Database Users

[Q] Will EU version of GNote get OTA if used in USA?

Hi,
I'm thinking about getting a Galaxy Note. Unfortunately I'm in the U.S. So I'll have to get it from overseas. Even if I get it from a US seller, the phone is probably imported anyway. I'm planning to get it from Handtec. They have the EU version I believe.
Now if Samsung relases any OTA, does anyone know if I'll be able to get it here in the U.S.
Thanks.

As I understand, the Note doesn't need OTA's per se, as they're also downloadable directly into the phone through your WiFi using a piece of software called Kies, that is instaleld both in your phone and in your desktop.
I don't own one yet tough, so I'm just passing along forum information.

Funny you are asking that on XDA. Who cares? You can always come here and get it. Be much more concerned about the lack of warranty. The only thing holding me back from getting the Note
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

Phylar said:
Funny you are asking that on XDA. Who cares? You can always come here and get it. Be much more concerned about the lack of warranty. The only thing holding me back from getting the Note
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct me if I'm wrong but the Note comes with an international warranty... Well my Note did. I'm in the UK and bought it as an import from Germany. Confirmed the international warranty with the supplier too and it's definitely in force. Got a warranty book in the box to prove it.

Ngambek2003 said:
Hi,
I'm thinking about getting a Galaxy Note. Unfortunately I'm in the U.S. So I'll have to get it from overseas. Even if I get it from a US seller, the phone is probably imported anyway. I'm planning to get it from Handtec. They have the EU version I believe.
Now if Samsung relases any OTA, does anyone know if I'll be able to get it here in the U.S.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the availability of OTA is dependent upon the region the phone originated from, not which country youre currently in.
ie. if you have the european note, it will only update when a european update is available, not when the US update is available. doesnt matter if youre in US or australia like me, cant update until they release a european update.

denialnw10 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but the Note comes with an international warranty... Well my Note did. I'm in the UK and bought it as an import from Germany. Confirmed the international warranty with the supplier too and it's definitely in force. Got a warranty book in the box to prove it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter where the warranty comes from, but if any Note user decides to:
a) root their device
b) install any custom rom/kernel
the warranty will be gone in most cases. The warranty will cover hardware or software malfunction but if you install not-stock stuff on your phone, then you can't complain if your service provider or repairshop won't do it for free.

Souai said:
the availability of OTA is dependent upon the region the phone originated from, not which country youre currently in.
ie. if you have the european note, it will only update when a european update is available, not when the US update is available. doesnt matter if youre in US or australia like me, cant update until they release a european update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but I believe his question was more about if an american carrier would broadcast a european OTA over their networks. They don't, but Kies take care of that.

Viamonte said:
Yes, but I believe his question was more about if an american carrier would broadcast a european OTA over their networks. They don't, but Kies take care of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't expecting the update to be broadcast from the carrier actually. I'm expecting Samsung to broadcast it directly. It sounds like I should be able to get the update, either through OTA or through Kies. It'd be nice to be able to update without requiring a desktop though.

Viamonte said:
Yes, but I believe his question was more about if an american carrier would broadcast a european OTA over their networks. They don't, but Kies take care of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
carriers only broadcast updates to carrier locked phones iirc.
if you purchase an unlocked phone, it doesnt matter what carrier youre on. when you go to check for updates, it should be connecting to samsung's servers, not your carrier's.

Unlocked Galaxy Note - yes or no?

I am considering buying a Galaxy Note but I have a dilemma so I hope you will be able to help me out with it.
If I decide to buy it I will probably have to buy it through a mobile carrier meaning that I will have to unlock it to run it on a different network. I have someone to do it for me so I don't know what kind of software they will use.
Since I am new to Android, I would like to keep away from the rooting as long as possible so I am talking about stock software here.
Therefore, I would like to ask this:
1) Have any of you unlocked their Galaxy Notes? Are there any side-effects or it feels totally SIM-free?
2) Am I going to be cut-off from the official software updates (ICS and so on?) or it will be totally like a SIM-free experience?
3) Are all the splash screens, apps and other carrier-related stuff gone after the unlock?
Thank you in advance!

This doesn't answer your questions, but why would you buy a carrier phone and use it on another network? Why not buy unlocked?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

If you plan to get the ATT one, I dont think it will get 3G/+ on Tmo. The intenational one I have definitely does not have that band. Unless there is another unlocked version that has those bands. And my international version does not have LTE as well.
And why would you sign a contract with ATT and want to use it on another n/w? Doesnt make any sense whatsoever.
Eborg said:
I am considering buying a Galaxy Note but I have a dilemma so I hope you will be able to help me out with it.
If I decide to buy it I will probably have to buy it through a mobile carrier meaning that I will have to unlock it to run it on a different network. I have someone to do it for me so I don't know what kind of software they will use.
Since I am new to Android, I would like to keep away from the rooting as long as possible so I am talking about stock software here.
Therefore, I would like to ask this:
1) Have any of you unlocked their Galaxy Notes? Are there any side-effects or it feels totally SIM-free?
2) Am I going to be cut-off from the official software updates (ICS and so on?) or it will be totally like a SIM-free experience?
3) Are all the splash screens, apps and other carrier-related stuff gone after the unlock?
Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I live in Europe so I am talking about an international version.
Technically I wouldn't be buying it directly from a carrier, I just wanted to keep the discussion simple. I would buy it from a store but they get it abroad, unlock them and sell them legally. It's the only way I can get it where I live.
Ordering from Expansys or similar sites would mean that I would have to pay import customs which would probably amount to 200-300$ or more.

Where are you from? There are more retailers than expansys
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

I live in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Since it is not yet a member of the EU, you have to pay customs fees for this kind of stuff.
I will be going to the UK in a few weeks and thought about buying it there but that would mean that I wouldn't have any warranty. Most sites do not offer warranty outside the UK or EU. Also, even if I found one seller that offers worldwide warranty, I would still have costs shipping the phone to the UK or wherever and back (still EU issues) if needed.
Buying the phone locally should give me a 2-year warranty so that's why I am thinking about that option.

if you get it sim free fromthe uk then you woudl be paying more than you woudl in say germany - sim free in the uk are about £500+
sim free means it isnt locked to a carrioer that doesnt stop anything regarding updates to ics, you wil lstil lget them just might be at alater date than other countries
unlocking is not the same as debranding which would remove the software and logos etc
mine is sim free whcih i bought on a 2 year contract and it is no different to any other note locked on the networks

Eborg said:
I am considering buying a Galaxy Note but I have a dilemma so I hope you will be able to help me out with it.
If I decide to buy it I will probably have to buy it through a mobile carrier meaning that I will have to unlock it to run it on a different network.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
buying it through a carrier does not mean that the phone is locked to that carrier anyway. have you asked your carrier or the store you want to buy from if they sell the Note locked?. my Note is bought from German Telekom/T-Mobile and has no sim or netlock. i just tested the Note with simcards from other German and foreign carrier and they all work flawlessly. so maybe you can purchase a Note at your side that is also sim/netlocked free.

All Galaxy Notes available locally were on foreign carriers. The guy at the store could only confirm that it works will all SIM cards, not that the particular phone had to be unlocked or not, but it was definitely on a foreign carrier when they got it.
I am not sure if the phones are debranded or not. Is that something that I can do on my own without rooting the phone?
So, you guys can officially confirm that unlocked (and optionally debranded) Galaxy Note will act as if they were SIM-free in regards to official updates, apps and so on? No worries there?
As for getting it abroad, it wouldn't be the best solution since I would have to send it to the UK, Germany, Italy or wherever if something is wrong paying 100-200$ of customs fees every time if something goes wrong.

I'd just like to confirm that it is possible to update the firmware automatically with an unlocked Note. Cheers!

Richy99 said:
sim free means it isnt locked to a carrioer that doesnt stop anything regarding updates to ics, you wil lstil lget them just might be at alater date than other countries
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite.
Also to keep in mind : in the EU, the carrier must agree to unlock phones after at the most 6 months.
And regarding ICS upgrades for the Note, they're apparently fairly messy at the moment. Locally (France) my carrier and the local Samsung branch are apparently more or less pointing at one another for a botched upgrade (at the end of June, note that it was announced as "we're fixing a few things, should be any day now" in March) where they apparently managed to brick a number of user phones. Samsung tends to communicate fairly poorly on the issue.
Other than the updated stylus apps, I'm not really sure the upgrade is worth it. And I discovered the whole "Kies" crud when I got this phone which really annoyed me since I don't normally run Windows (or Mac OS) and some operators apparently like to push their stuff only through that channel.
---------- Post added at 01:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 PM ----------
Eborg said:
I'd just like to confirm that it is possible to update the firmware automatically with an unlocked Note. Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no reason why you couldn't. Possibly you'd get the Samsung update instead of the one from the original carrier (not guaranteed). But unlocking phones is fairly standard procedure.

Actually I got an update from the previous carrier from which it was unlocked from judging by the bloatware installed with the update.

Canadian S7/S7 Edge thread!

Release date Friday March 11th countrywide for all Canadian carriers. Bell, Rogers, Telus, Wind and Videotron confirmed.
I have pre-ordered my S7 edge black onyx for bell.
Anyone else pre-order yet?
Model information:
Exynos chipset confirmed.
S7 G930W8
S7 Edge G935W8

The only reason I'm not getting the s7 is because the Canadian version is only exynos and does not work for me because I root and change roms.

nitramus said:
The only reason I'm not getting the s7 is because the Canadian version is only exynos and does not work for me because I root and change roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered mine from Best Buy. Black S7 Edge (really wanted the grey tho). Ya, I was reading about the exynos chip. The only thing that interests me is xposed, do you guys think that we would have that at least? I hate the advertising on youtube. I believe it will be fast enough for me not to want any roms (cross fingers).
I still not fully decided tho, I got a Note 4 and works fine but always attracted to new shinny tech

I ordered from Samsung. I went to Bell first but they wouldn't let me order because I wasn't about to sign a contract. Good thing, promo with Samsung is way better, and I get it unlocked.
I don't like the chip either, rather have the 820, but I had a S5 with a Snapdragon and I couldn't find a good ROM with that. I'm going to try this S7 with the stock ROM. I figure with Nova + Icon pack + Material design theme will make TouchWiz mostly a non-issue. And any bloatware I can't uninstall, or disable I figure I can just take away all permissions and hide from the homescreen and app drawer.

I could live with root only and keep stock rom but I NEED viper for Android and if I'm not mistaken v4a does not work on exynos, I could be wrong...

wifesabitch said:
I ordered from Samsung. I went to Bell first but they wouldn't let me order because I wasn't about to sign a contract. Good thing, promo with Samsung is way better, and I get it unlocked.
I don't like the chip either, rather have the 820, but I had a S5 with a Snapdragon and I couldn't find a good ROM with that. I'm going to try this S7 with the stock ROM. I figure with Nova + Icon pack + Material design theme will make TouchWiz mostly a non-issue. And any bloatware I can't uninstall, or disable I figure I can just take away all permissions and hide from the homescreen and app drawer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you mean samsung.ca??? what option did you select for carrier? If i select Rogers it takes me to the Rogers site. Or do you mean you got an international version unlocked??? how.. me interested since apparently Samsung has figured out to permanently locked the carrier to the phone. Basically the first sim (carrier) is loaded to the phone will be permanently locked.

I am with ya man. I had the s6 and note 5 and both run exynos7420. Viper4android worked perfectly.
Sent from my Blackberry Torch

nitramus said:
The only reason I'm not getting the s7 is because the Canadian version is only exynos and does not work for me because I root and change roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only snapdragon versions are being sold in USA and China. You think no development for exynos for the rest of the world?
I had the s6 and note 5 and development for both were excellent.

Pre-ordered mine at Wind, I'm pretty excited. I'm also happy that we get the Exynos version as it will make for greater commonality/compatibility with the rest of the world. I'm hoping it'll make for faster updates?

ISperfection said:
you mean samsung.ca??? what option did you select for carrier? If i select Rogers it takes me to the Rogers site. Or do you mean you got an international version unlocked??? how.. me interested since apparently Samsung has figured out to permanently locked the carrier to the phone. Basically the first sim (carrier) is loaded to the phone will be permanently locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung retail store at Sherway Gardens in Toronto. You don't have to pick a carrier there. Don't think you can order it online.
They sales rep said it will lock when you put your SIM in, but they provide you with an unlock code. You also get the VR and a 128GB microSD card, that's a better promo than anyone else has.

wifesabitch said:
Samsung retail store at Sherway Gardens in Toronto. You don't have to pick a carrier there. Don't think you can order it online.
They sales rep said it will lock when you put your SIM in, but they provide you with an unlock code. You also get the VR and a 128GB microSD card, that's a better promo than anyone else has.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow, that is awesome plus a great bonus bonus extra! I am going there tonite and cancelling my Best Buy one!!! so global (i am assuming international) is the SM-G935F, is that what you ordered? (I will confirm tonite). I hope We get to chose colors rather than just black. Thanks!!!
Ya, also if everyone is getting exynos (except our friends and US and China), I would guess support will be improved. Now i am pumped.

ISperfection said:
wow, that is awesome plus a great bonus bonus extra! I am going there tonite and cancelling my Best Buy one!!! so global (i am assuming international) is the SM-G935F, is that what you ordered? (I will confirm tonite). I hope We get to chose colors rather than just black. Thanks!!!
Ya, also if everyone is getting exynos (except our friends and US and China), I would guess support will be improved. Now i am pumped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know version it is. If you're going, ask about the microSD card. They only told me about the VR but I've seen several people comment online that the memory card is included also.
I think you can get other colors, but the black is the only one that will be available on the 11th from what I've read.

will check it out and post my findings.

All Canadian versions ended in W8
Sent from my Blackberry Torch

wifesabitch said:
I ordered from Samsung. I went to Bell first but they wouldn't let me order because I wasn't about to sign a contract. Good thing, promo with Samsung is way better, and I get it unlocked.
I don't like the chip either, rather have the 820, but I had a S5 with a Snapdragon and I couldn't find a good ROM with that. I'm going to try this S7 with the stock ROM. I figure with Nova + Icon pack + Material design theme will make TouchWiz mostly a non-issue. And any bloatware I can't uninstall, or disable I figure I can just take away all permissions and hide from the homescreen and app drawer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the VR and 128GB promotion only for preorders?

nitramus said:
The only reason I'm not getting the s7 is because the Canadian version is only exynos and does not work for me because I root and change roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can root and change roms on exynos, most likely only touchwiz roms at first but im sure there will be an aosp rom eventually, there's one being cooked right now for the s6.
ISperfection said:
The only thing that interests me is xposed, do you guys think that we would have that at least?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/unofficial-xposed-samsung-lollipop-t3180960

oxxshadow said:
Is the VR and 128GB promotion only for preorders?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't say for sure, but I would guess it's certainly a limited time promotion.

wifesabitch said:
Can't say for sure, but I would guess it's certainly a limited time promotion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh ok. $1000 kinda sucks though since out dollar is so weak, so i might end up selling the VR to recoup some money lol

oxxshadow said:
oh ok. $1000 kinda sucks though since out dollar is so weak, so i might end up selling the VR to recoup some money lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell me about it. When I first saw the price I thought no way I was getting this. Changed my mind after the initial shock subsided.

wifesabitch said:
Tell me about it. When I first saw the price I thought no way I was getting this. Changed my mind after the initial shock subsided.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rep at sherway didn't tell me the price because he said they were instructed not too, probably because it would give everyone a heart attack.

G935F and Samsung Pay

I recently discovered that there is no Samsung Pay on my S7E, and I can't install it from the Play store. When I install the apk, I get an error saying it can't connect to the server.
I received my phone from 232tech, which appears to be a G935F made for the middle East and north Africa, since there's a sticker on the box that says that, but I thought this wouldn't be a problem because the phone was region unlocked prior to me opening it.
Anyone else getting the same issue? I'd love to use Samsung Pay.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

AhsanU said:
I recently discovered that there is no Samsung Pay on my S7E, and I can't install it from the Play store. When I install the apk, I get an error saying it can't connect to the server.
I received my phone from 232tech, which appears to be a G935F made for the middle East and north Africa, since there's a sticker on the box that says that, but I thought this wouldn't be a problem because the phone was region unlocked prior to me opening it.
Anyone else getting the same issue? I'd love to use Samsung Pay.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung Pay, Android Pay and Apple Pay is currently only available in the US.

Faspaiso said:
Samsung Pay, Android Pay and Apple Pay is currently only available in the US.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am aware, I live in the USA.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

AhsanU said:
I am aware, I live in the USA.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Arh, sounded like an european trying to get it to work. As far as i'm aware, it only works on the US (Snapdragon) variant and will not work in other countries (or models) before they release it the international version, so not much you can do as far as I know.

Go to apkmirror.come and download/install it.

the IMEI is not associated with region with samsung pay, and even if it will, it will not be the correct region that will accept your card unless your bank is from middle east and north africa, so no, you wont be able to use samsung pay on your phone

theclueless said:
the IMEI is not associated with region with samsung pay, and even if it will, it will not be the correct region that will accept your card unless your bank is from middle east and north africa, so no, you wont be able to use samsung pay on your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I feel as if this is vital information! Good thing a android pay still works though. Part of the reason why I purchased this S7E is because touchwiz is pretty decent, and there's no need to root or run a custom ROM (IMO, of course). If Samsung Pay was higher on the priority list, this may have been a deal breaker
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Advice on Buying Galaxy AT&T version to then unlock it

Hello,
My name is Roberto, Iive in Chile and here the Galaxy S8 is still not selling and there is no information about the date, the price? way to high.
I wil be in the US in april and would love to buy the New S8 because is much cheaper, but there is no unlocked version untill MAY.
Can someone tell me, if I buy the AT&T version from the Samsung web page, if I have to activate with a contract or something? or I can Just buy a prepaid at&t sim and use it?
What I want is, to buy the AT&T version, unlock it, and then use it.
Then may be Install the future Unlocked Rom.
I tried to buy the UK version but is Region Locked, you have to make a 5 minut call form the place it was ment to sell UK
Please help.
Thanks.

Hi Roberto,
I am from Brazil and I will be in US in April and wanna get the S8 too.
I always do the purchase on eBay. Today there is some auctions and sellers offering the S8 to $849,00 on pre-order.
I figured out a second option, that is get the phone on Clove.co.uk. On the checkout page, you can choose this option: "Samsung’s region lock stops use of this handset within your chosen country unless activated with a European SIM. I agree for Clove Technology to break the seal on the box, activate the phone and remove the region lock by completing a 5 minute call on the handset." I think it is a good way to get the S8, it costs around $740 with shipping to US on Clove store.
I see no advantage getting the US version for foreign users, because you will not have your country language and can not flash an international firmware. You will be stuck only in AT&T's firmware version

rafaelpinaf said:
Hi Roberto,
I am from Brazil and I will be in US in April and wanna get the S8 too.
I always do the purchase on eBay. Today there is some auctions and sellers offering the S8 to $849,00 on pre-order.
I figured out a second option, that is get the phone on Clove.co.uk. On the checkout page, you can choose this option: "Samsung’s region lock stops use of this handset within your chosen country unless activated with a European SIM. I agree for Clove Technology to break the seal on the box, activate the phone and remove the region lock by completing a 5 minute call on the handset." I think it is a good way to get the S8, it costs around $740 with shipping to US on Clove store.
I see no advantage getting the US version for foreign users, because you will not have your country language and can not flash an international firmware. You will be stuck only in AT&T's firmware version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hy, thanks for that information, I wrote to them to ask about the shipping time because I will be in the US until the 25th of april so I do not know if they can ship the phone on time.
But great information, about the unlocking service.

rafaelpinaf said:
Hi Roberto,
I am from Brazil and I will be in US in April and wanna get the S8 too.
I always do the purchase on eBay. Today there is some auctions and sellers offering the S8 to $849,00 on pre-order.
I figured out a second option, that is get the phone on Clove.co.uk. On the checkout page, you can choose this option: "Samsung’s region lock stops use of this handset within your chosen country unless activated with a European SIM. I agree for Clove Technology to break the seal on the box, activate the phone and remove the region lock by completing a 5 minute call on the handset." I think it is a good way to get the S8, it costs around $740 with shipping to US on Clove store.
I see no advantage getting the US version for foreign users, because you will not have your country language and can not flash an international firmware. You will be stuck only in AT&T's firmware version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the answer from Clove, the shipping starts on the 28th so It wont arrive on time to me in the US
Too bad.

robertoaste said:
I got the answer from Clove, the shipping starts on the 28th so It wont arrive on time to me in the US
Too bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sad to hear that :/

The imei's are not in ATT's database yet if you go to the unlock page. Itll be a few weeks probably.
Make sure you scroll to the right and choose if you are an ATT customer or not.
https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/request/#/unlockstep1
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

If you buy the phone from Samsung it should come with a unlock code in the email they send you.
If you want to buy it directly from AT&T they can unlock it within 24hrs. after the device is fully paid/bought out right. You just have to choose the lowest plan there and roll with it then cancel it after you unlock it

i used sim-unlock.net and it worked perfect man but im on tmobile dunno how to get video chat and **** to work

Mine was unlocked in less than 48 hours.
Sent from my SM-G950U using XDA-Developers Legacy app

where did you get your phone? I am thinking get a ATT S8 from samsung.com, but I don't know if ATT will unlock the phone for me...

Timesnewmen said:
where did you get your phone? I am thinking get a ATT S8 from samsung.com, but I don't know if ATT will unlock the phone for me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i got an att s8+ from samsung.com... att didnt unlock my phone because the phone was bought from samsung.com, they told me to call them so i did, samsung told me i had to call with my an agent from my carrier a 3 way line. so i did, i gave them the info and my imei, then they told me to factory reset my phone and that was it, and now i flashed g955u1 firmware so i am fully unlocked and bloatless

unitz0mbie said:
i got an att s8+ from samsung.com... att didnt unlock my phone because the phone was bought from samsung.com, they told me to call them so i did, samsung told me i had to call with my an agent from my carrier a 3 way line. so i did, i gave them the info and my imei, then they told me to factory reset my phone and that was it, and now i flashed g955u1 firmware so i am fully unlocked and bloatless
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I have got an unlock.version from samsung.com for about $500. It's an more easy way.

Timesnewmen said:
Thanks. I have got an unlock.version from samsung.com for about $500. It's an more easy way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well yea since its released its a lot easier lol, received mine a day before launch day

So if i use the phone on another carrier (in my case in Argentina) It works perfectly but I would not be able to receive any OTA unless it has an ATT sim in it?

Does anyone know if it is possible to unlock the ATT version to use on Verizon if there is a 2yr contract still in place but another device is moved onto this contract to keep it active?