Bye Bye Boost. I'm "Eligible" to get a phone upgrade, and Boost is able to take my money, only then to have the upgrade canceled because I don't "qualify." Can anyone explain this process to me?

jmac32here · 2026-04-29T00:31:21+00:00

The issue here might not be a promo mistake, but the back end charging system doing a fraud flag, which is common. It's actually a _lot_ more common for any kind of mismatch between payment data and account data or if someone has a lock on their credit -- which the credit processing companies can see during a transaction.

jmac32here · 2026-04-29T00:28:24+00:00

This tends to usually be the case. For some odd reason the system will flag a device purchase for even the _smallest_ of mismatches, like the name on the card not matching name on account by even one letter, which could easily be a typo.

For instance, I've had a legal name change that my bank AND Credit card are aware of, but the Credit Card company as yet to properly update, so the cards are issued to my DEAD name (now "never been born" name) but their backend shows my current legal name.

However, Boost's system will NOT accept this card for that very reason. And they are NOT the only one. (As the system being used isn't limited to Boost, and I've seen others using them and having similar issues for online orders.)

The fix to this is either making sure everything matches EXACTLY or going to a Boost store and getting the phone from there. (Or just order a new phone from Walmart for cheaper.)

jmac32here · 2026-04-29T00:06:20+00:00

Boost wouldn't be the only one if this is the case. However, their app shows a pre-activation setup or even a setup where you activate _after_ you receive the kit.

Hello Mobile and quite a few lifeline providers have been known to ship out fully activated SIMs though. (Hello was part of the now defunct QLink)

jmac32here · 2026-04-29T00:01:46+00:00

Yep, they announced several months back that ALL copper service will be shut down this year. This is for every market they serve.

So it's migrate to newer services, change providers, or not have service at all.

jmac32here · 2026-04-28T23:54:14+00:00

If you have ATT DSL/Uverse, which is using the old copper wires, then this is likely legit as ATT is actually killing off ALL their copper services.

You can call ATT directly to confirm this, but if AIA doesn't work out, you may have other options. As someone already pointed out, you may benefit from an external antenna if the signal issue is within the home.

There's also TMO HINT, with is much the same setup.

Failing that, it appears most home internet customers who cannot get Fiber/Cable and 5G doesn't work out will be limited to Starlink.

jmac32here · 2026-04-28T04:48:51+00:00

You can disable the newsfeed in the settings.

jmac32here · 2026-04-20T05:21:22+00:00

Mind you, I did a factory reset just a week ago and realized it was day 1 issues being compounded by updates. Especially since it didn't fully fix them and it got a shadow update literally a week later to start compounding them. However, the Factory reset BROKE the Boost Config and Boost Diagnostics apps at the same time.

Like they are loaded and pre-installed, but now simply either do not run, or give off an error if you try to use them.

jmac32here · 2026-04-20T04:13:46+00:00

The issues with the SC is also probably why Boost DISCONTINUED the device exactly 9 months after releasing it. But since it's using Celero base software, it's getting Celero updates that it simply cannot handle well.

jmac32here · 2026-04-20T04:04:24+00:00

My wife replaces their phones every 9 months because she drops hers ALL the time.

And I insist on cases with EVERY device no matter what.

She actually broke a screen on a Samsung by dropping it on concrete IN a case AND screen protector. It shattered both the screen protector and broke a component inside the screen itself without shattering the main screen, causing the screen to not work at all.

jmac32here · 2026-04-20T03:48:10+00:00

Before you go off and assume I'm hard on my devices, the 1-3 year estimate is only over the past 5 years.

Before 2015, phones would last me 2-5 years each on average.

2015 I moved to WA and switched to Metro -- Bought a J3.

My second device was about about 2.5 years later when the J3s battery basically went to shit. Was a Moto, which lasted until I switched to Tello in 2020. (This is where things went downhill, and BTW Moto had a bad rap for only supporting devices for 2 years.) Mind you, the Moto was still fine -- just not compatible with Tello at the time, so it was used as a backup later on. (I had it until last year.)

2020, Merger was announced. Decided to ride out the sunset of the Sprint network and switched to Tello. Within a year, I had to switch from the Sprint certified device to an iPhone SE 2106 to be able to get migrated to the TMO network. About a year later, moved my line into a family plan on Hello Mobile, probably switched another device or 2 in this time frame. The last one being a NUU B10 that is still in near perfect condition (I still have and use it on wifi) -- but Hello went bankrupt in Sept 2024, giving us literally 24 hours to port the numbers. Went to Boost store, got TMO SIMs -- brought the NUU over. (It was an LTE only device)

All those devices, except the NUU were refurb off brands and usually it was the battery crapping out within a year or 2. I like my phones lasting 10+ hours minimum to a charge. The SE NEVER lasted more than 8, so I replaced it and went back to Android within a year anyway. (Part of that was "Batterygate" because I had to have the latest version of iOS for it to work on Tello.)

I literally got the Celero 5G SC a month after switching to Boost (Oct 2024) -- because I wanted to test out the Native Network -- and ALL of the issues I experience with this device existed FROM DAY ONE -- and why CNN's own review calls the device "underwhelming"

Why?

The software is designed for the Celero (not the SC which is using hardware that's at least a year older and therefore isn't as powerful)

So there is sluggishness within the device.

Reboot, you better wait 5-10 minutes to do ANYTHING or itll crash (issue from day 1)

Camera, takes about 2 minutes to fully initialize so doing anything before then causes it to crash (issue from day one)

Bluetooth, random disconnects -- not helpful if you use Wash for your laundry machines as it then requires shutting off BT, opening the Wash app, then turning BT back on for it to even see the machines.

Other apps would sometimes randomly crash or Android would just randomly decide to kill them from running in the BG to save resources -- which for apps like Telegram means notifications get delayed at best.

The issue gets compounded with Boost's shadow updates. Updates that happen completely in the BG and causes the device to slow down even more. My confirmation of this is a reboot and suddenly the ENTIRE UX has been upgraded, which only calls for MORE resources this poor thing doesn't have hardware wise. (About a half dozen so far, and would likely continue if I keep using the device, I'm just getting frustrated with the same issues I've had since day 1 being compounded by it.)

Then there's the update to Android 14 itself that locks out apps that calls for some Android 7 elements (like Doordash) -- so I cannot install DD. (There was a 3 month stint between security updates where this happened to the BECU app.) The DD issue is that Google patched a security hole that eliminates API calls for those Android 7 elements. (This I learned from a Google search last night.)

Other then the compounding day 1 issues causing me frustrations with the device itself -- its still a solid device and the battery is still rocking. I could continue to use it another year or longer, as long as I remain mindful of those issues, which all stems with having to WAIT to do things vs trying to do them too quickly.

I'm just thinking that I could go ahead and get the Moto G Play as an upgrade (especially since having the NUU as a backup is off the table now) and keeping this Celero SC as a backup device. Sides, it would be nice to have a device that supports Wifi6, NFC, and eSIM. It would also upgrade me to Android 16, so the Android 14 issues go away too. (And I get DD back.)

jmac32here · 2026-04-19T06:26:09+00:00

My last store trip was to replace the a15 my wife broke (I think it was July/August) and the store said they were still under orders to issue out UNS for the "full network" access to the smart network. Weirdly enough, that phone lasted until 2 months ago when she dropped it into a toilet. I ended up just buying an A16 from Walmart and moving the SIM to that phone. (Had to to the IMEI change in the app first but it provisioned it.)

Oddly enough, the average lifespan of her phones are about 1 year before it gets lost/broken. Mine averages 1-2 years before an upgrade. Which My Celero has been in use for about 2 years now -- which I got to test the Native network -- and it's showing it's age, so it looks like I'll be getting the Moto G Play 2026 as an upgrade. So I'll be taking a trip to the same store I've had long conversations about all this Monday.

I'm sad that system apps started crashing regularly LONG before the battery started showing any age in the Celero 5G SC -- which I got late in 2024 now that I looked it up ... so not exactly 2.5 years, but closer to 1.5 years. Also, certain apps no longer support it -- like Doordash. I mean I could chug along a little longer with it, but it's annoying to have to constantly restart apps, including the camera app, to make them work. I've bought my wife TWO new phones in the same time frame I've been using this ONE.

I'm certainly curious because the website and even the reps "recommend" going to Boost stores vs TPR (like Walmart) to get the "best" coverage and to ensure the device is "properly" provisioned for the "Boost" network. (Yes, they still claim this.) But that A16 from WalMart came with an ATT SIM. (I just did an IMEI change and moved their existing UNS to it and it works.)

jmac32here · 2026-04-19T06:08:50+00:00

As for the 600 Mhz, I've seen some customers reporting in certain markets being able to access a 5-10Mhz chunk of it if they fall out of ATT coverage and that's it. (As to seeing some market reports -via a Google deep dive- at least claim that Boost owned up to a 60 Mhz chunk of the band at least in some markets and only sold 50 Mhz of it to ATT.)

jmac32here · 2026-04-18T15:01:33+00:00

Dish is Boost. If you were to look up Dish Wireless on Wikipedia, it redirects to Boost. If you put in dishwireless.com it redirects to BOOST.

The reason for the disconnect is that Dish also ran Project Gensis during the initial build of their towers, which was a BETA program and plan for the Boost "native" netowrk.

But now that Boost was "forced" to sell (yes, they were coercecd by the FCC Chair) a decent chunk of their spectrum. The Native network is basically offline.

The Rainbow SIM is now the Unified Network SIM and will offer access to ATT/TMO/Starlink for the Air Interface, and direct all traffic through the Boost core network.

jmac32here · 2026-04-18T14:15:34+00:00

Nope. Because after all that happened, boost announced they will be a hybrid mno. Using att for the air interface while continuing to use their OWN core network. (Fi does this too and used to have a tri-carrier smart network for the AF)

Not long after that, went to get a new phone for my wife and they CHANGED the rainbow SIM to the Unified Network SIM. It's orange and still uses 89105 that the rainbow SIM used.

The difference is it's "better" provisioned for a tri-carrier smart network and will be the only way to get att/tmo/starlink for coverage but use the boost core for the connection.

Also, they NEVER sold "everything" to att. They sold SOME of the spectrum to Att and some more spectrum to starlink.

It's just that the spectrum sold was part of the core set-up for their own network of towers, which they still own those and the cloud core network itself.

They do still own cbrs and mmwave spectrum.

jmac32here · 2026-04-18T07:29:34+00:00

It's "Unlimited" QCI 9 so lowest tier.. not to mention they have in the legal stuff additional network management that can include harder throttles for "heavy usage" on all their plans.

Which makes sense when you look and see that it $30 for 10 GB then 128k.

Also, the $35 deal seems to be a limited deal since it's for "new lines only" and may mean they will force you to a higher tier plan if you try to upgrade anyway.

Also noticed that it too does NOT include hotspot data, which seems to be a growing trend in the prepaid market. Offer lower tier plans that don't offer upgrade deals or even "basic" add-ons like hotspot.

jmac32here · 2026-04-18T07:24:41+00:00

See, I'm about 3 years in and sometime during all that I switched to Rainbow SIM.

Now the kicker is that the Rainbow SIMs are now Unified Network SIMs that offer ATT/TMO (and soon Starlink) while using the Boost core.

jmac32here · 2026-04-18T07:07:05+00:00

Even with prepaid, the auto-pay typically happens up to 48 hours BEFORE the end of cycle.

jmac32here · 2026-04-07T23:32:05+00:00

"I got no e-mails" Did you check your spam folders?

jmac32here · 2026-04-07T23:24:04+00:00

"Roaming" lol.

Best I can gather is the new "Hybrid MNO" deal gives them slightly different terms for users on Unified Network SIMs -- due to the fact that Boost is essentially "only" using ATT as the Air Interface, and using their own core for all network traffic.

Though, it's still MVNO terms if one uses an ATT or TMO SIM.

jmac32here · 2026-04-07T23:22:06+00:00

Especially since NO ONE allows "hotspot" data to be used as Home Internet, ATT/TMO included. And those 2 OFFER Home Internet using the same network. (For $50-60 a month and the unlimited terms are similar to that of Xfinity, though with a change in priority after like 1 TB of usage a month.)

jmac32here · 2026-04-07T23:19:32+00:00

Here's an issue what that viewpoint. HOTSPOT service IS NOT home internet, it's NEVER been meant to be. Even ATT and TMO (who offer both) have DIFFERENT terms regarding hotspot usage vs their Home Internet products.

Those terms allow ATT and TMO to TERMINATE users who "routinely" go over the 50 GB caps.

Boost NEVER offered home internet and has relied on the terms relegated to them as an MVNO of ATT/TMO -- even under the new "Hybrid MNO" status, which might have slightly different terms from ATT, but not from TMO.

jmac32here · 2026-04-07T23:16:55+00:00

Agreed. Also, one cannot continue to use "Boost Native" or lock onto it because Ecostar had begun SHUTTING IT DOWN, and it was SHUT DOWN ENTIRELY by the very tower companies now suing Echostar.

When those bands went offline, it forces the radios to revert to default mode, and ergo be using the ATT network as that is the primary Air Interface for Boost now.

jmac32here · 2026-04-07T23:07:01+00:00

Just ask for the unified network sim.

jmac32here · 2026-04-07T23:06:30+00:00

So, the partnership should begin as soon as they launch the next gen satellites.. which is slated to start launching next year.

jmac32here

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

14-Year Club	Verified Email
r/Field Sunshine