Hi folks,
I'm looking at BestBuy and they are offering both an unlocked version, and a cheaper Verizon version (monthly payment plan which equates to a ~$30 discount). At face value, makes sense to me.
However, my understanding was that FCC rules that all LTE devices would be SIM unlocked. So can somebody please explain to me what the difference is between these two versions? Is the Verizon variant actually locked?
NegativeOne said:
Hi folks,
I'm looking at BestBuy and they are offering both an unlocked version, and a cheaper Verizon version (monthly payment plan which equates to a ~$30 discount). At face value, makes sense to me.
However, my understanding was that FCC rules that all LTE devices would be SIM unlocked. So can somebody please explain to me what the difference is between these two versions? Is the Verizon variant actually locked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had Verizon phones for the past 2 years and they were both unlocked outta the box even though I purchased them through the payment plan. I passed them on to my brother whose on AT&T and they worked flawlessly. from my experience, all verizon phones are unlocked
I've inspected the Verizon phone in the store, and it literally is an unlocked s9 plus, same model and all.
Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
I know that Verizon and Sprint (or better said Sprint iPhones) are always unlocked.
So, if you have the chance of walking into bestbuy, just take a GSM sim with you and insert it into a Verizon S9+. if it picks up signal and you can place a call, than it's unlocked.
Has anyone been able to confirm? The first Verizon shipments have started to arrive by now. Rumor was this was the first phone they were going to lock, they announced that they were going to start in January.
I've picked up an unlocked S9+ from Samsung and I'm on the Verizon network. Somethings I'm starting to notice... I don't have the "Advanced calling" options, so I can't do WiFi calling. I also don't have OEM Unlock in my developer options. I'd deal with Verizon's bloat for WiFi calling...
Phluffy said:
I've picked up an unlocked S9+ from Samsung and I'm on the Verizon network. Somethings I'm starting to notice... I don't have the "Advanced calling" options, so I can't do WiFi calling. I also don't have OEM Unlock in my developer options. I'd deal with Verizon's bloat for WiFi calling...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've noticed the same I just put my Verizon sim into my unlocked so plus, no wifi calling for me it's not a issue and I've noticed that all the Verizon bloat I was dealing with on my s9 plus is gone.
NegativeOne said:
However, my understanding was that FCC rules that all LTE devices would be SIM unlocked. So can somebody please explain to me what the difference is between these two versions? Is the Verizon variant actually locked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, how wrong you are. ATT, T-Mobile, and Sprint all lock their LTE devices. Verizon had been the one exception due to a deal with the FCC when they acquired some 4G bandwidth. However, now that the head of the FCC is a muppet/puppet/ahole, Verizon has decided that they no longer need to obey that agreement and are locking their phones. Not 100% sure if they started with the S9 series or not.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...es-to-its-network-to-prevent-armed-robberies/
Averix said:
Oh, how wrong you are. ATT, T-Mobile, and Sprint all lock their LTE devices. Verizon had been the one exception due to a deal with the FCC when they acquired some 4G bandwidth. However, now that the head of the FCC is a muppet/puppet/ahole, Verizon has decided that they no longer need to obey that agreement and are locking their phones. Not 100% sure if they started with the S9 series or not.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...es-to-its-network-to-prevent-armed-robberies/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was my understanding, Verizon is going to start locking their devices again. Hopefully not with the S9....
My understanding is:
The phones are the same model. Verizon loads their devices with bloatware and they no longer sale their phones unlocked, unless it's paid in full. You can still call customer service and get an unlocking code if you want. Verizon will run specials on their devices, specially if you buy it making monthly payments on it, because this means you're their customer.
Unlocked Galaxy phones are the phones without bloatware, just as Samsung wanted them to be. You'll get updates from Samsung instead of from a carrier. Those are the differences.
Phluffy said:
I've picked up an unlocked S9+ from Samsung and I'm on the Verizon network. Somethings I'm starting to notice... I don't have the "Advanced calling" options, so I can't do WiFi calling. I also don't have OEM Unlock in my developer options. I'd deal with Verizon's bloat for WiFi calling...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try installing "Carrier Services" from the Play store.
Phluffy said:
I've picked up an unlocked S9+ from Samsung and I'm on the Verizon network. Somethings I'm starting to notice... I don't have the "Advanced calling" options, so I can't do WiFi calling. I also don't have OEM Unlock in my developer options. I'd deal with Verizon's bloat for WiFi calling...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to mention video calling
NegativeOne said:
Try installing "Carrier Services" from the Play store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the first time I've seen this recommendation. What does it do? Does it enable Verizon wifi calling and video chat?
Hi all, I purchased an unlocked S9+ from Samsung yesterday and was hoping to get some answers about this used with Verizon.
I'm trying to avoid that stupid "activation" fee so I went with unlocked. When I went to place an order, there's an option to have it activated through either Verizon, AT&T, but and TMobile (or Sprint, don't remember). I called Samsung and asked if I choose to skip the activation from their site, pop the SIM card from a phone (S7 Edge) with an existing line into it, will there be an activation fee? They told me to call Verizon about it.
So I chat with a Verizon rep online and they told me if I wanted to bring my own phone, there will be a new line fee and an activation fee. A new line fee even though I'm just replacing a phone on an existing line of mine??
So what I'm asking here is, have any of you guys who purchased the unlocked model and had it activated on Verizon, was there some stupid fees that followed?
Thanks
I have a Verizon S9+ running on T-Mobile. While still on the Verizon firmware, the T-Mobile card would pick up the signal, but wouldn't make or take any calls, and the phone kept telling me that I have a non-Verizon SIM card inserted. Flashed unlocked firmware and TMB USERDATA and the phone works great including WiFi Calling.
Phluffy said:
I've picked up an unlocked S9+ from Samsung and I'm on the Verizon network. Somethings I'm starting to notice... I don't have the "Advanced calling" options, so I can't do WiFi calling. I also don't have OEM Unlock in my developer options. I'd deal with Verizon's bloat for WiFi calling...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jaszek said:
I have a Verizon S9+ running on T-Mobile. While still on the Verizon firmware, the T-Mobile card would pick up the signal, but wouldn't make or take any calls, and the phone kept telling me that I have a non-Verizon SIM card inserted. Flashed unlocked firmware and TMB USERDATA and the phone works great including WiFi Calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but what are the chances of getting a Verizon rom and being able to flash it on a phone thats been out 3 days?
GigaSPX said:
Hi all, I purchased an unlocked S9+ from Samsung yesterday and was hoping to get some answers about this used with Verizon.
I'm trying to avoid that stupid "activation" fee so I went with unlocked. When I went to place an order, there's an option to have it activated through either Verizon, AT&T, but and TMobile (or Sprint, don't remember). I called Samsung and asked if I choose to skip the activation from their site, pop the SIM card from a phone (S7 Edge) with an existing line into it, will there be an activation fee? They told me to call Verizon about it.
So I chat with a Verizon rep online and they told me if I wanted to bring my own phone, there will be a new line fee and an activation fee. A new line fee even though I'm just replacing a phone on an existing line of mine??
So what I'm asking here is, have any of you guys who purchased the unlocked model and had it activated on Verizon, was there some stupid fees that followed?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I work for a certain Authorized Retailer and what that person is bull****. All you have to do is pop your sim card into the other phone and good to go, as long as your previous device was an android phone.
wrichards2009 said:
Yeah but what are the chances of getting a Verizon rom and being able to flash it on a phone thats been out 3 days?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s9-plus/how-to/g965u-g965u1-firmware-links-t3763487
Just saiyan
Related
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.
Hello
I'm with ATT, but I want to switch to StraightTalk, since here in Miami, they use ATT anyways.
I also want to upgrade to the LG V10, but I want to get the T-Mobile variant (H901) since that one can be rooted.
So. Can I buy an H901 from ebay, wherever that is unlocked, and use the StraightTalk SIM on it? I will be able to root it, and get a sim card from StraightTalk that will work with ATT. Right?
Thanks
There should be no issue I have unlocked att phones I have use with t-mobile before might check to see what bands of lte att uses most In your area and check what bands the h901 uses
Buy an already unlocked Tmo phone if you can. If not, still OK, just get it unlocked. I would suggest buying from Amazon over eBay, better quality overall, less like to get ripped off, better sellers. As long as the device itself is fully paid they should unlock it. I've gone through major hassles getting my H901 unlocked, but it's done, as of today.
As far as Straight Talk, it should work. Tmo and ATT are mostly compatible with each other as far as networks are concerned. But check first. They both use SIM cards, so does ST. You should be able to switch pretty easily.
At work, we are affiliated with mywit.com, where we can buy refurbished phones in very good condition.
If I buy a T-Mobile phone that is locked to T-Mobile (as it says in the description), how would I use it on ATT until I decide to switch to StraightTalk?
The switch to Straight Talk involves our 3 phones, so it's something that I have to plan out; one of the phones lives in another city. So, I have to remain with ATT for now. How do I get this H901 to work with ATT? Can I do that somehow?
@nabril15: The answer is simple:
You cant use the phones with ATT or ST until they are unlocked from T-Mo's network. You can use T-Mo's Device Unlock app to get a temp unlock, but that only lasts 30 days. On the other hand, you should theoretically have no issues getting unlocks for all devices involved, if they are paid in full.
Unlock terms and conditions:
http://www.t-mobile.com/company/company-info/sim-unlock-policy/unlock-your-mobile-wireless-device.html
AnonVendetta said:
@nabril15: The answer is simple:
On the other hand, you should theoretically have no issues getting unlocks for all devices involved, if they are paid in full.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I can get this done by calling TMobile to unlock it even though I am NOT a customer of theirs?
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA-Developers mobile app
nabril15 said:
And I can get this done by calling TMobile to unlock it even though I am NOT a customer of theirs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, t mobile won't unlock it for you if you're not a customer, feel free to try but i doubt they will
Check Swappa, usually on of the best prices and sellers will say if unlocked - also i believe i saw them on eBay for like 250$ unlocked and refurbished
I recently purchased the H901 unlocked from the guys at Mytecell on Swappa. I'm on att. Had to do some research on entering a new APN to get data and MMS to work, but overall satisfied.
Does anyone know if root or which roms will allow wifi calling on att networks?
To my knowledge you can only use WiFi calling on a Tmo-issued phone if you are on Tmo's network. Doesnt matter if you're rooted or what ROM you use, there is probably a server side check. And you generally can only use Tmo wifi-calling on stock based ROMs, no AOSP/CM.
If you have an old Verizion (USA) unlimited data plan (or perhaps other "older" phone plans) that you've been holding onto AND you plan on buying unlocked phones you may want to read about what I learned today... This is mostly a PSA, but if anyone knows of a way to actually "fix" the issue please reply.
The short version is that apparently the old (original) unlimited data plans are setup to only work with locked down "Verizon" phones. I'm still working out all the ramifications of this and could use some help further down in this thread. What this means is that you can NOT activate a NEW sim card in an "non-Verizon" (unlocked) phone IF you're also on an original unlimited data plan (and perhaps any other older plans beyond a certain date?). You CAN; however, activate a NEW sim card in an OLD Verizon phone and after setup is complete you can then move that sim over to your new phone. This should not be a problem for NEW Verizon phone plans OR locked down phones that are considered "Verizon phones" by Verizon software.
As far as I can tell (so far), activating a new sim in an old phone and then moving to the new phone doesn't cause any issues with your service, but I could use some help testing this out in greater detail to confirm.
Here's my story:
I've been on a Verizon unlimited 4G data plan since they first offered them many years ago. I've remained on this plan through price increases and the removal of unlimited only to watch them return it (I almost switched to a new plan months ago... almost). I used to have a Droid Razr Maxx which got rooted and I enjoyed root for awhile. I eventually upgraded to the Droid Turbo (employee edition) which took a long time to gain root so I simply never tried. I decided I wanted root access again and all the joys that brings so after much research into my next phone I landed on the LG V30 unlocked edition. I got my order from B&H Photo a few days ago. I also decided that I wanted a new sim card as I've always felt my old one was "touchy". Could never put my finger on, but mostly I just wanted to start fresh with the V30.
A couple days ago I went into an official (USA) Verizon store and made my request to get a new sim activated on my V30. I didn't think this would be an issue as they sell V30s and I know others have been running "non-Verizon" phones without issues. The CS rep was supportive of this, but after inserting the new card and trying to activate it the Verizon software on his employee tablet shot back something about "this phone does not support this data plan" (or something similar). He tried to troubleshoot the issue for about 10 minutes, but then gave up since I was able to get the V30 working by using my old sim from my Droid Turbo. I accepted this and decided I'd just try again in a few days.
During this time I had no issues with the V30 using my data or making phone calls. I did eventually "kill" the V30 by exploring the band selection screen in the service menu, but a hard factory restore later and I was up and running again. Today I decided to try and get a new sim card again, only this time I decided to head to Best Buy since they sell the unlocked V30 online. My thought was "if they sell the unlocked V30, maybe they'll better understand my issue with a new sim activation"....
After finding the "sim card expert" I requested we went to work. He pulled our a new SIM, dialed up his Verizon contact number and we waited. Once the Verizon rep was on the phone we continued onto activating the sim only to be met with the same error "phone & plan don't like each other". The Verizon rep was stumped after many trial and error attempts on getting it to go through. My issue was eventually escalated to a tech that had more power to get things working and even he was stumped. After nearly 2 hours of digging into provisions and my account info he informed me that my "old" data plan was setup in such a way that it ONLY allows new activations with "Verizon" phones. Of course he suggested I move to a new unlimited data plan (with all the new fine print and prioritizations after 22GB intact of course, ha). He added that there was nothing he could do to change my plan settings to allow new "non-Verizon" phones. He was supportive of activating the new sim on my old Droid Turbo and then placing it into the V30 though. Once we did that the V30 was up and running again. On some quick tests everything appears to be working as well (would like some help to verify this though).
So there's the info I learned today, hopefully this helps someone else avoid any headaches later. How accurate this info is depends on the Verizon tech on the other end of the phone though as I'm only repeating what I was told. The tech did say that he never ran into this before (as I assume most people simply keep swapping in their old sim cards) and he did add that newer plans and phones shouldn't run into this issue and that it's strictly my old plan causing the hiccups on their system. He did check into moving me to the new data plan for activation and then putting my back into my old plan, but came back with "it's not possible".
Now then... all the above said I could use some help ensuring that my unlocked V30 is working correctly on Verizon with my current phone plan.
I've installed an run "RX Monitor", but what I notice is that I see no CDMA options listed under "operator" or "registered cells" or "Neighbor cells". All I see are "LTE" connections that seemingly only use "Band 13". I've driven between different cities from corn fields to the center of town and any time I check I see only "LTE" and "Band 13". Based on what I've read this seems odd... but I don't know enough about it to say for certain.
What I can say is that I can make phone calls (though they seem to be going over LTE and using HD Voice) and I send/receive SMS and MMS texts. I can go online and download and all the good stuff.
Is there a way to further test my phone? When I run RX Monitor on my wife Droid Turbo I can see a CDMA option and other LTE cells, but her phone does not report enough data to compare (ie, it doesn't list the band anywhere in the data) that I can see.
Is there another program or some other way to test or check this? My concern is that I've yet to see "3G" or "1x" on my V30 and I worry that if I end up in an area with more limited coverage that the V30 will simply not work vs switching to 3G or lower (something my Droid Turbo has done in the past).
Any thoughts?... and thank you.
teknomedic said:
The short version is that apparently the old (original) unlimited data plans are setup to only work with locked down "Verizon" phones.
What this means is that you can NOT activate a NEW sim card in an "non-Verizon" (unlocked) phone IF you're also on an original unlimited data plan (and perhaps any other older plans beyond a certain date?). You CAN; however, activate a NEW sim card in an OLD Verizon phone and after setup is complete you can then move that sim over to your new phone. This should not be a problem for NEW Verizon phone plans
After finding the "sim card expert" I requested we went to work. He pulled our a new SIM, dialed up his Verizon contact number and we waited. Once the Verizon rep was on the phone we continued onto activating the sim only to be met with the same error "phone & plan don't like each other".
After nearly 2 hours of digging into provisions and my account info he informed me that my "old" data plan was setup in such a way that it ONLY allows new activations with "Verizon" phones. He added that there was nothing he could do to change my plan settings to allow new "non-Verizon" phones.
He was supportive of activating the new sim on my old Droid Turbo and then placing it into the V30 though. Once we did that the V30 was up and running again.
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Thank you for all the information.
ChazzMatt said:
Thank you for all the information.
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I know it was a long read, but hopefully it made sense.
With full root access would it be possible to label an unlocked V30 as a "Verizon" V30 in software to trick the Verizon registration process into direct activation?
I don't know. The two have different FCC ID, so that would be one way for Verizon to tell the difference.
On the U.S.Moto Maxx 1225, people could unlock the bootloader, then flash Verizon firmware over it to turn it into a Droid Turbo XT1254 because they had the exact same FCC ID and were exactly the SAME device. Verizon just rebranded theirs as a "Droid Turbo" to pretend it was some kind of exclusive. It wasn't even exclusive in the U.S.!
Until Sunshine came along to unlock the Droid Turbo bootloader (a year after release), the Moto XT1225 served as the "dev" version of the Droid Turbo.
Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk
I assume I'm not the only grandfathered Verizon data plan with an unlocked V30... can anyone else confirm that simply moving the sim over from another phone allows the V30 full access to the Verizon network.. CDMA, LTE, 3G, etc?
As I've said so far I only ever seen LTE with 4G. Though I did see CDMA once shortly after activation.. but then nothing
I recently got a Note 8 (at best buy, 300 off,but a down payment, and device payment plan). The sim activated on the Note 8, but my previous active sim was on an Unlocked S8 Plus (g955u1). I then activated the Note 8 Sim on my wife's back up S5, and then put the sim in my S8 plus unlocked. Inhave used the Note yet, because I dont have a glass protector yet and in case I have buyers remorse, I can return the Note 8.
If you have the grandfathered plan (which I do), you jusy simply have to get a 4g Verizon smart phone with a nano sim slot , activate it in there and put it in the Unlovked Lg v30. You should be able to get CDMA and 4g LTE connection.
Sent from my SM-G955U1 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Hmm I've had the same sim (just shaved down) since my OG Droid. Would this make a difference?
Ooo yeah here we go
Per Verizon's agreement with the FCC when they purchased radio band frequencies, Verizon must allow any compatible device to work on their network. If your device has CDMA and the LTE bands (2, 4, 13) then it will FULLY work. You will be able to make CDMA calls, LTE calls if VoLTE is functional on your device, and use data.
It is true that they are stingy on activation and there is NOTHING the techs can do to activate an unlocked phone. They did't write any code to block it let alone are aware of it. Don't bother even trying. Just get an old Verizon phone that takes nano SIM or go to a store and find an employee willing to activate it in a display phone then give it to you.
I've been using the same SIM for years from my Droid Turbo. It's been in a Nexus 6, Nexus 5x, Moto G4 Play, and an HTC One M8 without any usability issues.
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Charlie_Don't_Surf said:
Hmm I've had the same sim (just shaved down) since my OG Droid. Would this make a difference?
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Yes, that SIM card you have is still considered a mini SIM and will not activate in newer phones that take nano SIM.
I shaved down a micro SIM to fit a nano Sim slot. I tried to have it reactivated and Verizon was unable to. I informed the tech that it was actually a micro SIM and he activated it in a dummy Galaxy S3 and it worked.
---------- Post added at 12:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 AM ----------
teknomedic said:
I know it was a long read, but hopefully it made sense.
With full root access would it be possible to label an unlocked V30 as a "Verizon" V30 in software to trick the Verizon registration process into direct activation?
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Verizon and probably the others use the IMEI number to check if it is a VZW or non-VZW phone before activation. Unless you obtained another IMEI number and used it, they can always tell it is a non-VZW phone. But I'm pretty sure that is illegal.
I'm on an unlocked/google Nexus 6. It wasn't purchased from Verizon. I also have an old unlimited data plan. Once a stockish rom comes out for the LG V30 I'll take the plunge and test this out. Hopefully my sim will work in the v30, since it already works with an unlocked phone.
All good info. Thanks everyone.
How could I test the phone though? Is there a way to force CDMA calling vs LTE.... Also... Using RX monitor why would I only be seeing band 13 with no CDMA listed?
I'll update here what I learn comparing a "Verizon V30" vs my B&H unlocked V30. I purchased a second V30 using the Verizon $300 off deal to combine it with the $400 rebate from LG. I know, I know.. it's locked down... but for a cheap backup phone I'm not complaining. I'll run as many comparisons for cellular service as I'm able to.
I know of RX Monitor... hopefully that will confirm or deny that my unlocked V30 is using the network in the same way as the "Verizon" V30.
Any requests or other programs I should use for comparison??
From what I understand, the grandfathered Unlimited has nothing to do with it. As far as I know, Verizon has only activated NEW sim cards on Verizon branded equipment. Once your number is provisioned on a Verizon phone, there is no issue moving the sim between unlocked phones.
Guyinlaca said:
From what I understand, the grandfathered Unlimited has nothing to do with it. As far as I know, Verizon has only activated NEW sim cards on Verizon branded equipment. Once your number is provisioned on a Verizon phone, there is no issue moving the sim between unlocked phones.
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THIS. This is what I've always been told the past few years. Recently someone said Verizon had changed their policies and they somehow activated a SIM card on a 2015 Moto X Pure, but I think that was some kind of fluke. I would still use this policy as the guiding principle for control freak Verizon.
AT&T and T-mobile don't care where your phone came from, they'll activate your phone. I'm on AT&T and have never had an AT&T branded phone. I even brought in two Moto XT1225 from other countries; the Moto XT1225 is the "international" version of the Verizon Droid Turbo XT1254. It was also basically a 5.2" version of the Moto Nexus 6. AT&T didn't have the XT1225 in their database. I said call it a Moto Nexus 6, which they did have in their database. BOOM. Activated. Two of them. And not just on AT&T, but AT&T Prepaid, because I own my phones and only want to pay for monthly service not pay an arm and a leg to subsidize some AT&T branded phone I will NEVER buy.
I'm not here to bash carriers (but I will bash most MVNOs), but the CDMA twins Sprint and Verizon are more trouble than they're worth, in my opinion. I want to use a carrier's signal, but I don't want to buy a carrier's locked down, often overpriced, devices. I don't want to have to buy a carrier phone just to be able to activate a non-carrier phone on that carrier. That's ridiculous.
Does the hot spot work out of the box on the unlocked V30 US998 on the old verizon unlimited plan?
bugswray said:
Does the hot spot work out of the box on the unlocked V30 US998 on the old verizon unlimited plan?
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yes, it does.
I have the B&H US998 V30+ on Verizon, but I gave up unlimited a year or two ago. Still not on the new unlimited yet.
Are you able to get any VM notifications on this phone?
I only get garbled text messages from Verizon, and there is no VM indication.
I have to check for missed calls and manually call *86 to see if I have any voicemail.
Other than that I think it is functioning fully. However I have never seen a 3G icon in the status bar.
I have a Verizon 4G Network Extender in my house, and I get good 4G at work.
teknomedic said:
I assume I'm not the only grandfathered Verizon data plan with an unlocked V30... can anyone else confirm that simply moving the sim over from another phone allows the V30 full access to the Verizon network.. CDMA, LTE, 3G, etc?
As I've said so far I only ever seen LTE with 4G. Though I did see CDMA once shortly after activation.. but then nothing
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I am a Grandfathered user with 450 anytime minutes and paying for text messages still. I moved from an LG G4 to an HTC 10 to an LG V30 just fine. Popped the simcard out of my HTC 10 and installed it into my unlocked V30 and it works perfectly. I don't have any wifi calling though and I'm assuming because I'm not installing any verizon apps what so ever. I don't require wifi calling so i'm good. But it drops to 3G when it has no LTE signal just fine and VoLTE works perfectly. Hope that helps you out.
dvgb173 said:
I have the B&H US998 V30+ on Verizon, but I gave up unlimited a year or two ago. Still not on the new unlimited yet.
Are you able to get any VM notifications on this phone?
I only get garbled text messages from Verizon, and there is no VM indication.
I have to check for missed calls and manually call *86 to see if I have any voicemail.
Other than that I think it is functioning fully. However I have never seen a 3G icon in the status bar.
I have a Verizon 4G Network Extender in my house, and I get good 4G at work.
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It's the same for me... just messed up text messages. I even tried to source the Verizon Voicemail app, but it refused to install... sooo... I setup Google Voice instead and after some tweaking it's working great, Google AI or whatever even gives me its best translation of the voice mail too in text form so I don't need to listen
The one thing I have noticed with Google Voice and normal voicemail is that if I let the phone ring through Google voice works perfectly, BUT if I decide to swipe the "ignore" or whatever button, then the normal voicemail picks it up. It's kinda nice in a way having two voice mail boxes... but also wish I knew how to fix that issue and force everything to google voice.
FunktasticLucky said:
I am a Grandfathered user with 450 anytime minutes and paying for text messages still. I moved from an LG G4 to an HTC 10 to an LG V30 just fine. Popped the simcard out of my HTC 10 and installed it into my unlocked V30 and it works perfectly. I don't have any wifi calling though and I'm assuming because I'm not installing any verizon apps what so ever. I don't require wifi calling so i'm good. But it drops to 3G when it has no LTE signal just fine and VoLTE works perfectly. Hope that helps you out.
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It does help, thank you.
I bought this phone new but was told it was carrier locked, and so I bought the obligatory 2 months of Verizon prepaid so I could justify using it unlocked. After I cancelled my prepaid account, the agent wanted to give me the unlock code, but said there wasn't one, or she was having an issue trying to get one. I have the phone running on TracFone now (operating on the Verizon network through TracFone,) but I am persistently getting the SIM card warning "The SIM card is not from Verizon Wireless." When I hold down the notification, it says "SIM card. These notifications can't be modified."
Anyone know how to remove the SIM card check or block that notification? Everything else seems to be working fine.
Check out the stock restore thread in roms, kernels, and development. You can flash the retail firmware on the Verizon variant. That should remove all the Verizon bloat and the Verizon sim notification. Unfortunately being it is a Verizon variant, it cannot be bootloader unlocked or rooted to change built in functions of the phone
tha_mechanic said:
Check out the stock restore thread in roms, kernels, and development. You can flash the retail firmware on the Verizon variant. That should remove all the Verizon bloat and the Verizon sim notification. Unfortunately being it is a Verizon variant, it cannot be bootloader unlocked or rooted to change built in functions of the phone
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I appreciate that tip. I will say the only other thing I've noticed is that the phone no longer connects to the 5G network. It stays on LTE, whereas before it would switch back and forth. Must be provisioned that way since I'm with an MVNO.
Yes if you are not on Verizon you can't access their 5G, visual voicemail, or wifi calling. I had straight talk for years on the Verizon network. Works well but no Verizon features. What is rediculous in my opinion is I believe Verizon actually purchased straight talk not too long ago?
tha_mechanic said:
Yes if you are not on Verizon you can't access their 5G, visual voicemail, or wifi calling. I had straight talk for years on the Verizon network. Works well but no Verizon features. What is rediculous in my opinion is I believe Verizon actually purchased straight talk not too long ago?
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Verizon was set to buy TracFone from American Movil, and I'm assuming that sale also includes the other MVNOs that American Movil runs in the US, including Straight Talk, Walmart Family Wireless, Safelink Wireless, etc.
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 5G TABLET that is locked by Verizon. I put a T-Mobile sim card in it and it says it is not a Verizon sim card and shows a ? on top of the icon for the sim card. There is nothing asking me to enter a reset code. Under the phone number it says Unknown. So using an unlock code wouldn't work unless I can find a place to enter it. I tried to get Verizon to unlock it over the phone and they said I had to take it to a store, at the store they said it had to be done over the phone and the person saying it had to go to a store gave me inaccurate information. Samsung won't do anything and T-Mobile said go to Verizon. It hasn't had any service with Verizon for over a year and it was with the prior owner. I've wasted hours on this and accomplished nothing. What's my best plan of action here?
This may be unrelated to your problem, but I tried unsuccessfully to move my Verizon Tab S8+ (fully paid for) to T mobile, and was advised by the T Mobile engineers that it did not have the necessary drivers for their 5G network. Indeed, I tried using a T Mobile Sim card, and it would only connect to their 3G network.
Katmeat said:
This may be unrelated to your problem, but I tried unsuccessfully to move my Verizon Tab S8+ (fully paid for) to T mobile, and was advised by the T Mobile engineers that it did not have the necessary drivers for their 5G network. Indeed, I tried using a T Mobile Sim card, and it would only connect to their 3G network.
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Good to know. I trust about half of what T-Mobile 'experts' tell me on the phone. Are you able to text to anyone on the tablet over their network?
Sorry, I only text thru my connected phone account. But the only limitation I had w the tablet was an inability to connect to the 5G bands, but 3G did work on T Mobile. My Tab was not locked to Verizon. It just does not have the necessary radio bands to connect to their 5G signal.
Nobody here has a clue how to unlock this tablet?
Darktanian said:
Nobody here has a clue how to unlock this tablet?
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Have you tried opening the dialer pad and doing *#2263# and enabling all the network channels that way?
Darktanian said:
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 5G TABLET that is locked by Verizon. I put a T-Mobile sim card in it and it says it is not a Verizon sim card and shows a ? on top of the icon for the sim card. There is nothing asking me to enter a reset code. Under the phone number it says Unknown. So using an unlock code wouldn't work unless I can find a place to enter it. I tried to get Verizon to unlock it over the phone and they said I had to take it to a store, at the store they said it had to be done over the phone and the person saying it had to go to a store gave me inaccurate information. Samsung won't do anything and T-Mobile said go to Verizon. It hasn't had any service with Verizon for over a year and it was with the prior owner. I've wasted hours on this and accomplished nothing. What's my best plan of action here?
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If it has been a year, then it should work. Who was the previous owner? You may need to contact them. It is possible that it is still associated with his or her account. I had a friend that had the same problem with an iPad that was Verizon plan and he wanted it to work on T-Mobile. After several calls to Verizon he got it to work. T-Mobile can't do anything until Verizon fixes it.
Update: After thinking about this a bit more. The person who said that you need to take it to a Verizon store is probably correct. For Verizon to remotely unlock it, it has to be on its network, meaning you need a Verizon SIM.
On a more cynical side. It is possible the person you acquired it from never paid the device off. Here is how the scam goes.
- Person buys device on a payment plan with a CC.
- Verizon sends device and activates it on its network.
- Person then ghosts Verizon on payments
- Person the sells device at near retail price and pockets the difference between what he or she has already paid Verizon
- Verizon does not unlock device because it is now considered stolen
- New user (you) are not able to get the device unlocked to work on another network