Possible phone conversion? - LG V20 Questions & Answers

I have a verizon v20 with the dirty santa unlock bootloader and i noticed that it reads the device as a US996 so I'm thinking I can try to flash the US996 KDZ and convert it into a official US996. and have a unlocked bootloader from the start. Do you guys think this is possible?
Does anyone have a US996 KDZ. I've looked for it but I couldn't find anything.

Even if you were able to flash it, US996 uses gsm networks, and since Verizon uses non-gsm network and radio utilities, it would be pointless, as you would get no service.

kibmikey1 said:
Even if you were able to flash it, US996 uses gsm networks, and since Verizon uses non-gsm network and radio utilities, it would be pointless, as you would get no service.
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That's not true. The US996 supports CDMA bands. You can buy one outright and start using it on VZW by just popping in a sim. There were a few people here that did that because they didn't want any carrier branding/bloat and the ability to unlock the bootloader (before DirtySanta was available).

kibmikey1 said:
Even if you were able to flash it, US996 uses gsm networks, and since Verizon uses non-gsm network and radio utilities, it would be pointless, as you would get no service.
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as Artimis said, they both are CDMA/GSM phones.
But even if that was the case, im using it on T-Mobile, not Verizon.

Related

Sprint HTC 10 on T-Mobile?

Does the Sprint variant work with Ting GSM (essentially T-Mobile towers) if you SIM unlock it following the SIM unlock tutorials? Or would it require more than that? I looked on HTC's site and its shows the phone has all the same bands for the Sprint version and T-Mobile version. Does anyone have a Sprint version working with Ting or T-Mobile?
yadnom said:
Does the Sprint variant work with Ting GSM (essentially T-Mobile towers) if you SIM unlock it following the SIM unlock tutorials? Or would it require more than that? I looked on HTC's site and its shows the phone has all the same bands for the Sprint version and T-Mobile version. Does anyone have a Sprint version working with Ting or T-Mobile?
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I believe it does if you change your cid and flash it to the unlocked firmware. There are threads everywhere on how to do this, make sure to check the un-carrier branded HTC 10 xda site.
yadnom said:
Does the Sprint variant work with Ting GSM (essentially T-Mobile towers) if you SIM unlock it following the SIM unlock tutorials? Or would it require more than that? I looked on HTC's site and its shows the phone has all the same bands for the Sprint version and T-Mobile version. Does anyone have a Sprint version working with Ting or T-Mobile?
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I run a Sprint device on T-Mobile. Works perfect with the exception of WiFI Calling which I am currently trying to get working.
Simple way is to unlock SIM NV method, load custom recovery, load latest Viper ROM, on AROMA pick the proper base install MM or N and Choose T-Mobile for carrier and that's really it man. the LTE bands are already all there, reason why I say Viper after the unlock is because other people including me had trouble getting data to work on stock Sprint MM. Flashing Viper solved that beautifully.
jblparisi said:
I run a Sprint device on T-Mobile. Works perfect with the exception of WiFI Calling which I am currently trying to get working.
Simple way is to unlock SIM NV method, load custom recovery, load latest Viper ROM, on AROMA pick the proper base install MM or N and Choose T-Mobile for carrier and that's really it man. the LTE bands are already all there, reason why I say Viper after the unlock is because other people including me had trouble getting data to work on stock Sprint MM. Flashing Viper solved that beautifully.
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Thanks!
yadnom said:
Thanks!
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The only thing that sucks is you will be missing WiFi Calling which to me was a little annoying. I have tried everything, I went as far as S-OFF (kinda of a waste of $25) installed multiple firmwares (T-Mobile stock with Sprint radio, etc), different rom's, so far nothing, it seems tied to the actual us unlocked/t-mobile radio which as we know isn't compatible with the Sprint variant. On the plus everything else works including VoLTE.
jblparisi said:
The only thing that sucks is you will be missing WiFi Calling which to me was a little annoying. I have tried everything, I went as far as S-OFF (kinda of a waste of $25) installed multiple firmwares (T-Mobile stock with Sprint radio, etc), different rom's, so far nothing, it seems tied to the actual us unlocked/t-mobile radio which as we know isn't compatible with the Sprint variant. On the plus everything else works including VoLTE.
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If you ever figured out Wi-Fi calling on the Sprint HTC 10 for T-Mobile, do you remember how and can you tell me?

Can the verizon variant be fully converted to unlocked version?

Hello. I have been on the forum for days searching for answers for the sprint variant, which is hard to find solid proof of it working completely on gsm. Now for the verizon variant. If I buy a verizon variant will it work fully on GSM carriers like at&t?
Plus can it be fully converted? Including radio, to the US unlocked version? I have done it in the past with the at&t m8, converting it to unlocked variant with s-off, cid change, and ruu. I see tutorials saying to flash unlocked version to then reflash verizon radio. Will it work with unlocked radio? Or is it the same as with the sprint variant, where it always needs sprint radio?
Thanks for any help.
liquidzorch said:
Hello. I have been on the forum for days searching for answers for the sprint variant, which is hard to find solid proof of it working completely on gsm. Now for the verizon variant. If I buy a verizon variant will it work fully on GSM carriers like at&t?
Plus can it be fully converted? Including radio, to the US unlocked version? I have done it in the past with the at&t m8, converting it to unlocked variant with s-off, cid change, and ruu. I see tutorials saying to flash unlocked version to then reflash verizon radio. Will it work with unlocked radio? Or is it the same as with the sprint variant, where it always needs sprint radio?
Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The unlocked HTC 10 is compatible with AT&T and T‑Mobile Networks.
The verizon variant can be converted to unlocked, read here
kc6wke said:
The unlocked HTC 10 is compatible with AT&T and T‑Mobile Networks.
The verizon variant can be converted to unlocked, read here
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Thanks. I had read that forum, but since the guide posted says to flash verizon radio, I was wondering if you could leave the unlocked radio. After reading various posts afterwards it seems it is posible to not flash the verizon radio (keep the unlocked radio).
liquidzorch said:
Thanks. I had read that forum, but since the guide posted says to flash verizon radio, I was wondering if you could leave the unlocked radio. After reading various posts afterwards it seems it is posible to not flash the verizon radio (keep the unlocked radio).
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Click to collapse
Correct, you can fully convert to Unlocked without flashing anything Verizon afterwards. Im using my Vzw 10 on a gsm network, converted to unlocked.
Tarima said:
Correct, you can fully convert to Unlocked without flashing anything Verizon afterwards. Im using my Vzw 10 on a gsm network, converted to unlocked.
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Thanks. I will look into buying the verizon variant. Did you also have to sim unlock? Or will flashing the unlocked version ruu take care of that? I truely doubt it, but I can not find any verizon unlocking service. And the only 10's I can find are locked to verizon.
liquidzorch said:
Thanks. I will look into buying the verizon variant. Did you also have to sim unlock? Or will flashing the unlocked version ruu take care of that? I truely doubt it, but I can not find any verizon unlocking service. And the only 10's I can find are locked to verizon.
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Verizon 10 is not sim locked. You can take it, in stock Verizon form, and insert a gsm sim card and it will work. The real benefit of converting to unlocked is to have direct updates, have access to more lte bands, and best of all not have Verizon's bloated OS.

Real-life differences between VS995 and US996 (both unlocked and US Cellular)

Just looking for some clarification here.
I will probably be using this only on Verizon (mvno), though at some point I might like to switch carriers, but if that isn't possible I'll probably live with it.
It appears the US996 is the same as the VS995 except it supports a few more bands.
Am I able to use the US996 (both the unlocked and US Cellular) on Verizon?
Can you actually flash the VS995 firmware onto a US996 (both unlocked and US Cellular)?
If so, then the usable difference between a VS995 and US996 in this case is basically nothing?
If you are planning to use a custom ROM anyway (like Lineage) then is there basically no difference between the 3 models?
I have been using a US996 on Verizon with the VS995 Weta rom for almost a year. I have not gotten Voice over LTE to work, but I have not put in a huge amount of effort. I believe the VS995 has some radio bands the US996 does not, but I have had no issues from that. As far as I can tell everything else works.
I would suggest getting a sim card activated on a Verizon phone and the transferring the sim card to the US996. Verizon would not activate the sim card in the US996 for me.

SM-G975U (Formally an at&t) refueses to active on Sprint

Hi everyone, title basically says it all. The phone was fully paid for and unlocked. Formally an At&t phone. I'm trying to use it on Sprint's network as it should support it but however I cannot get it to activate at all. Apparently it isn't even recognized by Sprint's system at all. Any advice?
Is it because Sprint is a cdma network and at&t is a gsm network?
I could be very wrong but I dont believe gsm unlocked phones dont play well with verizon/sprint even though they have all the bands.
Let someone wiser point you in the write direction but probably flashing sprint rom on the phone would probably help. There is a thread in rom section that has you flash the unlocked firmware and then flash carrier firmware. I did this with my att unlocked 10+ and now using as a tmobile device(for carrier stuff).
Take it to a store or call ... they're picky as to letting devices on the network that aren't in their system
Gotta flash the g975u1 firmware on it...

Cross Flash From VS995/Verizon Unlocked to US996/US Unlocked?

I've been looking for a good, inexpensive phone my partner can use on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon and I was able to snatch an unlocked VS995 in excellent condition for $70--it just needs the battery replaced soon which I also ordered. The main downside to this model if you're using it on AT&T and T-Mobile is that it doesn't support Band 12 and 17, but I know the US Unlocked variant does. I just received the phone today. I've been searching on the forum for an answer into if this is possible with the VS995 variant and I've seen people say it is using an LG V20 version of LGUP, but haven't found anyone that's confirmed they've been able to do it on the Verizon and not the AT&T variant and the steps they took to do so.
I want to stay on the stock ROM so I'm not looking to root and install a custom one. Is it possible to convert from the VS995 firmware to US996 so I can gain band 12 and 17 while removing the Verizon bloatware and staying on the stock ROM/OS? If so, would anyone one of y'all be kind enough to post the link to a guide or article that details how to do so? I reset the phone to factory settings so thankfully don't have to do a backup. After doing this, is it still possible to receive OTA updates and, if so, are they gonna mess anything up like reverting the phone to stock firmware or the phone's unlocked status?
Thank y'all so much in advance.
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
DeyEatDaPooPoo said:
I've been looking for a good, inexpensive phone my partner can use on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon and I was able to snatch an unlocked VS995 in excellent condition for $70--it just needs the battery replaced soon which I also ordered. The main downside to this model if you're using it on AT&T and T-Mobile is that it doesn't support Band 12 and 17, but I know the US Unlocked variant does. I just received the phone today. I've been searching on the forum for an answer into if this is possible with the VS995 variant and I've seen people say it is using an LG V20 version of LGUP, but haven't found anyone that's confirmed they've been able to do it on the Verizon and not the AT&T variant and the steps they took to do so.
I want to stay on the stock ROM so I'm not looking to root and install a custom one. Is it possible to convert from the VS995 firmware to US996 so I can gain band 12 and 17 while removing the Verizon bloatware and staying on the stock ROM/OS? If so, would anyone one of y'all be kind enough to post the link to a guide or article that details how to do so? I reset the phone to factory settings so thankfully don't have to do a backup. After doing this, is it still possible to receive OTA updates and, if so, are they gonna mess anything up like reverting the phone to stock firmware or the phone's unlocked status?
Thank y'all so much in advance.
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As far as I'm aware, cross-flashing firmware on the V20 won't give you any additional frequency bands unlike some other phones, so you're still limited to what the VS995 has from the beginning. From what I've read, US996 firmware works fine on Verizon except for a few features such as WiFi calling and video calling.
As for AT&T and T-Mobile, you won't get VoLTE or WiFi calling along with the missing LTE bands, so, depending on where you live, overall coverage could be significantly worse than having the H910 (AT&T) and H918 (T-Mobile) models, respectively. Not having VoLTE would be a problem if you were in an LTE-only area without roaming because then you'd have no way to make or receive phone calls.
ezzony said:
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
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Thank you for the info. Are you referring to this video? I'd watched it before but it's for flashing the stock ROM on a US996 variant and the links in the description don't work.
C D said:
As far as I'm aware, cross-flashing firmware on the V20 won't give you any additional frequency bands unlike some other phones, so you're still limited to what the VS995 has from the beginning. From what I've read, US996 firmware works fine on Verizon except for a few features such as WiFi calling and video calling.
As for AT&T and T-Mobile, you won't get VoLTE or WiFi calling along with the missing LTE bands, so, depending on where you live, overall coverage could be significantly worse than having the H910 (AT&T) and H918 (T-Mobile) models, respectively. Not having VoLTE would be a problem if you were in an LTE-only area without roaming because then you'd have no way to make or receive phone calls.
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Hmm, where did you read that? From what I've read the hardware/modem in the VS995 and US996 version is the same and therefore the difference only comes down to the carrier firmware artificially disabling bands the device supports just like it is on many other smartphones. I could be wrong, but one way to find out would be to do it myself and then try to connect to a Band 12 or 17 tower.
WiFi calling and video calling I'm totally fine with not having. Never used or needed them. With AT&T and Cricket I've never not had service and with Metro the couple times I haven't had T-Mobile service roaming has kicked in and saved the day. Thank you for the info.
DeyEatDaPooPoo said:
Hmm, where did you read that? From what I've read the hardware/modem in the VS995 and US996 version is the same and therefore the difference only comes down to the carrier firmware artificially disabling bands the device supports just like it is on many other smartphones. I could be wrong, but one way to find out would be to do it myself and then try to connect to a Band 12 or 17 tower.
WiFi calling and video calling I'm totally fine with not having. Never used or needed them. With AT&T and Cricket I've never not had service and with Metro the couple times I haven't had T-Mobile service roaming has kicked in and saved the day. Thank you for the info.
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Here's some frequency band info for both the VS995 and US996:
VS995
US996
I'm pretty sure this is a hardware difference, and no firmware change will be able to add more band support unlike some other phones you may have heard about (such as recent U.S. models of Samsung phones). Otherwise, there would have been plenty of discussions and guides around here regarding this (and FWIW, I happen to own a US996, LS997, and H918).
As for LTE Band 12 on the T-Mobile network, only phones that are certified by T-Mobile will be able to access it (more info on compatible phones here). So even though a US996 has the hardware for connecting to Band 12, you wouldn't be able to use it since T-Mobile has blocked access to it and only allows it for the H918 model.
Based on all this, I would expect a VS995 to get LTE Bands 2, 4, and 5 on AT&T and T-Mobile. Of course, since you already have the phone, there's only one way to find out. Just make sure you carefully read the guides/procedures about using LGUP for cross-flashing, and absolutely stay away from any H918 firmware (it will instantly kill any V20 that is not an actual H918). Not sure if there even is a separate guide around here as it is usually mentioned in the initial steps of different rooting guides for each V20 model, but you can find the patched LGUP that ezzony mentioned in this thread (you may have to move the DLL file to a specific folder location for it to work properly).
C D said:
Here's some frequency band info for both the VS995 and US996:
VS995
US996
I'm pretty sure this is a hardware difference, and no firmware change will be able to add more band support unlike some other phones you may have heard about (such as recent U.S. models of Samsung phones). Otherwise, there would have been plenty of discussions and guides around here regarding this (and FWIW, I happen to own a US996, LS997, and H918).
As for LTE Band 12 on the T-Mobile network, only phones that are certified by T-Mobile will be able to access it (more info on compatible phones here). So even though a US996 has the hardware for connecting to Band 12, you wouldn't be able to use it since T-Mobile has blocked access to it and only allows it for the H918 model.
Based on all this, I would expect a VS995 to get LTE Bands 2, 4, and 5 on AT&T and T-Mobile. Of course, since you already have the phone, there's only one way to find out. Just make sure you carefully read the guides/procedures about using LGUP for cross-flashing, and absolutely stay away from any H918 firmware (it will instantly kill any V20 that is not an actual H918). Not sure if there even is a separate guide around here as it is usually mentioned in the initial steps of different rooting guides for each V20 model, but you can find the patched LGUP that ezzony mentioned in this thread (you may have to move the DLL file to a specific folder location for it to work properly).
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Yes, but the Frequency Check website only looks at firmware differences, not the internal hardware. I decided to do some further digging and went to the source that tests these (the FCC) and found that the VS995 and US996 have the same ZNFVS995 FCC ID meaning they share the same internal hardware. Verizon just decided they wanted to be arseholes and cripple the phone's band support in their firmware so it wouldn't work to the best of its abilities on T-Mobile's and AT&T's network. Similarly, T-Mobile decided to also be arseholes by artificially limiting Band 12/VoLTE support to their own H918 model only. I hate that carriers are able to get away with this BS. It is incredibly anti-consumer and infuriating. If the hardware supports XYZ then it should be enabled and capable of taking advantage of it. The FCC tested Band 12/17 to work properly on these and says regarding the device's capabilities:
This device contains the following capabilities: 850/1900 CDMA (BC0, BC1), 850/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/1700/1900 WCDMA/HSPA, Multi-band LTE, 802.11b/g/n/ac WLAN, 802.11a/n/ac UNII, Bluetooth (1x, EDR, LE), NFC LTE Band 12 (698 - 716 MHz) overlaps the entire frequency range of LTE Band 17 (704 - 716 MHz). Therefore, test data provided in this report covers Band 17 as well as Band 12. LTE Band 25 (1850 - 1915 MHz) overlaps the entire frequency range of LTE Band 2 (1850 - 1910 MHz). Therefore, test data provided in this report covers Band 2 as well as Band 25. LTE Band 66 (1710 - 1780 MHz) overlaps the entire frequency range of LTE Band 4 (1710 - 1755 MHz). Therefore, test data provided in this report covers Band 4 as well as Band 66.
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Seriously, f*ck both Verizon and T-Mobile. Thankfully I'm starting my Cricket/AT&T service in a week so I'll be able to test if it can pick up and use Band 12/17. You happen to know of any app or way to force/limit the device to only using one specific LTE band? Thank you so much for linking to that thread for flashing these using LGUP. I'll make sure to follow it and to download the US996 (US Unlocked, not US Cellular) firmware and post a small update on my findings. Thank you so much for all the info. Really appreciate it.
DeyEatDaPooPoo said:
You happen to know of any app or way to force/limit the device to only using one specific LTE band?
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Click to collapse
While I've never tried this, have a look at this old thread on LTE band selection from a hidden menu. The dialer code differs by model, so for a VS995 it would be *#546368#*995# and for a US996 *#546368#*996#. The code works for my US996 and H918 on Oreo but not for my LS997 on Nougat (for which there is a separate APK file to access the hidden menu). There are lots of submenus and items in there, so be sure not to accidentally change settings that you're not supposed to.
ezzony said:
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
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Hello
You crossflash with which android version 9 or 8
If android 9 whats the battery backup (good/bad)
Does the android 9 has a darkmode
Does it brings back or activate the FM radio ?
Thanks
mariowinax said:
Hello
You crossflash with which android version 9 or 8
If android 9 whats the battery backup (good/bad)
Does the android 9 has a darkmode
Does it brings back or activate the FM radio ?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android 8.
I know Android 9 does not have FM radio because Android 9 is only available for the Korean variant (F800) and it never had FM in the first place.
ezzony said:
I have a vs995 and I flashed it with US996_usa and working great. You need to download the us996 usa version (2.3GB KDZ) at lg-firmwares dot com and flash it with LGUP PATCHED. There is video on Youtube giving detailed instructions. You will be able to find all these easily via google. I don't know how any of this works with the various US carriers or bands as I'm in europe.
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Click to collapse
I have heard about converting a vs995 to a us996. How do you do this i have a vs995 and patched lg up do i use the upgrade option or partion dl?
Thanks,
ROMSG
ROMSG said:
I have heard about converting a vs995 to a us996. How do you do this i have a vs995 and patched lg up do i use the upgrade option or partion dl?
Thanks,
ROMSG
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DL partition ignores model codes ...so DL Partition.
ezzony said:
DL partition ignores model codes ...so DL Partition.
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Thanks, now it gives me a partition selection which partitions do i select or do i select all of them?
ROMSG said:
Thanks, now it gives me a partition selection which partitions do i select or do i select all of them?
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All of them seems to work fine.
Will this work in terms of flashing us unlocked firmware or my Verizon LG v20 (vs995) I rooted it successfully, but when I flash these firmware files, the phone is in a bootloop. US996 twrpable zips

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