Flashing Stylo 5 Firmware Onto Stylo 4 Factory Unlocked, Possible? - LG Stylo 3 Questions & Answers

I realize his isn't exactly the correct forum, but I honestly couldn't find anywhere else that was even close to post in.
At face value, this question likely looks stupid, however, if you read my post you will find it might have merit.
I'm interested in knowing if its possible to flash a Stylo 5 firmware onto a Stylo 4 that is factory unlocked. The big difference, for those that are unaware, between most carrier type Stylo 4's and the factory unlocked Stylo 4 is that the factory unlocked version has specs that are identical to the Stylo 5. RAM, processor, flash, they are all the same. There isn't a single obvious difference. Now, my main problem is, I don't know if there are any under the hood differences, such as a different LCD brand, different cellular modem brand or type, etc... As you all likely know, if I did a forced flash, and these things were different, it is probably brick city, or at least a phone that is practically non-functional.
This is where I need the community help. I lack the skills necessary to rip apart the Stylo 5 firmware and determine how compatible it is with the factory unlocked Stylo 4. Also, if it is compatible, but there are differences in the underlying hardware, if the pieces from the Stylo 4 firmware could be grafted onto the Stylo 5 firmware, or a selective flash could be done using the Stylo 5 firmware so it doesn't overwrite the partitions that need to be retained for the Stylo 4 to function.
Any insight is appreciated. If anyone here needs anything in particular (links to files that can be dissected, etc...) to help make these determinations, let me know, I'll do the leg work in tracking them down.

Link to stylo 5 firmware, ideally with a firmware for the 4 as well
Don't have experience with LG and their phones but I have experience with Samsung firmware, I'll do some looking for the tools to actually flash an LG. Already doing this for a friend to see if it is root able even if it isn't a persistent one, any links would be appreciated for that too

Related

Model H918 (T-Mobile) to H915 (Freedom Mobile) Firmware Update

I need Band 66 (LTE) with my Canadian provider (Freedom Mobile). Both the H918 (T-Mobile) and the H915 (Freedom Mobile) have Band 66. With my new unlocked LG V20 (T-Mobile) version running on my Canadian Freedom Mobile LTE version, all works well, with the exception of no LTE. I have done many searches and come up confused as to which way to do this. Can I use just LG UP and flash the H915 firmware over the H918 and expect all to be well with working LTE on my LG V20? Has LG Flash Tool been replaced with a newer LGUP? I'm just spinning in a forest of confusion here. Any direction would be appreciated. Thx
Wow..... 3 days have passed and no answers to my question. Have I stumped the experts?
pin2high said:
Wow..... 3 days have passed and no answers to my question. Have I stumped the experts?
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It is never recommended to flash a firmware not meant to be for your phone. Chances are that you will brick your phone if you do. Probably that's why no one is answering because it has been said many times in different ways. And almost no one likes to be the guinea pig. Nevertheless, if you do try it with LG UP, let everybody know about your results :good:
The H918 doesn't support as many frequencies as the H910 / H915 (the H910 and H915 are the exact same phone). That could be a limitation of the radio firmware, and if it doesn't soft brick your phone, could be fixed by flashing the H915 KDZ.
Now the good news there is a KDZ for the H918, so, if you soft brick your phone -- viola -- flash the H918 KDZ and you are back to where you are.
Just a heads up though, download mode is *ALMOST* impossible to blow up, but almost is not the same as impossible. I personally have never managed to destroy download mode on an LG phone (and I have deliberately tried on several older phones - G2, G3, G4, just to see if I could recover if it happened).
However, that isn't to say that it is completely impossible (the dreaded 9008 error). Example for LG G3: https://forum.xda-developers.com/sprint-lg-g3/general/guide-fix-hard-brick-recovery-guide-t3132359
But, as you can see, even that can be fixed as long as you: 1 - have a KDZ, 2 - are willing to tear apart your phone.
Please post your results if you decide to go through with it
-- Brian
The only LG Phone that I own and remember was The E980 Optimus G Pro “the unbrickable” and thanks to att to ruin a outstanding phone simply not get the promo and the attention of the same sh** of Samsung S4 for this time.
After 2 months passing from my original post, I'm still at the end of a dark tunnel...... and no BAND 66 working on my T-Mobile H918 running on the Canadian carrier........... Freedom Mobile . Has anybody had any success running a TM (H918) on Freedom Mobile and get LTE (Band 66)?
You can't since the kdz for freedom mobile is not out yet
Sent from my XT1563 using Tapatalk
I have been looking at the FCC documents, and I seems H918 is the same hardware as the H910PR.
You can also see there that H910 and H915 are the same, as mentioned above.
I would not try to cross-flash firmware from different phones at least, if I where to do it at all.
Edit: The H918 has a unique oem configured key in the qfprom. Meaning flashing any bootloader not specific to the H918 will hard-brick your phone, at this point that is equivalent to a completely broken and useless phone.
if we can get the KDZ file maybe can get the modem
Any luck on this in the past month, or same situation still?
Freedom have had band 66 allowed to be used only on handsets sold by them, probably by white listing IMEIs. Now that they have iPhone, this might change, but my knowledge is limited.

New AMZM prime LG G6 Plus H870DSU, Root possible?

I just saw a post about a new prime phone from Amazon, and I was curious if there has been any luck rooting these AMZN based devices?
I really like the G6, but having access to the US unlocked GSM device AND the quad DAC would be perfect for me.
But I gotta have root. So any threads on other devices, or any insider information on whether these Amazon devices have unlocked bootloader's?
https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/26/amazon-lg-g6-prime-discount/
I'm waiting for the unlocked US998, but I would be okay with a quad DAC G6, too. As I don't mind waiting 6 mo the for the V30's to drop in price.
I am also wondering the same thing. Has the LG G6+ been rooted?
You are never going to see an official bootloader unlock for the Amazon devices, because their marketing model is "discount phone with ads." Bootloader unlock would allow you to circumvent the ads by rooting and/or flashing a different ROM, so Amazon would not offer the phone this way without an agreement from LG not to unlock these phones. Other devices Amazon sells this way are pretty tightly locked down, and their communities have not had a lot of success breaking into them.
Bottom line is, it's not coming any time soon, if at all, so don't buy the device assuming that you'll someday be able to root it.
Anybody tried flashing a different stock ROM to the phone using Uppercut yet? I'm wondering if you could just flash the international firmware to the phone if the phone would accept it since it's recognized in LG UP with no issues and shows up as the international version too. Since it's a signed firmware I've gotta believe that if you can't ever unlock the bootloader that you could at least flash a stock LG international firmware file to it.
bmurphr1 said:
Anybody tried flashing a different stock ROM to the phone using Uppercut yet? I'm wondering if you could just flash the international firmware to the phone if the phone would accept it since it's recognized in LG UP with no issues and shows up as the international version too. Since it's a signed firmware I've gotta believe that if you can't ever unlock the bootloader that you could at least flash a stock LG international firmware file to it.
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Anyone who has one try this yet?
yomuppet said:
Anyone who has one try this yet?
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Not gonna happen unfortunately...not unless someone gains root access to the device and then uses something like FlashFire to hot-flash a custom ROM onto the device. That would be our best hope. That being said I'm still using my LG G6 since Amazon removed ads from all Prime devices free of charge (except for Kindles and such) and my phone is better than ever now. I plan on getting at least a year of use out of it and then upgrade to something with a Snapdragon 845 CPU inside it.
Alright guys...im trying to root my H870 AT&T G6 thinq and Idk what I'm doing wrong. I downloaded the files I need and tried getting it into fastboot mode and it just reboots and turns on. I tried adb reboot recovery and of course with no recovery yet it goes to no command. Does anyone have a better way then using adb? I attempted to use kingoroot but I don't read Chinese so I have no idea what it was saying lol
As has been said elsewhere, the European H870 and US 997 are the only ones that are rootable.
There is not and will not be a root for any of the other variants. There is some chat about it on the forums but realistically there will not be any other rooting method other than the official LG route.

Need Help With Choosing V20 Variant With The Most Support

Hello! I plan getting an LG V20, yet i can't seem to determine which of the variants have the most support (As in custom roms, kernels, recoveries, unbrick, etc...).
My previous device, the V10 T-Mobile version had an unlocked bootloader but couldn't be flashed with a custom rom or downgraded due to LG enabling the QFuse or Anti-Rollback.
I am hoping to get myself a V20 variant that has the most support and also free from anti-rollbacks like my previous V10.
Get and ATT. But it should be less than android 8.0 oreo or oreo 20g software version. Preferably on Android 7.0
TMobile one android 7.0 is also good. But I prefer h910 ATT
princedede said:
Get and ATT. But it should be less than android 8.0 oreo or oreo 20g software version. Preferably on Android 7.0
TMobile one android 7.0 is also good. But I prefer h910 ATT
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion. Could you elaborate as to why i need to get a device that is less than android 8.0?
Back on my T-Mobile V10, the last official android version (MM) came with all the lock down that made it impossible to falsh the device.
Is it so with the V20s running Oreo?
Thanks for starting this thread, I was wondering too, especially regarding the T-Mobile and Verizon version as there seems to be plenty of them out there for a lesser price. I personally have an unlocked US996, but was thinking about picking up a ATT h910. The V20 is an amazing phone, what I'd consider one of the last "great phones" that had it all-hardware wise: removable battery, expandable memory, IR blaster, 3.5mm headphone jack, and an FM player.... in addition the Quad DAC and content creation features made it even sweeter (manual mode for the camera, very competent microphone). Though we all complained about LG's horrible software updates, in my book this phone is a beast and a legend, speaking hardware wise, they don't make 'em like this anymore...sadly so too..
ssnova said:
Thanks for starting this thread, I was wondering too, especially regarding the T-Mobile and Verizon version as there seems to be plenty of them out there for a lesser price. I personally have an unlocked US996, but was thinking about picking up a ATT h910. The V20 is an amazing phone, what I'd consider one of the last "great phones" that had it all-hardware wise: removable battery, expandable memory, IR blaster, 3.5mm headphone jack, and an FM player.... in addition the Quad DAC and content creation features made it even sweeter (manual mode for the camera, very competent microphone). Though we all complained about LG's horrible software updates, in my book this phone is a beast and a legend, speaking hardware wise, they don't make 'em like this anymore...sadly so too..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The V20 seems like a great device...judging from my previous V10. It is the reason why i am choosing to get the V20 over the Xiaomi Note 7 or Xiaomi 7.
But i still need a bit of clarification as to what makes some V20 variants better than others and why i am required to get a variant with Nougat instead of Oreo.
I just wanna get a variant that isn't locked down like my V10 was. Any suggestions or explanations on the matter is very welcome.
mickeyasamoah said:
The V20 seems like a great device...judging from my previous V10. It is the reason why i am choosing to get the V20 over the Xiaomi Note 7 or Xiaomi 7.
But i still need a bit of clarification as to what makes some V20 variants better than others and why i am required to get a variant with Nougat instead of Oreo.
I just wanna get a variant that isn't locked down like my V10 was. Any suggestions or explanations on the matter is very welcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand, and I'm on a similar boat, as my US996 is stock and I'd like to pick up another one to run LOS/community developed and I was wondering if there was a more preferable V20 variant over the other. Hopefully someone more acquainted with the subject matter can chime in.
mickeyasamoah said:
Thanks for the suggestion. Could you elaborate as to why i need to get a device that is less than android 8.0?
Back on my T-Mobile V10, the last official android version (MM) came with all the lock down that made it impossible to falsh the device.
Is it so with the V20s running Oreo?
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Click to collapse
Yes it is. That's why it's better to have a V20 with Android 7. For ATT H910, android 8.0 on version g is still rootable. 8.0 version H, I can't say. So basically just get the one with Android 7.0 installed
---------- Post added at 11:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:54 AM ----------
ssnova said:
I understand, and I'm on a similar boat, as my US996 is stock and I'd like to pick up another one to run LOS/community developed and I was wondering if there was a more preferable V20 variant over the other. Hopefully someone more acquainted with the subject matter can chime in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-mobile, ATT V20 is okay. U can get any. But let it be on Android 7.0
ssnova said:
I understand, and I'm on a similar boat, as my US996 is stock and I'd like to pick up another one to run LOS/community developed and I was wondering if there was a more preferable V20 variant over the other. Hopefully someone more acquainted with the subject matter can chime in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! Isn't the US996 supposed to be the Non-Branded version of the V20 which allows bootloader unlocks from the LG website?
princedede said:
Yes it is. That's why it's better to have a V20 with Android 7. For ATT H910, android 8.0 on version g is still rootable. 8.0 version H, I can't say. So basically just get the one with Android 7.0 installed
---------- Post added at 11:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:54 AM ----------
T-mobile, ATT V20 is okay. U can get any. But let it be on Android 7.0
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the clarification. But what of the US996 version which is supposed to be the version unlockable from the LG website? Does it also have to be on android 7.0 too or does it not matter what version it might be on?
mickeyasamoah said:
Thanks for the clarification. But what of the US996 version which is supposed to be the version unlockable from the LG website? Does it also have to be on android 7.0 too or does it not matter what version it might be on?
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Due to the official LG support, the version should not matter for the unlocked US996. The tricky part may be actually finding the correct phone as there are two other US996 variants that are not unlockable from the LG website. The unlocked one has "USA" written to the right of the barcode on the sticker behind the battery, as seen in a couple of photos in this thread. The other two US996 models have "UCL" and "BPT" written instead.
Of course, all of them can be rooted and have custom ROMs, but it's a lot easier to get there on the US996 USA.
Generally, I'd say the US996 USA alongside the H910 and H918 have the most custom ROM support around here. Not sure if it matters to you, but do note that all the US996 models have the FM radio disabled. And generally, getting a V20 already on Oreo is not a huge problem (except for the LS997 model where it's unrootable due to anti-rollback) since you can still downgrade to Nougat to do the TWRP installation/rooting procedure.
C D said:
Due to the official LG support, the version should not matter for the unlocked US996. The tricky part may be actually finding the correct phone as there are two other US996 variants that are not unlockable from the LG website. The unlocked one has "USA" written to the right of the barcode on the sticker behind the battery, as seen in a couple of photos in this thread. The other two US996 models have "UCL" and "BPT" written instead.
Of course, all of them can be rooted and have custom ROMs, but it's a lot easier to get there on the US996 USA.
Generally, I'd say the US996 USA alongside the H910 and H918 have the most custom ROM support around here. Not sure if it matters to you, but do note that all the US996 models have the FM radio disabled. And generally, getting a V20 already on Oreo is not a huge problem (except for the LS997 model where it's unrootable due to anti-rollback) since you can still downgrade to Nougat to do the TWRP installation/rooting procedure.
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Thanks, this answers a lot. I was kind of confused because the other day I came across a thread about "cross flashing" V20's, from what I gather, you could flash a.. say H910 to US996, didn't delve too deep into it, but had me scratching my head, sounded like it almost didn't matter what version of V20 you got, you could do almost anything with it.
To the OP, yes the US996 is an unlocked US variant, but I'm gonna keep it stock for now.
C D said:
Due to the official LG support, the version should not matter for the unlocked US996. The tricky part may be actually finding the correct phone as there are two other US996 variants that are not unlockable from the LG website. The unlocked one has "USA" written to the right of the barcode on the sticker behind the battery, as seen in a couple of photos in this thread. The other two US996 models have "UCL" and "BPT" written instead.
Of course, all of them can be rooted and have custom ROMs, but it's a lot easier to get there on the US996 USA.
Generally, I'd say the US996 USA alongside the H910 and H918 have the most custom ROM support around here. Not sure if it matters to you, but do note that all the US996 models have the FM radio disabled. And generally, getting a V20 already on Oreo is not a huge problem (except for the LS997 model where it's unrootable due to anti-rollback) since you can still downgrade to Nougat to do the TWRP installation/rooting procedure.
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Oh my word! Thank you so very much for this detailed explanation, This indeed answers 90% of my questions.
Since anti-rollback wasn't enabled on all the variants except that LS997 variant, getting a v20 on Oreo doesn't mean the end of modding for the device, as i can always downgrade to an Nougat and root the device. Right?
Oh...and if i read you correctly, All V20 models except for the US996 model have FM Radio functionality enabled.
I can't wait to get myself a V20 now as all my previous LG devices were T-Mobile branded and did not have FM Radio support.
It's great to know that FM radio works on even the T-Mobile variant of the V20.
Thanks again for the detailed clarification.
ssnova said:
Thanks, this answers a lot. I was kind of confused because the other day I came across a thread about "cross flashing" V20's, from what I gather, you could flash a.. say H910 to US996, didn't delve too deep into it, but had me scratching my head, sounded like it almost didn't matter what version of V20 you got, you could do almost anything with it.
To the OP, yes the US996 is an unlocked US variant, but I'm gonna keep it stock for now.
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Click to collapse
Rodger that!
With @C D's detailed explanation, I might get the T-Mobile Variant of the V20 as the bootloader on T-Mobile variants of all my previous LG devices were really easy to unlock with the following fastboot command without any unlock code or unlock.bin file.
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
I just hope the bootloader unlock process is as straight forward on the V20 too.
mickeyasamoah said:
Oh my word! Thank you so very much for this detailed explanation, This indeed answers 90% of my questions.
Since anti-rollback wasn't enabled on all the variants except that LS997 variant, getting a v20 on Oreo doesn't mean the end of modding for the device, as i can always downgrade to an Nougat and root the device. Right?
Oh...and if i read you correctly, All V20 models except for the US996 model have FM Radio functionality enabled.
I can't wait to get myself a V20 now as all my previous LG devices were T-Mobile branded and did not have FM Radio support.
It's great to know that FM radio works on even the T-Mobile variant of the V20.
Thanks again for the detailed clarification.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're correct about downgrading. In fact, if you look at whatever rooting guide you end up following, it will most likely involve downgrading to Nougat.
A few more bits of info:
- The T-Mobile H918 actually does have anti-rollback, too, but can still be rooted using a different procedure. You can still downgrade to a certain version number.
- Another model with the FM radio disabled is the Verizon VS995, but someone on here cross-flashed it with H910 firmware to get FM radio working and only had to flash the VS995 modem files to get it going. Same thing has been done to US996 models, but apparently, the front and back cameras get flipped as a side effect.
mickeyasamoah said:
Rodger that!
With @C D's detailed explanation, I might get the T-Mobile Variant of the V20 as the bootloader on T-Mobile variants of all my previous LG devices were really easy to unlock with the following fastboot command without any unlock code or unlock.bin file.
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
I just hope the bootloader unlock process is as straight forward on the V20 too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only for the US996 USA, sadly. Most of the procedures for the other variants are quite unusual with plenty of steps, so read up carefully before you dive in. I have done it for two older LS997s while I also bought a used US996 USA and H918 that already came rooted.
Also, if you are going for the T-Mobile H918, absolutely make sure it is carrier SIM unlocked. As far as I'm aware, a locked H918 can only be unlocked if you are a current T-Mobile USA customer or via a paid service which can cost more than $80 USD (almost the price of a used V20). It's nothing like the simple unlock PIN codes you may have seen for other carriers.
C D said:
You're correct about downgrading. In fact, if you look at whatever rooting guide you end up following, it will most likely involve downgrading to Nougat.
A few more bits of info:
- The T-Mobile H918 actually does have anti-rollback, too, but can still be rooted using a different procedure. You can still downgrade to a certain version number.
- Another model with the FM radio disabled is the Verizon VS995, but someone on here cross-flashed it with H910 firmware to get FM radio working and only had to flash the VS995 modem files to get it going. Same thing has been done to US996 models, but apparently, the front and back cameras get flipped as a side effect.
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Click to collapse
Wow....If the T-Mobile variant does come with anti-rollback, then i guess i would have to refrain from it even tho it might be downgradeable to some extent. Anti-rollbacks are always up to no good. Downgrade too much and u risk blowing a Qfuse or something.
Moving forward....How is the AT&T variant? Does it have any anti-rollbacks? I would rather have a variant that has no anti-rollback even if it's rooting or unlocking guide might be much complicated as compared to the H918.
C D said:
Only for the US996 USA, sadly. Most of the procedures for the other variants are quite unusual with plenty of steps, so read up carefully before you dive in. I have done it for two older LS997s while I also bought a used US996 USA and H918 that already came rooted.
Also, if you are going for the T-Mobile H918, absolutely make sure it is carrier SIM unlocked. As far as I'm aware, a locked H918 can only be unlocked if you are a current T-Mobile USA customer or via a paid service which can cost more than $80 USD (almost the price of a used V20). It's nothing like the simple unlock PIN codes you may have seen for other carriers.
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The anti-rollback on the H918 has really thrown me off. Else, the T-Mobile variants of all the LG devices i owned in the past were SIM unlocked. So that wouldn't have been an issue.
mickeyasamoah said:
Wow....If the T-Mobile variant does come with anti-rollback, then i guess i would have to refrain from it even tho it might be downgradeable to some extent. Anti-rollbacks are always up to no good. Downgrade too much and u risk blowing a Qfuse or something.
Moving forward....How is the AT&T variant? Does it have any anti-rollbacks? I would rather have a variant that has no anti-rollback even if it's rooting or unlocking guide might be much complicated as compared to the H918.
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Click to collapse
Only the H918 and LS997 have anti-rollback, so you'd be safe with the H910. However, both the LS997 and H910 (by now you probably realize how ridiculous LG has been with all these variations) have no official firmware (.kdz) files, so I'm not sure how difficult it would be to restore the phone in the unlikely scenario that you somehow lose TWRP recovery.
Look at the rooting guides specific to both H910 and H918 to see what you're up against and what pitfalls may lie ahead before you decide.
C D said:
Only the H918 and LS997 have anti-rollback, so you'd be safe with the H910. However, both the LS997 and H910 (by now you probably realize how ridiculous LG has been with all these variations) have no official firmware (.kdz) files, so I'm not sure how difficult it would be to restore the phone in the unlikely scenario that you somehow lose TWRP recovery.
Look at the rooting guides specific to both H910 and H918 to see what you're up against and what pitfalls may lie ahead before you decide.
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Oh My! These are some of the things LG does that made me say to myself in the past..."This would be my last LG device." But somehow, i keep finding myself crawling to LG.
Like you said, i have to read as to determine which variant's shortcomings is less damaging.
Before i go digging into V20 threads, is it possible the H910 has a tot even tho it doesn't have a kdz?
mickeyasamoah said:
Oh My! These are some of the things LG does that made me say to myself in the past..."This would be my last LG device." But somehow, i keep finding myself crawling to LG.
Like you said, i have to read as to determine which variant's shortcomings is less damaging.
Before i go digging into V20 threads, is it possible the H910 has a tot even tho it doesn't have a kdz?
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I have never seen any firmware files at all available for the H910, and other V20 variants have KDZs only, no TOT files.
C D said:
I have never seen any firmware files at all available for the H910, and other V20 variants have KDZs only, no TOT files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow....LG really makes sure each variant lacks something. H918 has easy bootloader unlock but a dreadful anti-rollback, H910 has no rollback but has no firmware files.
I was just reading and i noticed that the anti-rollback on the H918 was introduced in the firmware version 10K.
Does this mean that an H918 with firmware version 10K and below would be fine? If yes, would a rooted H918 with 10K be able to flash custom Oreo ROMs?

Is the us996 "rootable" still?

Hi all, I just got a sprint ls997 but was disappointed to see that my firmware(or software, I dunno) update of ZVA prevents me from rooting the phone. Now I'm considering buying an unlocked (us996) version, but am having issues with this forum from inexperience. What I find is guides for installing custom ROMs, rooting, etc. but they seem not to talk about the requirements of your phone or the firmware updates you need to be before in order for it to work. I had this issue with my sprint version; the guide said you could install the ROM on an ls997, but did not mention anything else. So I just need someone who understands all of this modding stuff to tell me. Could I just go buy a us996 right now and be able to root it? Is it still possible?
Thank you!
As far as I know, pretty much any other V20 model is still rootable nowadays. There are different rooting guides for different models, and most should tell you the exact requirements if you look carefully. Regarding the US996, there are actually three variations of it, and one of them is by far the easiest V20 to root since it is the only one supported by LG for unlocking the bootloader on their website. The trick will be identifying and finding this unlocked US996 USA variant, and you can find more info in this older thread.
C D said:
As far as I know, pretty much any other V20 model is still rootable nowadays. There are different rooting guides for different models, and most should tell you the exact requirements if you look carefully. Regarding the US996, there are actually three variations of it, and one of them is by far the easiest V20 to root since it is the only one supported by LG for unlocking the bootloader on their website. The trick will be identifying and finding this unlocked US996 USA variant, and you can find more info in this older thread.
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Hmm. Is the LS997 totally locked down in terms of unlocking the bootloader? I got a US996 and unlocked it, but unfortunately the service is not compatible with Sprint.
The only way an LS997 can be rooted is if it hasn't been updated past May 1, 2017 (Software version LS997ZV7 - I happen to be using one of these). Anything after that is irreversibly locked down, and unfortunately, those older LS997 models are very hard to find nowadays. Ironically, many of them have been cross-flashed with US996 firmware to be used on GSM networks, mostly overseas (you'd be able to tell from the sticker behind the battery if it hasn't been peeled off). And yes, the LS997 is the only V20 model that can be used on the Sprint network.

No signal on LG V20 US996/LS997

So I picked up this old flagship budget phone and I was having no service at all. I tried resetting the phone, and reconfiguring APN settings, scanning for networks, but nothing worked.
So I did some research, and it turns out I was told I was getting the US996 (factory unlocked) version which is compatible with all carriers. But when I look under the battery, it says LS997 instead. But when I look at the software settings, it says Software Version US99610p. The seller must have flashed the US996 firmware onto an LS997 (Sprint) phone.
So at this point, I'm pretty sure I got scammed, and the sad part is this phone isn't refundable. I thought maybe if I could somehow get this phone off the US996 firmware and back to the LS997 firmware it originally came with, I'd have no problems. My carrier is Sprint as well.
But the sad part is, there's no LS997 KDZ's which I could just flash, since Sprint, unlike other carriers, does not release KDZ's.
So at this point, what are my options? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Not sure if this is of much help, but if I were you I would unlock the bootloader and just flash a custom rom.
d2xTaimen said:
Not sure if this is of much help, but if I were you I would unlock the bootloader and just flash a custom rom.
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I thought of that, but should I use the LS997 method or the US996 method to unlock?
Honestly Im not too sure since I have a H918 and none of those, Take my info with a grain of salt as I might be wrong, I think that the firmware update partition is not a part of the OS so you may be able to get away using the LS997 method?

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