Ok so I bought a sim-free variant from some store and it turns out the phone is Russian which means no bixby and some occasional Russian videos on the "bixby home" but more importantly - slower updates(I didn't get the october camera update yet)
is there any way to change the firmware to the US version or would that be the same as asking to turn an S4 into an S8?
by the way exynos version, thanks in advance
It's exynos you can change to almost any version that is not America or Canada because it's Snapdragon over there I'm from the United Kingdom so I recommend the BTU build because it's the stock UK one and gets updates straight away and bixby fully works I got mine on carrier and I flashed to BTU within the first week but the one thing I'd be worried about is that if it works for your carrier if it doesn't you have to go to the Russia firmware. (The UK also uses Exynos)
Hello,
I'm here to ask you for help because since January 2020 I bought a Galaxy S9+ (SM-G965U), and I have some problems.
On the one hand, I'm not allowed to get updates. The last version of Android normally available is version 10, but I'm on version 9 and no update is proposed. On the other hand, I can't send MMS and sometimes I don't receive incoming calls. In addition, the quality of the 4G connection is poor.
I contacted Samsung support and they told me that my phone is not French and that there is an American version on it. So I can't update it or send MMS.
What can I do to put it in French? i.e. XEF version ?
Thank you in advance for your help
Unfortunately you have a 965U, which is a U.S. model phone, and will not be the ideal model to use in France. And you can't flash any international firmware, which is 965F. The LTE connection is probably poor because of the differing radio bands used over there compared to the ones you have on that model phone.
As for MMS, have you entered the proper APN for the cellular provider that you are using there? I think it's possible that it could work but I'm not sure.
I live in the UK. I imported a Taiwanese s20+ 5G. Model number SM-G9860
5G will not work. It is enabled from my carrier and they have been through troubleshooting, sent a new sim, i have gone to places with good 5g coverage, so on.
I checked the update notes for the device and found it said this in the June update.
5G has been enabled.
※ Requires optimal 5G connection. 5G services are only supported in Taiwan network. Actual 5G network coverage and speed may vary on region and network service provider, since 5G international roaming service of the designated countries and areas will be supported and announced after they pass the network service provider’s verification test.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this mean 5G will be enabled internationally at a future unknown date?
Is it possible to flash another snapdragon rom, maybe Hong Kong (same model number) or USA (different model number) and have it enabled? The US version doesn't seem to have the above quote in the patch notes. Or am I out of luck with this device?
I am thinking of getting an S21 from AT&T because of the deal they have right now, but I don't like AT&T bloatware. I'm a noob when it comes to phone firmware and such, so I'm not sure what is or isn't possible.
My understanding is as follows:
Carrier unlock is possible via AT&T website to use other carrier SIM cards.
Bootloader unlock is not possible on AT&T devices (starting at V2 seemingly?).
I'm just not clear if you need an unlocked bootloader to flash the stock S21 ROM on an AT&T device. If not needed, what is the point of unlocking the bootloader, just for root?
Any clarity is appreciated.
You can use "patched ODIN" to do flash "U1" firmware, which removes bloatware.
Not sure about the bootloader, I think you're correct on that.
I flashed an Xfinity Mobile S21 (carrier unlocked by them) to U1 but so far the phone is refusing to use the proper carrier settings for VoWIFI (I have a VZW sim in it now). It worked for 1-2 weeks previously. Everything else seems to work properly including VoLTE.
I'll probably switch back to Xfnity Mobile to get VoWIFI working again.
Thanks for the response.
can I ask something related? I got my Samsung S21 from Amazon unlocked and I'm in International market. the phone has esim capability but it's locked up. my question is (can) I flash international firmware or let's say the one being sold in the middle east? I'm stuck with single sim which is pretty annoying. what do you guys recommend
mohawahba said:
can I ask something related? I got my Samsung S21 from Amazon unlocked and I'm in International market. the phone has esim capability but it's locked up. my question is (can) I flash international firmware or let's say the one being sold in the middle east? I'm stuck with single sim which is pretty annoying. what do
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding is that the international firmware is not compatible with the US phones because the US version uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, whereas the international phones use the Exynos chip. I think you're stick with single SIM, unfortunately.
quadrun1 said:
My understanding is that the international firmware is not compatible with the US phones because the US version uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, whereas the international phones use the Exynos chip. I think you're stick with single SIM, unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the snapdragon version is only sold in the US solely?
"International and Korea models of the S21 utilize the Exynos system-on-chip, while the U.S., Canadian, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong and Japanese models utilize the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888."
Samsung Galaxy S21 - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
quadrun1 said:
"International and Korea models of the S21 utilize the Exynos system-on-chip, while the U.S., Canadian, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong and Japanese models utilize the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888."
Samsung Galaxy S21 - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so flashing the HK to the US G991U1 model applicable? I need to activate eSIM to get dual sim working. also volte doesn't work for me at all.
Hello , can I ask a related question, I've an unlocked s21 5g with the Three carriers SM-G991B .. Can I install the global version ??
As per my understanding -
The hardware of the galaxy watch remains same whether it is purchased in one country or the other.
Samsung might have made some changes in the firmware which are region specific.
But, then LTE functionality (if enabled) is not expected to behave differently with respect to the region/country.
I am saying so because this is what we find in our smartphones. If my smartphone works in the home country then i expect it to work in a foreign country as well.
Then, why is it so that a LTE galaxy watch purchased in USA will not support mobile carriers in an Asian country?
Please correct, if my understanding is faulty.
It is akin to cars and international markets. For example, a car sold in Europe or USA (almost for sure) will have different SKUs around the world even if the base model is the same.
Another thing is that LTE smartwatches are still relatively scarce. So it would be that such devices, like smartphones(before internationalisation), are still locked to their respective regions. Samsung is then the culprit for this issue.