Database Users

How do you feel about refurbished phones (Note 3)?

Thinking about buying a Note 3 off eBay to replace my wife's Note 3 which has been updated to 4.4.4 and can't be rooted. Looking for a 4.4.2 model to root and be able to use the Mobile HotSpot without incurring charges.
Have any of you guys taken a chance on refurbished phones? Have your experiences been good or bad?
Thanks.

Hackenstein said:
Thinking about buying a Note 3 off eBay to replace my wife's Note 3 which has been updated to 4.4.4 and can't be rooted. Looking for a 4.4.2 model to root and be able to use the Mobile HotSpot without incurring charges.
Have any of you guys taken a chance on refurbished phones? Have your experiences been good or bad?
Thanks.
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I recently purchased my Note 3 from a seller on Swappa.com and had a great experience. The seller was able to confirm it was on 4.4.2 before I purchased it as well.

mattnmag said:
I recently purchased my Note 3 from a seller on Swappa.com and had a great experience. The seller was able to confirm it was on 4.4.2 before I purchased it as well.
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+1 on the above post

Nice. Were the phones both refurbs?

Hackenstein said:
Nice. Were the phones both refurbs?
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I'm not sure if the phone was refurbished or not. It looks almost new and there was no screen burn in or other serious flaws. Everything works well on it and it was still on 4.4.2, so I could root it and try out some of the ROM'S that work for the retail version. I paid $300 for it and it works great.

mattnmag said:
I'm not sure if the phone was refurbished or not. It looks almost new and there was no screen burn in or other serious flaws. Everything works well on it and it was still on 4.4.2, so I could root it and try out some of the ROM'S that work for the retail version. I paid $300 for it and it works great.
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Cool. I'm looking around on Swappa now. Never knew about this site till now. Thx for the info.

mattnmag said:
I'm not sure if the phone was refurbished or not. It looks almost new and there was no screen burn in or other serious flaws. Everything works well on it and it was still on 4.4.2, so I could root it and try out some of the ROM'S that work for the retail version. I paid $300 for it and it works great.
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+1 Back in Jan, got two used off of swappa for my wife & I. Both were rooted on 4.4.2, I did find it hard to find ones not updated to 4.4.4
It took awhile, but worth the work.
I did look at refurbs from VZW, but you *know* those would have 4.4.4

You can use foxfi hotspot app I have a note 4 running that it's not rooted. Free unlimited ect.
Sent from my SM-N910V using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 09:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:36 AM ----------
I would never buy off eBay swappa is good they make them take picks of the device ect.
Sent from my SM-N910V using XDA Free mobile app

matsuyamakaze said:
You can use foxfi hotspot app I have a note 4 running that it's not rooted. Free unlimited ect.
Sent from my SM-N910V using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 09:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:36 AM ----------
I would never buy off eBay swappa is good they make them take picks of the device ect.
Sent from my SM-N910V using XDA Free mobile app
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FoxFi is not that good. Never liked it, prefer a rooted phone with the free wifi tether

Carrier Unlocked

Nexus 6P Unlocked can be used on all carriers. Will there be a Galaxy S7 Unlocked which follows? I will be sold if so...
You cant just buy a phone from a carrier and expect to flash an unlocked ROM on it. Partitions are different most of the time, etc...
My main concern is the speed of which updates are released. A carrier phone can take months longer than an unlocked phone. Yeah you can download custom ROMs here on XDA, but it's not the same and could have issues due to carrier kernel not being released.
Definitely a make or break deal for me at this point...

I really wished there was, but so far all of the carrier models have different bands, and I haven't heard of a US unlocked model that works for all of them.

I can't decide if it is worth the fight, or if I should just fall in line, and buy at&t's Fort Knox Edition.

They're a little more pricy (read +$200/300), but you can pre-order unlocked Qualcomm variants on eBay.
It's a hell of a markup, but if you're already paying $800 for a phone you're gonna use for the next couple years, may as well get one that's unlocked and will do what you want i.e. run AOSP, no?

aramisathei said:
They're a little more pricy (read +$200/300), but you can pre-order unlocked Qualcomm variants on eBay.
It's a hell of a markup, but if you're already paying $800 for a phone you're gonna use for the next couple years, may as well get one that's unlocked and will do what you want i.e. run AOSP, no?
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I'm sorry, but there's no reason anyone should be paying more than $800 for an S7 Edge, even if it's unlocked.

geoff5093 said:
I'm sorry, but there's no reason anyone should be paying more than $800 for an S7 Edge, even if it's unlocked.
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Agreed, S7 Edge should be about $800 unlocked tops. Unfortunately there won't be unlocked phones until the actual release.

geoff5093 said:
I'm sorry, but there's no reason anyone should be paying more than $800 for an S7 Edge, even if it's unlocked.
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Different folks different strokes.
I paid $816 for mine. Still cheaper than signing contracts when said and done.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Tidbits said:
Different folks different strokes.
I paid $816 for mine. Still cheaper than signing contracts when said and done.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
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I meant before taxes
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

What was the time between the Samsung s6 edge pre-order and when the unlocked international versions came out? Because my UK s6 edge is soooooooo much better than the AT&T US version I originally bought and returned. I definitely want to just skip to the UK unlocked version this time around... but, of course, I don't want to wait a long time.
I'm assuming the s7 rollout will be similar, so that will let us know when the unlocked Samsung s7 edges can be expected. (I was an iPhone person until recently, so I don't know my Samsung history).
Thanks in advance for any info.
(For anyone wondering, not only was there that US AT&T bloatware nonsense -- but they actually removed cool things Samsung had added and removed deals and freeware Samsung had added to the phone. Just crazy. Things would be mentioned in the manual and not be on the phone anywhere. And then of course the bad updates as well.)

im the guy waiting for S7edge with S820 and choosing Snapdragon is of course to get update faster and support by the custom rom community than Exynos version.
As one of a guy responded in Reddit chat is to start ordering UNLOCKED SIM Samsung S7 from ebay would be the easiest and fastest option... I am ouside of US and really don't want to wait indefinitely their not-sure-release-date Carrier Unlocked version. Below is the one that I am watching closely. As it said Pre-order, I am a bit afraid of the RISK of ordering a phone that cost >1000$ without seeing actual unlocked & S820 phone as they mention.
[EDIT: can't put links due to lower posts count] googled this eBay item number:281944393668

tmobile unlock or wait?
I'm in the same boat here, although my situation is a little unique. I'm on Tmobile right now but I'm going to move to Thailand this summer, so the phone needs to be unlocked. According to tmobile they'll unlock the phone after i'ts been on the network for 40 days (I'm planning on buying it upfront). Should I go that route or just wait until the unlocked version shows up on amazon and just buy that?
Cheers
(Also, does anyone know how long it took for the unlocked s6 to show up on amazon?)

40 days of service active if you actually on postpaid. If it is prepaid it's $100 worth of payments.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

All the carriers get the unlock code from Samsung... if you contact Samsung, T-Mobile users might not need to wait the 40 days. I just preordered the T-Mobile S7 Edge, and I'm with AT&T.

UnixSlayer said:
All the carriers get the unlock code from Samsung... if you contact Samsung, T-Mobile users might not need to wait the 40 days. I just preordered the T-Mobile S7 Edge, and I'm with AT&T.
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Did you have to get a mobile plan with them? They told me at the store that is the only way

T-Mobile no longer use codes. They use a unlock app. There is no way so far to input any codes to date on the devices that have it preinstalled.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Hey how do Samsung's devices do on Verizon?. Will there be less development for devices from Verizon? Are they locked down a lot more and harder to root? It he a deal breaker for me. Anyone have any idea ?

Would a Verizon phone work well on tmobile?

Yes but the bootloader will be locked down.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 09:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 AM ----------
Tapatalk won't let me modify...
Well the Verizon will work well in most cases on T-Mobile however Verizon phones will always have a locked down bootloader. So if you buy it be prepared to potentially never unlock it for a very long time.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Tidbits said:
Yes but the bootloader will be locked down.
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---------- Post added at 09:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 AM ----------
Tapatalk won't let me modify...
Well the Verizon will work well in most cases on T-Mobile however Verizon phones will always have a locked down bootloader. So if you buy it be prepared to potentially never unlock it for a very long time.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
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Thanks! So the best option would be Tmo?

If you want Wi-Fi calling , RCS, and VoLTE it's probably preferred. If you plan on rooting and custom Roms. Then T-Mobile is a good choice. T-Mobile for the past 4 years has always left it up to the manufacturer to either lock it or leave it. So far all but Sony have unlocked or unlockable bootloaders.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Who's at fault for locked broader?

Broader/bootloader, whatever. Here. Here's your thread. Please stop clogging other threads with your theories.
I'm not saying it's aliens, but it's aliens.
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA-Developers mobile app

Lol I feel you, OP. This has gotten sad.
Unfortunately, I don't think it matters anymore who's fault it is (both), since the only people who can do anything about it have moved on to the international version, or other devices completely. I was one of the hopeful, but the petty bickering in here and the lack of updates from Tmo has made me all but give up. The main thread got closed down, and the push pretty much died there. Ice was supposed to have Forbes cover the story and have a lawyer look into possible legal action, neither of which panned out, through no fault of Ice's. It's just the way the cookie crumbled.
For the sake of being on topic, it's both Samsung and Tmo's fault sort of. Samsung locked the phone and Tmo didn't request it be unlocked. Either one of them could unlock it easily, which is why I held out hope in the first place, but the lack of action, or even updates leads me to believe we're SOL. I'm going to file an insurance claim with Upsie and request they send me an international version. I suggest anyone who wants root do the same. Upsie's deductible is only $25, but you have to purchase a new insurance plan once you get your new phone.

Bootloader* (Squared)

AKW said:
Lol I feel you, OP. This has gotten sad.
Unfortunately, I don't think it matters anymore who's fault it is (both), since the only people who can do anything about it have moved on to the international version, or other devices completely. I was one of the hopeful, but the petty bickering in here and the lack of updates from Tmo has made me all but give up. The main thread got closed down, and the push pretty much died there. Ice was supposed to have Forbes cover the story and have a lawyer look into possible legal action, neither of which panned out, through no fault of Ice's. It's just the way the cookie crumbled.
For the sake of being on topic, it's both Samsung and Tmo's fault sort of. Samsung locked the phone and Tmo didn't request it be unlocked. Either one of them could unlock it easily, which is why I held out hope in the first place, but the lack of action, or even updates leads me to believe we're SOL. I'm going to file an insurance claim with Upsie and request they send me an international version. I suggest anyone who wants root do the same. Upsie's deductible is only $25, but you have to purchase a new insurance plan once you get your new phone.
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T-Mobile has always been on the stance since the Amaze. It's up to the manufacturer to lock it or not. They would never request it to be locked. To date all bootloaders prior to the S7 were unlocked except where manufacturers have locked them. IE HTC. LG did lock a bootloader once and they themselves admitted(front office response) they locked it.
Someone may bring up Sony device. They still haven't answered this question. What does T-Mobile have to gain to lock those devices and not every other device on their network? Have yet to see a valid reason.
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Ker~Man said:
Bootloader* (Squared)
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Damn phone. Haha
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Tidbits said:
T-Mobile has always been on the stance since the Amaze. It's up to the manufacturer to lock it or not. They would never request it to be locked. To date all bootloaders prior to the S7 were unlocked except where manufacturers have locked them. IE HTC. LG did lock a bootloader once and they themselves admitted(front office response) they locked it.
Someone may bring up Sony device. They still haven't answered this question. What does T-Mobile have to gain to lock those devices and not every other device on their network? Have yet to see a valid reason.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
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It's not that they requested it to be locked, it's that they didn't request it to be unlocked. Samsung is the one who physically locked it, but Tmo just it took as is.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

My 2c: the fact that Des (tmo prod vp) had to ask someone on twitter what would he do with root showed me how disconnected the power-that-be from the needs of the niche development community. It is what is. Like him, many people who are the face of tech is unfortunately just power users, with no deeper connection than somehow ending up in the tech dept by luck or by proficiency in climbing the ladder. If those who can move mountains for us on this don't understand the need in the first place , there will be no movement.
tldr; so long, SM-G930T and SM-G935T. Hope we meet again on better terms. Tmo and Samsung, give my VR and gift cards, and I'll be on my way possibly with the F. Thanks for the Netflix!

lost_ said:
My 2c: the fact that Des (tmo prod vp) had to ask someone on twitter what would he do with root showed me how disconnected the power-that-be from the needs of the niche development community. It is what is. Like him, many people who are the face of tech is unfortunately just power users, with no deeper connection than somehow ending up in the tech dept by luck or by proficiency in climbing the ladder. If those who can move mountains for us on this don't understand the need in the first place , there will be no movement.
tldr; so long, SM-G930T and SM-G935T. Hope we meet again on better terms. Tmo and Samsung, give my VR and gift cards, and I'll be on my way possibly with the F. Thanks for the Netflix!
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Haha yeah bet...Enjoy your new phone. The galaxy s7 edge is easily touted as the Best android smartphone out right now in terms of design, features and specs. Everybody who leaves samsung for another phone because they want root is either new to the game or just wants to tag along.. folks who have had ROOT since way back when, don't really care that much. At least I dont..i could see rooting and all if I needed it back when I was 16. Android is mature enough!!
And honestly yall should too. Returning a phone because it has EVERYTHING YOU want except root? Hahaha it's like me letting go of the perfect woman because she can't **** other guys lol. It's a SECURED device. People with root are less secure more vulnerable but hey I speak from experience. First people where crying because they didn't have an SD card Yada, yadayada not it has that, the best battery life on any phone. Yet people aren't happy? F IT, you can't please the whole gotdamn world. I know A LOT of us are indeed happy with the phone and didn't get it for the freebies like I'm sure you jumped to the g5 to get the little battery and little cam huh?
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

nano303 said:
Haha yeah bet...Enjoy your new phone. The galaxy s7 edge is easily touted as the Best android smartphone out right now in terms of design, features and specs. Everybody who leaves samsung for another phone because they want root is either new to the game or just wants to tag along.. folks who have had ROOT since way back when, don't really care that much. At least I dont..i could see rooting and all if I needed it back when I was 16. Android is mature enough!!
And honestly yall should too. Returning a phone because it has EVERYTHING YOU want except root? Hahaha it's like me letting go of the perfect woman because she can't **** other guys lol. It's a SECURED device. People with root are less secure more vulnerable but hey I speak from experience. First people where crying because they didn't have an SD card Yada, yadayada not it has that, the best battery life on any phone. Yet people aren't happy? F IT, you can't please the whole gotdamn world. I know A LOT of us are indeed happy with the phone and didn't get it for the freebies like I'm sure you jumped to the g5 to get the little battery and little cam huh?
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
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This was why the other threads got closed. Back to square one. LOL.

lost_ said:
This was why the other threads got closed. Back to square one. LOL.
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It is? Lol. No sht...OK then...nevermind...pointless
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Well just my 2c it doesn't matter who is at fault the fact is our device is locked down. No way I would consider returning this device. Would I like root sure but for now it isn't happening. Most of these threads are just meant to vent but really serve no purpose.
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA Premium HD app

..

lost_ said:
This was why the other threads got closed. Back to square one. LOL.
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v8dreaming said:
That's why I started this thread, but the bounty thread still got locked.
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AKW said:
It's not that they requested it to be locked, it's that they didn't request it to be unlocked. Samsung is the one who physically locked it, but Tmo just it took as is.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
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Who's to say T-Mobile didn't even get the option or the choice? Samsung has been awfully quiet in this whole thing. Legere put them under the bus and do you think T-Mobile would say a lie which Samsung has proof it wasn't true to have it blow up in T-Mobile's face for lying. Think about it for a minute.
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Tidbits said:
Who's to say T-Mobile didn't even get the option or the choice? Samsung has been awfully quiet in this whole thing. Legere put them under the bus and do you think T-Mobile would say a lie which Samsung has proof it wasn't true to have it blow up in T-Mobile's face for lying. Think about it for a minute.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
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Again though, it WAS Samsung who locked the bootloader, so Tmo isn't lying, and I'm sure they DID have the choice, and they chose not to request and unlocked version.

AKW said:
Again though, it WAS Samsung who locked the bootloader, so Tmo isn't lying, and I'm sure they DID have the choice, and they chose not to request and unlocked version.
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Source of this information that they did have a choice, or is this purely your speculation? So far Samsung is silent and hasn't said anything about it officially.
Also they are requesting it now and Samsung has a method already developed(see china). So why the Samsung dilly dally?
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Tidbits said:
Source of this information that they did have a choice, or is this purely your speculation? So far Samsung is silent and hasn't said anything about it officially.
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I guess you could call it educated speculation. Historically, Tmo has had unlocked/unlockable bootloaders, while other carriers' were locked. This is the first phone in recent memory that has shipped locked down on Tmo, at least since I've been with them. This leads me to believethat they generally request theirs to be unlocked. If they didn't have the choice (which I guess is entirely possible) this would be the first time I can recall.
In addition, the fact that Samsung released their own Exynos versions with unlockable bootloaders lends itself to the theory that the BLs were locked at US carrier request. More than likely, AT&T and Verizon requested locked down versions, and for one reason or another, Tmo and Sprint didn't specifically request unlocked ones. I don't pretend to know what those reasons are, but I'm sure they're there.
It's also possible that ALL Snapdragon variants are locked by Qualcomm, since the only way to unlock the Asian Snapdragon variants is with the CROM Service app, but the CROM Service app doesn't work on US versions because we don't have the CROM lock on our bootloaders. This brings up the question of who's choice it was to exclude this lock as well. If it was Samsung, why did they include it on the Asian variants?Logically, it always comes back to the US carriers no matter how you look at it. This part is entirely speculation, however.

The LG G2 was locked and LG said they locked it themselves and no one was given the option and that included overseas as well.
All HTC devices were locked by HTC, but they gave an option to unlock it. HTC on carriers request will remove carrier devices from the unlock list if requested.
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---------- Post added at 07:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:27 AM ----------
Also just because other variants have the ability doesn't mean carriers were given an option. For example China which you brought up has the option. In China that could be a government request and in order to sell there they must have a method to do so.
They could easily flash a new bootloader and install allow Crom in the states. T-Mobile right now is playing nice and is taking the heat for something they probably didn't have an option, or could very well didn't know they had an option due to the fact Samsung never told them or they assumed it was unlocked as you always had to request it to be locked.
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Tidbits said:
The LG G2 was locked and LG said they locked it themselves and no one was given the option and that included overseas as well.
All HTC devices were locked by HTC, but they gave an option to unlock it. HTC on carriers request will remove carrier devices from the unlock list if requested.
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The difference between those examples and this one is that in those cases, ALL devices were locked unless (in HTC's case) the carrier specifically requested otherwise. This only lends itself to my explanation. In this case, only the Snapdragon variants are locked. Samsung's own Exynos versions aren't. The only thing that makes sense is that Samsung locked the BLs at AT&T and Verizon's request, and Tmo and Sprint were like "*shrug* whatever". Or it's possible they wanted unlocked versions, but some other circumstances prevented that from happening.
I don't know for sure, this is just the most plausible explanation I can see. Either way though it doesn't really matter. As I said in my first post on this thread, the only ones who can do anything about it have moved on and by the time Tmo or Samsung release an unlock (if they ever do) there will be significantly less development than the international version, since most devs have jumped over there.

It can't be BOTH ways. It either has to be locked and carrier request to unlock or unlocked and carriers have to lock it. Right now you are using both ways. If Verizon and AT&T can request it to be locked then that means they were unlocked to begin with. That means Sprint and T-Mobile would have to request them to be unlocked. That would mean Samsung themselves couldn't have locked it. Now if it was reversed then you would have a point. Right now last I remember both Sprint and T-Mobile said it's Samsung who locked it. The way they talk it seems like they were never given the option. Samsung could clear the air but remains silent probably due to the fact they locked it themselves and NEVER gave anyone an option here in the states.
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Android/Samsung Pay rollout Plan? aka should I root now, or wait?

SO i've had my S7 Edge for a week now and I'm starting to get the old ROM itch.
I actually quite like it stock, but a few little niggles make me really want to be able to run the debloater and whatnot, so the question is:
Does anyone know what the rollout plan or whatever is for Samsung Pay and/or Android Pay?
I'm in New Zealand, and would love to use Androi or Samsung pay with my phone - it just doesn't seem likely that it'll happen here anytime soon.
So if anyone know if we'll be getting it here soon, that would be really helpful!
Alternatively - is there any way to root my phone, but still be able to use Android or Samsung Pay if it does turn up here in future?

Lucky for because T-Mobile phones can't be rooted
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Also in NZ. I rooted because to be honest semble is good (have to use superkiwi app in xposed to bypass sembles root check) also if we're honest NZ wont get it here till the s8 lol plus worse comes to worse ill just sell this and buy another one if it releases before the s8. Be like $600nzd in a few months online. No biggy
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good point - might just go ahead and take the plunge then!
I haven't tried Semble yet - is it any good?
Says it works with paywave devices, so shoulkd work for pretty much any eftpos machines now, right? Seems pretty handy!

I havent had a machine not work with it yet. You need to get a simcard from your provider. 2degrees charges. Spark and vodafone are free. Also it only works with anz and asb i think
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---------- Post added at 10:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:03 AM ----------
Sorry bnz and asb
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Cool - thanks!
I'm with ASB so will give it a go

Pay don't work everywhere..lots of merchants in my area keep the swipe thing behind the counter...when I do use it...ya get cashier error where it seems not to work, but only cause dummy dose not press a button on her cash drawer

Do I need to return my S8 to Best Buy?

Went to Best Buy today to purchase an S8. They said they didn't have any for T-Mobile, but did for Verizon and said that all I had to do was pop in my T-Mobile sim and it would work like an unlocked device. No luck. Went back to Best Buy and he took the Verizon sim out of his personal phone, popped it in mine, activated the device and then put my T-Mobile sim in the device. Wasn't having any issues until I tried to update the device. Now I'm just getting an "Service Unavailable: Sorry, we are having trouble authenticating your device. Try again later" message. I'm trying to update it on both Wifi and I've tried cellular.
Should I just return this device to Best Buy? I'm paying month to month with T-Mobile and not planning on switching from them, and also just waned to pay in full the device instead of monthly fees. Should I return the device and will I run into future issues using the T-Mobile sim on a "verizon" s8? Thanks!

If you're paying full price, why not just go to a T-Mobile store and purchase one there? Once the firmwares start getting released, you should be able to load a T-Mobile on onto the Verizon version to get all the features working, but even if you do, why go through the hassle?

I would flash the TMobile firmware using ODIN.
Best Buy will be selling the unlocked model on May 9th.

LoliSmith said:
I would flash the TMobile firmware using ODIN.
Best Buy will be selling the unlocked model on May 9th.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So would it be best to wait for the unlocked model? Does flashing void the warranty? and I tried searching a link for the topic, could ya share it? Thanks...
(about me, I haven't flashed, rooted, etc a device since my htc m9 back in the day... have since had a nexus 6p which is why I haven't been on here often lately. I appreciate the help)

se1000 said:
If you're paying full price, why not just go to a T-Mobile store and purchase one there? Once the firmwares start getting released, you should be able to load a T-Mobile on onto the Verizon version to get all the features working, but even if you do, why go through the hassle?
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cause best buy gave me $100 off cause I had a discount code... (that wasn't sarcasm)

you can always use their flash tool smart switch or smart select or something or rather...

Tidbits said:
you can always use their flash tool smart switch or smart select or something or rather...
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I don't get what you're trying to say lol

lotreaglesfan said:
I don't get what you're trying to say lol
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I forget their syncing software. It also able to update devices. Just don't remember it's name. Smart something
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Tidbits said:
I forget their syncing software. It also able to update devices. Just don't remember it's name. Smart something
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Made by Verizon or T-Mobile? (thanks)

It's Samsung's syncing tool. It works for all their recent devices. Trying to remember the name sorry it eludes me right now. It starts with Smart I know that 100%.
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---------- Post added at 04:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 PM ----------
got it. It's called smart switch. The desktop app.
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Tidbits said:
It's Samsung's syncing tool. It works for all their recent devices. Trying to remember the name sorry it eludes me right now. It starts with Smart I know that 100%.
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---------- Post added at 04:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 PM ----------
got it. It's called smart switch. The desktop app.
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tried it and not working :/

Then I would return it. Unless someone can give you a dead sim
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Tidbits said:
Then I would return it. Unless someone can give you a dead sim
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I ended up downloading the "Verizon Wireless Software Upgrade Assistant" after searching for it for 30 minutes (their site is terrible...).
It's supposedly updating now but it's taking an hour to do so...

They still use that crappy thing?
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Tidbits said:
They still use that crappy thing?
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I think? It's slow though. It's been an hour and just now to 60%. Each time the screen on the phone turned off it crashed the software. I think i'm just going to return the phone tomorrow and wait for the unlocked version to come out :/ I really wanted to keep. Sucks.
By purchasing the unlocked version that means it doesn't have as much spam and it won't have to wait for carrier tests/crap correct?
Edit: the software crashed while updating. thought I bricked the phone but thankfully it restarted when I held the down+power for 10 seconds... It said "odin protocol version error!". Guess I'm returning cause I won't ever get updates lol.

lotreaglesfan said:
I think? It's slow though. It's been an hour and just now to 60%. Each time the screen on the phone turned off it crashed the software. I think i'm just going to return the phone tomorrow and wait for the unlocked version to come out :/ I really wanted to keep. Sucks.
By purchasing the unlocked version that means it doesn't have as much spam and it won't have to wait for carrier tests/crap correct?
Edit: the software crashed while updating. thought I bricked the phone but thankfully it restarted when I held the down+power for 10 seconds... It said "odin protocol version error!". Guess I'm returning cause I won't ever get updates lol.
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Ironically the S7 carrier versions have been updated before the unlock versions were. I believe the unlock ones are still waiting.
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Cross flash it with the T-Mobile official software once available using Odin.
I did this on an S7 from AT&T and put the T-Mobile rom. Was detected as fully official, no root, etc, Knox worked, and even Samsung Pay. Acted like any other T-Mobile phone and got all the T-Mobile software updates after that.

bogdi1988 said:
Cross flash it with the T-Mobile official software once available using Odin.
I did this on an S7 from AT&T and put the T-Mobile rom. Was detected as fully official, no root, etc, Knox worked, and even Samsung Pay. Acted like any other T-Mobile phone and got all the T-Mobile software updates after that.
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Would doing so void the warranty if I have to send it in though? And how difficult is flashing a phone with Odin? I haven't rooted/unlocked/etc a phone since my M7 years ago and only did that with a video on YouTube showing how to? (thanks)

You should return it and get the tmobile version. It is going to be more trouble than it is worth long run. IMO
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lotreaglesfan said:
Would doing so void the warranty if I have to send it in though? And how difficult is flashing a phone with Odin? I haven't rooted/unlocked/etc a phone since my M7 years ago and only did that with a video on YouTube showing how to? (thanks)
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If you flash an official Samsung Firmware that doesn't void your warranty. You can flash an official Samsung update via Odin. It is very easy process but you have to wait for official updates to become available. Once those are available you can look for those in www.sammobile.com.
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