Database Users

[Q] SM-G900F (belgium) 4G possibility in USA?

Hi guys, i have an S5 bought unlocked in belgium, europe. I had 4G in europe but in the United States it only receives H+. I checked the supported bandwidths with tmobile usa, two of the bands tmobile uses are in fact also supported by my phone (1800 & 1900) yet still it doesnt work. APN setting are already checked and confirmed correct. Sim card is brand new.
Since it still doesn't work, is there a way to flash a USA rom or upgrade something technical so i can get 4G? I would hate to have to buy a new phone again, i just bought this 4weeks ago thinking it would work globally
Thanks again for recommending the best possible option for me at this point...

Most of your questions here were posed and answered in your other thread.
Your 900F model phone is intended for use in a different country. TMobile uses a 900T model. The main difference between the two is that they support a different set of frequency bands. So just like roaming you could use your 900F phone on TMB, but there will be gaps in coverage. You will be subject to more congestion and dropped calls. And in smaller centers where a limited number of frequencies are in use, you may have no coverage at all.
If you never get LTE in a major center on your unlocked 900F, the first thing to check is that you have a LTE capable SIM and that your carrier i.e. TMB has provisioned your account for LTE. And try installing the latest version of firmware for your phone.
No, you cannot simply flash a 900T firmware onto a 900F and have it transform into the other model. By design, Samsung doesn't allow this (to sell more phones and deter carrier churn). There is a hack to add the AWS band to some models. And several threads endeavoring to expand upon that. However they are nascent and would be best described as experimental, dangerous (a good chance of damaging your phone) and with uncertain results as of this date.
Unless you want to put your phone at risk to be a guinea pig, your options are to live with the imperfect coverage or buy a 900T model.
If you want to take a risk, then have a look at this thread. And here. Basically you could use QPST or mzTools 1.21.a to format an edit NV_RF_BC_CONFIG_l to enable additional LTE bands. Enable the parameters with QXDM, then do the actual write with QPST. And /or try writing a raw image of an LTE enabled variant e.g. 900T baseband to your 900F modem partition with the dd utility. This is experimental. It may do what you want or it may brick your phone.
.

ignore - double post

4G 900F in USA
Oké so turns out i am getting 4G just not LTE because of the state i am in. Thanks for trying but what i initially said was correct all S5s are global capable of 4G, just state dependant on the LTE band...

fffft said:
There is a hack to add the AWS band to some models. And several threads endeavoring to expand upon that. However they are nascent and would be best described as experimental, dangerous (a good chance of damaging your phone) and with uncertain results as of this date..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not quite true. The chance of damaging the phone is extremely small if you follow the instructions.
The thread to unlock all GSM and LTE bands is here.

..

fffft said:
It is true when I'm not quoted out of context. And especially funny that you link to that particular thread to .. prove me wrong?
You didn't realize that the thread you linked to was also authored by me. Funny stuff.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How exactly is that out of context? What important piece of information did I leave out to distort your words? Call bs on that. But yeah I didn't notice that it was your thread I linked to , good job on that thread. :good:

US Cellular Note 4 SIM Unlocking

Hey all,
I recently got my Note 4 through US Cellular SIM unlocked and when I insert another SIM from AT&T or Tmobile, the phone accepts the SIM but there isn't any setting to change the phone to global mode in the network settings area, nor is there a way to change APNs. I cannot place calls on either Tmobile or AT&T with it, which I find odd since the phone doesn't reject the SIM. Does this version not have support for GSM bands or is it something to do with US Cellular's software that prevents it from connecting to United States GSM carriers? Is there a hidden setting that I need to get into to enable GSM use? Thanks all!
Sent from my Galaxy Note 4 (US Cellular) using XDA Free mobile app

Here's a screenshot of what I get when I try to change the network type to Global or GSM.
Sent from my US Cellular Note 4 using XDA Free mobile app

Old thread but bumpin, any news on this?

I also have bought a US Cellular Note Edge (not arrived yet) to use it in European GSM Networks. Phone was really cheap, so i thought i'll give it a try. Anyone have news on how to unlock GSM capabilities on this ? Maybe with a Rom from a GSM Edge ?

sportsinger75 said:
Hey all,
I recently got my Note 4 through US Cellular SIM unlocked and when I insert another SIM from AT&T or Tmobile, the phone accepts the SIM but there isn't any setting to change the phone to global mode in the network settings area, nor is there a way to change APNs. I cannot place calls on either Tmobile or AT&T with it, which I find odd since the phone doesn't reject the SIM. Does this version not have support for GSM bands or is it something to do with US Cellular's software that prevents it from connecting to United States GSM carriers? Is there a hidden setting that I need to get into to enable GSM use? Thanks all!
Sent from my Galaxy Note 4 (US Cellular) using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get your note 4 unlocked?
Thanks,
Shaun

mv-testarossa said:
I also have bought a US Cellular Note Edge (not arrived yet) to use it in European GSM Networks. Phone was really cheap, so i thought i'll give it a try. Anyone have news on how to unlock GSM capabilities on this ? Maybe with a Rom from a GSM Edge ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you let us know what your experience with the US Cellular Note Edge?

I am having the same problem
gd

kv

I recently spent some time on the phone with the executive assistant to the president uscellular and well I had no success in getting my phone unlocked if I understand correctly the phone is cable of gsm also. If anyone would like I can give you the number 4 this lady name Karen and you can bring her directly. I also spoke with several members of the presidents executive Support technical service and they all indicated that the machine would have to be taking it into the store to be unlocked. the weird thing was that the machine is not blacklisted, stolen nor gained in any ill gotten way but yet all with one accord further said that it would be refuse for unlocking without giving any good reason. I understand the company was sued in court and lost the battle to not unlock their phones and this seems to not affect them only one to one basis. I will find a solution to this and I will share it. I would be grateful for any help in doing meanwhile.
Sent from my SM-N910V using XDA Free mobile app

Hey, everybody. I hope I'm able to help... and in turn, I hope someone is able to help me.
Supposedly... newer Qualcomm-powered Android phones are inherently capable of connecting to any CDMA or GSM network. However, the different bands are enabled/disabled per the carrier's specifications. For instance, I'm a Verizon customer, and I connect to bands 4 and 13 for LTE service. However, US Cellular devices do not have band 13 enabled by default.
All hope is not yet lost, though. There is a thread (which has since been closed due to trolling/bickering) that details a method to flash the Qualcomm chip to enable/disable bands as needed. See here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/general/how-to-add-rf-lte-frequency-bands-to-t2886059 According to the information there... it seems that I'd be able to flash the CPU chip to enable band 13, and then I'd have support for all 1x / 2G / 3G / LTE bands that I'd need for Verizon. Likewise for T-Mo, Sprint, ATT, etc.
Now for my problem...
I have recently purchased a USC Note 4 (N910R4) from Amazon, though it was listed as a N910F, International Edition. It was listed as having been unlocked for use on any CDMA network. Unfortunately, the phone does not recognize my Verizon SIM, Verizon couldn't give me any information about the device, and a US Cellular support chat representative said I'd have to visit a store to check if the phone is actually unlocked. The closes USC store is several hours away in another state. The phone came with a USC SIM still in it... and it recognizes that SIM without a problem. I can't make phone calls, though... and no mobile data, either.
I had intended to use the International Version (N910F) and enable the correct bands per the thread above... and then activate the phone on my Verizon account... but the USC version should be close enough in band support that I'd be able to at least activate the phone. The USC phone supports band 4 LTE, and I get band 4 service where I'm sitting right now. If not that, the 2G and 3G band support are identical, I believe. So, I'm just doubtful that I'll be able to activate the phone just yet.
Can anyone shed light on how to verify that my new phone is actually carrier/SIM unlocked? I was hoping I'd be able to get someone to query a database of unlocked MEIDs, but for some reason, I am supposed to go to a store. I can't even call.
Any help is appreciated.

DrPhant0m said:
Hey, everybody. I hope I'm able to help... and in turn, I hope someone is able to help me.
Supposedly... newer Qualcomm-powered Android phones are inherently capable of connecting to any CDMA or GSM network. However, the different bands are enabled/disabled per the carrier's specifications. For instance, I'm a Verizon customer, and I connect to bands 4 and 13 for LTE service. However, US Cellular devices do not have band 13 enabled by default.
All hope is not yet lost, though. There is a thread (which has since been closed due to trolling/bickering) that details a method to flash the Qualcomm chip to enable/disable bands as needed. See here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/general/how-to-add-rf-lte-frequency-bands-to-t2886059 According to the information there... it seems that I'd be able to flash the CPU chip to enable band 13, and then I'd have support for all 1x / 2G / 3G / LTE bands that I'd need for Verizon. Likewise for T-Mo, Sprint, ATT, etc.
Now for my problem...
I have recently purchased a USC Note 4 (N910R4) from Amazon, though it was listed as a N910F, International Edition. It was listed as having been unlocked for use on any CDMA network. Unfortunately, the phone does not recognize my Verizon SIM, Verizon couldn't give me any information about the device, and a US Cellular support chat representative said I'd have to visit a store to check if the phone is actually unlocked. The closes USC store is several hours away in another state. The phone came with a USC SIM still in it... and it recognizes that SIM without a problem. I can't make phone calls, though... and no mobile data, either.
I had intended to use the International Version (N910F) and enable the correct bands per the thread above... and then activate the phone on my Verizon account... but the USC version should be close enough in band support that I'd be able to at least activate the phone. The USC phone supports band 4 LTE, and I get band 4 service where I'm sitting right now. If not that, the 2G and 3G band support are identical, I believe. So, I'm just doubtful that I'll be able to activate the phone just yet.
Can anyone shed light on how to verify that my new phone is actually carrier/SIM unlocked? I was hoping I'd be able to get someone to query a database of unlocked MEIDs, but for some reason, I am supposed to go to a store. I can't even call.
Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I share all your concerns sir. I too have not learned yet how to determine if USC nope for exactly carrier locked or no but I am of the firmest belief based on what I've learned from USC at various levels up to the Presidents executive team that it is indeed carrier locked. I cannot answer for yours then I believe that all under phones come in one of the two varieties and I am convinced even after the court ruling against them that they I have no intent to unlock a phone by less than forcesure. Furthermore I have no confidence that the store they may send you to has any unlocking abilities. According to the executive team that does this work in reality you must in the machine into them and prove its worthwhile to be unlocked. In my case well they cannot prove there is any malfeasance, they still choose to err on the side of caution and refuse to accept any proof then I have of the machine purchased new complete and clean but from a second party. They furthermore refuse to contact the locals that originally sold the phone and truthfully are the first corporation that ever more me so thin that I chose to unlock the bang bang myself. I remain as giddy as a schoolboy hoping to hear more good news from this post. I'm confident then I currently have the knowledge to fix the phone but do not currently have the time. I will happily update I'll with my success be crying the Blues at my failure soon.
GH
Sent from my SM-N910V using XDA Free mobile app

Any updates, guys? Did flashing the ROM to allow access to additional channels work for anyone? Thinking of buying a USC Note 4 and then trying to unlock it for GSM usage.

Any news on unlocking or using on GSM networks? thx

kardeşim ne yaptın telefonu açabildin mi ?
aynı sorun bendede var

Has anyone got any further with this? I've just bought a US cellular note 4 and my APN settings are greyed out. I'm assuming that US cellular will be difficult to deal with to get the phone unlocked especially if it has been bought from a third party. Has anyone had any luck with getting there's unlocked?

Hi!i set my Note Edge to say on Network mode:GSM/WCDMA/LTE but i can't place calls etc...has anyone an idea to make it work?

use z3x box to unlock it

To whom might be concern;
Make things short, NO, you cant use USC Note 4 on any US carrier if u look at the spec. The phone support only some GSM850 and FDD LTE band 5 (850mzh). And att/tmobile 2g voice is on gsm1700/2100 and LTE band is not match....... So that being said you are buying note 4 as Samsung Player and only good with USC and somewhat Verizon(need to hack for it to work, and stillike not all feature will work). Hope answer most you guy question

Phone is cdma unlocked automatically on 6.0.1 roms
---------- Post added at 05:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:45 PM ----------
DrPhant0m said:
Hey, everybody. I hope I'm able to help... and in turn, I hope someone is able to help me.
Supposedly... newer Qualcomm-powered Android phones are inherently capable of connecting to any CDMA or GSM network. However, the different bands are enabled/disabled per the carrier's specifications. For instance, I'm a Verizon customer, and I connect to bands 4 and 13 for LTE service. However, US Cellular devices do not have band 13 enabled by default.
All hope is not yet lost, though. There is a thread (which has since been closed due to trolling/bickering) that details a method to flash the Qualcomm chip to enable/disable bands as needed. See here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/general/how-to-add-rf-lte-frequency-bands-to-t2886059 According to the information there... it seems that I'd be able to flash the CPU chip to enable band 13, and then I'd have support for all 1x / 2G / 3G / LTE bands that I'd need for Verizon. Likewise for T-Mo, Sprint, ATT, etc.
Now for my problem...
I have recently purchased a USC Note 4 (N910R4) from Amazon, though it was listed as a N910F, International Edition. It was listed as having been unlocked for use on any CDMA network. Unfortunately, the phone does not recognize my Verizon SIM, Verizon couldn't give me any information about the device, and a US Cellular support chat representative said I'd have to visit a store to check if the phone is actually unlocked. The closes USC store is several hours away in another state. The phone came with a USC SIM still in it... and it recognizes that SIM without a problem. I can't make phone calls, though... and no mobile data, either.
I had intended to use the International Version (N910F) and enable the correct bands per the thread above... and then activate the phone on my Verizon account... but the USC version should be close enough in band support that I'd be able to at least activate the phone. The USC phone supports band 4 LTE, and I get band 4 service where I'm sitting right now. If not that, the 2G and 3G band support are identical, I believe. So, I'm just doubtful that I'll be able to activate the phone just yet.
Can anyone shed light on how to verify that my new phone is actually carrier/SIM unlocked? I was hoping I'd be able to get someone to query a database of unlocked MEIDs, but for some reason, I am supposed to go to a store. I can't even call.
Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Though the phone is automatically cdma unlocked on android 6.0.1 roms, the bands are still disabled. I suggest following DrPhant0m's advice and look into the posted link above.

Deadbit said:
Phone is cdma unlocked automatically on 6.0.1 roms
---------- Post added at 05:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:45 PM ----------
Though the phone is automatically cdma unlocked on android 6.0.1 roms, the bands are still disabled. I suggest following DrPhant0m's advice and look into the posted link above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've still got the USC Note 4. My son uses it on wifi and to watch videos that we load to local storage. In other words... no sim card installed.
If I manually update the phone to 6.0.1... what will I gain being that I'm a Verizon customer? Is the only difference that 1 band of LTE will be inaccessible? Would it actually start working for calls and some data with a verizon sim?
The whole "reprogram other-carrier Qualcomm phones to work on Verizon's bands" is frequently debunked as chasing a unicorn in the verizon forums.
Further... is the same applicable to newer phones? Could I get a newer (note 5/7) USC phone with android 6.x+ to work with verizon? (Unlocked bootloader would be my only reason to try)
Thanks!
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Verizon version - GSM Unlocked?

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...
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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!

GSM potential on XT1609

So, I picked up a few of these, since my local Wal-Mart was clearing them out for $20 each. As I'm sure some of you know, the XT1609 is the Verizon Prepaid model of this phone, and as of now, when unlocked, it will only connect to LTE bands of other carriers. This means no voice through T-Mobile or AT&T, and no service in non-LTE areas.
I have a hard time believing that the hardware support for GSM is not physically present in this model. Verizon has a bit of a history of getting creative with blocking bands in their phones through software methods. Specifically, both this and this speak to me, as they were both Motorola LTE devices that gained access to their GSM radios through a relatively simple trick. (I personally owned and used both of those phones on T-Mobile.)
(Obligatory warning: DFS/Radiocomm can break stuff, please be careful. On this phone, it's labeled QCOM in the bootloader instead of BP Tools)
I tried looking around in the NV items of this phone, for 1877 (like the second link asks), but it doesn't appear that I can make changes to it with the tools available. Anyone else got any ideas?

Is possible, an Arab guy is doing it for money. The only thing we know for sure is that you will need @autoprime initroot exploit, because the Arab guy said it. Is a start

AT&T, Life Wireless, & T-Mobile (in limited capacity) have now been confirmed working on the xt1609. Voice, SMS, & 4G/LTE data fully functional on AT&T & Life Wireless. MMS & 4G/LTE are limited on T-Mobile, of course, due to Verizon implemented band restrictions.

Any more detail on that please?
MotoJunkie01 said:
AT&T, Life Wireless, & T-Mobile (in limited capacity) have now been confirmed working on the xt1609. Voice, SMS, & 4G/LTE data fully functional on AT&T & Life Wireless. MMS & 4G/LTE are limited on T-Mobile, of course, due to Verizon implemented band restrictions.
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Using a network other than Verizon can now happen one of two ways: (1) You pay Verizon the $70 bounty, or (2) Purchase an unlock code from a reputable service. In Settings, Mobile Networks, there will be an option to input the unlock code. The device will reboot and carrier unlocking will commence and complete upon reboot. However, keep in mind that many GSM bands have been disabled by the directives
of Verizon. I'm currently trying to enable the full spectrum of bands typically accessible on the inboard msm8916 chipset, using Qualcomm's leaked diagnostics & programming software, QPST.

xt1609 said:
i have solution ....its paid ....dont ask for free
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LOL - troll elsewhere.

MotoJunkie01 said:
Using a network other than Verizon can now happen one of two ways: (1) You pay Verizon the $70 bounty, or (2) Purchase an unlock code from a reputable service. In Settings, Mobile Networks, there will be an option to input the unlock code. The device will reboot and carrier unlocking will commence and complete upon reboot. However, keep in mind that many GSM bands have been disabled by the directives
of Verizon. I'm currently trying to enable the full spectrum of bands typically accessible on the inboard msm8916 chipset, using Qualcomm's leaked diagnostics & programming software, QPST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any luck so far?

if still need help. or every one in the same situation,here is a linkwith your solution https://forum.xda-developers.com/g4-play/development/motorola-xt1609-gsm-converted-t3722439. just flash with rsd lite. gsm unlock by the guy

Unlocked AT&T S8 on TMobile - Extended Range LTE Coverage (700 Mhz) & Voice Over LTE

Unlocked AT&T S8 on TMobile - Extended Range LTE Coverage (700 Mhz) & Voice Over LTE
I have an unlocked AT&T S8 that I am using with Cricket Wireless. I will be switching to TMobile next week. I WAS certain that this device would work with no issue until I checked the IMEI number using TMobile's IMEI checker. The TMobile IMEI checker gives me the following message:
"Your device may not be able to use our Extended Range LTE Coverage (700 Mhz) and Voice Over LTE"
Can this be resolved by flashing the devices ROM with an unbranded or TMobile version of the latest operating system?? Will Samsungs "BYOD recustomization" resolve the issue without having to flash this device?? (https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00078492/) or do I REALLY have to look at buying another device just to move my service to TMobile??

DivaVocals said:
I have an unlocked AT&T S8 that I am using with Cricket Wireless. I will be switching to TMobile next week. I WAS certain that this device would work with no issue until I checked the IMEI number using TMobile's IMEI checker. The TMobile IMEI checker gives me the following message:
"Your device may not be able to use our Extended Range LTE Coverage (700 Mhz) and Voice Over LTE"
Can this be resolved by flashing the devices ROM with an unbranded or TMobile version of the latest operating system?? Will Samsungs "BYOD recustomization" resolve the issue without having to flash this device?? (https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00078492/) or do I REALLY have to look at buying another device just to move my service to TMobile??
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Click to collapse
I am posting an update in case it helps somebody else. The follow-up to this question and the saga that followed trying to activate this "unlocked" AT& T device on T-Mobile's network is outlined here: https://forums.androidcentral.com/a....705774106.1568391822&passport=1568858042#_=_
Bottomline is this:
Going forward, I will stick with unbranded unlocked devices. I will no longer trust the carrier branded unlocked devices anymore. (especially AT&T unlocked devices!)
I'm not an Apple fan (nor am I an Apple detractor), but Apple's "deal" as it were with mobile carriers is very different than Samsung or the other Android manufacturers. It's entirely too bad Samsung and the other Android device manufacturers don't push back on the US carriers the way Apple does. Apple doesn't allow network lockouts, or carrier bloatware, nor do they allow locking devices out of services the device (and network) supports (like hotspot or wifi calling).
My mistake in this situation was believing that carrier branded unlocked devices really meant UNLOCKED. My mistake was not understanding how much the US carriers are in bed with the device manufacturers. It's unfortunate that Samsung would allow the US carriers to behave in such an unorthodox & thuggish manner. Why would Samsung NOT authorize their service center's to flash the unbranded firmware on this device? or at the VERY LEAST why not allow their service centers to flash the firmware for the TARGET carrier (T-Mobile) on this device. Because HONESTLY this could have been resolved if the Samsung service centers were empowered to do that much. Samsung seems more concerned with the CARRIERS than their REAL customers THE CONSUMER!
and no (before someone asks) I am not fully comfortable flashing this device (or any device) myself.