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?
Related
Hello good people,
I live in the UK, where the V20 was not released.
I have bought the AT&T unlocked H910 from Ebay, as it was stating that it works in the UK,
but the LTE band used by my carrier 800 MHz band 20 is not available on this phone.
"LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 12(700), 29(700), 30(2300)"
I have followed some of the noob guides and reading for days I believe that I have successfully rooted the phone, (shows in root checker). - as after some reading I was led to believe that by rooting the phone i would be able to change these settings via an app. however this did nothing for me.
could someone please kindly point me in the direction so that I can mod this so that the phone picks up and communicates with the correct Band? is this possible at all? or should i just try to return this to stock and return the phone?
or is this a situation where i just bought myself a small tablet?
I would be grateful for any help in solving this issue,
Many thanks in advance ! :good:
kneuast said:
Hello good people,
I live in the UK, where the V20 was not released.
I have bought the AT&T unlocked H910 from Ebay, as it was stating that it works in the UK,
but the LTE band used by my carrier 800 MHz band 20 is not available on this phone.
"LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 12(700), 29(700), 30(2300)"
I have followed some of the noob guides and reading for days I believe that I have successfully rooted the phone, (shows in root checker). - as after some reading I was led to believe that by rooting the phone i would be able to change these settings via an app. however this did nothing for me.
could someone please kindly point me in the direction so that I can mod this so that the phone picks up and communicates with the correct Band? is this possible at all? or should i just try to return this to stock and return the phone?
or is this a situation where i just bought myself a small tablet?
I would be grateful for any help in solving this issue,
Many thanks in advance ! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
You need to get into the service menu on the 910 and search for the 20 band and enable it. Sorry I cannot be more specific. You can google for the code(s) that will get you into the service menu.
I have a V20 but it is Verizon vs995 which has the correct bands but for some reason will not work with EE 4G only 3G.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Stransky said:
Hi
You need to get into the service menu on the 910 and search for the 20 band and enable it. Sorry I cannot be more specific. You can google for the code(s) that will get you into the service menu.
I have a V20 but it is Verizon vs995 which has the correct bands but for some reason will not work with EE 4G only 3G.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply,
I have tried this, i think i can get in by code *#546368#*910# assuming that this is what you are talking about?
this will take me to hiddenmenu
with 4 sub menues
- device test
- ELT Test
- SVC Test
- Field Test
I believe that i've seen people try to access the modem settings in the field test option
and i have seen that people get 3 or more options in this place, (third allowing you to select band) where as I only get 2
- Engineering mode
- PDP settings
do you know why the option does not appear for me?
- Would there be a chance that the option was hidden from the start by AT&T ?
Also I did not do LGUP dump before the root where many people in their guides have pointed out to
do, i followed a guide which does not involve LGUP to attempt to root my phone, should I try to flash the phone in a different firmware to try to unlock the mode ? along with the LGUP dump ?
again, thanks for the response !
Sorry, don't know but have you tried SVC entry I seem to remember some in the US using that to alter their Band.
The code you used does not work for me on my V20 in fact apart from IMEI code *#06# no codes work o. My phone.
Stransky said:
Sorry, don't know but have you tried SVC entry I seem to remember some in the US using that to alter their Band.
The code you used does not work for me on my V20 in fact apart from IMEI code *#06# no codes work o. My phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thanks again for getting back to me,
I am sorry but i do not know what SVC entry is, any relating articles i find are about terminal entry? is this in the ball park ?
could you point me in the direction of where i may find the information to do this myself ?
Ty
I meant SVC Test entry. Other than that I do not know. Sorry.
Hi Stransky,
Did you ever get your h910 to work in the UK? I think I have the same issue with my V20 h910
jimjim79 said:
Hi Stransky,
Did you ever get your h910 to work in the UK? I think I have the same issue with my V20 h910
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are in the UK then you don't need H910 rom. Flash it with US996 [usa] KDZ and that will sort out all the band issues without having to do anything more. Plus get's rid of At&T bloatware as US996 doesn't have any carrier bloat or network restrictions. I'm in Ireland and the rom is working great, 4G+ etc. My phone was originally a Verizon model.
edit: One drawback is you will loose FM radio as it's not on the US996 rom. If you are able to root the fone you can get it back with my mod if your on oreo.
thanks don't want to use the FM radio so will try your mod. Is there a guide to flash US996?
I'm being told in another thread that flashing another rom can't give you extra bands, so I'm a little confused between the contradictory advice.
ROMs do not have anything to do with available bands. Bands are hardware dependant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jimjim79 said:
I'm being told in another thread that flashing another rom can't give you extra bands, so I'm a little confused between the contradictory advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your answer is in bold. He just gave bad advice. If you look earlier in the thread the Verizon variant has those bands already.
ezzony said:
If you are in the UK then you don't need H910 rom. Flash it with US996 [usa] KDZ and that will sort out all the band issues without having to do anything more. Plus get's rid of At&T bloatware as US996 doesn't have any carrier bloat or network restrictions. I'm in Ireland and the rom is working great, 4G+ etc. My phone was originally a Verizon model.
edit: One drawback is you will loose FM radio as it's not on the US996 rom. If you are able to root the fone you can get it back with my mod if your on oreo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can buy a US996 v20 on eBay for $86 with free shipping in the US. Probably your best bet. V30 and G7 unlocked phones aren't too expensive either in good condition, though I have not cross referenced which bands they have, so you'd have to double check. I like the phone myself, might buy a couple so relatives have backup phones.
Let me be clear. The H910, VS995, US996, on a hardware level have exactly the same motherboard, The only difference is the software...the ROM. So for example VS995, US996 don't have FM radio out of the box where H910 does. This is a perfect example of where the sofware has been designed to restricted FM radio leading one to *think* the fone doesn't have FM radio on some models at all but in fact it does.
So, It the same idea for BANDS. A fone MAY be missing bands out of the box because the ROM has been designed to restrict some of the the bands where in reality the fone has those bands. So in that case you can overcome this by changing to a ROM that does not have this restriction enabled in the ROM, in exactly the same way as in the case of FM radio. Carriers do disable bands on fones for their own devious reasons.
I know from experience H910 has hotspot restrictions as well. There is a work around OR you can just flash US996 that does not have this hotspot restriction. Also H910 has restriction in the Mobile Settings section. If you change to US996 there will be extra settings in Mobile networks>System Select settings which are GLOBAL / LTE/CDMA, LTE/GSM/UMTS. These options I'm sure I recall did not show up on H910 rom which could be useful to some.
I did not have an original H910 but all I'm saying is that I'm fairly sure that the motherboard is exactly the same as the other models in which case it will have all the same bands as Verizon and US996, just you can't see them because of H910 software on it. Of course you can't enable bands if they don't exist on the motherboard but you can if they do exist but have been restricted by the ROM.
So to the guy who asked about the H910 you can try to use the service menu to enable bands BUT this is not the best way to do it as the service menu might not let you or maybe the enable doesn't last after rebooting. The best way to fix this is to flash a ROM that does not have network restrictions and then you can forget out it from there on in.
---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:47 PM ----------
jimjim79 said:
I'm being told in another thread that flashing another rom can't give you extra bands, so I'm a little confused between the contradictory advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please see my previous post.
You have 2 options. You can either flash a clean US996 KDZ that you download at https://lg-firmwares.com. You'd need LGUP to flash it, guides on youtube and here, search for them. You don't have to be rooted to flash a new KDZ.
If you are rooted you can just download a custom ROM from here such as WETA ROM US996santa version and flash it in TWRP. You could backup your current system just in case it doesn't solve your problem but even if your problem isn't solved the US996 rom would be better anyway for the other reasons I mentioned in my previous post plus I forgot to add that would get rid of all the AT&T bloatware as well.
thanks for the advice, I'm really struggling to find a guide that matched my requirements or is there a generic guide I can follow. Bit scared as I'm reading some roms will brick the device.
Don't need to root at the moment so hopefully that will make it simpler.
ezzony said:
If you are in the UK then you don't need H910 rom. Flash it with US996 [usa] KDZ and that will sort out all the band issues without having to do anything more. Plus get's rid of At&T bloatware as US996 doesn't have any carrier bloat or network restrictions. I'm in Ireland and the rom is working great, 4G+ etc. My phone was originally a Verizon model.
edit: One drawback is you will loose FM radio as it's not on the US996 rom. If you are able to root the fone you can get it back with my mod if your on oreo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there - can you please point me to the rom you use? I just got a H910 from ebay at&t 'unlocked'. But I found only 2g on the stock rom. Have flashed a variety of U996, H915 (canada), and a H910pr (puerto rico) but can only get 3g sometimes. Some of the android 7 roms don't even have 4g as one of the options. Others do but I cannot select it - only 3g.
I'm in the UK but the 800/1800 bands Ireland uses are also the same for EE in the Uk.
Many thanks!
Hi.
I am expecting delivery of an LG V20 h910 from eBay in the coming days, but don't have an AT&T SIM (EU user).
Is there a way to flash an unlocked, stock version of the software (eg US996) so I can update the phone to the latest version?
I heard non-AT&T SIM users don't get updates thru AT&T, so wondering how I can get the latest software for it.
I would prefer not to root the phone, but would do if necessary (and if I can then get a fully functional, up-to-date software version).
Thanks in advance.
AWT86 said:
Hi.
I am expecting delivery of an LG V20 h910 from eBay in the coming days, but don't have an AT&T SIM (EU user).
Is there a way to flash an unlocked, stock version of the software (eg US996) so I can update the phone to the latest version?
I heard non-AT&T SIM users don't get updates thru AT&T, so wondering how I can get the latest software for it.
I would prefer not to root the phone, but would do if necessary (and if I can then get a fully functional, up-to-date software version).
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, if its not sim unlocked phone, it will forever stay sim locked unless you get the network unlock for it. EVEN if you flash any of the other brand roms. Also, AT&T doesn't have the full stock kdz to revert to, there are work arounds to return to stock. This phone has trouble with the screen ghosting/retention, as well as bonkers HDR camera performance, also not to forget, GPS inaccuracy upto 50 meters. I'd suggest look away from LG unless you're going for LG v30 which doesn't carry any of these issues.
If you have already bought, paid and "expecting" shipment anytime soon, you should make sure that its network unlocked H910. (make backup of your partitions before flashing any other brand rom because you will need modem, modemst1, modemst2 and misc partitions in-case you lose the signals). Then you can easily flash it with H915 rom which is the best among debloated stock roms. Flash H910 v10m firmware over it, then flash the modem/modemst1/modemst2/misc files from fastboot to get network signal. From there on forward, you may keep H915 rom with H910 v10m base, or you can even move on to lineage roms. I'd suggest stay rooted with manual color calibration for no-ghosting measures.
AWT86 said:
Hi.
I am expecting delivery of an LG V20 h910 from eBay in the coming days, but don't have an AT&T SIM (EU user).
Is there a way to flash an unlocked, stock version of the software (eg US996) so I can update the phone to the latest version?
I heard non-AT&T SIM users don't get updates thru AT&T, so wondering how I can get the latest software for it.
I would prefer not to root the phone, but would do if necessary (and if I can then get a fully functional, up-to-date software version).
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't flash another variant rom until you unlock the bootloader and root. As far as functionality with the 996 will depend on the bands your carrier supports
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
I received my used AT&T V20 yesterday also bought from eBay. I'm on O2 and it works fine. Just be sure your phone is network unlocked. Only thing is the bloatware.
So much misinformation in this thread, but I will just address the original question....
Yes, you can flash the US996 KDZ without rooting .. just flash like you would any other KDZ. You lose some AT&T specific features while running US996, but if you are overseas, I don't think that will bother you.
As far as I know, that will SIM unlock the phone if it is locked. If it doesn't, then the engineering bootloader that you use to root will SIM unlock the phone as well as bootloader unlock it.
So, first try the US996 KDZ, if that doesn't SIM unlock, you will have to root.
-- Brian
CaseyS said:
I received my used AT&T V20 yesterday also bought from eBay. I'm on O2 and it works fine. Just be sure your phone is network unlocked. Only thing is the bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get any system updates?
runningnak3d said:
So much misinformation in this thread, but I will just address the original question....
Yes, you can flash the US996 KDZ without rooting .. just flash like you would any other KDZ. You lose some AT&T specific features while running US996, but if you are overseas, I don't think that will bother you.
As far as I know, that will SIM unlock the phone if it is locked. If it doesn't, then the engineering bootloader that you use to root will SIM unlock the phone as well as bootloader unlock it.
So, first try the US996 KDZ, if that doesn't SIM unlock, you will have to root.
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone should come pre-unlocked for all networks. I'm mainly concerned about system updates. US996 sounds good, as I can't use AT&T here (AT&T doesn't exist in my country). Would I be able to update the firmware in any way once US996 KDZ is installed? Thanks in advance.
AWT86 said:
Did you get any system updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No system updates. Had the latest update with the latest security patch, but I downgraded because I want to root it. Still 7.0, but with a earlier patch level.
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
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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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
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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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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
Hi, want to buy a used LG v20 but i want to make sure it will be able to root it and custum it....
for now i buy a lgv20 only 50$ on ebay but it's locked and with US cellular... so i cant do nothing with it.... so i think i should buy another one... but wich one... this is the question...
i would like to have the root function, the FM function activated... the multi user activated... for now nothing of that is possible with the lgv 20 US cellular
thx
Someone posted on this forum recently that you CAN get OFFICIAL bootloader unlock from LG on US Cellular. Try it!
I have the same question. Is there a preferred model for the V20? I was thinking of getting an unlocked US996 model, primarily for audio/video use with no sim. I would, however, like it to work with AT&T as a backup to my iPhone. I know it uses the same nano-sim format. Of course I would like to root, etc as safely as possible. I haven't bought it yet, so advise is very welcome and appreciated.
I understand the US996 can get official bootloader unlock directly from LG.
rlw6534 said:
I have the same question. Is there a preferred model for the V20? I was thinking of getting an unlocked US996 model, primarily for audio/video use with no sim. I would, however, like it to work with AT&T as a backup to my iPhone. I know it uses the same nano-sim format. Of course I would like to root, etc as safely as possible. I haven't bought it yet, so advise is very welcome and appreciated.
I understand the US996 can get official bootloader unlock directly from LG.
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The unlocked US996 is by far the easiest to root and will work on AT&T, but you won't get VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling if those matter to you. Only the AT&T-branded H910 will have those working.
C D said:
The unlocked US996 is by far the easiest to root and will work on AT&T, but you won't get VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling if those matter to you. Only the AT&T-branded H910 will have those working.
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Thank you for responding!!!
Rooting is more important for me as I don't plan on using it as my primary phone anyway. Sound like US996 is the way to go if you like to play with custom ROMs, etc.