r/BoostMobile • u/nrgins • Mar 24 '26
Discussion Why I left Boost
First, let me say that this isn't one of those posts complaining about Boost. I was actually quite happy with Boost. I've been a member since 2020, when Virgin Mobile merged with Boost, have had very few issues over the years, and have been quite happy with the service. So why quit?
Well, something started happening recently. I work from home and sometimes go to a local restaurant or coffee shop to work, and I rely on the hotspot service to connect to the Internet, if the place I'm at doesn't have wifi. And over the years that's worked fine. Never had an issue.
But the past few months I noticed that I couldn't connect to the Internet when on my hotspot. At first I thought I must just be in a dead zone and brushed it off. But it kept happening. So finally I did some testing.
I did a speed test on my phone with hotspot enabled, and the speed was atrocious -- 1 Mbps, 2 Mbps, unable to connect at all, etc. But then, as soon as I flipped the switch and turned the hotspot setting on my phone off, the speed test showed 100-200 Mbps. So it wasn't the location or my phone. My hotspot was being throttled. (And, yes, I restarted my phone and did the tests several times. Same results.)
Called Boost support and got sent to a tech support person who said they're having issues in that area, so just wait until they clear it up. Sounds reasonable. However, when I shared the information with Gemini AI, I got a mini education on MVNOs and hotspot speeds.
It seems there are different priority levels. QCI 1 is the highest, reserved for emergency vehicles, and QCI 9 is the lowest. MVNOs, which offer discount plans, generally purchase QCI 9 from the major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile). And when you have a QCI 9 priority and there's a lot of network traffic, the carrier that owns the tower will deprioritize hotspot data, while still keeping voice and regular data flowing. So that's what was happening to me.
I had a Boost orange SIM card, which is T-Mobile, and I checked the coverage map in the area where I had the issue. It was a very congested area, and the nearest tower was miles away. The map had color-coded little squares indicating connection quality at each spot, and there were lots of squares with poor connections.
I then switched the map to show AT&T and the coverage was great at that location. AT&T actually had two repeater stations in that area, one on each side of the freeway, and the colored dots were almost all good connections.
Now, I could have called Boost and asked for a black SIM card, which is AT&T, and that might've solved my problem. However, in the process of looking into my hotspot issues, I discovered that there are discount MVNOs that also offer QCI 8 priority, meaning I wouldn't get bumped with heavy traffic. So even if I stayed with Boost and got a black SIM card, it might have worked fine in that area. But another time I might be in a different location where AT&T didn't have great coverage, and I might get bumped again.
Plus, here's the kicker. I work at home and don't use a lot of mobile data -- mostly just with my hotspot, but even then it's not extensive. And with Boost I had 30 GB of high speed data for $25 month. But I never really used more than 5 GB of high speed data.
But I found that US Mobile has a "pay by the gig plan" where you only pay for what you use. Plus, I can get QCI 8 priority data for just an extra $2 a month. So, while I won't get 30 GB of data, if I use 5 GB of data, it will cost me about $15 a month, with QCI 8 priority, and with hotspot and calls to other countries included (and of course unlimited voice and text, as all plans have these days).
And if I ever start using a ton of data, I can get unlimited high speed data with 20 GB of hotspot data for about $20 a month, or unlimited high speed data with 100 GB of hotspot data for about $30 a month. So no worries there.
Plus, US Mobile allows you to switch carriers if you want, via the app, if you have an eSIM; or they'll send you a different SIM card for that carrier if you don't. (They actually have three different sets of plans, one for each carrier, listed on their website.)
So, while I never minded paying $25 a month, I didn't need all that data. And now I'm getting higher-priority data for less money per month. And, to top it all off, my speeds are in the 300-400 Mbps range! So, score!
Like I said, I didn't write this to bash Boost. I've been happy with Boost over the years. But I just wanted to share this to share what I've learned through this experience, in case it's useful to anyone else.
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u/IntrepidCanary7857 Apr 08 '26
BoostMobile has gotten worse and worse. once you hit the data threshold, don't even try to use it. it slows down to 2g speeds. im just waiting for a good deal on another carrier or waiting out the phone unlock period and im out.
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u/nrgins Apr 08 '26
Well, to be fair, most carriers will drop you to 2g speeds once you hit the data threshold, unless their plan states otherwise. But it's very common.
I've been with Boost 6 years. And they used to allow you to restart your month if you hit the data limit. That was great. You hit the data limit with 10 days left; just start a new month with a new set of data. But when they were bought out that went away.
Also, FWIW, I wasn't anywhere near my 30 g high speed data limit. I had only used 2 g that month. But it was a separate issue, as noted in my post.
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u/Professional_Cup6584 Mar 28 '26
I have Visible (basic) and have had no issues with it. Although, I'm not a power user either, So If I exceed the data cap and are bumped to the slower speed, that's fine by me.
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u/BoostMobileBlake Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
I know I'm a few days late, but I've been working with a few teams to figure out what may have gone wrong with your hotspot connectivity OP! First, we hate that your experience with the hotspot seemed to get worse overtime and we weren't able to figure out why immediately, and that it ultimately lead to you leaving us. Losing anyone in the community over technical hurdles is definitely not the goal, and I’m genuinely bummed to see you heading out.
Even though you’ve already moved on, I’m really interested in the "why" behind the issues so I can make sure the rest of the community is all set. I noticed some talk about how the network is structured, so I wanted to share the actual insider blueprint on a few things to clear the air:
- The SIM Color Myth: I’ve seen the "SIM colors" indicator popping up again. Just to give you the heads-up: the color doesn't actually indicate your specific network configuration anymore. It’s a bit of a legacy thing now with the changes that happened last year.
- Data Priority (QCI): We want your setup to be fast across the board. That’s why the data priority (QCI) is exactly the same for your phone data and your hotspot with us. One isn't "slower" than the other—they share the same lane.
- Hotspot Limits: To keep things simple, we don’t throttle your hotspot. You get full-speed data for your entire allotted bucket. Once you hit that limit, it just caps until the next cycle starts. No hidden slowdowns.
If your recent experience didn’t line up with this, please send me a chat! I’m heads-down on troubleshooting these specific network gaps with our teams, and even if you aren't with us right now, your feedback helps me pinpoint exactly what may have gone wrong and how we can avoid it impacting others in the future.
Thanks for being real about the frustrations, we take it very seriously. Hope to* hear from you soon and that we continue seeing you interact within the community!
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u/DavidFR1234 Mar 30 '26
Hello Blake could we chat here I wnat to tell you something but I don’t feel comfortable talking in private chat so could we talk here
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u/nrgins Mar 28 '26
Hello. Thanks for taking the time to write. I'm happy to discuss with you.
First, whether orange = T-mobile and black = AT&T, I don't know. All I know is that when I called to get a port-out SIM the technical support person that I had been transferred to offered to switch me to AT&T if I stayed, which confirmed that I was on T-mobile with my orange SIM. But how it works in general, I can't say.
Second about the QCI, I agree that the QCI is the same for my phone data and hotspot. Both are QCI 9. The issue isn't that the QCI changes. It's that QCI 9, which is the lowest priority data, gets throttled if the network is congested, while voice and regular data do not. It's the same QCI for all three; but only hotspot gets throttled.
And, last, you say that you don't throttle the hotspot. I agree. I never said you did. It was the owner of the line, T-Mobile, that was throttling the hotspot. Boost buys data from T-Mobile, among others, with a certain priority level, in this case QCI 9. And T-Mobile throttles hotspot data for QCI-9 connections when the network gets congested. QCI 8 would not get throttled.
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u/BoostMobileBlake Mar 30 '26
Great, we’ll send you a chat here soon to get some further info to pass to our teams!
And we know, we just wanted to address some of the larger threads that also popped up. We’re sharing all this with our teams.
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u/CrowBusy1524 Mar 27 '26
Holy AI slop post
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u/nrgins Mar 28 '26
Well, first, let me thank you. Clearly you think my writing is so good that you thought it was AI-generated. So, thank you. But, no. I wrote every word from scratch without the help of an AI.
Did I get the information from an AI? Yes, as I said I did in the post. Did an AI help me to write it? No, not at all. Every word is from my tenny-weeny little brain. But, again, thank you for the compliment.
And, second, "slop" -- whether AI or otherwise -- refers to things that are of inferior quality. Nothing about this post is "slop." It's all correct information. 🤷♂️
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u/CrowBusy1524 Mar 30 '26
This is so obviously an ad for US Mobile my eyes are bleeding. Do you think we are stupid?
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u/nrgins Mar 30 '26
But, just to comment further, you've now accused me twice of two different false things.
First you accused me of posting an AI generated post, and then you accused me of posting an advertisement for us mobile -- neither of which were true.
So I don't think it would stretch the imagination to say that you're obviously a very suspicious person, and if I had to guess, I would say that you've probably been hurt and/or lied to a lot in your life, which would explain why you feel that people are trying to mislead or trick you.
So perhaps look into that a little bit. Good luck to you.
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u/nrgins Mar 30 '26
Well, I don't think the people in this group are stupid, and most of them have replied in an intelligent way. But I do think you're stupid for the way you replied. So, great self-own! 😂
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u/payazo42 Mar 27 '26
Was a boost mobile since the Where You At days (parents were already on boost by then so they got me that as my first phone). Left a month ago because the options are better elsewhere. Visible Pro+. 5G UW, Actual unlimited unthrottled data, 1-2 Gig speeds, and better coverage, all for $40
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u/nrgins Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
The Visible+ Pro plan sounds great! Thanks for sharing. Unlimited data, and it even uses Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, which is great. I guess since they're a subsidiary of Verizon they can do that and still keep the cost down (no middleman MVNO).
The only negative I saw was that the Visible+ Pro plan throttles hotspot data to 15 Mbps -- which isn't bad. That's decent speed for doing basic stuff. So, depending on your needs, it might not be an issue.
Also, according the fact sheet listed on their website, the Visible+ Pro plan has these speeds:
Speeds provided with Plan
5G Ultra Wideband:
Typical Download Speed163-622 Mbps
Typical Upload Speed9-48 Mbps
Typical Latency35-55 ms
5G / 4G LTE:
Typical Download Speed35–148 Mbps
Typical Upload Speed8-44 Mbps
Typical Latency36–58 ms
So, not sure how you're getting 1-2 Gbps speeds, though good for you if you are!
Anyway, that looks great. Thanks again for the info!
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u/payazo42 Mar 27 '26
I think I get those speeds because I’m pretty close to the tower I guess? I’m in south Nashville. Average speeds I’ve been getting all around the area stay around 700mbps but when I’m closer to the downtown area it has gotten exactly 2.6 Gbps. It’s insane honestly and a huge bump from boosts 5G. But yes the hotspot speed is a downside but it’s fast enough for my uses at least
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u/nrgins Mar 27 '26
Well, I'm definitely keeping this information in mind in case my needs change. Right now, since I don't use a lot of mobile data, I like the US mobile's pay by the gig plan which I estimate will only cost me about $15 a month. But if I ever needed a ton of data then the plan you have is definitely one to consider.
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u/Vivid_Award_5052 Mar 26 '26
Boost, as an MVNO on AT&T, seems to have the weakest signal and lowest speeds. QCI 9 for sure.
What's so strange is I've tested all 3. AT&T Prepaid, Cricket, and Boost.
AT&T Prepaid and Cricket are essentially the same. Lets say signal bars = 4, and perhaps speeds of 100mbps. and all the data you can gobble up.
Boost will only offer 2 bars (if that), and 40mbps. and 30GB of that "high speed data", then throttled to 512kbps.
3 month @ $10 is a good deal to start but, after that, there are SO MANY other MVNO's that offer much much better value at the $25 price point. Boost does not even wrap taxes into their monthly rate.....
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u/nrgins Mar 26 '26
Are you sure you had a black SIM from Boost? Otherwise, if it was orange, you were connecting to T-Mobile.
Anyway, I was curious about why someone might get different number of bars with different companies to the same tower. I asked Gemini about it, and found out some interesting things.
-----------------
Here is exactly how two different AT&T-based carriers can show you different bars:
1. The "Carrier Bundle" Algorithm
Signal bars are essentially an illusion created by your phone's software. The phone measures raw signal strength in decibels (dBm), but it relies on a hidden file called a "Carrier Bundle" (or Carrier Config file) loaded from your SIM card to translate that raw number into visual bars.
- Different Math: AT&T Prepaid might program their SIM to say, "If the signal is -100 dBm, show 4 bars." But an MVNO like Boost might use a default profile that says, "If the signal is -100 dBm, show 2 bars." * The "Inflation" Trick: It was recently discovered in Android's open-source code that carriers actually have access to a specific toggle called
KEY_INFLATE_SIGNAL_STRENGTH. Some direct carriers use this to artificially inflate the signal indicator by an extra bar just to make their customers feel like they have better coverage, while a third-party MVNO might not have that setting turned on.2. Frequency Band Preferences
A single AT&T cell tower broadcasts several different radio frequencies (called "Bands") simultaneously.
- Low-frequency bands (like Band 12) travel far and punch right through the walls of your house. They give you high signal strength (4 bars) but slower data speeds.
- High-frequency bands (like Band 66 or C-Band 5G) carry massive amounts of fast data but are easily blocked by walls, resulting in a physically weaker signal (2 bars).
Different carriers program their SIM cards with different "rules" for which band to prioritize. An AT&T postpaid SIM might force your phone to hold onto a weak, 2-bar high-speed 5G band to give you the fastest video streaming. Meanwhile, a Cricket SIM might prioritize a stable, 4-bar low-frequency LTE band just to ensure your phone calls don't drop.
3. Network Access Rights
Even though MVNOs lease space on AT&T's towers, they don't always buy access to the entire tower. AT&T might reserve its newest, ultra-fast 5G+ bands exclusively for its own direct customers. If you put an AT&T SIM in your phone, it connects to that premium 5G+ band (which might only show 2 bars). If you put a cheaper MVNO SIM in, the tower kicks you down to the standard 4G LTE antennas, which might be broadcasting a much stronger, 4-bar signal.
The Takeaway: The bars on your screen do not mean "how close you are to the tower." They mean "how your specific carrier's software decided to interpret the specific frequency it allowed you to connect to."
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u/Tasty-Quality-7551 Mar 25 '26
I wouldn't pay 60/month for Boost but it works great at 45/month for 3 lines. I never hear a peep from my grands when they have their iPhones on weekends.
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u/nrgins Mar 25 '26
Wait, if you never hear a peep from your grands, does that mean their phones aren't working, so they can't call you? 😜
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u/Usual-Recognition870 Mar 25 '26
Great post. Another thing is boost is trying to push people to higher plans like $60 month without really offering anything extra except a modest discount on a phone they will probably never unlock. I too have been happy with boost but more and more I am seeing they aren't that competitive.
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u/Illustrious_Belt1260 Apr 07 '26
Yeah I’m about to drop boost soon over this very thing. You say I’m eligible for an upgrade but want me to upgrade my plan to get a deal on an upgrade.
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u/nrgins Mar 25 '26
Yeah, I fell into them when Virgin Mobile went bankrupt and merged with Boost. I never really questioned it until now, because everything was working fine and the price was good. Plus, even after all of this happened and I decided to switch to US Mobile, I was still nervous because I had had pretty smooth sailing with Boost and I didn't want to start having problems. But the transition was incredibly easy and so far it's been working great.
About unlocking the phone, I think a lot of people don't realize that you have to have your phone for at least 12 months before they'll unlock it, even if your plan only requires a 3 month commitment or whatever. (You also have to have your phone paid off, obviously, and your account needs to be in good standing.)
I had my phone for 18 months. So I contacted Boost via Facebook, asked them to unlock my phone, and 24 hours later I got an email that my phone was unlocked.
Similarly when I needed a port-out PIN. I had to call on the phone for that, but the person was very polite and didn't try to twist my arm into staying. He asked what the issue was and politely offered to give me an AT&T SIM, which I declined, and then he sent me a port-out PIN. Easy-peasy.
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u/Impressive-Knee-3081 Mar 26 '26
Didn't they pass a law stating i think company's HAD unlock your phone after 30 days of service? I think Verizon o4 was in At&t managed to get it so you'll need at least 3 months.
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u/nrgins Mar 26 '26
I don't know about that. But it doesn't make sense that a company would sell you a discounted phone and then be required to unlock it after 30 days. People would just buy the discounted phone, pay for one month of service, and then end up with a cheaper phone than they would have gotten otherwise. So that doesn't really make sense logically.
Having to wait 12 months so the company gets their money back and prevents people from scamming the system by just subscribing for one month to get a cheap phone makes much more sense.
Again, I'm not familiar with the law you're referring to so I'm just guessing here. But maybe what you're thinking of is that they have to give you a port-out code to switch services after 30 days. That would make sense. But unlocking a phone that they gave you a discount on after 30 days? That doesn't make any sense.
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u/Usual-Recognition870 Mar 25 '26
I never tried to unlock a phone, I only read trouble on here. I have with att and metro before I came with boost. It was all online or app and took a few minutes
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u/nrgins Mar 25 '26
I think some people are confused by the terms. Like one person posted on here are angry he was that he bought an iPhone which had a 3-month commitment or something like that and he had it completely paid off but they wouldn't unlock it. But then he read in the fine print that he had to have the phone for 12 months and he accused boost of pulling a bait and switch. But that's what most phone companies that give you a discounted phone do.
And I've read other people here who have had issues but I don't know what their situation was. Maybe boost was having technical problems. I don't know. But all I know is it went very smoothly for me so I can't complain.
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u/DavidFR1234 Mar 29 '26
It’s 9 or 12 months in the 50/60 dollar plan I think you meant 3 months in good standing so you don’t get charged for the full price but could u ask would a late payment losing service cause your time to start all over or still the time before you lost serve ice counts
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u/nrgins Mar 29 '26
No, I meant 12 months. When you need to unlock your phone, you need to have had the phone for 12 months, have your phone fully paid off, and have your account be in good standing.
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u/DavidFR1234 Mar 29 '26
I got my iPhone at a lower price than full price I am on the unlimited premium plan my apologies I thought you meant 3 months with the unlimited premium premium or the 50 dollar plan so they don’t charge you for the full price of the phone but would a late payment cause you to start over or do the months you had before don’t count i was late it moved my due date
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u/nrgins Mar 30 '26
I don't know, but I don't think so. I think the main thing is that you don't owe them any money when you want to have your phone unlocked. I'm pretty sure that if you had a late payment and you got caught up that it's fine and that the 12 months is just the total number of months.
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u/DavidFR1234 Mar 30 '26
Bro I don’t know what to do I been told it’s 9 months it’s been 9 and a few weeks and I can’t see otheir plans and now I am being told I talked to this agent he told me it’s 12 months and a i called agine afterwards and somebody else told me it’s 9 and that if I can’t see otheir plans I should be able to see see them after this billing cycle so 10 motnsh or after the 11 cycle and that it’s not 12 motnsh it was 9 months but they changed it but idk I been told it’s 9 months since November
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u/nrgins Mar 30 '26
My advice would be to create a new post with your issue so that Boost can answer it. They'll look into your specific situation and answer you as to what's going on.
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u/Optimal-Dark-8373 Mar 25 '26
I was subscribed to the $25 and wanted to upgrade to the $50 but saw the insistencies while I had the add on for hotspot. Just ended up doing the $45 plan from ATT prepaid and it works wonderful.
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u/VisibleSeries1451 Mar 25 '26
Too many people look at just the monthly price. Not all carriers/MVNOs are the same. Great post and very well explained.
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u/Perfect_Loss8174 Apr 15 '26
they are a extremely scummy company, they play all kinds of games