Sprint or Verizon to US Cellular - Upgrading, Modifying and Unlocking

Where can I find information about porting phones to different carriers, specifically to US Cellular.
As of right now USCC doesn't have any Android phones yes I know they are coming out with two this summer. But I want a different phone than what they are offering.
If someone can guide me in the right direction that would be great and I would be very thankful. I had in mind to port the Evo or Incredible.

If someone would be kind enough to point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

I don't have the links anymore, but I can tell you that I put my Sprint HTC touch pro on the verizon network a year or two ago. It involved running a few obscure programs on it and then installing a custom rom
I understand that that is not what your are looking to do, exactly, but it may be a place to start if you are interested. Google something like sprint htc touch pro on verizon and see if one thing leads to another
hope this helps in some way

Related

HTC EVO, can it work in Costa Rica???

Learning curve is steep, but I did it!
I just rooted my EVO and set up the wifi tether...using unrevoked, works but is a slow connection....but now my challenge is, can anyone tell me if I can get the phone to work in Costa Rica. I go for months at a time and would love to use it there. Their cell phone company is the government, called ICE, one provider for now. I am a novice, but can follow instructions well. Thanks in advance....great forum...I live in the US now.
if you can follow instructions, why did you post this in the wrong forum?
maybe
i saw a post on how to use the evo on cricket or metro pcs.
but the dev section isnt where it was.
(i think it was evo general or something)
agreed, this should def be in the questions board!
the main question is, does costa rica's ICE use GMS or CDMA cell phone radio technology?
if they use GSM compatible with AT&T/T-mobile, there is no way it will work because the hardware does not exist in the phone.
if they use CDMA compatible with sprint/verizon/metro pcs, there is a good chance it will work but requires some work to modify the phone and it will require the same process of steps to modify it back to sprint.
here is the guide for modifying it to work on metropcs - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=704161
welcome to XDA!

[Q] Incred on Sprint

No, I'm not asking when/if the Incred is gonna hit Sprint.
Due to a falling out with Verizon, I'm now with Sprint, and would like to bring the $300 phone over to them (even if I would love to get my hands on an Evo). Now, considering I've never even considered taking an unlocked phone and dropping it onto another provider, I was hoping someone here in the forums may know whether or not it is possible to do so.
I mean, they're both CDMA and Sprint does use Verizon's towers...
It's not possible sadly. Not for any technical reasons, there are no issues there, but Sprint won't activate a phone's ESN number that's not in their system. The ESN contains the model number/vender/etc. Being that this phone is a VZW-exclusive, there really isn't a lot you can do... sorry =/.
DeeBG said:
It's not possible sadly. Not for any technical reasons, there are no issues there, but Sprint won't activate a phone's ESN number that's not in their system. The ESN contains the model number/vender/etc. Being that this phone is a VZW-exclusive, there really isn't a lot you can do... sorry =/.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC is known for releasing phones that are better than and similar to other carriers versions, so i'd try to hold out, HTC releases phones every other month or so too. You can still use the phone as a Wifi only device atleast so its not entirely useless.
also, from the sound of it DeeBG, the ESN seems to be the same as a VIN for a car, didn't know the ESN contained all that info, i thought it was just an id like a MAC I.D. on wireless devices.
As far as them not activating the ESN, a while back they were part of the Open Handset Alliance, as was Verizon, and T-Mobile was also in there, and as far as i've read, Verizon is the only carrier that left it.
An H-SPL* unlocked HTC Touch Pro 2 with Windows Mobile from Verizon can be made to work on Sprint, its just that the 3G won't work (just to give an example)
*H-SPL is the equivelant of Root on Android, except on Windows Mobile OS
Trey_Miller said:
No, I'm not asking when/if the Incred is gonna hit Sprint.
Due to a falling out with Verizon, I'm now with Sprint, and would like to bring the $300 phone over to them (even if I would love to get my hands on an Evo). Now, considering I've never even considered taking an unlocked phone and dropping it onto another provider, I was hoping someone here in the forums may know whether or not it is possible to do so.
I mean, they're both CDMA and Sprint does use Verizon's towers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're chances are about as good as Janet Reno winning a Miss America pageant. Sprint will not activate it as the MEID is not in their database nor would they even remotely entertain the idea of adding it as they can not support it if there are problems.
anything is possible but you are then on your own with no warranty or support from sprint. if you search around you can find how to do it but it is not easy and really not worth it unless you enjoy messing around with programming phones.
best bet is to ebay your INC and get an EVO on sprint. you'll probably come out ahead money wise anyway.
I say try activating it online. It wouldn't hurt to try. Can't speak for Sprint, but I've activated an old MotoQ from Sprint on Verizon's network within the last 6 months or so. So, I at least know Verizon does it. Or maybe they both carried the same phone at one point. But, trying doesn't hurt.
Edit: Comment back here when you figure it out.

[Q] Verizon Galaxy Nexus on MetroPCS' new BYOP plan?

Hey guys, I've been a reader of XDA for years now but for the first time in my history here I wasn't able to find a precise answer after spending days scouring every resource available. That said, if my question HAS been answered before, I throw myself to your mercy and beg forgiveness
As some of your are no doubt aware, MetroPCS is now offering a pilot program in select metropolitan areas where they will allow you to bring your own CDMA device to their network. I live in one of the pilot areas for this program (DFW). Depending on which resource I'm reading I gather that the toro either CAN'T be flashed to other carriers or that it can but that doing so is a very intensive process. My question is whether or not this new offering from MetroPCS changes the traditional answer in any way. After doing as much research as I could online I also went to a MetroPCS store and spoke with an associate who told me that all I'd need to do was buy one of their SIM cards ($18) and pay for the first month of service and I'd be good to go. I also had a look at the SIM card they are offering, and it looks identical in dimension to the 4G LTE SIM currently in my GNex. Being naturally suspicious of anything that seems to simple to be true, I held off on taking the plunge until I could pick the collective brain of XDA to be sure. The associate did guarantee that I would have access to calls, text and at least 3G data, no LTE for obvious reasons.
If this will legitimately work I'd be willing to do whatever necessary to make it work with my GNex. With regards to my familiarity and comfort level with the toro, I bought it within the first month it was out and unlocked and rooted it right away. I change my ROM somewhere bordering between frequently and ZOMGCRACKFLASH!!!1 so I'm fairly intimately acquainted with my phone and what to do when things go wrong. ADB, fastboot etc. are well within my comfort level and I'm the kind of guy that if you give me direct instructions on a process I can follow them precisely and not panic if it doesn't work right the first time. Backtrack, evaluate and try again. I'd like to hope that it will be as simple as switching the SIM but part of me knows better and would be willing to go through the process no matter how long or involved it would be.
On a personal note, I'm not doing this just on a whim or out of curiosity. I've been with Verizon for over four years but about four months ago my father was diagnosed with cancer and I've taken leave from my job to live with and care for him full time. Having no major sustainable income I couldn't keep up with my $170/month family plan bill (my fiance has a GNex too ;p). That said, we both love our phones and would love to continue using them as our primary devices for quite a while if it's at all feasible. Any answers or direction would be greatly appreciated.
TL/DR:
MetroPCS: "Here! Magic SIM make stubborn toro work on our network!"
Me: "I smell either a trap or witchcraft..."
Esteemed XDA Guru/technopath: "<ACTUAL ANSWER HERE>"
Thanks for your time
you would need to modify the VIA Chipset firmware to work for metroPCS. there is a thread about this somewhere, just search for VIA chipset, or VIA or something like that in the title.
LTE would not work. period. different frequencies.
In short, metroPCS guy = idiot.
Re:
Zepius said:
you would need to modify the VIA Chipset firmware to work for metroPCS. there is a thread about this somewhere, just search for VIA chipset, or VIA or something like that in the title.
LTE would not work. period. different frequencies.
In short, metroPCS guy = idiot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much! I'll do some research into modding the VIA firmware and go from there. I sense a project for me coming on

Converting Sprint to other carriers..

I'm looking for a little nudge in the right direction here. I've read many posts about this, but few seem to have any resolution or firm answer.
A friend is asking me to convert his Sprint phone to a different carrier. I noticed in watching videos that this phone has a micro SIM slot if you take it apart. My questions start there.. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I cannot confirm the state of his ESN, but knowing the guy I can only assume he probably owes them a large chunk of change and that is his reason for making the switch.
So can anyone point me towards options for flashing to say Boost/Virgin? Would a bad ESN hinder me from doing this?
I, myself, have AT&T.. would I be able to use AT&T roms on this model of phone or would it be similar to my current Galaxy S4 in that every carrier has different firmware and therefore all the ROMs for AT&T would be useless and cause a brick..
Alternatively, would I be able to find a debranded ROM and edit the APNs to make this functional?
I am pondering the idea of buying the phone myself for very cheap and using it to profit if I can switch it to a different carrier. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Most of the links online lead me to total crap. Thanks!
It's possible for several carriers
It's possible to Flash to Boost(some say Illegal) & it can also be flashed to Selectel,Page Plus or Next G & u may be able to use it on prepaYd not sure. I can check it if u need to see if it will work with them. It's not an easy phone to flash the data settings don't stick so you have to use a NV Item Script. Hope this info helps you

Now that SOME branded phones have forums

I was just wondering where the best place to go for the US Cellular version would end up being. I kind of assume just stick to the overall "non-branded" forums, but since I do believe the Sprint version is the LS991 and the US Cellular is US991 if they will essential run the same way (granted I would not flash a Sprint ROM onto my US Cellular device but just for various postings or apps or whatever the case may be).
What I am afraid of is just that since I am with a much smaller carrier that I might just be SOL when it comes to the typical DEV support (I had Sprint and AT&T in the past which as we know are two of the heavy hitters when it comes to devices and Developer support)
......I guess worse case scenario I just have to cook my own ROMS, but any 411 on this matter would be appreciated. Thanks!

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