Database Users

Switching between phones on AT&T?

I currently have Verizon and I'm thinking of switching to At&T and getting the Oneplus 2. I'm kind of disappointed in the battery life and the lack of NFC so I'm on the fence. But if I switch to AT&T and get say the Galaxy Note 5 when it comes out and then purchase a Oneplus 2. Could use both phones just by swapping the sim card back and forth? I always see articles on phone review websites with the author saying he uses one phone as a daily driver and another phone for other things. I'd love to have two phones and just switch back and forth but all with one number.
Thanks

antjones21 said:
I currently have Verizon and I'm thinking of switching to At&T and getting the Oneplus 2. I'm kind of disappointed in the battery life and the lack of NFC so I'm on the fence. But if I switch to AT&T and get say the Galaxy Note 5 when it comes out and then purchase a Oneplus 2. Could use both phones just by swapping the sim card back and forth? I always see articles on phone review websites with the author saying he uses one phone as a daily driver and another phone for other things. I'd love to have two phones and just switch back and forth but all with one number.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you should be able to switch sim cards between phones with no issues. Be sure to check the apn in settings to reflect att network.
Be advised, that att will charge some "new" contract fees for new customers starting August 1st. Not sure what the new fees are specifically but I've heard it will be the most expensive thus far in the US.
Good luck.
Sent from a Locked Bootloader

Mojar7070 said:
Yes, you should be able to switch sim cards between phones with no issues. Be sure to check the apn in settings to reflect att network.
Be advised, that att will charge some "new" contract fees for new customers starting August 1st. Not sure what the new fees are specifically but I've heard it will be the most expensive thus far in the US.
Good luck.
Sent from a Locked Bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks yea I read that yesterday I think it's $45. I'm ok with that, it's not as bad as Verizon making you pay 75% of the retail price of a phone and hand it in to them in order to upgrade in the lease plan. I have the Note 4 and it was $700 retail and they want $524 in order for me to upgrade. I might has well pay the full $700 and keep the phone and sell it than pay $524 and give it back to them.

I'm on AT&T and have had no issue swapping the SIM to use multiple phones.

OnePlus Two and ATT
I'm on ATT and have the OnePlus Two - they do not currently support it on LTE/4G network so data is slooooooow
antjones21 said:
I currently have Verizon and I'm thinking of switching to At&T and getting the Oneplus 2. I'm kind of disappointed in the battery life and the lack of NFC so I'm on the fence. But if I switch to AT&T and get say the Galaxy Note 5 when it comes out and then purchase a Oneplus 2. Could use both phones just by swapping the sim card back and forth? I always see articles on phone review websites with the author saying he uses one phone as a daily driver and another phone for other things. I'd love to have two phones and just switch back and forth but all with one number.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

clblfl said:
I'm on ATT and have the OnePlus Two - they do not currently support it on LTE/4G network so data is slooooooow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using the Chinese version?? International version should be LTE capable. If you do have the international version, maybe check the apn settings??
Sent from a Locked Bootloader

I have the international version - and the phone is not the issue. ATT told me that they do not currently support the phone so they throttle it

clblfl said:
I have the international version - and the phone is not the issue. ATT told me that they do not currently support the phone so they throttle it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow!!! That's definitely a deciding factor for some to not get the phone. :thumbdown:
Sent from a Locked Bootloader

Questions about the Nexus 6P before I buy (Cricket Wireless)

Hey guys
I was up until recently the proud owner of an LG G4. Details of what happened to it can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/g4/general/expository-thread-bootloop-t3313771
As possibly getting the G4 fixed will take months, I'm (unfortunately) in the market for a new phone.
I use Cricket Wireless which means I have to buy all my phones upfront; This isn't bad though, as I view all my devices as investments that should be future-proof for ideally atleast 2-2.5 years. I had hoped that with buying a G4, I would be able to sustain it for 2+ years. But this doesn't look like it will be the case...
I'm looking to get a Nexus 6P. It looks like the best option for someone like me who needs a phone that is factory unlocked by default and has a good compatibility with all most all cellular providers In the US. So I just have a couple of questions:
1. Since the Nexus 6P is factory unlocked by default and has such a wide range of supported bands, it should work with Cricket (being that it is an ATT MVNO), right? (even if this seems obvious, I would like some reassurance before I buy).
2. What has been everyone's experienced with Google's protection, warranty, coverage, and RMA policies? This is very important in making sure that I'll always have SOMEONE to talk to if my phone breaks.
3. What's the situation on wireless hotspot with the 6P? I know its included in the OS, but it apparently doesn't work for all carriers. I've heard some people complain that it doesn't work on ATT, Cricket, and that they've used the SIM tool trick (from the 5X) to get hotspot to work (this was actually in another thread here at XDA).
4. Supposedly rooting your phone makes hotspot really easy and accessible, and I've heard that rooting/flashing the 6P is harmless and very very easy to do. Anyone can comment on this?
5. Are there any large, production-scale issues with the Nexus 6P? It's been a couple of months since its release so I hope a lot of the flaws that were present with the earlier manufactured devices are gone. (Once again, I'm trying to avoid an issue like Bootloop which had happened to many of the early adopters of the G4)
6. Finally, are there any other phones that others would recommend that come factory unlocked by default? I could buy a Galaxy S6 from Cricket, and then I would have the support of my carrier and all, but I definitely don't think the GS6 is a better phone than the 6P...
Thank you guys for reading!

OmriSama said:
Hey guys
I was up until recently the proud owner of an LG G4. Details of what happened to it can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/g4/general/expository-thread-bootloop-t3313771
As possibly getting the G4 fixed will take months, I'm (unfortunately) in the market for a new phone.
I use Cricket Wireless which means I have to buy all my phones upfront; This isn't bad though, as I view all my devices as investments that should be future-proof for ideally atleast 2-2.5 years. I had hoped that with buying a G4, I would be able to sustain it for 2+ years. But this doesn't look like it will be the case...
I'm looking to get a Nexus 6P. It looks like the best option for someone like me who needs a phone that is factory unlocked by default and has a good compatibility with all most all cellular providers In the US. So I just have a couple of questions:
1. Since the Nexus 6P is factory unlocked by default and has such a wide range of supported bands, it should work with Cricket (being that it is an ATT MVNO), right? (even if this seems obvious, I would like some reassurance before I buy).
2. What has been everyone's experienced with Google's protection, warranty, coverage, and RMA policies? This is very important in making sure that I'll always have SOMEONE to talk to if my phone breaks.
3. What's the situation on wireless hotspot with the 6P? I know its included in the OS, but it apparently doesn't work for all carriers. I've heard some people complain that it doesn't work on ATT, Cricket, and that they've used the SIM tool trick (from the 5X) to get hotspot to work (this was actually in another thread here at XDA).
4. Supposedly rooting your phone makes hotspot really easy and accessible, and I've heard that rooting/flashing the 6P is harmless and very very easy to do. Anyone can comment on this?
5. Are there any large, production-scale issues with the Nexus 6P? It's been a couple of months since its release so I hope a lot of the flaws that were present with the earlier manufactured devices are gone. (Once again, I'm trying to avoid an issue like Bootloop which had happened to many of the early adopters of the G4)
6. Finally, are there any other phones that others would recommend that come factory unlocked by default? I could buy a Galaxy S6 from Cricket, and then I would have the support of my carrier and all, but I definitely don't think the GS6 is a better phone than the 6P...
Thank you guys for reading!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only thing I'm experiencing is not being able to send MMS.
What is the trick for the N6P to get hotspot service?
Thanks

OmriSama said:
Hey guys
I was up until recently the proud owner of an LG G4. Details of what happened to it can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/g4/general/expository-thread-bootloop-t3313771
As possibly getting the G4 fixed will take months, I'm (unfortunately) in the market for a new phone.
I use Cricket Wireless which means I have to buy all my phones upfront; This isn't bad though, as I view all my devices as investments that should be future-proof for ideally atleast 2-2.5 years. I had hoped that with buying a G4, I would be able to sustain it for 2+ years. But this doesn't look like it will be the case...
I'm looking to get a Nexus 6P. It looks like the best option for someone like me who needs a phone that is factory unlocked by default and has a good compatibility with all most all cellular providers In the US. So I just have a couple of questions:
1. Since the Nexus 6P is factory unlocked by default and has such a wide range of supported bands, it should work with Cricket (being that it is an ATT MVNO), right? (even if this seems obvious, I would like some reassurance before I buy).
2. What has been everyone's experienced with Google's protection, warranty, coverage, and RMA policies? This is very important in making sure that I'll always have SOMEONE to talk to if my phone breaks.
3. What's the situation on wireless hotspot with the 6P? I know its included in the OS, but it apparently doesn't work for all carriers. I've heard some people complain that it doesn't work on ATT, Cricket, and that they've used the SIM tool trick (from the 5X) to get hotspot to work (this was actually in another thread here at XDA).
4. Supposedly rooting your phone makes hotspot really easy and accessible, and I've heard that rooting/flashing the 6P is harmless and very very easy to do. Anyone can comment on this?
5. Are there any large, production-scale issues with the Nexus 6P? It's been a couple of months since its release so I hope a lot of the flaws that were present with the earlier manufactured devices are gone. (Once again, I'm trying to avoid an issue like Bootloop which had happened to many of the early adopters of the G4)
6. Finally, are there any other phones that others would recommend that come factory unlocked by default? I could buy a Galaxy S6 from Cricket, and then I would have the support of my carrier and all, but I definitely don't think the GS6 is a better phone than the 6P...
Thank you guys for reading!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes, it works with every carrier in the USA.
2. Mine hasn't broken, so I dunno
3. Out of the box, hotspot is determined by carrier. Install a custom rom, however, and they almost always have modified the build.prop to use hotspot with any carrier.
4. It's very easy, and it's even easier if you shell out a few bucks for Skipsoft Toolkit.
5. I've heard of bent 6Ps, but mine hasn't done that.
6. Nexus and OnePlusOne are both solid AT&T compatible devices that allow you to choose any carrier (except for CDMA on the OPO.) I would not get an MVNO branded phone unless I planned on being with that MVNO until the phone is outdated. The resale value is notoriously terrible when MVNOs get their hands on them.

rickyray9 said:
1. Yes, it works with every carrier in the USA.
2. Mine hasn't broken, so I dunno
3. Out of the box, hotspot is determined by carrier. Install a custom rom, however, and they almost always have modified the build.prop to use hotspot with any carrier.
4. It's very easy, and it's even easier if you shell out a few bucks for Skipsoft Toolkit.
5. I've heard of bent 6Ps, but mine hasn't done that.
6. Nexus and OnePlusOne are both solid AT&T compatible devices that allow you to choose any carrier (except for CDMA on the OPO.) I would not get an MVNO branded phone unless I planned on being with that MVNO until the phone is outdated. The resale value is notoriously terrible when MVNOs get their hands on them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is great advice! Thank you. I totally forgot about OnePlus; aren't all their phones GSM factory unlocked?

Quality and durability, so far, have been great for me. I switched from Virgin to T-mobile when I got it, so hotspot is included with my service and it has worked pretty well the couple of times I tried it. Google pay is handy so I don't have to whip my cards out to pay for stuff (just got a free Chromecast for using it 10 times this month). I am using stock ROM with out root (I just haven't really needed it for anything bad enough yet). There are a ton of cases, screen protectors, etc. available for the 6P. No TouchWiz is also a wonderful thing.
My partner did have an issue using speaker phone on his unit (we both pre-ordered and got early units). Google customer service with pretty good. He didn't want to be without a phone during the exchange, so they did hit his card for the purchase price again, but the replacement arrived two days later and within 5 days the money was credited back to him. We both have the extended warranties that say they'll replace the phones even if we break them or drown them, etc. for two years. Haven't had to test them on that so far, but it's good to have. It does cost you $80 deductible every time you need a replacement outside of manufacturers warranty.
I'd say the 6P is pretty solid investment, especially with the extended warranty. Even you wear the dam thing out in 23 months, cash in that warranty and get a fresh one. Also, check out T-mobiles no contract plans. I had planned on getting another pre-paid plan, but they offer a hell of deal for $50 post-paid yet no contract....You'll not likely run out data and you can turn their "Binge On" BS off. Good luck!

I would advise against getting the G4, as the LTE radios were carrier-locked, so at the time when I switched to Cricket back in June, I would've been **** outta luck. I have the 6P right now, Note 4 prior to the 6P, and I've had no problem fully utilizing the phone on Cricket's network. Your phone will be plug-and-play ready to go, as in popping in the SIM card (nano SIM), and you'll be good. Cricket sells the Nano SIM with Micro and standard sized adapter. Yes, your data download speed will be throttled to 8MBPS, but it's still plenty enough to get stuff done. If you're worried about the data cap (10GB on Pro plan), you can just reset your plan in the middle of the month once you reach your data cap, and the data counter will reset on Cricket's end. I use about 40GB a month, roughly. No worries there, either. Have fun =)

I use it on cricket and it works fine. I use it in NYC and have lte everywhere. Hotspot works on my stock rooted nexus 6p. Let me know if you have any questions.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

talkcc144 said:
Only thing I'm experiencing is not being able to send MMS.
What is the trick for the N6P to get hotspot service?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Supposedly if you pop out the SIM card, pop it back in, and then try to go into hotspot while its authenticating it'll work.

tzbigworm said:
I would advise against getting the G4, as the LTE radios were carrier-locked, so at the time when I switched to Cricket back in June, I would've been **** outta luck. I have the 6P right now, Note 4 prior to the 6P, and I've had no problem fully utilizing the phone on Cricket's network. Your phone will be plug-and-play ready to go, as in popping in the SIM card (nano SIM), and you'll be good. Cricket sells the Nano SIM with Micro and standard sized adapter. Yes, your data download speed will be throttled to 8MBPS, but it's still plenty enough to get stuff done. If you're worried about the data cap (10GB on Pro plan), you can just reset your plan in the middle of the month once you reach your data cap, and the data counter will reset on Cricket's end. I use about 40GB a month, roughly. No worries there, either. Have fun =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean, I did get the G4 and I thought it worked very well with Cricket. The LTE speeds were good but so were the H+ ones lol. And I was an early adopter too.
How do you reset your plan?

Warbuff said:
I use it on cricket and it works fine. I use it in NYC and have lte everywhere. Hotspot works on my stock rooted nexus 6p. Let me know if you have any questions.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But hotspot didn't work unrooted right?

Not supposedly. It works. You just slide the sim tray out a little bit, put the enable hotspot setting on your screen, slide the tray back in, wait 3 seconds, and enable hotspot. Sometimes takes a few times for the timing, but always works.
OmriSama said:
Supposedly if you pop out the SIM card, pop it back in, and then try to go into hotspot while its authenticating it'll work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Anyone replaced their T-Mobile model with international unlocked?

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

Ask your questions about Zenfone AR ZS571KL here

You can ask your questions about your ZenFone AR here.
Any questions about:software,hardware,system updates and etc.
Sent from my K00E using Tapatalk

So I'm not too thrilled about the 6 GB/64 GB version we're apparently getting in Canada, and am seriously considering getting an 8 GB/128 GB version on eBay, but I'm concerned about it being a Taiwanese SKU/serial.
Does anyone have any experience or thoughts as to whether it would work in Canada, if updates would come properly, etc - or better still if I could just flash it to the NA version on arrival, etc.? Thanks!

Hyacin said:
So I'm not too thrilled about the 6 GB/64 GB version we're apparently getting in Canada, and am seriously considering getting an 8 GB/128 GB version on eBay, but I'm concerned about it being a Taiwanese SKU/serial.
Does anyone have any experience or thoughts as to whether it would work in Canada, if updates would come properly, etc - or better still if I could just flash it to the NA version on arrival, etc.? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must buy ww or Europe rom Version.
Sent from my K00E using Tapatalk

Will any of the unlocked version work on Verizon?
I've been looking for complete specs... will any of the unlocked versions of this phone work on Verizon?

Make 8 GB Zenfone AR work on Verizon?
Hyacin said:
So I'm not too thrilled about the 6 GB/64 GB version we're apparently getting in Canada, and am seriously considering getting an 8 GB/128 GB version on eBay, but I'm concerned about it being a Taiwanese SKU/serial.
Does anyone have any experience or thoughts as to whether it would work in Canada, if updates would come properly, etc - or better still if I could just flash it to the NA version on arrival, etc.? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also super interested in the ability get an 8 GB version working on Verizon. If someone knows for sure a flash would get the correct bands and it's not a hardware issue, that would be terrific.

Buying the 8/256GB RAM/storage version in Europe.
At the moment I am only able to find this phone available for purchase in Sweden with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Does anyone know if a version with the highest specs will be available in the future? Why aren't the phone available with all options in every country? Where can I go to get a version with better specs?

sureiguess said:
I am also super interested in the ability get an 8 GB version working on Verizon. If someone knows for sure a flash would get the correct bands and it's not a hardware issue, that would be terrific.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought my Verizon one yesterday. Based on the unlocked one I briefly got to fondle it does look to be a hardware limit.

The unlocked ones will not work on Verizon Sprint says in specs on Amazon website
Sent from my ASUS_A002A using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 03:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------
The Verizon one seems good so far just hope we can get some development for it.
Sent from my ASUS_A002A using Tapatalk

[deleted]
Because Amazon website has misinformation.

Well, I bit the bullet and just picked mine up. Haven't done anything to it yet but plug it in. Battery was at 15% so I need to let it charge first. Hate saying goodbye to root though....

sunNsnow said:
[deleted]
Because Amazon website has misinformation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Amazon or global one is GSM network Verizon and Sprint use CDMA networks . So the info on their site is correct.
Sent from my ASUS_A002A using Tapatalk

sargon666777 said:
I've been looking for complete specs... will any of the unlocked versions of this phone work on Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my testing, the unlocked version will pick up Verizon LTE bands but calls fail since there is no VoLTE option on the phone. Did not pick up any of their 3G signals, and their system would not accept my IMEI as a compatible device. So it may work if you can convince Verizon to add the phone to their system, which is unlikely since they already have their own version.
FWIW I also tried it with a Sprint SIM, but got no service whatsoever and their system would not accept the IMEI. Thew in a Cricket/AT&T SIM and the phone worked as expected.

HipKat said:
Well, I bit the bullet and just picked mine up. Haven't done anything to it yet but plug it in. Battery was at 15% so I need to let it charge first. Hate saying goodbye to root though....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt you will miss it. The phone is beast enough. Enjoy it!

dantegl36 said:
I doubt you will miss it. The phone is beast enough. Enjoy it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I miss the high score I've built up in Klondike for the last 7 years and I miss all the notes I had in my Memo app and I definitely miss having Kernel options, because I'm not impressed with battery life at this point, but yeah, it's a beast. The screen is amazing. Like nothing I've ever seen before. The camera lives up to advertised and it's super fast.

Slack3r said:
From my testing, the unlocked version will pick up Verizon LTE bands but calls fail since there is no VoLTE option on the phone. Did not pick up any of their 3G signals, and their system would not accept my IMEI as a compatible device. So it may work if you can convince Verizon to add the phone to their system, which is unlikely since they already have their own version.
FWIW I also tried it with a Sprint SIM, but got no service whatsoever and their system would not accept the IMEI. Thew in a Cricket/AT&T SIM and the phone worked as expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which LTE Bands are you getting?
I'm on T-Mobile,seems we only have Band 2 support on the WW unlocked 8GB/128 GB Model.
I've already initiated a return w/the e-Bay seller,more than likely,it's going back tomorrow.
I'd been OK with Bands 2 & 4,which are listed here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=73425969&postcount=2
The fact that they let this .pdf out & it's not even accurate speaks volumes for North American support:Tone-Deaf would be a compliment...............

KOLIOSIS said:
Which LTE Bands are you getting?
I'm on T-Mobile,seems we only have Band 2 support on the WW unlocked 8GB/128 GB Model.
I've already initiated a return w/the e-Bay seller,more than likely,it's going back tomorrow.
I'd been OK with Bands 2 & 4,which are listed here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=73425969&postcount=2
The fact that they let this .pdf out & it's not even accurate speaks volumes for North American support:Tone-Deaf would be a compliment...............
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to get service on 4 and 13 for Verizon, and 2 and 12 for Cricket/AT&T. It may support more, but I'm not aware of any apps that will let me scan for service on all bands. LTE Discovery mentioned a "Potential eCSFB issue" with the Verizon SIM which is likely because there was no CDMA support.
Fun fact... apparently the phone supports XLTE with Verizon, which led to a rather depressing speed test compared to my service with Cricket.

Slack3r said:
I was able to get service on 4 and 13 for Verizon, and 2 and 12 for Cricket/AT&T. It may support more, but I'm not aware of any apps that will let me scan for service on all bands. LTE Discovery mentioned a "Potential eCSFB issue" with the Verizon SIM which is likely because there was no CDMA support.
Fun fact... apparently the phone supports XLTE with Verizon, which led to a rather depressing speed test compared to my service with Cricket.
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Are your results with the VZW model,or,the unlocked model?

KOLIOSIS said:
Are your results with the VZW model,or,the unlocked model?
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These are from the Unlocked 8GB/128GB model from Amazon running the WW firmware.

Slack3r said:
These are from the Unlocked 8GB/128GB model from Amazon running the WW firmware.
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THX!,just wanted to make sure we were talking about the same model phone.
I'm gonna give it one more day,get around town & see if the connectivity is OK.
If spotty (w/Band 2 only) ,I'm sending it back,or,selling it on Swappa.
Outside of sparse LTE Band support,it's a nice phone,I really don't wanna part w/it so soon after getting it.
Haven't tried out the AR/VR Capabilities yet,but,I do like the display & the speaker quality/loudness.
TBH,I'm covered in WI-FI Most of the time,but,I did expect better LTE Band support nevertheless,especially for a DualSIM/Unlocked phone.
The fact that it's being sold on Amazon as-is seems to be Asus shooting themselves in the foot,certainly there'll be quite a few returns,once people find out connectivity is less than ideal for an unlocked phone,one that is marketed to the US/North America.

Update on mine, battery life is getting better now as the phone settles in. NOT impressed with Data though. I was in the country yesterday, my ASUS Zenpad had 2 bars of 4G and the Zenfone was in roam. Everything else is great, and living without root is bearable, I guess. Fortunately, my 7 year high score on Klondike is an X-Box Live/Google Play game and the score were carried over from the X Box cloud. I know that sounds silly but 7 years over multiple devices is a long time to build up a high score and was a major stress point going to a locked down device

Replacement for V20 - No VoLTE Outside of Stock

Hi guys,
I realize that the main carriers in the US will be dropping the old network protocols in 2022, which means my current V20 will no longer work for voice calls. From what I gather, I'd need to run a stock/stock-based ROM to get VoLTE working, which is a deal breaker for me. I need recent security updates and modern Android releases on my phones.
With that being said, any thoughts on a replacement device this coming year? I will certainly miss the replaceable battery the most. Is there a device you recommend that has a relatively easy battery to replace? Honestly, the phone is used for light browsing, email, etc. Pictures and movies are frequently taken from it, so a good camera is a must. The memory card is paramount today, but unsure how long this can last. A device with an active development history with root access, should it be needed, is required for this replacement.
I've been spoiled with the V20 for years now. I just don't know where to start replacing it. Your opinions are greatly appreciated!

The options in the U.S. for a proper replacement are slim to none, depending on your priorities. I don't know much about how easy it is to replace batteries for newer phones, but I can give you an overview for most of the other stuff:
- Phones with hand-removable batteries: Probably not worth going for at this point. Most have specs that are barely better than the V20 with lower screen resolutions, and spare batteries are much less common to find for them. And half of them are from Europe and therefore have almost zero usable LTE bands in the U.S.
- Phones with non-stock custom ROMs that have VoLTE working in the U.S.: Probably limited to the Google Pixels, Motorola, and OnePlus models. Forget about all LG and Samsung phones here since they both use closed-source proprietary files that makes it pretty much impossible for anyone to figure out how to get VoLTE and other stock features to work on AOSP or LineageOS-type ROMs. And unfortunately, Pixels and the higher end OnePlus phones have no microSD card slots, and Motorola phones haven't been known for top quality cameras in a long time.
- Others: There are also Sony phones, but their higher end models are so expensive that I never bothered looking far into any of them.
So, it looks like you'll have to decide which features are must-haves for you and which are OK to let go in order to widen your options a bit.

C D said:
The options in the U.S. for a proper replacement are slim to none, depending on your priorities. I don't know much about how easy it is to replace batteries for newer phones, but I can give you an overview for most of the other stuff:
- Phones with hand-removable batteries: Probably not worth going for at this point. Most have specs that are barely better than the V20 with lower screen resolutions, and spare batteries are much less common to find for them. And half of them are from Europe and therefore have almost zero usable LTE bands in the U.S.
- Phones with non-stock custom ROMs that have VoLTE working in the U.S.: Probably limited to the Google Pixels, Motorola, and OnePlus models. Forget about all LG and Samsung phones here since they both use closed-source proprietary files that makes it pretty much impossible for anyone to figure out how to get VoLTE and other stock features to work on AOSP or LineageOS-type ROMs. And unfortunately, Pixels and the higher end OnePlus phones have no microSD card slots, and Motorola phones haven't been known for top quality cameras in a long time.
- Others: There are also Sony phones, but their higher end models are so expensive that I never bothered looking far into any of them.
So, it looks like you'll have to decide which features are must-haves for you and which are OK to let go in order to widen your options a bit.
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Thanks for taking the time. I really appreciate the input. Yeah, this is pretty much what I expected. The reason I am leaving the V20, and also a Samsung Note 4 isn't because they no longer work for me, but because of the VoLTE push. It makes me sad. ;(
I have looked at the removable battery options, and to your point, the specs are horrible. I don't think a truly removable battery will work. However, if there's a phone with a non-removable battery that doesn't take an act of God to change, that would be an option.
I do not want to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars every couple of years for a new device. Custom ROMs have made these devices last years and years. It's also better for the environment. I don't need 20 cores and a TB of RAM in a phone based on my use cases unlike everyone seems to think they do. Without the ability to custom ROM, once the manufacturer ditches the device, it forces one to spend again even though it could last many more years. It seems many aren't really too worried or informed about running a computer in your pocket missing critical security updates. These truths irk the **** out of me!
I wonder if a Pixel would suffice despite the lack of external storage... I know they get updates pretty quickly, are being supported for like 5 years by Google, etc. I think development is pretty active for them too, but I'll have to investigate. The Sony suggestion was a good one to mention, but yeah, ridiculous in price.
I guess I'll start there. If anyone else has other suggestions or advice, I greatly appreciate it. I haven't had to stay up with things because of these wonderful devices and the plethora of options over the years. All good things must come to an end...

I, too, would like to find a more current phone with an easily replaceable battery (pref. without using a heat gun). But it needs to be rootable.
The Galaxy Xcover Pro looked promising (replaceable battery), but isn't rooted.
Wish the Fairphone would come to the states.

Anyone else care to share?

From what I have read, any device that has 3g, phones or other devices - are screwed. All forced upgrade.

Mysticblaze347 said:
From what I have read, any device that has 3g, phones or other devices - are screwed. All forced upgrade.
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Yup, exactly. So, coming from a V20, and based on my loose requirements above, have you any suggestions for a new device?

DaCHeF36 said:
Yup, exactly. So, coming from a V20, and based on my loose requirements above, have you any suggestions for a new device?
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I wish I did. Removable battery and specs is key. Then features. All phones in the US are non removable battery that are 5G able which is required at most if not all carriers. I personally am with Sprint - well now Tmobile. I still have my V20 (out of service). Free downgrade was Samsung A71 5G. It sucks. Decent specs with no OEM Unlock. No current support anywhere to root.
I have been looking but no luck so far.

Mysticblaze347 said:
I wish I did. Removable battery and specs is key. Then features. All phones in the US are non removable battery that are 5G able which is required at most if not all carriers. I personally am with Sprint - well now Tmobile. I still have my V20 (out of service). Free downgrade was Samsung A71 5G. It sucks. Decent specs with no OEM Unlock. No current support anywhere to root.
I have been looking but no luck so far.
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Yeah, North American Samsung phones have locked bootloaders. The only current way to get some of them rooted is if they haven't been updated past a certain date due to anti-rollback (Sounds awfully familiar to us LS997 owners, doesn't it?) and then go through a paid service like this one (you can see the supported devices and required software versions – bootloader version numbers are the 5th digit from the right in the baseband version – in the 2nd post).

My understanding is that our phones (V20) will continue to work for now since they have 4g. Yes, we can also access the 3g band, but my phone rarely switches to it. We should be fine for a while on the V20 on 4g.
PS - That's presuming our phones are stock or near-stock and still have functioning VoLTE / HD calls. Stock Android and A_O (Alpha Omega) ROM has this. I believe these phones are safe to use in 2022 and beyond when 3g drops.

baldybill said:
My understanding is that our phones (V20) will continue to work for now since they have 4g. Yes, we can also access the 3g band, but my phone rarely switches to it. We should be fine for a while on the V20 on 4g.
PS - That's presuming our phones are stock or near-stock and still have functioning VoLTE / HD calls. Stock Android and A_O (Alpha Omega) ROM has this. I believe these phones are safe to use in 2022 and beyond when 3g drops.
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Right, but it also depends on what the carrier supports as AT&T and Verizon use whitelists.
In the U.S., VoLTE support on the American V20 models goes something like this (and of course stock-based ROMs are a must for this):
- H910 gets VoLTE on AT&T and its MVNOs
- H918 gets VoLTE on T-Mobile and its MVNOs
- VS995 gets VoLTE on Verizon and its MVNOs
- US996 may get VoLTE on some of the above. I've gotten it to work on T-Mobile, 1 out of 2 T-Mobile MVNOs (worked on Tracfone's T-Mobile card but not Liberty Wireless), and an AT&T MVNO (Red Pocket's GSMA).
- LS997 is not configured to have VoLTE out of the box, so any LS997 that has been updated past May 2017 will for sure soon be useless in the U.S. for making and receiving phone calls. For the few of us who still have the older rooted LS997 models, I will soon look into installing Alpha Omega ROMs from the US996 to see if VoLTE can get enabled through there since the hardware is likely present, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

baldybill said:
My understanding is that our phones (V20) will continue to work for now since they have 4g. Yes, we can also access the 3g band, but my phone rarely switches to it. We should be fine for a while on the V20 on 4g.
PS - That's presuming our phones are stock or near-stock and still have functioning VoLTE / HD calls. Stock Android and A_O (Alpha Omega) ROM has this. I believe these phones are safe to use in 2022 and beyond when 3g drops.
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Click to collapse
I'm not 100% sure about the V20, but I know the Note 4 has 4G, but for data only. It requires calls over 3G on non-stock ROMs. I don't run stock LG ROMs because they are way behind on security updates. Just upgraded to LOS 18.1 giving me security updates from 12/2021. It's much safer.
If you mean that VoLTE will work on a stock-base ROM, you are probably correct. However, that's not an option for me, and in reality, it really shouldn't be for others too! Many, many people are either ignorant to or just don't care about security. There are so many vulnerabilities, including RCE ones, addressed constantly. This is a handheld computer, so it's just like leaving unpatched systems on your network. If you're running Windows 7 still, for example, you're asking to get owned. Bad idea.
Thanks for your feedback though. It is appreciated! If you have any replacement recommendations, I am all ears!

I'll be watching this thread to see where others land, as far as their next device.
Both my wife and I have US996's on Verizon. I'm on A-O Oreo with HD calling enabled. Hers is not on A-O Oreo, hd calling is enabled in the account, but I can't get the toggle in the settings to be "un-greyed". Tried the trick to turn it on and off online, but the page errors out everytime. Guess I'll have to make the time to get her phone flashed to see if that fixes it.
All that aside, I too have been facing the same dilemma as the OP. SD card, root, and straight forward disassembly would be my main needs. IR blaster would be nice. I don't mind replacing a non-removable battery, have disassembled many devices requiring heat.

pistacios said:
I'll be watching this thread to see where others land, as far as their next device.
Both my wife and I have US996's on Verizon. I'm on A-O Oreo with HD calling enabled. Hers is not on A-O Oreo, hd calling is enabled in the account, but I can't get the toggle in the settings to be "un-greyed". Tried the trick to turn it on and off online, but the page errors out everytime. Guess I'll have to make the time to get her phone flashed to see if that fixes it.
All that aside, I too have been facing the same dilemma as the OP. SD card, root, and straight forward disassembly would be my main needs. IR blaster would be nice. I don't mind replacing a non-removable battery, have disassembled many devices requiring heat.
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Sorry to hear you're in the same predicament...
I'm trying to justify my SD requirement these days. Why is it one for you exactly?

DaCHeF36 said:
Sorry to hear you're in the same predicament...
I'm trying to justify my SD requirement these days. Why is it one for you exactly?
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Mainly because if anything happens where I can't access internal phone storage due to hardware failure, at least I know I can salvage data from the SD card externally.

C D said:
Right, but it also depends on what the carrier supports as AT&T and Verizon use whitelists.
In the U.S., VoLTE support on the American V20 models goes something like this (and of course stock-based ROMs are a must for this):
- H910 gets VoLTE on AT&T and its MVNOs
- H918 gets VoLTE on T-Mobile and its MVNOs
- VS995 gets VoLTE on Verizon and its MVNOs
- US996 may get VoLTE on some of the above. I've gotten it to work on T-Mobile, 1 out of 2 T-Mobile MVNOs (worked on Tracfone's T-Mobile card but not Liberty Wireless), and an AT&T MVNO (Red Pocket's GSMA).
- LS997 is not configured to have VoLTE out of the box, so any LS997 that has been updated past May 2017 will for sure soon be useless in the U.S. for making and receiving phone calls. For the few of us who still have the older rooted LS997 models, I will soon look into installing Alpha Omega ROMs from the US996 to see if VoLTE can get enabled through there since the hardware is likely present, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
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Crossing my fingers that my US996 (w/AO Rom) will work with Verizon. So far, I can toggle the "HD Calls" switch in the settings, so I'm hopeful.
If not, I'll prob. use the VS995.

pistacios said:
Mainly because if anything happens where I can't access internal phone storage due to hardware failure, at least I know I can salvage data from the SD card externally.
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That makes perfect sense. BTW, pistachios rock! lol..

baldybill said:
Crossing my fingers that my US996 (w/AO Rom) will work with Verizon. So far, I can toggle the "HD Calls" switch in the settings, so I'm hopeful.
If not, I'll prob. use the VS995.
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My US996 w/A-O on Verizon has made calls over 4gLTE. The only way I'm able to confirm that is if the recipient of the call is also "HD calling", it will show an "HD" icon in green during the call.
Really wish I could figure out WIFI calling. That would probably take flashing a VS995 ROM, and that still is a gamble.
Another wish would be if LG would have just released the propietary files to make it all work with a Lineage based ROM, since they are no longer in the mobile game and have closed the bootloader unlock service as of late November.

Does anyone share concerns over running stock-based software that hasn't been updated for years to continue using these devices? Are you aware of the critical vulnerabilities released monthly for Android OSes? I just want to make sure everyone understands the risks of such an approach.

pistacios said:
Really wish I could figure out WIFI calling. That would probably take flashing a VS995 ROM, and that still is a gamble.
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Wi-Fi calling is heavily carrier-based, and since there never was a universal all-carrier USA V20 model, you almost certainly have to be on VS995 firmware to get it. Another lesser-known thing to try would be changing your US996's IMEI number to another one that still passes Verizon's IMEI check if you happen to have a phone like that around. I cannot openly discuss the method here since it's illegal in some countries (but not the U.S. – more info here) but it's quite simple to do, and you can message me if you need some pointers. This can be done on my LS997 and US996 but not the H918.
DaCHeF36 said:
Does anyone share concerns over running stock-based software that hasn't been updated for years to continue using these devices? Are you aware of the critical vulnerabilities released monthly for Android OSes? I just want to make sure everyone understands the risks of such an approach.
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To me, it mainly depends on what you do on your phone. My usage is likely quite different from yours. You can see my view on this and what my post-V20 daily driver phone has been since September in a similar topic thread on the V20 Subreddit from a few months ago.
And if you want to have a deeper look, you can see most of the stuff of what I've been running on my V20s over here.