Related
I'm in Japan for this year and I've just purchased a B-Mobile Free Data Sim (with voice), and while I can use the phone service, I can't use Data. After looking at b-mobile's GUARANTEED to work devices (bmobile.ne.jp/english/devices.html) other versions of the Galaxy S2 are listed, but not the i9100. However, in the list of acceptable bands, the following is written:
"Your device must support one of the following frequency
LTE Band 1 (2100MHz), Band 19 (800MHz), Band 21 (1500MHz)
W-CDMA/HSDPA/HSUPA Band 1 (2100MHz), Band 19 (800MHz)"
My Galaxy i9100T (From Vodaphone) should, as far as I know, support the W-CDMA Band 1 (2100MHz), but nonetheless, I can't use data.
I've made sure my APN settings are 100% correct, as according to the bmobile website.
Should I give up on trying to make this work, or is there some way I can get this going? Is there a particular radio or modem I can flash in order to get better connectivity? Otherwise I'm planning on buying a second hand Galaxy SC-02C or something which is on the list of devices guaranteed to work and relatively inexpensive. If you are knowledgeable on this subject, please lend a hand.
If there's any other information you require about my phone, please let me know.
Cheers
To the best of my knowledge, the phone wasn't sold there by carriers (neither the I9100 or the T), so there's no stock roms released by carriers in the country, and no modems bundled with those stock roms which would have been tested with the carrier's network as would normally be the case.
Sooo....You're probably stuck with trying a bunch of different modems unless a search throws up someone who's posted saying they had good connectivity with whatever modem on that network. If it was me, given the other relatively cheap option you mentioned (and my lack of patience with this sort of thing these days), I'd be buying the other phone if having a working phone without fuss was important to me (which it is).
Cheers,
I managed to get it working, on a stroke of luck. Flashing a few different modems didn't seem to get it connected, but after looking more extensively through the japanese version of the site, i found this page (bmobile.ne.jp/devices/setting_other_androidos.html) which suggested an alternative server to connect to for the APN (dm.jplat.net instead of mobile.ne.jp), even though this is the only page it seems to have this alternative server listed on. My reception isn't amazing, so maybe I'll continue as you suggested, flashing modems, until I can get better reception. Thanks for your help .
Anyway, for anyone who happens to have a similar problem, please try connecting to the above server and see if it works for you.
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
Hey folks. I will living in Kuwait for the next year, and I brought my Verizon LG G3 VS985. Once I got here, I purchased a Kuwaiti SIM that runs off ZAIN towers, and a 4G mobile hotspot. This works great and I can connect all my devices, but it's a pain to lug around a hotspot with me when I am out. I read online my G3 is factory unlocked, but when I put the SIM in my phone, it tells me a non-Verizon SIM has been inserted. I have played with all of the mobile network settings, and I can register on the local Kuwait networks, but my phone will never connect. I have tried global, LTE, GSM, UMTS, CDMA, 3GPP multi, etc. In the status bar, the signal strength and type of network will change accordingly, but will always be grayed out. I am trying to figure this out, but it's driving me crazy.
Can any of you experts help me out?
Thank you in advance.
I can only give a little info, but not really what you're looking for. To be clear, the phone is unlocked. The complaint that you have a non-Verizon SIM inserted is more informational/annoyance. To my understanding, it doesn't keep you from using any other SIM, it just annoys you when you do. *If* you were rooted, I believe the G3TweaksBox Xposed module has an option to take care of that, but verify that before quoting me on it.
I know one key item to keep in mind is that the VS985 only handles certain radio frequencies, and they might not match all of the frequencies that your current network requires, or there might only barely be some overlap.
There are some radio frequencies that can be unlocked on the VS985. There are informational threads in the General section and maybe some in the Q&A section that might help as well. When viewing the General section, use the search box near the top right if on a web browser (not Tapatalk) and I'd try the keyword "unlock" or try "radio" or "frequency", "frequencies", or "band". "unlock" and "band" might produce the most appropriate search results.
Speaking of General and Q&A sections, in the future please post new question threads in Q&A. I'll ask a moderator to move this thread there.
I know I've seen one of the informational threads I think in this section and someone lists the frequencies that are able to be unlocked on this phone. The information might not be in the first post of the thread - I don't recall as I've never had to unlock any bands for my use. From there, if I were you I'd try to find out what bands your current network requires or supports, to find out if unlocking any particular bands might help.
Good luck!
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.
I plan to keep updating this XDA forum thread with what I find out about this problem, potential solutions, and hopefully what solves it. Hopefully this will be useful to those with the same or similar problem.
Please excuse typos...
The Solution
The reality is, prevention is the best solution here, do a bunch of research to make sure you don't encounter this problem. Read the rest of the post to better understand.
Original
Thank you in advance for reading this and helping me. (I also posted this in r/LGG8X, and am posting it here because some people don't have accounts with both. The more people that see it, the better, if by chance someone has ideas, wants to help, and has time to post the ideas)
It seems like a lot of people are having this issue, so maybe someone might have an idea.
I bought this phone to replace my Xiaomi Mi 9 (which was on the fritz, turning itself off randomly), about 1.5 weeks ago. I did my research and reasonably concluded that this phone has LTE band 12 and VoLTE; also it would be foolish of LG to not to have that. I could not find the VoLTE or Wifi Calling switches anywhere in the settings app, or in the phone app. I then dialed " *#*#4636#*#* " which opened up the "Testing Settings" (as usual). I click on the "Phone Information" tab, scroll down and find both the VoLTE and Wifi Calling switches, which are, to my dismay, greyed out.
I called Ting and they said, (after getting the IMEI), that this doesn't have LTE band 12, therefore no VoLTE. That confused me, because like I said, my research before buying had already concluded that it has band 12. The Ting rep said that's all he could do for me, so we ended the call. I did another 30 mins of research, again concluded it has band 12 with VoLTE. I also called LG themselves, and the rep there confirmed that this phone has band 12 with VoLTE, they also said "we would be more than happy to verify that the phone works with you carrier through phone conferencing". I asked the rep about about the previously mentioned VoLTE and Wifi Calling switches being greyed out, and they said that's because the phone has those 2 capabilities, but the carrier has to enable them.
I really love this phone, especially in comparison to the Mi 9 (even tho the Mi 9 is a good phone). I love the software better (even with the weird quirks that it has), and the value proposition is quite good. I really don't want to have to get a 3rd new phone in one year. If anyone has any ideas/help that would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
[Edit]: P.S. I think this is partly a problem with LG, and partly with the carriers. I suspect that LG messed up with the IMEI/etc and other important identifiers as to what the device is, what exact version (i.e. LM-G850UM, etc) of a particular model (i.e. LG G8X Thinq Dual Screen, etc). This leads to the cell carrier's infrastructure seeing this phone as incompatible (doesn't see LTE Band 12, when it really is. The cell carriers, (from my own experience with 2 Ting Reps, and from what others have said on other forum threads), can't or won't solve this problem, even tho it may be solvable. From what I have seen on other forums, some got it solved by the cell carrier entering codes on the phone and doing something on their side. If LG and the all the networks would talk to each about this problem and get it solved if possible that would be awesome...
Update - 11/04/2020:
It seems I unintentionally bought a G8X with the Canadian rom LMG850UM20e. I am doubtful, but is the hardware the same or similar enough to flash the USA unlocked rom LMG850QM? Or is there something else I can do to make the Ting network allow VoLTE? As far as I can tell, the Canadian model still supports VoLTE LTE Band 12, but correct me if I'm wrong.
Update - 11/05/2020:
Ting says that my phone has LTE Band 12 and therefore VoLTE, but that will only work on ATT. A bit confusing because (like I said) the particular rom on my phone is Canadian (LMG850UM20e), so why ATT? The explanation for that, it seems is that ATT, (and Sprint), and the unlocked Canadian version have the same sub-model: LMG850UM. The USA unlocked version has a different sub-model (LMG850QM), the rest of the world has yet another sub-model (LMQ850EMW). There are around 15 different versions it seems; see this reddit post on the different models: (can't post the link yet) title: "Hey G8X owner, what is the submodel number and regional code of your unit? And where did you buy it from? I am trying to complete this list, also relating to timing of security updates and Android 10 release." posted in r/LG G8X
It seems like all the versions (LMG850......) have the same hardware, the only difference are the roms, which seem artificially disable certain capabilities of the phone. I am pretty sure my phone would do VoLTE just fine on Ting (or most other carriers). The thing wrong here, I think, is that the IMEI and other specific identifiers of the phone artificially show that the phone does not have the functionality, so the networks don't enable it. It also seems like LG made an agreement or something with ATT as well as Sprint (separately), to release carrier-specific version (as most brands seem to do), and that the phone would fully work on their respective networks and MVNOs, at least the versions in the LMG850UM sub model group, and the USA unlocked sub-model group. LG and T-Mobile seem to have come to no such *official* agreement, unfortunately. I am wondering any of the versions work with T-Mobile and it's MVNOs out of the box, some *modifications* may have to be done in order to get it working on TM towers. There may also be unintentional bugs in some or all roms that are possibly causing, or more likely, adding on to the problem.
Obviously, I am still trying to find my around this problem. I'm considering flashing a USA unlocked rom (LMG850QM sub-model), though not sure if that's possible, or if it'll change what the IMEI and the other specific identifiers tell the cell carrier about compatibility. I also wonder if carriers have the ability to override the artificial restrictions. There is also one report of T-Mobile supposedly fixing the same/similar problem with Sprint for a customer, see u/Veshtarii's comments on this reddit post: (can't post link yet) title: "LG G8X unlocked models having issues with US carriers." Posted in r/LGG8X. Another reddit user used a cheap Tracfone sim card to make his phone work on T-Mobile: (can't post link yet) title: "Tutorial: How to Update eBay Unlocked ATT / AT&T LG G8x" Posted in r/LGG8X. I am unsure if he also has VoLTE working.
Update - 11/06/2020
I'm done with this... It is pretty much impossible. I commented on the "Tutorial: How to Update eBay Unlocked ATT / AT&T LG G8x" post, and the OP responded and said he can't get VoLTE working, even with doing that update. The only thing that could possibly work, is flashing the USA unlocked sub-model onto it. However I probably don't know enough to do it right, but the bigger reason is that it'll probably brick it. I've realized, and should realized when I was doing the research for a new phone, that ATT and TMO's VoLTE/Wifi Calling work differently. They both use propriety coding, which they license to each brand to use in the models they both come to agreement on, and a similar agreement with each MVNO under their towers. LG and TMO seem to have made no such agreement for the G8X, therefore in all practicality, no G8X will work on any of their towers. Also, I called H2O Wireless just to see if my phone works with them, but they said my IMEI is not compatible; so I'm not the Canadian model that I have works in the US at all, that makes me think that not even the versions inside each sub-model aren't even compatible with each other. There is that one situation I mentioned, where the person who was having problems with Sprint before the merger, took it to TMO after the merger and the TMO tech fixed it for him. But I think he must've been having a different problem, because his phone is probably still technically running on Sprint towers. Sprint made the agreement with LG, so VoLTE would work in that instance. Flashing is practically not a solution for most people.
I should've done more research than I did before buying the phone. That is the moral of this story; make sure you do all your "homework" before buying any phone anywhere but the shop of the carrier you are using (or plan to use). That leads me to my number one complaint with phone brands and especially cell carriers as whole: they make it incredibly annoying, often difficult, and confusing to find a compatible phone that isn't on the carrier store. And the problem with that is that everything in any carriers' stores is everything is stupidly overpriced, and then they get you hooked with pricey deals you don't want. If you're reading this, you're most likely like me, you know better than to spend more than you have to on a phone and plan in the carrier store, you know (or at least kinda know) how to get past that. I get that cell carriers want to make money, but I tell you, this is too far. Anyways, the point is, there is no immediate solution, in other words, your only worthwhile solution is prevention, doing a bunch of research. I'm done with this... I'm returning this phone and getting the vanilla G8...
I have the LMG850QM. It has no VOLTE icons while in call even if on band 12. It uses HD+ and that will be shown in dialer during call. Internet does work while in call so believe that it is working. The switches are on like yours but greyed out. Wi-fi calling does work. By turning on airplane mode and then turning back on wifi the dialer will show that calls are being made over Wifi. The OnePlus 6T has VoWifi icons in status bar and this phone doesn't. I will say that this phone gets service in buildings where neither of my 6t's would have service.