So I looked around the threads on both Verizon, and Sprints side of the fences for an answer to this question and couldn't find any thing.
I have a Verizon Galaxy S3, and my contract with Verizon recently came to a close. I want to switch to sprint due to pricing and other options, but I don't have the money to drop on a new phone at the time, so I have been looking into unlocking the phone to work with Sprint, however I haven't much of luck...
That's when I came to XDA. While I was looking around the forum, I got to thinking.
Is there any possible way that I could take the Sprint version of the Samsung Galaxy S3's ROM, and load it onto my Verizon Galaxy? And has anyone tried this yet?
It's essentially the same hardware, right? To the best of my understanding, the only difference in the phones would be software related according to the carrier.
I am really struggling with this one, and I have witnessed the vast knowledge and great work by this forum before, so I am hoping I'll be able to find the help I need.
-Mortem Obrie
Verizon and Sprint do use the same cdma networks but will not activate each others devices on their network so the answer is no I do not think this is going to be possible for you.
alekurkudi said:
Verizon and Sprint do use the same cdma networks but will not activate each others devices on their network so the answer is no I do not think this is going to be possible for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I did talk to Sprint, and Sprint said they would be willing to activate an unlocked Galaxy. It's just the unlocking process that I am unsure of.
Related
Our company is moving to Verizon and they told us that we could use our existing sprint phones if we could make them work on Verizon network. I wanted to know if the stock verizon rom would work on the sprint touch pro. Our owner does not want to use a custom rom.
thanks in advance, and i apologize if this has already been answered but i could not find it anywhere.
rmancl said:
Our company is moving to Verizon and they told us that we could use our existing sprint phones if we could make them work on Verizon network. I wanted to know if the stock verizon rom would work on the sprint touch pro. Our owner does not want to use a custom rom.
thanks in advance, and i apologize if this has already been answered but i could not find it anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ROM is the least of your concerns. The real issue is getting VZW to add your MEID to their DMD so it can be activated. The alternative to doing this isn't legal and is even more difficult. There was once someone here on these forums who know how and had access to add records to the DMD, but I haven't heard from him in at least a year. I would love to hear from the individual (or someone else willing and able) again.
we were given the go ahead from the business account manager that if we could make them work they will allow it. The phones we have are actually generic cdma phones that operate on the sprint network through beyond mobile (an mvno similar to kricket)
rmancl said:
we were given the go ahead from the business account manager that if we could make them work they will allow it. The phones we have are actually generic cdma phones that operate on the sprint network through beyond mobile (an mvno similar to kricket)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the phones are unbranded, you should have no issues with VZW adding the ESN numbers to their dB. I guess the best way to find out would be by calling VZW and finding out. Good luck.
I can't find any information on flashing samsung vibrant to cricket. I don't care about a full flash, voice and text is fine for my purposes. I don't care about data or android market or any of that.
I have seriously been NON STOP looking for last 2 days with no luck. I checked the cricket forums and I searched the forums here without any luck. I am an amateur I am not going to lie.
But I have a very good general background in technology and, I have already rooted the phone. I was trying to follow a guide I found but honestly I am not 100% sure that even does what I want it to. QPST samsung vibrant but when I do it I cannot simultaneously connect both the phone and run the software. If software is running first my computer won't recognize the phone as a modem and if the phone is connected first the software freezes and I can't even close it with task manager, I have to reboot comp.
Any help at all would be appreciated. I don't even know if this is the right forum for this question and I am sorry if I put it in the wrong place but this is vexing me.
Does cricket even use sim cards? If they are not a GSM carrier, it would make it impossible to use the vibrant on their network/service
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Cricket is cdma (sprint, Verizon, us cellular type radio, meaning no sim card) and the vibrant is gsm (meaning it uses a sim card).
The vibrant cannot and will not work with cricket.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Well question solved. Definately not the answer I wanted but that can't be helped.
Are there any nationwide carriers that use GSM available similar in price to cricket? I will be looking into this right after posting this question but I figure I might as well see if anyone knows any decent ones they can recommend. Basically, looking for cheapest possible with nationwide coverage.
I just need talk and text. Preferably no activation fee and no cost for sim but I know I am being overly optimistic with that lol. I also know that this forum isn't the place for that so any help is appreciated but I understand if no one has an idea.
PhiTwi said:
Are there any nationwide carriers that use GSM available similar in price to cricket? I will be looking into this right after posting this question but I figure I might as well see if anyone knows any decent ones they can recommend. Basically, looking for cheapest possible with nationwide coverage.
I just need talk and text. Preferably no activation fee and no cost for sim but I know I am being overly optimistic with that lol. I also know that this forum isn't the place for that so any help is appreciated but I understand if no one has an idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is the one that wal-mart sells that you could look into
Hey all,
So I've done some searching here, but I cannot find a concise, definitive answer to my questions. I'm buying a first phone for my daughter for Christmas, mainly for use as an MP3 and video player, but also for emergencies. She's still young, so when I say emergency we were leaning towards ONLY FOR A 911 TYPE EMERGENCY, as I believe those are placed even if the phone isn't activated. Anyway, her mom and I are on a GSM carrier so if we did activate it, we'd likely do it there, or a very cheap CDMA provider like Page Plus. So if I buy a phone off eBay or Craigslist today, regardless of whatever HBOOT/BOOTLOADER or ROM it has on it, can I still root it, use HTC Dev to unlock the bootloader, the toolkit to S-OFF, and then flash a 4.X ROM and use GSM if I desire?
Thanks for any help! If this will work then I'll go this route and she'll be very excited!!
vettejock99 said:
Hey all,
So I've done some searching here, but I cannot find a concise, definitive answer to my questions. I'm buying a first phone for my daughter for Christmas, mainly for use as an MP3 and video player, but also for emergencies. She's still young, so when I say emergency we were leaning towards ONLY FOR A 911 TYPE EMERGENCY, as I believe those are placed even if the phone isn't activated. Anyway, her mom and I are on a GSM carrier so if we did activate it, we'd likely do it there, or a very cheap CDMA provider like Page Plus. So if I buy a phone off eBay or Craigslist today, regardless of whatever HBOOT/BOOTLOADER or ROM it has on it, can I still root it, use HTC Dev to unlock the bootloader, the toolkit to S-OFF, and then flash a 4.X ROM and use GSM if I desire?
Thanks for any help! If this will work then I'll go this route and she'll be very excited!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The answer is yes, you can do that... the phone will work for E911 calls without being activated. You can also unlock, S-OFF, root, ROM and everything else like you said, although the Rezound is a little more complicated than to S-OFF than just using a toolkit it is doable with some homework and a little Linux knowledge, but to be honest, GSM works fine (Edge data only, 3G/4G higher possible with significant tweaking on some GSM carriers) on the stock 4.5.605.14 ROM.
If you know you will likely be activating this on a GSM carrier, why not get a phone designed for that right off the bat? Several unlocked GSM phones can be purchased for around the same price as the Rez, like the Galaxy Nexus, Sony Xperia S, HTC Sensation, Samsung GS2 GT-I9100 or similar phones. Don't get me wrong, I love the Rezound, but for ease of use on a GSM carrier with full 3G data you migh be better off looking at a phone suited to that purpose.
Yes, it's doable, just know what you are in for...
Thanks you.SO much! I've done wire tricks on some phones before and I think I'm learning that is the challenge here, but I should be good. I appreciate the other thoughts as well. To your question, well, we have poor GSM coverage in a number of spots around here, even we my wife and I using it, and CDMA seems like a good emergency precaution.
Thanks again so much!!
vettejock99 said:
Thanks you.SO much! I've done wire tricks on some phones before and I think I'm learning that is the challenge here, but I should be good. I appreciate the other thoughts as well. To your question, well, we have poor GSM coverage in a number of spots around here, even we my wife and I using it, and CDMA seems like a good emergency precaution.
Thanks again so much!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool... Note that activating the Rezound on PagePlus requires significant "tweaking" and a donor PagePlus phone to clone the ESN/MEID, PagePlus will not activate the Rezound as it is, neither will any other CDMA carrier but Verizon, and even then they won't do it on a prepaid plan. People have mentioned before that Cricket will do it, but the results have been mixed.
As long as you are aware of the issues and what you might need to do, go for it. Although for use as a video player, I would recommend an extended battery, the screen time on a standard battery is >2 hours. :/
acejavelin said:
Cool... Note that activating the Rezound on PagePlus requires significant "tweaking" and a donor PagePlus phone to clone the ESN/MEID, PagePlus will not activate the Rezound as it is, neither will any other CDMA carrier but Verizon, and even then they won't do it on a prepaid plan. People have mentioned before that Cricket will do it, but the results have been mixed.
As long as you are aware of the issues and what you might need to do, go for it. Although for use as a video player, I would recommend an extended battery, the screen time on a standard battery is >2 hours. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent points. Yeah, I had a S3 on PP for a while and it was a pain - actually CDMA overall is a pain to me so I probably won't do it. Per your advice - looking for an extended battery right now!
My buddy whos on our family plan needs to downgrade from a Galaxy S III to a basic phone. I came across an Unlocked AT&T Samsung SGH-A157. When I called Verizon they used a blanket statement of "AT&T uses completely different technology than verizon, so their phones won't work on Verizon". I tried to explain that it's Unlocked and is CDMA based, so it should allow the sim card if I understand things correctly. He said "It doesn't matter if it's unlocked, AT&Ts technology is different then our." When I asked what technology exactly is different, he replied "Everything". He lost ALL credibility with that me for that statement. I constantly run into crap like this with Verizon... everything else is inferior, and only Verizon exists in the universe. Also, one MUST have what that absolutely don't need and we WILL lie to you and trick you into buying it or signing up for it even if you disagree!
Anyway. Is there any truth to this guys statement? I thought the whole point of "Unlocking" a device /phone was to make it work on another network.
Do I legitimately have to restrict my search for a Verizon flip/basic phone?
This brings up another concern because the plan was to get him a phone, deactivate his current Galaxy S3, activate the Unlocked phone, Unlock the Galaxy S3, and then sell it to some friends who have Metro PCS.
Also, Ive been told by some Verizon associates that I should be looking for GSM phones because we have Sim cards. But then other representatives say our phones are CMDA and thus should be looking for CMDA phones. Is there any consistent formula to this?
This forum is for i9300 international variant... I think you should ask a moderator to move your thread to your phone's forum in the appropriate section...
Sent from my GT-I9300
varxtis said:
....
Anyway. Is there any truth to this guys statement? I thought the whole point of "Unlocking" a device /phone was to make it work on another network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not in the US so I'm not 100% on this but the SGH-A157 is GSM and Verizon uses CDMA tech. Afaik, they are not interchangeable.
Unlocking a phone does not change the radio tech used in the device.
You can probably shift between AT&T and T-mobile, but not CDMA carriers like Sprint or Verizon.
~ RazorMC
I'm sorry if this has been asked before, and if so i haven't been able to find it. This may seem like a stupid question, but I'm still pretty new to unlocking and rooting, ect. Now my question is, since the Sprint Galaxy S5 already has gsm network capabilities, why wouldn't it be possible to just download a different radio, and install that to unlock it for domestic gsm networks? I am asking because i have a Sprint S5 that i would like to use with T-mobile.
It might be that way if such an universal radio existed. But it doesn't. So moot point.
Interestingly, the S5 hardware is almost certainly capable of operating on all GSM and LTE bands. But artificial firmware limitations restrict your handset to only the frequencies that Sprint uses, plus a bare minimum of the most popular roaming bands.
Moreover, the Sprint version of the S5 is arguably the most restrictive variant. It simply isn't going to work on most TMB bands. You might find a NV hack to add a single AWS band. But in practical terms it won't work well on TMB.
Samsung and carriers structure it this way deliberately to discourge you from changing carriers. And to make it more likely that you need to buy a new phone if you do.
.
Ok, I was really mainly just curious, like I said I am new to this kind of thing, thanks for your response. I guess I will just wait to see if someone manages to domestically unlock it and post it, and then Ill give it a shot and see how well it works. I mainly use wifi at home for anything with the internet and downloads, I just need to get it to work for calls and texts.
kyleliamharris said:
I'm sorry if this has been asked before, and if so i haven't been able to find it. This may seem like a stupid question, but I'm still pretty new to unlocking and rooting, ect. Now my question is, since the Sprint Galaxy S5 already has gsm network capabilities, why wouldn't it be possible to just download a different radio, and install that to unlock it for domestic gsm networks? I am asking because i have a Sprint S5 that i would like to use with T-mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It used to be that easy. Things have become quite more difficult with secured bootloaders and verification checks. I think a lot of the international unlock voodoo lies in the NV items for Sprint devices. Unlocking it domestically can be done almost the exact same way as the L720 HOWEVER you will ONLY be domestically unlocked AFTER you internationally unlock it. If you domestic unlock first you'll have wasted your time.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA Free mobile app