Since I rarely post much anymore, I thought I'd pass along a review I wrote after testing Visible wireless service recently. Visible is owned by Verizon, so they aren't technically a MVNO, but they are a discount, online-only, eSIM-centric, wireless service provider using the Verizon LTE and 5G networks (note that they do not use the older CDMA service, or permit roaming, as most Verizon MVNOs do). They also appear to use centralized gateways, one in the east and one in the west, so network latency is often higher than you'd see with postpaid service or typical Verizon MVNOs. So what's their pitch? Unlimited everything (including hotspot), for effectively $25/month including taxes and fees.
I’ve had Visible for the past 3 months alongside AT&T postpaid service, which I’ve had for years. The service itself works well most of the time, with a few caveats: deprioritization is real, roaming is not permitted, and latency is around 3 times higher than postpaid or other MVNOs. Streaming video works well, video conferencing works well, and most other things work well, but if the app or web site is latency-sensitive you may have usability issues even when deprioritization is not a factor. Most of the time, speed is acceptable to good, but the reliability of that speed can change from minute to minute or mile to mile if you’re traveling. However, the same is true to some degree with all cellular service. Voice calls and SMS text messages appeared to work as well as with any other service. I have a suspicion that some of the latency may be artificial, and also suspect that not all RF bands or channels may be available to Visible customers in all locations, but I haven’t researched this in detail so I can’t say for sure.
Visible is pretty committed to eSIM, but the system has pitfalls even on the eSIM-friendly iPhone. I ported 2 numbers to 2 different lines and lost service both times. In one case, Live Chat with Visible and a network settings reset on the phone was able to resolve it quickly; in the second case, it required an escalation and 2 days of pestering them to resolve, during which I had no Visible service. In both cases, a redownload of the eSIM parameters through the Visible app was required. Once you persevere and get things working, the service seems to be reasonably stable, but changing phones is likely to send you back into the eSIM provisioning jungle.
One other issue which I have encountered only rarely: if the phone is out of service range for a period of time, it will sometimes remain at “No Service” with no signal strength indication even when you return to a strong signal area. To rectify, you can toggle airplane mode or otherwise turn the eSIM off and back on again. I am unclear if the root cause of this issue is Visible or iOS, but I suspect the latter may play a role.
I found Visible’s Live Chat customer service (the only kind they offer) to be slightly above average in knowledge and helpfulness, but they are only first-level support and if the problem is more complex, there is no option to engage directly with more senior level folks. Support folks consistently appeared to have a good grasp of written English, and I never encountered the frustration that a language barrier sometimes presents.
If you need maximum reliability and speed, or you want to walk into a store with a problem and walk out with the problem fixed, you probably need postpaid service. However, for the Party Pay price of $25/month, it’s hard to beat Visible for value.
I’ve had Visible for the past 3 months alongside AT&T postpaid service, which I’ve had for years. The service itself works well most of the time, with a few caveats: deprioritization is real, roaming is not permitted, and latency is around 3 times higher than postpaid or other MVNOs. Streaming video works well, video conferencing works well, and most other things work well, but if the app or web site is latency-sensitive you may have usability issues even when deprioritization is not a factor. Most of the time, speed is acceptable to good, but the reliability of that speed can change from minute to minute or mile to mile if you’re traveling. However, the same is true to some degree with all cellular service. Voice calls and SMS text messages appeared to work as well as with any other service. I have a suspicion that some of the latency may be artificial, and also suspect that not all RF bands or channels may be available to Visible customers in all locations, but I haven’t researched this in detail so I can’t say for sure.
Visible is pretty committed to eSIM, but the system has pitfalls even on the eSIM-friendly iPhone. I ported 2 numbers to 2 different lines and lost service both times. In one case, Live Chat with Visible and a network settings reset on the phone was able to resolve it quickly; in the second case, it required an escalation and 2 days of pestering them to resolve, during which I had no Visible service. In both cases, a redownload of the eSIM parameters through the Visible app was required. Once you persevere and get things working, the service seems to be reasonably stable, but changing phones is likely to send you back into the eSIM provisioning jungle.
One other issue which I have encountered only rarely: if the phone is out of service range for a period of time, it will sometimes remain at “No Service” with no signal strength indication even when you return to a strong signal area. To rectify, you can toggle airplane mode or otherwise turn the eSIM off and back on again. I am unclear if the root cause of this issue is Visible or iOS, but I suspect the latter may play a role.
I found Visible’s Live Chat customer service (the only kind they offer) to be slightly above average in knowledge and helpfulness, but they are only first-level support and if the problem is more complex, there is no option to engage directly with more senior level folks. Support folks consistently appeared to have a good grasp of written English, and I never encountered the frustration that a language barrier sometimes presents.
If you need maximum reliability and speed, or you want to walk into a store with a problem and walk out with the problem fixed, you probably need postpaid service. However, for the Party Pay price of $25/month, it’s hard to beat Visible for value.
