Devices, packages, apps: start the conversation

[Arashshah]

Hi,
I have a Galaxy S7 that I got through contract from you. My contract came up and I switched to a BYOD plan. Now I am told that VoLTE is not compatible with BYOD discount.

The Videotron website says:
"Customers subscribed to a Videotron service but with no agreement, and who own an unlocked VoLTE-compatible iPhone with VoLTE SIM card can use the VoLTE feature. However, they need to activate the feature before being able to use it.

Customers subscribed to a Videotron service but with no agreement, and who own an Android device cannot use the VoLTE feature."

Why is this?

It can't be a thing chnical issue since my phone had VoLTE while I was on contract. So this is a policy and it puts non iPhone phones at a disadvantage.

Thanks.

[Anonyme]

I'm sure it's a general statement to say that unlocked android devices might not be compatible with their VoLTE... so they won't activate this feature on BYOD plans since you are more likely to have a device not from Videotron on those plans. 

I'm sure you can call and ask Videotron to enable VoLTE. 

Or one thing you can try is first make sure you have a VoLTE sim (the one that came in the yellow card)... after that, call videotron and tell them that you have an iPhone 7 and would like to activate the VoLTE service. 

This is what I did when my wife had an iPhone 6s Plus (which is not a supported VoLTE device with videotron)... and when I switched her to an iPhone 7 Plus one month later, VoLTE was there "automatically". 

that said, how did you switch to a BYOD plan? usually, they don't allow that kind of switch unless maybe if you open a new line and transfer your "old" line/number to this new line. 

[Arashshah]

The Android phone was bought from Videotron. I already had VoLTE activated while I was on contract. It worked perfectly fine. I was at the end of my contract and instead of getting a new phone I just kept the same phone and signed up to BYOD plan.

There is no technical barrier, it's just a policy barrier. The trick that you suggested further goes to prove that the policy makes no sense.

Hopefully, someone at Videotron can either explain why this can't be done or they can change the policy to allow compatible Android phones bought from Videotron to benefit from VoLTE.

[FrancoisR]

We would like to help you with this. 

We will contact you in private.

Have a great day!

- François

[Arashshah · Accepted solution]

Just to wrap this up. Got a call from an very nice representative (Mounir). Sorted everything. VoLTE added to the account and working.

I have to say, I have been very impressed with the majority of the representatives at Videotron.

Thank you Francois for forwarding the message and thank you Mounir for fixing this for me.

[Anonyme]

this proves that sometimes, the first line of support/sales is not very well informed of what can be done and what cannot be done. 

When fixing things with Videotron, I always try to go through chat first because from this is usually where I get the best service... and as a bonus, I can transfer all the discussion by email to keep a log of everything that has been said. 

[Arashshah]

Actually I did go through chat first and after a few tries the rep said that VoLTE is not compatible with BYOD discount. That's when I did some digging and found the Videotron disclaimer that to me showed different treatment for iOS vs Android.

I am glad that this is fixed and hopefully the thread will be useful to someone else if they have the same issue (i.e. If a representative on the phone or chat is unaware that this is actually possible).

[Anonyme]

For the different treatment iOS vs Android, this is very simple...
All iOS devices have the same software... it doesn’t matter where you buy it... all updates are made available by Apple.
For Android, this is very different..: even if you have the exact same hardware, it doesn’t mean that you also have the exact same software because most of the time, providers are working with phone manufacture to customize or tweak the software installed.

But they said, for you, this didn’t change anything for you because you bought your device from Videotron.

[gmd]

Telus is opening VoLTE to BYOD phones starting on March 1st.

Supporting the VoLTE protocol is no different from supporting GSM or HSPA.

[Anonyme]

Not all byod... but a pretty limited number of devices at first...
Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, the LG G6, the G7 and the V30... and from Rogers or Bell.

If you got a Canadian device that you bought elsewhere and this device model also sold in the past by Vidéotron, you can probably get volte enabled very easily with Vidéotron.

[gmd]

One of our phones is a Samsung A5 bought from another Canadian carrier.

Haven't changed the CSC (which would return it to factory default), but I assumed that doing so wouldn't make it automatically work.

[Anonyme]

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@gmd wrote:

One of our phones is a Samsung A5 bought from another Canadian carrier.

Haven't changed the CSC (which would return it to factory default), but I assumed that doing so wouldn't make it automatically work.

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if you have the 2017 A5, a compatible sim card and VoLTE option added to your account, there's a good chance that VoLTE will work if you change the CSC (may not be necessary) since the A5 is supported by Videotron on VoLTE. 

[Ipse]

@gmd Nope, it's not automatic, BUT it did work for me for my old S7Edge. You WILL have to call tech support to get it activated - the folks at the kiosk were completely unable to help me.

As you said, the downside is that changing the CSC requires a FD.

On the same topic (and folks here know my beef with VoLTE and VoWiFi at Videotron) despite everyone saying that on Rogers you can ONLY get these features on the phones they sell to you (and claiming they verify IMEI) I put a Rogers SIM in my VTR Mate 20Pro and voila, both features activated and working.

Go figure....and I'm still waiting for VoWiFI on VTR.

[Kira]

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@Ipse wrote:

You WILL have to call tech support to get it activated

@Ipse  Technical support can't active volte. Only customer service can do so.

[Ipse]

@Kira i beg to differ based on my experience. The features were active on my SIM and account, however, I had to call technical support to get it working.  NOT  customer service.

[Kira]

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@Ipse wrote:

@Kira i beg to differ based on my experience. The features were active on my SIM and account, however, I had to call technical support to get it working.  NOT  customer service.

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I work tech support. We can't activate it.

We have to call customer services to do so.

[Anonyme]

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@Kira wrote:
I work tech support. We can't activate it.

We have to call customer services to do so.

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but what if the option is there, you see it in the system, but it's not working... tech support will be able to help right?

I had a problem with VoLTE... the option was there for a line that wasn't supposed to have it... and this was causing some problem with the line (no calls possible). 

Tech support transfered me at first to customer service to get the option removed... it didn't work. 

After 3 days trying to remove it, someone from tech support finally transfered me to higher level tech support... and this was fixed by "manually" sending a command to the switch to remove the VoLTE option. If worked fine afterwards. 

[Kira]

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@Anonyme wrote:

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but what if the option is there, you see it in the system, but it's not working... tech support will be able to help right?

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Having it on a "non-suported" (meaning we can't guarantee it'll work flawlessly) BYOD (android only) might complicate things but if it's there, we should be able to do something.

As for your issues afterwards, weird corner case scenario. When customer services removes it from the file, it should remove that phone line from the VoLTE switch.