So, I received my Xperia S today and made a test call. Worked good! I haven't put in the apn settings yet, but those are easy to find.
Here's the kicker and why I "love" AT&-ripoff-T:
As soon as I logged into my online account manager, I was expecting to see "device not recognized" or something of the sort. Instead, I see a nice picture of a Palm Treo650. So, is this normal practice? I thought that purchasing an "unlocked phone" would mean that the carrier would not be able to recognize the device.
I won't lie: I had originally thought to carry over my MediaNet plan from my old Motorola phone to the Xperia S, but now that "they" see it as a Palm Treo, I'm pretty sure that they are going to stick a limited data plan on me
Any suggestions or words of comfort please?
testmike said:
So, I received my Xperia S today and made a test call. Worked good! I haven't put in the apn settings yet, but those are easy to find.
Here's the kicker and why I "love" AT&-ripoff-T:
As soon as I logged into my online account manager, I was expecting to see "device not recognized" or something of the sort. Instead, I see a nice picture of a Palm Treo650. So, is this normal practice? I thought that purchasing an "unlocked phone" would mean that the carrier would not be able to recognize the device.
I won't lie: I had originally thought to carry over my MediaNet plan from my old Motorola phone to the Xperia S, but now that "they" see it as a Palm Treo, I'm pretty sure that they are going to stick a limited data plan on me
Any suggestions or words of comfort please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not enough experience with ATT to answer the question,
but usually what they detect doesn't affect the data plan you have (from my TMOUS experience)
They won't change your plan. I have a grandfathered unlimited plan from my iPhone. I have an iPhone 4s and switch back and forth sometimes between it and the XS. They've never changed my plan.
Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2
From my experience, they will only change your plan if you do not have any sort of data access. I'm using the unlimited MediaNET plan and I've stuck my SIM in many phones (most of which are ATT subsidized phones, actually). However, if I take other SIMs that are registered to accounts without any data plan whatsoever, I immediately get a text saying that a data plan was added for me.
I say that you're safe, based on the fact that you have no gotten any notification about the addition of a smartphone data plan. They won't ever add it on there without first notifying you (almost always through a text).
I appreciate all the comments guys..."they" are still showing my xperia s as a Palm Treo...what the heck?!?! I think "they" have just decided to screw with me because I've heard of others with the Xperia S on AT&T and their online account manager does not recognize their phone at all.
The only thing that is "okay" right now is that my features still show that I have the "medianet" plan on my account. I'm sure that once I add the apn settings to the xperia s that greedy at&t is gonna send me that "for your convenience" message...sigh...
So, I think I'm getting "trolled" by AT&T...
Now, when I log onto OLAM, it shows my device as a greyed-out flip phone.
That's my icon as well.
I believe they identify the device by IMEI and these numbers are being recycled as we go.
augie7107 said:
That's my icon as well.
I believe they identify the device by IMEI and these numbers are being recycled as we go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They haven't identified my device at all and I even told them I had an Xperia S. There must be something wrong with your account as I have had 3 different smartphones unlocked and used with them.
testmike said:
So, I think I'm getting "trolled" by AT&T...
Now, when I log onto OLAM, it shows my device as a greyed-out flip phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what mine shows as too. When I used to have a nexus one that's what it showed as too.
Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2
I got some very useful information on this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1649265
As an update, OLAM still shows my phone as a greyed-out flip phone which is what it is supposed to be shown as from what I've read.
I went ahead and entered the APN settings. I immediately got the "H" symbol after I enabled "data traffic" on the widget.
If anything, I'll just give them the IMEI of my SXS.
Related
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.
Hi
First please pardon my english
I'm new in all these android things, and i'm interested in buying Evo view 4g because of it's price and all it's positive review
but since i live outside us/europe (FYI i live in indonesia) i wont be able to get sprint contract
there's this 1 negative review, i'll paste it here
IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SIGN UP FOR A TWO YEAR SPRINT PLAN READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH !
If you intend to use this without connecting it to a Sprint Account there are some things you should consider before making this purchase:
1: You will NOT ever be able to update the Profile, Firmware or PRL of this device. This is very bad.
2: The Cellular network radios will always be on. They will create a SIGNIFICANT drain on your battery as they will be in constant scan mode unable to connect. There are ways around this. There is some software available on the Official Android Marketplace called "Network" that can take you to a page where you can modify the radio settings. It is not 100% reliable, and if you read through the comments on that Applications Review page you will see that it is not working for everyone. There are more permanent ways to deal with cell radios if you are willing and able to root your Evo View 4g. That is a complicated process and as of now many of the "fixes" for cell radios are PERMANENT meaning once you disable them , you can never get them back.
3: You are going to get nagged to death. Each time you boot the tablet you will be presented with a Sprint screen that urges you to activate the device. You will not be able to set your own homepage in the default browser, as, until you have activated the phone Sprint spams bloat at you instructing you to contact a Sprint Rep asap. This will happen during use as well, though it seems to happen randomly, and not very often, but it will happen if you do not disable the Radios.
4: Sprint will often interrupt whatever you are doing on the tablet to remind you that you have not activated it yet..........
5: The screen is not as sharp, vivid or responsive as that of the Best Buy Flyer.
This tablet may not "REQUIRE" a Sprint account for "use" but the features and functionality of this tablet are greatly lessened if you do not have a Sprint Account.
If you want to use this as a wifi only device this is a very poor choice of purchase. You are MUCH better off snagging a wifi only Flyer.
Bottom line the View / Flyer are great tablets, but, if you do not plan to sign up for a Sprint account this is NOT the right tablet for you. Sprint has purposefully built in crippling features to those who use it without a Sprint Account.
I am very sorry I purchased this. I really wish I had just gone with another Flyer.
I am pretty ticked off at the merchant too.......... Claiming that this does not "REQUIRE" a Sprint account to use is the same thing as saying that a Honda Civic does not "REQUIRE" headlights to drive.
Think this over very carefully...... The price really isn't that great.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because this 14th of march my friend who lives in US will come to indonesia, it's $100-$200 cheaper to buy in US than in indonesia, so i have less than 2 weeks to decide on what tablets to buy
in indonesia CDMA have better internet quality compared to GSM, that's why i'm considering view to be my 1st android tablet, since i can't use sprint service, i'll have to inject the tablet with indonesian CDMA provider, will i miss a lot of things like the review above stated? especially #1
1: You will NOT ever be able to update the Profile, Firmware or PRL of this device. This is very bad.
Thank you
Wow, that reviewer doesn't know a thing about the tablet. All of that is completely false. Pretty much everyone around here doesn't use the device on Sprint.
1. The firmware updates come from HTC via the internet. While Sprint has a hand in approving them, they don't actually send them out. I had no problems downloading, installing, and using the OTA Honeycomb update without any Sprint service. You don't need any PRL updates if you're not using it on Sprint.
2. You can easily turn the cellular radios off - it's called airplane mode. You can still use WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS in airplane mode. There are also other simple ways to deactivate them discussed in this thread.
3. When you boot up the tablet from being turned completely off, you get a prompt to activate it, which you can quickly dismiss. There are no other Sprint prompts at any time. There's no "nagging" whatsoever. And you can even get rid of that activation prompt with root or without root.
4. There are never any interruptions to activate the tablet after the first one when booting it up.
5. The screen is exactly the same as the screen on the Flyer.
Now, as far as being able to use it on an Indonesian CDMA provider, that's something I can't authoritatively give an answer on. In the U.S., it can be successfully flashed to be used on only one other CDMA carrier - Boost - and that's because Boost uses Sprint's network. I'd say there's a good chance you may not be able to use it with any Indonesian CDMA carrier, but I can't say for sure.
bsweetness said:
Wow, that reviewer doesn't know a thing about the tablet. All of that is completely false. Pretty much everyone around here doesn't use the device on Sprint.
1. The firmware updates come from HTC via the internet. While Sprint has a hand in approving them, they don't actually send them out. I had no problems downloading, installing, and using the OTA Honeycomb update without any Sprint service. You don't need any PRL updates if you're not using it on Sprint.
2. You can easily turn the cellular radios off - it's called airplane mode. You can still use WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS in airplane mode. There are also other simple ways to deactivate them discussed in this thread.
3. When you boot up the tablet from being turned completely off, you get a prompt to activate it, which you can quickly dismiss. There are no other Sprint prompts at any time. There's no "nagging" whatsoever. And you can even get rid of that activation prompt with root or without root.
4. There are never any interruptions to activate the tablet after the first one when booting it up.
5. The screen is exactly the same as the screen on the Flyer.
Now, as far as being able to use it on an Indonesian CDMA provider, that's something I can't authoritatively give an answer on. In the U.S., it can be successfully flashed to be used on only one other CDMA carrier - Boost - and that's because Boost uses Sprint's network. I'd say there's a good chance you may not be able to use it with any Indonesian CDMA carrier, but I can't say for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow thank you for the answer, i think i'll get this baby then
is the offer from amazon $289 the best offer atm in US? i'm planning on buying the stylus and screen guard also
when i tried to search in google about where to buy, all i got is reviews with no store that sells this product except for amazon, and yes i have no knowledge about international stores
One thing that kept me away from the view was the updates such as possible ICS will have to be pushed by sprint. I would assume just like a phone that the updates are controlled by the carrier and if they want you to have it. This alone makes the flyer a better deal in my opinion. This is am assumption of course. Also with out having a sim slot this becomes very limited on what carriers it can be used on. I know the flyer comes without sim access but the view is locked to sprint. The 32gb model looked very appealing at 250 but the negatives out weigh the positives.
Jjday7 said:
One thing that kept me away from the view was the updates such as possible ICS will have to be pushed by sprint. I would assume just like a phone that the updates are controlled by the carrier and if they want you to have it. This alone makes the flyer a better deal in my opinion. This is am assumption of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I mentioned in my post, this isn't true. While Sprint does approve the updates, the updates are actually built and sent out by HTC. This is the case with Android phones as well - the manufacturers build and send out the updates with the carrier's approval. The carrier does not push them out. My View has never been activated on Sprint, and I received the OTA update to Honeycomb shortly after I purchased it. It all works via the internet and has nothing to do with cellular connectivity. You'll still get any and all official updates on the View even if it's never been activated with Sprint.
---------- Post added at 12:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:59 AM ----------
callmeanoob said:
wow thank you for the answer, i think i'll get this baby then
is the offer from amazon $289 the best offer atm in US? i'm planning on buying the stylus and screen guard also
when i tried to search in google about where to buy, all i got is reviews with no store that sells this product except for amazon, and yes i have no knowledge about international stores
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lowest I can find for current prices via a quick search is $274.94 on eBay. It's been down as low as $239 brand new a few times over the past three months, so it will probably drop again. But if you're operating in a specific time frame for the purchase, that range seems to be what they're currently going for.
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
My wife bought me the international version of the Samsung Gear S (SM-R750W). She said that she researched and from her understanding it should work on the T mobile network. From what I've found though the consensus seemed to be it would not work, or if it did it would be spotty at best depending on the specific towers/area you were in because Tmobile utilizes different network types in different areas.
I decide to give it a shot anyway and went to the T-Mobile store where I signed up for the wearable plan and got a new nano sim card. I was crossing my fingers but as soon as they put the sim card in the watch it came to life. It looked to be working fine but as I left the store I received a text from T-Mobile stating " the SIM for your wearable devices is in an ineligible device. Services to the SIM are locked until it returned to your eligible wearable device".
I pessimistically started thinking well great, there goes that idea. But as I got into my vehicle I shut my phone down and tried to see if the watch can work on its own as a phone when unencumbered from my Note 4 bluetooth/WiFi data connections. It worked perfectly-I started calling my friends and they couldn't believe I was talking on a watch phone. Several I actually felt the call sound quality was better on the watch speaker phone compared to normally speaking on the Note 4. I called customer service but they told me they couldn't see anything and if it was working fine not to worry about it.
For the next eight or 9 hours it worked perfectly and I was using it a lot. I drove around large swaths of town and neither data nor call experienced even the slightest issue - for once I was happy to be wrong.
Eventually, as I am oft to do, I fell asleep. When I awoke this morning the watch was no longer connected to the network. It gave me a message saying it was unable to connect and did I want to scan for additional networks. I selected yes and it was able to find the T-Mobile and ATT networks. T-Mobile was selected and a "registering" notification was displayed. It took awhile but eventually said it was unable to register with the network.
I call T-Mobile and they said pretty much exactly what I expected them to say -that because it was not a T mobile device they could not ensure proper operation. But he said (and he characterized this as "good news", "light at the end of a tunnel" and "viable solution” Seriously said all 3 things.) I could either forget all about the cellular connection and just use this as a companion device OR go and buy a new Gear S from T Mobile if I really wanted that feature.
I’m truly and utterly baffled that he believed his suggestions merited the positive sayings from above. Never in my lifetime has my head been closer to exploding.
After I was finally able to speak again, I explained that it seemed unlikely to be an issue with the watch. If my Gear S was working perfectly yesterday and can still detect Tmobile & ATT networks, then something on your end seems to be preventing registration. He agree to file a ticket with the engineering team and tomorrow I should hear from them hopefully. He also told me to go and try another nano-SIM, gratis, at the Tmobile store. So today I went and as soon as I put the new card in all systems were go. I assumed that I somehow had received a bad card because here again now, data and voice are connected.
This time I didn’t even make it out of the parking lot before it notified me that that it was again unable to register with the network. There is conflicting information regarding the radio frequencies and bands that the different Gear S models have and I didn’t have high hopes. But then it actually did work, WELL, so any ideas as to what is going wrong?
Imei not recognized as a wearable device by tmo
I am also getting very discouraged with the gear s on tmo.
But I think I finally got a tech person who may have found the problem ,
He said my gear s is no longer registering because the tmo system did not recognize the Imei as a wearable, that's why when I swapped sim with a friends iPhone sim, the gear worked. Because the wearable plan will only work with that device. The rep is asking engineering to add my Imei as wearable, but it has happen yet, he did not know if they could....
perdikoylis said:
I am also getting very discouraged with the gear s on tmo.
But I think I finally got a tech person who may have found the problem ,
He said my gear s is no longer registering because the tmo system did not recognize the Imei as a wearable, that's why when I swapped sim with a friends iPhone sim, the gear worked. Because the wearable plan will only work with that device. The rep is asking engineering to add my Imei as wearable, but it has happen yet, he did not know if they could....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess that makes total sense, and answers my question if I could just get an Android watch phone at some point and use the same nano SIM that they gave me for my Gear S.
Could you post here if/when they added your IMEI? They were super unresponsive to my request to unlock my original Gear S (which I replaced with an ATT Gear S that ATT kindly unlocked for me), so I have little faith that Tmo are even willing to help their customers, but since I have my plan with them, I'd love to be wrong this time.
Tmo problem
Well I wish I had better news, but it is still not working, I called them back, they say they requested the engineering to add my IMEI , but who's knows if they did, they seem to have very little experience with gear s, it's very frustrating because it did work the first 2 months until I tried the sim in my iPhone. I think I have reached the end of the line ,
I might try closing acct and opening new again...
So can either buy new tmo gear s. And sell my unlocked att gear, or put mine on att,
But. I really liked the Tmo plan, and would probably had switched my other (family) lines to Tmo.
anyone have more ideas?
perdikoylis said:
Well I wish I had better news, but it is still not working, I called them back, they say they requested the engineering to add my IMEI , but who's knows if they did, they seem to have very little experience with gear s, it's very frustrating because it did work the first 2 months until I tried the sim in my iPhone. I think I have reached the end of the line ,
I might try closing acct and opening new again...
So can either buy new tmo gear s. And sell my unlocked att gear, or put mine on att,
But. I really liked the Tmo plan, and would probably had switched my other (family) lines to Tmo.
anyone have more ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe try to cancel your wearbales plan, then get one again, with a new SIM and new number?
I would not buy a tmo gear S: they won't unlock it and it costs $50 more. I use an unlocked ATT Gear S on T-mo without issues, but if putting the SIM in another device caused this for you, and the SIM itself is not the problem, they must have some kind of hold/notice on your wearables plan in your account, I think?
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.