Straight Talk, which is part of Tracfone, has a $45/month prepaid unlimited talk, text and data plan that lets you use any AT&T, T-Mobile or unlocked GSM phone. It has been getting a lot coverage in the tech press with stories from GigaOM and GottaBeMobile among others. The service is obviously very popular, I get lots of questions about it here in the comments on Prepaid Phone News. This post is an effort to answer as many questions as possible about the service here in one place.
What Bring You Own Phone options does Straight talk offer? There's only one plan; $45/month for unlimited voice, messaging and data. To use Straight Talk with your own compatible phone you need to buy a Straight Talk SIM card which is available from straighttalksim.com for $15 plus tax. Shipping is free. There are four different SIMs:
A regular SIM (mini SIM) that uses AT&T as its home network.
A micro SIM homed on AT&T
A regular SIM homed on T-Mobile
A mysterious and unnecessary "SIM for Unlocked Phones" that is probably just an AT&T homed SIM.
Which phones work with Straight Talk? Any AT&T or T-Mobile phone except for Blackberrys will work for at least voice and text. AT&T and T-Mobile phones do not need to be unlocked as long as you use a Straight Talk AT&T SIM with AT&T phones and a Straight Talk T-Mobile SIM with T-Mobile phones.
You can also use an unlocked GSM phone provided it supports the proper radio bands:
850 Mhz and 1900 Mhz for voice, SMS and low speed (2G: GPRS and Edge) data with any Straight talk SIM.
UTMS band V (850 Mhz) and band II (1900 Mhz) for high speed (3G) data with an AT&T SIM.
UTMS band iV (1700 Mhz) for high speed (3G) data with an T-Mobile SIM.
Are there any disadvantages to using Straight Talk with my own phone? Definitely, there are three that I'm aware of.
1) Straight Talk offers very limited customer support. There is no hand holding and you are on your own when it comes to setting up your phone. You will need to change settings on your phone to get data and picture messaging to work.
Configuring data and MMS picture messaging on Android phones involves changing a few settings but isn't hard and this post will show you how to do it.
MMS settings are locked on Windows Phones. Both data and MMS settings are hidden on iPhones. There are ways to get around Apple and Microsoft's stupidity in blocking users from critical settings, but it takes more work than with Android. There's currently no way to get MMS working on some Windows Phones.
2) Although Straight Talk advertises unlimited data, there are hidden caps of about 2 GB/month and 100 MB/day. Until recently, Straight Talk would terminate your service for exceeding those limits. Thankfully that practice seems to have ended. Now if you use too much data, your data speeds will be throttled to about 100 Kbps for the rest of the plan month.
3) There is currently a network issue that causes data to intermittently stop working when using an AT&T SIM. This issue effects all AT&T MVNOs not just Straight Talk. Turning airplane mode on and off usually gets data working again when this happens. This problem started about a month ago and seems to be occurring less frequently so hopefully it is being fixed.
How to setup Straight Talk data and picture messaging on Android
Follow the instructions that came with the SIM to activate it online at straighttalksim.com or by calling 1-855-222-2355. Insert the SIM in the phone and turn it on. Make a test call to be sure your SIM really is active. Sometimes it takes a little while for the activation to process. If you still can't make voice calls after an hour, call Straight Talk's dedicated BYOP SIM support number at 855-222-2355. There's no point in trying to set up data until the SIM is active. Once you can make calls:
1. On the Android Home Screen, press the Menu key, then tap Settings > Wireless & Networks > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names.
2. You shound now be on the APNs screen (image below, left), press the Menu key and tap "New APN"
3. Enter the values listed below in each field. There are additional fields on the screen that aren't listed below, leave them blank.
Straight Talk AT&T SIM
|
Straight TalkT-Mobile SIM
| |
|---|---|---|
Name
|
Straight Talk
|
Straight Talk
|
APN
|
att.mvno 1
|
wap.tracfone
|
Proxy
|
Leave blank 2
|
Leave blank 5
|
Port
|
80
|
8080
|
MMSC
|
http://mmsc.cingular.com
|
http://mms.tracfone.com
|
MMS Proxy
|
66.209.11.33 3
|
Leave blank 5
|
MMS Port
|
80
|
Leave blank
|
MCC
|
310
|
310
|
MNC
|
410
|
260
|
Authentication Type
|
PAP
|
Leave blank
|
APN Type
|
default,supl,mms 4
|
default,supl,mms 4
|
2 Straight Talk recommends using proxy.mvno.tracfone.com but doing so causes speedtest.net and some other sites to be blocked. There are no known problems with leaving the proxy field blank.
4 If the APN Type field is a dropdown, choose "internet+mms".
5 If data or MMS don't work try using 216.155.165.40 in the proxy and MMS proxy fields.
4. Press the Menu key and tap Save.
5. Set the Straight Talk APN as the active APN by tapping the radio button to its right until it turns green as shown in the image below right.
6. Delete any other APNs if possible. To delete, tap the APN name to open it, then press the Menu key and tap delete. Some phones won't let you delete the Operator (AT&T or T-Mobile) APNs. If that's the case just be sure the Straight Talk APN is selected.
7. Turn the phone off and back on and try to open a web page. If it doesn't work see the troubleshooting section below.
Android specific troubleshooting:
If you have followed the above steps and data does not work, go back to the Access Point Names screen and be sure that the Straight Talk APN is still selected. If it's not, reselect it and try opening a page in the browser. Double check all the entries on the APN setup screen. A missing or extra space, period or other character will keep data and/or picture messaging from working.
Some phones tend to switch back to the AT&T or T-Mobile APN. If this is happening try to delete the other APNs. If the APNs are locked and the delete button is disabled go to the Play Store on the phone and install the APN Backup and Restore App by Ritesh Sahu. Use the app to backup your APNs and then delete the APNs. It will delete all of them, so you will have to re-add the Straight Talk one.
If data still isn't working see the General Troubleshooting section at the bottom of this post. The Howard Forums Straight Talk Android Wiki is also an excellent resource.
How to setup Straight Talk data and picture messaging on the iPhone:
iPhones will only get high speed (3G) data with a Straight Talk AT&T SIM. The iPhone recognizes the SIM as an AT&T one and configures itself for AT&T postpaid and then locks the settings so they can't be changed. To overide the AT&T settings, use the free Unlockit service to push the Straight Talk data settings to the phone using WiFi. This will configure data (browsing, email, etc.), but not picture messaging, on any iPhone, whether jailbroken or not:
1. Connect to WiFi and go to http://unlockit.co.nz/ with Safari on the iPhone.
2. On the Unlockit site, tap "Create APN".
3. Choose County: United States, Carrier: Straight Talk and tap the "Create APN" button.
4. Tap "Install".
5. Turn the phone off and on and test that the web works.
There are many different ways to setup MMS picture messaging on the iPhone. The methods and steps vary depending the model of the iPhone and whether or not the phone is jailbroken and/or unlocked. Refer to the Howard forums Straight Talk iPhone WiKi for detailed instructions.
How to setup Straight Talk data and picture messaging on Windows Phone
Data Only Setup:
To set up data on any Windows Phone:
1. Tap the arrow icon in the top right corner of the home screen to go to the main menu.
2. Tap Settings > Cellular and set Data connection to On.
3. Tap Add apn (WP7) or Add internet apn (WP8).
4. On the APN Settings screen enter att.mvno in the APN field if you are using an AT&T SIM. If you are using a Straight talk T-Mobile SIM, enter wap.tracfone. Leave the other fields blank. Tap the disk icon to save the settings
5. Be sure WiFi is off. Open the browser and test your connection by trying to load a website.
MMS and Data Setup:
Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7 doesn't allow users to change MMS settings directly (Windows Phone 8 does). However Nokia and Samsung have both created apps that give full access to MMS and Data settings. The Nokia app works with all current Nokia Windows Phone 7 models but the Samsung app only works with the Samsung Focus Flash, Samsung Focus 2 and Samsung Focus S. It doesn't work with the original Samsung Focus.
There's no way to configure Windows 7 phones from HTC, Dell or LG to work with Straight Talk MMS.
The process of setting up MMS varies from one Windows Phone 7 model to another. There are too many variations to describe here. Fortunately there's a great site called StraightTalkWindows.com that is dedicated to helping users setup Straight Talk data and MMS on Windows phones. The MMS setup instructions include screenshots and are very detailed and easy to follow.
Windows Phone 8
With Windows Phone 8 MMS settings are fully accessible. To configure MMS on all Windows Phone 8 devices:
1. Tap the arrow icon in the top right corner of the home screen to go to the main menu.
2. Tap Settings > Cellular.
3. Tap Add mms apn.
4. On the APN Settings screen enter the following values:
For an AT&T SIM:
APN: att.mvno
WAP Gateway: 66.209.11.33
WAP Gateway Port: 80
MMSC : http://mmsc.cingular.com
For a T-Mobile SIM:
APN:wap.tracfone
WAP Gateway Port :leave blank
MMSC: http://mms.tracfone.com
MMSC Port: 80
5. Leave the other fields blank. Tap the disk icon to save the settings
Troubleshooting - All Phones
If you've followed the instructions and your data or picture messaging do not work:
1) Double check your typing. Everything has to match exactly to work. A missing or extra space, period or other character will keep data and/or picture messaging from working.
2) Turn your phone off and back on and try to connect.
3) Even though the SIM is active for voice calls it can take up to an hour before the account is fully configured and data and MMS work. If your are still having problems after an hour, call Straight talk's BYOP department at 855-222-2355 and ask them to check that data is enabled on your account.
4. If problems persist, submit a support ticket on Straight Talk's Facebook page or contact Straight Talk's "Executive Resolutions Dept." number at 1-305-715-6500, Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern time.
Updated: 16-Dec-2012: Added Windows Phone 8, Net10 APN
Just an extra info:
ReplyDeleteNet 10 SIM started to show up at BestBuy stores at the beginning of August at $14.99 for a 3-SIM package. That's right, the package contains one AT&T standard SIM, one AT&T micro SIM, and one T-Mobile standard SIM for the price of $14.99 plus tax.
This week, StraightTalk AT&T (presumably standard-sized) SIM started to show up at Walmart.com at $14.96. It's not available at Walmart stores, yet. But, one can order it at Walmart.com and pick it up at a walmart store or a Fedex office store. I assume, soon it will be available at store fronts.
Even better this past sunday i got the same 3 sim package for $9.99 plus tax at my local best buy.
ReplyDeleteIf there are some good online discounts that can get the price down to less then $45 for net10 BYOD then it would be better deal over straight talk
ReplyDeleteI bought an ATT Net10 MicroSim on eBay for $1
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention shipping.
DeleteThere are actually sellers on eBay for Net10 AT&T cards for 99 cents including shipping...and tracking even. Ordered one recently from a store in Los Angeles - exactly the same item as I saw locally for $15 or $20 new in the package.
ReplyDeleteRe: APN settings...
ReplyDelete"Apple and Microsoft's stupidity in blocking users from critical settings"
Apple does not block these settings, ATT does it.
AT&T doesn't make the phone or write the operating system.
DeleteApple disables the APN settings when a "known" SIM is in the phone. Unfortunately it recognizes AT&T MVNO SIMs as AT&T SIMs and automatically assigns the AT&T settings without allowing the user to change them without hacks.
I doubt this in intentional on Apple's part, just stupid.
Before trying any of the methods to get Data and MMS to work, first be SURE SMS or regular texting is working. Try texting to yourself. If you receive it back you're OK if not call ST an they will work with you to get texting to work. THEN do the above steps and Data and MMS will finally work.
ReplyDeleteAFTER I MADE SURE DATA OVER MOBILE NETWORKS WAS ENABLED AND I HAD ADDED THE APN TYPE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED AND I STILL COULDN'T SEND PICTURES I ENABLE BACKGROUND DATA UNDER THE SYNC ACCOUNTS IN SETTINGS AND THEN MY PICTURE MESSAGES STARTED WORKING. SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS JUST EASIER FOR ME TO SEE RIGHT NOW WITH MY EYE INFECTION. (THIS WAS ON AN AT&T AVAIL).
ReplyDeleteHi mates, how is all, and what you would like
ReplyDeleteto say on the topic of this article, in my view its
genuinely amazing in favor of me.
Feel free to surf my webpage ... Bodrum Real estate
Yeswap thank you. I had been unable to get data working on my Samsung Galaxy S1 until your article's suggestion to leave the 'proxy' APN setting blank fixed it. Dont ask my why but if I use proxy.mvno.tracfone.com no sites will load. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI purchased my daughter a T-mobile Galaxy S2 for Christmas. I ordered her a T-mobile/Straight Talk sim card from Straighttalk.com. The phone allows you to send & receive calls. Send and receive text messages but will only allow you to send MMS but will not allow you to receive any MMS (pics). I updated APN settings in the phone and saved then restarted phone multiple times. I have also double checked to make sure that when the phone restarts it is staying on Straight Talk for the APN and not going back to T-mobile. I double checked the APN settings I put in the phone to make sure there are no missing letters, extra spaces ect. Still no luck being able to receive Pic's but will allow me to send them. Please help!!
ReplyDeleteIf the settings are correct the problem is on Straight Talk's end and only they can fix it.
DeleteSubmit a support ticket on Straight Talk's Straight Talk's Facebook page or contact Straight Talk's "Executive Resolutions Dept." number at 1-305-715-6500, Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern time.
I would think all the settings are right because it allows me to send MMS, just not receive them. Everything else works perfect...just that one thing! I will try to call them on Mon and see if if they can help. I had a problem with MMS on a AT&T iphone I purchased for my daughter this spring and Straight Talk was no help at all. Never did get MMS working properly so I purchased her a new phone! Thanks for all your advice.
DeleteIf the MMSC setting is wrong or if MMS isn't provisioned correctly on your account sending MMS will work but receiving won't.
DeleteStraight Talk has to fix those right?
DeleteI was using the att gophone $50 unlimited plan and switched to straight talk about a few weeks ago and I bought a Samaung galaxy s2 from straight talk and my data and mms won't work. But AT&T mvno was already on my phone and I called Straight Talk and they told me that I need to get my pone unlocked before using the mms and data. Is there any way around this?
ReplyDeleteAT&T phoenes don't need to be unlocked to work with a StraightTalk AT&T SIM. Double check that your settings match the ones on the card that came with the SIM.
DeleteIt's free to get an unlock code for at&t phones... Att.com/unlock if i remember right. If that don't work just call and request an unlock code. They are the best at offering unlock codes in my opinion.
DeleteI am using galaxy s3 and is working fine you just need to set up right
ReplyDeleteI can't get answer out of anyone at Straight Talk, ha... does anyone know if you can make wifi calls using Straight Talk? We live in a rural area and our service is spotty at the house... if we had wifi calling that'd be perfect for using Straight Talk.
ReplyDeleteshould have rephrased the question... can you make wifi calls from your cellphone using Straight Talk? I know there is a Straight Talk for Home phone, but hat's not what I need. I just need to be able to make wifi calls when coverage may be spotty and I have access to wifi.
DeleteAccording to ehow tech, here are the instructions
DeleteInstructions
1.Obtain WiFi calling service from an online provider such as Skype or Google Voice. Choose the WiFi calling plan with the most appealing rates. You can choose a plan with a monthly minute allotment, or you may pay per minute.
2.Download and install the WiFi calling service provider's software to your device. Follow the WiFi calling service's instructions on how to get the software onto your device. You may be able to use a download link from a text message, a web address or file transfer from another device.
3.Open the WiFi service provider's application on your cell phone. Enter the phone number you wish to call or select a preset contact. Doing so will make a WiFi call that does not use your cell phone's calling plan minutes.
Read more: How to Make Cell Phone Calls Over a WiFi | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5814657_make-phone-calls-over-wifi.html#ixzz2MIy5Ebvi
Straight Talk phones don't support WiFi calling out of the box. On Android and the iPhone you can use an app like Talkatone to make free calls to any number in the US or Canada through Google Talk over WiFi.
DeleteOn Android Talkatone can receive calls over WiFi as well. I don't think that's possible on the iPhone
Use free Bobsled Calling app by Tmobile to make and receive free WiFi calls and IM from Android, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or browser. Facebook friends can call you from within Facebook, and if you are not available they can leave a post on your page to call them.
DeleteYou can make free calls over cellular too.
You get a phone number you can give out to your friends.
Use Vonage mobile app to make and receive free calls over WiFi from iOS or Android to any Vonage user, mobile or home. For now, all US calls up to 3000 min/month are also free. Your cell number is your caller ID on iPhone.
DeleteYou must give them another phone number that can receive sms to activate on iPad or iPod Touch. If you give them your Vonage-activated iPhone cell number, it will lock your Vonage account.
Vonage mobile app first checks for a WiFi connection. If none is available, it uses cellular 3G or 4G data to complete the call, not your calling plan minutes.
DeleteFor T-Mobile: PLEASE READ!!!
ReplyDeleteTHE APN TYPE SHOULD HAVE NO SPACES IN BETWEEN AT ALL!
THIS WILL FIX THE NO MMS PROBLEM
ALSO CHANGE THE MMS PORT TO 8080
I believe you are right about no spaces in the APN Type string, and have changed the post to reflect that.
DeleteThere's no MMS proxy in the T-Mobile settings so the APN port should be ignored but adding a port for a non-existent proxy shouldn't hurt anything either.
Please turn off caps lock when commenting here. All caps is considered shouting on the Web and being shouted at makes me feel bad :)
i have a sony xperia P and currently have a sim card under strtaighttalk.. i used different apn's and im still not receivingmms..please help..
DeleteYESWAP... thank you for posting the number to straight talk office.. i called them and the problem was fixed easily.. what the rep did was exactly what was on my activation card.. but the setting that worked were the settings that ARE "FOR ALL OTHER PHONES"..not the one that is listed for smartphones..soo i recommend trying both.. and instead of trying to delete the installed APN which doesn't delete.. he had me click on and edit the information.. hope this helps .. (sony xperia p)
DeleteGlad you got it working.
DeleteThis is for the T-Mobile SIM right?
The differences between the and the difference between the smartphone settings and the all other phones are :
Proxy: 216.155.165.40 instead of blank
MMS Proxy: 216.155.165.40 instead of blank
MMS Port: 8080 instead of blank
I'll modify the post to add MMS Proxy and Port if this is correct. Was your data working before this change? If it was I don't think the first proxy matters as it's for data not MMS.
Settings worked great on my tmobile sasung note 2 Thanks I went to many sites that had wrong settings that wouldnt work
ReplyDeleteWhat settings did u used. I dont know why it tells me I have 4g and youtube and internet is sloe.
DeleteMy gf has a t-mobile branded Samsung s2 and could not get service where we worked but would get 4g in the next town over. So seeing that I get 4g where we work on my s3 with the AT&T sim she asked if I could unlock her s2 and get her the AT&T sim so she can get service. Well I unlocked her phone and got her the AT&T sim and copied my apn settings on her phone but it says she only gets 3g and not 4g. Data and everything else works but I can't get 4g on her phone. What can I do to get 4g?
ReplyDeleteYou can help her buy an AT&T phone, or trade with her. Her S2 has a different processor than the AT&T version, designed to use Tmobile's faster HSPA+ 42Mbps network. That network uses different frequencies for data than AT&T, so her phone cannot get the fastest speeds on AT&T.
DeleteOn non-LTE phones the 4G indicator is mainly marketing hype.
DeleteThe T-Mobile S II (Model SGH-T989) supports both T-Mobile and AT&T's 3G/4G frequencies. I suspect that both your phone and hers are getting the same data speeds
On a non-LTE phone 3G and 4G are essentially the same technology (HSDPA) the difference between what's labeled 3G and 4what's labeled 4G is up to the operator.
Many AT&T phones are programmed to display 4G whenever they connect to any HSDPA. T-Mobile's phones only indicate 4G when connected to HSDPA class 7 (7.2 Mbps) or better.
Doesn't the 3G icon mean that her phone is getting less than HSDPA class 7 service on AT&T? That would be 3G, wouldn't it?
DeleteNot necessarily, AT&T defines all HSDPA as 4G. Go to Settings > About phone > Status and look at Mobile network type to see what data protocol and class the phone is using. Or use a Speed Test app to compare actual speeds
DeleteWell I guess it really doesn't matter that much because she is getting the same speed I get and if anything hers seems a bit faster than mine when loading pages for some reason. I even tested it watching a 4 minute HD YouTube video and it didn't pause once. Played right through. She's very happy anyways because she can now get internet while on break now. So yeah, she is probably getting 4g. Thanks guys.
DeleteUpdate on this(4-23-13). I finally got around to updating my gf's S2 (Model SGH-T989) to Jelly Bean. As soon as it boot it up in JB it flashed 4G. So now it displays 4G just fine. I'm guessing whatever her last android version was wasn't made to display 4G. For whatever reason I could not update the phone via Samsung Kies or over the air update. So I used this site: http://www.ibtimes.com/android-412-jelly-bean-official-firmware-update-available-samsung-galaxy-s2-t-mobile-variant-how
DeleteJust a heads up in case anyone does it through that method, when you get to the part where you have to put the phone in "downloading mode" I had to shut the phone off then press and hold the up and down volume buttons while plugging the usb cord to the phone then it'll prompt you to press the volume up to continue into downloading mode.
I have tried the Apn settings for T-mobile ST SG3. My phone can't make or receive calls and the same with text/mms. I use my phone for business and need it ASAP.. I have deleted the APN several times and re enter and save but still nothing!!??
ReplyDeleteAPN settings only effect data and MMS, they have nothing to do with voice and SMS.
DeleteIf Voice and text don't work, it's something else, either Straight Talk didn't activate the SIM or they mis-configured something or it's a bad or incorrectly inserted SIM, or the phones in airplane mode or there's no T-Mobile service in your location.
I have att pantech burst 4g lte and its super slow on telcel america
ReplyDeleteTelcel America uses the AT&T network and the Burst doesn't support the AWS band that's is T-Mobile's primary 3G/4G band. You are probably only getting Edge 2G data which is slow.
DeleteI also have galaxy note2 tmobile and Its slow I get 4g but it doesnt change nothing.
DeleteI have an LG Optimus L9 from T-Mobile for Straight Talk and my data and MMS aren't working at all. Tried the APN settings using wap.tracfone, and att.mvno but it says not supported. I don't know what else to do, please help!
ReplyDeletePlease answer....urgent!!!!!!!!.OK I WAS WONDERING I GOT THISS ATT SAMSUNG NOTE 2 ON EBAY FOR 0.99¢& YHU CAN USE ANY GSM SIM BCUZ ITS UNLOCKED.IM GETTING THE STRAIGHT TALK 45$ UNLIMITED TALK TEXT WEB SO WILL THE WEB WORK ANYWHERE AND WILL I BABLE TO SEND &&RECIEVE PICTURE MESSASGES...PLEASE ANSWER BCKK SOON YU CAN EMAIL ME AHT mzslimm2014@gmil.com THANK YHALL IN HAVE AU BLESSED DAY
ReplyDeleteThe 99¢ price is only good if you sign a new two year contract. If you don't complete the contract or pay an early termination fee AT&T will block the phone for non-payment and it won't work on any US operator.
DeleteIf it's unlocked and not blocked for non-payment and you set it up correctly, the phone will work, including data and picture messaging, on Straight Talk.
I have a t-mobile galaxy s2 and I have a t-mobile/straight talk sim in it. Calls and text messaging work fine but my data and mms are very slow. My mobile network type says EDGE:2. Is there anything I can do to speed it up?
ReplyDeleteDoes T-Mobile offer 3G or 4G service in your area? Zoom in on the T-Mobile coverage map to verify.
Delete