Related
I'm so tired of LG putting the same damn code name for different reasons. So I'll just ask here. I know the v30+ from B&O is the US998. But US Cellular also has their own US998. My question is, Is the US Cellular one already unlocked or do I have to pay for the unlock? Also, is the bootloader unlockable? I've seen the US998 unlock and root thread but does that work on the US Cellular one? I remember the whole G5 debacle where LG gave the same code name to 2 different carriers and one was unlockable and the other was not. Thanks in advance, this is just very frustrating for me. I love LG but sometimes....
The US Cellular one is SIM-locked as I recall, and like any carrier phone would need to be paid off and an unlock requested. The bootloader is not unlockable officially and no exploit has been found to do so, though people are looking into it.
The Open Market US998 should be SIM unlocked from the start, and the bootloader can be unlocked on the LG dev site (though last I heard, you need to temporarily edit the page to add the phone model to the drop-down list).
So yea, exact same model number idiocy as before.
The US998+ is not yet bootloader-unlockable, it's currently in the same boat as the USC US998. If you want bootloader unlock for sure, grab yourself the normal Open Market V30. Spend the extra money you would have given LG and get a big SD card and decent case, instead.
No, the U.S. Cellular V30/V30+ is not sim-card locked/carrier locked/network locked. It's the "unofficial" carrier unlocked model. It's identical to the open market US998 in every respect except not eligible for bootloader unlock. (Well, neither is the open market V30+ at this point in time.)
Many people in this forum have bought the U.S. Cellular US998 and are not on U.S. Cellular. No unlock codes needed. See this thread, and search for "Cellular". I've posted about it since October...
LG V30 Sim Unlock Code
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg...nlock-code-t3665928/post74146985#post74146985
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74198864&postcount=45
But unless you were getting a fantastic deal on an U.S. Cellular model and you didn't care about bootloader unlock at all (even in the future), the best bet is the open market US998 V30.
Septfox said:
The US Cellular one is SIM-locked as I recall, and like any carrier phone would need to be paid off and an unlock requested. The bootloader is not unlockable officially and no exploit has been found to do so, though people are looking into it.
The Open Market US998 should be SIM unlocked from the start, and the bootloader can be unlocked on the LG dev site (though last I heard, you need to temporarily edit the page to add the phone model to the drop-down list).
So yea, exact same model number idiocy as before.
The US998+ is not yet bootloader-unlockable, it's currently in the same boat as the USC US998. If you want bootloader unlock for sure, grab yourself the normal Open Market V30. Spend the extra money you would have given LG and get a big SD card and decent case, instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can confirm it is sim unlocked as said by @ChazzMatt. I wanted the open market US998, but I could not pass up the deal on this brand new one. Thank you guys for the help. I'll just wait patiently until this bootloader gets unlocked. Or maybe never.
so they are coming out the box sim unlocked right?also they are saing that models newer than the s6 come unlocked,any experience with it?
darkthugs said:
so they are coming out the box sim unlocked right?also they are saing that models newer than the s6 come unlocked,any experience with it?
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Click to collapse
I bought the US Cellular version and I'm using it for ATT straight out of the box.
Does anyone believe esn status could affect it ?? Since i am looking to buy one on ebay New but bad esn ,since they are not released on my country ,obviusly i have checked bands
I'm a new owner of my very own V30 as of yesterday. For 8 years, I've been the proud owner of nexus devices, starting from the galaxy nexus, then nexus 4, 5, 6p. I've never owned a "common folk" phone such as the v30. But, with Google going off the face of the planet with deleting the 3.5mm jack I just couldn't buy another Google phone (sigh)
So a question : when LG places the v30 on the dev bootloader unlock whitelist, like the v20, will the warranty still be voided if the bootloader is unlocked?
I liked my Lineage aka cyanogenmod, root apps, xposed, tasker. But frankly the v30 is more than good enough stock for me to use day to day (my phone is an oauth key, calendar, media player, web browser, and IOT remote controller, none of which get much benefit from root). Still, it'd be nice to know what to expect from LG.. Reaally for the fact that ad block root was so good.
There used to be a time when oem android was so bad that it was unusable without flashing with your own stuff... And that's very different now. Just wondering.
Agreed about Google removing headphone jack, especially after making fun of Apple doing it a year ago. Hypocrisy much?
What V30 variant did you get? Is yours eligible for bootloader unlock? Either open market LG US998 or H930 are the two V30 eligible for bootloader unlock with full flash commands available. (The T-Mobile variant has "fake" bootloader unlock, with most flash commands stripped out.)
Yes, warranty is voided with that bootloader unlock. You get an unlock code in exchange for agreeing to void warranty, from the LG Developer Bootloader Unlock list website.
You can either have warranty or own your phone...
Motorola does the same thing, for their phones which are eligible for bootloader unlock.
Sent from my official open market LG US998 V30+
Depending which version you have it may not get unlocked at all. I've got the H930DS and there's a good chance it will never be unlocked.
Also regarding warranty it depends a lot on which country you are in, if it is the US then yea, you will probably lose warranty completely. In a lot of other countries they cannot legally void the hardware warranty for software modifications. It also matters which distributor is providing the warranty service or whether it is LG themselves, not all distributors are the same.
rpg711 said:
I'm a new owner of my very own V30 as of yesterday. For 8 years, I've been the proud owner of nexus devices, starting from the galaxy nexus, then nexus 4, 5, 6p. I've never owned a "common folk" phone such as the v30. But, with Google going off the face of the planet with deleting the 3.5mm jack I just couldn't buy another Google phone (sigh)
So a question : when LG places the v30 on the dev bootloader unlock whitelist, like the v20, will the warranty still be voided if the bootloader is unlocked?
I liked my Lineage aka cyanogenmod, root apps, xposed, tasker. But frankly the v30 is more than good enough stock for me to use day to day (my phone is an oauth key, calendar, media player, web browser, and IOT remote controller, none of which get much benefit from root). Still, it'd be nice to know what to expect from LG.. Reaally for the fact that ad block root was so good.
There used to be a time when oem android was so bad that it was unusable without flashing with your own stuff... And that's very different now. Just wondering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see ChazzMatts posts in various threads... his info is tight.
this phone is great out of the box, but man is it WAY better when it's got root and the right ROM... speaking for myself. so, depending on which variant you have, the old days may be possible for you.
i was a flashaholic somewhat, but on this phone US998 unlocked, i got lucky that the first ROM I've flashed will [hopefully] be my last. exactly what i wanted. and with the tweaks it flies, fastest phone I've ever used. the audio is SPECTACULAR... talking about the WETA rom, the one mentioned above. really super happy over here. i am honestly surprised how everything fell into place on this new phone project. now to sell my HTC10. the audio (and display) on the V30 is light years ahead of the HTC if that's saying anything.
ChazzMatt said:
Agreed about Google removing headphone jack, especially after making fun of Apple doing it a year ago. Hypocrisy much?
What V30 variant did you get? Is yours eligible for bootloader unlock? Either open market LG US998 or H930 are the two V30 eligible for bootloader unlock with full flash commands available. (The T-Mobile variant has "fake" bootloader unlock, with most flash commands stripped out.)
Yes, warranty is voided with that bootloader unlock. You get an unlock code in exchange for agreeing to void warranty, from the LG Developer Bootloader Unlock list website.
You can either have warranty or own your phone...
Motorola does the same thing, for their phones which are eligible for bootloader unlock.
Sent from my official open market LG US998 V30+
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Unfortunately I have a h932 (tmo version). So that's how it is... Meh I'm not in too big a need for the unlock especially since it's a newish released phone and there's always a chance there's a recall. I was just curious if LG typically opens up their older product line for a potential unlock in the future.
Thanks for the info!
The only way the Tmo version gets a Bootloader unlock is either Engineering Bootstack being released in the wild or someone cracks the security. Unfortunately the likelihood of any of that happening is slim to none. Either replace it with a US998/H930 or be happy with never getting root/unlocked.
With that being said, there really isn't much dev going on for this phone unfortunately and I doubt that will really change much. LG has a lot of negativity from previous failures and accountability so most devs have merely over looked this phone or written LG off completely. Kinda like the failure that is happening over at HTC.
Fortunately there are some sharp and tenacious devs working on the T-Mo models. In the post linked below, @runningnak3d expressed a more optimistic prognosis for the H932. Given his work and skills, and the efforts being made by him and others in that thread, that makes me optimistic too.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=75678105
And there are other tireless devs and users working on it in the H932 root thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3690577
Velrix said:
LG has a lot of negativity from previous failures and accountability so most devs have merely over looked this phone or written LG off completely.
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Click to collapse
If that's true, that's a shame. Lot of devs were working on the LG G6 open market models and the V30 is much better. LG really has a winner with this phone.
I think part of the problem is LG still hasn't officially added the US998 V30 to the LG Bootloader Unlock list (only the H930 and H930G). While waiting for the official announcement, and waiting and waiting... @gwillmer found out by accident the US998 V30 bootloader could be unlocked. How long had all those IMEI codes been in the database? And LG didn't tell us? And the V30+ US998 still can't be unlocked (which is the more desirable model). (I own both.) I think if that had happened (getting bootloader unlock for both) back in November/December, devs would be all over this phone.
TheDannemand said:
Fortunately there are some sharp and tenacious devs working on the T-Mo models. In the post linked below, @runningnak3d expressed a more optimistic prognosis for the H932. Given his work and skills, and the efforts being made by him and others in that thread, that makes me optimistic too.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=75678105
And there are other tireless devs and users working on it in the H932 root thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3690577
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I highly doubt without a engineering bootstack or some other hack they will ever get root on that phone. Even if they do, its doubtful it will be much more than that. They have yet to do it on the G6 model so don't expect it here anytime soon.
---------- Post added at 07:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:41 AM ----------
ChazzMatt said:
If that's true, that's a shame. Lot of devs were working on the LG G6 open market models and the V30 is much better. LG really has a winner with this phone.
I think part of the problem is LG still hasn't officially added the US998 V30 to the LG Bootloader Unlock list (only the H930 and H930G). While waiting for the official announcement, and waiting and waiting... @gwillmer found out by accident the US998 V30 bootloader could be unlocked. How long had all those IMEI codes been in the database? And LG didn't tell us? And the V30+ US998 still can't be unlocked (which is the more desirable model). (I own both.) I think if that had happened (getting bootloader unlock for both) back in November/December, devs would be all over this phone.
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Click to collapse
That's the problem, people (devs/enthusiast) just lost hope/trust in the company in general and this just puts the nail in the coffin. Now we have a new device being released later this year when most people just got their unlocked phones a few months back. LG did great with the V30 but they are being extremely anti developer with their actions, and honestly why wouldn't they be. Their money is in the average consumer which will never care about root/bootloader unlocking.
I really hope this changes for the good and they allow the + to be unlocked but until then, this platform may not have a ton of dev support.
When was the G6+ (US997U) released? It's still not on the bootloader unlock list, either... and wouldn't it have come out well before the V30? I can't seem to find an exact date that it was first listed for sale, but how long would we expect them to wait to add any new phone to the list? There's the Prime-Exclusive version that categorically will NOT get a bootloader unlock, but B&H and BestBuy both sell a factory-unlocked version too.
I'm having doubts that the V30+ will be added to the bootloader unlock list. If they really do it "for developers" then they really only need to support the base model V30, as the PLUS and the ThinQ just add more storage space and the rest of the hardware is identical.
Muhammadaliz said:
THANK YOU
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Not sure what you are thanking about. This thread from February 2018 now has a lot of outdated information. We no longer need the LG's approval for bootloader unlock.
This is the 2nd post post where you have just said thank you for information that's not really that helpful any more (outdated). Seems you are padding your post count?
EDIT: YES, NOW WE KNOW. Padding post count so he could spam with ads once he had enough posts. Now he's been banned...
__________
We can't all go back and edit old posts with newer information, which is why there's always a danger to "dig up" old threads like this. What I said 6 months ago may conflict with what I'm saying right now, but that's because of newer information, newer developments. Just this week, H932 T-Mobile V30/V30+ got ROOT. You will find tons of posts where we say that's NOT possible. Well, it wasn't THEN. It is NOW.
Same with bootloader unlock for non-Open Market V30. We thought we needed LG approval. In mid-May we found we don't, thanks to @TxanMoe.
I just got a brand spankin' new ("fair" condition scratch & dent, from ebay for dirt cheap) AT&T version, H931. Used the 15% off ebay coupon and got it for so cheap that it's not even fair. Along with that, I snagged the Sprint BYOD free 1-year service deal, so I'm living large obviously. I activated the plan initially on my now-dormant Essential phone, and as soon as I can go to the store and get the correct SIM for this V30, I'll be swapping them out on my line.
But here's what I'm confused on, both as a new Sprint customer and V30 owner. First of all, I'm amazed at how unreasonably uptight Sprint is with what phones they let on their network. Aside from that, I'm also really impressed with the V30's chameleon-like ability to be flashed to another carrier's firmware, and be completely functionally identical. Never seen another android phone do that... which is why I'm a little out of my element here, because I'm sure Sprint will be the ones to ruin the fun somehow.
Has anyone had experience using their V30 on Sprint and can tell me the following:
1. How are the Sprint bands on the US998 firmware - aren't there some missing?
If so, is it considered a good idea and just better overall to flash specifically to the sprint LS998 firmware?
Are there any risks with that, like potentially giving Sprint more power over your device (i.e. SIM-locking it or blacklisting the device's IMEI or something globally, regardless of whether you flash it back to US998 or one of the other carriers' firmware)
2. If you were to activate your V30 on Sprint, and then later on flashed a different firmware, would they see it as a different device altogether, and force you to pay the activation fee in order to get it back on again? Or is it just tied to the IMEI, no matter what firmware you're on (say you flashed a stock LS998 to the unlocked US998 using the Frankenstein method)
3. Also, I didn't back up my modemst1/modemst2 files before I flashed over from H931. Didn't think it mattered since I could just flash back to the H931 someday, but are those files unique to my particular device/IMEI?
if so, should I stop what I'm doing and fix it before I go any further with flashing LS998 or activating it on Sprint or any of that? How bad is it that I didn't make a backup, and is there anything that can be done now?
I just want to make sure I've got everything right before I go in tomorrow and sacrifice my new phone to the angry Sprint gods. Especially since eventually, when I go to sell it when I upgrade again, I'll probably want to flash it back to the H931 firmware with no problems from Sprint claiming lordship over it. I'm already astonished enough that I'm going to have to shell out $30 just to switch the device on my line.
jDally987 said:
AT&T version, H931. Used the 15% off ebay coupon and got it for so cheap that it's not even fair. Along with that, I snagged the Sprint BYOD free 1-year service deal, so I'm living large obviously. I activated the plan initially on my now-dormant Essential phone, and as soon as I can go to the store and get the correct SIM for this V30, I'll be swapping them out on my line.
But here's what I'm confused on, both as a new Sprint customer and V30 owner. First of all, I'm amazed at how unreasonably uptight Sprint is with what phones they let on their network. Aside from that, I'm also really impressed with the V30's chameleon-like ability to be flashed to another carrier's firmware, and be completely functionally identical. Never seen another android phone do that... which is why I'm a little out of my element here, because I'm sure Sprint will be the ones to ruin the fun somehow.
Has anyone had experience using their V30 on Sprint and can tell me the following:
1. How are the Sprint bands on the US998 firmware - aren't there some missing?
If so, is it considered a good idea and just better overall to flash specifically to the sprint LS998 firmware?
Are there any risks with that, like potentially giving Sprint more power over your device (i.e. SIM-locking it or blacklisting the device's IMEI or something globally, regardless of whether you flash it back to US998 or one of the other carriers' firmware)
2. If you were to activate your V30 on Sprint, and then later on flashed a different firmware, would they see it as a different device altogether, and force you to pay the activation fee in order to get it back on again? Or is it just tied to the IMEI, no matter what firmware you're on (say you flashed a stock LS998 to the unlocked US998 using the Frankenstein method)
3. Also, I didn't back up my modemst1/modemst2 files before I flashed over from H931. Didn't think it mattered since I could just flash back to the H931 someday, but are those files unique to my particular device/IMEI?
if so, should I stop what I'm doing and fix it before I go any further with flashing LS998 or activating it on Sprint or any of that? How bad is it that I didn't make a backup, and is there anything that can be done now?
I just want to make sure I've got everything right before I go in tomorrow and sacrifice my new phone to the angry Sprint gods. Especially since eventually, when I go to sell it when I upgrade again, I'll probably want to flash it back to the H931 firmware with no problems from Sprint claiming lordship over it. I'm already astonished enough that I'm going to have to shell out $30 just to switch the device on my line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow you are asking a lot of questions, and that's a lot of typing to answer.
I'm not a big fan of Sprint. Most people try to get away from them, not run towards them. That's how Frankenstein method was perfected, everyone with "cheap" locked-down LS998 trying carrier unlock their phones. Or people with AT&T H931 who didn't have AT&T and wanted updates. Figured out how to flash them with carrier unlocked firmware like US998, AS998, H933 -- or even flash to Verizon VS996 (which is not carrier locked to Verizon). However, then with WTF bootloader unlock method, you needed fastboot flash commands -- and of ALL the North American variants, only US998 has that. But originally Frankenstein was basically just to carrier unlock AT&T H931 and Sprint US998 phones...
You may be a world of trouble with Sprint. Your saving grace may be you can activate on Essential, then swap the SIM card to your H931/US998/LS998 phone once you have bootloader unlocked, rooted and flashed the LS998 zip file to "convert" it to LS998.
There are others who do use US998 firmware, but have merely flashed the Sprint modems to get all the Sprint bands. And they populate the Sprint APN. There's a big Sprint thread that details all that. But ALL of them had to first activate their LS998 prior to doing anything with bootloader unlock, TWRP, etc. One guy managed to do it after the fact but it took three pages of help. These are people with original LS998. No one that I am aware of has done it with a model that was not originally LS998.
But I'll repeat -- Your saving grace may be you can activate on Essential, then swap the SIM card to your H931/US998/LS998 phone once you have bootloader unlocked, rooted and flashed the LS998 zip file to "convert" it to LS998. Those other people didn't have another phone to activate (if I understand Sprint thinking, which I may not).
1. How are the Sprint bands on the US998 firmware - aren't there some missing?
Yes, there are two bands missing. Depending on where you live that may not be important. But you can flash Sprint modem, while keeping US998 firmware. Or you can fully flash to LS998 zip file to convert to LS998 while keeping TWRP and root.
4. Especially since eventually, when I go to sell it when I upgrade again, I'll probably want to flash it back to the H931 firmware with no problems from Sprint claiming lordship over it.
AT&T, like Sprint, does not publicly release their KDZ firmware. While you can flash back to H931 stock "ROM" via TWRP, then you lose fastboot flash commands -- so you cannot lock back bootloader and how do you get rid of TWRP? When you even go to sell it, best to sell it as US998. You can relock bootloader and flash full stock KDZ. There's TONS of former LS998 V30+ being sold on eBay as US998. Already Frankensteined by the sellers, and they are carrier unlocked.
3. Also, I didn't back up my modemst1/modemst2 files before I flashed over from H931. Didn't think it mattered since I could just flash back to the H931 someday, but are those files unique to my particular device/IMEI?
Doesn't matter. You can always flash to US998 to get those US998 bands, you can flash back to H931 via TWRP with stock ROM if you want those bands back. Flashing to LS998 ZIP file will give you those bands. The one thing you probably can't do after you start is completely restore the H931 to full stock with bootloader locked back. But that's no big deal, for selling on eBay. Just sell as US998. It's more versatile anyway and has fastboot flash commands. I'm an AT&T customer for 7 years and I've NEVER owned an AT&T branded phone.
2. If you were to activate your V30 on Sprint, and then later on flashed a different firmware, would they see it as a different device altogether, and force you to pay the activation fee in order to get it back on again? Or is it just tied to the IMEI, no matter what firmware you're on (say you flashed a stock LS998 to the unlocked US998 using the Frankenstein method)
The only people I can answer for is Sprint customers who had original LS998, activated them -- converted to US998, unlocked bootloader, installed TWRP and rooted, and then still continued to use their devices on Sprint. To still use devices on Sprint, some used TWRP-flashable zip file to convert back to LS998 while still keeping TWRP and root. Others just kept US998 firmware but flashed Sprint modems. Others have flashed AOSP custom ROMs, but had to use Sprint APN and maybe Sprint modem.
I don't want to discourage you. You may be able to get away with this, but only because your ace is the Essential phone. Activate that first. Then, do all the stuff for the H931/US998/LS998 conversion (including bootloader unlock, root). Put the SIM card in, then see if it works. If it doesn't, then what people have found is TELEPHONE help is the best. If you go to a store, they will immediately see you do not have a Sprint LS998. Whereas over the telephone, you can tell them you have LS998, the firmware version, etc, and it's often off-shore service who may not care it's not really Sprint hardware, if the firmware matches....
Good luck!
ChazzMatt said:
I don't want to discourage you. You may be able to get away with this, but only because your ace is the Essential phone. Activate that first. Then, do all the stuff for the H931/US998/LS998 conversion (including bootloader unlock, root). Put the SIM card in, then see if it works. If it doesn't, then what people have found is TELEPHONE help is the best. If you go to a store, they will immediately see you do not have a Sprint LS998. Whereas over the telephone, you can tell them you have LS998, the firmware version, etc, and it's often off-shore service who may not care it's not really Sprint hardware, if the firmware matches....
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, amazing. Wish I could hit the thanks button 10 times.
So it looks like my best bet is to just flash the LS998 KDZ and then body slam my SIM into it (I’m already activated on the Essential and it does look like they take the same specific SIM model, hallelujah)
I knew I was making a deal with the devil from the start when I took Sprint. Just that I’m pretty low on money right now, and a year of unlimited data service for free was just too good to pass up. I’m planning on moving state before too long, so when I have more income I might just drop sprint like a hot potato long before they cut me off (which is January 2020)
jDally987 said:
Wow, amazing. Wish I could hit the thanks button 10 times.
So it looks like my best bet is to just flash the LS998 KDZ and then body slam my SIM into it (I’m already activated on the Essential and it does look like they take the same specific SIM model, hallelujah)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
And I have tons of other posts you can thank. You can find posts via my profile link. Regrettably, you're limited to 15 thanks per day...
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
Update for anyone interested; it did not work. I flashed the Sprint 21a update .zip in TWRP, stuck my pre-activated SIM in, and it failed to register on the network. Tried updating PRL/Profile and everything, nothing worked (I'm not too surprised). Just to make sure, I got on the chat with a Sprint rep and as soon as I gave them my IMEI, they said it couldn't be activated on Sprint for BYOD.
Funnily enough, after a while of the phone trying to get the SIM to connect, it suddenly locked it and told me to restart and basically good luck, chump. So when I stuck it back in my Essential, already defeated enough, it suddenly borked my phone number and I couldn't get service again till I reset the PRL/Profile on that, and turned the phone off for 2 minutes.
Yeah, sprint is a huge hassle. Good lord
jDally987 said:
nothing worked (I'm not too surprised). Just to make sure, I got on the chat with a Sprint rep and as soon as I gave them my IMEI, they said it couldn't be activated on Sprint for BYOD.
Yeah, sprint is a huge hassle. Good lord
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry it didn't work. Gave you all the ideas I could, but just blame Sprint.
jDally987 said:
Just to make sure, I got on the chat with a Sprint rep and as soon as I gave them my IMEI, they said it couldn't be activated on Sprint for BYOD.
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Click to collapse
Just curious, did the rep deny activation because it's not an original LS998 or is it possible that the IMEI has been blacklisted?
grob971 said:
Just curious, did the rep deny activation because it's not an original LS998 or is it possible that the IMEI has been blacklisted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if you mean blacklisted by Sprint only, or in general for all carriers (like you'd see on the Swappa ESN check or something). If the latter, then no, I checked it on multiple sites and they all said clear for activation. The AT&T model is GSM unlocked by default, so that makes sense.
All the guy said at Sprint was that my phone wasn't BYOD-compatible. I'm pretty sure they have a whitelist instead, and only put phones that are sprint-branded on it. Then if you call them up they'll activate unlocked devices for you, but my particular H931 probably shows up as GSM-unlocked (originally from AT&T) and thus not compatible. (even though technically, software-wise, it would be since I flashed the right bands on it)
jDally987 said:
Not sure if you mean blacklisted by Sprint only, or in general for all carriers (like you'd see on the Swappa ESN check or something). If the latter, then no, I checked it on multiple sites and they all said clear for activation. The AT&T model is GSM unlocked by default, so that makes sense.
All the guy said at Sprint was that my phone wasn't BYOD-compatible. I'm pretty sure they have a whitelist instead, and only put phones that are sprint-branded on it. Then if you call them up they'll activate unlocked devices for you, but my particular H931 probably shows up as GSM-unlocked (originally from AT&T) and thus not compatible. (even though technically, software-wise, it would be since I flashed the right bands on it)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thing is, Sprint won't even take "original" (no Frankenstein) open market (B&H Photo) US998, even though it's the official carrier unlocked LG V30.
I recently bought a US998 off eBay only to learn that it was a Frankenstein'd LS998; this wouldn't have bothered me except it can no longer receive updates from LG. That coupled with the fact that voLTE probably won't be coming to custom ROMs (I'm using Verizon so I cannot avoid that), I'd much rather have a vanilla OEM phone that gets OTA updates rather than hack my way into an already stock ROM. I figure if I get a VS996 with the Verizon logo on the back everything should go smoothly? If anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it, the specs on this phone are perfect for the price.
Also I should ask, does anyone know how much longer security updates will be pushed to the v30? If the phones gonna become insecure soon anyway, and custom ROMs are a no-go with Verizon, might just have to look at other phones. Thanks for reading.
Nooljaw said:
I recently bought a US998 off eBay only to learn that it was a Frankenstein'd LS998; this wouldn't have bothered me except it can no longer receive updates from LG. That coupled with the fact that voLTE probably won't be coming to custom ROMs (I'm using Verizon so I cannot avoid that), I'd much rather have a vanilla OEM phone that gets OTA updates rather than hack my way into an already stock ROM. I figure if I get a VS996 with the Verizon logo on the back everything should go smoothly? If anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it, the specs on this phone are perfect for the price.
Also I should ask, does anyone know how much longer security updates will be pushed to the v30? If the phones gonna become insecure soon anyway, and custom ROMs are a no-go with Verizon, might just have to look at other phones. Thanks for reading.
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Frankenstein to VS996 KDZ. Manually install updates from KDZ. Gives you total control.
I hate OTA updates. I always update from KDZ.
Even many stock LG phones still have to manually update, like my wife's native B&H Photo US998.
LG promised at least 2 years of updates once on Oreo. So about another year. Nothing prevents them from going longer, the two years was part of Google Enterprise Endorsed agreement.
I understand flashing the kdz myself is more expedient, but if the end result is stock anyway I'd rather get it pushed directly from LG/Verizon, rather than download the firmware from a third party. I don't always have access to a laptop and rely on my phone too much to want to hack it.. usually only bother with custom ROMs when manufacturer support dies out.
Also, if support for volte goes with LG, and there's only a year left, then I'll probably just stick with the Moto g6 I'm using now. Was gonna give it to my mom when her non-volte device stops working but given how convoluted LG wants to make volte support I'd rather stick to something that has more assured longevity.
For now I'm probably gonna return this phone and wait and see where things go.. can always upgrade later.
Nooljaw said:
Also, if support for volte goes with LG, and there's only a year left, then I'll probably just stick with the Moto g6 I'm using now. Was gonna give it to my mom when her non-volte device stops working but given how convoluted LG wants to make volte support I'd rather stick to something that has more assured longevity.
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Verizon VoLTE has nothing to do with LG security updates. People have Verizon VoLTE since launch in 2017.
But you can always buy native VS996 if you wish.
Nooljaw said:
I don't always have access to a laptop and rely on my phone too much to want to hack it.
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There's nothing unstable about unlocking the BL, installing TWRP, and then being ready for updates that way. With that setup, you can download the TWRP version of the ROM and install that, all without a computer.
As long as the ROM is stock, it won't matter one bit if you have an unlocked BL and TWRP installed. That's how my phone is, as well as my wifes... no issues whatsoever (both VS996 on TotalWireless).
You can do as you wish, of course, but what you're implying (that BL unlock and TWRP somehow make the phone less reliable) is not true.
Bump!!
I originally bought a VS996 for use on Total Wireless. and wanted to run it stock but the stock ROM would not allow Wireless Tethering which I wanted for my car. So I converted it to US998 rooted it and all is fine.
Can't wait for a Flashable version of PIE. One that works of course.
Nooljaw said:
I understand flashing the kdz myself is more expedient, but if the end result is stock anyway I'd rather get it pushed directly from LG/Verizon, rather than download the firmware from a third party.
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KDZ updates come from LG/Verizon. Where do you think they come from?
I often provide links straight to LG Bridge servers -- but they are slow... So I also use mirrors, but you can check the md5 signature, if in doubt.
However, for my rooted phone I use the TWRP-flashable zips devs create from the official KDZ.
Lenster45 said:
I originally bought a VS996 for use on Total Wireless. and wanted to run it stock but the stock ROM would not allow Wireless Tethering which I wanted for my car. So I converted it to US998 rooted it and all is fine.
Can't wait for a Flashable version of PIE. One that works of course.
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I'm on Verizon, have a LS998 Frankenstein and WTF to VS996 stock firmware. Everything works like it was a OEM Verizon VS996 V30. All the tethering is working and functional on my device. I wonder why you had problems?
ChazzMatt said:
Verizon VoLTE has nothing to do with LG security updates. People have Verizon VoLTE since launch in 2017.
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Right, what I meant was that since stock is the only volte compatible ROM for this device, once they stop providing them there'd be no more security updates as well. Unless someone's able to patch the stock ROM with new updates from Google? I'm not a developer so I dunno how much work that is, or if it's even possible in this case.
@Lenster45 were you getting OTA updates with the original Verizon branded v30?
4stringenator said:
I'm on Verizon, have a LS998 Frankenstein and WTF to VS996 stock firmware. Everything works like it was a OEM Verizon VS996 V30. All the tethering is working and functional on my device. I wonder why you had problems?
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Exactly. All he needs to do is Frankenstein to VS996 firmware. Doesn't even need bootloader unlock or root, if he doesn't want to mess with that for his mom.
Lots of Verizon users on this forum have bought LS998 V30+ or former LS998 V30+ already converted, and used them on Verizon. It's BETTER because Verizon never sold the V30+ (128GB) only the V30. By converting to VS996, you are making your own VS996 V30+.
If you do that, you do NEED an already-activated Verizon SIM card -- which you can use from whatever phone you are using right now on Verizon. Some people have even bought broken glass display Verizon phone cheap on eBay, just to activate a new Verizon SIM card -- then put that into V30, if they don't already have activated SIM card.
Nooljaw said:
Right, what I meant was that since stock is the only volte compatible ROM for this device, once they stop providing them there'd be no more security updates as well.
@Lenster45 were you getting OTA updates with the original Verizon branded v30?
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If you absolutely need OTA updates, then yeah buy native VS996. If you use converted LS998 you will have to manually install updates -- which I prefer, so I have total control. Even on my wife's phone which is native US998, and was never bootloader unlocked.
But for some reason, you don't want to do that and want OTA, then native Verizon VS996.
LG should provide updates for all V30 for about another year, for their 2-years once on Oreo guaranteed updates. Phone launched on Nougat, but got on the Google's Enterprise Endorsed list contingent on "imminent" Oreo upgrade, which wasn't so imminent. But the security updates clock started on Oreo.
We got Oreo in Q2 2018. That doesn't mean LG has to stop updates after that, but that was the time period they had to guarantee to Google once Oreo rolled out. They also had to agree to another letter OS upgrade, which will be Pie.
My mother has my old US998 V30. She's on pure stock firmware. But I have no concerns whatsoever about security updates running out in another year.
I picked up a V30S and now I have rooted it successfully. However, during the conversion from US998h to VS996k in TWRP, I lost the "S" part in the boot, and now it just says "LG V30 thinq" whereas it used to say "LG V30 thinq", like the attached picture.
I would like to get that back. I liked seeing the "S" part when it boots up, it feels more premium.
The same thing happened with my V30+, it lost the "+" once changing to VS996.
How can I get this original factory boot screen back?
zxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzx said:
I picked up a V30S and now I have rooted it successfully. However, during the conversion from US998h to VS996k in TWRP, I lost the "S" part in the boot, and now it just says "LG V30 thinq" whereas it used to say "LG V30 thinq", like the attached picture.
I would like to get that back. I liked seeing the "S" part when it boots up, it feels more premium.
The same thing happened with my V30+, it lost the "+" once changing to VS996.
How can I get this original factory boot screen back?
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You can't get that back on Verizon firmware. Verizon didn't sell the V30+ nor V30S, only the V30.
You can get original factory boot screen back by flashing back to US998 firmware.
Which is what you'll do when you sell it eventually, but until then it doesn't really matter.
ChazzMatt said:
You can't get that back on Verizon firmware. Verizon didn't sell the V30+ nor V30S, only the V30.
You can get original factory boot screen back by flashing back to US998 firmware.
Which is what you'll do when you sell it eventually, but until then it doesn't really matter.
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I'm looking for a way to hack it into the boot. Like replace the image of v30 with the V30S image at boot
zxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzx said:
I'm looking for a way to hack it into the boot. Like replace the image of v30 with the V30S image at boot
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If you could do that, people could claim to have V30+ who don't...
Good luck with that. Don't brick your phone.
I already know you can edit the other boot, so by the way I already know it is possible to put a boot screen of anything, after the initial boot screen, so your argument is pointless.
As far as tricking someone, anyone can look up the IMEI to find the true model of the phone. Also, you can look at the storage. If you put a "plus" on a 64gb non-plus that would be STUPID since both phones cost nearly the same.
Looking for someone to actually help. I do have the actual phone and I could show my IMEI to prove it. I bought this second phone for the 6GB of ram (I now have a V30 Plus AND a V30S). I looked for months to find one. Part of why I'd like to see the S in the boot screen since I put a lot of effort into finding this phone. I have no intentions of ever selling it. It's the perfect phone for me and I could see keeping it for many years.
zxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzx said:
I don't care about naysayers. I already know you can edit the other boot, so by the way I already know it is possible to put a boot screen of anything, after the initial boot screen, so your argument is pointless.
Looking for someone to actually help. I since I put a lot of effort into finding this phone. I have no intentions of ever selling it. It's the perfect phone for me.
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Yes, the V30/30+/v30S are fantastic phones. Congratulations on finding a V30S. A year ago when I was looking they were still too expensive and already have several V30/V30+.
I wasn't talking about YOU tricking someone, I was just talking about in general. Someone recently posted they want to do that, so people would think they v30+ when they only had V30. Don't know why, they weren't talking about cheating someone, they were talking about just bragging about it.
Lots of people have asked what you have, nobody's been able to do it.
Same thing with getting rid of the bootloader unlocked warning. The only way you can that is to do is what you did -- flash Verizon firmware. OR flash partial Verizon firmware -- which is dangerous for other variants because every time you update your firmware, if you don't match compatible firmware you brick your phone.
Good luck in your quest.
ChazzMatt said:
Yes, the V30/30+/v30S are fantastic phones. Congratulations on finding a V30S. A year ago when I was looking they were still too expensive and already have several V30/V30+.
I wasn't talking about YOU tricking someone, I was just talking about in general. Someone recently posted they want to do that, so people would think they v30+ when they only had V30. Don't know why, they weren't talking about cheating someone, they were talking about just bragging about it.
Lots of people have asked what you have, nobody's been able to do it.
Same thing with getting rid of the bootloader unlocked warning. The only way you can that is to do is what you did -- flash Verizon firmware. OR flash partial Verizon firmware -- which is dangerous for other variants because every time you update your firmware, if you don't match compatible firmware you brick your phone.
Good luck in your quest.
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Yes, it (V30S) was hard to find. You can buy it from the LG website for a remarkable $900 (!!!) but of course that's not the real price. Heck they are selling a new V30 (regular! 64gb) on the LG website for over $900! LOL! I love my V30S, but it is not a significant improvement. It's nice to have a little more RAM but it's not any different at all besides that. Speed is pretty much the same. Only difference is marginally better multitasking. Worth it for me, but I wish I had 24GB of RAM lol. Heck I want 1 million gb of ram with a trillion petabytes of storage and a 99999 core neural network quantum cpu but hey that's a nice dream.
Actually, I already removed the bootloader unlocked warning. It disappears when you flash the Verizon variant, not sure if that's what you meant, but I have no warning anymore. Also, I had already removed the verizon boot as well, this is easy with ROM Toolbox Lite (choose "hide" not remove).
To clarify for readers, flashing to VS996 (verizon) from an LS998 or a US998 or even US998R (V30S, my current phone), is 100% safe. I've now done it on 3 phones. 2 of them former LS998 converted to US998 through the WTF method and then VS996. And 1 of them my US998R.
(p.s. you may get easily fixable bootloop if converting LS998 on PIE (Android 9) downgrading to US998 Oreo to prepare for bootloader unlock. You can easily get out of bootloop by holding voldown + power for 7 seconds until reboots, then at reboot logo keep holding voldown and then release power for a half a second and hold power again, then do the factory reset and it will get out of bootloop).
zxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzx said:
Actually, I already removed the bootloader unlocked warning. It disappears when you flash the Verizon variant, not sure if that's what you meant, but I have no warning anymore.
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Yes, that was what I meant. Verizon firmware doesn't have bootloader unlock warning because Verizon never imagined their phones could be bootloader unlocked. . Of all the 20 variants, only stock VS996 doesn't have bootloader unlock warning (that I know of).
So some people who don't want Verizon firmware but wanted to get rid of bootloader unlock warning started flashing just that specific VS9996partition governing that in Dev Patched LGUP -- and someone bricked their phone.
Because they kept using the same Verizon firmware but didn't realize as their variant is updated they had to also use updated VS996 firmware to replace that partition. (Sort of the same reason you can't be on early Oreo to flash current LOS-16 ROMs.)
Anyway, Devs said to stop doing that, it's not worth the risk.
ChazzMatt said:
Yes, that was what I meant. Verizon firmware doesn't have bootloader unlock warning because Verizon never imagined their phones could be bootloader unlocked. . Of all the 20 variants, only stock VS996 doesn't have bootloader unlock warning (that I know of).
So some people who don't want Verizon firmware but wanted to get rid of bootloader unlock warning started flashing just that specific VS9996partition governing that in Dev Patched LGUP -- and someone bricked their phone.
Because they kept using the same Verizon firmware but didn't realize as their variant is updated they had to also use updated VS996 firmware to replace that partition. (Sort of the same reason you can't be on early Oreo to flash current LOS-16 ROMs.)
Anyway, Devs said to stop doing that, it's not worth the risk.
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I agree it's not wise to flash only part of a firmware. Better to flash the whole thing. You can get Verizon firmware to work on most other providers anyway as a bring your own device.
Just keep in mind Straight Talk does not like Sprint phones (you can find out your original model number using LG Mobile Support Tool, which, when plugged in, will tell you your ORIGINAL hardware model number, not your software model.) My friend has a V30 and Straight Talk was a disaster. I would say don't bother with straight talk.
Just use prepaid Verizon instead if you're trying to save money. Activate a legit Verizon phone first and then transfer the sim card into your phone. I was able to get both a V30+ and V30S to easily and seamlessly work on Verizon on VS996 firmware on BOTH prepaid and postpaid plans.
But as for flashing the full VS996 firmware, it will be perfectly fine on compatible models (e.g. LS998, US998, US998R, possibly others but I have not tested).
zxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzx said:
But as for flashing the full VS996 firmware, it will be perfectly fine on compatible models (e.g. LS998, US998, US998R, possibly others but I have not tested).
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Sure. I'm the one who wrote the Frankenstein instructions which came BEFORE WTF bootloader unlock exploit.
All the North American variants (EXCEPT for T-Mobile H932) can be completely cross flashed and converted to another: US998, AS998, LS998, VS996, H931, H933, and H932PR (Puerto Rico).
However, of all those, only US998 has fastboot flash commands.
ChazzMatt said:
Sure. I'm the one who wrote the Frankenstein instructions which came BEFORE WTF bootloader unlock exploit.
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Thank you very much for your contributions! You are making the world a better place.
By the way I'll probably keep this phone until a fully rootable phone on verizon 160g or less weight with a better resolution screen 6.4" or bigger yet not any taller, with better cpu more ram and oled with microsd card slot and a few other specs comes out, and WITHOUT a notch or cutout.
So, I expect it will be years before such a phone comes out. Until then, this phone is the perfect phone for me.
zxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzx said:
more ram .
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This is not a computer. That extra RAM you want, and what OEM's like 1+ are doing, doesn't really do anything for the device other than make it more expensive.
OEM's are only doing it to please the masses.
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs