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Tablets that can be used like a phone

  • 9 February 2017
  • 29 replies
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frederickdawg

Are there any tablets folks have used that work like a phone to make and receive phone calls. Not talking about voip whatsapp or Hang outs or Skype.

Basically an LTE device fully functional with a in built dialer that one can insert and use their t mobile voice sim card into.

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Best answer by tmo_mike_c 16 February 2017, 20:36

Ah. That's kinda tricky because when we set up the tablets, the lines are created with plans that do not have voice capability included. So, even with a pre-installed or downloaded dialing app, trying to call from the tablet will result in an error message.

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tmo_mike_c
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Which tablet are you trying to use @frederickdawg? Do you already have a SIM with voice service that you're trying to test?

frederickdawg

Hi tmo_mike_c , I was asking to see what tablets with cellular capabilities would work like a phone on T Mobile, since I believe most tablets sold by network providers have that functionality disabled.

tmo_mike_c
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Ah. That's kinda tricky because when we set up the tablets, the lines are created with plans that do not have voice capability included. So, even with a pre-installed or downloaded dialing app, trying to call from the tablet will result in an error message.

L

Hi @tmo__mike_c,

Is voice capability disabled because of an FCC regulation?

I don't want to use my tablet in this way, per say, but if my cell phone battery ever died, I thought I could use the tablet for calls in case of emergency.

tmo_mike_c
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You brought up a good point. It's not a regulation but the plans we have for our tablets are more geared for data usage instead of voice services.

T

so if you used a sim card from a phone, wouldn't that be able to be used to make calls on a tablet?  Or am I missing something?

tmo_mike_c
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Does the tablet you're using have call capability? We have dedicated tablet plans but those service include messaging and data.

P

I use the tab s4 works great with any carrier tmobile a little tricky using digits a tmobile app. You have to tie your tablet sim number to your cell phone number as a digits line.  I think it costs me 10$/mon for the digits line.  You don't have to keep the devices in proximity either.  A lot of tablets can be used this way you just have to make sure they support tmobile bands for calls

bigapplegreg

https://www.plum-mobile.com/product-category/all-models/phabletstablets/ (Not that I've used any of them.)

M

Ah. That's kinda tricky because when we set up the tablets, the lines are created with plans that do not have voice capability included. So, even with a pre-installed or downloaded dialing app, trying to call from the tablet will result in an error message.

Hi Mike,

I know that this here is more than a year old, but I’m still dealing with the same question/issue. 

I have an additional line in my family plan, which I used with a smart phone before. I bought a Samsung tablet and wanted to make “normal” phone calls with it, but that doesn’t work. So when you setup the tablets, the NEW lines don’t have a voice capability included. What about a line, which I used already with a smart phone? So the moment I insert the sim card in a tablet, T-Mobile converts it to a “tablet line” - means you taking out the voice capability (blocking the voice capability)?

 

so if you used a sim card from a phone, wouldn't that be able to be used to make calls on a tablet?  Or am I missing something?

Does the tablet you're using have call capability? We have dedicated tablet plans but those service include messaging and data.

 

Well… in my opinion you didn’t answer the question from timmat1.

I don’t care about your dedicated tablet plans - I want to use the tablet as a big smart phone - with the line that had messaging and data and call capability in my phone before. 

The tablet I bought is an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Tab E 8.0 SM-T377T. It didn’t had the pre-installed standard dialing app on it. I installed the standard dialing app - hoping it would give me the call ability, but - No - I’m still not able to make calls.

The same unlocked tablet from At&T has the dialing app installed - as far as I know, but I didn’t had a chance to try that version with my t-mobile sim card.

So is just T-Mobile taking out the calling function on this t-mobile branded tablet version - or basically on ALL tablets?

So back to the original question: 
Is there any tablet, which I can use with T-Mobile - including the standard voice capability?

Thanks

M

Ah. That's kinda tricky because when we set up the tablets, the lines are created with plans that do not have voice capability included. So, even with a pre-installed or downloaded dialing app, trying to call from the tablet will result in an error message.

Hi Mike,

I know that this here is more than a year old, but I’m still dealing with the same question/issue. 

I have an additional line in my family plan, which I used with a smart phone before. I bought a Samsung tablet and wanted to make “normal” phone calls with it, but that doesn’t work. So when you setup the tablets, the NEW lines don’t have a voice capability included. What about a line, which I used already with a smart phone? So the moment I insert the sim card in a tablet, T-Mobile converts it to a “tablet line” - means you taking out the voice capability (blocking the voice capability)?

 

so if you used a sim card from a phone, wouldn't that be able to be used to make calls on a tablet?  Or am I missing something?

Does the tablet you're using have call capability? We have dedicated tablet plans but those service include messaging and data.

 

Well… in my opinion you didn’t answer the question from timmat1.

I don’t care about your dedicated tablet plans - I want to use the tablet as a big smart phone - with the line that had messaging and data and call capability in my phone before. 

The tablet I bought is an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Tab E 8.0 SM-T377T. It didn’t had the pre-installed standard dialing app on it. I installed the standard dialing app - hoping it would give me the call ability, but - No - I’m still not able to make calls.

The same unlocked tablet from At&T has the dialing app installed - as far as I know, but I didn’t had a chance to try that version with my t-mobile sim card.

So is just T-Mobile taking out the calling function on this t-mobile branded tablet version - or basically on ALL tablets?

So back to the original question: 
Is there any tablet, which I can use with T-Mobile - including the standard voice capability?

Thanks

Did data work?

N
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I read a lot, and what I’ve read on this seems to be a little rabbit warren of people agreeing that getting carriers to support Phablets as Real Mobility Devices is tilting at windmills, but that tethering a tablet to a phone (and a number of headsets) by bluetooth or WiFi or even USB cables is a world of possibilities and self-determination.

Wearing an arbitrary number of computers at once is a slightly different warren of long strange trips. Hey, all your outfits match if they’re all behind a giant  courier bag! Cool.

 

X
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@tmo_mike_c if I insert my phone sim in my tablet, can i use the tablet as my phone. I understand about the separate data line for tablet, that is not what i’m asking though. Data works with my phone sim in the tablet, but voice calls are failing, need quick help please. My phone is broken and not able to get a new phone at this time, i want to use my tablet as phone, please help. Thanks!

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@tmo_mike_cif I insert my phone sim in my tablet, can i use the tablet as my phone. I understand about the separate data line for tablet, that is not what i’m asking though. Data works with my phone sim in the tablet, but voice calls are failing, need quick help please. My phone is broken and not able to get a new phone at this time, i want to use my tablet as phone, please help. Thanks!

Hello tmo mike are you still here? Please answer xlabs question for us.

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The original question in this thread, now listed questionably, solved never was answered in any way I can understand. The best answer quoted being kinda tricky. Well To me all that needs done is simply remove the trickery and the imagery along with the cloak and daggers and answer the question Mr tmo-mike.

tidbits
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The closest you can get is anything that’ll tie you into a phone

 

For example -

Samsung devices tied in their services on their Tablets

Apple devices tied into iMessages

 

They have options to hand over to their respective tablets.

 

I will tell  you it’s not the carriers making this imaginary line.  It’s OEMs that are.  Why would they give you that ability on a Tablet which is often hundreds of dollars cheaper than their phones.  They’d rather you buy the phone and also buy their Tablets.  Carriers base their plans by the options OEM’s offer them.

B
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The closest you can get is anything that’ll tie you into a phone

 

For example -

Samsung devices tied in their services on their Tablets

Apple devices tied into iMessages

 

They have options to hand over to their respective tablets.

 

I will tell  you it’s not the carriers making this imaginary line.  It’s OEMs that are.  Why would they give you that ability on a Tablet which is often hundreds of dollars cheaper than their phones.  They’d rather you buy the phone and also buy their Tablets.  Carriers base their plans by the options OEM’s offer them.

Sorry but I will tell you it is the carrier making the imaginary line, because the hardware and firmware in a given device is not imaginary it is functional. To wit; I took the same samsung galaxy tab a 8 2019 that tmobile would not or has not yet provisioned a sim card for, they should and maybe soon will when they realize that consumers want what they want and will find some carrier that will provide said service. For example once they find out i was able to get 4g lte cellular for $20 a month with unlimited talk and text, 10gb premium high speed data from MINT Mobile, it beats my former $16 month straight talk mobile home phone. And keeps my $50 month100gb hotspot combo for mobile internet and $20 phablet now a reasonable $70 month. Dont get me wrong I do like tmobiles’ 100gb hotspot, it works well, but they wanted another $65+ to add voice line which wasnt going to work for me, $115+ a month is too much. I would have liked to have had one bill but not for $50 more than 2 separate bills. All the carriers share the same networks and towers making the service the same either way. The only difference is if you prefer a brand name or can be satisfied the same with plain label. So now you can see that it is the service that is more imaginary and the device in your hand that you utilize is real. just the same as the extra cash in my pocket that i saved is not imaginary. and the device is still a samsung device just the same as a carrier might sell you too, so its hardly the device that is the imaginary line. not when it is used to type this message, on a tmobile page from a plain label carrier with a brand name device. And you ask why would they give us that ability, well because its what we want thats why. now granted the device is not sold retail in U,S. but that doesn’t mean it we cant buy an international version with the capabilities for that same hundreds of dollars, you mentioned, less. Thats what I did and saved myself the initial hundreds on the purchase and countless hundreds more on the monthly service savings. We are the consumers it is our money to save or our money to waste the choice is our own.

tidbits
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The closest you can get is anything that’ll tie you into a phone

 

For example -

Samsung devices tied in their services on their Tablets

Apple devices tied into iMessages

 

They have options to hand over to their respective tablets.

 

I will tell  you it’s not the carriers making this imaginary line.  It’s OEMs that are.  Why would they give you that ability on a Tablet which is often hundreds of dollars cheaper than their phones.  They’d rather you buy the phone and also buy their Tablets.  Carriers base their plans by the options OEM’s offer them.

Sorry but I will tell you it is the carrier making the imaginary line, because the hardware and firmware in a given device is not imaginary it is functional. To wit; I took the same samsung galaxy tab a 8 2019 that tmobile would not or has not yet provisioned a sim card for, they should and maybe soon will when they realize that consumers want what they want and will find some carrier that will provide said service. For example once they find out i was able to get 4g lte cellular for $20 a month with unlimited talk and text, 10gb premium high speed data from MINT Mobile, it beats my former $16 month straight talk mobile home phone. And keeps my $50 month100gb hotspot combo for mobile internet and $20 phablet now a reasonable $70 month. Dont get me wrong I do like tmobiles’ 100gb hotspot, it works well, but they wanted another $65+ to add voice line which wasnt going to work for me, $115+ a month is too much. I would have liked to have had one bill but not for $50 more than 2 separate bills. All the carriers share the same networks and towers making the service the same either way. The only difference is if you prefer a brand name or can be satisfied the same with plain label. So now you can see that it is the service that is more imaginary and the device in your hand that you utilize is real. just the same as the extra cash in my pocket that i saved is not imaginary. and the device is still a samsung device just the same as a carrier might sell you too, so its hardly the device that is the imaginary line. not when it is used to type this message, on a tmobile page from a plain label carrier with a brand name device. And you ask why would they give us that ability, well because its what we want thats why. now granted the device is not sold retail in U,S. but that doesn’t mean it we cant buy an international version with the capabilities for that same hundreds of dollars, you mentioned, less. Thats what I did and saved myself the initial hundreds on the purchase and countless hundreds more on the monthly service savings. We are the consumers it is our money to save or our money to waste the choice is our own.

Sorry it’s been debunked decades ago.  the Galaxy Note 10.1 was a Tablet which made phone calls.  Unlocked you could put a sim into it on any carrier and could make phone calls.  Carriers do not know if it’s a cell phone or a Tablet… Samsung dropped it the following year, and brought out the https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00083152/ which forces you to buy one of their phone to make phone calls with their tablets which you Tab A falls under.

Also Samsung own reps will tell you the Tab A 2019 LTE does not make phone calls (https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Tablets/can-the-galaxy-tab-a-8-2019-LTE-make-phone-calls/td-p/674037 which is an ISSUE with Samsung not provisioning them because of above.

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samsung galaxy tab a 8 (2019) comes in 3 different models. model SM-T295 most certainly has a dedicated phone number attatched in the hardware not an app! the other 2 do not check it.

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and samsung has nothing to do with provisioning sim cards for voice or data capabilities that is what the carriers provide, depending on the plan they offer and not all carriers are offering the same plan there are endless variety of plans from countless carriers that can we can choose from. we are not forced to choose from just the top carriers and their expensive plans or devices.

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also just because samsung has offer certain services on their devices does not meant that we are locked into using them just because its their product on their device. example; samsung internet is simply another browser that comes preinstalled as an app and the same as chrome or firefox or edge. we have options when it comes to the app we choose to use to message with, whether it be a preinstalled message app or messenger another app provided by facebook and just because google offers voice service it is an internet service not a cellular voice service. to be a true phone with voice does not mean just an dialing pad app from playstore or marketplace or galaxy store or wherever you can get apps at it is a built in part of a device.

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and im not sure how a device that was built in 2019 could be debunked decades ago unless 2019 was 20 years ago

 

F
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and samsung has nothing to do with provisioning sim cards for voice or data capabilities that is what the carriers provide, depending on the plan they offer and not all carriers are offering the same plan there are endless variety of plans from countless carriers that can we can choose from. we are not forced to choose from just the top carriers and their expensive plans or devices.

so since TMO still isnt allowing this...which other carrier allows this to happen?

 

you might want to change your screen name away from your email since this is a fully public site and everyone and their mom can now send you a bunch of bunk junk mail etc..there is a thread floating around in here for getting your screen name changed or you can contact TMO Mike in this thread to see if he can help with getting it changed.

I like many others come onto this site for assistance and to help others. Marking a reply as helpful or correct helps others with like issues when they try to search the site for assistance. I do not work for Tmobile and my suggestions and or opinions are my own.
tidbits
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samsung galaxy tab a 8 (2019) comes in 3 different models. model SM-T295 most certainly has a dedicated phone number attatched in the hardware not an app! the other 2 do not check it.

Just because it has a phone number associated doesn’t mean it is provisioned BY the manufacturers for phone calls.  All carriers use “phone numbers” for each line for logistics purposes not just specifically for phone calls.  This has been a thing long before Tablets, and wearables became a thing.

tidbits
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and samsung has nothing to do with provisioning sim cards for voice or data capabilities that is what the carriers provide, depending on the plan they offer and not all carriers are offering the same plan there are endless variety of plans from countless carriers that can we can choose from. we are not forced to choose from just the top carriers and their expensive plans or devices.

You are mistaken.  At the software level OEMs have full  control unlike people think they do not.  We are not talking about the days of BREW and carriers actually doing to coding.  If Samsung gave source codes to carriers trust me we would have it by now, but we don’t because OEMs do all the coding and have it under lock and key.

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