Hi,
I just purchased a locked Sprint LG V20 online and I'm just wondering what the best (Cheapest) way to unlock it and use it on a Canadian network.
I've read on some threads when you do the Dirty Santa bootloader unlock, the carrier becomes unlocked as well? (Could someone please explain the exact way how or point me to a thread that can). I also read flashing a US cellular rom on a Sprint model will unlock the phone.
Then there's a method similar to the G5 where you can download the hidden menu dialer apk and unlock it that way.
Thanks,
changstalicious said:
Hi,
I just purchased a locked Sprint LG V20 online and I'm just wondering what the best (Cheapest) way to unlock it and use it on a Canadian network.
I've read on some threads when you do the Dirty Santa bootloader unlock, the carrier becomes unlocked as well? (Could someone please explain the exact way how or point me to a thread that can). I also read flashing a US cellular rom on a Sprint model will unlock the phone.
Then there's a method similar to the G5 where you can download the hidden menu dialer apk and unlock it that way.
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
check the software version on your cellular telephone device.
If it mentions zv5, it is rootable. If it says zv6, dont bother. Been patched.
I went on eBay to unlock my Sprint V20 to use with AT&T.
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.
I'm new to a lot of this stuff. If you have unlocked att lg g6 phone by carrier code why can't you load any g6 rom on it. Or are there more specific chipsets
[email protected] said:
I'm new to a lot of this stuff. If you have unlocked att lg g6 phone by carrier code why can't you load any g6 rom on it. Or are there more specific chipsets
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a difference between Sim unlocking (which is what you have; carrier unlocked Sim), and Bootloader unlocking (installing custom rooms; AOSP, etc). Unfortunately, the only G6's that can have Bootloader unlocking is the international version, but others like TMobile, I do believe have root access.. So for AT&T models, we're out of luck and it will probably not get a Bootloader unlocked but (((maybe))) in the future, we will have root.
I purchased a used US997 that appears to be a LG demo or test phone. It activates and works, but the software version is still from May of 2017. What is the date of the current stock software for the US997? Furthermore, I attempted to unlock the bootloader and got denied. The message says "Your device (TEST_GPIN) does not support unlocking the bootloader." Hence my thinking the phone is a beta/test version of the consumer model. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on this? At this juncture, I am posed to return the phone.
Thanks in advance.
There are two versions of the US997. One is the US Cellular version, the bootloader can not be unlocked. The other is a non US Cellular version that can be unlocked. You need to go to the LG developer website and submit your IMEI and they will email you a file that can be used to unlock the bootloader. If you have a US Cellular version, they will reply that your phone is not unlockable.
lemmyslender said:
There are two versions of the US997. One is the US Cellular version, the bootloader can not be unlocked. The other is a non US Cellular version that can be unlocked. You need to go to the LG developer website and submit your IMEI and they will email you a file that can be used to unlock the bootloader. If you have a US Cellular version, they will reply that your phone is not unlockable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am aware that there are the 2 versions. What I have is not the US Cellular version of the phone. It is a demo or test model of the US997 unlocked phone. However, I can't unlock the bootloader and it doesn't look like it is capable of receiving OTA updates.
Irieone said:
I am aware that there are the 2 versions. What I have is not the US Cellular version of the phone. It is a demo or test model of the US997 unlocked phone. However, I can't unlock the bootloader and it doesn't look like it is capable of receiving OTA updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
US997 is also the model number of the U.S. Cellular phone. Both the open market US997 and U.S. Cellular US997 are identical in every respect, EXCEPT the U.S. Cellular is not eligible for bootloader unlock.
You have a demo or test model US997 which was NEVER sold at retail by authorized 3rd party retailer like B&H Photo. Thus, it's not eligible for bootloader unlock. The ones that are eligible would not come up TEST_GPIN and their IMEI numbers would in the LG Developer bootloader unlock database.
Hello and good evening,
I wanted to buy a new V20 and had found a dealer on eBay who had offered the H918.
In the auction text it said that it would be compatible with all networks/provider, so I bought it. Today the dealer contacted me and said that the H918 would probably only work with a T-mobile SIM (I’m located in Germany, O2 is my provider) but he could offer me the VS995 that would had no problems with all networks.
I didn't find much about the VS995 in terms of network/provider compatibility.
What I have found was contradictory information on the web, one time it says "Yes, only with T-Mobile" somewhere else again "The US996 would be the best choice or then the H918 as a second choice, for both the provider would not matter, would work with everyone ".
Is the H918 really only usable with a T-Mobile SIM or does it only have a T-Mobile branding and also with regard to "rooting" and installing a "Custom ROM", which version should I prefer?
After rooting and installing a custom ROM, is the H918 compatible with all networks?
The H918 seems to support more Bands than the VS995?
I would be grateful for any tip, maybe someone can help me with the dilema and the decision!
Many thanks in advance. ^^
carpeta said:
Hello and good evening,
I wanted to buy a new V20 and had found a dealer on eBay who had offered the H918.
In the auction text it said that it would be compatible with all networks/provider, so I bought it. Today the dealer contacted me and said that the H918 would probably only work with a T-mobile SIM (I’m located in Germany, O2 is my provider) but he could offer me the VS995 that would had no problems with all networks.
I didn't find much about the VS995 in terms of network/provider compatibility.
What I have found was contradictory information on the web, one time it says "Yes, only with T-Mobile" somewhere else again "The US996 would be the best choice or then the H918 as a second choice, for both the provider would not matter, would work with everyone ".
Is the H918 really only usable with a T-Mobile SIM or does it only have a T-Mobile branding and also with regard to "rooting" and installing a "Custom ROM", which version should I prefer?
After rooting and installing a custom ROM, is the H918 compatible with all networks?
The H918 seems to support more Bands than the VS995?
I would be grateful for any tip, maybe someone can help me with the dilema and the decision!
Many thanks in advance. ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd advise you get the vs995 and don't update, to be on the safe side if you'd want to mod
Landloord said:
I'd advise you get the vs995 and don't update, to be on the safe side if you'd want to mod
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply Landloord.
I definitely want to root the unit and flash it with a custom firmware.
So far I only had one Android smartphone that I didn't rooted.
My question would be if the H918 would accept any SIM card after the root and custom ROM flash, because the seller told me it would only accept T-mobile SIM cards. I'm asking the questions because I never had an phone that was locked from the facotory to only one provider.
Shouldn't the SIM lock be overwritten after flashing with a custom ROM or am I wrong?!
carpeta said:
I definitely want to root the unit and flash it with a custom firmware.
So far I only had one Android smartphone that I didn't rooted.
My question would be if the H918 would accept any SIM card after the root and custom ROM flash, because the seller told me it would only accept T-mobile SIM cards. I'm asking the questions because I never had an phone that was locked from the facotory to only one provider.
Shouldn't the SIM lock be overwritten after flashing with a custom ROM or am I wrong?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a custom ROM or different firmware has no effect on the SIM lock status.
The VS995 and US996 models always come SIM-unlocked out of the box, so all you have to worry about those is that the IMEI number is clean/not blacklisted.
The H918 is a bit trickier: If it's SIM-locked, then only SIM cards using the T-Mobile USA network will work. When buying, you have to make sure that the H918 is permanently unlocked (that is done through a special T-Mobile app that connects to a server and not a simple unlock code like you see from many other locked phones). In contrast, you'll want to avoid an H918 that is temporarily unlocked (for people who travel abroad for a while), so in that case, the phone will re-lock to T-Mobile USA after a certain period of time (could be several months).
If LTE band 20 is the main band for your provider, then any of the 3 models you mentioned should work fine. You can see each model's bands on sites such as FrequencyCheck. If there are other LTE bands besides 20 that your provider uses, then I think the various H990 models (H990DS, H990N, H990TR) have the most compatible bands for Europe.
As for root and custom ROMs, the rooting procedure and available ROMs will vary depending on the model you get, so you may want to look around here first to see what your options are. Generally, it does not matter how updated the firmware of the phone is; you can simply downgrade to root for all V20 models except one (the LS997, which doesn't have LTE band 20 anyway).
C D said:
Flashing a custom ROM or different firmware has no effect on the SIM lock status.
The VS995 and US996 models always come SIM-unlocked out of the box, so all you have to worry about those is that the IMEI number is clean/not blacklisted.
The H918 is a bit trickier: If it's SIM-locked, then only SIM cards using the T-Mobile USA network will work. When buying, you have to make sure that the H918 is permanently unlocked (that is done through a special T-Mobile app that connects to a server and not a simple unlock code like you see from many other locked phones). In contrast, you'll want to avoid an H918 that is temporarily unlocked (for people who travel abroad for a while), so in that case, the phone will re-lock to T-Mobile USA after a certain period of time (could be several months).
If LTE band 20 is the main band for your provider, then any of the 3 models you mentioned should work fine. You can see each model's bands on sites such as FrequencyCheck. If there are other LTE bands besides 20 that your provider uses, then I think the various H990 models (H990DS, H990N, H990TR) have the most compatible bands for Europe.
As for root and custom ROMs, the rooting procedure and available ROMs will vary depending on the model you get, so you may want to look around here first to see what your options are. Generally, it does not matter how updated the firmware of the phone is; you can simply downgrade to root for all V20 models except one (the LS997, which doesn't have LTE band 20 anyway).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for the detailed answer! :good:
Then the flashing of another modem would probably not override the SIM lock then either, right? ?
carpeta said:
Many thanks for the detailed answer! :good:
Then the flashing of another modem would probably not override the SIM lock then either, right? ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Only the T-Mobile Unlock app can be used to SIM-unlock it, and I think the info on the unlock eligibility/status of any particular H918 phone is stored on whatever T-Mobile USA server that the app connects to. There may be a paid unlock service that can unlock one for you, but I suspect it may be expensive.
I should also mention that the H918 is not compatible with any other model's firmware, which means that if you try to flash any non-H918 firmware onto an H918, then it will permanently brick/kill the phone. Likewise, flashing H918 firmware onto any non-H918 model will brick that phone.
Thank you very much for all the information C D!
I will look if there are any differences in the included accessories of both models and I guess I have to take the VS995 or look around for another model. ??
No problem. If returning the phone to the seller is easy, then you'll be able to try out the VS995 and see if the signal coverage is OK.
And by the way, the VS995 (as do the US996 and Korean F800K/L/S models) has the FM radio disabled, but if you root it and stay on a stock-based Oreo ROM, you can get the FM radio back.
Anyway, it looks like you still have plenty of options regarding compatible models. And as someone who happens to have grown up in Germany, I'd say you have „die Qual der Wahl“.
You've said it all
C D said:
No problem. If returning the phone to the seller is easy, then you'll be able to try out the VS995 and see if the signal coverage is OK.
And by the way, the VS995 (as do the US996 and Korean F800K/L/S models) has the FM radio disabled, but if you root it and stay on a stock-based Oreo ROM, you can get the FM radio back.
Anyway, it looks like you still have plenty of options regarding compatible models. And as someone who happens to have grown up in Germany, I'd say you have „die Qual der Wahl“.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ja die Qual der Wahl! :laugh:
I have now told the seller that I don't want either model, I might look for a US996 model.
Thanks again! :good:
Just the way i selected to do this. I even have the opposite methods simply did no longer have the time to one hundred% check them on a physical guide V20 in palms as i used to be doing it for a person else who wanted it again. I normally use hardware in recent times
Which of the models of the V20 is to set in the language of the Netherlands? I have now a VS995 and with this phone it is not possible!
Ruud5 said:
Which of the models of the V20 is to set in the language of the Netherlands? I have now a VS995 and with this phone it is not possible!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The V20 was never officially sold in Europe, so I'm not sure if any model has your language. But you could try one of those language enabler apps that supposedly can add more languages to Android phones. Here's a recent post of someone using such an app to add Mexican Spanish to their Korean LG V50:
https://www.reddit.com/r/lgv50/comments/rtxei7
Thank you so much. I shall try this!
hi there, is there a good way to root vs995 easily and install los18 without the dreaded vibrating when boot?