I've been combing the forums and I'm still unclear on a few things and looking for help. Current AT&T customer and I plan to switch to T-Mobile soon. Any confirmation or corrections/answers to the questions/statements below would be really appreciated.
1. The 935F variant is the international model that works with all GSM carriers (and I assume without any carrier bloatware) but VoLTE and wifi calling will not work on any GSM carrier here in the US. Theres a secondary 935F model (d?)- whats the advantage there? Shopping tools that let you compare the models show no difference but always priced differently. There is something I'm missing.
2. The 935U variant is official US unlocked model for use with any carrier. Only silver. I have not seen any posts confirming that VoLTE and wifi calling works- and will continue to work if you switch carriers.
3. Lots of listings for factory unlocked 935A variants. Official AT&T version. That just means a reseller has applied unlock codes to each and resells them? I'm very unclear here. Listings always say compatible with all GSM carriers. But will AT&T bloatware, logo continue to survive? And again, will VoLTE and wifi calling work and continue to work if I switch carriers. This is also the cheapest phone to buy virtually new. But if truly GSM compatible with features that are important to me are intact among carriers- what would I get for the significant premium to get the 935U? Besides, I wanted black.
4. Black Pearl- has this been released in the US and in any specific model? I have not seen one.
Thanks in advance. Really appreciate it.
FD is dual sim. You can put 2 GSM simcards there and both are active. Can send and receive sms or calls.
Sent from my Galaxy S7 Edge Duos via Tapatalk
You can install 935U stock firmware on att/tmobile/verizon version. If used on tmobile network, you will get wifi call and volte. For att you have to install or have att stock.
xometer10 said:
I've been combing the forums and I'm still unclear on a few things and looking for help. Current AT&T customer and I plan to switch to T-Mobile soon. Any confirmation or corrections/answers to the questions/statements below would be really appreciated.
1. The 935F variant is the international model that works with all GSM carriers (and I assume without any carrier bloatware) but VoLTE and wifi calling will not work on any GSM carrier here in the US. Theres a secondary 935F model (d?)- whats the advantage there? Shopping tools that let you compare the models show no difference but always priced differently. There is something I'm missing.
2. The 935U variant is official US unlocked model for use with any carrier. Only silver. I have not seen any posts confirming that VoLTE and wifi calling works- and will continue to work if you switch carriers.
3. Lots of listings for factory unlocked 935A variants. Official AT&T version. That just means a reseller has applied unlock codes to each and resells them? I'm very unclear here. Listings always say compatible with all GSM carriers. But will AT&T bloatware, logo continue to survive? And again, will VoLTE and wifi calling work and continue to work if I switch carriers. This is also the cheapest phone to buy virtually new. But if truly GSM compatible with features that are important to me are intact among carriers- what would I get for the significant premium to get the 935U? Besides, I wanted black.
4. Black Pearl- has this been released in the US and in any specific model? I have not seen one.
Thanks in advance. Really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. 935F is the European / International model. 935FD, D stands for Dual-SIM, both slots will be able to accept a GSM SIM card and are usually used, as one for work, and one as a personal number. Dual-SIM however, is not a popular concept in the US.
2. Check the 935U threads, if a CSC flash is possible, it might work. Though, I'm not sure.
3. Yes, if you have an AT&T phone, it'll still have the AT&T ROM, which will always remain the same, regardless. It will work with other carriers, meaning SMS, Data and calls are compatible, but things like VoLTE and WiFi calling might not work on the carrier that the phone isn't intended for.
4. No it hasn't. It's been released in South Korea with 128GB of internal storage. Also available in the UAE, India and some other Middle Eastern countries. Only in a Dual SIM Configuration (SM-G935FD), and with 128GB of internal storage. It's a limited edition phone, and not sure if it'll be launched in the US.
hp79 said:
You can install 935U stock firmware on att/tmobile/verizon version. If used on tmobile network, you will get wifi call and volte. For att you have to install or have att stock.
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A couple of followups if thats ok:
1. So if I purchase a "factory unlocked" 935A, before I insert any SIM, I can immediately flash the 935U firmware and it will remain unlocked? I couldn't find a single post that said VoLTE or Wifi calling worked with the 935U firmware on T-mobile (AT&T- what do you have to install?)
2. Flashing to firmware is not considered rooting the device? My work will not let my device connect to the network if it is rooted.
Seems like there is no reason to spend the extra money for the 935U variant. I can save hundreds and purchase an unlocked 935A and flash the firmware. I've rooted devices before and the process looks similar.
Thanks.
xometer10 said:
A couple of followups if thats ok:
1. So if I purchase a "factory unlocked" 935A, before I insert any SIM, I can immediately flash the 935U firmware and it will remain unlocked? I couldn't find a single post that said VoLTE or Wifi calling worked with the 935U firmware on T-mobile (AT&T- what do you have to install?)
2. Flashing to firmware is not considered rooting the device? My work will not let my device connect to the network if it is rooted.
Seems like there is no reason to spend the extra money for the 935U variant. I can save hundreds and purchase an unlocked 935A and flash the firmware. I've rooted devices before and the process looks similar.
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
According to other people in verizon 935u thread and att 935u thread, volte and wifi call works on tmobile. For att wifi call and volte, it must be a ATT carrier firmware. ATT only let their branded phones have wifi call and volte while tmobile allows any phone to do this. That's why with 935U wifi call and volte will work fine on tmobile.
Every time you insert a new sim the phone will adjust settings, so there's no relation with what you can install.
Flashing is done through Odin while phone is in Download mode. There no root involved.
Related
Hello everyone,
I am looking to upgrade from my S4 to an S7 over the next few days, and I have been trying to decide which is the better option between the Verizon model and the unlocked model. I will be using this phone on a Verizon network for now, and was leaning to the unlocked model to get rid of the Verizon bloatware. There is a chance I will be living in a different country in another year or so, so I figured the unlocked model would also give me more flexibility with my next carrier, as I had heard the Verizon model does not support all carrier frequencies. Are there any distinct advantages to going with the Verizon model over the unlocked model, or are there any other important differences I'm overlooking between these two options?
Thanks!
Unlocked how? Boot loader unlocked or carrier network (SIMM) unlocked? Verizon phones are carrier unlocked. Meaning, you can already take an AT&T SIMM and put it into the Verizon S7 and it will work.
As for removing verizon bloatware, that's only possible if you root. Unlocked is specific to the carrier only, not an unlocked bootloader. None have an unlocked bootloader that I know of.
The carrier unlocked phones also receive updates much slower than the normal ones.
https://plus.google.com/+DroidLife/posts/ENv2fH9zD7e
If you want carrier unlocked phones that get updates faster than the generic carrier unlocked phones, get the Verizon phone. As per this article, it's already carrier unlocked and it's already updated to Nougat. Might be some hoops to jump through, but it works:
http://www.androidcentral.com/yes-verizon-galaxy-s7-and-s7-edge-are-sim-unlocked
The generic unlocked ones are still on Marshmallow and there is no word on if/when they'll get Nougat. Also, the Verizon one is cheaper than the generic carrier unlocked phones. Expecially if you can find a sale going on for it.
There is a hybrid rom that is debloated and works great for all models, it is posted in the vzw amd tmo s7 forums. I'm using it on two phones myself.
The U firmware has no bloat, and has all bands available for use. The main downside is that nougat still isn't out for it, and certain apps won't work if you're from Verizon such as their voicemail app.
On the plus side you get some features that Verizon charges extra for, such as caller ID built in for free.
Regardless you can flash any firmware to any S7 so long as it's the snapdragon variant.
cadcamaro said:
The U firmware has no bloat, and has all bands available for use. The main downside is that nougat still isn't out for it, and certain apps won't work if you're from Verizon such as their voicemail app.
On the plus side you get some features that Verizon charges extra for, such as caller ID built in for free.
Regardless you can flash any firmware to any S7 so long as it's the snapdragon variant.
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Click to collapse
I've been curious about the G-930U also. If you know, please tell me if these working assumptions are correct or not: The "U" has no carrier branding on it and it has no carrier "bloat" in it (although maybe some Samsung stuff). The "U" CANNOT be bootloader unlocked because it has the Snapdragon processor and at present none of the Snapdragon variations can have their bootloaders unlocked (how I hope this isn't true!). The "U" can be flashed to carrier-specific firmware, although I don't know what the advantage would be.
I'm still mostly using an XT1575, the Motorola X Play Edition 2015. It too had no carrier contamination but it's bootloader was easy to unlock. All I had to do to get it to work with Verizon was insert my nano SIM card. Do any phones still work like that?
I've searched and cant find anything but the bands for either service. Which they use a lot of the same. Is a T-Mobile branded S8 usable on Verizon? Full 4G or not? Thanks!
its a gsm device. i believe the internet data part will work but not phone calls
the_rooter said:
its a gsm device. i believe the internet data part will work but not phone calls
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Darn. I was hoping since they all have the same model number that it would be possible.
steven1193 said:
I've searched and cant find anything but the bands for either service. Which they use a lot of the same. Is a T-Mobile branded S8 usable on Verizon? Full 4G or not? Thanks!
Click to expand...
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Call Verizon with your IMEI # and they can check if it's compatible with their network.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
steven1193 said:
I've searched and cant find anything but the bands for either service. Which they use a lot of the same. Is a T-Mobile branded S8 usable on Verizon? Full 4G or not? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you unlock it...it will work just fine.
steven1193 said:
I've searched and cant find anything but the bands for either service. Which they use a lot of the same. Is a T-Mobile branded S8 usable on Verizon? Full 4G or not? Thanks!
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Did you ever figure out if this was possible? I can't seem to find a definitive answer.
Bump - anyone know if this will work?
As soon as I get mine unlocked I'll let you know as I have Verizon. All s8 models are the same but I'm sure the T-Mobile software has blocked Verizon bands. I'm sure if you flash Verizon software it will work just fine.
I have an unlocked T-Mobile Galaxy S8+ and it does not work on Verizon. I went into a Verizon store and they tried for an hour to activate the phone to no avail. They tried multiple different SIM cards and none of them worked. If anyone has better luck, please let me know. But they weren't able to figure it out at Verizon.
herbn said:
I have an unlocked T-Mobile Galaxy S8+ and it does not work on Verizon. I went into a Verizon store and they tried for an hour to activate the phone to no avail. They tried multiple different SIM cards and none of them worked. If anyone has better luck, please let me know. But they weren't able to figure it out at Verizon.
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Click to collapse
You need an unlocked Tmobile S8 or S8 plus.
Read the instruction in "Flash any carrier 100%" to flash to the carrier you desired, activate all bands.
Then use it on Verizon.
You need to flash your phone to Verizon to work. I did the exact opposite actually. I bought a Verizon device and flashed it fully to T-Mobile. Works perfect on T-Mobile because every US Galaxy S8 for the major carriers is SM-G950U. They support each other's bands, their just disabled by the carrier firmware.
ItzApp said:
You need to flash your phone to Verizon to work. I did the exact opposite actually. I bought a Verizon device and flashed it fully to T-Mobile. Works perfect on T-Mobile because every US Galaxy S8 for the major carriers is SM-G950U. They support each other's bands, their just disabled by the carrier firmware.
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Wifi calling too? Digits?
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
blaine07 said:
Wifi calling too? Digits?
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
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Don't know about Digits because I don't use it, but Wi-Fi calling does work. I get the T-Mobile boot logo too.
How do I flash verizon firmware to an unlocked mobile s8?
Ari2020 said:
How do I flash verizon firmware to an unlocked mobile s8?
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I did not have any luck flashing it to the official Verizon Firmware, but I was able to flash it to the G955U1 firmware. The official unlocked US Firmware. Make sure your t mobile device is SIM unlocked by TMOBILE before you do this.
1. SIM unlock device by tmobile (pay off device, meet the 40 day requirement, etc).
2. Flash to G955U1 (S8+) or G950U1 (S8).
3. Insert Verizon SIM or ATT or any SIM.
4. Your phone will give you pop up warning saying it needs to restart to configure the new SIM.
5. Enjoy your new carrier.
Did you use a Verizon SIM and did you get both VoLTE and WiFi calling to work with the G955U1 FW?
my 2 cents
Aephel said:
I did not have any luck flashing it to the official Verizon Firmware, but I was able to flash it to the G955U1 firmware. The official unlocked US Firmware. Make sure your t mobile device is SIM unlocked by TMOBILE before you do this.
1. SIM unlock device by tmobile (pay off device, meet the 40 day requirement, etc).
2. Flash to G955U1 (S8+) or G950U1 (S8).
3. Insert Verizon SIM or ATT or any SIM.
4. Your phone will give you pop up warning saying it needs to restart to configure the new SIM.
5. Enjoy your new carrier.
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Click to collapse
equake said:
Did you use a Verizon SIM and did you get both VoLTE and WiFi calling to work with the G955U1 FW?
my 2 cents
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I went to Verizon store and used one of their Verizon SIMS from a display model of the S8+. Voice over LTE works, Data works and I was not able to test Wifi Calling at the store. I even ran a speed test and had about 27mpbs down and the associate ran speed test on his phone and he got about 20mpbs down connected to the same server using the Speedtest app. I ran the LTE discovery app and shows me connected to LTE Band 13.
Hope all of this helps.
Bringing S8 to sprint?
Did you anybody try to use a TMobile or other branded S8 on Sprint? The Sprint customer support is not able to add the IMEI to their database for whatever reason.
@Aephel
@T33H00
Silly question, but does doing all this void Warranty? or is there no such issue anymore?
For example flashing Verizon Firmware onto a Tmobile Unlocked.
I unlocked my t-mobile s8 plus and attempted to use a Verizon SIM. It does NOT work. Verizon states that the IMEI is not in there database and that they cannot activate it.
Hi all,
Been through a few thread but didn't get a definite answer as I would like to flash my VZ s7 edge to be on T-mobile as I don't mind the carrier float wares. I just want it to work as the phone is bought from T-mobile. I know it's possible but does everything work including unlocked the T-mobile LTE band? Wifi calling or VoLTE etc.. I wasn't sure if the software will unlocked the bands or is it restricted to hardware limitation. Would you recommend the U firmware or T-mobile? I am trying to give the phone to my nephew as he's a poor college kid using S3 and he's on T-mobile. TIA.
Yes it works. Just make sure you flash T-Mobile firmware
If you flash the U firmware for the S7 Edge, its modem should have all bands available as well.
You might just have to root it and make some adjustments to the CSC.
This has been discussed before but I'm still not 100% clear.
Can I buy an unlocked Galaxy s8 plus that comes from a different carrier (say Sprint) and flash the AT&T firmware to it, changing the carrier identity so that you get features like wifi calling and VoLTE?
Thanks!
rykr said:
This has been discussed before but I'm still not 100% clear.
Can I buy an unlocked Galaxy s8 plus that comes from a different carrier (say Sprint) and flash the AT&T firmware to it, changing the carrier identity so that you get features like wifi calling and VoLTE?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you could get it working with wifi calling and voice over LTE no problem but you got to make sure that if you get a phone like from Sprint/Verizon / T-Mobile unlocked before trying to carrier switching
tlopez1973 said:
Yes you could get it working with wifi calling and voice over LTE no problem but you got to make sure that if you get a phone like from Sprint/Verizon / T-Mobile unlocked before trying to carrier switching
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Click to collapse
Thanks for replying. So make sure I have this right.
If I purchase a Verizon/Tmo/sprint Galaxy s8 plus and put my AT&T sim in it and it activates on the network and allows me to make/take phone calls then I can assume that the device is unlocked. If it's carrier locked that should not work.
Yes that is correct but if you want to have all the AT&T features you must carrier switch following instructions here on XDA which will convert your Verizon/ Sprint S8 phone and to a completely AT&T phone
tlopez1973 said:
Yes that is correct but if you want to have all the AT&T features you must carrier switch following instructions here on XDA which will convert your Verizon/ Sprint S8 phone and to a completely AT&T phone
Click to expand...
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Riddle me this. I have a guy trying to trade me an S8+ att version for my OP5. He says it is unlocked. Can I flash unlocked firmware on it to get rid of any bloat and all the att stuff in the background that will be taking my data?
Hi,
I see Samsung has sales on S8+ from US Cellular for less than the one from ATT.
If I buy the US Cellular one and insert my ATT SIM, it should rebrand it as an ATT phone right?
At that point, will it work and behave just like an ATT phone or will ATT block/prevent the stuff like VoLTE/HD voice/visual VM etc as it is not a true ATT branded phone?
thanks
It is unlikely to work that way. After you purchase you will need to have US Cellular unlock the phone. If buy it outright, they may do that but you will want to check with them first. If you buy it unlocked as mentioned in the title it should be ok.
Once the phone is unlocked there is no reason it wouldn't work on AT&T, but it will not rebrand itself. You will need to load AT&T branded firmware on it to take advantage of VoLTE.
ZuluAlpha said:
It is unlikely to work that way. After you purchase you will need to have US Cellular unlock the phone. If buy it outright, they may do that but you will want to check with them first. If you buy it unlocked as mentioned in the title it should be ok.
Once the phone is unlocked there is no reason it wouldn't work on AT&T, but it will not rebrand itself. You will need to load AT&T branded firmware on it to take advantage of VoLTE.
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Are you sure? From what I've read 1) US Cellular phones after a certain date come unlocked (forget the exact date but it was before the S8+, so nearly certain it is unlocked) 2) the US S8/S8+ will rebrand based on the inserted sim (from the galaxy s8 reddit PSA announcement old.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS8/comments/7jdcno/psa_with_the_latest_us_carrier_updates_your_phone/ )
So it will brand and push ATT firmware
That's why I was asking specifically if things like VoLTE would work in case someone else has done this. It seems ATT is more restrictive about allowing certain features than other carriers
mego2 said:
Are you sure? From what I've read 1) US Cellular phones after a certain date come unlocked (forget the exact date but it was before the S8+, so nearly certain it is unlocked) 2) the US S8/S8+ will rebrand based on the inserted sim (from the galaxy s8 reddit PSA announcement old.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS8/comments/7jdcno/psa_with_the_latest_us_carrier_updates_your_phone/ )
So it will brand and push ATT firmware
That's why I was asking specifically if things like VoLTE would work in case someone else has done this. It seems ATT is more restrictive about allowing certain features than other carriers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That may be true of US Cellular, they do seem to be pretty customer friendly. I had interpreted that the device will configure the hardware to operate on whatever carrier's SIM is in, but not the firmware. However, I have not tried this with mine. I do have a branded S8 that I have put unlocked firmware on and it stays on that firmware.
If the phone is not carrier locked and you put an AT&T sim in it, then it should work on the AT&T network. You will NOT get VoLTE/HD calling or Wi-Fi calling. Regular calling and LTE+ data will work fine.
It will not automatically download the AT&T firmware and become an AT&T branded phone.
I do not know what will happen if you put the AT&T firmware on it. I asked if anybody had switched to the AT&T firmware and gotten VoLTE or wifi calling, but did not receive any answers.
I have an unbranded phone on AT&T. I've not gone through the trouble of switching to the AT&T firmware.
J M L said:
If the phone is not carrier locked and you put an AT&T sim in it, then it should work on the AT&T network. You will NOT get VoLTE/HD calling or Wi-Fi calling. Regular calling and LTE+ data will work fine.
It will not automatically download the AT&T firmware and become an AT&T branded phone.
I do not know what will happen if you put the AT&T firmware on it. I asked if anybody had switched to the AT&T firmware and gotten VoLTE or wifi calling, but did not receive any answers.
I have an unbranded phone on AT&T. I've not gone through the trouble of switching to the AT&T firmware.
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Have you gotten theat&t firmware to work on your phone?
fredwhocares said:
Have you gotten theat&t firmware to work on your phone?
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I have not tried. Other than VoLTE and wifi-calling the phone works perfectly, and I've never had to reset it, so I've not bothered to try and change firmware.