Troubleshooting Tips from Tello for Android users
Most of the time, everything falls perfectly into place when it comes to setting things up. But, there are those unexpected situations that make you go a little: “Oh-uh, what do I do now?”. And that’s the reason why we put together this article, to help you out with solving things with some easy solutions. We’re here to show you some great troubleshooting tips for Android users. So, go grab your troubleshooting cape and get ready to dive into stuff-solving!
APN Settings
David has an Android phone. He knows that APN settings are usually set automatically, when activating the Tello service.
But, it seems that he’s having issues, as the data is not connecting. He’s not quite sure what the next steps are.
The first thing that comes to his mind is to reset the network settings. Well done, David! That’s the first troubleshooting tip when encountering this type of problem.
But, it seems that it is still not working, so David will have to manually add the APN Settings.
In order to do this, David will have to follow these steps on his Android device:
▶️ Settings
▶️ Tap More networks (under the Connections tab, or More, Wireless & networks, Wireless Controls, Wireless Manager, Phone Information).
▶️ Select Mobile or Cellular networks.
▶️ Choose Access Point Names.
▶️ Tap the Menu icon (three dots at the top right corner) > Reset to default.
▶️ Verify if there’s any APN set by default. If there is a default APN (fast.t-mobile.com), make sure it’s selected and test the services.
▶️ If there isn’t a default APN, you will need to add a new one.
▶️ From the top, click on Add.
▶️ Verify and update the following settings for the Data APN:
- Name: Tello
- APN: wholesale
- Proxy: (leave blank)
- Port: 8080
- Username & Password: (leave blank)
- Server: (leave blank)
- MMSC: http://wholesale.mmsmvno.com/mms/wapenc
- MMS Proxy: (leave blank)
- MMS Port: (leave blank)
- MNC: 240
- Authentication Type: (leave blank)
- APN Type: default,supl,mms
- Protocol: IPv4/IPv6
- MCC: 310
MMS Messages
Linda has heard about Tello from so many friends and has decided to buy the 5GB phone plan that is perfect for her needs. Linda just finished activating Tello and she can’t wait to see her nephew in those vacay photos! But, it seems like her MMS messages are not working.
What’s there to do? Surprise-surprise, the same thing as David!
Firstly, she will have to start by resetting the network settings. If this doesn’t solve the issue, she’ll have to manually fill in the same APN settings as above. She’ll also need to follow the same steps that David has:
▶️ Settings
▶️ Tap More networks (under the Connections tab, or More, Wireless & networks, Wireless Controls, Wireless Manager, Phone Information).
▶️ Select Mobile or Cellular networks.
▶️ Choose Access Point Names.
▶️ Tap the Menu icon (three dots at the top right corner) > Reset to default.
▶️ Verify if there’s any APN set by default. If there is a default APN (fast.t-mobile.com), make sure it’s selected and test the services.
▶️ If there isn’t a default APN, you will need to add a new one.
▶️ From the top, click on Add.
▶️ Verify and update the following settings for the Data APN:
- Name: Tello
- APN: wholesale
- Proxy: (leave blank)
- Port: 8080
- Username & Password: (leave blank)
- Server: (leave blank)
- MMSC: http://wholesale.mmsmvno.com/mms/wapenc
- MMS Proxy: (leave blank)
- MMS Port: (leave blank)
- MNC: 240
- Authentication Type: (leave blank)
- APN Type: default,supl,mms
- Protocol: IPv4/IPv6
- MCC: 310
One extra thing right here: Linda knows that she has Data included in her plan or pay-as-you-go credit. She needs to have the Wi-Fi turned OFF and the Data ON, as MMS will NOT work on Wi-Fi.
RCS Messaging
Sarah just noticed that something’s not quite right with the SMSes on her Android device after she ported her number to Tello. In the process, Sarah got a temporary number until the porting-in process is all done. And it seems she’s not receiving SMSes on the freshly ported number.
Therefore, Sarah has to disable the chat features on her previous device. For some devices, this option might be called RCS. So, here are the steps she has to follow:
– Open your Messages app.
– Tap the three dots in the top right corner.
– Tap Settings.
– Tap Chat features. This option might be called RCS.
– Toggle off Enable chat features.
If the solution above is not showing under the phone’s settings, here’s also a quick way to disable RCS Messaging, by following the instructions on this link.
Also, Sarah’s solution will be applicable if you’re receiving messages on an old device or if the recipient still sees the non-ported number as the sender.
Other troubleshooting tips
Daniel just finished activating the Tello service for the entire family, but it seems like his son’s service is not yet working. He rolls up his sleeves, puts on the serious dad look, and gets down to the nitty-gritty to see what he can do. He finds some troubleshooting tips for Android users on Tello’s Help Center and he starts checking his list:
- Restart the phone.
- Take out the SIM card and then try to reinsert it.
- Make sure the software is up to date.
- Reset the Network Settings and restart afterward.
- Reset APN settings.
- Add APN settings if needed.
With some quick fixes, he managed to get the Tello service up and running on his son’s phone! So, they’re now ready to save BIG as the entire family has joined Tello.
He’s super proud that he managed to solve all of this by himself, but he also knows that Tello has a super friendly Customer Support team if he would’ve needed more help or assistance.
So David, Linda, Sarah, Daniel, and everyone having any sort of issue, never forget that you can contact us via chat, phone or social media 24/7, we’ll be happy to help!
Moreover, there are also many resources that you can check anytime on our Help Center and on our blog. Also, we have a super cool community on Reddit, if you want to join the conversation and discuss anything tech-related with them.
Anyone know how to block a number from leaving recorded messages? I’ve blocked a spam number, but continue to get their voice mails every other day.
Bill,
From a quick Google search, here is what I found:
“Can you block someone from leaving a voicemail on Android?
To block from a call or voicemail: Open a call or voicemail from the contact you want to block. tap More options. Block number.”
See if that works. In your case, I would try opening a voicemail, as suggested, and block, at that level.
The voicemail level.
Good luck. Let us know if that works. Thank you.
Rich
Thank you for the APN and RCS messaging tips. Multimedia text messaging had been a black hole for at least a year. I hope many Tello users will see these tips.
I raised this issue with Tello support in December 2022 about these problems. While Tello tech support was very helpful, the APN configuration they provided then was completely different from what is in this post. I ended up disabling RCS on my own.
I have Samsung mobile with active Tello e-sim, how can activate/move my e-sim to another phone?
Hi Omari,
In this case, you will have to get a new eSIM. But don’t worry, all the infor and steps are available in your online Tello account – My SIM section.
Let us know if you need extra assistance.
Cannot activate visual voicemail. “Trouble reading SIM deck if visual voicemail is on in settings and try again”. I don’t have visual voicemail in my settings. How can I stop this from coming up every time I want to make a call?
Please contact our Customer Support Team for further assistance.
tello.com/contact
I have the basic plan with 300 min and no data. I can’t make group chats or get or sent pictures. Recently I also don’t get calls or texts. I have enough minutes, but I’m getting fed up at this point with nothing working here.
Hi Jenny,
We are sorry for this inconvenience!
Please contact our Customer Support team so they can investigate this further: https://tello.com/contact