# Phones for the senile
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 21, 2021, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413 "2021-04-21T00:28:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/1 "2021-04-21T00:28:57Z")
I used to be smart, but no more. It has taken me a couple weeks to set up a new phone and i’m not done yet. Is it a remnant of my unnoticed stroke, leftovers from Corvus-19, or an undiagnosed, but not especially early, case of Old Timers? Or is it normal for TPC to keep my phone number secret until the first time I add minutes? And sell me the phone without that information?
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/2 "2021-04-21T00:35:10Z")
Most smart phones will have the phone number in 2 places. Listed somewhere in the contacts and in the settings on the About page.
I think that is what you’re asking, I apologize if not.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/3 "2021-04-21T00:42:55Z")
That woould make sense, but not in this case.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/4 "2021-04-21T11:55:29Z")
Can you call someone and ask what their caller ID says?
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/5 "2021-04-21T18:15:22Z")
The phone may not have a number until it is activated.
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/6 "2021-04-21T21:05:30Z")
I’m pretty sure they don’t; it’s the SIM card that holds your credentials with the phone company, not the phone itself. That’s how you can get a new phone, and just swap the SIM card and be able to use it with your old phone number.
So I imagine putting minutes on it is akin to getting the SIM card registered or something (am unfamiliar with pre-paid phones).
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/7 "2021-04-21T21:26:05Z")
Prepaid phones can be troublesome. What\_Exit has gone over the two areas it should be in. Couple of things to go over. First, Is the SIM actually IN the phone? I know a couple of prepaid companies sell the SIM stand alone so you can put it in your phone yourself and it can get left in a bag/box. Two, what make/model of cell phone is it? That should tell us the Operating system (if smart) or more details if it’s a flip/candybar style phone.
One other thing can be if it is an old/used phone, it may or may not be compatible with the new carrier, although with this issue as well as no SIM in phone, you’d normally get an error message.
ETA - I haven’t seen TPC before, could you give us a link to their website so we can see if they have anything else to help you out?
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### Author:  [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/8 "2021-04-21T21:34:03Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#):
>
> I haven’t seen TPC before
I could be wrong, but I think that was just shorthand for “The Phone Company”.
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/9 "2021-04-21T21:36:07Z")
Could be, but then we still need to know which specific company/carrier is confusing dropzone. 🙂
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/10 "2021-04-21T22:03:48Z")
TPC is actually a modern meme as well as one taken from The President’s Analyst, a masterpiece of paranoia from 1967.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2NNZdigSXg)
1.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/11 "2021-04-21T22:12:15Z")
TracPhone
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/12 "2021-04-21T22:28:21Z")
A quick review on - [https://support.tracfone.com/expresshelp/getting-started](https://support.tracfone.com/expresshelp/getting-started) at least implies you get your phone number when you activate online (since they have a FAQ about the phone # you get during activation not matching the one on the phone). So if we’ve confirmed it’s a TCP compatible phone (1), unlocked [ only if purchased from another company/carrier, normally referred to as a BYOP (2), with the SIM already in (3), then yeah, make sure you activate it online following the steps.
> The programming information is forwarded by TracFone to the local wireless carrier to Activate your phone. You do not need to call any local wireless carriers to check on your Activation. Please refer all questions to TracFone’s Customer Care Center at 1-800-867-7183
This bit is likely why you don’t have a phone number yet, because they may not have selected a carrier yet and gotten an available number, but this is only an informed guess.
> TracFone is a mobile virtual network operator ([MVNO](https://www.reviews.org/mobile/best-mvno/)), which means that it doesn’t actually have its own cellular network. Instead, MVNOs lease bandwidth from existing networks to bring service to their customers.
>
> Tracone actually uses the bandwidth of all three major networks: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Which specific network you end up on depends on what kind of device you’re using. Either way, you should receive great coverage in most areas.
From [TracFone Review: Unique Low- and No-Data Plans | Reviews.org](https://www.reviews.org/mobile/tracfone-cell-phone-plans-review/)
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2021, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/13 "2021-04-22T01:17:58Z")
I’m afraid some of you forget that I’m an engineer and it’s my job to WRITE manuals, not READ them. Yeesh!
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2021, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/14 "2021-04-22T01:58:03Z")
I assumed it was just our duty as lesser ‘members’ to support our esteemed Charter Members. Hope it all works out for you though!
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2021, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/15 "2021-04-25T02:43:31Z")
Your sacrifice is appreciated. 😉
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2021, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/16 "2021-04-27T00:52:35Z")
I finally have a working phone and number. Now I need some phone numbers to dial.
“Mr zone, why don’t you dial up a friend to test it?”
“Sorry, but my friends are all too modern to use telephones.”
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2021, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/17 "2021-04-27T03:21:08Z")
Call people? Ugh, no thank you. I’ll text instead. Or email. Or skype. Or blizzard battlenet chat. Or discord chat. Or vent (ok, not that, we didn’t bring that back with classic.
I take it back, I don’t want to have conversation with most human beings anyway.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/18 "2021-10-11T00:02:26Z")
After all of that my nEw phone is missing.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2021, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/19 "2021-10-11T00:05:35Z")
Welcome back sir.
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### Author:  [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2021, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phones-for-the-senile/940413/20 "2021-10-11T01:56:37Z")
Sorry that it has gone sideways in all the troubles, let us know if you need help with yet another Tracphone. Although you should probably spare yourself the stress and frustration for some time.