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Comment by kstrauser | Hacker News Reader

I'd been happy with Verizon until recently when they blocked Private Relay. I'm starting the search again now.

Verizon is the only network that is reliable in my area. I've had great luck with visible, which is a spin-off on their network. Cheap as hell too - $25/mo for unlimited everything.

Whoa. I'll check into that.

Note that Visible is an MVNO subject to deprioritization. I’m on the lowest Verizon Unlimited plan which is subject to the same and my service is nigh unusable when my broadband internet goes out or I’m in a really large crowd (e.g. music festival)

Yes, adding in a second data point as well. Verizon directly is great in this one area nearby, but using Visible in that same area was painful for anything data related. Would show full signal bars with Visible, but actual data rates were throttled and/or strongly deprioritized.

You genuinely get what you pay for when you spend the extra dollars for the direct carrier relationship with AT&T and Verizon. All of the MVNO's as well as their own prepaid plans will not compare if the towers are busy.

I don't use Private Relay, but I do have Verizon. I just tried enabling it (with WiFi disabled, obviously) and had no issues. Do you have a source to back up your claim that Verizon blocks it?

Here's a screenshot of my Private Relay settings: https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0eaTQXkx0FGrIINRWsrF3wagg...

I'd like to be proven wrong, but that looks clear.

That's really strange. Are you on an old grandfathered plan of some sort? It has to be either that or a bug, because it's pretty clear that Verizon is not blocking Private Relay in any large scale manner.

I don't think so. We're switched to the Verizon Plan Unlimited a couple years ago.

As another data point, I do not see private relay being blocked using ATT.

Ah, looks like I had to change my cellular settings, per https://daringfireball.net/linked/2022/01/10/tmo-report-iclo... .

Does it change if you opt out of the “Verizon Custom Experience” program? Or turn off CPNI?

I have Verizon and I'm able to use private relay. Maybe it's because I bought an unlocked phone directly from Apple? Idk.

All Verizon phones are unlocked, but the lock status does not change whether or not they can manage the carrier settings that Apple exposes to them.

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