Hi all, thank you so much for all the tips above!
I was able to get my Mudita Kompakt to (fully) work on Verizon network as a secondary device to my iPhone within ~20m and so thought I would share exactly how with the community.
1 - Go to your local Verizon store.
2 - Add a new/second line to your Verizon account and request a physical SIM.
(Note: the Verizon rep placed an already activated “Test SIM” in the phone and confirmed both the ability to place/receive calls and send/receive texts - I wouldn’t recommend skipping this step bc it provides skeptical staff with an immediate proof that it could work and then enrolls them into the process)
3 - Activate your new Verizon physical SIM card in a different device recognized by the carrier - not the Kompakt - and then put it in the Kompakt.
(Note: I did not have a different device recognized by the carrier that accepts physical SIM cards and so the rep just placed it into a demo phone they had on the wall and then transferred it into my phone).
4 - Manually input/confirm the network’s APN settings (the options are under Network & Internet - click your network provider).
Your carrier should be able to provide you with the details for those.
(Note 1: I was able to see these settings but nobody working in the store knew what these were or what the correct settings should be so and insisted that the Verizon SIM card automatically inputs these settings)
Note 2: I looked up the Verizon APN settings online post-visit and the recommended APN is vzwinternet with the APN type set to default,dun (these were both correctly set). I was not be able to manually edit fields like MMSC (which should be set for “http://mms.vtext.com/servlets/mms”) or MMS port (which should be set for 80). This may mean that the defaults are in place that “MMS (picture messaging) may not work, but calls and data should”. I tested sending a photo to my Kompakt from my iPhone via text and it worked so I don’t think this is / will be an issue. However, I sent a short video and was able to see a still preview but the Kompakt displayed the error “File type not supported” - unsure if this is normal behavior - Mudita? Anyone?
UPDATED NOTE: I have MuditaOS K 1.3.0 as MuditaOS K 1.4.0 is not showing yet available so this may be the reason why?
5 - Test placing/receiving cellular calls.
6 - Test sending/receiving individual texts.
(Note: everything worked immediately however, in order to receive texts, I had to restart my phone and wait ~1h back at home)
6 - Test sending/receiving group texts.
(Note: as the latest OS update was not available, I could not test this)
7 - Go to “Settings” > “Network and Internet” > “Mobile Network” > “Advanced” > Scroll down to “Wi-Fi Calling” and toggle it on. Connect to the Verizon in-store guest network and test/confirm Wi-Fi calling.
Lastly, I should mention that I provide the salesperson with a small gratuity envelope upfront for their “assistance with an unorthodox activation” and let them play with the device. This was not necessary but it didn’t hurt!
Other Notes from Mudita
-
We suggest using a physical SIM card instead of eSIM, as our users indicated less issues with US carriers.
-
We also recommend T-mobile, as it looks like it causes fewer issues for our users than other major US networks.
I’ll continue to keep the community posted if I run into any issues and please do the same!