Develop Bugs

[Q] TMobile S3 working on AT&T HSPA+?

Question:
I'm getting mixed reports all over the blogs/forums/irc about the TMobile SGS3 isn't working as what it was first reported it to be.
I haven't seen that yet, or even posted, here on xda...
So, has anyone tried to have a TMo S3 with a AT&T sim? I use both TMo Straight Talk and AT&T Straight Talk, and I travel a lot. I swap sim on my GNex depending on the network and to where i'm at.
S3 is my next new toy, and based on AnandTech.com's reviews of the TMo, he did say it will work on both AT&T's HSPA+ and TMo's HSPA+. I just want to know if this was true in real time users, such as the community.
I just don't want to dip my $600+ on a phone when it might not even work, based on the consensus.
THANKS!!
:laugh:

Why didn't you get the ATT version?
Sent from a 96gb N7000

If I had to GUESS, I'd say NO. I've only seen 1 device that would work on both networks using 4G - but it did require a flash.. It would only do 1 or the other at a time. (NOTE: THIS IS ONLY A GUESS AT THIS STAGE)
I have a GS3 from T-mobile, though I have not unlocked it yet, and I have access to a AT&T Straight talk sim, so I can absolutely test it, when I get unlocked.

You probably just have to SIM unlock the SGS3 and then it will work.
Sent from my phone. Prepare for atrocious Swype typos.

It would work if you unlocked it. How ever they only have 2 of the same frequencies for 3g 850 and 1900. T-Mobile has 1700 and AT&T has 2100. So your service would suffer in certain locations. Galaxy S III for T-Mobile doesn't support LTE so you wouldn't get True 4G coverage.

works fine on my unlocked Tmo GS3 with ATT SIM, HSPA+ all day long, no LTE of course.

Can I take my rooted Tmobile Note 3 to Verizon?

I moved to Charlottesville, VA recently and the Tmobile coverage is really awful. Is it possible to take my rooted Tmobile Note 3 and use it on the Verizon network? I know it works on AT&T as I put my buddy's SIM card in and was able to connect to the network, but Verizon has the best coverage out here.
If I have to flash a new ROM or change the radio that's fine, I just need to know how to do it and if it's even possible.

No, not possible.

rjohnstone said:
No, not possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the Verizon version can come to Tmobile, right?

o_0 a t-mobile device to Verizon. lol I thought questions like this died in 2005
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Lucas155 said:
I moved to Charlottesville, VA recently and the Tmobile coverage is really awful. Is it possible to take my rooted Tmobile Note 3 and use it on the Verizon network? I know it works on AT&T as I put my buddy's SIM card in and was able to connect to the network, but Verizon has the best coverage out here.
If I have to flash a new ROM or change the radio that's fine, I just need to know how to do it and if it's even possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is impssible to use a T-Mobile phone on a Verizon network. T-Mobile and AT&T run on the GSM type of network and Verizon and I believe Sprint run on CDMA which aren't capatible. It doesn't matter if you are rooted or not.

defcon888 said:
It is impssible to use a T-Mobile phone on a Verizon network. T-Mobile and AT&T run on the GSM type of network and Verizon and I believe Sprint run on CDMA which aren't capatible. It doesn't matter if you are rooted or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen several instances of Verizon customers using their Note 3 on Tmobile. Just thought it might go the other way.

Verizon LTE devices come SIM unlocked for legal reasons (Verizon made a deal with the FCC not to SIM lock their devices in exchange for being able to use LTE Band 13 700 MHz).
Some of their older/"first-gen" LTE devices don't support GSM at all (e.g. Galaxy Nexus). But all nowadays do. The Galaxy S4 and newer support T-Mobile's LTE band. LTE is a GSM-based technology, and people travel as well. So pretty much all of their phones are GSM-enabled nowadays. Same for Sprint (except their phones will reject any US carrier SIMs specifically).
Anyways, the answer is no. AT&T and T-Mobile devices don't have CDMA enabled. And even if they did, Verizon and Sprint don't allow competitors' phones onto their networks.

[Q] Moving S4 from Verizon to iwireless/t-mobile

Hi,
I am thinking about moving my Galaxy S4 and moto RAZR from Verizon wireless to iwireless (a t-mobile affiliate). I understand that I need to unlock my phone but I am unable to find out if I move it to iwireless if I will still have 4G data. The iwireless sales rep said that I will still have voice and 2.5G service but couldn't tell me if I would still have 4G.
I was looking at this table I found on a site explaining how to unlock the phone but I don't know enough about the subject to make an informed decision.
Samsung Galaxy S4
Can someone confirm whether or not my Verizon S4 or RAZR can be unlocked to work with the iwireless/t-mobile 4G network?

sgibbers17 said:
Hi,
I am thinking about moving my Galaxy S4 and moto RAZR from Verizon wireless to iwireless (a t-mobile affiliate). I understand that I need to unlock my phone but I am unable to find out if I move it to iwireless if I will still have 4G data. The iwireless sales rep said that I will still have voice and 2.5G service but couldn't tell me if I would still have 4G.
I was looking at this table I found on a site explaining how to unlock the phone but I don't know enough about the subject to make an informed decision.
Samsung Galaxy S4
Can someone confirm whether or not my Verizon S4 or RAZR can be unlocked to work with the iwireless/t-mobile 4G network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems as though your grasp of the subject is strong enough to know that it might work as you'd like - and it might not. You need to call back and ask to speak to a CSR that actually knows what bands their service works on so they can give you accurate information. That's kind of their job...
Also -
Verizon LTE operates on Band 13 while T-Mob operates on Band 17, both of which carry completely different spectrums; this means no LTE on either of your unlocked phones.There's a slim possibility that you will get intermittent 3G but the most likely scenario is that you will get talk, text and 2G / 2.5G only.

Band 17? My Verizon branded S4 is getting T-Mobile LTE. I'm fairly sure its on band 4.

T-mobile is band 4 which is 1700/2100 mhz. The Verizon s4 is not capable of 1700mhz. But if you are getting 4G it may be because your area is using 2100 mhz. I am specifically moving to iwireless and I was told they use the 1700 mhz band.
Bsliv, how did you unlock you phone?

sgibbers17 said:
Bsliv, how did you unlock you phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many Verizon phones are sim unlocked, so it's most likely unlocked as well

serio22 said:
Many Verizon phones are sim unlocked, so it's most likely unlocked as well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I think all Verizon LTE capable phones are unlocked.
The I545 (Verizon S4) can receive LTE on band 4. T-Mobile serves LTE on band 4. The coincidence works well.

bsliv said:
Yes, I think all Verizon LTE capable phones are unlocked.
The I545 (Verizon S4) supports LTE on band 4. T-Mobile serves LTE on band 4. The coincidence works well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My RAZR MAXX HD definitely wasn't SIM unlocked... For the life of me I couldn't get it to work when I moved to ATT from Verizon... Not even GSM would work.

I just need to get some clarification from you guys. Are your VZW phones bought in the US and being in the US on t-mobile's or iwireless's 4g network. Because after I made the first post I went to the phone unlocking place in my local mall and talked to there techs, they said that the VZW S4 will not get 4g. I have also been doing extensive searches online and keep finding half saying it will work and half saying it won't. I have a feeling that the ones that work are working outside of the US as I found posts saying as such.
I read some where that the razr you had to flash the radio FW to get GSM to work properly.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I got my vzw S4 off craigslist but 99% sure it was purchased in the USA. I'm on T-Mobile's $50/mo plan.
Verizon's LTE phones are sim unlocked due to an agreement with the FCC when vzw purchased some bandwidth.
I think there was an update around 03/2014 that enabled band 4 on the I545. Then had to make some apn changes and tell the modem to use gsm/lte on band 4.
The one quirk I have is it will say "no service" after a reboot and until I make or receive a voice call. Then I get the "T-Mobile" instead of "no service" and things work as they should.

bsliv said:
I got my vzw S4 off craigslist but 99% sure it was purchased in the USA. I'm on T-Mobile's $50/mo plan.
Verizon's LTE phones are sim unlocked due to an agreement with the FCC when vzw purchased some bandwidth.
I think there was an update around 03/2014 that enabled band 4 on the I545. Then had to make some apn changes and tell the modem to use gsm/lte on band 4.
The one quirk I have is it will say "no service" after a reboot and until I make or receive a voice call. Then I get the "T-Mobile" instead of "no service" and things work as they should.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have to go to iwireless and have one of the tech put a SIM card in my s4 and razr to give it a try.
The only options I have for the network mode on my s4 is
Global, LTE/CDMA, and GSM/UMTS. Can you post you settings?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I was just at iwireless today and tested my phone with their network and was unable to get it to work. iwireless is a t-mobile affiliate but they do not use 4G LTE in my area. Their system runs on a 3.8G 1700MHz which the VZW S4 does not have. I am told that they will be starting to switch all the 2G radios in the area to 4G LTE later this year, which should work with my VZW S4. So I am just going to have to wait till the end of the year and go back and test it again.

Frankenscript said:
My RAZR MAXX HD definitely wasn't SIM unlocked... For the life of me I couldn't get it to work when I moved to ATT from Verizon... Not even GSM would work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That phone was before VZW bought the band 4 spectrum and cut the deal with the FCC. All VZW LTE phones are SIM unlocked. Any AWS capable VZW phone is SIM unlocked and can use LTE on band 4. The S4 got it with an update last year.
I am probably going to do the $30 plan soon and plan to use my VZW S4. I am not going to port my number right away in case the service in my area sucks (doubtful, live in DFW in dense surburbia).

I went out off town this weekend and went to a t-mobile store and was able to get 4g service after adding the correct APN. But it is too bad that iwireless that is in my area does not use that band yet, they are staring to upgrade to that band later this year. Until then my s4 will only get edge service.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I was able to get H+ on my s4 from Verizon to tmobile by changing the network mode to global and the App to fast.T-mobile.com
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app

With the announcement of the T Mobile $100 2 line unlimited everything, I'm also interested in bringing my Verizon S4 MDK boot loader phone to T Mobile, but want to do my research first-- is it as simple as signing up for T Mobile and getting one of their SIMs and then-- would I be able to flash any of the ROMs in the S4 T Mobile Dev forum or is the T Mobile S4 a completely different device? Any caveats? Would I have to LokiDoki after the flash? Would I need to flash a T Mobile specific radio too (currently on i545vrufnk1)? Or is that all just overcomplicating things? Would i be able to just adjust the APNs on my current ROM after inserting a T Mobile SIM?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Quick reply to my post and for anyone else interested-- there's a post here that talks about using a 4.4.2 T-Mobile ROM by Fenny on the a Verizon S4: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=57453019 I've tried it and LTE works great, MMS works properly, phone calls work as well. I'm on the Verizon i545vruamdk bootloader and Verizon i545vrufnk1 radio. The ROM is a T-Mobile m919uvufnb4 by Fenny.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

Carrier unlocked AT&T M9 on T-Mobile

Guys, I need help understanding whether or not the phones branded and sold by AT&T and T-Mobile are really the same hardware or not.
I'm in the U.S. I have a carrier-unlocked M9 originally sold by AT&T that is running the Developer's Edition ROM which I flashed via the DE RUU. I decided to get a plan on T-mobile temporarily so I could compare them to AT&T as far as performance and coverage is concerned. The phone recognized the new SIM and prompted me to select my carrier, which I did (T-mo) and I had good voice service, LTE coverage, etc. All sounds good so far, right?
Well, I was at work the other day and my friend has the S6 on T-mobile which he got from T-mobile. So we each did an LTE speedtest while we were both standing in the same spot and his speeds were consistently faster than mine. There was enough of a difference that it was obvious, meaning, like, if I was getting 20MBps down, he was getting 30. Or if I was getting 30MBps down he was getting 40. Something like that.
So, what is your opinion? Is the S6 just built with a faster set of hardware? Or, could my M9 not be 100% compatible with all of T-Mo's LTE bands? I am not that familiar with the subtle differences between these two carriers but clearly the M9 was able to recognize each carrier at least well enough to prompt me to select the right Carrier when the SIM is changed. I am currently under the impression that HTC makes phones for North America and not necessarily any carrier-specific variants (unless like, in order to support carriers using CDMA vs GSM.) Does anyone have more specific details?
If it matters, we're in the Denver, CO market.
If anyone knows of an app that can report on the current LTE status and give you the specific band you're leveraging, please LMK as that'd also be very useful.
cheers.

mrbillishere said:
Guys, I need help understanding whether or not the phones branded and sold by AT&T and T-Mobile are really the same hardware or not.
I'm in the U.S. I have a carrier-unlocked M9 originally sold by AT&T that is running the Developer's Edition ROM which I flashed via the DE RUU. I decided to get a plan on T-mobile temporarily so I could compare them to AT&T as far as performance and coverage is concerned. The phone recognized the new SIM and prompted me to select my carrier, which I did (T-mo) and I had good voice service, LTE coverage, etc. All sounds good so far, right?
Well, I was at work the other day and my friend has the S6 on T-mobile which he got from T-mobile. So we each did an LTE speedtest while we were both standing in the same spot and his speeds were consistently faster than mine. There was enough of a difference that it was obvious, meaning, like, if I was getting 20MBps down, he was getting 30. Or if I was getting 30MBps down he was getting 40. Something like that.
So, what is your opinion? Is the S6 just built with a faster set of hardware? Or, could my M9 not be 100% compatible with all of T-Mo's LTE bands? I am not that familiar with the subtle differences between these two carriers but clearly the M9 was able to recognize each carrier at least well enough to prompt me to select the right Carrier when the SIM is changed. I am currently under the impression that HTC makes phones for North America and not necessarily any carrier-specific variants (unless like, in order to support carriers using CDMA vs GSM.) Does anyone have more specific details?
If it matters, we're in the Denver, CO market.
If anyone knows of an app that can report on the current LTE status and give you the specific band you're leveraging, please LMK as that'd also be very useful.
cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in a nutshell T-mobile branded phones use an AWS band that is not present on the AT&T and Developer edition phones
This AWS band is a 3G+ or 4G band that is faster than some LTE signals in certain markets.
The big factor in doing Speedtest.net is are you both connecting to the same server for the test
go to settings and change server to say Atlanta (comcast) and see if you both get different speeds

[Q] Best way to get a phone that will work with Verizon and all LTE bands overseas

I've really enjoyed my S7 and want to upgrade to the S9. Later in the year I'll be overseas for almost a year, so I want something that will work with all Verizon bands of LTE, but also not have a firmware lock that would cause it to not work on other bands of LTE overseas. (planning to just use prepaid dataplan sim cards overseas)
I think my two options are to either get a US 'unlocked' version or wait for the 'international' version. My understanding is the primary differences between the unlocked and international version is the 2G/3G coverage for CDMA and possibly slightly different hardware. I'd rather have a phone with CDMA backwards capability, but my prime concern lacking full access to all LTE bands available wherever I am.
I'm not really interested in going any route that would require me to root the phone if there is a way to do it without.

Well the only way to get VZW compatibility is the VZW phone or a US unlocked model. So you're looking at the US Unlocked model at this point.

A listing of all the different model numbers available (per country and carrier) is available here: https://www.techwalls.com/samsung-galaxy-s9-sm-g960-g965-model-number-differences/
You will probably want to get the phone that works with your primary location the most. I am not sure which countries use which frequencies for LTE in Europe; you will need to research that to see what you may be missing out on.
With my T-Mobile S7, I haven't had any issues when traveling in Europe or Asia. It connects to LTE usually.

So I just did a deep dive of that list:
It looks like the Verizon and Unlocked versions are almost identical (the unlocked US version has B46(5200) 4G TDD LTE, but I'm not sure anyone who uses it)
Looking at 4G FDD LTE it looks like a Verizon or US unlocked phone will have almost complete coverage around the world, notable gaps are B30(2300) in China/Canada/US AT&T, B32(1500) in UK and B71(600) (US Tmobile). I thought that was a bit confusing as you'd expect a US Unlocked phone to service all LTE bands available in the US yet it lacks AT&T and Tmobile bands.
So based on all that information looks like I should just get an unlocked US phone to be totally safe, and I'd likely also be fine getting a Verizon version also.

StykerB said:
Well the only way to get VZW compatibility is the VZW phone or a US unlocked model. So you're looking at the US Unlocked model at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Relcan said:
So I just did a deep dive of that list:
It looks like the Verizon and Unlocked versions are almost identical (the unlocked US version has B46(5200) 4G TDD LTE, but I'm not sure anyone who uses it)
Looking at 4G FDD LTE it looks like a Verizon or US unlocked phone will have almost complete coverage around the world, notable gaps are B30(2300) in China/Canada/US AT&T, B32(1500) in UK and B71(600) (US Tmobile). I thought that was a bit confusing as you'd expect a US Unlocked phone to service all LTE bands available in the US yet it lacks AT&T and Tmobile bands.
So based on all that information looks like I should just get an unlocked US phone to be totally safe, and I'd likely also be fine getting a Verizon version also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I'm new to Android but i use Verizon prepaid. Will I lose anything by going with the unlocked version or should i stick with a Verizon S9?
I don't use video calling. All i do is text and talk but I've heard that people on Verizon prepaid have issues with unlocked Android phones.
Thanks

Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.

testinguser said:
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious about that also

testinguser said:
Would Wifi Calling work with the US unlocked on verizon? I thought that required a Verizon FW to be flashed. I imagine all the other features such as voLTE / HD calling, etc to work on the US unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Throwinrocks said:
Curious about that also
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a cursory review of the wifi-calling FAQ on their website. They don't mention anything about compatibility with Unlocked versions of phones (that I saw). I'd call tech support to ask, but I'd expect there to be a 50% chance of getting the wrong answer from the tech based on my interactions with their support.
There might be some good experience based anecdotes in the Galaxy S8 forum, if it works on an unlocked S8 its a safe bet it will work on an unlocked S9
I think I'll ask in the Verizon subreddit, it seems like they normally have really good information as well.
I'm mostly curious about the LTE TDD Band 46 (5200) - its the only band an unlocked US phone has that a Verizon phone doesn't. 5200 is in the U-NII frequency range, no cellphone service providers use it, but I wonder if it may be used for local LTE networks in the near future. The other advantage is avoiding all the verizon bloat wear, but that may be what allows the Wifi Calling to work!

All this has me thinking I might have to add the extra $80 and just buy the Verizon version. I don't get phones on contract and I've always just paid full price. (Page 2 404 error?)

Apparently the Nov/Dec Samsung s8 firmware update added an option for BYOD carrier provisioning for unlocked s8. Given the similarity, I'd imagine the same to be true for s9. Can someone who has an unlocked s8 confirm?

Well after a little more research I see that if you use Verizon prepaid you lose visual voicemail and WiFi calling even if you use a Verizon phone so there's no need in me paying extra for a Verizon S9. Unlocked it is.

Throwinrocks said:
Well after a little more research I see that if you use Verizon prepaid you lose visual voicemail and WiFi calling even if you use a Verizon phone so there's no need in me paying extra for a Verizon S9. Unlocked it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might wanna check this as Verizon is starting to implement network locks on some devices as to deter thefts more
Dont know when or what devices but it was a statement Verizon made

So, you're saying the prepaid SIM might not work in an unlocked S9?
I don't think Verizon is keeping Verizon prepaid SIMS from working in unlocked phones they are just locking their phones like Sprint and AT&T still do.
I had no problems with my unlocked Pixel 2 XL that I purchased from Google and my Verizon prepaid, just no visual voicemail.