If you receive nuisance calls and messages, from sales and marketing companies, for example, you may want to take steps to block them.

For Android phones:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap the 3-dot icon.
3. Select "Call Settings."
4. Select "Reject Calls."
5. Tap the "+" button and add the numbers you want blocked.

For spam text messages follow the same process in your Texting app, but scroll down to "Spam message settings."

For iPhone:

1. To block someone who has been added to your phone's Contacts, go to Settings > Phone > Call Blocking and Identification > Block Contact. ...
2. In instances where you want to a block a number that isn't stored as a contact in your phone, go to the Phone app > Recents.

You could also register for the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). This is a free service where you can record your preference not to receive unsolicited sales or marketing calls. For more information, visit the TPS home page.

There are also other options available to you regarding both calls and texts. For more information, visit this Ofcom page, this Information Commissioner's Office page or this Information Commissioner's Office page.

Voicemail is available to all of our customers. You set up voicemail by dialling 222 on your mobile phone and following the voice prompt instructions. On most handsets, you can also access your voicemail by holding down the number 1 key. We suggest you set a PIN (Personal Identification Number) on your voicemail service.

Your voicemail can store a maximum of 50 messages, up to 8 minutes each. New messages are stored for 21 days or, after listened to, they can be saved and stored for 7 days.

Accessing your voicemail will cost you 1p per minute. If you would like to turn your voicemail off, you can simply dial ##002# and press call. If you would like to turn it back on again after turning it off, you will need to go into the handset's call settings and set the divert on busy, no answer or unavailable to +447953222222.

You can fully disable the voicemail service via your 1pMobile Account SIM settings page. However, please be aware that we may not be able to retrieve this service once it has been fully disabled.

A full map of the voicemail menu is below:

Main menu

• 1 - Listen to messages
  • # - Call return - you can call the person who left the message at your standard call rate
  • 1 - Listen again
  • 2 - Save - save the message for up to 21 days
  • 3 - Delete
  • 4 - Receive the caller's number as a free text message
  • 5 - More options
    • 1 - Hear options available when listen to a message - forward, rewind, skip etc
    • 2 - Send a reply
    • 3 - Forward a copy - you can send a copy of the voicemail to another mobile number
    • 0 - Help
• 2 - Greetings
  • 1 - Record a personal greeting to be played when people leave a message
  • 2 - Select the standard greeting with the option to record your name
  • 3 - Set up a temporary greeting
  • 0 - Help
• 4 - Settings and features
  • 1 - Missed call alert options
  • 2 - New message alert options
  • 3 - PIN options
  • 4 - Remote access alerts
  • 5 - Record and send a message to another mobile number
  • 6 - Group list
  • 0 - Help
• 0 - Help

If you need to access your voicemail from another phone (landline or another mobile) make sure you have set up your voicemail PIN (Personal Identification Number) beforehand.

To access your messages dial your own mobile number and let the call go to voicemail. As soon as you hear the greeting press the * key. You will then be asked for your PIN number and will have full access to your voicemail box

You can also access your voicemail by dialling 07953222222 (+447953222222 if abroad) from any landline or non UK mobile, and follow the voice prompts. You will need to enter your mobile number and your PIN to retrieve your messages.

Outside the UK and the EU, you will incur roaming charges when someone leaves you a voicemail message and you will also be charged for listening to your messages. So, if it is not essential that you receive voicemail whilst you are away, we recommend you turn it off before you leave.

You can turn off your voicemail by dialling ##002# and pressing call. If you would like to turn it back on again after turning it off, you will need to go into the handset's call settings and set the divert on busy, no answer or unavailable to +447953222222.

If you need to leave your voicemail box on, make sure you have set up your voicemail PIN before you travel. You will need to dial +447953222222 when your away, as dialling 222 may not work. You will need to enter your PIN to retrieve your messages.

By default, your phone cannot make calls to high rate premium rate numbers. However, you can easily enable the 'Premium rate calling' facility on your Network settings page.

Premium rate numbers are deemed to be calls costing in excess of £2.50 per minute, or texts where a chargeable reply is received. They usually start with 09 for calls and a short code of five digits for a text.

The cost of calling premium rate numbers consists of two parts - 1pMobile's access charge (5p a minute) and a service charge set by the organisation you are calling. The company you are calling must state the charge on all of their literature and on their website.

For more information, please visit our Tariff and charges page. To find out the minimum and maximum charges of calling a particular number, you should visit this Ofcom page.

By default, you cannot make calls to numbers containing adult content. If you wish to be able to make such calls, you can enable the 'Premium rate calling' facility from your SIM settings page.

Once enabled, these calls will be charged at a higher rate than calls to UK landlines and mobiles. Please visit our Tariff and charges page for current prices and for more information.

Before you travel abroad.

By default, roaming (using your phone abroad) is enabled in your account network settings. If it has been disabled and you wish to enable it, you should do so at least 24 hours before leaving the UK.

Connecting to a foreign network

Your phone will then automatically search for local networks where you are abroad. You may also need to turn roaming on within your phones settings.

You may need to manually search for a network. Select any network with good signal strength. Please see your phone manual for instructions on these steps. You may also need to switch your phone off for 15 minutes, and then on again to finally connect. 'Switching off' means powering off, (not just setting the screen lock.)

Some phones with Android OS may show available networks as 'forbidden.' You should try selecting the network until your phone finally accepts a connection.

Costs when roaming on a network within the EU.

Roaming usage in the EU/EEA now costs the same as in the UK, but please see our tariff page for full details. Please be aware phones can connect to networks across borders. Setting your phone to manually search for networks will let you decide before selecting a network.

Costs when roaming on a network outside the EU.

Different prices apply depending on which country you are visiting outside of the EU, and will be more expensive than using your phone in the UK. Please visit our Tariff and charges page for current prices.

Voicemail when roaming on a network outside the EU.

Outside the UK and the EU, you will incur roaming charges when someone leaves you a voicemail message and you will also be charged for listening to your messages. So, if it is not essential that you receive voicemail whilst you are away, we recommend you turn it off before you leave. Please visit our Tariff and charges page for current prices.

If you want to disable the roaming facility, then you have to disable it from your SIM settings page. 

Please make sure you enable roaming in your account before you travel abroad. If you enable roaming while abroad, it may take up to 24 hours for your phone to be registered across the roaming platforms in Europe. It may take 48 hours for other foreign networks. 

Data Boosts

Data Boosts cannot be used outside of Europe.

Using the internet when roaming

For details on Using the internet when roaming abroad please see here

By default, the international calling facility is enabled. If you do want to disable it you can enable it from your Network settings page. International calls will be charged at a higher rate than calls to UK landlines and mobiles. Please visit our Tariff and charges page for current prices. With international calling enabled, you to make calls from the UK to other countries, it does not enable you to use your mobile outside the UK. To do this you will need to enable roaming.

Text messaging (SMS) is available to all 1pMobile customers and the service is automatically enabled as soon as you join. However, sometimes it may be necessary to update the message centre number stored in your handset. For instance, when you transfer your telephone number to 1pMobile from another network.

In this case, you must ensure that your message centre number is listed as +447958879879. This will enable you to access our network and SMS platform to send and receive text messages, both in the UK and abroad. Please refer to your mobile phone instruction manual on how to update your message centre number.

When looking at your mobile phone you may have noticed some letters and numbers next to your signal strength indicator. Here's a brief overview of what these symbols mean.

• G – Referred to as second generation (2G) mobile technology, G stands for GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). It is the slowest and oldest form of data connectivity (providing up to 114Kbits per second) and is typically only used if the phone can't find anything faster due to interference or location issues.
• E – The letter E stands for EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), which is also known as Enhanced GPRS. This technology lies somewhere in between 2G and 3G technology, providing typical speeds between 120Kbits and 384Kbits per second.
• 3G – 3G stands for third generation and offers double the performance of EDGE, providing data transfer rates of between 384Kbits per second and 2Mbits per second.
• H – H stands for HSPA (High Speed Packet Access). It is an enhanced form of 3G technology, providing higher data transfer rates than the basic 3G. HSPA boasts potential speeds of between 600Kbits per second and 10Mbits per second.
• 4G – Covering 98% of the UK, 4G is now the standard data connection type. Offering speeds of up to 100Mbits per second, but generally speaking at 40Mbits per second, 4G connection can work as good as, if not better than, a Wi-Fi (WiFi) connection.
• 5G – Now covering a large portion of the UK, 5G – which stands for fifth generation. Offering speeds of up to 750Mbits per second, but generally speaking at 130Mbits per second, 5G connection can work better than most home broadband and Wi-Fi (WiFi) connections.

This setting is between your phone and the network.

To change the setting dial the following code as though you were making a phone call.

**61*+447953222222*11*XX# where XX is the number of seconds before the call is sent to voicemail. This can be any number from 5 to 30 in increments of 5. i.e. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30.

For example, to increase the time to 30 seconds before the call is sent to voicemail you would enter:

**61*+447953222222*11*30#

Note: We have been made aware that on some Samsung phones it is not possible to change the default duration (20 seconds) as they do not send the correct commands to the network.

If you have activated within the last hour please wait a little longer because activation may still be in process. Dial 150 to check your SIM is active and your first top-up has been added to your phone.

1. Please check the SIM is correctly fitted in your phone.
   Dual SIM phones need to have our SIM in slot 1 until it's activated. We have found on a number of handsets that data is not supported in slot 2 but please refer to your manual.
2. Is your phone unlocked? If you are unsure about this please contact your prior network, or wherever you purchased your phone. If your phone says the SIM is invalid it is most likely that the phone is locked to another network.
3. Please turn your phone off, wait 15 minutes, and then turn it on again.
4. Please perform a manual network search. our network is listed as either '1pMobile', 'EE', 'Club', 'Orange', 'Plus' or 'T-mobile' For instructions on how to do a manual search please see your phone manual or search online.
5. If you are able to make calls/ texts but cannot access the internet please check the APN (Access Point Name) settings on your phone are as follows:
   • Name: 1pMobile
   • APN: data.uk
   • User: user
   • Password: one2one
   • Type: CHAP
   
   You may need to add an APN with this information. For instructions on how to do this please see your phone manual, search online or contact us with your phone make and model.

When you insert a SIM in your phone the phone first reads the mobile number from the SIM, then registers with the network and collects the correct number, if the one on the network is different from the one on the SIM.

In some cases RCS message apps do not do this second check and register your RSC account with the number from the SIM rather than wait for the phone to collect the correct number.

The below steps should reset your Google RCS account to your correct number.

1. Open Messages, go to Settings (top right, Message Settings), open "Chat Features" or "RCS Chats", verify if this is the correct number or not. If it shows the incorrect one
   1. Head to: https://messages.google.com/disable-chat and you should be able to unregister the number.
   2. Once done, turn off the Chat Features/RCS and the phone.
   3. Wait a few minutes and turn the device back on and re-enable Chat Features/RCS it should let you re-register/update to the correct number.
   4. Alternatively, you can turn Chat Features/RCS off and test SMS after this
2. If the above does not work then you should reset your Network settings. This should clear the number form the phone memory and read it correctly from the network.
3. Another set of tasks that is known to work but are a little more aggressive.
   1. In the phone settings, go to Apps, then selected Messages.
   2. Clear the storage/cache
   3. Restart the phone (full power off, wait 30 seconds, power on)
   4. Go back into the message settings, then into Advanced and enter the correct phone number.
   5. Go back to RCS Messages (you may have to wait for your phone and Google to make this available), turn RCS back on and enter the correct number to verify it.
   6. If you've got important messages, please back them up or make a note first.

All the above are known issues with the Google RSC servers. Some customers have found that the only option is turning OFF RCS in Google Messages app for a few weeks. Then the Google RCS servers sort themselves out, eventually.

This issue is caused as there was an un-actioned voicemail notification on your phone before one of the following:

• Your 1pMobile SIM was inserted; or
• The porting of your number from another provider occurred; or
• A replacement SIM was activated for your mobile number,

Until your phone can make a successful call to a voicemail platform and get the corresponding signal that the mail box is empty then the phone will continue to display the message waiting indicator.

To clear the indicator, please make sure that voicemail is active in your account. If it is not active, please activate and wait for 30 minutes for the mail box to be setup.

Please then call your mobile from another phone and leave a message.

Please then dial 222 from your 1pMobile phone. To hear/clear the messages use option 2 and select to listen to message(s), delete any that are there until the system to tells you there are no more messages.

Once this is done, your phone will think the indicator has been actioned and clear it.

Once the indicator has gone, if you no longer wish to have the voicemail function you can then login to your account and disable it with your phone in the correct state.

When you arrive in a new country (outside the UK) your phone will try and connect to the strongest network signal. It could be that this isn't one of our international roaming partners. (You can find a full let of our roaming partners for every country here: https://www.1pmobile.com/international-and-roaming

If the network you have connected to does not give you access (or a service is not working - usually mobile data), you will need to try and do a manual network search. In your device/phone settings you should see an option to perform a manual network search.

Once the list of available networks is shown, try to connect to one of them. It may take up to 15 minutes for your phone to fully connect. If this does not work you will need to turn the device/phone off for a minimum of 15 minutes, to allow the SIM and the device to completely disconnect from any nearby networks, and then try the manual network search again.

Calling and texting when abroad

When making calls when abroad please make sure you dial using the full international dialling code. E.g. +447950014111 and not 07950014111. 

If you do not include the country code +44 (for a UK number) then the local network will assume it is a local number and that probably won't exist. 

If you are dialling from an entry in your contact list, please make sure that the entry / phone number is in full international format. 

If you are dialling a local number where you are abroad, e.g. a local restaurant then you will need to dial the full international number, that includes the country code, of where you are visiting. E.g. the Hard Rock Cafe, Times Square, NYC (212-343-3355). You have to dial +12123433355.

Wi-fi calling

Please make sure you disable wi-fi calling when abroad. Although supported in most countries, the wi-fi service you are connected to could be blocking it, especially if you are on free wi-fi in a cafe, hotel or resort. Your phone could attempt to route the call via wi-fi but could be blocked.

If you're an Apple user and your iMessages aren't working after porting, it's usually because you need to amend your settings.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to 'Phone' and then 'My number'.
3. Manually change the number in this entry.
4. Turn your phone on and off again to reboot the settings.

You can also try the following:

• Settings > General > Date & Time (make sure the time zone is set correctly)
• Go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage
• Go to Settings > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime
• Restart your device
• Turn iMessage and FaceTime back on.

If you've tried all the above and your iMessages are still not activated after 24 hours have passed after the transfer, please follow these steps:

• Make sure your device has the latest version of iOS
• Contact Apple Support

You might experience intermittent service on the day (e.g. temporarily unable to make calls or use mobile data), which is a normal part of moving your number.

If your number hasn't moved over by midnight, restart your phone with the SIM in it. If you are still having issues, you can contact us.

1pMobile fully supports Google/Android chat.

What is Google/Android Chat - Rich Communication Services (RCS)?

RCS allows you to send emojis, images, videos, web pages and use group messaging from a phone's built-in messaging app. Messages are sent by a data connection rather than an MMS.

When you see this feature in your phone message app, it'll be called chat messaging, or chat features. Think of it as a text message, but better. Using regular texts, you can only send words, while with RCS you can use your data connection to send emojis, images, videos, copies of web pages and even use group messages, all from your main messaging app.

How can I get it?

Your messaging app might already support it, so it's worth checking the listing on the Play Store or directly with the developer of the app you're using if you don't use the default one. If you don't have a compatible app, Google's Messages app might be suitable. Once you have a compatible app, you might need to turn chat messaging on in the settings of the app.

Who can I message?

Anyone else who's also using chat features. If you try to message someone who's not got chat features turned on, then you'll send a regular text message or MMS picture message instead. Your app will show you what kind of message you're sending at the time.

How much will it cost?

These messages go through your data connection, so aren't charged individually. For most people, the data that RCS uses won't be noticeable - it's comparable to other messaging apps, and won't cost much at all - and should be free if connected to WiFi. It's difficult to give an exact figure, though, because it depends on the messages sent and how someone uses it - bigger photos will use more data, for example.

Chat messaging requires a data connection. In the UK, it will cost the same as other mobile internet usage, and outside of the UK, the usual roaming rates will apply.

How does it work in the background?

Every so often, the service will ping our network to keep your messages up to date, much like other messaging apps. We would recommend monitoring your phone for data usage to make sure you're happy with your spend, and using your phone's built-in data management features to make sure it works as you need it to.

Lastly, In situations where members try and send an RCS message and it doesn't quite make it through, your phone will try and send it as a regular text message or MMS picture message - if it does, then it will come from credit at our PAYG rate. You can control if you want this to happen in your messaging app once you have chat messaging turned on.

Will my phone be compatible?

You will need to turn on relevant settings on their compatible handset to use the service. Most Android phones running Android 8 or later have the option. If your chat app is not a compatible messaging app you should be directed to download a compatible messaging app from the Google Play Store.

What about my old messages?

If you switch on RCS your phone/app will tell you that 1pMobile provides these services, and you can carry on your conversations where you left off. All your regular text message threads will still be available too.

I can't see how to turn it on. What should I do?

When we launch, we'll be rolling it out in waves, so not everyone will have it enabled at the same time. This is so that we can test it and make sure it's working properly so that any unlikely issues can be fixed before they affect every member. If your phone and messaging app are compatible, you'll be on the list and will have chat messaging enabled soon. Make sure you've updated your phone, check in your messaging app's settings, and give your phone a quick reboot if it's not showing up and should be.

It's not working for some of my contacts. Why?

Both people need to have chat messaging turned on for this to work. If they don't, then your messages will send as regular text messages or MMS picture messages. Your friend might have it turned off, or they might not have a compatible phone or app yet.

Signal strength can be as much as a factor of the phone as the network. 

Please make sure your phone is fully charged as battery power makes a huge difference.

Other things that can affect signal strength are:

• If the phone is in a case that contains any metal this can interfere with the internal aerial in the phone
• Local interference for other electrical devices, white goods with large motors, washing machines, 'fridges etc can create interference as the motors get older. 
• The structure of the building you are in, if it has any metal in the walls, metal window frames or leaded windows this can have a huge impact on indoor reception.
• It could be that there as a temporary fault, or engineering works being carried out, on the mast nearest to you. Your phone would have then transferred its signal to the next nearest mast. Once the original mast was back in operation your phone may not automatically switch back. You can force it to do so, by either putting it in flight mode for a couple of minutes or restarting your phone.

On Sunday 23 April 2023, between 3pm and 3:30pm, your phone will play a loud siren for 10 seconds even if it is on silent.

That is because the government is testing a new emergency system to warn citizens of urgent threats. This, the government says, will bring us into line with countries like the United States, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands which all use similar systems to warn of severe weather events.

What happens when an emergency alert is sent out?

If there is an emergency in your area, a siren-like sound will play on your phone for about 10 seconds. This will be accompanied by a pop-up message onscreen outlining the details alongside key telephone numbers and links for more information.

The sounds will still play even if your phone is on silent mode, and you'll have to acknowledge that you've seen the alert before you can return to using your phone as usual.

If an alert is sent in your area, there are only three reasons you won't hear a siren: if your phone is off, if it's on airplane mode or if you've opted out. More on the last of these later.

Why not just send a text message?

Two reasons. Firstly, a simple text message can easily be missed, while emergency alerts require user interaction, making them more effective.

Secondly, emergency alerts should be near instant, arriving at phones within four to 10 seconds of being triggered. As anybody who has received a "Happy New Year" text at 6am on New Year's Day will know, SMS delivery grinds to a halt when lots of messages are being sent at the same time.

In short, the system is designed to get emergency messages out en masse as quickly as possible, and read by everyone they reach. SMS simply isn't the best vehicle for these goals.

Do I need a smartphone to get emergency alerts?

Technically no, but in most cases yes. That's because emergency alerts work on the 4G and 5G networks, and while there are feature phones that use them, the majority don't.

Emergency alerts won't be sent over 3G or 2G, which is hardly surprising given both are being phased out. Despite this, the government estimates that 90% of the population will be covered in some form or other.

To receive emergency alerts on a smartphone, you do need to be reasonably up to date, however.

On Apple phones, you need to be running iOS 14.5 or later. iPhone 13 and 14 devices are shipped with this, but anything from the iPhone 6s and newer is capable of running it.

Android devices have to be running Android 11 or later. That OS is from 2020, but some phones on older versions "may still be able to receive alerts", the government said. "To check, search your device settings for 'emergency alerts'."

This will just be for emergencies, right?

Yes. The alerts can only be used by authorised government and emergency services. So you won't be getting 2-for-1 pizza coupons via the system.

What sort of emergencies? The government's own FAQ suggests events that involve "severe threats to life in particular areas" including flooding and wildfires.

It isn't stated but it seems likely that the government's Covid-19 stay-at-home message could also have qualified, had the system been operational at the time. This was the case in the United States, where it has also been used to highlight police curfews and, once, to erroneously warn Hawaiians of an imminent ballistic missile attack.

Will emergency alerts hit my phone's battery?

"Neither emergency alerts nor having the ability to receive them will impact your phone's battery life," the government said.

What should you do if you're driving?

There's no need to acknowledge an emergency alert immediately. You just won't be able to use your phone until you have, which shouldn't be an issue if you're driving anyway.

"Find somewhere safe and legal to stop before picking up your phone and reading the message," the government said. "If there is nowhere safe or legal to stop close by, and nobody else is in the vehicle to read the alert, tune into live radio for information until you can find somewhere safe and legal to stop."

What are the privacy implications?

The government says there are none, as its emergency alerts don't collect any personal data.

"The system uses the cell tower your phone is connected to," it explains. "When an alert is triggered, all towers in the area will broadcast the alert. To do this the Government does not need to know the specific location or personal data on your device."

We contacted Privacy International, Big Brother Watch and the Open Rights Group to find out if these reassurances were enough for them. At the time of writing, none have issued a response, which perhaps suggests it's not the biggest privacy concern for them at the moment.

Can I opt out of emergency alerts?

1pMobile is unable to cease nor influence the delivery of these alerts to your device.

Yes, you can, though the government urges you not to. "These alerts are potentially life-saving so we recommend you keep them switched on," it says.

For Apple iPhones, in iOS, go to Settings then Notifications. You'll find two options at the bottom: Extreme Alerts and Severe Alerts, which can be toggled off if you want to opt out.

On Android devices, it's also under Settings and Notifications but will be called something like "Wireless Emergency Alerts".

What can I do if someone enquires about this?

Should you receive a query about this, please refer to www.gov.uk/alerts for more information

To add a voicemail PIN (Personal Identification Number) for accessing your messages from another phone:

• call your voicemail (hold down the 1 key on your handset)
• if you have messages saved, you'll be played them right away. To go to the main menu press *
• select option 3 - settings and features menu
• select option 3 - change your PIN
• select option 1 - add a PIN
• follow the prompts. A PIN can be from 4 to 10 digits in length.
• when you enter a PIN of your choice, press # to save

If you have any trouble doing this, please contact us and we'll be able to help.

Your phone should have options to specify how and when calls are diverted to your voicemail.

If your phone does not have menu options for this you can use the following (MMI/USSD) codes to control the diverts.

You dial the following as if making a phone call. Your phone should then interoperate these codes and send the relevant instructions to the network.

Divert All calls to voicemail

• Set: **21*+447953222222#
• Cancel: ##21#
• Query: *#21#

Divert on No Answer

• Set: **61*+447953222222#
• Cancel: ##61#
• Query: *#61#

Divert on No Answer and delay by nn seconds: max 30 seconds, in 5 second increments

• Set: **61*+447953222222*11*nn#
• Cancel: ##61#
• Query: *#61#**11#
• Note: We have been made aware that on some Samsung phones it is not possible to change the default duration (20 seconds) as they do not send the correct commands to the network.

Divert on Unreachable

• Set: **62*+447953222222#
• Cancel: #62#
• Query: *#62#

Divert on Busy

• Set: **67*+447953222222#
• Cancel: ##67#
• Query: *#67#

Cancel All

• ##002#

Diverting calls to other numbers

Please note: With 1pMobile, like all pay-as-you-go mobile services, it is not possible to divert calls to any other number other than to voicemail platform at +447953222222. This restriction is in place as there is a possibility of a breach of personal data if your service does not have sufficient credit for the divert to be applied (or your credit runs out during the diverted call). The caller would hear the announcement rather than you, the service holder.

If you require the facility to divert calls to another number then you will need to obtain a post-pay (contract) service from an alternative provider.

Premium rate calls

1pMobile and all other telecom companies have a legal obligation to allow these premium rate calls if you have enabled them in your phone/account settings. We cannot refund to you the cost of these services, the refund would need to come from the company that provided your the service on the premium number.

Premium rate text

We are obliged to allow inbound premium rate texts to be sent to your phone, we cannot block them and we cannot refund the charges for these text messages, the refund would need to come from the company that originated the text message, if you can prove you didn't sign up for the texts, they also must stop sending them if requested.

Some rogue apps will sign you up for these sort of texts or sometimes a website hides the fact in their small print when they ask you for the phone number.
It is also possible said the rogue company claim people clicked on an advertising link that automatically subscribes you to such a service.

How to complain

To complain about these text messages and charges please refer to the Pre-paid Services Authority (PSA): https://psauthority.org.uk/For-Consumers

There is also a handy article here at the Citizens Advice website: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/phone-internet-downloads-or-tv/complain-about-a-premium-rate-phone-charge-or-text-message/

Mobile phone repeaters and boosters

Need a better mobile signal at your home or office?

From April 2018, regulations came into force that allow people to use certain types of mobile phone repeater without the need for a licence.

Mobile phone repeaters amplify signals between a mobile phone and a network operator's base station and can enhance coverage in situations where the signal is weak.

Ofcom has legalised use of two types of mobile phone repeater.

Static indoor repeaters

The first are known as static mobile phone repeaters. These are for indoor use, and are designed to improve coverage inside peoples' homes, offices and other buildings. They must not be used in other situations. For example, while in motion, such as in a vehicle.

The 'downlink' from these repeaters (the part that connects the repeater to the mobile phone) must not be used outside or in semi-open locations. It must be used inside a building which has a ceiling or a roof.

The 'uplink' (the part that connects the repeaters to the mobile phone network) can be used either indoors or outdoors.

This type of repeater may not be helpful in all situations. However, they can help to boost indoor signals in situations where there is reasonable mobile coverage just outside the building, but indoor coverage is not good enough.

Ofcom have restricted these types of repeaters so they amplify the signal from only one mobile phone network at a time, although they may be re-configured to a different network.

Low gain in-vehicle repeaters

The second type of repeater, known as low gain mobile phone repeaters, are allowed to be used to help coverage inside' cars and other road vehicles - but not in boats or static caravans.

They are designed to overcome the loss of signal that can occur between an external antenna on the outside of the vehicle to a cradle designed to hold the mobile phone inside it. They boost the signal inside the car to a similar level that a handset just outside the car would be able to receive.

If you are planning to use one of these devices in your vehicle, you should also make sure you follow existing laws regarding using your mobile phone while driving.

How can I get a repeater?

Ofcom expect mobile phone repeaters that meet our requirements to become available from some retailers almost immediately, and become more widely available over the coming months. Prices are likely to start at around £400 for the simpler models.

What should I look out for?

Watch out for repeaters that claim to be wideband, or those which amplify signals from more than one operator at a time. Repeaters that operate in this way do not comply with our requirements and using them continues to be unlawful.

You should only buy repeaters from reputable retailers and look for a 'CE' mark on the equipment.

Indoor repeaters that claim to be 4G and/or LTE only (or 800 MHz only) are also unlikely to meet our requirements. Legal indoor repeaters must boost a 2G or 3G signal at all times.

To find suppliers just search for "mobile phone repeaters" on Google etc.

Wording taken from the Ofcom website

How long can a text message be?

Text messages or SMS (Short Message Service) is designed to send short messages between mobiles. In most instances, these are limited to 160 (or 140 characters in the USA). However, most mobiles will take longer messages and split them into segments.

If your phone splits a message into multiple segments you may get charged for each segment, depending on your phone, the network receiving the message and the recipients type of phone.

You can see how many segments each of your SMS have in your usage, and each will have a separate charge. The time between segments is usually 2-3 seconds.

Emojis & special characters matter

Characters outside of the standard A-Z character set (like e.g. emojis, accented letters, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic characters) are automatically encoded by your phone. These special character uses more bytes per character, limiting you to 70 characters per segment.

iPhone and Smart Punctuation

Are you using an iPhone? Text segmentation has become an issue worldwide with some of the latest iOS 11 updates. Please ensure that you have turned off Smart Punctuation; in the keyboard settings. If this is on and you use an apostrophe, dashes or quotes then the phone splits the message into 70 character chunks rather than 160. Smart Punctuation can also cause data inputting issues on various websites and web forms.

International calling Zones

International zone 1

Roaming zones

When using your mobile outside the UK, you are roaming. Roaming charges are applied to these locations depending on which roaming zone they are in.

Roaming zone 1

Austria, Azores (Portugal), Balearic Islands (Spain), Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands (Spain), Croatia, Cyprus (South), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Republic of), Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira (Portugal), Malta, Martinique, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City

Roaming zone 2

Canada, USA

Roaming zone 3

Australia, New Zealand

Roaming zone 4

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Ascension, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Isles, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus (North), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Diego Garcia, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Rep, Dutch Antilles, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian Authority, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Reunion Island, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Helena, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin/Maarten, St. Pierre & Miquelon, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland (Kingdom of eSwatini), Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Roaming zone 5

Aeroplanes, Cruise ships, Italy (Telecom Italia Maritime), Malta (Vodafone Malta Maritime), Maritime, Maritime Services, Non-Geographic (Transatel), Norway (MCP), Satellite including - Cruise ships, Switzerland (OnAir), UAE (Thuraya)

Most modern phones will know when you are roaming outside your home location and when calling or texting numbers you have stored in your contacts, will automatically use the correct international calling prefix to call the number from the country you are in

However not all phones will do this, so you should try calling or texting the number manually by replacing the initial 0 in the number with 0044

So UK number 07123 xxxxxxx should be dialed as 0044 7123 xxxxxx

Android

In most android handsets, you can manually update the mobile number in the phone settings. If this option is locked or unavailable, please contact our customer services team who will happily assist you. Please note that this is aesthetic and should have no bearing on the number routeing from the SIM.

iPhone

In most iPhones you can manually update the mobile number in the phone settings under the 'phone' category. This is normally labelled as 'my number'. If this option is locked or unavailable, please contact our customer services team who will happily assist you. Please note that this is aesthetic and should have no bearing on the number routeing from the SIM.

If you have accessed any messaging apps before the port completed such as Google/Android Chat, Whatsapp, iMessage among others; you will likely need to update the mobile number that is assigned to the service. This is likely to be necessary as the app may pre-register with the original mobile number for the SIM card instead of your newly ported number. You can update this in the app settings and is not something caused by your 1pMobile SIM or service.

Sorry to hear you are having coverage issues. The difference between you friend's coverage and yours, is not due to the network as you will have exactly the same coverage and access. The likely reason could be one of the following:

• Different phones - the receivers and transmitters (transceivers) are part of the phone and not the SIM. Some phones have much better transceivers than others, as well as better aerials, case materials and shielding from interference.
• Battery condition - this can make a real difference to the phones performance
• The type of case you have on your phone (if any). A quick test is to remove your phone from its case, restart it and see if the coverage improves.
• Your physical position in the building, office, home. Coverage can be affected by the building structure and any electrical interference, mainly from older PCs, refrigerators etc. Also your distance from windows, or if your are in a steel framed building or in a high location.

A quick test would be to try your SIM in your friends/colleagues phone (or visa versa) if they are willing to see if there are differences in phone performance.

When you restart an Android or Apple phone after a long time, or of you have swapped SIMs, the phone will try and contact Apple or Google to check for updates and register its location for "Find-my-phone", verify the phone and SIM number with your iTunes, Google, Apple account and service etc. 

Usually this registration is done over mobile data or wi-fi, but sometimes will also use a text message if the other options fail to connect. Whist neither Google or Apple publish, for security reasons, a full list of numbers that they use for these verifications, but, we have seen this type of traffic to the following pools of numbers. The numbers include (but are not limited to):

These texts are sent from the Operating System (OS) of the phone and not via the texting/messaging app of the phone there is often no record of them in your outgoing text message logs.

As these text messages are generated by your phone / device any charge for services you are using on your phone these messages are valid and are non-refundable.

We also believe that these issues relate mainly to phones manufactured before 2021 and for Google devices running Android 11 or earlier. Please check you have the latest software (iOS or Android) and all apps are up-to-date.

What is Wi-Fi calling?

Wi-Fi calling allows you to use a Wi-Fi network to make and receive phone calls, rather than using the traditional mobile network.

This benefits those in poor signal areas, such as rural villages and underground stations, as you'll be able to harness the power of available Wi-Fi networks to stay connected.

It's not just calls that are supported though, you can also send and receive texts.

Sometimes after a number is ported in to us, your messaging (texting) can continue to show the number we issued you with rather than the number ported in to us.

iPhone / iOS

The culprit for this would be iMessage. iMessage doesn't update to the new number and needs to be done manually.

Can you try the following;

1. Try turning off iMessage (Settings > Messages)
2. then restart your phone (by pressing and holding the on/off button)
3. tap Settings > Phone > My Number and confirm that it is correct.
4. If it is not correct, please enter the correct number)
5. then turn iMessage back to On (Settings > Messages)
6. go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive and see if the correct number is displayed
7. under “Start new conversations from:"

Android

On Android phone the OS will attempt to synchronise your text messages Google messaging (this feature allows you to also view and send Google messages on a PC or tablet (https://messages.google.com/web/authentication)).

To reset the synchronisation:

1. Open Messages
2. Tap More options > Settings > Chat features
3. Turn Enable chat features OFF
4. wait 15 minutes
5. restart the phone (turn your phone off and on)
6. turn chat features ON again