Found someone selling the international version of the Galaxy Tab A with the S Pen, model is SM-P585 for $160 and got him down to $130, haven't looked at it yet so don't know if it's in a different language or not, and obviously no warranty. But looks like it's the LTE model, won't be using it. Said it came from Korea, looking at the specs between the US version and Korean version looks the same except the Korean version has 32 gigs of ram vs 16. Only thing that worries me are updates down the road and compatibility with the app store. Will certain apps not load if it sees it as an international version?
hard to say
i did exactly what you are contemplating.
The unit i received boots and works fine via wifi. It does not work on wireless (cellular) networks, even though it has valid SIM card installed. Which is why i'm here, since i am going to try to flash firmware of a different region that has compatible bandplans to where i am. I've researched all that info on the web, and have chosen a "most likely" candidate.
The firmware it arrived with seems to be Singapore and Vietnam based. I'm going to try to flash Malaysian firmware and see what happens.
FWIW, the device will not upgrade via the built in upgrade option (in settings). It returns an error. Current android V 5.0, but i know htere is valid 6.0 firmware available. (which is what i'm going to flash).
I have verified using "System info for android " app, that it sees a network, but is simply not connecting. the curious thing about the situation is, that although the tablet will not connect to the cellular network, it does show the onscreen icon for network strength (which is very strong, 4 or 5 bars). So the device is recognizing a signal, but will not connect. I have used sim cards from several carriers, and "scanned" networks" which gives a list of expected locally available networks, but the device will not connect to any of them.
If anyone reading this has any ideas, i'm happy to hear them.
Good to know thanks. I don't plan on using it for the cellular part just WiFi, don't want to spend money on a data plan. I did find several sites that had marshmallow but you had to use odin I believe. Also found this thread incase it helps you.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/help/sm-p585-flashing-firmware-variant-t3498225
I had the Tab A 8.0 with S Pen (SM-P355) the international version capable of making phone calls. I don't think it was ever sold in the US. I had no problems loading any apps from the Play store, including banking apps and others that were regional or required authentication, like Uber.
The last version I received (before cracking my screen) was 6.0, pushed via OTA update.
I am currently on 935U, Marshmallow 6.01 PL4 (phone is a verizon Edge s7), unrooted.
1) I have read that the samsung dialer is no longer on Nougat , nor is the Samsung caller id?
Can someone verify if this is true? From reading further, I am not sure if it is the aesthetics that have changed or the actual dialer. My favorite feature of the edge 7 is the suspected spam id and block that comes up as a call comes in and also, sthe small window that comes up at the top of the phone to answer a call when you are in another app. Can anyone who has taken verizon nougat tell me if these features are no longer available?
2) I have read that tethering is not available on nougat without tweaking. Is this the same as mobile hotspot? I currently use mobile hotspot for my tablet when I am traveling and wifi signal is poor. I connect to the mobile hotspot using bluetooth. Can someone verify whether or not this option is available on Verizon Nougat without tweaking?
3) Lastly, my phone has lagged up greatly lately, I am considering flashing back to verizon software and taking nougat. If I am unhappy, will I be able to go back to 935 Marshmallow (currently on PL4) or is reverting back to Marshmallow not a possibility.
thanks in advance!
I'm not sure if it's the dialer either, bit give hiya a trt. It's by whitepaper and blocks spam really well, plus you can submit numbers as well for blocking.
tmord1 said:
I am currently on 935U, Marshmallow 6.01 PL4 (phone is a verizon Edge s7), unrooted.
1) I have read that the samsung dialer is no longer on Nougat , nor is the Samsung caller id?
Can someone verify if this is true? From reading further, I am not sure if it is the aesthetics that have changed or the actual dialer. My favorite feature of the edge 7 is the suspected spam id and block that comes up as a call comes in and also, sthe small window that comes up at the top of the phone to answer a call when you are in another app. Can anyone who has taken verizon nougat tell me if these features are no longer available?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has never been available on Verizon firmware. Not even on 6.0. Verizon ripped the feature out to force you to buy "Verizon Caller ID" instead.
2) I have read that tethering is not available on nougat without tweaking. Is this the same as mobile hotspot? I currently use mobile hotspot for my tablet when I am traveling and wifi signal is poor. I connect to the mobile hotspot using bluetooth. Can someone verify whether or not this option is available on Verizon Nougat without tweaking?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Mobile Hotspot" and "tethering" are the exact same thing. Most people who say "tethering" are referring to PDANet or whatever, because they're on grandfathered UDPs and refuse to switch to new plans. I have Wifi, Bluetooth and USB available as options for sharing my phone's LTE connection to a computer or tablet - I can even plug my phone into my router and have my router use it as the modem for my entire home network.
3) Lastly, my phone has lagged up greatly lately, I am considering flashing back to verizon software and taking nougat. If I am unhappy, will I be able to go back to 935 Marshmallow (currently on PL4) or is reverting back to Marshmallow not a possibility.
thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally, "lagging" is due to rogue apps and/or a corrupt cache. I would look at any apps that have suspicious permissions (why would a flashlight app need to access your contacts, for example) and dump them, and clear the cache.
As of right now, I'm running Verizon's 7.0 side by side with U 6.0.1 on two different Edges. 7.0 is beautiful and fast, but Verizon changes too much and removes too many features. If you only have one device, I would stick with the U FW and wait till next month for the U 7.0 update. My two cents.
@raduque Really appreciate the detailed answer!
You're welcome tmord1!
I've researched and done as much homework as I can but I can't seem to find the solution, so I'm starting this thread in the hope that someone can point me in the right direction. I've had an LS997 on Sprint since it launched but recently broke the screen a second time. After getting a couple bum screens off ebay, I decided to just purchase a new V20. Found one on ebay that was an LS997 unlocked. Figured why not, hopefully it is rootable and I can do some stuff with it. Got the phone, swapped my SIM, chatted with Sprint customer support, and got the phone to receive calls and texts. However, it wasn't getting LTE coverage like my old V20 and could not connect to the internet via mobile network (WiFi works fine).
The new phone is an LS997 (FCC ID: ZNFLS997) with software US99610p, build number NRD90M, Android security patch April 1, 2018. I am guessing that part of the trouble here could be that I am unable to activate fully with Sprint since I am not on a Sprint ROM (no option to update PRL, profile). Are there any working Sprint-based ROMs out there that I haven't stumbled upon?
I'm also wondering if the missing Sprint bands on the US996 firmware is giving me issue. SignalCheck Pro shows my old phone bouncing between bands 25 and 26 at my house, and obviously the US996 firmware doesn't have band 26. With the new phone being LS997 hardware, is there any way for me to gain access to those bands (by flashing a modem, etc)?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Rooted LS997 owner here. Yes, you have to be on a Sprint ROM to complete activation. Without completing that step, I don't think you can get everything to fully work on Sprint's network. The cross-flashed US996 firmware is useful for GSM networks around the world but not for Sprint or its MVNOs. Since Sprint does not provide firmware (KDZ) files, you'll have to go through the rooting process (check this guide) and then install a Sprint ROM (I recommend ClassicRom) at the end. If I remember correctly, there is a step during the rooting process where you flash some Sprint firmware that should take care of the modem part.
felixdacat76 said:
I've researched and done as much homework as I can but I can't seem to find the solution, so I'm starting this thread in the hope that someone can point me in the right direction. I've had an LS997 on Sprint since it launched but recently broke the screen a second time. After getting a couple bum screens off ebay, I decided to just purchase a new V20. Found one on ebay that was an LS997 unlocked. Figured why not, hopefully it is rootable and I can do some stuff with it. Got the phone, swapped my SIM, chatted with Sprint customer support, and got the phone to receive calls and texts. However, it wasn't getting LTE coverage like my old V20 and could not connect to the internet via mobile network (WiFi works fine).
The new phone is an LS997 (FCC ID: ZNFLS997) with software US99610p, build number NRD90M, Android security patch April 1, 2018. I am guessing that part of the trouble here could be that I am unable to activate fully with Sprint since I am not on a Sprint ROM (no option to update PRL, profile). Are there any working Sprint-based ROMs out there that I haven't stumbled upon?
I'm also wondering if the missing Sprint bands on the US996 firmware is giving me issue. SignalCheck Pro shows my old phone bouncing between bands 25 and 26 at my house, and obviously the US996 firmware doesn't have band 26. With the new phone being LS997 hardware, is there any way for me to gain access to those bands (by flashing a modem, etc)?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems you got lucky yourself on finding a rootable. I just got my new rootable ls997 last night. Have yet to run Dirty Santa to full root again. Very rare phone. I agree with C D here tho. Classic ROM is made specifically for ls997 and is the least buggy stock based custom ROM and is best for full activation. Also MK2000 BTTF Kernel is solid just in case.
I appreciate the responses! Looks like I'll be giving the Classic ROM a shot this week.
Good luck. And I second the recommendation for the mk2000 BTTF kernel (you can find it here).
One of the things this kernel does is get rid of LG's root checker called RCTD, which seems to log random things on rooted phones. You don't hear much about it any more because all the more recent ROMs have automatically gotten rid of it through their own kernel settings. I don't know a whole lot about RCTD itself, but if curious, there's some info here.
Also, the kernel allows you to change the KCAL screen color settings via a kernel manager like this one to help prevent any temporary screen retention (which you may already be familiar with). There are also some XDA threads where people posted different KCAL values that worked for them:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/themes/post-kcal-values-t3865442
I've had stock MM for two years, but recently it was starting to get really slow so I decided it was time to install a new OS. I've tried XenonHD, Lineage 16, AOSP and Lineage 17 but all have the same issue: I just can't get the mobile data to connect. I've tried all the common fixes for this issue suggested on the internet, like toggling airplane mode on/off etc, and I've checked that the APN settings are correct, allow data roaming is enabled and my data plan is still active.
I think it's some kind of issue with the ROMs, because someone else has mentioned that XenonHD won't connect to data while roaming. I'm currently residing in a European country that isn't my home country, and using the SIM from my home country since the provider has good value for money data plans and the EU has recently made it illegal for them to charge extra for roaming within its borders. So I think the devs need to catch up with the times and realise that data roaming is now fundamentally important for some users. Unfortunately, it looks like they have abandoned the ROMs they have put out, so I won't be getting any help from them directly. Does anyone else have any idea what I could do, apart from reinstalling stock MM? And I'd rather not buy a local SIM card right now since I'll anyway be moving to a different country in a few months.
I've since also tried ViperOS and MIUI 8, but still no data. From Lineage 17 onwards, my phone was also showing the wrong time and date, so there seems to have been some additional issue with the network connection (even though I could make and receive calls). I also noticed that if I would try to manually connect to the other available network here, immediately I would get the message "Unfortunately, the process android.com.phone has stopped."
So I've gone back to stock MM for now and the data came back. I would still appreciate if someone could fix this issue with the custom ROMs though so that I could use one. I think they are faster than stock and it would be nice to explore their features. It's a shame I can't use them just because of one issue. I will probably still need the data roaming when I move to another European country in a few months time.
Hello,
I am new to this site, and have a burning question I am trying to find an answer for.
So AT&T has been my carrier since about 2014. In July of 2019, I purchased an unlocked S8 from Amazon for about $350 Description says it is: Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - US Version (Midnight Black) - US Warranty - [SM-G950UZKAXAA]. In the settings, the model number is listed as: SM-G950U1.
Recently, I received a message from AT&T saying that they are shutting down their 3G network in February of 2022, and that my phone will no longer work on their network. I went into one of their stores and showed them that my phone operates on LTE, but I was told that is for data only and voice operates on 3G. I could not remember the VoLTE name at the time, but mentioned that my phone had the capability to operate on LTE. They refused to go thru settings with me, and told me that my phone will stop working in February. Period. End of story. Also, I was told the same thing that the message states, that they are sending me a new phone and will be deactivating my phone after 30 days.
Now some of my friends are laughing at me saying, "Dang free phones!" But I do not want a 5G phone (which is obviously what they are sending). I have my reasons and this is not what I wish to discuss here.
The issue is... I love my telephone!! It does exactly what I want, and I don't need anything new. Not to mention that I paid for it entirely, with no subsidy from AT&T. I specifically bought it unlocked with intentions of avoiding contracts and having the ability to switch carriers if I so choose.
I am pretty sure that I saw VoLTE mentioned in my settings a while back. But now a search on my phone finds nothing. I assume a firmware update hid this info from me.
So... what gives? Does anybody here know if this particular device can make/receive voice calls using VoLTE - on AT&T (or any other carriers) - simply by changing settings in the phone? Do I have any options to make my phone continue to operate as intended? With any carrier?
Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Steve
willnotbecontrolled said:
Hello,
I am new to this site, and have a burning question I am trying to find an answer for.
So AT&T has been my carrier since about 2014. In July of 2019, I purchased an unlocked S8 from Amazon for about $350 Description says it is: Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - US Version (Midnight Black) - US Warranty - [SM-G950UZKAXAA]. In the settings, the model number is listed as: SM-G950U1.
Recently, I received a message from AT&T saying that they are shutting down their 3G network in February of 2022, and that my phone will no longer work on their network. I went into one of their stores and showed them that my phone operates on LTE, but I was told that is for data only and voice operates on 3G. I could not remember the VoLTE name at the time, but mentioned that my phone had the capability to operate on LTE. They refused to go thru settings with me, and told me that my phone will stop working in February. Period. End of story. Also, I was told the same thing that the message states, that they are sending me a new phone and will be deactivating my phone after 30 days.
Now some of my friends are laughing at me saying, "Dang free phones!" But I do not want a 5G phone (which is obviously what they are sending). I have my reasons and this is not what I wish to discuss here.
The issue is... I love my telephone!! It does exactly what I want, and I don't need anything new. Not to mention that I paid for it entirely, with no subsidy from AT&T. I specifically bought it unlocked with intentions of avoiding contracts and having the ability to switch carriers if I so choose.
I am pretty sure that I saw VoLTE mentioned in my settings a while back. But now a search on my phone finds nothing. I assume a firmware update hid this info from me.
So... what gives? Does anybody here know if this particular device can make/receive voice calls using VoLTE - on AT&T (or any other carriers) - simply by changing settings in the phone? Do I have any options to make my phone continue to operate as intended? With any carrier?
Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue with crickett (att).
got that txt msg, recently maybe december there was a firmware update that greyed out my network settings and hid some items.
i cant even change my prefered network, 3g 4g lte etc, its locked..
I have the 950u1 also
HOWEVER I have a s8 950U that I think has all these unlocked.
Im going to backup and odin flash the U firmware to the UI and see if it works.
Thats bull**** about doing this. greedy ****s..
I go with somone else if I have to.
willnotbecontrolled said:
Hello,
I am new to this site, and have a burning question I am trying to find an answer for.
So AT&T has been my carrier since about 2014. In July of 2019, I purchased an unlocked S8 from Amazon for about $350 Description says it is: Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - US Version (Midnight Black) - US Warranty - [SM-G950UZKAXAA]. In the settings, the model number is listed as: SM-G950U1.
Recently, I received a message from AT&T saying that they are shutting down their 3G network in February of 2022, and that my phone will no longer work on their network. I went into one of their stores and showed them that my phone operates on LTE, but I was told that is for data only and voice operates on 3G. I could not remember the VoLTE name at the time, but mentioned that my phone had the capability to operate on LTE. They refused to go thru settings with me, and told me that my phone will stop working in February. Period. End of story. Also, I was told the same thing that the message states, that they are sending me a new phone and will be deactivating my phone after 30 days.
Now some of my friends are laughing at me saying, "Dang free phones!" But I do not want a 5G phone (which is obviously what they are sending). I have my reasons and this is not what I wish to discuss here.
The issue is... I love my telephone!! It does exactly what I want, and I don't need anything new. Not to mention that I paid for it entirely, with no subsidy from AT&T. I specifically bought it unlocked with intentions of avoiding contracts and having the ability to switch carriers if I so choose.
I am pretty sure that I saw VoLTE mentioned in my settings a while back. But now a search on my phone finds nothing. I assume a firmware update hid this info from me.
So... what gives? Does anybody here know if this particular device can make/receive voice calls using VoLTE - on AT&T (or any other carriers) - simply by changing settings in the phone? Do I have any options to make my phone continue to operate as intended? With any carrier?
Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
press phone icon, then top right corner hit the 3 vertical dots.
select settings and it should be in there if you havent updated lately... they ****ed us and locked out network and volte settings.
djmdesign said:
Same issue with crickett (att).
got that txt msg, recently maybe december there was a firmware update that greyed out my network settings and hid some items.
i cant even change my prefered network, 3g 4g lte etc, its locked..
I have the 950u1 also
HOWEVER I have a s8 950U that I think has all these unlocked.
Im going to backup and odin flash the U firmware to the UI and see if it works.
Thats bull**** about doing this. greedy ****s..
I go with somone else if I have to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please let me know if this works. I thought about doing the same thing, but have not gotten around to trying it. In theory, it sounds like a solid plan. But I have a couple of concerns.
During a recent phone call, AT&T told me their system has flagged my IMEI and that my phone will stop working very soon. So, if the system flagged an IMEI as an unsupported device, will it even matter which firmware is installed? Or will their system just deactivate the phone at some point?
Second, if you install the 950U firmware in place of the 950U1, will the device become carrier locked at this point? That would really suck if it did.
BTW, I was able to lock preferred network to “LTE only” by dialing *#*#4636#*#* and entering Device information screen. Unfortunately, my phone would not complete a call when using LTE only setting. VoLTE provisioned toggle is greyed out, along with others. Seems to me that if a guy could self provision VoLTE, this would solve the issue.
I called AT&T tech support and spent 45 minutes trying to get them to provision VoLTE, but they could not, or would not do it. At first, they kept telling me that my phone is a 3G phone. I argued that I could change the radio to “LTE only” and that my sim card status showed LTE for “mobile voice network type”, which proves that the phone is indeed LTE capable for voice calls - but that it will not complete a call because it is not provisioned to do so. Eventually they told me that their system would not allow them to provision VoLTE for me, since it is flagged as an unsupported device. Which leads back to the first part of this post.
I also found some stuff on reddit about putting the phone into “engineering mode” and something about a Samsung tool that unlocks additional dialer codes. Have not tried this, tho.
At this point, I am just completely fed up with AT&T for this whole S8 situation, as well as other unrelated issues. I will most likely switch carriers for principle’s sake, even though I know other carriers play similar games.
Anyway, I am interested in whether or not you find a solution and would very much like to hear about it. Thank you for the response!!
willnotbecontrolled said:
Please let me know if this works. I thought about doing the same thing, but have not gotten around to trying it. In theory, it sounds like a solid plan. But I have a couple of concerns.
During a recent phone call, AT&T told me their system has flagged my IMEI and that my phone will stop working very soon. So, if the system flagged an IMEI as an unsupported device, will it even matter which firmware is installed? Or will their system just deactivate the phone at some point?
Second, if you install the 950U firmware in place of the 950U1, will the device become carrier locked at this point? That would really suck if it did.
BTW, I was able to lock preferred network to “LTE only” by dialing *#*#4636#*#* and entering Device information screen. Unfortunately, my phone would not complete a call when using LTE only setting. VoLTE provisioned toggle is greyed out, along with others. Seems to me that if a guy could self provision VoLTE, this would solve the issue.
I called AT&T tech support and spent 45 minutes trying to get them to provision VoLTE, but they could not, or would not do it. At first, they kept telling me that my phone is a 3G phone. I argued that I could change the radio to “LTE only” and that my sim card status showed LTE for “mobile voice network type”, which proves that the phone is indeed LTE capable for voice calls - but that it will not complete a call because it is not provisioned to do so. Eventually they told me that their system would not allow them to provision VoLTE for me, since it is flagged as an unsupported device. Which leads back to the first part of this post.
I also found some stuff on reddit about putting the phone into “engineering mode” and something about a Samsung tool that unlocks additional dialer codes. Have not tried this, tho.
At this point, I am just completely fed up with AT&T for this whole S8 situation, as well as other unrelated issues. I will most likely switch carriers for principle’s sake, even though I know other carriers play similar games.
Anyway, I am interested in whether or not you find a solution and would very much like to hear about it. Thank you for the response!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I'm Newbie around here. I'd like to share my experience with ATT and my beloved S8+ this past few months:
Much like you and many others I started receiving texts from ATT by mid 2021 saying my phone would not work after Feb '22. Yes, every time they suspended my line I wasted 30~ 40 mins on the phone, listening how they would insist my S8+ was a 3G phone. It didn't matter that I offered to send them screenshots of my device showing the "VoLTE option" and "4G LTE" while both in the USA and Mexico. Thing is, they only based their saying on a st....id whitelist and all the reps are just talking heads.
I use an S8+ international version which is NOT on the dreaded list. and I am on the 300/year prepaid plan which allows roaming between Mexico and USA with no 50/50 usage limit.
I bought this phone on amazon for 350-ish bucks a couple of years ago and I love it!
I have to cross the Mexico/USA border very frequently and I need two separate numbers one on each country for business reasons so dual sim is a must. On the other hand, I receive lots and lots of phone calls while driving, this made me crave for android 8.1 when call recording was allowed by google, not the case anymore. None of these 2 features are available on the S8/S9 US based phones. I do not need 5G, I do not use social media nor watch videos on my phone but do get to use Pandora, Spotify, MLB radio and so on......... Enter SM-G955F/DS. I was able to change Samsung's CSC code to Israel so call recording is active for all those notes I cannot write down while driving and I get to carry just one device with 2 separate numbers thanks to a dual sim.
Ok, so back to my phone not being on the f... list :
Around Feb 10th, I got yet another email and SMS telling me it was my last opportunity to change or I MAY be disconnected after 2/22/22 ( funny choice of date huh?). I noticed that words on email and text messages had been changed from WILL NOT on Jul/2021 to MAY NOT work on Feb/2022. Since I know for a fact that my phone is VoLTE capable, I figured my S8+ would work as long as AT&T did not intentionally disconnected my line.
So, I took a crappy phoenix ATT phone and updated it's IMEI on my account via the ATT prepaid webpage. After getting "approval" from ATT's system, I put the SIM card in and used it for a full weekend. After that, I put the SIM card back to my S8+ and it is still going strong to date.
Today is March 1st, and I have been weary of ATT sneaking me out of their system but fortunately it has not happened yet. Needless to say, I have not updated my S8's IMEI on ATT's webpage and do not intend to do so.
Now, This "proves" that my phone is indeed capable of using VoLTE and HD , and all those things ATT said it would not do is just plain B.S.. if they disconnect me down the road I would definitely move to T Mobile although I would have some issues with the 50/50 international roaming and I still have 8 months left on my prepaid annual plan with ATT so, keeping my fingers crossed.
AT&T just wants to make more money out of selling new 5G devices while getting rid of their stocked 4G phones.
I wouldn't mind if they just plain out stated " If you do not buy from ATT then ATT will not support your device and will not sell service to you" then again, it would probably be a PR nightmare for them although they do that for WIFI calling anyways.
Ain't it funny how 2/22/22 is coincidentally a paycheck's time ( 2 weeks) after a new flagship phone (S22) was made available for purchase ?
Anyways, enough for ranting and conspiracy theories lol...
I have taken out and put back to my S8+ the SIM card two times in the past 9 days after 2/22/22 and my service is still in good standing.
Maybe if you got a new replacement phone that you don't like, you may swap back your SIM card and it MAY work just like mine is even if it is NOT ON THE INFAMOUS WHITE LIST.
Oldschoolguy said:
Hi, I'm Newbie around here. I'd like to share my experience with ATT and my beloved S8+ this past few months:
Much like you and many others I started receiving texts from ATT by mid 2021 saying my phone would not work after Feb '22. Yes, every time they suspended my line I wasted 30~ 40 mins on the phone, listening how they would insist my S8+ was a 3G phone. It didn't matter that I offered to send them screenshots of my device showing the "VoLTE option" and "4G LTE" while both in the USA and Mexico. Thing is, they only based their saying on a st....id whitelist and all the reps are just talking heads.
I use an S8+ international version which is NOT on the dreaded list. and I am on the 300/year prepaid plan which allows roaming between Mexico and USA with no 50/50 usage limit.
I bought this phone on amazon for 350-ish bucks a couple of years ago and I love it!
I have to cross the Mexico/USA border very frequently and I need two separate numbers one on each country for business reasons so dual sim is a must. On the other hand, I receive lots and lots of phone calls while driving, this made me crave for android 8.1 when call recording was allowed by google, not the case anymore. None of these 2 features are available on the S8/S9 US based phones. I do not need 5G, I do not use social media nor watch videos on my phone but do get to use Pandora, Spotify, MLB radio and so on......... Enter SM-G955F/DS. I was able to change Samsung's CSC code to Israel so call recording is active for all those notes I cannot write down while driving and I get to carry just one device with 2 separate numbers thanks to a dual sim.
Ok, so back to my phone not being on the f... list :
Around Feb 10th, I got yet another email and SMS telling me it was my last opportunity to change or I MAY be disconnected after 2/22/22 ( funny choice of date huh?). I noticed that words on email and text messages had been changed from WILL NOT on Jul/2021 to MAY NOT work on Feb/2022. Since I know for a fact that my phone is VoLTE capable, I figured my S8+ would work as long as AT&T did not intentionally disconnected my line.
So, I took a crappy phoenix ATT phone and updated it's IMEI on my account via the ATT prepaid webpage. After getting "approval" from ATT's system, I put the SIM card in and used it for a full weekend. After that, I put the SIM card back to my S8+ and it is still going strong to date.
Today is March 1st, and I have been weary of ATT sneaking me out of their system but fortunately it has not happened yet. Needless to say, I have not updated my S8's IMEI on ATT's webpage and do not intend to do so.
Now, This "proves" that my phone is indeed capable of using VoLTE and HD , and all those things ATT said it would not do is just plain B.S.. if they disconnect me down the road I would definitely move to T Mobile although I would have some issues with the 50/50 international roaming and I still have 8 months left on my prepaid annual plan with ATT so, keeping my fingers crossed.
AT&T just wants to make more money out of selling new 5G devices while getting rid of their stocked 4G phones.
I wouldn't mind if they just plain out stated " If you do not buy from ATT then ATT will not support your device and will not sell service to you" then again, it would probably be a PR nightmare for them although they do that for WIFI calling anyways.
Ain't it funny how 2/22/22 is coincidentally a paycheck's time ( 2 weeks) after a new flagship phone (S22) was made available for purchase ?
Anyways, enough for ranting and conspiracy theories lol...
I have taken out and put back to my S8+ the SIM card two times in the past 9 days after 2/22/22 and my service is still in good standing.
Maybe if you got a new replacement phone that you don't like, you may swap back your SIM card and it MAY work just like mine is even if it is NOT ON THE INFAMOUS WHITE LIST.
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Yep... AT&T is full of it. I got sick of wasting my time and energy trying to fight this. I eventually just switched over to TMo, and I have been running around with my S8's radio set to LTE only. No issues whatsoever. Great cell service, $30 bucks a month cheaper, all fees included in the flat rate, and a free Netflix account, to boot.
See ya AT&T!!! I hope some group with the the gumption and time takes you to court for your deceptive trade practices. I hope you lose lots of customers, time, and money for your douchery!!!
Has anyone looked into potentially using ODIN to use AT&T's firmware on the unbranded G950U1 without rooting to see if it adds the VoLTE software feature? Does anyone know if that flashing will disable (permanently break) samsung pay? I don't want any rooting since that will permanently break samsung pay on the hardware.