Develop Bugs

SIM unlocked T-Mobile Z2 Force - on Verizon?

There are a ton of entries on XDA about sim unlocking the T-Mobile and Sprint versions of the Z2 force, but none of them confirm once unlocked if they've used it on Verizon.
T-Mobile's page confirms their version utilizes bands 2,4 and 13 - all of which are Verizon's LTE bands.
Can anyone confirm?
I'm looking to buy this to replace a work phone on Verizon. My personal account is with T-Mobile, so would be very nice if I could just flip sims whenever I'd like. Appreciate in advance the responses!

(unlock T-Mobile bootloader, sim unlock, root and put a custom rom with safety net passes)
then type this on google and try.
Unlock all bands of your Qualcomm device! Use your phone globally! No bs! by olokos
or this one
torial] Unlock ALL bands on xt907 (moto_msm8960) by umar_fia
both links you want are first ones on google
test and report back
unlock band 13 for lte
if possible
unlock band CDMA BC1 (1900 PCS) and CDMA BC0 (800)
if given an option for cdma protocols
activate
cdmaOne 2G
CDMA2000 1xRTT 3G
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rel. 0 3G
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev A 3G
If you can't activate the cdma bands, you will have no 3g connection.

Oh if this works I would be so happy to switch back to VZW. Anyone attempted it yet?

I'm interested in knowing if anyone tried this too

I’m too chicken to mess with anything not official from xda on my daily driver. I’m sucking it up and waiting out the period for the device unlock app to ‘officially’ sim unlock and try. When that day comes, I’ll post here.
I think it’s ignorant having to wait for a sim unlock for a phone you bought outright.

joesee said:
I’m too chicken to mess with anything not official from xda on my daily driver. I’m sucking it up and waiting out the period for the device unlock app to ‘officially’ sim unlock and try. When that day comes, I’ll post here.
I think it’s ignorant having to wait for a sim unlock for a phone you bought outright.
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Click to collapse
Eagerly awaiting news on this - why is there a waiting period on the sim unlock? How longs is that period? I'm about to head out to Tmobile store and buy me one too.

Verizon's LTE band 13 is exclusive to the Verizon model unfortunately. I wish it wasn't so you could use a bootloader unlocked Sprint or T-Mobile edition on Verizon. I did that with the Google Pixel - used the universal one on Verizon. I just got used to having an unrooted phone with the z2 Force. I switched to blokada after many years of always using ad away. I think most all ad blockers on unrooted phones are VPN based so it lags WiFi and mobile data a little but that's what you get to work with if you want the best moto phone running on Verizon.

Greefus said:
Verizon's LTE band 13 is exclusive to the Verizon model unfortunately.
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Click to collapse
Could you provide your source of information on that? T-Mobile's listing of the Z2 Force lists band 13 LTE capability, and multiple sources say that the Sprint variant has band 13 too. I am just about to pull the trigger on a Z2 Force variant that is bootloader unlockable, but whichever carrier version I get has to work with Straight Talk Verizon.

I'm seeing the sprint one listed as having band 13 now everywhere actually. My bad. I don't recall seeing that back when i got it and was shopping around. Let me know if the Sprint one works for you on vz because i miss having a a rooted phone.

The only different thing on the US phone's is the oem partition. Everything else hardware and software are very similar to the point I want to say identical. (Obviously, some slight changes in /system and stuff but that's with the territory of using OEM ROMs). I have flashed a T-Mobile flashall and it worked. I flashed back to Sprint shortly after. I did it for science.

So in short, will am unlocked T-mobile Moto Z2 work on the Verizon network with a sim swap? Or does it require a root or the bootloader thing that was mentioned, I haven't done either one as I am content with factory.

So, what's the verdict? Will unlocked T-Mobile Z2 force work with Verizon?

Most likely will not work. T-Mobile variant is GSM and most likely doesn't have the CDMA bands on it or programmed into it. Only thing you can try is flash Verizon firmware and see if it works. 99% chance T-mobile firmware will not work, Verizon firmware has about a 40% chance of working. If you don't have the device, I'd suggest not investing as no one has tried it.

I tried the Verizon flash all on my TMobile z2. Didn't work.lost baseband.
The flash all looked as if everything flashed properly...but when it finished and rebooted it still had tmo splash screen. So I don't know if it really did it.
If it's worth any thing my Verizon Sim in my tmo z2 gets great data...just no calls/messages

I have an unlocked Sprint variant that I flashed to Verizon and use with Straight talk Verizon. The only issue is that so far whenever an update comes in I have to back up all the things I want to save and flash the updated flashall, because the automatic updater just keeps on failing. I don't know if this matters, but I'm bootloader unlocked (had to for sim unlock) but without TWRP or root. It's possible that if I would try relocking the bootloader that the automatic update process would work. I briefly had a Mint sim in there (T-mobile) and everything seemed to work. I didn't really try things out with the Sprint rom, but as I remember everything worked, I just didn't like the icon style plus always having a notification saying something about a non Sprint sim card

zstricky said:
I have an unlocked Sprint variant that I flashed to Verizon and use with Straight talk Verizon. The only issue is that so far whenever an update comes in I have to back up all the things I want to save and flash the updated flashall, because the automatic updater just keeps on failing. I don't know if this matters, but I'm bootloader unlocked (had to for sim unlock) but without TWRP or root. It's possible that if I would try relocking the bootloader that the automatic update process would work. I briefly had a Mint sim in there (T-mobile) and everything seemed to work. I didn't really try things out with the Sprint rom, but as I remember everything worked, I just didn't like the icon style plus always having a notification saying something about a non Sprint sim card
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was it officially unlocked or was a modified file flashed to your phone? If you had a third party service unlock, then the hash check for that partition is incorrect and that's why updates fail.

I had a third party unlock it. Actually, it was the guy that people on this forum have talked about.

Will this work on Verizon? My tmo z2 was unlocked by TMobile not a third party

No it doesn't work... You can get data but that's it..

Uzephi said:
The only different thing on the US phone's is the oem partition. Everything else hardware and software are very similar to the point I want to say identical. (Obviously, some slight changes in /system and stuff but that's with the territory of using OEM ROMs). I have flashed a T-Mobile flashall and it worked. I flashed back to Sprint shortly after. I did it for science.
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Click to collapse
Hi- I am wondering about being able to buy a new-in-the-box z2 Force that was originally sold for Sprint, and being able to flash the T-mobile firmware to it for use with them. Is this possible? I have done this for Galaxy S8/S9 phones, but there is a deal right now where I can get this phone with 2 of the mods for dirt cheap, but it won't really matter if I can't do the conversion. Any advice?

Octopus Box/Dev Patched LGUP Thoughts

ChazzMatt said:
You mean like an Octopus box?
I mentioned it in this post:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76325684&postcount=42
Just remember that post was written back in April 2018, when we were still figuring out the Frankenstein method. But these "boxes" were allowing online sellers and online unlockers to convert V30 phones to OTHER variants seemingly willy nilly. We found LS998 V30+ which had been converted to Canadian H933 V30+. Canada H933 doesn't officially have a V30+! Just like there's no VS996 V30+! But you can make one.
Once we figured out the PC based Frankenstein system with dev patched LGUP, then we could do almost the same thing ourselves. Since then, I even bought two mint LS998 V30+ myself and converted them to US998 V30+.
But when I made that post I expressed severe reservations about buying LS998 in the first place -- since they were SIM card locked to Sprint. Like I said, we didn't know everything we know now, and I've changed my mind on the topic.
Whether one of these boxes could help you or not. My understanding is it basically does what dev patched LGUP does. Maybe it does it more automatically and there's less chance for error? I don't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, ChazzMatt, you started something... I just thought I'd share these details with you guys in hopes that it gets the ball rolling on something big.
But these "boxes" were allowing online sellers and online unlockers to convert V30 phones to OTHER variants seemingly willy nilly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember these boxes... My first experience with them was back in the days when Nokia was a huge name in phones. I had a Bell locked Nokia RM-579, which was the NA market 2730. Used BB5 SL3 security. Made it almost impossible to remove the USIM lock too... But from playing around with some of the software, uncovering factory service manuals, and playing with Nokia Diego, I found out that (at least, the Nokia factory boxes) those boxes interface with the phone in ways i only dream of. For all of Nokia's phones, they make special jig's that connect with contacts found on the PCB, typically under the SIM/USIM tray. To use them, you also need the special power adapter tool as well since the battery typically needs to be removed. I would guess that these boxes converted a standard serial port or USB port from serial signaling, to something similar (I think) to TTL or Transisitor-Transistor logic. Those boxes would allow you to make that phone your... you know what. You could repair any issues that had anything to do with software... Somehow obliterated the firmware? Fixed! Accidently flashed the wrong baseband and bricked your modem? No Problem! Need to reprogram baseband parameters? Piece of cake!
With the ushering in of the non removable battery, I assumed they'd go by the wayside... But apparently not... How they interface with the phone, I can only imagine... For TTL to work, you only need three pins... Your Tx, Rx and Ground. You could have the phone wired so that pin 4 of your micro USB port is hooked up to the Rx on the serial port of the CPU, then use pin 3 as your Tx and 5 is already your ground... Just saying. With USB-C there are a multitude of pins to choose from, and you only need three. Apparently they're doing something like this with those boxes because of the Franken-phones that have been reported... Which makes me wonder how those boxes worked...
I personally assume that those boxes also rewrite the security keys that tell the phone the software is valid. And at least in my mind, so long as the V30 you're flashing has the same hardware as another in terms of baseband and radio frequency support, then theoretically speaking you can reflash any portion, such as the modem firmware and paramaters as well as the system partition, you could theoretically speaking make a Canadian V30+ variant, or any other variant out there.
Now, the other thought I had comes from my days with HTC.... Ingenious people really... My last phone prior to the V30 was an HTC 10. Quick rundown on how it worked... HTC allowed unlocking the bootloader on all their phones except Verizon ones (for the 10 at least). Using their unlock would allow you to flash unsigned images to the System, User, and Recovery partitions for a custom firmware... This however left S-On, or Security On. The Sunshine team figured out how to set S-Off. This allowed you to flash whatever to wherever and change whatever you wanted. This meant you could change your general North American variant to a European or Asian variant and then back again if you so desired. You would change the model ID, then run the HTC firmware recovery executible on your PC, or boot into download mode on your phone with the firmware on your SD card, and presto, your phone would become that model as though it was that from day one. No signal issues, no battery drain issues, perfect software operation. I can vouch for this, as I converted my 2PS6500 (the NA variant), to a 2PS6200 (the EU variant) which worked flawlessly. I then realized I made it a European model and converted back to a North American one but needless to say, there were no problems at all... I don't know why the HTC 10 can be converted between variants with no baseband issues at all... I personally would think that when flashing a North American phone with European firmware it would cause the baseband to crash and cease working at all. That's what it does with all other phones I've accidently done it to...
I hope this helps to spur some of the brilliant minds on this forum to figure out if this is possible with the LG V30, or to help figure out the deeper darker secrets of this phone.

For.anyone wanting to dig further, I'm not familiar with the octobox but this sounds like a JTAG interface.
Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

atirox said:
HTC allowed unlocking the bootloader on all their phones except Verizon ones (for the 10 at least). Using their unlock would allow you to flash unsigned images to the System, User, and Recovery partitions for a custom firmware... This however left S-On, or Security On. The Sunshine team figured out how to set S-Off. This allowed you to flash whatever to wherever and change whatever you wanted. This meant you could change your general North American variant to a European or Asian variant and then back again if you so desired. You would change the model ID, then run the HTC firmware recovery executable on your PC, or boot into download mode on your phone with the firmware on your SD card, and presto, your phone would become that model as though it was that from day one. No signal issues, no battery drain issues, perfect software operation. I can vouch for this, as I converted my 2PS6500 (the NA variant), to a 2PS6200 (the EU variant) which worked flawlessly. I then realized I made it a European model and converted back to a North American one but needless to say, there were no problems at all... I don't know why the HTC 10 can be converted between variants with no baseband issues at all... I personally would think that when flashing a North American phone with European firmware it would cause the baseband to crash and cease working at all. That's what it does with all other phones I've accidently done it to...
I hope this helps to spur some of the brilliant minds on this forum to figure out if this is possible with the LG V30, or to help figure out the deeper darker secrets of this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some manufacturers basically create one "global" phone with all bands activated, then lock down bands via firmware to create their "regional" or "carrier" models. This is their business model. If they created and sold a "global" model, then you would import the cheapest phone you could find from some developing country and Verizon/AT&T wouldn't make any money on hardware sales.
IF you Google: "unlock Qualcomm LTE bands", you will see a few years ago people figured this out, and started unlocking extra LTE bands which were present originally on their phone but firmware locked down to become a carrier model. You could turn your phone into a "global" phone. Caveat: Using this method, you could not activate bands out of thin air, they had to be there already, and the hardware (like antenna) had to support them. But similar to the the "hidden menu" stuff, you use this method to activate ALL the bands listed and they would work.
Most times you also needed root to do this. Also more recently this doesn't work much any more as OEMs have taken steps to thwart this freedom.
But in the same way, the North American V30/V30+ (except the T-mobile H932, due to different RSA encryption) seem to all be the same phone except for firmware. The carrier unlocked US998 is the closest to a "universal" North American V30 -- but it's missing some Sprint bands (found on the LS998), some minor AT&T bands (found on the H931), and the new T-mobile band 71 (while the H932 has that). I'm sure somewhere in an LG vault, there's a "super" US998 that has ALL those bands. Maybe even a "Master" V30 with every GSM/CDMA/HSPA/LTE band -- but LG won't sell that because it would make the carriers mad.
This is why they put different RSA encryption on different models.

ChazzMatt said:
Some manufacturers basically create one "global" phone with all bands activated, then lock down bands via firmware to create their "regional" or "carrier" models. This is their business model. If they created and sold a "global" model, then you would import the cheapest phone you could find from some developing country and Verizon/AT&T wouldn't make any money on hardware sales.
IF you Google: "unlock Qualcomm LTE bands", you will see a few years ago people figured this out, and started unlocking extra LTE bands which were present originally on their phone but firmware locked down to become a carrier model. You could turn your phone into a "global" phone. Caveat: Using this method, you could not activate bands out of thin air, they had to be there already, and the hardware (like antenna) had to support them. But similar to the the "hidden menu" stuff, you use this method to activate ALL the bands listed and they would work.
Most times you also needed root to do this. Also more recently this doesn't work much any more as OEMs have taken steps to thwart this freedom.
But in the same way, the North American V30/V30+ (except the T-mobile H932, due to different RSA encryption) seem to all be the same phone except for firmware. The carrier unlocked US998 is the closest to a "universal" North American V30 -- but it's missing some Sprint bands (found on the LS998), some minor AT&T bands (found on the H931), and the new T-mobile band 71 (while the H932 has that). I'm sure somewhere in an LG vault, there's a "super" US998 that has ALL those bands. Maybe even a "Master" V30 with every GSM/CDMA/HSPA/LTE band -- but LG won't sell that because it would make the carriers mad.
This is why they put different RSA encryption on different models.
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Click to collapse
Everyone is talking about the band , I did not understand if there is any benefit to add more band ,Is it an improvement to lte. and Does Korea model v300s need more lte band or this is unnecessary?
Please I just want to know. I am from Algeria and my networks are "Djezzy" and "Mobilis".
the signal is good and lte work great no problem.

seloka180 said:
I am from Algeria and my networks are "Djezzy" and "Mobilis".
the signal is good and lte work great no problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you probably don't need any additional LTE bands.
Korea variants are hard to mess with. You risk losing the mobile signal, if you convert to another variant.

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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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.

Which firmwares support VoLTE and WiFi calling on T-Mobile USA?

I've been toying with crossflashing a G710PM (Sprint) to various firmwares to find which ones support VoLTE and WiFi calling on T-Mobile USA. I started with the Sprint firmware (didn't seem to support either VoLTE or WiFi calling on TMUSA), then I crossflashed to the European Pie release (didn't seem to support either VoLTE or WiFi calling on TMUSA either), then the Verizon Pie release (this one at least had an option for WiFi calling, but it appeared to be disabled), and finally the G710ULM10j GFI release (VoLTE and WiFi calling working fine so far).
Does anyone know if any other firmwares besides the G710ULM can do VoLTE and WiFi calling on T-Mobile and can be crossflashed?

Does crossflashing actually "enable" certain Hardware related features? Including "enabling" all frequency bands for GSM on a currently CDMA firmware? I didn;t think this was possible. I think I read somewhere that Tmo WiFi Calling feature is disabled even on factory unlocked versions.

TRW1 said:
Does crossflashing actually "enable" certain Hardware related features? Including "enabling" all frequency bands for GSM on a currently CDMA firmware? I didn;t think this was possible. I think I read somewhere that Tmo WiFi Calling feature is disabled even on factory unlocked versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cross flashed a G710PM (Sprint model) to G710ULM (Unlocked Google Fi firmware) and so far VoLTE and WiFi calling work fine. Network Cell Info reported Band 66 for one location I checked (which the G710PM model doesn't support but the ULM model does according to their respective spec sheets), but LTE Discovery reported it as Band 4. I'm not sure which is right, but it seems that a misreport as Band 4 would be more likely than a misreport as Band 66 since Band 66 is a superset of Band 4. So I think possibly it actually enables the other bands, but I can't say with 100% certainty.
Interestingly, the bands listed for enable / disable in the engineering menu don't match either the PM or ULM models.
Edit: Forgot to mention, ULM and PM both support both GSM and CDMA. I think maybe only difference in specs is which LTE bands are supported.

AH! I've been trying to get to the bottom of this whole "what bands enabled/disabled for what firmware/carrier" thing for weeks now. Even LG is vague in their answers. Yes, you are correct, I'm finding alot of discrepency in the actual bands supported for which version all over the place. No one has a difinitive spec sheet. Where is this "engineering menu" you speak of? I'm getting really frustrated finding answers. Ya, i think the reason WiFi Calling/VoLTE are working on the GFI firmware is because TMO is one of the carriers Google Fi uses, so it has to work. Otherwise, Google Fi users would be upset a key feature is disabled. I bet if you were using the USA firmware it would be disabled. The key to my whole frustration is, like you mentioned, "WHICH" bands are supported. I have ULM.BPT firmware and am concerned if I use it with GSM carrier not all bands will be "enabled". Is this correct?

TRW1 said:
AH! I've been trying to get to the bottom of this whole "what bands enabled/disabled for what firmware/carrier" thing for weeks now. Even LG is vague in their answers. Yes, you are correct, I'm finding alot of discrepency in the actual bands supported for which version all over the place. No one has a difinitive spec sheet. Where is this "engineering menu" you speak of? I'm getting really frustrated finding answers. Ya, i think the reason WiFi Calling/VoLTE are working on the GFI firmware is because TMO is one of the carriers Google Fi uses, so it has to work. Otherwise, Google Fi users would be upset a key feature is disabled. I bet if you were using the USA firmware it would be disabled. The key to my whole frustration is, like you mentioned, "WHICH" bands are supported. I have ULM.BPT firmware and am concerned if I use it with GSM carrier not all bands will be "enabled". Is this correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, when I downloaded the firmware I don't think I even knew enough about the regions to know there was a difference between GFI and USA. In fact, how do I check which one is installed? I looked in the version information in Settings and there's nothing there to tell me the region. It must be tucked in there somewhere? Maybe the BPT, USA, and GFI firmwares are all the same? I just downloaded both the GFI and USA releases from the LG-Firmwares website and the files appear to be identical. Maybe BPT is identical too?
Regarding the bands, I honestly don't know if every model supports every band or what the deal is. I've been happy with my cross-flashed Sprint on T-Mobile thus far, but I certainly can't say for sure if there are hardware differences that make other models not work with every band (or even if mine works with every band it's supposed to or it just happens to work well enough for my area). Most people seem confident the T-Mobile model is different, at least, but I think it's more of a mystery regarding all the others.
You can get to the engineering menu by using the built-in dialer and typing *#546368#*710# Then under Field Test -> Modem Settings -> LTE Band Selection there's a list of selectable LTE bands. I suspect, though, that everyone's has the same list (1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,17,20,25,28,29,30,38,40), because that's the list I got on mine and it doesn't match either the PM or ULM model. I'm curious if yours is any different.

neverremembermyusername said:
Honestly, when I downloaded the firmware I don't think I even knew enough about the regions to know there was a difference between GFI and USA. In fact, how do I check which one is installed? I looked in the version information in Settings and there's nothing there to tell me the region. It must be tucked in there somewhere? Maybe the BPT, USA, and GFI firmwares are all the same? I just downloaded both the GFI and USA releases from the LG-Firmwares website and the files appear to be identical. Maybe BPT is identical too?
Regarding the bands, I honestly don't know if every model supports every band or what the deal is. I've been happy with my cross-flashed Sprint on T-Mobile thus far, but I certainly can't say for sure if there are hardware differences that make other models not work with every band (or even if mine works with every band it's supposed to or it just happens to work well enough for my area). Most people seem confident the T-Mobile model is different, at least, but I think it's more of a mystery regarding all the others.
You can get to the engineering menu by using the built-in dialer and typing *#546368#*710# Then under Field Test -> Modem Settings -> LTE Band Selection there's a list of selectable LTE bands. I suspect, though, that everyone's has the same list (1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,17,20,25,28,29,30,38,40), because that's the list I got on mine and it doesn't match either the PM or ULM model. I'm curious if yours is any different.
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Click to collapse
Ha! Thats my point! What IS the difference? Why have 4 versions if there is no difference in the firmware? Notice the updates are same for GFI & USA, so what IS the difference? Only thing I can think of is the Auto Switching software for Fi. But AFAIK when u put Fi SIM in it tells you to download the special software for that feature. Then notice the BPT & BPS have same updates. So, again, what exactly IS the diff? Notice it also specifically lists the "Product Type" as either GSM or CDMA. This is why I'm getting so frustrated trying to get to the bottom of this once and for all. All 4 are listed as ULM versions. Does this mean the 2 CDMA (BPT&BPS) will NOT have all the GSM bands 'enabled'? And vice versa. I'm going by this BTW:
https://www.mylgphones.com/unlocked-lg-g7-thinq-lmg710ulm-firmware-update.html
Above in your list of bands: where is Band 66? thought that was a major TMO band? Ya, funny how the list doesn't match PM or ULM, huh? Again, my frustration. I bet you're not accessing all the TMO bands, only the ones shared with Sprint. (or the ones "enabled" by Sprint firmware) Like you said, maybe just lucky to live in area with good TMO coverage, so it never searches for other bands. U live in large populated area? Heard about the PM models being flashed to look like ULM? They seem to be sold on Ebay, Amazon, etc. Breed was company name. In my research, came across alot of buyers who were duped by this. Most saying they were having all sorts of connection/signal issues. Which proves just reflashing firmware doesn't "enable" more bands. I could be wrong. Your saying no problems at all. Also came across alot of VZN users saying problem with activating the ULM on their network. Which doesn't make sense either! Again, so frustrating getting to the bottom of this. I KNOW i read somewhere about the specifically TMO WiFi Calling being disabled almost everywhere except on TMO branded phones. (which would explain why it is working on your Fi firmware)
---------- Post added 27th July 2019 at 12:08 AM ---------- Previous post was 26th July 2019 at 11:55 PM ----------
Also, read this thread and tell me what you think.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g7-thinq/help/lg-g710tm-unlocked-t-mobile-verizon-t3947096

TRW1 said:
Ha! Thats my point! What IS the difference? Why have 4 versions if there is no difference in the firmware? Notice the updates are same for GFI & USA, so what IS the difference? Only thing I can think of is the Auto Switching software for Fi. But AFAIK when u put Fi SIM in it tells you to download the special software for that feature. Then notice the BPT & BPS have same updates. So, again, what exactly IS the diff? Notice it also specifically lists the "Product Type" as either GSM or CDMA. This is why I'm getting so frustrated trying to get to the bottom of this once and for all. All 4 are listed as ULM versions. Does this mean the 2 CDMA (BPT&BPS) will NOT have all the GSM bands 'enabled'? And vice versa. I'm going by this BTW:
https://www.mylgphones.com/unlocked-lg-g7-thinq-lmg710ulm-firmware-update.html
Above in your list of bands: where is Band 66? thought that was a major TMO band? Ya, funny how the list doesn't match PM or ULM, huh? Again, my frustration. I bet you're not accessing all the TMO bands, only the ones shared with Sprint. (or the ones "enabled" by Sprint firmware) Like you said, maybe just lucky to live in area with good TMO coverage, so it never searches for other bands. U live in large populated area? Heard about the PM models being flashed to look like ULM? They seem to be sold on Ebay, Amazon, etc. Breed was company name. In my research, came across alot of buyers who were duped by this. Most saying they were having all sorts of connection/signal issues. Which proves just reflashing firmware doesn't "enable" more bands. I could be wrong. Your saying no problems at all. Also came across alot of VZN users saying problem with activating the ULM on their network. Which doesn't make sense either! Again, so frustrating getting to the bottom of this. I KNOW i read somewhere about the specifically TMO WiFi Calling being disabled almost everywhere except on TMO branded phones. (which would explain why it is working on your Fi firmware)
---------- Post added 27th July 2019 at 12:08 AM ---------- Previous post was 26th July 2019 at 11:55 PM ----------
Also, read this thread and tell me what you think.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g7-thinq/help/lg-g710tm-unlocked-t-mobile-verizon-t3947096
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just as confused as you are. As I mentioned, Network Cell Info says my phone was connected to band 66, which isn't available on the Sprint model. At the same time, B66 isn't listed in that menu. But then, B41 isn't listed in that menu, either, and that's supported to be supported on the Sprint model. So bands listed in that menu don't match any model that I'm aware of. Unfortunately the engineering menu code doesn't work on the Sprint firmware, so I wasn't able to check if the listed bands changed when I flashed over to ULM.
I've previously read the thread about the TM differences. I do know from looking at the FCC filing that the TM model has a different FCC certification number than ULM, so it's plausible that it is physically different from the others. However, PM shares a certification with VM and ULM, so I *think* they're the same hardware. That's why I'm wondering if *every* LG G7 lists the same bands in the engineering menu. Maybe that menu isn't actually listing all the supported bands for the specific phone?
In any case, the PM model supports bands 2, 4, 5, and 12, which is most of T-Mobile. Band 66 is just a superset of band 4, so most any B66 tower will offer B4 (though possibly at a reduced speed). So even if I don't get real B66, and instead just get the Sprint bands, that covers pretty much everything . Only thing missing is B71, which seems to be limited to TM model (which, interestingly, shares FCC certification with the Canadian model).

LG G710EAW on T-Mobile. Crossflash?

Hello all!
I have an LG G7 from India, model G710EAW. I moved to the US from Canada and the phone isn't entertaining T-Mobile or ATT SIM cards. When I insert them, service works for a little bit and then immediately switches to "Emergency calls only". T-Mobile's website says my phone IMEI is compatible with its service.
The strange thing is that the phone has two SIMs from Canada roaming - one on the T-Mobile network and another on ATT. No issues whatsoever. And when I check the bands in Engineering Mode, I can see one roaming SIM running on LTE Band-4 on T-Mobile. The other roaming SIM is switching between LTE Band-2 and LTE Band-5 on ATT.
T-Mobile uses bands 2,4,5 mainly, and ATT uses 2,4,5 among other bands.This leads me to believe it's some kind of a network restriction preventing my phone from latching onto these networks directly.
I've made tons of calls to T-Mobile and ATT so I'm no longer interested in pursuing them with this.
I'm wondering if cross-flashing a different firmware might help fix this issue. I remember reading on this subreddit that the Google FI firmware may work for T-Mobile bands. I'm not sure I understood that correctly.
Can someone confirm if that's possible? Does this make sense? I'm hesitant to buy a new replacement phone when my G7 works so well.
Thanks!