Related
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
For some reason, every time I try to install a sense based rom, it never boots.
I'm fairly new to flashing, and have flashed 4 or 5 aosp roms. Every time I install one of those, it always works correctly, no issues.
I have tried to flash several Sense based roms, such as ARHD 20.1, Insert Coin, and nv, and each time, it never works. I always do a factory wipe beforehand as well as a wipe in the aroma installer. It will go thru the process and install, and then prompt me to reboot, which it does. Once the screen comes back onm however, it just hangs on the white htc screen with the red development text. When i get back to the hboot, itll show nothing for os.
I thought the issue may be that i dont have the latest firmware, but even people that dont have the latest firmware still are able to boot into the rom. Also, I just tried the NV rom which is based off my firmware, and it still gives me the same trouble. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong?
I'm running an ATT Htc One m8, rooted, unlocked, s-off with sunshine, twrp recovery
mattprice86 said:
I thought the issue may be that i dont have the latest firmware, but even people that dont have the latest firmware still are able to boot into the rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Give the ROMs about 10 minutes, and I bet they will boot. The extremely long boot time, and lack of boot animation (another symptom of this issue) makes a lot of folks believe the phone is stuck/frozen, when in fact its just taking a reeeeeally long time to boot.
If its true that the ROMs in fact never boot, it might just be an issue with your recovery. fastboot erase cache and either re-install recovery, update to the latest version, or try another recovery (Philz).
Even if the Sense ROMs boot, you might find some serious things are broken with your outdated firmware, such a broken WiFi. So I suggest either update your firmware or stick or ROMs based on your present firmware.
Ok thanks, i will try again. Ive read a bunch of threads about updating my firmware but couldnt find an answer to a question I have about it.
If I upgrade my firmware to the latest WWE 3.28.401.6, will it mess up my ATT settings like the bands? Also, will it erase my internal sd card?
mattprice86 said:
If I upgrade my firmware to the latest WWE 3.28.401.6, will it mess up my ATT settings like the bands? Also, will it erase my internal sd card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firmware includes the radio baseband, so it may cause issues with reception on AT&T. It seems at least a couple folks have been flashing the 3.28 firmware, but I haven't seen enough reports to give me a warm and cozy feeling. With S-off (which is required to flash the firmware, anyway) you can always revert. But still, basic reception is more important to me than a couple updated features. Personally, I'll probably wait until the 3.x firmware specific to AT&T starts rolling out.
It seems like the M8 is radio agnostic like the Nexus 5 based on my experience.
I am on Rogers and flashed the latest firmware and my LTE works no issues.
The latest firmware is supposed to be EU so technically those North American bands are not supported but it works no issue.
Leads me to believe that the radio does not matter like the N5 where the 820 and 821 radios were interchangeable.
HTC One M8
Thanks redpoint, you were right, I gave it some time and it did come on. You always seem to be the one answering my questions, I appreciate it.
As for the new fw, I was thinking that would happen too from what I've read, I just needed someone more experienced to confirm that. I think I'll wait as well.
Thanks again
Elisha said:
It seems like the M8 is radio agnostic like the Nexus 5 based on my experience.
I am on Rogers and flashed the latest firmware and my LTE works no issues.
The latest firmware is supposed to be EU so technically those North American bands are not supported but it works no issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the 2.x firmware, some folks in North America (I can speak mostly of AT&T specifically, although there are a lot of network similarities with Rogers) had varying degrees of issues with the "international" firmware. For some, the reception was worse, and others had NO SIGNAL whatsoever. Probably depended on what bands AT&T was using in their specific market.
Can't say whether 3.x firmware is the same way. But in my experience (or at least, reading reports by others here), I would have to disagree this phone is in any way "radio agnostic", at least from a software perspective (as the hardware is common among at least GSM versions, and baseband software is the only difference - but that is a slightly different topic).
So what is the latest firmware I can flash that's been known to work? I've seen that viper one is based off the 2.xx fw so do you know of anyone who's flashed it with att variant without any problems?
mattprice86 said:
So what is the latest firmware I can flash that's been known to work? I've seen that viper one is based off the 2.xx fw so do you know of anyone who's flashed it with att variant without any problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/development/firmware-flashing-panic-attacks-t2824048
No probs.
redpoint73 said:
On the 2.x firmware, some folks in North America (I can speak mostly of AT&T specifically, although there are a lot of network similarities with Rogers) had varying degrees of issues with the "international" firmware. For some, the reception was worse, and others had NO SIGNAL whatsoever. Probably depended on what bands AT&T was using in their specific market.
Can't say whether 3.x firmware is the same way. But in my experience (or at least, reading reports by others here), I would have to disagree this phone is in any way "radio agnostic", at least from a software perspective (as the hardware is common among at least GSM versions, and baseband software is the only difference - but that is a slightly different topic).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the record, I have an AT&T model and am using the 3.xxx.xxx.6 firmware with absolutely Zero issues as far as signal. I get the exact same reception I did stock, and Very, Very similar reception to what my old Optimus G did in the same locations.
This indicates that there must be either a difference in hardware revisions (related to how some M8's can be firewater'd, whereas others need Sunshine), Or, the int'l radio firmware may not support the bands that are used on some towers in some locations. I'm leaning toward the former. For the record, my M8 is a "whelp", and I had to pay for Sunshine.
OMGMatrix said:
For the record, I have an AT&T model and am using the 3.xxx.xxx.6 firmware with absolutely Zero issues as far as signal. I get the exact same reception I did stock, and Very, Very similar reception to what my old Optimus G did in the same locations.
This indicates that there must be either a difference in hardware revisions (related to how some M8's can be firewater'd, whereas others need Sunshine), Or, the int'l radio firmware may not support the bands that are used on some towers in some locations. I'm leaning toward the former.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My guess would be the former as well. Keep mind that AT&T uses five different bands for LTE depending on your market region. Also keep in mind that travelling to another location may result in losing LTE reception (when you otherwise would have LTE on a AT&T specific radio).
Although none of this explains why I've seen some folks get NO SIGNAL whatsoever on AT&T's network after flashing the international firmware (2.x version, haven't seen any complaint yet on 3.28). Even if no LTE, those folks still should have been able to get HSPA and/or GSM since those AT&T bands appear to be supported by EMEA specs. So it leads me to believe there is something else going on aside from just band compatibility. Such as the network not falling back properly to HSPA/GSM.
I certainly don't have an issue if folks want to experiment with the 3.28 firmware on the AT&T network (as long as you know what you are doing, and are aware of the possible issues). Its certainly tempting with the 3.x based custom ROMs coming out. I might even experiment myself if I free up some time. But that spare time is a bit of a premium for me right now; and I also can't really afford ATM to have the possibility of reception issues or no service.
I was able to successfully upgrade my firmware to the 2.xxx by using skull dreams' method. As soon as my rom loaded, however, WiFi and data weren't working. I read through the thread and found that clearing cache and dalvik would fix it, so that's what I did and it worked. (initially I tried to wipe both at the same time, but it gave me errors; further reading showed I needed to wipe cache first and then dalvik).
I would now like to upgrade to the 3.xxx fw so I can install arhd 20.3, but want to know, if I upgrade my fw and it messes up, can I just do the same renaming and putting it on ext SD card to downgrade back to the 2.xx fw?
mattprice86 said:
I was able to successfully upgrade my firmware to the 2.xxx by using skull dreams' method. As soon as my rom loaded, however, WiFi and data weren't working. I read through the thread and found that clearing cache and dalvik would fix it, so that's what I did and it worked. (initially I tried to wipe both at the same time, but it gave me errors; further reading showed I needed to wipe cache first and then dalvik).
I would now like to upgrade to the 3.xxx fw so I can install arhd 20.3, but want to know, if I upgrade my fw and it messes up, can I just do the same renaming and putting it on ext SD card to downgrade back to the 2.xx fw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could always restore the backup you should be making before you do any mods on your phone. That would be the safest way.
So if I upgrade my fw then restore a backup, I will lose my fw changes?
I make nandroid backups before I do any, so I have approximately 60gb of backups on an external HD, and I always keep 1 or 2 on my internal and external storage
Dear LG Friends,
Long time XDA member, coming from the Windows Phone days HTC, then to Android HTC, bunch of Samsungs, and am now thinking about the LG space. More specifically moving from the Note 3 (T-Mobile US) running on the AT&T US, to the LG G3.
Before I do, I need some help from you guys. Which variant should I go for? I know my primary choices will be the T-Mobile and the AT&T variants (I believe they are 851 and 850)? Based on what's important to me, below, can you guys advise which variant to get?:
1. Development Support - Which variant has the MOST amount of Custom ROM options, that is on-going and kept current? I am spoiled with the Note 3, which has a massive development support. I have never tried the LG OS/Skin (escaping me what it's called), but if it's anything like the TouchWiz on Samsungs, I think it will be important to have CM/AOSP/AOKP and etc support.
2. This is related to # 1 - But I heard that only T-Mobile has the unlocked Bootloader? However, doing some research, I believe the AT&T and the Verizon and Sprint variants can also be unlocked? Is this true? If so, are they anymore limited than the factory unlocked T-Mobile variant?
3. LTE bands - I will most likely be using the phone on AT&T US, but if development options/support are higher on other variants, I might consider buying those models, even if they are missing some AT&T bands. For the Note 3 - T-Mobile is a Pentaband phone, meaning it had all the bands needed, so it could easily work on AT&T LTE, all the time. The reverse was not true.
And basically that is it. Initial instinct says to go chase the T-Mobile variant, based on my needs above. But please educate me and help me out if I have missed something. Thank you so much in advance!
Any input guys?
ProFragger said:
Any input guys?
1. Development Support - Which variant has the MOST amount of Custom ROM options, that is on-going and kept current? I am spoiled with the Note 3, which has a massive development support. I have never tried the LG OS/Skin (escaping me what it's called), but if it's anything like the TouchWiz on Samsungs, I think it will be important to have CM/AOSP/AOKP and etc support.
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If you want OTA updates i suggest sticking with the AT&T variant since you have a valid AT&T sim. If you use a AT&T sim in a T-Mobile variant you wont ever get OTA updates and that means missing out on necessary fixes
1. All 3 US Variants are mostly the same, all have CM12 and all the random obscure AOSP roms as well
2. Well unlocked bootloader isnt that fancy it just means theres fastboot mode compared with the other editions where fastboot mode doesnt work properly even if you enable it. It essentially just makes installing TWRP easier since you dont have to root before installing it unlike other variants
Nevertheless Lollipop can be rooted on all US Variants right now really easily. But the only downside to it is that removing custom roms sometimes can be a pain since you have to use a way where it sometimes works and sometimes doesnt
itsbighead said:
If you want OTA updates i suggest sticking with the AT&T variant since you have a valid AT&T sim. If you use a AT&T sim in a T-Mobile variant you wont ever get OTA updates
1. All 3 US Variants are mostly the same, all have CM12 and all the random obscure AOSP roms as well
2. Well unlocked bootloader isnt that fancy it just means theres fastboot mode compared with the other editions where fastboot mode doesnt work properly even if you enable it
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Hi Friend,
Thanks for your response, this is very helpful!
No OTA is never a thing I consider. Everything that matters to me, is what I listed already.
So, is the development support (new ROMs, updates and etc) the same for all US variants or would you say one variant is particularly more popular?
As for the locked bootloader, I thought you needed an Unlocked bootloader to flash Custom ROMs, no? It seems like "Bump" fixes this for Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T and gets you TWRP on your phone, but do we need to do extra steps everything to the boot.img for non T-Mobile variants? Or is it a one time mod and then regular flashing and Backups with TWRP?
If it's the same for all variants after Bump, then you're right, I will likely stay with an AT&T variant, thanks to that Band 7 LTE.
Thank you again for your help, hopefully more can chime in !
ProFragger said:
Hi Friend,
Thanks for your response, this is very helpful!
No OTA is never a thing I consider. Everything that matters to me, is what I listed already.
So, is the development support (new ROMs, updates and etc) the same for all US variants or would you say one variant is particularly more popular?
As for the locked bootloader, I thought you needed an Unlocked bootloader to flash Custom ROMs, no? It seems like "Bump" fixes this for Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T and gets you TWRP on your phone, but do we need to do extra steps everything to the boot.img for non T-Mobile variants? Or is it a one time mod and then regular flashing and Backups with TWRP?
If it's the same for all variants after Bump, then you're right, I will likely stay with an AT&T variant, thanks to that Band 7 LTE.
Thank you again for your help, hopefully more can chime in !
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No need for any steps. Its just install TWRP and your on your way to installing whatever rom you want
Unlocked bootloader means that the system doesnt security (consistency) checks on system partitions
For LG G3, its because someone cracked the encryption for the kitkat android bootloader which means people can sign non stock boot.img without having to worry about unlocking the bootloader.
itsbighead said:
No need for any steps. Its just install TWRP and your on your way to installing whatever rom you want
Unlocked bootloader means that the system doesnt security (consistency) checks on system partitions
For LG G3, its because someone cracked the encryption for the kitkat android bootloader which means people can sign non stock boot.img without having to worry about unlocking the bootloader.
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Gotcha, thanks again mate! Another (hopefully last) question. If I buy G3, where someone had already OTA'd to 5.0+, will I still be able to root it, install TWRP and get KK ROMs, like CM11 or something?
And vice versa, if the phone comes with KK, do I need to patch with Bump and then I can install ROMs?
Thank you again!
ProFragger said:
Gotcha, thanks again mate! Another (hopefully last) question. If I buy G3, where someone had already OTA'd to 5.0+, will I still be able to root it, install TWRP and get KK ROMs, like CM11 or something?
And vice versa, if the phone comes with KK, do I need to patch with Bump and then I can install ROMs?
Thank you again!
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You can root it but i dont know if installing TWRP will work. I didnt want to try it incase it doesnt work and it runs the factory reset script instead. That happened to me once before
But i would say just to be sure, downgrade back to KitKat to do it
Yeah, if the phone comes with KitKat just root, install TWRP using root permissions and then your on your way
itsbighead said:
You can root it but i dont know if installing TWRP will work. I didnt want to try it incase it doesnt work and it runs the factory reset script instead. That happened to me once before
But i would say just to be sure, downgrade back to KitKat to do it
Yeah, if the phone comes with KitKat just root, install TWRP using root permissions and then your on your way
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This is helpful, once again bud. So how would I downgrade back to KK? Would I have to run a stock firmware of some sort? In Samsung, he Flash a .Tar file through their flashing tool called the Odin. Would that be similarly done here?
I always flash global image instead of Verizon due to bloat ware and stuff.. I did have a question would it be worth grabbing the Verizon radio images and flashing them as I'm on the Verizon network? Also do you flash them with adb or is there another method? So used to having TWRP.. Much appreciated.
I never flash the VZW image......but you can certainly try the radio as you suggest. Normally, I never see any difference, but curious if others see some....the radio is different in the current VZW image.
You would do "fastboot flash radio radio_imagefile_here"
stalls said:
I always flash global image instead of Verizon due to bloat ware and stuff.. I did have a question would it be worth grabbing the Verizon radio images and flashing them as I'm on the Verizon network? Also do you flash them with adb or is there another method? So used to having TWRP.. Much appreciated.
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What bloatware (and stuff) are you referring to regarding the VZW image?
stalls said:
I always flash global image instead of Verizon due to bloat ware and stuff.. I did have a question would it be worth grabbing the Verizon radio images and flashing them as I'm on the Verizon network? Also do you flash them with adb or is there another method? So used to having TWRP.. Much appreciated.
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The Verizon firmware isn't a "Verizon owned" firmware, it's just a variant that Google has released because when Google sent out the "global" firmware for testing Verizon reported issues with it, and it was too late to incorporate the fixes and send out another firmware to all carriers for testing.
The variants in firmwares have nothing changed in them other than the radio/modem/network files and maybe app versions if the variant had to be built at a later date and picked up a new app version in the build process. The firmwares are exactly the same. They don't come with any additional bloatware, because Verizon's networking specific apps are actually already included in the base firmware and are enabled/disabled on the presence of a Verizon SIM. The bloatware you are delivered is when setting up the phone and the setup wizard will offer the carrier bloatware to be installed depending on the carrier of the SIM.
Run the firmware designated for your carrier. You might have service issues if you don't, but it will run almost the same.
I ran the Verizon variant on my phone with T-Mobile and I got service just fine, however it appears that Verizon wanted the scaling for network strength to be changed because it reported 0 bars even though I had service. It also wanted to try really hard to latch onto mmWave, so it appears that Verizon wanted that and potentially more changed.
Just run the online flash tool from Google to get updated, or follow the tutorial threads in the help section.
cmh714 said:
I never flash the VZW image......but you can certainly try the radio as you suggest. Normally, I never see any difference, but curious if others see some....the radio is different in the current VZW image.
You would do "fastboot flash radio radio_imagefile_here"
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You'll have to flash more. There's also the modem inside the image and there are also APNs and other files for networks on the system image or vendor image too, so it's really just best to take the whole firmware.
Ok so I should just flash over the global and so as usual then right?
stalls said:
Ok so I should just flash over the global and so as usual then right?
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You mean flash the Verizon firmware over the global firmware you already have on your phone? Yes, it will be fine. You don't need to wipe the phone.