Well, I have jumped ship from the Aria to the Galaxy s2 and wanted to find out if I could give this phone to my mom to be used as a simple "dumb" phone - she has no need for data, texting, or any networking other than simple phone calls - her existing flop phone is craptastic and on its last legs. I have her line as a third number on my account, but it is only voice. If I turned off all the mobile connections and removed the data APN, would ATT be able to detect it as a smart phone and force a data plan onto that number? It is rooted and running CM7 if that matters.
Thanks,
T
Yes, they can tell it's a smartphone, and they will force you into a data plan even with data disabled on the phone. I'm not sure how that can be legal but they do it anyway.
That sucks. Do they key in on the IME number?
drumist said:
Yes, they can tell it's a smartphone, and they will force you into a data plan even with data disabled on the phone. I'm not sure how that can be legal but they do it anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
I used a smart phone for over 3 years with no data....but went to 2gig for personal reasons. So has my wife. Neither of us have been forced into doing so. They only see if you are actually mobile connected. Just remove the apn and never turn on data. They could use the imei, but that would be more trouble than its worth to sift through them all.
tedkunich said:
That sucks. Do they key in on the IME number?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
tomtommy306 said:
I used a smart phone for over 3 years with no data....but went to 2gig for personal reasons. So has my wife. Neither of us have been forced into doing so. They only see if you are actually mobile connected. Just remove the apn and never turn on data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've been lucky then. I'm merely stating AT&T's official policy that all smartphones must have data plans, regardless of whether you are on contract with them or don't use any data whatsoever. There have been numerous posts over the past year or so here about AT&T customers being forced into data plans. However, there have also been mixed reports about some people being forced into tethering plans when attempting to tether for free through rooted/jailbroken devices, and others have been able to tether constantly without anything happening to them. I have no idea why AT&T's systems detect it for some people and not for others.
Although, even if you do get forced into a data plan, all you have to do is switch the SIM card back into a regular phone then call AT&T to have them remove the data plan and you will either not be charged at all or be charged a very small pro-rated amount. So there's really no risk in trying it.
tomtommy306 said:
They could use the imei, but that would be more trouble than its worth to sift through them all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Their systems already check your IMEI automatically for other reasons. When you move your SIM card into another device, you can log onto the AT&T website and see that it shows the updated device attached to your phone (I think it takes up to 24 hours to update though).
tomtommy306 said:
I used a smart phone for over 3 years with no data....but went to 2gig for personal reasons. So has my wife. Neither of us have been forced into doing so. They only see if you are actually mobile connected. Just remove the apn and never turn on data. They could use the imei, but that would be more trouble than its worth to sift through them all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See the bolded part? Since you were doing so, the didn't change your plan.
See here: http://mobile.engadget.com/2010/02/...phones-even-unlocked-ones-onto-smartphone-da/.
AT&T tells us that this policy has been in place since last September; folks who haven't changed phones since then are still grandfathered
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theonew said:
See the bolded part? Since you were doing so, the didn't change your plan.
See here: http://mobile.engadget.com/2010/02/...phones-even-unlocked-ones-onto-smartphone-da/.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I guess they are cracking down on the newer people. I have been with at&t since they were cingular so I guess I was and have been grandfathered in for a while.
In short for the OP question.... Do as Drumist says and try the sim in it. If they try and force you, then pull the sim.
On a side note.... At&t are being bullies aren't they. I have read of them trying this for people with international unlocked phones as well. That said.... It's their network to do with as they please.
tomtommy306 said:
So I guess they are cracking down on the newer people. I have been with at&t since they were cingular so I guess I was and have been grandfathered in for a while.
In short for the OP question.... Do as Drumist says and try the sim in it. If they try and force you, then pull the sim.
On a side note.... At&t are being bullies aren't they. I have read of them trying this for people with international unlocked phones as well. That said.... It's their network to do with as they please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using smart phones without data plans for nearly 6 years now, starting with the Treo 650, then the LG Incite (WM6), and now the Aria.
When I upgraded the phones, I simply put the old SIM into the new phone - never heard a peep from AT&T.
Maybe I'm lucky, but I have something on my account called "
Smartphone Exclusion", which I believe came with my plan on my first Cingular phone.
I have data opt-out on my feature list as well.
DanGeorges said:
I've been using smart phones without data plans for nearly 6 years now, starting with the Treo 650, then the LG Incite (WM6), and now the Aria.
When I upgraded the phones, I simply put the old SIM into the new phone - never heard a peep from AT&T.
Maybe I'm lucky, but I have something on my account called "
Smartphone Exclusion", which I believe came with my plan on my first Cingular phone.
I have data opt-out on my feature list as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My situation is nearly identical I think. I've been through a couple of Blackberries and now the Aria, all without a data plan and haven't had any issues.
Your experience may vary is the bottom line I guess.
Related
Hi! So I have this phone, the Samsung Fascinate. I love this phone. But soon I'm not going to have an actual cell phone plan and want to keep using this phone. I'm planning to switch over to those Pay as you Go plans, where I buy a card and fill up minutes. here's my question. I want to jailbreak this phone so I can do that, how would I go about doing this? And would I be able to access the net and everything? Would I have to stick with Verizon and use their prepay service or could I switch to a different company? I need to be able to call, send/recieve texts, and be able to use the web. If any one of these is missing, it's not worth it to me. Get what I'm saying? lol. So yeah, any info?
EDIT: So I've done more research, this is actually UNLOCKING that I want to do. Same questions apply. I've never unlocked a phone before. I've rooted several android phones, but never unlocked them to work on different networks. If I can unlock it and be able to use a prepay or pay as you go service, I'd be so happy. (cause they rip you off with contracts)
Partner420 said:
Hi! So I have this phone, the Samsung Fascinate. I love this phone. But soon I'm not going to have an actual cell phone plan and want to keep using this phone. I'm planning to switch over to those Pay as you Go plans, where I buy a card and fill up minutes. here's my question. I want to jailbreak this phone so I can do that, how would I go about doing this? And would I be able to access the net and everything? Would I have to stick with Verizon and use their prepay service or could I switch to a different company? I need to be able to call, send/recieve texts, and be able to use the web. If any one of these is missing, it's not worth it to me. Get what I'm saying? lol. So yeah, any info?
EDIT: So I've done more research, this is actually UNLOCKING that I want to do. Same questions apply. I've never unlocked a phone before. I've rooted several android phones, but never unlocked them to work on different networks. If I can unlock it and be able to use a prepay or pay as you go service, I'd be so happy. (cause they rip you off with contracts)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's possible, but it's incredibly more difficult then flashing roms and rooting. You will actually have to figure out all the pass codes, apn settings and proxies (if applicable). Getting talk and sms is a breeze...it's the net, market, gps and mms that's a *****. Save yourself the headache
Partner420 said:
Hi! So I have this phone, the Samsung Fascinate. I love this phone. But soon I'm not going to have an actual cell phone plan and want to keep using this phone. I'm planning to switch over to those Pay as you Go plans, where I buy a card and fill up minutes. here's my question. I want to jailbreak this phone so I can do that, how would I go about doing this? And would I be able to access the net and everything? Would I have to stick with Verizon and use their prepay service or could I switch to a different company? I need to be able to call, send/recieve texts, and be able to use the web. If any one of these is missing, it's not worth it to me. Get what I'm saying? lol. So yeah, any info?
EDIT: So I've done more research, this is actually UNLOCKING that I want to do. Same questions apply. I've never unlocked a phone before. I've rooted several android phones, but never unlocked them to work on different networks. If I can unlock it and be able to use a prepay or pay as you go service, I'd be so happy. (cause they rip you off with contracts)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are some apps in the market. SGS tools and Captivate SGS that will help you find the codes you want, also one click root has a tab for unlocking phones i know it says Samsung Captivate but i think it works on the Fascinate as well, it has been a long time since i worried about that. The apps are in the market and here is the one click link.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682
DaleV said:
There are some apps in the market. SGS tools and Captivate SGS that will help you find the codes you want, also one click root has a tab for unlocking phones i know it says Samsung Captivate but i think it works on the Fascinate as well, it has been a long time since i worried about that. The apps are in the market and here is the one click link.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fyi, the info you provided will not assist him in flashing the phone to another carrier. Rooting a phone has almost absolutely nothing to do with changing providers. He will require provider ppp settings for net, provider apns for mms, provider prls for tower locations and possibly provider mip information. All of these are unique values he will manually have to enter.
Edit: How do I know? Read my sig...and I'm responsible for helping several others on xda attempt and succeed. Very few succeed on lesser known plans...
So, getting net is the issue, eh? Alright, so how would I get this phone to work for pay as you go service? What if I just stuck with Verizons pay as you go service, would there be an issue?
Partner420 said:
So, getting net is the issue, eh? Alright, so how would I get this phone to work for pay as you go service? What if I just stuck with Verizons pay as you go service, would there be an issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't ever utilized vzw pay as you go plan, but I would imagine it would be a proxy type. The trick however is contacting vzw directly and asking them if they will allow it bc i'm sure the esn is already registered. That can be bypassed however I enjoy my freedom and don't feel comfortable sharing esn changing knowledge. If you had a vzw party as you go phone, I would suggest reading from the phone and replicating the values over to the fascinate.
Hi all, I was just wondering (and this could very well be a ridiculously stupid question, I'm sorry) if there was any way to make it so that AT&T cannot tell that one is using their Galaxy S2? I want to give the phone to my dad to use but we don't want to add another data plan to our family account. I know that when a SIM is in an AT&T smartphone, they can tell what phone it is, and will promptly add a data plan to the line. Is there anyway to prevent that at all? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
In short, no. Its required to have a data package. But I've heard of people being able to get around this sometimes.
Even if you turn data off completely they will know it's a SGS2 by the IMEI and attach a data plan.
Data plans should be pertinent to the contract for the phone. I would assume that by unlocking the phone and just popping his sim in it, he'd be just fine. Could be wrong, though.
I777 gets it done, gnex just for fun
Cmoore0965 said:
Data plans should be pertinent to the contract for the phone. I would assume that by unlocking the phone and just popping his sim in it, he'd be just fine. Could be wrong, though.
I777 gets it done, gnex just for fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe as long as the IMEI is in AT&T's database, they will be able to recognize it and attach a data plan. Although, I've always wondered if they flag your account only if they see any data activity. I've done research on this before, and I've read people getting letters saying at&t will put them on a data plan for having a smart phone. Not sure if they were using any data at all though to begin with. My wife currently has an i777 and she's just using it as a tablet basically (without a sim card inside it). At&t has a feature phone on file for her with data block. I was thinking of putting a sim into her i777 and see what happens if i just keep data disabled.
If the phone is in their database like the i777 is, then they will add the plan automatically after some time
Raise yer mizzenmast and swab 'er poop deck!
Wouldn't it be essentially an off contract phone for the new user, though? I'm honestly curious about this. I pop my sim from my i777, to my nexus pretty regularly, and I definitely only have a single data plan charge for the i777's on contract plan.
I777 gets it done, gnex just for fun
Cmoore0965 said:
Wouldn't it be essentially an off contract phone for the new user, though? I'm honestly curious about this. I pop my sim from my i777, to my nexus pretty regularly, and I definitely only have a single data plan charge for the i777's on contract plan.
I777 gets it done, gnex just for fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the nexus unbranded?
Edit: Actually, it wouldn't matter. It's the same sim card being used.
Cmoore0965 said:
Wouldn't it be essentially an off contract phone for the new user, though? I'm honestly curious about this. I pop my sim from my i777, to my nexus pretty regularly, and I definitely only have a single data plan charge for the i777's on contract plan.
I777 gets it done, gnex just for fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has nothing to do with a device being locked.
If AT&T sees a device on their network that they have exclusivity to then they will add a data plan to your account. Completely different than swapping Sims between phones when you already have a data plan. Off contact or not, if they see the imei touch their network the plan will get added. Don't think it happens immediately, but it will get added. If you want to use a smartphone on AT&T and not pay for data you have to use a phone that is not in their database.
The galaxy nexus, any unlocked Rogers phone, unlocked devices that work on AT&T networks. Any gsm device that AT&T does not have in their lineup
Raise yer mizzenmast and swab 'er poop deck!
Ps. Stop thinking about your plan in terms of contract being tied to a device. It doesn't work like that except in blackberries.
Just because you bought a phone on contract does not tie you to that phone and your account is not really tied to that phone. It was just a way to get you to sign a contract. You could have signed a contract and not bought any device. Device and contract are not mutual
Pirate beat me to it. Was gonna say the same thing lol.
You can buy a phone on contract, sell it and pop the SIM into your old phone. You won't be able to get warranty repair on your old phone, but this scenario process that your contract and plan are tied to your SIM and not the phone itself.
Phone companies don't make their money off the phones, they make their money on the contract.
Clay
Team Pirate
Sent from my PINK GSwagger2
Well looky there, learnt me sumthin new lol I appreciate it guys.
I777 gets it done, gnex just for fun
Thought I'd drop this here as an fyi. I'm friends with some people who work for AT&T. If u ask nicely, they may change out the IMEI number they have in their database for your phone with an IMEI from a non smart phone device. If u turn OFF your data and never use it then and only use WiFi, my understanding is they won't tag u for a data plan. I've never tried it....but a friend of mine did and didn't get nailed. You'd have to kinda be friendly with the AT&T rep tho
Phalanx7621 said:
Thought I'd drop this here as an fyi. I'm friends with some people who work for AT&T. If u ask nicely, they may change out the IMEI number they have in their database for your phone with an IMEI from a non smart phone device. If u turn OFF your data and never use it then and only use WiFi, my understanding is they won't tag u for a data plan. I've never tried it....but a friend of mine did and didn't get nailed. You'd have to kinda be friendly with the AT&T rep tho
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't you just take out your sim card, put it in a feature phone, call up at&t and give them the IMEI of that phone? That's what I've done, but haven't dared to put the sim back into my other i777 yet.
dsmboost said:
Couldn't you just take out your sim card, put it in a feature phone, call up at&t and give them the IMEI of that phone? That's what I've done, but haven't dared to put the sim back into my other i777 yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe. Like I said I'm hearing this second hand. But what u said would probably accomplish the same thing.
Sent from team Pirate, running Beanacle ROM . As soon as he builds it.
dsmboost said:
Couldn't you just take out your sim card, put it in a feature phone, call up at&t and give them the IMEI of that phone? That's what I've done, but haven't dared to put the sim back into my other i777 yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the second they ping your phone your ****ed, it'll default back to the i777 . Haven't you read threads of people messing up their imei on their phones and ATT stopping service to their phone because of no or a blacklisted generic imei. Try it out, put your sim in a older phone and check online on your ATT account,it'll show that phone after awhile. Then pop the sim back in your i777, and after some time it'll recognize your using it again.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
jthatch12 said:
No, the second they ping your phone your ****ed, it'll default back to the i777 . Haven't you read threads of people messing up their imei on their phones and ATT stopping service to their phone because of no or a blacklisted generic imei. Try it out, put your sim in a older phone and check online on your ATT account,it'll show that phone after awhile. Then pop the sim back in your i777, and after some time it'll recognize your using it again.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assumed that's what would happen.
My wife is currently using my old Samsung Focus without a data plan. AT&T even at one point mentioned that they know she has a smartphone, and they didn't do anything about it.
if you mistakenly wipe the EFS folder the IMEI goes to a generic GSM IMEI and that will prevent them from recognizing it as a i-777. i mistakenly wiped the EFS folder on my galaxy tab and popped my sim in it and used it as a phone for a while...
---------- Post added at 04:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:53 AM ----------
jthatch12 said:
No, the second they ping your phone your ****ed, it'll default back to the i777 . Haven't you read threads of people messing up their imei on their phones and ATT stopping service to their phone because of no or a blacklisted generic imei. Try it out, put your sim in a older phone and check online on your ATT account,it'll show that phone after awhile. Then pop the sim back in your i777, and after some time it'll recognize your using it again.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they never blocked my phone with the generic IMEI...
Is there any way to get around the internet sharing restriction on AT&T? My data plan doesn't allow tethering but my Android phones with custom ROMs don't care. Is there any way around this? My old Samsung WP7 phones which were hackable could be forced to allow it using provxml and registry editing, but those aren't available for the 920.
petard said:
Is there any way to get around the internet sharing restriction on AT&T? My data plan doesn't allow tethering but my Android phones with custom ROMs don't care. Is there any way around this? My old Samsung WP7 phones which were hackable could be forced to allow it using provxml and registry editing, but those aren't available for the 920.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no. you will have to flash to a non-att rom which is not necessary easy and possibly risk brick your phone.
foxbat121 said:
no. you will have to flash to a non-att rom which is not necessary easy and possibly risk brick your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has anyone tried this yet then? Maybe the European ROM? I just got the phone yesterday so I have two weeks to return or exchange it if it gets bricked. I'm not going to move to a family share plan and pay $50/month more.
There is a thread here that someone tried to flash a different ROM and got bricked.
Where is this thread? I can't seem to find what the individual did to cause a brick. I would be very interested to know.
Just search it. It is here. He flashed a ROM not for his specific model of 920 (there are 3 different models for L920) and bricked the phone, If you like to flash custom ROMs and hacking phones, Windows Phone is the wrong choice. You should have stuck with Android phones.
foxbat121 said:
Just search it. It is here. He flashed a ROM not for his specific model of 920 (there are 3 different models for L920) and bricked the phone, If you like to flash custom ROMs and hacking phones, Windows Phone is the wrong choice. You should have stuck with Android phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't care about all that, all I want to do is tether with my phone. The rest is fine the way it is. I just don't want to go to a family share plan because it will be MUCH more expensive than what I'm currently paying.
I hope someone finds an exploit in WP8 that lets us have registry access then I can disable this stupid check. I don't see how this **** is legal.
Good luck with that. Check out the Lumia 900 forum. Those ppl are still waiting for this so called registry hack ever since that phone was released early 2012.
foxbat121 said:
Good luck with that. Check out the Lumia 900 forum. Those ppl are still waiting for this so called registry hack ever since that phone was released early 2012.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah if this doesn't come soon then I may have to go back to my Android Galaxy Note as my primary phone. Windows Phone STILL doesn't let me tether or have a good google talk client. Two simple things.
Google doesn't like Mircosoft. As simple as that. So, if Google's service is important to you, you should stay with Android. There is no official Google Maps, Google Voice, Google Talk. On the plus side, there will be new Skype client (totally redesigned) coming soon to WP8.
foxbat121 said:
Google doesn't like Mircosoft. As simple as that. So, if Google's service is important to you, you should stay with Android. There is no official Google Maps, Google Voice, Google Talk. On the plus side, there will be new Skype client (totally redesigned) coming soon to WP8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jeez Windows Phone fanboys are SOO defensive.
tethering
Foxbat - didn't I see on another thread how you changed the keyboard to spanish (and then presumably back) and it downloaded an OTA and then tethering worked? or did i mis-understand?
GregCra said:
Foxbat - didn't I see on another thread how you changed the keyboard to spanish (and then presumably back) and it downloaded an OTA and then tethering worked? or did i mis-understand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but that's not for AT&T VERSION. I have a unbranded 920.
petard said:
Jeez Windows Phone fanboys are SOO defensive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a fanboy. I love and use both Android phones and Windows phones. I just tell you the truth.
petard said:
Jeez Windows Phone fanboys are SOO defensive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is answering your questions being "defensive" and worth calling him a fanboy over? I don't really think google has any interest in porting their applications until the userbase for WP8 grows larger (and AFAIK there's no official app to use google talk on my iPhone either), and for that reason it's better to roll with an android phone if you want to fully utilize google services and pain-free tethering for now.
And since I'm interested in a tethering solution as well, are people with unlocked/non-at&t branded Lumia 800s and 900s able to use internet sharing on at&t?
OJ in Compton said:
How is answering your questions being "defensive" and worth calling him a fanboy over? I don't really think google has any interest in porting their applications until the userbase for WP8 grows larger (and AFAIK there's no official app to use google talk on my iPhone either), and for that reason it's better to roll with an android phone if you want to fully utilize google services and pain-free tethering for now.
And since I'm interested in a tethering solution as well, are people with unlocked/non-at&t branded Lumia 800s and 900s able to use internet sharing on at&t?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The tone he is answering in is defensive, so that's why I said that.
I'd also like to know if someone has tried to tether with a Rogers Lumia 920. It's also an RM-820 model so its ROM should work on the AT&T L920. I don't see any RM-820 ROMs on NaviFirm, though. Hopefully something gets uploaded before my 14 day return window is up in case it bricks. I'm going to keep my Galaxy Note but sometimes I like to just enable internet sharing very quickly so that I can do something on my laptop without the hassle of moving the SIM to my other phone. Especially now that it requires me to have that stupid paperclip thing to remove the SIM from the phone.
petard said:
The tone he is answering in is defensive, so that's why I said that.
I'd also like to know if someone has tried to tether with a Rogers Lumia 920. It's also an RM-820 model so its ROM should work on the AT&T L920. I don't see any RM-820 ROMs on NaviFirm, though. Hopefully something gets uploaded before my 14 day return window is up in case it bricks. I'm going to keep my Galaxy Note but sometimes I like to just enable internet sharing very quickly so that I can do something on my laptop without the hassle of moving the SIM to my other phone. Especially now that it requires me to have that stupid paperclip thing to remove the SIM from the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the chances of this happening within the next 2 weeks are very likely unfortunately, especially if there are no unlock codes for the 6 month exclusivity period. I'm holding off on a purchase entirely until something shows up, it's a feature I use too much and I'm not switching to a tiered/shared data plan.
I have the "internet sharing"
Mine's a 920 from AT&T... I can turn on internet sharing... I haven't done anything to the phone.....
OS:
8.0.9903.10
firmware: 1232.2109.1242.1001
need any more info?
I am on a shared data plan if that matters...
cappyron said:
Mine's a 920 from AT&T... I can turn on internet sharing... I haven't done anything to the phone.....
I am on a shared data plan if that matters...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shared data plan or 4GB or more tiered data plan qualifies for tethering because your data is capped. Most ppl want this feature through hacking is because they are on unlimited data plan and never will be qualified for tethering.
foxbat121 said:
Shared data plan or 4GB or more tiered data plan qualifies for tethering because your data is capped. Most ppl want this feature through hacking is because they are on unlimited data plan and never will be qualified for tethering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 2GB and 3GB data plans don't allow tethering. It's total BS and I am not going to increase my bill because they only want me to use my 2GB plan on my phone.
Family share data plans qualify for tethering so it will turn on. They cost a **** ton more than the old plans if you aren't using tablets or laptops though.
The bottom line is AT&T wants you to pay certain amount monthly before they allow you to tether. The real truth is that AT&T's network is heavily congested, especially on HSPA side. They can't afford everyone jump in with free tethering. I certainly won't pay extra in order to be able tethering. On the other hand, even when I had my phone capable of tethering, I rarely ever use it. So, it is not that a big deal. If you using it heavily, AT&T will catch you sooner or later anyway.
Im not sure if this is where I should be asking this question but I have searched the threads and cant really find the answers Im looking for so here goes and Im going to run through my whole scenario. I have acct with verizon with 2 "dumb phones" on it. I am doing an AOL shortly to aquire a Unlimited data acct. I purchased a used Verizon Galaxy S4 a while back which I was going to switch to Straight talk but decided to get the Unlimited instead (no options where I live) so I have been basically using as a tablet since. When I first bought the phone I checked the MIED and ESN on line as well as if reported lost/stolen...all came up good. Then I called Verizon to check and was told it was good and clear. As I said I have been using for a bit as a tab while I figured what I was going to do. Now that I have found an Unlimited and will aquire it shortly I called Verizon again to make sure all is good and can just activate phone when I get other acct. They told me #s are good and clear but phone is still active on another acct. How can this be? I have had it for at least a few months...what can I do to clear this? Can I simply pop in the sim from the Unlimited acct I am getting or can I get a cheap 4G LTE phone, activate it and then pop sim in the S4? NEED SOME ADVICE HERE! Thanks.
Lowridn2 said:
Im not sure if this is where I should be asking this question but I have searched the threads and cant really find the answers Im looking for so here goes and Im going to run through my whole scenario. I have acct with verizon with 2 "dumb phones" on it. I am doing an AOL shortly to aquire a Unlimited data acct. I purchased a used Verizon Galaxy S4 a while back which I was going to switch to Straight talk but decided to get the Unlimited instead (no options where I live) so I have been basically using as a tablet since. When I first bought the phone I checked the MIED and ESN on line as well as if reported lost/stolen...all came up good. Then I called Verizon to check and was told it was good and clear. As I said I have been using for a bit as a tab while I figured what I was going to do. Now that I have found an Unlimited and will aquire it shortly I called Verizon again to make sure all is good and can just activate phone when I get other acct. They told me #s are good and clear but phone is still active on another acct. How can this be? I have had it for at least a few months...what can I do to clear this? Can I simply pop in the sim from the Unlimited acct I am getting or can I get a cheap 4G LTE phone, activate it and then pop sim in the S4? NEED SOME ADVICE HERE! Thanks.
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Unless it's been reported lost/stolen you should be able to just put in the sim. When I bought a used S4 all I had to do was put in the sim from my older verizon lte phone and it switched over fine.
Oishikatta said:
Unless it's been reported lost/stolen you should be able to just put in the sim. When I bought a used S4 all I had to do was put in the sim from my older verizon lte phone and it switched over fine.
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Im getting the unlimited acct..but right now I just have 2 basic lines on my acct. The other account Im doing an AOL on I am not getting the phone with but he said he will give me the Sim. What if they sell that phone or switch it to a different acct...will that kill that even if I have put it into another phone? Sorry, just new to switching all this stuff around.
Lowridn2 said:
Im getting the unlimited acct..but right now I just have 2 basic lines on my acct. The other account Im doing an AOL on I am not getting the phone with but he said he will give me the Sim. What if they sell that phone or switch it to a different acct...will that kill that even if I have put it into another phone? Sorry, just new to switching all this stuff around.
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Sims are tied to accounts, so if you're getting the account and the sim it should work in any clean verizon lte phone. I can't be 100% sure on that of course, but I'm fairly certain it will work fine.
I will be going out of my voice/data area.
I was unknowingly under the impression that everything was fine with my new U.S. Cellular's best 3Mbps Uncapped Unlimited 25GB Plus plan; nothing hidden, everything disclosed ["...and no hidden charges..." (right!? LoL)].
But, what I am finding out quickly is that not even all of CS Reps really know what's going on, and even they are not up-to-date on the details.
"The dickens is in the details!".
Unfortunately, U.S. Cellular's roaming is limited to 400MB per month, no matter what plan you are on, even if you are on their top-of-the-line plan.
Additional GB have to be purchased.
I am located in the States and on a U.S. Cellular 30-month contract.
KevinAuralee said:
I will be going out of my voice/data area.
I am located in the States and on a U.S. Cellular 30-month contract.
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I would like to know:
I have a 'locked' Galaxy S9+ (SM-G965U). Would it be cheaper to buy a Sim and use my phone with another carrier instead of roaming?
Is it even possible on a 'locked' phone to temporarily use a different carrier?
I'm mostly concerned about my internet data (or, really my lack thereof), and how much it would cost to buy 'roaming' data.
1.5GB or 3.5GB roaming data will cost extra; $15 or $35 respectively.
I have the choice of Global, LTE/CDMA, LTE/GSM/UMTS under Mobile Networks => Network mode.
It would seem that I could use Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T for a month and not have roaming charges through the nose.
Also, I believe U.S. Cellular's biggest roaming package is 3.5GB (vs the 25GB [Unlimited Plus] plan that I have gotten used to).
I talked to U.S. Cellular's technical support, and they said... Because there is a balance on the phone, it is locked... And because it is locked, another carrier cannot be used.
I understand, also, from reading this forum, that unlocking a Stateside S9+ is not a good idea, because it will trip Knox and void the warranty.
Unless someone knows something else, looks like I'm sunk.
Can anyone please verify my latest fears?
KevinAuralee said:
I talked to U.S. Cellular's technical support, and they said... Because there is a balance on the phone, it is locked... And because it is locked, another carrier cannot be used.
I understand, also, from reading this forum, that unlocking a Stateside S9+ is not a good idea, because it will trip Knox and void the warranty.
Unless someone knows something else, looks like I'm sunk.
Can anyone please verify my latest fears?
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3 posts and I have no idea what your question really is. The Snapdragon models can't be rooted. At best, you could manage to brick your device trying. I'm also not sure what it would accomplish, given your problem.
CrazyApe18 said:
3 posts and I have no idea what your question really is. The Snapdragon models can't be rooted. At best, you could manage to brick your device trying. I'm also not sure what it would accomplish, given your problem.
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I have returned from my trip to no-service (roaming) PA. I had to use local wifi while roaming. It was a very bad phone data experience. I was talking about hidden fees with US Cellular to be able to even use my phone for internet access.
I have 1-1/2 years left and will unlock this phone. I really do like the camera and the speed of the apps, etc. But since Snapdragon models cannot be rooted, what is the point of my owning this phone?
Obviously, I should probably ditch this phone or upgrade... probably selling it would be the best way to put money towards a new phone that can be rooted.
What are your suggestions?
Carriers have pro's and con's... If you are worried about having high roaming use then perhaps pick up an unlocked phone that will work on a different provider (with applicable plan through the provider) and use it as a mobile hotspot. Then connect your S9+ to the mobile hotspot and you should be ok.
TBH one of the things you should consider when your buying service through a carrier is the coverage the carrier provides as well as if/what limitations may exist. In your case if you roam a lot and the price of roaming is to much then perhaps consider a different provider when your contract is up.
KevinAuralee said:
I have a 'locked' Galaxy S9+ (SM-G965U). Would it be cheaper to buy a Sim and use my phone with another carrier instead of roaming?
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The phone is carrier/network locked which means it can only be used on the carrier you got it from. Because the phone is carrier locked you can not use any other sim card other then what is provided by the carrier.
KevinAuralee said:
Is it even possible on a 'locked' phone to temporarily use a different carrier?
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Nope
KevinAuralee said:
I have 1-1/2 years left and will unlock this phone. I really do like the camera and the speed of the apps, etc. But since Snapdragon models cannot be rooted, what is the point of my owning this phone?
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To be honest you just gave 2 pro's and only 1 con over the device, which would kinda answer your question for you... But again that is the kind of question only you can answer..
IMHO if your sole purpose on having that phone is that you must have it rooted, then this phone is not the one for you. If your only trying to root the phone so you can get cheaper roaming data by using other sim cards then you probably shouldn't be trying to root the phone anyways (not that root is even possible cuz it's not... It's just better to get it carrier/network unlocked by paying it off).
On the other hand for the most part even if it was possible the device could be rooted it won't give you much outside of what you already have. Granted I have had phone(s) being samsung and other where rooting the device allowed me to get better performance and battery life. With this phone it is the first Samsung I have had that is quite snappy, battery life is surprisingly good and overall it works quite well with just the stock firmware.
About the only thing I would root the phone for (if it were possible, it's not obviously) is for nandroid backups. Still even from factory data reset to back up and running doesn't take that long anymore. Outside of that I myself have no reason to root the phone.
KevinAuralee said:
Obviously, I should probably ditch this phone or upgrade... probably selling it would be the best way to put money towards a new phone that can be rooted.
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I would strongly suggest you entertain/consider those notions after you paid the phone off. But just as an FYI once you get the phone unlocked (after paying it off) you can use it on T-Moble, Sprint, Verizon, AT&T... The G965U and G965U1 whether bought from samsung or the carriers themselves have the same internal hardware. The software determines what bands and carrier compatible features are active... Should be noted that carriers may have additional requirements (like AT&T not letting non AT&T S9+ use VoLTE) for specific services/features.
So if anything pay the phone off faster so you can get it carrier/network unlocked.. The phone or the fact the model isn't rootable isn't the real problem here, it's the data roaming charges your carrier has.
KevinAuralee said:
What are your suggestions?
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Keep the phone and use it until it's paid off.. Then get it carrier/network unlocked would be my suggestion. At that point you can use a sim card with a different provider for cheaper data roaming.. Or after it's paid off and network unlocked you can just sell it (you could probably get more for it since it would be unlocked to work for any carrier).
scottusa2008 said:
IMHO if your sole purpose on having that phone is that you must have it rooted, then this phone is not the one for you.
With this phone it is the first Samsung I have had that is quite snappy, battery life is surprisingly good and overall it works quite well with just the stock firmware.
About the only thing I would root the phone for (if it were possible, it's not obviously) is for nandroid backups. Still even from factory data reset to back up and running doesn't take that long anymore. Outside of that I myself have no reason to root the phone.
I would strongly suggest you entertain/consider those notions after you paid the phone off...
...The phone or the fact the model isn't rootable isn't the real problem here, it's the data roaming charges your carrier has.
Keep the phone and use it until it's paid off.. Then get it carrier/network unlocked would be my suggestion.
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I don't like a lot of things that deal with not having root.
Google and Samsung push are trying to take over my phone, even though I have a lot of stuff disabled. I just found out my location is full on, and I always have it turned off or set to minimal.
I even had some data usage and never turned data on... am 100% running on wi-fi. And now Samsung's keyboard is active and can't be disabled.
Seems to me that I would like to stock load what I originally had when I first received the phone. I have never taken any updates and get nagged a lot.
But, like you said it isn't mine to root yet! But gimminies, I mean give me a break... I can't even side-load anymore. And that's gonna smart quite a bit.
I have entertained the idea of upgrading to a newer phone, but that would probably result in digging my hole deeper and even harder to get out of. I have 1-1/2 years left to go on my phone, or just flat buy it out while it is still worth something.
Oh, and I have never been able to back up my phone without spilling all of my information to Google or Samsung -- that's the way they like it!
So I have been running without a backup for a year now, and I don't like it. Sure, I have almost everything pics & stuff on hard drive, but my apps, text messages, phone book, etc. I don't.
I'm thinking I would like to take screen pics of my apps & contacts, etc. and start all over. If only I knew of a sure way of gaining 100% control over my phone, I would do it!
But like you say, it might make more sense to just pay it off and then sell it and be rid of it.
KevinAuralee said:
I don't like a lot of things that deal with not having root.
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Your not the only one... but if that is the case then it would seem that samsung has pretty much gotten on the ball and took care of the exploits that would allow root. While in one sense it's a bummer for those who want to root, but in the other they are making devices that aren't as exploitable (which is actually a good thing).
KevinAuralee said:
I even had some data usage and never turned data on... am 100% running on wi-fi. And now Samsung's keyboard is active and can't be disabled.
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Did you turn off roaming data? If you did then it would not have connected to the roaming data.. Mine never does unless I have it turned on. Also if your sending and recieving MMS messages this would use mobile data, so check your MMS settings for roaming auto retrieve.
KevinAuralee said:
Oh, and I have never been able to back up my phone without spilling all of my information to Google or Samsung -- that's the way they like it!
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This whole cloud backup thing has been around for a long time and is not a Samsung or Google thing. Microsoft Windows, Apple devices, Amazon devices all do the same thing. It's convenient for many and for those who are paranoid (or just don't want to use cloud backup) you don't have to use cloud backup services.
You can use smartswitch and make a backup of what is on the phone on your computer. You can save your contacts to the device only and you can export those contacts to a .vcf file... so you can later import them if you get a different phone (or factory data reset).
KevinAuralee said:
So I have been running without a backup for a year now, and I don't like it. Sure, I have almost everything pics & stuff on hard drive, but my apps, text messages, phone book, etc. I don't.
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Check out Smartswitch
https://account.samsung.com/membership/terms/privacypolicy
I just did... their privacy policy is that I have no privacy. So I am back to square one and I feel better off NOT backing anything up both by their services and/or their software.
I have no active accounts with the goog, or samsung.
I plan on keeping it this way.
I guess my only question would be if I did a hard reset, and because I have never allowed any updates, would I be able to get back to day one when I first got the phone and be able to start from scratch?
KevinAuralee said:
I guess my only question would be if I did a hard reset, and because I have never allowed any updates, would I be able to get back to day one when I first got the phone and be able to start from scratch?
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If you did a factory data reset your phone would erase all your data and apps from the phone and all settings restored to factory defaults. You would have to go through the setup process again and restore your data (and make what ever changes, disable what apps you need too, misc customizations) which ever way you are going to do so.
I only mention this because I do not know what firmware your running or what was on the phone when you originally bought it. This part may or may not apply in your case, but in case it does... The only thing about a factory data reset is it does not change what firmware is installed on the phone. If you have the latest android pie installed then that is what will be on the phone once the factory data reset is completed.