I bought my S7 Edge (Exynos) some time before Christmas for use in the short term. It was on 3 uk with previous owner but was stated as unlocked. I'm on talkmobile which runs off the Vodafone UK network.
I occasionally lose network on my phone and it loses the imei number too on occasion. I believe I have a baseband issue as I can only ever use lte band 20 and I thought that the phone would at least pick up a few more bands. I'm on the latest firmware R16NW.G935FXXS7ESL5
I'm wondering if I can change to roms that are more suited or sort the baseband. I'm happy to go to custom firmware if it's possible (unsure what I would lose in the process of leaving oem firmware?) I used to own a Sony and was competent with changing bootloader and firmware, obviously Samsung is somewhat different with locked bootloader on some devices so any pointers would be very welcome and gratefully received.
Phil
Related
So I bought a N920W8 from Bell (Canada) and I didn't put a bell sim card in it when first powered on the device, but a Wind Mobile sim(Bell store people didn't touch the phone when bought). I was all ready with my unlock code I purchased and what do you know? IT WASN'T LOCKED TO BELL! It worked on Wind as if it was an unlocked phone. Then I had an idea to put a Bell sim card in and BAM! DEVICE IS SIM LOCKED. Seems that the phone locked itself to the first sim card's carrier it sees. This might be different for US/overseas models that are carrier specific, but here in Canada all our carrier use the N920W8...same firmware as far as I can tell. I can change CSC codes without problems too, however I did SIM unlock the phone before I tried that to avoid any soft bricking issues that might arise. Pass on the good news!
Weird that this happened. I traded my phone for a Note 5 a couple days ago, not expecting it to work with Wind at all (it was apparently unlocked, but I instantly figured an unlocked Bell phone would never work with Wind so theres no point in trying), well a couple days passed, and I said what rhe heck, so I popped my phone in, got the Neteork Locked Sim [enter unlock code], entered the unlock code, and about 10 mins later, it worked!
I was so happy that I didnt have to take the extra time to trade the note 5 for a wind compatible one.
I too have to N920W8 version (which is considered the n9208 here)
This is my first Samsung phone, ever.. Rooting it was... different, and the extreme lack of rom/kernel support is staggering. Any tips?
imatts said:
Weird that this happened. I traded my phone for a Note 5 a couple days ago, not expecting it to work with Wind at all (it was apparently unlocked, but I instantly figured an unlocked Bell phone would never work with Wind so theres no point in trying), well a couple days passed, and I said what rhe heck, so I popped my phone in, got the Neteork Locked Sim [enter unlock code], entered the unlock code, and about 10 mins later, it worked!
I was so happy that I didnt have to take the extra time to trade the note 5 for a wind compatible one.
I too have to N920W8 version (which is considered the n9208 here)
This is my first Samsung phone, ever.. Rooting it was... different, and the extreme lack of rom/kernel support is staggering. Any tips?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well. First thing that comes to mind is that you've got some more reading to do. As most of your assumptions are just wrong.
But not to bust your chops, you have to know, every w8 Canadian model, regardless of provider, is essentially same phone. Difference being only in active csc loaded. Starting with this year, putting first sim in brand new phone determines your active csc. It is easily changed.
Where you might get some issues is for some providers options like VoLTE, you still need rogers/fido phone as they discriminate based on imei for those features, which means only phone sold by them.
More importantly, I have no clue how and why you would get that our w8 model would have anything to do with 9208 model (which is Asian dual sim)? It does not.
Our phone, is actually identical to tmobile 920t, with only one difference. The modem. Which for several generations has to be signed, and not interchangeable once set by samsung.
So if you need roms, kernels etc, look in tmobile thread, with Canadian specific install instructions.
Rooting samsung nowadays is the same procedure as nexus owners have with android 6+.
1.Custom recovery, root, custom kernel done.
2.In case of system less root, custom recovery, system less root package, done.
Lastly. Read Canadian thread in this section for some Canadian specific insights.
All the best.
Edit: And now you've got cf-autoroot since today. Easiest.
Note 5 ?
AT&T claims to unlock their SIM locked device for US networks only, but not Europe?
Hi people, I'm new in US Samsung models world, so I have a couple of burning questions.
Long story short, my friend lives in US, has bought AT&T S7 Edge last year off contract, paid the device fully, so in theory he should be free from their will, except the device being SIM locked to AT&T. Now he has S8, and wants to send me his S7 Edge here in Europe, however upon contacting them about removing the lock, they have claimed that at least a year has to expire from the day of purchase for the phone to be fully unlocked and used globally, and as for now, they can only unlock the phone from their network so it can be used (on all networks) in US only, but it can't be used in Europe (until a year expires which they indicated).
Now, from my very limited knowledge I smell BS here, since only thing they can do is block the usage of certain bands through their software thus limiting usage of the device across all networks, but that can be avoided by flashing a fresh firmware, or better yet U firmware, since I've read that its Samsungs firmware with unlocked bands for a global use.
So, as long as there is hardware capability, they can't limit it really permanently, or for certain amount off time if you bypass that with U global firmware.
Or am I wrong here? Is unlocking through 3rd party websites better solution?
Cirra92 said:
Hi people, I'm new in US Samsung models world, so I have a couple of burning questions.
Long story short, my friend lives in US, has bought AT&T S7 Edge last year off contract, paid the device fully, so in theory he should be free from their will, except the device being SIM locked to AT&T. Now he has S8, and wants to send me his S7 Edge here in Europe, however upon contacting them about removing the lock, they have claimed that at least a year has to expire from the day of purchase for the phone to be fully unlocked and used globally, and as for now, they can only unlock the phone from their network so it can be used (on all networks) in US only, but it can't be used in Europe (until a year expires which they indicated).
Now, from my very limited knowledge I smell BS here, since only thing they can do is block the usage of certain bands through their software thus limiting usage of the device across all networks, but that can be avoided by flashing a fresh firmware, or better yet U firmware, since I've read that its Samsungs firmware with unlocked bands for a global use.
So, as long as there is hardware capability, they can't limit it really permanently, or for certain amount off time if you bypass that with U global firmware.
Or am I wrong here? Is unlocking through 3rd party websites better solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) As soon as the phone is paid off (no balance owed) and you have been a customer in good standing for either 2 months (post-paid) or 6 months (pre-paid) you can request a SIM unlock code. Yes, this is BS, but it is what it is. Note that it is important to do SIM unlocking BEFORE removing your old device from your account, as you will guarantee a bad time trying to do it afterward.
2) The SIM unlock is global and should allow any APN to be used with the device. AT&T doesn't really care where you use your unlocked device because T-mobile is just as much not AT&T as any European carrier.
3) If you can get it from AT&T for free, why not? Otherwise, get it where you can. So far, every time I have requested an unlock for an AT&T device I have had to escalate, and for some devices they don't even offer unlocks (AT&T branded hotspots, tablets, etc. aren't unlockable through AT&T)
4) Using U firmware doesn't help because it is the baseband processor (and related firmware) that handles network locking. Simply switching to unlocked software doesn't alter the baseband at all. Changing the modem/baseband firmware won't help EITHER, because that processor has it's own non-volatile storage. Carriers take SIM locking very seriously at a hardware level.
jshamlet said:
1) As soon as the phone is paid off (no balance owed) and you have been a customer in good standing for either 2 months (post-paid) or 6 months (pre-paid) you can request a SIM unlock code. Yes, this is BS, but it is what it is. Note that it is important to do SIM unlocking BEFORE removing your old device from your account, as you will guarantee a bad time trying to do it afterward.
2) The SIM unlock is global and should allow any APN to be used with the device. AT&T doesn't really care where you use your unlocked device because T-mobile is just as much not AT&T as any European carrier.
3) If you can get it from AT&T for free, why not? Otherwise, get it where you can. So far, every time I have requested an unlock for an AT&T device I have had to escalate, and for some devices they don't even offer unlocks (AT&T branded hotspots, tablets, etc. aren't unlockable through AT&T)
4) Using U firmware doesn't help because it is the baseband processor (and related firmware) that handles network locking. Simply switching to unlocked software doesn't alter the baseband at all. Changing the modem/baseband firmware won't help EITHER, because that processor has it's own non-volatile storage. Carriers take SIM locking very seriously at a hardware level.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) All those conditions have been met, so there shouldn't be a problem about requesting SIM unlock code, and they did say the phone can be unlocked and be SIM free but it will work on US networks only, and not on European, until 1 year expires.
2) Since the G935A has GSM 2G bands and HSDPA 3G bands, it is already compatible with European bands, or specifically with bands on my carrier here, I don't see how are they going to unlock it to work on US networks but not on EU, that's what confused me. SIM unlock should be global that is how it goes anyway.
3) Yeah that's what I thought, but since they mention limiting the unlock (if it is possible) for US usage only (maybe tampering with the device in hand) it might be better to go for 3rd party unlock.
4) Thanks for the explanation, that seems serious, not sure why so serious though.
Anyway as a conclusion, since both 2G and 3G bands match with my carrier's, if they do unlock the device (AT&T) it should work in EU, despite their claims that it won't for a year? How would they "unlock" it after a year when the device is not in their hands :S
I suggested to my friend to request a code through 3rd party anyway, unlock it and send me the device, since he was already pissed off with the response from AT&T.
Hi all,
Been through a few thread but didn't get a definite answer as I would like to flash my VZ s7 edge to be on T-mobile as I don't mind the carrier float wares. I just want it to work as the phone is bought from T-mobile. I know it's possible but does everything work including unlocked the T-mobile LTE band? Wifi calling or VoLTE etc.. I wasn't sure if the software will unlocked the bands or is it restricted to hardware limitation. Would you recommend the U firmware or T-mobile? I am trying to give the phone to my nephew as he's a poor college kid using S3 and he's on T-mobile. TIA.
Yes it works. Just make sure you flash T-Mobile firmware
If you flash the U firmware for the S7 Edge, its modem should have all bands available as well.
You might just have to root it and make some adjustments to the CSC.
So I have a VS995 that I have been using on TotalWireless (Verizon MVNO). I took it apart to attempt to replace the battery and ever since I did I constantly loose connection to the network. I've basically given up on this phone and went back to using my M8.
I still think I want another V20 as I can't find anything else with the same value proposition and features I want...that is as long as I can find a mint one at around the $150-200 mark.
According to this site which lists all the bands the models support, the VS995 supports the following bands:
LTE Cat12 700/800/850/1700/1800/1900/2600 (Bands 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 13, 20)
Only other model that supports all the same bands is the US996
My questions are as follows:
1) When you see someone saying they are selling "GSM unlocked" that works on all carriers, does that mean the actual bands have been unlocked? I'm unsure whether the supported bands are a limitation of hardware in a model or an actual "lock" that can be removed. If you can actually unlock all bands then you technically can buy any model ??
2) If I plan to use a custom ROM, can I pretty much get any version of the phone? I assume I can't load the Verizon firmware on an H918 (T-Mobile) or vice-versa, but if I'm going to run Lineage say, does it matter?
Ideally I want the US996 unlocked, as it seems everyone does because I can't really find any used in good condition.
I suppose I could go back to the VS995 again but I'm unsure of the actual benefits (going to post another question about this one).
In short, I'm looking to find out which phones I can get that will work 100% on the Verizon/MVNO networks. I'm not necessarily tied to stock roms, but need root and would like it on a relatively up-to-date firmware.
GSM unlocked means the phone will accept a sim card from any GSM carrier. Getting a signal is another story, the bands stay the same regardless of it being sim (GSM) locked or not
( there is a possibility of crossflashing parts of other v20 model firmware (except the Tmobile and Sprint models shouldn't use or be used by any other model at risk of bricking) to unlock some bands however, check this thread)
Things like VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling often need carrier specific firmware as well.
You'll be able to root the verizon variant just fine, basically it involves rolling back to the December 2016 security patch and doing an exploit that puts an engineering bootloader on it that doesn't care if the bootloader is locked or not. Verizon root Thread with links and videos.
I've already posted on Reddit looking for advice, but realised I might be more likely to get some good answers here. I’ll start with the TL;DR… What stock firmware (preferably without bloatware) should I flash on a Verizon Galaxy S10+ SM-G975U that’s going to be used in France with a French SIM, to get the best network coverage?
Some more info: I bought a refurbished Galaxy S10+ which was said to be an unlocked model originated in Europe. Turns out it was shipped from the US, and is a Snapdragon-based Verizon phone.
To get rid of all traces of Verizon, I successfully flashed U1 XAA firmware downloaded with Frija (SM-G975U1, XAA, June 1 2021 Security Patch Level) which did get rid of the bloatware, and now doesn't have the Verizon startup screen. Success? Not quite...
On this firmware, 4G signal doesn't seem to get picked up as easily as when it was on the original Verizon firmware. It also shows LTE rather than 4G in the notification bar as it did before flashing the U1 firmware.
My S9+ (Exynos 'F' model, flashed with French non-carrier firmware) gets 4G signal (-115 dBm 25 asu) on a certain spot on my desk. In the exact same spot, the S10+ gets H (-101 dBm 19 asu), and I struggle to find a spot in the house where it gets LTE/4G. This makes me wonder if some required frequency bands aren't supported on this firmware?
I'm wondering whether the U1 firmware was not the best option after all? If U1 isn’t the way to go, what firmware version would you suggest? Should I go back to U firmware instead, or maybe go for the Canadian W XAC unbranded firmware? Not sure if there's even a version of U firmware that doesn't come with carrier branding + bloat...
Basically, I'm looking for stock firmware without carrier bloatware, that'll work well on the SFR network in France, and ideally show 4G in the notification bar. It's actually a surprise birthday gift for my wife too, so I'm trying to prepare it for her so she has the best experience with the phone as possible.
Cheers in advance for any advice! You might help me save this from being a bit of a disaster of a birthday gift
Quick update. I've flashed SM-G975W XAC (unbranded Canada) firmware, and now the phone picks up LTE signal in parts of the house where it would only get E signal whilst on SM-G975U1 XAA firmware. So I know that the Canadian firmware is at least a bit better in my situation.
However, the LTE speeds are still between 25%-50% of what I get on my S9+ Exynos on French unbranded firmware using the same SIM. And obviously the phone still shows LTE in the notification bar, rather than 4G.
I might try going back to Verizon firmware to see if the LTE/4G performs better, which might be the best route to go, even with the bloatware and Version branded annoyances.
Ok, I thought it might be best to post my last update to close this off, in case it helps anyone else who stumbles on it in future.
I was going to do back-to-back tests on U1 XAA, W XAC, U VZW and U CHA firmware, in that order, to see what would work best and give a good 4G signal.
I started with flashing the latest U1 XAA, which had the same poor signal and only showed LTE in the notification bar and not 4G, as before.
Next up, I flashed the same W XAC (Canadian non-carrier) firmware as before, but this time I left my SIM card in the phone. Out of paranoia I'd always removed it when flashing, but when the phone booted up it showed 4G in the notification bar, not LTE like before, and signal strength and speeds were good!
So I stopped there and have stuck with SM-G975W XAC firmware. It seems to have achieved what I want—decent performance on the French SFR network, without bloatware, and correctly displaying 4G—so I decided not to push my luck and stop flashing any more firmware versions, just in case I end up with an expensive paperweight.