CDMA - Verizon (not), Sprint?, U.S. Cellular?
GSM - AT&T?, T-Mobile?
As with a lot of other people on this site, I'm wondering which carrier will be best to pre-order from? I use Verizon but HATE the fact that most of the times it's one of the last carriers to be able to root the phone. I would also hate for this to turn into another Verizon Samsung Note 4 issue. Too bad the rumors where Samsung was going to start making phones that were both CDMA & GSM/UTMS were not true (as far as I am aware of).
This way since I'm now paying outright for my phones (roughly $800 bucks for 7 Edge), I could use it if I moved between carriers. After reading some other posts, now I'm wondering If I'm paying full price (paid in full), Will it be unlocked? I can't be the only one that feels RIPPED OFF when I pay $800 for a device and can't have root = have my own admin access. Can you imagine buying a laptop and not being able to install/change your own OS? not having admin rights/root?
I feel it's a MAJOR excuse for a carrier to even say - if we give you root & you change the ROM, then it makes it more difficult to help you. Guess what?!? I have not ever asked for help and nor would I... Besides, why couldn't they ask for the ROM version your using... if it matches theirs, they assist... if it doesn't, they tell you before they can assist you, you must put their ROM back on? Yes - there will always be that one person... but hey - if they were able to gain root and swap the ROM, they should be able to swap it back or pay to have it swapped back. OR at least pay for insurance and "accidentally drop it" and have it replaced.
It really bites that I (along with so many other people) want to pre-order the phone for several reasons (the free VR and games along with getting the phone first) but don't want to be SCREWED by one specific carrier and not be able to unlock the phone, root and replace the ROM.
So after all that - which carrier (historically) is the best to purchase from?
CDMA - Verizon (not), Sprint?, U.S. Cellular?
GSM - AT&T?, T-Mobile?
Additional INFO - I'm also about to call Verizon to confirm - But I read 2-3 months ago that Verizon will now allow another carrier's phone on their network (if it is CDMA). If that's true, then why not purchase the phone thru Sprint or US Cellular if historically those phones have been rooted easier than Verizon? I've been on Verizon for so long, that I'm really not sure...
Comments? suggestions?
What I'm going to do is pre-order from eBay.
The phones have a hell of a mark-up (+$200/$300), but there are unlocked Qualcomms that are usually rooted much more quickly with better support for AOSP.
I hate paying that much, but I'm going to have this phone for years, and the hassle from carrier-branded phones just isn't worth it.
Edit: You should still be able to add insurance and such through your carrier too, depending on their policies.
Didn't have an issue insuring previous phones with AT&T even though they were bought off-plan through other retailers.
It is slightly cheaper when buying it from Best Buy, $779 vs $792. I saw the T-mobile version supports band 13 LTE, but I didn't see anything about CDMA support.
I also did follow up with Verizon about placing a phone on their network that was not purchased from Verizon. They said it is currently limited to 2 phones - I don't have the names because I didn't care much......they couldn't tell me the S7 would be added to the list. So does that mean people on Verizon are STUCK purchasing from Verizon?
For my s6 edge I much preferred the unlocked UK version over the US AT&T version. (Which is why I asked in another thread when we can expect to see unlocked international versions).
AT&T not only added crazy bloat but removed really cool features from the phone. Just took em right out. They also removed Samsung deals/bundles from the phone (there was a MS suite and a free TB of storage or something removed). And in exchange for screwing with the phone they had crazy delays on updates (because they had to re-remove and re-screw the phone).
Coming from iPhone I just can't deal with carrier customizations. Unlocked for life. (crazy that Apple is unlocked now and Android isn't -- bizarro world).
JustWannaRom said:
I also did follow up with Verizon about placing a phone on their network that was not purchased from Verizon. They said it is currently limited to 2 phones - I don't have the names because I didn't care much......they couldn't tell me the S7 would be added to the list. So does that mean people on Verizon are STUCK purchasing from Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus devices are the exception (6, 5X and 6P). The problem with VZW and Sprint is that they use proprietary CDMA technology for voice communication. You can bring just about any device to their networks and have data but you won't be able to make voice calls in most cases.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
JustWannaRom said:
CDMA - Verizon (not), Sprint?, U.S. Cellular?
GSM - AT&T?, T-Mobile?
As with a lot of other people on this site, I'm wondering which carrier will be best to pre-order from? I use Verizon but HATE the fact that most of the times it's one of the last carriers to be able to root the phone. I would also hate for this to turn into another Verizon Samsung Note 4 issue. Too bad the rumors where Samsung was going to start making phones that were both CDMA & GSM/UTMS were not true (as far as I am aware of).
This way since I'm now paying outright for my phones (roughly $800 bucks for 7 Edge), I could use it if I moved between carriers. After reading some other posts, now I'm wondering If I'm paying full price (paid in full), Will it be unlocked? I can't be the only one that feels RIPPED OFF when I pay $800 for a device and can't have root = have my own admin access. Can you imagine buying a laptop and not being able to install/change your own OS? not having admin rights/root?
I feel it's a MAJOR excuse for a carrier to even say - if we give you root & you change the ROM, then it makes it more difficult to help you. Guess what?!? I have not ever asked for help and nor would I... Besides, why couldn't they ask for the ROM version your using... if it matches theirs, they assist... if it doesn't, they tell you before they can assist you, you must put their ROM back on? Yes - there will always be that one person... but hey - if they were able to gain root and swap the ROM, they should be able to swap it back or pay to have it swapped back. OR at least pay for insurance and "accidentally drop it" and have it replaced.
It really bites that I (along with so many other people) want to pre-order the phone for several reasons (the free VR and games along with getting the phone first) but don't want to be SCREWED by one specific carrier and not be able to unlock the phone, root and replace the ROM.
So after all that - which carrier (historically) is the best to purchase from?
CDMA - Verizon (not), Sprint?, U.S. Cellular?
GSM - AT&T?, T-Mobile?
Additional INFO - I'm also about to call Verizon to confirm - But I read 2-3 months ago that Verizon will now allow another carrier's phone on their network (if it is CDMA). If that's true, then why not purchase the phone thru Sprint or US Cellular if historically those phones have been rooted easier than Verizon? I've been on Verizon for so long, that I'm really not sure...
Comments? suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tmobile period, not going to lock the boot loader you'll be able to root (provided the community finds a way, but it's a snap dragon and unlocked bootloader so they will most likely before it even releases. ) second if you don't want tmo service you can still root it and use am at&t sim so there's that.
Has anyone tried to use the Verizon variant on a GSM network yet? We've gotten lucky in the past with other Verizon prepaid LTE phones working.
I don't think the XT1609 is GSM capable. It has no 3G UMTS bands enabled, though it does have the full range of GSM 2G/EDGE bands enabled.
So, pretty much unless you're in a VoLTE area, you might be out of luck for voice calls if it is unlocked. I'm not even sure if this phone does VoLTE anyway though.
Sent from my Moto G Play using XDA Labs
somebody has a moto g4 play to try the same method of moto e 2º generation ?? following the steps with Network app to get gsm capable in the phone.
moto g4 play verizon
i bought one moto g4 play verizon and their coming locked i need a imei code for unlock help me
kamelsouki said:
i bought one moto g4 play verizon and their coming locked i need a imei code for unlock help me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you try the "network" app and follow the same method than moto e 2° verizon?
best buy have them $64.99 at the moment hurry hurry someone please completely confirm if unlockable to work on gsm lol
http://www.android.gs/sim-unlock-verizon-moto-e-2015/
this is what you mean a possible unlock method?
mrw187 said:
best buy have them $64.99 at the moment hurry hurry someone please completely confirm if unlockable to work on gsm lol
http://www.android.gs/sim-unlock-verizon-moto-e-2015/
this is what you mean a possible unlock method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would probably be a waste of time and $. Someone already bought one in the other Verizon moto g4 play thread and returned it because it looked like a no go. And without unlocking the bootloader, how would you flash a custom or alternate ROM to use the bands needed for GSM (as mentioned above). That's if it's a firmware thing and not a hardware limitation. If we want an unlocked Moto G4 play, the only option looks like we're shelling out $100 to Amazon for the one with ads or $150 without ads.
ryanl2299 said:
It would probably be a waste of time and $. Someone already bought one in the other Verizon moto g4 play thread and returned it because it looked like a no go. And without unlocking the bootloader, how would you flash a custom or alternate ROM to use the bands needed for GSM (as mentioned above). That's if it's a firmware thing and not a hardware limitation. If we want an unlocked Moto G4 play, the only option looks like we're shelling out $100 to Amazon for the one with ads or $150 without ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please show me in the above link where there is any mention of a needed bootloader unlock or custom rom? stop spreading your negative bs without any factual backup other than your negative assumptions
mrw187 said:
best buy have them $64.99 at the moment hurry hurry someone please completely confirm if unlockable to work on gsm lol
http://www.android.gs/sim-unlock-verizon-moto-e-2015/
this is what you mean a possible unlock method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, i have 2 moto e 2º from verizon 4G LTE and it work completely in Movistar Mexico, but a relative bring a samsung j1 , from verizon too and it can´t be unlocked, the menu "network" is disable and if yiu try to run network app, it close..... so, i don´t know if all verizon 4G LTE can be unlocked to get gsm signal like the moto e 2 , samsung s4,etc.....
mrw187 said:
please show me in the above link where there is any mention of a needed bootloader unlock or custom rom? stop spreading your negative bs without any factual backup other than your negative assumptions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What link do you need, the link to the product page? Did you even research this phone one little bit before posting or was it a case of post now, think later? What network are you even looking to use this phone on? I'll tell you right now that several of the bands used for other networks are completely missing for this phone (can see this clear as day on any product or spec listing for this phone). Then there's the matter of this phone being carrier locked (it's not as simple as popping in a different sim anymore - Verizon changed their policy this year). People need to stop comparing this to the Moto e from last year because this clearly isn't. What else do you need to know?
ryanl2299 said:
It would probably be a waste of time and $. Someone already bought one in the other Verizon moto g4 play thread and returned it because it looked like a no go. And without unlocking the bootloader, how would you flash a custom or alternate ROM to use the bands needed for GSM (as mentioned above). That's if it's a firmware thing and not a hardware limitation. If we want an unlocked Moto G4 play, the only option looks like we're shelling out $100 to Amazon for the one with ads or $150 without ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDIT: NEVER MIND. I just realized you were saying they'd need to flash a rom to enable the GSM 2G bands the phone hardware IS capable of. I thought you were trying to say you could magically enable 3g/UMTS bands that it's NOT capable of with a rom lol. Disregard the parts below about enabling bands the hardware isn't capable of, that's my misunderstanding!!
Original post:
I don't know what you're smoking bro. It most certainly IS a hardware limitation. You can't just enable bands that the antenna isn't capable of. SOME devices, very rarely, have antennae capable of more bands than are enabled in the radio firmware(NOT the Rom) but those are very few and far between.
Simply put, you can't make a 1609 into a 1607 just by flashing a new radio. If you could, then hell... I'd make every one of my old phones work with all carriers by turning on the bands they don't already have. Sadly, this is not possible.
As I said earlier in the thread, it's capable of EDGE (2g), and some of the GSM LTE bands that CDMA carriers use for data, BUT you wouldn't be able to call/text over LTE and it would fall back to EDGE for voice and sms (so no simultaneous voice and data) if you got a carrier unlock code from Verizon, but most GSM carriers are phasing out EDGE for postpaid accounts so if it's not a prepaid SIM it likely wouldn't register to the network at all for voice calling.
tl;dr unlocking the XT1609 for use on GSM carriers would be a very painful and unpleasant experience on prepaid where calls would go to voicemail when you're using data, and the SIM wouldn't register at all on a contract/postpaid account.
what about international use? is it possibly just locked in usa unlocked international for roaming?
mrw187 said:
what about international use? is it possibly just locked in usa unlocked international for roaming?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid that you're misunderstanding the meaning of "locked" in this scenario. It's probably carrier locked to Verizon prepaid no matter where you take it, but that can be remedied very easily (it was brought to my attention last night in a different forum that there are now unlock codes for these on eBay for around $2.50, so buying an unlock code takes care of that problem). But the real issue is the bands that this phone is capable of using and what is available where you're going and what network you'll be using. I believe the bands Verizon uses are more prevalent over seas, but I'm sure you can find this out with a quick web search.
ryanl2299 said:
It would probably be a waste of time and $. Someone already bought one in the other Verizon moto g4 play thread and returned it because it looked like a no go. And without unlocking the bootloader, how would you flash a custom or alternate ROM to use the bands needed for GSM (as mentioned above). That's if it's a firmware thing and not a hardware limitation. If we want an unlocked Moto G4 play, the only option looks like we're shelling out $100 to Amazon for the one with ads or $150 without ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ryanl2299 said:
I'm afraid that you're misunderstanding the meaning of "locked" in this scenario. It's probably carrier locked to Verizon prepaid no matter where you take it, but that can be remedied very easily (it was brought to my attention last night in a different forum that there are now unlock codes for these on eBay for around $2.50, so buying an unlock code takes care of that problem). But the real issue is the bands that this phone is capable of using and what is available where you're going and what network you'll be using. I believe the bands Verizon uses are more prevalent over seas, but I'm sure you can find this out with a quick web search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. Need to find out what 3g bands get unlocked if any because according to gsmarena the 4g bands on this model are not applicable in my country and rolling 2g only is not worth it.
agentfusion said:
EDIT: NEVER MIND. I just realized you were saying they'd need to flash a rom to enable the GSM 2G bands the phone hardware IS capable of. I thought you were trying to say you could magically enable 3g/UMTS bands that it's NOT capable of with a rom lol. Disregard the parts below about enabling bands the hardware isn't capable of, that's my misunderstanding!!
Original post:
I don't know what you're smoking bro. It most certainly IS a hardware limitation. You can't just enable bands that the antenna isn't capable of. SOME devices, very rarely, have antennae capable of more bands than are enabled in the radio firmware(NOT the Rom) but those are very few and far between.
Simply put, you can't make a 1609 into a 1607 just by flashing a new radio. If you could, then hell... I'd make every one of my old phones work with all carriers by turning on the bands they don't already have. Sadly, this is not possible.
As I said earlier in the thread, it's capable of EDGE (2g), and some of the GSM LTE bands that CDMA carriers use for data, BUT you wouldn't be able to call/text over LTE and it would fall back to EDGE for voice and sms (so no simultaneous voice and data) if you got a carrier unlock code from Verizon, but most GSM carriers are phasing out EDGE for postpaid accounts so if it's not a prepaid SIM it likely wouldn't register to the network at all for voice calling.
tl;dr unlocking the XT1609 for use on GSM carriers would be a very painful and unpleasant experience on prepaid where calls would go to voicemail when you're using data, and the SIM wouldn't register at all on a contract/postpaid account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Part of me says that the disabled bands is a firmware thing rather than a hardware thing since it's much cheaper for moto to make "one phone" with different programming, but it's probably just wishful thinking on my part. Either way, I'm sure Verizon locked these phones down so we'll because of the whole moto e thing last year (hordes of zombies flocked to bestbuy to buy $10 Verizon branded phones only to use them on other networks). All it took was a couple of commands in abd from what I remember (there was an ultra long thread about it at the time). Probably pissed off Verizon and I hope they lost their shirts. I'm sure that these types of phones are subsidized in some way since the unbranded ones are almost always double or more in price (especially with verizon- they usually have cheaper phones but more expensive service - great way to hook you).
And I know exactly what you're talking about with using this in stock form on gsm carriers. If you're in need of a laugh, go check out the thread for Verizon moto g4 play over on slickdeals. There was one poster who got this phone unlocked (via eBay) and was going to try to use this for VOIP with Google voice or something (data only I suppose) since he claimed to have excellent LTE in his region. I believe that he's in for an underwhelming experience and constant missed/dropped calls. I guess it might work if you stand in one spot all day. To each his own. Some people would do just about anything to save a few bucks. Here's a link and their username was TheLao :http://slickdeals.net/f/9195543-16g...ipping-free-store-pickup-best-buy-ebay?page=7
Just got off live chat with motorola with 2 different csrs neither knew anything outside of public info on what bands the xt1609 has or it truely has no 3g gsm bands.
may have to wait until someone who physically has this and can confirm what bands it has once unlocked? i tried searching for an app on store that can tell you available bands on the device but gave up after about 4-5 apps.
ryanl2299 said:
Part of me says that the disabled bands is a firmware thing rather than a hardware thing since it's much cheaper for moto to make "one phone" with different programming, but it's probably just wishful thinking on my part. Either way, I'm sure Verizon locked these phones down so we'll because of the whole moto e thing last year (hordes of zombies flocked to bestbuy to buy $10 Verizon branded phones only to use them on other networks). All it took was a couple of commands in abd from what I remember (there was an ultra long thread about it at the time). Probably pissed off Verizon and I hope they lost their shirts. I'm sure that these types of phones are subsidized in some way since the unbranded ones are almost always double or more in price (especially with verizon- they usually have cheaper phones but more expensive service - great way to hook you).
And I know exactly what you're talking about with using this in stock form on gsm carriers. If you're in need of a laugh, go check out the thread for Verizon moto g4 play over on slickdeals. There was one poster who got this phone unlocked (via eBay) and was going to try to use this for VOIP with Google voice or something (data only I suppose) since he claimed to have excellent LTE in his region. I believe that he's in for an underwhelming experience and constant missed/dropped calls. I guess it might work if you stand in one spot all day. To each his own. Some people would do just about anything to save a few bucks. Here's a link and their username was TheLao :http://slickdeals.net/f/9195543-16g...ipping-free-store-pickup-best-buy-ebay?page=7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure in some phones it is probably just a firmware thing. I remember some of the early Kindle fire models that were on the low end were really underclocked high end models with a smaller NAND. If you rooted them and flashed a new kernel, you could enable Bluetooth and set the clock speed up to match the higher end model and all you'd be missing is some storage. In the case of the Moto g4 play, though, it's probably cheaper to just leave out the physical antenna hardware for non VZW bands than disabling them via firmware. That's likely just a matter of dropping a step from the assembly process, so it wouldn't cost them any extra... Might even save a few pennies per run. But I'd imagine on high end flagship devices where it's a different model for every carrier, it's just a firmware thing. That's probably the REAL reason some phones have locked bootloaders. Like the LG G4, the only one with bootloader unlock is the international version with all bands enabled. I bet if I COULD unlock the bootloader on my sprint LG G4, I could turn it into a GSM phone.
And LOLOLOL about that link. Dude is going to hate life. When my LG G4 was in for repair and the Moto G4 Play hadn't shipped yet, I was using a LG G Pad F7 LTE tablet with Google voice, using hangouts and hangouts dialer for sms and voice. Missed calls SO many times because it would take too long to start ringing on my end, and I'm in one of the major US markets so LTE coverage is literally everywhere.
Welp, TIFU. I bought two of the Moto g4 play at walmart... got home and found out that Verizon locks 4g phones again. Paid for an unlock, found the phone doesn't allow connecting to GSM networks, but that is because even with a GSM sim in the phone it still only connects to Verizon. With my t-mobile sim in the phone, I make a call and get the "your call is being transfered to a representative who will take your credit card info to complete this call". Leave it to verizon to only allow the phone to connect to their network even after you unlock it...
Xt1609 doesn't have connection of gsm or 2g
Hi! I bought a "Moto 4G play" of Veirzon USA (XT1609). Unfortunately, My network operator in Mexico (Telcel) hasn't compatible with the VoLTE.
The cellphone doesn't have connection of GSM or 2G only LTE 4G. I did unlocked it and use everything, photo, video, WhatsApp. The cellphone recognize my SIM Card and network carrier, but I can't make, or receive, calls.
Shrraga said:
Welp, TIFU. I bought two of the Moto g4 play at walmart... got home and found out that Verizon locks 4g phones again. Paid for an unlock, found the phone doesn't allow connecting to GSM networks, but that is because even with a GSM sim in the phone it still only connects to Verizon. With my t-mobile sim in the phone, I make a call and get the "your call is being transfered to a representative who will take your credit card info to complete this call". Leave it to verizon to only allow the phone to connect to their network even after you unlock it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that's what the Moto E 2nd gen did out of the box as well, they removed the setting to swap CDMA/GSM in the menu, but the folks over in that part of the forum figured out that using the app "Network" from the play store, and a sequence of turning on/off airplane mode, they were able to switch it from CDMA to GSM and make it stick. Otherwise, it would keep trying to connect to Verizon just like you describe.
So it doesn't mean anything that you didn't get it to work immediately after unlocking. You probably have to force it off CDMA in a similar fashion. Bigger issue is whether or not the phone will be able to actually access the appropriate bands you'd need, whether because the hardware doesn't support it or because it is disabled in firmware. We don't really know for sure yet. But if you've come this far and have a penchant for torture but don't want to give up until you know for certain, give it a try!
I am a Verizon customer that wants a current-gen bootloader-unlocked phone. Enter the US996. It retails for $800, but there are some eBay auctions that are selling them for much less (used in excellent/mint condition). However, the auctions say that they can ONLY be used on US Cellular service. I asked one seller what the deal was, and this is the response I got:
Thank you for your question. We are not selling the phone as compatible with other carriers or carrier-unlocked. We can't guarantee that the phone will work with an another carrier. We are only saying the phone will work with the carrier US Cellular. We can only guarantee that it works with US Cellular.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds like they're just playing it safe, since they are a US Cellular authorized reseller, and they don't want to take on the responsibility (or policy ramifications) of selling a device that's advertised to work on other carriers. You know... maybe they're not allowed to sell phones that are advertised to work on anything other than USC.
I asked this question in another thread, and at least 1 user thought they had heard that there are US996s out there that are locked to a carrier. This doesn't make sense to me, because the model numbers should reflect conclusively what the capabilities are, and LG would have no reason to muddy those waters. I can, however, conceive that US Cellular could buy a bulk of US996 phones, and flash a sim lock on them somehow. Perhaps because LG didn't have a SKU for USC set aside. Or perhaps there's a process that, once a USC SIM is used on the phone, it's locked to USC until some subsequent unlock procedure is carried out. (Similar to unlocking a carrier-locked phone for use on another carrier) I don't know, this is all speculation.
So... what is the consensus? Who here is using a US996 on Verizon? Any chance you got it advertised as a US Cellular-only device and it ended up working? Was it an easy process? (ask me about my failed attempt to activate a USC Note 4 - beyond the scope of this thread, but it gives me some contextual knowledge on this topic) I know there are other threads about using the US996 on Verizon, but I'm asking specifically about the possibility that USC has somehow locked them to their service, and in spite of the model number matching the "unlocked version" I wouldn't be able to use it on Verizon.
Thanks for your time at attention.
DrPhant0m said:
I am a Verizon customer that wants a current-gen bootloader-unlocked phone. Enter the US996. It retails for $800, but there are some eBay auctions that are selling them for much less (used in excellent/mint condition). However, the auctions say that they can ONLY be used on US Cellular service. I asked one seller what the deal was, and this is the response I got:
It sounds like they're just playing it safe, since they are a US Cellular authorized reseller, and they don't want to take on the responsibility (or policy ramifications) of selling a device that's advertised to work on other carriers. You know... maybe they're not allowed to sell phones that are advertised to work on anything other than USC.
I asked this question in another thread, and at least 1 user thought they had heard that there are US996s out there that are locked to a carrier. This doesn't make sense to me, because the model numbers should reflect conclusively what the capabilities are, and LG would have no reason to muddy those waters. I can, however, conceive that US Cellular could buy a bulk of US996 phones, and flash a sim lock on them somehow. Perhaps because LG didn't have a SKU for USC set aside. Or perhaps there's a process that, once a USC SIM is used on the phone, it's locked to USC until some subsequent unlock procedure is carried out. (Similar to unlocking a carrier-locked phone for use on another carrier) I don't know, this is all speculation.
So... what is the consensus? Who here is using a US996 on Verizon? Any chance you got it advertised as a US Cellular-only device and it ended up working? Was it an easy process? (ask me about my failed attempt to activate a USC Note 4 - beyond the scope of this thread, but it gives me some contextual knowledge on this topic) I know there are other threads about using the US996 on Verizon, but I'm asking specifically about the possibility that USC has somehow locked them to their service, and in spite of the model number matching the "unlocked version" I wouldn't be able to use it on Verizon.
Thanks for your time at attention.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although it doesn't seem to make much sense, there are in fact 2 us996 versions. One is the unlocked US version and the other is locked to us cellular. From what I've read they are not interchangeable.
The 996 unlocked is the one that also has the official lg unlockable bootloader.
No idea why they gave 2 different phones the same number but from everything I've read since the phones came out... They did exactly that.
planetbeen said:
Although it doesn't seem to make much sense, there are in fact 2 us996 versions. One is the unlocked US version and the other is locked to us cellular. From what I've read they are not interchangeable.
The 996 unlocked is the one that also has the official lg unlockable bootloader.
No idea why they gave 2 different phones the same number but from everything I've read since the phones came out... They did exactly that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha… the only way I can fathom that this happened is that verizon got their own CDMA model number that is denied bootloader unlock, and US Cellular sim-locks the other CDMA-capable model themselves. Maybe there's a monetary cost that USC didnt want to assume associated with having an exclusive model number provided from LG.
In any case… I won't spend much more time pontificating on it if there's no way to use the USC version on Verizon.
Thanks for the response.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
DrPhant0m said:
Ha… the only way I can fathom that this happened is that verizon got their own CDMA model number that is denied bootloader unlock, and US Cellular sim-locks the other CDMA-capable model themselves. Maybe there's a monetary cost that USC didnt want to assume associated with having an exclusive model number provided from LG.
In any case… I won't spend much more time pontificating on it if there's no way to use the USC version on Verizon.
Thanks for the response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't say definitively that you can't use it on another network... Only that there's definitely 2 different versions with the same number.
Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me can give some input on that subject...
planetbeen said:
I can't say definitively that you can't use it on another network... Only that there's definitely 2 different versions with the same number.
Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me can give some input on that subject...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check this info:
https://www.uscellular.com/site/legal/mobile-wireless-device-unlocking.html
So V20 US Cellular it's already unlocked?
I have a Moto G4 Play with a cell plan on it.
I like it a lot, and am thinking of getting another one. eBay offers this phone for around $50-60 new, and these are Verizon locked.
Suppose that I don't care about using the phone to call people, but instead, want to use it for WiFi and for experimental purposes like rooting and for catching the Nougat update when it comes.
Does this type of cheap offer make sense, or am I missing something somewhere?
glenmccl79 said:
I have a Moto G4 Play with a cell plan on it.
I like it a lot, and am thinking of getting another one. eBay offers this phone for around $50-60 new, and these are Verizon locked.
Suppose that I don't care about using the phone to call people, but instead, want to use it for WiFi and for experimental purposes like rooting and for catching the Nougat update when it comes.
Does this type of cheap offer make sense, or am I missing something somewhere?
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Can't unlock the bootloader via official Motorola method on Verizon branded handsets.
The verizon variant xt1609 is cheaper because it supports limited LTE and CDMA bands specifically for the verizon network, no GSM bands, unlike the xt1607 US retail version for example. See https://www.frequencycheck.com/models/GL1Wr/motorola-moto-g4-play-4g-lte-xt1609-motorola-affinity and https://www.frequencycheck.com/models/AzWPV/motorola-moto-g4-play-td-lte-xt1607-motorola-affinity for comparison.