Child Item

Site Totals

61410 Questions Answered 270 Categories

HTC Thunderbolt continuously drops all data.

So I paid early termination fees with T-Mobile and switched to Verizon (cost me almost 800 bucks in the end). So at the advice of some co-workers, I chose the thunderbolt. I am now waiting on the third thunderbolt, I have doubts. I have read online on many blogs, that this is a known issue. My discussion with a tier 2 today named Amanda, was very one sided but she did inform me that this is a known-bug with HTC Thunderbolts. So it seems 100% acceptable to Verizon for me to have this smartphone and hefty bill and not able to use the phone for more than well a phone. There's supposed to be an update heading to our phones initiated on the the 5th of April. I have my doubts. This phone has been out quite some time, I don't understand how it's ok for it to have so many problems.

I guess I will keep swapping them out with Verizon until I get one that works or they wake up.

I am not sure what to do with my phone for the next three days.

Bobby

Comments

yleetsbob

As nice as this thing is, it's quickly becoming the worst phone I have ever had. They should not have even sold these. It was out for a long time, I bought mine in November 2011, I normally research this stuff better. I am starting to wish they would just swap me to a device that can actually sustain a network connection.

phat6

The thunderbolt is he worst phone I have had ever. I will not.be buying another HTC phone. Anyway I have had this phone for a year now and I guess I have just gotten used to plugging.it in every time I get a chance, random reboots and using airplane mode on and off multiple times a day to keep the data connection working. Maybe you will get used to all the problems too and when your two years are up you can flush the thunderbolt like I am going to do as soon as my contract is up.

joepro29

have you tried getting a new sim card this fixed my data problems

Wildman

I guess I have been a lucky one, the only major issue I have had with device has been that I had to charging port stop working.. Other than that the device has been good.

I bought the extended battery and has not worried about up time..

Sorry to hear you have had so much issues..

sisterboyd1

Happy Saturday All!

I've had my phone since Jan/Feb. It worked fine until early June. All of a sudden my 4G connection would drop to no connection at all. I've had my phone switched twice. I've been in the store and the tech watched the connection drop repeatedly. Now my connection will drop and not return for up to 10-15 minutes. It didn't matter where I am. I live in the SF Valley of So. CA. I work in So. LA and travel all over Los Angeles. Yesterday, I spent a good portion of the day on the beach in Malibu. My phone has dropped connection in all of these areas. An escalated trouble ticket was created and I was told I was the only one having these problems. I was told that engineering said it was the fact I live in the valley; mountains, the dam that is across the street from my house, and high trees are in the way of the towers. Again, I'm all over Los Angeles so this isn't a location problem. I was asked to talk to my coworkers who are on 4G through Verizon to see if they're having a problem - they're not!

I just worked with TS and they had me place my phone in safe mode; which disabled all of my apps that I use regularly. Their conclusion is that my apps are the problem. How can you tell if its the app because it was disabled. They're thinking is that I was able to connect to the internet so its the apps. Again, I had apps prior to this problem. I was advised to uninstall all apps and reinstall them one at a time to find the problem. Once I determine which app is the problem I am to contact that company. I'm using very popular, mainstream apps. Really?

At the end of our conversation I was told that there is another ticket that was created today so in actuality I'm not the only one with this problem. Is anyone having a problem similar to mine? If so, what have you done to rectify the problem?

Thanks!

Wildman

I can tell you this by experiance now.... I have been seeing the 4G data dropping issue recently and I can say this "Do Not Keep Getting Replacement Devices" because it seems that when you activate the new device the issue takes longer to resolve..

I got a replacement device once and as soon as I notice that the replacement had the same issue I came to conclusion it wasnt the device, I basically called CS until they was able idnetified the issue, after I week of calling every few days I final got someone to resolve my dropping issue.

Normally I didnt have any issue with data until recently and this verified even more that the issue isnt the device.... Stop replacing that device because it isnt the problem.

Wish you luck on solutiion because it took me a week.

pedrodiaz

wat was the problem?

Wildman

I seem to have talked to soon, I experienced dropped data again today.. I have changes SIM, phone and reset the device so many times that the device clearly isn't the issue.

phcoffin

Similar issue and similar timeframe: sometime in May/early June was the beginning. When it happens, the 4G/LTE indicator goes away, leaving just the signal bars and the location service indicator. All data connections fail, but the applications don't seem to know that there's no data connection -- they time out connection attempts instead of immdiately reporting problems as they do when "Airplane Mode" is on. After some time (usually 15-45 seconds, but can be several minutes) it comes back and signs back into the data network normally. It does NOT fall back to 3G/1x. Phone connectivity seem to still work, but I've not tested whether call initiation works during this, only that I don't ever get a call dropped during periods when this is happening often. Elsewhere has suggested that there is a problem with what the phone does when looking for remembered wifi locations, but I have not tested this either. Sometime when I experience this, I'll try turning wifi off and see if LTE stays up like it should. (Anyone with more gumption should feel free to try it and append to the thread with their findings.)

sisterboyd1

Do any of you who are experiencing data disconnection problems have the Facebook app on your phone. Trying to rule out what TS said I went back and uninstalled a few apps and started reading the reviews of people with our phone and I think part of it might be FB. I will say this that after taking my phone out of safe mode my data connection was fine for several hours afterwards.

Wildman

I do not have the facebook app installed anymore so I do not see that being a factor on my device.

phcoffin

And, just to contrast, I do have the FB app installed. So I doubly don't think that's the cause, but rather simply the thing that reports the data connection it gone, because it so often is communicating with the mothership...

sisterboyd1

I don't think FB is the sole problem. After uninstalling the app and turning off WiFi I've seen a better data connection, but it still drops far too often.

AubrieYanique

I have noticed the Network Connection dropping repeatedly for the last month. Additionally, my phone acts crazy: it randomly shuts off, it randomly turns off the volume...both require a restart. The Verizon Tech Support asked if I had removed the battery, replaced it, and turned the phone on...YES...no change!

The latter issues have been a problem since I spent too much money buying an upgrade. The sales person pushed the ThunderBolt, which does not even seem to be offered any longer.

I cannot wait for my contract to be over in December, because I will be taking my communication business elsewhere; perhaps AT&T will value me enough to offer a functional device to meet ALL my needs.

Ann154

Are any of you in a recently announced expansion plans for the 4G LTE network? They announced a boatload of locations to go officially live on July 19, 2012.

I wonder if there is any correlation between the expansions and users having data issues.

Kansas, Missouri, Georgia, Ohio and New York states are areas that I can remember from the top of my head that have expansion plans announced.

htc-garbage

I got my thunderbolt the day it came out. First three months I experienced G.P.S. mislocating and figured out that the "gps app" in the market would give me temporary relief from the problem (about 24 hours) finally htc gave an update that fixed this. This new problem of data loss/drop is even more tricky. <Comment deleted per the .> You THINK you pay for tech support and phones that work. Not the case. I have been dealing with this issue for about six months. I have dated it back to the update that introduced the "quick settings" shortcut in the drop down notification bar. I called htc and vzw, but all they did is make me wait past my 1 year warranty with hopes and dreams of them doing their job. HTC has now told me that the only fix is to reflash the phone. As far as i can tell, if you do a data swipe (hard reset) and still have issues, "it's not the device". Now they won't send me a SIM card because they want to take away my friends and family promotional (that i'm grandfathered into) because they now see it as an "invalid plan"!!! The only way I can keep my friends and family is to upgrade my text package to unlimited status (which i don't need and is an extra $10 a month) all for me to get a new SIM card to help vzw do their job and trouble shoot my device myself. On top of all that they say that since I am outside of warranty they will let me upgrade early. Sounds great right?! Not so much. Now they won't give me my new device with 2 year contract without TAKING AWAY MY UNLIMITED DATA PACKAGE.

I truly feel like i'm back in grade school playing kick ball with a bully that changes the rules of the game while you are playing it just to best suit their current selfish desires.

The new packages aren't for the customers. ANYONE WITH A SMARTPHONE USES DATA. It is the soul purpose of having a device that is capable of "harnessing the power of...." dropped and over paid for nonexistent data???

I'm concerned about the location vzw is headed in. I'm just glad i don't own stock in the company. With all things considered they appear to be self destructing. YOU CANNOT ATTACK YOUR LONG TERM CUSTOMERS AND CORNER THEM ALL IN THE NAME OF MAKING "NEW" MONEY AND EXPECT TO SUCCEED.

Take care of us and we line your pockets. Its that simple.

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

Wildman

I am in Missouri and now that you point this out the data issue kind of make since for me..... Thanks Ann, I never thought of that being the possibility of the problem, you may hit the nail on the head.

sisterboyd1

Yes and my data connection dropped all the way while it was still in the tech's hands...

phcoffin

I can understand your frustration, but I don't share the experience. There's two reasons why I've stuck with VZW since riding on the PrimeCo merger: a) The overarching *competence* of the staff, especially the customer-facing ones on the support phones, to the point where I've kind of expected that talking to them pretty much always gets a problem sorted on the first call, and b) the fact that useable signal exists very, very many places where other carriers just ... don't have it. Rural wilderness ten miles from the nearest Interstate there's data and voice. There's signal in parking garages. There's signal in subways. That's why the spotty LTE connectivity is so puzzling; there's still bars, and apparently voice is okay. If new roll-out is indeed the cause, because there's data gnomes running down aisles between racks of routers rebooting them to load fresh routing tables, then I can rest comfortably knowing that in a couple more weeks, the roll-out will be done and service will return to its usual comfortable solidity, at least until next spring and the next big push out.

ArcadEd

Just wanted to mention, I am having the exact same issues for the last 2 weeks. I can barely ever get any kind of data connection now unless I am on wifi.

I hope a fix is coming soon.

Wildman

I believe Ann154 information is correct on the nature of the data issue recently and if she is correct the issue should be resolved once the completed network updates are completed.

Please verify if you are in any of the new 4G addition areas and see when the completed date takes effect, KC where I am at says 07-03-2012 updates was added and my data issue appears to resolved..

Check out at http://news.verizonwireless.com/LTE/Overview.html

phcoffin

Nope, I'm getting this in an area that's not part of the new rollout, but rather got LTE a year ago, and has had pretty solid coverage since, up until mid June.

Ann154

What area are you located in, phcoffin?

Wildman

Actually I have been having 4G in KC for about a year and just recently started having issues and it did seem to go with the newer upgrades time of being implemented, It could be due to the towers for 4G was being updated again to support a larger area and during this change the data was effected.....

Doesn't appear to be your issue but with mine it did follow the pattern to indicate the upgrade being part of my issues.

ArcadEd

Same with me. I live in Tucson and we have been on LTE for at least a year. I never had any issues until last month.

The problem actually originally happened when I was in Florida for a week on vacation. I had 4g for the first 4 days there, then my phone started having issues. I figured it would be all back to normal when I got back home. Nope, same issue back home in Tucson.

Wazzul

Well, sounds like I've been having the same problem as most of you. Data connection on and off every couple minutes rarely even enough time to load an app or Internet page. Mine will jump between 4G, 3G and 1X. I tried these suggestions listed above with the Apps as well as Factory Restore and a few other tactics.

When nothing worked I called Tech Support. They suggested I get a new SIM card "95% of the time this fixes the problem" they said. Well, got the new SIM card and only had to pay $5 for it after haggling at the store. Now I'm pretty much locked on 1X which is disappointing since I figured worst case I'd be where I was before, not worse off. So at this point I guess I'm the 5%. I'll be making another call to Tech Support today to see what more they can do. Now, don't take this the wrong way, in all my searching the SIM card DOES work for most people so if others on this thread have not tried it, it's worth a shot!

A little background, I'm in an area that's been on 4G exclusively for about 4months and I work in an area that's been on 4G for about a year, so I highly doubt it's anything to do with upgrades in my area. This was even confirmed with Tech Support when I called in.

I will be sure to update once I get this solved. I've had the phone for almost a year now and this is the only issue I've ever had with it. 4G when working properly is blazing fast, well worth the switch from 3G.

baeus

I have been losing connections for a few months when on the network. Wi-fi works fine. Even when traveling half way accross the country, I couldn't get it to work. On 7/9/12 I went to the Verizon store. They spent over 2 hours working on my phone including factory reset. I was told there are a large number of Thunderbolts experiencing this problem and some people have exchanged their phone as many as 5 times without success, so there was no sense getting a new phone. (I have an insurance plan that covers it free). The representative finally force set my phone at 3G. Now it can not switch to 4G. It appears to work fine in this mode, although I have not tried browsing extensively since. I called Verizon technical support to report this issue and see if anyone was working on a solution, as I should be able to get the 4G service I am paying for. Tech support does not know about issues with the Thunderbolt and stated that all phones have some internet chatter about losing internet connection. They did not seem to agree with the store rep that this is a Thunderbolt issue. They wanted me to send in my phone for a new one. I requested that a ticket be issued and further research be done. They will be getting back to me. I would like to emphasize that tech support was extremely helpful, they just weren't as ready to blame the problem on the Thunderbolt specifically. I plan totest other Thunderbolts on my plan (husband and father-in-law) this week. They don't use the data package much or at all and I want to see if they have the same issue. As it is, I guess I can live with 3G, if it continues to work, until my plan is eligible for an upgrade. HTC has been a dissappointment.

phcoffin

FWIW, it's looking like it's not a problem limited to Thunderbolts. Showing up with LTE-enabled iPads as well. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3816436?start=525&tstart=0

JRAHNBO2

I've had it with my Thunderbolt and 4G issues as others have described. I really do like the phone otherwise but this being my first experience with Verizon I'm either going to get another phone with Verizon or simply terminate service due to the fact I'm not getting what I'm paying a whole lot of money for. I refuse to continue paying for service I'm not getting. Is this an across the board issue with Verizon's 4G LTE or is it just the Thunderbolts? Can anyone with first hand knowledge suggest a phone comparable or better than the Thunderbolt that actually has good 4G performance on the Verizon network? Would appreciate feedback from anyone with Verizon too (other than to tell me to just call customer service, been there done that).

ArcadEd

I forced my phone to 3g and it's been fine.

So what exactly is the point of these forums if nobody looks at them to help us or give us answers?

One thing I will mention is just before this problem started I was doing a lot of streaming with Xfinity on my phone. I have unlimited data and chalked up just over 8 gigs used in my current usage period (Still 4 days left in it). Could this be verizon throttling me down? I won't stand for paying the extra to have mobile hotspot and unlimted data if I am going to get cut off. Just curious if anyone else has as similar usage?

Ann154

ArcadEd wrote:
So what exactly is the point of these forums if nobody looks at them to help us or give us answers?

This a peer to peer customer forum where customer help other customers.

ArcadEd

Ahh. Thanks.

Too bad we can't help each other out with issue :smileyhappy:. Ha.

miggyv

I've been experiencing similar issues with my Thunderbolt. When I'm using the internet, and especially the youtube app, my 4g connection continuously drops and the 4g icon completely disappears. It doesn't switch to 3g it just disappears and reappears after about 30 seconds or longer, or sometimes doesn't come back at all and I have to reboot my phone to get it to reconnect to the network. I noticed it occurs more frequently when I'm using my device that requires streaming, but it also occurs occasionally when I'm checking my email and updating the weather through the weather widget. I reported it to Verizon and spoke with tech support and was issued a ticket number. After a day they came to the conclusion that it is not the network and that it is my thunderbolt. They're gonna send me another thunderbolt, which will make it my third thunderbolt. Hopefully third time's a charm and the refurbished thunderbolt works fine. By the way, I'm in Orange County (Anaheim) which has had 4g since it's inception. On a sidenote: I really feel HTC dropped the ball on the thunderbolt. They hyped up the phone so much and it was a disaster. As a customer, I feel like HTC just took my money and forgot about me. They keep pumping out phone after phone and don't even fix the issues with the thunderbolt. I seriously doubt thunderbolt owners will even get the ice cream sandwich update (sorry for the rant).

tekkiesprocket

I'm in green bay which got 4g a year ago. I have 3 thunderbolts on my plan and all do the same cycling 4g/3g on and off while on verizons network. Interestingly enough when I am roaming on cellcom towers up in oconto falls etc I have solid 4g or 3g connections. I've tried locking into 3g only mode with the same problem,and it is exclusively while on the verizon network. You can't tell me 3 phones went bad with identical issues at the exact same time.and that its the phones when thecissue only happens while I am on the verizon network. Verizon needs to get their act together or they are going to loose another 5 customers.I don't like sprints coverage but at least they still have unlimited data.

Wazzul

Ok, so I heard back from the Verizon on my ticket. They blamed service in my area, the problem with that is that I travel over 40 miles each day to work and have had issues everywhere. Basically, after all was said and done, they agreed that it was the phone itself. Now, my phone is about a month out of warranty so there isn't anything they could do. However, in the past week I was able to mess around with the battery cover. I was one of those people who wanted more battery life so I bought the extended battery. Luckily I had an extra back cover laying around. I slapped that other cover on the phone and boom, working 10x better now. It's not perfect like it had been the 12 months prior, but every time I throw that old cover on the data signal goes away again.

HTC is known for putting the antenna's in the back cover. I'm sure this is great for cutting costs and things, but the problem is after about a year of use the cover starts to get loose and the contacts wear down. Which in turn causes problems for the user and the carrier trying to troubleshoot an obvious design flaw. Sorry Verizon, this one isn't on you. This is my second HTC phone and although the tech seems to be good, the durability and design is terrible. My first phone had to be replaced twice and this one was only slightly better. This will be my last HTC phone!

That being said, anyone having this issue should at least give a new battery cover a try, it's a cheap fix if it works for you too!

2crazey

I don't agree that it is thunderbolt. I have surfed the web, and this problem is not unique to our phone, everyone is having the same problems. I know people with razors, galaxy's etc, all having the same problem. The signal is strong, and then 4g is gone, minute later it's back. I know a lot of people had problems with there bolts, but mine has always been rock solid, never any issues. I have always had very strong 4G signal, and average 18-22 Mb down, 20 Mb up. When my 4g is lit up, I still get that, but it just flashes all the time lately. Most of the non Verizon forums all believe it's a Verizon issue, and that there just not coming forward about it yet. Let's just hope that they address the issue soon, or there going to have a lot of unhappy customers.

sisterboyd1

I haven't looked into other phones or VW as a whole, but I'm leaning towards that belief as well. I've gone to Twitter with my problem; no company wants their problems broadcasted on social media. I was told to force my phone into 3G and keep it there for 24 hrs. Then, I was sent a direct message saying they understood my concerns, but this is the only way they can test the problem.

I'm wondering if they are stalling or penalizing those of us who use data at high volumes. I keep hearing this push to get folks who are on unlimited data packages to which to a new limited package. One of the comments that TS told me when I first complained about the issues is how high my data usage it, "wow there is a really high useage of data".

I don't think its the phone at all! I'm really disappointed in the integrity of VW to tell me that this is a new problem and absolutely nobody else was having the problem. And when they felt like they could close my ticket they decided to tell me that they received their 1st complaint that same day...and then went on to blame the problem on apps that download data to the phone.

What will happen when they launch 5G?

Hammz50

I read thru this thread & can add this -

I believe the problem is NOT the HTC Thunderbolt, rather, the problem of data connection drop out is the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE data system/network. It seems to affect all 4G capable data devices on the networkand the problem seems to be nationwide.

I suspect VW is working hard to fix the problem, but resolution may take many months, possibly several years in order to complete BOTH nationwide conversion from 3G to 4G LTE & establish 4G LTE data service reliability. The most frustrating thing with this is: LACK OF INFO from VW. Even CS reps at company stores are experiencing these data connection drop outs & they tell me the "official" response from VW is there are "issues with the towers."

When the HTC Thunderbolt came to market, it was basically an "open platform" - ie VW had no way to stop the customer from using the device either tethered or as a wifi access for other devices, hence they offered the device with "free wifi/tethering use" for the first several months it was available. It took VW/HTC programming teams at least 4 months to lock out this feature so they could force customers to pay extra (large) fees to access a feature originally included in the base HTC Thunderbolt programming.

I'm guessing once VW has established a sufficiently large base of customers with data limited plans, there will be enough incentive to prioritize 4G LTE reliability. Until then, the data drop outs will probably continue as a way to discourage unlimited data use customers from utilizing fully their unlimited data plans, be it 3G or 4G......

tekkiesprocket

I am positive its not the phones for a few reasons

1. I have 3 thunderbolts with the exact same 4g/3g cycling issue. they cant all be bad.

2. wireless works flawlessly. 4g/3g and wireless use the same antenna, so its not the antennas

3. i just got a brand new thunderbolt to replace one i broke on monday. its doing the same thing.

my suspicion is that its related to a recent prl update (or the 4g/3g equivalent) which is causing the phones to hunt for new towers non stop.

TBoltOwner

I will agree that it is not the phone.I've been fortunate to never have any problems with my phone - until 2 days ago. Now I can't get any data and I notice that the GPRS Service is disconnected (in Pittsburgh). I did some searching and found the following...

http://www.androidcentral.com/having-3g-problems-your-thunderbolt-fix-just-few-settings-away

...so I have done the procedure to force my phone into 3G mode, which seems to be working. Funny thing is that my wife's Thunderbolt is just fine...no issues at all. The ball is in your court Verizon!

KHab

I believe you will notice that most peoples problems did not start until the recent firmware that was pushed/developed in May.

Wildman

I would normally agree with this under most situation but since multiple devices has had the same issues this would mean there is something more causing the issue. I have two different devices experiencing the same issue now myself.

tcschoff

Same problem here. Anyone found a permanent solution????

TBoltOwner

The permanent solution is ---- find another phone!

ptardy1

Been having the same issue, for the last couple months. Restarting the phone seems to getting going again for a good while. But then starts acting up again. I hate restarting cause always take so long. I've been with Verizon since before it was PrimeCo. I really don't want to have to buy another phone or replace this one anytimes soon. Any idea if this software thing or hardware causing this?

2crazey

Ok so my update is that I went through all there steps, reset the phone, didn't work. Changed the sim card didn't work, and now they changed my phone. I've only had the phone a half a day so far, but so far I haven't lost any data. I'll keep using it and see what happens.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4GLTE smartphone

TBoltOwner

I am just amazed that Verizon doesn't recognize this as a problem. Maybe astounded is a better word.

Mirage_Man

Count me as another Tbolt user experiencing the data drop out issue. I've talked with CS 2 or 3 times already. First rep reset my cache on their end, whatever that means. That worked for a few hours. Next day was told to do a factory reset which I did. Worked for a few hours. Next day back to same drop outs. Then I was told to get a new SIM card which I did and still had issues shortly thereafter. At this point I have no idea what to do next.

2crazey

Ok new replacement phone, just as frustrating. No different. Come on Verizon fix this please....

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4GLTE smartphone

TBoltOwner

Here's the ultimate kick in the teeth - when the time comes that I can replace this phone with something that is actually reliable, I'll lose my unlimited data plan. Now that's the way to drive revenue in your favor - thanks Verizon!

Tidbits

EBay, craigslist and a slew of other places you go. As long as you don't sign a new 2 year agreement you will keep your unlimited data plan.

Wildman

Looks like this issue was to much for me, I have a Nexus being delivered Monday... Lets see if I have any better luck with it.

Hope I dont regret turning my back on HTC because my Thunderbolt has been a good device for me until recently...

Wish Me Luck...

tekkiesprocket

I highly doubt it's the phone when I have 4 phones, one of them brand new, doing the exact same thing, but are working fine when locked to use only 3g...It's a prl issue. I would put money on it. Not all of us can possibly have bad phones, it's completely illogical.

Thanks,

<Personal information removed for privacy.>

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

Ann154

Please don't post your full name and phone number on this public forum!

tekkiesprocket

Oh hell replied to the email.. Forgot I had a signature... Oops

Wildman

tekkiesprocket wrote:
I highly doubt it's the phone when I have 4 phones, one of them brand new, doing the exact same thing, but are working fine when locked to use only 3g...It's a prl issue. I would put money on it. Not all of us can possibly have bad phones, it's completely illogical.
Thanks,

I agree that the PRL may be a factor and this is the only reason I considered a different device because not all devices seem to use the same listing for some reason or another.... I have heard mixed responses about a number of devices but since am getting more into Android I figured the Nexus would be a nice play toy... I was really wanting the S3 but this wasn't offered to me to be a workable solution..

Darn It..

TBoltOwner

That is true - though I shouldn't even have to do that. I should be able to use this phone for years without having to buy another one. My phone has been reliable up to this point - now Verizon has done something to their network that affects my ability to use their network as they have advertised. I can no longer receive a 4G signal and the 3G I have to force the phone into can't even download an app update without timing out.

budone

If you do not have the most recent update, you will need it. It corrected my data drops. If you have a wifi connection use that to get the update

spacieb

I wish that was the case for me, in Overland Park. I have had issues for the past month or so and it is so frustrating. I can't use half of my apps because when I try to open they stay no connection.

semi_evil_ryu

I'd say that this has been happening to me since either April or May. It's getting absolutely ridiculous. I thought that perhaps the antenna became damaged, so I opened up the battery case for the first time ever the other day. It looked perfectly intact to me.

Someone recently posted that their 4G issues started when they received the 710RD update and I am inclined to agree with them. I'm currently running that version, as well. I believe that I received that update approximately the same time when I first started to have this issue.

tekkiesprocket

I know people who are running <deleted> phones with the exact same issue.. So it's not the operating system.. It's either the network or its a prl type file.. They've tried different <Deleted>.. 3g only mode works fine.. It's strictly a 4g issue.

<Posted edited to comply with the .>

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

Wazzul

Well I'm at a loss. I had posted a couple weeks ago about the antenna in the back cover and how mine was better after replacing it. That only improved things very slightly, I've been able to get data for short periods of time before it goes away again. Unlinke some people I haven't been able to maintain 3G data hardly at all, it's either 4G (for a short time) or 1X, which is super fast... :_( .

I went though Verizon's tech support level 2 and they came back saying sorry it's our towers in your area (which has never had an issue in the past, nor an issue for my wife with the same phone). They offered me a FULL PRICE upgrade on a new phone since I'm 13 months into my Thunderbolt.

At this point I'm wondering how they can get away with charging me full price for my data plan when they can't provide the data service they offered and provided in the past. Isn't that material change to my contract???

Can't help but think they somehow do this to heavy users that are on the Unlinlimited plan, a way for them to make more money from the existing service, like change to a tiered plan so we can double your bill. My wife has the same exact phone, same exact updates and no issues with data what so ever. Just to give you a little history, this started after doing the latest OTA update, I used to use about 4-5GB/mo on my plan while my wife uses 1-2GB/mo. Since the update I've been able to scrape a measly .9GB/mo of data. Good work Verizon, your winning!!

2crazey

Ok for some reason my 4G coverage is working today. I keep waiting for it to cut out, but its been really solid so far. I didn't see any software update, but let's hope they fixed something. Any one else seeing improvement, or am I just being lucky right now. I'll let you guys know if it continues to work.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4GLTE smartphone

JRAHNBO2

I've always had the issue since day 1 which was sometime last October. It's always 4G or 1X with frequent dropouts. I don't think I've ever seen my TB go to 3G even if I try to force it. A reliable 3G connection would be better than dropping 4G every few minutes although I'd prefer to get the connectivity I'm paying for. I'm glad I'm only on the 2GB data plan since I never come close to using that much data because the phone/Verizon service isn't capable of providing it to me.

Tidbits

I believe it's the radio and the PRL. The thunderbolt is the ONLY device on Verizon that can do voice and data on 3G. All other 4G devices can't do this. With that simple change it may complicate things which HTC hasn't been able to remedy.

farm0494

My thunderbolt recently began dropping all data; after software update to version 2.11.605.19 710RD. But, I think it is Verizon service. My mifi device also began having service issues. I think verizon is trying to control data usage for unlimited users. I don't think it is just a device issue.

Bogart56

I can say that it was caused by the last update that was received. Most of the problem comes from Verizon's 4g LTE network and maybe someday they will get back to fixing an already outdated network. Verizon is not the only one that is having this problem all major networks except Sprint are. I found a solution that helped me but don't know if it voids the warranty or not so i can't say here.

Wildman

Bogart56 wrote:
I can say that it was caused by the last update that was received. Most of the problem comes from Verizon's 4g LTE network and maybe someday they will get back to fixing an already outdated network. Verizon is not the only one that is having this problem all major networks except Sprint are. I found a solution that helped me but don't know if it voids the warranty or not so i can't say here.

If the fix requires you to unlock the software to install it, it WILL VOID THE WARRANTY....

Nose

I've been experiencing the same drops as every other tbolt owner; but something made me remember the 4g outage early last year and how you could force your phone to 3g to stop it from continually looking for unworking 4g.

I switched mine from the default "CDMA + LTE/EvDO auto" mode to "LTE mode" and I haven't had a drop in a day of testing. Granted my area in Indiana is fully 4G so I'm not switching to 3G as many folks are in partially built out areas, but doing this same change, you could force into 3G mode as well.

Here's what I did:

http://www.droid-life.com/2011/03/22/tip-force-htc-thunderbolt-to-use-3g-only-turn-off-4g/

Nose

...and, nevermind. altought it seemd to limit the number of drops; i did find it doing it a couple times today; so not a total solution.

I have found turning off all location services "seems" to help as well.

2crazey

Well finally gave up on my Thunderbolt, they sent me a Galaxy Nexus. Will miss my TB but the Nexus is definitely a step up. Best of all no data drops, strong 4G all the time. Hope they either fix the problem or update all your phones. Good luck everyone.

Itchydatsun

You can also use *#*#4636#*#* under your phone dialing to force 3g/4g on HTC Thunderbolts.

Hit (phone information) then scroll down to (Set preferred network types:) for low signal areas it helps alot.

fatdaddy1234567

Like others on here I have had the same problems happening for months (includes troubleshooting). Long story short Tech support reprogrammed my data connectivity on their end didnt fix it, sent New SIM cards didnt fix it, New Thunderbolt phones with new SIMs didnt fix it, and many factory resets in between each step that didnt fix it. Yes each of those steps were each done multiple times. Finally they just said, let us send you a new different phone of your choice. That seems to have erradicated the issue. It sucks that you have to change phones, but it seems that is the only fix even tech support can find.

donlon101

Im having the same issue as everone else. This is my second thunderbolt and I remember that verizon had me jump through a bunch of hoops to finally replace the first one. They made me drive to a service center, hard reset the phone after 2 hours of waiting, then when the phone dropped the signal again they werent paying attention and made me wait another 30 minutes for it to drop again. They gave me a new sim card and said they were closing and to come back again if it was still having issues. I drove back as soon as i could find a car and they tried to make me reset the phone again, but eventually agreed to giving me a replacement after one more simcard attempt. I really dont have the time or energy to deal with Verizon again on this and I think I'm out of their one year warranty since I adopted the phone early (big mistake). How did fatdaddy1234567 manage to get a replacement? I dont want to lose my unlimited data.

Child Item