Peter GotschalkPublished 2022-03-29 - 11:25 am
It started with an email from a reader in Norway. He writes:
“I was early to buy one of the brand new Samsung phones, a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra with 512 GB storage. I chose to buy it even though it was an expensive phone, but then you expect great things.
Unfortunately, I found that the phone lost connection on the mobile network and those who tried to call me were told that I could not be reached as the subscriber had switched the phone off or was out of coverage.
The mobile’s display showed that I had signal and I could also call others. But while talking, I repeatedly lost the sound of the other party, while at the other end they heard “white noise” like the roar of a TV without signal. This could last for 10-15 seconds before the sound came back into the conversation , and after a while it would happen again and again.
After much troubleshooting I came to the conclusion that these problems occur when disabling 4G voice (VoLTE), or that the phone is out of 4G coverage, i.e. when using only the 3G/2G network.
On 10 March, I returned the phone to the dealer and they were to send me a new phone, which arrived on 15 March. Satisfied, I unpacked and set up the new phone, only to discover that it had exactly the same problems as the one I returned!
I also see on Samsung’s own forum that many others are experiencing the same problems – in several countries. It seems to me that Samsung has managed to produce a top of the range mobile phone that you can’t use to make calls on a normal GSM network.”
We have subsequently investigated the matter and have found that a large number of users are reporting identical or related problems with the new Samsung top model.
On Samsung’s European forum alone there is a thread titled “Problems with the GSM network on the Galaxy S22 Ultra” that so far fills over 30 pages with a total of more than 300 comments! A similar discussion can also be found on Reddit and in a German language version on Samsung’s own forum forum.
- User complaints include:
- They cannot be called by others even if they have full signal
- The sound disappears for 10-15 seconds at a time during calls
- It takes longer to connect to other phones when calling them with Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Getting a new SIM card does not help
- On the other hand, disabling 4G and 5G may solve the problem, but most users consider this a completely unacceptable workaround
- Other than the above suggestions, Samsung support has not provided any useful help
The first posts appeared three weeks ago, while the last posts are from today. At no point in the intervening period has Samsung commented on the problem – either on their discussion forum or elsewhere.
Sound & Vision therefore sent a few questions directly to Samsung in the Nordic region and to Samsung’s PR office on Monday. We asked:
- Is Samsung aware of this problem?
- What is the cause?
- What are you going to do about it?
This morning we received a call from a Samsung representative who wanted to be quoted for the following response:
“We are aware of the current situation with the GSM network that a small number of users have reported on their Galaxy S22 Ultra. Our customers’ experience is our top priority and we are working diligently to analyse and resolve this situation.”
So it seems that a solution is on the way, which must be said to be good news for all Galaxy S22 Ultra owners.
Comments
I am having this same problem. I took it to the repair shop and they replaced the motherboard and after 3 days in the shop it worked for 30 minutes and now it is back to not working on my t-mobile network. It only works on 5G and there isn’t a lot of 5G where I use my phone. Now I have to send it in. My wife has the same phone with no problems.
The biggest POS cellular I ever had, combined with crap Verizon service I am doomed. Was a month overseas and this phone will not work abroad as it is incapable to register other operators, I had to purchase a cheap cell in order to have service and google maps. Verizon and Samsung tech support exhausted all possible causes and still not working. back in the U.S. I lose connection all the time it is plain a big and dumb expensive cell , only the camera is better than my old S20 Ultra which performed very well. And yeah, it has… Read more »
same issue here and samsung not helping….. reported no fault with the phone and are sending it back. Ill give it one chance and if it doesnt work I will be demanding a new device or a refund and get another brand. Ive been with samsung since the Galaxy 2 and 4 note devices and if this how they treat their customers…well then…poor
I live in the west coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The LTE network connectivity is so bad with my S22 I had to change it to WCDMA/GSM .
In LTE I would drop call constantly. This day in age cellular connectivity should not be an issue in anywhere.
Same here in Italy, still no solution…
Here in Brazil my samsung s22 ultra has the same problem. I have already left the device at the technical assistance center twice. The first time they charged about 100 dollars and the second time they said there was no problem. Seriously, after this device I’m seriously thinking about abandoning Samsung. (Not counting a 75″ TV with 3 years of use that has the image smudged)
Same issue here and its come down to being the worst phone I have ever upgraded to… I have a new one coming in the mail to replace my current one but honestly id just like my money back so i can get a different phone.
Smae issue in israel Samsung denies that there is a malfunction, but the problem also repeats itself, including problems and disconnections in wifi, during a call it is not possible to connect to 4G / 5G
My new s22 ultra 512 on tmobile drips the mobile data connection randomly while traveling in verified countries
I have the same problem. Just came back from the repair shop after antenna replace and still the same problem. Israel.