Database Users

Rs988 New update rs98821b available

This update has just became available today it is only 200mb so I would say it is mainly just android security updates. I have not installed it yet because I will have to factory reset first just wanted to let others know that might be stock and not rooted.

I'm on 21a and downloading 21b now.
Was on 11d, but did the 10b Brightpoint KDZ last month that messed up the LTE. So had to root and reflash the 11c, to then update to 11d and then 21a.

Got 21b installed. May 1 2017 Security update. Everything else says the same (baseband, kernel, and build).

Maybe they at least fixed the network switching so we will receive more of our calls. That is really the only bug i have noticed since upgrading to Nougat. I think you pointed that out as well.
FAUguy said:
Got 21b installed. May 1 2017 Security update. Everything else says the same (baseband, kernel, and build).
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firenemesis7 said:
Maybe they at least fixed the network switching so we will receive more of our calls. That is really the only bug i have noticed since upgrading to Nougat. I think you pointed that out as well.
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Yes, the past two weeks with 21a, the main issue has been that the RS988 is missing about half of the incoming class (will stay on LTE and not change to HSPA), or when placing a call about 25-30% of them will not go through on the first try (shows it change from LTE to HSPA and sit there for 30 seconds, and then go back to LTE without placing th call).
Unfortunately, 21b seems to have the same issue.
Over the weekend, I was debating on going with the HTC U11 or an S8/S8+ in the upcoming weeks, was going to wait for people on here to try out the U11 for a while. But the yesterday the Samsung Mobile EBay page had the S8+ listed for $699 and with 24mo payment with PqyPal Credit. So I figured fro $50 more than the U11, go with th S8+, not that I'm a fan of curved screens, but at least there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, has SamsungPay, and the screen is AMOLED (which is miss). But the draws of the U11 was the camera, non-curved screed (though LCD), and fingerprint scanner on the front. But the lack of headphone jack means it can't be charged while connected via AUX input to my cars audio, and I saw posts on here about HTC got rid of all their apps (gallery, mms, dialer, calendar) and opted for the Google ones that aren't as good. So at this point I sould have the S8+ later this week. If I like it, then I'll sell my G5 with all the accessories that came with it (Cam mod, 4 batteries, charging pack, VR headset).

Hi! If I have root and TWRP then how do I install the update?

spinoza_web said:
Hi! If I have root and TWRP then how do I install the update?
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As far as I know, OTA updates will only install if you are 100%stock. So that means removing TWRP, unrooting, and relocking the bootloader.

How I did it. I just factory reset and wiped everything in twrp then flashed the complete rs98821a zip that autoprime put together for us and then was able to install the OTA update. You will have to reinstall Twrp and root but you do not have to mess with the bootloader.
spinoza_web said:
Hi! If I have root and TWRP then how do I install the update?
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I got in the S8+ yesterday. After using it for a day and setting it up, I'm not 100% sure that I'll keep it. The regular S8 was out of stock and I'm not a big fan of curved screens. But I figured I'd give it a try.
But regarding the calling issue with the G5 (21a/21b), the S8+ is much faster between changing modes between LTE Data and HSPA Calls. So that right there proves the issue isn't related to the GoPhone service, as I never had any issue on the G5 before the Nougat update.
Too bad I still can get the S8+ to work with the K-9 Mail LED Notifications. Must be an issue with that app and Android 7.

FAUguy said:
I got in the S8+ yesterday. After using it for a day and setting it up, I'm not 100% sure that I'll keep it. The regular S8 was out of stock and I'm not a big fan of curved screens. But I figured I'd give it a try.
But regarding the calling issue with the G5 (21a/21b), the S8+ is much faster between changing modes between LTE Data and HSPA Calls. So that right there proves the issue isn't related to the GoPhone service, as I never had any issue on the G5 before the Nougat update.
Too bad I still can get the S8+ to work with the K-9 Mail LED Notifications. Must be an issue with that app and Android 7.
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Looks like you got S8+, so, which version did you get? G955U or G955F? And how is Samsung pay? Does the Spay rewards and deals work?

justnewbee said:
Looks like you got S8+, so, which version did you get? G955U or G955F? And how is Samsung pay? Does the Spay rewards and deals work?
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The Samsung eBay page had the S8 G950U for $599 and the S8+ G955U for $699, along with a 24 month PayPal Credit financing. I has intended to go with the S8, but after I got home that night, only the S8+ was still available.
After using it for a few days now, it is really too tall for comfort, and a bit more heavy than I like (actually the weight of the phone is mostly at the top, so when used in landscape mode I can feel more of the weight on the left hand), keep in mind the Note 4 is about the same weight, but feels more comfortable to hold than the S8+.
From what I've read, the US Unlocked "U" models work with Samsung Pay and Rewards. I have it installed and all setup on the phone, but haven't tried it in a store yet. The "F" International models I read don't work with Samsung Pay in the US unless you do some flashing and tricking it out, but can still have issues. So I decided not to go with the F model, but would rather have the exynos processor than the 835.
Right now, Samsung.com has the S8 (and S8+) with a $200 trade in offer, so I'm going to go that route and get the S8 and sent in my old Note 2 (since they sell for less than $200 on eBay and Swappa) and hold on to my Note 3 and 4 for now. Also thinking about ordering the U11 from Amazon. Once I get those in, I can compare the U11, S8 and S8+ and decide which one to keep and return the others.
Normally I would do all this in a store, but Sprint don't have the U11 on display locally.
Once all that get done, then I'll see about selling my G5, do a factory reset on it (21b).

FAUguy said:
The Samsung eBay page had the S8 G950U for $599 and the S8+ G955U for $699, along with a 24 month PayPal Credit financing. I has intended to go with the S8, but after I got home that night, only the S8+ was still available.
After using it for a few days now, it is really too tall for comfort, and a bit more heavy than I like (actually the weight of the phone is mostly at the top, so when used in landscape mode I can feel more of the weight on the left hand), keep in mind the Note 4 is about the same weight, but feels more comfortable to hold than the S8+.
From what I've read, the US Unlocked "U" models work with Samsung Pay and Rewards. I have it installed and all setup on the phone, but haven't tried it in a store yet. The "F" International models I read don't work with Samsung Pay in the US unless you do some flashing and tricking it out, but can still have issues. So I decided not to go with the F model, but would rather have the exynos processor than the 835.
Right now, Samsung.com has the S8 (and S8+) with a $200 trade in offer, so I'm going to go that route and get the S8 and sent in my old Note 2 (since they sell for less than $200 on eBay and Swappa) and hold on to my Note 3 and 4 for now. Also thinking about ordering the U11 from Amazon. Once I get those in, I can compare the U11, S8 and S8+ and decide which one to keep and return the others.
Normally I would do all this in a store, but Sprint don't have the U11 on display locally.
Once all that get done, then I'll see about selling my G5, do a factory reset on it (21b).
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Thanks a lot for your detailed info. I am going to buy US Unlocked "U" model, though I am interested in exynos processor.

justnewbee said:
Thanks a lot for your detailed info. I am going to buy US Unlocked "U" model, though I am interested in exynos processor.
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I ended up buying the S8 from the Samsung site ($624) then take off $200 for a trade-in (will send my old Verizon Note 2 since they only sell for about $100...though would like to keep it), and add tax and $0 for 2-day shipping, and was $450 total. Did the Samsung Credit (24 month).
Going to send the S8+ back (Samsung's eBay page) for $742 credit. So that's a savings of $300 ($100 less for the S8 ad $200 for the trade-in).
The S8+ isn't a bad phone, just a bit too tall and more heavy than I like, so I'm sure the S8 will fit better.

Been using the S8 for a week now, sent the S8+ back.
No calling issues with either one (GoPhone) and I noticed they change much quicker between LTE for data and HSPA for calls than the G5 (21a/b).

FAUguy,
Hi, I have recently found to be in the same issue with LTE BRIGHTPOINT and LTE problems. Can you please read my post and see if you know something I don't?
Thanks
https://forum.xda-developers.com/u/...e-connectivity-problems-t3649465/post73300658

Skimpypimp said:
FAUguy,
Hi, I have recently found to be in the same issue with LTE BRIGHTPOINT and LTE problems. Can you please read my post and see if you know something I don't?
Thanks
https://forum.xda-developers.com/u/...e-connectivity-problems-t3649465/post73300658
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I read the post. Where did you buy the phone from?
Look at my post on this thread from Page 6 onward:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g5/help/calling-rs988-users-nougat-t3608345/page6
I had to do the Bootload Unlock via the LG web site, to then allow rooting of the phone.
Then had to do all the flashing in steps. I wouldn't say it was difficult, but took quite some time to get it all done.

FAUguy said:
I read the post. Where did you buy the phone from?
Look at my post on this thread from Page 6 onward:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g5/help/calling-rs988-users-nougat-t3608345/page6
I had to do the Bootload Unlock via the LG web site, to then allow rooting of the phone.
Then had to do all the flashing in steps. I wouldn't say it was difficult, but took quite some time to get it all done.
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Well I guess I'm screwed because even though I have the RS988, when I request the unlock boot loader code from LG it says I can't get it. I got my phone off eBay. Ugh.

Skimpypimp said:
Well I guess I'm screwed because even though I have the RS988, when I request the unlock boot loader code from LG it says I can't get it. I got my phone off eBay. Ugh.
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See if you can do eBay or PayPal buyer protection.
I'd file a claim on it with them if the seller refuses to offer a refund. I'd state that it is not compatible with your carrier (MetroPCS T-Mobile).

FAUguy said:
See if you can do eBay or PayPal buyer protection.
I'd file a claim on it with them if the seller refuses to offer a refund. I'd state that it is not compatible with your carrier (MetroPCS T-Mobile).
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I would hate to go through all that.
Through your adventure did you get any stock firmware flashed without root and not the BRIGHTPOINT version of it?
I think it has something to do with BRIGHTPOINT firmware.

Skimpypimp said:
I would hate to go through all that.
Through your adventure did you get any stock firmware flashed without root and not the BRIGHTPOINT version of it?
I think it has something to do with BRIGHTPOINT firmware.
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The issue is that I didn't know the firmware I flashed on my rs988 was for Brightpoint. After I flashed it , I had 0 LTE on the phone.
So it was a few weeks later when I decided to go though the process. Did the the LG Bootloader unlock, and flashed one of the kdz files that was Android 6 that I had been using. Then worked the phones firmware update from there.
After it was all done, the RS988 with the 21b firmware has full LTE connectivity. The only issue is that if I place a call, and it changes over to HSPA, that it then can take a few minutes to return back to LTE.
I've now been using an S8 for two months, and it changes between LTE, HSPA, and back to LTE within a few seconds.

Will a root ever happen?

I have H873 and still have some days to exchange the phone, and wondering if there will ever be a root option for this phone. I just like to have the ability to change my emojis to a none android one and some other tweaks. I know the phone came out a couple months ago, but should I just switch to another device that can be rooted or stick around because there will most likely be a root sometime this year?

No, exchange it

What phone? That has similar features?

nenitosoyyo said:
What phone? That has similar features?
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It just depends.like today or yesterday lg allowed the us997 model to be bootloader unlocked.thats your first step i wouldnt trade it just yet.thats just my opinion

I would love to keep the phone, I like how it feels and looks and the features, just not used to being locked down and not being able to customize. I mean it's sounds like there could be a possibility that it could happen in the future. I might stay with it and suck it up. Other thing is why did they come out with so many versions, wish Canada could have gotten the same as the US, cuz Canada usually gets forgotten when it comes to this stuff XD.

You should have got the LG H870 single SIM which is an international version so that you car root it as well as unlock bootloader! Don't know when will unlock bootloader happen for the H873 as well as dual sim versions! This also might be the reason that the LG H870 might cost a little more than the dual sim LG H870DS.

I bet if a bunch of us tweet them @lgdeveloper then they might push it out

Ali Mirza said:
You should have got the LG H870 single SIM which is an international version so that you car root it as well as unlock bootloader! Don't know when will unlock bootloader happen for the H873 as well as dual sim versions! This also might be the reason that the LG H870 might cost a little more than the dual sim LG H870DS.
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If I had the money I would have, but had to get phone under contract at $0. Been happy with the phone so far, yes some things I wish I had root, but sucking it up. Hope one day it will be available.
rdjg22 said:
I bet if a bunch of us tweet them lgdeveloper then they might push it out
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Yeah I have made some commotion, but more people need to do the same.

You want root, pretty much Google phones is where its still easy these days like the Pixel. I just switched from Pixel to G6 and I am pretty happy.
I was rooted for months but the problem is Google is cracking down on it. Apps are being blocked from Playstore now such as Netflix. You can't use Android Pay (now available in Canada). In all honesty even custom roms are no longer rooted, so rooting is going away for the most part as more and more things will block it.
If we go by LG G4 that boot-loader was never unlocked and only rootable on Android 5.x.
V20 was unlocked though so who knows, there could be a possibility but I would not count on it. There is a bounty thread in here so maybe just pledge some for our H873 (I think if they can unlock H870DS they can do ours too).
We had a huge petition maybe 10,000 people to unlock LG G4 bootloader, nothing ever heard from LG. I think the only way is the unofficial methods.

nenitosoyyo said:
If I had the money I would have, but had to get phone under contract at $0. Been happy with the phone so far, yes some things I wish I had root, but sucking it up. Hope one day it will be available.
Yeah I have made some commotion, but more people need to do the same.
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Bro, the Canadian LG G4 users are still waiting for bootloader unlock. Chances are slim-to-none

OK, I screwed up buying the Amazon Prime E4. What's the best I can do?

I'm upset that I wasn't told the bootloader was locked when I bought it. It only seems fair to disable the ads, per this thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3631406
But what else can I do to customize this (otherwise OK) phone? I've unlocked the Dev mode, disabled/uninstalled some bloatware. Everything else I know how to do requires root, so no Xposed, Titanium, or Tasker. Still feeling cheated -- I researched enough to know to avoid the Verizon one, but I didn't expect Amazon to lock the bootloader.
Any suggestions?

You can return it to Amazon if you want, just tell them it has ghost touch issues (two of mine did) or that the fingerprint sensor doesn't work for apps (most apps don't use the way it does it).

Thanks, nice to know I have that option!

send it back and buy the no ads model. best buy also has the unlocked models on sale.

Can you confirm the no-ads model has an unlocked bootloader?
The sources I saw simply said that Verizon (and now Amazon) were the only vendors to request that moto NOT provide unlocking codes.

docwebhead said:
Can you confirm the no-ads model has an unlocked bootloader?
The sources I saw simply said that Verizon (and now Amazon) were the only vendors to request that moto NOT provide unlocking codes.
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Yes, the no ads model has an UNLOCKABLE bootloader.

Thanks much!
A few notes to answer my own question: I have found some hidden apps exposed by AnyCut, including the Marshmallow Easter Egg (yep, on a Nougat phone), a Wifi calling toggle (that won't work), Testing menu, IMEI/serials lister, and some CDMA and IP network options. Still pretty dismal, in other words.
Not a bad phone, though, especially for the price. It just seems creepy to try adb and be told "insufficient permissions..."

docwebhead said:
Not a bad phone, though, especially for the price. It just seems creepy to try adb and be told "insufficient permissions..."
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you sure? I have the $99 amazon ads version and ADB works fine. used it to disable the ads. I pay amazon enough money so I really do not feel bad about it...

Hmmm, now you mention it, that's how I killed the ads, also.
Hasn't been working lately, though.
I have updates turned off, I wonder what has changed?
Thanks for the info, I'll have to look into it.
And roger on the not feeling bad.

Which G6 is Amazon Prime offering? Missing any features?

I'm sure by now anyone with an Amazon Prime account has seen the advertisements for the $399.99 LG G6 and G6+ which is a great deal, and it's enough of one that I'm getting ready to retire my iPhone SE and make the switch over...especially since I can lengthen the warranty to two years total. What I cannot find out is which version Amazon is selling when it's released November 9th, 2017 and if T-Mobile and/or AT&T users will still have the normal functions like WiFi calling (which I rely upon) and VoLTE on each respective carrier. I'd rather not buy a Prime device only to discover that it doesn't have the same features as a carrier-specific device has and this has me worried. Buying a brand new unlocked G6 would give me the two years of full warranty on the device and hopefully all of the T-Mobile features offered on the carrier-specific model even if the bootloader isn't unlocked. Heck, I'd attempt a FlashFire to get new firmware onto the phone if it were made possible just to regain WiFi Calling/VoLTE but wanted input from others before I decide to go this route. I'm also not opposed to grabbing something like the LG V20 from BHPhotoVideo as well since this is the route I want to go. If you guys have any knowledge that I haven't been able to figure out in the last week of research I'd appreciate it very much. Cheers.

They go in depth with this story,not sure if it helps at all.

That's one of the articles I managed to find, and it did help out in figuring out which phone I wanted to invest in but I didn't get much more info on the device itself. Because it's an Amazon device we already know that it's not going to be able to have an unlocked bootloader which really stinks but that's the cost of buying a subsidized phone through Amazon. I considered just buying the LG V20 through BHPhotoVideo for cheaper so there are no integrated Amazon advertisements and it has a better internal camera (as far as specs go) but having 12MP+12MP vs 16MP is a little too close of a call to make any kind of speculation, although having 64GB of storage with the V20 would be nicer than the included 32GB in the LG G6. At least we have a micro-SD slot to have more storage in both models, which means that if we can get the phone rooted then App2SD won't be a problem.
I just know I'm ready to retire and sell this crappy iPhone SE and move away from the insane Apple prices to get a better device with a less restrictive environment. My only hope is that the LG G6 has the same characteristics as my iPhone SE, such as WiFi calling and VoLTE. I know it has all of the right LTE bands so that won't be an issue, and later on I'll probably just give Amazon more money to ditch the advertisements. I just wish that I could find a $450 LG G6 brand new that I could unlock the bootloader on, and that's my conundrum. It seems that if you want the subsized Prime version it's only $399 but if you want an subside-free G6 you still have to shell out $200 more.
P.S. Thanks for the quick response.

im already planning on getting this but i wont be able till at least black friday at the earliest. it fills all my needs now that the U11+ wont be available in the US. the model number for the 6+ is LGUS997U so im hoping that rooting will be possible along with custom ROMs. l hope someone else takes the plunge first.

droidbot1337 said:
im already planning on getting this but i wont be able till at least black friday at the earliest. it fills all my needs now that the U11+ wont be available in the US. the model number for the 6+ is LGUS997U so im hoping that rooting will be possible along with custom ROMs. l hope someone else takes the plunge first.
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I'm taking the plunge and it'll be here the day of release. Knowing Amazon's history with locking bootloaders it's already pretty apparent that unlocking it will not be a possibility but will still check irregardless in hopes that I'm wrong. At least I hope it can be rooted some how and figure out how to ditch all of the bogus Amazon advertisements without paying them another $50 to remove them from my device, and will report all of that information that I can find out on my own as well. The LG V20 directly from T-Mobile was my original go-to replacement but for the same amount of money I'd rather have the slightly faster LG G6 even if it is hampered by Amazon's crap. Considering I'm moving up from an iPhone SE this thing is going to be a massive upgrade.
EDIT: I've independently confirmed it will indeed have T-Mobile WiFi calling and VoLTE built into the firmware because Amazon did the same thing with the Moto G5s firmware that they molested. They might have injected it with Amazon bloatware but they did also include WiFi calling and VoLTE from each of the providers so there's a very strong chance anyone who uses this device on their home network will still have those features included with the LG line of phones.

bmurphr1 said:
I'm taking the plunge and it'll be here the day of release...........
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YES!!!! im so envious of you!! i hope that they can be unlocked as the price is just far too tempting. im going to try and contact LG USA and see what i can get from them. good luck and please keep us informed, cheers!!

I'm looking at the LG G6 also. I've been a Nexus user and am still using the N5X. Now that Google has went overboard with their pricing and are no longer making any devices that are good values, I'm looking elsewhere. I've always been an LG fan. I'm looking at the LG G6 as the price on it is excellent. There are a good number of carrier unlocked devices available for just over $400 and I think we will see some good sales between Black Friday and New Year's.
I was also considering the Amazon version but I'm not sure how difficult it will be to get rid of them afterwards.

gorilla p said:
....I was also considering the Amazon version but I'm not sure how difficult it will be to get rid of them afterwards.
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?? all it has is a few bloat apps but all you would need to do is flash another ROM. thats considering it can be rooted. im still debating on the 6+ or waiting for the HTC U12 which should be better than the U11+ or at least i hope.

Phone has arrived, is model US966, and even though is the international model still has VoLTE and WiFi Calling baked into the ROM. I've verified that it does indeed work as it should for T-Mobile as I have the Hanset + WiFi logo in my top left notification tray. So far it seems Amazon really did make this device into the most universal of all of the LG G6 devices that exist (aside from being unable to unlock the bootloader.
Amazon really put this firmware through the ringer..it does have mountains of bloatware that we can work around, but it works with T-Mobile WiFi Calling, VoLTE, and HD Voice (all confirmed by moving a dead zone in my house where I received full WiFI but could not obtain any indoor signal of any kind. I had several conversations that all sounded like I was standing right next to the person, and I had no cellular service at the time the call was made. Just as I suspected, they molested the G6 just like they did the Moto G5s into forcing it to support T-Mobile's feature sets and most likely the same for the other three providers as well.

bmurphr1 said:
Phone has arrived, is model US966, and even though is the international model still has VoLTE and WiFi Calling baked into the ROM. I've verified that it does indeed work as it should for T-Mobile as I have the Hanset + WiFi logo in my top left notification tray. So far it seems Amazon really did make this device into the most universal of all of the LG G6 devices that exist (aside from being unable to unlock the bootloader.
Amazon really put this firmware through the ringer..it does have mountains of bloatware that we can work around, but it works with T-Mobile WiFi Calling, VoLTE, and HD Voice (all confirmed by moving a dead zone in my house where I received full WiFI but could not obtain any indoor signal of any kind. I had several conversations that all sounded like I was standing right next to the person, and I had no cellular service at the time the call was made. Just as I suspected, they molested the G6 just like they did the Moto G5s into forcing it to support T-Mobile's feature sets and most likely the same for the other three providers as well.
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Do you know if it's possible to pay to remove the lockscreen ads? Also, are the ads just on the lockscreen or do they show up in other places?
I know you can pay to remove Kindle ads at https://www.amazon.com/mn/dcw/myx.html

Joe USer said:
Do you know if it's possible to pay to remove the lockscreen ads? Also, are the ads just on the lockscreen or do they show up in other places?
I know you can pay to remove Kindle ads at https://www.amazon.com/mn/dcw/myx.html
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Ads are on lockscreen and on the desktop, but the desktop widget no problem. When you unlock the device using your fingerprint though you never see the advertisements so it's not bothering me that much. I have yet to figure out if we can purchase the removal of advertisements though as I've only had these few short hours with the device, but every T-Mo function that you'd find on a carrier-branded device works on the Amazon Prime variant. If I can pay an extra $50 or so to get rid of the advertisements I probably will do just that.
In the mean time I tried to sign up for the second year of the LG G6 free warranty program, and since the phone is a US996 model device you can't complete the registration page. I e-mailed the help desk to see if we'll be able to register for the free second year of service as an Amazon agent said that there should be no reason that it shouldn't work. I will respond back once I get word from the LG team regarding the additional free year of warranty coverage.
EDIT: You can legitimately remove ads from the phone through Amazon but they want an extra $100 to just remove them. I'll wait on someone else to figure out how to hack the ads away from the firmware. I dig the LG interface though as it's similar to the iPhone layout and makes it easier for me to understand rather than having an app drawer like my Fire tablet does. The phone is definitely worth $399...not $499 though once you buy the removal of advertisements.

congrats @bmurphr1!! im happy it works well since like you i too am a tmo user. also, the model number is listed as 997U but you said its US996, is that right? anyway, i hope the bootloader can soon be unlocked because that would make this phone an amazing device.

droidbot1337 said:
congrats @bmurphr1!! im happy it works well since like you i too am a tmo user. also, the model number is listed as 997U but you said its US996, is that right? anyway, i hope the bootloader can soon be unlocked because that would make this phone an amazing device.
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I did, but it's actually US997 according to what I'm looking at right now on the Hardware info screen. My initial statement was a typo because I was in a rush to get this phone up and running since I'm moving over from the iOS world. Model number is confirmed US997 and the bootloader from what I've been able to ascertain so far is that LG is not unlocking the bootloader for the phone because they were strong-armed by Amazon to lock it down so that it couldn't be altered in any way - thus making people pay the $100 just to have advertisements removed from the device.

bmurphr1 said:
I did, but it's actually US997 according to what I'm looking at right now on the Hardware info screen. My initial statement was a typo because I was in a rush to get this phone up and running since I'm moving over from the iOS world. Model number is confirmed US997 and the bootloader from what I've been able to ascertain so far is that LG is not unlocking the bootloader for the phone because they were strong-armed by Amazon to lock it down so that it couldn't be altered in any way - thus making people pay the $100 just to have advertisements removed from the device.
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ugh!!... so its useless for those of us that want custom ROMs then? that sucks! i really hope someone finds a way to unlock it. i might just wait to see what the HTC u12 looks like. thanks for the info.

Just figured out how Amazon neutered this phone from being tampered with by individuals like us...they went and jacked around with the bootloader so that it freezes as soon as you boot into it. I'm very experienced when it comes to using fastboot on Android devices and I can tell you this bootloader has been tampered with. What happens is when you run "adb reboot bootloader" it reboots into the neutered bootloader and just freezes so that no commands can be sent or received from the device. If we could get the device-id then we could put it through the LG database, but Amazon found a way to mess with it just enough so that it crashes every single time you try to boot into it using the Android debugging bridge. That's how they crippled this phone so that no one would be able to flash new firmwares to the device or jack with it and remove their new found glory in LG devices. I'd love to be able to flash a non-Amazon bootloader only over to this phone to see if I could unlock it and catch on to something new but I'm too afraid to jeopardize my only working cell phone at the moment so I'd be worried about doing that. If the bootloader would unfreeze though and give us the code for a full bootloader unlock we could say byebye to the entire firmware OS and switch over to something like Lineage or better...assuming somebody has a kitchen that would work on an Amazon-molested US997 LG G6.

droidbot1337 said:
ugh!!... so its useless for those of us that want custom ROMs then? that sucks! i really hope someone finds a way to unlock it. i might just wait to see what the HTC u12 looks like. thanks for the info.
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I saw this on the latest Amazon Fire tablet and that's why I returned it. Now you see why I was hesitant.
I'm having a hard time deciding now, but I'm going there will be some solid $399 deals between Black Friday and Christmas. Otherwise, I might just get a OnePlus 3T.

gorilla p said:
I saw this on the latest Amazon Fire tablet and that's why I returned it. Now you see why I was hesitant.
I'm having a hard time deciding now, but I'm going there will be some solid $399 deals between Black Friday and Christmas. Otherwise, I might just get a OnePlus 3T.
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Amazon got smart and neutered all of their Prime-branded devices so that they can't be bootloader unlocked any longer. The only hope we have of actually achieving custom firmware on this device is by using something like FlashFire to perform a hot-flash on the device to move it to a non-Amazon firmware, which is what I did on my Fire 2015 (Ford) tablet that I still use occasionally at the gym to watch Netflix and YouTube when I steal their WiFi. If you wanted to buy the phone just to unlock the bootloader unfortunately you're SOL, but there's still a chance something could be in the works for this device.
Honestly, I'd rather see either a complete removal of the advertisements from the stock US997 Amazon Prime G6 or someone who was able to successfully flash a ZIP file using FlashFire to the G6 without completely killing it along with WiFi Calling/VoLTE/HD Voice. The first one isn't out of the realm of possibility, but the second one is just a pipe dream since I essentially require WiFi calling and VoLTE. We're gonna need to find a way to root this firmware and I haven't found a way to do so as of yet, though it is running Nougat 7.0 with the September security update.

gorilla p said:
I saw this on the latest Amazon Fire tablet and that's why I returned it. Now you see why I was hesitant.
I'm having a hard time deciding now, but I'm going there will be some solid $399 deals between Black Friday and Christmas. Otherwise, I might just get a OnePlus 3T.
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Click to collapse
why the 3T and not the 5T? my brother has the 5 and loves it. i refuse to buy a device without expandable storage so that leaves me with few options....... well, few good options. im just gonna wait till leaks of the HTC U12 start to circulate. if that sucks ill just buy the regular G6.

droidbot1337 said:
why the 3T and not the 5T? my brother has the 5 and loves it. i refuse to buy a device without expandable storage so that leaves me with few options....... well, few good options. im just gonna wait till leaks of the HTC U12 start to circulate. if that sucks ill just buy the regular G6.
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Just the cost. OnePlus is upping the price with every release and I don't think the OP5 is that much better than the OP3T. Especially since I don't use my phone for anything crazy. My N5X still performs more than good enough for me. I have the GPU underclock and touchboost disabled to improve battery and still no lag at all. I really wish there was another affordable Nexus device. They should've come out with an Android One premium line featuring The 820 or 822 chipset.

I also received my Amazon us997 G6 yesterday. As mentioned earlier, the lock screen ads aren't very intrusive unless there are no other notifications at the time. If there are personal notifications like email, text message, missed phone call, etc. then the Amazon ad takes up about 15% of the lock screen. If no notifications are present, the entire lock screen is an ad. However, also as mentioned before, the double press of the finger print button makes the ads visible for the amount of time it takes to double press.
I run nova launcher and have not been bothered with any ads either.
Coming from big red on their lg g4 and having that special old plan, I did a SIM card chop with some cutlery scissors and made it a nano. Without getting too involved, an app like Foxfi is not needed on this phone. I will be keeping this phone primarily because of this. The price point, limited intrusive ads, 2 year warranty and not needing a special app previously mentioned have made this my newest phone.
Now i just hope lg has rid themselves of the nightmare Bootloop plague that has hit every lg phone that my family has owned.

New unlocked E4: root before or after activation & system updates?

I'm thinking of picking up an unlocked Moto E4 from Amazon (I'm pretty sure it's the XT1768 Qualcomm variant) to use with a Verizon MVNO. Should I root it right away, or wait until after I get it activated and it does whatever system updates it wants to do to itself?
Thanks for any info.

acspdx said:
I'm thinking of picking up an unlocked Moto E4 from Amazon (I'm pretty sure it's the XT1768 Qualcomm variant) to use with a Verizon MVNO. Should I root it right away, or wait until after I get it activated and it does whatever system updates it wants to do to itself?
Thanks for any info.
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Latter. Be aware Amazon branded varients have a history of being difficult to root and/or bootloader unlock regardless of carrier. I'd lean towards a fully unlocked/unbranded X1768 direct from Lenovo or an independent retailer.

Davey126 said:
Latter. Be aware Amazon branded varients have a history of being difficult to root and/or bootloader unlock regardless of carrier. I'd lean towards a fully unlocked/unbranded X1768 direct from Lenovo or an independent retailer.
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I don't think it's Amazon "branded," just sold by them. The phone in question is item B06ZZVZKTR on Amazon.
(But it looks like B077Y79RBY is an Amazon branded version; I'll avoid that one.)

acspdx said:
I don't think it's Amazon "branded," just sold by them. The phone in question is item B06ZZVZKTR on Amazon.
(But it looks like B077Y79RBY is an Amazon branded version; I'll avoid that one.)
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Agreed - that's the pup you want. Might consider one of the Amazon Warehouse offerings which are generally unused returns or suffer from a minor cosmetic flaw. Lenovo has discontinued this model; probably won't be available for long.

I got an unlocked Moto E4 XT1768 from an independent retailer and rooted it using magisk and carrefully following these instructions. https://youtu.be/Pjd74W9IqHU However, I'm not happy with it as for some reason I cannot move apps to the SD card without formatting it as an internal and was not aware it would hang on startup with an N/A message. There are other irritating issues.

WXSky said:
I got an unlocked Moto E4 XT1768 from an independent retailer and rooted it using magisk and carrefully following these instructions.
However, I'm not happy with it as for some reason I cannot move apps to the SD card without formatting it as an internal and was not aware it would hang on startup with an N/A message. There are other irritating issues.
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See discussion here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-e4/help/moto-e4-xt1768-running-nougat-7-1-1-t3899036