Database Users

[Q] WIND Mobile Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900W8

First time forum user looking for some answers and a bit of help so thanks in advance for anything you can provide!
I just bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from WIND Mobile in Canada. The model number was SM-N900W8. It seems although carriers know the device has the required bands, they limit listing them on their website if they do not support them and go one step further by having Samsung block the bands through some type of software cripple.
My concern is I use WIND Mobile when local and Telus Mobility when in fringe areas which WIND Mobile does not cover. Prior to buying this device from WIND outright, I confirmed with Samsung live chat support this specific model from WIND will support LTE on Telus. I was told I must first activate the device on WIND and they once I unlock the device, I can configure the Telus APN settings for use on the Telus network. When I do this, I get a max speed of 3G and in the network connections, it does not show: LTE/WCDMA/GSM (auto connect) but instead, the 3 original modes which you can select when on WIND Mobile: WCDMA/GSM (auto connect), WCDMA only and GSM only.
It seems as if the unlock and APN settings are the first 2 parts but in order for LTE to work, you must disable the cripple which Samsung has implemented for it's distribution to WIND Mobile since they do not support that frequency or radio band. My concern is it looks as if this must be done through a root or flash and I hear about phones getting bricked. I paid a lot of money for the device and cannot afford to damage it so do not know what options I have.
If I do enable LTE through a flash and then get an OTA Samsung update, will this remove the flash? How must I go about getting LTE enabled permanently without issue or is this not possible? Thank you for the help!

Hi fellow Windman
just follow this easy guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2471340
everything is self explanatory, including LTE

AllGamer said:
Hi fellow Windman
just follow this easy guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2471340
everything is self explanatory, including LTE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much. I will follow this guide word for word but is there any risk of bricking my phone like I have read so much about? The last thing I want to do is mess something up and have a paperweight.
If I root the device as suggested and receive an OTA notification from Samsung to update the software, will this lock everything again and make me go through the procedure all over again or will it be permanently enabled? Thanks!

AllGamer said:
Hi fellow Windman
just follow this easy guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2471340
everything is self explanatory, including LTE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I rooted the device and assume it was successful since I have the SU (Super User) App installed. I ran the TWRP file which I assume is the OS which enables all the crippling Samsung initially implemented when releasing this phone to WIND Mobile but the problem still stands. I have entered all the correct APN settings for Telus yet it still only provides a 3G connection. Have I done something wrong and can any of you gurus familiar with rooting and updating a custom OS provide some insight. Thanks!

I think I'm worse than a noob. At least they can figure this stuff out! I followed the quick root steps and the twrp steps but was I supposed to do something else to enable LTE? The phone is definitely rooted and has the SU App installed. TWRP just seems like a program which allows installation of a custom ROM directly from the device but I may be wrong. My concern is the TWRP file I downloaded looks as if it's a tar file which the phone loads allowing HSPA and LTE capability. If so, it did not work on my WIND device.

You can't get the OTA if you have custom recovery installed. I.e. TWRP or CWM. You gotta wait for custom roms. I don't know about the lte thing
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

cellrama said:
I think I'm worse than a noob. At least they can figure this stuff out! I followed the quick root steps and the twrp steps but was I supposed to do something else to enable LTE? The phone is definitely rooted and has the SU App installed. TWRP just seems like a program which allows installation of a custom ROM directly from the device but I may be wrong. My concern is the TWRP file I downloaded looks as if it's a tar file which the phone loads allowing HSPA and LTE capability. If so, it did not work on my WIND device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea you're totally wrong here man... not sure how to enable lte capability, but wind's network is hspa+ already so that's enabled.
i do know you have to unlock it, likely with a sim unlock code or getting someone to unlock it, but after that, the theory is, that it should work.....

WIND is 4G and I have unlocked the device already. I am using a Telus SIM card and have correctly entered the Telus APN settings for LTE but it does not show LTE as a network mode which I can select. Seems to me Samsung has crippled this band since WIND does not support it. Since I have rooted the device, which I probably didn't need to do, I was hoping to find a flash which will permanently enable the LTE so it will function on Telus.

To use Telus LTE you need to switch to the Telus SIM card
then it should read the Telus APN from it, if not you can enter the Telus LTE APN and it should use it

AllGamer said:
To use Telus LTE you need to switch to the Telus SIM card
then it should read the Telus APN from it, if not you can enter the Telus LTE APN and it should use it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have done this already. The steps followed to date are as follows:
Purchased my WIND Mobile Galaxy Note 3 (model: SM-N900W8)
Unlocked the device through cellunlocker.net for 32.99 USD
Placed my Telus SIM into the device and it read the details. I was able to call and text without issue but did not have data connectivity. Contacted Telus and received the Telus LTE APN details and entered this information. Unfortunately, the network mode only shows 3 options: WCDMA/GSM (auto-connect), WCDMA only and GSM only.
There should be a fourth option for LTE capability but this is not displaying. I rooted my device and followed the TWRP step thinking this TWRP file was the rom to enable the LTE capability which seems to be locked but this is not the case. I am way off here but know it's probably something simple which I am missing!

yes, the 4th option for the LTE needs to flash another modem
i got it working here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46259468&postcount=39
find any of the Note 3 threads with flash-able modems, and flash the one from Puerto Rico that enables the LTE

AllGamer said:
yes, the 4th option for the LTE needs to flash another modem
i got it working here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46259468&postcount=39
find any of the Note 3 threads with flash-able modems, and flash the one from Puerto Rico that enables the LTE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To confirm your above statement, am I going to the following page and downloading the firmware for Puerto Rico?
http://www.samsungis.com/Firmwares/SM-N900W8.html
or must I locate a thread to download just modem firmware and then follow the same ODIN instructions as I did with the other files?
Thanks!

cellrama said:
To confirm your above statement, am I going to the following page and downloading the firmware for Puerto Rico?
http://www.samsungis.com/Firmwares/SM-N900W8.html
or must I locate a thread to download just modem firmware and then follow the same ODIN instructions as I did with the other files?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you only need the modem, you don't need to flash an entire ROM.
there was a reference topic with a list of downloads for all different modems for the Note 3 in the General section of this Note 3 portion of the forum. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2475714
they are still uploading all the different models, you you might want to wait a bit, or you can extract it on your own, if you know how to do that from an odin .tar file.

AllGamer said:
you only need the modem, you don't need to flash an entire ROM.
there was a reference topic with a list of downloads for all different modems for the Note 3 in the General section of this Note 3 portion of the forum. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2475714
they are still uploading all the different models, you you might want to wait a bit, or you can extract it on your own, if you know how to do that from an odin .tar file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Following the link you provided, it indicates the modem for model SM-N900W8 is "coming soon..." so it does not look like a modem is available for my model at this time. I tried looking for the Puerto Rico modem flash which you used but I do not see reference to it.
I was going to install the SM-N900W8 ROM for telus which would have the modem but as research indicates, if you install the wrong carrier ROM, you brick your device. I may have misinterpreted this but the last thing I wish to do is brick my device and have an expensive paper-weight in the end. Thanks again!

cellrama said:
I was going to install the SM-N900W8 ROM for telus which would have the modem but as research indicates, if you install the wrong carrier ROM, you brick your device. I may have misinterpreted this but the last thing I wish to do is brick my device and have an expensive paper-weight in the end. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the Puerto Rico ROM is safe to flash
actually anything that is for the SM-N900W8 are safe to flash

AllGamer said:
the Puerto Rico ROM is safe to flash
actually anything that is for the SM-N900W8 are safe to flash
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I just got my phone unlocked with cellunlocker.net code, threw in a bell SIM and rebooted etc, it worked and was pretty quick but nothing too incredible. Was getting top download speeds of about 750kb/s (or 6mbps) whereas on wind I'd get about half that tops in my current location. My question here is, the phone said 3g....to me that seems way too fast for 3g but not nearly right for lte and I also couldn't see lte as an option for the bands. I assume that's cuz I still had the wind modem on the phone? Even when I went into the *#2263# screen to enable lte it still didn't work....
Any ideas? Should I flash the Puerto Rico Rom? Does it still work on wind bit just also let you use the lte radios when the correct SIM is in?

cellrama said:
Unlocked the device through cellunlocker.net for 32.99 USD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
asaqwert said:
So I just got my phone unlocked with cellunlocker.net code ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long did it take to get your unlock code with cellunlocker.net? Which device did you pick in the dropdown?
I got a quote for 14.99 but guessing you have to pay more for a secondary search later?
UPDATE:
Never mind just got the code and it worked Cost me 14.99.

Hi did you manage to enable the LTE bands on your phone. I am on the same boat, have a WIND note 3 and I would like to do the same.
Thank you

fidos said:
Hi did you manage to enable the LTE bands on your phone. I am on the same boat, have a WIND note 3 and I would like to do the same.
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really new to this but hopefully this will clarify some info regarding WIND and please correct me should I be wrong. There are two things when working with a phone. Customization to the OS and proper data connection. If you wish to tweak your device, push it to the limits and customize your OS settings, you can root your device.
If you wish to just enable LTE so you can use it on an LTE capable network like Telus, Bell or Rogers in Canada, you must flash the proper modem file to enable LTE. As I understand, the Puerto Rico Modem Flash will allow you to enable LTE data on the WIND Mobile variant of the Note 3. You can get the Puerto Rico Modem Flash from Post #27 by AllGamer at the following link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2475714&page=3
I think this is safe but I'm waiting for clarification from AllGamer regarding what is meant by their statement "NOT for flashing!". Once confirmed, I'll update this post but if this works, I feel they should be thanked by clicking on the thank you button and a donation should be made for what you feel this information is worth and obviously, what you can afford. Without individuals like this, we would be at a stand still for modifications!
THANK YOU ALLGAMER FOR YOUR UNSELFISH DEMEANOR ON THE FORUM!

cellrama said:
I'm really new to this but hopefully this will clarify some info regarding WIND and please correct me should I be wrong. There are two things when working with a phone. Customization to the OS and proper data connection. If you wish to tweak your device, push it to the limits and customize your OS settings, you can root your device.
If you wish to just enable LTE so you can use it on an LTE capable network like Telus, Bell or Rogers in Canada, you must flash the proper modem file to enable LTE. As I understand, the Puerto Rico Modem Flash will allow you to enable LTE data on the WIND Mobile variant of the Note 3. You can get the Puerto Rico Modem Flash from Post #27 by AllGamer at the following link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2475714&page=3
I think this is safe but I'm waiting for clarification from AllGamer regarding what is meant by their statement "NOT for flashing!". Once confirmed, I'll update this post but if this works, I feel they should be thanked by clicking on the thank you button and a donation should be made for what you feel this information is worth and obviously, what you can afford. Without individuals like this, we would be at a stand still for modifications!
THANK YOU ALLGAMER FOR YOUR UNSELFISH DEMEANOR ON THE FORUM!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply. I am not sure why everything sounds so complicated.
I was able to flash a small file to my S4 (rogers) to enable the WIND bands. The phone did not need to be rooted, ODIN worked like a charm and my S4 became pentaband
This ordeal with the note 3 is not as straight forward. I have been following all your post but I see that you have not received any straight forward answers to your questions. I am not an expert when it comes to rooting or flashing so I would love a simple way of doing this.
Thank you again, lets hope that we will find an easy way to do this

LG V20 H910 AT&T - 4G Band Issues

Hello good people,
I live in the UK, where the V20 was not released.
I have bought the AT&T unlocked H910 from Ebay, as it was stating that it works in the UK,
but the LTE band used by my carrier 800 MHz band 20 is not available on this phone.
"LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 12(700), 29(700), 30(2300)"
I have followed some of the noob guides and reading for days I believe that I have successfully rooted the phone, (shows in root checker). - as after some reading I was led to believe that by rooting the phone i would be able to change these settings via an app. however this did nothing for me.
could someone please kindly point me in the direction so that I can mod this so that the phone picks up and communicates with the correct Band? is this possible at all? or should i just try to return this to stock and return the phone?
or is this a situation where i just bought myself a small tablet?
I would be grateful for any help in solving this issue,
Many thanks in advance ! :good:

kneuast said:
Hello good people,
I live in the UK, where the V20 was not released.
I have bought the AT&T unlocked H910 from Ebay, as it was stating that it works in the UK,
but the LTE band used by my carrier 800 MHz band 20 is not available on this phone.
"LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 12(700), 29(700), 30(2300)"
I have followed some of the noob guides and reading for days I believe that I have successfully rooted the phone, (shows in root checker). - as after some reading I was led to believe that by rooting the phone i would be able to change these settings via an app. however this did nothing for me.
could someone please kindly point me in the direction so that I can mod this so that the phone picks up and communicates with the correct Band? is this possible at all? or should i just try to return this to stock and return the phone?
or is this a situation where i just bought myself a small tablet?
I would be grateful for any help in solving this issue,
Many thanks in advance ! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
You need to get into the service menu on the 910 and search for the 20 band and enable it. Sorry I cannot be more specific. You can google for the code(s) that will get you into the service menu.
I have a V20 but it is Verizon vs995 which has the correct bands but for some reason will not work with EE 4G only 3G.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Stransky said:
Hi
You need to get into the service menu on the 910 and search for the 20 band and enable it. Sorry I cannot be more specific. You can google for the code(s) that will get you into the service menu.
I have a V20 but it is Verizon vs995 which has the correct bands but for some reason will not work with EE 4G only 3G.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply,
I have tried this, i think i can get in by code *#546368#*910# assuming that this is what you are talking about?
this will take me to hiddenmenu
with 4 sub menues
- device test
- ELT Test
- SVC Test
- Field Test
I believe that i've seen people try to access the modem settings in the field test option
and i have seen that people get 3 or more options in this place, (third allowing you to select band) where as I only get 2
- Engineering mode
- PDP settings
do you know why the option does not appear for me?
- Would there be a chance that the option was hidden from the start by AT&T ?
Also I did not do LGUP dump before the root where many people in their guides have pointed out to
do, i followed a guide which does not involve LGUP to attempt to root my phone, should I try to flash the phone in a different firmware to try to unlock the mode ? along with the LGUP dump ?
again, thanks for the response !

Sorry, don't know but have you tried SVC entry I seem to remember some in the US using that to alter their Band.
The code you used does not work for me on my V20 in fact apart from IMEI code *#06# no codes work o. My phone.

Stransky said:
Sorry, don't know but have you tried SVC entry I seem to remember some in the US using that to alter their Band.
The code you used does not work for me on my V20 in fact apart from IMEI code *#06# no codes work o. My phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thanks again for getting back to me,
I am sorry but i do not know what SVC entry is, any relating articles i find are about terminal entry? is this in the ball park ?
could you point me in the direction of where i may find the information to do this myself ?
Ty

I meant SVC Test entry. Other than that I do not know. Sorry.

Hi Stransky,
Did you ever get your h910 to work in the UK? I think I have the same issue with my V20 h910

jimjim79 said:
Hi Stransky,
Did you ever get your h910 to work in the UK? I think I have the same issue with my V20 h910
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are in the UK then you don't need H910 rom. Flash it with US996 [usa] KDZ and that will sort out all the band issues without having to do anything more. Plus get's rid of At&T bloatware as US996 doesn't have any carrier bloat or network restrictions. I'm in Ireland and the rom is working great, 4G+ etc. My phone was originally a Verizon model.
edit: One drawback is you will loose FM radio as it's not on the US996 rom. If you are able to root the fone you can get it back with my mod if your on oreo.

thanks don't want to use the FM radio so will try your mod. Is there a guide to flash US996?

I'm being told in another thread that flashing another rom can't give you extra bands, so I'm a little confused between the contradictory advice.
ROMs do not have anything to do with available bands. Bands are hardware dependant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

jimjim79 said:
I'm being told in another thread that flashing another rom can't give you extra bands, so I'm a little confused between the contradictory advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your answer is in bold. He just gave bad advice. If you look earlier in the thread the Verizon variant has those bands already.
ezzony said:
If you are in the UK then you don't need H910 rom. Flash it with US996 [usa] KDZ and that will sort out all the band issues without having to do anything more. Plus get's rid of At&T bloatware as US996 doesn't have any carrier bloat or network restrictions. I'm in Ireland and the rom is working great, 4G+ etc. My phone was originally a Verizon model.
edit: One drawback is you will loose FM radio as it's not on the US996 rom. If you are able to root the fone you can get it back with my mod if your on oreo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can buy a US996 v20 on eBay for $86 with free shipping in the US. Probably your best bet. V30 and G7 unlocked phones aren't too expensive either in good condition, though I have not cross referenced which bands they have, so you'd have to double check. I like the phone myself, might buy a couple so relatives have backup phones.

Let me be clear. The H910, VS995, US996, on a hardware level have exactly the same motherboard, The only difference is the software...the ROM. So for example VS995, US996 don't have FM radio out of the box where H910 does. This is a perfect example of where the sofware has been designed to restricted FM radio leading one to *think* the fone doesn't have FM radio on some models at all but in fact it does.
So, It the same idea for BANDS. A fone MAY be missing bands out of the box because the ROM has been designed to restrict some of the the bands where in reality the fone has those bands. So in that case you can overcome this by changing to a ROM that does not have this restriction enabled in the ROM, in exactly the same way as in the case of FM radio. Carriers do disable bands on fones for their own devious reasons.
I know from experience H910 has hotspot restrictions as well. There is a work around OR you can just flash US996 that does not have this hotspot restriction. Also H910 has restriction in the Mobile Settings section. If you change to US996 there will be extra settings in Mobile networks>System Select settings which are GLOBAL / LTE/CDMA, LTE/GSM/UMTS. These options I'm sure I recall did not show up on H910 rom which could be useful to some.
I did not have an original H910 but all I'm saying is that I'm fairly sure that the motherboard is exactly the same as the other models in which case it will have all the same bands as Verizon and US996, just you can't see them because of H910 software on it. Of course you can't enable bands if they don't exist on the motherboard but you can if they do exist but have been restricted by the ROM.
So to the guy who asked about the H910 you can try to use the service menu to enable bands BUT this is not the best way to do it as the service menu might not let you or maybe the enable doesn't last after rebooting. The best way to fix this is to flash a ROM that does not have network restrictions and then you can forget out it from there on in.
---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:47 PM ----------
jimjim79 said:
I'm being told in another thread that flashing another rom can't give you extra bands, so I'm a little confused between the contradictory advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please see my previous post.
You have 2 options. You can either flash a clean US996 KDZ that you download at https://lg-firmwares.com. You'd need LGUP to flash it, guides on youtube and here, search for them. You don't have to be rooted to flash a new KDZ.
If you are rooted you can just download a custom ROM from here such as WETA ROM US996santa version and flash it in TWRP. You could backup your current system just in case it doesn't solve your problem but even if your problem isn't solved the US996 rom would be better anyway for the other reasons I mentioned in my previous post plus I forgot to add that would get rid of all the AT&T bloatware as well.

thanks for the advice, I'm really struggling to find a guide that matched my requirements or is there a generic guide I can follow. Bit scared as I'm reading some roms will brick the device.
Don't need to root at the moment so hopefully that will make it simpler.

ezzony said:
If you are in the UK then you don't need H910 rom. Flash it with US996 [usa] KDZ and that will sort out all the band issues without having to do anything more. Plus get's rid of At&T bloatware as US996 doesn't have any carrier bloat or network restrictions. I'm in Ireland and the rom is working great, 4G+ etc. My phone was originally a Verizon model.
edit: One drawback is you will loose FM radio as it's not on the US996 rom. If you are able to root the fone you can get it back with my mod if your on oreo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there - can you please point me to the rom you use? I just got a H910 from ebay at&t 'unlocked'. But I found only 2g on the stock rom. Have flashed a variety of U996, H915 (canada), and a H910pr (puerto rico) but can only get 3g sometimes. Some of the android 7 roms don't even have 4g as one of the options. Others do but I cannot select it - only 3g.
I'm in the UK but the 800/1800 bands Ireland uses are also the same for EE in the Uk.
Many thanks!

Cross Flash From VS995/Verizon Unlocked to US996/US Unlocked?

I've been looking for a good, inexpensive phone my partner can use on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon and I was able to snatch an unlocked VS995 in excellent condition for $70--it just needs the battery replaced soon which I also ordered. The main downside to this model if you're using it on AT&T and T-Mobile is that it doesn't support Band 12 and 17, but I know the US Unlocked variant does. I just received the phone today. I've been searching on the forum for an answer into if this is possible with the VS995 variant and I've seen people say it is using an LG V20 version of LGUP, but haven't found anyone that's confirmed they've been able to do it on the Verizon and not the AT&T variant and the steps they took to do so.
I want to stay on the stock ROM so I'm not looking to root and install a custom one. Is it possible to convert from the VS995 firmware to US996 so I can gain band 12 and 17 while removing the Verizon bloatware and staying on the stock ROM/OS? If so, would anyone one of y'all be kind enough to post the link to a guide or article that details how to do so? I reset the phone to factory settings so thankfully don't have to do a backup. After doing this, is it still possible to receive OTA updates and, if so, are they gonna mess anything up like reverting the phone to stock firmware or the phone's unlocked status?
Thank y'all so much in advance.

I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.

DeyEatDaPooPoo said:
I've been looking for a good, inexpensive phone my partner can use on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon and I was able to snatch an unlocked VS995 in excellent condition for $70--it just needs the battery replaced soon which I also ordered. The main downside to this model if you're using it on AT&T and T-Mobile is that it doesn't support Band 12 and 17, but I know the US Unlocked variant does. I just received the phone today. I've been searching on the forum for an answer into if this is possible with the VS995 variant and I've seen people say it is using an LG V20 version of LGUP, but haven't found anyone that's confirmed they've been able to do it on the Verizon and not the AT&T variant and the steps they took to do so.
I want to stay on the stock ROM so I'm not looking to root and install a custom one. Is it possible to convert from the VS995 firmware to US996 so I can gain band 12 and 17 while removing the Verizon bloatware and staying on the stock ROM/OS? If so, would anyone one of y'all be kind enough to post the link to a guide or article that details how to do so? I reset the phone to factory settings so thankfully don't have to do a backup. After doing this, is it still possible to receive OTA updates and, if so, are they gonna mess anything up like reverting the phone to stock firmware or the phone's unlocked status?
Thank y'all so much in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I'm aware, cross-flashing firmware on the V20 won't give you any additional frequency bands unlike some other phones, so you're still limited to what the VS995 has from the beginning. From what I've read, US996 firmware works fine on Verizon except for a few features such as WiFi calling and video calling.
As for AT&T and T-Mobile, you won't get VoLTE or WiFi calling along with the missing LTE bands, so, depending on where you live, overall coverage could be significantly worse than having the H910 (AT&T) and H918 (T-Mobile) models, respectively. Not having VoLTE would be a problem if you were in an LTE-only area without roaming because then you'd have no way to make or receive phone calls.

ezzony said:
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the info. Are you referring to this video? I'd watched it before but it's for flashing the stock ROM on a US996 variant and the links in the description don't work.
C D said:
As far as I'm aware, cross-flashing firmware on the V20 won't give you any additional frequency bands unlike some other phones, so you're still limited to what the VS995 has from the beginning. From what I've read, US996 firmware works fine on Verizon except for a few features such as WiFi calling and video calling.
As for AT&T and T-Mobile, you won't get VoLTE or WiFi calling along with the missing LTE bands, so, depending on where you live, overall coverage could be significantly worse than having the H910 (AT&T) and H918 (T-Mobile) models, respectively. Not having VoLTE would be a problem if you were in an LTE-only area without roaming because then you'd have no way to make or receive phone calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, where did you read that? From what I've read the hardware/modem in the VS995 and US996 version is the same and therefore the difference only comes down to the carrier firmware artificially disabling bands the device supports just like it is on many other smartphones. I could be wrong, but one way to find out would be to do it myself and then try to connect to a Band 12 or 17 tower.
WiFi calling and video calling I'm totally fine with not having. Never used or needed them. With AT&T and Cricket I've never not had service and with Metro the couple times I haven't had T-Mobile service roaming has kicked in and saved the day. Thank you for the info.

DeyEatDaPooPoo said:
Hmm, where did you read that? From what I've read the hardware/modem in the VS995 and US996 version is the same and therefore the difference only comes down to the carrier firmware artificially disabling bands the device supports just like it is on many other smartphones. I could be wrong, but one way to find out would be to do it myself and then try to connect to a Band 12 or 17 tower.
WiFi calling and video calling I'm totally fine with not having. Never used or needed them. With AT&T and Cricket I've never not had service and with Metro the couple times I haven't had T-Mobile service roaming has kicked in and saved the day. Thank you for the info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's some frequency band info for both the VS995 and US996:
VS995
US996
I'm pretty sure this is a hardware difference, and no firmware change will be able to add more band support unlike some other phones you may have heard about (such as recent U.S. models of Samsung phones). Otherwise, there would have been plenty of discussions and guides around here regarding this (and FWIW, I happen to own a US996, LS997, and H918).
As for LTE Band 12 on the T-Mobile network, only phones that are certified by T-Mobile will be able to access it (more info on compatible phones here). So even though a US996 has the hardware for connecting to Band 12, you wouldn't be able to use it since T-Mobile has blocked access to it and only allows it for the H918 model.
Based on all this, I would expect a VS995 to get LTE Bands 2, 4, and 5 on AT&T and T-Mobile. Of course, since you already have the phone, there's only one way to find out. Just make sure you carefully read the guides/procedures about using LGUP for cross-flashing, and absolutely stay away from any H918 firmware (it will instantly kill any V20 that is not an actual H918). Not sure if there even is a separate guide around here as it is usually mentioned in the initial steps of different rooting guides for each V20 model, but you can find the patched LGUP that ezzony mentioned in this thread (you may have to move the DLL file to a specific folder location for it to work properly).

C D said:
Here's some frequency band info for both the VS995 and US996:
VS995
US996
I'm pretty sure this is a hardware difference, and no firmware change will be able to add more band support unlike some other phones you may have heard about (such as recent U.S. models of Samsung phones). Otherwise, there would have been plenty of discussions and guides around here regarding this (and FWIW, I happen to own a US996, LS997, and H918).
As for LTE Band 12 on the T-Mobile network, only phones that are certified by T-Mobile will be able to access it (more info on compatible phones here). So even though a US996 has the hardware for connecting to Band 12, you wouldn't be able to use it since T-Mobile has blocked access to it and only allows it for the H918 model.
Based on all this, I would expect a VS995 to get LTE Bands 2, 4, and 5 on AT&T and T-Mobile. Of course, since you already have the phone, there's only one way to find out. Just make sure you carefully read the guides/procedures about using LGUP for cross-flashing, and absolutely stay away from any H918 firmware (it will instantly kill any V20 that is not an actual H918). Not sure if there even is a separate guide around here as it is usually mentioned in the initial steps of different rooting guides for each V20 model, but you can find the patched LGUP that ezzony mentioned in this thread (you may have to move the DLL file to a specific folder location for it to work properly).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but the Frequency Check website only looks at firmware differences, not the internal hardware. I decided to do some further digging and went to the source that tests these (the FCC) and found that the VS995 and US996 have the same ZNFVS995 FCC ID meaning they share the same internal hardware. Verizon just decided they wanted to be arseholes and cripple the phone's band support in their firmware so it wouldn't work to the best of its abilities on T-Mobile's and AT&T's network. Similarly, T-Mobile decided to also be arseholes by artificially limiting Band 12/VoLTE support to their own H918 model only. I hate that carriers are able to get away with this BS. It is incredibly anti-consumer and infuriating. If the hardware supports XYZ then it should be enabled and capable of taking advantage of it. The FCC tested Band 12/17 to work properly on these and says regarding the device's capabilities:
This device contains the following capabilities: 850/1900 CDMA (BC0, BC1), 850/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/1700/1900 WCDMA/HSPA, Multi-band LTE, 802.11b/g/n/ac WLAN, 802.11a/n/ac UNII, Bluetooth (1x, EDR, LE), NFC LTE Band 12 (698 - 716 MHz) overlaps the entire frequency range of LTE Band 17 (704 - 716 MHz). Therefore, test data provided in this report covers Band 17 as well as Band 12. LTE Band 25 (1850 - 1915 MHz) overlaps the entire frequency range of LTE Band 2 (1850 - 1910 MHz). Therefore, test data provided in this report covers Band 2 as well as Band 25. LTE Band 66 (1710 - 1780 MHz) overlaps the entire frequency range of LTE Band 4 (1710 - 1755 MHz). Therefore, test data provided in this report covers Band 4 as well as Band 66.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously, f*ck both Verizon and T-Mobile. Thankfully I'm starting my Cricket/AT&T service in a week so I'll be able to test if it can pick up and use Band 12/17. You happen to know of any app or way to force/limit the device to only using one specific LTE band? Thank you so much for linking to that thread for flashing these using LGUP. I'll make sure to follow it and to download the US996 (US Unlocked, not US Cellular) firmware and post a small update on my findings. Thank you so much for all the info. Really appreciate it.

DeyEatDaPooPoo said:
You happen to know of any app or way to force/limit the device to only using one specific LTE band?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I've never tried this, have a look at this old thread on LTE band selection from a hidden menu. The dialer code differs by model, so for a VS995 it would be *#546368#*995# and for a US996 *#546368#*996#. The code works for my US996 and H918 on Oreo but not for my LS997 on Nougat (for which there is a separate APK file to access the hidden menu). There are lots of submenus and items in there, so be sure not to accidentally change settings that you're not supposed to.

ezzony said:
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello
You crossflash with which android version 9 or 8
If android 9 whats the battery backup (good/bad)
Does the android 9 has a darkmode
Does it brings back or activate the FM radio ?
Thanks

mariowinax said:
Hello
You crossflash with which android version 9 or 8
If android 9 whats the battery backup (good/bad)
Does the android 9 has a darkmode
Does it brings back or activate the FM radio ?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android 8.
I know Android 9 does not have FM radio because Android 9 is only available for the Korean variant (F800) and it never had FM in the first place.

ezzony said:
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have heard about converting a vs995 to a us996. How do you do this i have a vs995 and patched lg up do i use the upgrade option or partion dl?
Thanks,
ROMSG

ROMSG said:
I have heard about converting a vs995 to a us996. How do you do this i have a vs995 and patched lg up do i use the upgrade option or partion dl?
Thanks,
ROMSG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DL partition ignores model codes ...so DL Partition.

ezzony said:
DL partition ignores model codes ...so DL Partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, now it gives me a partition selection which partitions do i select or do i select all of them?

ROMSG said:
Thanks, now it gives me a partition selection which partitions do i select or do i select all of them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of them seems to work fine.

Will this work in terms of flashing us unlocked firmware or my Verizon LG v20 (vs995) I rooted it successfully, but when I flash these firmware files, the phone is in a bootloop. US996 twrpable zips

Which version to buy: LG V20 H918 (T-Mobile only?!?) or VS995

Hello and good evening,
I wanted to buy a new V20 and had found a dealer on eBay who had offered the H918.
In the auction text it said that it would be compatible with all networks/provider, so I bought it. Today the dealer contacted me and said that the H918 would probably only work with a T-mobile SIM (I’m located in Germany, O2 is my provider) but he could offer me the VS995 that would had no problems with all networks.
I didn't find much about the VS995 in terms of network/provider compatibility.
What I have found was contradictory information on the web, one time it says "Yes, only with T-Mobile" somewhere else again "The US996 would be the best choice or then the H918 as a second choice, for both the provider would not matter, would work with everyone ".
Is the H918 really only usable with a T-Mobile SIM or does it only have a T-Mobile branding and also with regard to "rooting" and installing a "Custom ROM", which version should I prefer?
After rooting and installing a custom ROM, is the H918 compatible with all networks?
The H918 seems to support more Bands than the VS995?
I would be grateful for any tip, maybe someone can help me with the dilema and the decision!
Many thanks in advance. ^^

carpeta said:
Hello and good evening,
I wanted to buy a new V20 and had found a dealer on eBay who had offered the H918.
In the auction text it said that it would be compatible with all networks/provider, so I bought it. Today the dealer contacted me and said that the H918 would probably only work with a T-mobile SIM (I’m located in Germany, O2 is my provider) but he could offer me the VS995 that would had no problems with all networks.
I didn't find much about the VS995 in terms of network/provider compatibility.
What I have found was contradictory information on the web, one time it says "Yes, only with T-Mobile" somewhere else again "The US996 would be the best choice or then the H918 as a second choice, for both the provider would not matter, would work with everyone ".
Is the H918 really only usable with a T-Mobile SIM or does it only have a T-Mobile branding and also with regard to "rooting" and installing a "Custom ROM", which version should I prefer?
After rooting and installing a custom ROM, is the H918 compatible with all networks?
The H918 seems to support more Bands than the VS995?
I would be grateful for any tip, maybe someone can help me with the dilema and the decision!
Many thanks in advance. ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd advise you get the vs995 and don't update, to be on the safe side if you'd want to mod

Landloord said:
I'd advise you get the vs995 and don't update, to be on the safe side if you'd want to mod
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply Landloord.
I definitely want to root the unit and flash it with a custom firmware.
So far I only had one Android smartphone that I didn't rooted.
My question would be if the H918 would accept any SIM card after the root and custom ROM flash, because the seller told me it would only accept T-mobile SIM cards. I'm asking the questions because I never had an phone that was locked from the facotory to only one provider.
Shouldn't the SIM lock be overwritten after flashing with a custom ROM or am I wrong?!

carpeta said:
I definitely want to root the unit and flash it with a custom firmware.
So far I only had one Android smartphone that I didn't rooted.
My question would be if the H918 would accept any SIM card after the root and custom ROM flash, because the seller told me it would only accept T-mobile SIM cards. I'm asking the questions because I never had an phone that was locked from the facotory to only one provider.
Shouldn't the SIM lock be overwritten after flashing with a custom ROM or am I wrong?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a custom ROM or different firmware has no effect on the SIM lock status.
The VS995 and US996 models always come SIM-unlocked out of the box, so all you have to worry about those is that the IMEI number is clean/not blacklisted.
The H918 is a bit trickier: If it's SIM-locked, then only SIM cards using the T-Mobile USA network will work. When buying, you have to make sure that the H918 is permanently unlocked (that is done through a special T-Mobile app that connects to a server and not a simple unlock code like you see from many other locked phones). In contrast, you'll want to avoid an H918 that is temporarily unlocked (for people who travel abroad for a while), so in that case, the phone will re-lock to T-Mobile USA after a certain period of time (could be several months).
If LTE band 20 is the main band for your provider, then any of the 3 models you mentioned should work fine. You can see each model's bands on sites such as FrequencyCheck. If there are other LTE bands besides 20 that your provider uses, then I think the various H990 models (H990DS, H990N, H990TR) have the most compatible bands for Europe.
As for root and custom ROMs, the rooting procedure and available ROMs will vary depending on the model you get, so you may want to look around here first to see what your options are. Generally, it does not matter how updated the firmware of the phone is; you can simply downgrade to root for all V20 models except one (the LS997, which doesn't have LTE band 20 anyway).

C D said:
Flashing a custom ROM or different firmware has no effect on the SIM lock status.
The VS995 and US996 models always come SIM-unlocked out of the box, so all you have to worry about those is that the IMEI number is clean/not blacklisted.
The H918 is a bit trickier: If it's SIM-locked, then only SIM cards using the T-Mobile USA network will work. When buying, you have to make sure that the H918 is permanently unlocked (that is done through a special T-Mobile app that connects to a server and not a simple unlock code like you see from many other locked phones). In contrast, you'll want to avoid an H918 that is temporarily unlocked (for people who travel abroad for a while), so in that case, the phone will re-lock to T-Mobile USA after a certain period of time (could be several months).
If LTE band 20 is the main band for your provider, then any of the 3 models you mentioned should work fine. You can see each model's bands on sites such as FrequencyCheck. If there are other LTE bands besides 20 that your provider uses, then I think the various H990 models (H990DS, H990N, H990TR) have the most compatible bands for Europe.
As for root and custom ROMs, the rooting procedure and available ROMs will vary depending on the model you get, so you may want to look around here first to see what your options are. Generally, it does not matter how updated the firmware of the phone is; you can simply downgrade to root for all V20 models except one (the LS997, which doesn't have LTE band 20 anyway).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for the detailed answer! :good:
Then the flashing of another modem would probably not override the SIM lock then either, right? ?

carpeta said:
Many thanks for the detailed answer! :good:
Then the flashing of another modem would probably not override the SIM lock then either, right? ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Only the T-Mobile Unlock app can be used to SIM-unlock it, and I think the info on the unlock eligibility/status of any particular H918 phone is stored on whatever T-Mobile USA server that the app connects to. There may be a paid unlock service that can unlock one for you, but I suspect it may be expensive.
I should also mention that the H918 is not compatible with any other model's firmware, which means that if you try to flash any non-H918 firmware onto an H918, then it will permanently brick/kill the phone. Likewise, flashing H918 firmware onto any non-H918 model will brick that phone.

Thank you very much for all the information C D!
I will look if there are any differences in the included accessories of both models and I guess I have to take the VS995 or look around for another model. ??

No problem. If returning the phone to the seller is easy, then you'll be able to try out the VS995 and see if the signal coverage is OK.
And by the way, the VS995 (as do the US996 and Korean F800K/L/S models) has the FM radio disabled, but if you root it and stay on a stock-based Oreo ROM, you can get the FM radio back.
Anyway, it looks like you still have plenty of options regarding compatible models. And as someone who happens to have grown up in Germany, I'd say you have „die Qual der Wahl“.

You've said it all

C D said:
No problem. If returning the phone to the seller is easy, then you'll be able to try out the VS995 and see if the signal coverage is OK.
And by the way, the VS995 (as do the US996 and Korean F800K/L/S models) has the FM radio disabled, but if you root it and stay on a stock-based Oreo ROM, you can get the FM radio back.
Anyway, it looks like you still have plenty of options regarding compatible models. And as someone who happens to have grown up in Germany, I'd say you have „die Qual der Wahl“.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ja die Qual der Wahl! :laugh:
I have now told the seller that I don't want either model, I might look for a US996 model.
Thanks again! :good:

Just the way i selected to do this. I even have the opposite methods simply did no longer have the time to one hundred% check them on a physical guide V20 in palms as i used to be doing it for a person else who wanted it again. I normally use hardware in recent times

Which of the models of the V20 is to set in the language of the Netherlands? I have now a VS995 and with this phone it is not possible!

Ruud5 said:
Which of the models of the V20 is to set in the language of the Netherlands? I have now a VS995 and with this phone it is not possible!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The V20 was never officially sold in Europe, so I'm not sure if any model has your language. But you could try one of those language enabler apps that supposedly can add more languages to Android phones. Here's a recent post of someone using such an app to add Mexican Spanish to their Korean LG V50:
https://www.reddit.com/r/lgv50/comments/rtxei7

Thank you so much. I shall try this!

hi there, is there a good way to root vs995 easily and install los18 without the dreaded vibrating when boot?

T Mobile One Plus 6T Unlocked and Bootloader unlockef

I'm just having a really hard time finding an answer. I just had a OnePlus 6T T Mobile edition find it's way to me. It's carrier unlocked and Bootloader unlocked and it's running the latest T Mobile version 10 OOS. Since the bootloader is unlocked, can I just flash the latest non T Mobile OOS Android 10 version to it? In other words the US 6T edition? Or must I use the international version? I'm really confused and sure this has to be answered somewhere but just can't find it. Can anyone help and point me in the right direction? I have lots of experience flashing ROMs, but this one has me stumped at this point. Thanks.

I'm no expert... lol, but based on what I do know, I believe these are your steps...
So I'd take a look at this post-
[T-Mobile / Guide] - Full SIM and Bootloader Unlock + Root for locked devices
Background: I am writing this short guide for people like me that want all the info about the T-Mobile 6T unlock capabilities. None of this is my work. I wanted to have a central thread where T-Mobile users can discuss the T-Mobile specifics of...
forum.xda-developers.com
Follow Step 4, and then from that point allow the ROM to update via OTAs. The MSMDownloadTools are basically a fix-all, but set you back in time update-wise.
I do not believe there's a full TMo ROM for the latest updates, but once again, I could be wrong.
You could also use the International Version if you want, that is what I am running now, but if you want root access, I believe getting 11 working has some extra steps/workarounds (so i'm still on 10)
I initially changed to International because of quicker security updates and it works fine, no issues to complain about, but my wife (on TMo stock) seems to get better signal than I do in more rural areas.

Fenopy said:
I'm no expert... lol, but based on what I do know, I believe these are your steps...
So I'd take a look at this post-
[T-Mobile / Guide] - Full SIM and Bootloader Unlock + Root for locked devices
Background: I am writing this short guide for people like me that want all the info about the T-Mobile 6T unlock capabilities. None of this is my work. I wanted to have a central thread where T-Mobile users can discuss the T-Mobile specifics of...
forum.xda-developers.com
Follow Step 4, and then from that point allow the ROM to update via OTAs. The MSMDownloadTools are basically a fix-all, but set you back in time update-wise.
I do not believe there's a full TMo ROM for the latest updates, but once again, I could be wrong.
You could also use the International Version if you want, that is what I am running now, but if you want root access, I believe getting 11 working has some extra steps/workarounds (so i'm still on 10)
I initially changed to International because of quicker security updates and it works fine, no issues to complain about, but my wife (on TMo stock) seems to get better signal than I do in more rural areas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. I have seen all those threads, but the main purpose there was for people who did not want to wait for the SIM unlock. That got them past that and also got them so they were able to unlock the bootloader. I already have an unlocked SIM and unlocked bootloader. So I know I could load up lineageos if I wanted to without doing anything special. I would think I should be able to use TWRP to put the International version on using TWRP. And maybe the US version. But that may not be the case.
It just seems like any work on this device stopped after the above. Of course once you are bootloader unlocked, there may not be need for much more and people may just move on to other ROMs.
Thanks.

Fenopy said:
I'm no expert... lol, but based on what I do know, I believe these are your steps...
So I'd take a look at this post-
[T-Mobile / Guide] - Full SIM and Bootloader Unlock + Root for locked devices
Background: I am writing this short guide for people like me that want all the info about the T-Mobile 6T unlock capabilities. None of this is my work. I wanted to have a central thread where T-Mobile users can discuss the T-Mobile specifics of...
forum.xda-developers.com
Follow Step 4, and then from that point allow the ROM to update via OTAs. The MSMDownloadTools are basically a fix-all, but set you back in time update-wise.
I do not believe there's a full TMo ROM for the latest updates, but once again, I could be wrong.
You could also use the International Version if you want, that is what I am running now, but if you want root access, I believe getting 11 working has some extra steps/workarounds (so i'm still on 10)
I initially changed to International because of quicker security updates and it works fine, no issues to complain about, but my wife (on TMo stock) seems to get better signal than I do in more rural areas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The more I search, I guess that it appears there are some privileged partitions. This method you mention gets around that irrespective of the SIM and Bootloader being unlocked already.... Sigh....