Is it normal 4 old iPhones (4S & 6 +) 2 show top left corner's "No Service" without any active lines?

[Ant]

Hello,

Is it normal for old iPhones (4S & 6 +) to show top left corner's "No
Service" without any active lines? Before 3G & CDMA were shut down on
1/3/2023, old iPhones (4S & 2 6 +s) used to show a cell signal bar or
two even though the iPhones didn't have active VZW subscriptions anymore
(upgraded to newer iPhones with brand new SIM cards). I tried to call
*3001#12345#*, 411, and 611. All got no results. Putting airplane on and
rebooting, show "Searching..." and then "No Service".

iPad air, with an active VZW line, had no problems. I guess VZW wants
active lines to work. :(

Does that mean no 911 calls with them for emergency calls? iPhones (11
Pro Max, 12 mini, and 13 with iOS v16.2) do show nothing, SOS, and
bar(s) in this rural area.

Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)

[nospam]

Post by Ant
Is it normal for old iPhones (4S & 6 +) to show top left corner's "No
Service" without any active lines?

yes for 4s, no for ipohne 6.

Post by Ant
Before 3G & CDMA were shut down on
1/3/2023, old iPhones (4S & 2 6 +s) used to show a cell signal bar or
two even though the iPhones didn't have active VZW subscriptions anymore
(upgraded to newer iPhones with brand new SIM cards).

without 3g/cdma, the 4s thinks it's in a dead zone, thus no service.
this is not unique to iphones either.

the iphone 6 has 4g/lte, which has not been shut down, so the phone
should still be able to make an emergency call (assuming you're in an
area with coverage).

Post by Ant
I tried to call
*3001#12345#*, 411, and 611. All got no results. Putting airplane on and
rebooting, show "Searching..." and then "No Service".

because to the 4s, there literally is no service anymore. it has been
shut down.

Post by Ant
iPad air, with an active VZW line, had no problems. I guess VZW wants
active lines to work. :(

because the ipad air has lte, which still exists.

Post by Ant
Does that mean no 911 calls with them for emergency calls? iPhones (11
Pro Max, 12 mini, and 13 with iOS v16.2) do show nothing, SOS, and
bar(s) in this rural area.

the iphone 11 has lte, and the 12 and later also have 5g, so you should
be able to call 911 without an active cellular plan, assuming you're
not in the middle of nowhere with no service whatsoever. it will show
sos, because that's all it can do.

the iphone 14 can use satellites for emergency calls should you find
yourself in the middle of nowhere with no service.

[Ant]

Post by nospam

Post by Ant
Is it normal for old iPhones (4S & 6 +) to show top left corner's "No
Service" without any active lines?

yes for 4s, no for ipohne 6.

Post by Ant
Before 3G & CDMA were shut down on
1/3/2023, old iPhones (4S & 2 6 +s) used to show a cell signal bar or
two even though the iPhones didn't have active VZW subscriptions anymore
(upgraded to newer iPhones with brand new SIM cards).

without 3g/cdma, the 4s thinks it's in a dead zone, thus no service.
this is not unique to iphones either.
the iphone 6 has 4g/lte, which has not been shut down, so the phone
should still be able to make an emergency call (assuming you're in an
area with coverage).

Post by Ant
I tried to call
*3001#12345#*, 411, and 611. All got no results. Putting airplane on and
rebooting, show "Searching..." and then "No Service".

because to the 4s, there literally is no service anymore. it has been
shut down.

OK, but how come it doesn't work in two 6 +s with the same SIM cards
(just no active lines)? :(

Post by nospam

Post by Ant
iPad air, with an active VZW line, had no problems. I guess VZW wants
active lines to work. :(

because the ipad air has lte, which still exists.

Its SIM card has an active line. It seems like its status doesn't show
cellular bars when inactive unlike before the shut down?

Post by nospam

Post by Ant
Does that mean no 911 calls with them for emergency calls? iPhones (11
Pro Max, 12 mini, and 13 with iOS v16.2) do show nothing, SOS, and
bar(s) in this rural area.

the iphone 11 has lte, and the 12 and later also have 5g, so you should
be able to call 911 without an active cellular plan, assuming you're
not in the middle of nowhere with no service whatsoever. it will show
sos, because that's all it can do.

Well, active/subscribed 11, 12, and 13 show no service, SOS, and 1 bar a
lot. I wished 6 + used to be able to show 1-2 bars before the shut down.
Now, it's just "No Service" after Searching.

Post by nospam
the iphone 14 can use satellites for emergency calls should you find
yourself in the middle of nowhere with no service.

Yeah. I'll wait until I need a new iPhone. Doesn't that require paying
subscriptions after a year or is that free forever?

[nospam]

Post by Ant

Post by nospam

Post by Ant
I tried to call
*3001#12345#*, 411, and 611. All got no results. Putting airplane on and
rebooting, show "Searching..." and then "No Service".

because to the 4s, there literally is no service anymore. it has been
shut down.

OK, but how come it doesn't work in two 6 +s with the same SIM cards
(just no active lines)? :(

dunno. the 6 should be able to make an emergency call if there's a
signal, without an active cellular service plan.

are they both verizon, with lte sims? i can think of a possible issue
with sprint, but not verizon.

Post by Ant

Post by nospam
the iphone 14 can use satellites for emergency calls should you find
yourself in the middle of nowhere with no service.

Yeah. I'll wait until I need a new iPhone. Doesn't that require paying
subscriptions after a year or is that free forever?

it's free for 2 years. there hasn't been an announcement as to the cost
after that, or if it will continue to be free, which is also possible.

[Ant]

Post by nospam

Post by Ant

Post by nospam

Post by Ant
I tried to call
*3001#12345#*, 411, and 611. All got no results. Putting airplane on and
rebooting, show "Searching..." and then "No Service".

because to the 4s, there literally is no service anymore. it has been
shut down.

OK, but how come it doesn't work in two 6 +s with the same SIM cards
(just no active lines)? :(

dunno. the 6 should be able to make an emergency call if there's a
signal, without an active cellular service plan.
are they both verizon, with lte sims? i can think of a possible issue
with sprint, but not verizon.

Yup, the same ones before migrating to the newer iPhones.

Post by nospam

Post by Ant

Post by nospam
the iphone 14 can use satellites for emergency calls should you find
yourself in the middle of nowhere with no service.

Yeah. I'll wait until I need a new iPhone. Doesn't that require paying
subscriptions after a year or is that free forever?

it's free for 2 years. there hasn't been an announcement as to the cost
after that, or if it will continue to be free, which is also possible.

Ah. Two years. Thanks. I hope Apple will keep them free, but I doubt it.

[sms]

Post by Ant
Hello,
Is it normal for old iPhones (4S & 6 +) to show top left corner's "No
Service" without any active lines? Before 3G & CDMA were shut down on
1/3/2023, old iPhones (4S & 2 6 +s) used to show a cell signal bar or
two even though the iPhones didn't have active VZW subscriptions anymore
(upgraded to newer iPhones with brand new SIM cards). I tried to call
*3001#12345#*, 411, and 611. All got no results. Putting airplane on and
rebooting, show "Searching..." and then "No Service".
iPad air, with an active VZW line, had no problems. I guess VZW wants
active lines to work. :(
Does that mean no 911 calls with them for emergency calls? iPhones (11
Pro Max, 12 mini, and 13 with iOS v16.2) do show nothing, SOS, and
bar(s) in this rural area.
Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)

With no SIM card, or a deactivated SIM card, my 6s Plus sho Service" and
no bars. 911 calls still work. 611 does not work.

I would think that 911 would still work on the 6+ as well.

Did T-Mobile actually shut down 2G on January 1, 2023 as they said they
would? I have no non-LTE phones to try it on.

I bought some of the free service T-Mobile/FreedomPop SIM cards from
Walmart prior to them being discontinued so I could keep some older
phones active, including the 6s Plus.

[sms]

With no SIM card, or a deactivated SIM card, my 6s Plus shows "No Service" and
no bars. 911 calls still work. 611 does not work.
I would think that 911 would still work on the 6+ as well.
Did T-Mobile actually shut down 2G on January 1, 2023 as they said they
would? I have no non-LTE phones to try it on.
I bought some of the free service T-Mobile/FreedomPop SIM cards from
Walmart prior to them being discontinued so I could keep some older
phones active, including the 6s Plus.

[Ant]

Interesting. So, that's normal. Weird/Odd that I still get low bars before the shut down.

With no SIM card, or a deactivated SIM card, my 6s Plus shows "No Service" and
no bars. 911 calls still work. 611 does not work.
I would think that 911 would still work on the 6+ as well.
Did T-Mobile actually shut down 2G on January 1, 2023 as they said they
would? I have no non-LTE phones to try it on.
I bought some of the free service T-Mobile/FreedomPop SIM cards from
Walmart prior to them being discontinued so I could keep some older
phones active, including the 6s Plus.

[sms]

Post by Ant
Interesting. So, that's normal. Weird/Odd that I still get low bars before the shut down.

I remember when an inactive phone would connect to the American Roaming
Network and offer to make a call charged to a credit card or you could
purchase some prepaid call credits and use a PIN. That worked on AMPS,
TDMA, and CDMA, but not GSM, so in the recent past it worked only on
Sprint and Verizon. I suppose that with the shutdown of CDMA that's over.

"From your un-registered or de-activated mobile phone, listen to the
American Roaming Network voice prompts and follow directions then enter
your Prepaid PIN. (note: If you do not hear the ARN welcome prompt when
you dial a destination number you will not be able to use ARN service)."

[Ant]

Post by sms

Post by Ant
Interesting. So, that's normal. Weird/Odd that I still get low bars before the shut down.

I remember when an inactive phone would connect to the American Roaming
Network and offer to make a call charged to a credit card or you could
purchase some prepaid call credits and use a PIN. That worked on AMPS,
TDMA, and CDMA, but not GSM, so in the recent past it worked only on
Sprint and Verizon. I suppose that with the shutdown of CDMA that's over.
"From your un-registered or de-activated mobile phone, listen to the
American Roaming Network voice prompts and follow directions then enter
your Prepaid PIN. (note: If you do not hear the ARN welcome prompt when
you dial a destination number you will not be able to use ARN service)."

Um, how do I do that? I need instructions. I didn't know that existed.

[nospam]

Post by Ant

Post by sms
I remember when an inactive phone would connect to the American Roaming
Network and offer to make a call charged to a credit card or you could
purchase some prepaid call credits and use a PIN. That worked on AMPS,
TDMA, and CDMA, but not GSM, so in the recent past it worked only on
Sprint and Verizon. I suppose that with the shutdown of CDMA that's over.
"From your un-registered or de-activated mobile phone, listen to the
American Roaming Network voice prompts and follow directions then enter
your Prepaid PIN. (note: If you do not hear the ARN welcome prompt when
you dial a destination number you will not be able to use ARN service)."

Um, how do I do that? I need instructions. I didn't know that existed.

you don't, and hasn't been a thing for a long time.

[sms]

Post by Ant

Post by sms

Post by Ant
Interesting. So, that's normal. Weird/Odd that I still get low bars before the shut down.

I remember when an inactive phone would connect to the American Roaming
Network and offer to make a call charged to a credit card or you could
purchase some prepaid call credits and use a PIN. That worked on AMPS,
TDMA, and CDMA, but not GSM, so in the recent past it worked only on
Sprint and Verizon. I suppose that with the shutdown of CDMA that's over.
"From your un-registered or de-activated mobile phone, listen to the
American Roaming Network voice prompts and follow directions then enter
your Prepaid PIN. (note: If you do not hear the ARN welcome prompt when
you dial a destination number you will not be able to use ARN service)."

Um, how do I do that? I need instructions. I didn't know that existed.

Pretty sure that it's no longer available with the demise of CDMA.

The FCC used to mandate "Manual Roaming Service" for outgoing calls
where you just paid per call. It worked on unregistered phones.

See <https://americanroaming.com/>.

[nospam]

Post by sms

Post by Ant

Post by sms
I remember when an inactive phone would connect to the American Roaming
Network and offer to make a call charged to a credit card or you could
purchase some prepaid call credits and use a PIN. That worked on AMPS,
TDMA, and CDMA, but not GSM, so in the recent past it worked only on
Sprint and Verizon. I suppose that with the shutdown of CDMA that's over.
"From your un-registered or de-activated mobile phone, listen to the
American Roaming Network voice prompts and follow directions then enter
your Prepaid PIN. (note: If you do not hear the ARN welcome prompt when
you dial a destination number you will not be able to use ARN service)."

Um, how do I do that? I need instructions. I didn't know that existed.

Pretty sure that it's no longer available with the demise of CDMA.

long before that.

[nospam]

Post by sms
With no SIM card, or a deactivated SIM card, my 6s Plus sho Service" and
no bars. 911 calls still work. 611 does not work.

you actually called 911 to test it?

[Ant]

Post by nospam

Post by sms
With no SIM card, or a deactivated SIM card, my 6s Plus sho Service" and
no bars. 911 calls still work. 611 does not work.

you actually called 911 to test it?

And don't you get penalized for false calls?

[sms]

Post by Ant

Post by nospam

Post by sms
With no SIM card, or a deactivated SIM card, my 6s Plus sho Service" and
no bars. 911 calls still work. 611 does not work.

you actually called 911 to test it?

And don't you get penalized for false calls?

If you hang up immediately, before the call goes through, it's fine.

But it's also okay to call it and tell them that you were seeing if your
phone was working.

On landlines you can test 911 by calling 933 but not on mobile phones. I
pay $18 per year for 911 service on my Google Voice/Polycom Obi device.

[nospam]

Post by sms

Post by Ant

Post by nospam

Post by sms
With no SIM card, or a deactivated SIM card, my 6s Plus sho Service" and
no bars. 911 calls still work. 611 does not work.

you actually called 911 to test it?

And don't you get penalized for false calls?

If you hang up immediately, before the call goes through, it's fine.

no, actually it isn't fine.

Post by sms
But it's also okay to call it and tell them that you were seeing if your
phone was working.

nope. it's not ok, unless you schedule it ahead of time.

what you are suggesting is not only illegal, but also stupid.

<https://www.911.gov/calling-911/frequently-asked-questions/>
How do I place a "test" call to make sure 911 works for me?

Test calls confirm that your local 911 service can receive your 911
call and has the correct location information. Test calls can be
scheduled by contacting your local 911 call center via its
non-emergency phone number. To contact the local 911 center
responsible for answering calls from your location, visit the
National Association of State 911 Administrators site and select the
state where you live to find your 911 administrator. The person
responsible for operating the state.

Post by sms
On landlines you can test 911 by calling 933 but not on mobile phones. I
pay $18 per year for 911 service on my Google Voice/Polycom Obi device.

then you're overpaying, by a *lot*.