Downgrading from VZN GSIII... Does "Unlocked" mean squat? - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

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

Related

Which us cellular android phone?

Hello xda, I was Judy wondering if any of you could help me out with a problem I'm having. I might be getting an android phone, the only problem is that I'm on us cellular and there doesn't appear to be top many options. My phone options are the htc hero s, Motorola electrify, Samsung repp, htc wildfire s, htc merge and huaweii ascend ii ( sorry if I spelled that wrong).
IM looking for a phone with some support of development community behind it, whether it be on xda or some other forum/ website.
Thank you and IM sorry if this its in the wrong forum.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
They are CDMA so if may be possible to activate an unlocked Verizon or maybe Sprint phone but you wouldn't get carrier subsidized pricing so it would be more expensive and may be harder to activate.
Motorola doesn't want to unlock bootloaders while HTC has recently made it possible to unlock bootloaders on recent models. Unfortunately the US Cellular versions of any android phone are going to have less dev support because US Cell is a smaller carrier meaning less device owners.
spunker88 said:
They are CDMA so if may be possible to activate an unlocked Verizon or maybe Sprint phone but you wouldn't get carrier subsidized pricing so it would be more expensive and may be harder to activate.
Motorola doesn't want to unlock bootloaders while HTC has recently made it possible to unlock bootloaders on recent models. Unfortunately the US Cellular versions of any android phone are going to have less dev support because US Cell is a smaller carrier meaning less device owners.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't know that, (sorry I'm a noob at phones). I remember when my dad broke his phone (some cheap thing), my brother's old phone was the same model, os he went into the store and they made it his phone without a problem. Do you think they would be willing to do that if I brought in an unlocked verizon phone?
Thanks for replying.
I'm not for sure if a Verizon phone will work, technology wise it has the hardware to communicate with US Cellular since its CDMA, but it may require some software changes to work on their network. Also it depends if they will activate non carrier devices.
spunker88 said:
I'm not for sure if a Verizon phone will work, technology wise it has the hardware to communicate with US Cellular since its CDMA, but it may require some software changes to work on their network. Also it depends if they will activate non carrier devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah they probably wouldn't allow it.
Hopefully at least one of these phones has some rom development somewhere on the internet, or I can get the wildfire and just remove sense from it without a problem.

[Q] Verizon-Sprint GSIII

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.

[Q] Unlock Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4

Is it possible to unlock the Verizon version of the S4? I'm deploying in 4 weeks and would like to use my phone with international carriers. I have an SCH-I545 build and I'm still running on stock. Thanks
I think ATT has begun to unlock phones internationally when asked.
Verizon? Not sure... one think to check is if the Verizon GS4 supports a carrier in the country you travel to.
Take a look at Leo Laporte's Tech Guy show... he has callers ask this quetion on average every other week... I think he has show notes on his site now days... techguylabs.com
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
PetrichorXFi said:
I think ATT has begun to unlock phones internationally when asked.
Verizon? Not sure... one think to check is if the Verizon GS4 supports a carrier in the country you travel to.
Take a look at Leo Laporte's Tech Guy show... he has callers ask this quetion on average every other week... I think he has show notes on his site now days... techguylabs.com
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon phones are unlocked out of the box, but you have to make sure that the country you are going to has a GSM network.
After a lot of searching, I decided to ask this here:
I have a Verizon S4, but I was wondering if it was actually unlocked out-of-box or if there is something I have to do in order to use it with, for instance, Cricket, or U.S. Cellular. I have done lots of rooting/developing for Android, but have never tried to use an Android phone with a differing carrier. Can anyone help or point me to a thread that helps? (Again, did lots of Googling and XDA-searching)
furballbeethoven said:
After a lot of searching, I decided to ask this here:
I have a Verizon S4, but I was wondering if it was actually unlocked out-of-box or if there is something I have to do in order to use it with, for instance, Cricket, or U.S. Cellular. I have done lots of rooting/developing for Android, but have never tried to use an Android phone with a differing carrier. Can anyone help or point me to a thread that helps? (Again, did lots of Googling and XDA-searching)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is GSM-unlocked. This means that you buy a SIM, plug it in, then add the proper APN to enable data. (Settings, Connections, More networks, Mobile networks, Access Point Names). The "+" (Add APN) button is disabled if you have a VZ SIM installed but will be enabled if you insert a non-VZ SIM.
Whoever you get the SIM from will tell you what to enter for the APN.
Whether or not it'll work and how fast a network you'll get depends on the bands that the local carrier uses.
k1mu said:
The phone is GSM-unlocked. This means that you buy a SIM, plug it in, then add the proper APN to enable data. (Settings, Connections, More networks, Mobile networks, Access Point Names). The "+" (Add APN) button is disabled if you have a VZ SIM installed but will be enabled if you insert a non-VZ SIM.
Whoever you get the SIM from will tell you what to enter for the APN.
Whether or not it'll work and how fast a network you'll get depends on the bands that the local carrier uses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI k1mu,
So do you mean to say if I purchase this device with full price from VZW ~$400 (month to month plan),
the next thing I can do is take off VZW SIM and would it work on my AT&T GSM SIM in US?
malhotra.aakash said:
HI k1mu,
So do you mean to say if I purchase this device with full price from VZW ~$400 (month to month plan),
the next thing I can do is take off VZW SIM and would it work on my AT&T GSM SIM in US?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe. While the VZW version is GSM-unlocked for international use, it is unclear how well it works with US GSM carriers. Some people say they can get it to work, some say they can't. Theoretically, it should only take you putting in an AT&T SIM then plugging in the APN data for it to work, but some people still say it won't.
So, you should be able to, but going by the accounts of XDA members, it doesn't always work, which may or may not come down to user error.
joshm.1219 said:
Maybe. While the VZW version is GSM-unlocked for international use, it is unclear how well it works with US GSM carriers. Some people say they can get it to work, some say they can't. Theoretically, it should only take you putting in an AT&T SIM then plugging in the APN data for it to work, but some people still say it won't.
So, you should be able to, but going by the accounts of XDA members, it doesn't always work, which may or may not come down to user error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks joshm.1219,
It still leaves me in a dilemma.. I do really want to get a "S4 mini" model but don't want to stuck up with CDMA providers to be true. Might want to use with ATT or Tmobile or H2O.. I visited the VZW store and the model has option under networks as
1. Global
2. LTE/CDMA
3. GSM/UTMS
Now the Qs are,
1. If this model does have a SIM card slot, how at the first point VZW has lock on it
2. When i asked the VZW associate, he was not sure whether they ever do unlock the device or not
3. If I am ready to pay off complete price of the device which is ~400, what else I would need from them to really 'UNLOCK' it?
4. Is there any means by root/flashing to make such model work for US GSM carriers like H2O or even T-mobile.
Sorry to be so annoying but m new to all these things and quite confused :crying:
many Thx in advance..
malhotra.aakash said:
Thanks joshm.1219,
It still leaves me in a dilemma.. I do really want to get a "S4 mini" model but don't want to stuck up with CDMA providers to be true. Might want to use with ATT or Tmobile or H2O.. I visited the VZW store and the model has option under networks as
1. Global
2. LTE/CDMA
3. GSM/UTMS
Now the Qs are,
1. If this model does have a SIM card slot, how at the first point VZW has lock on it
2. When i asked the VZW associate, he was not sure whether they ever do unlock the device or not
3. If I am ready to pay off complete price of the device which is ~400, what else I would need from them to really 'UNLOCK' it?
4. Is there any means by root/flashing to make such model work for US GSM carriers like H2O or even T-mobile.
Sorry to be so annoying but m new to all these things and quite confused :crying:
many Thx in advance..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I can't be of more help, I've been on Verizon for 10 years now, but it is by all intents & purposes, fully SIM-unlocked. It's simply unclear as to why some people report problems of using Verizon phones on US GSM carriers. If you really don't want to worry about it & are willing to pay full price, purchase a device through the carrier you want to use it on.
here is the code to choose network
you might need to change the network frequency to gsm if you wanna use it on att or tmobile and when you wanna switch back to verizon choose wcdma try dialing *#*#4636#*#*:good:
joshm.1219 said:
Sorry I can't be of more help, I've been on Verizon for 10 years now, but it is by all intents & purposes, fully SIM-unlocked. It's simply unclear as to why some people report problems of using Verizon phones on US GSM carriers. If you really don't want to worry about it & are willing to pay full price, purchase a device through the carrier you want to use it on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had people argue with me over this, but the fact is that NO Verizon LTE phone is SIM-locked. None. Nada.
People who claim differently are simply misinformed. (My I545 comes up on AT&T when I plug in my UK SIM and switch to GSM.)
Not to say that all VZ phones are unlocked - my Inc2 had to be unlocked before it would work with that same SIM. If I remember right, it wouldn't connect in the US, either, even after being unlocked. Not so for the GS4.
I appreciate the posts here from people who know. As for me, I am switching to tmobile and will attempt to use this there. If it doesnt work out, I will sell it on swappa and get a nexus 5!
Hi,
Verizon S4 with 4.3 is international unlocked by default.
You just need to select network mode 'GLOBAL'. Then add the right APN.
I am using Indian GSM SIM with the GLOBAL mode selected. All is well for me.
I can provide screenshots if anybody wanna see.
Verizon phones are unlocked out of the box and they DO work fine on US carriers I'm running my Verizon S4 right now on AT&T and I also ran it on tmobile for short time,
even works with Walmart straight talk and Net10 as those are just subsidies of T Mobile and AT&T anyway.
so don't sweat it if you have a verizon phone that uses a sim card, you can run it on any network that uses a SIM card US or international.
baseband issue
Doesn't the MK2 baseband with jb 4.3 block US Sim cards?
Or do I just have a weird s4?
kendonsh said:
Doesn't the MK2 baseband with jb 4.3 block US Sim cards?
Or do I just have a weird s4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine dont? Im on mk2,
soon as I got my verizon s4 replacement from a damaged model that I turned in,
I threw a net10/att sim card in it.
completely stock phone not even rooted nothin, and it works fine, I did get a popup that said non Verizon SIM card but it works fine
calls in and out MMS works fine
---------- Post added at 01:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:53 PM ----------
CafeAdrutico said:
The S4 is supposed to work globally right out of the box, as long as you've called Verizon to enable International roaming on your account. But, used that way, you'll be paying Verizon for International roaming and it's bloody expensive.
The question is, can you remove the SIM and put in a SIM for a local carrier in the foreign country where you are and use the phone on that carrier? That is what being unlocked would allow you to do. Past Verizon phones have not been unlocked to allow this. But, if you called Tech Support and told them you were going to, for example, Europe and wanted to use a local SIM, they would walk you through unlocking (at no charge).
I read a report that the S4 is not locked and that you can use a SIM for a local carrier in Europe, as it comes out of the box. But, I would not trust that. I would call VZW Tech Support and tell them exactly what you want to do - i.e. don't say "can I use my phone in Europe?" The answer to that is yes, you can, at about $1/minute. What you should ask them is, "can I travel to Europe and purchase a SIM from a local carrier and use that in my phone?" If not, they should be able to walk you through unlocking the phone, so you can do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to answer your question simply yes.
let's say I take my phone to Spain are somewhere in the UK, I'll go to store buy a SIM card for local network and BAM local phone number in Europe making phone calls, you can even get Data to work if you have that local carrier's APN settings
no unlocking is required because it is not locked.
other companies AT&T, Sprint, t-mobile, yes you have to get The phone sim unlocked.
k1mu said:
I've had people argue with me over this, but the fact is that NO Verizon LTE phone is SIM-locked. None. Nada.
People who claim differently are simply misinformed. (My I545 comes up on AT&T when I plug in my UK SIM and switch to GSM.)
Not to say that all VZ phones are unlocked - my Inc2 had to be unlocked before it would work with that same SIM. If I remember right, it wouldn't connect in the US, either, even after being unlocked. Not so for the GS4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is 100% correct. NO LTE phones on verizon are sim locked. They are REQUIRED to keep them unlocked because of their agreement with the FCC for their use of the spectrum they lease. NO OTHER CARRIER must abide by these rules. Only VZW. Sprint I've heard will unlock ANY phone that is capable if you ask them too, and AT&T will NOT unlock any of their phones unless it 2 years old and out of contract (which makes no sense if you have to pay them while under contract anyway). There was a big deal about the Iphone 5 when it came out with LTE for verizon. If you bought a Verizon Iphone, you could put an ATT sim in it and it works, but not an ATT on VZW because ATT keeps them locked.
The Dinc 2 above was NOT an LTE device. Therefore no sim card....and it wouldn't work on most overseas networks anyway as it was a CDMA only phone. I believe VZW tested the limits of the "unlocked" SIM with their first few LTE phones. My Rezound worked with a GSM network sim....but voice and SMS only. It took some unlocking of the bootloader and rooting to run a special Rom to get Data to work on it.
I am heading to the Caribbean in a few weeks, and I will be using a rented SIM card to be able to message back and forth with my wife (with a data based messenger service as data rates are far cheaper than SMS rate there)
318sugarhill said:
This is 100% correct. NO LTE phones on verizon are sim locked. They are REQUIRED to keep them unlocked because of their agreement with the FCC for their use of the spectrum they lease. NO OTHER CARRIER must abide by these rules. Only VZW. Sprint I've heard will unlock ANY phone that is capable if you ask them too, and AT&T will NOT unlock any of their phones unless it 2 years old and out of contract (which makes no sense if you have to pay them while under contract anyway). There was a big deal about the Iphone 5 when it came out with LTE for verizon. If you bought a Verizon Iphone, you could put an ATT sim in it and it works, but not an ATT on VZW because ATT keeps them locked.
The Dinc 2 above was NOT an LTE device. Therefore no sim card....and it wouldn't work on most overseas networks anyway as it was a CDMA only phone. I believe VZW tested the limits of the "unlocked" SIM with their first few LTE phones. My Rezound worked with a GSM network sim....but voice and SMS only. It took some unlocking of the bootloader and rooting to run a special Rom to get Data to work on it.
I am heading to the Caribbean in a few weeks, and I will be using a rented SIM card to be able to message back and forth with my wife (with a data based messenger service as data rates are far cheaper than SMS rate there)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just spent a week in the UK with an ekit.com SIM in my Verizon GS4 - no problem with getting service, no Verizon charge (even though I was on the Vodaphone network for at least some times.)
And the dinc 2, while not LTE, was CDMA/GSM - not just CDMA (yes, the dinc was CDMA-only), so it did accept a SIM card. I'm using that in the GS4 now that it's cut down to micro SIM.
That phone WAS SIM-locked, but VZ happily unlocked it. For the GS4, I didn't have to do anything with VZ to use it off their network.
bickin said:
Is it possible to unlock the Verizon version of the S4? I'm deploying in 4 weeks and would like to use my phone with international carriers. I have an SCH-I545 build and I'm still running on stock. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO
UNLFOK s4 UK VERSION sorry I'm new to the website
furballbeethoven said:
After a lot of searching, I decided to ask this here:
I have a Verizon S4, but I was wondering if it was actually unlocked out-of-box or if there is something I have to do in order to use it with, for instance, Cricket, or U.S. Cellular. I have done lots of rooting/developing for Android, but have never tried to use an Android phone with a differing carrier. Can anyone help or point me to a thread that helps? (Again, did lots of Googling and XDA-searching)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is already unlocked for SIM and other carriers, all you need is the correct APN for the carrier. I currently have T-Mobile on my i545 and everything works on it.

[Q] Sprint Galaxy S5 Radio To Unlock Question

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

Carrier unlocking S9+'s gsm vs cdma.

This situation was dealing with the SM-G965U U.S. S9+
I recently had itekimei unlock two S9+'s. They were from xfinity mobile, which is CDMA.
The phone's work, but only on CDMA band carriers i.e. verizon, sprint. With GSM, only messaging and data work. Data barely.
Is it commonplace to be stuck with either GSM or CDMA frequency carriers after having professionally unlocked the network? Like if you had a locked T-mobile phone and had it unlocked, you'd be stuck on GSM correct?
Maybe this is a given and I am ignorant.
I didn't exactly check whether xfinity ran on cdma or gsm before I purchased them, so that was my fault, not itekimei. He's a great guy. Highly recommend him, as long as you have your radio systems correct.
Edit: I think I found the answer, and that is the U.S. S9+ is not cross compatible with GSM and CDMA. Please correct me if I am wrong and tell me how to make it happen if you know. Thank you.
-Bob
The phone does work with GSM providers for calling, messaging and data. Check your preferred network type and select a different one. I replied to another thread you posted in with the setting I used that works.
Before unlocking my phone I had done an extensive amount of reading and research. If I was gonna pay for the unlock I wanted to make sure it would work for GSM networks. From what I can tell the G96U phone you have would be virtually identical to the one I have, with the exception of the carrier installed firmware. This is what would define the phone as Sprint or Xfinity. So if my phone works for calling, data and messaging on AT&T which is a GSM network then yours will too.
If needs be flash the U1 firmware to the phone as this would be the one that is on the unlocked S9 you can buy from Samsung. As a firmware for unlocked phones i believe it would be the most generically compatible with the providers for this scenario... well it's one of the reasons why I flashed it on my phone. The other is since I no longer use Sprint I dont need the Sprint bloatware.
There are tutorials on how to flash the G965U1 firmware to a g965U phone on this forum.
Also try keeping your inquiry to one thread instead of making multiple ones. Keeps all insights, discussions and etc in one spot and not multiple places.
scottusa2008 said:
The phone does work with GSM providers for calling, messaging and data. Check your preferred network type and select a different one. I replied to another thread you posted in with the setting I used that works.
Before unlocking my phone I had done an extensive amount of reading and research. If I was gonna pay for the unlock I wanted to make sure it would work for GSM networks. From what I can tell the G96U phone you have would be virtually identical to the one I have, with the exception of the carrier installed firmware. This is what would define the phone as Sprint or Xfinity. So if my phone works for calling, data and messaging on AT&T which is a GSM network then yours will too.
If needs be flash the U1 firmware to the phone as this would be the one that is on the unlocked S9 you can buy from Samsung. As a firmware for unlocked phones i would think it would be the most generically compatible with the providers.
There are tutorials on how to flash the G965U1 firmware to a g965U phone on this forum.
Also try keeping your inquiry to one thread instead of making multiple ones. Keeps all insights, discussions and etc in one spot and not multiple places.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I had actually came back here to delete this thread after I thought about it before I read what you wrote. I was just at work my apologies. And thank you for correcting me. I will check out how to flash the U1.

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