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I'm unfamiliar with Samsung phones (never had one), and I'm looking at getting a used/mint Galaxy S 4 for my wife. Here are the requirements:
1. SIM unlocked. I need to be able to use it on AT&T and T-Mobile networks in the US, and also other international carriers as need be when traveling, without a problem.
2. I need to have root access. Some apps that need to be installed on this phone requires root. It's not necessary to have the capability to flash custom ROM, etc. so stock ROM (or any ROM, for that matter, as long as it's stable) is fine. I just need root.
3. It has to have at least 4.3, or if possible 4.4.2. OTA capability for further update (if there will be any) is a good bonus but not required.
I likely won't be modifying this phone (flashing ROM/mods/etc.) after I set it up the first time. I'll set it up, give it to her, and forget about it.
So, which version of GS4 should I look for in ebay/swappa (and if there are any firmware requirements for easy rooting)? I'm going to be using it almost solely on a GSM-based network (currently a T-Mobile MVNO, but may switch to an AT&T MVNO soon) so AT&T version seems like an obvious choice, but I've heard that this model is a pain to SIM unlock (is it true?), while Verizon version is factory unlocked completely out of the box, and will work without a problem on AT&T or T-Mobile (and obviously overseas as well).
Can anyone give me any suggestion?
Newcron said:
I'm unfamiliar with Samsung phones (never had one), and I'm looking at getting a used/mint Galaxy S 4 for my wife. Here are the requirements:
1. SIM unlocked. I need to be able to use it on AT&T and T-Mobile networks in the US, and also other international carriers as need be when traveling, without a problem.
2. I need to have root access. Some apps that need to be installed on this phone requires root. It's not necessary to have the capability to flash custom ROM, etc. so stock ROM (or any ROM, for that matter, as long as it's stable) is fine. I just need root.
3. It has to have at least 4.3, or if possible 4.4.2. OTA capability for further update (if there will be any) is a good bonus but not required.
I likely won't be modifying this phone (flashing ROM/mods/etc.) after I set it up the first time. I'll set it up, give it to her, and forget about it.
So, which version of GS4 should I look for in ebay/swappa (and if there are any firmware requirements for easy rooting)? I'm going to be using it almost solely on a GSM-based network (currently a T-Mobile MVNO, but may switch to an AT&T MVNO soon) so AT&T version seems like an obvious choice, but I've heard that this model is a pain to SIM unlock (is it true?), while Verizon version is factory unlocked completely out of the box, and will work without a problem on AT&T or T-Mobile (and obviously overseas as well).
Can anyone give me any suggestion?
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Check About Phone
Androiders96 said:
Check About Phone
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This is basically the point of this thread. I need suggestions on what to check for
Newcron said:
This is basically the point of this thread. I need suggestions on what to check for
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I9505
Androiders96 said:
I9505
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:laugh:
Yeah I deserve that. I basically set myself up to get this answer. This is what I get for not being clear enough from the get go. Doh.
Obviously the international unlocked version is the most ideal, because there's no potential for headaches as I explained above. I of course knew this.
And yes, there are several of them available at Swappa, but they are all (understandably) much more expensive (some more than 150%) compared to the local version.
So, I guess my real question is whether I should get AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon version for my purposes above.
I also just examined the title of this subforum and realized that I may not be asking this on the right place. So, sorry about that. I'll switch over to the correct forum and ask this again. Thanks for answering!
Hello!
I bought my mom an inexpensive S4 and it came with Orange wireless service provider and it's in French out for the box.
It's having some problem suck as MMS issues and all that, not to mention it's just being a pain in the butt to work with.
I want to flash the stock AT&T ROM to it ASAP so she will stop yelling at me about it, but I can't seem to find a copy around here. Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong areas, but I would appreciate some help locating it, thanks!
Also, it's been a while since I have done any ROM changes, so maybe showing me how they do it now would be helpful as well, thanks.
-Dave M.
AT&T ROMs cannot be installed on your phone. Odin will reject it at best, and you could hard brick the S4.
Unlock the phone by using the service menu exploit, RegionLock Away, or by purchasing an unlock code. Once the S4 is unlocked, you can install an unbranded firmware in place of the Orange-branded firmware. Keep in mind that this phone will never get LTE in the states as the frequencies are different.
Yes, I was made aware of the no 4G, no LTE issue with using a European phone by the guy who didn't know what he was doing when he programmed in the wrong APN settings at the AT&T corporate store...
Supposedly, the company I bought it off said this phone was unlocked already, so what then? It's been about 2 years since I did anything with ROMs, so I might be a little out of the know about the new stuff, thanks.
If it's already unlocked, then you can install any I9505 stock ROM you want. Download this ROM from Sammobile and follow the instructions on that page to install it. It's UK firmware so at the language prompt it will default to English. Be aware that you may have to flash the ROM twice before the S4's wireless radios function properly.
If everything goes as expected the APN should be automatically set. If not there are tutorials all over the place on adding an APN.
EDIT: Download the drivers from Samsung's website if not included in the Odin download on Sammobile. You'll need to have them installed for Odin to function.
Thanks. Now, how can I check to make sure this one is unlocked? Service mode is weird, because I had to do the Q followed by 0000 in key input to get it to give me the menu...
Put your Mom's AT&T SIM into the phone. If it asks for an unlock code then the S4 is still carrier locked.
Oh, okay. It's been working for like 2 months like this, lol.
Aren't there still a few carriers that aren't blocked for other regions? I just want to be sure, absolutely. I just want to know if there's another way to check.
Since it was Orange by origin (and those guys tend to lock stuff) I would say you would NOT be able to run AT&T on it as well (Orange ONLY lock - not really region lock)
When you say AT&T works I would assume previous owner already did what was needed and unlocked this device.
Sounds solid, thanks a bunch, fellas.
I just really wish there were a touchwiz ROM from AT&T for this particular model...
No, no you don't. If anything, you have it far easier by not having AT&T firmware. Unless of course you happen to LIKE encrypted (i.e. locked) bootloaders. AT&T and Verizon lock their bootloaders, which makes the simple things like rooting, bloatware removal, and custom ROMs far more difficult, and in some cases bordering on the impossible.
Your Mom may not give a damn, but by not having to deal with the headache of a locked bootloader you've made your life easier.
I've dealt with several so-called finished custom roms, such as the likes of such as Cyanogenmod and others, and lets just say they aren't quite as solid as the stuff that the phone comes with.
There's always something that doesn't work like it's supposed to or some important app that won't work somehow. Last time, I went with a stock rom, custom recovery (I like TWRP) and rooted the device and it ran just like I wanted. SO yeah, I'd like to use a stock touchwiz rom for the US if it's available somewhere.
I understand not wanting to toss a custom ROM on the phone, but that wasn't the point of my post. The ROM I prompted you to download several posts upthread is a stock Touchwiz ROM. In fact, up until this morning it was the same ROM I was using on my O2 I9505 that I'm using here in the US. As the I9505 is not available and never will be available from a carrier in the United States, there will never be a US ROM available for this phone. The ROM I had you download, unlike the AT&T ROM, has no carrier branding of any kind, no carrier bloatware, and no locked bootloader. As a result, you don't have the carrier meddling around with the ROM and making the experience worse by having crud added.
My point is, bluntly, that you're far better off now than you would be with an AT&T device. So, hopefully, now that you got everything sorted out your Mom can enjoy the phone.
Hey everyone, I been looking around the forums here and other sites and have learned a lot of info in pieces but I really need help with a particular issue. A friend of mine gave me a Sprint Galaxy SM-G900P (Galaxy S5) which is (of course) CDMA with GSM compatibility. Im unsure at the moment what service he was wanting to use but I know it is a GSM carrier (US) because he has a SIM he wanted to use. I owe him a favor so I told him I would try. Besides going the route of purchasing a unlock box and unlocking the phone with that, I discovered the SSU apk which SIM-Unlocks the phone. I downgraded the phone from Lollipop 5.0 stock to Android 4.4.2 KitKat (G900PVPU1ANE5) with ODIN. (FYI, i was stuck in download mode with no recovery mode for a week before finally getting one to work, and so happen to be that version that went through)..... I downloaded SSU and it unlocked the phone and I switched mobile network mode from CDMA to GSM Units. (NOTE: it says 4.4.2 and up will not work with USA carrier SIM cards without downgrading the Modem but I have not tried just yet) Im about to Root the phone but here is where my question comes in. I have read of people flashing roms to get their phones to work with certain carriers and other functions. Will rooting help me out at all? I guess IM asking if there is a ROM that I can flash onto the phone to enable the use of whatever carrier he is wanting to use with it. I know thats most likely useful in the situation, but Im awaiting that answer as we type. ANY help would be greatly appreciated ))) Thank you all.
Anyone? :/
The exact model is Samsung Galaxy S7 edge SM-G9350 64 GB GOLD PLATINUM
First I want to get this off my chest. I registered this week (I used XDA before like 7 or 8 years ago in high school when I use to flash custom ROMS on windows mobile phones-good times hehe)because I am frustrated since I bought an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S7 edge from a stranger using craigslist on Sunday night. The ad said it was T-mobile Unlocked and in brand new condition with the box and original accessories and it had some pictures.So why not buy it cheap for since I'm using a T-mobile LG-K7 with a cracked screen,right?WRONG!! The phone is working fine except I am only getting EDGE data!!! I found out that it is a chinese variant and it works fine with my T-mobile sim card here in the U.S.A except it can't connect to 4G and that is probably why the shady guy sold the phone cheap to let it become someone else problem I also saw 1 or 2 of these models in the box as well and he said a friend gave it to him and he is just selling it(B.S.) I forgot craigslist had scammer like 40% of the transactions lol, I use to meet these types of people in middle and high school when I bought and sold my used or old T-mobile phones though I never scammed or conned any one.I remember some people would act shady or too nice for no reason,probably cause they stole the phone and were making 100% profit off me.This same guy is one of them.
ANYWAYS THANK YOU FOR READING MY RANT---- NOW ON TO THE POINT OF FIXING THE DATA ISSUE
I am getting unlimited 4G on my k7 and everyone else on our plan is using unlimited 4g just fine.Samsung rep at best buy said its legit and its an international chinese variant and to look around on here to fix the issue. He told me something about the band and t-mobile towers to pick up the frequency. He said I got a really good deal if I can 4g on there. If not than re-sell it and make it someone elses problem. I looked all around google the past few days an either no one has this problem or if they do than the solution doesn't work on my phone.
Here is what I tried so far:
A) T-mobile reset the network connection via tech support
B) I factory reset the phone numerous times
C)I got the right APN settings set on the phone to be connected to nearest towers, a store rep did it for me to make sure.
D) I replaced and used another activated T-mobile sim card
E) I download some apps I saw on here to check LTE signal etc and its running very slow edge
*********I am on the sim status screen and right now as I'm typing this the signal strength is
-61 dBm 26 asu,cellular network type is EDGE,NETWORK is T-mobile, Service state is In service,Roaming is not roaming,cellular network state is disconnected*******
------I hope someone can pick up information off of that and maybe I could change some settings
E) I dialed *#*#4636#*#* and got to a screen to allow me to check phone information,battery information,usage statistics,wi-fi information-under phone information there are options to set preferred network types to: WCGMA,GSM, GSM auto(PRL), CDMA auto(PRL),CDMA only,EvDo only,GSM/CDMA auto(PRL),LTE/CDMA auto(PRL),LTE/GSM(PRL),CDMA auto(PRL),LTE only,Unknown. It will only stay on up to GSM auto(PRL)
....also when I press menu on this screen there is an option to enable data connection and when I click it,it won't stay,it just keeps saying enable data connection
F)I googled what bands this model and it is able to use and it has the capability to be used on T-mobile bands
What else can I do get the data working to 4G right now? The phone is running Android 6.0.1 and won't update to Nouget over the air. I want to root the phone and see if I can install a custom Nouget rom( since the samsung guy said the phone will brick if I try to install the T-mobile Nouget rom or I can't even do it since its an international variant-by the way I am able to have google services on here like play store,etc. so I don't know if that makes a difference to what variant and rom it is because I heard one or the other of hong kong or open china variants for this phone is better and can't use google play)and maybe I am able to connect to 4G data.
Like the title of this post says, I promise I will back up my donation I really don't want to sell the phone unless I have to because I will not get a better deal anywhere ever again for the latest high end phone from a manufacturer
Quick search gives this https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7...g9350-nougat-final-hkrom-alpha-02-18-t3558844
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
you have to flash the correct CSC this will fix your 4G if you buy an device from a other country than is it possible that you get this problem but when you flash the correct CSC you will get 4G i helped so much people with this problem with a S7 device, i think this your solution
if this fix works for you just keep your money we are developers not for paying
Maybe you should post this in the T-Mobile section.
In my idea this should have 4G data on T-Mobile US out of the box as the required LTE bands are supported by the G9350. Did you check the APN settings? (VoLTE and WiFi-Calling may or will not work without t-mo-rom but that's another topic)
Also you should be fine to flash a T-Mobile US rom as both have Snapdragon SoC. You don't need root to flash an official rom.
Out of curiosity: what about 3G?
rientkill1 said:
you have to flash the correct CSC this will fix your 4G if you buy an device from a other country than is it possible that you get this problem but when you flash the correct CSC you will get 4G i helped so much people with this problem with a S7 device, i think this your solution
if this fix works for you just keep your money we are developers not for paying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much!!! People have actually asked through pm to donate to bitcoin first before helping me and here you are helping me first by the way.
I am going to find the correct CSC, what does that stand for? Can I flash a T-mobile 7.0 Nougat rom on my Galaxy SM-9350 first that the person before you replied about(its the link)?? I want to do both to have T-mobile settings and to use the 4G although the 4G is a thousand times more important. If I can do this than I am a happy man!
Why is there a boot loader and modem link attached to every post containing a ROM download? Does that need to be downloaded first,and what are the next steps,if so? I know these are questions I need to search about they are all confusing and mumbled and jumbled up. Even though I registered this week for help I was a member here like 8-9 years ago in high school when I was flashing custom ROMS on Windows mobile phones(good times hehe) but it got addictive,took a lot of my time from studying, and I totally forgot how do things.
andiling said:
Maybe you should post this in the T-Mobile section.
In my idea this should have 4G data on T-Mobile US out of the box as the required LTE bands are supported by the G9350. Did you check the APN settings? (VoLTE and WiFi-Calling may or will not work without t-mo-rom but that's another topic)
Also you should be fine to flash a T-Mobile US rom as both have Snapdragon SoC. You don't need root to flash an official rom.
Out of curiosity: what about 3G?
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Hey I made a new thread today in Q&A for GS7. The APN settings were put in by a T-mobile store associate and it still didn't work. I don't care about VoLTE/Wifi-Calling although I noticed some people on here are worred about that-its just something I never use.
Are you sure I don't need root to flash an official ROM?The Samsung Galaxy guy at Best Buy said it would brick if I used an official ROM because the phone is an international variant. If I can use an official ROM,I can't get Nougut OTA via T-mobile anyway as my phone keeps saying it is updated even though it is 6.0.1. How do I get the offical ROM manually on the computer? Samsung Smart Switch isn't even recognizing my device when it is connected and Smart Switch on my phone looks like it is only suppose to be used to receive files from another phone? I have the link for a T-mobile 7.0 ROM from a post on here that he used on the same exact model I don't know if I am suppose to root the device first or not yet since it looks custom made.
Thank You for helping me out it means a lot you guys are the best! I can already see myself on here a lot in the future doing stuff different android phones like I 8 or 9 years ago in high school on windows mobile phones.
andiling said:
Maybe you should post this in the T-Mobile section.
In my idea this should have 4G data on T-Mobile US out of the box as the required LTE bands are supported by the G9350. Did you check the APN settings? (VoLTE and WiFi-Calling may or will not work without t-mo-rom but that's another topic)
Also you should be fine to flash a T-Mobile US rom as both have Snapdragon SoC. You don't need root to flash an official rom.
Out of curiosity: what about 3G?
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The only data I am getting is EDGE
So, I guess something is wrong.
You can try flashing the designated firmware for this device first and see if this helps. To get the right one (who knows what all was tampered with) use best the Phone Info tool.
I've had this exact issue before, with a Nexus 5 that I bought from Telus, I am with Telus, it ended up being I had to go buy and register a new SIM card, then it was fine, might not be a solution for you but Worth a try,
Actually get a SIM card from your provider, have them register it in the store
Sent from my SM-G935W8 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Thanks I did that yesterday already and it still didn't work
I am a member because the owner hates the Iphone and I respect that
What would be the correct CSC file for this device? I tried to flash CSC from a SM-G935t firmware and it didn't work even though she said it didn't matter lol(senior member too)
I am a member because the owner hates the Iphone and I respect that
I'm going to try to find an official U.S. T-mobile ROM and flash with odin...but does it have to be specifically for SM-G9350? I don't think I can find one for that......
I am a member because the owner hates the Iphone and I respect that
1) Download this https://dl.twrp.me/hero2lte/twrp-3.1.0-0-hero2lte.img.tar.html and WAIT.
2) Download superman ROM: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=817550096634750162
I choosed this rom cause it got nougat bootloader and kernel. Also download CSC chooser zip: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=745425885120710484
3) Install twrp via ODIN and uncheck auto reset in odin. Then press power + home + volup to go to recovery. Put the superman rom and CSC chooser zip files on Sd card and put back in phone.
4) Install Superman rom,in aroma pick superstock kernel 'samsung pay and knox work' and install/update everything especially the bootloader. In mods stick to stock as possible.
5) Install the CSC zip file and choose t-mobile USA.
6) reboot and pray everything works LOL
I'm not responsible for any damage that might occur but if ir worked donations are welcome to help a medical student here
modaifallah said:
1) Download this https://dl.twrp.me/hero2lte/twrp-3.1.0-0-hero2lte.img.tar.html and WAIT.
2) Download superman ROM: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=817550096634750162
I choosed this rom cause it got nougat bootloader and kernel. Also download CSC chooser zip: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=745425885120710484
3) Install twrp via ODIN and uncheck auto reset in odin. Then press power + home + volup to go to recovery. Put the superman rom and CSC chooser zip files on Sd card and put back in phone.
4) Install Superman rom,in aroma pick superstock kernel 'samsung pay and knox work' and install/update everything especially the bootloader. In mods stick to stock as possible.
5) Install the CSC zip file and choose t-mobile USA.
6) reboot and pray everything works LOL
I'm not responsible for any damage that might occur but if ir worked donations are welcome to help a medical student here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice, I like what you have! My model is different so I don't know if the ROM will work though I'm almost finished downloading it at the moment. Instructions 3 and 4 is confusing. Don't I need to put superman ROM and CSC file on sd card while the phone is ON?And am I suppose to transfer it on there via usb cable or can I also do it via google drive than open in up phone gmail and put it on sd card? Also do I need to extract the CSC file first to my computer desktop? That file takes forever to extract! Is instruction 4 suppose to be while in recovery mode? Also is it normal for my phone to show "no command" while in recovery mode?
Thank you ?
The rom will work because your phone is exynos based. It got a different model number because it's for Chinese markets. Put the rom on the SD card using whatever method, just do it before flashing the recovery, because your phone may not boot after the recovery to the stock firmware because Samsung has put some crap to prevent using custom firmware. I forgot to say that also before doing anything go to device info - > software - > and press build number several times to enable developer options then back to settings and go to developer options and enable OEM unlocking.
Yes, commands 4 are made in recovery. Install - > pick the zip file and install.
All zip files aren't extracted! The recovery uses the zip file as it is.
Good luck
okaythan24 said:
I'm going to try to find an official U.S. T-mobile ROM and flash with odin...but does it have to be specifically for SM-G9350? I don't think I can find one for that......
I am a member because the owner hates the Iphone and I respect that
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Click to collapse
Were you able to flash the U.S. T-mobile ROM onto SM-9350?
The official firmware can be found on https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SM-G935T/
I found it yesterday but their free server is under maintenance so he will have to pay to just download a firmware file.
I don't know why don't samsung provide them for free on their site!
Actually i am from india and i bought an samsung verizon note 3.. It was good before also i was able to use airtel 4g also.. But one of my friend installed stock rom and the mobile does not showing 4g at all.. I tried to root the phone but faiked to root... Please developer help me to install a custom rom and help me to use the phone with 4g
dipankar.c2bs said:
Actually i am from india and i bought an samsung verizon note 3.. It was good before also i was able to use airtel 4g also.. But one of my friend installed stock rom and the mobile does not showing 4g at all.. I tried to root the phone but faiked to root... Please developer help me to install a custom rom and help me to use the phone with 4g
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Click to collapse
The problem is the APN and you can not modify it. Contact your carrier and see if they can assist.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
ehrn i purchased the phone it was perfect. connecting internet was showing 4g.. but when i installed this original Verizon rom it became difficult.. now i am unable to root and install custom recovery... please guide me to root and install custom recovery TWRP and i want to install custim rom.. please help
@dipankar.c2bs
You might look into getting your CSC "sales_code" changed. I'm not sure if that is entirely the problem, but it is likely related. Even the USA Verizon ROMs come preloaded with databases that are used to provide custom parameters for a variety of carriers and locations world-wide. (See the file /system/csc/imsprofile.xml for example) I suspect the way this information is actually used is through the "sales_code" CSC value, but I'm not 100% sure of that.
I'm guessing you want "INS" or "INU" instead of VZW
What you currently have:
Code:
getprop | grep -i csc
If your handset is supported by Airtel, one of their technicians will probably know how to do the CSC change, possibly without even rooting the phone.
If it not supported, they probably will be under orders of their employer not to help you at all. But, is is easier for them to give you advice face-to-face, rather than over the telephone (subject to monitoring), if that is possible.
A question to ask - a form of social engineering - is this: "do you know of someone in the area that can help me for a small fee?"
[EDIT]
There is one other possibility for a non-rooted phone. I really don't know if this would work (I am speculating here), but the basic idea is to apply a CSC for a closely related device Model (a SM-N90???? Qualcomm model, hopefully for CDMA/LTE) that is for your country and carrier on top of your existing ROM using Odin. Get the CSC file from Sammobile, and:
- wipe the entire phone using the stock recovery. (You can remove the external SD card first if you like)
- boot the phone, shut down, boot into stock recovery.
- wipe the entire phone again in the stock recovery
- boot into Odin and flash the CSC in the CSC slot.
- boot the phone; do a minimal configuration and see if you have the service you want.
Note that @donc113 s advice given above is the right place to start: ask your service (Airtel) to help you before you try anything yourself.
good luck.
when i purchase it was good... there was 4g indicator also.. no verizon boot screen.. but now it dont works..
dipankar.c2bs said:
when i purchase it was good... there was 4g indicator also.. no verizon boot screen.. but now it dont works..
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Click to collapse
One of your friends who installed the stock ROM apparently didn't understand the consequences of what he did. Stock ROMs set the APN for Verizon. Did this friend happen to make a backup before he did the ROM switch?
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
no he have not back up the previous rom
Knox?