Hi,
I'm new here, and honestly know very little of the stuff I'm asking about, but here it goes, hopefully someone will be able to explain it to me. My phone (iPhone 5S) just broke, but I had been looking to buy a new one for some time anyway, and seriously considering the LG V30 or the V35 ThinQ, mostly cause of the headphone jack and Quad DAC + wide angle camera. The problem is, I'm looking to buy a refurbished one on eBay.com (US site), since I've found some really good deals there (unlike on European eBay sites), but I'm afraid of carrier issues I may encounter, specially considering I live in Spain and most of these seem to be "unlocked" phones from the US that were once network connected or something along those lines. I really don't know anything about how these things work, what unlocked / IMEI / GSM / CDMA / whatever means, and we don't usually have carrier exclusive phones over here, so I'm kind of worried about it all. I'm also afraid of how this is going to affect updates, since I know LG is already pretty slow but I've heard US carriers add another layer of complications when it comes to that, though seeing as these are supposed to be unlocked this shouldn't be a problem? No idea really.
For example, right now I'm looking at this LG V35 ThinQ deal on eBay, great price, plus the seller allows returns, has really good reputations and feedback, even on the product itself. However, isn't the V35 supposed to be AT&T exclusive? It says it's unlocked, but I don't know what to make of it. Should I just try and find a deal on the V30 instead? Even some of those seem to be carrier connected somehow though, like I see there's different models of the V30, some are HXXXX, others VOXXXX, etc. I guess if I could choose I'd prefer the V35, but it's not even available on Europe, and that makes me even more wary.
Hopefully some of you can shed some light on this and tell me whether buying from eBay is a good idea in my case, or what I could do instead. Honestly coming from Apple all of these different models for the same phone are making things very confusing, but I really wanna make the switch, since both the LG V30 and the V35 seem to be really great phones (despite how huge they are... hope I can get used to it). And by the way, in case that helps, my network in Spain is Movistar.
Thanks, and have a good one.
ChazzMatt is a wealth of knowledge on these matters, but I will tell you what I think. I did a check here for the US998 (V30) on your carrier in Spain: https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...SV/lg-us998-v30-td-lte-lg-joan/movistar-spain
From what it says, the US998 will work on your carrier without issue. This means you have the choice of getting many variants (eg LS998, VS996, etc) that Chazz showed on the WTF thread (see post 193 here https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76584629&postcount=193 ), hack that phone to US998 (via Frankenstein method) and it will work great. Note, as noted there, don't get an H932 as it's different... in reality, you may be able to get that to work as well these days, but I found it was easier to get LS998 or US998. That's what I did for our two phones - I got 2 US998s. (I converted mine to VS996 for other reasons - you won't need to.)
V35 by itself doesn't tell us enough - you need to know the model number. Please be careful when talking any phones, as the model number is what's most important! Some V35s are apparently V30+, others are different and won't work with any of the steps here... so again, be careful.
I'd say, stick to US998 or LS998, and you should be fine, but let the expert confirm!
Oh yeah, and congrats for leaving the Crapple world! Needless to say I'm not a fan, for many good/real reasons. Many of my friends have switched when they learned how much better things can be on Android.
JayKiddo said:
Hi,
I'm new here, and honestly know very little of the stuff I'm asking about, but here it goes, hopefully someone will be able to explain it to me. My phone (iPhone 5S) just broke, but I had been looking to buy a new one for some time anyway, and seriously considering the LG V30 or the V35 ThinQ, mostly cause of the headphone jack and Quad DAC + wide angle camera. The problem is, I'm looking to buy a refurbished one on eBay.com (US site), since I've found some really good deals there (unlike on European eBay sites), but I'm afraid of carrier issues I may encounter, specially considering I live in Spain and most of these seem to be "unlocked" phones from the US that were once network connected or something along those lines. I really don't know anything about how these things work, what unlocked / IMEI / GSM / CDMA / whatever means, and we don't usually have carrier exclusive phones over here, so I'm kind of worried about it all. I'm also afraid of how this is going to affect updates, since I know LG is already pretty slow but I've heard US carriers add another layer of complications when it comes to that, though seeing as these are supposed to be unlocked this shouldn't be a problem? No idea really.
For example, right now I'm looking at this LG V35 ThinQ deal on eBay, great price, plus the seller allows returns, has really good reputations and feedback, even on the product itself. However, isn't the V35 supposed to be AT&T exclusive? It says it's unlocked, but I don't know what to make of it. Should I just try and find a deal on the V30 instead? Even some of those seem to be carrier connected somehow though, like I see there's different models of the V30, some are HXXXX, others VOXXXX, etc. I guess if I could choose I'd prefer the V35, but it's not even available on Europe, and that makes me even more wary.
Hopefully some of you can shed some light on this and tell me whether buying from eBay is a good idea in my case, or what I could do instead. Honestly coming from Apple all of these different models for the same phone are making things very confusing, but I really wanna make the switch, since both the LG V30 and the V35 seem to be really great phones (despite how huge they are... hope I can get used to it). And by the way, in case that helps, my network in Spain is Movistar.
Thanks, and have a good one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Spain you will need GSM/HPSA/LTE.
V30
For the V30, the US998 (which is officially carrier unlocked model) it has all those plus CMDA (which you don't need, but doesn't hurt). The US998 was designated to be the "universal" V30/V30+ for North America. I'm going to briefly discuss the others just so you sort of know the difference. Others like U.S T-mobile H932, are locked to T-mobile and have an extra LTE band 71, which only T-mobile uses and would not benefit you whatsoever. Others like Verizon VS996 are already unlocked, but often give you a nag screen when rebooting if a Verizon SIM card is not inserted; as if you didn't know. The Canada H931 is carrier unlocked. The Sprint LS998 is carrier locked to Sprint, and the only way to carrier unlock it is to "Frankenstein" convert it to US998 (or some other carrier unlocked model like Canada H931 or Verizon VS996). AT&T H931 is carrier locked, but can be carrier unlocked by Frankenstein converted to a carrier unlocked model. With Frankenstein, whatever North American V30 phone you are flashing BECOMES the other model. You will see some eBay dealers incorrectly saying the US998 is locked to U.S. Cellular (a carrier here in the U.S.); this comes from them not knowing what they are selling. Yes, SOME US998 were sold by U.S. Cellular, but the US998 was the designated "open market" carrier unlocked model for North America and no US998 is carrier locked whatsoever. LG also sold the US998 through authorized 3rd party retailers like B&H Photo. They were all carrier unlocked, designed to be used with any carrier.
The other caveat is some of these are 64GB (VS996, H931, H933) while others have 128GB available like the US998 V30+ and the LS998 V30+. US998 also comes in 64GB model, but you might as well buy the V30+ (128GB).
The reason I mention "Frankenstein" is because there was a huge glut of Sprint LS998 V30+ on the market, and we found you could buy one and easily convert it to US998 V30+. I bought two and did that. No longer locked to Sprint, has fastboot flash commands and easily rooted (you probably don't care about that), and much less money than "native" US998 V30+ at the time. Dealers quickly figured this out also. In fact, most "new" or "mint" US998 V30+ you see on eBay for very good price are probably former LS998 V30+. That's OK.
So, it's no longer necessary to buy an LS998 V30+ to convert to US998 V30+, as the dealers have probably done it for you (or at least converted to the Nougat stage).
For your purposes, US998 (especially the V30+) is probably what you want of the North America V30 world. I have not mentioned the "European" H930 (64GB) or H930G (128GB) or the dual SIM H930DS (128GB), as importing those to U.S. for eBay sellers here make them more expensive.
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998 V30/v30+/V30S
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
UPDATES
You will probably have to manually update the phone through software known as LGUP. New firmware images called KDZ are posted publicly here and on other websites. Takes 5 minutes, whenever you want, and you simply choose "Upgrade" mode. LG releases updates every 2 or 3 months.
You will also hear about checking for updates via LG Bridge (another piece of LG software), but it's better to just download the KDZ you need and use LGUP than to constantly have to fire up LG Bridge and check.
If you bought a "native" US998 V30+, you possibly would receive OTA updates. However, between the three native US998 V30 & V30+ I own, I've only received ONE OTA update in 1.5 years, and that was early on. So, don't depend on that.
You probably don't care about bootloader unlock and rooting, but for those who do ALL V30/V30+/V30S variants can be bootloader unlocked and rooted. That cannot be said for V35.
________
V35
Basically 2018 updated version of the 2017 V30. Snapdragon 845 vs Snapdragon 835. Has 6GB RAM, while most of the V30 (except for the V30S) has 4GB RAM. However, I've owned several V30/V30+ and none are slow. Downside: comes in 64GB, whereas many V30 have 128GB internal memory. Yes, allegedly there is a V35+ (128GB) but I've only seen it mentioned on websites and can not actually buy one here in the U.S. or even over the internet.
The main U.S. V35 variant is sold by AT&T and is ostensibly locked to AT&T. Meaning that only AT&T network SIM cards will work. However, if the dealer says it's "unlocked", then mean they have entered the code to carrier unlock the phone, which AT&T allows when the phone is paid in full. You can usually buy with confidence these "unlocked" phones. One way or another, they have been unlocked. (Any "carrier unlocked" LS998 V30+ you see online means it's been converted to US998 to be carrier unlocked.)
While AT&T was the first to sell the LG V35, it's also now sold other places as well, like for Google Fi and some Latin American countries. So, it's no longer an AT&T exclusive and never was. AT&T was just the first. Having said that, the ones for the least price will probably be the AT&T V35 models. As long as it's advertised as "unlocked", you are OK.
UPDATES
For AT&T LG V35 (even if carrier unlocked) you can only get updates while connected to AT&T SIM card or through one AT&T-affiliated MVNO called Red Pocket. (If there are other AT&T-affiliated MVNOs that allow updates, it's not been confirmed.) This is the same situation if you buy an AT&T H931 V30. AT&T wants you to be their customer and they do not release KDZ to the general public, nor allow updates to be sent to non-AT&T customers.
However, this is only true if you keep the AT&T firmware (AWM). For V35, you can cross-flash to the OTHER V35 firmware (ULM) and be up to date. This would again use LGUP. I just bought an AT&T V35 and the previous owner (who still uses V30+ as his daily phone and is active in this forum) cross flashed it to non-AT&T firmware to debloat it and to update it. I will continue to use my own (rooted) US998 V30+ as my daily phone, but this V35 looks interesting.
For others who may be reading this, right now (end of March 2019) the only way to bootloader unlock and root the V35 is to buy one from China with that already done. However there is no TWRP yet for V35. @runningnak3d is working on all that.
Here are the frequencies you will get with the LG 35 Google Fi version. I assume if you cross flash the AT&T V35 you will receive all these bands if you don't have all these bands? I'm asking in the V35 forum to confirm this assumption... With the V30, when you cross flash North America variants to Frankenstein them, it converts them totally to the other variant.
LG V35 Google Fi bands
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-V350ULM-Google-Fi-v35-thinq
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz;
UMTS (HSPA): 850/900/1700/2100 MHz;
LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/20/25/26/28/29/30/38/39/40/41/66
__________
CONCLUSION
I'm more comfortable recommending the US998 V30+ (128GB) to you right now, but an "unlocked" AT&T V35 (64GB) (especially if cross flashed to Google Fi firmware) would work well for you -- if the 64GB storage size (plus microSD card) fits your lifestyle and you don't care about bootloader unlocking/rooting (at least right now).
* With US998, you will have to update via LGUP using "Upgrade" mode once you download the KDZ. That's not hard.
* With AT&T V35, if you want updates, you will have to cross flash to different firmware first, then continue to update via LGUP using "Upgrade" mode. That's not hard either, but it depends on how comfortable you are doing stuff like that.
schwinn8 said:
ChazzMatt is a wealth of knowledge on these matters, but I will tell you what I think. I did a check here for the US998 (V30) on your carrier in Spain: https://www.frequencycheck.com/carr...SV/lg-us998-v30-td-lte-lg-joan/movistar-spain
From what it says, the US998 will work on your carrier without issue. This means you have the choice of getting many variants (eg LS998, VS996, etc) that Chazz showed on the WTF thread (see post 193 here https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76584629&postcount=193 ), hack that phone to US998 (via Frankenstein method) and it will work great. Note, as noted there, don't get an H932 as it's different... in reality, you may be able to get that to work as well these days, but I found it was easier to get LS998 or US998. That's what I did for our two phones - I got 2 US998s. (I converted mine to VS996 for other reasons - you won't need to.)
V35 by itself doesn't tell us enough - you need to know the model number. Please be careful when talking any phones, as the model number is what's most important! Some V35s are apparently V30+, others are different and won't work with any of the steps here... so again, be careful.
I'd say, stick to US998 or LS998, and you should be fine, but let the expert confirm!
Oh yeah, and congrats for leaving the Crapple world! Needless to say I'm not a fan, for many good/real reasons. Many of my friends have switched when they learned how much better things can be on Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply, kinda been busy with things and didn't want to just write a short reply, and thanks a lot for the "Frequency Check" website link, didn't know that was a thing I could use. I do worry about the message below the page though, saying "A matching frequency band does not guarantee coverage. There may be additional network or device software restrictions that prevent a device from connecting on a certain frequency. Additionally, certain bands may only be available regionally within a country." Does that mean I can't really be to sure it'll work even if it's supposed to be compatible? I wouldn't really want to take the risk it if that's the case.
Also, I've checked the LG V35 with my carrier Movistar, since preferably I'd choose it over the V30, and if I'm not selecting the wrong model (the eBay listing I'm looking at says model number is LM-V350A on the title, then V350AWM in the details, guessing that's the LMV350AWMH model from the Frequency Check website? Not one model number matches exactly for some reason), it says it only supports GSM, not UMTS or LTE. I don't know if this is any relevant, but whenever I used data on my old phone, the top side of the screen where you see the network name, Wi-Fi connection, etc. (at least on iOS not sure about Android) usually said LTE (or 3G if there wasn't any 4G connection available), so I'm guessing that means the LG V35 won't work well with my carrier Movistar. Kind of a bummer to be honest. Maybe I'm just getting confused at what all of these things actually mean, but if I understand correctly, if my carrier uses LTE and the V35 doesn't support any of its LTE bands that just means I wouldn't be able to use data, right? I don't really understand why these type of restrictions need to be put in place, if the phone is capable of 4G connection it should just work in every country with whichever carrier.
ChazzMatt said:
In Spain you will need GSM/HPSA/LTE.
V30
For the V30, the US998 (which is officially carrier unlocked model) it has all those plus CMDA (which you don't need, but doesn't hurt). The US998 was designated to be the "universal" V30/V30+ for North America. I'm going to briefly discuss the others just so you sort of know the difference. Others like U.S T-mobile H932, are locked to T-mobile and have an extra LTE band 71, which only T-mobile uses and would not benefit you whatsoever. Others like Verizon VS996 are already unlocked, but often give you a nag screen when rebooting if a Verizon SIM card is not inserted; as if you didn't know. The Canada H931 is carrier unlocked. The Sprint LS998 is carrier locked to Sprint, and the only way to carrier unlock it is to "Frankenstein" convert it to US998 (or some other carrier unlocked model like Canada H931 or Verizon VS996). AT&T H931 is carrier locked, but can be carrier unlocked by Frankenstein converted to a carrier unlocked model. With Frankenstein, whatever North American V30 phone you are flashing BECOMES the other model. You will see some eBay dealers incorrectly saying the US998 is locked to U.S. Cellular (a carrier here in the U.S.); this comes from them not knowing what they are selling. Yes, SOME US998 were sold by U.S. Cellular, but the US998 was the designated "open market" carrier unlocked model for North America and no US998 is carrier locked whatsoever. LG also sold the US998 through authorized 3rd party retailers like B&H Photo. They were all carrier unlocked, designed to be used with any carrier.
The other caveat is some of these are 64GB (VS996, H931, H933) while others have 128GB available like the US998 V30+ and the LS998 V30+. US998 also comes in 64GB model, but you might as well buy the V30+ (128GB).
The reason I mention "Frankenstein" is because there was a huge glut of Sprint LS998 V30+ on the market, and we found you could buy one and easily convert it to US998 V30+. I bought two and did that. No longer locked to Sprint, has fastboot flash commands and easily rooted (you probably don't care about that), and much less money than "native" US998 V30+ at the time. Dealers quickly figured this out also. In fact, most "new" or "mint" US998 V30+ you see on eBay for very good price are probably former LS998 V30+. That's OK.
So, it's no longer necessary to buy an LS998 V30+ to convert to US998 V30+, as the dealers have probably done it for you (or at least converted to the Nougat stage).
For your purposes, US998 (especially the V30+) is probably what you want of the North America V30 world. I have not mentioned the "European" H930 (64GB) or H930G (128GB) or the dual SIM H930DS (128GB), as importing those to U.S. for eBay sellers here make them more expensive.
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998 V30/v30+/V30S
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
UPDATES
You will probably have to manually update the phone through software known as LGUP. New firmware images called KDZ are posted publicly here and on other websites. Takes 5 minutes, whenever you want, and you simply choose "Upgrade" mode. LG releases updates every 2 or 3 months.
You will also hear about checking for updates via LG Bridge (another piece of LG software), but it's better to just download the KDZ you need and use LGUP than to constantly have to fire up LG Bridge and check.
If you bought a "native" US998 V30+, you possibly would receive OTA updates. However, between the three native US998 V30 & V30+ I own, I've only received ONE OTA update in 1.5 years, and that was early on. So, don't depend on that.
You probably don't care about bootloader unlock and rooting, but for those who do ALL V30/V30+/V30S variants can be bootloader unlocked and rooted. That cannot be said for V35.
________
V35
Basically 2018 updated version of the 2017 V30. Snapdragon 845 vs Snapdragon 835. Has 6GB RAM, while most of the V30 (except for the V30S) has 4GB RAM. However, I've owned several V30/V30+ and none are slow. Downside: comes in 64GB, whereas many V30 have 128GB internal memory. Yes, allegedly there is a V35+ (128GB) but I've only seen it mentioned on websites and can not actually buy one here in the U.S. or even over the internet.
The main U.S. V35 variant is sold by AT&T and is ostensibly locked to AT&T. Meaning that only AT&T network SIM cards will work. However, if the dealer says it's "unlocked", then mean they have entered the code to carrier unlock the phone, which AT&T allows when the phone is paid in full. You can usually buy with confidence these "unlocked" phones. One way or another, they have been unlocked. (Any "carrier unlocked" LS998 V30+ you see online means it's been converted to US998 to be carrier unlocked.)
While AT&T was the first to sell the LG V35, it's also now sold other places as well, like for Google Fi and some Latin American countries. So, it's no longer an AT&T exclusive and never was. AT&T was just the first. Having said that, the ones for the least price will probably be the AT&T V35 models. As long as it's advertised as "unlocked", you are OK.
UPDATES
For AT&T LG V35 (even if carrier unlocked) you can only get updates while connected to AT&T SIM card or through one AT&T-affiliated MVNO called Red Pocket. (If there are other AT&T-affiliated MVNOs that allow updates, it's not been confirmed.) This is the same situation if you buy an AT&T H931 V30. AT&T wants you to be their customer and they do not release KDZ to the general public, nor allow updates to be sent to non-AT&T customers.
However, this is only true if you keep the AT&T firmware (AWM). For V35, you can cross-flash to the OTHER V35 firmware (ULM) and be up to date. This would again use LGUP. I just bought an AT&T V35 and the previous owner (who still uses V30+ as his daily phone and is active in this forum) cross flashed it to non-AT&T firmware to debloat it and to update it. I will continue to use my own (rooted) US998 V30+ as my daily phone, but this V35 looks interesting.
For others who may be reading this, right now (end of March 2019) the only way to bootloader unlock and root the V35 is to buy one from China with that already done. However there is no TWRP yet for V35. @runningnak3d is working on all that.
Here are the frequencies you will get with the LG 35 Google Fi version. I assume if you cross flash the AT&T V35 you will receive all these bands if you don't have all these bands? I'm asking in the V35 forum to confirm this assumption... With the V30, when you cross flash North America variants to Frankenstein them, it converts them totally to the other variant.
LG V35 Google Fi bands
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-V350ULM-Google-Fi-v35-thinq
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz;
UMTS (HSPA): 850/900/1700/2100 MHz;
LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/20/25/26/28/29/30/38/39/40/41/66
__________
CONCLUSION
I'm more comfortable recommending the US998 V30+ (128GB) to you right now, but an "unlocked" AT&T V35 (64GB) (especially if cross flashed to Google Fi firmware) would work well for you -- if the 64GB storage size (plus microSD card) fits your lifestyle and you don't care about bootloader unlocking/rooting (at least right now).
* With US998, you will have to update via LGUP using "Upgrade" mode once you download the KDZ. That's not hard.
* With AT&T V35, if you want updates, you will have to cross flash to different firmware first, then continue to update via LGUP using "Upgrade" mode. That's not hard either, but it depends on how comfortable you are doing stuff like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK wow, you really do know your stuff, sorry for the late reply but I've been busy and there's a lot here to take in, and I've still got more than a few questions if that's OK, not that you haven't explained a lot already but your post arose new questions. First of all, you say if a seller says the phone is unlocked (either carrier or factory unlocked, right? Same thing I'm guessing), then I can buy it confidently, does that mean I don't need to worry about different bands being compatible with the specific model I'm buying, since it's unlocked anyway? Or does that just mean that the phone can work with another carrier's SIM card, but data might not work then? As I've said, if I can choose I'd prefer the V35 over the V30 (don't care about the storage since I can use an SD card anyway, processor and RAM are my priority), but it seems like that one has more issues with compatibility, both in terms of updates and also after having checked the Frequency Check website schwinn8 recommended, though again, I assume if the phone is unlocked none of the bands compatibility issue matter. In any case, I'll send you a private message with a link to the seller page for the V35 deal I'm looking at right now, since I'm new in the forum and it won't let me post links like that on here, and hopefully you could help me figure out if that could work with Movistar's data connection and its LTE bands, if that's not too much to ask. I also need to say that I'm planning on buying the phone while in the US, since I'm taking a long trip there starting next month and was planning of taking advantage of that so I don't have to pay for the massive shipping costs to Spain. However, that means that basically I won't be able to make sure data works using the phone in Spain until I come back, and by then the 30-Day Return period will have ended, so I just need to know for sure that it'll work, that's why I'm asking about the whole unlocked thing and what it actually means.
Apart from that, I kinda need to ask about differences between a few other things you commented on. Basically, I don't understand much about what cross flashing, the Frankenstein method, or bootloader unlocking/rooting consist in. I don't know what the risk associated with each of this processes is or what each is looking to accomplish (I do understand Frankenstein allows you to unlock the V30, and change it so it becomes a US998, so to say, as you well explained, but that's about it), but I do know I wouldn't want to do anything that could brick my phone, I had a friend with a Nexus phone who had that happen to him (think he was rooting, not sure though) and I wouldn't trust myself any more than him to do anything that involves that type of risk, since I'd probably mess it up. So please keep that in mind, I understand you might find these type of things somewhat easy to do since you're way more experienced in them, but I'm quite wary about them. So, that being said, in case I end up buying a V35, I would definitely want to cross flash, since I do wish for updates, is that too difficult or risky? If it is I could just buy the V30, hopefully with the Frankenstein method done to it already, so I don't have to change anything myself.
That's pretty much everything I needed to ask, thanks a lot again for your reply, it's much appreciated, especially given my position as a newbie in the Android world.
JayKiddo said:
First of all, you say if a seller says the phone is unlocked (either carrier or factory unlocked, right? Same thing I'm guessing), then I can buy it confidently, does that mean I don't need to worry about different bands being compatible with the specific model I'm buying, since it's unlocked anyway? Or does that just mean that the phone can work with another carrier's SIM card, but data might not work then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Carrier unlocked/SIM card unlocked/network unlocked all mean the same thing. It means you can stick in some other SIM card from some other carrier and the phone will work, IF the phone has that carrier's bands. Many carriers like Sprint or AT&T lock their phones to their networks. They couldn't care less about people who are not their customers, especially people living in other countries. They are not really making money on hardware sales but on monthly phone bills. Carrier unlock removes that restriction of using it on a specific network, but the phone still has to have the necessary bands for the different carrier.
A V30/V30+ converted to US998 WILL be carrier unlocked and I listed the bands above and should work on Spain Movistar.
A V35 the seller CLAIMS is carrier unlocked should also work on Spain Movistar. (Although I just answered a question from someone who was sold an "unlocked" AT&T V30 phone and apparently it was not carrier unlocked after all. So, they will have to Frankenstein it themselves.)
JayKiddo said:
In any case, I'll send you a private message with a link to the seller page for the V35 deal I'm looking at right now, since I'm new in the forum and it won't let me post links like that on here, and hopefully you could help me figure out if that could work with Movistar's data connection and its LTE bands, if that's not too much to ask.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This site says Movistar uses LTE bands 1, 3, 7, 20:
https://www.imei.info/carriers/spain/movistar/
IMEI.info: LTE bands
B1 (2100)
B3 (1800+)
B7 (2600)
B20 (800 DD)
So, US998 V30/V30+ and carrier unlocked V35 should all work.
JayKiddo said:
Apart from that, I kinda need to ask about differences between a few other things you commented on. Basically, I don't understand much about what cross flashing, the Frankenstein method, or bootloader unlocking/rooting consist in. I don't know what the risk associated with each of this processes is or what each is looking to accomplish (I do understand Frankenstein allows you to unlock the V30, and change it so it becomes a US998, so to say, as you well explained, but that's about it), but I do know I wouldn't want to do anything that could brick my phone.
So, that being said, in case I end up buying a V35, I would definitely want to cross flash, since I do wish for updates, is that too difficult or risky? If it is I could just buy the V30, hopefully with the Frankenstein method done to it already, so I don't have to change anything myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If a V30/V30+ was already cross flashed to US998, you would not NEED to do anything. It will work. However, to get updates at some point in the future, you would want to learn the simple steps to use "Upgrade" mode in LGUP. It doesn't wipe data, it's like manually flashing an OTA.
The US998 KDZ are posted here in the XDA forum and you can also find them on other websites. No one is quite laying out the instructions or posting KDZ like that for the V35 yet.
For the V35, if carrier unlocked, then you would not NEED to do anything. It should work. However, to get updates at some point in the future, you would want to learn how to cross flash to the Google Fi firmware (which will wipe your data at that step), then learn the simple steps to use "Upgrade" mode in LGUP (which will not wipe your date going forward). You would have to download future Google Fi firmware and flash it.
If you buy the V35 here in the U.S. during your visit, you can check if it is carrier unlocked by using a non-AT&T carrier SIM card.
Related
I currently have a S5, SM-G900V that was a pain in the ass to get it "rooted." Unfortunately, it has a lot of compatibility and phone issues: keyboard frequently crashes, OS crashes, constantly getting locked out of the SIM card so I can't listen to my voice mail on the phone, randomly lose service, most of my calls are dropped... Essentially, the only good thing so far is battery life, app comparability and texting works.
I currently looking for recommendations for a new phone to purchase in the next few months. It must be easy to root, have decent battery life and I don't want to spend more than 250. The cheaper the better... I was looking at the honor 7x/8x, anyone have experience with those?
SuperUser1010 said:
I currently have a S5, SM-G900V that was a pain in the ass to get it "rooted." Unfortunately, it has a lot of compatibility and phone issues: keyboard frequently crashes, OS crashes, constantly getting locked out of the SIM card so I can't listen to my voice mail on the phone, randomly lose service, most of my calls are dropped... Essentially, the only good thing so far is battery life, app comparability and texting works.
I currently looking for recommendations for a new phone to purchase in the next few months. It must be easy to root, have decent battery life and I don't want to spend more than 250. The cheaper the better... I was looking at the honor 7x/8x, anyone have experience with those?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All LG V30/V30+/V30S can be bootloader unlocked and rooted. While doing so, you can also convert many to another model. For instance, commonly can buy a Sprint LS998 V30+ (128GB), easily bootloader unlock, install TWRP, root as carrier unlocked open market US998 V30+. This can be used on any carrier.
Or buy US998 V30+ (but it's probably LS998 V30+ already converted)
$250 on eBay for new or "mint" condition.
There's also European/Middle East/Pacific variants if you need slightly different bands. EVERY V30/V30+/V30S can be bootloader unlocked and rooted.
LG V30/V30+
* 1440P OLED (537 ppi)
* Qi wireless charging
* 3.5mm headset jack
* Quad DAC
* DTS 3D stereo
* IP68 dust/water resistance
* rear camera OIS on normal lens - plus 120 degree wide angle lens
* superfast fingerprint sensor
* 64GB (V30) or 128GB (V30+) internal storage
* microSD port for additional storage
* bootloader unlock and root
* no notch
* fantastic battery
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
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
I'm in complete agreement with ChazzMatt... The root method on this phone is one of the easiest I've ever used.... Plus, with his guide and assistance (along with many others in the V30 community) is unsurpassed IMO =)
Sent from my stock rooted LG-H933 V30
Huawei?
hiitsrudd said:
Huawei?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gesundheit.
See specs above. See easy root capabilities requirement.
No Huawei or almost any other phone matches all hardware specs/premium features of the LG V30/V30+/V30S. Only Samsung Galaxy flagships do, and then you run into the easy root problem.
ChazzMatt said:
All LG V30/V30+/V30S can be bootloader unlocked and rooted. While doing so, you can also convert many to another model. For instance, commonly can buy a Sprint LS998 V30+ (128GB), easily bootloader unlock, install TWRP, root as carrier unlocked open market US998 V30+. This can be used on any carrier.
Or buy US998 V30+ (but it's probably LS998 V30+ already converted)
$250 on eBay for new or "mint" condition.
There's also European/Middle East/Pacific variants if you need slightly different bands. EVERY V30/V30+/V30S can be bootloader unlocked and rooted.
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is the purpose or benefit of converting to another model? Like, what is the difference between a US998 and LS998? Also, what's your opinion on buying open box/renew/used? What should I be looking for if buying any of those?
SuperUser1010 said:
What is the purpose or benefit of converting to another model? Like, what is the difference between a US998 and LS998? Also, what's your opinion on buying open box/renew/used? What should I be looking for if buying any of those?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
US998 is carrier unlocked. Converting Sprint LS998 to a carrier unlocked variant is the only way to carrier unlock the phone.
Also of the North America V30, only US998 has fastboot flash commands to bootloader unlock, install TWRP and root. So you have to temporarily convert to US998 anyway. After bootloader unlock and root, you can flash TWRP-FLASHABLE zip (ROM) based on STOCK KDZ to convert back to carrier firmware if you wish.
However many still stay on US998 as it's the official carrier unlocked V30 North America firmware.
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
ChazzMatt said:
US998 is carrier unlocked. Converting Sprint LS998 to a carrier unlocked variant is the only way to carrier unlock the phone.
Also of the North America V30, only US998 has fastboot flash commands to bootloader unlock, Install TWRP and root. So you have to temporarily convert to US998 anyway. After bootloader unlock and root, you can flash TWRP-FLASHABLE zip (ROM) based on STOCK KDZ to convert back to carrier firmware if you wish.
However many still stay on US998 as it's the official carrier unlocked V30 North America firmware.
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So essentially it sounds like find whatever is cheapest except that H932 model. Do you have any experience or knowledge on purchasing second hand? It seems like renewed is the store's version of "certified used." What about renewed vs used/open box?
SuperUser1010 said:
So essentially it sounds like find whatever is cheapest except that H932 model. Do you have any experience or knowledge on purchasing second hand? It seems like renewed is the store's version of "certified used." What about renewed vs used/open box?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something like this, 9/10 used - practically mint. $185.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/173665613177
You want V30+ (128GB) if possible.
---
ChazzMatt said:
Something like this, 9/10 used - practically mint. $185.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/173665613177
You want V30+ (128GB) if possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before I buy the phone. One thing I'm not understanding, the phone works with all carriers, correct? When I had my Galaxy S3, it was on the CDMA (sprint network) and wouldn't work with GSM network carriers. I have a Galaxy S5 now with a sim card, it is supposed to work with GSM carriers but not CDMA. If I wanted this phone to work on CDMA network, do I just not put in a sim card and it should work with sprint network? And if I wanted to go to t-mobile network, I just add a sim card to go to their network? Also, should the phone be coming with an IMEI and a MEID # to confirm it works with each carrier?
SuperUser1010 said:
Before I buy the phone. One thing I'm not understanding, the phone works with all carriers, correct? When I had my Galaxy S3, it was on the CDMA (sprint network) and wouldn't work with GSM network carriers. I have a Galaxy S5 now with a sim card, it is supposed to work with GSM carriers but not CDMA. If I wanted this phone to work on CDMA network, do I just not put in a sim card and it should work with sprint network? And if I wanted to go to t-mobile network, I just add a sim card to go to their network? Also, should the phone be coming with an IMEI and a MEID # to confirm it works with each carrier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The US998 has all the bands (GSM, CDMA, HSPA, LTE) to work with all North American carriers. It's the official carrier unlocked model for North America.
And what you described SHOULD happen, except Sprint demands you buy their locked down Sprint V30 LS998 to use on Sprint instead of the carrier unlocked US998. Sprint will not authorize any other LG V30 on their network except Sprint-branded LS998.
But others use US998 on T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, their MVNOs, Canadian carriers, etc. Blame Sprint.
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
I'm looking to buy one of these soon. I am on tmobile/metropcs so I would need the H932 or the US998. I do plan on rooting and most likely would prefer to unlock bootloader. I know the H932 doesn't play nicely with the other variants but I'm confident I could get it rooted and everything. I also saw that the v30 has band 77, which tmobile has been rolling out, and the v30+ doesn't.
My question to you who already own these devices is, do you recommend just getting the v30 or are there any advantages to possibly spending a bit more on the v30+?
Thanks for your opinions.
sirganon said:
I'm looking to buy one of these soon. I am on tmobile/metropcs so I would need the H932 or the US998. I do plan on rooting and most likely would prefer to unlock bootloader. I know the H932 doesn't play nicely with the other variants but I'm confident I could get it rooted and everything. I also saw that the v30 has band 77, which tmobile has been rolling out, and the v30+ doesn't.
My question to you who already own these devices is, do you recommend just getting the v30 or are there any advantages to possibly spending a bit more on the v30+?
Thanks for your opinions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I know (and gathered when doing my own research before buying) the V30+ only has the additional storage over the base v30.
Everything else about the phone (as far as I'm aware) is identical. I don't see why the V30+ would be missing a band, especially one the base v30 has.
Redline said:
From what I know (and gathered when doing my own research before buying) the V30+ only has the additional storage over the base v30.
Everything else about the phone (as far as I'm aware) is identical. I don't see why the V30+ would be missing a band, especially one the base v30 has.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sites like gsmarena and frequency check don't list band 77 for the v30+ so I'm just going off of sites like that. I do realise the internal storage is the main difference when comparing the two versions but I wasn't sure if ease of rooting or some other variables may be present to help sway your (and my) decision.
sirganon said:
Sites like gsmarena and frequency check don't list band 77 for the v30+ so I'm just going off of sites like that. I do realise the internal storage is the main difference when comparing the two versions but I wasn't sure if ease of rooting or some other variables may be present to help sway your (and my) decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be on the safe side of assuming you won't miss anything over the base v30.
Ease of rooting is just the same.
sirganon said:
I'm looking to buy one of these soon. I am on tmobile/metropcs so I would need the H932 or the US998. I do plan on rooting and most likely would prefer to unlock bootloader. I know the H932 doesn't play nicely with the other variants but I'm confident I could get it rooted and everything. I also saw that the v30 has band 77, which tmobile has been rolling out, and the v30+ doesn't.
My question to you who already own these devices is, do you recommend just getting the v30 or are there any advantages to possibly spending a bit more on the v30+?
Thanks for your opinions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sirganon said:
Sites like gsmarena and frequency check don't list band 77 for the v30+ so I'm just going off of sites like that. I do realise the internal storage is the main difference when comparing the two versions but I wasn't sure if ease of rooting or some other variables may be present to help sway your (and my) decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two corrections:
* It's LTE band 71 U.S. T-mobile has, not 77.
* In many cases the V30+ is about the same price as the H932 V30, if you are talking about North America variants. That LS998 V30+ (easily converted to US998 V30+) is actually $20 less than the H932 V30. Yes, that's "manufacturer refurbished" vs "new" but my experience with prices on these is the V30+ does not really cost more on sites like eBay.
You are right that only the U.S. T-Mobile H932 has LTE band 71. No other V30/V30+/V30S variant in the world have that band, as only U.S. T-Mobile needs it (or needed it when the V30 was released). It was brand new at the time the V30 was being introduced (late 2017) and U.S. T-Mobile made a big deal how it was exclusive to the their carrier-branded H932. H932 was the first phone in the world to have the new U.S. T-Mobile LTE band 71 and still is the only V30/V30+/V30S to have that band. (Some early tweets from U.S. T-mobile made us believe the open market US998 V30/V30+ would have it also... but alas it didn't. If you dig deep enough, you may see posts hoping that was true or that it could be enabled with root.)
Having said that, most phones being used on U.S. T-Mobile network still do not have LTE band 71 (pre-2018 phones), and there are many US998 V30/V30+/V30S users in this forum who are on U.S. T-Mobile or U.S. T-Mobile MVNOs.
U.S. T-Mobile actually did sell a 128GB V30+ H932 (with LTE band 71, of course) for a LIMITED time, in addition to their 64GB V30. It was a marketing promotion a couple of months after the V30 H932 was released. Then it went away. Some of these H932 V30+ might pop up on eBay, but would only be a few. Or here for allegedly new in box H932 V30+.
Yes, the H932 seems a little harder to root than the other variants. (My opinion.) You can't use the WTF method, since the H932 doesn't have fastboot flash commands and you can't convert it (even temporarily) to a variant which has fastboot flash commands. So, you have to use the other method developed for the H932. But it can be done and has been done by many. If you do use T-Mobile, then that might be what you're most happy with.
When buying an H932 for U.S. T-mobile, make sure it's H932SV. There's also an H932PR for Claro carrier in Puerto Rico and that variant does NOT have LTE band 71 for U.S. T-mobile. I'm only mentioning it because it IS out there and you may run across it on eBay. If you want LTE band 71, you want the H932SV. (For those who do have the Claro/Puerto Rico H932PR, it can be rooted through WTF and Frankenstein converted to other North American models, while the U.S. T-mobile H932SV can not.)
__________
This next part is not just about the H932, but all V30/V30+/V30S....
Different V30/V30+ variants for various carriers/world regions have different bands. For instances, there are bands the North American V30/V30+ variants have which the H930 (V30)/H930G (V30+) or H930D (V30)/H930DS (V30+) does not. H930/H930G doesn't have LTE band 2 and the H930D/H930DS doesn't have LTE band 2 nor LTE band 4. You wouldn't want to buy an H930/H930G or H930D/H930DS to use in U.S. or Canada. Some of the Korean variants are also missing necessary bands for North America.
Even among the North American variants, there are bands the AT&T H931 or Sprint LS998 has which the US998 does not have. In most cases you can convert (Frankenstein) one variant to another to get those bands (if you really need them) -- either before or after root -- but with the T-mobile H932 you cannot do that, as it has different RSA encryption from all the other variants.
But the only hardware difference between V30/V30+ is extra internal memory -- 64GB vs 128GB. Unlike other OEMs (like Samsung), where + denotes larger physical size, with LG the + on the V30 series is only more internal memory. (The V30+ models also came with LG-branded or B&O-branded earbuds of questionable value. They don't even trigger HIM. You are better off with these or these, which have the necessary impendent to trigger HIM on quad DAC.)
However, there is a US998 V30S (released in early 2018), which has 128GB internal memory with 6GB RAM. The V30S is basically a "V30+" with more RAM. The official model number is US998R (for more RAM).
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
ChazzMatt said:
Two corrections:
* It's LTE band 71 U.S. T-mobile has, not 77.
* In many cases the V30+ is about the same price as the H932 V30, if you are talking about North America variants. That LS998 V30+ (easily converted to US998 V30+) is actually $20 less than the H932 V30. Yes, that's "manufacturer refurbished" vs "new" but my experience with prices on these is the V30+ does not really cost more on sites like eBay.
You are right that only the U.S. T-Mobile H932 has LTE band 71. No other V30/V30+/V30S variant in the world have that band, as only U.S. T-Mobile needs it (or needed it when the V30 was released). It was brand new at the time the V30 was being introduced (late 2017) and U.S. T-Mobile made a big deal how it was exclusive to the their carrier-branded H932. H932 was the first phone in the world to have the new U.S. T-Mobile LTE band 71 and still is the only V30/V30+/V30S to have that band. (Some early tweets from U.S. T-mobile made us believe the open market US998 V30/V30+ would have it also... but alas it didn't. If you dig deep enough, you may see posts hoping that was true or that it could be enabled with root.)
Having said that, most phones being used on U.S. T-Mobile network still do not have LTE band 71 (pre-2018 phones), and there are many US998 V30/V30+/V30S users in this forum who are on U.S. T-Mobile or U.S. T-Mobile MVNOs.
U.S. T-Mobile actually did sell a 128GB V30+ H932 (with LTE band 71, of course) for a LIMITED time, in addition to their 64GB V30. It was a marketing promotion a couple of months after the V30 H932 was released. Then it went away. Some of these H932 V30+ might pop up on eBay, but would only be a few. Or here for allegedly new in box H932 V30+.
Yes, the H932 seems a little harder to root than the other variants. (My opinion.) You can't use the WTF method, since the H932 doesn't have fastboot flash commands and you can't convert it (even temporarily) to a variant which has fastboot flash commands. So, you have to use the other method developed for the H932. But it can be done and has been done by many. If you do use T-Mobile, then that might be what you're most happy with.
When buying an H932 for U.S. T-mobile, make sure it's H932SV. There's also an H932PR for Claro carrier in Puerto Rico and that variant does NOT have LTE band 71 for U.S. T-mobile. I'm only mentioning it because it IS out there and you may run across it on eBay. If you want LTE band 71, you want the H932SV. (For those who do have the Claro/Puerto Rico H932PR, it can be rooted through WTF and Frankenstein converted to other North American models, while the U.S. T-mobile H932SV can not.)
__________
This next part is not just about the H932, but all V30/V30+/V30S....
Different V30/V30+ variants for various carriers/world regions have different bands. For instances, there are bands the North American V30/V30+ variants have which the H930 (V30)/H930G (V30+) or H930D (V30)/H930DS (V30+) does not. H930/H930G doesn't have LTE band 2 and the H930D/H930DS doesn't have LTE band 2 nor LTE band 4. You wouldn't want to buy an H930/H930G or H930D/H930DS to use in U.S. or Canada. Some of the Korean variants are also missing necessary bands for North America.
Even among the North American variants, there are bands the AT&T H931 or Sprint LS998 has which the US998 does not have. In most cases you can convert (Frankenstein) one variant to another to get those bands (if you really need them) -- either before or after root -- but with the T-mobile H932 you cannot do that, as it has different RSA encryption from all the other variants.
But the only hardware difference between V30/V30+ is extra internal memory -- 64GB vs 128GB. Unlike other OEMs (like Samsung), where + denotes larger physical size, with LG the + on the V30 series is only more internal memory. (The V30+ models also came with LG-branded or B&O-branded earbuds of questionable value. They don't even trigger HIM. You are better off with these or these, which have the necessary impendent to trigger HIM on quad DAC.)
However, there is a US998 V30S (released in early 2018), which has 128GB internal memory with 6GB RAM. The V30S is basically a "V30+" with more RAM. The official model number is US998R (for more RAM).
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all this info! I did mean band 71. It was late when writing my previous posts so I was thinking 61 & 77 instead of 66 & 71.
I'll read through this a few times to make sure I fully understand the differences of the variants and make my decision after that. Greatly appreciated!
I have a T-Mobile V30+. The only difference from the V30 is 128GB internal storage and black color backing. The V30 has a silver colored back. I live in Southern California and I haven't been able to get band 71 reception in the rural areas outside Los Angeles and San Diego. I also didn't get Band 71 reception when I went visited the outskirts of Portland, Oregon and San Francisco/Sacramento. Band 71 is meant for very rural areas, so having it may be a moot point based on your location.
Buy a Sim unlocked att v35 off ebay. When cross flashed to the Google Fi variant, the secret menu lists band 71. Im on a us998 conversion v30 with TMobile and migrating to the v35 for SD845 with 6 gigs of ram, slightly better cameras and band 71 is well worth it. They are going for ~300usd. @runningnak3d just got one and is hot on the bootloader unlock trail.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v35/how-to/bring-to-speed-trying-to-root-t3909527
Edit: Also band 71 isn't just for rural locations. TMobile invested almost 8 billion dollars in the spectrum the other year and will be rolling it out nation wide. I'm in NorCal and the reason it's not in California yet is because the TV stations that currently occupy the bandwidth that TMobile will refarm are scheduled later than other areas to shut down. It's scheduled here for q2 2019. I think LA is still a year or two out though. Point is TMobile didn't invest that kind of cheese to only help people in the sticks out.
bacon612 said:
Buy a Sim unlocked att v35 off ebay. When cross flashed to the Google Fi variant, the secret menu lists band 71. Im on a us998 conversion v30 with TMobile and migrating to the v35 for SD845, slightly better cameras and band 71 is well worth it. They are going for ~300usd. @runningnak3d just got one and is hot on the bootloader unlock trail.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v35/how-to/bring-to-speed-trying-to-root-t3909527
Edit: Also band 71 isn't just for rural locations. TMobile invested almost 8 billion dollars in the spectrum the other year and will be rolling it out nation wide. I'm in NorCal and the reason it's not in California yet is because the TV stations that currently occupy the bandwidth that TMobile will refarm are scheduled later than other areas to shut down. It's scheduled here for q2 2019. I think LA is still a year or two out though. Point is TMobile didn't invest that kind of cheese to only help people in the sticks out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll definitely take a look at this one when I can, thanks!
bacon612 said:
Im on a us998 conversion v30 with TMobile and migrating to the v35 for SD845 with 6 gigs of ram, slightly better cameras.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking of doing the same thing, but the wide angle lens on the V35 (107°) is narrower than the V30 (120°). That's a deal breaker for me even with the SD845 and 6GB RAM. If my V30 was destroyed, then I might consider the V35. Not worth the investment if not necessary. The V40's wide lens is also 107°. LG has been reducing the wide angle lens since the V20/G5, which had 135°. The Galaxy S10's wide angle is 123°.
The camera is a bummer, yes. But with the sale of my V30+ an investment of ~$100 makes my decision a no brainier. I can't believe how dramatically these devices drop in value in less than a year. I paid $325 in May 2018 for my v30+ in 9/10 shape. $290 last week for the v35 and it's flawless.
Edit: for the OP. The extra cash for the v35 is also a smart move. The v35 shipped with Oreo 8 making it a better candidate for treble roms out of the gate. The newer SOC with the bonus ram gives you at least another year of use where the v30 will fall away.
Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk
Interesting thread...
My 2 cents:
1) the 64 vs 128 doesn't mean much to me (very low on the list of priorities) - especially with an sd card slot.
2) T-Mo band 71. That's pretty big. I think T-Mo is going to really improve it's status with that band, *But*, it's going
to be some time before it's completely rolled out... and it's at least somewhat questionable how much of an effect
it would have **for you**. Lots of factors involved; are you in buildings a lot that the 600 MHz will benefit you? Are
you *outside* of the range of normal (already existing) bands? etc
I'd have to put this feature in a 'nice to have' category, but no way is it a necessity - nor a deal breaker.
3) Is the model easily Frankenstein-ed? While *in the future* a device might be unlocked... it might not also.
If a phone has the ability to be unlocked now, and it's a good / great device... I say ya gotta go with those
criteria. If I like the device / size / cameras / design / etc - then this aspect is at the top of my list.
I have a 931 converted to US998, very happy with it. The cameras are awesome. The quad dac blows yer hair
back. I'm on T-Mo with an old pay-as-you go plan and also just signed on with Mint Mobile (uses T-mo towers). There's
no issues to speak of re calls / text / data. Everything works fine.
I'm actually so happy with the V30 and the ability to mod it ... I bought another one.
A brand new one, should arrive soon.
Good luck with your decision. Maybe this info helps a little when making up your mind, maybe not!
Cheers
ChazzMatt said:
Having said that, most phones being used on U.S. T-Mobile network still do not have LTE band 71 (pre-2018 phones), and there are many US998 V30/V30+/V30S users in this forum who are on U.S. T-Mobile or U.S. T-Mobile MVNOs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AsItLies said:
Interesting thread...
My 2 cents:
1) the 64 vs 128 doesn't mean much to me (very low on the list of priorities) - especially with an sd card slot.
2) T-Mo band 71. That's pretty big. I think T-Mo is going to really improve it's status with that band, *But*, it's going
to be some time before it's completely rolled out... and it's at least somewhat questionable how much of an effect
it would have **for you**. Lots of factors involved; are you in buildings a lot that the 600 MHz will benefit you? Are
you *outside* of the range of normal (already existing) bands? etc
I'd have to put this feature in a 'nice to have' category, but no way is it a necessity - nor a deal breaker.
3) Is the model easily Frankenstein-ed? While *in the future* a device might be unlocked... it might not also.
If a phone has the ability to be unlocked now, and it's a good / great device... I say ya gotta go with those
criteria. If I like the device / size / cameras / design / etc - then this aspect is at the top of my list.
I have a 931 converted to US998, very happy with it. The cameras are awesome. The quad dac blows yer hair
back. I'm on T-Mo with an old pay-as-you go plan and also just signed on with Mint Mobile (uses T-mo towers). There's
no issues to speak of re calls / text / data. Everything works fine.
I'm actually so happy with the V30 and the ability to mod it ... I bought another one.
A brand new one, should arrive soon.
Good luck with your decision. Maybe this info helps a little when making up your mind, maybe not!
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is a great phone.
Thanks, you confirmed what I said about T-mobile on US998.
The new DTS is fantastic.
AsItLies said:
Interesting thread...
My 2 cents:
3) Is the model easily Frankenstein-ed? While *in the future* a device might be unlocked... it might not also.
If a phone has the ability to be unlocked now, and it's a good / great device... I say ya gotta go with those
criteria. If I like the device / size / cameras / design / etc - then this aspect is at the top of my list.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it can currently be cross flashed with ease. Most are opting for the Google Fi crossflash as it removes all of the att bloat and allows things like wifi calling to be used. Or even use as a fully functioning Google Fi phone (switching networks between Sprint, TMobile and us cellular.)
Regarding the bootloader unlock for root and roms, I am 99% certain we will see that in the next month.
bacon612 said:
So it can currently be cross flashed with ease. Most are opting for the Google Fi crossflash as it removes all of the att bloat and allows things like wifi calling to be used. Or even use as a fully functioning Google Fi phone (switching networks between Sprint, TMobile and us cellular.)
Regarding the bootloader unlock for root and roms, I am 99% certain we will see that in the next month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does crossflashing these other V35 firmware carrier unlock the V35 from AT&T, like crossflashing H931 with US998?
I"m mostly asking because months ago I recommended crossflashing AT&T V35 firmware with other V35 and I was told it couldn't be done. And that I was stupid for suggesting it.
The phone has to be carrier unlocked as far as things go now. In the future, it may be different. It was explained to me that the partition where the Sim lock exists, does not get touched when you flash the kdz in lgup. Some are having issues getting their att phones unlocked but there are lots of already unlocked phones on eBay. YMMV
Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk
bacon612 said:
So it can currently be cross flashed with ease. Most are opting for the Google Fi crossflash as it removes all of the att bloat and allows things like wifi calling to be used. Or even use as a fully functioning Google Fi phone (switching networks between Sprint, TMobile and us cellular.)
Regarding the bootloader unlock for root and roms, I am 99% certain we will see that in the next month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congratulations! Personally, I don't use Google Fi, but more power to those that do.
We all have our individual needs / wants. Mine are satisfied with the V30. Hope yours are too - with whatever device you have.
AsItLies said:
Congratulations! Personally, I don't use Google Fi, but more power to those that do.
We all have our individual needs / wants. Mine are satisfied with the V30. Hope yours are too - with whatever device you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine are satisfied with LG V30/V30+ for now. I have 10 friends/family members who own one, thanks to me touting them. Of them, only mine is rooted as with my job I don't have time even to flash updates (TWRP-flashable zips) for friends anymore. But every V30/V30+/V30S in the world CAN be bootloader unlocked and rooted.
ChazzMatt said:
Mine are satisfied with LG V30/V30+ for now. I have 10 friends/family members who own one, thanks to me touting them. Of them, only mine is rooted as with my job I don't have time even to flash updates (TWRP-flashable zips) for friends anymore. But every V30/V30+/V30S in the world CAN be bootloader unlocked and rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly Matt. And that's a pretty unusual situation in my experience; a phone with a great design, processor, VERY good cameras (wide in front AND back is NOT common), quad dac (all models), p-oled hi-res screen, etc.
AND at a very affordable price, now anyway.
There really isn't anything comparable right now, AND there MAY NOT be for some time to come. Sure, there are other phones, pixel, oneplus, etc. But they are not in the same price range, not sure which if any have quad dac, none have wide angle lens (back also), etc. And many others of course, but unable to unlock bootloader.
I feel lucky. It was fortunate to be reading Android A on the day they had an article indicating the V30, great phone, was now available at great prices on ebay. After reading your WTF thread... boom! I was an owner within a few hours. It is not a common situation imho. Get em while they last
Something else for the OP. The v30 front facing camera left something to be desired. The two phones I had before (htc 10 and 9) had significantly better front facing cameras. I think to maintain the thin bezels on the 30 the sensor was compromised. They used a much better sensor on the v35. For me, getting a decent image in varied lighting conditions when video chatting was problematic and almost embarrassing at times. I've read this in reviews a few times as well. If a good front facing camera is an issue for you, it may be something to consider
My Note 4s died so I'm finally moving on to a new device, was going to buy a Pixel XL until someone suggested a V30 instead, so going with that instead. Been on Sprint CDMA forever so finally trying to switch to GSM international.
However I'm not sure which model to get. I use Ting as my carrier, an MVNO of Sprint and Tmo, but I don't think you HAVE to use a Sprint or Tmo phone (currently using a Verizon loaner, works fine).
I read on a rooting thread that the H932 (Tmo) is more difficult to root because the encryption is different. The only other model I'm seeing is the H931 (AT&T), however it says Unlocked instead of AT&T in the listing.
I'd like the phone to be able to work in the US as well as internationally. Does the H931 work internationally or only in the US? Is the H931 fine to get or is one of the others a better choice?
For US customers the best LG V30 is arguably the US998 - it was and might still be sold by US Cellular, not sure on that - because it covers all 4 major carriers in terms of the radios and LTE bands and it's factory unlocked from the gitgo. The only band that's not covered is LTE Band 71 which is T-Mobile and only available in the H932 model specifically.
You can get other models, like the H931 (AT&T), the LS998 (the Sprint model), etc, and convert them to function as the US998 but why bother doing a conversion when you can just buy the damned US998 directly and not have to bother with such things.
There's the US998 V30 (64GB internal storage) and the V30+ (128GB storage), if you can find a V30+ for a decent price I'd highly recommend that model over the traditional V30 because of the increased storage.
Now, as for using the US998 outside the US, I can't speak for that kind of usage directly, but you can look at the radio band support and figure it out yourself based on the hardware specs (select Specs, scroll down to the Connectivity section):
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Silver-lg-v30
br0adband said:
For US customers the best LG V30 is arguably the US998 - it was and might still be sold by US Cellular, not sure on that - because it covers all 4 major carriers in terms of the radios and LTE bands and it's factory unlocked from the gitgo. The only band that's not covered is LTE Band 71 which is T-Mobile and only available in the H932 model specifically.
You can get other models, like the H931 (AT&T), the LS998 (the Sprint model), etc, and convert them to function as the US998 but why bother doing a conversion when you can just buy the damned US998 directly and not have to bother with such things.
There's the US998 V30 (64GB internal storage) and the V30+ (128GB storage), if you can find a V30+ for a decent price I'd highly recommend that model over the traditional V30 because of the increased storage.
Now, as for using the US998 outside the US, I can't speak for that kind of usage directly, but you can look at the radio band support and figure it out yourself based on the hardware specs (select Specs, scroll down to the Connectivity section):
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Silver-lg-v30
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome thanks for the insight. What all is involved in the conversion process? Just curious
mon0theist said:
Awesome thanks for the insight. What all is involved in the conversion process? Just curious
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using Dev Patched LGUP to flash USS98 Nougat, doing a Master Reset, then flashing US998 Oreo (or Pie when it comes for US998).
There's a Frankenstein thread with more complete Instructions, like how to install LGUP -- but that's the gist.
---------- Post added at 04:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------
br0adband said:
For US customers the best LG V30 is arguably the US998 - it was and might still be sold by US Cellular, not sure on that - because it covers all 4 major carriers in terms of the radios and LTE bands and it's factory unlocked from the gitgo. The only band that's not covered is LTE Band 71 which is T-Mobile and only available in the H932 model specifically.
You can get other models, like the H931 (AT&T), the LS998 (the Sprint model), etc, and convert them to function as the US998 but why bother doing a conversion when you can just buy the damned US998 directly and not have to bother with such things.
There's the US998 V30 (64GB internal storage) and the V30+ (128GB storage), if you can find a V30+ for a decent price I'd highly recommend that model over the traditional V30 because of the increased storage.
Now, as for using the US998 outside the US, I can't speak for that kind of usage directly, but you can look at the radio band support and figure it out yourself based on the hardware specs (select Specs, scroll down to the Connectivity section):
https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Silver-lg-v30
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your email is very good except for one thing...
While USS98 was sold by U.S. Cellular, the US998 is also the official Open Market (carrier unlocked) North America V30 sold by B&H Photo, Amazon, Best Buy.
The only reason U.S. Cellular sold it is because LG wouldn't make them a separate variant. They are too small a carrier.
So, please stop mentioning U.S. Cellular. It confuses people, as dedicated U.S. Cellular phones are normally LOCKED to U.S. Cellular.
U.S. Cellular coincidentally sold the US998. How's that? Much better. But better yet, just leave them out of the discussion, since it then requires explaining all the above.
ChazzMatt said:
Using Dev Patched LGUP to flash USS98 Nougat, doing a Master Reset, then flashing US998 Oreo (or Pie when it comes for US998).
There's a Frankenstein thread with more complete Instructions, like how to install LGUP -- but that's the gist.
---------- Post added at 04:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------
Your email is very good except for one thing...
While USS98 was sold by U.S. Cellular, the US998 is also the official Open Market (carrier unlocked) North America V30 sold by B&H Photo, Amazon, Best Buy.
The only reason U.S. Cellular sold it is because LG wouldn't make them a separate variant. They are too small a carrier.
So, please stop mentioning U.S. Cellular. It confuses people, as dedicated U.S. Cellular phones are normally LOCKED to U.S. Cellular.
U.S. Cellular coincidentally sold the US998. How's that? Much better. But better yet, just leave them out of the discussion, since it then requires explaining all the above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know, thanks! Which variant would you recommend? I'd like the phone to work both in the US and internationally, let's say India for example. My carrier in the US is Ting, which uses Sprint's and Tmo's network, which might possibly require me to buy the Tmo variant according to this reddit thread, but I'd rather take my chances with the US998 variant if it means more likelihood for international compatibility.
EDIT: Also there's no Android P stock ROM for the US998? Could I still flash LineageOS 16 on Oreo firmware?
mon0theist said:
Good to know, thanks! Which variant would you recommend? I'd like the phone to work both in the US and internationally, let's say India for example. My carrier in the US is Ting, which uses Sprint's and Tmo's network, which might possibly require me to buy the Tmo variant according to this reddit thread, but I'd rather take my chances with the US998 variant if it means more likelihood for international compatibility.
EDIT: Also there's no Android P stock ROM for the US998? Could I still flash LineageOS 16 on Oreo firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will be Pie for all variants. Last week EU H930 Pie was officially released. The rest are coming.
Here's the bands you'll get with carrier unlocked US998.
ChazzMatt said:
There will be Pie for all variants. Last week EU H930 Pie was officially released. The rest are coming.
Here's the bands you'll get with carrier unlocked US998.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome thanks
I found this thread for rooting the H932, but it requires the bootloader having already been unlocked. Is there a method to unlock the bootloader that is specific to the H932, or is it the same as all the other variants?
mon0theist said:
Awesome thanks
I found this thread for rooting the H932, but it requires the bootloader having already been unlocked. Is there a method to unlock the bootloader that is specific to the H932, or is it the same as all the other variants?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm, I wouldn't get the T-Mobile H932 unless you're a T-Mobile customer. It's much harder to root than the other variants.
Yes, you have to follow the instructions in that thread to install TWRP and root the T-Mobile H932.
WTF INSTRUCTIONS are for all the other variants.
See this Root Sticky thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/how-to/root-v30-t3927154
Read post #1.
ChazzMatt said:
Umm, I wouldn't get the T-Mobile H932 unless you're a T-Mobile customer. It's much harder to root than the other variants.
Yes, you have to follow the instructions in that thread to install TWRP and root the T-Mobile H932.
WTF INSTRUCTIONS are for all the other variants.
See this Root Sticky thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/how-to/root-v30-t3927154
Read post #1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ting is an MVNO of Tmobile and they advised me that getting something without the Band 12 VoLTE support could result in issues with calls/texts not going through. Other than that I would probably go for the US998 version. Or maybe I should just get the US998 and hope for the best idk.
mon0theist said:
Ting is an MVNO of Tmobile and they advised me that getting something without the Band 12 VoLTE support could result in issues with calls/texts not going through. Other than that I would probably go for the US998 version. Or maybe I should just get the US998 and hope for the best idk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
US998 has T-Mobile Band 12 VoLTE support and has T-Mobile WiFi calling.
It's just LTE Band 71 you won't have.
ChazzMatt said:
US998 has T-Mobile Band 12 VoLTE support and has T-Mobile WiFi calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh really? Well in that case US998 it is
Incorrect and Useless information...
I'm making this post because this was not BOLDLY Stated to me. For some this is most definitely common knowledge and shouldn't be regarded as much, However I'm not sure where to attain this type of information without prior understanding of carriers and bands (just something brief for the people who start with a "BAD model" just so they understand it clearly so they don't have to live with BAD coverage especially after they've already rooted and don't know what to do because they don't have a ear to ask , that would be nice )
Here's the site I'll be referencing:
https://www.techwalls.com/lg-v30-model-number-differences/
To start, My phone was a US998 on a Sprint carrier. Which if you don't know what that means let me explain...
*In simple terms it means that your data coverage kinda sucks in certain areas and there's a way to fix it.
If you take a look at the link, you'll see a list of carrier bands and Models!
As you can see US998 is NOT Sprint, it's U.S. Cellular(Which Is actually a carrier! not some dumb Overall phrase)
However US998 was deemed "Close Enough" by some jerkwad in a Best Buy somewhere because it's Only missing 4 bands
The Missing Bands are (if you cared):
CDMA800 (BC10)
LTE900 (B8) LTE700 (B12) LTE850 (B26)
So why does it matter?
Those 3 LTE Bands Gave Me 100% LTE Coverage in my area, The best coverage of my life blah blah blah
So how do I fix It?
Well... I'm not the person to explain that to you yet but here's a link also using a different LS998 rom I assume works, I intend on trying it.
In April Sprint might be going away, so this Might be Useless Information but at least I learned something. :silly:
Is it better or worse that I posted in the wrong thread?
US998 does have B12 (and B17) and CDMA800 (BC0, although not BC10). But the others you mention are indeed missing.
Instructions exist here on XDA how to flash LS998 radio (or maybe it's the entire Sprint ROM) using a dump from an LS998.
Drawd3lle said:
I'm making this post because this was not BOLDLY Stated to me. For some this is most definitely common knowledge and shouldn't be regarded as much, However I'm not sure where to attain this type of information without prior understanding of carriers and bands (just something brief for the people who start with a "BAD model" just so they understand it clearly so they don't have to live with BAD coverage especially after they've already rooted and don't know what to do because they don't have a ear to ask , that would be nice )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was not BOLDY stated to you?
If you are already rooted and don't know this, then you failed to read the WTF Instructions thoroughly. Blame only yourself? See WTF Section 9: EXTRAS - MODEMS, RESTORING VARIANT FIRMWARE, UPDATES TO LATEST FIRMWARE. That section headline is pretty BOLD.
Also see attached screenshot.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
What do you think all Sprint users do after rooting? They use @JohnFawkes TWRP-flashable zip (stock ROM) to go back to Sprint firmware and get back Sprint bands.
_______________
Drawd3lle said:
As you can see US998 is NOT Sprint, it's U.S. Cellular(Which Is actually a carrier! not some dumb Overall phrase)
However US998 was deemed "Close Enough" by some jerkwad in a Best Buy somewhere because it's Only missing 4 bands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WRONG. US998 is LG official North American Open Market. Just like G6 US997, etc. U.S. Cellular was also allowed to sell US998 -- instead of a dedicated model, and the "Open Market" US998 variants were sold by LG through authorized 3rd party retailers -- supplied directly by LG. B&H Photo and Best Buy, among others back in early 2017 and 2018. Had NOTHING to do with U.S. Cellular carrier. However, what's being sold at Best Buy and Wal-Mart right now is probably not native US998. I'll explain that in a minute...
Please do NOT spread misinformation. US998 is NOT (only) "U.S. Cellular". It can be U.S. Cellular. But you need to check your IMEI online -- it will tell you whether you have U.S. Cellular or Open Market -- or something else! All US998 have the same bands and are carrier unlocked. Two US998 variants were sold by U.S. Cellular, but US998 is also the official Open Market variant sold by other retailers -- supplied straight from LG.
The Open Market variants were released MONTHS after the U.S. Cellular variants. The Techwalls article you link was written PRIOR to the US998 Open Market variants being released. While it's a decent resource, it's outdated.
ALSO many US998 V30+ -- even those bought in big box stores like Walmart and Best Buy -- are ACTUALLY former Sprint LS998 V30+. They were surplus LS998 V30+ bought by wholesalers and converted to US998, now sold by Big Box stores. They were NEVER NEVER sold by U.S. Cellular nor were even official Open Market US998. Again, check your IMEI online to see. I bought a US998 V30+ from Wal-Mart a year ago and it was fomer LS998 V30+. All packaged nice and new. The info on outside of the box said LS998 but the firmware inside was US998 Nougat -- and it was being sold by Wal-Mart.com as "US998".
CHECK IMEI
https://swappa.com/esn
Whereas, all US998 (native or converted) are carrier unlocked, but LS998 firmware is locked to Sprint.
There are several US998 variants. For instance, US998 V30S was NOT sold by U.S. Cellular -- was only designated Open Market. The Open Market 64GB US998 can obtain the official LG bootloader unlock code, but the U.S. Cellular variants cannot. (Doesn't matter, we have WTF bootloder lock exploit.)
For Nougat and Oreo all the US998 actually ran the same firmware -- but for Pie there is a difference between U.S. Cellular firmware and the not-yet-released Open Market Pie KDZ firmware. That's why the current US998 Pie 30b is so wonky.
_______________
Drawd3lle said:
The Missing Bands are (if you cared):
CDMA800 (BC10)
LTE900 (B8) LTE700 (B12) LTE850 (B26)
So why does it matter?
Those 3 LTE Bands Gave Me 100% LTE Coverage in my area, The best coverage of my life blah blah blah
So how do I fix It?
Well... I'm not the person to explain that to you yet but here's a link also using a different LS998 rom I assume works, I intend on trying it.
In April Sprint might be going away, so this Might be Useless Information but at least I learned something. :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is all explained in the WTF instructions, how to get the Sprint LTE bands back. You are repeating two year old news. If you are rooted, then you failed to thoroughly read the WTF instructions?
_____________
TheDannemand said:
US998 does have B12 (and B17) and CDMA800 (BC0, although not BC10). But the others you mention are indeed missing.
Instructions exist here on XDA how to flash LS998 radio (or maybe it's the entire Sprint ROM) using a dump from an LS998.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He just failed to read information already written in this forum, especially if he's rooted through the WTF method. Section 9 tells how to return to carrier firmware of your choice -- with affiliated LTE bands.
Plus it irks me when people claim US998 is "U.S. Cellular". LG merely let U.S. Cellular sell some US998 instead of having a dedicated model for them (like Verizon VS996, Sprint LS998 or AT&T H931). They are a regional carrier (not even in all 50 states) and it was cheap way to let them think they are important.
Reporters who reviewed the LG V30 -- PRIOR TO OFFICIAL RELEASE -- were given the Open Market US998 by LG. They weren't given "U.S. Cellular" phones. They were given phones that work on all carriers. US998 Open Market variants. Yet, LG then let the carriers have 3 months of uninterrupted sales before releasing the Open Market US998 in Q4 2017.
If the Open Market US998 is missing some Sprint bands, blame LG. But US998 owners can get those Sprint bands back. It's specifically mentioned in the WTF Instructions... Which I wrote TWO YEARS ago and keep updated. Sprint users have to TEMPORARILY convert LS998 to US998 for bootloader unlock and root. They I supply links instructions on how to convert back to Sprint firmware/bands if that's what they want. Or if you have an US998, you can CONVERT to LS998. See attached screenshot straight from WTF Instructions. Sprint US998 owners who never had LS998 also use that method to get LS998 LTE bands on native US998.
TheDannemand said:
US998 does have B12 (and B17) and CDMA800 (BC0, although not BC10). But the others you mention are indeed missing.
Instructions exist here on XDA how to flash LS998 radio (or maybe it's the entire Sprint ROM) using a dump from an LS998.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoops... Well apparently all of it was bad so yeah..
ChazzMatt said:
Was not BOLDY stated to you?
If you are already rooted and don't know this, then you failed to read the WTF Instructions thoroughly. Blame only yourself. See WTF Section 9: EXTRAS - MODEMS, RESTORING VARIANT FIRMWARE, UPDATES TO LATEST FIRMWARE. That section headline is pretty BOLD...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm an idiot here, and I'm not helping anyone. I have no idea how to do any of the work you guys are doing and I'm sorry. I honor you guys and I shouldn't of said anything and should've asked for help instead of ignorantly posting some crap on the internet and probably dis-credited myself completely because I couldn't follow the work neatly laid out in-front of my sleep deprived self who isn't qualified to do anything (Insomnia) .
It was called [Dumbly Expained], I ironically find it quite annoying and should've just went to bed.
I had no reason to post but I'm a bipolar manic, and I hate it.
Sorry.
Drawd3lle said:
I'm an idiot here, and I'm not helping anyone. I have no idea how to do any of the work you guys are doing and I'm sorry. I honor you guys and I shouldn't of said anything and should've asked for help instead of ignorantly posting some crap on the internet and probably dis-credited myself completely because I couldn't follow the work neatly laid out in-front of my sleep deprived self who isn't qualified to do anything (Insomnia) .
It was called [Dumbly Expained], I ironically find it quite annoying and should've just went to bed.
I had no reason to post but I'm a bipolar manic, and I hate it.
Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I was just upset you called US998 as "U.S. Cellular" when it's more accurately the "North Open Market" variant which was also sold by U.S. Cellular. Some US998 -- like V30S -- were ONLY North American Open Market model, and never sold by U.S. Cellular. All the other major carriers got their own models (Verizon VS996, AT&T H931, Sprint LS998, Canadian carriers had to share the H933). So, minor player U.S. Cellular got to pretend they had their own variant -- the US998, then three months later LG released it to authorized 3rd party retailers as the North American Open Market variant. Plus later they released the US998 V30S which was NEVER sold by U.S. Cellular.
I have to refute that it's U.S. Cellular variant often and it gets tiring.
You can check IMEI online to see specifically what you have. Many US998 now sold online and in big box stores are actually former LS998. All US998 (native or converted) are carrier unlocked and have the same bands.
2) Also that the instructions in WTF Section 9 tell about this Sprint LTE bands, and how to get them back. It's not news. The Sprint TWRP flashable zips have been created forever by dev JohnFawkes who is a Sprint customer himself, down in the ROMs section.
I tell people to read the WTF instructions thoroughly, but few do.
3) This phone was released in 2017 and there's (almost) nothing we don't know about it. Most everything has been documented in this forum.
To get your LTE bands back, merely flash JohnFawkes 30A Sprint firmware:
LG V30 Sprint LS998-30A ROM
ChazzMatt said:
1) I was just upset you called US998 as "U.S. Cellular" when it's more accurately the "North Open Market" variant which was also sold by U.S. Cellular. Some US998 -- like V30S -- were ONLY North American Open Market model, and never sold by U.S. Cellular. All the other major...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was my fault, I deserved it. I really shouldn't have tried to 'outshine the master' on that one, it's kind of nice feeling like the idiot for once except maybe I got a shot at redemption.
I'm kinda interested in this field If you're curious...This is was what happened in my brain because
I did read The WTF! post entirely and saw:
"For Sprint customers ONLY, download and install @JohnFawkes's TWRP-flashable stock "ROM", based on latest LS998 firmware to get the extra Sprint LTE bands back."
And I was like "Pftt.. Why would I need that? my phone is working like normal on US998 like it's supposed to" Well I was wrong to think that because "back" actually meant Upgrade to me under my circumstances bc I started on US998 Not knowing that my Open Market US998 Stock phone had limited bands to begin with.. So Maybe it is a reasonable mistake? And maybe I was right, at least kinda
And this:
"You would want to use these carrier-branded stock firmware TWRP-flashable "ROMs" below if the variant you need has bands or features that the "converted" US998 phone does not."
Doesn't mean much for a user originating from a US998 phone because they'd be getting extra features by switching, so the only piece of information I had was the band numbers which I didn't understand and still don't completely. So once Again
BOLDLY Stated means explaining that for Originating US998 users, They Can Unlock extra bands by installing their Carrier's variant ROM, And I didn't get that Clearly stated to me so I don't feel so wrong anymore.. I'm sorry I'm a little giddy because I'm not a complete idiot and My argument Still holds value. I'm a little happy duckling and I would bite back if I didn't respect you so much. So what do you think? Am I wrong? I reread it like 3 times, I'm 90% sure that this specific circumstance which is indeed unique isn't so Clearly explained.. Sorry if I sounded witty, I didn't mean to but You know... It was supposed to be humorous in the first place because it is dumb you have to explain this complicated nonsense but it was useful just not accurately explained by me because I don't know any better. I'm a programmer with like 2-3 years experience I'm 18 and haven't explored this field much. I think it's cool, just I don't know where to start and making dumb post like this felt like something, but I got scolded for it because I'm not an expert. And maybe I should've stated that but idk.
Drawd3lle said:
It was my fault, I deserved it. I really shouldn't have tried to 'outshine the master' on that one, it's kind of nice feeling like the idiot for once except maybe I got a shot at redemption.
I'm kinda interested in this field If you're curious...This is was what happened in my brain because
I did read The WTF! post entirely and saw:
"For Sprint customers ONLY, download and install @JohnFawkes's TWRP-flashable stock "ROM", based on latest LS998 firmware to get the extra Sprint LTE bands back."
And I was like "Pftt.. Why would I need that? my phone is working like normal on US998 like it's supposed to" Well I was wrong to think that because "back" actually meant Upgrade to me under my circumstances bc I started on US998 Not knowing that my Open Market US998 Stock phone had limited bands to begin with.. So Maybe it is a reasonable mistake? And maybe I was right, at least kinda
And this:
"You would want to use these carrier-branded stock firmware TWRP-flashable "ROMs" below if the variant you need has bands or features that the "converted" US998 phone does not."
Doesn't mean much for a user originating from a US998 phone because they'd be getting extra features by switching, so the only piece of information I had was the band numbers which I didn't understand and still don't completely. So once Again
BOLDLY Stated means explaining that for Originating US998 users, They Can Unlock extra bands by installing their Carrier's variant ROM, And I didn't get that Clearly stated to me so I don't feel so wrong anymore.. I'm sorry I'm a little giddy because I'm not a complete idiot and My argument Still holds value. I'm a little happy duckling and I would bite back if I didn't respect you so much. So what do you think? Am I wrong? I reread it like 3 times, I'm 90% sure that this specific circumstance which is indeed unique isn't so Clearly explained.. Sorry if I sounded witty, I didn't mean to but You know... It was supposed to be humorous in the first place because it is dumb you have to explain this complicated nonsense but it was useful just not accurately explained by me because I don't know any better. I'm a programmer with like 2-3 years experience I'm 18 and haven't explored this field much. I think it's cool, just I don't know where to start and making dumb post like this felt like something, but I got scolded for it because I'm not an expert. And maybe I should've stated that but idk.
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You have somewhat a point, if you are a brand new V30 owner who bought a US998 expecting it to work on Sprint.
1) Until relatively recently -- sometime last year, I don't have time to look it up now when we discovered the policy change -- you could NOT activate a US998 on Sprint network. Because of those missing LTE bands. Sprint would not allow US998 Open Market on their network, only LS998 (their own branded phone), in spite of the US998 Open Market V30/V30+/V30S ostensibly being made to work on all carriers in North America.
Yes, the US998 variants don't have "all" the bands of all the North American carriers, but US998 is supposed to have the major ones (CDMA, HSPA, LTE) to work on all U.S./Canada carriers.
There are three "minor" AT&T LTE bands missing. I have AT&T and don't notice.
LTE band 66 is missing for T-mobile; but the dev who rooted the T-mobile H932 now uses a US998 with no issues on T-mobile, etc.
Yet, for Sprint also missing three missing LTE bands is NOT minor...
And as a result of that, from the very beginning Sprint would not allow US998 to be activated on their network. So, Sprint users would have to buy LS998 off eBay (or carrier store, but eBay was cheaper), activate it, THEN convert to US998 for bootloader unlock and root. The @JWnSC Sprint thread you link is also thread I link in WTF, besides the JohnFawkes Sprint firmware TWRP-flashable zip thread. Because until dev JohnFawkes (who happens to be a Sprint customer) started making those Sprint stock ROMS (it's magic, I tell you because Sprint doesn't publicly release KDZ) Sprint users had to flash back LTE bands using @JWnSC instructions onto their "converted" LS998 to US998. Now, they merely flash JohnFawkes stock ROM to get LS998 firmware, modem and LTE bands.
For those uses who didn't read carefully and converted to US998 first before "activating" their LS998 on Sprint, @JWnSC also made a "return for warranty" zip that also works as "return to LS998 for activation" zip. It flashes stock firmware and wipes out TWRP. (It doesn't re-lock the bootloader, but that's not necessary.) Users could then activate their native LS998 with Sprint, and then use WTF to reinstall TWRP and root again.
Besides Sprint firmware, you had to have native LS998, as Sprint checked both IMEI and firmware. US998 (or any other V30) was forbidden. If you peruse older threads, you will see lots of admonitions for Sprint users to buy ONLY LS998 and to make sure they activate first before going through the WTF instructions. THEN flash to JohnFawkes Sprint stock ROM (TWRP-flashable zip) to get the Sprint LTE bands back.
But 2nd half of 2019 (last year) sometime, now Sprint DOES allow native US998 to be activated on Sprint network.
2) I can't easily change WTF Instructions to reflect that change of status. I'm up again the character limit of one post. Anything I add, I have to delete something else. So, by saying Sprint users need to get those bands "back" I would hope that conveys to people they are missing something important -- even if they didn't start out with LS998 to begin with. I link to @JWnSC excellent thread and I link to JohnFawkes ROM thread, for them to read more. My advice also quotes a Sprint user about VoLTE -- which I think you need Sprint firmware for. You can tell me if this is true or not, but if you started with US998, to get Sprint VoLTE you may still need to flash the Sprint firmware? (I know that's true for AT&T, but I don't care about AT&T VoLTE. I stay on US998 firmware on purpose.)
I know WTF post seems very lengthy but believe me, every word and comma has been parsed a hundred times. I use URL shorteners and I offload sidebar instructions (like Frankenstein or downgrading to early Oreo) to other posts. Last summer, I had to re-write the WTF Instructions for Pie (if bootloader is already unlocked) and yet also still work for Oreo, so other explanatory verbiage had to be further condensed. I still leave my "intro" in, to compare V30 against other 2017/early 2018 phones, because that's my personal commentary against Samsung, OnePlus, and Google decisions at the time -- and how the V30 was the Best Phone of the Year -- and still pretty good even in 2020. People say I should cut that entirely, but it's my thoughts -- the only place I can share my views.
ChazzMatt said:
You have somewhat a point, if you are a brand new V30 owner who bought a US998 expecting it to work on Sprint.
1) Until relatively recently -- sometime last year, I don't have time to look it up now when we discovered the policy change -- you could NOT activate a US998 on Sprint network. Because of those missing LTE bands. Sprint would not allow US998 Open Market on their network, only LS998 (their own branded phone), in spite of the US998 Open Market V30/V30+/V30S ostensibly being made to work on all carriers in North America.
Yes, the US998 variants don't have "all" the bands of all the North American carriers, but US998 is supposed to have the major ones to work on all carriers. There are three "minor" AT&T LTE bands missing. I have AT&T and don't notice. LTE band 66 is missing for T-mobile; the dev who rooted the T-mobile H932 now uses US998 with no issues, etc.
Yet, for Sprint those three missing LTE bands are not minor... And as a result from the very beginning Sprint would not allow US998 to be activated on their network. So, Sprint users would have to buy LS998 off eBay (or carrier store, but eBay was cheaper), activate it, THEN convert to US998 for bootloader unlock and root. The @JWnSC Sprint thread you link is also thread I link in WTF, besides the JohnFawkes Sprint firmware TWRP-flashable zip thread. Because until dev JohnFawkes (who happens to be a Sprint customer) started making those Sprint stock ROMS (it's magic, I tell you because Sprint doesn't publicly release KDZ) Sprint users had to flash back LTE bands using @JWnSC instructions onto their "converted" LS998 to US998. Now, they merely flash JohnFawkes stock ROM to get LS998 firmware, modem and LTE bands.
For those uses who didn't read and converted to US998 first before "activating" their LS998 on Sprint, @JWnSC also made a "return for warranty" zip that also works as "return to LS998 for activation" zip. It flashes stock firmware and wipes out TWRP. (It doesn't re-lock the bootloader, but that's not necessary.) Users could then activate their LS998 with Sprint, and then use WTF to reinstall TWRP and root again.
Besides Sprint firmware, you had to have native LS998, as Sprint checked IMEI and firmware. US998 (or any other V30) was forbidden. If you peruse older threads, you will see lots of admonitions for Sprint users to buy ONLY LS998 and to make sure they activate first before going through the WTF instructions. THEN flash back to JohnFawkes Sprint stock ROM (TWRP-flashable zip) to get the Sprint LTE bands back.
But 2nd half of 2019 (last year) sometime, now Sprint DOES allow native US998 to be activated on Sprint network.
2) I can't easily change WTF Instructions to reflect that change of status. I'm up again the character limit of one post. Anything I add, I have to delete something else. So, by saying Sprint users need to get those bands "back" I would hope that conveys to people they are missing something important -- even if they didn't start out with LS998 to begin with. I link to @JWnSC excellent thread and I link to JohnFawkes ROM thread, for them to read more.
I know WTF post seems very lengthy but believe me, every word and comma has been parsed a hundred times. I use URL shorteners and I offload sidebar instructions to other posts. Last summer, I had to re-write the WTF Instructions for Pie (if bootloader is already unlocked) and yet also still work for Oreo, so other explanatory verbiage had to be condensed. I still leave the "intro" in, to compare V30 against other 2017/early 2018 phones, because that's my personal commentary against Samsung, OnePlus, and Google decisions at the time -- and how the V30 was the Best Phone of the Year -- and still pretty good even in 2020. People say I should cut that entirely, but it's my thoughts -- the only place I can share my views.
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It's so cool hearing this all and yes it was a minor detail and most people will figure it out especially if they have a little more background knowledge than I do, it was just something I got caught on being so late/new. I'm learning so much just hearing you lay it out in such a organized matter, you "guys" are legends to this community and I'm considering you Moses but better, you make JohnFawkes sound like he's God's work (because he is) and new discoveries are Amazing because they're thought to be impossible or too hard for others to figure out. I had an idea but to attempt but idk i guess it'd be something good if it's possible and attempt if not. It's Halium, unlocking that would allow non android based roms like Ubuntu touch.. You think it's worth a shot? Just for fun?
I'm reading the various threads from 2018 and 2019. They mention that the H932 is more difficult to root. Is that still true? They also mention that the US998 is missing the LTE600 (B71) band, but it will still work with T-Mobile USA on the other bands.
I also learned that many US998 models are actually LS998 that have been converted. Is that a problem in my cases, now that Sprint and T-Mobile merged?
After a couple years has passed, which LG V30 is the best one to buy for T-Mobile USA? I want to run LineageOS 18 (and hopefully future versions) along with TWRP and Magisk.
I'm hoping to buy one with 128GB storage.
With LG exiting the phone business, will I experience any problems unlocking the bootloader now?
MtnX2 said:
I'm reading the various threads from 2018 and 2019. They mention that the H932 is more difficult to root. Is that still true? They also mention that the US998 is missing the LTE600 (B71) band, but it will still work with T-Mobile USA on the other bands.
I also learned that many US998 models are actually LS998 that have been converted. Is that a problem in my cases, now that Sprint and T-Mobile merged?
After a couple years has passed, which LG V30 is the best one to buy for T-Mobile USA? I want to run LineageOS 18 (and hopefully future versions) along with TWRP and Magisk.
I'm hoping to buy one with 128GB storage.
With LG exiting the phone business, will I experience any problems unlocking the bootloader now?
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Click to collapse
V30/V30+ T-Mobile H932 is still the hardest to root, yes. Not to be confused with the V30 H932PR which was sold in Puerto Rico and is different. The T-Mobile V30 (64GB) and V30+ (128GB) has different encryption system and no native fastboot commands. (Well, almost none. None that are helpful.) For the other North American variants (AT&T H931, Canada H933, Verizon VS996), without fastboot commands, you can easily convert them (Frankenstein) to US998 to get that. With the T-Mobile H932 you cannot cross flash other firmware to get that ability without bricking the phone.
There's an alternate method for rooting the T-Mobile H932. See here.
Also, the 128GB V30+ variant of the T-Mobile H932 was a limited offering, sold for a short amount of time during holidays in late 2017. Most of the T-Mobile H932 are the 64GB V30.
Since T-Mobile has merged with Sprint, the new T-Mobile SIM cards seem to not allow US998 firmware to have T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling anymore. If you can find an older SIM card, that will still work, to my knowledge.
ChazzMatt said:
V30/V30+ T-Mobile H932 is still the hardest to root, yes.
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Thanks for the update. It sounds like the US998 is the best version to purchase. I guess I should try to get an original US998 (not a converted LS998). Am I right?
I might try to buy two of these because none of the current phones being made today top the LG V30 for me. (Like somebody said on Reddit recently, smartphone technology seems to be going backwards in some ways.)
Is anyone using LineageOS 18 as the daily driver on the LG V30?
ChazzMatt said:
Since T-Mobile has merged with Sprint, the new SIM cards seem to not allow US998 firmware to have T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling anymore. If you can find an older SIM card, that will still work, to my knowledge.
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Oh, that sounds like bad news for me... Maybe I need to go with the T-Mobile H932 version.