VZWVVM:STATUS......etc.) then verified that under Cellular settings, I now have LTE available for both Voice & Data (indicating that VoLTE is working). So now 3/4 phones in my account are updated. Now waiting for the seemingly random upgrade to my wife's number.
FWIW, my device that just updated has an older SIM card in it and still shows Verizon carrier settings. So the SIM card theory is out...........it's all on the account settings withing PP/Tracfone.
Originally Posted by mmeriaux

FWIW, my device that just updated has an older SIM card in it and still shows Verizon carrier settings. So the SIM card theory is out...........it's all on the account settings withing PP/Tracfone.

Yep, the account itself determines the service. Certain of the information is sent to the SIM so that the network can identify and interact with the phone. It was found with a recent TF branded phone that the network thinks the phone is working with VoLTE, but the phone actually does not have functioning VoLTE. Seems the network had pre-qualified the phone as being VoLTE capable, the SIM says there is VoLTE, but there is no checking past that.
I started a recent thread with this same problem on my two iPhone SE. Same issues with TFW support as well.
I finally got a TFW "corporate" person to agree to send me a new SIM card to try, though he was also certain the problem was my phone. Several TFW people gave conflicting statements about what was showing in their system. No one acknowledged that there was anything they could do with my account.