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I can't seem to connect my Q10 to Lyca UK mobile internet, and have been told by Lyca customer services they only support the Z10.
This makes no sense to me, as I thought the Z10 and Q10 used the same OS, so if it works on one it should work on the other?
I've tried a Vodafone SIM in he Q10 and mobile internet worked fine, so the device settings should be correct.
On your phone, go to Settings>Network and Connections>Mobile Network>APN (the little cog wheel at the bottom)>and enter these values there:
See if this works. If not, call them up and ask them for the Z10's APN values. Then enter them on your Q10.Code:APN: data.lycamobile.co.uk
Username: lmuk (that's a lower case L)
Password: plus
Authentication: PAP
Here is the source from which I got the above information: Internet Settings | Lycamobile (I picked a Samsung S4.)
I have done that and it still doesn't work.
Looking online there seem to be a lot of issues with Blackberry handsets and Lycamobile, and a long of wrong information given about this issue by Lyca customer services, so it's hard to know what the real position is.
So can anyone confirm, can Lycamobile support Blackberry 10 OS at all? If so, all models or just some models? And if it cannot be supported, why not?
"Support" is a loaded word which could mean anything on the spectrum of "it will work on our network" (barely helpful) to "our reps are trained to troubleshoot and help you through anything" (very helpful.) BB10 phones unfortunately are often on the formerly stated end.
My theory as to why Z10s are supported but not the Q10 (if that's even true) is that Lyca may have carried the Z10 at some point, but not the Q10. So if someone's Z10 were to pick up mobile internet right away, it would be because the phone is provisioned, or "in Lyca's system." But it shouldn't be too hard to get around the Q10 non-provisioning Usually, manual provisioning is done is entering APN values into the phone, but since you tried that and it didn't work, we'll have to try something else: dummy IMEI-based provisioning. What this will hopefully do is make Lyca's system think you're activating a phone that's approved for mobile internet, so it will propagate some settings to it. At some point after this, the system will pick up your phone's actual IMEI#, but the settings will stay.
TL;DR: For dummy IMEI provisioning, get the IMEI# from a Lyca Android phone or a Z10. Then call Lyca and tell them you want to activate a phone on their network. When they ask you for the IMEI#, give it to them. If this is a phone in service, change the last two digits. If it's from a phone that isn't being used, you can use its actual IMEI.
That is a very interesting suggestion and one I'd never have thought of - in fact never heard of IMEI provisioning.
When I originally called Lyca to activate mobile internet on the Q10 they didn't ask me for the IMEI, just the phone number. I wonder if this means it wasn't provisioned? Should they always be asking for the IMEI?
Since the Q10 doesn't seem to be in Lyca's system, it's possible that just asking for your phone number didn't provision it. I don't think asking for an IMEI# is that common a procedure--but it is a workaround for this situation.
Does Lyca have a website, something like this: Activate Your Prepaid Phone | Prepaid Activation Guide | T-Mobile? You may be able to do the dummy IMEI activation yourself.
Edit: here is an example of dummy IMEI provisioning in work: http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/12...izon-wireless/
Thank you again. It's starting to make sense now.
Can I assume that the IMEI I give doesn't have to be a valid IMEI? After all, the chances of it being valid by me simply changing the last two digits are fairly remote - but I'm guessing it's only the beginning part of the IMEI that's important here, the numbers which identify the phone model.
Also the Android Police article you referenced mentioned briefly that if you already have service, then swap the SIM to a "non-approved" handset the service will transfer without problem. Could another workaround be to activate my SIM in an Android handset, then swap it into the Q10?
I ask this as I have an Android handset sitting right here. Also Lyca UK does not appear to have online activation, and I've so far not been inspired with great confidence by their phone customer service.
Right. It's the first six (or eight--I forget) that are the phone's type identifiers, the remaining digits don't really matter. So you can mess with more than just the last two, actually.
I don't think I see that in the AP article; are you perhaps referring to the floor model's IMEI getting released for an actual activation down the road? Remember--the floor model is a carrier-provisioned device, and technically, so was the Nexus 7 (it just wasn't in the system for activations.) Your Q10 is not provisioned, but capable of being so.
Regardless, it won't hurt to try. At worst, the mobile internet on your Q10 still won't work. So if the Android phone is an equivalent of the Q10 (i.e. not an older model, incapable of 3G and/or 4G) give it a try.
Just to verify an assumption--your balance with Lyca is topped up for mobile internet usage, right?
Well, I tried the idea of swapping my Lyca SIM into the Android handset. Within seconds I was receiving the web settings and installing the Access Point. I then swapped it back to the Q10 and I'm glad to say I now have mobile internet there too. Almost too simple in the end.
It was this sentence in the Android Police report that made me think of trying it: If you already had Verizon service, swapping your existing activated SIM card into your Nexus 7 would work with no problem whatsoever.
In a way, I'd have liked to try the IMEI workaround, but wasn't looking forward to the conversation with Lyca customer services trying to explain what I wanted them to do! I will bear it in mind for the future though - it sounds ideal for carriers where you can activate online.
And yes, thanks for checking - I do have enough balance for mobile internet.
Thank you so much - you helped me out of something I was really struggling to understand.
Great! I'm glad it worked out so easily (relatively speaking.) Enjoy your Q10.