Need some quick affirmation on US at&t hookup - OnePlus 2 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I posted this yesterday in the ask all thread sticky on the front page with no response. I'm in the US and just got my us version 64gb OP2. At&t has the best coverage and 4g lte at my home so Im leaving my carrier. I will be going to gophone leaving Boost. After i grab a gophone sim can i do the hookup online without issues like boost and verizon made easy for me in the past. Also can gophone port my number over. Going to boost or verizon they each allow number porting through online install. Just fill in the blanks and plug and play. Can i expect this on at&t gophone plan. My phone is still waiting happily asleep in the box. I know 2015 guys seemed to have issues with any LTE without changes. Just need some guys who did the hookup this year on OP2 to chime in. Not sure if the 2015 issues with OnePlus have been resolved since it is a popular unlocked phone.

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[Q] Will my Unlocked Sprint S4 work with a Verizon prepaid SIM?

I have been doing research and searching these forums for a few days now, I'm trying to not be one of those people who ask questions that have been answered. But at this point I'm at the end of the road.
I bought a Sprint Galaxy S4, model SPH-L720.
I unlocked it using this method Sprint Galaxy S IV SPH-L720 SIM Unlock Method
Reverted back to MDC baseband and all that good stuff, just as instructed. It seemed to have went well without a hitch.
My question now is:
I want to buy one of these Verizon 4G Sim Activation Kits from walmart
Is it possible that I can buy one of those, insert the SIM into my unlocked Sprint S4, and have a working phone? I ask because I don't want to drop $50 if it doesn't have a chance of working. The instructions for this say that it will work with a VERIZON S4, but since my SPRINT S4 is unlocked, should that be okay?
I don't know much, but in my reading I found that Sprint and Verizon both use CDMA, not GSM. So I figured I had a better chance of this phone working if I go with Verizon because of this.
I am in the United States.
If you need any other information or screen shots please let me know, thank you for taking the time to help me out!!
EDIT: would it be possible to test it out, if one of my friends has a verizon phone under contract, and I took their SIM and inserted it into my phone?
Try it.
Like the guy above me said. Try it. One way to find out. Personally I don't think it would work. As the whole point of unlocking the sprint Gs4 is to use it on GSM networks. From what I know you have to flash the sprint phone to Verizon. Plus you WONT get LTE on Verizon because the bands are not supported. So you'll only get 3g.
daniel4653 said:
Like the guy above me said. Try it. One way to find out. Personally I don't think it would work. As the whole point of unlocking the sprint Gs4 is to use it on GSM networks. From what I know you have to flash the sprint phone to Verizon. Plus you WONT get LTE on Verizon because the bands are not supported. So you'll only get 3g.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for the info! i'm just learning about all of this, so i don't have a firm grip on everything yet.
in the tutorial i used and linked above, the file I used with Odin was actually titled "S4 Flasher", so I believe I unlocked it and flashed it with this? Again, Im sorry, Ive tried searching and am just looking for verification if Im correct.
I'm not worried about LTE, 3G is fine really. Also, I'm not set on Verizon, I just want my phone to work, doesn't matter what network I'm using. If it would be "safer" or a better bet to get into a GSM prepaid, I will do that instead. I was just under the assumption (incorrectly probably lol) that since sprint is CDMA, that going to another CDMA carrier would be easier.
Cricket, Net10, StraightTalk, and AT&T etc are all available at the store I think if I go GSM
Again thanks for taking the time to help everyone!
Galaxy330 said:
thank you for the info! i'm just learning about all of this, so i don't have a firm grip on everything yet.
in the tutorial i used and linked above, the file I used with Odin was actually titled "S4 Flasher", so I believe I unlocked it and flashed it with this? Again, Im sorry, Ive tried searching and am just looking for verification if Im correct.
I'm not worried about LTE, 3G is fine really. Also, I'm not set on Verizon, I just want my phone to work, doesn't matter what network I'm using. If it would be "safer" or a better bet to get into a GSM prepaid, I will do that instead. I was just under the assumption (incorrectly probably lol) that since sprint is CDMA, that going to another CDMA carrier would be easier.
Cricket, Net10, StraightTalk, and AT&T etc are all available at the store I think if I go GSM
Again thanks for taking the time to help everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I unlocked my sprint GS4 and went to Cricket. And I've been happier than when i was with Sprint (service wise). I have signal in 98% of the places I go to. Which is a HUGE improvement over sprint. And even though this phone only connects to HSPA+ which is capped at 3.5 Mbps its plenty fast for all my daily activities. So I recommend a GSM prepaid.

S4 with Straight Talk - Verizon or T-Mobile

So I need a phone for a while on a pre-paid cash only plan. I was going to pick up a straight talk card from Walmart. I have 2 old Samsung S4 phones from Verizon and T-Mobile. Will the sim card activation chip I get work on either one of them, or does it have to be specific to the previous carrier. Is there an advantage to going with one or the other. I would prefer to put my own rom on there if possible since it is such an old phone. Is one going to be better suited than the other. As far as I know, both phones are out of contract. I know for sure the Verizon phone is already unlocked via verification from Verizon.
Thank you.
If you're buying an activation package from WalMart ($45 airtime card plus SIM), it should come with multiple SIM cards for Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Thus you can use the service on any phone. If it doesn't, you'll likely have a GSM SIM, meaning you would need to use the T-Mobile S4 to get service.
The advantage to using Verizon is access to Verizon's network, which is the largest in the country. The disadvantage is that your LTE speeds are throttled to 5MBps. With T-Mobile, your network is much smaller, but your LTE I don't believe is throttled. I personally would take the time to carrier unlock your T-Mobile device (see the thread we have on unlocking phones in the General section), and then use the AT&T SIM. With AT&T, you get a network nearly as large as Verizon, plus LTE is not throttled.
As to ROMs, you're simply going to have to try them. Regardless of the ROM you use, so long as you know how to set up an APN in settings, you're good. Straight Talk changes their APNs from time to time, and the ROMs don't always use the latest APN.
Very good information and exactly what I was looking for. One more question on that if you don't mind. If I start out on Straight talk with the AT&T, can I switch over to Verizon a week or two later effortlessly, or would I need to do something to switch sims?
I do not know how to change APN's, but I am sure I can find the answer to that using search.
Thank you.
If you wanted to switch over to Verizon from AT&T, you would need to transfer your service from the AT&T SIM to the Verizon SIM. To do this, you have to go online to Straight Talk's website. Now, while they do offer an automated procedure to do this, the best thing to do is open up a chat window to one of their support reps, and have the support rep process the service swap.
Keep in mind two things.
Once you switch SIM cards, the old SIM is no longer usable. Should you change your mind and want to go back to AT&T, you would need to purchase an AT&T SIM off Straight Talk's website. They normally charge $15 plus shipping for the privilege, but if you hit it right you can often get the SIM cards for a dollar plus shipping, which is somewhat more palatable. I will say that when you get your next phone, you'll likely have to get a Nano SIM. However, you can then go onto Amazon and purchase a SIM adapter, just in case.
I am a person who believes in getting everything that you pay for, and with Verizon, a throttled LTE service doesn't qualify as getting everything that you pay for. Thus, I do not recommend switching to Verizon, ever. Stay with AT&T.
Ok. Good advice. Thank you.
The only reason I wanted to try both was because I am in a high rise where service can be sketchy. Not sure which one will work best up here. I currently have Sprint which does not work at all.

Will Sprint Variant Fully Support T-Mobile LTE or will it be limited to 4G?

Considering switching to Tmobile with my LG V20, only paid $350 for it not looking to really switch to T-Mobile variant if I don't need to. Does anyone know if Sprint version will work Flawlessly under Tmobile Network. Any feedback given is appreciated. Thanks.
Did you ever figure out the answer? Thinking of getting the LS997, but might move to T-Mobile when contract ends. Thanks!
Also interested in knowing this, and AT&T?
I think I can be of help here! I used to own a Sprint V20 and got it remotely unlocked to be used with GSM. Everything works great including I got LTE with AT&T. TMo should not be a problem either. My only gripe was the damn phone went into "Hands free activation" on every reboot.
I have since moved on to a Verizon V20 unlocked for GSM and am perfectly happy with that. The only reason I did this was to try Total Wireless in the future. Since I am not going to use Sprint in the foreseeable future, buying a Verizon phone made sense in that I can use Verizon and GSM networks globally.
Anyway, your V20s should be fine with LTE signal from GSM carriers.
Sweet thanks

Is my sprint S8 seriously locked to sprint FOREVER?!

Hi guys.. So I bought a Samsung Galaxy S8 from Best Buy Mobile last month. I had to use sprint because at&t (my fav. carrier) would not finance me on the phone. I was told if I paid off the phone I could switch carriers. So that's what I did. Sprint even unlocked it. Now people are telling me I can't use this certain phone on at&t, or even verizon because it is a cdma phone. No one told me this when buying the phone.
Is it true that I am stuck with sprint?! I have horrible coverage in my area and I can't even use the internet and such unless I'm on a wireless connection. What can I do? Please help!
Did you try putting in a non sprint sim?
If it is SIM unlocked, just flash the unlocked (G950U1) firmware on it.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/how-to/snap-guide-flashing-standard-fw-carrier-t3625817
KARVEGA79 said:
Hi guys.. So I bought a Samsung Galaxy S8 from Best Buy Mobile last month. I had to use sprint because at&t (my fav. carrier) would not finance me on the phone. I was told if I paid off the phone I could switch carriers. So that's what I did. Sprint even unlocked it. Now people are telling me I can't use this certain phone on at&t, or even verizon because it is a cdma phone. No one told me this when buying the phone.
Is it true that I am stuck with sprint?! I have horrible coverage in my area and I can't even use the internet and such unless I'm on a wireless connection. What can I do? Please help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the Sprint unlocked your phone, then it won't hurt inserting another sim in it. Theoretically speaking it should work and if it won't, then flashing is another way of making it work.
KARVEGA79 said:
Now people are telling me I can't use this certain phone on at&t, or even verizon because it is a cdma phone. No one told me this when buying the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who are these ignorant people telling you this and why are you listening to them?
1) Verizon also uses CDMA, so having CDMA is the reason it WOULD work with Verizon.
2) All the carriers in the U.S. get the same phone. All the bands needed for a specific carrier are activated when the SIM card is installed. The only reason it wouldn't work is if Sprint had not unlocked the phone after you paid it off. It would be locked to Sprint to prevent you from not honoring the purchase agreement. And even then it would be blacklisted on Sprint network, if you didn't honor the purchase agreement.
3) if inserting the SIM card for another carrier doesn't automatically change the firmware, then do what this guy said:
lancemoreland said:
If it is SIM unlocked, just flash the unlocked (G950U1) firmware on it.
Guide for Flashing Standard Firmware, Carrier Switching, and Flashing Unlocked Firmware
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/how-to/snap-guide-flashing-standard-fw-carrier-t3625817
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint, at&t and even verizon said my phone wasn't compatible even after I told them sprint unlocked it. I had no idea about all this cdma, gsm crap when buying the phone. I have never had a decent phone like an S8. All my phones have been cheap prepaid phones since now due to the fact no one would ever finance me for one. I was SOO freakin surprised and happy when someone actually agreed to finance me, I figured I could pay off the phone and then switch. After paying off the phone is when these companies said it was incompatible. Weird thing is I went to IMEI.info and it says it IS compatible and IS unlocked for sure. I then went to at&t online and after typing in my imei number it also said it was compatible. I'm so confused. I am going to take it up to at&t tomorrow and see what happens when I buy and insert a sim card. If it turns out to be sim locked is there a way to bypass this? I truly have paid the phone off and after doing so I asked sprint (on the phone) to sim unlock it, they said they did.
Please do not listen to the idiots at the mobile companies. There is ZERO difference in the S8, ZERO!!!!! If It's not sim locked it will work on ALL carriers, both cdma and gsm.
If It's still sim locked, some people have had success paying a third party to provide a code. But I would try sprint first since They said it should be unlocked.
My guess is that it will work fine with another sim card.
I would either flash the att firmware or the unlocked firmware on it.
Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
Should I flash the att firmware before inserting the sim or only if the sim does not work? Also is there a way and should I back up my sprint firmware or should I be ok? Thanks.
KARVEGA79 said:
Should I flash the att firmware before inserting the sim or only if the sim does not work? Also is there a way and should I back up my sprint firmware or should I be ok? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would flash the unlocked firmware on the phone. Will get rid of bloatware. No reason to backup sprint firmware, Its everywhere.
Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
ChazzMatt said:
Who are these ignorant people telling you this and why are you listening to them?
1) Verizon also uses CDMA, so having CDMA is the reason it WOULD work with Verizon.
2) All the carriers in the U.S. get the same phone. All the bands needed for a specific carrier are activated when the SIM card is installed. The only reason it wouldn't work is if Sprint had not unlocked the phone after you paid it off. It would be locked to Sprint to prevent you from not honoring the purchase agreement. And even then it would be blacklisted on Sprint network, if you didn't honor the purchase agreement.
3) if inserting the SIM card for another carrier doesn't automatically change the firmware, then do what this guy said:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It says this guide is only for snapdragon S8's I have an exynos S8. Is there another guide for that one? Nevermind, IMEI.info said I has an exynos, I guess it was wrong info. CPU-Z says it's a snapdragon 835. I'm assuming the CPU-Z info is the correct info?
KARVEGA79 said:
It says this guide is only for snapdragon S8's I have an exynos S8. Is there another guide for that one? Nevermind, IMEI.info said I has an exynos, I guess it was wrong info. CPU-Z says it's a snapdragon 835. I'm assuming the CPU-Z info is the correct info?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You said you purchased that phone from Sprint directly. It's a snapdragon. Exynos is in the international version, which Sprint does not sell.
rkennison said:
You said you purchased that phone from Sprint directly. It's a snapdragon. Exynos is in the international version, which Sprint does not sell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I purchased it from Best Buy Mobile, had to sign with sprint because no other carrier would finance me.
KARVEGA79 said:
It says this guide is only for snapdragon S8's I have an exynos S8. Is there another guide for that one? Nevermind, IMEI.info said I has an exynos, I guess it was wrong info. CPU-Z says it's a snapdragon 835. I'm assuming the CPU-Z info is the correct info?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you bought it from Sprint (or even just used it on Sprint), then you have a Snapdragon 835 S8. Only the Snapdragon variants have CDMA bands for Sprint and Verizon. Only the Snapdragon S8/S8+ variants are sold by carriers in North America -- so they can be cross compatible with Sprint/Verizon/AT&T/T-mobile/Canadian carriers. That's why whoever told you this nonsense is so ignorant.
If you had IMPORTED an Exynos variant from like England, then you would be limited to AT&T or T-mobile. But you have the "universal" Snapdragon model. Now the Exynos variant has an easily unlocked bootloader, which is a reason people import them, but that's another topic altogether.
As long as your Snapdragon 835 S8 is SIM unlocked (you have paid for it in full, and Sprint says they have unlocked it), you can take it to any other carrier or even an MVNO (like Straight Talk) and use it.
---------- Post added at 08:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 AM ----------
KARVEGA79 said:
I purchased it from Best Buy Mobile, had to sign with sprint because no other carrier would finance me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you used it on Sprint, you have Snapdragon 835. Only the Snapdragon S8/S8+ variants have CDMA bands for Sprint and Verizon, in addition to LTE bands.
---------- Post added at 08:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:04 AM ----------
KARVEGA79 said:
Should I flash the att firmware before inserting the sim or only if the sim does not work? Also is there a way and should I back up my sprint firmware or should I be ok? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thor2j said:
Please do not listen to the idiots at the mobile companies. There is ZERO difference in the S8, ZERO!!!!! If It's not sim locked it will work on ALL carriers, both cdma and gsm.
If It's still sim locked, some people have had success paying a third party to provide a code. But I would try sprint first since They said it should be unlocked.
My guess is that it will work fine with another sim card.
I would either flash the att firmware or the unlocked firmware on it.
Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you phone is paid off, when you go to AT&T, try AT&T Prepaid (formerly called GoPhone). It's really for people who already own their phones.
Same high speed data off the same low-lag data servers used by "contract"/postpaid AT&T customers (with one exception, which I'll warn you about),
same in-store AT&T customer service as contract/postpaid AT&T customers,
same AT&T SIM card as contract/pospaid service. (The store may have SIM cards labelled "AT&T Prepaid", but underneath it's the same AT&T SIM card. If they try to charge you for one, tell them you want the FREE AT&T SIM card. It's the exact same thing.)
Make sure you go to an AT&T corporate store, not a "franchise" store. At the AT&T corporate store they will even give you free AT&T SIM card to use for AT&T Prepaid. (Franchise stores will try to sell you SIM cards.)
The advantage is AT&T Prepaid is much less expensive service than "postpaid" AT&T (contract service). Since you already own your phone in full, all you need to pay for is monthly service. You don't need to pay extra each month so you can get a "free" upgrade to a new phone in 2 or 3 years. (Not free, you are really paying for it with extra fees each month.)
You would want the $45/6GB plan on AT&T Prepaid. Do not fall for the $60 "unlimited" plan. The $45/6GB plan gives you plenty of UNCAPPED high speed data/unlimited calls/unlimited texts. Whereas the $60 plan caps your data speeds at 3mbps to compensate for it being "unlimited". AT&T Prepaid uses same data servers as their AT&T postpaid customers and I get ping speeds often less than 30ms, most often 26-29ms, which is fantastic low lag speed. (Lower pings are better, lower ping speed = less lag). If you go to even a service like Cricket (owned by AT&T, but you won't see any AT&T logos anywhere), they use proxy server farms and you often get triple digit ping speeds (high lag). This is also why Cricket has to use a DIFFERENT SIM card from regular AT&T. Higher ping speeds make it seems like your download speeds are much slower than they are.. due to LAG. Plus Cricket caps ALL download speeds at 8mbps. Until AT&T Prepaid (formerly called GoPhone) introduced their $60 "unlimited" plan, ALL their plans were uncapped high speed data. They didn't cap download speed at all. But now they have started capping speeds with the $60 "unlimited" plan. So STAY AWAY FROM THAT.
With the $45/6GB plan, if you autopay each month, you can save $5 and only pay $40 per month. So, $40 per month for 6GB data, with UNCAPPED low lag data straight from AT&T. Don't let them charge you for a SIM card! AT&T Prepaid uses the exact same SIM card as "regular' AT&T.
If you decide you don't like it, for whatever reason, you can switch to "regular" postpaid AT&T. But since I always pay for our phones in full, I like to save on monthly service. Although there are tons of MNVOs with prepaid service, they all use proxy servers with high lag (high ping speeds). Even AT&T's own Cricket is configured as an MVNO, to compete with MNVOs like Straight Talk. But AT&T Prepaid is not. It's "pure" AT&T, but at budget prices -- which AT&T uses to compete with actual carriers like T-mobile and Sprint.
You can "bring your own phone" , which in this case is your fully paid for Galaxy S8.
How do I know which ones are the corporate stores and which are the franchise stores? I'm looking at the St. Louis map now. Some say at&t authorized retailer and then some just say at&t.
I have a sprint model and I unlocked it.
It works with T-Mobile and gets LTE
It works with att and gets LTE
It works with Verizon my current carrier now and also gets LTE
Highly recommend flashing the unlocked software if you go this route the sprint software with non sprint SIM cards is very annoying.
Sheon849 said:
I have a sprint model and I unlocked it.
It works with T-Mobile and gets LTE
It works with att and gets LTE
It works with Verizon my current carrier now and also gets LTE
Highly recommend flashing the unlocked software if you go this route the sprint software with non sprint SIM cards is very annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It worked! Thank GOD! In my room now I get -90/-100 with att and had -100/-125 with sprint. It is using HSPA and I can't find LTE on here to switch over. It stays on 3g, it never goes to 4g or LTE, how can I fix that?
So please tell me what I need to do to delete the sprint crap on here and put att on it. Thanks guys.
Not being rude, but you've been told many times on here What to do , reread the posts.
Follow the directions, we can't spoon feed every little thing.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3625817
Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk
Ok, so I want to do the prerequisites - check.
Then just do the carrier switching part and I'm done right?
Do I do all this with the sim card installed or not installed?
Sorry, this is my first time doing this.
Ok, I did what the guide said. During the flashing standard firmware part after clicking start is said FAIL! SHA256 is invalid. I ended up going back into ADB, rebooting and trying a different att firmware download and now the phone works. Weird thing is, I don't see alot of the apps that I had on an old phone with go phone and 4g LTE is not working, it's not even an option. What should I do if I want to wipe clean the phone to stock samsung android, not stock sprint as I bought it. Then I could insert the new go phone sim and it will install those apps and turn on 4g LTE? I'm learning guys, slowly but surely. I love this kinda stuff, so please bear with me here.
KARVEGA79 said:
How do I know which ones are the corporate stores and which are the franchise stores? I'm looking at the St. Louis map now. Some say at&t authorized retailer and then some just say at&t.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.att.com/maps/store-locator.html
Authorized retailers are code for "franchise stores". They are not owned by AT&T nor run by AT&T. They do not have actual AT&T employees and they will nickel and dime you for every little item, like SIM cards. Whereas "corporate" AT&T stores will give you free AT&T SIM cards.
When AT&T Prepaid was called GoPhone, event the AT&T stores sold a GoPhone SIM card "kit" that had various sizes SIM cards with plastic shims for $15 -- which was totally unnecessary. I just told them, "NO, I want a FREE AT&T SIM card which fits my phone." And at the corporate stores they have to give it to you. AT&T and AT&T Prepaid (formerly branded as GoPhone) uses the EXACT same SIM cards. It's just they had some "labelled" as GoPhone but underneath it was the exact same thing.
3or 4 years ago, I had a friend buy a brand new Samsung Galaxy phone "on contract" INSIDE an AT&T corporate store, then immediately paid it off with his credit card, and switched to GoPhone -- all in the same visit -- and they did NOT even touch his AT&T SIM card inside his phone. It's just an internal AT&T accounting change. Now GoPhone has been re-branded as AT&T Prepaid to make it less confusing.

[HELP] How to get VoLTE to work on Cricket with BYOD S8?

Anyone know how to get VoLTE to work on cricket, with a non-branded cricket phone? Cricket is telling me it has to be a Cricket-branded phone. Does that mean specific IMEIs or could I just install Cricket S8 software?
Also, does anyone know if VoLTE will work on Straight Talk using Verizon's network? Thanks for any help.
rlsyoung said:
Anyone know how to get VoLTE to work on cricket, with a non-branded cricket phone? Cricket is telling me it has to be a Cricket-branded phone. Does that mean specific IMEIs or could I just install Cricket S8 software?
Also, does anyone know if VoLTE will work on Straight Talk using Verizon's network? Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would think flashing the cricket firmware and csc would be enough as they are not lying the prscess to convert a non cricket BYOD is rough I Tried on a verizon LG G5 And still never got it working properly
TheMadScientist said:
I would think flashing the cricket firmware and csc would be enough as they are not lying the prscess to convert a non cricket BYOD is rough I Tried on a verizon LG G5 And still never got it working properly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will try this. Do you happen to know if Cricket is 950u or 950u1? I can only find AIO (cricket, i believe) for 950u1. Would I need to change the CSC if I use official cricket firmware?
rlsyoung said:
I will try this. Do you happen to know if Cricket is 950u or 950u1? I can only find AIO (cricket, i believe) for 950u1. Would I need to change the CSC if I use official cricket firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe so on the csc but there is 950u1 and u2 you have to look in your settings to see which you are on the u1 or 2 is the bootloader version f it is u2 U cannot flash any U1 firmware
Verizon prepaid was great with VoLTE BYOD. All 3 of my family's phones worked (HTC U11 unlocked, iPhone 6, Samsung J7 Verizon). It was beautiful sound quality. I had to ditch Verizon, because, despite having a strong signal, 4G LTE data performance was very unpredictable. Sometimes my download speed was essentially zero at my home, even though I had 5 bars. One morning during a power outage, I had a good strong signal, but I couldn't bring up a single website using the HTC U11. The Verizon branded Samsung J7 wasn't much better. I called Verizon prepaid support a couple days later, and they had me do the usual ridiculous insulting troubleshooting where they try to blame the user/device. Also, I did hate that there was no visual voicemail app for Verizon on prepaid plans (makes no sense). That being said, I went back to Cricket in order to get normal LTE data performance, even though I get one bar of signal at my home. Now, back on Cricket, the sound quality has returned back to horrible when I call home from work, but data is pretty good. Also, I cannot stand that my unlocked HTC U11 cannot use the hotspot functionality on Cricket without my paying extra. The HTC One A9 my family member uses can serve a hotspot, probably because it's S-OFF and rooted. Verizon prepaid allowed anybody to serve out a hotspot for free. Today I tried an experiment. I called home using Google Duo. My phone and my family member's phone have Duo installed. The sound quality was incredible and sounded just like HD Voice. Essentially, it was a workaround to get VoLTE. The phone at home was on WiFi, and I was using 4G LTE. So, my poor-man's HD Voice will end up carving out bytes from my data allowance. I don't know when and if Cricket will open up all VoLTE capable phones like Verizon did. It bugs me that Verizon had this weird data issue, because Cricket seems to be game playing even more than T-Mobile and Verizon do. I was tempted to try T-MOB again, but they have this ridiculous policy with their prepaid family plan where you have to make a deposit that they keep for a year. Who does that?

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