Manual network selection does not work anymore

[rem996]

Hello

After updating my Sony Xperia XA1 Dual (G3112) to Android 8, the manual network selection doesn't work anymore.

Well of course, the functionality is there and I can use it. However, I select a network manually and the smartphone looses the connectivity to that network for a minute or two, it kinda switches to automatic and chooses another availble network (roaming).

Anroid 7 which was installed before didn't have those problems. In the described scenario, the SIM card was simply disconnect until the manually configured network was back within reach.

Why was that changed? So where's the difference between automatic and manual network selection right now?

Please revert to the old behavior as this is what people expect when they select a network manually.

Thanks for your feedback and support

Remeus

[rem996]

Hello?

Sony? Absolutely no response at all? I am the only person on earth facing that issue? I assume all users living close to a border have the same problem after updating....

Would be at least great to know if this a software issue sony is aware of and if it will be fixed or not. If not I need to look somewhere else...

[Tom_V]

I have the same issue on Xperia Z5 Compact with Android 7.1.1. It started recently (~a month ago). I wrote to the Sony support and I got only a generic answer describing how to restart the phone or to change a SIM card. After my second mail where I explained the problem again and linked also this thread, so they could see that I am not the only one having the problem, they replied that such problem was not reported neither in my device nor in the Android OS and added the same generic answer again. Sony, are you serious? I just tried to report it to you! No wonder that it was not reported if there is no way how to do so. Anyway, I plan to buy a new dual-sim phone soon, so at least I have a few candidates less. Their issue cost me already a lot on unwanted data roaming costs. 

[rem996]

Would be good to get a statement fron Sony when they are going to fix this issue. I would really like to move to Oreo but without the manual network selection working properly, it is no option at all.

[Tom_V]

According to Sony support there is no issue like that, so they are probably not going to fix it at all. Does the manual selection work for you on Android 7? Because for me it does not, so maybe it has nothing to do with Android version but with some different patch that Sony applied recently also to older OS versions and phone models. Sometimes when I lost the signal of a French network, it immediately connects to a Swiss one although a manual selection is selected and sometimes it stays with no signal, searching for a manually selected network, for a few hours before it switches to a Swiss one. But sooner or later, it selects the network automatically. However, the "manual" option in the menu stays selected even after it switches.

[rem996]

Hi

After moving back to Android 7 it works perfectly - again. If I configure a SIM card - actually I have the Dual model with 2 SIM cards inside - manually to a network and if it looses coverage, it just stays disconnected until the coverage is back. Doesn't matter if it is 5 minutes or 24 hours.

The difference I see in the menus comparing Nougat and Oreo is that in Nougat I have a button to define the "search mode". If I use that, a Pop-Up opens and I can either choose automatic or manual. In Oreo that one's gone. It's more like the standard what I have seen in other Android smarphones. It only allows to to say Automatic or you say "Search networks" which should be the manual one.

Not sure if that Pop-Up option is a extra implementation by Sony or not....

[Tom_V]

Hello,

So that is a different issue. You only miss the button, but if you select a network manually, it should stay in that network. I agree that it is confusing if you can not check in which mode it is. But it is done in the same way also in other Android phones (e.g. Lenovo K6, also dual SIM) and once you select the network manually, it does not fall back to automatic and it keeps searching for that network even if there is no coverage. At least that is how Lenovo behaves, so I would expect the same behavior also with other phones.

[rem996]

Hello

I think we are in agreement. I just wanted to point out that the menu looks different comparing Android 7 Nougat and Android 8 Oreo on the Xperia XA1 - for whatever reason.

However, as long as the phone acts as it is intended to, that doesn't matter to me.

So the question is why it does not stay on manual although it is configured that way.

If Sony apparently is not able or willing to give an answer to that, I frankly don't know who will?

Kind Regards

[rem996]

Is there any update on this?

I am not sure if there has been published any update which solves that problem for Android Oreo yet?

Thanks, Regards

[duduche2]

Hello,
I am facing the same problem since the Oreo update on my XA1 dual sim.
As I live near the border my phone simply became unusable (unless paying huge roaming fee).

Sony simply refuse to understand the problem.

Remeus you said you went back to 7.0, where did you found the firmware ? as I am unable to find it myself and Sony refused to give it to me.

Thanks.