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Hi guys, I am looking for a concrete way to tell. I called us cellular they said "I am %110 sure it is not a us cellular phone" and the current patch on the phone is us99820a.
Is there a guaranteed way? Something I can see and then be guaranteed it's the unlocked version?
And no it does not have the B&H logo.
pirate1122 said:
Hi guys, I am looking for a concrete way to tell. I called us cellular they said "I am %110 sure it is not a us cellular phone" and the current patch on the phone is us99820a.
Is there a guaranteed way? Something I can see and then be guaranteed it's the unlocked version?
And no it does not have the B&H logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why you are asking. All US998 are SIM card unlocked/carrier unlocked. Even those Frankenstein converted from Sprint LS998 and being sold on eBay as "US998". As well as those US998 sold by U.S. Cellular. All US998/US998U are carrier unlocked (from release date in 2017) and can be bootloader unlocked and rooted (since May 2018).
The only difference is the official "open market" US998 V30 (64GB) phones (like those sold by B&H Photo) have their IMEI numbers and DEVICE-ID registered on the LG bootloader unlock website, which make them eligible for now irrelevant LG official bootloader unlock code.
HOWEVER, even "open market " 128GB US998U V30+ are NOT eligible for official bootloader unlock -- only the 64GB V30 US998 -- and LG won't explain why. So, there's NO difference in any of the 128GB US998U V30+ for U.S. Cellular, B&H Photo or some other North American variant "Frankenstein" converted to "US998" V30+.
GUESS WHAT? NONE of that matters anymore. We have bootloader unlock and root for ALL V30/V30+/V30S thanks to XDA, and don't need LG's permission.
pirate1122 said:
And no it does not have the B&H logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No phones sold by B&H Photo in New York have a "B&H" logo on the phone. Why would they? I bought three US998/US998U from B&H Photo. B&H Photo is a company in New York city that sells electronics. They are one of the "open market" LG authorized 3rd party retailers, along with Best Buy and Amazon.
You are obviously confusing B&H Photo with B&O? B&O is a global sound design/manufacturing company that has partnered with LG on several occasions. But no North America LG phones will have B&O logos because OTHER companies have rights to that logo in U.S. and Canada.
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ChazzMatt said:
Not sure why you are asking. All US998 are carrier unlocked. Even those Frankenstein converted from LS998 and being sold on eBay as US998. As well as those sold by U.S. Cellular. All US998/US998U are carrier unlocked and can be bootloader unlocked and rooted.
The only difference is the B&H Photo US998 V30 (64GB) phones IMEI numbers and DEVICE_ID are registered on the LG bootloader unlock website, which make them eligible for LG official bootloader unlock code.
HOWEVER, the B&H US998U V30+ are NOT eligible for official bootloader unlock (and LG won't explain why). So, there's NO difference in any of the US998U V30+ for U.S. Cellular, B&H Photo or some other North American variant "Frankenstein" converted to "US998" V30+.
GUESS WHAT? NONE of that matters anymore. We have bootloader unlock and root for ALL V30/V30+/V30S thanks to XDA, and don't need LG's permission.
I don't even know what that means. No B&H Photo phones have a B&H logo. I bought three.
You are confusing B&H Photo with B&O.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I wasn't aware there was a method now to unlock the us cellular version.
But I am selling it and several buyers have asked, so that is why I'd like to know for a fact.
pirate1122 said:
Thank you. I wasn't aware there was a method now to unlock the us cellular version.
But I am selling it and several buyers have asked, so that is why I'd like to know for a fact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they are asking, they are asking out of ignorance and you need to educate them. It doesn't matter what kind of US998 it is, it can be bootloader unlocked and rooted and it's already carrier unlocked.
All US998 are SIM card unlocked/carrier unlocked. You will see some eBay sellers saying U.S. Cellular US998 are locked to U.S. Cellular but that is not correct. That is generic language that may apply to OTHER U.S. Cellular phones, not the V30/V30+.
If have a US998 V30+ you bought off eBay from a dealer like yywireless, it probably previously was a Sprint LS998 V30+ and was Frankenstein converted to US998 V30+. Doesn't matter. Tell them it's a SIM card unlocked US998 that can be easily bootloader unlocked and rooted. Point them to this thread below:
(WTF...!) LG V30/V30+/V30S Bootloader Unlock & Root Method (With Clear Instructions)https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76584629&postcount=193https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76584629&postcount=193https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76584629&postcount=193
ChazzMatt said:
Not sure why you are asking. All US998 are carrier unlocked. Even those Frankenstein converted from LS998 and being sold on eBay as US998. As well as those sold by U.S. Cellular. All US998/US998U are carrier unlocked and can be bootloader unlocked and rooted.
The only difference is the B&H Photo US998 V30 (64GB) phones IMEI numbers and DEVICE_ID are registered on the LG bootloader unlock website, which make them eligible for LG official bootloader unlock code.
HOWEVER, the B&H US998U V30+ are NOT eligible for official bootloader unlock (and LG won't explain why). So, there's NO difference in any of the US998U V30+ for U.S. Cellular, B&H Photo or some other North American variant "Frankenstein" converted to "US998" V30+.
GUESS WHAT? NONE of that matters anymore. We have bootloader unlock and root for ALL V30/V30+/V30S thanks to XDA, and don't need LG's permission.
You are very confused. No phones sold by B&H Photo have a "B&H" logo on the phone. Why would they? I bought three. B&H Photo is a company in New York city that sells electronics. They are one of the "open market" LG authorized 3rd party retailers, along with Best Buy and Amazon.
You are obviously confusing B&H Photo with B&O. B&O is a global sound design/manufacturing company that has partnered with LG on several occasions. But no North America LG phones will have B&O logos because OTHER companies have rights to that logo in U.S. and Canada.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ChazzMatt said:
If they are asking, they are asking out of ignorance and you need to educate them. It doesn't matter what kind of US998 it is, it can be bootloader unlocked and rooted and it's already carrier unlocked.
All US998 are SIM card unlocked/carrier unlocked. You will see some eBay sellers saying U.S. Cellular US998 are locked to U.S. Cellular but that is not correct. That is generic language that may apply to OTHER U.S. Cellular phones, not the V30/V30+.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I messaged all of them with this new info, one responded and mentioned the us cellular version gets security updates sooner. Do you know if that's true?
pirate1122 said:
I messaged all of them with this new info, one responded and mentioned the us cellular version gets security updates sooner. Do you know if that's true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pirate1122 said:
the current patch on the phone is us99820a.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All security updates are posted here in XDA as soon as they are released. He can easily manually install them when he wishes instead of the partial image OTA being forced on him.
20E is the latest update for US998, released in September. You can update to that very easily if you wish. Just use "upgrade" in LGUP app. All data is saved, all apps saved. Takes 5 minutes.
The only thing is you NEED Oreo 20A or 20B to bootloader unlock, THEN you can update to the newest. Unless you or the buyer doesn't wish to unlock bootloader and root.
When you are selling the phone, STRESS THAT IT'S ON Oreo FIRMWARE THAT CAN BE EASILY ROOTED. 20A is a SELLING advantage! If you update to newest firmware, they will have to downgrade anyway (temporarily) to unlock bootloader.
[US998][STOCK][OREO]LG V30 US998 US99820e_02_0910.kdz
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/development/us998-lg-v30-us998-us99820a040330-kdz-t3786337
ChazzMatt said:
All security updates are posted here in XDA as soon as they are released. He can easily manually install them when he wishes instead of the partial image OTA being forced on him.
20E is the latest update for US998, released in September. You can update to that very easily if you wish. The only thing is you NEED Oreo 20A or 20B to bootloader unlock, THEN you can update to the newest. Unless you or the buyer doesn't wish to unlock bootloader and root.
When you are selling the phone, ADD THAT IT'S ON Oreo FIRMWARE THAT CAN BE EASILY ROOTED. If you update to newest firmware, they will have to downgrade anyway (temporarily) to unlock bootloader.
[US998][STOCK][OREO]LG V30 US998 US99820e_02_0910.kdz
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/development/us998-lg-v30-us998-us99820a040330-kdz-t3786337
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much. If I can bother you one more time, Is there a way to tell if Frankenstein has been used and how to tell the bootloader is unlocked. I asked before I bought the phone and the seller said no to both. (I bought it two months ago).
pirate1122 said:
Thank you so much. If I can bother you one more time, Is there a way to tell if Frankenstein has been used and how to tell the bootloader is unlocked. I asked before I bought the phone and the seller said no to both. (I bought it two months ago).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the bootloader is unlocked 99% of the time, when turning on/rebooting the phone you will see a VERY annoying -- even scary -- bootloader unlock warning. It's just a "picture" LG throws in your face.
For the US998, there is an obscure way to hide that, but most people don't bother or don't know how. I don't bother. If you do not see this message, your bootloader is probably not unlocked.
Yes, there's an ADB/fastboot command you can run that will also tell you for sure: fastboot getvar all
This is how @TxanMoe PROVED his WTF bootloader unlock method worked for LG V30 Oreo.
But if the seller says it wasn't unlocked, then it's probably not unlocked especially if you don't see that warning message when you turn on the phone...
How to tell if it's been Frankensteined to US998? The IMEI will correlate to another North American variant's (LS998/VS996/AS998/H931/H933) database of numbers -- but that's beyond my knowledge as to what those numbers would be.
There are IMEI online database search engines that claim to tell you that:
https://imei24.com/imei_check/LG/
Like that one above and there are others.
When me and my friends/relatives stick in our AT&T SIM cards, the phones work with fast LTE so I don't care. My wife is currently using an LS998 V30+ I converted to US998 V30+, on AT&T. Her bootloader is unlocked but she's not rooted. I may do that at some point in the future when I have more time.
ChazzMatt said:
If the bootloader is unlocked 99% of the time, when turning on/rebooting the phone you will see a VERY annoying -- even scary -- bootloader unlock warning. It's just a "picture" LG throws in your face.
For the US998, there is an obscure way to hide that, but most people don't bother or don't know how. I don't bother. If you do not see this message, your bootloader is probably not unlocked.
Yes, there's an ADB/fastboot command you can run that will also tell you for sure: fastboot getvar all
This is how @TxanMoe PROVED his WTF bootloader unlock method worked for LG V30 Oreo.
But if the seller says it wasn't unlocked, then it's probably not unlocked especially if you don't see that warning message when you turn on the phone...
How to tell if it's been Frankensteined to US998? The IMEI will correlate to another North American variant's (LS998/VS996/AS998/H931/H933) database of numbers -- but that's beyond my knowledge as to what those numbers would be.
There are IMEI online database search engines that claim to tell you that:
https://imei24.com/imei_check/LG/
Like that one above and there are others.
When me and my friends/relatives stick in our AT&T SIM cards, the phones work with fast LTE so I don't care. My wife is currently using an LS998 V30+ I converted to US998 V30+, on AT&T. Her bootloader is unlocked but she's not rooted. I may do that at some point in the future when I have more time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for all the info. The only reason I thought the bootloader might be unlocked is when I start the phone into fastboot mode, it says:
Check if bootloader is unlocked
Fastboot getvar unlocked
pirate1122 said:
Thank you for all the info. The only reason I thought the bootloader might be unlocked is when I start the phone into fastboot mode, it says:
Check if bootloader is unlocked
Fastboot getvar unlocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmmm... So, what does it say when you run fastboot getvar all?
ChazzMatt said:
Hmmmm... So, what does it say when you run fastboot getvar all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do I plug in my phone, open cmd, and just type fastboot getvar all?
Or do I need to plug it in, shift+right click adb folder, start adb, and then do it?
pirate1122 said:
Thank you for all the info. The only reason I thought the bootloader might be unlocked is when I start the phone into fastboot mode, it says:
Check if bootloader is unlocked
Fastboot getvar unlocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pirate1122 said:
Do I plug in my phone, open cmd, and just type fastboot getvar all?
Or do I need to plug it in, shift+right click adb folder, start adb, and then do it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do it the same you you have done previously to start the phone in fastboot mode.
I assume you must have turned on Developer Options in the past, turned on USB debugging, allowed authorization for your PC. You said you were in fastboot mode before... You're now just typing a command that will give you information about the phone.
See screenshot on previous page for @TxanMoe.
If you want to make sure that your phone is connected:
adb devices
Which will simply list android device connected to computer (devices with usb debugging turned ON). This isn’t really necessary as it’s a part of the commands used later on, but sometimes it’s a useful way to make sure all things are GO.
First we need to reboot phone into bootloader mode
This you can either do manually, or with ADB and Fastboot installed on computer. You have a simple way HERE how, or use the more complex android sdk way. Simply use a ADB command for it.
adb reboot bootloader
This will force the phone to reboot into bootloader, if everything works like it’s supposed to, you will see windows load the fastboot driver.
Now you enter the fastboot main command with the command getvar (get variable) and “all” as parament for that
fastboot getvar all
Which will get you a list of various variables on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ChazzMatt said:
Do it the same you you have done previously to start the phone in fastboot mode.
I assume you must have turned on Developer Options in the past, turned on USB debugging, allowed authorization for your PC. You said you were in fastboot mode before... You're now just typing a command that will give you information about the phone.
See screenshot on previous page for @TxanMoe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you a million times over. I have confirmed it is indeed locked "(bootloader) unlocked:no". I appreciate all your help and patience with me today
ChazzMatt said:
How to tell if it's been Frankensteined to US998? The IMEI will correlate to another North American variant's (LS998/VS996/AS998/H931/H933) database of numbers -- but that's beyond my knowledge as to what those numbers would be.
There are IMEI online database search engines that claim to tell you that:
https://imei24.com/imei_check/LG/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to that page I confirmed a slight suspicion I had about the phone I bought as a US998U - it was originally an LS998U. The reason I was suspicious is Verizon's website won't accept the IMEI to do an official swap from my Droid Turbo - I just put the SIM from the Turbo into the V30 and it's mostly working. The other time I had that problem I was doing an IMEI swap to move a Nexus 6 from Sprint to Verizon.
I say my V30 is mostly working because I've been having signal issues with it recently - I didn't seem to have as much trouble when I first got it. I'm looking at nuking it and reinstalling US998 firmware from scratch to eliminate that a possible cause.
EDIT - when there was the Magisk bootloop problem, I did some things to fix it before I knew it was the source of the trouble. I was doing some other firmware experiments that I thought caused it, and may have made things flaky.
hitokage004 said:
Thanks to that page I confirmed a slight suspicion I had about the phone I bought as a US998U - it was originally an LS998U. The reason I was suspicious is Verizon's website won't accept the IMEI to do an official swap from my Droid Turbo - I just put the SIM from the Turbo into the V30 and it's mostly working. The other time I had that problem I was doing an IMEI swap to move a Nexus 6 from Sprint to Verizon.
I say my V30 is mostly working because I've been having signal issues with it recently - I didn't seem to have as much trouble when I first got it. I'm looking at nuking it and reinstalling US998 firmware from scratch to eliminate that a possible cause.
EDIT - when there was the Magisk bootloop problem, I did some things to fix it before I knew it was the source of the trouble. I was doing some other firmware experiments that I thought caused it, and may have made things flaky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, reinstall US998 firmware but also be sure to flash Verizon modems if you want to test signal differences. Some people like the US998 modem on Verizon, while others like the Verizon modem on Verizon.
For Verizon, for most/all of these Frankensteined phones, you will need an already-activated Verizon SIM card. They don't understand that the IMEI does NOT equal the current version of phone. It's no longer a Sprint phone (or whatever), it's now a carrier unlocked US998 -- no matter what the IMEI says.
Someone else had some similar problem with AT&T, trying to bring over a Frankensteined phone to officially "register" it. No, just stick in an already activated AT&T SIM card! Maybe they didn't have one. AT&T accepted my true US998U V30+ to register it, but for my wife (she's used both true US998 and Frankenstein LS998 V30+ converted to US998U), I didn't even bother going to AT&T store. I just stuck in her Moto Quark SIM card card.
When I moved my mother over from Tracfone LG "feature phone" to my AT&T account this last summer, luckily I had a spare "true" US998 V30 to register her. I didn't have an already-activated AT&T SIM card for her phone. They just scanned the bar code on the box and it was good to go.
The Verizon modems were what I was fooling with the same day Magisk 17.0 was released - this is why I didn't realize that was the actual cause. I don't know if I corrupted something or not trying to fix the bootloop before knowing the cause was updating Magisk without uninstalling, so I'm going to start clean with full wipe and fresh flash of US998 20e firmware and Verizon modem.
As I said the SIM I'm using is was already in use with Verizon from my Turbo and the phone works - I've been using it for about six weeks. The IMEI swap on Verizon's side is because of insurance coverage - since I have to deal with a rep (since the website won't accept it) it has very low priority.
ChazzMatt said:
Sure, reinstall US998 firmware but also be sure to flash Verizon modems if you want to test signal differences. Some people like the US998 modem on Verizon, while others like the Verizon modem on Verizon.
For Verizon, for most/all of these Frankensteined phones, you will need an already-activated Verizon SIM card. They don't understand that the IMEI does NOT equal the current version of phone. It's no longer a Sprint phone (or whatever), it's now a carrier unlocked US998 -- no matter what the IMEI says.
Someone else had some similar problem with AT&T, trying to bring over a Frankensteined phone to officially "register" it. No, just stick in an already activated AT&T SIM card! Maybe they didn't have one. AT&T accepted my true US998U V30+ to register it, but for my wife (she's used both true US998 and Frankenstein LS998 V30+ converted to US998U), I didn't even bother going to AT&T store. I just stuck in her Moto Quark SIM card card.
When I moved my mother over from Tracfone LG "feature phone" to my AT&T account this last summer, luckily I had a spare "true" US998 V30 to register her. I didn't have an already-activated AT&T SIM card for her phone. They just scanned the bar code on the box and it was good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi bro, thanks for your usefull info.
But to make it more clear to myself, so US998 V30+ is basically already unlocked right?
No need any Factory Unlock like t-mobile version to use other carrier, even I'm doing flash/update or even softbrick bootlop which ended to flash stock rom and it will not locked.
Mean is I can use it to my country (Indonesia) which have band support LTE 900(8) this band doesnt exist in US988, but the other one 3(1800) can be used on Telkomsel carrier.
Why I'm buying this over H930DS officially distributed in Indonesia?
Because US998 can be unlocked and use any custom rom here, which is really important things for me to have rooted and banking apps run well (magisk)..
Defforest said:
Hi bro, thanks for your usefull info.
But to make it more clear to myself, so US998 V30+ is basically already unlocked right?
No need any Factory Unlock like t-mobile version to use other carrier, even I'm doing flash/update or even softbrick bootlop which ended to flash stock rom and it will not locked.
Mean is I can use it to my country (Indonesia) which have band support LTE 900(8) this band doesnt exist in US988, but the other one 3(1800) can be used on Telkomsel carrier.
Why I'm buying this over H930DS officially distributed in Indonesia?
Because US998 can be unlocked and use any custom rom here, which is really important things for me to have rooted and banking apps run well (magisk)..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, all US998 are carrier unlocked.
But anny H930DS in the world any be bootloader unlocked and rooted and use custom ROM. Because any V30/V30+/V30S in the world can be bootloader unlocked and rooted.
Lots from India, Pakistan, Indonesia (which are all same EAS region) have done so. All the H930DS have fastboot flash commands. You just need to temporarily downgrade to pre-July 2018 Oreo firmware if you have newer than that. Unlock bootloader with WTF bootloader unlock exploit, install TWRP and root.
(WTF...!) LG V30/V30+/V30S Bootloader Unlock & Root Method (With Clear Instructions)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76584629&postcount=193
I'm not telling you not to buy US998, but as you pointed out it does not have LTE band 8.
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998
CDMA: 800 MHz CDMA
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS (HSPA):850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/13/20/25/66
ChazzMatt said:
Yes, all US998 are carrier unlocked.
But anny H930DS in the world any be bootloader unlocked and rooted and use custom ROM. Because any V30/V30+/V30S in the world can be bootloader unlocked and rooted.
Lots from India, Pakistan, Indonesia (which are all same EAS region) have done so. All the H930DS have fastboot flash commands. You just need to temporarily downgrade to pre-July 2018 Oreo firmware if you have newer than that. Unlock bootloader with WTF bootloader unlock exploit, install TWRP and root.
(WTF...!) LG V30/V30+/V30S Bootloader Unlock & Root Method (With Clear Instructions)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76584629&postcount=193
I'm not telling you not to buy US998, but as you pointed out it does not have LTE band 8.
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998
CDMA: 800 MHz CDMA
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS (HSPA):850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/13/20/25/66
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know it doesn't have LTE Band 8, but the other one which LTE Band 3 (1800) have it. So, will it work with only 1 band cover it? And does it have affect to signal strength while only 1 working band?
In fact it only have 1 band that works, beside H930DS which cover both of them Band 3 and 8.
The H930DS price here almost twice with US998 version distributed by black market here, so this price comparison really matter to me. I like this phone because it has nice design and of course Quad DAC feature.
And oh, most of the time I live with wifi connection in my house/office.
Really need your best opinion, thanks Matt
Defforest said:
I know it doesn't have LTE Band 8, but the other one which LTE Band 3 (1800) have it. So, will it work with only 1 band cover it? And does it have affect to signal strength while only 1 working band?
In fact it only have 1 band that works, beside H930DS which cover both of them Band 3 and 8.
The H930DS price here almost twice with US998 version distributed by black market here, so this price comparison really matter to me. I like this phone because it has nice design and of course Quad DAC feature.
And oh, most of the time I live with wifi connection in my house/office.
Really need your best opinion, thanks Matt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
H930(Europe V30) has these bands and is carrier unlocked. If you find one that is not for some reason, you would just flash the H930 Open EU KDZ:
If you have"H930" (either actual or converted), you will either have these bands:
2G GSM: 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G (HSPA): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/8/12/17/20/28/38
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would give you LTE band 3 and LTE band 8. How are the prices on those?
But if you have to go with US998 for price, then that's what you have to do.
I have an unlocked LGV30 us998 that i would like to install the verizon VS99620j on it. is it possible? Will the verizon features like Visual Voicemail, Video calling, and wifi calling work?
charulo316 said:
I have an unlocked LGV30 us998 that i would like to install the verizon VS99620j on it. is it possible? Will the verizon features like Visual Voicemail, Video calling, and wifi calling work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YES, when you Frankenstein any North America phone to another, it becomes that phone.
Many Verizon customers on here are using former LS998 or US998 converted to VS996 with those full features.
However, you'll probably need an already-activated Verizon SIM card. Many US998 sold on eBay are converted LS998, and Verizon won't activate former Sprint phones even if they are now US998. Where did you get your US998?
Thanks for the reply. I forgot to mention that the unlocked V30 is activated on Verizon already. I just want to add the other features and update the os.
charulo316 said:
Thanks for the reply. I forgot to mention that the unlocked V30 is activated on Verizon already. I just want to add the other features and update the os.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
When you say unlocked, you mean carrier unlocked or you've bootloader unlocked/installed TWRP/rooted?
You can get to VS996 firmware either way, but the method depends on what you have -- either flashing KDZ with Dev Patched LGUP or TWRP-flashable zips via TWRP.
It's carrier unlocked, not bootloader unlocked.
charulo316 said:
It's carrier unlocked, not bootloader unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, then Dev Patched LGUP, flashing the latest VS996 KDZ in the VS996 KDZ thread. Use REFURBISH or Partition DL mode.
Thanks for the reply, one more question, after doing the kdz in vs996, will this also allow me to get OTA's from Verizon?
charulo316 said:
Thanks for the reply, one more question, after doing the kdz in vs996, will this also allow me to get OTA's from Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably not. Don't know for sure.
But very easy to use LGUP "upgrade" mode every couple of months when a new KDZ is released. Takes 5 minutes. You don't want "upgrade" mode to convert to VS996, but after that you can use it to get updates. Keeps your data -- it's like a manual OTA.
New VS996 KDZ is posted here in this forum and other sites every time it's released, which is about every couple of months.
VS99630c (30c) onto US998 with LGUP?
Does everything in this thread also apply to using Dev Patched LGUP to flash the VS99630c (30c) KDZ onto a carrier unlocked US998?
Thanks!
EFG5 said:
Does everything in this thread also apply to using Dev Patched LGUP to flash the VS99630c (30c) KDZ onto a carrier unlocked US998?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
To be safe, you should really flash Nougat VS996 KDZ via Partition DL mode or Refurbish mode, Master Reset, then flash Pie VS996 30C to that phone.
However since it's a VS996 and you're coming from US998, you can get by with skipping the Nougat step. But I hate telling people that, because it's only VS996/US998 which have that loophole.
All other North American variants have to go through Nougat first to cross flash -- unless they're already bootloader unlocked and rooted, in which case they can just flash the appropriate TWRP flashable zip version of that KDZ.
I followed the guide to frankenstien my LG H931 to US998. Is there anyway to undo this and return to stock?
nofroyo said:
I followed the guide to frankenstien my LG H931 to US998. Is there anyway to undo this and return to stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on what you mean by undo it.
Not to pure stock AT&T, as AT&T doesn't release public KDZ. This is why non-AT&T people have to use Frankenstein to convert to another North American variant to carrier unlock it and receive updates with publicly available KDZ.
For people who are AT&T customers, they have to temporarily convert H931 to US998 for bootloader unlock and root. Then they can flash back to AT&T H931 firmware via TWRP-flashable zip (ROM) made by devs. So, you are back on AT&T H931 firmware -- but have TWRP custom recovery and root.
Tell us why you want to undo it and we can give better answer.
What was your reason to Frankenstein?
When I was using the device I did Frankenstein this device for the sole purpose of rooting and using custom roms. I moved to another device and have no real use for this device anymore. I wanted to sell it but as a pure att device. Which is why I was wondering if I could revert it back to where it was fully att stock, no root, no custom recovery nothing like that. Any help would be appreciated
ChazzMatt said:
Depends on what you mean by undo it.
Not to pure stock AT&T, as AT&T doesn't release public KDZ. This is why non-AT&T people have to use Frankenstein to convert to another North American variant to carrier unlock it and receive updates with publicly available KDZ.
For people who are AT&T customers, they have to temporarily convert H931 to US998 for bootloader unlock and root. Then they can flash back to AT&T H931 firmware via TWRP-flashable zip (ROM) made by devs. So, you are back on AT&T H931 firmware -- but have TWRP custom recovery and root.
Tell us why you want to undo it and we can give better answer.
What was your reason to Frankenstein?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nofroyo said:
When I was using the device I did Frankenstein this device for the sole purpose of rooting and using custom roms. I moved to another device and have no real use for this device anymore. I wanted to sell it but as a pure att device. Which is why I was wondering if I could revert it back to where it was fully att stock, no root, no custom recovery nothing like that. Any help would be appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you can't. AT&T doesn't release public KDZ.
But you can flash to full US998 Oreo KDZ via Refurbish mode in Dev Patched LGUP, relock the bootloader and sell on eBay as US998. Same way everyone sells converted Sprint LS998 as USS98. Same exact situation, as Sprint also doesn't release public KDZ.
Just curious here: If one were to flash the AT&T H931 firmware as TWRP flashable ZIP, then use LGUP in Partition DL mode to flash JUST the stock Recovery from US998 KDZ, wouldn't that be stock H931, or very close to it?
We could even have a TWRP flashable stock Recovery ZIP or IMG (which would of course overwrite TWRP).
If AT&T stock Recovery is somehow unique or different from US998 Recovery, I would think a TWRP flashable Recovery ZIP or IMG could be made of it, the same way the H931 ROM ZIP was made (I presume from an LGUP dump).
Again just asking, just curious, since this comes up from from time to time, usually when H931 owners want to sell their phones
Edit: Wait, I wasn't thinking straight: There's still the bootloader: If we flash back H931 stock Bootloader along with H931 stock Recovery, I suppose one could re-lock it. But not sure I would risk that, in case any other signed partitions are still US998 (not included in the H931 TWRP flashable ZIP) which might brick the phone once signature checking is enabled again.
So prolly just ignore this post. Too risky
TheDannemand said:
Just curious here: If one were to flash the AT&T H931 firmware as TWRP flashable ZIP, then use LGUP in Partition DL mode to flash JUST the stock Recovery from US998 KDZ, wouldn't that be stock H931, or very close to it?
We could even have a TWRP flashable stock Recovery ZIP or IMG (which would of course overwrite TWRP).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the Sprint guys did that -- somehow they created a TWRP flashable zip which wipes out TWRP and restores Sprint LS998 back to Nougat upon reboot. It was created for warranty returns. If I remember correctly the bootloader is still unlocked but the warning doesn't show and Sprint rarely checks for such things.
However, that was for returning to carrier -- not selling. (If you are doing a warranty return and you are able to flash this zip, then it's nothing YOU did that firmware wise that messed up the phone -- something else is legitimately wrong with the phone. Like headset jack or whatever.) If you sell the phone with unlocked bootloader, the new owner can't use a lot of services without root or re-locking the bootloader (impossible without fastboot flash commands) and the Sprint LS998 is useless to them.
In my opinion, the better scenario is just selling as a carrier unlocked (but bootloader locked) full stock US998.
TheDannemand said:
Again just asking, just curious, since this comes up from from time to time, usually when H931 owners want to sell their phones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does keep coming up but people should know the answer by now. The same reason you have to flash H931 or LS998 in the first place (carrier unlock, get updates) is the same reason you can't return to H931 or LS998.
That's not to say some dev can't create a "better" version of the Sprint LS998 zip for LS998 or similar one for AT&T H931, but it's not a high priority. People can still sell their phone. Former LS998 converted to US998 are sold every day on eBay.
ChazzMatt said:
In my opinion, the better scenario is just selling as a carrier unlocked (but bootloader locked) full stock US998.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, you made your recommendation about that clear in the past. And I don't necessarily disagree. But I also have understanding for those who want to be able to sell a plain "AT&H V30" to average users, who have no idea how to download KDZs or mess with LGUP in order to update their phones. Not everybody is like we are here.
It is of course a choice one makes when converting a H931 or LS998 to US998. But I think both viewpoints have validity, and I can certainly understand them both.
Edit: One comment on the many LS998 being sold as US998 nowadays is that I suspect most are being sold WITHOUT disclosing the fact that they are converted phones -- which I consider dishonest. If a H931 owner wants to sell their phone in an honest way, they have to either be upfront about the fact that it's converted to US998 (which is fine, and will be preferred by some buyers anyway) or find a way to convert it back to H931 -- which isn't confirmed possible at the moment, although the steps I mentioned might work if a user dares to try them.
TheDannemand said:
One comment on the many LS998 being sold as US998 nowadays is that I suspect most are being sold WITHOUT disclosing the fact that they are converted phones -- which I consider dishonest. If a H931 owner wants to sell their phone in an honest way, they have to either be upfront about the fact that it's converted to US998 (which is fine, and will be preferred by some buyers anyway) or find a way to convert it back to H931 -- which isn't confirmed possible at the moment, although the steps I mentioned might work if a user dares to try them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree it should be disclosed.
In the past some converted LS998 were disclosed by dealers by calling it a "carrier unlocked LS998". Because the only way to carrier unlock an LS998 is to convert it to a carrier unlocked North American variant... In a way that's also dishonest, because then it can't be used on Sprint. Some Sprint users want the option of having a Sprint phone they can change to another carrier at some point in time. So, they would buy these "carrier unlocked" LS998 (which is truthful) but it wasn't disclosed they could now not use them on Sprint. (unless they bootloader unlocked, rooted, and flashed the return to warranty zip here on XDA).
It should be disclosed it's now a US998 but former H931 (which will be evident by the AT&T logo on the back panel, unless you replace it).
___
Maybe it was you I discussed this with but I'm more concerned about solving current owners' problems (people who have the phones in their hands right now) than people who will theoretically own the phone in 2 or 3 years. You can't live your live out of fear of what future owners will think about how you used your phone or what you did to it. It's YOUR phone right now, not theirs.
There never may be future owner! I never even sold my last two Moto Quarks. People nowadays often repurpose their older phones to be dashboard cams, security cameras, dedicated network streaming devices. Or they may give them to younger family members.
ChazzMatt said:
I agree it should be disclosed.
In the past some converted LS998 were disclosed by dealers by calling it a "carrier unlocked LS998". Because the only way to carrier unlock an LS998 is to convert it to a carrier unlocked North American variant... In a way that's also dishonest, because then it can't be used on Sprint. Some Sprint users want the option of having a Sprint phone they can change to another carrier at some point in time. So, they would buy these "carrier unlocked" LS998 (which is truthful) but it wasn't disclosed they could now not use them on Sprint. (unless they bootloader unlocked, rooted, and flashed the return to warranty zip here on XDA).
It should be disclosed it's now a US998 but former H931 (which will be evident by the AT&T logo on the back panel, unless you replace it).
___
Maybe it was you I discussed this with but I'm more concerned about solving current owners' problems (people who have the phones in their hands right now) than people who will theoretically own the phone in 2 or 3 years. You can't live your live out of fear of what future owners will think about how you used your phone or what you did to it. It's YOUR phone right now, not theirs.
There never may be future owner! I never even sold my last two Moto Quarks. People nowadays often repurpose their older phones to be dashboard cams, security cameras, dedicated network streaming devices. Or they may give them to younger family members.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I agree: Selling a converted LS998 (now US998) as an "unlocked LS998" is still dishonest salesmansspeak, when it can no longer be used on Sprint without first undergoing XDA assisted surgical procedures.
And yes, I think we discussed before about whether helping users prepare their phones for sale is a worthwhile effort. I think it absolutely is: That $150 towards a new phone is significant to many people (would be to me as well). Besides, it helps with warranty claims too, which also is important to many (to me as well).
But with everything you do here to help current owners' problems, I can definitely understand your priority: Fortunately you don't have to single-handedly do everything for everybody. It is perfectly OK for you to prioritize as you do. That doesn't eliminate the concern for those who do want or need to sell their phones. And of course to them it is a priority
I would be willing to help with the H931 effort if I can. I have an LGUP dump from a phone, and I may have my hands on a phone that I can tinker with too.
I agree with the idea of flashing-over the recovery would be a simple trick... just a question of how to get there. I'm no expert in these processes, but if I can help...
I will be unlocking my phone in about a month and moving to TMobile.
I'm just curious, has anyone moved their v30 plus from sprint to tmo and it work fine? (After unlocking it off course)
I do know there is one band that will not work, 600 or something like that, and I'm ok with that, as long as the rest will work ok.
easyrider77 said:
I will be unlocking my phone in about a month and moving to TMobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about carrier unlock or also bootloader unlock/root?
easyrider77 said:
I'm just curious, has anyone moved their v30 plus from sprint to tmo and it work fine? (After unlocking it off course)
I do know there is one band that will not work, 600 or something like that, and I'm ok with that, as long as the rest will work ok.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, many use on U.S. T-Mobile. Because the easiest way to carrier unlock LS998 is to flash US998 firmware. Convert LS998 V30+ to US99 V30+.
See the Frankenstein instructions.
At the end of the process you will have carrier unlocked US998 with these bands:
US998
CDMA: 800 MHz CDMA
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS (HSPA):850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/13/20/25/66
LTE band 71 is the only U.S. T-Mobile LTE band the US998 not any other V30 have except the T-Mobile H932.
ChazzMatt said:
Are you talking about carrier unlock or also bootloader unlock/root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just carrier unlock.
Not wanting to root although I have rooted multiple other phones before, so I am comfortable with doing so if and when I decide to.
So that brings me to a couple other questions. I have looked over the Frankenstein thread on how to flash from ls998 to us998 and even have the files for lgup downloaded, but I was curious about a few things.
1: say if I flash and get on TMobile fine and everything works then for whatever reason I want to go back to sprint, will the us998 work on sprint or will I have to flash back to ls998 for it to work?
2: if it's needed to flash back to ls998, the only way I am reading on forums is to unlock the bootloader and root, unless there is another way without rooting that I missed? If there is a rootless way could anyone direct me to that, I'd appreciate it greatly.
Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way anti-root, it's just not for me with this phone, so I'm trying to do all this without rooting (if possible)
easyrider77 said:
Just carrier unlock.
Not wanting to root although I have rooted multiple other phones before, so I am comfortable with doing so if and when I decide to.
So that brings me to a couple other questions. I have looked over the Frankenstein thread on how to flash from ls998 to us998 and even have the files for lgup downloaded, but I was curious about a few things.
1: say if I flash and get on TMobile fine and everything works then for whatever reason I want to go back to sprint, will the us998 work on sprint or will I have to flash back to ls998 for it to work?
2: if it's needed to flash back to ls998, the only way I am reading on forums is to unlock the bootloader and root, unless there is another way without rooting that I missed? If there is a rootless way could anyone direct me to that, I'd appreciate it greatly.
Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way anti-root, it's just not for me with this phone, so I'm trying to do all this without rooting (if possible)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both Sprint and AT&T do not release public KDZ (firmware images). For LS998, to carrier unlock it and get most compatibility with other North American carriers the method is to convert it (Frankenstein) to a native carrier unlocked firmware -- like Open Market US998 or even Canada H931. US998 is more popular because it also has fastboot flash commands.
While it's not entirely a one-way street, it's a lot harder to go back -- because Sprint doesn't release public KDZ images. Our talented devs have created their own TWRP flashable zips (basically ROMs) to flash back to Sprint firmware via TWRP. One dev even created a TWRP flashable zip for warranty return purposes that would flash back stock recovery, erasing TWRP custom recovery.
To use those, yes you have to be bootloader unlocked and have TWRP custom recovery.
While you can use US998 on Sprint, there are two caveats which may apply to you. Three Sprint LTE bands are missing on US998 and in the past Sprint wouldn't activate a US998 phone, even though IMEI shows it was a former LS998. However, someone recently said they were able to activate a NATIVE US998 phone on Sprint, so maybe their policies have changed? Still, in the past, the method for Sprint customers was to activate Sprint service while still on LS998 firmware, then temporarily convert to US998 for bootloader unlock and root, then flash back to Sprint firmware (to get those three LTE bands back) using TWRP flashable zip -- while keeping TWRP and root. If you wanted to go back to Sprint, you would probably have to bootloader unlock, install TWRP and flash one of those dev crafted Sprint stock ROMs.
I hope I haven't confused you. There is no need for you to bootloader unlock and root just to convert to US998 to go to T-mobile. "Frankenstein" existed long before our WTF bootloader unlock and root method, to carrier unlock the Sprint LS998 and AT&T H931. Merely convert to US998 and you are carrier unlocked, have bands compatible with most other carriers, and have access to publicly released KDZ.
The LS998 was the main reason Frankenstein was created. It's a V30+ and is available very inexpensively and can be carrier unlocked very easily. Most people using it are NOT Sprint customers. Like me, they bought to convert to US998. I wrote the Frankenstein instructions and the screenshot images are from my own LS998 I bought off eBay.
ChazzMatt said:
Both Sprint and AT&T do not release public KDZ (firmware images). For LS998, to carrier unlock it and get most compatibility with other North American carriers the method is to convert it (Frankenstein) to a native carrier unlocked firmware -- like Open Market US998 or even Canada H931. US998 is more popular because it also has fastboot flash commands.
While it's not entirely a one-way street, it's a lot harder to go back -- because Sprint doesn't release public KDZ images. Our talented devs have created their own TWRP flashable zips (basically ROMs) to flash back to Sprint firmware via TWRP. One dev even created a TWRP flashable zip for warranty return purposes that would flash back stock recovery, erasing TWRP custom recovery.
To use those, yes you have to be bootloader unlocked and have TWRP custom recovery.
While you can use US998 on Sprint, there are two caveats which may apply to you. Three Sprint LTE bands are missing on US998 and in the past Sprint wouldn't activate a US998 phone, even though IMEI shows it was a former LS998. However, someone recently said they were able to activate a NATIVE US998 phone on Sprint, so maybe their policies have changed? Still, in the past, the method for Sprint customers was to activate Sprint service while still on LS998 firmware, then temporarily convert to US998 for bootloader unlock and root, then flash back to Sprint firmware (to get those three LTE bands back) using TWRP flashable zip -- while keeping TWRP and root. If you wanted to go back to Sprint, you would probably have to bootloader unlock, install TWRP and flash one of those dev crafted Sprint stock ROMs.
I hope I haven't confused you. There is no need for you to bootloader unlock and root just to convert to US998 to go to T-mobile. "Frankenstein" existed long before our WTF bootloader unlock and root method, to carrier unlock the Sprint LS998 and AT&T H931. Merely convert to US998 and you are carrier unlocked, have bands compatible with most other carriers, and have access to publicly released KDZ.
The LS998 was the main reason Frankenstein was created. It's a V30+ and is available very inexpensively and can be carrier unlocked very easily. Most people using it are NOT Sprint customers. Like me, they bought to convert to US998. I wrote the Frankenstein instructions and the screenshot images are from my own LS998 I bought off eBay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks for the info, and no it didn't confuse me at all, I completely understand all of it.
On a side note I might add, that sprint and vz both detect the bootloader unlocked and will not currectly register with thier networks as long as the bootloader is unlocked.
I know this from experience, because I had a g5s plus that was rooted and worked fine on tmo, cricket, simple mobile, yet would not currectly setup and work right on sprint or on vz.
I tried flashing a stock rom and still did not work. Only when I locked the bl again did it then work fine on both networks. I got data but no calls or texts.
Since I had a very very very bad time locking the bl on that phone, and no one had a solution, it took me upwards of near 3 months to find a way to lock the bl.
Once I got the stock rom and locked the bl it works just fine with no issues at all.
I did find out from a friend that the way to have root on those networks is register it in the network THEN root it, although I was too lazy to do that so I just left it un-rooted.
That given, I just was wondering if there a simple way to relock the bootloader in case this may happen again in the future? Perhaps via fastboot commands??
As a side note, fastboot command did not work on my g5s plus sadly. It said it worked but when I rebooted nothing happened and bootloader was still unlocked. Not sure exactly why but as you can imagine it made me a bit gun shy on rooting. I've rooted a dozen or more phones in my span of phones, from the s2 and up, and the g5s plus is and was the only phone I had issues with and had a horrible time locking the bootloader.
easyrider77 said:
That given, I just was wondering if there a simple way to relock the bootloader in case this may happen again in the future? Perhaps via fastboot commands??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, bootloader is easily re-locked on US998 firmware.
Very good. Thanks so very much for all the info.
Hopefully it will just unlock via sprint and work on TMobile and I won't have to mess with anything but either way I'm ready.
Just FYI, thank you for your hard work and efforts on the tutorial on converting to us998. I greatly appreciate you and the devs and others that make it easier for us.
Hello everyone and thank you for clicking my question. I just got my girlfriends LGv30 delivered to me today and wanted to make sure I understand the variant before I go for a bootloader unlock since I got it off of ebay.
So the vendor on ebay says its US998 GSM, this is the part that confuses me. He says its only GSM meaning T-mobile, ATT, etc. I thought that US998 was CDMA and GSM?
'''DEFINING FACTORS'''
The back of the phone displays a B&O (Edited, originally said B&W)
In software (in my settings) it says lg-us99820b
fastboot devies brings back
LGUS998c7507e2c
My firmware version is 8.0 may 2018
Will this model be eligible for WTF bootloader unlock?
Thank you all, just making sure to be extra careful so I can avoid a brick
Mate try IMEI info and use your imei to confirm your device model as long as its imei is not changed,also bootloader might also be the way of determining it but I don't recall bootloader's on LG displaying that info
Sent from my GM1900 using Tapatalk
techyrock said:
Mate try IMEI info and use your imei to confirm your device model as long as its imei is not changed,also bootloader might also be the way of determining it but I don't recall bootloader's on LG displaying that info
Sent from my GM1900 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for getting back to me. Is there a chart or a page that I can reference my imei with?
techyrock said:
Mate try IMEI info and use your imei to confirm your device model as long as its imei is not changed,also bootloader might also be the way of determining it but I don't recall bootloader's on LG displaying that info
Sent from my GM1900 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I found it it says I am LGH931, do you know off hand what bootloader unlock method I would use?
H411UCIN093NIC said:
The back of the phone displays a B&H
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO, it does not display B&H. I will bet you money on that.
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It may say B&O (Bang & Olufsen, stereo manufacturer who helped tune the Quad DAC), but B&H Photo retail store sells carrier unlocked phones and they do NOT have their logos on the back panel. I have three genuine native US998 V30/V30+ bought from B&H Photo.
Whereas, B&O logo means it was not a genuine US998, nor is that back panel from a North American phone. LG does not have rights to sell B&O branded objects in North America. Another company has licensed those rights for North America. B&O branded LG V30 phones were sold in Asia. But don't worry, it's probably only the back panel.
There's some eBay refurbishers who are mixing and matching parts to create "like new" US998 phones.
Doesn't matter what it started as, as long as it's running US998 firmware. It's US998 now.
H411UCIN093NIC said:
In software (in my settings) it says lg-us99820b
fastboot devies brings back
LGUS998c7507e2c
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most US998 being sold online nowadays are former LS998 -- especially if it's a 128GB V30+. That's OK. It's now carrier unlocked US998 V30+.
This means your mainboard is former LS998, and other parts (like back panel) are sourced from other V30 phones. They have already Frankensteined it for you to US998 firmware.
H411UCIN093NIC said:
So the vendor on ebay says its US998 GSM, this is the part that confuses me. He says its only GSM meaning T-mobile, ATT, etc. I thought that US998 was CDMA and GSM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, US998 has both CDMA and GSM/HSPA/LTE. But:
* Verizon won't let you activate a US998 as it's not a Verizon-branded phone. People get around that by having an already-activated Verizon SIM card or finding a Verizon rep who will bend the rules.
* Until last year (2019), Sprint would not activate a US998 on Sprint network, as it doesn't have 3 Sprint LTE bands. (Sprint finally changed their stance and allowed activation since mid-2019, but Sprint is going away. That brand will disappear in August, after being bought by T-mobile.)
So, anyone who bought a 2017 US998 in the U.S. could really only use it on AT&T or T-mobile or MVNOs using AT&T and T-mobile, while it was being manufactured. Unless you jumped through a lot of advanced hoops 99% of people don't even know exist. Dealers don't want returns or refunds -- so they play it safe by saying it's ONLY for AT&T or T-mobile.
H411UCIN093NIC said:
Will this model be eligible for WTF bootloader unlock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YES. Every V30/V30+/V30S variant -- except for T-mobile H932 -- can use WTF bootloader unlock and root.
H411UCIN093NIC said:
My firmware version is 8.0 may 2018
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are correct about this, you're in exactly the US998 firmware you need for bootloader unlock and root. PRE-JULY 2018 Oreo (Android 8.0).
H411UCIN093NIC said:
Actually I found it it says I am LGH931, do you know off hand what bootloader unlock method I would use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm... Do you have 64GB internal memory or 128GB internal memory? Native AT&T H931 is only 64GB V30 while Sprint LS998 is 128GB V30+.
As I said, they've built this using parts from other phones. Looks like they have used part of LS998, part of H931 and back panel (B&O) of an Asia V30 to create this "US998". Still it's now a "US998" since it's successfully running US998 firmware.
You would use WTF bootloader unlock and root. It's already been converted to US998, so you have fastboot flash commands and it's already on pre-July 2028 early Oreo firmware, if what you reported is correct.
ChazzMatt said:
NO, it does not display B&H. I will bet you money on that.
It may say B&O (Bang & Olufsen, stereo manufacturer who helped tune the Quad DAC), but B&H Photo retail store sells carrier unlocked phones and they do NOT have their logos on the back panel. I have three genuine native US998 V30/V30+ bought from B&H Photo.
B&O logo means it was not a genuine US998, nor is that back panel from a North American phone. LG does not have rights to sell B&O branded objects in North America. Another company has those rights. B&O branded V30 phones were sold in Asia. But don't worry, it's probably only the back panel.
There's some eBay refurbishers who are mixing and matching parts to create "like new" US998 phones.
Doesn't matter what it started as, as long as it's running US998 firmware. It's US998 now.
Most US998 being sold online nowadays are former LS998 -- especially if it's a 128GB V30+. That's OK. It's now carrier unlocked US998 V30+.
This means your mainboard is former LS998, and other parts (like back panel) are sourced from other V30 phones. They have already Frankensteined it for you to US998 firmware.
Yes, US998 has both CDMA and GSM/HSPA/LTE. But:
* Verizon won't let you activate a US998 as it's not a Verizon branded phone. People get around that by having an already-activated Verizon SIM card or finding a Verizon rep who will bend the rules.
* Until last year (2019), Sprint would not activate a US998 on Sprint network, as it doesn't have 3 Sprint LTE bands. (People have been able to activate on Sprint since mid-2019, but Sprint is going away. That brand will disappear in August, after being bought by T-mobile.)
So, anyone who bought a 2017 US998 could really only use it on AT&T or T-mobile or MVNOs using AT&T and T-mobile while it was being manufactured. Unless you jumped through a lot of advanced hoops 99% of people don't even know exist. Dealers don't want returns or refunds -- so they play it safe by saying it's ONLY for AT&T or T-mobile.
YES. Every V30/V30+/V30S variant -- except for T-mobile H932 -- can use WTF bootloader unlock and root.
If you are correct about this, you're in exactly the US998 firmware you need for bootloader unlock and root. PRE-JULY 2018 Oreo (Android 8.0).
Hmmm... Do you have 64GB internal memory or 128GB internal memory? Native AT&T H931 is only 64GB V30 while Sprint LS998 is 128GB V30+.
As I said, they've built this using parts from other phones.
You would use WTF bootloader unlock and root. It's already been converted to US998, so you have fastboot flash commands and it's already on pre-July 2028 early Oreo firmware, if what you reported is correct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow Im stupid, yes it is B O Not BW. So I declared it was safe for flashing the new_unlock.bin via fastboot flash unlock command and for some reason am not getting a response. I can check if the phone is unlocked and it shows up on fastboot devices. I previously used the WTF method on my LG V30+ way back and loved the results, I just wanted to pass forward the joys of bootloader unlock and magisk to my girlfriend
Do you have any idea what I would do?
Does having OEM unlock on in developer settings make a difference?
Also I am in photomode for usb transfer as suggested.
EDIT:
also if I use fastboot oem device-id I get back
< waiting for device >
...
FAILED (command write failed (Too many links))
finished. total time: 0.004s
which is basically the same response I get when trying to flash unlock.bin
Also 64GB
Also Ive tried the exact same process on debian linux with no luck either
H411UCIN093NIC said:
EDIT:
also if I use fastboot oem device-id I get back
< waiting for device >
...
FAILED (command write failed (Too many links))
finished. total time: 0.004s
which is basically the same response I get when trying to flash unlock.bin
Also 64GB
Also Ive tried the exact same process on debian linux with no luck either
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Click to collapse
"Too many links" means ADB/fastboot is not communicating well with the phone. 11 of the 12 WTF Section 7 Trouble Shooting Tips are about the V30 ADB/fastboot communication issues.
Go check out WTF Section 7. Different port, different USB cable, different computer, etc. One person had to use 4 different computers...
ChazzMatt said:
"Too many links" means ADB/fastboot is not communicating well with the phone. 11 of the 12 WTF Section 7 Trouble Shooting Tips are about the V30 ADB/fastboot communication issues.
Go check out WTF Section 7. Different port, different USB cable, different computer, etc. One person had to use 4 different computers...
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Click to collapse
The issue is all fixed. I used a windows 7 laptop and it did the trick. TWRP and Magisk successfully installed. Thank you for all your detailed responses! :laugh::good:
H411UCIN093NIC said:
The issue is all fixed. I used a windows 7 laptop and it did the trick. TWRP and Magisk successfully installed. Thank you for all your detailed responses! :laugh::good:
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Click to collapse
Glad you got it working. Sorry it's not a 128GB V30+, but your girlfriend will still love the phone.
Flash to last Oreo 20h through TWRP flashable zips to get DTS Surround Sound stereo. You'll need to successively flash 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h all back-to-back in TWRP in one session (you can auto stack in TWRP) + Magisk, then reboot.
Later Oreo has much improved camera, plus DTS libs (but need root). However, you can't just jump to 20h with TWRP flashable zip, there's too many changes. So you have to incrementally update, but you can do it all in one TWRP session.
ChazzMatt said:
Glad you got it working. Sorry it's not a 128GB V30+, but your girlfriend will still love the phone.
Flash to last Oreo 20h through TWRP flashable zips to get DTS Surround Sound stereo. You'll need to successively flash 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h all back to back in TWRP in one session (you can auto stack in TWRP) + Magisk, then reboot.
Later Oreo has much improved camera, plus DTS libs (but need root). However, you can't just jump to 20h with TWRP flashable zip, there's too many changes. So you have to incrementally update, but you can do it all in one TWRP session.
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Click to collapse
I totally will do that, thank you for the advice! Ill also do that for my 128 GB lg v30+ (my firmware has been buggy lately. Might be time to start from scratch again.) Do you know off hand what kdz id likely use as a preflash before updating?
Actually it appears that I did that process before as I am on US99820h. Is it safe to reflash only that one (20h) if my phone is already on the firmware or do I need to reflash to a preexisting fw and then update each?
Sorry for the late reply I went to sleep haha.
Btw you are awesome
H411UCIN093NIC said:
I totally will do that, thank you for the advice! Ill also do that for my 128 GB lg v30+ (my firmware has been buggy lately. Might be time to start from scratch again.) Do you know off hand what kdz id likely use as a preflash before updating?
Actually it appears that I did that process before as I am on US99820h. Is it safe to reflash only that one (20h) if my phone is already on the firmware or do I need to reflash to a preexisting fw and then update each?
Sorry for the late reply I went to sleep haha.
Btw you are awesome
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Click to collapse
If you are on US998 20h -- either by flashing 20h full image KDZ or you stacked 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h TWRP flashable zips and flashed those successively in TWRP -- then you can simply re-flash 20h TWRP flashable zip + Magisk to refresh the installation.
The latter Oreo TWRP-flashable zips have DTS Surround Sound build prop already enabled by the Dev (JohnFawkes). So even if you flash full image 20h KDZ, it's advantage to reflash the 20h TWRP flashable zip (+ Magisk). Otherwise you have to go make the build prop changes manually.
If you really want to refresh, you can factory reset just prior to flashing 20h TWRP flashable zip + Magisk. Just don't wipe internal memory,unless you have the zips backed up to microSD card or you can connect to PC while in TWRP to transfer them off.