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I'm trying to decide if I'm going to own the AT&T galaxy s7 edge. This is just my observation, but it seems that there are fewer root options and less custom user development with each new model of the Samsung Galaxy S phones from AT&T. This seems to be more with with AT&T versions because they seem to be trying to do everything in their power to limit users from rooting their phones. This may go further than AT&T, but that's where my experience is limited to. I'd go with another carrier or buy an unlocked one, but I just can't justify the cost when my job pays for the phone and the bill. Worst case scenario is that I'll just stop rooting my phone rather than buy one somewhere else, but I love the flexibility and options it gives me. There are many custom functions I enjoy on my phone made possible by rooting it.
So my question to the community is this, and please share your thoughts even if you disagree:
Do you too also see a decline in the root options and custom development effort in AT&T Galaxy S phones over the years? Do you think this is going to change? And are there other phones you feel are better to own with comparable functionality to the Galaxy S series that receive much more custom user development support? Thank you all!
There is no question that development has fallen away on ATT phones - primarly because of the locked bootloader that ATT started back with the S4 - is has only gotten worse since then.
I am on ATT and I stopped buying ATT phones after the S4. The flexibility and options that are open to me using a TMobile phone on ATT are worth whatever additional cost to me so I just deal with it. I am fortunate, I have a good job and my wife doesn't bi..ch too much.
Custom Rom Developoment on the S6 and Note 5 for all carriers seemed to be less overall than I remember on the Note 4 and the S5 before that - maybe because Samsung pissed everyone off when they didn't include an External SD Card and they elminated the removal battery. The Exynos Processor probably played a big role too - I hope we see more on the S7 and S7 edge....
It's probably not a good idea if you want to use CM on ATT S7. And I would recommend you to get oneplus or nexus if you want to use CM or other custom ROMs.
Edited: I am also considering getting tmobile S7 for att use. Just don't know if that gonna work.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I have had to stick with ATT since it is the only signal to penetrate the building I am in. My S4 was a T-Mobile model which was all unlocked with good amount of development. My s5 is w8 Canadian model also with pretty good development. I actually considered getting an ATT s7 but I'm sure I would soon be dissatisfied with stock only. Plus 30 months of $26 extra bill for device would be terrible. So I am going to wait and buy another international one when available for less than 6 or 7 hundred bucks.
I left ATT for one of these reasons, got so sick and tired of their Nazi BS crappy way of doing things the past couple of years. I used to LOL at Verizon for being the worst, well ATT has far surpassed them for the worst carrier in the U.S. ( Not talking network )
Back in the day, the ATT Note 2 was AWESOME, and tons of XDA development available for that phone, and then the Note 3 things started to change, and only got worse. The S4 was a disaster, at first it was rootable and had development, then ATT passed an update, and totally locked down that phone.
Plus their billing sucks, my monthly bill was never consistent, even though I was on a good plan. Every month my bill was a little higher, or way higher, but never exactly what it should be.
Fast forward to last Summer, My wife and I moved to T-Mobile at the launch of the Note 5, pick up the T-Mobile Note 5, and both are rooted running a great ROM. And T-Mobile's monthly bill, for seven months straight, been exactly the same, no funny business.
I'm with AT&T for the past two years. Two years ago AT&T kicked T-Mobile off all their cell towers in my area, and my signal became nonexistent. I ordered an S7 Edge through T-Mobile. Once the phone is unlocked, works fine on AT&T network. I won't buy another AT&T phone. I was lucky with my S5. I used the Towel Root exploit, and was lucky to have not updated.....
Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the feedback! Since work will buy the phone, I'm thinking about getting the AT&T S7 Edge, selling it, then getting a T-Mobile version with the money I sell it for maybe make a little or lose a little, but it shouldn't be a huge difference.
It is not only ATT Samsung phones that have seen a decrease in development - pretty much all phones have seen a decrease in development. Reason? Android is much better than it used to be! I had the S6 Edge+ (928G) unlocked and liked it, but eventually sold it. After a month or two I missed it and go a good deal on the ATT version. Man, the battery and signal strength are MUCH better than the 928G I had. There was bloat, but 99% of it can be disabled or uninstalled. I have gotten quite used to Samsung Pay and Android Pay and you can not use those with root.
madgalaxy said:
It is not only ATT Samsung phones that have seen a decrease in development - pretty much all phones have seen a decrease in development. Reason? Android is much better than it used to be! I had the S6 Edge+ (928G) unlocked and liked it, but eventually sold it. After a month or two I missed it and go a good deal on the ATT version. Man, the battery and signal strength are MUCH better than the 928G I had. There was bloat, but 99% of it can be disabled or uninstalled. I have gotten quite used to Samsung Pay and Android Pay and you can not use those with root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I simply cannot use a phone without AdAway, so I must root it. I hate ads/spam more than people hated Hitler.
I haven't felt a desire to unlock and root my phone. I have a Moto X Pure. I did have a Note 4 ATT variant and if it just came with Samsung bloat, I would have been fine but it's that ****ty at&t bloat that made me frustrated.
We went from a Note 3 to a Note Edge... Note 3 wasn't too bad and I did have it rooted with towelroot I think.
Note Edge didn't gain enough popularirty and nobody really cared to do anything with it anyways. We skipped the Note 5 and now going with a S7 Edge. I realized I didn't need to root or load a custom ROM on my Edge and I've been fine... Might stay that way with the S7 Edge we'll see...
that being said, I have a Gear S and that is locked down with ATT too.
Thought about going to T-Mobile, but our service is real good with AT&T so we didn't wanna change... I wouldn't mind trying T-Mobile though.
razorseal said:
We went from a Note 3 to a Note Edge... Note 3 wasn't too bad and I did have it rooted with towelroot I think.
Note Edge didn't gain enough popularirty and nobody really cared to do anything with it anyways. We skipped the Note 5 and now going with a S7 Edge. I realized I didn't need to root or load a custom ROM on my Edge and I've been fine... Might stay that way with the S7 Edge we'll see...
that being said, I have a Gear S and that is locked down with ATT too.
Thought about going to T-Mobile, but our service is real good with AT&T so we didn't wanna change... I wouldn't mind trying T-Mobile though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking about switching to tmobile but I was wondering if there is any way to test for tmobile signal in my building?
Ublock Origin works wonders
schn1tt3r said:
I simply cannot use a phone without AdAway, so I must root it. I hate ads/spam more than people hated Hitler.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ublock Origin > Firefox Mobile
Just adding (maybe not for you) but there are options out there for people that want Android/Samsung Pay and won't have root.
My honest openion, avoid AT&T, get a unlocked varient, You will thank me later.
I wish unlocked variations of phones worked on Verizon because that's what i would do. Verizon has the same issue with development going down the hill and also all the bloat ware, late updates...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
How is development for Verizon galaxy devices?
Does the T-Mobile variant have the same bands as at&t? Can I get the free Samsung gear vr? Can't seem to find the answers to these anywhere.
I also agree that development across all devices has went down allot.
The way I look at it, from Samsung stand point, if u want features like Gear VR and Samsung Pay, it's best not to root anyway since most of the root breaks those features.
Without those features you might as well get a non feature packed Android such as a Nexus.
Now days before making a device purchase, it's pretty obvious which device has the better dev community. If u go dev route and get a Nexus you loose luxury features such as Samsung Pay Gear VR etc....
Android is so powerful now days, the need for root and custom Roms just ain't needed anymore.
The G1 and HTC Evo and Samsung Vibrant (old school devices) days are a different story.
Just a warning for anybody who wants to use a non AT&T phone on their network. They will not allow it to use VoLTE at all.
spankmatic22 said:
I was thinking about switching to tmobile but I was wondering if there is any way to test for tmobile signal in my building?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll be sorry if you switch.... I left T-Mobile two years ago because of signal problems in the financial capital of the world. NYC... and they are still having the same problems two years later since AT&T kicked them off their cell towers.....
http://callingouttmobile.com/
---------- Post added at 12:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:48 PM ----------
lordloki77 said:
Does the T-Mobile variant have the same bands as at&t? Can I get the free Samsung gear vr? Can't seem to find the answers to these anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was with T-Mobile for 15 years up until two years ago when I switched to AT&T.... I had mad signal problems in my house.... I've had no problem since I moved. I order only T-Mobile phones because they are easier to root, and I unlock them.... and use them on AT&T....
---------- Post added at 12:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 PM ----------
lordloki77 said:
Does the T-Mobile variant have the same bands as at&t? Can I get the free Samsung gear vr? Can't seem to find the answers to these anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was with T-Mobile for 15 years up until two years ago when I switched to AT&T.... I had mad signal problems in my house.... I've had no problem since I moved. I order only T-Mobile phones because they are easier to root, and I unlock them.... and use them on AT&T....
Right now (just started looking into this) this seems like a no-brainer. Performance is much better and it's rooted!!!! I know you lose wifi calling in theory (although mine hasn't worked since I purchased it despite hours of troubleshooting and tweaking (sucks bc no coverage at home (rural)), but that can potentially be addressed by a custom rom? Thoughts?
I did the switch. Battery life is better. Speed difference is unnoticeable. Signal/Calling quality is fine. I would most likely switch back if root was available for the t-mobile model (but wouldn't if advanced calling was available for international).
Getting wifi calling + VOLTE + video calling is no small task if that matters to you (the S6's wifi calling was never ported to international models even though they shared the same chipset). It would take porting a qualcomm written csc to a exynos chipset and either porting t-mobile's custom ims implimentation or making the standard ims implimentation work with t-mobile. That being said, it has been done. The Galaxy S5 saw advanced calling from the S6 ported back, HTC's flagships have had wifi calling ported.
I had an international Note5 on T-Mobile's network. I hated not having WiFi calling and advanced messaging features and such. I was able to flash a ROM that included some of the lost features luckily, but that would not be the case here since the chipsets are different (at least not possible now). Additionally, for some reason the signal was always worse than my girlfriend's Note5 even when side-by-side. Consistently worse... I wouldn't deal with the hassle again.
hi, I switched too and I'm glad I did, battery is definitely better and I didn't notice performance differences (nor reception). I believe wifi calling hasn't been/can't be ported but some roms support VOLTE. Just be advised that samsung doesn't honor the warranty of international variants in the US hence insurance companies such as Upsie won't insure your device.
How do you switch?
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA-Developers mobile app
You have no warranty though, and Samsung Pay can be tricky to get working.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
Just got an international variant yesterday. Loving it but been struggling to change my CSC to one that supports Samsung Pay. I know the LYS CSC supports it and I've flashed it in Odin which reported success and did fine but upon using my device it didn't change my CSC. So confused as to why...
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Buy a 935F from ebay/swappa. Pay off your 935t, sell it on swappa/ebay.
mackentosh said:
How do you switch?
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the first phone I've owned that I really haven't felt the need to root. I used to want to root to disable bloatware and to change the theme of the system which I can do on the S7 edge without root. Only thing I do miss is the ad blocking with root but that's a small annoyance that I can live it. Also with the T-Mobile version you get all the necessary bands for extended range LTE which is amazing here in the LA area. Everywhere I go I have solid LTE whether it's indoors or oudoors. I also just used Samsung pay yesterday for the first time at Sprouts grocery store and it worked so easily on the first try! This pay system is flawless. The old lady behind me had a surprised look on her face when I payed that way. Got a free $20 gift card from Samsung for using it for the first time. Just my personal opinion on why the carrier branded T-Mobile version is better.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
The international variant supports all the LTE bands supported by the tmobile one (and more) see http://www.phonemore.com/compare/ph...-samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-sm-g935f-64gb/3305854
And the G935F connects fine to band 12
srod562 said:
This is the first phone I've owned that I really haven't felt the need to root. I used to want to root to disable bloatware and to change the theme of the system which I can do on the S7 edge without root. Only thing I do miss is the ad blocking with root but that's a small annoyance that I can live it. Also with the T-Mobile version you get all the necessary bands for extended range LTE which is amazing here in the LA area. Everywhere I go I have solid LTE whether it's indoors or oudoors. I also just used Samsung pay yesterday for the first time at Sprouts grocery store and it worked so easily on the first try! This pay system is flawless. The old lady behind me had a surprised look on her face when I payed that way. Got a free $20 gift card from Samsung for using it for the first time. Just my personal opinion on why the carrier branded T-Mobile version is better.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my SM-935T Model phone two sim cards active okay..?
i bought it on ebay dual sim for 620$ shipped. its way snappier and the battery life is significantly better. i havent rooted it yet
Remix22 said:
The international variant supports all the LTE bands supported by the tmobile one (and more) see http://www.phonemore.com/compare/ph...-samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-sm-g935f-64gb/3305854
And the G935F connects fine to band 12
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What CSC are you on?
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Nitemare3219 said:
I had an international Note5 on T-Mobile's network. I hated not having WiFi calling and advanced messaging features and such. I was able to flash a ROM that included some of the lost features luckily, but that would not be the case here since the chipsets are different (at least not possible now). Additionally, for some reason the signal was always worse than my girlfriend's Note5 even when side-by-side. Consistently worse... I wouldn't deal with the hassle again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience with my international S6 was very similar to yours. I moved back to the states with it and signed up with T-mobile. In my gym, which is underground, I could barely get a 4G signal (or nothing at all). Emails and notifications wouldn't come through even when I was connected to 4G. I got the s7e on tmobile and although signal still isn't strong, notifications come through reliably.
Not too scientific as they are different phone models and I've never paid this observation too much mind but now that I've heard your story, I'm inclined to think that carrier specific models might be better at picking up signal on that carrier.
Been using international version for a while, returned my t-mobile version on the 20th day, by that time it was apparent to me that the t-mobile version would not be getting rooted anytime soon. In my opinion this device is much better rooted, especially since i like a lot of color schemes on my status bar and the Ads were driving me crazy. would've preferred a rooted t-mobile version, but a rooted international version is light years better than a stock version of any kind imo.
I'm on MID (Iraq)
Rydah805 said:
What CSC are you on?
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey guys,
I am currently an iPhone user since day one. I guess I am getting tired of waiting for a jailbreak and waiting on developers to update their tweaks so I want to move to an S7.
I been looking on Craigslist for a S7 and I see a bunch of AT&T phones but I am on Verizon. I know both carriers are different from one another using different bands but can I use an ATT phone on a Verizon network if it's unlocked? I was told by Verizon that I can but someone else said I can't.
I am just curious to see if the S7 is all band compatible?
I don't want to spend $700 and not be able to use it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
JoeFromSFO said:
Hey guys,
I am currently an iPhone user since day one. I guess I am getting tired of waiting for a jailbreak and waiting on developers to update their tweaks so I want to move to an S7.
I been looking on Craigslist for a S7 and I see a bunch of AT&T phones but I am on Verizon. I know both carriers are different from one another using different bands but can I use an ATT phone on a Verizon network if it's unlocked? I was told by Verizon that I can but someone else said I can't.
I am just curious to see if the S7 is all band compatible?
I don't want to spend $700 and not be able to use it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to buy an international variant if you want root. SM-G935F
dynospectrum said:
You need to buy an international variant if you want root. SM-G935F
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying if I buy a US S7 I can't root the phone?
re: S7 Edge
JoeFromSFO said:
Are you saying if I buy a US S7 I can't root the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, there are no US S7 or S7 Edge phones which can be rooted.
The very last late model Samsung Galaxy phones which can still be
rooted are the S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ & Note 5 US branded phones.
So if you want a S7 Edge you will have to purchase an international
model G935F.
Good luck,
Have a great day!
Misterjunky said:
Yes, there are no US S7 or S7 Edge phones which can be rooted.
The very last late model Samsung Galaxy phones which can still be
rooted are the S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ & Note 5 US branded phones.
So if you want a S7 Edge you will have to purchase an international
model G935F.
Good luck,
Have a great day!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So rooting is only for installing roms correct? Thanks for this info, I almost bought one from CL.
Can you still install tweaks without rooting?
Also just to confirm the SM-G935F model will work on Verizon correct?
JoeFromSFO said:
Also just to confirm the SM-G935F model will work on Verizon correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it will, all you will need to do is pop in an activated Verizon micro sim card.
Good luck,
Have a great day!
---------- Post added at 09:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:29 PM ----------
JoeFromSFO said:
So rooting is only for installing roms correct? Thanks for this info, I almost bought one from CL.
Can you still install tweaks without rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cannot install or flash any roms, tweaks or mods unless the phone is rooted. (With very few exceptions)
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Does the Canadian version G935W8 can be rooted?
re: canadian s7 Edge
XGARX said:
Does the Canadian version G935W8 can be rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it can.
If you want to know how, go to this xda link.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/development/recovery-official-twrp-hero2lte-3-0-0-0-t3334084
It will guide you thru the rooting process.
The W8 Canadian S7 Edge is rooted the
same way as all the international versions.
You don't even need to root the phone if you are
going to flash a custom rom...
All custom roms are pre-rooted so you will only
need to odin flash TWRP by following the guide
in the link above.
Good luck,
Have a great day!
JoeFromSFO said:
Also just to confirm the SM-G935F model will work on Verizon correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Misterjunky said:
Yes it will, all you will need to do is pop in an activated Verizon micro sim card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure the international version supports CDMA?
I read it only supports 4G not 3G or 2G.
That kind of sux because to me Verizon does not have good coverage.
If I buy a phone from Verizon I guess can't root it, what can I do? Can I install custom tweaks and is there a free App Store like AppCake?
I would be careful using phones built on another network even if unlocked. The phone and sms will work but picture / video and data connections will be spotty.
Verizon and Sprint work off of CDMA and all other carries r on GSM.
LTE frequencies r built different for each network. If I was u n spending that money, I would buy the phone that was made for the carrier u r looking to do business with.
U can search through the Google play store. All tweaks that come from apps in there u can install without root.
If u r used to Cydia which u change system parameters of the native phone or status bar icons, that is all done with root.
Android gives u a million more customization options unrooted. Not like the iPhone. I have also used an iPhone for years and only because of the jailbreak. Without a JB I would of never used the iPhone. I switched to android as well because new JBs don't come out as quick especially since every other month Apple releases a new IOS.
I am amazed with all the options and great camera that s7 has over the iPhone. The iPhone 7 still sounds to be years behind.
I am actually selling an AT&T unused s7 device.
Good luck!!!
AnThOnY- S7 Edge
iTouch24 said:
I would be careful using phones built on another network even if unlocked. The phone and sms will work but picture / video and data connections will be spotty.
Verizon and Sprint work off of CDMA and all other carries r on GSM.
LTE frequencies r built different for each network. If I was u n spending that money, I would buy the phone that was made for the carrier u r looking to do business with.
U can search through the Google play store. All tweaks that come from apps in there u can install without root.
If u r used to Cydia which u change system parameters of the native phone or status bar icons, that is all done with root.
Android gives u a million more customization options unrooted. Not like the iPhone. I have also used an iPhone for years and only because of the jailbreak. Without a JB I would of never used the iPhone. I switched to android as well because new JBs don't come out as quick especially since every other month Apple releases a new IOS.
I am amazed with all the options and great camera that s7 has over the iPhone. The iPhone 7 still sounds to be years behind.
I am actually selling an AT&T unused s7 device.
Good luck!!!
AnThOnY- S7 Edge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I am using Echoe Rom do you really recommend me to install a Stock rom? I don't really like how looks my phone. There are some stuff missing like TouchWiz features. I am using a G935W8
Hello. My friend's mother, from India, is here in the states and would like to buy an S7.
My other friend has a Verizon S7 (SMG-930V) that she wants to sell for cheap ($350). It was her old phone, and she has since switched carriers and phones. She hasn't fully paid off her old S7, although she's still on the hook for it. I think she'll pay it off with the money she'll get from the sale of the phone, but I'm not sure.
My questions are this: Will this phone work well overseas (mostly in India)? Will the fact that the phone isn't fully paid off affect whether it will function? Will flashing the SMG-930U firmware, instead of keeping the SMG-930V, offer any benefits when used overseas?
Thank you in advance for any help!
dieseldeeznutz said:
Hello. My friend's mother, from India, is here in the states and would like to buy an S7.
My other friend has a Verizon S7 (SMG-930V) that she wants to sell for cheap ($350). It was her old phone, and she has since switched carriers and phones. She hasn't fully paid off her old S7, although she's still on the hook for it. I think she'll pay it off with the money she'll get from the sale of the phone, but I'm not sure.
My questions are this: Will this phone work well overseas (mostly in India)? Will the fact that the phone isn't fully paid off affect whether it will function? Will flashing the SMG-930U firmware, instead of keeping the SMG-930V, offer any benefits when used overseas?
Thank you in advance for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I have a verizon s7 I bought from US and using in India..my phone was sim unlocked and is working fine with Indian carrier..but there were like 20-30 verizon apps, so I flashed it with 930U and I feel it is a bit smoother than the verizon one..everything is working fine including LTE..
Edit: Iam using Airtel BTW.Yet to try Jio
Hope this helps
suryakiran_r said:
Hi,
I have a verizon s7 I bought from US and using in India..my phone was sim unlocked and is working fine with Indian carrier..but there were like 20-30 verizon apps, so I flashed it with 930U and I feel it is a bit smoother than the verizon one..everything is working fine including LTE..
Edit: Iam using Airtel BTW.Yet to try Jio
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the response... I bought the phone and flashed SM-G930U successfully, so far so good!
suryakiran_r said:
Hi,
I have a verizon s7 I bought from US and using in India..my phone was sim unlocked and is working fine with Indian carrier..but there were like 20-30 verizon apps, so I flashed it with 930U and I feel it is a bit smoother than the verizon one..everything is working fine including LTE..
Edit: Iam using Airtel BTW.Yet to try Jio
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If u need Jio VoLTE, https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/how-to/how-to-volte-jio-spay-india-usa-t3663530
Hello everyone I've got a question I know the S8 is about to come out and I'm on the fence about it mainly because of the edge one of the choices I've thought about making was after passing off my S7 edge buying the regular S7 and selling my edge model. I only bought the edge because it had the bigger battery but the actual edge is not comfortable to use.
I'm thinking about getting the international S7 if I do because I'm reading it has better battery life and is slightly faster. But I need everything to work correctly.
Any good advice?
Iam in the US have the 935f on straight talk att sim and it works well. The only thing that sucks is u do not have wifi calling or volte but if u are on tmobile service u can go in the custom rom section,their is a international built rom to use tmobile wifi calling and volte. now none of my banks use samsung pay,so i have no experience with that.
re: wifi calling - volte
ecg803 said:
Iam in the US have the 935f on straight talk att sim and it works well. The only thing that sucks is u do not have wifi calling or volte but if u are on tmobile service u can go in the custom rom section,their is a international built rom to use tmobile wifi calling and volte. now none of my banks use samsung pay,so i have no experience with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mind being rooted and twrp'ed
then there is a custom rom which does have
both wifi calling and volte and both work
100% perfectly on a G935F international
phone..
Good luck,
Have a great day!.