Database Users

Galaxy SM-A500M 4G does not work with new carrier

Hi all,
I own a SM-A500M phone. The phone has unlocked stock rom (original rom is not modified by carrier) and updated trough OTA to android 5.0.2. I know 4g does work in my phone because I could use it with my prior carrier, but I recently changed to CLARO and with this new provider I don't have 4g acces, only H+ and it is really slow and laggy connection.
I know the following:
1) Sim card is a compatible 4g nano sim
2) The carrier CLARO has 4g coverage where I live
3) The phone is not the problem
4) I have tried all the usual FAQS (APN's, select LTE in config, reboot) with no success.
5) The phone's variant is right (latinoamerican brand), so It can't be due to frequencies or bands problems.
I asked for help in CLARO and told me that this has happened amongst users with unlocked phones (that is, rom not modified with CLARO's bloatware), and the solution is to flash CLARO's rom. But the problem with this solution is that CLARO hasn't released android 5.0.2 update (and I think it will never update) and I really like android 5 and wouldn't want to return to 4.4.
So, is it true? Is there a chance to fix this problem with minor tweaks? What is the problem here?
Since I recently acquired this phone, I would prefer not lossing warranty, so rooting and custom roms might not be an option.
Thanks in advance. Kind regards!

You could try to flash their rom and check if it works. Then you can be 100% sure that hardware/chip/network provider are fine. I have the same phone on since last week, but still did not go to get the chip at a movistar office. Maybe you need to activate the chip and they refuse to do it unless you get their rom. Maybe just getting their rom, and then flashing back the updated stock one or a CM or whatev would be enough.

Buying a carrier-branded S8 from another European country

Hello all,
So I'm tempted to buy a Tim-branded S8 on Amazon.it because it's crazy cheap currently. I'm not in Italy but from what I've gathered online (and confirmed by a review on the product's page on Amazon), branding in Italy doesn't mean sim-locking so it should be usable with my local carrier. I'm in Europe anyway.
The only major difference with an unlocked phone (since it doesn't seem to have any hardware trace of the carrier) will be the software : potential TIM-related bloatware, delays for updates, etc.
My question would be : could it be possible to flash an official "clean" image, without affecting the phone and its warranty ? If so, which reference should I use ?
Thank you very much !

Yes, was going to ask if it was also sim locked.?
What county are you in and what sim do you use?
Out the box, if sim unlocked, it will work anyway.
Unless you want any advanced features.
Fw wise it's not a problem. I went the other way though, flashing EE ( UK) firmware into an unbranded unlocked BTU version to get VoLTE to work. It caused no issues.

Belgium but I guess European models pretty much have all bands available across Europe...
Thanks for the feedback !

I have the tim s8 here in the UK, flashed the h3g firmware and have WiFi calling and volte functioning without issue.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

hi
Im also interested in buying a tim branded phone (https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B071RSVYSH/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A11IL2PNWYJU7H&psc=1) and was hoping if someone who has one could answer me couple of questions.
1) Does the phone have universal warranty? I mean if something was wrong with it and it needed any repair, could I just take it to a local Samsung store?
2) The model number on amazon site is G950, is that different from G950F? i couldn't find any reliable info on this..
Thanks in advance!

If the phone is designed for the European market then warranty applies regardless where you are (within Europe).
All European models are F-models.
You can flash an unbranded ROM through Odin to get rid of any branding which does not trigger Knox.

LG G6 Using different KDZ's

I'm new to the LG Ecosystem and I have a few questions.
I have an LG G6 H870 from Entel in Chile, its currently on Android 7.
1) Can I flash it to something like the OPEN EU images which are newer?
Because they're all H870's are they the exact same hardware, meaning the functionality on different H870 kdzs should work fine? The Entel doesnt even have a 2018 release yet so I don't have great confidence they will update the LG G6.
2) Does flashing a KDZ affect the boot loader?
If I unlocked the bootloader for rooting would flashing the KDZ back reset it back to locked?
3) Is it safe to flash a KDZ via a virtual machine? The LG Bridge app wont detect my phone on Mac no matter what I try (High Sierra), (adb is fine iv tried the drivers etc), however it shows up when I connect it to a Windows 7 VM.
4) Is it likely that when the official Oreo 8.1 update comes it would be better to switch to something like an OPEN EU or UK image?
Or even just flash the new 8.1 KDZ when its available?
5) If I rooted and flashed something like LineageOS, can I easily go back to any of the KDZs with the LG tool?
I noticed theres an "error link which seems to download a KDZ for resetting your phone. Does that work off some kind of internal hardware serial, meaning that if things are ever soft-bricked I could just hit that button and go back to square one no problems?
6) Anything else I should be aware of or concerned about if I want to play with flashing different KDZs or custom roms? I dont care about warranty e.g. unlocked bootloader.
7) Whats the best tool for unlocking bootloader and gaining root these days, I know theres a tonne of AIO tools and things like KingRoot. Any suggestions from other LG G6 modders?

madhavajay said:
I'm new to the LG Ecosystem and I have a few questions.
I have an LG G6 H870 from Entel in Chile, its currently on Android 7.
1) Can I flash it to something like the OPEN EU images which are newer?
Because they're all H870's are they the exact same hardware, meaning the functionality on different H870 kdzs should work fine? The Entel doesnt even have a 2018 release yet so I don't have great confidence they will update the LG G6.
2) Does flashing a KDZ affect the boot loader?
If I unlocked the bootloader for rooting would flashing the KDZ back reset it back to locked?
3) Is it safe to flash a KDZ via a virtual machine? The LG Bridge app wont detect my phone on Mac no matter what I try (High Sierra), (adb is fine iv tried the drivers etc), however it shows up when I connect it to a Windows 7 VM.
4) Is it likely that when the official Oreo 8.1 update comes it would be better to switch to something like an OPEN EU or UK image?
Or even just flash the new 8.1 KDZ when its available?
5) If I rooted and flashed something like LineageOS, can I easily go back to any of the KDZs with the LG tool?
I noticed theres an "error link which seems to download a KDZ for resetting your phone. Does that work off some kind of internal hardware serial, meaning that if things are ever soft-bricked I could just hit that button and go back to square one no problems?
6) Anything else I should be aware of or concerned about if I want to play with flashing different KDZs or custom roms? I dont care about warranty e.g. unlocked bootloader.
7) Whats the best tool for unlocking bootloader and gaining root these days, I know theres a tonne of AIO tools and things like KingRoot. Any suggestions from other LG G6 modders?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) If it's just an "H870" than yes, it should be fine.
2) You cannot unlock the bootloader. Only unbranded US997 and European H870 can.
3) Never tried, it should, but in this i cannot give you a certain answer.
4) 8.1? We don't know it'll be 8.1. Anyway it's always better to flash the right firmware for your region.
5) You cannot do any kind of modding on your device atm, see the 2nd answer.
6) Flashing a wrong kdz could hard brick your device, so be careful on names. For the warranty you're good to go, you cannot do any kind of modding.
7) For G6 there is no "best" tool, there is only ONE way to unlock the bootloader but it won't work on your model (as explained in the 2nd answer), other tools like KingRoot don't work at all.
Bonus answer: No, flashing an european firmware won't allow you to unlock the bootloader.

Sorry for the noob question, it's probably been asked on here, but have not been able to find a solid answer. I have a US Cellular LG G6, which by now I know bootloader can't be unlocked. But, is there any way to update to Android Oreo? Currently on Android Nougat 7.0. thanks in advance.

FrankoHN said:
Sorry for the noob question, it's probably been asked on here, but have not been able to find a solid answer. I have a US Cellular LG G6, which by now I know bootloader can't be unlocked. But, is there any way to update to Android Oreo? Currently on Android Nougat 7.0. thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes if you use non-UScellular US997 KDZ (21B is latest) US99721b_00_0823.kdz
https://lg-firmwares.com/downloads-file/16302/US997U21b_00_0823.kdz

HueyT said:
Yes if you use non-UScellular US997 KDZ (21B is latest) US99721b_00_0823.kdz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I just want to be sure before flashing any firmware, don't want to brick my phone :crying:

FrankoHN said:
Thanks. I just want to be sure before flashing any firmware, don't want to brick my phone :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See this KDZ guide: https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g5/development/uppercut-lgup-loader-g5-variants-t3511295

FrankoHN said:
Sorry for the noob question, it's probably been asked on here, but have not been able to find a solid answer. I have a US Cellular LG G6, which by now I know bootloader can't be unlocked. But, is there any way to update to Android Oreo? Currently on Android Nougat 7.0. thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have found out the hard way that there are several versions of the model US997 variant of the LG G6:
https: //lg-firmwares.c o m/lg-us997-firmwares/firmwares/
(I apologize that the forum's spam filters are preventing me from posting a working link. Just take out the spaces.)
There is a USA unlocked version, two US cellular versions, two "Brightpoint" versions (whatever that is), and an Amazon version. And they all share the same model number. This is quite confusing because with most phones, usually there is only one version per model number. If your phone is stuck on Android Nougat, chances are you're like me and you're on the USA unlocked version of this phone, not the US Cellular version. The US Cellular and Brightspot versions have all been updated to Oreo and the latest update was in September 2018.
I have no idea why LG isn't upgrading the USA unlocked version. It was very frustrating when I bought it used and found out it was still stuck on Nougat, which I was not expecting.

midtempo said:
I have found out the hard way that there are several versions of the model US997 variant of the LG G6:
https: //lg-firmwares.c o m/lg-us997-firmwares/firmwares/
(I apologize that the forum's spam filters are preventing me from posting a working link. Just take out the spaces.)
There is a USA unlocked version, two US cellular versions, two "Brightpoint" versions (whatever that is), and an Amazon version. And they all share the same model number. This is quite confusing because with most phones, usually there is only one version per model number. If your phone is stuck on Android Nougat, chances are you're like me and you're on the USA unlocked version of this phone, not the US Cellular version. The US Cellular and Brightspot versions have all been updated to Oreo and the latest update was in September 2018.
I have no idea why LG isn't upgrading the USA unlocked version. It was very frustrating when I bought it used and found out it was still stuck on Nougat, which I was not expecting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just use the US997 and NOT US997U and it'll work perfectly on non-US-Cellular or US-Cellular KDZ. 21B is latest Oreo

midtempo said:
I have found out the hard way that there are several versions of the model US997 variant of the LG G6:
https: //lg-firmwares.c o m/lg-us997-firmwares/firmwares/
(I apologize that the forum's spam filters are preventing me from posting a working link. Just take out the spaces.)
There is a USA unlocked version, two US cellular versions, two "Brightpoint" versions (whatever that is), and an Amazon version. And they all share the same model number. This is quite confusing because with most phones, usually there is only one version per model number. If your phone is stuck on Android Nougat, chances are you're like me and you're on the USA unlocked version of this phone, not the US Cellular version. The US Cellular and Brightspot versions have all been updated to Oreo and the latest update was in September 2018.
I have no idea why LG isn't upgrading the USA unlocked version. It was very frustrating when I bought it used and found out it was still stuck on Nougat, which I was not expecting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the US Unlocked version has gotten the update and it's bootloader unlockable... My phone is the US997Z which is the US Cellular version. I believe you have to be connected to their service to be able to receive the update through their towers. I went ahead a upgraded my LG G6 with the US unlocked version kdz as the @HueyT mentions above. Update went great using LG up and uppercut no set back going through the update. If you need help I would happily help you out. Because I was in the same boat as you.

FrankoHN said:
Actually the US Unlocked version has gotten the update and it's bootloader unlockable... My phone is the US997Z which is the US Cellular version. I believe you have to be connected to their service to be able to receive the update through their towers. I went ahead a upgraded my LG G6 with the US unlocked version kdz as the @HueyT mentions above. Update went great using LG up and uppercut no set back going through the update. If you need help I would happily help you out. Because I was in the same boat as you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's very strange that some versions of the LG G6 "US997" are not updated to Oreo yet and other ones with this version are. But if there is anyone out there reading this, you know know there is a workaround and you can force your computer to update the firmware on your LG G6 with the official LG ROM that runs Android Oreo.
For the $254 I paid for this phone used, with a case and the original charger, I can live with a phone that I have to update manually if I won't get OTA updates for some reason. And I did not break the phone's security because I'm still able to use Google Pay and online banking.

Which version to buy: LG V20 H918 (T-Mobile only?!?) or VS995

Hello and good evening,
I wanted to buy a new V20 and had found a dealer on eBay who had offered the H918.
In the auction text it said that it would be compatible with all networks/provider, so I bought it. Today the dealer contacted me and said that the H918 would probably only work with a T-mobile SIM (I’m located in Germany, O2 is my provider) but he could offer me the VS995 that would had no problems with all networks.
I didn't find much about the VS995 in terms of network/provider compatibility.
What I have found was contradictory information on the web, one time it says "Yes, only with T-Mobile" somewhere else again "The US996 would be the best choice or then the H918 as a second choice, for both the provider would not matter, would work with everyone ".
Is the H918 really only usable with a T-Mobile SIM or does it only have a T-Mobile branding and also with regard to "rooting" and installing a "Custom ROM", which version should I prefer?
After rooting and installing a custom ROM, is the H918 compatible with all networks?
The H918 seems to support more Bands than the VS995?
I would be grateful for any tip, maybe someone can help me with the dilema and the decision!
Many thanks in advance. ^^

carpeta said:
Hello and good evening,
I wanted to buy a new V20 and had found a dealer on eBay who had offered the H918.
In the auction text it said that it would be compatible with all networks/provider, so I bought it. Today the dealer contacted me and said that the H918 would probably only work with a T-mobile SIM (I’m located in Germany, O2 is my provider) but he could offer me the VS995 that would had no problems with all networks.
I didn't find much about the VS995 in terms of network/provider compatibility.
What I have found was contradictory information on the web, one time it says "Yes, only with T-Mobile" somewhere else again "The US996 would be the best choice or then the H918 as a second choice, for both the provider would not matter, would work with everyone ".
Is the H918 really only usable with a T-Mobile SIM or does it only have a T-Mobile branding and also with regard to "rooting" and installing a "Custom ROM", which version should I prefer?
After rooting and installing a custom ROM, is the H918 compatible with all networks?
The H918 seems to support more Bands than the VS995?
I would be grateful for any tip, maybe someone can help me with the dilema and the decision!
Many thanks in advance. ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd advise you get the vs995 and don't update, to be on the safe side if you'd want to mod

Landloord said:
I'd advise you get the vs995 and don't update, to be on the safe side if you'd want to mod
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply Landloord.
I definitely want to root the unit and flash it with a custom firmware.
So far I only had one Android smartphone that I didn't rooted.
My question would be if the H918 would accept any SIM card after the root and custom ROM flash, because the seller told me it would only accept T-mobile SIM cards. I'm asking the questions because I never had an phone that was locked from the facotory to only one provider.
Shouldn't the SIM lock be overwritten after flashing with a custom ROM or am I wrong?!

carpeta said:
I definitely want to root the unit and flash it with a custom firmware.
So far I only had one Android smartphone that I didn't rooted.
My question would be if the H918 would accept any SIM card after the root and custom ROM flash, because the seller told me it would only accept T-mobile SIM cards. I'm asking the questions because I never had an phone that was locked from the facotory to only one provider.
Shouldn't the SIM lock be overwritten after flashing with a custom ROM or am I wrong?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a custom ROM or different firmware has no effect on the SIM lock status.
The VS995 and US996 models always come SIM-unlocked out of the box, so all you have to worry about those is that the IMEI number is clean/not blacklisted.
The H918 is a bit trickier: If it's SIM-locked, then only SIM cards using the T-Mobile USA network will work. When buying, you have to make sure that the H918 is permanently unlocked (that is done through a special T-Mobile app that connects to a server and not a simple unlock code like you see from many other locked phones). In contrast, you'll want to avoid an H918 that is temporarily unlocked (for people who travel abroad for a while), so in that case, the phone will re-lock to T-Mobile USA after a certain period of time (could be several months).
If LTE band 20 is the main band for your provider, then any of the 3 models you mentioned should work fine. You can see each model's bands on sites such as FrequencyCheck. If there are other LTE bands besides 20 that your provider uses, then I think the various H990 models (H990DS, H990N, H990TR) have the most compatible bands for Europe.
As for root and custom ROMs, the rooting procedure and available ROMs will vary depending on the model you get, so you may want to look around here first to see what your options are. Generally, it does not matter how updated the firmware of the phone is; you can simply downgrade to root for all V20 models except one (the LS997, which doesn't have LTE band 20 anyway).

C D said:
Flashing a custom ROM or different firmware has no effect on the SIM lock status.
The VS995 and US996 models always come SIM-unlocked out of the box, so all you have to worry about those is that the IMEI number is clean/not blacklisted.
The H918 is a bit trickier: If it's SIM-locked, then only SIM cards using the T-Mobile USA network will work. When buying, you have to make sure that the H918 is permanently unlocked (that is done through a special T-Mobile app that connects to a server and not a simple unlock code like you see from many other locked phones). In contrast, you'll want to avoid an H918 that is temporarily unlocked (for people who travel abroad for a while), so in that case, the phone will re-lock to T-Mobile USA after a certain period of time (could be several months).
If LTE band 20 is the main band for your provider, then any of the 3 models you mentioned should work fine. You can see each model's bands on sites such as FrequencyCheck. If there are other LTE bands besides 20 that your provider uses, then I think the various H990 models (H990DS, H990N, H990TR) have the most compatible bands for Europe.
As for root and custom ROMs, the rooting procedure and available ROMs will vary depending on the model you get, so you may want to look around here first to see what your options are. Generally, it does not matter how updated the firmware of the phone is; you can simply downgrade to root for all V20 models except one (the LS997, which doesn't have LTE band 20 anyway).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for the detailed answer! :good:
Then the flashing of another modem would probably not override the SIM lock then either, right? ?

carpeta said:
Many thanks for the detailed answer! :good:
Then the flashing of another modem would probably not override the SIM lock then either, right? ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Only the T-Mobile Unlock app can be used to SIM-unlock it, and I think the info on the unlock eligibility/status of any particular H918 phone is stored on whatever T-Mobile USA server that the app connects to. There may be a paid unlock service that can unlock one for you, but I suspect it may be expensive.
I should also mention that the H918 is not compatible with any other model's firmware, which means that if you try to flash any non-H918 firmware onto an H918, then it will permanently brick/kill the phone. Likewise, flashing H918 firmware onto any non-H918 model will brick that phone.

Thank you very much for all the information C D!
I will look if there are any differences in the included accessories of both models and I guess I have to take the VS995 or look around for another model. ??

No problem. If returning the phone to the seller is easy, then you'll be able to try out the VS995 and see if the signal coverage is OK.
And by the way, the VS995 (as do the US996 and Korean F800K/L/S models) has the FM radio disabled, but if you root it and stay on a stock-based Oreo ROM, you can get the FM radio back.
Anyway, it looks like you still have plenty of options regarding compatible models. And as someone who happens to have grown up in Germany, I'd say you have „die Qual der Wahl“.

You've said it all

C D said:
No problem. If returning the phone to the seller is easy, then you'll be able to try out the VS995 and see if the signal coverage is OK.
And by the way, the VS995 (as do the US996 and Korean F800K/L/S models) has the FM radio disabled, but if you root it and stay on a stock-based Oreo ROM, you can get the FM radio back.
Anyway, it looks like you still have plenty of options regarding compatible models. And as someone who happens to have grown up in Germany, I'd say you have „die Qual der Wahl“.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ja die Qual der Wahl! :laugh:
I have now told the seller that I don't want either model, I might look for a US996 model.
Thanks again! :good:

Just the way i selected to do this. I even have the opposite methods simply did no longer have the time to one hundred% check them on a physical guide V20 in palms as i used to be doing it for a person else who wanted it again. I normally use hardware in recent times

Which of the models of the V20 is to set in the language of the Netherlands? I have now a VS995 and with this phone it is not possible!

Ruud5 said:
Which of the models of the V20 is to set in the language of the Netherlands? I have now a VS995 and with this phone it is not possible!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The V20 was never officially sold in Europe, so I'm not sure if any model has your language. But you could try one of those language enabler apps that supposedly can add more languages to Android phones. Here's a recent post of someone using such an app to add Mexican Spanish to their Korean LG V50:
https://www.reddit.com/r/lgv50/comments/rtxei7

Thank you so much. I shall try this!

hi there, is there a good way to root vs995 easily and install los18 without the dreaded vibrating when boot?

Switching firmware for SM-G975U (need advice)

Hi guys, need some advice on S10+.
I'm from an Asia country and last year I bought a new S10+ from a online seller which does grey imports for mobile phones, because I want a Snapdragon version over the Exynos, which is what most Asia countries get.
The Model number (SM-975U) and Baseband version (G975USQS3CTB6) are indicating this is a US variant but I can't tell which carrier it is because there is no carrier logo on the phone or when I turn on the phone, no bloatwares as well.
The only down side is this Baseband/carrier does not have updates since March 2020. I tried checking for updates but got nothing.
What I try to get:
1. Latest original firmware which will continue to update itself (hopefully)
2. No carrier bloatware
3. No need root or custom roms (Doesnt go well with banking apps)
I have experience rooting and flashing custom firmware on my previous Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, but I can't remember if I have done unlocking bootloader before, lol.
Need advice on:
1. Which firmware should I choose?
2. I remember XDA forums used to have useful Guide under Sticky Threads but now I don't see it. I hope this guide will be able to help me with what I am trying to do.
3. I probably sound stupid here, is there any flashable settings file that is friendly to Asian region/telco? I am noticing a bit of network weakness on my phone, I hope its just me.
Thanks to anyone who reads this.

You've aquired the US Unlocked Snapdragon variant, it's not associated with any US carrier and it's not bootloader unlocked. Flashing updated FW is likely your best bet, it's available here.
Download Samsung Galaxy S10+ SM-G975U TMK USA (MetroPCS) G975USQS4FUA1 firmware
Fast download latest Samsung Galaxy S10+ firmware SM-G975U from USA (MetroPCS) with G975USQS4FUA1 and Android version 11
www.sammobile.com
The only other option for an update is Samsung's SmartSwitch. Whether or not it's compatible depends on your local service provider.