Database Users

Advice on purchasing an S4?

I was fully prepared to dive in and upgrade my Atrix 4G to a Samsung S4, when I discovered the problems with MF3 and the locked bootloader. At this point, any new phone I buy is guaranteed to have the update of doom.
I would drop AT&T in a heartbeat, but Sprint's network is crap, and I hear a lot of complaints about T-Mobile's coverage around me as well.
So unless there's something I'm not considering, it's AT&T or nothing right now.
So here's my dilemma - do I get the S4 and gamble that the bootloader will be unlocked sometime in the near future, or do I avoid it like the plague and continue with my Atrix 4G?
I'd appreciate any advice, especially if there are options I'm not aware of. I'm in the northeast and travel to the NYC area often.

Maybe switch to AT&T's no contract $60 talk/text/2gb plan and wait for the nexus 5. You'd be on the better carrier, off contract with an unlocked phone.

Personally since I like to flash I would avoid and just pick up a gently used one from Craigslist or Swappa that you can still loki.
Or pay a little bit more and buy an international variant with unlocked bootloader.

Haphim said:
prepared to upgrade to a Samsung S4, when I discovered the problems with MF3 and the locked bootloader. At this point, any new phone I buy is guaranteed to have the update of doom...cut... So here's my dilemma - do I get the S4 and gamble that the bootloader will be unlocked sometime in the near future, or do I avoid it like the plague and continue with my Atrix 4G? I'd appreciate any advice, especially if there are options I'm not aware of. I'm in the northeast and travel to the NYC area often.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, I don't think its necessarily guaranteed that you can only find or get an MF3 version.
- If you want the S4, it's worth going to a few stores and stating that you want to buy an S4, but only if it still has the older UCUAMDL -or earlier; anyway NOT the UCUAMF3. They (you) can check by looking on the sticker on the box -it has both serial number and the rom version.
- For a while the red versions of the S4 were selling slowing, so that's an option to look for.
- Also check dealers that are lower in volume like Radio Shack or Walmart/target store to see if they have a box. You could check Best Buy and even the ATT store.
Second, remember, there is nothing wrong with asking --I bought without asking, but went back just for the heck of it (Costco) and asked if they had any -most were MF3, they looked without giving me any grief. I think they might have still had one MDL, but that was a couple of weeks or more ago.
Even AT&T people won't give you grief about asking. When I went in to compare their stock S4 and my Shostock 2.1 (now 2.2) S4, the staff could care less about having a custom rom and rooted. . . so go ahead and ask!
Third: I would not recommend buying right now with the expectation of getting a new exploit shortly.
- It may happen, but this seems like a tough bootloader to crack. Also, it is getting harder and harder to create exploits period. So, it could be found this afternoon, but in general any new S4 exploit will arrive later and later.
- You really will be frustrated if you buy with the intent to customize the rom and can't.
Fourth: it may be small consolation, but MF3 can be rooted and you can add back all that root-needed good stuff. Also, the phone is a nice phone stock rom or no.
Bottom line -#1. go ahead and ask around -you may get lucky and #2. don't depend on MF3 being broken soon or not soon. Such a think is so hard to predict.
Good Luck!

I got the MF3 version and was disappointed to hear about the locked bootloader, but I rooted it, removed the bloat and now I have no regrets. They'll get it unlocked soon and then I'll probably hop back into the flashing addiction, but it's a great phone and I can't beat AT&T for their coverage and reliability.
My $0.02.
Sent from a van down by the river using my AT&T Galaxy Note 2 and Tapatalk 4.

I traded my iPhone 5 for a Note II then for an S4 only to find it with MF3. I then traded it for an MDL S4, all done via Craigslist. I'm on AT&T, which has far better service for me than any other carrier, unlocked it via service mode and will try my luck with it in China on Monday for a month. I'm waiting for the Note 3 to drop so I can then trade up to that. So all hope is not lost having an MF3 phone. The screen is beautiful, camera is great, and it feels great in your hand. I don't regret being an iFanboy for 7 years only to come to the wonderful new world of the "dark side" Best of luck!

OP it's very possible you can go to somewhere like a super store with light traffic and find one that's been on the shelf for a while..you can always return it and try again.

markbc01 said:
Bottom line -#1. go ahead and ask around -you may get lucky and #2. don't depend on MF3 being broken soon or not soon. Such a think is so hard to predict.
Good Luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh. I didn't realize that I might still find it at a brick and mortar store. Those places seem to use AT&T's pricing, which is more expensive than I would pay on Amazon - but it might be worth it to get a pre-MF3 version.
Best Buy, I noticed, only shows the 16 GB version - not the 32 GB.
Given that this phone has a MicroSD slot, how much does this affect things?

jmacdonald19 said:
I got the MF3 version and was disappointed to hear about the locked bootloader, but I rooted it, removed the bloat and now I have no regrets. They'll get it unlocked soon and then I'll probably hop back into the flashing addiction, but it's a great phone and I can't beat AT&T for their coverage and reliability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen a number of posts that the stock ROM can suffer from lag, which dissappears when people put a custom ROM on it. Does rooting the phone, by itself, allow you to overcome this?

Haphim said:
Huh. I didn't realize that I might still find it at a brick and mortar store. Those places seem to use AT&T's pricing, which is more expensive than I would pay on Amazon - but it might be worth it to get a pre-MF3 version.
Best Buy, I noticed, only shows the 16 GB version - not the 32 GB.
Given that this phone has a MicroSD slot, how much does this affect things?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use a 64gb SD in mine. I haven't found any storage problems yet internal or external.

You ask about 16 v 32. I have the 16g and it is fine I have a 32g sd card and still have room.. you vcan add and use a 64g card if you want. .
Prices are not bad. My phone at Costco was cheaper than anything at Amazon or elsewhere. And they have the 14 return policy like att and 30 day exchange. .. so good prices are out there
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
---------- Post added at 01:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:02 PM ----------
No lag now. I thought it was fixed with MDL and certainly MF3. Both stock. The custom roms don't seem to have that problem .
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app

Haphim said:
I've seen a number of posts that the stock ROM can suffer from lag, which dissappears when people put a custom ROM on it. Does rooting the phone, by itself, allow you to overcome this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't noticed any lag. Been running nice and smooth.
Sent from a van down by the river using my AT&T Galaxy Note 2 and Tapatalk 4.

Order Canceled by VZW

Woke up this am to a shiny new email from VZW about my N4 order. Not that it was shipped, but that it was canceled.
Anyone else get one of these? On the phone at the moment to find out why, currently on hold, don't think they know why.

That is ironic. I canceled my N4 preorder with VZW and they asked me twice, "Are you SURE you want to cancel it?". They zap yours without you even calling or asking you once.

Just got off the phone with them. Never did give me a reason, they just 'released' it and I should be getting info on when it should be shipped.
From what I've been reading on here, it may be going back unopened. Without root, I won't touch it. May go with the Nexus 6. Will hurt getting a phone without SD card support, and love the SPen, but root is more important.
While typing this, VZW just called me back and told me that the order cannot be released and that I will have to re-order it online.

They did me the same way I don't understand them

I am holding on to a .00000000001% hope that root will happen by November 1st, since the last day of the Best Buy $200 offer. No root by then, I will cancel that order too. No card writes is not an option for the apps I use.
Sad I have to base my decision not on the device, but Android's arrogant and blatant cattle prodding efforts of trying to kill sd cards. Nexus does not have them, so neither should other devices- in their minds.

Same thing happened to me. I ended up calling and they told me it was fraud because we ordered 4 high end phones and the same time (2 Iphone 6 64GB and 2 Note 4). They then had to recreate my preorder. Now i am sitting in limbo waiting for my tracking info.
BTW, those that had theirs canceled, did you order through Edge? MIne was through Edge.

Mine got zapped as well. Had to call them and re-order it using EDGE program as my contract wasn't up yet.
Thankfully it was early enough where I could still get it ordered and delivered on the 23rd.

I was not on edge, but I was going to have it on my bill.
I'm fine with the cancel now. I don't know what is going to happen with root. If they root it wonderful, but what happens if/when Lollipop comes to it?? I think I'm just going to shell out the cash and get the dev version.

Well, there goes my theory that there was a hiccup with the Edge orders. =p I'm just glad VZW was able to fix all the cancellations.

Just had 4 N4s handed to me that I have to setup for people here at work. I want one, but, if there is no root, wont be getting one.

igknight said:
I was not on edge, but I was going to have it on my bill.
I'm fine with the cancel now. I don't know what is going to happen with root. If they root it wonderful, but what happens if/when Lollipop comes to it?? I think I'm just going to shell out the cash and get the dev version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty confident that there will be root for this phone. Idk why people are so worried...bootloader is a different story
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app

I think there was a version of the N2 that wasn't rootable, and from what I've heard (may be wrong as I don't care about the phone and never looked into it), the VZW S5 currently isn't rooted. Again, that may be wrong.
I think the phone will get root, but if it gets Lollipop it more than likely wont be rootable.

My order was canceled also when i called and complained they used some jump in line form to redo the order i should get it sometime today according to fed ex

S5 is rootable but boot loader is locked. Or at least last time I checked. Only reason I care about root is for Wi-Fi tether and foxfi fixed that.

Foxfi is important, but for me its more adwaway, titanium backup, Xposed, and xprivacy. Don't think I can use another phone wihout xprivacy.

What happened? Phone out for 6 months+ and barely any root solutions

I just got my S7 Edge and when I was ordering, I didn't even think to look, I made the mistake of assuming there would be some root solution. Other than a long guide which essentially says "good luck" if you are on the latest software version (which I couldn't help because I just got the phone). What happened? I know the bootloader was locked, is that the main culprit here? Did all the modders just switch carriers and devices?
Are the "one-click root" days gone for Samsung devices? Also, can anyone advise an ETA on a root for PJ2? Sprint is charging, get this, $20 for 2 gig hotspot and $50 for 6 gigs...

Best phone I've ever owned. Zero dev support. I accepted it months ago. Root Solutions there but risky. Security just too tight on this one. What a shame too....
Sent from my SM-G935P using XDA-Developers mobile app

Blakestr said:
I just got my S7 Edge and when I was ordering, I didn't even think to look, I made the mistake of assuming there would be some root solution. Other than a long guide which essentially says "good luck" if you are on the latest software version (which I couldn't help because I just got the phone). What happened? I know the bootloader was locked, is that the main culprit here? Did all the modders just switch carriers and devices?
Are the "one-click root" days gone for Samsung devices? Also, can anyone advise an ETA on a root for PJ2? Sprint is charging, get this, $20 for 2 gig hotspot and $50 for 6 gigs...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea unfortunately i did the same thing! I absolutely love the phone, but without root, for me i am barely able to harness half the power of this beast! I really hope something comes out soon. I was in a similar boat with my s6 edge+ but i at least had moar rom which i LOVED, and miss so much!

Blakestr said:
I just got my S7 Edge and when I was ordering, I didn't even think to look, I made the mistake of assuming there would be some root solution. Other than a long guide which essentially says "good luck" if you are on the latest software version (which I couldn't help because I just got the phone). What happened? I know the bootloader was locked, is that the main culprit here? Did all the modders just switch carriers and devices?
Are the "one-click root" days gone for Samsung devices? Also, can anyone advise an ETA on a root for PJ2? Sprint is charging, get this, $20 for 2 gig hotspot and $50 for 6 gigs...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same exact deal for me. I'm very tempted to return the thing. Most of my favorite features and apps require root. Right now i'm debating whether it's worth keeping the phone in the hopes that a root will become available soon or stick with my note 4 and sacrifice newer features and samsung vr.

Which G6 is Amazon Prime offering? Missing any features?

I'm sure by now anyone with an Amazon Prime account has seen the advertisements for the $399.99 LG G6 and G6+ which is a great deal, and it's enough of one that I'm getting ready to retire my iPhone SE and make the switch over...especially since I can lengthen the warranty to two years total. What I cannot find out is which version Amazon is selling when it's released November 9th, 2017 and if T-Mobile and/or AT&T users will still have the normal functions like WiFi calling (which I rely upon) and VoLTE on each respective carrier. I'd rather not buy a Prime device only to discover that it doesn't have the same features as a carrier-specific device has and this has me worried. Buying a brand new unlocked G6 would give me the two years of full warranty on the device and hopefully all of the T-Mobile features offered on the carrier-specific model even if the bootloader isn't unlocked. Heck, I'd attempt a FlashFire to get new firmware onto the phone if it were made possible just to regain WiFi Calling/VoLTE but wanted input from others before I decide to go this route. I'm also not opposed to grabbing something like the LG V20 from BHPhotoVideo as well since this is the route I want to go. If you guys have any knowledge that I haven't been able to figure out in the last week of research I'd appreciate it very much. Cheers.

They go in depth with this story,not sure if it helps at all.

That's one of the articles I managed to find, and it did help out in figuring out which phone I wanted to invest in but I didn't get much more info on the device itself. Because it's an Amazon device we already know that it's not going to be able to have an unlocked bootloader which really stinks but that's the cost of buying a subsidized phone through Amazon. I considered just buying the LG V20 through BHPhotoVideo for cheaper so there are no integrated Amazon advertisements and it has a better internal camera (as far as specs go) but having 12MP+12MP vs 16MP is a little too close of a call to make any kind of speculation, although having 64GB of storage with the V20 would be nicer than the included 32GB in the LG G6. At least we have a micro-SD slot to have more storage in both models, which means that if we can get the phone rooted then App2SD won't be a problem.
I just know I'm ready to retire and sell this crappy iPhone SE and move away from the insane Apple prices to get a better device with a less restrictive environment. My only hope is that the LG G6 has the same characteristics as my iPhone SE, such as WiFi calling and VoLTE. I know it has all of the right LTE bands so that won't be an issue, and later on I'll probably just give Amazon more money to ditch the advertisements. I just wish that I could find a $450 LG G6 brand new that I could unlock the bootloader on, and that's my conundrum. It seems that if you want the subsized Prime version it's only $399 but if you want an subside-free G6 you still have to shell out $200 more.
P.S. Thanks for the quick response.

im already planning on getting this but i wont be able till at least black friday at the earliest. it fills all my needs now that the U11+ wont be available in the US. the model number for the 6+ is LGUS997U so im hoping that rooting will be possible along with custom ROMs. l hope someone else takes the plunge first.

droidbot1337 said:
im already planning on getting this but i wont be able till at least black friday at the earliest. it fills all my needs now that the U11+ wont be available in the US. the model number for the 6+ is LGUS997U so im hoping that rooting will be possible along with custom ROMs. l hope someone else takes the plunge first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm taking the plunge and it'll be here the day of release. Knowing Amazon's history with locking bootloaders it's already pretty apparent that unlocking it will not be a possibility but will still check irregardless in hopes that I'm wrong. At least I hope it can be rooted some how and figure out how to ditch all of the bogus Amazon advertisements without paying them another $50 to remove them from my device, and will report all of that information that I can find out on my own as well. The LG V20 directly from T-Mobile was my original go-to replacement but for the same amount of money I'd rather have the slightly faster LG G6 even if it is hampered by Amazon's crap. Considering I'm moving up from an iPhone SE this thing is going to be a massive upgrade.
EDIT: I've independently confirmed it will indeed have T-Mobile WiFi calling and VoLTE built into the firmware because Amazon did the same thing with the Moto G5s firmware that they molested. They might have injected it with Amazon bloatware but they did also include WiFi calling and VoLTE from each of the providers so there's a very strong chance anyone who uses this device on their home network will still have those features included with the LG line of phones.

bmurphr1 said:
I'm taking the plunge and it'll be here the day of release...........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YES!!!! im so envious of you!! i hope that they can be unlocked as the price is just far too tempting. im going to try and contact LG USA and see what i can get from them. good luck and please keep us informed, cheers!!

I'm looking at the LG G6 also. I've been a Nexus user and am still using the N5X. Now that Google has went overboard with their pricing and are no longer making any devices that are good values, I'm looking elsewhere. I've always been an LG fan. I'm looking at the LG G6 as the price on it is excellent. There are a good number of carrier unlocked devices available for just over $400 and I think we will see some good sales between Black Friday and New Year's.
I was also considering the Amazon version but I'm not sure how difficult it will be to get rid of them afterwards.

gorilla p said:
....I was also considering the Amazon version but I'm not sure how difficult it will be to get rid of them afterwards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?? all it has is a few bloat apps but all you would need to do is flash another ROM. thats considering it can be rooted. im still debating on the 6+ or waiting for the HTC U12 which should be better than the U11+ or at least i hope.

Phone has arrived, is model US966, and even though is the international model still has VoLTE and WiFi Calling baked into the ROM. I've verified that it does indeed work as it should for T-Mobile as I have the Hanset + WiFi logo in my top left notification tray. So far it seems Amazon really did make this device into the most universal of all of the LG G6 devices that exist (aside from being unable to unlock the bootloader.
Amazon really put this firmware through the ringer..it does have mountains of bloatware that we can work around, but it works with T-Mobile WiFi Calling, VoLTE, and HD Voice (all confirmed by moving a dead zone in my house where I received full WiFI but could not obtain any indoor signal of any kind. I had several conversations that all sounded like I was standing right next to the person, and I had no cellular service at the time the call was made. Just as I suspected, they molested the G6 just like they did the Moto G5s into forcing it to support T-Mobile's feature sets and most likely the same for the other three providers as well.

bmurphr1 said:
Phone has arrived, is model US966, and even though is the international model still has VoLTE and WiFi Calling baked into the ROM. I've verified that it does indeed work as it should for T-Mobile as I have the Hanset + WiFi logo in my top left notification tray. So far it seems Amazon really did make this device into the most universal of all of the LG G6 devices that exist (aside from being unable to unlock the bootloader.
Amazon really put this firmware through the ringer..it does have mountains of bloatware that we can work around, but it works with T-Mobile WiFi Calling, VoLTE, and HD Voice (all confirmed by moving a dead zone in my house where I received full WiFI but could not obtain any indoor signal of any kind. I had several conversations that all sounded like I was standing right next to the person, and I had no cellular service at the time the call was made. Just as I suspected, they molested the G6 just like they did the Moto G5s into forcing it to support T-Mobile's feature sets and most likely the same for the other three providers as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know if it's possible to pay to remove the lockscreen ads? Also, are the ads just on the lockscreen or do they show up in other places?
I know you can pay to remove Kindle ads at https://www.amazon.com/mn/dcw/myx.html

Joe USer said:
Do you know if it's possible to pay to remove the lockscreen ads? Also, are the ads just on the lockscreen or do they show up in other places?
I know you can pay to remove Kindle ads at https://www.amazon.com/mn/dcw/myx.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ads are on lockscreen and on the desktop, but the desktop widget no problem. When you unlock the device using your fingerprint though you never see the advertisements so it's not bothering me that much. I have yet to figure out if we can purchase the removal of advertisements though as I've only had these few short hours with the device, but every T-Mo function that you'd find on a carrier-branded device works on the Amazon Prime variant. If I can pay an extra $50 or so to get rid of the advertisements I probably will do just that.
In the mean time I tried to sign up for the second year of the LG G6 free warranty program, and since the phone is a US996 model device you can't complete the registration page. I e-mailed the help desk to see if we'll be able to register for the free second year of service as an Amazon agent said that there should be no reason that it shouldn't work. I will respond back once I get word from the LG team regarding the additional free year of warranty coverage.
EDIT: You can legitimately remove ads from the phone through Amazon but they want an extra $100 to just remove them. I'll wait on someone else to figure out how to hack the ads away from the firmware. I dig the LG interface though as it's similar to the iPhone layout and makes it easier for me to understand rather than having an app drawer like my Fire tablet does. The phone is definitely worth $399...not $499 though once you buy the removal of advertisements.

congrats @bmurphr1!! im happy it works well since like you i too am a tmo user. also, the model number is listed as 997U but you said its US996, is that right? anyway, i hope the bootloader can soon be unlocked because that would make this phone an amazing device.

droidbot1337 said:
congrats @bmurphr1!! im happy it works well since like you i too am a tmo user. also, the model number is listed as 997U but you said its US996, is that right? anyway, i hope the bootloader can soon be unlocked because that would make this phone an amazing device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did, but it's actually US997 according to what I'm looking at right now on the Hardware info screen. My initial statement was a typo because I was in a rush to get this phone up and running since I'm moving over from the iOS world. Model number is confirmed US997 and the bootloader from what I've been able to ascertain so far is that LG is not unlocking the bootloader for the phone because they were strong-armed by Amazon to lock it down so that it couldn't be altered in any way - thus making people pay the $100 just to have advertisements removed from the device.

bmurphr1 said:
I did, but it's actually US997 according to what I'm looking at right now on the Hardware info screen. My initial statement was a typo because I was in a rush to get this phone up and running since I'm moving over from the iOS world. Model number is confirmed US997 and the bootloader from what I've been able to ascertain so far is that LG is not unlocking the bootloader for the phone because they were strong-armed by Amazon to lock it down so that it couldn't be altered in any way - thus making people pay the $100 just to have advertisements removed from the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ugh!!... so its useless for those of us that want custom ROMs then? that sucks! i really hope someone finds a way to unlock it. i might just wait to see what the HTC u12 looks like. thanks for the info.

Just figured out how Amazon neutered this phone from being tampered with by individuals like us...they went and jacked around with the bootloader so that it freezes as soon as you boot into it. I'm very experienced when it comes to using fastboot on Android devices and I can tell you this bootloader has been tampered with. What happens is when you run "adb reboot bootloader" it reboots into the neutered bootloader and just freezes so that no commands can be sent or received from the device. If we could get the device-id then we could put it through the LG database, but Amazon found a way to mess with it just enough so that it crashes every single time you try to boot into it using the Android debugging bridge. That's how they crippled this phone so that no one would be able to flash new firmwares to the device or jack with it and remove their new found glory in LG devices. I'd love to be able to flash a non-Amazon bootloader only over to this phone to see if I could unlock it and catch on to something new but I'm too afraid to jeopardize my only working cell phone at the moment so I'd be worried about doing that. If the bootloader would unfreeze though and give us the code for a full bootloader unlock we could say byebye to the entire firmware OS and switch over to something like Lineage or better...assuming somebody has a kitchen that would work on an Amazon-molested US997 LG G6.

droidbot1337 said:
ugh!!... so its useless for those of us that want custom ROMs then? that sucks! i really hope someone finds a way to unlock it. i might just wait to see what the HTC u12 looks like. thanks for the info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw this on the latest Amazon Fire tablet and that's why I returned it. Now you see why I was hesitant.
I'm having a hard time deciding now, but I'm going there will be some solid $399 deals between Black Friday and Christmas. Otherwise, I might just get a OnePlus 3T.

gorilla p said:
I saw this on the latest Amazon Fire tablet and that's why I returned it. Now you see why I was hesitant.
I'm having a hard time deciding now, but I'm going there will be some solid $399 deals between Black Friday and Christmas. Otherwise, I might just get a OnePlus 3T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazon got smart and neutered all of their Prime-branded devices so that they can't be bootloader unlocked any longer. The only hope we have of actually achieving custom firmware on this device is by using something like FlashFire to perform a hot-flash on the device to move it to a non-Amazon firmware, which is what I did on my Fire 2015 (Ford) tablet that I still use occasionally at the gym to watch Netflix and YouTube when I steal their WiFi. If you wanted to buy the phone just to unlock the bootloader unfortunately you're SOL, but there's still a chance something could be in the works for this device.
Honestly, I'd rather see either a complete removal of the advertisements from the stock US997 Amazon Prime G6 or someone who was able to successfully flash a ZIP file using FlashFire to the G6 without completely killing it along with WiFi Calling/VoLTE/HD Voice. The first one isn't out of the realm of possibility, but the second one is just a pipe dream since I essentially require WiFi calling and VoLTE. We're gonna need to find a way to root this firmware and I haven't found a way to do so as of yet, though it is running Nougat 7.0 with the September security update.

gorilla p said:
I saw this on the latest Amazon Fire tablet and that's why I returned it. Now you see why I was hesitant.
I'm having a hard time deciding now, but I'm going there will be some solid $399 deals between Black Friday and Christmas. Otherwise, I might just get a OnePlus 3T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why the 3T and not the 5T? my brother has the 5 and loves it. i refuse to buy a device without expandable storage so that leaves me with few options....... well, few good options. im just gonna wait till leaks of the HTC U12 start to circulate. if that sucks ill just buy the regular G6.

droidbot1337 said:
why the 3T and not the 5T? my brother has the 5 and loves it. i refuse to buy a device without expandable storage so that leaves me with few options....... well, few good options. im just gonna wait till leaks of the HTC U12 start to circulate. if that sucks ill just buy the regular G6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just the cost. OnePlus is upping the price with every release and I don't think the OP5 is that much better than the OP3T. Especially since I don't use my phone for anything crazy. My N5X still performs more than good enough for me. I have the GPU underclock and touchboost disabled to improve battery and still no lag at all. I really wish there was another affordable Nexus device. They should've come out with an Android One premium line featuring The 820 or 822 chipset.

I also received my Amazon us997 G6 yesterday. As mentioned earlier, the lock screen ads aren't very intrusive unless there are no other notifications at the time. If there are personal notifications like email, text message, missed phone call, etc. then the Amazon ad takes up about 15% of the lock screen. If no notifications are present, the entire lock screen is an ad. However, also as mentioned before, the double press of the finger print button makes the ads visible for the amount of time it takes to double press.
I run nova launcher and have not been bothered with any ads either.
Coming from big red on their lg g4 and having that special old plan, I did a SIM card chop with some cutlery scissors and made it a nano. Without getting too involved, an app like Foxfi is not needed on this phone. I will be keeping this phone primarily because of this. The price point, limited intrusive ads, 2 year warranty and not needing a special app previously mentioned have made this my newest phone.
Now i just hope lg has rid themselves of the nightmare Bootloop plague that has hit every lg phone that my family has owned.

A few questions for the TMobile Variant

I'm pretty much sold on the thing, since I can unload my 3T at the same time--but a few questions first.
1: Can anyone test Samsung gear watches with the phone? I've read Samsung pay only works if you sideload the gear app, but would prefer it working 100% since I plan on staying unrooted.
2: VPNs have caused some issues on past carrier phones, basically using hotspot data rather than regular data. Can anyone just run a quick test to make sure this isn't the case? Mostly for use of Blokada.
3: Does RCS work? I know TMobile was rolling it out by device, but it seems this would be the perfect time to add it with the 6T.
Thanks!

GiSS88 said:
I'm pretty much sold on the thing, since I can unload my 3T at the same time--but a few questions first.
1: Can anyone test Samsung gear watches with the phone? I've read Samsung pay only works if you sideload the gear app, but would prefer it working 100% since I plan on staying unrooted.
2: VPNs have caused some issues on past carrier phones, basically using hotspot data rather than regular data. Can anyone just run a quick test to make sure this isn't the case? Mostly for use of Blokada.
3: Does RCS work? I know TMobile was rolling it out by device, but it seems this would be the perfect time to add it with the 6T.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Setup my gear s3 and it works perfectly. Everything is sideloaded as you install from the galaxy Wearable app.
2. This device already seems to have a private VPN set up as default, didn't touch it but it gives you the option to add.
3. RCS I'm assuming does not work and depends on tmobile actually activating them over an OTA update.

Addiso said:
1. Setup my gear s3 and it works perfectly. Everything is sideloaded as you install from the galaxy Wearable app.
2. This device already seems to have a private VPN set up as default, didn't touch it but it gives you the option to add.
3. RCS I'm assuming does not work and depends on tmobile actually activating them over an OTA update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply. For the gear stuff, I know it sideload through wear but I had read with the OP6 you had to get S-Pay from an apk mirror. Have you tested pay and it all works?

GiSS88 said:
Thanks for the quick reply. For the gear stuff, I know it sideload through wear but I had read with the OP6 you had to get S-Pay from an apk mirror. Have you tested pay and it all works?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't tried it, rocking it right now and it seems fine just when I had my v30. I can verify later on when I go put gas. I'll keep you updated if anything.

Addiso said:
Haven't tried it, rocking it right now and it seems fine just when I had my v30. I can verify later on when I go put gas. I'll keep you updated if anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, appreciate it!

I'm pretty disappointed that RCS nor the Samsung/LG version work. It is super important to me, believe it or not. I'm hoping they release an update for this to work sometime soon.

cd85233 said:
I'm pretty disappointed that RCS nor the Samsung/LG version work. It is super important to me, believe it or not. I'm hoping they release an update for this to work sometime soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's silly, I agree. Since it's a carrier backed phone it should be available from the get go.

GiSS88 said:
It's silly, I agree. Since it's a carrier backed phone it should be available from the get go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I got a feeling they maybe rushed this release a bit? They've never released with tmobile. Well see.

cd85233 said:
Yea I got a feeling they maybe rushed this release a bit? They've never released with tmobile. Well see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a TMobile issue not OP, sadly. No idea why they're doing it in stages and by phone.

My TMobile version does not have the hold power button down to activate Google Assistant feature. Is everyone else missing this?

I got some tmobile variant questions aswell?
Im from México but my brother is on vacation in USS.. in thinking on buying the oneplus but im a little confused about unlocking the phone... Some people say i have to use it with tmobile for 40 days to be able to unlock it even if i make the full pay for it.. othe people say you can unlock it the same day you full pay for it with the tmobile app..
So, can someone confirm who is correct with this because i wont like my brother to buy me the phone and then cant use it because of locked sim..
Also another question.. do you know if later we could install the international firmware on the tmobile version and get the updates directly from oneplus??
Enviado desde mi ONEPLUS A5010 mediante Tapatalk

renehd2 said:
I got some tmobile variant questions aswell?
Im from México but my brother is on vacation in USS.. in thinking on buying the oneplus but im a little confused about unlocking the phone... Some people say i have to use it with tmobile for 40 days to be able to unlock it even if i make the full pay for it.. othe people say you can unlock it the same day you full pay for it with the tmobile app..
So, can someone confirm who is correct with this because i wont like my brother to buy me the phone and then cant use it because of locked sim..
Also another question.. do you know if later we could install the international firmware on the tmobile version and get the updates directly from oneplus??
Enviado desde mi ONEPLUS A5010 mediante Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) SIM Unlocking:
YMMV,only way you'll know for certain is trying it yourself. My recent experiences w/Customer Care lead me to believe they'll accommodate you.
2) Int'l ROM flashing onto a T-Mobile variant.
No,that is not possible. Perhaps some aftermarket ROM will be available later,but,no ,not at this time,official,or,otherwise.
Updates will come from T-Mobile.
If you're gonna buy it outright,why bother w/T-Mobile anyway,just skip the hassles & go for the unlocked version.....................

KOLIOSIS said:
1) SIM Unlocking:
YMMV,only way you'll know for certain is trying it yourself. My recent experiences w/Customer Care lead me to believe they'll accommodate you.
2) Int'l ROM flashing onto a T-Mobile variant.
No,that is not possible. Perhaps some aftermarket ROM will be available later,but,no ,not at this time,official,or,otherwise.
Updates will come from T-Mobile.
If you're gonna buy it outright,why bother w/T-Mobile anyway,just skip the hassles & go for the unlocked version.....................
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because TMobile will allow you to buy the phone for 280 out the door with an approved trade-in device.
This is my current situation....I like to tinker and flash ROMs/mods. Hopefully if I end up with the Tmo version, I'll still be able to flash custom ROMs once development gets going for the device.

Pain-N-Panic said:
Because TMobile will allow you to buy the phone for 280 out the door with an approved trade-in device.
This is my current situation....I like to tinker and flash ROMs/mods. Hopefully if I end up with the Tmo version, I'll still be able to flash custom ROMs once development gets going for the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah,I get it regarding $$$ incentives,but,the person I was responding to it seemed that time/urgency was an equally,if not more,a pressing issue.

KOLIOSIS said:
Yeah,I get it regarding $$$ incentives,but,the person I was responding to it seemed that time/urgency was an equally,if not more,a pressing issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I gotcha.

KOLIOSIS said:
Yeah,I get it regarding $$$ incentives,but,the person I was responding to it seemed that time/urgency was an equally,if not more,a pressing issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the problem is that my brother. Cannot wait to receive the international model via mail because he is coming back to mexico tuesday
Enviado desde mi ONEPLUS A5010 mediante Tapatalk

Well it looks like I'll be ordering from OP directly. It seems if I pay 280 and get the device I'll still pay 12 dollars and change a month until I hit the 570 mark to have the device "paid in full." I guess the 300 dollars goes towards savings on the bill. I read comments on here saying even if you buy the phone from TMobile, in order to "buy it outright" you still have to pay the full price of the phone. I need an unlocked bootloader and root so I guess I'll just pay OP directly.

Pain-N-Panic said:
Well it looks like I'll be ordering from OP directly. It seems if I pay 280 and get the device I'll still pay 12 dollars and change a month until I hit the 570 mark to have the device "paid in full." I guess the 300 dollars goes towards savings on the bill. I read comments on here saying even if you buy the phone from TMobile, in order to "buy it outright" you still have to pay the full price of the phone. I need an unlocked bootloader and root so I guess I'll just pay OP directly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it's really only a good deal if you're already or going to stay a T-Mobile customer. You wait a couple of months for the billing discount to kick in and you pay off your device in full. After that you'll still get your discount every month and you'll be able to unlock your sim card and unlock your bootloader.

hartleyshc said:
Yeah it's really only a good deal if you're already or going to stay a T-Mobile customer. You wait a couple of months for the billing discount to kick in and you pay off your device in full. After that you'll still get your discount every month and you'll be able to unlock your sim card and unlock your bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a TMobile customer and plan on staying with them. Flashing the latest updates is kind of a big deal to me....I've been a Nexus/pixel user for years and am not use to being locked down by carrier restrictions when it comes to unlocking devices. I just don't feel like dealing with the clutter and hassle of having sift through the carrier's rules before doing what I want with my phone.

Pain-N-Panic said:
I am a TMobile customer and plan on staying with them. Flashing the latest updates is kind of a big deal to me....I've been a Nexus/pixel user for years and am not use to being locked down by carrier restrictions when it comes to unlocking devices. I just don't feel like dealing with the clutter and hassle of having sift through the carrier's rules before doing what I want with my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, and I'm the exact same way. I've been on T-Mobile forever and have had a Nexus device since the Nexus 4. I had a Galaxy 4 for work and hated it.
This is my first carrier device pretty much ever. Before the Nexus 4 I was using the HTC HD2 and before that I was using Palm Windows and Palm OS devices.
Pretty much the way I see it is if this is too much of a pain, I can always sell it and go with my original plan of getting a used Pixel 2 XL on swappa.
I'll give it a chance. The price was just too good to pass. And I'm fairly confident in OP's laziness on locking down this phone. I have a feeling it will be pretty simple to swap over to the international rom, and if not, at most we'll have to wait a day for someone to repack the official rom removing the modem and/or bootloader. And if not, on to swappa it goes.