How to Play MP3's on Tracfone Cell Phones

How to Use the MP3 Player on a Tracfone to Listen to Music

Many of Tracfone's newer prepaid cell phones have an mp3 player as one of the features. But for a lot of people, learning how to put the mp3's on the phone and play them, can be a challenge.

So we want to share a quick guide to loading mp3's on Tracfone cell phones, and then playing them.

Step One - What You Need to Play MP3's

4 GB Micro SD Card

First of all, you need to have a phone with an mp3 player. Most of Tracfone's newer phones, going back to the likes of the LG 500G, have an mp3 player.

If you go to the 'Menu' and there is a 'My Folder' or 'Music' tile, then you probably have a phone with an mp3 player. You can also check your phone on the Tracfone website and look at the specs list to see if it includes an mp3 player. (the LG 840G comes with an mp3 player, and a 2GB Micro SD card)

Once you have confirmed this, the next thing you need is a MicroSD card. If you already have one, usually 1GB-8GB, then you are all set. If you don't have a MicroSD card, they are very cheap, and can be purchased from any electronic stores, or check out Amazon's selection of MicroSD cards.

Step Two - Load the Micro SD card with MP3's

Time to put your favorite music or other files onto the MicroSD card. There are several ways to do this, but on of the easier ways is to simply put it into an SD adapter, and then plug that into your computer.

Next, find the MicroSD card on your computer and transfer the music files to the card.

If your music is not in mp3 format, use a program (there are lots of options, just search mp3 converter on Google!) to convert your files to mp3 format.

On a side note, there are some programs and even websites that will convert YouTube videos to mp3 files.

Step Three - Put the Card into the Phone

An LG 500G - Notice the Location of the Micro SD card behind
the battery, next to the SIM card

This step can be a little tricky, because the location of the Micro SD card on most Tracfone's is hard to get to.

To find where to put the Micro SD card, take the back cover off your phone, and then take the battery out. For most Tracfone's, the Micro SD card goes behind the battery, in a small metal holder. Push the metal holder one way or the other, and it should pop open, allowing you to slide the Micro SD into place. Return the battery and cover to their normal position.

Other Tracfone mobile phones have a Micro SD slot on the side or bottom of the phone, so look around on your phone to find the location.

Step Four - Finding and Playing your Music

Now all you need to do is go to your "Folder' or 'Music' on some phones, and select "Memory Card' or similar name, and all your mp3's should display in a list, ready for you to listen to!

Some Tracfone's are different, so if these steps don't work for you, try looking up specific directions for your phone, or leave a comment below with any questions.

Visit our Cell Phone Reviews page to learn about several newer phones from Tracfone that come with mp3 players, such as the LG 530G and Samsung S390G

Resources for Technical Questions about Tracfone

Got a Difficult Question about your Prepaid Phone from Tracfone?

With many of Tracfone's newer phones coming with features such as WiFi, the opportunity for challenging technical questions arises. With that in mind then, I want to share some resources for getting answers to questions about Tracfone cell phones and service.

Resources for getting answers

By far, the best way might be to just call the Tracfone customer help line.

While some people complain about Tracfone's customer service, for the majority of users, it works just fine. It might take 20 minutes and you might be talking with a non native English speaker, but they are working hard to improve their customer service rating.

To get the contact information for Tracfone, simply visit their website, Tracfone.com.

And, if you don't want to talk on the phone, submitting a question or complaint through their website's form is easy to do, and results in a response within a few days.

Other Options for Getting Your Questions Answered

Obviously, another option for when you might have a question about Tracfone is to simply ask it here on de9w2dsl. Either our small administrative team will get to it, or sometimes other readers have the answer as well.

Finally, another really good resource are the many cell phone forums that usually have a section specifically for Tracfone or general prepaid cell phone questions. One such forum, called HowardForums, has a large base of users who tend to be very helpful and informative.

So if you have a question, use one of these methods to get an answer! 

Visit our Cell Phone Reviews page, if you have questions about specific phones form Tracfone.

Top 3 Reasons Why People Use Tracfone

3 Reasons Why People Like Using Tracfone

A lot of people use Tracfone for a lot of different reasons. But what are the top three reasons why consumers use Tracfone, making it one of the fastest growing cell phone companies in America?

Many tech-savvy gadget heavy Americans wonder why anyone would want a prepaid cell phone with basic features and limited minutes. But apparently, there are a lot of consumers who are looking for just that, because of several key reasons. Below are the top three, with the biggest reason at the end.

3. Ease of Use

While the phones from Tracfone are not always simple and intuitive to use, it is very simple to buy a Tracfone, activate it and add minutes. In just an hour or two anyone can have a mobile phone with no further monetary obligations.

Although contract phones don't take very long to set up either, they do require a bit more ink.

Thus many people are choosing a prepaid carrier such as Tracfone, simply because it is easy to deal with, and there are no strings attached as far as keeping up with payments or upgrades.

2. Convenience 

Along the same lines of ease of use, Tracfones and other prepaid mobile phones tend to be very convenient in that when you need them, you can add minutes and they are ready to use. If you don't need it for a few months, then no need to waste money on it, you can just not buy any minutes for it.

This convenience of choosing when you want to have a cell phone is another significant reason for consumers picking Tracfone. However, the biggest reason is next.

1. Cost

By a large margin, consumers choose no contract prepaid cell phones like the ones from Tracfone because of the low cost and no fees.

With Tracfone, a family of four can each have a cell phone with minutes and service, for $30 a month with the Tracfone Family Value Plan (read our review of it to learn more!). Yes, that is $30 total, per month, or less than $1 a day for 4 phones!

Along with low cost minutes and service bundles, Tracfone also keeps the cost of phones very low, typically under $60 for their best phones like the LG 840G or Samsung S390G

What about people who need to use their phone a lot for talking or texting? Plenty of prepaid cell phone companies (but not Tracfone) offer monthly unlimited plans for less than what the major contract companies offer.

In a time when economic conditions have made many people more money-conscious, the low cost of prepaid cell phones is getting noticed.

Many people choose Tracfone for a variety of other reasons as well, perhaps as a back up or emergency phone, or just for a short time while they look into other mobile phone options.

So why do you use Tracfone? Leave a comment with your top 3 reasons for using Tracfone.

Samsung S390G Review - Tracfone

Review of the Samsung S390G Prepaid Cell Phone from Tracfone

The Samsung 390G is a qwerty keyboard prepaid mobile phone from Tracfone with WiFi, 2MP Camera and Triple Minutes for Life.

This phone easily competes with Tracfone's other top-of-the-line phones, such as the LG 530G, providing a number of great features.

However, with Tracfone's release of new Android Smartphones, which you can see more about on our cell phone reviews page, the Samsung is now a little outpaced by these new smartphones.

This review of the Samsung S390G will cover the key features for the phone, our likes and dislikes about it, and finally the overall rating as well as a buying guide for getting a good deal.

To get a better idea of how this phone stacks up, take a look at the list of features below.

Samsung S390G Features and Specs

• Triple Minutes for Life
• Full Qwerty Keyboard
• Mobile Web
• WiFi Capability
• 2 Mega Pixel Camera and Video Recorder
• MP3 Player (Compatible with up to a 32GB microSD)
• Hands Free Speaker
• Voice Command
• 2,000 Entry Phonebook
• Bluetooth Wireless Technology
• Battery and Wall Charger
• And many other common features such as Voicemail, Caller ID, Airtime Balance display, Auto Redial, and no activation or hidden fees

The battery life for the S390G is also a key feature, lasting 12.5 days on standby. With average use, the battery will last 4 to 7 days, which is outstanding for nearly any cell phone and especially good when compared to most smartphones which need charging every 12 to 48 hours! 

Now, time to look at some of the Likes and Dislikes for this phone from Samsung.

Likes and Dislikes for the Samsung S390G from Tracfone

The S390g from Tracfone

It is easy to start with the likes for this phone, because it has plenty of them:

Triple Minutes for Life is now pretty much standard on all of Tracfone's newer cell phone offerings but it is still a wonderful feature. For those who might not know, Triple Minutes for Life means that if you add a 60 minute card, you will get 180 total minutes.

The MP3 player with compatibility for a 32 GB MicroSD card means that you can put, and play, enough music to last you quite a while. Older phones from Tracfone could only handle 8 or 16 GB cards (which is still plenty of space), so this is a nice improvement. 

The best way to get music onto the Samsung S390G is to either connect the phone to your computer with a cable (which can be purchased from amazon) or take the MicroSD card out of the phone, and put it into the slot on your computer. Then, simply convert any songs you want to MP3 format, and transfer to the card. This phone uses a standard 3.5mm headphone jack for easy listening.

It is important to note that this phone does not come with a MicroSD card, so that must be purchased separately.

Several other great features for the S390G worth mentioning in this review are the 2MP Camera, Voice Command, and the Qwerty keyboard. While the cemera is nothing to write home about, it is quite adequate for taking pictures when no other cameras are around. Voice Command allows the user to make calls to contacts by saying "call (contacts name)". And the Qwerty keyboard is easy to use and get accustomed to.

Finally, one of our biggest likes for the S390G is the WiFi Capability. While it is not perfect and sometimes gives users more grief than it might be worth, it is amazing to be able to surf the web on a prepaid phone from Tracfone.

To be clear, when using WiFi (not Mobile Web) on the Samsung S390G, it is free and will not deduct minutes from you!While using the WiFi on the phone you can watch YouTube videos, check email, and surf the web all for free. 

The WiFi can be a little challenging to figure out, but like most electronic devices, there are plenty of guides online and if all else fails, give it to a teenager to figure it out.

Now, there a few Dislikes for this phone.

One of the most common dislikes for the S390G is that the WiFi is a little hard to use and set up. But, as mentioned above, it is very possible and makes for free web surfing from your Tracfone.

Another dislike for the phone is that some users have had problems with error messages showing up, or even the phone mistakenly dialing 911. If this or other serious problems are showing up on your phone, simply contact Tracfone and have them send you a replacement.

Our last dislike about this phone is that it is a relatively basic phone when compared to smartphones. If you might be thinking this is a smartphone and switching from a major contract carrier, you  might be a little disappointed with the limitations of this phone. However, if you are using an older Tracfone, this phone is a really great value for the money, and priced significantly below many other cell phone options on the market.

Overview of the Samsung S390G from Tracfone

This phone is a really good option when considering buying a Tracfone prepaid mobile phone. Determining whether to get this phone or not depends on what you are looking for in a phone. If you want WiFi, but don't want a touchscreen phone, this is one of the best options. (the LG840G is a touchscreen phone with WiFi from Tracfone and also a great option)

Our minor dislikes about this phone are easily overshadowed by the WiFi Capabilities, Triple Minutes for Life, and great battery life of the S 390G. 

The Samsung S390G typically retails in most stores for around $50. But great deals can be found on Amazon for sometimes as low as $30. View the Samsung S390G on Amazon to see more buying options.

Learn how to save even more money with our Review of Tracfone's Family Value Plan.