• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Whats the throttle speeds for metropcs after 35GB mark?

VasVadum

Lurker
Feb 9, 2018
5
0
When I was switching from Boost to Metro, the guy at the shop said that the throttle speeds aren't as bad as whats happening to me now, but my throttled speeds are so bad I can't even load web pages half the time. Every day between 2PM to 10PM almost, I get dialup or LESS speeds.

I paid for the unlimited 4G LTE plan, and he said fair use policy throttling kicks in after 35GB, but that it wouldn't be this bad. The throttling is so very bad that none of my apps even work during these times. No weather, no voice tool apps (Bixby/Google Assistant), almost nothing works on my phone. I can barely even load web pages or send messages, a tiny message the size of a sentence can take 30-120 seconds to send on telegram. Its horrible.

So I was hoping someone else might have input on the throttle speeds for MetroPCS, after you exceed 35GB. I'm disabled and stay home all day, so I use a lot of data watching netflix or google, browsing the web, playing games, whatever I can do to keep myself busy.

Unusual bit of info on my current issue, is that I had these speeds, long before I even reached the limit, so maybe its an issue with a tower. Which is why I've come to ask first before I go in to complain about it at the local Metro store and when I called in, they were literally no help at all, was like talking to some teenage kid at school that doesn't know anything.
 
That sounds more like tower congestion than anything else. My understanding is that 'deprioritization' - not outright throttling - starts at 35+ GB use. If your closest T-Mobile tower is very congested, your speeds can definitely slow. Since it's not an actual tower issue, they probably wouldn't do anything about it, but you can call customer service and tell them about it.
In contrast, my family is also on unlimited. My son used over 60 GB last month and was able to watch streaming video with no issues all month long.
 
  • Like
Reactions: horsecharles
Upvote 0
This is every day though, and its so bad I think its almost round the clock throttling of down to less than dialup speed. Its the worst speed I've ever had. My tether even keeps failing to stay connected.

I talked to them multiple times and they gave me vague dumb answers essentially saying they can't do anything.

In fact, I can't even load speedtest.net in my browser, it appears some kind of firewall blocks it.
 
Upvote 0
That sounds more like tower congestion than anything else. My understanding is that 'deprioritization' - not outright throttling - starts at 35+ GB use. If your closest T-Mobile tower is very congested, your speeds can definitely slow. Since it's not an actual tower issue, they probably wouldn't do anything about it, but you can call customer service and tell them about it.
In contrast, my family is also on unlimited. My son used over 60 GB last month and was able to watch streaming video with no issues all month long.
Me 3...NYC.
 
Upvote 0
This is every day though, and its so bad I think its almost round the clock throttling of down to less than dialup speed. Its the worst speed I've ever had. My tether even keeps failing to stay connected.

I talked to them multiple times and they gave me vague dumb answers essentially saying they can't do anything.

In fact, I can't even load speedtest.net in my browser, it appears some kind of firewall blocks it.
VV, you need to post as exact a geolocation as you can, building type, floor, phone model... Otherwise answers will be as helpful as shooting fish in a barrel.
For example, parts of Virginia suffer symptoms like yours... Basements and big office buildings particularly bad when i stray into Jersey... My different phones get different results too.
You might be better off porting to Project Fi.
 
Upvote 0
I'm no longer past the 35GB mark now and I'm still getting severe connection issues. Ridiculously bad connection out here in the country even though I got 4 of 5 bars of 4G LTE, and my phone is within 10 feet of my laptop so my connection to it is 4 of 4 bars.

Its so bad right now PDANet keeps throwing "reconnected" messages at me every 30-120 seconds or so, and my speed test shown dialup levels of speed with 0KB/s upload speed for 50% of the upload test.

This is so frustrating, I don't know what to do. I switched from Boost Mobile because Metro has far more signal out here where Boost, I can't even use my phone anywhere within 2 miles of my place except a 1 inch by one inch squared location in my room where I had to tape the phone down on top of a box of dominos on top of the mini fridge on top of a wash rag to raise it just enough to get that 1 bar of 4G LTE.

But now that I'm on Metro, my speeds are terrible. Except during certain portions of the day, and while I had just gotten the service the whole first 3 days were great when I used Mobile Hotspot not using PDANet.

-- As for "exact geolocation" yea no. I can say Northwest Arkansas, at least. But giving exact, no.

--- As for the rest;
House, one floor, Galaxy S8.

---- Last edit:
I checked out Fi, and no, its worse. They throttle you after 15GB usage and it'd cost more than my current plan does by quite a lot. Considering I use 60GB/m on a regular basis.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
UPDATE-

100GB monthly lately, zero issues NYC n nearby New Jersey.

Parts of Virginia the opposite-unusable... Especially the further inside buildings/outside main cities/during big events n tourist periods.

But with all the ongoing TMO upgrades there's light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to wait for the next batch of phones supporting LAA[b47], bands 6n7, aggregation, etc.
Those with LG V30 must really be rocking right now[S8 no, glad i held off buying].
 
Upvote 0
Actually I found out thats not my issue. It seems that I'm outside the tower's range. For some reason the signal still works on some days and at some times, but other times its totally useless regardless of the time of day/night. Like 2 days ago I had 0 ASU during a cloudy night, my signal was entirely unusable, but right now its at about 6 ASU, and its stable and fast around 30 ASU.

So its just me being at the very edge of their tower range thats the cause of my issues. Not sure what to do about it.
 
Upvote 0
Is there any chance MetroPCS would provide such or at least cover a portion of the costs to get something like this? Or do they just not care if people have working signal or not?
Complain vigorously to CS, and if they don't volunteer the transfer, request to speak to Retention.
Depending on how long you've been / how many lines / etc. they may offer the next month for free "to give you enough money to purchase that, or another phone with perhaps better signal".
 
Upvote 0
Well, being that the term, "unlimited 4G LTE Data" is being used to sell the service, but they purposely throttle your service, it would seem that this is false advertising and very much a possible lawsuit. I live within the towers range for my area, and most times have to try 4 or 5 times to load a page and have had this problem for years.
Question: If I decided to sue Metro PCS for False Advertising, how many of you are willing to join in?
I'M DONE ****IN AROUND.
 
Upvote 0
That sounds more like tower congestion than anything else. My understanding is that 'deprioritization' - not outright throttling - starts at 35+ GB use. If your closest T-Mobile tower is very congested, your speeds can definitely slow. Since it's not an actual tower issue, they probably wouldn't do anything about it, but you can call customer service and tell them about it.
In contrast, my family is also on unlimited. My son used over 60 GB last month and was able to watch streaming video with no issues all month long.

I'm no longer past the 35GB mark now and I'm still getting severe connection issues. Ridiculously bad connection out here in the country even though I got 4 of 5 bars of 4G LTE, and my phone is within 10 feet of my laptop so my connection to it is 4 of 4 bars.

Its so bad right now PDANet keeps throwing "reconnected" messages at me every 30-120 seconds or so, and my speed test shown dialup levels of speed with 0KB/s upload speed for 50% of the upload test.

This is so frustrating, I don't know what to do. I switched from Boost Mobile because Metro has far more signal out here where Boost, I can't even use my phone anywhere within 2 miles of my place except a 1 inch by one inch squared location in my room where I had to tape the phone down on top of a box of dominos on top of the mini fridge on top of a wash rag to raise it just enough to get that 1 bar of 4G LTE.

But now that I'm on Metro, my speeds are terrible. Except during certain portions of the day, and while I had just gotten the service the whole first 3 days were great when I used Mobile Hotspot not using PDANet.

-- As for "exact geolocation" yea no. I can say Northwest Arkansas, at least. But giving exact, no.

--- As for the rest;
House, one floor, Galaxy S8.

---- Last edit:
I checked out Fi, and no, its worse. They throttle you after 15GB usage and it'd cost more than my current plan does by quite a lot. Considering I use 60GB/m on a regular basis.
Its definitely tower congestion even if ur under 35 and ur metro but ur surrounded by tmobile users ,their transfer will be before urs Towers belong to tmobile ,metro is just piggybackingboff tmobile towers that's why u suffer under the 35 gig mark , amd u must live in a city right ? I live in the country evrybody uses cricket I use metro only time I'm screwed is around the 15th of the month I pass 35, I use about 80 gigs evry month
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones