Well, what I can I tell,
this phone has the greatest size factor in my opinion, the screen is fantastic, the proc is good the phone quality is OK, it works great even with game, well all the things you can read in bad quality test.
Now here's some fact you will not read in most review and not event mentionned on the samsung official specs or user manual:
This phone does have 2 stand by sim card support active sim card support , which mean you can you can receive call on the 2 sim card but if one sim is on call the other one will end directly to voicemail,
There's a feature to walk around this behaviour, that allow you to use call forward from one sim to the other but depending on your provider this can cost you a lot but it's possible and very nice.
The dual sim features for people who tasted to the simplicity of "the sheap almost AOSP dual sim chineese phones" like the Wiko Cink Peax in France or the Micromax in India , is terrifyingly complicated,
I still don't find a way to allow sms sending from one sim only, I can't find a way to automatically switch from one card to another to use 3G, you need to step at least 3 step for this:
- first go into the dual sim menu and change the data provider
- second goes into the network settings of the old 3G sim card provider and switch it to 2G only
- third goes into the network settings of the new 3G sim card provider and switch it to auto (2G/3G) mode
Compare this to the simplicity of a cheap chineese phone where you only select the 3G card and everythings goes smooth... it bother me so much.
This phone on the lastest version come with most anoying security issue I ever faced, Samsung Knox (a sort of virtual context app you can find plenty of information about that f**** protection which can be great in company context and so annoying in a power user context.
Well to conclude this and I'm on a stock samsung version and I test several before installing one with knox and not being able to change anymore:
THE SECOND SIM CARD SLOT DOES NOT WORK IN HSDPA MODE BUT IN GPRS SOMETHING BETWEEN GPRS AND UMTS MODE ONLY (though the phone show a small H next to the network signal and not a G) I do not succed in having more than 140 kB/s and most of the time 40kB/s only) on that second slot. If I invert the 2 sims I endup with a more reasonnable 700kB/s
I wish I found someone to say that on a forum post before I buy that expensive useless dual sim phone, yes the GPS is working so much better than a Mediatek based phone but god damn it, how can a dual sim phone can't support real 3G on both slots.
Now with that in mind be carefull before buying this phone and consider seriously its cheap chineese competitors with a poor GPS ship but with a so much better easier and efficients settings. I now really considering to sell mine and get something that will work as a real dual sim phone and that I can root without loosing my warranty ( even if as a european I think this issue is not a real one).
Happy new year XDA power user !
PSOne: if you have found any solution to the issue I issued please let me know, and if you find my post usefull please it thanks
Edit 1: It seems that it's almost impossible to share connection in tethering (any mode) when using the 3g from the second sim
/!\ Seriously opinion based: I do not except any answer about that part of the post/!\
PS2: If you're an android simple user in my opinion Samsung Android TouchWizz is the most complicated rom you could ever find.
PS3: I used to hate Samsung for there volounteer to become the Android Apple equivalent but though I give it a try, this is the first and last try. They made complicated software Android does not look like Android and everything is complicated and the bloatwares are everywhere.
There's a lot of mistakes in your post...
This phone is dual SIM standby and not dual active, as when you are on call with one sim the other one is off network (direct to voicemail).
Both SIM slots can use H+ but not at the same time, and yeah switching method is pretty annoying.
BTW all dual SIM phones have crappy network efficiency with data.
I agree that Touchwizz and Knox are really crap... too bad this phone have good hardware...
Wildfear said:
There's a lot of mistakes in your post...
This phone is dual SIM standby and not dual active, as when you are on call with one sim the other one is off network (direct to voicemail).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well OK technically speaking , but what I mean is that you can receive call on both sim any time you don't have to switch from one sim active sim to another, both are able to receive call anytime except during a call happening on the other sim.
And you can receive call with a workaround samsung implement that use call forward on the standby sim card.which can be costy.
Wildfear said:
Both SIM slots can use H+ but not at the same time, and yeah switching method is pretty annoying.
BTW all dual SIM phones have crappy network efficiency with data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well please tell me how because 140kB/s is definitly not a normal speed for HSDPA neither HSDPA+ (but my contract is HSDPA only). But anyway I have to switch from one slot to another to improve my 3G speed by 4 or 5 so in my opinion it doesn't work, should I reach Samsung support for that ?
I don't really agree with the crappy efficiency my previous low end mediatek phone was not that bad at all and the 3G support was at least uniform between both slot.
Does this also mean that if there is data transfer on one card, the calls are rejected from the other?
czesiu said:
Does this also mean that if there is data transfer on one card, the calls are rejected from the other?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, data usage doesn't interrupt standby mode.
Bu in the other hand, when in call, as the other sim is out of network and if data is set to use this other sim, data will be disabled till call ends.
Kiwyxda said:
I test several before installing one with knox and not being able to change anymore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are not able to change at all? Or not able to change w/o setting the KNOX bit to 1?
Does KNOX bit = 1 mean that the user lost the warranty?
czesiu said:
You are not able to change at all? Or not able to change w/o setting the KNOX bit to 1?
Does KNOX bit = 1 mean that the user lost the warranty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can only downgrade or upgrade to know enable ROM or the flag knox warranty void swith to 0x1 and then depending on your country the warranty can be void, it shouldn't be possible in Europe according to European law, but in US they have no problem to deny your warranty.
So far no one found a solution and theyre's probably no easy solution. except not using those rom (meaning no update to 4.3 or 4.4 if it comes one day.)
Zana2 said:
It has got Android JB 4.2.2 support and dual sim support, A more sleek and compact design has been integrated outstanding cmf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's your point here ?
Single sim phones behave better than dual sim phones and you won't get any aosp ROM for a dual sim phone in the near future
Sent from my GT-P3100 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
This thr45ead has me alittle confused I know what duel sim duel standby is but a poster above said if you have one on 3g the other on a call then the 3g will drop out at the end of the call which pretty much cancels all your active downloads etc.
Did I read that right?
I'm thinking of mby getting this phone as the full S4 duel is like 900 and very limited where you can get it.
This is what I need.
2 sims I use 1 dedicated 3g sim Virgin, other dedicated voice/sms Optus.
So 900/2100 frequency.
Reason for this instead of 1 sim is Virgin gives me a year worth of data 12gb which rolls over unused data on recharge whereas Optus is only 30 days 500mb data or so no rollover also I cant really get data on a prepaid 3 month long expiry with rollover $30 credit which is is $10 a month for prepaid and some times I haven't used all that credit within the 3 months.
So I cant really do both those things together on the 1 sim be nice if I could consolidate for the exact same benefits but that's not how it works it always costs more and trade-offs like no data rollover.
While I'm out I use my phone for listening to music online streaming, GPS, hopefully ingress (why I want a new phone), bit of web browsing etc so if I get a call don't want it to screw up anything I'm doing. I also tether to my tablet Nexus 10 and according to the op you cannot tether or the feature is broken with this phone.
So can anyone assure me I can do what I want or a recent phone that can? 'HTC One duel sim?' I was hoping Samsung a proper manufactorer as it should be a better experience than those MTK and other Chinese phones which I current have a Star X19i MTK phone on 2.3 which GPS sucks (doesn't even lock or properly most times even after 30 mins trying to connect), headphone socket sucks, is really slow etc nowadays
drguild said:
This thr45ead has me alittle confused I know what duel sim duel standby is but a poster above said if you have one on 3g the other on a call then the 3g will drop out at the end of the call which pretty much cancels all your active downloads etc.
Did I read that right?
I'm thinking of mby getting this phone as the full S4 duel is like 900 and very limited where you can get it.
This is what I need.
2 sims I use 1 dedicated 3g sim Virgin, other dedicated voice/sms Optus.
So 900/2100 frequency.
Reason for this instead of 1 sim is Virgin gives me a year worth of data 12gb which rolls over unused data on recharge whereas Optus is only 30 days 500mb data or so no rollover also I cant really get data on a prepaid 3 month long expiry with rollover $30 credit which is is $10 a month for prepaid and some times I haven't used all that credit within the 3 months.
So I cant really do both those things together on the 1 sim be nice if I could consolidate for the exact same benefits but that's not how it works it always costs more and trade-offs like no data rollover.
While I'm out I use my phone for listening to music online streaming, GPS, hopefully ingress (why I want a new phone), bit of web browsing etc so if I get a call don't want it to screw up anything I'm doing. I also tether to my tablet Nexus 10 and according to the op you cannot tether or the feature is broken with this phone.
So can anyone assure me I can do what I want or a recent phone that can? 'HTC One duel sim?' I was hoping Samsung a proper manufactorer as it should be a better experience than those MTK and other Chinese phones which I current have a Star X19i MTK phone on 2.3 which GPS sucks (doesn't even lock or properly most times even after 30 mins trying to connect), headphone socket sucks, is really slow etc nowadays
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your post is pretty confused.
You should try to phrase more simply maybe.
First you have 2 sim in 2 different sim slot.
the sim one is working at H+ speed with a maximum of 21Mb/s
the second sim is working at GPRS Hybrid speed at a maximum of 1,4 Mb/s
If you plan to put your main 3G sim in the second slot then you will not be able to enjoy maximum speed and any streaming will be like a pain in the $$$.
If you want to do tethering, it's working but only with the first sim. The second for a reason I don't understand can't be used with usb/wifi/bluetooth tethering.
Finally yes during a call on the sim 1, the sim 2 will be disconnected from network meaning any call or internet activity will be suspended.
and the contrary is true too, if you're using your sim 2 to call someone then the sim 1 will be disconnected from the network.
I have been told that the galaxy S4 is dual sim active meaning that if you receive a call on one sim the other is till active and can do 3G and receive call (but it needs to be verify) and also it's a S4 and not the S4 Mini. I don't know about you, but size matter to me and with phone bigger is not better at all.
I had a mediatek based phone and yes GPS sucks but the ship is battery efficient and support full speed 3G on both sim, it's also way cheapper. I think next mediatek generation will have my vote as they are the only one on ship market to really know how to make a dual sim ship in my opinion.
The HTC One dual has the same ship as the mini s4 and should have the same behavior (maybe not the bug on the tethering but all the other issue yes)
to delete
It's not true that second sim works in 2g only. You cannot get 1.4mbit/s using Edge or gprs. Edge is limited to 0.25mbit/s in most networks. It can work in 3g even in hspa+ mode but indeed it seems that maximum bandwidth of data transfer is limited.
jarmal said:
It's not true that second sim works in 2g only. You cannot get 1.4mbit/s using Edge or gprs. Edge is limited to 0.25mbit/s in most networks. It can work in 3g even in hspa+ mode but indeed it seems that maximum bandwidth of data transfer is limited.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well F**** technical terms things is the 3G on second sim card can't be called 3G in my opinion. and completly sucks, for a 325€ phone having only one nice screen and a fonctionnal GPS compare to a cheap chineese phone that cost 150€, well I say Samsung should think more carefully to what ship they embededded in there phones.
Just purchased this phone yesterday, and I really like it, reading through this thread and other, here is my conclusion and the results, will try to update with some photo's later on.
with 1 usim in either slot 1 or slot 2, you get full speed on data.
with both usim in phone, slot 1 will get full data speed, slot 2 will get 2.3M
whiles both usim is in the phone, only one usim can operate in 3G mode, the other usim will change to 2G model.
With either 1 or 2 usim in the phone, operating from either slot 1 or slot 2, tethering works for me, and provides enough data for my ipod touch for we chat, whatsapp, browsing or basic online game (all my games are basic and does not require huge power resources)
with the results, it really doesn't affect me either way, as long as the phone can provide full speed.
hope this helps.
kms108 said:
Just purchased this phone yesterday, and I really like it, reading through this thread and other, here is my conclusion and the results, will try to update with some photo's later on.
with 1 usim in either slot 1 or slot 2, you get full speed on data.
with both usim in phone, slot 1 will get full data speed, slot 2 will get 2.3M
whiles both usim is in the phone, only one usim can operate in 3G mode, the other usim will change to 2G model.
With either 1 or 2 usim in the phone, operating from either slot 1 or slot 2, tethering works for me, and provides enough data for my ipod touch for we chat, whatsapp, browsing or basic online game (all my games are basic and does not require huge power resources)
with the results, it really doesn't affect me either way, as long as the phone can provide full speed.
hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really interesting about the version of your phone and the whole "about session" because even with one sim in the phone it's impossible for me to get full speed on both sims and tethering working for both slot and also 2.3Mb/s is so fast compare to the result I get. (the fact that you can't have two active internet connection at the same time doesn't bother me that sounds reasonnable.)
Also the build date would be appreciate
Kiwyxda said:
I'm really interesting about the version of your phone and the whole "about session" because even with one sim in the phone it's impossible for me to get full speed on both sims and tethering working for both slot and also 2.3Mb/s is so fast compare to the result I get. (the fact that you can't have two active internet connection at the same time doesn't bother me that sounds reasonnable.)
Also the build date would be appreciate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
right now i'm giving my phone a second full charge, when it's finished, i'll post the photo's of the speed test and the released date. From the box, my i9192 is a version sold in saudi arabia.
update:
The usim data card is rated at 14.4m max speed, the same card used in the i9192, note 2, USB data stick and mifi all get approximate 5-8m.
2 usim in phone with data enabled in slot 1
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
2 usim in phone with data enabled in slot 2
1 usim in phone slot 1 with data enabled
1 usim in phone slot 2 with data enabled
Can you consider to add a screenshot of the about section of your phone ?
Because I made the test yesterday again and once again impossible for me to reach more than 1,4Mb/s with 2 sim and data on slot 2
Kiwyxda said:
Can you consider to add a screenshot of the about section of your phone ?
Because I made the test yesterday again and once again impossible for me to reach more than 1,4Mb/s with 2 sim and data on slot 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by sections.
kms108 said:
What do you mean by sections.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In settings --> More --> About device --> scroll down and screen shot those insfo
if you don't mind
Related
I know the Three (3) sim card is a special U2 or U3 sim card and should only work on 3g phones. Does anyone think it will work on the HD? I don't want to buy the phone and then use it on the 3 network for the remainder of my contract only to discover it will not work on the 3 netork in the UK. Any opinions appreciated.
Thanks!
BTW I feel this is the best phone ever (well so far). I can't wait to get hold of it. Only thing it lacks which would make it perfect is a flash and internal storage. So excited for it to be released.
I'm in the same boat...
But as far as I'm aware, if your phone supports 3G, then you are ok with a 3 sim. I've tried my 3 sim in a couple of phones and so far that rule seams to have worked.
I can't see any manufacturer having made a special effort just to accommodate 3 and yet lots of phones do work with thier sims...
Still, further confirmation would be good.
My problem is that I used to use these dual sim things to switch between work and home sim on the same phone. they don't seam to work with 3 sims.
Zuber
tboy2000 said:
I know the Three (3) sim card is a special U2 or U3 sim card and should only work on 3g phones. Does anyone think it will work on the HD? I don't want to buy the phone and then use it on the 3 network for the remainder of my contract only to discover it will not work on the 3 netork in the UK. Any opinions appreciated.
Thanks!
BTW I feel this is the best phone ever (well so far). I can't wait to get hold of it. Only thing it lacks which would make it perfect is a flash and internal storage. So excited for it to be released.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works guys perfectly...!!!!!
vafanculo13 said:
It works guys perfectly...!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To elaborate slightly
I currently have a 3 pay as you go SIM in the touch HD and it works fine. So far I have successfully used
3g/HSDPA - internet with my laptop
DATA - connectivity on the phone ie; mail, browser traffic, weather etc etc
VOICE - Works just fine as expected
Skype calling is also working allbeit the app is a little slow
I was on a contract with 3, bought an HD from Expansys UK with a T-mobile contract. When I got my phone, I put the 3 SIM in the HD and it worked perfectly for calls and data until I ported over my number to T-Mobile.
Does anyone here know the settings to access Planet3 on Opera so I can check my usage and balance? When I go to mobile.three.co.uk it takes me to the website version and not the mobile version. I heard you had to change the user agent in config. Any ideas???
Can anyone confirm if they are able to get a data connection on the 3 network when out of 3G signal? I understand that for 2G access the phone uses the Orange network. When it does this for me I cannot use my data connection. PIE and Opera Mini just hang. I can get on the Planet 3 site but that is the only site I can access. Do others get the same problem? Over on this site they say it works:
http://www.mobiholics.com/content/3/271031/3-fiver-a-month-payg-data-suddenly-working-in-2g-area
But it doesn't work for me!
DeanPall said:
Can anyone confirm if they are able to get a data connection on the 3 network when out of 3G signal? I understand that for 2G access the phone uses the Orange network. When it does this for me I cannot use my data connection. PIE and Opera Mini just hang. I can get on the Planet 3 site but that is the only site I can access. Do others get the same problem? Over on this site they say it works:
http://www.mobiholics.com/content/3/271031/3-fiver-a-month-payg-data-suddenly-working-in-2g-area
But it doesn't work for me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On GSM you can only access planet3 and some of it's sub-sites. You need 3G to be able to browse the Internet, but you can still use Skype, push email, and MSN(i think) on GSM. If anyone knows the full list of services you can use on three.co.uk over GSM, that would be handy.
TheNemonic said:
On GSM you can only access planet3 and some of it's sub-sites. You need 3G to be able to browse the Internet, but you can still use Skype, push email, and MSN(i think) on GSM. If anyone knows the full list of services you can use on three.co.uk over GSM, that would be handy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks TheNemonic, the 3 network would be perfect if you could also access the web on GMS when out of range of the 3G network! I wish there was a work around.
This plan is currently in the works and by no means confirmed working. Once confirmed I'll outline detailed methods, and possibly sell working units to the masses if nobody beats me to it. More on the concept further down.
Currently Bell is charging $15/month for 2MB of data! That's right megabytes not gigabytes.
Anyways, I'm not here to sell anything really. I just want cheap free data usage. I live and breath around open access WIFI hotspots, and I know this phone supports it. Not to mention the Touch is a great buy ($0 upfront).
So while my 2MB plan is crap, I can use it when I'm not around WIFI.
This post goes out to customers of BELL Mobility (Canada) and SPRINT(USA).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upon proceeding with this "mod", I make two assumptions:
1. The WIFI circuit and antenna are non-existent within CDMA chipsets, which leaves room for more memory than the GSM version of Touch.
2. The WIFI chip and antenna ARE existent but the issued ROMs ignore it's function for annoyance purposes.
Now that's out of the way, here's the concept.
1. Log onto fleebay and Purchase a normal size SD WIFI card with some internal memory of course
2. Mod an obsolete microSD card to carry the pin configuration over to the standard sized WIFI SD card, using thin ribbon cable as the raceway.
With this type of mod, you could close the battery door, and side panel. Of course there will be external circuitry hanging out. I'm planning on adhering it to the back of the door somehow to keep the phone looking cool!
There you have it, a modded Touch which can carry over WIFI capabilities externally.
Was thinking the same thing yesterday. But instead of building a SD-to-microSD adapter, I believe there is already one out there:
http://www.ameri-rack.com/APA-TFC1m.html
Not sure how to purchase from them though...
Also, would you think this mod would work with this? because basically this is what I want, as I have unlimited data (but I don't like WM's browser):
http://www.youtubetoipod.biz/guide/turn-your-ipod-toucn-into-a-3g-iphone.html
I think you are referring to the Ipod Touch which is a great device. But I am referring to the HTC touch CDMA version which is a device already sold as a phone without any mods of course. Big difference, Microsoft and Mac difference.
Although everything I described relates to the first link you posted. That is exactly what I have in mind. I had no idea someone beat me to a full out production version.
I would buy that for $100 even though it would be worth $5 or less in mass produced parts. If they want more than $100 for that extender, I'll build my own and flaunt it at the Bell shop.
But as far as I'm concerned, thanks xDarKnighTx for the link!
Aside from that, there already is a microSD wifi card prototype out there which sticks out like a sore thumb. Good luck closing the battery door and side panel.
wifi
wifi has been one of my peeves about the touch. from what i have read the hardware in the phone does not exist so i think its safe to say the rom is not the problem releasing wifi. a hardware adaption does not seem that far off. i know the microsd card wifi has been rumored but either does not exist or it is crap. supposed the mini sd wifi card was crap. your theory is to go microsd to sd and then sd wifi?
my thinking was a usb plug in for wifi. a plug in antenae that way would be easy to put in and take out. i thought for sure some mfg would already have created one. maybe the usb circuitry prevents this?
To sum up - microSD ---> to SD ---> to Wifi.
USB Wifi would be a great option and has been done before with earlier PDA's. Not sure about any success with the HTC Touch though.
UPDATE:
I Just purchased a Spectec 802.11b Wifi SD Card for a good price. There is no internal memory on this chip. If I get it working then I'll spend more money and upgrade to a WIFI chip with memory.
Now for the microSD mod...
Just an FYI re: Bell's data plans.
thirteenthcell said:
This plan is currently in the works and by no means confirmed working. Once confirmed I'll outline detailed methods, and possibly sell working units to the masses if nobody beats me to it. More on the concept further down.
Currently Bell is charging $15/month for 2MB of data! That's right megabytes not gigabytes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that I'm against WiFi, but unlimited internet through Bell is only $15/m.
Quoting Bell.ca:
"The Fun 15 bundle includes Call Display, Message Centre Express, 200 sent text, picture and video messages, unlimited received messages and Unlimited Mobile Browser."
They've been offering this package for quite some time, and it's applicable to Bell's Touch.
What Bell DOESN'T make 100% clear (though if you go to their stores they will), is that internally Bell doesn't count the Touch as a smartphone because it doesn't have a full qwerty keyboard.
A few people asked me how I could afford data on Bell, as they were looking at the "Internet for Windows/Palm" type plans. Two of those friends went out and signed up with Bell.
The most I've moved through my Bell Touch in one month is 6.5 gigs (first month playing around), and never saw any overages, though most months I'm just shy of the 1gig mark. This works with Opera for full-html rendering, Newsbreak for RSS and podcast download as well as email.
Just one thing: don't tether your phone to a laptop through the standard WM tethering app or you'll probably get hit with a hefty bill (as it's mobile browsing only).
NOTE: I don't work for Bell, and don't particularly like them, but I'm definitely a happy customer with the data plan, because it's nationwide no roaming charges for data, and it's worked for me in Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec with no problems.
UPDATE:
I sent an email to AMERI-RACK expecting them only to ship the APA-TFC1 in bulk.
Good news, we have a microSD to SD adapter for only 26.75 plus shipping. You just have to email their support team with your address and request this device like I did.
To sum up this thread
The Wifi equation for the CDMA Touch:
AMERI-RACK's APA-TFC1 to link an SD-WIFI card - Thanks xDarKnighTx for the link
A SD WIFI card with memory which supports WM6 at least
Possible home brew ROM with WIFI drivers found in the connection manager
*I'm hoping there's a quick way around enabling WIFI on the software side. Anyone's input is appreciated.
Antboy said:
What Bell DOESN'T make 100% clear (though if you go to their stores they will), is that internally Bell doesn't count the Touch as a smartphone because it doesn't have a full qwerty keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not what I was told in the store, they put me on a $15 2MB DATA plan which covers your browsing, email and downloads. Can someone else confirm this true who signed up recently like I did (few days ago).
thirteenthcell said:
That's not what I was told in the store, they put me on a $15 2MB DATA plan which covers your browsing, email and downloads. Can someone else confirm this true who signed up recently like I did (few days ago).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I asked for the $15 Fun Bundle when I was phone shopping a few weeks ago. The store manager said it was only available with certain packages, with certain phones, and all of the packages she mentioned were available ONLY if you get a contract.
I bought a cheapie phone somewhere else after that... Their best offer was nearly double my old phone bill with Telus.
My apologies,
I'm not on the $15 2MB Data Plan. They set me up with Bell's "Fun 15" which includes unlimited browser, message center, callerID, and a few text messages. And apparently the Touch falls in this category.
I heard in a message board that certain programs (like possibly google maps / live mail) call in data as if it were a browser session. Meaning the application's DATA transfer counts towards your unlimited browser. At the same time, other programs call it in as if it were configured as a tethered modem connection where you get charged by the megabyte.
Confusing!
Anyway, I'm going ahead with my WIFI plan and will keep everyone updated with any progress.
thirteenthcell said:
My apologies,
I'm not on the $15 2MB Data Plan. They set me up with Bell's "Fun 15" which includes unlimited browser, message center, callerID, and a few text messages. And apparently the Touch falls in this category.
I heard in a message board that certain programs (like possibly google maps / live mail) call in data as if it were a browser session. Meaning the application's DATA transfer counts towards your unlimited browser. At the same time, other programs call it in as if it were configured as a tethered modem connection where you get charged by the megabyte.
Confusing!
Anyway, I'm going ahead with my WIFI plan and will keep everyone updated with any progress.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using a full modded HTC Touch with absolutely no issues with my data plans.
I was confused at first, and was told different things by different bell reps. Some told me that I required a special data plan to use a smart phone - and that the HTC Touch didn't use that phone as it wasn't a true "smart phone".
Then, I was told that the only data that I wouldn't be charged for is data loaded through the regular browser - This was quickly debunked.
I've used all types of services for over 1.5 months now. From streaming vide to Google Maps, to downloading music - Nothing has been charged as bandwidth. Mind you, i have an old data plan where I got unlimited 1X browsing and data (it used to be $5 - but I now get it for free ) - so that's the main reason i got the touch in the first place - the potential for modification and it's use of the 1X network.
thirteenthcell said:
I think you are referring to the Ipod Touch which is a great device. But I am referring to the HTC touch CDMA version which is a device already sold as a phone without any mods of course. Big difference, Microsoft and Mac difference.
Although everything I described relates to the first link you posted. That is exactly what I have in mind. I had no idea someone beat me to a full out production version.
I would buy that for $100 even though it would be worth $5 or less in mass produced parts. If they want more than $100 for that extender, I'll build my own and flaunt it at the Bell shop.
But as far as I'm concerned, thanks xDarKnighTx for the link!
Aside from that, there already is a microSD wifi card prototype out there which sticks out like a sore thumb. Good luck closing the battery door and side panel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you've misunderstood my intention. I want to set up the HTC Vogue to transmit its internet through wifi, so that my ipod touch (or laptop) can connect to it.
Would you think that's possible with the SD wifi card?
xDarKnighTx said:
I think you've misunderstood my intention. I want to set up the HTC Vogue to transmit its internet through wifi, so that my ipod touch (or laptop) can connect to it.
Would you think that's possible with the SD wifi card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes sense, so you have both the HTC Touch and IPOD Touch.
In order for a program like WMWifiRouter to turn your phone into a WIFI hotspot, there needs to be a few things in place.
My only challenge right now is enabling WIFI options in the COMM MANAGER. I'll experiment with different homebrew ROMS cautiously, and hope the SD WIFI drivers do all of the work for me.
UPDATE:
All of the hardware required is being shipped right now including the APA-TFC1 microSD adapter as well as a standard size WIFI card. Total cost right now $55-$60.
I thought I'd just confirm that Bell handles the Vouge as a regular cellphone (No extra PDA charges), also the unlimited data plan (Mine was $7 a month) is great. I've been using opera 9.2 (Whatever the newest one is) which loads pages just like a desktop pc, as well was downloading music, AVGN videos, whole SCUMM games (700MBs), using google maps and GPS and have not been charged an extra cent. It really is a great plan, and an awesome phone; definitely why I bought it.
Now all I have to do is work out how to hack tethering, not that I have much of a use for it right now.
Just in case you might want to persue a different route, the cdma htc touch actually has a pinout for the full size SD card on the mainboard, it's unknown if it's wired parallel to the microsd slot or not, but being SPI devices, it might very well be...
ya people have the great data plan with bell ya should work out something for sprint our cheapest data plan is $15
Ok, the SD wifi card is a very old idea. Just not gonna work. Yes, you will get internet but each time you want you have to search for access point, chose the right one, ... It just won't work in most case. Another problem is if you do have access to wifi, you normally will have access to a laptop.
Anyway, I am using Bell $7 unlimited Internet for a year now. I don't know why you need to pay $15 for 2MB. The $7 unlimited plan is really open. I am a software developer so I know how much data I used.
c--b said:
I thought I'd just confirm that Bell handles the Vouge as a regular cellphone (No extra PDA charges), also the unlimited data plan (Mine was $7 a month) is great. I've been using opera 9.2 (Whatever the newest one is) which loads pages just like a desktop pc, as well was downloading music, AVGN videos, whole SCUMM games (700MBs), using google maps and GPS and have not been charged an extra cent. It really is a great plan, and an awesome phone; definitely why I bought it.
Now all I have to do is work out how to hack tethering, not that I have much of a use for it right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried tethering to my EEE PC (running Win XP) using PDA Net from http://www.junefabrics.com/pdanet/index.php with no billing overages. It's a $35 program, but does have a trial available for testing. It worked for me when I tested it up at the cottage, and worked from out of province as well.
thirteenthcell, any updates on this?
So, maybe to keep this from showing outside of the case. Can you get the extended battery cover and hide all of those guts(microsd adapter and sdwifi card) underneath it, if it works.
UPDATE:
I would like to make myself clear on a few things, and apologize in advance for any confusion.
When I bought my Vogue three weeks ago, I didn't realize it had "Unlimited data" as a bundle. This confusion was mainly due to their confusing rate plans and classification of the Vogue.
Therefore, I was initially ticked that I would have to pay $15 for 2 megabytes. This case is not true because Bell classifies the Vogue as a regular "dumbphone".
There you have my reasoning for wanting Wifi on this phone, not realizing I could freely use DATA on the phone under a small unlimited data bundle.
There is another reason for wanting Wifi:
Tethering
There are posts out there claiming to get "stealth" tethering where your phone carrier doesn't realize your laptop is connected and sees it as a normal internal cellular data connection. This seems to be a whole new thread as far as I'm concerned, so I'll stick with the plain old getting the WIFI working on the Vogue.
Right now the micro SD --> SD adapter is confirmed working.
Proof: I took pictures of this mod with a digital camera and immediately swapped the SD card into the adapter's slot. I was then able to use my phone to access the standard SD card.
The Wifi card isn't working. This has to do with the stock ROM and or Registry entries. I need to go over the registry perhaps.
Any help with registry settings is greatly appreciated.
So after reading mostly every post I could find on the net regarding the Vibrant and its signal bar issues, it's pretty apparent that most everyone experiences the signal indicator dropping when the phone is held a certain way, however this only seems to affect some people's data throughput and voice service. I have read a couple of people that do not have these dropped bars, but those posts are few and far between, so I think it is safe to assume that there is a definite bug with at least the way the phone displays signal.
I have a new theory. Now, I'm no expert with cellular technology, so this may, and probably is, totally wrong. But as I was unboxing the phone, I noticed that this was the first time I got a new SIM card with any T-Mobile phone since my first, the original T-Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition, in what was that, 2002? 2003? Every other upgraded handset I've ever owned didn't come with one and it was assumed you just pop it out of your previous phone and you were good to go. Have SIM cards changed at all the way they handle these newer networks, especially HSDPA and HSPA+, or is it still all of the same? My new SIM doesn't work because I believe it isn't registered to my account on the network, so I am using the old one. It is a dumb theory I know, but its worth thinking about. Someone who is better educated will probably school my noobness, but I just found it interesting that this is the first phone on T-Mobile that can take advantage of these newer networks for both voice and data, and also the first one to include a brand-spanking new SIM card, in my experience anyway.
If this theory is totally stupid, does anyone else have any other theories?
Also received a new SIM card, unasked for. No idea if and how this could affect signal, though.
New sim cards should have basically no input on your reception. It just tells your phone which signal ranges to use. Thats it. Also contact storage.
Meanwhile you have to seriously hamfist your phone to cause anything, none of which would result in a dropped call nor a stopped data transfer.
Please stop the false hype. Vibrant won't drop calls like the iphone would.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
The old sim cards can only register on the network some 90k times or somesuch before they go bad. The swaps between 2g + 3g networks are causing lots to go bad faster. The new sim cards don't go bad at that point. That is the only difference. You will know if it's gone bad if you're getting "sos emergency calls" or "unable to register," but it shouldn't have any effect on loss of data/signal temporarily. It will simply no longer connect at all, period.
You sure about that magic 90k number? Got a link to back it up?
I would have a year tops if that were even true.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
No links, sorry. I'm in cust care for t-mobile, and it was in one of our updates explaining why exactly we were getting these mysterious new sim card codes in the system when there was no other noticable changes to the sims. No increase in storage for contacts, or anything else, we were all kinda "huh"
Edit:After searching around for a relevant link I stumbled upon the one below stating that it might cause similar problems, although I've yet to see that being related in any of the troubleshooting I've done. At least the specifically UICC problem.
forums.t-mobile.com/t5/myTouch-3G-Slide/cannot-make-calls-losing-signal-apps-force-closing-Problems/m-p/416847
Sim cards can cause some problems for people. I can safely say that even with the weakest of signals MY Vibrant will xfer data. I have the screen shots to prove it. I've yet to drop a call. The only thing I have a problem with is the GPS and the occasional pausing. I wish we could get some information from T-Mobile and Samsung about this matter and when they plan on fixing it. I see they're working on it by "leaking" betas to i9000 handsets. They need to fix the bars too because it's more annoying than anything. Otherwise I love the phone. GPS/zero bars will do for now but I want it to match the rest of the phone. The phone has no problem seeing up to 14 sats (only on stock settings) but will not connect to them.
My sim card is the one that came with the phone. Some networks have a special 3G authentication based on your sim but I don't believe T-Mobile is one of the carriers that use this.
I am using my old sim card and I still get attenuation when I cover the bottom of the phone. I have never lost a call due to it so I have always figured that it is just faulty reporting of the signal. In my house, where I get pretty bad service, I can make it show no bars but I can still receive a call (I got one while I was playing with it by odd coincidence)
Let me note: I am not a dev nor programmer.
With the similiarities of the P6800 and the Verizon 7.7, I threw together a rom w/ stock SCH-I815 samsung/verizon kernel using the P6800 frameworks and apps into the Verizon 7.7 and removed most bloat. The LTE/Verizon antennas aren't recognized by the device at all but everything else was working.
Now, you can't swap the phone.apk's around without the framework's else you'll experience FCs. So obviously I'll need to use the base stock apps and frameworks and go through the 2 framework files hunting about.
Has anyone else with the Verizon 7.7 taken a look into this?
I'm curious if you've made any progress on this?
Not yet, probably be a week before I even look through the files again. But I believe it's fully possible to get phone use
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
i think you will need to find samsung modem for verzon networks, does verizon have a galaxy note or sgs2?
although your modem firmware probably has voice disabled, may have to find modem manufacturer and try to flash custom firmware.
good luck, wish you the best.
I'm happy enough using GrooveIP for google voice calling. What I'd really like is if we could activate the phone profile in bluetooth (or will that just come with enabling the proper phone part in the 7.7?).
As of now i can use GrooveIP and bluetooth to listen and speak, but it won't let the bluetooth device answer/hang up/transfer address book/show caller ID (on the Verizon LTE 7.7)
Doesn't verizon require some sort of signed telephony to work properly on their network
ph00ny said:
Doesn't verizon require some sort of signed telephony to work properly on their network
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got no idea but with the other packs it didn't detect the radio at all. This is keeping the vzw radio partition stock. I like the ideas and really wish the note was verizon as that'd help figure things out.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
just to confirm does this a sim slot? i thought someone said it did.
chrisrotolo said:
just to confirm does this a sim slot? i thought someone said it did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does for LTE but cdma service doesn't use sim
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA
Seeing as your data account won't have any provisioning for voice usage, even if you DID get a working modem and a modified framework to allow for phone functionality on the device, I doubt that you'd actually be able to made or receive a phone call due to Verizon's limitations at the account and provisioning level anyway.
Point is, it's a CDMA device, and thus your service is attached to the device itself, not the SIM card (except for LTE data). Basically, you can't just provision service to the SIM card alone, and then simply swap it into a different device. So if you got the modem and the framework working, and you called in to Verizon customer service and asked to provision your line for voice, they'll just be like "Umm, no... We never INTENDED for you to use that device as a phone, so no... You want a phone? Buy a phone. You want a tablet? Buy a tablet. You want to do both in one device? We won't allow that because that loses us money that we would be getting by having you either subscribe to two lines, or charge you extra to tether..."
There is a much simpler solution however.
Ditch ANY CDMA carrier in favour of a GSM carrier instead, preferably one that uses the same compatible frequencies adopted by the rest of the world, like AT&T (and MVNO's based off of AT&T's network), and buy the P6800.
The moral of this story is this: if you want the latest devices, with the best features, you're NOT going to find them in the north American market, EVER, at all, period; you're just going to find watered-down, gimped, bloated, and locked-down versions of the international models. You HAVE to import. If you're going to import, you HAVE to use a GSM service provider... That's just the way it is. It sucks, I know, but it is what it is.
I would have to agree, the GSM version would be best. It would be near impossible to make this happen. Of course if I was stick with one, I would try everything I could as well. I'd probably fail miserably and go for something like GrooveIP.
Jade Eyed Wolf said:
Seeing as your data account won't have any provisioning for voice usage, even if you DID get a working modem and a modified framework to allow for phone functionality on the device, I doubt that you'd actually be able to made or receive a phone call due to Verizon's limitations at the account and provisioning level anyway.
Point is, it's a CDMA device, and thus your service is attached to the device itself, not the SIM card (except for LTE data). Basically, you can't just provision service to the SIM card alone, and then simply swap it into a different device. So if you got the modem and the framework working, and you called in to Verizon customer service and asked to provision your line for voice, they'll just be like "Umm, no... We never INTENDED for you to use that device as a phone, so no... You want a phone? Buy a phone. You want a tablet? Buy a tablet. You want to do both in one device? We won't allow that because that loses us money that we would be getting by having you either subscribe to two lines, or charge you extra to tether..."
There is a much simpler solution however.
Ditch ANY CDMA carrier in favour of a GSM carrier instead, preferably one that uses the same compatible frequencies adopted by the rest of the world, like AT&T (and MVNO's based off of AT&T's network), and buy the P6800.
The moral of this story is this: if you want the latest devices, with the best features, you're NOT going to find them in the north American market, EVER, at all, period; you're just going to find watered-down, gimped, bloated, and locked-down versions of the international models. You HAVE to import. If you're going to import, you HAVE to use a GSM service provider... That's just the way it is. It sucks, I know, but it is what it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I move my SIM between devices all the time and have never needed to call VZ to provision the new device. Voice and data just work.
miiike said:
I move my SIM between devices all the time and have never needed to call VZ to provision the new device. Voice and data just work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can CONFIRM the following:
I have a VZ tab 7.7 with 5GB data plan and I have a VZ Razr with voice/unlimited data plan.
Both are LTE devices and hence use (micro) SIM cards. In "My Verizon" even the tab has a phone number assigned to it's "line". A call to that number just rings but obviously nothing on the tab.
BUT...
Put the tab sim in the phone and YES it will ring if you call that number! Even TXT in/out works! I assume they will just charge me per txt and per min phone use BUT IT WORKS in a PHONE.
And the kicker is, the unlimited PHONE SIM also works in the TAB! I immediately get LTE data and can surf with the tab. Of course at that point calls and texts to that phone number are "ignored" by the tab's neutered modem.
Lesson learned:
IF there was a way to flash a modem, say for example from the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to the VZ 7.7 TAB, we would have a full supersized phone in our hand. Only downside, no earpiece. So only speakerphone or BT calls I guess.
Anyway, after a little more research I also found this very interesting article:
http://www.phonenews.com/verizon-affirms-unlimited-smartphone-sim-card-usage-in-hotspots-tablets-lte-ipad-20053/
Hope this helps bring a little light into the messy CDMA/LTE darkness
I have swapped my Galaxy Nexus SIM in my VZW LTE 7.7 numerous times. It works. I'd love to have voice on the VZW LTE 7.7, then I could possibly do it all on my tab. I'm no developer tho ;p
Hello,
I am new to this site, and have a burning question I am trying to find an answer for.
So AT&T has been my carrier since about 2014. In July of 2019, I purchased an unlocked S8 from Amazon for about $350 Description says it is: Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - US Version (Midnight Black) - US Warranty - [SM-G950UZKAXAA]. In the settings, the model number is listed as: SM-G950U1.
Recently, I received a message from AT&T saying that they are shutting down their 3G network in February of 2022, and that my phone will no longer work on their network. I went into one of their stores and showed them that my phone operates on LTE, but I was told that is for data only and voice operates on 3G. I could not remember the VoLTE name at the time, but mentioned that my phone had the capability to operate on LTE. They refused to go thru settings with me, and told me that my phone will stop working in February. Period. End of story. Also, I was told the same thing that the message states, that they are sending me a new phone and will be deactivating my phone after 30 days.
Now some of my friends are laughing at me saying, "Dang free phones!" But I do not want a 5G phone (which is obviously what they are sending). I have my reasons and this is not what I wish to discuss here.
The issue is... I love my telephone!! It does exactly what I want, and I don't need anything new. Not to mention that I paid for it entirely, with no subsidy from AT&T. I specifically bought it unlocked with intentions of avoiding contracts and having the ability to switch carriers if I so choose.
I am pretty sure that I saw VoLTE mentioned in my settings a while back. But now a search on my phone finds nothing. I assume a firmware update hid this info from me.
So... what gives? Does anybody here know if this particular device can make/receive voice calls using VoLTE - on AT&T (or any other carriers) - simply by changing settings in the phone? Do I have any options to make my phone continue to operate as intended? With any carrier?
Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Steve
willnotbecontrolled said:
Hello,
I am new to this site, and have a burning question I am trying to find an answer for.
So AT&T has been my carrier since about 2014. In July of 2019, I purchased an unlocked S8 from Amazon for about $350 Description says it is: Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - US Version (Midnight Black) - US Warranty - [SM-G950UZKAXAA]. In the settings, the model number is listed as: SM-G950U1.
Recently, I received a message from AT&T saying that they are shutting down their 3G network in February of 2022, and that my phone will no longer work on their network. I went into one of their stores and showed them that my phone operates on LTE, but I was told that is for data only and voice operates on 3G. I could not remember the VoLTE name at the time, but mentioned that my phone had the capability to operate on LTE. They refused to go thru settings with me, and told me that my phone will stop working in February. Period. End of story. Also, I was told the same thing that the message states, that they are sending me a new phone and will be deactivating my phone after 30 days.
Now some of my friends are laughing at me saying, "Dang free phones!" But I do not want a 5G phone (which is obviously what they are sending). I have my reasons and this is not what I wish to discuss here.
The issue is... I love my telephone!! It does exactly what I want, and I don't need anything new. Not to mention that I paid for it entirely, with no subsidy from AT&T. I specifically bought it unlocked with intentions of avoiding contracts and having the ability to switch carriers if I so choose.
I am pretty sure that I saw VoLTE mentioned in my settings a while back. But now a search on my phone finds nothing. I assume a firmware update hid this info from me.
So... what gives? Does anybody here know if this particular device can make/receive voice calls using VoLTE - on AT&T (or any other carriers) - simply by changing settings in the phone? Do I have any options to make my phone continue to operate as intended? With any carrier?
Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue with crickett (att).
got that txt msg, recently maybe december there was a firmware update that greyed out my network settings and hid some items.
i cant even change my prefered network, 3g 4g lte etc, its locked..
I have the 950u1 also
HOWEVER I have a s8 950U that I think has all these unlocked.
Im going to backup and odin flash the U firmware to the UI and see if it works.
Thats bull**** about doing this. greedy ****s..
I go with somone else if I have to.
willnotbecontrolled said:
Hello,
I am new to this site, and have a burning question I am trying to find an answer for.
So AT&T has been my carrier since about 2014. In July of 2019, I purchased an unlocked S8 from Amazon for about $350 Description says it is: Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - US Version (Midnight Black) - US Warranty - [SM-G950UZKAXAA]. In the settings, the model number is listed as: SM-G950U1.
Recently, I received a message from AT&T saying that they are shutting down their 3G network in February of 2022, and that my phone will no longer work on their network. I went into one of their stores and showed them that my phone operates on LTE, but I was told that is for data only and voice operates on 3G. I could not remember the VoLTE name at the time, but mentioned that my phone had the capability to operate on LTE. They refused to go thru settings with me, and told me that my phone will stop working in February. Period. End of story. Also, I was told the same thing that the message states, that they are sending me a new phone and will be deactivating my phone after 30 days.
Now some of my friends are laughing at me saying, "Dang free phones!" But I do not want a 5G phone (which is obviously what they are sending). I have my reasons and this is not what I wish to discuss here.
The issue is... I love my telephone!! It does exactly what I want, and I don't need anything new. Not to mention that I paid for it entirely, with no subsidy from AT&T. I specifically bought it unlocked with intentions of avoiding contracts and having the ability to switch carriers if I so choose.
I am pretty sure that I saw VoLTE mentioned in my settings a while back. But now a search on my phone finds nothing. I assume a firmware update hid this info from me.
So... what gives? Does anybody here know if this particular device can make/receive voice calls using VoLTE - on AT&T (or any other carriers) - simply by changing settings in the phone? Do I have any options to make my phone continue to operate as intended? With any carrier?
Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
press phone icon, then top right corner hit the 3 vertical dots.
select settings and it should be in there if you havent updated lately... they ****ed us and locked out network and volte settings.
djmdesign said:
Same issue with crickett (att).
got that txt msg, recently maybe december there was a firmware update that greyed out my network settings and hid some items.
i cant even change my prefered network, 3g 4g lte etc, its locked..
I have the 950u1 also
HOWEVER I have a s8 950U that I think has all these unlocked.
Im going to backup and odin flash the U firmware to the UI and see if it works.
Thats bull**** about doing this. greedy ****s..
I go with somone else if I have to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please let me know if this works. I thought about doing the same thing, but have not gotten around to trying it. In theory, it sounds like a solid plan. But I have a couple of concerns.
During a recent phone call, AT&T told me their system has flagged my IMEI and that my phone will stop working very soon. So, if the system flagged an IMEI as an unsupported device, will it even matter which firmware is installed? Or will their system just deactivate the phone at some point?
Second, if you install the 950U firmware in place of the 950U1, will the device become carrier locked at this point? That would really suck if it did.
BTW, I was able to lock preferred network to “LTE only” by dialing *#*#4636#*#* and entering Device information screen. Unfortunately, my phone would not complete a call when using LTE only setting. VoLTE provisioned toggle is greyed out, along with others. Seems to me that if a guy could self provision VoLTE, this would solve the issue.
I called AT&T tech support and spent 45 minutes trying to get them to provision VoLTE, but they could not, or would not do it. At first, they kept telling me that my phone is a 3G phone. I argued that I could change the radio to “LTE only” and that my sim card status showed LTE for “mobile voice network type”, which proves that the phone is indeed LTE capable for voice calls - but that it will not complete a call because it is not provisioned to do so. Eventually they told me that their system would not allow them to provision VoLTE for me, since it is flagged as an unsupported device. Which leads back to the first part of this post.
I also found some stuff on reddit about putting the phone into “engineering mode” and something about a Samsung tool that unlocks additional dialer codes. Have not tried this, tho.
At this point, I am just completely fed up with AT&T for this whole S8 situation, as well as other unrelated issues. I will most likely switch carriers for principle’s sake, even though I know other carriers play similar games.
Anyway, I am interested in whether or not you find a solution and would very much like to hear about it. Thank you for the response!!
willnotbecontrolled said:
Please let me know if this works. I thought about doing the same thing, but have not gotten around to trying it. In theory, it sounds like a solid plan. But I have a couple of concerns.
During a recent phone call, AT&T told me their system has flagged my IMEI and that my phone will stop working very soon. So, if the system flagged an IMEI as an unsupported device, will it even matter which firmware is installed? Or will their system just deactivate the phone at some point?
Second, if you install the 950U firmware in place of the 950U1, will the device become carrier locked at this point? That would really suck if it did.
BTW, I was able to lock preferred network to “LTE only” by dialing *#*#4636#*#* and entering Device information screen. Unfortunately, my phone would not complete a call when using LTE only setting. VoLTE provisioned toggle is greyed out, along with others. Seems to me that if a guy could self provision VoLTE, this would solve the issue.
I called AT&T tech support and spent 45 minutes trying to get them to provision VoLTE, but they could not, or would not do it. At first, they kept telling me that my phone is a 3G phone. I argued that I could change the radio to “LTE only” and that my sim card status showed LTE for “mobile voice network type”, which proves that the phone is indeed LTE capable for voice calls - but that it will not complete a call because it is not provisioned to do so. Eventually they told me that their system would not allow them to provision VoLTE for me, since it is flagged as an unsupported device. Which leads back to the first part of this post.
I also found some stuff on reddit about putting the phone into “engineering mode” and something about a Samsung tool that unlocks additional dialer codes. Have not tried this, tho.
At this point, I am just completely fed up with AT&T for this whole S8 situation, as well as other unrelated issues. I will most likely switch carriers for principle’s sake, even though I know other carriers play similar games.
Anyway, I am interested in whether or not you find a solution and would very much like to hear about it. Thank you for the response!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I'm Newbie around here. I'd like to share my experience with ATT and my beloved S8+ this past few months:
Much like you and many others I started receiving texts from ATT by mid 2021 saying my phone would not work after Feb '22. Yes, every time they suspended my line I wasted 30~ 40 mins on the phone, listening how they would insist my S8+ was a 3G phone. It didn't matter that I offered to send them screenshots of my device showing the "VoLTE option" and "4G LTE" while both in the USA and Mexico. Thing is, they only based their saying on a st....id whitelist and all the reps are just talking heads.
I use an S8+ international version which is NOT on the dreaded list. and I am on the 300/year prepaid plan which allows roaming between Mexico and USA with no 50/50 usage limit.
I bought this phone on amazon for 350-ish bucks a couple of years ago and I love it!
I have to cross the Mexico/USA border very frequently and I need two separate numbers one on each country for business reasons so dual sim is a must. On the other hand, I receive lots and lots of phone calls while driving, this made me crave for android 8.1 when call recording was allowed by google, not the case anymore. None of these 2 features are available on the S8/S9 US based phones. I do not need 5G, I do not use social media nor watch videos on my phone but do get to use Pandora, Spotify, MLB radio and so on......... Enter SM-G955F/DS. I was able to change Samsung's CSC code to Israel so call recording is active for all those notes I cannot write down while driving and I get to carry just one device with 2 separate numbers thanks to a dual sim.
Ok, so back to my phone not being on the f... list :
Around Feb 10th, I got yet another email and SMS telling me it was my last opportunity to change or I MAY be disconnected after 2/22/22 ( funny choice of date huh?). I noticed that words on email and text messages had been changed from WILL NOT on Jul/2021 to MAY NOT work on Feb/2022. Since I know for a fact that my phone is VoLTE capable, I figured my S8+ would work as long as AT&T did not intentionally disconnected my line.
So, I took a crappy phoenix ATT phone and updated it's IMEI on my account via the ATT prepaid webpage. After getting "approval" from ATT's system, I put the SIM card in and used it for a full weekend. After that, I put the SIM card back to my S8+ and it is still going strong to date.
Today is March 1st, and I have been weary of ATT sneaking me out of their system but fortunately it has not happened yet. Needless to say, I have not updated my S8's IMEI on ATT's webpage and do not intend to do so.
Now, This "proves" that my phone is indeed capable of using VoLTE and HD , and all those things ATT said it would not do is just plain B.S.. if they disconnect me down the road I would definitely move to T Mobile although I would have some issues with the 50/50 international roaming and I still have 8 months left on my prepaid annual plan with ATT so, keeping my fingers crossed.
AT&T just wants to make more money out of selling new 5G devices while getting rid of their stocked 4G phones.
I wouldn't mind if they just plain out stated " If you do not buy from ATT then ATT will not support your device and will not sell service to you" then again, it would probably be a PR nightmare for them although they do that for WIFI calling anyways.
Ain't it funny how 2/22/22 is coincidentally a paycheck's time ( 2 weeks) after a new flagship phone (S22) was made available for purchase ?
Anyways, enough for ranting and conspiracy theories lol...
I have taken out and put back to my S8+ the SIM card two times in the past 9 days after 2/22/22 and my service is still in good standing.
Maybe if you got a new replacement phone that you don't like, you may swap back your SIM card and it MAY work just like mine is even if it is NOT ON THE INFAMOUS WHITE LIST.
Oldschoolguy said:
Hi, I'm Newbie around here. I'd like to share my experience with ATT and my beloved S8+ this past few months:
Much like you and many others I started receiving texts from ATT by mid 2021 saying my phone would not work after Feb '22. Yes, every time they suspended my line I wasted 30~ 40 mins on the phone, listening how they would insist my S8+ was a 3G phone. It didn't matter that I offered to send them screenshots of my device showing the "VoLTE option" and "4G LTE" while both in the USA and Mexico. Thing is, they only based their saying on a st....id whitelist and all the reps are just talking heads.
I use an S8+ international version which is NOT on the dreaded list. and I am on the 300/year prepaid plan which allows roaming between Mexico and USA with no 50/50 usage limit.
I bought this phone on amazon for 350-ish bucks a couple of years ago and I love it!
I have to cross the Mexico/USA border very frequently and I need two separate numbers one on each country for business reasons so dual sim is a must. On the other hand, I receive lots and lots of phone calls while driving, this made me crave for android 8.1 when call recording was allowed by google, not the case anymore. None of these 2 features are available on the S8/S9 US based phones. I do not need 5G, I do not use social media nor watch videos on my phone but do get to use Pandora, Spotify, MLB radio and so on......... Enter SM-G955F/DS. I was able to change Samsung's CSC code to Israel so call recording is active for all those notes I cannot write down while driving and I get to carry just one device with 2 separate numbers thanks to a dual sim.
Ok, so back to my phone not being on the f... list :
Around Feb 10th, I got yet another email and SMS telling me it was my last opportunity to change or I MAY be disconnected after 2/22/22 ( funny choice of date huh?). I noticed that words on email and text messages had been changed from WILL NOT on Jul/2021 to MAY NOT work on Feb/2022. Since I know for a fact that my phone is VoLTE capable, I figured my S8+ would work as long as AT&T did not intentionally disconnected my line.
So, I took a crappy phoenix ATT phone and updated it's IMEI on my account via the ATT prepaid webpage. After getting "approval" from ATT's system, I put the SIM card in and used it for a full weekend. After that, I put the SIM card back to my S8+ and it is still going strong to date.
Today is March 1st, and I have been weary of ATT sneaking me out of their system but fortunately it has not happened yet. Needless to say, I have not updated my S8's IMEI on ATT's webpage and do not intend to do so.
Now, This "proves" that my phone is indeed capable of using VoLTE and HD , and all those things ATT said it would not do is just plain B.S.. if they disconnect me down the road I would definitely move to T Mobile although I would have some issues with the 50/50 international roaming and I still have 8 months left on my prepaid annual plan with ATT so, keeping my fingers crossed.
AT&T just wants to make more money out of selling new 5G devices while getting rid of their stocked 4G phones.
I wouldn't mind if they just plain out stated " If you do not buy from ATT then ATT will not support your device and will not sell service to you" then again, it would probably be a PR nightmare for them although they do that for WIFI calling anyways.
Ain't it funny how 2/22/22 is coincidentally a paycheck's time ( 2 weeks) after a new flagship phone (S22) was made available for purchase ?
Anyways, enough for ranting and conspiracy theories lol...
I have taken out and put back to my S8+ the SIM card two times in the past 9 days after 2/22/22 and my service is still in good standing.
Maybe if you got a new replacement phone that you don't like, you may swap back your SIM card and it MAY work just like mine is even if it is NOT ON THE INFAMOUS WHITE LIST.
View attachment 5549949View attachment 5549951View attachment 5549953View attachment 5549955
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep... AT&T is full of it. I got sick of wasting my time and energy trying to fight this. I eventually just switched over to TMo, and I have been running around with my S8's radio set to LTE only. No issues whatsoever. Great cell service, $30 bucks a month cheaper, all fees included in the flat rate, and a free Netflix account, to boot.
See ya AT&T!!! I hope some group with the the gumption and time takes you to court for your deceptive trade practices. I hope you lose lots of customers, time, and money for your douchery!!!
Has anyone looked into potentially using ODIN to use AT&T's firmware on the unbranded G950U1 without rooting to see if it adds the VoLTE software feature? Does anyone know if that flashing will disable (permanently break) samsung pay? I don't want any rooting since that will permanently break samsung pay on the hardware.