Database Users

Using a droid 2 in Canada?

Hey all,
My buddy managed to get his hands on a Droid 2 while at the MAX conference this week. Unfortunately for him, we are in Canada. If I were to root his phone could I just use the Telus radio frequencies that I use for my milestone on it?
Thanks!

I forget which Canuckian carriers are which, but if you have a Milestone, then Telus would be GSM and the Droid 2 won't work at all. You'd need to use one of the CDMA-based carriers to even have a chance.
Next is provisioning...all the programming for your carrier. I am not sure if the current level of unlocked-ness allows for other carriers' provisioning or not...someone with more knowledge in that arena would have to chime in, but I am leaning toward no, as I have not seen any discussion about converting a D2 to work on Sprint, etc.
And even if that works, the carrier will determine how easy it is to get going. They may activate out of network ESNs with no fuss, or more likely they will not allow it, in which case you have to go more illegal routes, that IIRC are not even allowed to be discussed on here.

FWIW, I used a Droid Incredible in BC (Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler) this summer. Worked fine, for the most part. However, I have a Verizon account and paid for their Canada roaming and international data packages. So I did not work directly with any Canadian carrier. But at the basic technical level, the phone CAN work in Canada.
Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

Thanks guys ^^ I'll let my buddy know his phone is really just a android touch in Canada.

Hey all,
Instead of making a new thread, I figured I'd should just pull this one back since it's the same question.
I've been seeing talk about a droid 2 global. Is there now a way to make a droid 2 from the states work in canada?
Thanks

Verizon Moto G on Page Plus

As many of you are probably aware, Page Plus has better prices than Verizon prepaid and has the same coverage. Verizon forbids the activation of prepaid devices on Page Plus until they've been used on a prepaid account for six months. I just wanted to make a post to let everyone know that it IS possible to get a prepaid phone on Page Plus. You just have to use a dealer site that doesn't check the ESN. Two examples are www.exclusivecellular.com and www.remotesquad.com. I have used both to activate iPhones and prepaid phones, both of which are not possible to activate on the Page Plus website. The remotesquad one allows free ESN swaps as well as activations. If you have bought the Verizon Moto G, please try to activate it on Page Plus. I really want to know whether or not it'll work. I'm 99% sure it will, but who knows... Verizon might have a new trick up their sleeve. It won't cost anything to activate... In fact, all Page Plus accounts come with $2 free balance.

Nope

Lay295 said:
Nope
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no... I've been misleading people on reddit. I was so sure this would work. Have you tried calling Page Plus and asking them to activate it? Who knows... They might do it if you don't tell them what kind of phone it is. Also please try activating a page plus account using a different phone and then using remotesquad to swap your ESN to the Moto G. If you don't have another phone, just type a random 11 or 18 digit number. Should work.

I tried this on a motox and it didn't work . Unfortunately I don't think we will get to put PagePlus on them, Verizon is in the business for making money.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Verizon wasn't even activating the phone prior to today. Today was the actual release date. Has anyone tried today at all? If not i'll post my findings after I return from my purchase.

You can if you buy it at $199.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2604694

The phone won't activate on PP. Came back with the same error as posted previously.
Sent from my XT1028 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Same thing on Straight Talk BYOP. Nope.

This is a bummer. I was going to try to get my hands on a $100 Moto G for this reason. I'm a new PP dealer, and would like to try to get this working. Has anyone tried using a donor?

phonephixer said:
The phone won't activate on PP. Came back with the same error as posted previously.
Sent from my XT1028 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if you get the unlocked version will it work on PP just fine? I was gonna buy my mother in law one since he is on their network already.

lemonfugu said:
So if you get the unlocked version will it work on PP just fine? I was gonna buy my mother in law one since he is on their network already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What "unlocked version"? Is there a CDMA one? Where can you get it?

Has anyone made any progress with the G made for other carriers like Boost or U.S. Cellular? There should be fewer obstacles in getting one activated on Page Plus since they are not blocked by ESN the way the Verizon ones are

Is that really the case? I thought verizon won't activate any esn that isn't already listed in its system. Effectively the only option is doing what others are currently doing with the blocked 4g phones on page plus. That requires quite a bit of work in my opinion, and theoretically can be done just as well with the verizon moto g's that are currently blacklisted.

MrSmileyJr said:
Is that really the case? I thought verizon won't activate any esn that isn't already listed in its system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a Sprint iPhone on Page Plus. The only ESN's that are blocked by Page Plus are ones that are from prepaid phones or ones that were reported stolen

ADonovan said:
Has anyone made any progress with the G made for other carriers like Boost or U.S. Cellular? There should be fewer obstacles in getting one activated on Page Plus since they are not blocked by ESN the way the Verizon ones are
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADonovan said:
I had a Sprint iPhone on Page Plus. The only ESN's that are blocked by Page Plus are ones that are from prepaid phones or ones that were reported stolen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pageplus blocks all 4g phones too. If I understood correctly, the sprint iphones require you to jailbreak, and then pretend you're on sprint while roaming on verizon. This means that its not a simple thing to activate like with a verizon phone. Likewise, I don't know if this is possible with a non-sprint phone, nor if it is possible to get the moto g to do this type of trick either. see here: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1735603-sprint-phone-on-pageplus?p=14567637#post14567637
I would be glad to hear otherwise nevertheless

Boost Model works just fine flashed to Page Plus
Viper

Viper32 said:
Boost Model works just fine flashed to Page Plus
Viper
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you post instructions please? thanks!

Google Play Editon. Sorry for the late reply.

Page plus is CDMA. Unlocked version is GSM. Won't work.
Sent from my XT1028 using xda app-developers app

Yes it should!
lemonfugu said:
So if you get the unlocked version will it work on PP just fine? I was gonna buy my mother in law one since he is on their network already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes sir just make sure you buy a unlocked us gsm or unlocked international gsm for europe and asia.

Moto Maxx's own Forum Section

Help the Moto Maxx (XT1225) get it's own forum section!​
The Moto Maxx is the international variant of the Droid Turbo but differently from other phones variations, the Moto Maxx has many things that set it apart from the Turbo.
Connectivity is one, for example. The Turbo is CDMA based, since it's from Verizon and the MAXX is an International all-rounder. Don't even make me talk about the name, it doesn't even
look remotely the same. THEY ARE DIFFERENT and they deserve to be treated like so.
Reply and vote if you agree! Let's make this, fellow MAXX users.
-Jvov

If the moto maxx is an all rounder wouldn't that male the hardware exactly the same in the turbo? I take this as good news because I want to switch networks eventually.
Sent from my XT1254

Just the fact that one is a CDMA phone while the other is GSM is problematic. One is unlocked, the other is not. There will be different methods used in order to unlock the bootloader and root for each device. Some files will be ok to flash on one but death on the other and vice versa, read about the various bricks between the Find 7 and Find 7a if you want to learn how this happens. They do not have the same stock software payload and will require different roms which will get confused with one another and problems will happen because some people cant be bothered to follow simple instructions.
You can by the way make this request in the request thread up in general. I did.

The Moto Maxx XT1225 is just more dev-friendly than the Droid Turbo. It deserves its own section.

Jvov said:
Help the Moto Maxx (XT1225) get it's own forum section!​
The Moto Maxx is the international variant of the Droid Turbo but differently from other phones variations, the Moto Maxx has many things that set it apart from the Turbo.
Connectivity is one, for example. The Turbo is CDMA based, since it's from Verizon and the MAXX is an International all-rounder. Don't even make me talk about the name, it doesn't even
look remotely the same. THEY ARE DIFFERENT and they deserve to be treated like so.
Reply and vote if you agree! Let's make this, fellow MAXX users.
-Jvov
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't be easier to PM some forum moderator and ask for a different thread?.

There are many other phones that are carrier-exclusive that have their own section/forum.
Why not maxx/droid turbo?

I think new forum should be great

Jvov said:
Help the Moto Maxx (XT1225) get it's own forum section!​
The Moto Maxx is the international variant of the Droid Turbo but differently from other phones variations, the Moto Maxx has many things that set it apart from the Turbo.
Connectivity is one, for example. The Turbo is CDMA based, since it's from Verizon and the MAXX is an International all-rounder. Don't even make me talk about the name, it doesn't even
look remotely the same. THEY ARE DIFFERENT and they deserve to be treated like so.
Reply and vote if you agree! Let's make this, fellow MAXX users.
-Jvov
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
krabman said:
Just the fact that one is a CDMA phone while the other is GSM is problematic. One is unlocked, the other is not. There will be different methods used in order to unlock the bootloader and root for each device. Some files will be ok to flash on one but death on the other and vice versa, read about the various bricks between the Find 7 and Find 7a if you want to learn how this happens. They do not have the same stock software payload and will require different roms which will get confused with one another and problems will happen because some people cant be bothered to follow simple instructions.
You can by the way make this request in the request thread up in general. I did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who says that the Turbo is CDMA? I have a Verizon Turbo and use it in Germany with Vodafone GSM, G3, H+ and LTE without any problems.
Cheers

Lyson said:
Who says that the Turbo is CDMA? I have a Verizon Turbo and use it in Germany with Vodafone GSM, G3, H+ and LTE without any problems.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think they meant to say that is CDMA based, as well as Verizon network is, but Turbo still has support for GSM, and if the bands are correct, it can have LTE also in other places.

I believe we should get our own forum, but not right now.
We still share many things. We have so little content that many of our posts in the general section should be in the Q&A or at the Original Dev, but we don't produce that much content.
I'd rather have one or 2 sub forums here differentiating. the Original Dev, for example, should be split in 2, one for each.

Having at least a couple of sub-forums would help a lot finding and sharing content.
I still don't own a Moto Maxx but it will sure be my next device and I'll surely unlock its bootloader.

Lyson said:
Who says that the Turbo is CDMA? I have a Verizon Turbo and use it in Germany with Vodafone GSM, G3, H+ and LTE without any problems.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here in the states phone variants designed to run on CDMA networks are called CDMA phones, phones designed to run on GSM networks are called GSM phones. Nowadays of course the terms don't have the meaning they once did when a phone either was one or the other and did not possess broad multi frequency support but the terms still carry forward to denote variants built for either one network type or the other. In the states only on Verizon can you get full carrier support with the turbo, on any other network you will at times lose LTE depending on which carrier you use it on.
The importance here is that these phones will diverge in their development. Like it or not the vast majority of all Turbos sold will be used on the largest CDMA network in the world, Verizon, which is also the most intrusive and meddling carrier in the US and that alone means all these users will face problems particular to that network one of which is a locked bootloader. Whatever process sees that bootloader unlocked will be very different than simply going to Motorolas website as Maxx users will do. The recovery will be different, the roms will be different, etc.
As I said, you need only go to the Find 7 forums to see what happens when two every similar but different phones share the same forum. Users flash the wrong modems, the wrong recoveries, the wrong roms, the wrong frameworks, its a long list. In truth this could be overcome with ease simply by users employing common sense and reading before they act but the reality is many many people come to this site green and then flash without understanding that one little letter in a name can mean the phone isn't going to boot up. Then you get all the help me I bricked my phone, I'm in infinite boot loop, and so on posts. People usually find their way clear of whatever mistake they made but not all do, some learn the lesson the expensive way.
IMO its better to at least split the development sections and rename the sub forum something on the lines of Droid Turbo/Moto Maxx forum. There will be less problems and it's been done here before when this situation came up. I'm just an old man though and maybe overly cautious...

So theoretically speaking according the stats of the supported bands the droid turbo rooted and unlocked would be a better phone to have then the moto maxx?
It appears turbo has all the bands the maxx has AND more...
This being said, if the turbo gets its boot loader unlocked its a more versatile phone to own in terms of supported bands and network capabilities.
Sent from my XT1254

ccheww said:
So theoretically speaking according the stats of the supported bands the droid turbo rooted and unlocked would be a better phone to have then the moto maxx?
It appears turbo has all the bands the maxx has AND more...
This being said, if the turbo gets its boot loader unlocked its a more versatile phone to own in terms of supported bands and network capabilities.
Sent from my XT1254
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theoretically and In paper, yes, it would be a more reliable phone.

ccheww said:
So theoretically speaking according the stats of the supported bands the droid turbo rooted and unlocked would be a better phone to have then the moto maxx?
It appears turbo has all the bands the maxx has AND more...
This being said, if the turbo gets its boot loader unlocked its a more versatile phone to own in terms of supported bands and network capabilities.
Sent from my XT1254
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is (from the FCC filings) the Droid, LTE bands 2/3/4/7/13 and the Maxx, LTE bands 2/4/5/7/17 so not the same and not more. The 3G isn't significant because almost everywhere either one is going to work. This means neither is better for any one person, which one will be depends on which carrier you employ in your home area, not the hardware. I say this because almost no phone will have 100% coverage (if a carrier is using a freq your phone has it) for more than 1 or 2 networks in any given area. In the states for instance the Droid has this on Verizon but no where else and the Maxx has it on AT&T but not any other carrier. If you for example use either on Tmo you will sometimes be without LTE because TMO is not fully covered by either phone.
Once you have the best phone for the carrier of choice at home you usually have a choice of several carriers when abroad so you simply get a pre-paid sim on one that supports your phone the best or is cheapest depending on what you want. I usually just go cheap since 3G is fine for short periods when a good savings can be had on a pre-paid which often vary wildly in price depending on various sales and promotions.
I don't see one being better than the other in theory and with the hardware being a push and user needs dependent the differentiation that stands out is the bootloader. One can be unlocked now, one cannot. I don't consider the small bit of bloat on the Droid a factor since it can be easily gone around.

Check this out and request here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1660354&page=1645

Droid Razr for CDMA and international shared the same forum section and the development for both phones was fantastic. I think it was because they shared the page that the CDMA development was kept alive. No I don't think they should have separate forums, but that is my opinion.

Galaxo60 said:
Check this out and request here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1660354&page=1645
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks

+1 please

there will be forum when it gets released on att and tmobile.

Closest to Droid Turbo 2

What phone that is (unlocked) comes closest to the Droid turbo 2?

Moto X Force, it's the unlocked version of the Turbo 2, not sure if it works on Verizon though.

It does not, if it did id already have it i was under the impression at a verizon store that i would be able to bl unlock this phone. but that was clearly a "white lie" verizon stores.. they say anything.. now im stuck with this awesome yet annoying phone. I'm trying to find an android device comparable that is able to be bl unlocked and rooted.
I am going to have to try to sell this DT2

Moto X Force works on Verizon, just or "just" without CDMA and LTE band 13 support.

Zeljko1234 said:
Moto X Force works on Verizon, just or "just" without CDMA and LTE band 13 support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im sorry but without CDMA the phone won't work on verizon on top of that without band 13 support we wouldnt get LTE on top of that

jayman94fly said:
Im sorry but without CDMA the phone won't work on verizon on top of that without band 13 support we wouldnt get LTE on top of that
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Click to collapse
force doesnt work on verizon.

jayman94fly said:
It does not, if it did id already have it i was under the impression at a verizon store that i would be able to bl unlock this phone. but that was clearly a "white lie" verizon stores.. they say anything.. now im stuck with this awesome yet annoying phone. I'm trying to find an android device comparable that is able to be bl unlocked and rooted.
I am going to have to try to sell this DT2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our phones are carrier unlocked as required by law, that's the only detail I would expect a store to know. If I asked the guy who sold me mine if I could unlock the bootloader on it he probably would have looked at me like I had two heads. I wouldn't expect a sales person in a Verizon store to know that detail.

Well that's quite unfortunate dang

Verizon version - GSM Unlocked?

Has anyone tried to use the Verizon variant on a GSM network yet? We've gotten lucky in the past with other Verizon prepaid LTE phones working.

I don't think the XT1609 is GSM capable. It has no 3G UMTS bands enabled, though it does have the full range of GSM 2G/EDGE bands enabled.
So, pretty much unless you're in a VoLTE area, you might be out of luck for voice calls if it is unlocked. I'm not even sure if this phone does VoLTE anyway though.
Sent from my Moto G Play using XDA Labs

somebody has a moto g4 play to try the same method of moto e 2º generation ?? following the steps with Network app to get gsm capable in the phone.

moto g4 play verizon
i bought one moto g4 play verizon and their coming locked i need a imei code for unlock help me

kamelsouki said:
i bought one moto g4 play verizon and their coming locked i need a imei code for unlock help me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you try the "network" app and follow the same method than moto e 2° verizon?

best buy have them $64.99 at the moment hurry hurry someone please completely confirm if unlockable to work on gsm lol
http://www.android.gs/sim-unlock-verizon-moto-e-2015/
this is what you mean a possible unlock method?

mrw187 said:
best buy have them $64.99 at the moment hurry hurry someone please completely confirm if unlockable to work on gsm lol
http://www.android.gs/sim-unlock-verizon-moto-e-2015/
this is what you mean a possible unlock method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would probably be a waste of time and $. Someone already bought one in the other Verizon moto g4 play thread and returned it because it looked like a no go. And without unlocking the bootloader, how would you flash a custom or alternate ROM to use the bands needed for GSM (as mentioned above). That's if it's a firmware thing and not a hardware limitation. If we want an unlocked Moto G4 play, the only option looks like we're shelling out $100 to Amazon for the one with ads or $150 without ads.

ryanl2299 said:
It would probably be a waste of time and $. Someone already bought one in the other Verizon moto g4 play thread and returned it because it looked like a no go. And without unlocking the bootloader, how would you flash a custom or alternate ROM to use the bands needed for GSM (as mentioned above). That's if it's a firmware thing and not a hardware limitation. If we want an unlocked Moto G4 play, the only option looks like we're shelling out $100 to Amazon for the one with ads or $150 without ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please show me in the above link where there is any mention of a needed bootloader unlock or custom rom? stop spreading your negative bs without any factual backup other than your negative assumptions

mrw187 said:
best buy have them $64.99 at the moment hurry hurry someone please completely confirm if unlockable to work on gsm lol
http://www.android.gs/sim-unlock-verizon-moto-e-2015/
this is what you mean a possible unlock method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, i have 2 moto e 2º from verizon 4G LTE and it work completely in Movistar Mexico, but a relative bring a samsung j1 , from verizon too and it can´t be unlocked, the menu "network" is disable and if yiu try to run network app, it close..... so, i don´t know if all verizon 4G LTE can be unlocked to get gsm signal like the moto e 2 , samsung s4,etc.....

mrw187 said:
please show me in the above link where there is any mention of a needed bootloader unlock or custom rom? stop spreading your negative bs without any factual backup other than your negative assumptions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What link do you need, the link to the product page? Did you even research this phone one little bit before posting or was it a case of post now, think later? What network are you even looking to use this phone on? I'll tell you right now that several of the bands used for other networks are completely missing for this phone (can see this clear as day on any product or spec listing for this phone). Then there's the matter of this phone being carrier locked (it's not as simple as popping in a different sim anymore - Verizon changed their policy this year). People need to stop comparing this to the Moto e from last year because this clearly isn't. What else do you need to know?

ryanl2299 said:
It would probably be a waste of time and $. Someone already bought one in the other Verizon moto g4 play thread and returned it because it looked like a no go. And without unlocking the bootloader, how would you flash a custom or alternate ROM to use the bands needed for GSM (as mentioned above). That's if it's a firmware thing and not a hardware limitation. If we want an unlocked Moto G4 play, the only option looks like we're shelling out $100 to Amazon for the one with ads or $150 without ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDIT: NEVER MIND. I just realized you were saying they'd need to flash a rom to enable the GSM 2G bands the phone hardware IS capable of. I thought you were trying to say you could magically enable 3g/UMTS bands that it's NOT capable of with a rom lol. Disregard the parts below about enabling bands the hardware isn't capable of, that's my misunderstanding!!
Original post:
I don't know what you're smoking bro. It most certainly IS a hardware limitation. You can't just enable bands that the antenna isn't capable of. SOME devices, very rarely, have antennae capable of more bands than are enabled in the radio firmware(NOT the Rom) but those are very few and far between.
Simply put, you can't make a 1609 into a 1607 just by flashing a new radio. If you could, then hell... I'd make every one of my old phones work with all carriers by turning on the bands they don't already have. Sadly, this is not possible.
As I said earlier in the thread, it's capable of EDGE (2g), and some of the GSM LTE bands that CDMA carriers use for data, BUT you wouldn't be able to call/text over LTE and it would fall back to EDGE for voice and sms (so no simultaneous voice and data) if you got a carrier unlock code from Verizon, but most GSM carriers are phasing out EDGE for postpaid accounts so if it's not a prepaid SIM it likely wouldn't register to the network at all for voice calling.
tl;dr unlocking the XT1609 for use on GSM carriers would be a very painful and unpleasant experience on prepaid where calls would go to voicemail when you're using data, and the SIM wouldn't register at all on a contract/postpaid account.

what about international use? is it possibly just locked in usa unlocked international for roaming?

mrw187 said:
what about international use? is it possibly just locked in usa unlocked international for roaming?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid that you're misunderstanding the meaning of "locked" in this scenario. It's probably carrier locked to Verizon prepaid no matter where you take it, but that can be remedied very easily (it was brought to my attention last night in a different forum that there are now unlock codes for these on eBay for around $2.50, so buying an unlock code takes care of that problem). But the real issue is the bands that this phone is capable of using and what is available where you're going and what network you'll be using. I believe the bands Verizon uses are more prevalent over seas, but I'm sure you can find this out with a quick web search.

ryanl2299 said:
It would probably be a waste of time and $. Someone already bought one in the other Verizon moto g4 play thread and returned it because it looked like a no go. And without unlocking the bootloader, how would you flash a custom or alternate ROM to use the bands needed for GSM (as mentioned above). That's if it's a firmware thing and not a hardware limitation. If we want an unlocked Moto G4 play, the only option looks like we're shelling out $100 to Amazon for the one with ads or $150 without ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ryanl2299 said:
I'm afraid that you're misunderstanding the meaning of "locked" in this scenario. It's probably carrier locked to Verizon prepaid no matter where you take it, but that can be remedied very easily (it was brought to my attention last night in a different forum that there are now unlock codes for these on eBay for around $2.50, so buying an unlock code takes care of that problem). But the real issue is the bands that this phone is capable of using and what is available where you're going and what network you'll be using. I believe the bands Verizon uses are more prevalent over seas, but I'm sure you can find this out with a quick web search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. Need to find out what 3g bands get unlocked if any because according to gsmarena the 4g bands on this model are not applicable in my country and rolling 2g only is not worth it.

agentfusion said:
EDIT: NEVER MIND. I just realized you were saying they'd need to flash a rom to enable the GSM 2G bands the phone hardware IS capable of. I thought you were trying to say you could magically enable 3g/UMTS bands that it's NOT capable of with a rom lol. Disregard the parts below about enabling bands the hardware isn't capable of, that's my misunderstanding!!
Original post:
I don't know what you're smoking bro. It most certainly IS a hardware limitation. You can't just enable bands that the antenna isn't capable of. SOME devices, very rarely, have antennae capable of more bands than are enabled in the radio firmware(NOT the Rom) but those are very few and far between.
Simply put, you can't make a 1609 into a 1607 just by flashing a new radio. If you could, then hell... I'd make every one of my old phones work with all carriers by turning on the bands they don't already have. Sadly, this is not possible.
As I said earlier in the thread, it's capable of EDGE (2g), and some of the GSM LTE bands that CDMA carriers use for data, BUT you wouldn't be able to call/text over LTE and it would fall back to EDGE for voice and sms (so no simultaneous voice and data) if you got a carrier unlock code from Verizon, but most GSM carriers are phasing out EDGE for postpaid accounts so if it's not a prepaid SIM it likely wouldn't register to the network at all for voice calling.
tl;dr unlocking the XT1609 for use on GSM carriers would be a very painful and unpleasant experience on prepaid where calls would go to voicemail when you're using data, and the SIM wouldn't register at all on a contract/postpaid account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Part of me says that the disabled bands is a firmware thing rather than a hardware thing since it's much cheaper for moto to make "one phone" with different programming, but it's probably just wishful thinking on my part. Either way, I'm sure Verizon locked these phones down so we'll because of the whole moto e thing last year (hordes of zombies flocked to bestbuy to buy $10 Verizon branded phones only to use them on other networks). All it took was a couple of commands in abd from what I remember (there was an ultra long thread about it at the time). Probably pissed off Verizon and I hope they lost their shirts. I'm sure that these types of phones are subsidized in some way since the unbranded ones are almost always double or more in price (especially with verizon- they usually have cheaper phones but more expensive service - great way to hook you).
And I know exactly what you're talking about with using this in stock form on gsm carriers. If you're in need of a laugh, go check out the thread for Verizon moto g4 play over on slickdeals. There was one poster who got this phone unlocked (via eBay) and was going to try to use this for VOIP with Google voice or something (data only I suppose) since he claimed to have excellent LTE in his region. I believe that he's in for an underwhelming experience and constant missed/dropped calls. I guess it might work if you stand in one spot all day. To each his own. Some people would do just about anything to save a few bucks. Here's a link and their username was TheLao :http://slickdeals.net/f/9195543-16g...ipping-free-store-pickup-best-buy-ebay?page=7

Just got off live chat with motorola with 2 different csrs neither knew anything outside of public info on what bands the xt1609 has or it truely has no 3g gsm bands.
may have to wait until someone who physically has this and can confirm what bands it has once unlocked? i tried searching for an app on store that can tell you available bands on the device but gave up after about 4-5 apps.

ryanl2299 said:
Part of me says that the disabled bands is a firmware thing rather than a hardware thing since it's much cheaper for moto to make "one phone" with different programming, but it's probably just wishful thinking on my part. Either way, I'm sure Verizon locked these phones down so we'll because of the whole moto e thing last year (hordes of zombies flocked to bestbuy to buy $10 Verizon branded phones only to use them on other networks). All it took was a couple of commands in abd from what I remember (there was an ultra long thread about it at the time). Probably pissed off Verizon and I hope they lost their shirts. I'm sure that these types of phones are subsidized in some way since the unbranded ones are almost always double or more in price (especially with verizon- they usually have cheaper phones but more expensive service - great way to hook you).
And I know exactly what you're talking about with using this in stock form on gsm carriers. If you're in need of a laugh, go check out the thread for Verizon moto g4 play over on slickdeals. There was one poster who got this phone unlocked (via eBay) and was going to try to use this for VOIP with Google voice or something (data only I suppose) since he claimed to have excellent LTE in his region. I believe that he's in for an underwhelming experience and constant missed/dropped calls. I guess it might work if you stand in one spot all day. To each his own. Some people would do just about anything to save a few bucks. Here's a link and their username was TheLao :http://slickdeals.net/f/9195543-16g...ipping-free-store-pickup-best-buy-ebay?page=7
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I'm sure in some phones it is probably just a firmware thing. I remember some of the early Kindle fire models that were on the low end were really underclocked high end models with a smaller NAND. If you rooted them and flashed a new kernel, you could enable Bluetooth and set the clock speed up to match the higher end model and all you'd be missing is some storage. In the case of the Moto g4 play, though, it's probably cheaper to just leave out the physical antenna hardware for non VZW bands than disabling them via firmware. That's likely just a matter of dropping a step from the assembly process, so it wouldn't cost them any extra... Might even save a few pennies per run. But I'd imagine on high end flagship devices where it's a different model for every carrier, it's just a firmware thing. That's probably the REAL reason some phones have locked bootloaders. Like the LG G4, the only one with bootloader unlock is the international version with all bands enabled. I bet if I COULD unlock the bootloader on my sprint LG G4, I could turn it into a GSM phone.
And LOLOLOL about that link. Dude is going to hate life. When my LG G4 was in for repair and the Moto G4 Play hadn't shipped yet, I was using a LG G Pad F7 LTE tablet with Google voice, using hangouts and hangouts dialer for sms and voice. Missed calls SO many times because it would take too long to start ringing on my end, and I'm in one of the major US markets so LTE coverage is literally everywhere.

Welp, TIFU. I bought two of the Moto g4 play at walmart... got home and found out that Verizon locks 4g phones again. Paid for an unlock, found the phone doesn't allow connecting to GSM networks, but that is because even with a GSM sim in the phone it still only connects to Verizon. With my t-mobile sim in the phone, I make a call and get the "your call is being transfered to a representative who will take your credit card info to complete this call". Leave it to verizon to only allow the phone to connect to their network even after you unlock it...

Xt1609 doesn't have connection of gsm or 2g
Hi! I bought a "Moto 4G play" of Veirzon USA (XT1609). Unfortunately, My network operator in Mexico (Telcel) hasn't compatible with the VoLTE.
The cellphone doesn't have connection of GSM or 2G only LTE 4G. I did unlocked it and use everything, photo, video, WhatsApp. The cellphone recognize my SIM Card and network carrier, but I can't make, or receive, calls.

Shrraga said:
Welp, TIFU. I bought two of the Moto g4 play at walmart... got home and found out that Verizon locks 4g phones again. Paid for an unlock, found the phone doesn't allow connecting to GSM networks, but that is because even with a GSM sim in the phone it still only connects to Verizon. With my t-mobile sim in the phone, I make a call and get the "your call is being transfered to a representative who will take your credit card info to complete this call". Leave it to verizon to only allow the phone to connect to their network even after you unlock it...
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Well, that's what the Moto E 2nd gen did out of the box as well, they removed the setting to swap CDMA/GSM in the menu, but the folks over in that part of the forum figured out that using the app "Network" from the play store, and a sequence of turning on/off airplane mode, they were able to switch it from CDMA to GSM and make it stick. Otherwise, it would keep trying to connect to Verizon just like you describe.
So it doesn't mean anything that you didn't get it to work immediately after unlocking. You probably have to force it off CDMA in a similar fashion. Bigger issue is whether or not the phone will be able to actually access the appropriate bands you'd need, whether because the hardware doesn't support it or because it is disabled in firmware. We don't really know for sure yet. But if you've come this far and have a penchant for torture but don't want to give up until you know for certain, give it a try!