Pixel 6a - Poor signal. Replacement equipment exact same problem

[JDA33]

Got a Pixel 6a early December - noticed poor quality in calls. Other say I sound quiet fine, but everyone sounds very robotic / I have 400ms talking on a VOIP kinda quality. Contacted tech support - switched to old sim, reset network on my end, and Fidos, bunch of settings switched. Still at -100 to -115 dBm sim signal strength. Only thing that improves quality is if I switch to the 2g or 3g network as preference. Still is only -70 to -90 strength though. Safe modes doesnt change anything.

Fido ended up sending out a replacement thinking it was likely the phone. Got the new phone, set it up all. Exact same problem. I call - they say welp you can exchange and pay $10.00+HST for a differnet phone, since we don't have any promos currently. Or, you can have another Pixel 6a sent out in hope it works.

Figured I'd post to see if perhaps someone else has a similar problem - or if a solution can be thought of.

[KAPABLE-K · Accepted solution]

Hello @JDA33,

Sorry to hear you are having issues with your phone, as a Pixel user myself I skipped the Pixel 6 versions because it was plagued with call quality and audio problems even though it was actually Google's best selling device.

I just recently upgraded from a Pixel 5 to the Pixel 7 and can confirm the dBm ranges from -100 to -115 I was concerned for a long time regarding this so I did a couple of comparisons with a family member who has a Pixel 7 with Bell and it shows -115dBm I currently have a Pixel 3a with a Freedom SIM and it's at -100dBm even on a S21 it was the same -100 to -115 on Fido and Freedom was the same on a S21. 

There are so many variables that would contribute to the amount of noise in a signal from congestion to other signals, atmosphere conditions, walls of a building even appliances in your home that can weaken a signal.

What you can do is try using your SIM in another device and see if the call quality improves forget about the dBm readings for now just see if the clarity is fixed by using a different device.

[JDA33]

Thanks for the reply. I've swapped the sim into my old Galaxy and the call quality was a lot more clear. I've also changed back to my old sim card to see if anything changed with the pixel call quality but sadly nothing. I'm hoping through sheer luck the next 6a they send works but I'm not too optimistic.

[BobC83]

I'm not sure if this is a solution, but subsection F.4 of the Wireless Code says that Fido must suspend (not charge for) your service while your phone is under repair. It doesn't say anything else about switching devices (that I can find, I may have missed it), but I'd also refer to your provincial consumer protection laws that might say that Fido must warrant that a product is suitable for the particular purpose that they advertise it for.

So you might want to go back to Fido and say that they can either give you a working phone, or they can keep crediting your account each time you send your phone back for repair or replacement.

Another option is subsection G.4 of the Wireless Code, which gives you at least 15 days to decide to back out of the contract. You can argue that you haven't had 15 days to test the plan because you don't have a working phone.

[JDA33]

Appreciate all the info eh