VoLTE support progress

joao.azevedo · October 14, 2022, 3:09pm

This is solved now.

@digitalprairie please check the DM I sent you about your case.

carlosgonz · October 17, 2022, 1:02pm

@dos do you know if Pulseaudio it already patched for VoLTE too for HD Calls?
The new Sound Pattern for L5 really feel the improvement… but i feel it need more hz output…
Thank you.

anubis · October 18, 2022, 5:25pm

cool…if I can remeber my password to log into the phone, I’ll try it.

jonsger · October 20, 2022, 11:15am

Good news from Germany. After updating the modem firmware to version 20220930 together with Joao from Purism Support, I got VoLTE up and running with Vodafone.

It still doesn’t work for me, even with the updated modem firmware, on Deutsche Telekom network…

Hristo · October 20, 2022, 11:24am

What are the exact steps for testing the VoLTE?
I have a German O2 sim card lying around that I could test, but I don’t know how to do the test.

irvinewade · October 21, 2022, 6:51am

(after doing the magic steps to enable VoLTE)

I think the key aspect for testing is: you make a voice call - if it stays on 4G then VoLTE is working - if it drops down to 3G or 2G (or the call doesn’t work at all) then VoLTE is not working.

jonsger · October 21, 2022, 10:04am

I would append that just having a look at the “4G” symbol in the header bar isn’t enough. I usually do a wget somebigfile in a terminal and if the download does not halt during the call and the 4G symbol stays. You are probably doing a VoLTE call.

You can also run the bm818-volte-check tool during the call is active.

digitalprairie · October 22, 2022, 2:55am

How do you upgrade it to 20220930. I am going to be doing more testing.

Sarcasmo220 · October 22, 2022, 2:58am

Reach out to support and they will send you the instructions.

st.boom · October 22, 2022, 6:17am

Does anyone have an idea why it does not work with Telekom Germany?

digitalprairie · October 25, 2022, 12:02am

Well Gents, I’ve tried every last thing imaginable for the U.S. market. I activated a line on Mint and T-Mobile Prepaid. No VoLTE unfortunately for both Mint mvno or T-Mobile even though I was able to activate this phone on both carriers. Yes, I realize Mint uses T-Mobile towers. Going to upgrading to the 2022 firmware here shortly and see if that gives me some closure.

Sarcasmo220 · October 25, 2022, 12:40am

Best of luck to you. Just so you know I also have T-Mobile and when I did the firmware upgrade VoLTE worked just fine.

digitalprairie · October 25, 2022, 1:04am

Well that’s encouraging.

digitalprairie · October 25, 2022, 1:08pm

This has been resolved for me. VoLTE confirmed does work for T-Mobile and Mint as an MVNO in the U.S.
Phone calls are instantaneous for me. Thank you @joao.azevedo for the guides to complete this firmware upgrade.

Photon · October 26, 2022, 5:14am

@joao.azevedo, is the firmware upgrade on phones shipping now?

st.boom · October 26, 2022, 5:19am

@joao.azevedo Would you also send me the guide. Then I’ll test it with Telekom Germany.

digitalprairie · October 26, 2022, 6:05pm

It might just be faster to send an email to support@puri.sm and follow their email formatting etiquette that is pinned on the front page of this forum.

irvinewade · October 26, 2022, 10:46pm

Yes, I suppose if Purism wanted to make the necessary instructions universally available, they would just publish a document somewhere on one of their web sites.

I guess there is a reason for not making it universally available e.g. hard to cover all scenarios in a document that remains comprehensible or some scenarios that aren’t covered or significant risk of user stuff-up and brickage. Something?

joao.azevedo · October 27, 2022, 12:06pm

ok, I wanted to answer to this yesterday, but things happen.

Yes, there is a more recent firmware version for the modems that we had in the last 2 - 3 weeks.

Yes, this new version of the modem firmware should start being shipped in new devices in the coming weeks.

Yes, it does help in several cases with VoLTE. But there are still some cases to figure out with some specific carriers.

This new version also improves the ability of the modem to wake up the Librem 5 from suspend when there is an incoming call.

And yes, we are working on a tool to make an update easier, with the press of less than half a dozen buttons.

Now for the “but” part:

We are still testing the tool for a person to update the modem firmware.
While the vast majority of tests/updates went without a problem, we did had in the early stages of testing 4 cases where the firmware update did not went well, with 3 of them some of the modem data was not properly backed up (and that seems solved now), and one case where the modem was almost trashed and had to be reflashed a second time.

Basically before considering releasing this tool “into the wild” and risk “opening the flood gates” we want to test this tool more, so that updating the firmware is safer and simpler. And check edge cases, because they exist.

Because, worse than not having VoLTE working can be having a bricked modem, and we want to avoid that. If a modem is bricked then the only options are;

Replacing the modem
Grabing a soldering iron and a programmer and doing something like this:

So for now while we are still testing this update utility, we would prefer to use it with support cases that have an actual issue that can be actually solved by this new firmware version.
And closely monitor the process with the user in case problems happen. And take the feedback from those cases to improve it.

EDIT: Added the part about suspend.

ookhoi · October 28, 2022, 11:53am

The expected delivery date of my phone is three days from now. I would have opted for a few weeks delay to have the up to date firmware if I was given that option. After all, what is a few weeks more when waiting for almost four years.

Maybe you could consider that option?