Database Users

Unlocking the Galaxy s6 edge plus

Hi there,
Soon to be first time android user(maybe?) wanting to purchase a Galaxy s6 edge plus.
But I have a couple of questions I was hoping people with experience can help me out.
1.- Since I live in the US but will be using the phone often overseas, I would like a fully unlocked phone that will work with any mobile carrier. But it is such trouble buying unlocked phones in the US I am really confused as to how should I proceed doing so? I could buy an Att phone at full retail and get it unlocked by them right? Will I be able to delete the ATT bloatware? Is there a better way to just buy an unlocked phone? I want the 64 gb gold version which seems to be very very hard to find ( ATT does have it though). Note: I am aware Verizon phones are unlocked but they do not carry the 64 gb gold variant and aren't their bands totally bad for international use?
2.- Coming from an iphone user, I've always jailbroken every iphone i've owned, it truly unlocks the full potential of a phone such as installing small modifications that make a great diff. My question is: will I be able to do the same with my galaxy s6 edge plus if I get my hands on an unlocked one? Is this called rooting? I've been reading threads from here and what I got is that rooting devices is very hard specifically for the galaxy brand? Is there a way around that?
That's all for now, just want to thank you going to the trouble of reading my post and would really appreciate your help if you happen to know any of the questions I have.
Thank you

Snapdragon is locked?

Many variants are available with Snapdragon CPU and I want to ask that whether each of them is with locked bootloader or not?

The Snapdragon variants have locked bootloader.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

CuBz90 said:
The Snapdragon variants have locked bootloader.
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Are you sure about that? T-Mobile has not locked the bootloader of any recent Samsung device that I know of. I'd be surprised if the G935T was locked.
Edit:
Ok, I'm surprised.
ROOT DISCUSSION - R.I.P. Sticky Root Guide - SM-G935T -> STATUS -> LOCKED BOOTLOADER

RIP Snapdragon root. but anyway what does it mean to have a locked bootloader?
I have Exynos, so i think im happy lol

Someone might find a way around it, it'll just be much more difficult.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

CuBz90 said:
Someone will find a way around it, it'll just be much more difficult.
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Hasn't happened yet for GS6/S6E/S6E+ and Note5 devices on AT&T or Verizon, and the bounty for the Verizon Note5 is over $1,000. Don't hold your breath for too long.

CafeKampuchia said:
Hasn't happened yet for GS6/S6E/S6E+ and Note5 devices on AT&T or Verizon, and the bounty for the Verizon Note5 is over $1,000. Don't hold your breath for too long.
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I'm not too bothered won't affect me. It will be almost impossible but not completely impossible.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

It's quite ironic, the Snapdragon variants would have been the most fun to root and ROM, allowing for both TW and AOSP type custom ROMs. But they locked the SD820 variants down with secure signature verification stuff... So lame.

I wouldn't be surprised if all the snapdragon variants were bootloader locked since they are all tied to carriers all of of which aside from T-Mobile and Sprint (which are probably locked too now) have a history of locking bootloaders. I am not only talking about the U.S. Look at the Japanese market, NTT DoCoMo has been locking down it's phones forever.
Envoyé de mon SM-G935F en utilisant Tapatalk

mathieulh said:
I wouldn't be surprised if all the snapdragon variants were bootloader locked since they are all tied to carriers all of of which aside from T-Mobile and Sprint (which are probably locked too now) have a history of locking bootloaders. I am not only talking about the U.S. Look at the Japanese market, NTT DoCoMo has been locking down it's phones forever.
Envoyé de mon SM-G935F en utilisant Tapatalk
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Is the locking of bootloader new? Is it like the newimpenetrable Denuvo DRM?, both put it against piracy and customizing software?

Holy crap, a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy phone has a locked bootloader !!!! Unbelievable. Never thought I'd see the day. How did this even happen ? Did T-Mobile give in ?
I was waiting for root on the S7 Edge, before buying it, guess I'm not getting this phone now. And then what does this mean for the Note 6 ? Same BS locked down ?
Guess I might sell my Note 5 now for the Nexus 6P.

Zorachus said:
Holy crap, a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy phone has a locked bootloader !!!! Unbelievable. Never thought I'd see the day. How did this even happen ? Did T-Mobile give in ?
I was waiting for root on the S7 Edge, before buying it, guess I'm not getting this phone now. And then what does this mean for the Note 6 ? Same BS locked down ?
Guess I might sell my Note 5 now for the Nexus 6P.
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You could always get the International version, which isn't bootloader locked.

I'
My Wife and I are on JoD with T-Mobile, we both signed up on T-Mobile last Summer when the Note 5 launched. I went to Tmo for the development community and custom ROM's the Note 5 would have, and it did, and I've been a happy camper here.
But...
If this is the new trend, the S7 Edge being locked means no "Jumping" onto this phone now, and maybe the Note 6 will also be in this horrible situation too. Leaves me questioning even sticking with T-Mobile now, as the other phones I like are the Nexus phones.
My question is, since T-Mobile isn't really a contract carrier anymore, how can I get out of it ? Our two Note 5's were on the JoD program, can we just return these N5's into T-Mobile, and cancel the service and be clean and free done ? Or would there be some payment needed ? Or if maybe stick with T-Mobile, but still get the Nexus 6P and not be on JoD anymore, how much does that save not having two phones on JoD anymore ?

There should be only one variant capable for everything (I mean for custom ROMs and MODs by default), only one variant everywhere in the world and on every carrier. But I know this is just a dream.

AT&T is my provider, should I buy this phone?

Research is a little slow moving. I'm buying a new phone. This seems to be the most complete in terms of features (removable SD and IR blaster which is a small thing but missing from other flagships I've considered.)
My only concern is my carrier AT&T. If I buy the note will I be able to flash twrp? Is there a huge difference in custom ROM/kernel options from sprint or T-Mobile? Is there a certain model I should try to get?-I'm buying it unlocked.
I think most people understand the tedious process of choosing a new phone if you're into flashing Roms. Any info that's helpful is most welcomed. Thanks.

I actually use att service also and just bought a Tmobile Note 4 in January and I have never been happie with any phone I have ever owned.. N910T is best in my opinion if you are big on root because it has way more active developement and it has all the same lte bands that att uses

The tmob variant should work fine but the 910c definitely works and I think the 910f does as well. I'd steer clear of the actual at&t variant itself unless they have solved the root/bootloader issue. I guess the question is of you are buying sim free do you want the exynos or snapdragon variant
Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk

Should i get a note 7 from at&t?

The Galaxy Note Edge still to this day does not have Root. I was wondering if it was worth it getting the Note 7 from At&t or should I get an unlocked one. What do you guys think?

I had the At&t Note 4 as well, which also never got root. I recently sold mine for over $200 on eBay and I found a T-Mobile Note 3 that I rooted and ROM'd and it is nearly as fast as the Note 5. I've already pre-ordered the Note 7 through At&t only because I've used the S7 Edge and it is fast enough to not really need root. But to be fair the S7 and S7 Edge do have root so it may be possible for the Note 7 to be rooted in a similar fashion. Now the bootloader is a whole nother story!
Sent from my SM-T700 using XDA-Developers mobile app

whmgreen said:
I had the At&t Note 4 as well, which also never got root. I recently sold mine for over $200 on eBay and I found a T-Mobile Note 3 that I rooted and ROM'd and it is nearly as fast as the Note 5. I've already pre-ordered the Note 7 through At&t only because I've used the S7 Edge and it is fast enough to not really need root. But to be fair the S7 and S7 Edge do have root so it may be possible for the Note 7 to be rooted in a similar fashion. Now the bootloader is a whole nother story!
Sent from my SM-T700 using XDA-Developers mobile app
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It seems to really depend on the popularity of the phone, whether it gets root or not. The Note 4 Edge was a great phone, but was not that popular with the general public. With all the excitement generated for the Note 7, I think we will get root. I do really wish they had put the snapdragon 821 & 6GB of ram, like the rumors had said. Then it really would of been an iphone killer. Btw, I also Pre-ordered a Note 7.

whmgreen said:
I had the At&t Note 4 as well, which also never got root. I recently sold mine for over $200 on eBay and I found a T-Mobile Note 3 that I rooted and ROM'd and it is nearly as fast as the Note 5. I've already pre-ordered the Note 7 through At&t only because I've used the S7 Edge and it is fast enough to not really need root. But to be fair the S7 and S7 Edge do have root so it may be possible for the Note 7 to be rooted in a similar fashion. Now the bootloader is a whole nother story!
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We do have root, what are you talking about lol. S7 edge Verizon rooted

I'm gonna also pre-order and I have AT&T. But I'm gonna go to best buy and out right buy the unlocked no plan version. AT&T can kiss my rear end, if it weren't for my wife not wanting to leave them I would have dumped them way back when bootloader got locked.

Reinaldo33897 said:
I'm gonna also pre-order and I have AT&T. But I'm gonna go to best buy and out right buy the unlocked no plan version. AT&T can kiss my rear end, if it weren't for my wife not wanting to leave them I would have dumped them way back when bootloader got locked.
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Dont buy it from best buy, they upcharge. They wont carry a sim unlocked one anyways. Buy on amazon. For me as much as I used to like sammy I cant deal with locked bootloaders and the price tag is too high. If anything id consider a international exynos model s7 from amazon. Theres at least stable root and development.

fix-this! said:
Dont buy it from best buy, they upcharge. They wont carry a sim unlocked one anyways. Buy on amazon. For me as much as I used to like sammy I cant deal with locked bootloaders and the price tag is too high. If anything id consider a international exynos model s7 from amazon. Theres at least stable root and development.
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Good advise, I went to best buy and asked if they were taking pre-orders for the unlocked version. She looked at me like I was talking some alien language. Gave me a weird expression and walked away.

You shouldn't support ANY carriers - including AT&T.
Buy unlocked and do what you want with YOUR device!

TechBSwift said:
We do have root, what are you talking about lol. S7 edge Verizon rooted
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Umm...can you read? I said S7 and S7 Edge CAN be rooted!!

HNIC215 said:
You shouldn't support ANY carriers - including AT&T.
Buy unlocked and do what you want with YOUR device!
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What model version is unlocked? Will it be possible to unlock the bootloader on this version as well? Thanks in advance
Sent from my SGH-I337 using XDA-Developers mobile app

awakener777 said:
What model version is unlocked? Will it be possible to unlock the bootloader on this version as well? Thanks in advance [/URL]
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N930F (Europe); N930G (India)
I think both of these models come unlocked and I think there are also dual sim variants that come unlocked as well. Not sure.
I always go for the F variant - N930F - which is usually the international unlocked version.
Yes, it should be possible to unlock the bootloader and root - at least it was on the S7 Edge I used to own.
Keep in mind, the international model uses the Exynos processor as opposed to the SD820 the US version uses.
They both have pros and cons - do your research before you purchase. Especially if you are planning to root, use Samsung Pay etc...
I prefer international for less bloat/carrier restrictions, better battery life, root etc...
P.S. -> if you root then no Samsung Pay

HNIC215 said:
N930F (Europe); N930G (India)
I think both of these models come unlocked and I think there are also dual sim variants that come unlocked as well. Not sure.
I always go for the F variant - N930F - which is usually the international unlocked version.
Yes, it should be possible to unlock the bootloader and root - at least it was on the S7 Edge I used to own.
Keep in mind, the international model uses the Exynos processor as opposed to the SD820 the US version uses.
They both have pros and cons - do your research before you purchase. Especially if you are planning to root, use Samsung Pay etc...
I prefer international for less bloat/carrier restrictions, better battery life, root etc...
P.S. -> if you root then no Samsung Pay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your input! Can't do a phone without unlockable BL. I don't even know what Samsung pay is so that's okay.
Sent from my SGH-I337 using XDA-Developers mobile app

Don't the unlocked phones use different frequencies/channels compare to US carriers and might not get full potential of US LTE network?
Even between US carriers the frequencies/channels are different. For example my Note 3 T-mob doesn't use some channels that Att uses and I can't get full LTE speeds on ATT network because of that.

[email protected] said:
Don't the unlocked phones use different frequencies/channels compare to US carriers and might not get full potential of US LTE network?
Even between US carriers the frequencies/channels are different. For example my Note 3 T-mob doesn't use some channels that Att uses and I can't get full LTE speeds on ATT network because of that.
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Not anymore, Almost all unlocked variants work perfect with all US carriers..I have international Note5 on AT&T
Sent from my SM-N920S using Tapatalk

will I be able to flash Indian firmware on a note7 purchased from Dubai? The models in India and Dubai are same. SM-N930FD
Sent from SM-N910G on Dr. Ketan's L16

rajat_delhi said:
will I be able to flash Indian firmware on a note7 purchased from Dubai? The models in India and Dubai are same. SM-N930FD
Sent from SM-N910G on Dr. Ketan's L16
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Click to collapse
As long as model numbers are same, you can...
Sent from my SM-N920S using Tapatalk

thinking about s7 edge - newb questions

Hey All!
I'm currently using the s5 active, and I'm looking for an upgrade. I'm looking for a phone with a great camera, so obviously s7 edge has come up.
I'm planning on using this phone primarily in Vietnam, so I wanted to ask a few questions about which variant you all suggest.
1. Are all versions sim unlocked? I read online that verizon is, but I also read that some other ones I need to buy codes. Is it relatively easy to unlock the other variants (without paying money)? I'm not shy about flashing and odin things so if it's complicated that's fine too, as long as it's possible.
2. Hows the unified development? I love flashing roms and trying out new ones, if you were to buy a new s7 edge and didn't care about carrier, is there one that you would recommend over the others? I'm on the ATT s5 active now, and locked bootloader sucks. So I'm hoping to avoid that if I can.

If you can buy the exynos version, it's SIM unlock and easily rootable. All USA version are based on Qualcomm and with locked boot loader so no development for it.

G935 exynos is your choice, but I'd wait for S8

Anik49 said:
If you can buy the exynos version, it's SIM unlock and easily rootable. All USA version are based on Qualcomm and with locked boot loader so no development for it.
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Ah okay. Maybe I'll check out some other phones then. Thanks!
yaro666 said:
G935 exynos is your choice, but I'd wait for S8
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Thanks! haha, but since I'm not on any US plan, I figured I'd buy a used one instead. Although, if I wait till the s8 comes out, I'm sure there will be a nice price drop for a used s7.
Although now I gotta think if I want to look into HTC or LG for my development needs =D

Ah. One more question. People are generally saying touchwiz now isn't terrible. So if carriers have OTA updates, are they easily flashed in other countries? With my att sg5, it was pretty difficult to get updates abroad.