Verizon VISIBLE shows "must be in the USA for eSIM"

hardtimes

I am in the USA with a Pixel 9a! Can anyone help with this?

I downloaded the "Visible" app from the actual google play store, ran it and it accepted my login details that I had set up online with a PC and browser a few days back.

In the app, after turning on "Location" it thought for a while then came back with the "must be in the USA to install an eSIM"

Reading some threads here, this seems to have been an issue for a while.

Are there any actual GOS devs here that can help? We are out in the boonies and Verizon is our only option.

Thanks

derpz

hardtimes not one of the devs, but I had a problem with an app saying I was in an invalid location.

I switched network location in location settings to apple server and that seemed to fix it.

CrYpT999

I tried changing the network location to apple and it didn't work for me on GOS.
If you want to use Visible as home internet, IMO it is better to have a separate phone because you bypass the hotspot restrictions easier.
I have a Pixel 4a 5g rooted on stock OS with VPNHotspot app and an OpenWrt router that changes the TTL to 65 on all packets. If you need fullspeed on Visible hotspot, rooted is the only way to go because it changes the data interface from something like rmnet2 to rmnet1 which the carrier can detect. Just changing the TTL does not work on Verizon. Then on my main phone, data usage is pretty low without wifi so I go with a cheap capped plan. If I want to watch videos without wifi I just use offline media (yt-dlp or torrents). Streaming sites Netflix/YT still capped to 480p on basic plan, but using cloudflare warp free VPN on my computer it's like using normal internet no restrictions, I get 100 mbps down 5 mbps up.

hardtimes

CrYpT999 I have a Pixel 4a 5g rooted on stock OS

Thanks,
Using just 9a for hotspot is pretty much where I am at the moment. It sucks as I like the 9a and my other phone is a 4a and not the 5G model.

Might have to get a used 5G phone as the visible app seems picky about what it will accept.

CrYpT999

hardtimes Might have to get a used 5G phone as the visible app seems picky about what it will accept.

I believe the regular 4a is compatible with Visible but double check with your IMEI https://www.visible.com/shop/compatibility
On the basic plan, you don't get access to 5G UW so you can only connect to sub 3 GHz bands.
On 4G/LTE you get access to all the spectrum that Verizon has under 3 GHz. Even with the better plans, you probably don't have access to mid and upper bands in the boonies. The lower bands share their spectrum between LTE and 5G so there isn't much performance difference.
Verizon bands reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verizon_(wireless_service)#Radio_frequency_summary
My Pixel 4a 5G connects on LTE with carrier aggregation (connecting to multiple towers at once) which is how I get the high speeds. Once Verizon starts to convert their lower bands to exclusively 5G then having an LTE only phone would become a problem but I don't see that happening for a few years because there isn't much difference in the lower bands.

hardtimes

CrYpT999

Thanks, had already checked the 4a and it failed with a message like "a 5G phone is required ..." and they then tried to sell me one. :)

The local tower shows as LTE and given the boonies aspect, "V" probably is not in a rush to install 5G equipment.

I was going for the Visible max-$$$ plan (half the price of satellite) even though we only have LTE out here for now. Besides, Amazon have blocked 4K streaming as our stuff is not HDCP compliant. I tried replacing the HDMI cables with compliant ones but still got 4K blocked so 5G would not matter. You city folk get everything, we feed you and just get the scraps. LOL

I kick myself a little for not getting the 4a 5G at the time, but there was no /e/os ROM for it back then but there was for the 4G. Probably should have waited a few more months but my old Moto started acting weird and I needed a new phone. Ahhh, the joy of hindsight. :)

Might just buy a Moto with an eSIM and dedicate it to the home. It also means I can use it for other apps like solar stuff, camera and drone. I was reluctant to attach those to our phone number and Location with the old Moto.

CrYpT999

hardtimes By any chance did you check if the physical sim is compatible with the 4a? I checked with one of my older phones and the IMEI checker said that eSIM won't work but the physical sim would. My pSIM was pretty quick to ship.
All of the DRM and HDCP crap makes me feel zero remorse for piracy. My browser can't even play the DRM and I don't have the kernel modules for it. Most copyright material I play is much older TV shows and movies since I can't stomach any of the slop made in the last decade.

americanDude

I just switched to Visible and you can scan a QR code to setup the eSIM.

CrYpT999

americanDude Did you first activate on the stock OS? Lots of other people are having issues with first activating the eSIM on GOS because Visible gives us the "must be in USA" error. How were you able to get past the error or are you able to share more details? Thanks.

hardtimes

americanDude
Thanks, but too late: I am wary of QR codes as there is no way of knowing just what is going on. Pretty much throwing your hands in the air and saying "G and V "have at it, he phone is yours."

At least manually I can control bunch of stuff including finishing the install that G wants to add another many apps.

I went back to stock and tried to block G as much as possible. Still asking to download even more apps. If I can brig the eSIM over to GOS I will instantly put it back on. But, for now I will dedicate the 9a to streaming and keep using the 4a (never G) as before for everything else.

hardtimes

CrYpT999
I put stock AOSP back on and did it that way. All working and I can hotspot-stream fine.

How do I come back to GOSa and bring the eSIM to it?

Probably9857

hardtimes

Previously installed eSIMs are not deleted when you install GrapheneOS.

americanDude

hardtimes
I am honestly curious why you feel that scanning a QR code will give them complete control of your device