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Hey Guys,
So, I bought a AT&T LG G2 phone (I had a gift card at Best Buy- they don't carry T-Mobile). I heard that AT&T had the same towers so it's easier to work with an unlocked phone through them, so I bought it there instead from T-Mobile itself.
However, now I realized I don't have some of the features I would have on a T-mobile LG G2, such as my wifi calling, etc. Now, since the phone is unlocked (and I just got it rooted), would installing a T-Mobile rom affect my phone in any way, good or bad? Should I only use AT&T roms? How would I use T-mobile app services?
I searched google for 2 days and couldn't find anything relevant to my question. I've used this site a lot in the past year-two for rooting and such. Thank you guys in advance for continuing to support open development for android.
Wondering the same, about to switch to tmobile.
*Answer solved through own testing
trh1341 said:
Wondering the same, about to switch to tmobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, seems like no one has an answer to it...
Anyway, I went ahead and bought the phone. Since I do a lot of testing and rooting myself, this was the first time working on this type. I'm glad you posted, because I would have just forgotten about it now that I've solved the question I had... However, I figure it'd help in the future in case someone is also wondering the same.
Now, with that all stated... down to the answer.
If you bought an AT&T phone, and do an unlock code to use it on another carrier (such as T-mobile since they use the same towers), the rom you MUST use are the AT&T roms... NOT the T-mobile roms. The problem is, when you buy a AT&T phone, unlock it, and root your device to use another rom, it will not be compatible with T-Mobile roms because of the image files, etc. So yes- you will be losing all the features a T-Mobile rom would have such as wi-fi calling, etc...
However, a way to go about this (and it won't work with ALL the features that comes in a T-Mobile phone/rom), is to install a AT&T rom of your choice without all the crappy AT&T bloatware that you can't even use, and go to the T-Mobile section to look for an APK version of the files. Most of the time, T-Mobile roms will also remove the bloatware, however, some developers are kind enough to provide the bloatware APK files in case users would like to have certain one of them features, such as WiFi Calling.
So, that's how I did it, and it's working good.
PS- One last thing, you may have trouble going on the internet or playstore when you're unlocked to a different carrier. All you need to do is find the APN settings for your carrier. So in this case, I bought an AT&T phone, bought unlock code to use on my carrier T-Mobile, and got the T-Mobile APN settings set up, reboot, and I get all my 4G data, etc. You can get this by calling T-Mobile. Just say, you bought an unlocked phone and can't access data, internet, etc, and was told to set up a APN. Or, you can use google. :good:
Hope I helped everyone else out there!!
johnnyjrmoua said:
Hope I helped everyone else out there!!
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Click to collapse
So, would I be correct in stating that you will only get 4G in areas where it is offered @ 1900 MHz? What about 2100 MHz? Otherwise you will only get 3G HSPA+? As you can tell I'm a bit confused about compatibility between networks. According to wikipedia they will be doing away with 1900 MHz 4G by 2015. I'm trying to decide if it's worth buying an AT&T or Verizon phone to use on the T-Mobile pre-paid network because it seems the T-Mobile phones are not getting very much development.
johnnyjrmoua said:
Well, seems like no one has an answer to it...
Anyway, I went ahead and bought the phone. Since I do a lot of testing and rooting myself, this was the first time working on this type. I'm glad you posted, because I would have just forgotten about it now that I've solved the question I had... However, I figure it'd help in the future in case someone is also wondering the same.
Now, with that all stated... down to the answer.
If you bought an AT&T phone, and do an unlock code to use it on another carrier (such as T-mobile since they use the same towers), the rom you MUST use are the AT&T roms... NOT the T-mobile roms. The problem is, when you buy a AT&T phone, unlock it, and root your device to use another rom, it will not be compatible with T-Mobile roms because of the image files, etc. So yes- you will be losing all the features a T-Mobile rom would have such as wi-fi calling, etc...
However, a way to go about this (and it won't work with ALL the features that comes in a T-Mobile phone/rom), is to install a AT&T rom of your choice without all the crappy AT&T bloatware that you can't even use, and go to the T-Mobile section to look for an APK version of the files. Most of the time, T-Mobile roms will also remove the bloatware, however, some developers are kind enough to provide the bloatware APK files in case users would like to have certain one of them features, such as WiFi Calling.
So, that's how I did it, and it's working good.
PS- One last thing, you may have trouble going on the internet or playstore when you're unlocked to a different carrier. All you need to do is find the APN settings for your carrier. So in this case, I bought an AT&T phone, bought unlock code to use on my carrier T-Mobile, and got the T-Mobile APN settings set up, reboot, and I get all my 4G data, etc. You can get this by calling T-Mobile. Just say, you bought an unlocked phone and can't access data, internet, etc, and was told to set up a APN. Or, you can use google. :good:
Hope I helped everyone else out there!!
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Click to collapse
hey johnny, so you were able to get wifi calling feature on at&t branded lg g2 unlocked?
AT&T phone switch to T mobile Wifi calling do not work
trh1341 said:
Wondering the same, about to switch to tmobile.
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Click to collapse
Bought phone from ebay, it is an AT&T phone unlocked and want to use for T-mobile./ With T-mobile network I have to use wifi calling features in order to use in the house.
Could you please explain me how and how much it cost to get wifi calling feature in LG G2 ?
So im with AT&T and im planning on getting the Note 4. I dont want the att version with all the bloatware. Do I have any options without changing carriers?
10pmStalker said:
So im with AT&T and im planning on getting the Note 4. I dont want the att version with all the bloatware. Do I have any options without changing carriers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the carriers install their own bloatware, and eventually a guide will turn up on here on how you can remove the bloatware anyhow.
10pmStalker said:
So im with AT&T and im planning on getting the Note 4. I dont want the att version with all the bloatware. Do I have any options without changing carriers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A. Buy an international version outright
B. Root and remove the bloat with Titanium Backup
C. Root and install a baked version of TouchWiz ROM with all the bloat already removed.
Those are your options and those are ALL of them.
10pmStalker said:
So im with AT&T and im planning on getting the Note 4. I dont want the att version with all the bloatware. Do I have any options without changing carriers?
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Click to collapse
I think the best option is said to be T-Mobile - phones work on (most) AT&T bands and their phones are also do not have the locked bootloader that AT&T has.
Also you might want to look at US Cellular models and some of the Canadian unlocked versions - those tend to also have a lot of bands and are unlocked but might be launched later and might be harder to find in US.
Yup, the tmobile version is your best bet. The international version is a no go because it will be much slower data wise with no LTE. Plus carriers are moving to VoLTE. More info here. The same concept applies.
mircury said:
Plus carriers are moving to VoLTE. More info here. The same concept applies.
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I don't think the carriers are going to VoLTE in general(reading literally), because I think they want to go VoIP in general. Because they all going to support voice over wifi soon anyway, working seemlessly when you are in you home but with no or weak cell signal. It's just that anything less than LTE, the latency is too high for good quality VoIP. It's both marketing move and technical move. Moving all the voice on top of data in the LTE means they can convert all the existing cell tower to just support LTE and hopefully support LTEadvance soon. And since moving to VoLTE, it also means that it's technically a VoIP, and thus why wouldn't it works on wifi as well. Thus eliminate one of the people complain that they don't have good signal in the house. I personally don't use the phone to make call that much, so don't view this as too much negativity. I rather care about carrier that have signal everywhere else I go and don't have to keep looking for wifi.
Hi folks,
Considering getting a 6T off the OnePlus site.
For those that got the devices early:
-Do you have experiences on AT&T Network to comment on how compatible it is? I've had some devices use to work well on ATT now not so good due to band migration; just curious to hear how the 6Ts fare.
-Please confirm: both SIM and BootLoader unlocks can be done immediately when purchasing from the OnePlus site (as opposed to the T-Mobile edition that's locked)
-Are there band/frequency differences between the T-Mo and ATT Versions? I'm on ATT but usually have bought "T-Mo" versions of devices because they were less likely to be BL locked; but my last phone (OP3T) broke me out of that cycle.
Any other AT&T-relevant experiences would be appreciated.
Interested in this as well.
I would like to know as well. It's kinda looking like we will have to test it out ourselves.
I am on AT&T with the 6t. I've only had mine for a week but have had no issues with anything network related. I came from a 3T and have better service with my 6T. There were 2 dead spots on my drive to / from work with the 3T that I no longer have with the 6T. I haven't had a chance to root or unlock mine yet due to being busy at work but so far I am happy. I loved the 3T but don't miss it a bit.
I have a 6t that I bought directly from OP that I use as my daily phone on Cricket, which uses AT&T towers. I have no signal problems, and download speeds are great. Anywhere I expect to have LTE I have it.
Phone is by far my favorite device I've had. Easy to unlock, install TWRP and flash kernels, and install mods through magisk!
I've bought my phone but don't get to open it until Christmas. It should arrive in a day or two. [emoji1360][emoji1360]
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
Works perfectly. Even gets VoLTE calls
Did you do anything special for volte per some of the threads? Also, does ATT visual voicemail work fine without a fuss? It's working well on my rooted 3T.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
Funk2641 said:
Works perfectly. Even gets VoLTE calls
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Click to collapse
What did you do to get volte? Was your previous phone an att branded device? I came from an unlocked S8 that didn't get volte and I can't get volte on my 6T. Prior to my S8 I had the 6P which also didn't get volte.
I suggest reading this thread, https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-6t/help/att-verizon-volte-vowifi-calling-t3860031. There's information on how to enable VoLTE settings on the phone. Most of the stuff in that thread pertains to Verizon, but some AT&T stuff too. Ultimately it's up to AT&T to provision your service properly. VoLTE is available. VoWiFi is not. Took me a couple of days & a couple of hours on the phone with AT&T support to get my line provisioned properly because the IMEI wasn't recognized. But that was only days after the phone was released. Would think that shouldn't be a problem now.
Once you get VoLTE working Visual Voicemail should work, but you need to use the AT&T app. However, for me it isn't always automatically retrieving VMs when I get them. My notifications will show I have a VM but I have to open the AT&T VVM app, go into the menu and Refresh. Only then does it pull the VM into the app.
This should be interesting. On my 3T I have ATT visual voicemail working, and it mostly works for transcribing messages (except long ones like my wife leaves...) But I don't think the phone is volte capable so I've never tried setting that up. I don't get to play we the phone til Xmas though!
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
Frankenscript said:
This should be interesting. On my 3T I have ATT visual voicemail working, and it mostly works for transcribing messages (except long ones like my wife leaves...) But I don't think the phone is volte capable so I've never tried setting that up. I don't get to play we the phone til Xmas though!
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Yeah. I came from using a 5yo AT&T branded HTC One M7 and VVM worked fine on that. When I first got the 6T (unlocked int'l version) & popped in my sim, I had VoLTE but I couldn't get the VVM app to activate. That's what prompted my call to AT&T support. That's when they told me VoLTE was needed for VVM. I'm not entirely sure how accurate that statement is. The rep tried a bunch of stuff to get it working, including updating my line with the IMEI from the 6T. That's when things went bad. I lost all data completely. Actually, if I switched APNs, I could get 3G data. But it took two days before AT&T sorted it out and I got LTE back. Since then everything pertaining to AT&T service has been fine. I've never found the need for VoWiFi, although it would be cool to have, if necessary. And I wish their Advanced Messaging feature wasn't so limited.
Frankenscript said:
Hi folks,
Considering getting a 6T off the OnePlus site.
For those that got the devices early:
-Do you have experiences on AT&T Network to comment on how compatible it is? I've had some devices use to work well on ATT now not so good due to band migration; just curious to hear how the 6Ts fare.
-Please confirm: both SIM and BootLoader unlocks can be done immediately when purchasing from the OnePlus site (as opposed to the T-Mobile edition that's locked)
-Are there band/frequency differences between the T-Mo and ATT Versions? I'm on ATT but usually have bought "T-Mo" versions of devices because they were less likely to be BL locked; but my last phone (OP3T) broke me out of that cycle.
Any other AT&T-relevant experiences would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On att rn. Have been since the op2. No issues at all ? first thing I do is unlock bootloader
I got my 6T (Int'L) on or about Nov. 23, which I had purchased from OT - I am using it on a Family mobile plan which uses T-Mobile towers. VoLTE was not a part of my original service plan..but because I needed a New Nano-SIZED sim card for this phone, adding it to my account wasn't as straight forward as it normally is. Once I switch my number to the new sim card, I got an email saying if I wanted VoLTE/VoWiFi(?) features turned on - I'd have to go to another website (Cricket/Verizon/ AT&T?) to register my new sim card and this would "turn on" the VoLTE features. After all this I get a Bright "VoLTE" Icon on the status bar whever i get my LTE signals - So it is VoLTE capable. Perhaps AT&T is doing something similar to get your VoLTE activated?
My plan is to do some testing next week for basic stuff before transferring my flag from my 3T. Will report back how it goes. Appreciate any other Insights from other users!
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
Fired mine up yesterday when I got it. Got it all set up, then swapped out the SIM from
my Mate 9, to the OP6T this morning. Apparently the "speed" issues I had with the 9
are corrected with the 6T. I use a Straight Talk MVNO (tracfone) at&t card. Previously,
I was LUCKY to get between 9-10 meg down, 1-2 up. Now I'm getting 33 meg down, 15 up.
Guess the newer phone has a better modem, or the extra frequencies to work more proper
with the newer device.
So far, no issues, working good.
After my experience with the OnePlus One, I was still a little cautious about buying something
from them again, but, on the surface so far it appears they might have their act together.
Stay tuned.
I came from a OP3 been using the 6T with ATT prepaid for the past month and it works great. Far superior in speeds to the OP3. For example at my house I was getting download speeds of about 30mbps on my OP3 on the 6T I got over 90mbps LTE+ at home! I keep pissing off my buddy who just got the brand new iPhone XS on ATT and he is getting half the DL speeds that I am when comparing speed tests :victory:. Don't think VoLTE works on prepaid but I have yet to try to enable it. About to go to nebraska for vacation to test service out there.
Bootloader is very easy to unlock. Did it the second day of having the phone following the Official XDA employees youtube video.
I'm curious, I'm VERY new to the android world (My iPhone XS Max is still my primary)
I started with Androids about a year ago out of both boredom and a desire to learn.
So, I picked up a Pixel 2, then an LG V30, then S8, then S9, until I found the OnePlus 6. I was instantly hooked on the OnePlus 6, only replacing it with the 6T for the fingerprint reader in the screen. (I still have the 6 and 6T, all others were sold)
Anyway - Google Fi is intriguing to me, as I end up in areas were T-Mobile simply doesn't work. I would like the carrier switching, but I don't have a desire to switch back to a more expensive Pixel 3 XL, that really ONLY offers me the advantage of the carrier switching. Overall, I found the OnePlus 6/6T running Pie to be the cleanest experience.
So, my question - Does anyone feel that someone may be able to get the OnePlus phones to do the carrier switching? Or is this actually a hardware feature? I know nothing about how Fi works, so please excuse my ignorance.
Thank you in advance for any productive responses.
Alternatively, maybe I should just sell the 6 and 6T and pickup with 3XL?
intrusdave said:
Alternatively, maybe I should just sell the 6 and 6T and pickup with 3XL?
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Click to collapse
I believe that automatic carrier switching is an integral part of Google Fi
Sent from my crosshatch using XDA Labs
---------- Post added at 12:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:25 AM ----------
Oops wrong. Only for fully supported phones.
Sent from my crosshatch using XDA Labs
Yes, I understand that. But the question was "Does anyone feel that someone may be able to get the OnePlus phones to do the carrier switching? Or is this actually a hardware feature?"
In other words, if the switching software based that may be able to be patched into the 6/6T, or is it a modem hardware feature exclusive to the official Fi devices?
intrusdave said:
Yes, I understand that. But the question was "Does anyone feel that someone may be able to get the OnePlus phones to do the carrier switching? Or is this actually a hardware feature?"
In other words, if the switching software based that may be able to be patched into the 6/6T, or is it a modem hardware feature exclusive to the official Fi devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was hopping this would be fully functional as Fi announced support for non Fi devices, but apparently network swapping is not going to work or work so well. See the write up for the explanation.
https://www.xda-developers.com/project-fi-samsung-oneplus-lg-moto-iphones/
looks to me like the one plus 6 is on there, so, the T might work as well.
contact google directly, and ask them, thats the best way to find out
Ugh, is no one actually reading the question?
I'm not asking if the phone will work with Fi, I'm asking if the carrier switching is does in hardware or software, and if it is software do the devs here feel that they may be able to port the carrier switching to the other supported phones?
ok, now I understand..
asking questions here makes people assume you are discussing the 6T, NOT project fi/android in general..
good luck
wase4711 said:
ok, now I understand..
asking questions here makes people assume you are discussing the 6T, NOT project fi/android in general..
good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything I read is that you would only be using T-Mobile. But since the 6t is dual SIM you can have dual service. I plan on getting a one plus 6t and using fi(TMO) for phone calls and texting and Unreal mobile (ATT) for Data. I am not sure if you can use VZW or Sprint for the second SIM but T-Mobile and AT&T is better in most cases than TMO and Sprint (no US Cellular in my area)
---------- Post added at 03:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:20 AM ----------
AsuraDas said:
Everything I read is that you would only be using T-Mobile. But since the 6t is dual SIM you can have dual service. I plan on getting a one plus 6t and using fi(TMO) for phone calls and texting and Unreal mobile (ATT) for Data. I am not sure if you can use VZW or Sprint for the second SIM but T-Mobile and AT&T is better in most cases than TMO and Sprint (no US Cellular in my area)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alternatively you can get a pixel 2 or 3 and project fi esim and an alternate SIM. Although it's only one SIM at a time. That way though you do get essentially 3 carriers to choose from for service
So I found if I could dial a code in my dialer for fi, with the Google Fi app installed and activated, and get "cannot switch carrier", all I had to do was clear data on my app and the dialer switch would work
It's on their site. When you choose the 6t it shows what's supported and what's not. See attached image
To answer your question, yes it appears to be a hardware problem. It is either that we don't have the cdma radios needed for sprint or el goog is playing favorites and only wants certain hardware to work for carrier switching between tmobile and sprint. I am not familiar with the us cellular required radios but it is likely the same el goog restriction in this case as well. My vote is that el goog is trying to get people to buy the officially supported devices for full functionality, they are becoming more and more just like all other carriers now, huh?
Either way I think I am switching back to fi now that the 6t is at least officially compatible for use on tmobile and I am almost certain that wifi calling will work where service is poor. I am on tmobile now and wifi calling works just fine, I made a 30 minute wifi call last night and worked perfectly.
So it's a software problem. Google will not release the software as part of an update included with every android release or they won't work with the manufacturer to update the partition responsible
raiderep said:
To answer your question, yes it appears to be a hardware problem. It is either that we don't have the cdma radios needed for sprint or el goog is playing favorites and only wants certain hardware to work for carrier switching between tmobile and sprint. I am not familiar with the us cellular required radios but it is likely the same el goog restriction in this case as well. My vote is that el goog is trying to get people to buy the officially supported devices for full functionality, they are becoming more and more just like all other carriers now, huh?
Either way I think I am switching back to fi now that the 6t is at least officially compatible for use on tmobile and I am almost certain that wifi calling will work where service is poor. I am on tmobile now and wifi calling works just fine, I made a 30 minute wifi call last night and worked perfectly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OnePlus 6T has full support for T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and US Cellular. For Verizon and US Cellular, it also supports every CDMA Band.
For Sprint, it has every LTE Band and is missing one CDMA Band. Sprint doesn't allow unapproved devices on their network, and activation is tied to the device MEID unlike Verizon. There's no hardware reason why Fi can't allow at least LTE on both T-Mobile and Sprint. Perhaps the issue is that Sprint restricts them in some manner from using Fi on devices not in Sprint's database. Also Band 71 (T-Mobile) oddly doesn't work on Google Fi, so maybe it would lend credence to there being weird LTE Band restrictions for Fi's carrier agreements.
Well I am going back to tmobile, fi doesn't allow wifi calling and tmobile does so for me it is a no brainer. I still think that there is more going on here than just hardware issues but that's just my opinion. I mean, why is wifi calling not allowed on fi(tmobile) but it is on tmobile?
Not sure if you already switched back or if you are open to trying another service again, but i have been using Mint Mobile for a while now and love it. My monthly payment comes out to $24/Month with 5GB of data and an additional $10/1GB or $20/3GB.
Maybe https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cheekydevs.fiswitch can help for OP users?
hunterulmes said:
Not sure if you already switched back or if you are open to trying another service again, but i have been using Mint Mobile for a while now and love it. My monthly payment comes out to $24/Month with 5GB of data and an additional $10/1GB or $20/3GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does wifi-calling work with Mint Mobile??
Eta: Checked website and wifi calling is included, and 20 buck sale right now for 3 months 8gb a month...not bad for a test drive! I'm back on fi so I can pause it while I give it a go :
raiderep said:
Does wifi-calling work with Mint Mobile??
Eta: Checked website and wifi calling is included, and 20 buck sale right now for 3 months 8gb a month...not bad for a test drive! I'm back on fi so I can pause it while I give it a go :
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome dude! It is definitely worth it considering you save at least $40 from any other major carrier. Only thing it doesn't have is the visual voicemail but i never use it anyway so it doesnt bother me.
Hope it is as good for you as it has been for me.
hunterulmes said:
Awesome dude! It is definitely worth it considering you save at least $40 from any other major carrier. Only thing it doesn't have is the visual voicemail but i never use it anyway so it doesnt bother me.
Hope it is as good for you as it has been for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Visual voicemail is working for me with pixel experience ROM on project fi which shouldn't work on OnePlus 6T if I remember correctly.
You try that ROM yet with mint mobile?
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
Hi guys,
I realize that the main carriers in the US will be dropping the old network protocols in 2022, which means my current V20 will no longer work for voice calls. From what I gather, I'd need to run a stock/stock-based ROM to get VoLTE working, which is a deal breaker for me. I need recent security updates and modern Android releases on my phones.
With that being said, any thoughts on a replacement device this coming year? I will certainly miss the replaceable battery the most. Is there a device you recommend that has a relatively easy battery to replace? Honestly, the phone is used for light browsing, email, etc. Pictures and movies are frequently taken from it, so a good camera is a must. The memory card is paramount today, but unsure how long this can last. A device with an active development history with root access, should it be needed, is required for this replacement.
I've been spoiled with the V20 for years now. I just don't know where to start replacing it. Your opinions are greatly appreciated!
The options in the U.S. for a proper replacement are slim to none, depending on your priorities. I don't know much about how easy it is to replace batteries for newer phones, but I can give you an overview for most of the other stuff:
- Phones with hand-removable batteries: Probably not worth going for at this point. Most have specs that are barely better than the V20 with lower screen resolutions, and spare batteries are much less common to find for them. And half of them are from Europe and therefore have almost zero usable LTE bands in the U.S.
- Phones with non-stock custom ROMs that have VoLTE working in the U.S.: Probably limited to the Google Pixels, Motorola, and OnePlus models. Forget about all LG and Samsung phones here since they both use closed-source proprietary files that makes it pretty much impossible for anyone to figure out how to get VoLTE and other stock features to work on AOSP or LineageOS-type ROMs. And unfortunately, Pixels and the higher end OnePlus phones have no microSD card slots, and Motorola phones haven't been known for top quality cameras in a long time.
- Others: There are also Sony phones, but their higher end models are so expensive that I never bothered looking far into any of them.
So, it looks like you'll have to decide which features are must-haves for you and which are OK to let go in order to widen your options a bit.
C D said:
The options in the U.S. for a proper replacement are slim to none, depending on your priorities. I don't know much about how easy it is to replace batteries for newer phones, but I can give you an overview for most of the other stuff:
- Phones with hand-removable batteries: Probably not worth going for at this point. Most have specs that are barely better than the V20 with lower screen resolutions, and spare batteries are much less common to find for them. And half of them are from Europe and therefore have almost zero usable LTE bands in the U.S.
- Phones with non-stock custom ROMs that have VoLTE working in the U.S.: Probably limited to the Google Pixels, Motorola, and OnePlus models. Forget about all LG and Samsung phones here since they both use closed-source proprietary files that makes it pretty much impossible for anyone to figure out how to get VoLTE and other stock features to work on AOSP or LineageOS-type ROMs. And unfortunately, Pixels and the higher end OnePlus phones have no microSD card slots, and Motorola phones haven't been known for top quality cameras in a long time.
- Others: There are also Sony phones, but their higher end models are so expensive that I never bothered looking far into any of them.
So, it looks like you'll have to decide which features are must-haves for you and which are OK to let go in order to widen your options a bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for taking the time. I really appreciate the input. Yeah, this is pretty much what I expected. The reason I am leaving the V20, and also a Samsung Note 4 isn't because they no longer work for me, but because of the VoLTE push. It makes me sad. ;(
I have looked at the removable battery options, and to your point, the specs are horrible. I don't think a truly removable battery will work. However, if there's a phone with a non-removable battery that doesn't take an act of God to change, that would be an option.
I do not want to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars every couple of years for a new device. Custom ROMs have made these devices last years and years. It's also better for the environment. I don't need 20 cores and a TB of RAM in a phone based on my use cases unlike everyone seems to think they do. Without the ability to custom ROM, once the manufacturer ditches the device, it forces one to spend again even though it could last many more years. It seems many aren't really too worried or informed about running a computer in your pocket missing critical security updates. These truths irk the **** out of me!
I wonder if a Pixel would suffice despite the lack of external storage... I know they get updates pretty quickly, are being supported for like 5 years by Google, etc. I think development is pretty active for them too, but I'll have to investigate. The Sony suggestion was a good one to mention, but yeah, ridiculous in price.
I guess I'll start there. If anyone else has other suggestions or advice, I greatly appreciate it. I haven't had to stay up with things because of these wonderful devices and the plethora of options over the years. All good things must come to an end...
I, too, would like to find a more current phone with an easily replaceable battery (pref. without using a heat gun). But it needs to be rootable.
The Galaxy Xcover Pro looked promising (replaceable battery), but isn't rooted.
Wish the Fairphone would come to the states.
Anyone else care to share?
From what I have read, any device that has 3g, phones or other devices - are screwed. All forced upgrade.
Mysticblaze347 said:
From what I have read, any device that has 3g, phones or other devices - are screwed. All forced upgrade.
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Yup, exactly. So, coming from a V20, and based on my loose requirements above, have you any suggestions for a new device?
DaCHeF36 said:
Yup, exactly. So, coming from a V20, and based on my loose requirements above, have you any suggestions for a new device?
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I wish I did. Removable battery and specs is key. Then features. All phones in the US are non removable battery that are 5G able which is required at most if not all carriers. I personally am with Sprint - well now Tmobile. I still have my V20 (out of service). Free downgrade was Samsung A71 5G. It sucks. Decent specs with no OEM Unlock. No current support anywhere to root.
I have been looking but no luck so far.
Mysticblaze347 said:
I wish I did. Removable battery and specs is key. Then features. All phones in the US are non removable battery that are 5G able which is required at most if not all carriers. I personally am with Sprint - well now Tmobile. I still have my V20 (out of service). Free downgrade was Samsung A71 5G. It sucks. Decent specs with no OEM Unlock. No current support anywhere to root.
I have been looking but no luck so far.
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Yeah, North American Samsung phones have locked bootloaders. The only current way to get some of them rooted is if they haven't been updated past a certain date due to anti-rollback (Sounds awfully familiar to us LS997 owners, doesn't it?) and then go through a paid service like this one (you can see the supported devices and required software versions – bootloader version numbers are the 5th digit from the right in the baseband version – in the 2nd post).
My understanding is that our phones (V20) will continue to work for now since they have 4g. Yes, we can also access the 3g band, but my phone rarely switches to it. We should be fine for a while on the V20 on 4g.
PS - That's presuming our phones are stock or near-stock and still have functioning VoLTE / HD calls. Stock Android and A_O (Alpha Omega) ROM has this. I believe these phones are safe to use in 2022 and beyond when 3g drops.
baldybill said:
My understanding is that our phones (V20) will continue to work for now since they have 4g. Yes, we can also access the 3g band, but my phone rarely switches to it. We should be fine for a while on the V20 on 4g.
PS - That's presuming our phones are stock or near-stock and still have functioning VoLTE / HD calls. Stock Android and A_O (Alpha Omega) ROM has this. I believe these phones are safe to use in 2022 and beyond when 3g drops.
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Right, but it also depends on what the carrier supports as AT&T and Verizon use whitelists.
In the U.S., VoLTE support on the American V20 models goes something like this (and of course stock-based ROMs are a must for this):
- H910 gets VoLTE on AT&T and its MVNOs
- H918 gets VoLTE on T-Mobile and its MVNOs
- VS995 gets VoLTE on Verizon and its MVNOs
- US996 may get VoLTE on some of the above. I've gotten it to work on T-Mobile, 1 out of 2 T-Mobile MVNOs (worked on Tracfone's T-Mobile card but not Liberty Wireless), and an AT&T MVNO (Red Pocket's GSMA).
- LS997 is not configured to have VoLTE out of the box, so any LS997 that has been updated past May 2017 will for sure soon be useless in the U.S. for making and receiving phone calls. For the few of us who still have the older rooted LS997 models, I will soon look into installing Alpha Omega ROMs from the US996 to see if VoLTE can get enabled through there since the hardware is likely present, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
baldybill said:
My understanding is that our phones (V20) will continue to work for now since they have 4g. Yes, we can also access the 3g band, but my phone rarely switches to it. We should be fine for a while on the V20 on 4g.
PS - That's presuming our phones are stock or near-stock and still have functioning VoLTE / HD calls. Stock Android and A_O (Alpha Omega) ROM has this. I believe these phones are safe to use in 2022 and beyond when 3g drops.
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I'm not 100% sure about the V20, but I know the Note 4 has 4G, but for data only. It requires calls over 3G on non-stock ROMs. I don't run stock LG ROMs because they are way behind on security updates. Just upgraded to LOS 18.1 giving me security updates from 12/2021. It's much safer.
If you mean that VoLTE will work on a stock-base ROM, you are probably correct. However, that's not an option for me, and in reality, it really shouldn't be for others too! Many, many people are either ignorant to or just don't care about security. There are so many vulnerabilities, including RCE ones, addressed constantly. This is a handheld computer, so it's just like leaving unpatched systems on your network. If you're running Windows 7 still, for example, you're asking to get owned. Bad idea.
Thanks for your feedback though. It is appreciated! If you have any replacement recommendations, I am all ears!
I'll be watching this thread to see where others land, as far as their next device.
Both my wife and I have US996's on Verizon. I'm on A-O Oreo with HD calling enabled. Hers is not on A-O Oreo, hd calling is enabled in the account, but I can't get the toggle in the settings to be "un-greyed". Tried the trick to turn it on and off online, but the page errors out everytime. Guess I'll have to make the time to get her phone flashed to see if that fixes it.
All that aside, I too have been facing the same dilemma as the OP. SD card, root, and straight forward disassembly would be my main needs. IR blaster would be nice. I don't mind replacing a non-removable battery, have disassembled many devices requiring heat.
pistacios said:
I'll be watching this thread to see where others land, as far as their next device.
Both my wife and I have US996's on Verizon. I'm on A-O Oreo with HD calling enabled. Hers is not on A-O Oreo, hd calling is enabled in the account, but I can't get the toggle in the settings to be "un-greyed". Tried the trick to turn it on and off online, but the page errors out everytime. Guess I'll have to make the time to get her phone flashed to see if that fixes it.
All that aside, I too have been facing the same dilemma as the OP. SD card, root, and straight forward disassembly would be my main needs. IR blaster would be nice. I don't mind replacing a non-removable battery, have disassembled many devices requiring heat.
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Sorry to hear you're in the same predicament...
I'm trying to justify my SD requirement these days. Why is it one for you exactly?
DaCHeF36 said:
Sorry to hear you're in the same predicament...
I'm trying to justify my SD requirement these days. Why is it one for you exactly?
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Mainly because if anything happens where I can't access internal phone storage due to hardware failure, at least I know I can salvage data from the SD card externally.
C D said:
Right, but it also depends on what the carrier supports as AT&T and Verizon use whitelists.
In the U.S., VoLTE support on the American V20 models goes something like this (and of course stock-based ROMs are a must for this):
- H910 gets VoLTE on AT&T and its MVNOs
- H918 gets VoLTE on T-Mobile and its MVNOs
- VS995 gets VoLTE on Verizon and its MVNOs
- US996 may get VoLTE on some of the above. I've gotten it to work on T-Mobile, 1 out of 2 T-Mobile MVNOs (worked on Tracfone's T-Mobile card but not Liberty Wireless), and an AT&T MVNO (Red Pocket's GSMA).
- LS997 is not configured to have VoLTE out of the box, so any LS997 that has been updated past May 2017 will for sure soon be useless in the U.S. for making and receiving phone calls. For the few of us who still have the older rooted LS997 models, I will soon look into installing Alpha Omega ROMs from the US996 to see if VoLTE can get enabled through there since the hardware is likely present, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
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Crossing my fingers that my US996 (w/AO Rom) will work with Verizon. So far, I can toggle the "HD Calls" switch in the settings, so I'm hopeful.
If not, I'll prob. use the VS995.
pistacios said:
Mainly because if anything happens where I can't access internal phone storage due to hardware failure, at least I know I can salvage data from the SD card externally.
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That makes perfect sense. BTW, pistachios rock! lol..
baldybill said:
Crossing my fingers that my US996 (w/AO Rom) will work with Verizon. So far, I can toggle the "HD Calls" switch in the settings, so I'm hopeful.
If not, I'll prob. use the VS995.
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My US996 w/A-O on Verizon has made calls over 4gLTE. The only way I'm able to confirm that is if the recipient of the call is also "HD calling", it will show an "HD" icon in green during the call.
Really wish I could figure out WIFI calling. That would probably take flashing a VS995 ROM, and that still is a gamble.
Another wish would be if LG would have just released the propietary files to make it all work with a Lineage based ROM, since they are no longer in the mobile game and have closed the bootloader unlock service as of late November.
Does anyone share concerns over running stock-based software that hasn't been updated for years to continue using these devices? Are you aware of the critical vulnerabilities released monthly for Android OSes? I just want to make sure everyone understands the risks of such an approach.
pistacios said:
Really wish I could figure out WIFI calling. That would probably take flashing a VS995 ROM, and that still is a gamble.
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Wi-Fi calling is heavily carrier-based, and since there never was a universal all-carrier USA V20 model, you almost certainly have to be on VS995 firmware to get it. Another lesser-known thing to try would be changing your US996's IMEI number to another one that still passes Verizon's IMEI check if you happen to have a phone like that around. I cannot openly discuss the method here since it's illegal in some countries (but not the U.S. – more info here) but it's quite simple to do, and you can message me if you need some pointers. This can be done on my LS997 and US996 but not the H918.
DaCHeF36 said:
Does anyone share concerns over running stock-based software that hasn't been updated for years to continue using these devices? Are you aware of the critical vulnerabilities released monthly for Android OSes? I just want to make sure everyone understands the risks of such an approach.
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To me, it mainly depends on what you do on your phone. My usage is likely quite different from yours. You can see my view on this and what my post-V20 daily driver phone has been since September in a similar topic thread on the V20 Subreddit from a few months ago.
And if you want to have a deeper look, you can see most of the stuff of what I've been running on my V20s over here.