Im planning on buying a GS3 this week but wanted to make sure I get the model of phone that best suits me. I am currently with fido and will be unlocking the phone if needed (I might not need to unlock if I get the rogers model).
What differences is there between the Telus, Rogers, and Bell phone if it is unlocked? Would it just be the bloatware on the phone or is there other minor differences? If they are all the exact same, would that mean if I got the Telus model, I could flash the Rogers stock firmware and my phone would essentially be a Rogers unlocked phone?
Sorry I'm a little confused, hope that makes sense.
Thanks in advance!
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app
the hard part would be installing the stock firmware, if there is a hardware check, it may give you an error if they made a slight change to the model #. if there was a cwm flashable zip, you would be fine. Outside of that, nope no differences.
OK thanks. I'm just thinking if I wanted to keep stock firmware, but wanted the jelly bean update as soon as its available, I didn't want to be stuck on a carriers phone who will release the jb update in 2014. I believe all 3 carriers have pushed back their jb update is that correct? I guess if I really needed jb on the phone I could always flash a stock ROM from the original development thread correct? And that wouldn't void my warranty?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app
bdithug said:
OK thanks. I'm just thinking if I wanted to keep stock firmware, but wanted the jelly bean update as soon as its available, I didn't want to be stuck on a carriers phone who will release the jb update in 2014. I believe all 3 carriers have pushed back their jb update is that correct? I guess if I really needed jb on the phone I could always flash a stock ROM from the original development thread correct? And that wouldn't void my warranty?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would void your warranty. I'm running stock JB, you can use an app called triangle away to remove all trip counters and then flash a stock firmware if you need to return/replace the device.
Thanks!
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app
I'm with Rogers, bought an unlocked Bell phone, Used Odin to flash Rogers stock no problems at all
get a rogers sgs3, as the unlock code for the telus model is like twice as much.
Everything I've read tells me that the Rogers, bell, telus phones are exactly the same minus carrier bloat. They are all the same model number (sgh-i747m)
The only way you should be able to tell between them on a non stock rom would be to look up the imei.
I have the Samsung Galaxy S3 (T-Mobile) and it includes all the unneccesary carrier bloatware. Since I'm not a T-Mobile customer, I would prefer not to have all the extra T-Mobile applications, so I was wondering when rooting with Odin 3, instead of using T-Mobiles stock image, can I possibly use a different carriers, like WIND Mobile.
The instructions I got were from:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1771687
When I tried using the WIND image on my T-Mobile device, rooting fails!
Any suggestions?
new2s3 said:
I have the Samsung Galaxy S3 (T-Mobile) and it includes all the unneccesary carrier bloatware. Since I'm not a T-Mobile customer, I would prefer not to have all the extra T-Mobile applications, so I was wondering when rooting with Odin 3, instead of using T-Mobiles stock image, can I possibly use a different carriers, like WIND Mobile.
The instructions I got were from:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1771687
When I tried using the WIND image on my T-Mobile device, rooting fails!
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never use another carrier's ROM unless it specifically states it will work with another carrier. What you need to do is root with the official T-Mobile image that has root/super user injected into it.
Once you are done with that, get Titanium Backup free version from the market and uninstall what you don't want.
Use this thread which is in the Android Development forum for T-Mo: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1949687
That is the thread I started with when I rooted my T-Mo S3.
Technically what you're trying to do can be done. As said above, you shouldnt flash another carriers rom as the bootloaders and modem would most likely brick if the flash was successful(although i think odin checks this and the flash would fail anyway).
That said the system+kernel alone would be ok to flash. I actually have a package made just for this purpose posted here. See if that does what you want. Only thing is it was made for someone on moblicity although from what i remember the system was the same for both wind and moblicity(no branding or carrier specific apps). I can do this with WIND if need be just shoot a PM.
I recently had to downgrade my rom so I could use of of the unlocking methods I found here on xda. I went over to sammobile and downloaded the appropriate rom ( android 4.1) for my carrier and phone, I flashed it using mobile odin, turns out it was a rom for a rogers phone even thought the description and even the file ended with BMC and not RWC which indicated it was for bell, any case I unlocked the phone all went back an restored the system image from cwm all was fine till about 24 hours ago when my phone started acting up very glitchy and i decided it was time to to a full clean up and resort the stock rom. I again mobile odin to flash stock but for what ever reason the apps being loded on to the phone are for rogers carrier. I am using I317MVLBMA3_I317MOYABMA3_BMC which by all indication tells me its for bell, so what the hell is going on ? I have downloaded this and flashed it both from mobile odin and from my pc and ever time its a rogers rom. any help would be great.
They're the same roms. All Canadian versions are the same except the system carrier apps included. Your glitches probably happened from something else. Is there any app that you've installed in the last 24 hours or have you done something unusual on your phone in the last 24 hours?
koreancanuck said:
They're the same roms. All Canadian versions are the same except the system carrier apps included. Your glitches probably happened from something else. Is there any app that you've installed in the last 24 hours or have you done something unusual on your phone in the last 24 hours?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they are for the most part the same roms with minor differences for instance the rogers rom displays a 4g icon where as the bell displays a HSDPA icon or something lol, and also the carrier bloatware is not the same bell has its own bloat, even the browser launches to rogers website. I even removed the bloat with titanium and when i flashed the new rom it came right back so i have no idea why this ghost apk files are coming from.
update, I downloaded the telus firmware and tried to flash that with odin, flashed fine but rogers apps are still there. can not return to bell stock firmware, any help would be great.
Download csc changer from play and set it for bmc whats funny is mine is rogers but when I flash it I get all bell stuff
Sent from my SGH-I317M using Tapatalk
32dave said:
Download csc changer from play and set it for bmc whats funny is mine is rogers but when I flash it I get all bell stuff
Sent from my SGH-I317M using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
worked out great thanks a lot man, I was racking my brain why this was not working.
POSTED IN ANY QUESTION THREAD - CAN DELETE THIS AND PLEASE REPLY TO MY Q THERE THANKS - SAME Q JUST FIGURED EASIER TO POST IT THERE
Have a stock non-unlocked (no unlock) at&t phone with 4.2 android.
Could I use the 4.3 "no-knox" modem.bin I see in these forums that's for t-mobile and just ODIN it over top of the at&t 4.2 modem (mdl modem for at&t that came on the phone when it was purchased) and then use CWM to install a t-mobile rom and have the phone work under t-mobile?
drtechnology said:
POSTED IN ANY QUESTION THREAD - CAN DELETE THIS AND PLEASE REPLY TO MY Q THERE THANKS - SAME Q JUST FIGURED EASIER TO POST IT THERE
Have a stock non-unlocked (no unlock) at&t phone with 4.2 android.
Could I use the 4.3 "no-knox" modem.bin I see in these forums that's for t-mobile and just ODIN it over top of the at&t 4.2 modem (mdl modem for at&t that came on the phone when it was purchased) and then use CWM to install a t-mobile rom and have the phone work under t-mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because someone else is going to find this thread and start getting ideas...
NO!!!!
No one should EVER do this. Never flash a modem that was not SPECIFICALLY made for your SPECIFIC device.
Skipjacks said:
Just because someone else is going to find this thread and start getting ideas...
NO!!!!
No one should EVER do this. Never flash a modem that was not SPECIFICALLY made for your SPECIFIC device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so tell me please what you mean? Do you mean specific device hardware or ???
Because the only difference I see in the 2 phones, At&t S4 and T-Mobile S4 is all in the software for modem and rom. They are 100% identicle in hardware, even being factory set for bands both carriers use. I would never attempt this on Verizon or Sprint S$'s lol - but I am cinfused other than a different modem bin file and different rom, and different model number since its 2 diff companies, what is the difference?
I am confused.
If I cannot do what I noted, then how does one use an at&t phone on a t-mobile network? I am great at flashing modems, roms, recoveries - but my 1st time switching carriers on an exact same model phone. The phone itself is same model far as samsung makes it - only changes to different model when its branded at&t ot t-mobile and uses that companies rom and mode,m files. But isnt the hardware the exact same both places and couldn't the rom and modem files be swapped to allow it to work on the other one's system?
Please help what I need to do - if I cannot do what I asked about then what?
re: tmobile-att
drtechnology said:
Ok so tell me please what you mean? Do you mean specific device hardware or ???
Because the only difference I see in the 2 phones, At&t S4 and T-Mobile S4 is all in the software for modem and rom. They are 100% identicle in hardware, even being factory set for bands both carriers use. I would never attempt this on Verizon or Sprint S$'s lol - but I am cinfused other than a different modem bin file and different rom, and different model number since its 2 diff companies, what is the difference?
I am confused.
If I cannot do what I noted, then how does one use an at&t phone on a t-mobile network? I am great at flashing modems, roms, recoveries - but my 1st time switching carriers on an exact same model phone. The phone itself is same model far as samsung makes it - only changes to different model when its branded at&t ot t-mobile and uses that companies rom and mode,m files. But isnt the hardware the exact same both places and couldn't the rom and modem files be swapped to allow it to work on the other one's system?
Please help what I need to do - if I cannot do what I asked about then what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the two phones ATT i337 and Tmobile M919 were as identical as you say they are and even use the same bands then
why is the gsm baseband (modem.bin) and the lte modem (non-hlos.bin) different enough not to be interchangeable?
Not even the STOCK 4.3 firmware or any of the zipfile custom roms here in xda are not identical enough
so we would not need to have two different and separate forums for these two phones.
First thing you need to do is to get your phone on the Tmobile network is to unlock it or have it unlocked.
Then you need to get a tmobile sim card and root the phone if it's not already rooted.
You will also need to flash cf-autoroot to root the phone and then flash a custom recovery like cwm or twrp.
Then last but not least you will need to flash a Tmobile custom rom from the Tmobile M919 forum.
None of the custom roms found here in xda contain modem.bin or hlos-bin images.
Those you already have in your phone will work fine even though they are NOT identical.
The two .bin images are setup so the two networks can establish GSM and LTE communications
between your phone and their towers using different bands and different frequencies.
Good luck.
Misterjunky said:
If the two phones ATT i337 and Tmobile M919 were as identical as you say they are and even use the same bands then
why is the gsm baseband (modem.bin) and the lte modem (non-hlos.bin) different enough not to be interchangeable?
Not even the STOCK 4.3 firmware or any of the zipfile custom roms here in xda are not identical enough
so we would not need to have two different and separate forums for these two phones.
First thing you need to do is to get your phone on the Tmobile network is to unlock it or have it unlocked.
Then you need to get a tmobile sim card and root the phone if it's not already rooted.
You will also need to flash cf-autoroot to root the phone and then flash a custom recovery like cwm or twrp.
Then last but not least you will need to flash a Tmobile custom rom from the Tmobile M919 forum.
None of the custom roms found here in xda contain modem.bin or hlos-bin images.
Those you already have in your phone will work fine even though they are NOT identical.
The two .bin images are setup so the two networks can establish GSM and LTE communications
between your phone and their towers using different bands and different frequencies.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Got her phone working ok. So the key was if unlocked, the at&t phone will work on t-mobile even with an at&t modem file on it I knew the 2 companies could be used on the other's network just did not know the modem file works both ways if unlocked. I assumed the hardware is the same on both phones so just flash a tmobile modem lol - I learned I was wrong thanks for ur help. Years of rooting and never had an issue with using one carrier on another carrier's network, was my 1st time
Thanks a lot for your help. Its working great now!
So I have am using already a T-Mobile S4 (m919) on At&t's network... I have already rooted it, flashed Hyperdrive, entered the correct APN, and it works basically well...
Here is what I am wondering, my signal strength seems to be not the best and it makes me wonder, is there a modem, baseband I can flash on the T-mobile version of the S4 that could possibly help it work better on the At&t network... and do so with out making my S4 a paper weight?
abovenbeyond said:
So I have am using already a T-Mobile S4 (m919) on At&t's network... I have already rooted it, flashed Hyperdrive, entered the correct APN, and it works basically well...
Here is what I am wondering, my signal strength seems to be not the best and it makes me wonder, is there a modem, baseband I can flash on the T-mobile version of the S4 that could possibly help it work better on the At&t network... and do so with out making my S4 a paper weight?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any M919 modem. MKL is the newest.
abovenbeyond said:
So I have am using already a T-Mobile S4 (m919) on At&t's network... I have already rooted it, flashed Hyperdrive, entered the correct APN, and it works basically well...
Here is what I am wondering, my signal strength seems to be not the best and it makes me wonder, is there a modem, baseband I can flash on the T-mobile version of the S4 that could possibly help it work better on the At&t network... and do so with out making my S4 a paper weight?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad someone asked that. I looked for a few hours last night and came up empty(been working an off shift so I might have missed it). I am on 4.2.2 MDL and signal is definitely much weaker than my Active on 4.3 . Has anyone compared modems to see which are better?
pahick said:
Glad someone asked that. I looked for a few hours last night and came up empty(been working an off shift so I might have missed it). I am on 4.2.2 MDL and signal is definitely much weaker than my Active on 4.3 . Has anyone compared modems to see which are better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can provide anecdotal evidence but nothing real...
MK2 is better.
Also, as for which modem to flash; T-Mobile's MK2 would be the one to flash. I've read you can flash other carrier's modems as long as they are the same version, i.e. AT&T MK2 or T-Mobile MK2... but that just doesn't make sense to me and I wouldn't recommend it. The modem you flash is independent of who your carrier is; you go by what brand of phone you have. If you have the M919 then you flash T-Mobile firmwares/modems/etc regardless of which carrier your bill comes from.
abovenbeyond said:
Here is what I am wondering, my signal strength seems to be not the best and it makes me wonder, is there a modem, baseband I can flash on the T-mobile version of the S4 that could possibly help it work better on the At&t network... and do so with out making my S4 a paper weight?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've encountered the same thing with my M919. Switching between Android 4.3 and 4.4.2 modem.bin files made no difference.
I did notice that when I changed my network preference from 3G/2G to 2G-only, I gained about 10 dBa when the handset fell back to GSM-EDGE mode. It made a big difference. I verified that AT&T only uses band II (1900MHz) for GSM and UMTS in my county, so it wasn't because I switched to band V (850MHz) which seems to have better range. What I find annoying is that the handset isn't dropping down to 2G automatically when reception is poor. It'll stick with 3G even when the signal strength is as low as -107 dBa.
No LTE at the moment since my AT&T MNVO doesn't support it.
I'm thinking of buying an M919, carrier unlocked, to use on ATT, so that I can get a proper recovery and have full access to custom ROMs without the safestrap limitations.
Is it safe to say that:
1. If I buy a T-Mobile S4, and it comes carrier unlocked, it will work fine on the ATT network, including 4G / LTE? Lots of data points suggest this but I haven't heard it explicitly stated...
2. Though I could use the phone as identified as an M919, I really want Play Store to see it as an I337 (ATT version), so I can install some ATT specific apps. Is there any problem flashing a build.prop (available in the ATT threads) with the ATT identifiers & APN info, to enable this?
3. Are there any gotchas I should be aware of? Basically, I just want a phone with unlocked bootloader / kernel so I can play. Not too worried about Knox/warranty.
Any insights would be appreciated!
Marc
Frankenscript said:
I'm thinking of buying an M919, carrier unlocked, to use on ATT, so that I can get a proper recovery and have full access to custom ROMs without the safestrap limitations.
Is it safe to say that:
1. If I buy a T-Mobile S4, and it comes carrier unlocked, it will work fine on the ATT network, including 4G / LTE? Lots of data points suggest this but I haven't heard it explicitly stated...
2. Though I could use the phone as identified as an M919, I really want Play Store to see it as an I337 (ATT version), so I can install some ATT specific apps. Is there any problem flashing a build.prop (available in the ATT threads) with the ATT identifiers & APN info, to enable this?
3. Are there any gotchas I should be aware of? Basically, I just want a phone with unlocked bootloader / kernel so I can play. Not too worried about Knox/warranty.
Any insights would be appreciated!
Marc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will the T-Mobile S4 work on the AT&T network; yes it will work if it's carrier unlocked. I purchased my M919 full price out of contract while I was still on AT&T service. Once I carrier-unlocked I was able to pick up AT&T's 4G/LTE and was even able to make use of the AT&T 3G Microcell device which transmits a 3G cell signal and runs over your WiFi. I now have Net10 Wireless with an AT&T SIM card and I still get 4G/LTE when it's around.
Your second question: I do believe that's all that would be required. I'm not 100% sure if just modifying the build.prop would allow you to use the AT&T-specific apps in the Play Store. I never used them to begin with so I never explored whether or not I could make them work on the T-Mobile firmware. Now, I know this involves more than just a build.prop edit, but a 100% sure way to get AT&T Apps working would be to flash a custom ROM based on AT&T firmware. Being that you have a T-Mobile device and are using it on another carrier's network, always remember; when it comes to Odin especially, flash things meant for the T-Mobile M919 ONLY. It doesn't matter that you use AT&T service, your device needs T-Mobile Modems/stock firmwares/etc.
As far as gotchas... not that I can think of. The M919 has an unlocked bootloader and even with KNOX is very easy to root and use custom ROMS on. If you're not concerned with KNOX then you really don't have to take into consideration any special rooting method, no safestrap junk, etc. Without root, just flash a recovery in Odin and flash away.
I know this thread is a bit old, but the situation is very relevant to me. I just won a S4 M919 on eBay which will be delivered tomorrow. T-mobile has agreed to send me an unlock code. My motivation is to install TWRP recovery which I can't do on the i337. I intend to activate it on Cricket (AT&T network). Is it still true that I should stick with firmware, ROMs, and modems designed for the M919? I don't care about AT&T or T-mobile apps so that's not an issue. Basically, I want the best data rates available. Any gotchas that I need to be aware of?
flroots said:
I know this thread is a bit old, but the situation is very relevant to me. I just won a S4 M919 on eBay which will be delivered tomorrow. T-mobile has agreed to send me an unlock code. My motivation is to install TWRP recovery which I can't do on the i337. I intend to activate it on Cricket (AT&T network). Is it still true that I should stick with firmware, ROMs, and modems designed for the M919? I don't care about AT&T or T-mobile apps so that's not an issue. Basically, I want the best data rates available. Any gotchas that I need to be aware of?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@flroots
Basically, you're best off bringing the phone to current M919 stock through ODIN. Is that NK2 or has there been a more recent version? I've lost track. But do the entire phone, and in fact as you will see from some threads it is often necessary to flash it twice in succession to get everything to stick. This will bring you to the latest modem. Remember, the modem is two parts: the modem.bin (also known as the gsm modem, which isn't specifically dependent on the bootloader version you have) and the LTE modem (non-hlos.bin, which is dependent on the firmware version, and bad things happen if you mismatch).
Since your phone is out of warranty, there's no downside to going to the latest, even if the phone arrives with 4.2.2 firmware (pre-knox). Tripping the knox bit is only a problem if you would be sending the phone in for warranty service.
I've got the M919 and am using it on ATT, with no problems. I've got the pre-knox firmware (MDL), and will be updating to the latest next time I flash.
Here is an old, but still relevant, thread about my experiences with M919 on ATT.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-tmobile/help/using-t-mobile-m919-att-network-t2880349
You will have to configure your APN to match your Cricket service. Sorry, can't help you with those settings but I'm sure they are on XDA somewhere!
Marc
Frankenscript said:
@flroots
Basically, you're best off bringing the phone to current M919 stock through ODIN. Is that NK2 or has there been a more recent version? I've lost track. But do the entire phone, and in fact as you will see from some threads it is often necessary to flash it twice in succession to get everything to stick. This will bring you to the latest modem. Remember, the modem is two parts: the modem.bin (also known as the gsm modem, which isn't specifically dependent on the bootloader version you have) and the LTE modem (non-hlos.bin, which is dependent on the firmware version, and bad things happen if you mismatch).
Since your phone is out of warranty, there's no downside to going to the latest, even if the phone arrives with 4.2.2 firmware (pre-knox). Tripping the knox bit is only a problem if you would be sending the phone in for warranty service.
I've got the M919 and am using it on ATT, with no problems. I've got the pre-knox firmware (MDL), and will be updating to the latest next time I flash.
Here is an old, but still relevant, thread about my experiences with M919 on ATT.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-tmobile/help/using-t-mobile-m919-att-network-t2880349
You will have to configure your APN to match your Cricket service. Sorry, can't help you with those settings but I'm sure they are on XDA somewhere!
Marc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for that update. As I understand it, the current firmware is NB4 according to this site:
http://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-stock-firmware/
Not sure what your reference to NK2 is? That doesn't seem to correspond to either 4.2.2 nor 4.4.2? I'm currently on Cricket with a S4 I337 and hope to move the SIM over as soon as my M919 arrives tomorrow.
I believe after NB4 there was NH7 then NK2. Check the firmware thread in the general section for details / links.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
@flroots
How did this work out for you? I want to do the same thing you said you where going to do.
flroots said:
I know this thread is a bit old, but the situation is very relevant to me. I just won a S4 M919 on eBay which will be delivered tomorrow. T-mobile has agreed to send me an unlock code. My motivation is to install TWRP recovery which I can't do on the i337. I intend to activate it on Cricket (AT&T network). Is it still true that I should stick with firmware, ROMs, and modems designed for the M919? I don't care about AT&T or T-mobile apps so that's not an issue. Basically, I want the best data rates available. Any gotchas that I need to be aware of?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Robert417919 said:
@flroots
How did this work out for you? I want to do the same thing you said you where going to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Robert417919,
I use my SGH-M919 on an AT&T network also. I use the OK3 modem firmware and it seems to work great here. Although I am in Alaska, so top speeds of LTE are only about 6 Mbps where I live. Usually I can only get about 3 Mbps due to the lack of coverage around here.
You can either update to the latest OH3 firmware on your phone, or if you have an old model, with the MDL bootloader, you could also use this guide by lordodin912:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-tmobile/general/foh3-modem-bin-mdl-bootloader-t3191094
Also, if you are looking for good roms, you can always check out SlimLP:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-tmobile/development/rom-slimlp-jfltetmo-t3377731
Or Resurrection Remix:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...ent/rom-resurrection-lollipop-v5-4-5-t3115155
Hope that helps!
Thanks, this does help out, and another quick question. Are you able to use wifi calling?
AlaskaLinuxUser said:
Robert417919,
I use my SGH-M919 on an AT&T network also. I use the OK3 modem firmware and it seems to work great here. Although I am in Alaska, so top speeds of LTE are only about 6 Mbps where I live. Usually I can only get about 3 Mbps due to the lack of coverage around here.
You can either update to the latest OH3 firmware on your phone, or if you have an old model, with the MDL bootloader, you could also use this guide by lordodin912:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-tmobile/general/foh3-modem-bin-mdl-bootloader-t3191094
Also, if you are looking for good roms, you can always check out SlimLP:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-tmobile/development/rom-slimlp-jfltetmo-t3377731
Or Resurrection Remix:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...ent/rom-resurrection-lollipop-v5-4-5-t3115155
Hope that helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Robert417919 said:
Thanks, this does help out, and another quick question. Are you able to use wifi calling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to help, and no, unfortunately not.
-AlaskaLinuxUser
https://thealaskalinuxuser.wordpress.com