Mobi Beta Opportunity

General
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I’ve been beta testing Mobi’s eventually forthcoming cloud core service, which is separate from its current production Verizon network service. Recently, I was invited to have my beta line enabled for WiFi calling. So far, WiFi calling is working on iPhone but not my Pixel 6a. It looks like the problem on the Pixel is Mobi’s IMSI(s) are not recognized by Google’s default carrier settings (similar to an Apple carrier bundle). Mobi is investigating.

As part of getting set up for WiFi calling, I was offered the opportunity to have a single MSISDN (phone number) simultaneously ring both the Pixel and an iPhone. Yes, it’s possible - leveraging the same technology the big guys use for wearables to share the same number as one’s phone - for a single phone number to route to multiple SIMs (eSIMs in this case). I was further offered the opportunity to pick a number local to me. My initial Mobi beta numbers were Las Vegas numbers. Here’s some information on my new number:

Screenshot 2024-07-17 at 11.04.19 AM

You’ll note the upstream number hosting partner is not a wireless carrier of which one is likely to have heard. The number is, however, a “real” wireless number. It passes the Venmo test. :smile:

Inbound calls ring both the Pixel and iPhone simultaneously. For inbound messages it depends. If the message originates from an iPhone, it is received as an iMessage only on the iPhone. If the message originates on an Android, it is received simultaneously on both phones (RCS on Android if using Google Messages and SMS/MMS on iPhone). I expect RCS will eventually work on iPhone with Mobi service. Outbound calls and messages appear only on the phone from which they are sent. While that might not be ideal; I have AirMessage running on the Pixel and Google’s Messages for web on iPhone, so I can see messages sent to the Pixel from iPhone and vice versa.

I had a very pleasant exchange of messages with Justen at Mobi part of yesterday afternoon. He enabled some other things on my beta line I need to find the time to explore.

If you’re participating in Mobi’s cloud core beta and would like to test WiFi calling and/or other things, here’s some additional information.

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Wifi calling was enabled for my beta lines as well with the same result. Wifi calling works great on the iPhone including sending/receiving SMS which I tested by enabling airplane mode and turning wifi back on.

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How do you find MMS receiving? I’m finding (and this is not new) it can take an extraordinarily long time for MMS to be received.

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I’m getting the same result and also duplicate messages. I got an updated esim profile from Justen today that enables some domestic roaming and the MMS issue remains. I did test MMS from mobi beta to mobi beta a few minutes ago and receiving was much faster.

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In case there is interest, I thought I’d report my experience using a single phone number with two Mobi beta eSIMs (one eSIM on a Google Pixel the other eSIM on iPhone).

Inbound calls

Inbound calls ring both the Pixel and iPhone simultaneously and do so flawlessly.

Outbound calls

I experience intermittent outbound call failures on one phone or the other. It seems as if the last phone seen by the network is the one “registered” and capable of making outbound calls. On the phone failing to make outbound calls, anything that refreshes the phone’s connection to the network - toggling Airplane mode, turning the eSIM off then back on or restarting the phone - restores outbound calling on that phone but the phone previously working for outbound calls then stops working. So, it appears outbound calling is mostly a one phone at a time thing.

As an aside, WiFi calling works only on iPhone. Currently, WiFi calling does not work on the Pixel. I’m uncertain about other Androids. I’ve reported the lack of WiFi calling to Mobi.

Inbound messaging

The inbound messaging experience is more nuanced than inbound calling. If the inbound message originates on iPhone as an iMessage, it is received only on the iPhone. This is expected behavior with iMessage. If the inbound message originates as an SMS, it is received on both phones. If the inbound message originates as an MMS, it, generally, is received only on the Pixel. I’m currently unable to test RCS because Google insists on registering RCS with the number previously assigned to the Pixel’s eSIM rather than the current number. Previously, I was able to override the original registered number in Messages settings but, for whatever reason, that’s no longer working. When it was working, a message originating as RCS would be received as RCS on the Pixel but SMS/MMS on iPhone. I have iOS 18 Developer Beta - which supports RCS - installed on the iPhone but, so far, no independent MVNOs are supported for RCS on iPhone.

Outbound messaging

Like outbound calling, outbound messaging is a one phone or the other thing. Outbound SMS/MMS sends from the phone most recently registered with the network. Outbound iMessage, of course, may only be sent from iPhone and this is expected behavior.

I’m able to work around these messaging quirks because I’m able to exchange messages as if using iPhone from the Pixel using AirMessage and as if using the Pixel from iPhone using Google’s Messages for web.

Cell data

Cell data works flawlessly from both phones phones without any of the “registration” issues presented with calls and messaging. Cell data on the Pixel seems restricted to LTE though it is possible I’m actually getting 5G NSA. The phone reports LTE. Network Cell Info reports LTE+. 5G NSA does require an LTE anchor, so it’s possible that’s what’s being reported while actually getting 5G NSA. The iPhone is older and LTE only. I do tend to get slightly faster speeds on the Pixel than iPhone - as fast as 150 Mbps on the Pixel as opposed to as fast as 100 Mbps on iPhone - but this might be due to the Pixel being a newer phone as well.

Call forwarding and call waiting

I believe call forwarding is enabled on my Mobi beta account but attempting to toggle on any flavor of call forwarding on either the Pixel or iPhone fails. Call waiting seems to work as expected.

Visual voicemail

As far as I know, visual voicemail does not yet work with Mobi’s beta. I am able to call into voicemail on the Pixel and live voicemail works on iPhone. Live voicemail on iPhone provides real-time transcription and is done on the phone whereas visual voicemail is a carrier feature. Google’s transcription on the Pixel doesn’t work. Calling into voicemail from iPhone doesn’t work.

WiFi calling

Currently, WiFi calling works on iPhone but not on the Pixel. I’m uncertain about other Androids. I don’t believe this has anything to do with using a single number on multiple eSIMs.

Conclusion

I’m not at all surprised there are quirks involved above

  1. Mobi’s cloud core is beta
  2. I’m running iOS 18 Developer Bata on the involved iPhone
  3. I’m using a single phone number routing to two eSIMs - one Android, one iPhone - which isn’t exactly a common use case. :nerd_face:

No doubt, I’ve managed to leave something out, so if there are questions, ask away. :smile:

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