Real-life differences between VS995 and US996 (both unlocked and US Cellular) - LG V20 Questions & Answers

Just looking for some clarification here.
I will probably be using this only on Verizon (mvno), though at some point I might like to switch carriers, but if that isn't possible I'll probably live with it.
It appears the US996 is the same as the VS995 except it supports a few more bands.
Am I able to use the US996 (both the unlocked and US Cellular) on Verizon?
Can you actually flash the VS995 firmware onto a US996 (both unlocked and US Cellular)?
If so, then the usable difference between a VS995 and US996 in this case is basically nothing?
If you are planning to use a custom ROM anyway (like Lineage) then is there basically no difference between the 3 models?

I have been using a US996 on Verizon with the VS995 Weta rom for almost a year. I have not gotten Voice over LTE to work, but I have not put in a huge amount of effort. I believe the VS995 has some radio bands the US996 does not, but I have had no issues from that. As far as I can tell everything else works.
I would suggest getting a sim card activated on a Verizon phone and the transferring the sim card to the US996. Verizon would not activate the sim card in the US996 for me.

Related

Possible phone conversion?

I have a verizon v20 with the dirty santa unlock bootloader and i noticed that it reads the device as a US996 so I'm thinking I can try to flash the US996 KDZ and convert it into a official US996. and have a unlocked bootloader from the start. Do you guys think this is possible?
Does anyone have a US996 KDZ. I've looked for it but I couldn't find anything.
Even if you were able to flash it, US996 uses gsm networks, and since Verizon uses non-gsm network and radio utilities, it would be pointless, as you would get no service.
kibmikey1 said:
Even if you were able to flash it, US996 uses gsm networks, and since Verizon uses non-gsm network and radio utilities, it would be pointless, as you would get no service.
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That's not true. The US996 supports CDMA bands. You can buy one outright and start using it on VZW by just popping in a sim. There were a few people here that did that because they didn't want any carrier branding/bloat and the ability to unlock the bootloader (before DirtySanta was available).
kibmikey1 said:
Even if you were able to flash it, US996 uses gsm networks, and since Verizon uses non-gsm network and radio utilities, it would be pointless, as you would get no service.
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as Artimis said, they both are CDMA/GSM phones.
But even if that was the case, im using it on T-Mobile, not Verizon.

LG v20 US996 ~ Root

https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/h918-recowvery-unlock-v20-root-shell-t3490594
It states the US996 is compatible, but not "U.S. Cellular" ?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MCRG3H1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_z.IKyb4DDSFDP
Does that mean this US996 is not available for root? Or it wont be rootable after putting in my AT&T sim?
please explain.
There's the US996 factory unlocked variant, then the US Cellular variant. There completely different, the US996 unlocked is rootable, the US Cellular variant is not. Be careful to which one you get. And I'm pretty sure you'll be able to stick an at&t sim in there and still have it working. As I said make sure you get the US996 Unlocked Variant. NOT THE US CELLULAR VARIANT
OneDon said:
There's the US996 factory unlocked variant, then the US Cellular variant. There completely different, the US996 unlocked is rootable, the US Cellular variant is not. Be careful to which one you get. And I'm pretty sure you'll be able to stick an at&t sim in there and still have it working. As I said make sure you get the US996 Unlocked Variant. NOT THE US CELLULAR VARIANT
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is my amazon linked lgv20 the right one?
Ceruleancerise said:
is my amazon linked lgv20 the right one?
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Click to collapse
Yes.
OneDon said:
There's the US996 factory unlocked variant, then the US Cellular variant. There completely different, the US996 unlocked is rootable, the US Cellular variant is not. Be careful to which one you get. And I'm pretty sure you'll be able to stick an at&t sim in there and still have it working. As I said make sure you get the US996 Unlocked Variant. NOT THE US CELLULAR VARIANT
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Click to collapse
The US Cellular US996 variant is factory/network unlocked but the bootloader is not unlockable (I own one). The US996 US Market version has a bootloader that can be unlocked via the LG website.

Can I flash AT&T firmware to LG G6 T-mobile?

Can I flash LG G6 t-mobile to AT&T without root? Got the phone for free.. That's why and I am on AT&T
no.
you would need root.. but if you flash any non-tmo bootloader/modem stuff onto the tmo version it will brick the phone.
tmobile g6 bootstack is different than all other G6 devices. and if you flash tmo boostack onto a non-tmo g6 it'll brick the phone.
all of the other non-tmobile G6 variants have a similar bootstack and could technically be shared as long as the anti-rollback fuse settings matched.
There goes my dream for visual voicemail for AT&T on t-mobile phone
Is the phone unlocked to work with an AT&T SIM? if so, just download the att VVM app in the play store. Did that on my unlocked dual SIM phone.
In G5 we can flash G5 puer rico H820pr on to G5 ATT H820. So G6 we can do the same?

Which version of LG v20 to buy?

I want to install custom Rom on LG V20. Which carrier should I get it from, T-Mobile, Att, Sprint, Verizon? Thanks.
You should get the US996 unlocked version. It will work on all the carriers plus you can unlock the bootloader on LG's website. All the others you will need to use Dirty Santa to unlock unless they have newer firmware which cannot unlock yet. You can get the US996 fairly cheap. Just make sure it is the US996 unlocked not the US996 US Cellular version.
Is there a way to tell if a phone is the US Cellular version or the actual unlocked version?
Already got burned once buying a US996 from ebay that was labelled as factory unlocked but it was actually a US Cellular.
I'm hoping there/s something on the sticker under the battery that will have the answers but nothing obvious from what I can see.
Does the US996 model support all TMobile bands including band 12 and VoLTE, wifi calling? Thanks.

Cross Flash From VS995/Verizon Unlocked to US996/US Unlocked?

I've been looking for a good, inexpensive phone my partner can use on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon and I was able to snatch an unlocked VS995 in excellent condition for $70--it just needs the battery replaced soon which I also ordered. The main downside to this model if you're using it on AT&T and T-Mobile is that it doesn't support Band 12 and 17, but I know the US Unlocked variant does. I just received the phone today. I've been searching on the forum for an answer into if this is possible with the VS995 variant and I've seen people say it is using an LG V20 version of LGUP, but haven't found anyone that's confirmed they've been able to do it on the Verizon and not the AT&T variant and the steps they took to do so.
I want to stay on the stock ROM so I'm not looking to root and install a custom one. Is it possible to convert from the VS995 firmware to US996 so I can gain band 12 and 17 while removing the Verizon bloatware and staying on the stock ROM/OS? If so, would anyone one of y'all be kind enough to post the link to a guide or article that details how to do so? I reset the phone to factory settings so thankfully don't have to do a backup. After doing this, is it still possible to receive OTA updates and, if so, are they gonna mess anything up like reverting the phone to stock firmware or the phone's unlocked status?
Thank y'all so much in advance.
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
DeyEatDaPooPoo said:
I've been looking for a good, inexpensive phone my partner can use on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon and I was able to snatch an unlocked VS995 in excellent condition for $70--it just needs the battery replaced soon which I also ordered. The main downside to this model if you're using it on AT&T and T-Mobile is that it doesn't support Band 12 and 17, but I know the US Unlocked variant does. I just received the phone today. I've been searching on the forum for an answer into if this is possible with the VS995 variant and I've seen people say it is using an LG V20 version of LGUP, but haven't found anyone that's confirmed they've been able to do it on the Verizon and not the AT&T variant and the steps they took to do so.
I want to stay on the stock ROM so I'm not looking to root and install a custom one. Is it possible to convert from the VS995 firmware to US996 so I can gain band 12 and 17 while removing the Verizon bloatware and staying on the stock ROM/OS? If so, would anyone one of y'all be kind enough to post the link to a guide or article that details how to do so? I reset the phone to factory settings so thankfully don't have to do a backup. After doing this, is it still possible to receive OTA updates and, if so, are they gonna mess anything up like reverting the phone to stock firmware or the phone's unlocked status?
Thank y'all so much in advance.
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As far as I'm aware, cross-flashing firmware on the V20 won't give you any additional frequency bands unlike some other phones, so you're still limited to what the VS995 has from the beginning. From what I've read, US996 firmware works fine on Verizon except for a few features such as WiFi calling and video calling.
As for AT&T and T-Mobile, you won't get VoLTE or WiFi calling along with the missing LTE bands, so, depending on where you live, overall coverage could be significantly worse than having the H910 (AT&T) and H918 (T-Mobile) models, respectively. Not having VoLTE would be a problem if you were in an LTE-only area without roaming because then you'd have no way to make or receive phone calls.
ezzony said:
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
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Thank you for the info. Are you referring to this video? I'd watched it before but it's for flashing the stock ROM on a US996 variant and the links in the description don't work.
C D said:
As far as I'm aware, cross-flashing firmware on the V20 won't give you any additional frequency bands unlike some other phones, so you're still limited to what the VS995 has from the beginning. From what I've read, US996 firmware works fine on Verizon except for a few features such as WiFi calling and video calling.
As for AT&T and T-Mobile, you won't get VoLTE or WiFi calling along with the missing LTE bands, so, depending on where you live, overall coverage could be significantly worse than having the H910 (AT&T) and H918 (T-Mobile) models, respectively. Not having VoLTE would be a problem if you were in an LTE-only area without roaming because then you'd have no way to make or receive phone calls.
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Hmm, where did you read that? From what I've read the hardware/modem in the VS995 and US996 version is the same and therefore the difference only comes down to the carrier firmware artificially disabling bands the device supports just like it is on many other smartphones. I could be wrong, but one way to find out would be to do it myself and then try to connect to a Band 12 or 17 tower.
WiFi calling and video calling I'm totally fine with not having. Never used or needed them. With AT&T and Cricket I've never not had service and with Metro the couple times I haven't had T-Mobile service roaming has kicked in and saved the day. Thank you for the info.
DeyEatDaPooPoo said:
Hmm, where did you read that? From what I've read the hardware/modem in the VS995 and US996 version is the same and therefore the difference only comes down to the carrier firmware artificially disabling bands the device supports just like it is on many other smartphones. I could be wrong, but one way to find out would be to do it myself and then try to connect to a Band 12 or 17 tower.
WiFi calling and video calling I'm totally fine with not having. Never used or needed them. With AT&T and Cricket I've never not had service and with Metro the couple times I haven't had T-Mobile service roaming has kicked in and saved the day. Thank you for the info.
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Here's some frequency band info for both the VS995 and US996:
VS995
US996
I'm pretty sure this is a hardware difference, and no firmware change will be able to add more band support unlike some other phones you may have heard about (such as recent U.S. models of Samsung phones). Otherwise, there would have been plenty of discussions and guides around here regarding this (and FWIW, I happen to own a US996, LS997, and H918).
As for LTE Band 12 on the T-Mobile network, only phones that are certified by T-Mobile will be able to access it (more info on compatible phones here). So even though a US996 has the hardware for connecting to Band 12, you wouldn't be able to use it since T-Mobile has blocked access to it and only allows it for the H918 model.
Based on all this, I would expect a VS995 to get LTE Bands 2, 4, and 5 on AT&T and T-Mobile. Of course, since you already have the phone, there's only one way to find out. Just make sure you carefully read the guides/procedures about using LGUP for cross-flashing, and absolutely stay away from any H918 firmware (it will instantly kill any V20 that is not an actual H918). Not sure if there even is a separate guide around here as it is usually mentioned in the initial steps of different rooting guides for each V20 model, but you can find the patched LGUP that ezzony mentioned in this thread (you may have to move the DLL file to a specific folder location for it to work properly).
C D said:
Here's some frequency band info for both the VS995 and US996:
VS995
US996
I'm pretty sure this is a hardware difference, and no firmware change will be able to add more band support unlike some other phones you may have heard about (such as recent U.S. models of Samsung phones). Otherwise, there would have been plenty of discussions and guides around here regarding this (and FWIW, I happen to own a US996, LS997, and H918).
As for LTE Band 12 on the T-Mobile network, only phones that are certified by T-Mobile will be able to access it (more info on compatible phones here). So even though a US996 has the hardware for connecting to Band 12, you wouldn't be able to use it since T-Mobile has blocked access to it and only allows it for the H918 model.
Based on all this, I would expect a VS995 to get LTE Bands 2, 4, and 5 on AT&T and T-Mobile. Of course, since you already have the phone, there's only one way to find out. Just make sure you carefully read the guides/procedures about using LGUP for cross-flashing, and absolutely stay away from any H918 firmware (it will instantly kill any V20 that is not an actual H918). Not sure if there even is a separate guide around here as it is usually mentioned in the initial steps of different rooting guides for each V20 model, but you can find the patched LGUP that ezzony mentioned in this thread (you may have to move the DLL file to a specific folder location for it to work properly).
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Yes, but the Frequency Check website only looks at firmware differences, not the internal hardware. I decided to do some further digging and went to the source that tests these (the FCC) and found that the VS995 and US996 have the same ZNFVS995 FCC ID meaning they share the same internal hardware. Verizon just decided they wanted to be arseholes and cripple the phone's band support in their firmware so it wouldn't work to the best of its abilities on T-Mobile's and AT&T's network. Similarly, T-Mobile decided to also be arseholes by artificially limiting Band 12/VoLTE support to their own H918 model only. I hate that carriers are able to get away with this BS. It is incredibly anti-consumer and infuriating. If the hardware supports XYZ then it should be enabled and capable of taking advantage of it. The FCC tested Band 12/17 to work properly on these and says regarding the device's capabilities:
This device contains the following capabilities: 850/1900 CDMA (BC0, BC1), 850/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/1700/1900 WCDMA/HSPA, Multi-band LTE, 802.11b/g/n/ac WLAN, 802.11a/n/ac UNII, Bluetooth (1x, EDR, LE), NFC LTE Band 12 (698 - 716 MHz) overlaps the entire frequency range of LTE Band 17 (704 - 716 MHz). Therefore, test data provided in this report covers Band 17 as well as Band 12. LTE Band 25 (1850 - 1915 MHz) overlaps the entire frequency range of LTE Band 2 (1850 - 1910 MHz). Therefore, test data provided in this report covers Band 2 as well as Band 25. LTE Band 66 (1710 - 1780 MHz) overlaps the entire frequency range of LTE Band 4 (1710 - 1755 MHz). Therefore, test data provided in this report covers Band 4 as well as Band 66.
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Seriously, f*ck both Verizon and T-Mobile. Thankfully I'm starting my Cricket/AT&T service in a week so I'll be able to test if it can pick up and use Band 12/17. You happen to know of any app or way to force/limit the device to only using one specific LTE band? Thank you so much for linking to that thread for flashing these using LGUP. I'll make sure to follow it and to download the US996 (US Unlocked, not US Cellular) firmware and post a small update on my findings. Thank you so much for all the info. Really appreciate it.
DeyEatDaPooPoo said:
You happen to know of any app or way to force/limit the device to only using one specific LTE band?
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While I've never tried this, have a look at this old thread on LTE band selection from a hidden menu. The dialer code differs by model, so for a VS995 it would be *#546368#*995# and for a US996 *#546368#*996#. The code works for my US996 and H918 on Oreo but not for my LS997 on Nougat (for which there is a separate APK file to access the hidden menu). There are lots of submenus and items in there, so be sure not to accidentally change settings that you're not supposed to.
ezzony said:
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
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Hello
You crossflash with which android version 9 or 8
If android 9 whats the battery backup (good/bad)
Does the android 9 has a darkmode
Does it brings back or activate the FM radio ?
Thanks
mariowinax said:
Hello
You crossflash with which android version 9 or 8
If android 9 whats the battery backup (good/bad)
Does the android 9 has a darkmode
Does it brings back or activate the FM radio ?
Thanks
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Android 8.
I know Android 9 does not have FM radio because Android 9 is only available for the Korean variant (F800) and it never had FM in the first place.
ezzony said:
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
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I have heard about converting a vs995 to a us996. How do you do this i have a vs995 and patched lg up do i use the upgrade option or partion dl?
Thanks,
ROMSG
ROMSG said:
I have heard about converting a vs995 to a us996. How do you do this i have a vs995 and patched lg up do i use the upgrade option or partion dl?
Thanks,
ROMSG
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DL partition ignores model codes ...so DL Partition.
ezzony said:
DL partition ignores model codes ...so DL Partition.
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Thanks, now it gives me a partition selection which partitions do i select or do i select all of them?
ROMSG said:
Thanks, now it gives me a partition selection which partitions do i select or do i select all of them?
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All of them seems to work fine.
Will this work in terms of flashing us unlocked firmware or my Verizon LG v20 (vs995) I rooted it successfully, but when I flash these firmware files, the phone is in a bootloop. US996 twrpable zips

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