Configuring GSM phones so that data aware Java applications like gMail, UC Browser and Opera Mini can connect to the Internet is a total disaster. Opera Mini is an amazing mobile browser that gives almost any phone iPhone like Internet capabilities. But many people have trouble getting it to work. They download it from mini.opera.com, it installs without error but when they try to run it they get the error "Failed to connect to the internet". The same thing often happens with the UC browser, gMail, Picomail, Google Maps, eBuddy Nimbuzz and other mobile Java applications. Because the user can surf the web with the phone's built in browser, they clearly have a connection to the web. So why doesn't the app work? Although it's natural to blame the app, in almost all cases, it's a setup issue caused by brain dead GPRS data configuration model.
Many mobile operators who are more than happy to sell you an "unlimited" data plan deliberately put roadblocks in the way of using 3rd party data aware applications to reduce data traffic on their networks. Even setting up unbranded, unlocked phones is a hassle. Phone manufacturers do a terrible job of documenting how to configure handsets so that Java applications can connect to the network. The terminology and menu options vary from one phone to the next even from the same manufacturer.
This post is an attempt to demystify the process by explaining the concepts and providing links to sources of operator and phone specific setup information. You won't find instructions on how to set up your phone here but I'll try to point out the best resources for finding the right settings for your phone and operator.
First of all you need a phone that can run Java, meaning that it has a Java runtime (JVM) installed in firmware. Most recent GSM phones have Java, but many CDMA carriers including Verizon, MetroPCS, Cricket and US Cellular in the US use Qualcomm's BREW application platform rather than Java. There's nothing technically wrong with BREW but its security model is completely hopeless when it comes to installing 3rd party applications. The only way to get BREW applications is to buy them from your carrier, there are no free BREW applications. My advice, if you want to be able to run free, state of the mobile applications like gMail and Opera Mini, is to avoid the BREW carriers. GSM phones from most operators, CDMA phones from Sprint and iDEN phones from Sprint/Nextel and Boost Mobile all support Java.
Unlike GSM phones Sprint and Boost Mobile CDMA and iDEN handsets don't require or allow any sort of user data configuration. Java applications usually just work on these phones. When Opera Mini or another Java app installs but won't connect on a CDMA or iDEN phone, it means that packet data is not provisioned on the carrier side. There's nothing the user can do except call and try to convince customer support to escalate the issue to a data specialist who can actually fix the problem.
GSM phones, in addition to requiring provisioning by the carrier to turn on data, have many data configuration settings that all have to be correct for data aware applications to work. Having a working browser is not an indication that data is set up correctly. Many built in mobile browsers connect to a WAP/GPRS access point or gateway that doesn't provide the direct socket or http connectivity that applications need.
Just about all GSM phones support multiple data profiles, each of which is a collection of settings which can be assigned to the built in browser, MMS or applications. Different phone manufacturers call these profiles by different names. Common ones are:
Nokia: Access Points
Samsung: Browser Profiles
Motorola: Data Sessions
LG and Sony Ericsson: Internet Profiles
Blackberry: TCP Settings
A data profile contains dozens of settings, most of them optional. The ones we need to be concerned with are:
Profile Name: A user selected unique name for the access point.
APN or Access Point Name: the hostname or IP address of a switch or server within the carrier's network which routes data between the mobile network and the Internet.
Bearer: The type of connection like CSD or GPRS.
Username: often but not always blank.
Password: blank if the username is blank.
WAP Gateway IP address and port: Required with some low end and older phones.
Some carriers also require data traffic to pass though a proxy server which has an address and a port.
Proxy Address: The IP address of a proxy server.
Proxy Port: The HTTP port used by the proxy server.
There must be a data profile assigned to your applications. How this is configured varies from phone to phone. There might be a menu option within the data profile setup called Packet Data Access Point or Default Access Point or the profile might nned to be set in an Application Manager's context menu or in an Options menu at the individual application level. Motorola's are unusual, Java applications will look for and use a data session named Java Session.
Your carrier or phone manufacturer may be able to push all the required settings to your phone. This is the easiest and usually the best way to configure your phone, if it's available. I recommend trying the carrier first as they should always have the most up to data settings. Check the support section of the carrier's web site, looking for "send settings to your phone" or something similar. The carrier may offer a choice of several different types of settings like WAP, MMS, Internet or GPRS Data. For applications you generally want Internet or GPRS Data if they are available and WAP as a last resort. When in doubt have all the settings sent.
A few phone manufacturers including Sony Ericsson and Motorola can also send settings for many different carriers.
Recent Nokia phones have a built in Settings Wizard containing settings for most operators. Instructions on using the settings wizard are at here.
Many times having the settings sent to your phone is all you need to get Opera Mini working. If it doesn't work with your carrier's settings try the manufacturer settings and vice versa. If Opera still can't connect don't give up. It's possible to enter the settings manually. here's how:
1) First you will need to find the right settings for your carrier and data plan. Usually they can be found on the carrier web site or by calling customer support. Many third party application vendors sites provide lists of settings for operators around the world. Some good ones include: Opera, eBuddy and Nav4All. It doesn't matter whether you are using the vendor's app or not, the settings are the same for any Java or native application. If you can't find your operator's settings anywhere else, try doing a Google search for "<Operator Country> GPRS Settings", i.e. MTN South Africa GPRS Settings.
For US users here are the current settings for the national GSM operators AT&T and T-Mobile:
AT&T:
APN or Access Point Name: wap.cingular
Bearer: GPRS.
Username: <leave blank>
Password: <leave blank>
WAP Gateway IP address: 66.209.11.61
Proxy Address: <not required>
Proxy Port: <not required>
T-Mobile USA:
APN or Access Point Name: wap.voicestream.com or epc.tmobile.com
Bearer: GPRS.
Username: <leave blank>
Password: <leave blank>
WAP Gateway IP address: 216.155.165.050
Proxy Address: <not required>
Proxy Port: <not required>
2) Once you have the settings, enter them on your phone manually. The process varies from phone model to phone model. The phone manual should have this information, but often it doesn't. eBuddy has step by step guides for setting up popular phone models.
Some mobile operator's sites including, AT&T, O2 and Sun Cellular also have good instructions for setting up many phones. These operator guides are helpful for figuring out the often arcane setup menus. Of course, if you are using instructions from an operator other than your own you need to substitute the actual setting values specific to your operator that you found in step 1 for the ones provided.
If you can't find setup instructions for your specific model try looking through the instructions for similar models from the same manufacturer to find one that has the same menu structure. For example all Nokia s40 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th edition phones have the same setup menus and are set up the same way. For obscure phone models you might have to resort to a Google search for "<phone make phone model> GPRS setup".
Note: If you have a Nokia S40 phone and your operator's settings specify a proxy IP and/or proxy port, manual set up may not work because Nokia stupidly does not provide any way to enter the proxy settings. If this applies to you try doing the setup without the proxy settings, as in some cases including AT&T and T-Mobile USA, the proxy isn't actually necessary.
If the proxy really is required, you must use the Nokia setup wizard, if it exists on your phone. or have the settings sent to the phone by your operator or phone manufacturer.
It is also possible to send the proxy settings to your phone yourself using Bluetooth. It's a somewhat complicated process and requires that your phone support Bluetooth and that you have a Bluetooth equipped computer or computer plus a second Bluetooth phone. The procedure is documented on the web at: Howard Forums, NXG and Mobilomania. I've never actually had to do this myself so you are on your own if you try this.
If you have tried everything and you still can't get it to work I recommend asking for help on one of the many mobile users forums like The Opera Mini Forum, Howard Forums, Mobiledia, Esato or country specific forums like Nairaland for Nigeria or Talk.ph in the Philippines. When using forums it's important to follow forum etiquette to avoid being "flamed". Before posting a help request, use the forum's search function to be sure your question hasn't already been answered. If you do post asking for help on a forum be sure to give as much information as possible including, make and model of phone, carrier, country, the name and price of your data plan and the exact text of any error messages.
You can also leave a comments on this post if you get stuck. I try to answer as many questions as possible. I'm not able to answer questions about settings for specific operators or phones as I do not have them. Comments asking for operator or phone settings will be ignored. You need to do your own research using the resources in this post.
Please don't ask me for "cheat" codes or other ways to enable free browsing. Comments asking how to browse for free will be deleted.
Last Updated: 15-Mar-2012 - fixed some link rot.
Or it could be an unsupported media type or bad URL.
it displayed java error...any solution???
Or just do a factory reset to delete everything.
But all the other sites are opening without any problem.
I have reinstall both the browser with update version. But problem not solved.
I have changed access point , and do virus scan but problem not solved.
But Facebook by using uc browser are working.
What can i do ??
Thank you.
Firstly i have taken backup of all my contacts,phone and setting.
Secondly i have done restore to factory settings.
Finally I have restore the backup and saved the internet setting.
After that when i start opera data is not receiving but nokia inbuilt brower is working well.Give me solution urgently.
Maybe im wrong but your above explanations seem to confirm what i suspected 4 a long time...that my setup is unusual. My phone is cdma but also uses brew (os) & j2me. Everything ive read, incl your above, make that sound like a contradiction?
Carrier is virgin mobile. Phone is vm510 (rumour touch), s/w ver 7. VM installs or allows ota of omini, but otherwise blocks 3rd party apps...that is until a long time ago, the simple trick around that block was discovered & instituted by many, i.e., "the APPS folder trick, which enable phone to accept many 3rd party apps, which of course made an otherwise mostly useless phone become a very useful one. But it is ONLY (i believe) some sort of strange conflict between om6 & my stuff, that is my main question & problem for a long time & no answers or even a reference to, have i so far (since early sept) been able to find anywhere! (except the symptom, of load hang, was someone else's question to you, re a different mini version, which led me here, to find your great blog that must be hugely helpful to many, but it appears to me that my "hang issue" is due to something different than anything u explained/described above).
I have posted quite a few times (in mini forum), this issue, but never has there been any answers or even responses. Also many forum & internet searches have never returned any pertinent hits or replies. Its really weird that...and weird the issue itself as well..
Simply put, i had been using om6 for approx 1 1/2 yrs, since it inception i believe. It was installed ota. I must have actively upgraded to it, cuz i got this phone approx aug. 2010 & i dont think 6 was even close to being avail yet. Im pretty sure phone came w/mini already installed or maybe i had to install, i dont remember anymore, but im guessing it wouldve then been some version of 5? Then, when 6 became avail., i was made aware & installed ota. It was great in my opinion! The cats meow! In fact i was so happy with it that later when i began getting upgrade msgs, i wasnt interested, i was happy w/6 & afraid of losing such a great working browser (and soon thereafter became even more important to me since my pc died for good & i couldnt replace for a long time, so phones' internet & browsing abilities became my "main squeeze". Since replaced pc but have no internet for it).
So i loved 6 & had no real problems w/it. I didnt even know about forum during the whole yr & a half. Then, in the 1st few days of sept., all of a sudden one day, out of the blue, for no apparent reason & w/no forewarning that im aware of, from anywhere...., i went to open my beloved mini6 & it would not load. It stopped at 80% (like your orig questioner stated) & refused to go past that point. It was the 1st time i had ever seen that sort of indication. I thought, of course, that it was network, et al, but before long i came to realize it was a permanent situation & nothing tried would correct it.
Let me also add, that when "next" was released, and when i learned it could be installed side by side, i tried it, but i guess at the time i just didnt "get it", so in the interest of dealing w/this phones' very limited memory, i deleted it & went back to 6. Then, when this issue started & i could find no fix, i decided in desperation, to reinstall "next" but it was no longer openly listed, so i had a hard time finding it but eventually i did & reinsstalled & have been using ever since. I also tried installing 4.4 & some modded version of 6 i found. They both installed & work, w/no problem.
The problem is this: i find "next" to be great, but not as stable & significant "connection problems", in comparison to what i remember w/6. And so i wanted to fix 6 so as to at least be able to choose or go back to, if "next" was too problematic for me. I then discovered the forum & signed up. I tried ever since, but can get no answers about this. NOTHING! Before this happened to me, i discovered bookmarks & saved pgs, so i had accumulated a sizable set of.. So i was very concerned about giving up on 6 & just sticking w/"next" or upping to latest 7, as i knew if i upped, it would wipe out my installed but nonworking 6 & likely wipe away any possib chance of ever recovering those bkmrks (i hadnt yet discovered "link", but now activated) & saved pgs. So i have kept the 6 installed, in case i find a way to get it to open again (and recover old bkmrks & saved pgs).
Ive since got "link" going & new bkmrks & new saved pgs & i maybe wud be better off staying w/next or upping to latest 7, but i 1)would like to know why this happened (the 6 issue), 2) if fixable? & if so, 3) have opportunity to maybe retrieve those bkmrks & saved pgs.
Also at 1 point i came under the most likely false idea, that if i tried intall anothr instance of official same v6, maybe it wud retain the lost data & fix the whole "issue", but then discoverd that 6, in any ver, had been "raptured", as in removd from any opera listings or 4 that matter from ANYWHERE else either! 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7 r there but no 6. Why? (even jad/jar sets are extremely scarce, plus very hard 4me2 deal w/anyway). Please help & thx.
Jeff
You *may* be able to fix it by re-installing the same version without without first deleting the corrupted one. You will be prompted if you want to replace the existing copy and if you want to keep the old version's data. Say yes to both prompts.
After reinstalling your old bookmarks and saved pages may still be there and usable. Or not. If they are gone there's nothing you can do to get them back. Now that you are using Opera Link you should always be able to get your bookmarks back if Opera gets corrupted again.
As for old versions of Opera Mini, they aren't that hard to find look here:
Updated: Download Old Opera Mini Java and BlackBerry Versions Here
and here:
BoostApps.com - Opera Mini Tag Archives
BTW, if you expect help here or on any forum, try to keep your questions direct and to the point.
bt its not working.
plzz help me..
It get's to about 80% and just completley stops!
I've tried turning it on and off, and taking the battery out, but it doesn't do anything.
If anyone can help? It would be amazing, i would love you forever!<3
Thankss
I've never tried it but this page claims they can send the setting to your phone for free: http://www.mannuforall.in/2008/04/free-gprs-settings-for-any-operator.html
If the java sessions where preinstalled, doing a factory reset may restore them (Warning: A factory restore will also delete your contacts, messages, photos and any apps or ring tones you have added)
The default java session that i deleted is already there when i first got the phone. Maybe recreating java session will not work. i wanna get help from you but you are limited to opera? I should go to motorola. but thanks.
Also try setting the Java Session as the default. Meny > Settings > Web Access > Web Sessions > select Java Session > Menu > Set As Default
but opera mini works
but not other java apps shows "connection failed" check internet settings.
so please help and guide to solve my problem.
Thank You for the support.