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I just picked one of these up yesterday, the LG Tribute, the Sprint version which is model LS660P (same hardware with the Virgin Mobile version). It's a Snapdragon 400 SoC quad core powered smartphone - it's basically a mix of features between a 1st gen Moto G LTE (the SoC) and the Moto E (removable battery and microSD slot) - it's a CDMA/LTE device only so it's more akin to the Sprint/Boost/Cricket versions of the Moto G I suppose - it does have a SIM card slot but since there's no GSM radio I suppose that's a dead end. It has Sprint LTE support for LTE bands 25, 26, and 41 - it's Spark-enabled as well.
So far in using it I've been extremely pleased with the performance overall considering it's $39.99 right now at many retailers like Fry's and Best Buy (retail is $79.99).
The biggest downside is the 800x480 display resolution but honestly I could care less these days. I just owned an LG G2 and loved it but I had to sell it to cover some bills, and when I saw the Tribute specs and that low price I figured it couldn't hurt to mess around with it a bit.
But in terms of getting it up and running, the first time I powered it up I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this on the Apps screen:
Just that, and nothing else - this thing has zero Sprint bloatware on it, absolutely nothing, and nothing from LG either. Yes it just has 4GB of internal storage leaving about 1.45GB for the user but it's got the microSD slot for storage. I've done all the requisite Google stock apps updates and installed all the apps I've purchased and the free ones I regularly use and I still have 435MB left so I'm good to go. Put my 32GB microSD card in it with 6GB of Opus-encoded audio files, a couple of movies and TV shows, and so far it's been fantastic.
Current battery is showing 37% left from a 100% charge, 12 hours and 3 minutes on, 5 hours and 14 minutes of screen on time so far (and still going because I'm watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier on it and there's 1 hour and 45 mins left in the movie), Wi-Fi has been on the entire time (it's in Airplane mode, however), screen brightness using MX Player is set at 12 (of 15), volume at 15. I use Google Hangouts with Google Voice to make "phone calls" using Wi-Fi so it's in Airplane mode most of the time when I'm at home.
I expect to hit the 7 hours of SOT and this is the first full charge on the device so, consider me a very happy camper.
I know requests have been put into place for Stumproot support so a root could be possible on this device, and I know that LG has posted the 4.4.2 ROM and kernel source code (I grabbed that last night). So here's my question:
Is there anyone out there that might be interested in attempting to develop any recovery for this (assuming we get root at some point), and then perhaps developing some custom ROM for it - seems like it should be a relatively easy thing considering a) we have the full ROM and kernel source even though it's just 4.4.2 at the moment (I would guess LG has no intentions of boosting this to 5.0 so that'll most likely never happen) and b) it's so close to the architecture of the CMDA/LTE version of the Moto G LTE that some kind of port might be possible towards Lollipop if and when that happens...?
Long sentence, sorry about that, I get wordy at times.
But I just figured I'd ask if there's any interest at all. Yes, it's weak on the resolution, yes, it's not a powerhouse device, yes, it's fairly cheap but it's functional and could be an awesome little smartphone with a little "help" thrown its way like a potential for a custom kernel as well to get the quad core and the governor a bit more under control.
I fully suspect this device is easily capable of 7 hours of SOT with such "upgrades" if anyone is interested. I lack the technical know-how and skills to get buried in ROM development much less kernels, so I figured I would toss the question out considering it shares so much common with the Moto G LTE variant + the Moto E's microSD slot potential.
Just curious... any responses are welcome and appreciated, thanks.
Update:
It's even better than I'd hoped...
Almost 8 hours of screen on time - that was a full movie (2 hours 15 minutes long and I let it play the entire thing, first frame to final), 4 TV shows (about 42-45 minutes long each), music playback for almost 1 hour, a few Wi-Fi phone calls using Google Hangouts/Voice, and some web surfing using the stock browser.
$40... absolutely amazing.
I'm just concerned about the amount of CPU time the Android OS shows there - it apparently used as much battery as the screen being on for 7 hours and 38 minutes did so there's something amiss hiding inside. Will be using Wakelock Detector to see if I can detect anything I can disable on the next go considering this was the first full 100% charge and battery test. Just for the record, the Keep Awake time listed on the Android OS battery usage page is 11 hours so it's not idle, there's something going on in there that's using the battery, now I just have to find out what it is. The CPU total time was 4 hours 17 minutes for Android OS.
I'm pretty satisfied, now I wonder what this thing could really be capable of in terms of battery life with a proper custom kernel and ROM. I wonder...
I've been waiting for something to pop up for this phone. I've had it for 2 weeks now. Its great. I agree the battery life is awesome on this thing.
I have the VM version and would be willing to test if someone came up with something.
sigh
Coming from an iPhone so I'm totally new to the android platform but the storage in this thing is severely lacking. I got a micro sd for it, but barely can even get any apps to download due to lack of space. I'm assuming something like this would be helped by a root. It's driving me bananas and making me yearn for my Apple days
Tribute
I also just switched to a Tribute, with KitKat. Was incredibly pissed off to find that Android had crippled the external SD's role. I mean, WTF guys? So now I am on a mission. Every day I scour the interwebs looking for hope that someone has figured out a root exploit for this. I would even settle for being able to flash a custom ROM like Cyanogen. Just so long as I can get PodKicker to save 'casts to the friggin SD card. Is that too much to ask? Anyway, nothing i have attempted so far has worked at all.
Oh, and you got lucky with the no bloatware thing. I got mine through Boost Mobile, and they clotted this damned thing chock full of B.S. To the point that OUT OF THE BOX I couldn't install apps from Playstore without uninstalling previous updates to all the big Google apps. And without Root, I can't get rid of this BoostZone ****e.
I have my doubts as to whether or not this device will get any support here at all at this point (yes I know it's just been a day or so since I made this thread). I didn't even know about the LG L90 till earlier today and when I checked out the specs I realized that it's a better device overall than the Tribute, of course the price reflects the differences as well (larger higher resolution screen, just qHD 960x540 but still it's larger at 4.7" also), with NFC support (I actually make use of that myself), the removable battery/microSD slot, and it's got support here with its own subforum now with a lot of activity (well, a lot for it I suppose) and it even has an IR port for QuickRemote too which is pretty awesome: my Wife is deaf so anytime we go someplace like a Doctor's office or hospital with TVs on, if the captions aren't enabled I turn 'em on with the smartphone. Used to do that with my Galaxy S4 Active in the past, nice to see LG and some other companies are hopping on the "remote control" bandwagon now too.
There's root available and also a bootloader unlock apparently, source code is out and there's work being done so... I wish I had known that before yesterday basically. Fry's, where I got this Tribute, won't do a return on it because I opened the box (and obviously I've done more since I got it too) so that's a wash I suppose. It's still a damned fine little device for $40.
The L90 is "on sale" through T-Mobile's website for $100 with a coupon code right now, I would have grabbed that if I had known about it and the development in progress. Guess I'll have to keep my eyes out next time, might find one used on craigslist soon so we'll see what happens.
I'll keep the Tribute, of course, and keep hoping for a root at some point. I did ask in the Stumproot thread for someone to take a look at it and see what might be possible so, let's keep our fingers crossed.
As for the bloat, I had someone at HowardForums tell me if I activate the phone with Sprint (which I haven't done) that'll install all the Sprint bloatware so, fat chance of that happening I guess. I'll keep it as is and hope for the best.
Anyone working on this? I tried stump, and there are a ton of requests, but no one has said a word about it.
Thanks!
Still hoping but no progress has been reported. It's common knowledge these days that root on newer devices is going to continue to get more and more difficult with the potential that someday we're just not going to be able to do it on most anything. The low price of this one and lack of the high end specs makes most devs (at least in my opinion) not even give a crap about it so, if someone does and we benefit from it, that's awesome.
If nothing happens, it wasn't a complete waste, it's a fine little device with decent processing power and damned great battery life as noted so, $40 was nothing I guess.
Still looking
Still looking for root to the LG Tribute and nothing works. Has anyone heard anything new about it???
Just bumping this to revive interest.
sweetbsting said:
Coming from an iPhone so I'm totally new to the android platform but the storage in this thing is severely lacking. I got a micro sd for it, but barely can even get any apps to download due to lack of space. I'm assuming something like this would be helped by a root. It's driving me bananas and making me yearn for my Apple days
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You so realize you bought a low to mid range prepaid phone right?
I realize that but there has been quite a bit of interest in the model on the internets so unless you have something helpful to add, kindly ignore my post. Thanks.
aburn95 said:
You so realize you bought a low to mid range prepaid phone right?
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You do understand that your comment takes away from the actual thread content, right?
Here is more information about the phone for anyone interested in development:
LG LS660 (LG Tribute) Virgin Mobile.
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-LS660-Virgin-Mobile-tribute
Should I buy this phone and wait for a root?
Or are there other similar price and spec phones that are easier to root?
Do some phones never get rooted?
-snip-
br0adband said:
There's root available and also a bootloader unlock apparently, source code is out and there's work being done so... I wish I had known that before yesterday basically. Fry's, where I got this Tribute, won't do a return on it because I opened the box (and obviously I've done more since I got it too) so that's a wash I suppose. It's still a damned fine little device for $40.
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Can you inform us where you found root & bootloader unlock? I've been on Android for years, but am relatively new to the root/mod side of things.
LiquidRabbit said:
Where did you download this? I am pretty curious.
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I don't own the LG Tribute any longer but the source code was at LG's open source repository for the LS660P (the Sprint variant, but it should be identical to the others I would guess):
https://www.lg.com/global/support/opensource/opensourceList?types=NAME&search=ls660p
emarkp said:
Can you inform us where you found root & bootloader unlock? I've been on Android for years, but am relatively new to the root/mod side of things.
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Click to collapse
Honestly I can't even remember now, I saw some post at one of the other forums (AndroidPolice maybe) that said someone had discovered a working bootloader unlock, I could be wrong in that but honestly I can't recall the specifics at the momemt. As stated, I no longer own a Tribute (nothing at the moment, my sig always reflects what I own at any given time, for the record).
Good luck... it's really a fantastic smartphone for the $40 I paid for it (and Fry's still sells it for that price). I wish there was a GSM model 'cause I'd be all over it in a second flat; can't do much of anything with the CDMA model in terms of getting service here in my area. I won't deal with Sprint for service, and Boost/Virgin Mobile/etc don't have plans that come anywhere near what the $30/month T-Mobile plan does so...
For $35 a month, you get unlimited everything on Virgin Mobile...
For $20, you get 300 minutes and unlimited everything. I stuck with the $20 plan at unlimited everything as I was grandfathered in many, many years ago.
Possible root method?
Hello! I have been using android for a while and just got this phone (LG Tribute, Virgin Mobile). I was researching rooting this, and I found this: youtube.com/watch?v=ZBdrVa_bo5o
It seems to be advertising legit software, etc, but I wonder if this successfully roots the Tribute. On their website (androidphonetransfer_DOTCOM) ,they have a free trial for the software.
I'd like to try it, but I'm not sure if it would mess up my device or not (I'm new to rooting). anyone want to give this a try?
It does not work.
I am also interested. I was looking for a android phone with at least 4.5 inch screen to act as a dedicated gps navigator. LG Tribute fit the bill perfectly. Quad core processor is fast, would be nice to get rid of Sprint activation and clean the device up with a root.
I'm surprised there is not more interest in this phone. The sale price of $40 happens pretty regularly, which IMO is a great deal for this phone.
I was very excited to see a sale on the S7 at Best Buy and was finally ready to relieve my nearly 4 years old Note II of duty until I came here to look into what mod options were available... only to find that there aren't any yet.
So, for those of you who have bought the S7 and have NOT returned it, what reasons have you decided to stick it out? Were you particularly deep in modding your phone before? Are you just happy with the few tools that have come out so far? Are you holding out hope for an unlocked bootloader eventually?
I haven't completely decided against it, but I'm seriously second guessing staying a Samsung customer after this fiasco. My Note II has been solid and a best, no replacements since I bought it on release, but I am way too into my modifications that I'm not sure I'd enjoy upgrading yet or seeking a third option.
Well I really enjoyed running custom ROMs in the past especially Aosp ones, but the fact that my s5 has cracked screen I not sure I'd want to go back. Since I got the free VR which would be worthless without either S6 or S7, I'm kind of stuck. I mean S6 is no go for me no SD card also IP rating. That aside it isn't to bad I was able to get themed pretty close to Aosp without root and I still have faith that we'll unlock this beast eventually. Samsung can't keep us down.
I came from a G3, before that a Note 2. I came back to samsung because I didn't like anything about the G5 and I was tired of some of the problems in LG's software on the G3. I had both devices rooted running debloated stock roms. The main reason I root is to get rid of apps I cannot uninstall and to block ads while sticking with a stock based rom to be able to use the features the manufacturer built into the software. I am disappointed that we may never get root or an unlocked bootloader as I would like to be able to uninstall some apps like facebook, FB messenger, the 4 amazon apps and the 3 sprint apps I cannot get rid of as well as run an ad blocker.
While I still cannot get rid of ads, There are ways to disable the apps using an app called "Package Disabler Pro" or you can use Gatesjuniors' Debloater which is what I'm using because its one less app on my phone, you can find it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/debloater-remove-carrier-bloat-t2998294 . I have Nova launcher installed and have no lag, call quality is great, mobile signal strength and speed is better than I've ever had with Sprint. My wifi reception is equally as impressive as I still have very usable wifi 30+ yards away from my router through the walls in my house. My G3 had trouble connecting 10 yards away (another reason I came back to samsung).
All that being said, this is the first phone I haven't rooted within the first week of getting it and honestly, other than an annoying ad occasionally (as most of my apps and games are paid for so I don't get many ads anyway) I really see no need to root this phone at this time. I've had the S7 for 3 weeks now and I love it. Wireless charging is awesome as I haven't plugged it in to charge since the first week and on that note the fast charging is even more awesome as it will charge 50% in 30 minutes. The peace of mind in the fact that if it gets wet its no big deal. The screen and performance is phenomenal. Its so much easier to handle than the Note 2 was, I don't miss the heft of that phone at all. If you can get the Gear VR I highly recommend it, I was not a believer and thought I would just sell it but decided to try it to see if it was any good and it made a believer out of me, the Gear VR is awesome and a lot of fun.
Get the S7, it is a huge upgrade to the Note 2 and well worth it in my opinion.
I've kept it because the only reason I rooted in the first place was the free hotspot, and it's not essential that I have it, so I can go without. I'm also keeping it because it's a huge improvement in specs over the S5 I had before.
Free stuff
I came from a SGS4. Heavily modded, custom rom etc... As someone mentioned earlier, the main reason I rooted was for free hotspot activation (and some other free -cough- stuff). For now, I have the hotspot activated for free without root. Happy as a clam. The phone is fantastic. Even if/when Sprint forces an update and locks down my hotspot mod, I love the phone and would not switch to something else. I can still put free -cough- stuff on my phone without root. I'm sure someone will eventually find a way to root the device.
makane716 said:
I came from a SGS4. Heavily modded, custom rom etc... As someone mentioned earlier, the main reason I rooted was for free hotspot activation (and some other free -cough- stuff). For now, I have the hotspot activated for free without root. Happy as a clam. The phone is fantastic. Even if/when Sprint forces an update and locks down my hotspot mod, I love the phone and would not switch to something else. I can still put free -cough- stuff on my phone without root. I'm sure someone will eventually find a way to root the device.
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Click to collapse
Well Sprint just pushed an update that gets rid of the ability to mod the phone to use hotpot. The update became available yesterday and it locks down the APN settings to where they are greyed out.
I have had no such update. I just did the mod 1 hour ago. Working fine.
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 AM ----------
Macguyver said:
I came from a G3, before that a Note 2. I came back to samsung because I didn't like anything about the G5 and I was tired of some of the problems in LG's software on the G3. I had both devices rooted running debloated stock roms. The main reason I root is to get rid of apps I cannot uninstall and to block ads while sticking with a stock based rom to be able to use the features the manufacturer built into the software. I am disappointed that we may never get root or an unlocked bootloader as I would like to be able to uninstall some apps like facebook, FB messenger, the 4 amazon apps and the 3 sprint apps I cannot get rid of as well as run an ad blocker.
While I still cannot get rid of ads, There are ways to disable the apps using an app called "Package Disabler Pro" or you can use Gatesjuniors' Debloater which is what I'm using because its one less app on my phone, you can find it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/debloater-remove-carrier-bloat-t2998294 . I have Nova launcher installed and have no lag, call quality is great, mobile signal strength and speed is better than I've ever had with Sprint. My wifi reception is equally as impressive as I still have very usable wifi 30+ yards away from my router through the walls in my house. My G3 had trouble connecting 10 yards away (another reason I came back to samsung).
All that being said, this is the first phone I haven't rooted within the first week of getting it and honestly, other than an annoying ad occasionally (as most of my apps and games are paid for so I don't get many ads anyway) I really see no need to root this phone at this time. I've had the S7 for 3 weeks now and I love it. Wireless charging is awesome as I haven't plugged it in to charge since the first week and on that note the fast charging is even more awesome as it will charge 50% in 30 minutes. The peace of mind in the fact that if it gets wet its no big deal. The screen and performance is phenomenal. Its so much easier to handle than the Note 2 was, I don't miss the heft of that phone at all. If you can get the Gear VR I highly recommend it, I was not a believer and thought I would just sell it but decided to try it to see if it was any good and it made a believer out of me, the Gear VR is awesome and a lot of fun.
Get the S7, it is a huge upgrade to the Note 2 and well worth it in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still block ads without root. adguard.com . Uses a local vpn to filter out the ads. It does consume a small amount of data to do so. Might not be the best choice on low data plans.
I know with the Sprint unlimited anything plan, they made mobile hotspot up to 3GB included. I don't actually use it much anyway, so that may be enough for me. I'm still so very on the fence.
People keep talking about free VR, how did you get it for free??
VassagoX said:
I know with the Sprint unlimited anything plan, they made mobile hotspot up to 3GB included. I don't actually use it much anyway, so that may be enough for me. I'm still so very on the fence.
People keep talking about free VR, how did you get it for free??
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Apart of a pre-order promo which I would guess is over now.
VassagoX said:
I know with the Sprint unlimited anything plan, they made mobile hotspot up to 3GB included. I don't actually use it much anyway, so that may be enough for me. I'm still so very on the fence.
People keep talking about free VR, how did you get it for free??
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Click to collapse
I'm on the Sprint unlimited everything plan. I could not activate the hotspot without the mod. Of course, I activated my phone via website. But then, that's how I got my msl code to mod the apn. Oh well.
El.Dante565 said:
Apart of a pre-order promo which I would guess is over now.
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Ahhh, gotcha. Then I guess I'm out of luck on that one. Best Buy has a pretty good promo for $99 right now with a free wireless charger, so I guess that eats the cost of the VR if you wanted to buy it. I'm thinking about it.
makane716 said:
I'm on the Sprint unlimited everything plan. I could not activate the hotspot without the mod. Of course, I activated my phone via website. But then, that's how I got my msl code to mod the apn. Oh well.
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Click to collapse
That's strange. Are you on the $75 plan? It's supposed to be included.
VassagoX said:
Ahhh, gotcha. Then I guess I'm out of luck on that one. Best Buy has a pretty good promo for $99 right now with a free wireless charger, so I guess that eats the cost of the VR if you wanted to buy it. I'm thinking about it.
That's strange. Are you on the $75 plan? It's supposed to be included.
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Well I was. Bestbuy did not want to honor the $99.99 sale price with 2 year activation (my current contract had expired at the beginning of the month) as they said Sprint wouldn't let them. So I chewed Sprint up and down until they pushed the upgrade through at $99.99. So I did tge activation swap through the website. Now I see I'm on a DIFFERENT unlimited plan. Some kinda "framily" plan for $30. Oh well. Still unlimited
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
makane716 said:
I have had no such update. I just did the mod 1 hour ago. Working fine.
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 AM ----------
You can still block ads without root. adguard.com . Uses a local vpn to filter out the ads. It does consume a small amount of data to do so. Might not be the best choice on low data plans.
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Thanks, I'll give that a shot. I have unlimited data so it's not a worry.
I use about 100gb a month on data with hotspot. S7 not my option anymore. LG G5 is next.
Yeah, I think I'm going to hold off as well at this point. I want to see if they will bend under pressure.
eloko said:
I use about 100gb a month on data with hotspot. S7 not my option anymore. LG G5 is next.
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T-Mobile has announced the LG G5 will have a locked bootloader. Will have to see if other providers will follow suit.
makane716 said:
T-Mobile has announced the LG G5 will have a locked bootloader. Will have to see if other providers will follow suit.
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What?! Oh man... Tmo and sprint are the unlocked ones.. But if tmo is locked, more likely sprint will...
Seriously?! What are these companies thinking? Do they not realize how much of their sales is due to the modifiable side of their phones?
VassagoX said:
Seriously?! What are these companies thinking? Do they not realize how much of their sales is due to the modifiable side of their phones?
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That is exactly why I moved from iOS to android. The ability to take 3rd party apps, straight out of the box and modify bloatware, the ui, etc...
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
makane716 said:
That is exactly why I moved from iOS to android. The ability to take 3rd party apps, straight out of the box and modify bloatware, the ui, etc...
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
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The first part of this post will be my response to the OP post. The second part will address the user I quoted.
I actually bought this phone because I am losing my desire to mod/flash/root etc. While it's been fun the past 8 years or so, I've realized it has consumed TONS of my time. I can honestly say it got to the point where when I got home, the first thing I would do is get on my laptop or the app and open XDA. Next thing I know I'm flashing a new ROM only to find out in a few days or so that it lacks "this" feature or "that" feature isn't working properly and I'm back on xda looking for something different. It gets old having to reflash the phone because I "couldn't hear outgoing calls" or incoming mms wasn't working. I know seasoned xda members know as well as I that once you tweak one thing it inherently messes up another. Anyhow, this phone is a beast without root. No need for overclock, or even flashing a CM/AOSP rom. If I wanted that I would've picked up a Nexus. As a previous usuer mentioned, adblocking is possible without root as well as hotspot. I'm happy with my S7 and keeping it. Now regarding the user's quote, Samsung is the driver of Android sales worldwide. They want to keep that spot and unfortunately the vast majority of their users don't care about root. Samsung is taking on Apple knuckle to knuckle and in order to win over customers from Apple, they will have to provide the same level of security and functionality as Apple which means no root. Winning over Apple customers will yield them way more profit in the short and long run vs. providing unlock for their "power" users. I'm not cheering on Samsung to continue making their devices "NSA" friendly, but in a world of ever increasing security threats particularly of the cyber nature, rooting will become increasingly more difficult as OEMs try to gain their customers' confidence in the security of their mobile devices.
There is no reason that the d6708 should be in the Z3 area of XDA, other than to be a marker of mislabeling. From what I've gathered, the Z3v has a chipset similar to the Z2, but with the camera and power of a Z3, which in theory sounds pretty nice since the added camera button really makes this phone great for photographers. When I purchased the phone, I loved it... Over time, however, I noticed that the overheating really took a toll on the experience. Then things stopped working. I've read where people completely lost function of their camera... I lost GPS. The locked bootloader means that the phone is stuck in the past. The community has been able to root the phone and even go so far as to load a custom recovery, but it stops there. There are no new ROMs... No updates after 5.1...this phone is already pretty much dead in the water because neither Sony, Verizon, nor any developer will take ownership to give life back to this phone with so much potential. XDA needs to move this phone to its own device thread... Hopefully someone will make the separation and put some development into this device.
randomjoh said:
There is no reason that the d6708 should be in the Z3 area of XDA, other than to be a marker of mislabeling. From what I've gathered, the Z3v has a chipset similar to the Z2, but with the camera and power of a Z3, which in theory sounds pretty nice since the added camera button really makes this phone great for photographers. When I purchased the phone, I loved it... Over time, however, I noticed that the overheating really took a toll on the experience. Then things stopped working. I've read where people completely lost function of their camera... I lost GPS. The locked bootloader means that the phone is stuck in the past. The community has been able to root the phone and even go so far as to load a custom recovery, but it stops there. There are no new ROMs... No updates after 5.1...this phone is already pretty much dead in the water because neither Sony, Verizon, nor any developer will take ownership to give life back to this phone with so much potential. XDA needs to move this phone to its own device thread... Hopefully someone will make the separation and put some development into this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your frustration, but I disagree with your intentions of where the community should move to. When this phone hit the news about coming to Verizon, and once it did, it only remained as a few threads within the Z3 General forum. Owners of this phone and browsing customers of this phone would be entirely misguided by the threads of the actual Z3 when it happened. It was thanks to the people back then to help move the Z3v into its own subforum so a community could be formed in working directly with other people who has the Z3v. If you move it all back, it would be all for wasted efforts and the Z3v will just completely be buried without anyone to know its existence. The subforums should remain as is so it would help anyone else grab a still great phone.
Also, your gathered summary about the Z3v should be flipped. The phone has the chipset of the Z3, but everything else physically is a customized Z2 variant. The camera button is still nonetheless ultra useful as I do miss it on my Galaxy S7 Edge. The other issues I've had with my S7 Edge that I've never seen on the Z3v are lag issues, before and after root. I just rooted my S7 Edge and there are lots of bugs and kinks that had to be worked out, bu the Z3v never encountered such problems when it achieved root. Also, be glad you have custom recovery on the Z3v since custom recovery is not yet achieved for the Z3v. Just my 2 cents.
I have to say that I often come and check and see if there is any news about the z3v getting an update but it is starting to look more and more grimm. Which is sad because this is an amazing phone and verizon should of stuck with it. To bad for them I did fall in love with the sony phone line and since they don't really offer a sony phone anymore and att has moved into the area I have thought about changing over and buying a sony phone unlocked and hooking it up that way. Plus being a DirecTV customer I can get unlimited data for them. Now that is starting to look rather nice I must say. Thanks all.
Sony makes good phones, in fact in a recently released phone stats states the Sony line was the one that had the least restarts from crashing of any other phone.
If we didn't have the data package we have we would go to a GSM carrier and buy a newer Sony to use, great phones.
Sony has great build quality into their products, in my experience. My bro's S7 Edge had its LCD damaged (in a bulk case too) even though the phone looks perfectly fine without any cracks or water damage. I've dropped my Z3v dozens of time with the totally plain and simple case from Verizon, but no hardware damages done to it ever since.
My only contrast with both companies is that Samsung has excellent customer support by fixing his S7 Edge with no charge and completed the phone in a single day, being shipped back on its way anytime now. Sony requires all these paperwork and documents that doesn't even allow me to send my accessories to have them repaired, and I heard it takes weeks for them to do a repair too. Can't win them all, I guess.
I get it; time moves forward and people adopt new devices. But some of us hang on as long as we can, or "inherit" old great devices for a variety of reasons.
Is there nobody left here to help z3V owners? Just say as much if that's the case. Hell, even be humane about it and shut down the section. Zero hope is a reality that forces people to move on, while wondering just plagues them with indecision that becomes a frustrating waste of time.
The reality of this forum and what it offers me as a consumer is that I simply don't purchase a phone if there's no support here. That's how grand and extensive the XDA community is.
If there's simply no more support for the z3V on XDA, then future problems with them render them obsolete. There's simply nowhere else on Earth to go for such information.
"Knowledge is power."
"With great power comes great responsibility."
AddictedToGlass said:
I get it; time moves forward and people adopt new devices. But some of us hang on as long as we can, or "inherit" old great devices for a variety of reasons.
Is there nobody left here to help z3V owners? Just say as much if that's the case. Hell, even be humane about it and shut down the section. Zero hope is a reality that forces people to move on, while wondering just plagues them with indecision that becomes a frustrating waste of time.
The reality of this forum and what it offers me as a consumer is that I simply don't purchase a phone if there's no support here. That's how grand and extensive the XDA community is.
If there's simply no more support for the z3V on XDA, then future problems with them render them obsolete. There's simply nowhere else on Earth to go for such information.
"Knowledge is power."
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When my Z3v screen went shot... I tried an LG G6? Whatever the current one is. Took it back a week later and bought an unopened Z3v off of Ebay. Nothing has what this phone has from Verizon. Stereo front facing sound. Camera button. IP68 water resistance. Expansion memory slot. If another phone ever had all that... I'd upgrade. Until then I will happily keep my Z3v.
kentompkins said:
When my Z3v screen went shot... I tried an LG G6? Whatever the current one is. Took it back a week later and bought an unopened Z3v off of Ebay. Nothing has what this phone has from Verizon. Stereo front facing sound. Camera button. IP68 water resistance. Expansion memory slot. If another phone ever had all that... I'd upgrade. Until then I will happily keep my Z3v.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the Moto X Pure checks most of those boxes. I still like the Z3V, but since the usb charge port "flap" is failing again, I'm thinking of switching back to my old Moto X 2014. There are not a lot of compelling upgrades out there, I tend to agree. Front facing stereo is a big plus for me, and most of the nice new phones have speakers near the usb charge port...not great.
Still using this and my pixel as o e of my daily devices
I use the z3v exclusively since i got it in 2014. It has enough features for me. Camera is good, the music player is great , i have 128gig card with 32gig internal , So enough storage for anything i ever do. I have rooted it, modified system to dark instead of white, so it doesnt hurt my eyes. Added viper ,dolby, and a few other mods and its been a great phone for me . If it breaks , i will replace it with another z3v off the net .
I still have the Z3v and occasionally use it for light duty work, but a couple months ago I moved on finally to the Note 8. It was literally falling apart with the battery expanding...I had to constantly Force the back glass panel back inside the frame. But I had the phone for 3 full years and never once had to do a factory reset... it never once even lagged.
The Z3v was the best phone that nobody knew about. If i could get another Sony on Verizon I would. But that's just not the case.
Sony z3v Haven
First of all, this phone is stable. The only problems I've ever had with this phone is when I was attempting to Root or upgrade to 5.1.1. I've used this phone rooted & exclusively since 2015 and have yet to find a replacement phone. I am on my 3rd z3v. I have a tendency to drop my phones and I don't like to use cases.
Most the time I have run this phone on T-Mobile from California to Florida & International networks in Mexico, Turkey, & Eastern Europe --it works perfect and once I activated it on the Verizon network and I fell in love :victory: with it all over again; it's like the phone became AliVE again! It's blazing fast on Verizon however Verizon is too expensive and their lack of affordable international options pushed me back to T-Mobile.
REASONS I LOVE THIS PHONE
High Quality Craftsmanship(aluminum&glass)
Dedicated Camera Button
IPX8 Water Resistant
Front Facing Stereo Speakers
QI Wireless Charging (which I almost always use as to avoid opening the flap & for convenience)
SD memory card slot
Beautiful full HD screen (which I never appreciated until forced to use an Apple 6s for my work)
Quality HD Music Player
Superior Auto 20+ MP Camera pictures & 4K Video (the Timeshift Video-High Frame Rate-is stunning!)
ONLY REASONS I AM LOOKING FOR A REPLACEMENT
VoLTE (I want access to T-Mobile's voice over LTE because it only works with Verizon)
Access to more of T-Mobile's 4G network. (Newer faster radios bands for T-Mobile and other companies)
Dual SIM phone.
If I cannot find another phone with these options I will be buying my 4th z3v. The Verizon representative tried to push their latest Motorola on me but I hated the feel. It felt cheap.
AddictedToGlass said:
I get it; time moves forward and people adopt new devices. But some of us hang on as long as we can, or "inherit" old great devices for a variety of reasons.
Is there nobody left here to help z3V owners? Just say as much if that's the case. Hell, even be humane about it and shut down the section. Zero hope is a reality that forces people to move on, while wondering just plagues them with indecision that becomes a frustrating waste of time.
The reality of this forum and what it offers me as a consumer is that I simply don't purchase a phone if there's no support here. That's how grand and extensive the XDA community is.
If there's simply no more support for the z3V on XDA, then future problems with them render them obsolete. There's simply nowhere else on Earth to go for such information.
"Knowledge is power."
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen support on other sites. It caused me to hard brick my phone. haha
The real issue is that there are posts for the Z3 as well as Custom Roms for it. Sometimes they apply to the Z3V, but nobody comes flat out and says it. I for one am not willing to brick another phone just to perform a test. Of course, I don't think that is possible because the replacement phone I received has a locked bootloader... my old one definitely unlocked. I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to though.
So I was able to successfully get the DEMO LG Wing I bought off of ebay. (Model LMF101V) Flashed. And despite being told these didn't even have a modem in them, I am able to get 5G with a Tmobile SIM now. *I believe these were originally Verizon demo's, but I am not sure. I am missing storage, which I have seen was a problem with other LG demo models. However it appears the SD card is working, so this is not a huge deal to me. (It registers 8GB instead of 256GB) I know the storage is actually there, because prior to flashing, I was able to access and use it in the demo mode.
I was wondering if anyone could help me get the biometrics working? The hardware is present and the phone does detect a fingerprint reader, but when trying to use it, it never registers any finger prints. *It does not accept or reject, the screen changes to indicate my finger is touching the glass, but nothing happens as far as registering my fingerprint goes, it just does nothing. I do not yet know if the 50% charging limitiation is still in place or not, I will update when I find out. I am assuming this is no longer an issue.
Not bad for $180 now that it has service. I accomplished this by making my own modifications to LGUP, I will be honest, I am a newbie when it comes to this stuff. So I was poking around and changed a few things here, a few things there, and I could not tell you specifically what I did that made this work. The phone still does not show me an IMEI number. (Just a 0 in place of it.) I dont want to break the rules regarding changing IMEI's, but since this would be more like restoring the IMEI, maybe the mods will allow us to discuss potential fixes to that issue.
Interesting this demo unit. What is the firmware showing in the system menu? Could you update to any newer firmware? Or could you unlock the bootloader / flash another official fimware?
vegasflash said:
So I was able to successfully get the DEMO LG Wing I bought off of ebay. (Model LMF101V) Flashed. And despite being told these didn't even have a modem in them, I am able to get 5G with a Tmobile SIM now. *I believe these were originally Verizon demo's, but I am not sure. I am missing storage, which I have seen was a problem with other LG demo models. However it appears the SD card is working, so this is not a huge deal to me. (It registers 8GB instead of 256GB) I know the storage is actually there, because prior to flashing, I was able to access and use it in the demo mode.
I was wondering if anyone could help me get the biometrics working? The hardware is present and the phone does detect a fingerprint reader, but when trying to use it, it never registers any finger prints. *It does not accept or reject, the screen changes to indicate my finger is touching the glass, but nothing happens as far as registering my fingerprint goes, it just does nothing. I do not yet know if the 50% charging limitiation is still in place or not, I will update when I find out. I am assuming this is no longer an issue.
Not bad for $180 now that it has service. I accomplished this by making my own modifications to LGUP, I will be honest, I am a newbie when it comes to this stuff. So I was poking around and changed a few things here, a few things there, and I could not tell you specifically what I did that made this work. The phone still does not show me an IMEI number. (Just a 0 in place of it.) I dont want to break the rules regarding changing IMEI's, but since this would be more like restoring the IMEI, maybe the mods will allow us to discuss potential fixes to that issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you flash it!?
xSe7eNx said:
How did you flash it!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Modified LGUP - Chip Erase was the only option that would do anything at all. So I first flashed a Verizon ROM and then a Tmobile ROM. Both lifted all all the limitations placed on the device. The only thing that did not work was the fingerprint sensor, but its there... so there has got to be a way. That and it wont show an IMEI number at all after that. Yet at least with Tmobile, that doesnt appear to matter.
Please direct me to the steps or page that will explain how to do what you did to remove this demo crap. Thanks in advance.
devingubler1 said:
Please direct me to the steps or page that will explain how to do what you did to remove this demo crap. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There isn't one. I figured this out on my own.
Have you played with a Velvet 5g? I just got a retail mode one.
I got ahold of 2 V60 demo units. I believe they are the Verizon ones? Anyhow i removed demo limitations to allow use of the device again, battery is at 50% llke most, and its supposedly missing the modem as i cannot get any information in Phone Information for the cellular bands etc.. It would be nice however to get them working IF they are present.
I don't see how your velvet has the modems unless perhaps it was specific verizon ones which these devices were rumored to have the ability of a full device (modem and everything else) once flashed to different firmware.
If you could walk back through what you do (i know im guilty myself of forgetting to write things down) and try to remember exactly what all you did this would help a lot on these demo units. I see a people wanting to convert them more these days since the phones are getting more hi tech. 5-7 years ago and so you could covert these,, Before that demo phones.. well they were all real. Was never an issue getting them cheap and no need for converting.. Wish it was like that today!
Any updates on this? Local used phone stores want $450 starting, I see a handful on eBay for anywhere from $120+, non-demo ones average around $350+. I'd like to get one that's unlocked (currently on Sprint/TMobile) but likely gonna be switching to AT&T. I see a lot of phones that say unlocked but I don't know if they're truly unlocked and/or how to do it myself if they're in fact not unlocked. 10+yrs ago I used to bake my own ROM's and whatnot but nowadays it feels like Spanish to me so I don't wanna buy the wrong phone and have it not work (demo issues) or not be able to easily switch providers.
noidodroid said:
I got ahold of 2 V60 demo units. I believe they are the Verizon ones? Anyhow i removed demo limitations to allow use of the device again, battery is at 50% llke most, and its supposedly missing the modem as i cannot get any information in Phone Information for the cellular bands etc.. It would be nice however to get them working IF they are present.
I don't see how your velvet has the modems unless perhaps it was specific verizon ones which these devices were rumored to have the ability of a full device (modem and everything else) once flashed to different firmware.
If you could walk back through what you do (i know im guilty myself of forgetting to write things down) and try to remember exactly what all you did this would help a lot on these demo units. I see a people wanting to convert them more these days since the phones are getting more hi tech. 5-7 years ago and so you could covert these,, Before that demo phones.. well they were all real. Was never an issue getting them cheap and no need for converting.. Wish it was like that today!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lg velvet retail modes do take the korean firmware. Everything works even 5g. Battery works 100%.
m5james said:
Any updates on this? Local used phone stores want $450 starting, I see a handful on eBay for anywhere from $120+, non-demo ones average around $350+. I'd like to get one that's unlocked (currently on Sprint/TMobile) but likely gonna be switching to AT&T. I see a lot of phones that say unlocked but I don't know if they're truly unlocked and/or how to do it myself if they're in fact not unlocked. 10+yrs ago I used to bake my own ROM's and whatnot but nowadays it feels like Spanish to me so I don't wanna buy the wrong phone and have it not work (demo issues) or not be able to easily switch providers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup i was able to flash the lg velvet retail modes with korean firmware. 5g even works with att. Hotspot isnt even locked like it would be on stock att firmware. Im really loving these lg velvet retail mode phones. If you can find them cheap get one.
vegasflash said:
So I was able to successfully get the DEMO LG Wing I bought off of ebay. (Model LMF101V) Flashed. And despite being told these didn't even have a modem in them, I am able to get 5G with a Tmobile SIM now. *I believe these were originally Verizon demo's, but I am not sure. I am missing storage, which I have seen was a problem with other LG demo models. However it appears the SD card is working, so this is not a huge deal to me. (It registers 8GB instead of 256GB) I know the storage is actually there, because prior to flashing, I was able to access and use it in the demo mode.
I was wondering if anyone could help me get the biometrics working? The hardware is present and the phone does detect a fingerprint reader, but when trying to use it, it never registers any finger prints. *It does not accept or reject, the screen changes to indicate my finger is touching the glass, but nothing happens as far as registering my fingerprint goes, it just does nothing. I do not yet know if the 50% charging limitiation is still in place or not, I will update when I find out. I am assuming this is no longer an issue.
Not bad for $180 now that it has service. I accomplished this by making my own modifications to LGUP, I will be honest, I am a newbie when it comes to this stuff. So I was poking around and changed a few things here, a few things there, and I could not tell you specifically what I did that made this work. The phone still does not show me an IMEI number. (Just a 0 in place of it.) I dont want to break the rules regarding changing IMEI's, but since this would be more like restoring the IMEI, maybe the mods will allow us to discuss potential fixes to that issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any chance you could share what you did to get this working? I've been trying to flash stock firmware to my Wing but haven't had any success. All of my attempts have either caused LGUP to crash, fail, or "successfully" flash but never actually do anything to the phone.
9
gd243 said:
Is there any chance you could share what you did to get this working? I've been trying to flash stock firmware to my Wing but haven't had any success. All of my attempts have either caused LGUP to crash, fail, or "successfully" flash but never actually do anything to the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont use the gui tool. Learn to flash from terminal and you will be set.
I could never get the tool to work outside of the cmd promt.
LGUPED said:
9
Dont use the gui tool. Learn to flash from terminal and you will be set.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, I'll give that a shot. Any specific firmware I should go for? I have the Korean and Verizon, not sure which is better. This is a Verizon demo unit, btw.
Edit: If you could link me to the terminal version, that would be appreciated.
gd243 said:
Alright, I'll give that a shot. Any specific firmware I should go for? I have the Korean and Verizon, not sure which is better. This is a Verizon demo unit, btw.
Edit: If you could link me to the terminal version, that would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just search xda or reddit on how to use lgup in command prompt. Ive been successful with the korean firmware.
gd243 said:
Alright, I'll give that a shot. Any specific firmware I should go for? I have the Korean and Verizon, not sure which is better. This is a Verizon demo unit, btw.
Edit: If you could link me to the terminal version, that would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally cant wait until firehose comes out for the lg velvet. I have a few of those. They work great on att 5g. Almost feels exactly like my s20 ultra in my hand. Too bad lg stopped making phones.
Terminal version worked perfectly! The korean firmware works and seems to be fully functional, although I will have to do more testing. I may try flashing US carrier firmware at some point if it's compatible (probably T-Mobile as I use that), but for now this is fine.
Been using the phone for a few days now. It's largely been fine, however the fingerprint sensor doesn't seem to work as the OP mentioned. Still, if anyone has a demo device, it's much better then using the gimped firmware it comes with.
gd243 said:
Been using the phone for a few days now. It's largely been fine, however the fingerprint sensor doesn't seem to work as the OP mentioned. Still, if anyone has a demo device, it's much better then using the gimped firmware it comes with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/fingerprint-loss-on-boot-unlock.4270491/
BrianMF said:
Try this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/fingerprint-loss-on-boot-unlock.4270491/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried without downgrading the firmware (if that's even possible- I don't think the Wing came with Android 9). ( #*462633*#100# ) got me into the service menu, did the fingerprint test and now it recognizes me putting my finger against the sensor, but tells me "Cover the entire sensor with your finger" every time.
Edit: To be clear, I'm using the latest Korean firmware. I'm not sure if downgrading it would work, since as far as I know it's all Android 10.