Since some folks here are using or have expressed interest in MobileX and/or US Mobile, here’s a comparison from Android Police.
US Mobile vs. MobileX: Which MVNO gives you the most for your money?
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Are US Mobile’s plans stable yet? When I was with them they seemed to be changing things at the owner’s whim.
Indeed, plan stability has not been US Mobile’s forte. That said, things seem to have stabilized over the past few months.
These days, US Mobile is more focused on features, particularly, for iOS. To that end, they’ve recently added Apple Watch (both standalone and sharing a single number) and RCS on their “Warp” (Verizon). Adding these for “Dark Star” (AT&T) and “Light Speed” (T-Mobile) subscribers will require new iOS carrier bundles said to be in coming, I beleive, Q2 next year. US Mobile (along with RedPocket) is the only MVNO offering service on all 3 of the national networks.
I’ve experimented with US Mobile and also with MobileX. For me, the service is/was fine on either.
Well, I just happen to have a story about these two companies.
As it happens, I had had enough of Tello and yesterday decided to try MobileX on my Pixel 6a. I never could get it to where I could actually text or call. I chatted with someone at the MobileX website last night, who gave up fairly quickly and said someone should be around who could help on Monday. Um, what?
Today I decided to get back on the help chat and ask for the port out info and move on. They gave it easily. Tried to get set up on US Mobile. Still no go. Got on their chat help and spent the next 2 hours figuring out that Warp (Verizon) wasn’t going to work on this phone. Couldn’t add or edit APNs without using My Tech Suite, but still couldn’t choose between them. The tech decided I should delete the eSIM and go with Light, and Voila!! All of a sudden I could add APNs and actually choose them.
The US Mobile tech chat person was super helpful and patient.
The initial problem I had that started all of this was many months ago all of a sudden I could no longer text MMS using WiFi, so photos etc ate up my data.
All good now. Still didn’t feel as messy as the end of RW did. Boy was that weird!
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Been on MobileX for almost a year and a half. I reached out to tech support before I took any actions and things went smoothly from there. They worked with me step-by-step. I realize others have been frustrated, to say the least!
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In many instances, regardless of provider, things just work and there is no real need for support. That’s been my experience with MobileX though, like you, I recognize it’s not a universal experience. A common theme I’ve noted with those for whom MobileX hasn’t been an ideal experience is when support is needed, the response lags. It sounds like that was @rosedoodle’s experience with MobileX.
@rosedoodle, I’m mystified neither MobileX or US Mobile was able to get Verizon network service working on your Pixel 6a. I’ve used Mobi’s legacy service and MobileX (both Verizon network) on my Pixel 6a with no issues. There should have been no need to fiddle with manual APN entry as both Mobi and MobileX use Verizon’s base APN and that populates automatically on my Pixel 6a. Perhaps, Verizon network service is just lousy in your area?
US Mobile’s Light Speed network is T-Mobile service and, as far as I know, uses the same APNs as Tello. It’s true Verizon has an unfortunate tendency to lock out manual APN configuration whereas T-Mobile does not but, again, it shouldn’t have mattered with a Pixel 6a because manual APM configuration shouldn’t be necessary.
May I ask what happened with Tello?
Was the dissatisfaction with Tello only about the lack of MMS over WiFi? On Android, MMS over WiFi has always been more miss than hit. The old RW’s consistently reliable MMS over WiFi on Android was an outlier and worked because of the proprietary technology.
I’d be interested in knowing if you find MMS over WiFi on US Mobile Light Speed to be consistently reliable?
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I don’t think Verizon is as strong as TMobile here, but it just never seemed to fully activate with Verizon.
Yes, it was the lack of MMS over WiFi. The only exceptions were one other Android with RCS activated, and my son’s iPhone with the updated messaging. I was on the 2GB plan which used to easily get me through the month, until about 6 or 8 months ago when there was a change to either Tello or Messages or Android. Since it works now (so far) that narrows it down a bit, maybe. I tried but didn’t spend a huge amount of time searching for solutions to the issue and just figured I would try another company. Something could have been reset in the process that was the issue all along.
I’m getting back into photography a bit and like to share my faves now and then. 
they can be data-eaters.
Thanks!
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Would love to see a photo(s)!
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I’ll post some over in the General topics.
Weird, presuming Verizon has some coverage even if mediocre, both MobileX and US Mobile should have been able to get service up and running without resorting to manual APN configuration.
That said, if T-Mobile’s coverage is better, US Mobile Light Speed or another operator using T-Mobile’s network is a better fit anyway.
MMS over WiFi on Android is always going to be hit or miss and, in my experience, more miss than hit. RCS is supposed to be the solution. SMS/MMS is very old technology never intended to work over WiFi (though it is possible). RCS is the intended replacement for SMS/MMS but also has its share of growing pains.
iPhone is an entirely different ballgame than Android. In my experience, MMS over WiFi usually works with iPhones and that’s been the case for years. What’s new to iPhone messaging is Apple’s recent adoption of support for RCS when iMessage is unavailable. iMessage, of course, works only between Apple devices.
Good for you!
It worked just fine for about the first year I used Tello on this phone. Then all of a sudden it didn’t.
It’s working better than ever, for the moment. We’ll see what happens when I get out of the free trial and get onto the 2GB option.
I appreciate all of your input!
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Another plus- got a group text for work this morning and it just came through. With Tello I had to disconnect from WiFi to get them.
Hi @rosedoodle,
So; now I’m curious because, theoretically, there should be no difference using MMS over WiFi on US Mobile Light Speed as opposed to Tello. Both use T-Mobile’s network.
Would you be willing to screenshot and share your US Mobile Light Speed APNs?
Jumping in here because I am shopping for a new line to be used by a family member. Just followed a post by @rolandh in a different “Black Friday Deals” rwusers thread concerning MobileX offers, but poking into details there didn’t provide attractive possibilities. Was initially intrigued both by trying Verizon in our area (Northwest Ohio) again, and a $99 Moto G Play (2024). But the promise of stable MobileX Unlimited pricing for a year doesn’t fit, and the Moto phone is just a bit too limited, even at $99 new.
But to my main point to add here: we have had two Pixel 7’s on Tello for two years, and about two months ago were frustrated by the MMS on WiFi problems mentioned as @rosedoodle 's reason for leaving Tello. Complained to Tello, saw discussions on Reddit about others with the same MMS on WiFi problems through Tello, but lived with it. Then about two weeks ago - the problem stopped. We are back to having NO issues with receiving or sending MMS while on WiFi.
We did not make any changes to our handset settings, nor app settings, nothing to correlate with MMS just working again. Someone somewhere just “fixed” something, so MMS is working again with Tello, just like it had for more than a year before.
So letting @rosedoodle or anyone else know that MMS is now working through WiFi with Tello, again!
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That’s of course about the time I switched MVNOs 
I just figured something got reset in the settings or something.
Still don’t understand the issues with Verizon, but 
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May I ask when testing (or otherwise using) MMS over WiFi; are you in Airplane mode?
For us we are NOT in Airplane mode when using MMS over WiFi - it is just working, now.
Seems our experience was quite similar to @rosedoodle. No troubles using MMS over WiFi through Tello for at least a year and a half, then… First noticed messages coming in (mostly from iPhone users) which never finished, saw a snake chasing its tail forever unless moving away from WiFi or turning WiFi off. Then the message would show up when solely on the Tello (T-Mobile) carrier. This started some time during this past summer, wasn’t enough of a problem to do more than complain to Tello, without resolution.
Normally WiFi is on all the time for other purposes, just a hassle to turn off, then back on when retrieving MMS. RCS worked (only not from those iPhone people).
Then at least a couple weeks ago MMS started working again!
I rarely use Airplane mode.
My experience was pretty much like @Clint 's, except I never contacted Tello. I just decided to jump to another MVNO.