Database Users

AT&T Galaxy Tab

I am on AT&T for the main reason that I travel frequently to Europe and Asia (Japan, Hong Kong) and it's the carrier who happens to have devices with 3G bands compatible nearly worldwide (Even though I don't like so much the price AT&T is costing me...)
So... really considering now to switch to the Galaxy tab and say good bye to my good old TP2 (heavily overclocked so still with a bit of life in it !)
I have a few questions
1. there are rumors here and there saying the Tab for AT&T wont have the front facing camera (And then some other places where it's listed as a spec of the AT&T tab). Anybody can confirm / infirm this ? (Would be really pissed to pay such a price for the device if it has been castrated)
2. AT&T is the last US carrier not to have announced a launch date for the tab... (Maybe it's willing to be a bit nice to Apple and its recently commercialized iPad, or maybe it's just an old and slow company...). Pure speculation: is there a chance we'll be able to switch the tab bands from T-Mobile like some have successfully done with other Samsung phones from the galaxy family ?
3. Another pure speculation: has Samsung actually disabled the hardware for voice calls on the US versions ? I hope his will be solved by flashing another firmware. Otherwise I'll just end up buying an international version (Which will be much more expensive...)

You can get the unlocked north american version which should be out by next week. It will cost you an arm and a leg but WILL work with the 850/1900 at&t 3g bands. Here are a few sites that have it:
http://www.mobilecityonline.com/wireless/store/productdetail.asp?productid=26929
or
http://negrielectronics.com/samsung-p1000-galaxy-tab-3g-850-1900-2100-oem-unlocked.html
Hope this helps.

Raspster said:
You can get the unlocked north american version which should be out by next week. It will cost you an arm and a leg but WILL work with the 850/1900 at&t 3g bands. Here are a few sites that have it:
http://www.mobilecityonline.com/wireless/store/productdetail.asp?productid=26929
or
http://negrielectronics.com/samsung-p1000-galaxy-tab-3g-850-1900-2100-oem-unlocked.html
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Yes these bands are AT&T ones. Though waiting a few more weeks should allow to get it directly from AT&T at a lower price...
The good news is, if the websites are correct about the specs, the front facing camera is there (And I doubt Samsung will make a different Tab)
Seem to imply the voice call work to (negrielectronics) but it could be a mistake or a trick (works only through skype...) or just simple taht we are talking about an overseas model with the right 3G bands

Alcibiade said:
Thanks. Yes these bands are AT&T ones. Though waiting a few more weeks should allow to get it directly from AT&T at a lower price...
The good news is, if the websites are correct about the specs, the front facing camera is there (And I doubt Samsung will make a different Tab)
Seem to imply the voice call work to (negrielectronics) but it could be a mistake or a trick (works only through skype...) or just simple taht we are talking about an overseas model with the right 3G bands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What concerns me are the comments that suggest US carriers will somehow restrict their service to GT so only data will work (no voice). So that raises the question for those of us who get the unlocked version - how do we get our Gt on to ATT or others? I guess I'm asking which ATT phone is it close enough to that I can acuire and swap the SIM card?

Alcibiade said:
Thanks. Yes these bands are AT&T ones. Though waiting a few more weeks should allow to get it directly from AT&T at a lower price...
The good news is, if the websites are correct about the specs, the front facing camera is there (And I doubt Samsung will make a different Tab)
Seem to imply the voice call work to (negrielectronics) but it could be a mistake or a trick (works only through skype...) or just simple taht we are talking about an overseas model with the right 3G bands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, from what I hear is the 850/1900 band version will be an unlocked north amaerican version which can work with rogers (Canada) and at&t for the US by just adding your SIM card in. It is unknow weather the at&t network will identify the galaxy tab and change your plan accordingly if that is even how it will work with at&t. I beleive they WILL have a different plan for data for this device as T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon are following this. Also, the at&t version WILL be a different model in appreance and features as this unlocked one will not. Probablly because at&t WILL remove the front camera and who knows what else (thanks to the iphone). That is why the samsung site has not put the at&t version on their site yet. really do hope it will be treated as a PDA phone thru at&t's network (for the unlocked version)

Raspster said:
You can get the unlocked north american version which should be out by next week. It will cost you an arm and a leg but WILL work with the 850/1900 at&t 3g bands. Here are a few sites that have it:
http://www.mobilecityonline.com/wireless/store/productdetail.asp?productid=26929
or
http://negrielectronics.com/samsung-p1000-galaxy-tab-3g-850-1900-2100-oem-unlocked.html
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just heard today from Negri electronic that this version of the tab will not be available until JANUARY ...so don't bother pre-ordering it.

clubtech said:
I just heard today from Negri electronic that this version of the tab will not be available until JANUARY ...so don't bother pre-ordering it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's funny as they told me last Friday that the warehouse in CA is expecting them on November 10th. Also, I work near the mobile city online store in NYC and stopped in there and they said this week they would have them. hmmm
UPDATE: Just sent a message to my contact @ Nergi. He said they just received the notice that this version of the tab will not be in till early 2011. You were right clubtech... Was hoping you were wrong.. lol That sucks!

Mmh all I have been reading so far sucks

Figured I would fire up this thread and bump it up as Bell is releasing the Galaxy Tab on November 12th. That will be our solution for the 850/1900 3G version I guess..? I sent a message to Nergi to see if they will have this version. I'll keep you posted.

I have my G-Tab now (Euro version with phone and data working great on AT&T in USA) Be glad to answer questions. General comment: I LOVE it! The form factor and wt are just right for me and it has all the features I miss on my iPad. Only criticism is that I find Android a bit less stable than IOS but that might be what Gingerbread or Honeycomb will address.

brucewilsonpa said:
I have my G-Tab now (Euro version with phone and data working great on AT&T in USA) Be glad to answer questions. General comment: I LOVE it! The form factor and wt are just right for me and it has all the features I miss on my iPad. Only criticism is that I find Android a bit less stable than IOS but that might be what Gingerbread or Honeycomb will address.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you getting good 3g coverage? I see your in PA... Close to me. I know the 1900 band does blanket this area to some degree but the 850 band is alot stronger. I think I may wait for a full 3g band with both 850/1900 bands. Seems like the bell version will be the answer to that. Glad to hear you love the device.

I read that the bell version can't make any phone calls fyi .
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App

Raspster said:
Are you getting good 3g coverage? I see your in PA... Close to me. I know the 1900 band does blanket this area to some degree but the 850 band is alot stronger. I think I may wait for a full 3g band with both 850/1900 bands. Seems like the bell version will be the answer to that. Glad to hear you love the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the 3g coverage is fine in the Reading area (better than my iphone, not sure why) I made decision to go for the Eur version when it became apparent the ATT version would be limited to data (no phone) and I couldn't get an answer on whether the "North American" version (with 850 UMTS) would arrive with phone capability OK. I saw a map of ATT 1900 coverage and saw that it takes care of at least 75% of the US, including virtuall all of the East, so I'm comfortable with my decision.

Raspster said:
Figured I would fire up this thread and bump it up as Bell is releasing the Galaxy Tab on November 12th. That will be our solution for the 850/1900 3G version I guess..? I sent a message to Nergi to see if they will have this version. I'll keep you posted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that's my hope. It's also probably a sign the AT&T one must be around the corner
I could not find out whether the Bell one would have call functions or not (That would be another great sign or opportunity)

clubtech said:
I read that the bell version can't make any phone calls fyi .
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it a confirmed information ?

Thanks for the info

Which Galaxy Tab???

Hey Guys,
I am thinking of buying a Galaxy Tab, but I am unsure of which carrier I want to go with.
I am from the UK, but living in the US. I do go back to the UK occasionally, so want something that works there - this would mean I would either need the T_Mobile or the AT&T versions.
However, I believe that AT&T and T-Mobile use different frequencies for their 3G signal here in the US, with AT&T being the only one that is the same as the UK/EU.
I was wanting to to with the T-Mobile version as I read somewhere that their speeds would be faster, but if 3G is not going to work in the UK, i'll pass on it. T-Mobile also had a subsidised version which is also an incentive.
So, do any of you guys know if the hardware radio has this frequency limitation or is it something to do with the software? I ask this because my AT&T blackberry was able to connect to T-Mobiles 3G network while I was over in the US last time so it is possible to havea radio that can connect to both.... Perhaps they did not do this though for cost savings....

Why don't u buy a Euro tab. There was a post stating he could use the Euro tab with both voice & data with AT&T sim. No hacking was needed

dh010447 said:
However, I believe that AT&T and T-Mobile use different frequencies for their 3G signal here in the US, with AT&T being the only one that is the same as the UK/EU.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't guarantee you that a TMo US Tab would work on UK 3G, but what I can say is that my TMo US G1 worked fine.
Regards,
Dave

[Q] Dubai Tab in the USA

Hello !!
I bought an unlocked Galaxy Tab in Dubai UAE and would like to use it in SF Bay Area.
My Tab's Supported bands are:
GSM&EDGE Band 850/900/1800/1900
3G Band 900/1900/2100​
I would like your advice / experience sharing with subscribing to the most suitable US wireless carrier for my tab.
Would ATT or Tmobile work?
Is 3G an attainable objective?
Which plans would you suggest? I am planning to use this device primarily for mobile web access, with occasional phone calls as well.
Thanks in advance for your kind feedback!
K
PS: pls note I spent several hours trying to find answer on this site as well as others before posting, my apologies however if this question was already asked and answered on this forum.

Hi,
on a recent trip the the US I purchased a prepaid SIM from AT&T for data usage only.
I wanted to get one that allowed me the option to make a phone call but didnt find any luck - all data/phone bundles are for postpaid and tie you to a 12/18 month contract....
Although I must say they were not very sure of what they were doing, I had to convince them that the same iPad packages would work on the Galaxy - keeping in mind that you would have to manually entr the APN settings..

kido007 said:
Would ATT or Tmobile work?
Is 3G an attainable objective?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't get 3G on TMo at all, since your Tab doesn't support AWS 1700/2100.
AT&T supports 3G on 850MHz and 1900MHz, so if you are in a region which uses 1900MHz you should be ok.
The bad news is that prepaid data deals on AT&T are very poor indeed and there don't seem to be an MVNOs that run on AT&T and offer decent amounts of data.
My advice, which is what I've actually done, would be to by a Virgin Mobile MiFi - for $40 a month you get 5GB data (it was unlimited, but that ends at the start of Feb). Virgin Mobile runs over Sprint (CDMA), but using the MiFi at least gives you a decent amount of data for a reasonable price - however, the MiFi will run you around $129.
Regards,
Dave

kido007 said:
My Tab's Supported bands are:
GSM&EDGE Band 850/900/1800/1900
3G Band 900/1900/2100[/INDENT]
I would like your advice / experience sharing with subscribing to the most suitable US wireless carrier for my tab.
Would ATT or Tmobile work?
Is 3G an attainable objective?
Which plans would you suggest? I am planning to use this device primarily for mobile web access, with occasional phone calls...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This tab will work on the at&t network and should go to 3g. Unlocked is a good start, but you will most likely need to flash Roto JME version 4, to get the phone dialer. You should also flash the bell i900 modem instead of the stock modem. You will need an at&t data plan. I don't know what their prices are. I have heard of people using an iphone plan.
There are several good step by step lessons. I saw one by member Queen Amy that is excellent.
Or you can avoid all this and use wifi only.

kido007 said:
Hello !!
I bought an unlocked Galaxy Tab in Dubai UAE and would like to use it in SF Bay Area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does your Galaxy Tab have the Market App? When I bought mine from Dubai, it didn't.
You might want to have a look at this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=818167 for details about how to enable it.

Thank you all!

[Q] How to use SIM from phone in tab 7.7

I have the SGNexus from verizon with LTE and the phone has a uSIM card in it. I just picked up the SGTab 7.7 last night but did not activate (bought outright).
So, I may wish to use the uSIM card in the tab but am aware that there are things the carriers look for to prevent this and I'd like to prevent them from screwing me. Again, I don't expect to do this much but would like the OPTION of doing so.
What do I need to do and not do to use the uSIM from my SGNexus in my SGTab 7.7?
Thanks,
Brian

So this is the VZW Tab 7.7? I was assuming they would bake the SIM into the tab to prevent exactly what you want to do, but I haven't actually seen one yet. In the P6800, there is a SIM slot along the same side as the microSD slot--does your tab have a SIM slot? If not, you won't be able to switch for sure. If there is a full-size SIM slot, you just need an adapter, which is easy to get or make (can probably get one for like $1 on ebay).
Also, I wouldn't expect VZW to allow your phone SIM to work on a tablet in any case. Even if you could put the SIM in, VZW will know from the IMEI that you are using a tablet and (I assume) force you to change plans or whatever.

teiglin said:
So this is the VZW Tab 7.7? I was assuming they would bake the SIM into the tab to prevent exactly what you want to do, but I haven't actually seen one yet. In the P6800, there is a SIM slot along the same side as the microSD slot--does your tab have a SIM slot? If not, you won't be able to switch for sure. If there is a full-size SIM slot, you just need an adapter, which is easy to get or make (can probably get one for like $1 on ebay).
Also, I wouldn't expect VZW to allow your phone SIM to work on a tablet in any case. Even if you could put the SIM in, VZW will know from the IMEI that you are using a tablet and (I assume) force you to change plans or whatever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At 5:10 of this silly unboxing video the SIM slot is in view.
http://www.androidauthority.com/verizon-samsung-galaxy-tab-7-7-lte-unboxing-59081/
I didn't think they would have an open SIM slot on the Verizon unit either, but maybe it has the capability of being unlocked?

burhanistan said:
At 5:10 of this silly unboxing video the SIM slot is in view.
http://www.androidauthority.com/verizon-samsung-galaxy-tab-7-7-lte-unboxing-59081/
I didn't think they would have an open SIM slot on the Verizon unit either, but maybe it has the capability of being unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. So yeah, OP: go get a SIM adapter, plug in your SIM, and see what Verizon says to you! Good luck.

Before I go that route I'd like to make sure I avoid anything that would give me away. I'm not sure that's possible but since there are a lot of smart folks on this board I'll wait a bit to give it a shot.
I think the thing I'd most likely use it for is in-car navigation on the longer trips. I have the Verizon SGNexus with LTE and I have the hotspot option so I could use it in that mode to drive the navigation on the tab so maybe swapping in the SIM wouldn't be that big a deal.
Still, it would be nice to have the option...
Brian

Raptor1956 said:
Before I go that route I'd like to make sure I avoid anything that would give me away. I'm not sure that's possible but since there are a lot of smart folks on this board I'll wait a bit to give it a shot.
I think the thing I'd most likely use it for is in-car navigation on the longer trips. I have the Verizon SGNexus with LTE and I have the hotspot option so I could use it in that mode to drive the navigation on the tab so maybe swapping in the SIM wouldn't be that big a deal.
Still, it would be nice to have the option...
Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not possible to hide the fact that you're using a tab 7.7 from Verizon unless you're willing to try to change your IMEI (and messing with /efs is pretty dangerous). I'm not saying it's totally impossible, but it'd be difficult at the very least. As you say, there are a lot of smart people here, so maybe someone will work out a way--but I wouldn't hold my breath. Still, no way to know if it'll work unless you try it.
Personally, I bought the wifi version because tethering to a phone is easy and a lot cheaper--save $100 at the start, plus no second data plan at absurd US carriers' prices. I think many of the people who bought the international 3G version were thinking the same as you--they can swap their phone SIM in if they want. However, the unlocked version identifies on the network just like any phone, unlike the Verzion version, which is locked down by Verizon and doesn't even ship with phone software.

I toyed with the idea of importing a wifi only version but decided I didn't want to lose the next door support if I have a problem so I went with Verizon and so far as I can tell they will only offer the LTE version. If putting my phone SIM in it is not going to work or work for long then it will be just a wifi only version albeit about $100 more expensive. I think I could reclaim some of the difference on resell though...
I really hope ICS is coming soon as I don't much like HC...
Brian

Forgive my ignorance guys but what is this verizon with LTE?
I am not in the U.S., for me the P6800 model works with a normal GSM SIM or 3G SIM out of the box.

temiatwork said:
Forgive my ignorance guys but what is this verizon with LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon is a US carrier that does not use GSM. The Verizon version of the GT7.7 has different hardware then the standard GT7.7 and it is unclear if you can just swap the Verizon LTE sim from one Verizon device to their GT7.7 and have full functionality.

Paten said:
Verizon is a US carrier that does not use GSM. The Verizon version of the GT7.7 has different hardware then the standard GT7.7 and it is unclear if you can just swap the Verizon LTE sim from one Verizon device to their GT7.7 and have full functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE is the reason why a simcard is utilized. I'm pretty certain that rest of the cdma/evd0 doesn't utilize the simcard

[Q] Galaxy S5 Active on T-Mobile

T-Mobile uses the 1700MHz and 2100MHz frequencies for 4G LTE data, and the Galaxy S5 Active supports 1700 and 2100, according to GSMArena.
1) Why then is the phone listed everywhere as "For AT&T"?
2) If I buy an S5 Active without a contract, how will data work on T-Mobile? 3G? 4G? 4G LTE?

dandv said:
how will data work on T-Mobile? 3G? 4G? 4G LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any given S5 model has the hardware capability to operate on all of the GSM and LTE bands. But Samsung can sell more phones, and carriers can deter you from jumping ship too readily by marketing lots of different S5 models that have various incompatibilities.
The S5 Active or SM-G870ADGEATT is a ruggedized variant, exclusive to ATT. So why is it said to be for ATT? Marketing.
As to compatibility with TMobile, assuming that you SIM unlock it, it can operate on most of the TMB bands. But again ATT has put a lot of thought into how to discourage you from moving to a different carrier. To wit, they have omitted support for TMB's 3G 1700 and LTE band 8.
You'd have to find out how widely TMB uses those bands to know if that would be a large impact on data use or not.
.

dandv said:
T-Mobile uses the 1700MHz and 2100MHz frequencies for 4G LTE data, and the Galaxy S5 Active supports 1700 and 2100, according to GSMArena.
1) Why then is the phone listed everywhere as "For AT&T"?
2) If I buy an S5 Active without a contract, how will data work on T-Mobile? 3G? 4G? 4G LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was a rumor posted 2 months ago on the Android Community that a T-Mobile version of the Galaxy S5 Active (model SM-G870T vs the AT&T model SM-G870A) would be out in late July. Here's a link.
http://androidcommunity.com/samsung-galaxy-s5-active-availability-leaks-out-20140529/
Obviously it's late July now and we haven't seen it but I'm wondering if AT&T got an exclusive on the Galaxy S5 Active for a few months and T-Mobile will release it after the exclusivity period expires.

fffft said:
Any given S5 model has the hardware capability to operate on all of the GSM and LTE bands. But Samsung can sell more phones, and carriers can deter you from jumping ship too readily by marketing lots of different S5 models that have various incompatibilities.
The S5 Active or SM-G870ADGEATT is a ruggedized variant, exclusive to ATT. So why is it said to be for ATT? Marketing.
As to compatibility with TMobile, assuming that you SIM unlock it, it can operate on most of the TMB bands. But again ATT has put a lot of thought into how to discourage you from moving to a different carrier. To wit, they have omitted support for TMB's 3G 1700 and LTE band 8.
You'd have to find out how widely TMB uses those bands to know if that would be a large impact on data use or not.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to dredge up an old topic, however you mentioned that the S5 active has the hardware capability to support all TMB bands, 1700 included, but then say "To wit, they have omitted support for TMB'S 3G 1700 and LTE band 8". Does this just mean the stock AT&T ROM is the only limiting factor? So, were I to flash the AT&T stock ROM and install a Tmobile ROM for example I could then utilize ALL of Tmobile ' 3G and LTE bands? (And wifi calling to boot).
Thanks

S5 Active is pretty limited on Tmobile network
"Sorry to dredge up an old topic, however you mentioned that the S5 active has the hardware capability to support all TMB bands, 1700 included, but then say "To wit, they have omitted support for TMB'S 3G 1700 and LTE band 8". Does this just mean the stock AT&T ROM is the only limiting factor? So, were I to flash the AT&T stock ROM and install a Tmobile ROM for example I could then utilize ALL of Tmobile ' 3G and LTE bands? (And wifi calling to boot).
Thanks"
I NEED to do something with my S5 Active to get it working better on Tmobile. I love the S5A... its a perfect phone for me. Not too big, but big enough. Rugged, waterproof, good camera, uSD card, etc. Without WiFi Calling and support for all of Tmo's freq & channels, its severely limiting.
I'd pay someone to help me convert my phone to Tmobiles stock S5 5.1.1 ROM and baseband radio firmware.
Help!
Jim

Also having the same problem with an unlocked S5 Active originally setup for AT&T. It uses the EDGE network only.
Has anyone successfully modified the phone to utilize the TMB 1700 band or the LTE band 8 as mentioned in this post? (either through ROM upgrade or other)?

I love the S5 Active, but using it with T-Mobile is such a hassle. I have the $30/mo. prepaid plan that includes unlimited text and data, so I'm not changing carriers anytime soon, but I have to buy new phones outright. When I bought this for myself last December, I saw it was compatible with T-Mobile so I pulled the trigger - a mistake in retrospect.
I'm from a large metro-area but T-Mobile's 4G signal is nearly impossible to get with this phone. Aside from never being able to connect to the internet when out of my apartment, sending/receiving MMS texts are a chore. I also discovered today that my android OS with this phone hasn't updated itself since I bought it - it's still running 4.4.2 and when I try to check for updates to Android through my device settings, it tells me AT&T has no new available updates at this time (there have in fact been 3 new updates AT&T released during this time).
So while I really love the phone, I'm going to have to sell it and look for a new device that's actually compatible with T-Mobile's network.

The Fix
I would go in the VPN settings and manually reset the ports and frequencies the phone reads and when it reads the T-Mobile sim card that it reads upon boot up.
Now, I'm running similar set up with Samsung Galaxy S4 & S5 (At&T variants), it seems like it works, have tried it on friend's S5 Active and it works perfectly.
The only problem is that you won't get to enjoy the freedom of wifi calling even though u have T-Mobile sim card and service, But at least u will be guaranteed to use T-Mobile 4G LTE speed and signals. Occassionally, T-Mobile will blackout or a region without T-Mobile and automatically the phone will roam with no charge and use AT&T signals for up to 15 minutes or depending to circumstances of the situation.
---------- Post added at 05:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------
ActiveS5 said:
I love the S5 Active, but using it with T-Mobile is such a hassle. I have the $30/mo. prepaid plan that includes unlimited text and data, so I'm not changing carriers anytime soon, but I have to buy new phones outright. When I bought this for myself last December, I saw it was compatible with T-Mobile so I pulled the trigger - a mistake in retrospect.
I'm from a large metro-area but T-Mobile's 4G signal is nearly impossible to get with this phone. Aside from never being able to connect to the internet when out of my apartment, sending/receiving MMS texts are a chore. I also discovered today that my android OS with this phone hasn't updated itself since I bought it - it's still running 4.4.2 and when I try to check for updates to Android through my device settings, it tells me AT&T has no new available updates at this time (there have in fact been 3 new updates AT&T released during this time).
So while I really love the phone, I'm going to have to sell it and look for a new device that's actually compatible with T-Mobile's network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To get the At&T updates, I would advise you to go to Ebay and buy a prepaid At&t sim card for the phone and use it temporarily just to update it all the up to 5.1 Android OS and your phone will be running up to date. (cost anywhere from $3.99 to $15.99)

rossionQ!va said:
I would go in the VPN settings and manually reset the ports and frequencies the phone reads and when it reads the T-Mobile sim card that it reads upon boot up.
Now, I'm running similar set up with Samsung Galaxy S4 & S5 (At&T variants), it seems like it works, have tried it on friend's S5 Active and it works perfectly.
The only problem is that you won't get to enjoy the freedom of wifi calling even though u have T-Mobile sim card and service, But at least u will be guaranteed to use T-Mobile 4G LTE speed and signals. Occassionally, T-Mobile will blackout or a region without T-Mobile and automatically the phone will roam with no charge and use AT&T signals for up to 15 minutes or depending to circumstances of the situation.
---------- Post added at 05:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------
To get the At&T updates, I would advise you to go to Ebay and buy a prepaid At&t sim card for the phone and use it temporarily just to update it all the up to 5.1 Android OS and your phone will be running up to date. (cost anywhere from $3.99 to $15.99)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the AT&T updates by going into a Best Buy where they have a Samsung Experience center, took about 10 minutes but they updated my phone. I'll have to look into the VPN settings and see if there's anything I can do, but after purchasing the phone online I did have the folks at a T-Mobile store set the phone up for me so I would've figured they would have set it up proper.

Thinking of going to TMobile
ActiveS5 said:
I got the AT&T updates by going into a Best Buy where they have a Samsung Experience center, took about 10 minutes but they updated my phone. I'll have to look into the VPN settings and see if there's anything I can do, but after purchasing the phone online I did have the folks at a T-Mobile store set the phone up for me so I would've figured they would have set it up proper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a S5 Active and I was considering making the jump to TMo, but I really would like the functionality of the wi-fi calling and text, since I work in a hospital and can get no reception or texts. Pardon me if this is a dumb question as I have no experience in jumping carriers with rooted phones, but would I get the features if I had the TMo sim, applied the TMo APN's, flashed a TMo stock or custom rom that has the features baked in? Would I just flash the 870a kernel to make it work? Anybody that has any ideas, I would love to hear them. Thanks

I'm on T-Mobile, would it be worth getting the S5 Active? I currently have the S4 Active.