Database Users

Which LG V20 models have an unlocked boot loader and/or support root?

I currently have a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 phone.
I rooted the phone after I got it but a few months ago I had to unroot the photo so I could send it in to Samsung to fix a problem with the screen and while Samsung did fix the screen problem under warranty, they also installed the latest software update which looks down the boot loader and makes rooting very hard (The VZ S5 forum had a way to root the newer software but only if a certain part of the hardware was a certain chipset and mine phone didn't have that).
So now, I'm looking for a new phone that has a microSD Card and the ability to be rooted.
The IR function of the Galaxy S5 would neat too but I don't have to have it.
From what I've read it appears the LG V20 would fit the bill in regards to the microSD Card and an IR Blaster but from looking online and this forum, I can't seem to find out which models of the LG V20 have an unlocked boot loader and/or can be rooted.
Does anyone know which models have an unlock boot loader and/or can be rooted?
Also, they need to be models that are compatible with Verizon as they as the cell service company I use.

as far as i know, only the T-mobile variant and the international variant have unlockable bootloaders. the verizon variant is locked down , i assume some folks are looking for an exploit, but as of now its still a no-go. i have no idea if/when it might happen, but i wouldnt bank on it being soonish.

Hi,
can anyone provide an updated list of V20 variants with unlockable bootloaders and root?
I ask because I really like the phone, but I rely on having Titanium Backup Root to backup and restore my data and settings.
I also want to be sure that whatever I buy can have a life beyond LG's support for running custom ROMs.

speculatrix said:
Hi,
can anyone provide an updated list of V20 variants with unlockable bootloaders and root?
I ask because I really like the phone, but I rely on having Titanium Backup Root to backup and restore my data and settings.
I also want to be sure that whatever I buy can have a life beyond LG's support for running custom ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here it the information for verizon , Sprint and more about how to unlock boootloader and root as well
https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/ls997vs995h910-dirtysanta-bootloader-t3519410

Gabe2014 said:
Here it the information for verizon , Sprint and more about jow to unlock boootloader and root as well
https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/ls997vs995h910-dirtysanta-bootloader-t3519410
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks very much.

speculatrix said:
thanks very much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go here for tmobile and international https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/development/h918-recowvery-unlock-v20-root-shell-t3490594

Best/CheapestWay to Carrier Unlock Sprint LG V20 (Dirty Santa? US996 Rom? eBay Guys?)

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.

Which LG V20 should I buy? Help!

I am looking for an LG V20 that I can unlock the bootloader and root the device. Which variant do you guys recommend? I am currently on ATT and would like to know if the ATT version can be unlocked and rooted. If not which one can I use for ATT and unlock it?

borijess said:
I am looking for an LG V20 that I can unlock the bootloader and root the device. Which variant do you guys recommend? I am currently on ATT and would like to know if the ATT version can be unlocked and rooted. If not which one can I use for ATT and unlock it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think all the variants are currently on versions that have patched Dirty CoW. Up until recently, on T-Mobile, you could at least downgrade with a KDZ, but the latest version has anti-rollback.
I think the US996 might be your best bet. You won't have WiFi calling, but it at least has an official unlock, even if it can't be undone.

Unbranding h910 AT&T

Hi.
I am expecting delivery of an LG V20 h910 from eBay in the coming days, but don't have an AT&T SIM (EU user).
Is there a way to flash an unlocked, stock version of the software (eg US996) so I can update the phone to the latest version?
I heard non-AT&T SIM users don't get updates thru AT&T, so wondering how I can get the latest software for it.
I would prefer not to root the phone, but would do if necessary (and if I can then get a fully functional, up-to-date software version).
Thanks in advance.

AWT86 said:
Hi.
I am expecting delivery of an LG V20 h910 from eBay in the coming days, but don't have an AT&T SIM (EU user).
Is there a way to flash an unlocked, stock version of the software (eg US996) so I can update the phone to the latest version?
I heard non-AT&T SIM users don't get updates thru AT&T, so wondering how I can get the latest software for it.
I would prefer not to root the phone, but would do if necessary (and if I can then get a fully functional, up-to-date software version).
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, if its not sim unlocked phone, it will forever stay sim locked unless you get the network unlock for it. EVEN if you flash any of the other brand roms. Also, AT&T doesn't have the full stock kdz to revert to, there are work arounds to return to stock. This phone has trouble with the screen ghosting/retention, as well as bonkers HDR camera performance, also not to forget, GPS inaccuracy upto 50 meters. I'd suggest look away from LG unless you're going for LG v30 which doesn't carry any of these issues.
If you have already bought, paid and "expecting" shipment anytime soon, you should make sure that its network unlocked H910. (make backup of your partitions before flashing any other brand rom because you will need modem, modemst1, modemst2 and misc partitions in-case you lose the signals). Then you can easily flash it with H915 rom which is the best among debloated stock roms. Flash H910 v10m firmware over it, then flash the modem/modemst1/modemst2/misc files from fastboot to get network signal. From there on forward, you may keep H915 rom with H910 v10m base, or you can even move on to lineage roms. I'd suggest stay rooted with manual color calibration for no-ghosting measures.

AWT86 said:
Hi.
I am expecting delivery of an LG V20 h910 from eBay in the coming days, but don't have an AT&T SIM (EU user).
Is there a way to flash an unlocked, stock version of the software (eg US996) so I can update the phone to the latest version?
I heard non-AT&T SIM users don't get updates thru AT&T, so wondering how I can get the latest software for it.
I would prefer not to root the phone, but would do if necessary (and if I can then get a fully functional, up-to-date software version).
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't flash another variant rom until you unlock the bootloader and root. As far as functionality with the 996 will depend on the bands your carrier supports
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs

I received my used AT&T V20 yesterday also bought from eBay. I'm on O2 and it works fine. Just be sure your phone is network unlocked. Only thing is the bloatware.

So much misinformation in this thread, but I will just address the original question....
Yes, you can flash the US996 KDZ without rooting .. just flash like you would any other KDZ. You lose some AT&T specific features while running US996, but if you are overseas, I don't think that will bother you.
As far as I know, that will SIM unlock the phone if it is locked. If it doesn't, then the engineering bootloader that you use to root will SIM unlock the phone as well as bootloader unlock it.
So, first try the US996 KDZ, if that doesn't SIM unlock, you will have to root.
-- Brian

CaseyS said:
I received my used AT&T V20 yesterday also bought from eBay. I'm on O2 and it works fine. Just be sure your phone is network unlocked. Only thing is the bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get any system updates?

runningnak3d said:
So much misinformation in this thread, but I will just address the original question....
Yes, you can flash the US996 KDZ without rooting .. just flash like you would any other KDZ. You lose some AT&T specific features while running US996, but if you are overseas, I don't think that will bother you.
As far as I know, that will SIM unlock the phone if it is locked. If it doesn't, then the engineering bootloader that you use to root will SIM unlock the phone as well as bootloader unlock it.
So, first try the US996 KDZ, if that doesn't SIM unlock, you will have to root.
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone should come pre-unlocked for all networks. I'm mainly concerned about system updates. US996 sounds good, as I can't use AT&T here (AT&T doesn't exist in my country). Would I be able to update the firmware in any way once US996 KDZ is installed? Thanks in advance.

AWT86 said:
Did you get any system updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No system updates. Had the latest update with the latest security patch, but I downgraded because I want to root it. Still 7.0, but with a earlier patch level.

Which version to buy: LG V20 H918 (T-Mobile only?!?) or VS995

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?