Develop Bugs

LG G2 for Sprint gets no love of GSM unlocks

Hello,
So I currently have a Sprint LG G2 that I would like to unlock to be able to use it on AT&T or Tmobile. From what I'v read, even the Verizon G2 comes factory unlocked which Verizon's been known to keep locked in almost all of there phones. I called customer service and told them i would be traveling overseas (they didnt ask what country) and after about 24 hours emailed me asking permission to unlock the device, they told me to go and update me UICC Unlock which gave me a message saying "your SIM is now unlocked" but when I put in a Tmobile sim card to test it, the phone would not recognize it no matter if i changed the settings to gsm/umts or global mode. What do you suggest I do next, I am worried I payed so much for the phone and if 1 or 2 years from now I decide to move carriers or even country that I am visiting to next week and the phone bieng "unlocked" still wont unlock it to be used on local carriers or even abroad, that would really suck. Any suggestions?

sazeem said:
Hello,
So I currently have a Sprint LG G2 that I would like to unlock to be able to use it on AT&T or Tmobile. From what I'v read, even the Verizon G2 comes factory unlocked which Verizon's been known to keep locked in almost all of there phones. I called customer service and told them i would be traveling overseas (they didnt ask what country) and after about 24 hours emailed me asking permission to unlock the device, they told me to go and update me UICC Unlock which gave me a message saying "your SIM is now unlocked" but when I put in a Tmobile sim card to test it, the phone would not recognize it no matter if i changed the settings to gsm/umts or global mode. What do you suggest I do next, I am worried I payed so much for the phone and if 1 or 2 years from now I decide to move carriers or even country that I am visiting to next week and the phone bieng "unlocked" still wont unlock it to be used on local carriers or even abroad, that would really suck. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You really need to do some serious research.
Concerning Verizon, Verizon is required to have the GSM portion of their CDMA/LTE phones factory unlocked due to to a requirement by the FCC when they divested some spectrum a while back.
Now for Sprint, Sprint locks down (or locks out) the GSM portion of their LTE phones for domestic GSM use, so trying to use it with a domestic GSM carrier like AT&T, T-Mobile etc is out of the question by default. They'll unlock it for international GSM use (non U.S GSM carriers). Now there are some fine folks on XDA here that have been able to work around these restrictions on the Galaxy S4, but that's the exception so far.
If like you say, they emailed you that they've unlocked your phone, if you leave the country and insert a foreign SIM, it'll work with that international carrier.

Your right
your absolutly right. Now i need to find out how they did it in s4 because it has to be possible for this phone too then that case
LordLugard said:
You really need to do some serious research.
Concerning Verizon, Verizon is required to have the GSM portion of their CDMA/LTE phones factory unlocked due to to a requirement by the FCC when they divested some spectrum a while back.
Now for Sprint, Sprint locks down (or locks out) the GSM portion of their LTE phones for domestic GSM use, so trying to use it with a domestic GSM carrier like AT&T, T-Mobile etc is out of the question by default. They'll unlock it for international GSM use (non U.S GSM carriers). Now there are some fine folks on XDA here that have been able to work around these restrictions on the Galaxy S4, but that's the exception so far.
If like you say, they emailed you that they've unlocked your phone, if you leave the country and insert a foreign SIM, it'll work with that international carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

sazeem said:
Hello,
So I currently have a Sprint LG G2 that I would like to unlock to be able to use it on AT&T or Tmobile. From what I'v read, even the Verizon G2 comes factory unlocked which Verizon's been known to keep locked in almost all of there phones. I called customer service and told them i would be traveling overseas (they didnt ask what country) and after about 24 hours emailed me asking permission to unlock the device, they told me to go and update me UICC Unlock which gave me a message saying "your SIM is now unlocked" but when I put in a Tmobile sim card to test it, the phone would not recognize it no matter if i changed the settings to gsm/umts or global mode. What do you suggest I do next, I am worried I payed so much for the phone and if 1 or 2 years from now I decide to move carriers or even country that I am visiting to next week and the phone bieng "unlocked" still wont unlock it to be used on local carriers or even abroad, that would really suck. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm, this is interesting, I am having a similar dilema, as far as I was aware, I thought that unlocking would be done on the cosumer end, they would give you a code, then you'd input that code in, I've just never heard of them unlocking it on their own. I got the LG G2 LS980 when I was in the US for a semester and moved to Brazil just a week ago, I haven't tried to fully make it work, but from the LS980 manual, it says that there is not even a sim lock on the phone(i'd put up a picture, but I have no idea how). And when I try to put in an old local(brazilian) SIM card, it doesn't ask for a unlock code, it just says no SIM card - Emergency calls only. I'm still researching it, but if you find anything, just post it here so I can keep up Thanks.

LordLugard said:
You really need to do some serious research.
Concerning Verizon, Verizon is required to have the GSM portion of their CDMA/LTE phones factory unlocked due to to a requirement by the FCC when they divested some spectrum a while back.
Now for Sprint, Sprint locks down (or locks out) the GSM portion of their LTE phones for domestic GSM use, so trying to use it with a domestic GSM carrier like AT&T, T-Mobile etc is out of the question by default. They'll unlock it for international GSM use (non U.S GSM carriers). Now there are some fine folks on XDA here that have been able to work around these restrictions on the Galaxy S4, but that's the exception so far.
If like you say, they emailed you that they've unlocked your phone, if you leave the country and insert a foreign SIM, it'll work with that international carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I will definitely have to wait for a workaround for the sprint LG G2 as I am not a sprint customer. I think the S4 and the HTC both have workarounds, but as far as I'm aware, these workarounds apply mostly for international use only (which is exactly what I need) meaning that ATT/TMOB is probably not going to work, or might have to wait a couple months until there is a lot more people working on the sprint version, the thing is, the phone wasn't released that long ago, so support in the forums is still low.

Back during the photon days they were able to achieve domestic gsm use by flashing the radio from the Japanese version of the photon. Well maybe not directly. It may have been a modified Japanese radio but it worked!! My daughters mother still uses the photon 4g as an att go phone. Would something like that still be possible for our devices? I know a lot of people lost interest in it because after the photon we got the photon q which had an embedded Sim. Even then people were able to take the phone apart and solder a Sim tray in and unlock it for other domestic carriers.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

tsdeaton said:
Back during the photon days they were able to achieve domestic gsm use by flashing the radio from the Japanese version of the photon. Well maybe not directly. It may have been a modified Japanese radio but it worked!! My daughters mother still uses the photon 4g as an att go phone. Would something like that still be possible for our devices? I know a lot of people lost interest in it because after the photon we got the photon q which had an embedded Sim. Even then people were able to take the phone apart and solder a Sim tray in and unlock it for other domestic carriers.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I think first of all it needs to be unlocked for GSM or GSM part of the phone should be unlocked for any other thing to try.

st_7 said:
But I think first of all it needs to be unlocked for GSM or GSM part of the phone should be unlocked for any other thing to try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as some foreign carrier has their g2 unlocked for international gsm use then it wouldn't matter right? With the KDDI radio on the photon we weren't able to use sprint service on it after flashing. Basically as if the phone thought it was the Japanese version of the photon.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

tsdeaton said:
As long as some foreign carrier has their g2 unlocked for international gsm use then it wouldn't matter right? With the KDDI radio on the photon we weren't able to use sprint service on it after flashing. Basically as if the phone thought it was the Japanese version of the photon.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would be awesome if it worked, I'm still hopeful someone will find a way, because I don't use sprint anymore and I have since moved to brazil. Thank god this phone is awesome enough to not be useless with only wifi, but I'm still hopeful someone will find a way for me to catch Brazil's GSM signal, as the phone does have the right GSM bands for it.

Just like the HTC one, it took months for even Sprint themselves to figure out how they would unlock the HTC, what I want to know if there is anyone that has actually called Sprint and asked for the unlock, and confirmed it to be working.

Can the sprint lg g2 be unlocked for any carrier.
Im trying to change from sprint contract to straighttalk. Is there a way to get my LG G2 unlocked so I can switch?

Hathoid said:
Yeah I will definitely have to wait for a workaround for the sprint LG G2 as I am not a sprint customer. I think the S4 and the HTC both have workarounds, but as far as I'm aware, these workarounds apply mostly for international use only (which is exactly what I need) meaning that ATT/TMOB is probably not going to work, or might have to wait a couple months until there is a lot more people working on the sprint version, the thing is, the phone wasn't released that long ago, so support in the forums is still low.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I unlocked my GS2 Skyrocket recently as I'm about to sell it and pick up a G2 next week. I popped in a T-Mobile SIM and verified that it worked. However, I very seriously doubt the method I used would work on the G2. Here's the thread though:
unlock free proceed at your own risk!

Domestic sims are too small
sazeem said:
Hello,
So I currently have a Sprint LG G2 that I would like to unlock to be able to use it on AT&T or Tmobile. From what I'v read, even the Verizon G2 comes factory unlocked which Verizon's been known to keep locked in almost all of there phones. I called customer service and told them i would be traveling overseas (they didnt ask what country) and after about 24 hours emailed me asking permission to unlock the device, they told me to go and update me UICC Unlock which gave me a message saying "your SIM is now unlocked" but when I put in a Tmobile sim card to test it, the phone would not recognize it no matter if i changed the settings to gsm/umts or global mode. What do you suggest I do next, I am worried I payed so much for the phone and if 1 or 2 years from now I decide to move carriers or even country that I am visiting to next week and the phone bieng "unlocked" still wont unlock it to be used on local carriers or even abroad, that would really suck. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I called the Sprint international department and they explained the situation somewhat.
Domestic sim cards such as on tmobile and att have too little memory to support the cdma function of the lg g2, so you will get an "invalid sim" message. The size of the sim must be at least 128k to work on the g2. Maybe there is a way to get domestic network data on a larger sim card.
Hope this helps.

severly said:
I called the Sprint international department and they explained the situation somewhat.
Domestic sim cards such as on tmobile and att have too little memory to support the cdma function of the lg g2, so you will get an "invalid sim" message. The size of the sim must be at least 128k to work on the g2. Maybe there is a way to get domestic network data on a larger sim card.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
while the size thing may be true.. this is not why youre getting an invalid sim error. the invalid sim error comes from when u use ANY sim thats not Sprint. After you get Sprint to OTA SIM unlock your phone.. this invalid sim error goes away... gsm will work for intl.. and possibly domestic.. tho sprint may also have a block on domestic only.. after the intl unlock. if the phone is unlocked thru sprint and you pop a tmo sim in and get no signal(but no invalid sim error)... then that means the phone is unlocked properly but domestic is blocked.
this is usually my area of interest.. i did both the htc one and gs4 unlocks but I do not own a g2 unfortunately.

autoprime said:
while the size thing may be true.. this is not why youre getting an invalid sim error. the invalid sim error comes from when u use ANY sim thats not Sprint. After you get Sprint to OTA SIM unlock your phone.. this invalid sim error goes away... gsm will work for intl.. and possibly domestic.. tho sprint may also have a block on domestic only.. after the intl unlock. if the phone is unlocked thru sprint and you pop a tmo sim in and get no signal(but no invalid sim error)... then that means the phone is unlocked properly but domestic is blocked.
this is usually my area of interest.. i did both the htc one and gs4 unlocks but I do not own a g2 unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So are you saying if you did have a Sprint G2 you would be able to find a way to unlock it?

How the heck do they do this?
How can they unlock the phone for international SIMs and prevent them from working on local SIMs? Can't be some band that they check. Otherwise, it would not work on an international SIM using that band. Hardcode something in the kernel or the OS? In which would a custom ROM and/or kernel work? Can anyone point me to some links or posts that discuss this?

os2baba said:
How can they unlock the phone for international SIMs and prevent them from working on local SIMs? Can't be some band that they check. Otherwise, it would not work on an international SIM using that band. Hardcode something in the kernel or the OS? In which would a custom ROM and/or kernel work? Can anyone point me to some links or posts that discuss this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also interested in this as I have a LS980 and I am currently in Brazil, sprint has done nothing yet as far as unlocking it.(even for actualy customers, I have not seen anyone that actually has this thing unlocked). I popped in a Claro(local provider) SIM card, and the phone says "No SIM card- Emergency calls only", I've tried multiple SIMs to see if it was a problem with the actual SIM, but all of them read the same thing, while inside the phone I get a notification saying "Restricted Access Changed - Voice Service is Blocked". So it knows there is a SIM card in there, it's just blocking it.

Cleanser2012 said:
So are you saying if you did have a Sprint G2 you would be able to find a way to unlock it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cant be 100% certain... but I'd say there'd be a good chance. Unlocked another Sprint phone this week.
Hopefully I'll get a G2 eventually.

autoprime said:
cant be 100% certain... but I'd say there'd be a good chance. Unlocked another Sprint phone this week.
Hopefully I'll get a G2 eventually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll pray every day that you do get one dood It would be a life saver because as of now I have a mini tablet G2 in brazil

autoprime said:
while the size thing may be true.. this is not why youre getting an invalid sim error. the invalid sim error comes from when u use ANY sim thats not Sprint. After you get Sprint to OTA SIM unlock your phone.. this invalid sim error goes away... gsm will work for intl.. and possibly domestic.. tho sprint may also have a block on domestic only.. after the intl unlock. if the phone is unlocked thru sprint and you pop a tmo sim in and get no signal(but no invalid sim error)... then that means the phone is unlocked properly but domestic is blocked.
this is usually my area of interest.. i did both the htc one and gs4 unlocks but I do not own a g2 unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will give 75 $ if you can buy a used set. That's my contribution. For the G2 unlock.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

Unlocking all LTE bands on my Verizon Note 4

Hey,
I just ported over to Cricket Wireless because Verizon was just taking way to many hacks at my wallet. I've ran into a few snags I was hoping I could get some help with.
1. Every time I boot up my phone, it says I don't have a Verizon SIM card. Yep, I get that...I'm not on Verizon any more. Is there a way to make the phone understand that?
2. As I understand it, Verizon LTE phones only use 2 bands, while GSM phones use 4 bands...or something like that. Is there a way to unlock the other bands on my Verizon phone? It seems like they would be there, but locked out, right?
3. I tried to search for a firmware update, but encountered an error. I was expecting this. When android "M" does come out for my phone, how am I going to do the update?
4. Now that I'm not on Verizon, is it possible to flash ROM's?
Thank you for any help you can give me, folks.

Spackfan said:
Hey,
I just ported over to Cricket Wireless because Verizon was just taking way to many hacks at my wallet. I've ran into a few snags I was hoping I could get some help with.
1. Every time I boot up my phone, it says I don't have a Verizon SIM card. Yep, I get that...I'm not on Verizon any more. Is there a way to make the phone understand that?
2. As I understand it, Verizon LTE phones only use 2 bands, while GSM phones use 4 bands...or something like that. Is there a way to unlock the other bands on my Verizon phone? It seems like they would be there, but locked out, right?
3. I tried to search for a firmware update, but encountered an error. I was expecting this. When android "M" does come out for my phone, how am I going to do the update?
4. Now that I'm not on Verizon, is it possible to flash ROM's?
Thank you for any help you can give me, folks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't exactly answer questions 1 and 2, however,
3. When Android 6.0.1 comes out for the Note 4 SM-N910V, you will have to flash with odin when a tar comes out as you are not able to use OTA unless you have a Verizon SIM in the phone. If you still have your old Verizon SIM, you can use that, update, and then switch back to your new SIM if you'd like.
4. Unfortunately, no. Your phone still runs Verizon software and relies on it. So if and when any root method or bootloader unlock method comes out you will need to use the method for the N910V.

Spackfan said:
Hey,
I just ported over to Cricket Wireless because Verizon was just taking way to many hacks at my wallet. I've ran into a few snags I was hoping I could get some help with.
1. Every time I boot up my phone, it says I don't have a Verizon SIM card. Yep, I get that...I'm not on Verizon any more. Is there a way to make the phone understand that?
2. As I understand it, Verizon LTE phones only use 2 bands, while GSM phones use 4 bands...or something like that. Is there a way to unlock the other bands on my Verizon phone? It seems like they would be there, but locked out, right?
3. I tried to search for a firmware update, but encountered an error. I was expecting this. When android "M" does come out for my phone, how am I going to do the update?
4. Now that I'm not on Verizon, is it possible to flash ROM's?
Thank you for any help you can give me, folks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For question 2 try downloading 4G LTE Switch on the play store. Try changing your preferred network type but test texting and calling to make sure it works correctly. If that doesn't work I'm pretty sure I heard people bring the phone to Verizon to get it "unlocked" to use overseas. Not 100% positive about that though.

HI Hope this helps.
You will need to root device to access service menu, from service menu you can activate locked out bands.
You can use temp root with Kingroot this will allow you to access the locked out service mode on the device. Once in service mode you should be able to activate locked out bands.
Check this out
http://forum.xda-developers.com/not...t-unstable-t3318360/post65520510#post65520510
Post 25-27 talks about it.
Should get you started down the right track.
Best of luck

Any Luck on this thread?
Spackfan said:
Hey,
I just ported over to Cricket Wireless because Verizon was just taking way to many hacks at my wallet. I've ran into a few snags I was hoping I could get some help with.
1. Every time I boot up my phone, it says I don't have a Verizon SIM card. Yep, I get that...I'm not on Verizon any more. Is there a way to make the phone understand that?
2. As I understand it, Verizon LTE phones only use 2 bands, while GSM phones use 4 bands...or something like that. Is there a way to unlock the other bands on my Verizon phone? It seems like they would be there, but locked out, right?
3. I tried to search for a firmware update, but encountered an error. I was expecting this. When android "M" does come out for my phone, how am I going to do the update?
4. Now that I'm not on Verizon, is it possible to flash ROM's?
Thank you for any help you can give me, folks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i rooted my N910v. im on Andoid 6.0.1 and i was able to set only LTE bands but only LTE B3, LTE B4 & LTE B13 are avaible in menu. i don't know if N910V it's Capable to work with other LTE bands. i don't know if there is any trick to allow other LTE Bands.
did you find something?

ubitlopez said:
i rooted my N910v. im on Andoid 6.0.1 and i was able to set only LTE bands but only LTE B3, LTE B4 & LTE B13 are avaible in menu. i don't know if N910V it's Capable to work with other LTE bands. i don't know if there is any trick to allow other LTE Bands.
did you find something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried to root my n910v running Android 6.0.1 never worked

[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.

AT&T S9 Root unlock question

Hi,
If I take a AT&T S9, Unlock the bootloader (if possible), root it, and flash a custom rom on it will I then be able to use it on Verizon?
Thank you in Advance.

Kc0r8y said:
Hi,
If I take a AT&T S9, Unlock the bootloader (if possible), root it, and flash a custom rom on it will I then be able to use it on Verizon?
Thank you in Advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ATz&T is GSM Verizon is CDMA incompatible

Perhaps @sw1173 is a dinosaur or a forum troll?
Verizon 4G LTE is not CDMA. It's 4G LTE and fully compatible with 4G LTE used by other carriers around the globe. Verizon 2g and 3g is CDMA, and only still exists to support older cellular data and IoT devices and some dinosaurs using ancients relics for devices. Verizon announced they were planning on completely shutting down their CDMA network the end of 2019, but just recently decided to postpone the shutdown for up to another year. Verizon has been permitting activation of an ever expanding list of unlocked phones for some time now, including devices like the OnePlus 6T that has no CDMA support, just 4G LTE. If you already have a 4G LTE device activated, you can swap the SIM into another 4G LTE device and as long as it has radio band support for Verizon's spectrum (use frequencycheck.com) as well as software support for Verizon's VoLTE settings, you're good to go. They don't seem to have a VoLTE whitelist like AT&T.
Sadly, the bootloader on the US Snapdragon S9 can not be unlocked at this point (no hacks) like the foreign SM-G960F(D)/965F(D) (Exynos with unlocked bootloader) or the SM-G9600/9650 (Snapdragon with unlocked bootloader) in order to install custom ROMs. I suggest everyone avoid US Samsung phones, period, because of this, and be sure to share your discontent with Samsung. Personally, if I were you, I would get the SM-G9600 or SM-G9650 (China / Latin America Version), root it (easy), and flash the files here to get Verizon support:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s9/how-to/guide-sm-g9600-sm-g9650-verizon-t3890695
If you buy or have a carrier unlocked US S9, including from AT&T, you can use it with any US carrier, including Verizon. You'll probably want to flash the Verizon firmware on it to get Verizon features including WiFi calling though:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS9/comments/85ci7c/convert_atttmosprint_to_unlocked_s9_guide/

Presently you can't unlock the boot loader on the n960u therefore you can't flash Verizon's firmware. Call Verizon and you will be told they are CDMA and are not changing but are adding capability for 5G after 1/1/2020, which will allow the use of various GSM devices to use their CDMA network.. I just spoke with Verizon sales and their technical support.

sw1173 said:
ATz&T is GSM Verizon is CDMA incompatible
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incorrect, this has been incorrect since the S8 when Sammy decided to not make different models for the US market. All S9's built for the US market are physically identical
mobileanimal said:
Perhaps @sw1173 is a dinosaur or a forum troll?
Verizon 4G LTE is not CDMA. It's 4G LTE and fully compatible with 4G LTE used by other carriers around the globe. Verizon 2g and 3g is CDMA, and only still exists to support older cellular data and IoT devices and some dinosaurs using ancients relics for devices. Verizon announced they were planning on completely shutting down their CDMA network the end of 2019, but just recently decided to postpone the shutdown for up to another year. Verizon has been permitting activation of an ever expanding list of unlocked phones for some time now, including devices like the OnePlus 6T that has no CDMA support, just 4G LTE. If you already have a 4G LTE device activated, you can swap the SIM into another 4G LTE device and as long as it has radio band support for Verizon's spectrum (use frequencycheck.com) as well as software support for Verizon's VoLTE settings, you're good to go. They don't seem to have a VoLTE whitelist like AT&T.
Sadly, the bootloader on the US Snapdragon S9 can not be unlocked at this point (no hacks) like the foreign SM-G960F(D)/965F(D) (Exynos with unlocked bootloader) or the SM-G9600/9650 (Snapdragon with unlocked bootloader) in order to install custom ROMs. I suggest everyone avoid US Samsung phones, period, because of this, and be sure to share your discontent with Samsung. Personally, if I were you, I would get the SM-G9600 or SM-G9650 (China / Latin America Version), root it (easy), and flash the files here to get Verizon support:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s9/how-to/guide-sm-g9600-sm-g9650-verizon-t3890695
If you buy or have a carrier unlocked US S9, including from AT&T, you can use it with any US carrier, including Verizon. You'll probably want to flash the Verizon firmware on it to get Verizon features including WiFi calling though:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS9/comments/85ci7c/convert_atttmosprint_to_unlocked_s9_guide/
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in addition to this correct information, id like to add that phones can be debranded by flashing the U1 firmware, but will require a modded Odin in order to get around the write protections put in place meant to stop us from doing that
sw1173 said:
Presently you can't unlock the boot loader on the n960u therefore you can't flash Verizon's firmware. Call Verizon and you will be told they are CDMA and are not changing but are adding capability for 5G after 1/1/2020, which will allow the use of various GSM devices to use their CDMA network.. I just spoke with Verizon sales and their technical support.
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incorrect. Well, youre right in saying that it cant currently be unlocked or rooted, but you CAN flash verizons firmware. Verizon hasnt been a cdma carrier strictly speaking for a decade. LTE has always been GSM, and ever since vzw jumped on board, theyve been a hybrid at best. On top of that, with VoLTE becoming more and more popular, their cdma transceivers have been getting less and less usage every day. 5G isnt going to be the splash a lot of folks think it will either. New handsets to support a new communication method that just isnt needed in most places. And finally, most handsets produced in the last few years are hybrids, especially those sold in several countries. The biggest exception to that rule is the chinese phones that dont even have cdma radios in them.

Unlocked vs Tmobile/Flashing Carrier

I'm curious as to what doesn't work when you purchase an unlocked version vs Tmobile branded? Im told you may have issues with wifi calling/rcs/video calling/and visual voice mail....
2. How easy would it be once you get the unlocked version to flash the carrier software to make everything work and then flash back to original if needed to be for resale or warranty
The reason im asking is that samsung is giving a bigger refund on the unlocked version...

antawnm26 said:
I'm curious as to what doesn't work when you purchase an unlocked version vs Tmobile branded? Im told you may have issues with wifi calling/rcs/video calling/and visual voice mail....
2. How easy would it be once you get the unlocked version to flash the carrier software to make everything work and then flash back to original if needed to be for resale or warranty
The reason im asking is that samsung is giving a bigger refund on the unlocked version...
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If you live in the US I think the unlocked version is just a SIM unlock. I think it is still the snapdragon version. Which means it will not be bootloader unlocked. I think you have to get the exynos version from an online retailer.

antawnm26 said:
I'm curious as to what doesn't work when you purchase an unlocked version vs Tmobile branded? Im told you may have issues with wifi calling/rcs/video calling/and visual voice mail....
2. How easy would it be once you get the unlocked version to flash the carrier software to make everything work and then flash back to original if needed to be for resale or warranty
The reason im asking is that samsung is giving a bigger refund on the unlocked version...
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Note 9 was able to do this and I did it. I don't see a reason why you shouldn't be able o do it in Note 10+ once carrier firmware become available to be downloaded.

I pre-ordered the unlocked version myself and I have AT&T so it should be as easy as waiting for the carrier firmwares to become available on SamMobile and flashing with Odin. My interest is now with DeX supported with microsoft if Odin is even neccessary to flash firmwares anymore?

from what i can see on sprint i think they are using the qualcomm chip, i could be wrong, its labeled as SDM 855 Octa-Core SDR8150 and when searching that in google qualcomm documentation on the 855 pops up

Very curious about this myself. I preordered the unlocked version because that gave me more value for my trade in. I'm curious if I get the unlocked version and flash TMobile carrier software. Will I then get tmobile updates ota?

It's been the same for years now, hardware wise phones are the same, you'll need princey odin to flash unlocked/carrier firmwares. I buy unlocked and flash the carrier unlocked firmware. No bloat but it has the carrier specific radio. I prefer the native caller Id, no bloat, and the RTT over the carrier bloat and video calling. Google duo is better anyway

black96ss said:
It's been the same for years now, hardware wise phones are the same, you'll need princey odin to flash unlocked/carrier firmwares. I buy unlocked and flash the carrier unlocked firmware. No bloat but it has the carrier specific radio. I prefer the native caller Id, no bloat, and the RTT over the carrier bloat and video calling. Google duo is better anyway
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Are you TMO or ATT? I have accounts with both.
I know WiFi Calling, which is what I really need as far as carrier goes, is usually more difficult with ATT.
If you are TMO can you get WFC to work without flashing carrier?
How long do you usually have to wait for the carrier firmware to come out?

jcrompton said:
Are you TMO or ATT? I have accounts with both.
I know WiFi Calling, which is what I really need as far as carrier goes, is usually more difficult with ATT.
If you are TMO can you get WFC to work without flashing carrier?
How long do you usually have to wait for the carrier firmware to come out?
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Wifi calling has no issues on unlocked firmware with tmo. At&t I'm not sure but if you flash the att csc and and cp files, I do believe that's all it takes. I believe you need to flash the at&T AP file.

My Note 9 is unlocked. Using on T-MOBILE with no issues with WiFi calling. I am not able to use the stock visual voicemail though which I would prefer. With T-MOBILE I'm forced to use their visual voicemail which really sucks. Does anyone else know if they're is a way to use the stock visual voicemail on T-Mobile?

MrAwesome75 said:
My Note 9 is unlocked. Using on T-MOBILE with no issues with WiFi calling. I am not able to use the stock visual voicemail though which I would prefer. With T-MOBILE I'm forced to use their visual voicemail which really sucks. Does anyone else know if they're is a way to use the stock visual voicemail on T-Mobile?
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I saw posts that allow you to do that if you flash carrier firmware
I just use Google Voice and forward unanswered calls to there

jcrompton said:
I saw posts that allow you to do that if you flash carrier firmware
I just use Google Voice and forward unanswered calls to there
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When I inserted my SIM it appeared to automatically install the T-Mo firmware, but that's the problem.; it forces me to use the T-Mo VM (which absolutely sucks) and not able to use the Samsung VM which is pretty nice. I had previously used the Note 9 on Verizon with my work SIM and I was able to use the stock VM. When I switched to T-Mo it forced me to use the T-Mo VM. I can't see a way to get back to the stock VM unless I'm missing something...

MrAwesome75 said:
When I inserted my SIM it appeared to automatically install the T-Mo firmware, but that's the problem.; it forces me to use the T-Mo VM (which absolutely sucks) and not able to use the Samsung VM which is pretty nice. I had previously used the Note 9 on Verizon with my work SIM and I was able to use the stock VM. When I switched to T-Mo it forced me to use the T-Mo VM. I can't see a way to get back to the stock VM unless I'm missing something...
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I go into the phone app call or SIM settings and find the call forwarding settings:
Then I do they conditional forwarding to my Google Voice number (I then, after setting up Google Voice, turn on Do Not Disturb for Google Voice, so I don't get there phone ringing twice)
Then GV serves as my VM

freebee269 said:
If you live in the US I think the unlocked version is just a SIM unlock. I think it is still the snapdragon version. Which means it will not be bootloader unlocked. I think you have to get the exynos version from an online retailer.
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^^ What he said. Do not make the mistakes I, and many others made in the past - do NOT buy a US version from T-Mo, or from Samsung USA website, unlocked or otherwise. All USA versions are snapdragon based, and will have permanently locked bootloader - no rom flashing of any kind, no custom recoveries or improved radios. What you need is SM-N975F/DS Exynos version (unless you use CDMA carrier like Verizon or Sprint). It will have the same bands supported as Snapdragon one, with the exception of band 71, which you dont really need. T-Mo's B12 serves the same function as B71 (extended range LTE), and T-Mo made the tech available only in limited number of cities anyway. In all likelihood, by the time they roll it out in your city - you're gonna be thinking about buying Note 12 or 13.
Don't worry about software features like voice calling or any other - with all the custom roms and development available for Exynos version you'll be able to find yourself a rom that has any features you like and then some.

Apo11on said:
^^ What he said. Do not make the mistakes I, and many others made in the past - do NOT buy a US version from T-Mo, or from Samsung USA website, unlocked or otherwise. All USA versions are snapdragon based, and will have permanently locked bootloader - no rom flashing of any kind, no custom recoveries or improved radios. What you need is SM-N975F/DS Exynos version (unless you use CDMA carrier like Verizon or Sprint). It will have the same bands supported as Snapdragon one, with the exception of band 71, which you dont really need. T-Mo's B12 serves the same function as B71 (extended range LTE), and T-Mo made the tech available only in limited number of cities anyway. In all likelihood, by the time they roll it out in your city - you're gonna be thinking about buying Note 12 or 13.
Don't worry about software features like voice calling or any other - with all the custom roms and development available for Exynos version you'll be able to find yourself a rom that has any features you like and then some.
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Click to collapse
This is great advice ..... IF ..... you are looking to root and/ or do custom ROMs. But having done every release S9+/Note9/S10+ with Exynos it's NOT always that easy to get the CSC stuff right and working (and the development is often done by people who could care less about NA CSC because they don't live there).
Root / Unlocked bootloader = the Exynos device, like you said.
So what appears to be the answer (for the thread, assuming no root) after looking at all the answers in this and a couple of other threads is that the Unlocked US Samsung device is the same (or can, in worst case scenario, by Odin flashing carrier firmware, be made to do) device functionally as the carrier devices --- calling features, etc.
For me, the difference was going to be $300 bigger discount.

Apo11on said:
^^ What he said. Do not make the mistakes I, and many others made in the past - do NOT buy a US version from T-Mo, or from Samsung USA website, unlocked or otherwise. All USA versions are snapdragon based, and will have permanently locked bootloader - no rom flashing of any kind, no custom recoveries or improved radios. What you need is SM-N975F/DS Exynos version (unless you use CDMA carrier like Verizon or Sprint). It will have the same bands supported as Snapdragon one, with the exception of band 71, which you dont really need. T-Mo's B12 serves the same function as B71 (extended range LTE), and T-Mo made the tech available only in limited number of cities anyway. In all likelihood, by the time they roll it out in your city - you're gonna be thinking about buying Note 12 or 13.
Don't worry about software features like voice calling or any other - with all the custom roms and development available for Exynos version you'll be able to find yourself a rom that has any features you like and then some.
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Click to collapse
That's only true if you want to unlock the bootloader and root. The OP was merely asking about flashing carrier firmware on the US Unlocked version, which does not require root or an unlocked bootloader.

jcrompton said:
This is great advice ..... IF ..... you are looking to root and/ or do custom ROMs. But having done every release S9+/Note9/S10+ with Exynos it's NOT always that easy to get the CSC stuff right and working (and the development is often done by people who could care less about NA CSC because they don't live there).
Root / Unlocked bootloader = the Exynos device, like you said.
So what appears to be the answer (for the thread, assuming no root) after looking at all the answers in this and a couple of other threads is that the Unlocked US Samsung device is the same (or can, in worst case scenario, by Odin flashing carrier firmware, be made to do) device functionally as the carrier devices --- calling features, etc.
For me, the difference was going to be $300 bigger discount.
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the bigger trade in value was a deciding factor as well for me...Well we weill see how it goes on the 23rd

I want to be able to root and flash TWRP on my Note 10+, but when i did this on my Note 8 i bought the N950N which was the korean exynos version and CRC support for t-mobile sucked ass, i want to make sure
A) what model do i buy for
- Rooting and stuff
- and best t-mobile network compatibility without going through all the dumb stuff

antawnm26 said:
the bigger trade in value was a deciding factor as well for me...Well we weill see how it goes on the 23rd
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Same here. When Samsung stopped hobbling the OS, and added more features I didn't need root anymore. The extra $300 was my deciding factor. I have the unlocked Note 9. The only thing I have noticed aside from slower updates is that the camera sound can't be turned off independent of the global phone sound. Everything else works fine and I haven't noticed anything useful missing.

Mr. Orange 645 said:
That's only true if you want to unlock the bootloader and root. The OP was merely asking about flashing carrier firmware on the US Unlocked version, which does not require root or an unlocked bootloader.
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I was actually giving advice to all folk, considering purchasing, not just the OP....Also, just curious - how do you Samsung's locked bootloader on the unlocked Note (I hope you know 'unlocked' means SIM unlocked only) will accept firmware, signed by T-Mobile? It's not a given Samsung original bootloader, untainted by carrier branded modifications, accepts carrier signed ROMs. You may need to be using T-Mobile version of the bootloader, for it to accept T-Mobile signed images.