Hello!
Recently i've bought an LG V30 H931 AT&T,from a user that got it as a replacement for his faulty primary LG V30,but it was stored for more than 1 year without being used,because in the meantime he bought something else.
I admit that it's selling price was more than amazing for a new device of that kind,but I've just discovered something weird with its battery.
When I got it in my hands and before I charge it,i've checked via the hidden menu,that the battery had no charging cycles..just 0.
Also via the same menu,in battery condition section,I have a result N/A.
So I decided to install the Accubattery app to see how is the battery condition.
Surprisingly after 2 charging cycles from10-100%,my battery health is in 3120 mah from 3300,which translates to 95% of battery life.
And the question that first comes to my mind is if all these replacement devices by carriers,are brand new devices or refurbished ones.
One more thing I have to say is that this replacement smartphone delivered to him from AT&T in a plain paper box without all the accessories that a new boxed device has..charger,user manual,etc.
Just a smartphone in a plastic small bag and sealed with a sticker that had a barcode on it.
Of course the device had all the plastic stickers on it,like all the new smartphones have,and a sticker with the new IMEI number on it.
Any ideas?is there a possibility that my battery started to get very old because it hasn't been charged for a long period?
Is it a real brand new device or refurbished one?
According to the IMEI,the smartphone has as manufacturing date September 2017,and the seller got it as new replacement in August 2019..almost 2 years after manufacturing date.
Thank you in advance for any answers.
I can almost guarantee that it's a refurbished device. That's what most vendors do when they provide replacements. The V30 was launched in the fall of 2017. There's probably not been any new units manufactured the last 1.5 years or longer.
The battery cycle counter is reset to 0 when you refurbish.
But even if new, a battery would slowly deteriorate even without use. That's particularly true if stored at full charge (which nobody does for the same reason).
That said, AccuBattery is still just an estimate. Particularly after just 2 cycles.
TheDannemand said:
I can almost guarantee that it's a refurbished device. That's what most vendors do when they provide replacements. The V30 was launched in the fall of 2017. There's probably not been any new units manufactured the last 1.5 years or longer.
The battery cycle counter is reset to 0 when you refurbish.
But even if new, a battery would slowly deteriorate even without use. That's particularly true if stored at full charge (which nobody does for the same reason).
That said, AccuBattery is still just an estimate. Particularly after just 2 cycles.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So my thought about refurbished phone seems to be real,but unlikely even in that condition,my phone looks completely new,without even a tiny scratch and runs perfectly good.
Ok i can live with that small battery wear..anyway 6+ hours sot for more than 24 hours out of charge,is a really good performance that a lot of newest smartphones could never reach.
And basically for the $100 i've got it.
Thank you for your answer..have a nice day!
Absolutely, it's a great phone for the money.
V30 has always had good battery life: LG balanced the hardware and optimized the software pretty well. You can improve it further if you get rid of the hidden LG tracking apps, which will also speed it up quite a bit.
They can be easily removed with ADB shell, no root required:
# SRTC LG Root Checker
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.lge.srtc
# LG LDB/MLT tracking service
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.lge.mlt
# T-Mobile tracking (present on T-Mobile models)
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.tmobile.pr.adapt
I can guarantee you will never miss these, and you will feel it when they're gone.
I usually charge my phone every two days, at which point it's down to ~40% battery, and I've had some ~7 hrs SOT. Sometimes I go 3 days, and of course it'll be lower. Batteries suffer the most near full charge and (worse) at low charge.
I often leave mine in Battery Saver mode much of the time. But I Exclude apps I care about from Battery Saving, such as Contacts (dialer), Gmail, Hangouts, Messages, Gboard, Google Backup Transport, Google Calendar Sync, Google Contact Sync, Blokada, XDA. That way they'll run full speed and stay updated during idle, while Google's incessant background business is kept in check.
And it's time to recharge: ~48 hrs, ~7hrs SOT, ~40% battery left.
The high Phone Idle time (and battery usage during Idle) is where Battery Saver makes a big difference. AND getting rid of trackers and other background buggers.
TheDannemand said:
And it's time to recharge: ~48 hrs, ~7hrs SOT, ~40% battery left.
The high Phone Idle time (and battery usage during Idle) is where Battery Saver makes a big difference. AND getting rid of trackers and other background buggers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woow..really amazing performance..and all of this SOT is after getting rid of trackers via adb?
The screenshot below is from my record after 2 days out of charge..5+ hours sot without debloating AT&T apps and battery saver,I think is a very good performance for a refurbished phone.
https://m.imgur.com/a/BvyFDGh
granazias said:
The screenshot below is from my record after 2 days out of charge..5+ hours sot without debloating AT&T apps and battery saver,I think is a very good performance for a refurbished phone.
https://m.imgur.com/a/BvyFDGh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you have good battery performance, particularly considering (A) it's 48 hours of idle time, consuming 21% of your battery usage, and (B) it's without really doing anything to optimize it nor using Battery Saver.
In addition to uninstalling the trackers I mentioned and using Battery Saver (with key apps Excluded from Battery Saving), I also disable apps I don't use from the Apps menu (Amazon Assistant, LG Health, Facebook/Instagram -- some of which are System apps), and I enable Background Restrictions for apps known to be background buggers (AliExpress, Amazon apps, IMDB, almost any News app...). Pie's Adaptive Battery feature is great at doing this automatically.
Disabling from the Apps menu is generally safe, and can be easily undone.
Uninstalling with ADB can cause havoc if you remove key system apps. You have to be careful. But it can be undone with a Factory Reset. Nowadays I only use it on the trackers I mentioned, although I used to be more aggressive.
You may be able to improve further on your Idle battery usage by locating background hogs with BetterBatteryStats. Member @One Twelve was very helpful guiding me through that process a few years ago. See the discussion starting here.
TheDannemand said:
Yes, you have good battery performance, particularly considering (A) it's 48 hours of idle time, consuming 21% of your battery usage, and (B) it's without really doing anything to optimize it nor using Battery Saver.
In addition to uninstalling the trackers I mentioned and using Battery Saver (with key apps Excluded from Battery Saving), I also disable apps I don't use from the Apps menu (Amazon assistant, LG Health, Facebook/Instagram -- some of which are System apps), and I enable Background Restrictions for apps known to be background buggers (AliExpress, Amazon apps, IMDB, almost any News app,...). Pie's Adaptive Battery feature is great at doing this automatically.
Disabling from the Apps menu is generally safe, and can be easily undone.
Uninstalling with ADB can cause havoc if you remove key system apps. You have to be careful. But it can be undone with a Factory Reset. Nowadays I only use with with the trackers I mentioned.
You may be able to improve further on your Idle battery usage by locating background hogs with BetterBatteryStats. Member @One Twelve was very helpful guiding me through that process a few years ago. See the discussion starting here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically I have disabled some apps I dont need,and especially all AT&T apps I am able to disable,because they are useless to me as a European user.
Also some apps like yours and some Google apps I never use.
In addition to you,I am on Oreo so I don't know how much more battery efficient is Pie..unfortunately I can't update to Pie,even though my phone is carrier unlocked,because I am not AT&T user.
Of course I already know the way how I can Frankenstein my phone to US998 in order to update android version,thanks to XDA kind members,but i just want to have a small experience with a foreign to me carrier firmware.
About adb commands,unfortunately I have never tried it,and I am not so confident to do so.
Anyway I really appreciate your help and guiding.
One last question..why are you used to charge your phone at nearly 40% and not on lower level?
Does it have to do with less charging cycles?
I usually charge between 15-20% until 100% and leave the phone on charger about 1-2 hours more after full charge..do you think I am doing wrong?
granazias said:
Basically I have disabled some apps I dont need,and especially all AT&T apps I am able to disable,because they are useless to me as a European user.
Also some apps like yours and some Google apps I never use.
In addition to you,I am on Oreo so I don't know how much more battery efficient is Pie..unfortunately I can't update to Pie,even though my phone is carrier unlocked,because I am not AT&T user.
Of course I already know the way how I can Frankenstein my phone to US998 in order to update android version,thanks to XDA kind members,but i just want to have a small experience with a foreign to me carrier firmware.
About adb commands,unfortunately I have never tried it,and I am not so confident to do so.
Anyway I really appreciate your help and guiding.
One last question..why are you used to charge your phone at nearly 40% and not on lower level?
Does it have to do with less charging cycles?
I usually charge between 15-20% until 100% and leave the phone on charger about 1-2 hours more after full charge..do you think I am doing wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My primary phone is on Oreo as well (the screenshot I posted). For some reason I just thought you were on Pie, but I can definitely understand why you are not, since AT&T makes that so difficult. (I believe somebody posted a trick for H931 users without AT&T service to trigger an update using an AT&T SIM card, although I forget the details and where.)
It's good that you already know about the Frankenstein procedure. You could convert to US998 to unlock and root the phone, then re-install the AT&T ROM to gain the additional LTE bands it supports, if they're useful where you live.
ADB isn't hard to get going. Just follow one of ChazzMatt's threads.
About your question: Lithium-ion polymer batteries are most comfortable in the middle of their range. Time spent below 20% and above 80% hurts them. A case could be made for small charges to keep them in the 30-70% range, but that seems too much trouble for me.
So I generally charge for a couple hours every other day, during the day, when the phone gets to that 35-40% level. If I go three days between charges, it'll often drop below 20%. And I don't like charging overnight, since that leaves the phone at 100% for several hours.
I used to go three days instead of two on my previous H932, which I had optimized a little tighter than my current US998. For example I had disabled high-frequency LTE bands which take more power (although they're generally faster). But selecting bands is trickier on US998 as there is no way to completely reset it.
I never practiced the AccuBattery thing of unplugging at 80-90%, both because it's hard to do, and because I think it screws up the battery statistics maintained by the firmware when it never gets to fully charge. I could be wrong, but it seemed that way to me.
TheDannemand said:
My primary phone is on Oreo as well (the screenshot I posted). For some reason I just thought you were on Pie, but I can definitely understand why you are not, since AT&T makes that so difficult. (I believe somebody posted a trick for H931 users without AT&T service to trigger an update using an AT&T SIM card, although I forget the details and where.)
It's good that you already know about the Frankenstein procedure. You could convert to US998 to unlock and root the phone, then re-install the AT&T ROM to gain the additional LTE bands it supports, if they're useful where you live.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically I was thinking that kind of trick with an AT&T sim card you've mentioned before,and I have made a little search on ebay in order to purchase one,but I don't know if I can use it..normally I can use it with roaming.
Are these sim cards for top up users who want to just get an AT&T prepaid number,or only as replacement for existing contracts?I don't know.
On the other hand,even though it is my first time that I use an American carrier firmware,cause as I wrote before I live in Europe,and I have read a lot of complaints about AT&T firmware here and there,i see a very good behavior of my V30.
This is the second one I own,the first is H930 EU model,and I can confirm that is a little bit slower and have some small lags sometimes,which I think have to do with my European open rom..maybe.
Do you believe that if I convert my H931 to US998,it will have much better performance in general,or is better to leave it as is with AT&T rom?
I ask you because as I already have read here on XDA,once you convert it there is no return back because AT&T doesn't release it's kdz for downloading as other carriers do.
And until now I am completely satisfied with my phone's behavior and performance.
At this moment I write to you,my SOT has exceeded 8 hours in 52 hours out of charge..this is the first time I get such a SOT in so many hours of use.
And dont forget that I use a refurbished phone with a used battery,even if I have charged it only 3 times.
Of course I had many SOT like this with my H930 EU model,but in less than 48 hours of general use,which I suppose has to do with radio signal of my carrier and probably the rom..that's why I asked you before if it will be better to convert my H931 to US998 or leave it as is.
See attached screenshot below.
You're definitely getting great battery life. Well done on that!
As for whether to Frankenphone or not:
1) If you're happy with the phone's current firmware and have no intention of rooting, that's a good reason to leave it as it is. H931 has more LTE bands than US998, some of which may be relevant to you. (And US998 has some CDMA bands which you'll never need in Europe).
2) If your current ROM is an old version of Oreo, that would be a reason to convert, both for the later security fixes and for some functionality and stability improvements in later Oreo versions. The latest H931 Oreo version is 20s.
3) VoLTE and WiFi Calling are implemented differently in H931 and US998: If they're working for you now on the H931 ROM, they may or may not work on the US998 ROM. And vice versa.
4) After converting to US998, unlocking bootloader, and installing custom recovery (TWRP) you can CAN actually re-install the H931 ROM as a flashable ZIP from this thread. Brilliant work by the Dev there! The download is currently pulled, but if you ask in the thread, someone may have saved a copy. I tested that ROM for its WiFi Calling features, and it works great (likely the same ROM you have now).
5) You don't need to decide right away: You can keep using the phone as it is and Frankenphone it later. If you want to be 100% sure to always have the option, you can download and save all the relevant files and guides now -- though I doubt that will be a problem: ChazzMatt hosts most of them and he's the stable rock of the V30 community.
TheDannemand said:
2) If your current ROM is an old version of Oreo, that would be a reason to convert, both for the later security fixes and for some functionality and stability improvements in later Oreo versions. The latest H931 Oreo version is 20h.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello again and thank you for your detailed informations.
As you already mentioned about old version of Oreo,that was about in my last post,where I was referring to the trick with a sim card in order to get further firmware updates,and thats why I am looking for an AT&T sim card.
I found some on ebay but I don't know if they are suitable for what I want to do.
What I want to know is if these sims provide a new phone number so I can top up and use it even in roaming..maybe this way can I get an OTA update,or this is possible only inside US?
My Oreo version is 20q with security patch level March 1,2019,but 2 versions older than the latest 20s.
I'm afraid I don't know the details of that trick to force an H931 OTA. I just remember seeing it sometime ago. I do seem to recall it was someone overseas, but I could wrong.
Try Googling with XDA in the search string. It could have been V35 or G8, a lot of overstocked AT&T models of those floating around.
Otherwise I'd say this would be a good reason to Frankenphone. You'll want to escape the claws of AT&T sooner or later anyway.
TheDannemand said:
I'm afraid I don't know the details of that trick to force an H931 OTA. I just remember seeing it sometime ago. I do seem to recall it was someone overseas, but I could wrong.
Try Googling with XDA in the search string. It could have been V35 or G8, a lot of overstocked AT&T models of those floating around.
Otherwise I'd say this would be a good reason to Frankenphone. You'll want to escape the claws of AT&T sooner or later anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I confirm there are a lot of overstocked AT&T phones around..I am waiting for an AT&T unlocked V35 to be delivered to me from day to day..I like to enrich my collection with V30 type phones lol.
I hate notched phones,even though G8 had been in my plans when it was announced..finally V30 won me..twice!!
To our topic again..I tried Googling on net about sim card trick but didn't find something similar..I will try your suggestion in XDA search string and if I find any infos I"ll leave my comment here,in order to help others for future reference.
Once again thanks for your valuable replies.
granazias said:
Yeah I confirm there are a lot of overstocked AT&T phones around..I am waiting for an AT&T unlocked V35 to be delivered to me from day to day..I like to enrich my collection with V30 type phones lol.
I hate notched phones,even though G8 had been in my plans when it was announced..finally V30 won me..twice!!
To our topic again..I tried Googling on net about sim card trick but didn't find something similar..I will try your suggestion in XDA search string and if I find any infos I"ll leave my comment here,in order to help others for future reference.
Once again thanks for your valuable replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the V35 thread linked below, starting around page 7. Admittedly all the success stories there are domestic users (US) although several non-US users are posting as well. Key is to have an AT&T prepaid SIM (no surprise) but not necessarily activating it or creating an account. And then manually adjust the date forward to trigger the update. One user posted how it had to be an expensive international AT&T SIM to work on a roaming network.
How to get latest ATT OTA/Firmware
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v35/help/how-to-att-ota-firmware-t3912173/page7
If I were in your situation, I would just Frankenphone, unlock and root. It's easy with this phone. Then if you want the AT&T ROM back (because it has more of your LTE bands and/or because its VoLTE and VoWiFi works better where you are) just flash the H93120h I mentioned earlier.
When I had a brand new $850 V30+ back in the days, I had no desire to root, both because of the risks, and in case I needed LG warranty (which I did, twice). But it's different now when good condition V30+ units can be had for $150.
Edit: Wait! I see you're saying 20s is the latest Oreo for H931. That's quite a bit later than the latest TWRP flashable H931 zip I've seen. So better to hold off on the conversion if you think you'll want to come back to the H931 ROM. Or ask in that H931 ROM thread (linked earlier).
TheDannemand said:
Check the V35 thread linked below, starting around page 7. Admittedly all the success stories there are domestic users (US) although several non-US users are posting as well. Key is to have an AT&T prepaid SIM (no surprise) but not necessarily activating it or creating an account. And then manually adjust the date forward to trigger the update. One user posted how it had to be an expensive international AT&T SIM to work on a roaming network.
How to get latest ATT OTA/Firmware
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v35/help/how-to-att-ota-firmware-t3912173/page7
If I were in your situation, I would just Frankenphone, unlock and root. It's easy with this phone. Then if you want the AT&T ROM back (because it has more of your LTE bands and/or because its VoLTE and VoWiFi works better where you are) just flash the H93120h I mentioned earlier.
When I had a brand new $850 V30+ back in the days, I had no desire to root, both because of the risks, and in case I needed LG warranty (which I did, twice). But it's different now when good condition V30+ units can be had for $150.
Edit: Wait! I see you're saying 20s is the latest Oreo for H931. That's quite a bit later than the latest TWRP flashable H931 zip I've seen. So better to hold off on the conversion if you think you'll want to come back to the H931 ROM. Or ask in that H931 ROM thread (linked earlier).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clarify, he doesn't need to bootloader unlock and root just to convert to US998.
I know that's not what you are saying, but yes only to convert BACK to H931 firmware he would need that.
But if he's not an AT&T customer he would never need to convert back.
Frankenstein existed before WTF bootloader unlock and root, just for people like him who have AT&T H931 or Sprint LS998 and want to be free of that firmware and/or want updates.
I even wrote a sticky Guide:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v30/how-to/ls998-h931-how-to-update-t3927155
Sure, for you and me it's obvious he should root -- if just to get DTS Surround Sound stereo... Tons of advantages and options once rooted, but I don't want to overwhelm him.
Right now, he should probably just convert to US998 firmware. That's the first step to bootloader unlock and root anyway.
TheDannemand said:
Absolutely, it's a great phone for the money.
V30 has always had good battery life: LG balanced the hardware and optimized the software pretty well. You can improve it further if you get rid of the hidden LG tracking apps, which will also speed it up quite a bit.
They can be easily removed with ADB shell, no root required:
# SRTC LG Root Checker
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.lge.srtc
# LG LDB/MLT tracking service
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.lge.mlt
# T-Mobile tracking (present on T-Mobile models)
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.tmobile.pr.adapt
I can guarantee you will never miss these, and you will feel it when they're gone.
I usually charge my phone every two days, at which point it's down to ~40% battery, and I've had some ~7 hrs SOT. Sometimes I go 3 days, and of course it'll be lower. Batteries suffer the most near full charge and (worse) at low charge.
I often leave mine in Battery Saver mode much of the time. But I Exclude apps I care about from Battery Saving, such as Contacts (dialer), Gmail, Hangouts, Messages, Gboard, Google Backup Transport, Google Calendar Sync, Google Contact Sync, Blokada, XDA. That way they'll run full speed and stay updated during idle, while Google's incessant background business is kept in check.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, the only thing I found was an srtc.apk, any idea what it actually does? I got rid of LG Health first thing, as soon as it told me I couldn't stop it. pr.adapt will actually ask for root and log it.
callihn said:
Interesting, the only thing I found was an srtc.apk, any idea what it actually does? I got rid of LG Health first thing, as soon as it told me I couldn't stop it. pr.adapt will actually ask for root and log it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, as it says in that comment, SRTC is an LG Root Checking app. Removing it will speed up the phone measurably. The only downside is that you will no longer keep LG updated about whether your phone is rooted
ChazzMatt said:
Just to clarify, he doesn't need to bootloader unlock and root just to convert to US998.
I know that's not what you are saying, but yes to convert BACK to H931 he would need that.
But if he's not an AT&T customer he would never need to convert back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely, good point! I'm glad you shared the link to that guide.
I don't know whether H931 or US998 is a better fit regarding LTE bands and IMS compatibility (VoLTE and VoWiFi) for the OP. Depends on the country and carrier. It's possible that H931 would be better, if they can get the updates. But that's a big if.
TheDannemand said:
Well, as it says in that comment, SRTC is an LG Root Checking app. Removing it will speed up the phone measurably. The only downside is that you will no longer keep LG updated about whether your phone is rooted
Absolutely, good point! I'm glad you shared the link to that guide.
I don't know whether H931 or US998 is a better fit regarding LTE bands and IMS compatibility (VoLTE and VoWiFi) for the OP. Depends on the country and carrier. It's possible that H931 would be better, if they can get the updates. But that's a big if.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@TheDannemand and @ChazzMatt,I really thank you both for your help and response till today to my questions.
Is less than a week I own the H931,and I already believe that this firmware is much better and battery efficient than my first H930 EU model which is carrier unlocked by default.
Today I swapped my sim card from H930 to H931 and had it at my job,where is an area with really bad cellular signal,and despite this and comparing these 2 models,i can say that H931 had much better signal reception in places where H930 was impossible to have.
I don't know if it has to do with maybe another band that my carrier uses,which the H930 is not using..maybe is the H931 firmware itself?
I can give an example..during the days I was using the H930,when I was entering the building's elevator which is surrounded by thick concrete walls,immediately I was getting out of signal reception until the moment I was getting out of it to the desired floor..today I was able to receive calls inside the elevator and I was really surprised with the fact that the signal strength level on my phone,was 2 lines from 5.
Is it just a coincidence?I don't think so.
In general I am very satisfied with the phone's behavior in H931..the only downside is that I cant use volte and WiFi calling because my carrier doesn't provide that feature..and basically non of the carriers here in country does..they are a little bit in stone age era..lol.
Another thing that I saw in the settings menu is that I don't have the option of the preferred network selection as I have in the H930..e.g..2g/3g/lte,wsdma only or GSM only.
Every time I turn on mobile data,I get 4g LTE icon.
Maybe this means that even if I have mobile data turned off,I get lte signal?
With the H930 I have this option and when I turn on data,usually I see 4g+ icon and H+ or even E in areas with low signal..with H931 I have 4g lte icon wherever I go.
Also if I dont want to have auto 2g,3g,LTE,I choose GSM only.
Is there somewhere this option and I can't see it?
Related
I will be going out of my voice/data area.
I was unknowingly under the impression that everything was fine with my new U.S. Cellular's best 3Mbps Uncapped Unlimited 25GB Plus plan; nothing hidden, everything disclosed ["...and no hidden charges..." (right!? LoL)].
But, what I am finding out quickly is that not even all of CS Reps really know what's going on, and even they are not up-to-date on the details.
"The dickens is in the details!".
Unfortunately, U.S. Cellular's roaming is limited to 400MB per month, no matter what plan you are on, even if you are on their top-of-the-line plan.
Additional GB have to be purchased.
I am located in the States and on a U.S. Cellular 30-month contract.
KevinAuralee said:
I will be going out of my voice/data area.
I am located in the States and on a U.S. Cellular 30-month contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to know:
I have a 'locked' Galaxy S9+ (SM-G965U). Would it be cheaper to buy a Sim and use my phone with another carrier instead of roaming?
Is it even possible on a 'locked' phone to temporarily use a different carrier?
I'm mostly concerned about my internet data (or, really my lack thereof), and how much it would cost to buy 'roaming' data.
1.5GB or 3.5GB roaming data will cost extra; $15 or $35 respectively.
I have the choice of Global, LTE/CDMA, LTE/GSM/UMTS under Mobile Networks => Network mode.
It would seem that I could use Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T for a month and not have roaming charges through the nose.
Also, I believe U.S. Cellular's biggest roaming package is 3.5GB (vs the 25GB [Unlimited Plus] plan that I have gotten used to).
I talked to U.S. Cellular's technical support, and they said... Because there is a balance on the phone, it is locked... And because it is locked, another carrier cannot be used.
I understand, also, from reading this forum, that unlocking a Stateside S9+ is not a good idea, because it will trip Knox and void the warranty.
Unless someone knows something else, looks like I'm sunk.
Can anyone please verify my latest fears?
KevinAuralee said:
I talked to U.S. Cellular's technical support, and they said... Because there is a balance on the phone, it is locked... And because it is locked, another carrier cannot be used.
I understand, also, from reading this forum, that unlocking a Stateside S9+ is not a good idea, because it will trip Knox and void the warranty.
Unless someone knows something else, looks like I'm sunk.
Can anyone please verify my latest fears?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3 posts and I have no idea what your question really is. The Snapdragon models can't be rooted. At best, you could manage to brick your device trying. I'm also not sure what it would accomplish, given your problem.
CrazyApe18 said:
3 posts and I have no idea what your question really is. The Snapdragon models can't be rooted. At best, you could manage to brick your device trying. I'm also not sure what it would accomplish, given your problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have returned from my trip to no-service (roaming) PA. I had to use local wifi while roaming. It was a very bad phone data experience. I was talking about hidden fees with US Cellular to be able to even use my phone for internet access.
I have 1-1/2 years left and will unlock this phone. I really do like the camera and the speed of the apps, etc. But since Snapdragon models cannot be rooted, what is the point of my owning this phone?
Obviously, I should probably ditch this phone or upgrade... probably selling it would be the best way to put money towards a new phone that can be rooted.
What are your suggestions?
Carriers have pro's and con's... If you are worried about having high roaming use then perhaps pick up an unlocked phone that will work on a different provider (with applicable plan through the provider) and use it as a mobile hotspot. Then connect your S9+ to the mobile hotspot and you should be ok.
TBH one of the things you should consider when your buying service through a carrier is the coverage the carrier provides as well as if/what limitations may exist. In your case if you roam a lot and the price of roaming is to much then perhaps consider a different provider when your contract is up.
KevinAuralee said:
I have a 'locked' Galaxy S9+ (SM-G965U). Would it be cheaper to buy a Sim and use my phone with another carrier instead of roaming?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is carrier/network locked which means it can only be used on the carrier you got it from. Because the phone is carrier locked you can not use any other sim card other then what is provided by the carrier.
KevinAuralee said:
Is it even possible on a 'locked' phone to temporarily use a different carrier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope
KevinAuralee said:
I have 1-1/2 years left and will unlock this phone. I really do like the camera and the speed of the apps, etc. But since Snapdragon models cannot be rooted, what is the point of my owning this phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest you just gave 2 pro's and only 1 con over the device, which would kinda answer your question for you... But again that is the kind of question only you can answer..
IMHO if your sole purpose on having that phone is that you must have it rooted, then this phone is not the one for you. If your only trying to root the phone so you can get cheaper roaming data by using other sim cards then you probably shouldn't be trying to root the phone anyways (not that root is even possible cuz it's not... It's just better to get it carrier/network unlocked by paying it off).
On the other hand for the most part even if it was possible the device could be rooted it won't give you much outside of what you already have. Granted I have had phone(s) being samsung and other where rooting the device allowed me to get better performance and battery life. With this phone it is the first Samsung I have had that is quite snappy, battery life is surprisingly good and overall it works quite well with just the stock firmware.
About the only thing I would root the phone for (if it were possible, it's not obviously) is for nandroid backups. Still even from factory data reset to back up and running doesn't take that long anymore. Outside of that I myself have no reason to root the phone.
KevinAuralee said:
Obviously, I should probably ditch this phone or upgrade... probably selling it would be the best way to put money towards a new phone that can be rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would strongly suggest you entertain/consider those notions after you paid the phone off. But just as an FYI once you get the phone unlocked (after paying it off) you can use it on T-Moble, Sprint, Verizon, AT&T... The G965U and G965U1 whether bought from samsung or the carriers themselves have the same internal hardware. The software determines what bands and carrier compatible features are active... Should be noted that carriers may have additional requirements (like AT&T not letting non AT&T S9+ use VoLTE) for specific services/features.
So if anything pay the phone off faster so you can get it carrier/network unlocked.. The phone or the fact the model isn't rootable isn't the real problem here, it's the data roaming charges your carrier has.
KevinAuralee said:
What are your suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep the phone and use it until it's paid off.. Then get it carrier/network unlocked would be my suggestion. At that point you can use a sim card with a different provider for cheaper data roaming.. Or after it's paid off and network unlocked you can just sell it (you could probably get more for it since it would be unlocked to work for any carrier).
scottusa2008 said:
IMHO if your sole purpose on having that phone is that you must have it rooted, then this phone is not the one for you.
With this phone it is the first Samsung I have had that is quite snappy, battery life is surprisingly good and overall it works quite well with just the stock firmware.
About the only thing I would root the phone for (if it were possible, it's not obviously) is for nandroid backups. Still even from factory data reset to back up and running doesn't take that long anymore. Outside of that I myself have no reason to root the phone.
I would strongly suggest you entertain/consider those notions after you paid the phone off...
...The phone or the fact the model isn't rootable isn't the real problem here, it's the data roaming charges your carrier has.
Keep the phone and use it until it's paid off.. Then get it carrier/network unlocked would be my suggestion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't like a lot of things that deal with not having root.
Google and Samsung push are trying to take over my phone, even though I have a lot of stuff disabled. I just found out my location is full on, and I always have it turned off or set to minimal.
I even had some data usage and never turned data on... am 100% running on wi-fi. And now Samsung's keyboard is active and can't be disabled.
Seems to me that I would like to stock load what I originally had when I first received the phone. I have never taken any updates and get nagged a lot.
But, like you said it isn't mine to root yet! But gimminies, I mean give me a break... I can't even side-load anymore. And that's gonna smart quite a bit.
I have entertained the idea of upgrading to a newer phone, but that would probably result in digging my hole deeper and even harder to get out of. I have 1-1/2 years left to go on my phone, or just flat buy it out while it is still worth something.
Oh, and I have never been able to back up my phone without spilling all of my information to Google or Samsung -- that's the way they like it!
So I have been running without a backup for a year now, and I don't like it. Sure, I have almost everything pics & stuff on hard drive, but my apps, text messages, phone book, etc. I don't.
I'm thinking I would like to take screen pics of my apps & contacts, etc. and start all over. If only I knew of a sure way of gaining 100% control over my phone, I would do it!
But like you say, it might make more sense to just pay it off and then sell it and be rid of it.
KevinAuralee said:
I don't like a lot of things that deal with not having root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your not the only one... but if that is the case then it would seem that samsung has pretty much gotten on the ball and took care of the exploits that would allow root. While in one sense it's a bummer for those who want to root, but in the other they are making devices that aren't as exploitable (which is actually a good thing).
KevinAuralee said:
I even had some data usage and never turned data on... am 100% running on wi-fi. And now Samsung's keyboard is active and can't be disabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you turn off roaming data? If you did then it would not have connected to the roaming data.. Mine never does unless I have it turned on. Also if your sending and recieving MMS messages this would use mobile data, so check your MMS settings for roaming auto retrieve.
KevinAuralee said:
Oh, and I have never been able to back up my phone without spilling all of my information to Google or Samsung -- that's the way they like it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This whole cloud backup thing has been around for a long time and is not a Samsung or Google thing. Microsoft Windows, Apple devices, Amazon devices all do the same thing. It's convenient for many and for those who are paranoid (or just don't want to use cloud backup) you don't have to use cloud backup services.
You can use smartswitch and make a backup of what is on the phone on your computer. You can save your contacts to the device only and you can export those contacts to a .vcf file... so you can later import them if you get a different phone (or factory data reset).
KevinAuralee said:
So I have been running without a backup for a year now, and I don't like it. Sure, I have almost everything pics & stuff on hard drive, but my apps, text messages, phone book, etc. I don't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out Smartswitch
https://account.samsung.com/membership/terms/privacypolicy
I just did... their privacy policy is that I have no privacy. So I am back to square one and I feel better off NOT backing anything up both by their services and/or their software.
I have no active accounts with the goog, or samsung.
I plan on keeping it this way.
I guess my only question would be if I did a hard reset, and because I have never allowed any updates, would I be able to get back to day one when I first got the phone and be able to start from scratch?
KevinAuralee said:
I guess my only question would be if I did a hard reset, and because I have never allowed any updates, would I be able to get back to day one when I first got the phone and be able to start from scratch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you did a factory data reset your phone would erase all your data and apps from the phone and all settings restored to factory defaults. You would have to go through the setup process again and restore your data (and make what ever changes, disable what apps you need too, misc customizations) which ever way you are going to do so.
I only mention this because I do not know what firmware your running or what was on the phone when you originally bought it. This part may or may not apply in your case, but in case it does... The only thing about a factory data reset is it does not change what firmware is installed on the phone. If you have the latest android pie installed then that is what will be on the phone once the factory data reset is completed.
Hi all,
Im a still a bit green around the edges when it comes to dealing with android os.
I have 2 lgv30 (tmobile) and my goals are.....(this is what i need help with)
1. I want to run everything locally, no cloud, no sync, no backups, no services, nothing. I paid for these phones so i shouldnt have google or tmobile in my grille mining my personal data.
2. I dont care if google apps work or not....like i said im trying to get all my stuff on my phone working from my phone and not shared.
3. I have to use microsoft outlook and the home screen launcher microsoft makes is nice... Not intrusive like the google services stuff.
Im trying to clamp down on this privacy securitu stuff thats run amok with google... Copperhead OS is great and i would use it if my phone would work with it.... I dont login or sync any google accounts but i would really like to strip down and know how to achieve my goal with android 8.0.... The bloat, the privacy invasive crap, etc.... Looks like with 8.0 you can lockdown per app per permission....
Any thoughts or ideas?
Thanks
J
Ratfink11 said:
2. I dont care if google apps work or not....like i said im trying to get all my stuff on my phone working from my phone and not shared.
3. I have to use microsoft outlook and the home screen launcher microsoft makes is nice... Not intrusive like the google services stuff
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. Do you even imagine why RIM and their BBOS vanished? And Meego too? Because Uncle Sam wants your data, not because Android was somewhat better than they or Win Mobile 6.5. With WinMobile 6.5 you could store all your data locally, but seems that now only option is either to disable all google apps on your phone or better get root and flash some Gapps-free ROM.
You may want to read such topics maybe you'll find there more helpfull advices
Ratfink11 said:
Hi all,
Im a still a bit green around the edges when it comes to dealing with android os.
I have 2 lgv30 (tmobile) and my goals are.....(this is what i need help with)
1. I want to run everything locally, no cloud, no sync, no backups, no services, nothing. I paid for these phones so i shouldnt have google or tmobile in my grille mining my personal data.
2. I dont care if google apps work or not....like i said im trying to get all my stuff on my phone working from my phone and not shared.
3. I have to use microsoft outlook and the home screen launcher microsoft makes is nice... Not intrusive like the google services stuff.
Im trying to clamp down on this privacy securitu stuff thats run amok with google... Copperhead OS is great and i would use it if my phone would work with it.... I dont login or sync any google accounts but i would really like to strip down and know how to achieve my goal with android 8.0.... The bloat, the privacy invasive crap, etc.... Looks like with 8.0 you can lockdown per app per permission....
Any thoughts or ideas?
Thanks
J
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's hope you don't have a T-Mobile exclusive V30 then, because that one is unrootable, bootloader not unlockable, etc. (the only one out of all V30 that can be customized pretty extensively)
1. k, just flash e.g. lineageOS, RR, AEX, dot os, etc. and leave gapps away (only flash the ROM)
2. You want to minimize Google tracking ? Install AdAway as a basis with its 4 blocking lists to be added to your hosts file, then install Blokada - use the "Mother of All ..." (the XDA extensive blocking list), install firewalls (best opensource based) and block off internet access to apps. With "App Ops"/"Privacy Guard" you can fine-grained tweak which apps run in background, at boot, keep your device awake and other things (e.g. location permissions). There's others but that's it for now
3. See if you can get an app or functionality (via XPosed, etc.) that lets you see if there is more internet communication with Outlook & MS Home Screen Launcher than there should be and block it via firewall or add it to hosts file, the extensive blocking list on Blokada might be too much and prevent Outlook from functioning properly so you might need to go with a less aggressive option
Privacy/Security wise it's not only Google, it's Microsoft, Google, FB, Twitter, etc.
It's all companies together and a pretty wide surveillance net.
In any case use a Browser that supports adblocking, disabling of Javascript and additional features (thinking about tracking cookies, invisible image trackers, etc. etc.)
Yeah, there are more things you can tweak related to permissions with 8.0
The following might be interesting:
https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-08...ation-even-if-you-turn-off-location-data.html
https://apnews.com/828aefab64d4411b...-Google-tracks-your-movements,-like-it-or-not
https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/ap-report-google-knows-where-you-are-even-if-you-disable-tracking/
So in that case we might need location spoofers or anything related (if those even work)
Well....?????
I do have the TMobile LG V30.
looks like im going to have to wait a couple months before it can be rooted???? From what im reading its still being worked on? Unfortuneatley i didnt have the option to go with the unlocked versions.
I definately want to move to Lineage...
Any suggestions or further info regarding rooting and unlocking bootloader would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone for your help.
Ratfink11 said:
Well....?????
I do have the TMobile LG V30.
looks like i'm going to have to wait a couple months before it can be rooted???? From what im reading its still being worked on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Won't ever be done. I'll be glad to be proven wrong, of course. I'm just stating probability. T-mobile H932 was released October 2017. This is now mid-August 2018.
1) RSA encryption on H932 is completely different from other North America variants.
2) Other phones are coming along which gets developers' attention. No one is really working on the H932 specifically, because of point #3...
3) There's no need since every V30/V30+/V30S on the planet -- EXCEPT for the T-mobile H932 has easy bootloader unlock, TWRP, root. Use one of those on T-mobile.
Ratfink11 said:
Unfortunately i didnt have the option to go with the unlocked versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not? Somebody held a gun to your head? Lots of T-mobile users are using the unlocked versions on T-mobile. No one forced you to buy the H932 specifically.
The carrier unlocked US998 (or the H931, H933, VS996, AS998, LS998 CONVERTED to US998) runs just fine on T-mobile. Plus, the carrier unlocked V30S.
So, there's SEVEN different North America V30/V30+ variant choices for you to buy to run on T-mobile. Mint LS998 V30+ is $315 on eBay right now, and eBay often gives 10% to 20% flash sales to bring the price even lower. Lots of people in this forum bought for 20% off for Father's Day sale, including me.
I've been on AT&T since 2012 and I've NEVER owned an AT&T branded phone. I always buy carrier unlocked phones.
So are you saying i can install lineage os on my tmobile lg v30?
My company has a contract account with tmobile....similar to goverment accounts. Tmobile supplies the phones we have to use..They wont activate any phone except the ones they provide. However, phones can have custom roms and still be used.
I also have employees that have the need for two or more phones due to seperating phone from tethering needs and new bandwidth coming from tmobile. Tmobile provided ALL the phones at huge discounts, no money up front and low monthly payments.
Not everyone has money to throw around......And im guessing here....perhaps like you can? Maybe your the richest man in the world? It must be nice... If someone did hold a gun to my head at our time of purchase we would all be dead because we dont have trust funds like you might have?Its really wonderful you can purchase 2 lg v30 on ebay or amazon and drop 2k with no issues....my employees cant....
Ratfink11 said:
So are you saying i can install lineage os on my tmobile lg v30?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm saying you can NOT. H932 does not have the fastboot flash commands necessary to install TWRP and root, using the LG Oreo bootloader unlock expoit @TxanMoe found. The other North America variants can be "converted" to US998 for the necessary fastboot flash commands. For some after that, you can even convert back to original model if you wish.
H932 has different RSA encryption than the other North America variants so it's impossible.
Ratfink11 said:
My company has a contract account with tmobile....similar to goverment accounts. Tmobile supplies the phones we have to use..They wont activate any phone except the ones they provide. However, phones can have custom roms and still be used.
I also have employees that have the need for two or more phones due to seperating phone from tethering needs and new bandwidth coming from tmobile. Tmobile provided ALL the phones at huge discounts, no money up front and low monthly payments.
Not everyone has money to throw around......And im guessing here....perhaps like you have. Its really wonderful you can purchase 2 lg v30 on ebay or amazon and drop 2k with no issues....my employees cant....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you didn't read what I wrote. I suggest you read before replying. How does $252 per phone on eBay = $2,000? I'll post again since you didn't read. I'll even do the math for you:
ChazzMatt said:
Mint LS998 V30+ is $315 on eBay right now, and eBay often gives 10% to 20% flash sales to bring the price even lower. Lots of people in this forum bought for 20% off for Father's Day sale, including me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$315 - 20% = $252.
Convert that to US998, root, use on T-mobile with custom ROM. Lots of people use them on T-mobile. It's called Bring Your Own Phone. T-mobile allows non-branded phones to be used on T-mobile -- example Google Pixel phones or ANY compatible phone.
If your company's contract prevents that, too bad. Personal accounts do not prevent that.
Can you buy a another V30 phone and put your company T-Mobile SIM card in? Then root?
My LG G2 just died and I'm looking for a replacement. LG V30 (EU version) looks pretty good, but I have a few questions.
Just like with my G2 I would have to get rid of LG software and flash lineage but that means no lg "features" and here lies the question.
Is there anything gamechanging I would lose?
From what I've read the quad DAC doesn't work but I dont have any audiophile grade headphones so regular snapdragon DAC should get the job done just fine, but what about the camera.
The main reason I'm looking into this phone is the camera, waterproofing and heaphone jack (S8 has also these features but lineage is broken on that thing and I won't touch touchwiz).
So how is the camera on non stock roms? Do I still have acces to the wide angle one and other goodies?
If there is anything else I'm missing please let me know.
You can install both GCam builds one for the main camera and one for the wide angle camera, so you have 2 different apps for each back camera.
As for the quad dac - you can use it:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77389334&postcount=15
Onkyo HF Player
USB Audio Player PRO
both are able to utilize the quad dac,
with the 2nd you can even use it with streaming
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77426758&postcount=5
not entirely sure about qnovo but it's an in-kernel driver so it also seems to be used on ROMs different from LG's Stock ROM
zacharias.maladroit said:
You can install both GCam builds one for the main camera and one for the wide angle camera, so you have 2 different apps for each back camera.
As for the quad dac - you can use it:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77426758&postcount=5
not entirely sure about qnovo but it's an in-kernel driver so it also seems to be used on ROMs different from LG's Stock ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'm pleasently surprised by that DAC. Thought I would have to give that up for sure.
2 apps for camera is annoying but as long as it takes good photos it doesn't really matter. Is the camera still good on aosp roms?
I know people usually praise Gcam and from reviews this phone has good camera but I figured I might as well ask.
Anything else I should know? I know the speaker is not the best but after the G2 speaker anything is going to be great
FROM A PM, but relevant here.
eBay daywide sale August 28,2018: code "PREGAME15" (15% off anything)
Some LS998 V30+questions
Stormwing said:
I've been looking for a modern, rootable, and bootloader unlockable replacement for my rather aged phone (Sony Xperia Z3v) and after realizing the S8 is horribly locked down my search has led me to your extensive body of experience and research involving the LS998 V30+, to a point where I'm pretty sure it's the one. But because I've fallen off the development wagon for so long I hope you won't mind if I ask you a couple things since you are the resident expert:
Given it's a Sprint device, the LS998 should be fine on Verizon, correct? And should be okay overseas as well?
I haven't really ROM'd since the Gingerbread/ICS days on my old Droids, will this be able to offer a similarly open experience?
Is the $315 eBay one a reliable buy? No issues with the screen (burn in, graying) or condition?
eBay's running one of their sitewide 15% off sales today (PREGAME15) and I'm thinking about pulling the trigger.
Thanks for your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This same dealer also has MINT US998 V30+ for $310 right now. Not sure why it's less than the LS998, but not only is it $5 cheaper but with the 15% discount, that makes it less than $264.... I fully expect it's probably already a converted LS998, but that still saves you one step in bootloader unlock and rooting..
BACK TO YOUR QUESTION.
YES, pull the trigger -- on either.
For the LS998 V30+ $315 - 15% = less than $268 for MINT LS998 V30+. I've bought two LS998 from this dealer -- gave one to my sister, gave the other to my wife (both converted to US998).
Just make sure you ONLY stick to the "mint" for sale (9/10) from this dealer. Don't buy the "good", "very good" -- ONLY MINT.
Yes, the "LS998" will work on Verizon, but not as you buy it. As you easily modify it, with Frankenstein. You'll convert the LS998 first to US998 to sim card unlock/network unlock and make it Verizon-compatible -- with all proper CDMA and LTE bands, blah, blah, blah. At this point you could use it on Verizon since you now have a carrier unlocked US998 V30+, meant to be used on all North American carriers.
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
ANY North American V30 variant (AT&T H931, Verizon VS996, Sprint LS998, carrier unlocked US998, Canadian H933, regional AS998) can be converted to any other North American V30 variant (except for T-mobile H932) with dev patched LGUP (a.k.a. Frankenstein) The only reason the Sprint LS998 seems more popular is for some reason it was ridiculously cheap on eBay as no one wanted carrier locked down Sprint phones. The Verizon, AT&T, even carrier unlocked US998 were going for $200 more. Then, we found out you could CONVERT the LS998 V30+ to any other North American V30+ and carrier unlock it in the process. Woo hoo! This then reached epic proportions when you add bootloader unlock and root to the mix.
OR you could convert straight to Verizon VS996 from LS998 -- and make it be a Verizon V30+ (which Verizon doesn't actually sell, they only sell the V30). However, let's not confuse you and let's say you convert eBay LS998 V30+ to US998 V30+ for right now...
But wait, there's more! NOW that you have US998, this means you also have fastboot flash commands. You have also converted to an US998 Oreo KDZ with wonderful bootloader unlock exploit. So, at this point we now go on to the WTF bootloader unlock and root. You unlock bootloader, install TWRP, and root.
OK, you started with an LS998 V30+. You converted to US998 V30+ to carrier unlock the phone AND get fastboot flash commands. You've now unlocked the bootloader, installed TWRP and rooted the phone. 30 minutes have gone by. What are you going to do with the rest of the day?
Well... here's where it gets interesting. AT THIS POINT, you can call it a day, stick in your Verizon SIM card and be happy. OR you can flash the VS996 TWRP-flashable stock "ROM" @westwood24 made for us (basically the latest Verizon update as a TWRP flashable zip file, but with TWRP custom recovery). Now you have Verizon firmware and modem on your phone -- but still have TWRP and root.
(Sprint users feeling left out, yes there's ways to flash back to Sprint firmware. Or you can go flash custom ROMs and just use Sprint APNs and modem.)
Back to @Stormwing's question. You can even flash custom ROMs, if you wish.
Other Verizon users can chime in at this point if they want, to give you suggestions.
Wow @ChazzMatt, thanks for that incredibly thorough rundown! Is there risk in going for that $310 perhaps-preconverted 'US998' model? It does seem a little fishy as it's cheaper yet possibly better, and if the difference is just $5 I'm inclined to go for your tried and tested LS998.
All I want is a reliable handset that works on Big Red and can flash ROMs and I'll be a very happy camper. It's been too long since I've had an unlocked bootloader.
Stormwing said:
Wow @ChazzMatt, thanks for that incredibly thorough rundown! Is there risk in going for that $310 perhaps-preconverted 'US998' model? It does seem a little fishy as it's cheaper yet possibly better, and if the difference is just $5 I'm inclined to go for your tried and tested LS998.
All I want is a reliable handset that works on Big Red and can flash ROMs and I'll be a very happy camper. It's been too long since I've had an unlocked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only "drawback" I can think of is if this US998 already has 20D. Then you'd have temporarily flash 20A or 20B to get back to Oreo with bootloader unlock exploit. But you would have to flash that any way with LS998 (first to US998 Nougat, then US998 Oreo 20A or 20B).
So, you're still saving a step.
My brother in law just ordered this US998 V30+ yesterday, before the 15% sale code. I can't tell him, he'll be mad. But he dunked his old phone in water and needs a new phone fast. He's not into rooting and stuff, he just wants a good phone. And this one is IP68.
wow..I just happened to stumble onto this thread while searching on V30+. Just bought one w/ the 15% off. Thank you sir!!
Ok good to know, thanks. Unfortunately I ran into some technical difficulties with PayPal and ended up missing it. Guess I'll be joining you guys the next time one of these promos roll around....
I have just 2 things to say, 1) the selfie camera's quality is quite embarrassing, Gcam makes it better but you have to choose the longer shutter option and stay still for 3 seconds
2) Check the screen on low brightness for any inconsistencies of the notorious P-OLED
ferez said:
I have just 2 things to say, 1) the selfie camera's quality is quite embarrassing, Gcam makes it better but you have to choose the longer shutter option and stay still for 3 seconds
2) Check the screen on low brightness for any inconsistencies of the notorious P-OLED
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No one is going to defend the selfie cam in the V30. Oreo did make it better. (On Nougat you had to turn off the skin enhancement setting.)
Since I don't use my phone display at very low brightness, that's not an issue for me. You lose vibrancy and colors of OLED displays at low brightness. I've owned five of these phones (gave two to relatives) and know five more relatives/friends who bought for themselves. We all keep the displays at normal brightness, so the topic has never come up. For me "normal" is anything over 50%. I keep mine on 70%.
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
---------- Post added at 07:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 AM ----------
Stormwing said:
Ok good to know, thanks. Unfortunately I ran into some technical difficulties with PayPal and ended up missing it. Guess I'll be joining you guys the next time one of these promos roll around....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, even without the 15% it's not a bad price. $310.
With Labor day weekend coming up, there may be another sale code
Sent via open market LG US998 V30/V30+
Just got me phone from the ebay seller above (thanks ChazzMatt) looks to be in primo shape (beside a small scratch on the screen - WHY do ppl use phones without scree protector?!)
Question: security patch date April 1 2018 , SW US99810d, Android 7.1
Am I good to root as is, or do I still need to Frankenstein it first. A little confused from number (10,20) and letters (a.b.d)of all the sws
thank s!!
should I return this?
Kind of bummed about this 1/2" scratch right in the center of my 9/10 phone . Would you return it ?
christoophat said:
Kind of bummed about this 1/2" scratch right in the center of my 9/10 phone . Would you return it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, return it. That's not mint. I got two without screen scratches and my brother in law just got his yesterday with no display scratches.
---------- Post added at 12:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 AM ----------
christoophat said:
Just got me phone from the ebay seller above (thanks ChazzMatt) looks to be in primo shape (beside a small scratch on the screen - WHY do ppl use phones without scree protector?!)
Question: security patch date April 1 2018 , SW US99810d, Android 7.1
Am I good to root as is, or do I still need to Frankenstein it first. A little confused from number (10,20) and letters (a.b.d)of all the sws
thank s!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
10 means Nougat
20 is Oreo
You are half way through Frankenstein. You still need to upgrade to "safe" Oreo.
And d means the exploit is patched then? sorry newbish on these phones I am.
christoophat said:
And d means the exploit is patched then? sorry newbish on these phones I am.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. The letter is just the software version. B comes before C. Etc.
But US998 20D has the July 2018 security patch that blocks the bootloader unlock exploit where we don't need LG's permission.
For Europe it's 20Y.
You can look at the date in the file name and roughly tell which update has (most of time). Any with July and later, stay away from. I can think of one H930DS model where an early July update still had June security patch, but that's the rare exception.
Any July 2018 or later, stay away from until bootloader unlock. If you get one like that, you can still temporarily downgrade to unlock bootloader. Just don't install on purpose until she after you unlock the bootloader or you're making extra work for yourself for no reason.
Heads up everyone: eBay is doing a Labor Day promo for 20% off with the code JUSTRELAX
I'm an idiot. It's restricted to certain sellers only again.
HOWEVER the seller has raised the prices in anticipation and the aforementioned LS998 is now $288 after the code, but the US998 is happily still at $264 after the code. @christoophat, were you able to return yours though? And @ChazzMatt, besides the screen, how was the condition of the your brother's phone?
Stormwing said:
Heads up everyone: eBay is doing a Labor Day promo for 20% off with the code JUSTRELAX
HOWEVER the seller has raised the prices in anticipation and the aforementioned LS998 is now $288 after the code, but the US998 is happily still at $264 after the code. @christoophat, were you able to return yours though? And @ChazzMatt, besides the screen, how was the condition of the your brother's phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The seller was a bit hard to get hold of, took 3 emails thru ebay to finally get him to respond, to offer to get it returned for a replacement. Hopefully the return gets processed soon & he still has an actuall 9/10 phone left to exchange it with. Where do you find out about the ebay sales? I never get any emails from ebay about them...
christoophat said:
The seller was a bit hard to get hold of, took 3 emails thru ebay to finally get him to respond, to offer to get it returned for a replacement. Hopefully the return gets processed soon & he still has an actuall 9/10 phone left to exchange it with. Where do you find out about the ebay sales? I never get any emails from ebay about them...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm I wonder if I should give it a shot then. I only found out about the last one via The Verge and I found this one by looking up eBay on Slickdeals. I actually set up a Slickdeals account and added an eBay alert but that didn't seem to do anything.
Stormwing said:
Hmmm I wonder if I should give it a shot then. I only found out about the last one via The Verge and I found this one by looking up eBay on Slickdeals. I actually set up a Slickdeals account and added an eBay alert but that didn't seem to do anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm wondering if, during these sales, that ebay covers the balance for the sellers that's taken off during them. My invoice shows the full price ($309), but I only paid $263.
And yes, I noticed that the average prices for V30s have spiked up a bit. 20% off is a sweet deal. Also found a killer Tech21 Evo Check case for $8.
Stormwing said:
Heads up everyone: eBay is doing a Labor Day promo for 20% off with the code JUSTRELAX
HOWEVER the seller has raised the prices in anticipation and the aforementioned LS998 is now $288 after the code, but the US998 is happily still at $264 after the code. @christoophat, were you able to return yours though? And @ChazzMatt, besides the screen, how was the condition of the your brother's phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's his text:
"Mine is mint ! Really clean. $310 is unbelievable!"
I didn't tell him if he'd waited a day, he could have gotten it for much less. He needed a phone due to water damage.
---------- Post added at 06:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:55 PM ----------
christoophat said:
Where do you find out about the ebay sales? I never get any emails from ebay about them...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see notifications in the eBay app.
My Galaxy S5 on Verizon has been rooted since the beginning. No problems. However, the lack of ability to have a custom recovery is very limiting.
Not being able to fully back up your phone at the block level for restore through a custom recovery means that at any time you could have to lose a day or two to redoing everything if something goes wrong. It only happened once in 3 years for this phone, but it could have been avoided altogether with a custom recovery, and there was some data lost forever like call history etc. There are yes third party apps to back these things up, but not only is it time consuming but also you'd have to keep it running all the time and this is not practical on devices which only last half a day under normal use without backup programs running in the background.
Not only that but I like (need) maximum control of my device. Rooting I can achieve most things, but a custom recovery I can flash whole new roms, there is just so much more you can do. (p.s. Don't try to talk me out of rooting, it would be a waste of your time and energy.)
CARRIER
Verizon is awesome as far as coverage. I always have bars when everyone else doesn't. But these morons like to lock their bootloader and I hate them for it. At this point I am open to LEAVING VERIZON and accepting not having service in remote areas (which I rarely go to) just so I cannot have to deal with these stupid locked bootloader.
For example, the S9/Note 9 CAN'T EVEN BE ROOTED on Verizon, and probably won't either. As a result, I will probably get the previous model in order to have root if I stay with Verizon.
The next choice is T-Mobile. T-Mobile has the second best coverage but much better for international travelling which I plan to do at some point. They also have far better customer service in recent ratings. But regardless of those, being #2 out of the carriers, they are #1 if you care about rooting, because you can BYOD (bring your own device) which can be a totally unlocked GSM model, and you'll have full access to your device. This is gold to me.
Plus, the prices for the plan I use (unlimited talk text + a bunch of data) for $40 per month prepaid. Both Verizon and T-Mobile have nearly identical plans here, so that's basically irrelevant. I laugh at people who have hundreds per month cell phone bills.
PHONES
Galaxy IMO are still the best devices, and while some other competing flagships have done well, they neglected things like a MicroSD slot (OnePlus 6T) or used an inferior IPS instead of AMOLED screen (Xiaomi Pocophone F1).
As a result, I may end up with another Galaxy device, but if I do leave Verizon then it opens up my options of phones since I can root nearly any phone + have a custom recovery, even custom roms on nearly any device if I use another carrier like T-Mobile.
Then again, I'm not really clear on if the snapdragon S9/Note 9 can ever been rooted at all on any carrier.
RECOMMENDATIONS?
I have several requirements:
Full root achieved (deal breaker)
MicroSD slot (deal breaker)
AMOLED (deal breaker)
6+ GB RAM (deal breaker)
And a couple preferences which aren't necessarily a deal breaker, but preferred:
64+ GB Internal Memory
Custom recovery possible
Which devices + carriers would you suggest?
.
0 replies. wow.
The GSMArena Phone finder will allow you to find devices that match your hardware requirements, for which you can manually check if they can be rooted. Good luck.
zxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzx said:
0 replies. wow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those things happens, like, there are a ton of new thread around here. Here is the thread you want to post on next time:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846277
I just got the following pop-up on my H932, which threatens to download Pie on cell data if I don't accept the update soon.
View attachment 4848593
I have never seen that one before in my two years with this phone. I am on stock Oreo 20s, not rooted. Automatic system updates are disabled in Developer Options and System update notifications are disabled for Google Play Services.
Does anybody know which app is responsible for this popup? It's almost malware-like, the way it pops up over other apps rather than in the notification drawer, and not giving any clue to its source.
I have no desire to update soon, so I'll be ADB uninstalling FOTA Update and anything T-Mobile (which I hadn't done yet, attempting to keep the phone 100% stock for approval of a 2nd year warranty claim).
If somebody knows more, I'll appreciate their insight. Thank you in advance.
TheDannemand said:
I just got the following pop-up on my H932, which threatens to download Pie on cell data if I don't accept the update soon.
View attachment 4848593
I have never seen that one before in my two years with this phone. I am on stock Oreo 20s, not rooted. Automatic system updates are disabled in Developer Options and System update notifications are disabled for Google Play Services.
Does anybody know which app is responsible for this popup? It's almost malware-like, the way it pops up over other apps rather than in the notification drawer, and not giving any clue to its source.
I have no desire to update soon, so I'll be ADB uninstalling FOTA Update and anything T-Mobile (which I hadn't done yet, attempting to keep the phone 100% stock for approval of a 2nd year warranty claim).
If somebody knows more, I'll appreciate their insight. Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like you were using a web browser at the time? It's probably a pop up from that site.
Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk
kenbo111 said:
Looks like you were using a web browser at the time? It's probably a pop up from that site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you.
Yeah I was on CNBC, and while they are bad about their ads, I am sure this is not from them, nor from a 3rd party on their web site: Thanks to Blokada and my Edge settings I never see any popups on any website on the phone. The download size and timing (2 days) in the message matches that of the Pie update. I am sure this is something on my phone. Under other circumstances I would agree completely.
My main suspect is the T-Mobile app, which conspicuously decided to update from Play Store a few days ago, for the first time ever.
That app is gone now, along with the TMO and LG root trackers (which I'd left in place since my last Factory Reset, because I actually WANTED them to phone home and tell their moms that my phone ISN'T rooted -- in case LG factor that into their warranty approval).
Got the same popup. Anyone know how to keep it from popping up?
DiscoGecko said:
Got the same popup. Anyone know how to keep it from popping up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. So not just me then.
I uninstalled the T-Mobile app using ADB -- and a few other other ones too. I left FOTA Update for now, just to see if it is the culprit. We'll see if the popup comes back.
The ones I uninstalled (from ADB shell):
# T-Mobile tracking
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.tmobile.pr.adapt
# T-Mobile Nameid
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.tmobile.services.nameid
T-Mobile (account mgmt)
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.tmobile.pr.mytmobile
# SRTC LG Root Checker
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.lge.srtc
# LG LDB/MLT (tracking service)
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.lge.mlt
On a completely different note, my wife accepted the Pie update on her H932 while she is out of town on business, and it seems to have re-locked her phone so that she can no longer use it on Red Pocket GSMA (AT&T). The Device Unlock app says not eligible for unlock. (Believe me, a lesson was learned there about when and where to mess with your phone. In addition to the general lesson of never buying a TMO phone, or any carrier phone for that matter.)
If history is any indication, this will take many hours on the phone with TMO support, over several weeks, each time being told to expect a call back within 72 hours -- and possibly an FCC complaint -- to get the phone unlocked again.
I wonder if other unlocked H932 owners have experienced problems with their phones re-locking after Pie update.
TheDannemand said:
Thank you. So not just me then.
I uninstalled the T-Mobile app using ADB -- and a few other other ones too. I left FOTA Update for now, just to see if it is the culprit. We'll see if the popup comes back.
The ones I uninstalled (from ADB shell):
# T-Mobile tracking
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.tmobile.pr.adapt
# T-Mobile Nameid
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.tmobile.services.nameid
T-Mobile (account mgmt)
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.tmobile.pr.mytmobile
# SRTC LG Root Checker
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.lge.srtc
# LG LDB/MLT (tracking service)
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.lge.mlt
On a completely different note, my wife accepted the Pie update on her H932 while she is out of town on business, and it seems to have re-locked her phone so that she can no longer use it on Red Pocket GSMA (AT&T). The Device Unlock app says not eligible for unlock. (Believe me, a lesson was learned there about when and where to mess with your phone. In addition to the general lesson of never buying a TMO phone, or any carrier phone for that matter.)
If history is any indication, this will take many hours on the phone with TMO support, over several weeks, each time being told to expect a call back within 72 hours -- and possibly an FCC complaint -- to get the phone unlocked again.
I wonder if other unlocked H932 owners have experienced problems with their phones re-locking after Pie update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also happened after Oreo for some people.
TheDannemand said:
In addition to the general lesson of never buying a TMO phone, or any carrier phone for that matter.)
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is how I feel. Though I look on LG page and don't see how to buy their device directly without it being on a carrier.
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
BROKEN1981 said:
This is how I feel. Though I look on LG page and don't see how to buy their device directly without it being on a carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
B&H sells unlocked phones:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=24039&fct=fct_brand_name|lg
TheDannemand said:
B&H sells unlocked phones:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=24039&fct=fct_brand_name|lg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh ok thank you!
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
TheDannemand said:
B&H sells unlocked phones:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=24039&fct=fct_brand_name|lg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought three of those new "Open Market" carrier unlocked LG US998 V30/V30+ B&H Photo, as well as buying severa mint LS998 V30+ and converted them to carrier unlocked US998.
All North American V30/V30+/V30S variants can be cross flashed -- except for T-Mobile H932.
Of course with newer LG phones you can no longer do that, except for V35.
@TheDannemand This has nothing to do with T-Mobile, as I got this popup on my Pixel 2 running LineageOS. This popup is being generated by Google Play Services in an attempt to get you to upgrade. Here is why:
https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/4/...ility-project-zero-pixel-galaxy-huawei-xiaomi
You're fine if you have an AOSP rom with the patched kernel, but unfortunately Google doesn't take that into consideration. Ironically AOSP had patched this issue years ago, but many manufacturers (including Google themselves) did not incorporate the updated kernel.
If you are running a stock or stock-based LG Oreo rom, I highly recommend updating. The vulnerability is pretty severe.
ChazzMatt said:
I bought three of those from Open Market US998 V30/V30+ B&H Photo, as well as buying several LS998 V30+ and converting them to carrier unlocked US998.
All North American V30/V30+/V30S variants can be cross flashed except for T-Mobile H932.
Of course with newer LG phones you can no longer do that, except for V35.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have my eye on the LG V50. It's only for Sprint and Big Red atm.
Really like the dual display setup. As for it being 5G capable, I don't care. 5G is all hype for at least 3-4 years.
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
YandereSan said:
@TheDannemand This has nothing to do with T-Mobile, as I got this popup on my Pixel 2 running LineageOS. This popup is being generated by Google Play Services in an attempt to get you to upgrade. Here is why:
https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/4/...ility-project-zero-pixel-galaxy-huawei-xiaomi
You're fine if you have an AOSP rom with the patched kernel, but unfortunately Google doesn't take that into consideration. Ironically AOSP had patched this issue years ago, but many manufacturers (including Google themselves) did not incorporate the updated kernel.
If you are running a stock or stock-based LG Oreo rom, I highly recommend updating. The vulnerability is pretty severe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for that report!
So Google Play Services it is -- despite me having disabled System update notifications for Google Play Services. It is a bad vuln indeed (although probably not that easy to exploit) so I can understand their insistence from a security perspective.
Still, the best reason I've heard yet of updating to Pie. I cannot update yet, though, until we have confirmation that lafsplot still works on H932 after rolling back from Pie (see this discussion).
Thanks again for your report. That answered my question in the OP.
BROKEN1981 said:
I have my eye on the LG V50. It's only for Sprint and Big Red atm.
Really like the dual display setup. As for it being 5G capable, I don't care. 5G is all hype for at least 3-4 years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I had to buy a new LG phone now, G8 looks to have the features from V50 that I care about, at a much lower price.
LG has been trying to convince me to accept a G7 as warranty replacement for my V30+, but with its LCD display, smaller battery and tall form factor, I never was a fan of G7.
TheDannemand said:
On a completely different note, my wife accepted the Pie update on her H932 while she is out of town on business, and it seems to have re-locked her phone so that she can no longer use it on Red Pocket GSMA (AT&T). The Device Unlock app says not eligible for unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My wife reported this morning that after leaving her hotel and getting to another town her connection now worked. And after re-creating her APN, LTE data worked too. So phone WASN'T re-locked by the Pie update after all. Whoever took note of that can scratch it.
The curious thing is that she had 5 bars at her hotel, but Mobile network type was Unknown, and nothing worked. Oh well, the mysteries of wireless networking :laugh:
TheDannemand said:
Thank you for that report!
So Google Play Services it is -- despite me having disabled System update notifications for Google Play Services. It is a bad vuln indeed (although probably not that easy to exploit) so I can understand their insistence from a security perspective.
Still, the best reason I've heard yet of updating to Pie. I cannot update yet, though, until we have confirmation that lafsplot still works on H932 after rolling back from Pie (see this discussion).
Thanks again for your report. That answered my question in the OP.
If I had to buy a new LG phone now, G8 looks to have the features from V50 that I care about, at a much lower price.
LG has been trying to convince me to accept a G7 as warranty replacement for my V30+, but with its LCD display, smaller battery and tall form factor, I never was a fan of G7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look at V35. There's Open Market version. I have one still sitting in box because my V30 is rooted.
Updated V30 with 6GB RAM, newer Snapdragon, OLED display.
Has NAO (North American Open) firmware, not AT&T. There's also Google Fi and Amazon variants. North American Open would be better.
ChazzMatt said:
Look at V35. There's Open Market version. I have one still sitting in box because my V30 is rooted.
Updated V30 with 6GB RAM, newer Snapdragon, OLED display.
Has NAO (North American Open) firmware, not AT&T. There's also Google Fi and Amazon variants. North American Open would be better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yes, V35 is great! Had it been easier to root, it would have been the next V30. Unfortunately it's a bit of a niche model.
But as it is, I'll hang on to my V30+ for at least another year, assuming I can get LG to repair its touchscreen or replace it. It's coming off manufacturer's warranty in November, then I have another year on my credit card.
TheDannemand said:
But as it is, I'll hang on to my V30+ for at least another year, assuming I can get LG to repair its touchscreen or replace it. It's coming off manufacturer's warranty in November, then I have another year on my credit card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can always check out this guy.
https://rossmanngroup.com/
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
BROKEN1981 said:
Can always check out this guy.
https://rossmanngroup.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I took note of your earlier recommendation of them.
I have to say my experiences with 3rd party repair shops are pretty bad when it comes to smartphones. And LG repair is quite reasonable: My wife dropped her V30 a few months ago and broke the screen (wacky colors) and glass case front and back. It was bad. LG gave a fixed $146 repair price, or $153 for a full refurbish, including return shipping. We chose full refurbish in to order to fix crackling in the headphone jack while at.
I don't know that a repair shop can beat that price unless they use non-original parts -- and they may break things inside, or lose the IP68 protection. I've found repair stores often have experience with iPhones and Samsungs, but little experience with other phones. I am sure the shop you recommended is better, or you wouldn't recommend them.
(We have insurance through our checking account, so our cost was $50 deductable only. Of course that would have been the same with a repair shop.)
TheDannemand said:
LG repair is quite reasonable: My wife dropped her V30 a few months ago and broke the screen (wacky colors) and glass case front and back. It was bad. LG gave a fixed $146 repair price
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took advantage of same deal with my wife's B&H Photo US998 V30, which she dropped face down on gravel strewn parking lot.
Now she has a wallet style case which would protect it better.
But the phone came back good as new.
Considered an "out of warranty" repair (since cracked displays due to dropping are not covered by warranty) but cost was very reasonable. My wife used spare V30+ for couple of weeks.
No 3rd party cell phone repair shops in Atlanta could source the V30 display. So, phone got shipped to LG in Texas.
Pop-up Eliminated
Thanks @YandereSan for the info on this being caused by Google Play Services. I stopped the pop-up dialog by disabling the ".update.phone.PopupDialog" activity.
Code:
# pm disable com.google.android.gms/.update.phone.PopupDialog