New unlocked AT&T tablet SM-T727A for grandparents abroad, to flash or not? - Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e Questions & Answers

Hello, please give a little advise.
I bought an UNLOCKED used Samsung AT&T S5e (SM-T727A), and another UNLOCKED used Samsung Sprint TAB A (2019) (SM-T517P) from eBay for my grandparents abroad in Argentina; mainly for the SIM capability to use with Whatsapp with me, and their grandkids all over the world.
I have no experience with LTE tablets, but have rooted phones here and there since 2012 thanks to you guys.
I feel very hesitant to root, or install roms on these tablets, since I won't be able to be there for them if anything happens, other than remote assistant pre-programmed for them to hit one button, but even then... the struggle a lot with basic things, and only know Whatsapp.
I have put my SIM card from T-mobile on my Note 8 here in the US on both devices, but although the T-mobile LTE text appears on top, none of the tablets changed Startup intro, or installed T-mobile apps/Removed AT&T or Sprint apps. The Sprint tablet shows an annoying Sprint OMADM notification, and the AT&T tablet won't let me use the dialer.
Both tablets can use LTE from T-mobile fine with great speeds, but need to use alternate dialer to make calls.
Should I install custom ROMS on these to remove their carrier's bloatware? Am I definitely tripping KNOX on them? Will installing these rooms, or unlocking bootloaders mess up with future updates, and leave my grandparents stranded?
Please help; what should I do?

unlocked AT&T Galaxy 727a tablet
I am wondering if you ever got a response to your questions? I too have the same tablet and I want to root it to remove the AT&T software because I also use T-Mobile. I am going to keep searching here in the forums. I don't think I want to flash a rom though as I kind of like the Samsung feel right now. Plus I only had it 2 days so far.
thenetvines said:
Hello, please give a little advise.
I bought an UNLOCKED used Samsung AT&T S5e (SM-T727A), and another UNLOCKED used Samsung Sprint TAB A (2019) (SM-T517P) from eBay for my grandparents abroad in Argentina; mainly for the SIM capability to use with Whatsapp with me, and their grandkids all over the world.
I have no experience with LTE tablets, but have rooted phones here and there since 2012 thanks to you guys.
I feel very hesitant to root, or install roms on these tablets, since I won't be able to be there for them if anything happens, other than remote assistant pre-programmed for them to hit one button, but even then... the struggle a lot with basic things, and only know Whatsapp.
I have put my SIM card from T-mobile on my Note 8 here in the US on both devices, but although the T-mobile LTE text appears on top, none of the tablets changed Startup intro, or installed T-mobile apps/Removed AT&T or Sprint apps. The Sprint tablet shows an annoying Sprint OMADM notification, and the AT&T tablet won't let me use the dialer.
Both tablets can use LTE from T-mobile fine with great speeds, but need to use alternate dialer to make calls.
Should I install custom ROMS on these to remove their carrier's bloatware? Am I definitely tripping KNOX on them? Will installing these rooms, or unlocking bootloaders mess up with future updates, and leave my grandparents stranded?
Please help; what should I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

teacher006 said:
I am wondering if you ever got a response to your questions? I too have the same tablet and I want to root it to remove the AT&T software because I also use T-Mobile. I am going to keep searching here in the forums. I don't think I want to flash a rom though as I kind of like the Samsung feel right now. Plus I only had it 2 days so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am still searching, this is my first LTE tablet, and I believe we ARE NOT meant to use ROMs for the WiFi variant on it (maybe wrong), so that leaves flashing lots of ROMS out... there maybe a few out there, but I doubt many DEVs have these devices available to work on.
Anyway, I decided against flashing roms for now; my only problem with the AT&T Tablet now is that the default Google dialer will not work unless it's with AT&T, so I have to use third party dialers now... no good.
I read somewhere that you can change something called the CSC of the tablet without rooting or flashing, to maybe get rid of the AT&T bloatware, and maybe T-mobile bloatware will let me use Google dialer??? I will try putting my T-mobile SIM today, and do a factory reset of the tablet with the T-mobile SIM in it. This has worked for me in the past with phones by the way, but never tried tablets before.
I may also try using Titanium Backup, and freeze some of these apps, but that will require rooting I believe, and I don't want to do that yet because I worry that unlocking the bootloader will leave that ugly "bootloader unlocked" message on every boot.

luck?
thenetvines said:
I am still searching, this is my first LTE tablet, and I believe we ARE NOT meant to use ROMs for the WiFi variant on it (maybe wrong), so that leaves flashing lots of ROMS out... there maybe a few out there, but I doubt many DEVs have these devices available to work on.
Anyway, I decided against flashing roms for now; my only problem with the AT&T Tablet now is that the default Google dialer will not work unless it's with AT&T, so I have to use third party dialers now... no good.
I read somewhere that you can change something called the CSC of the tablet without rooting or flashing, to maybe get rid of the AT&T bloatware, and maybe T-mobile bloatware will let me use Google dialer??? I will try putting my T-mobile SIM today, and do a factory reset of the tablet with the T-mobile SIM in it. This has worked for me in the past with phones by the way, but never tried tablets before.
I may also try using Titanium Backup, and freeze some of these apps, but that will require rooting I believe, and I don't want to do that yet because I worry that unlocking the bootloader will leave that ugly "bootloader unlocked" message on every boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you had any luck, I also have this tablet.

I am with the same problem, I have a Galaxy Tab S5e LTE tablet (SM727A), which is unlocked, but it does not allow me to make normal calls (like a cell phone) due to the AT&T call launcher. does anyone know any way to make calls? I have the tablet outside the USA

This thread is a year and a half old without an answer, doesn't seem right, I have similar issue why no answer?
I am in the US, and I can't get calls to work with Samsung s5e SM-T727UZKAXAA Unlocked Tablet.
Ordered this tablet for my elderly mother with the idea it could basically becone a 10 inch phone for her since she has serious difficulty seeing even the largest phone displays.
I took out her Motorola One sim and inserted it into the new tablet. After all the software updates were complete, I have network connectivity, data (seems slow tbh), and can eveb send/receive texts, but it will not receive calls? This tablet has that functionality, so I'm trying to figure out what exactly I'm missing?
I am using T-Mobile, and am on the Magenta MAX plan for all 3 of my lines including this one that I tried. Any help at all appreciated, thank you.
​

rich6630 said:
This thread is a year and a half old without an answer, doesn't seem right, I have similar issue why no answer?
I am in the US, and I can't get calls to work with Samsung s5e SM-T727UZKAXAA Unlocked Tablet.
Ordered this tablet for my elderly mother with the idea it could basically becone a 10 inch phone for her since she has serious difficulty seeing even the largest phone displays.
I took out her Motorola One sim and inserted it into the new tablet. After all the software updates were complete, I have network connectivity, data (seems slow tbh), and can eveb send/receive texts, but it will not receive calls? This tablet has that functionality, so I'm trying to figure out what exactly I'm missing?
I am using T-Mobile, and am on the Magenta MAX plan for all 3 of my lines including this one that I tried. Any help at all appreciated, thank you.
​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy a global version like SM-T725 to use full feartures.
Unlock version give you Data connection, sms, but you need connect to Samsung phone to call.

dangtoi1993 said:
Buy a global version like SM-T725 to use full feartures.
Unlock version give you Data connection, sms, but you need connect to Samsung phone to call.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so i had ordered one i had to cancel when i saw this post.
and wanted to ask. if there is any way to install android auto as a system app on this model?

Related

Possible phone use on Verizon 7.7

Let me note: I am not a dev nor programmer.
With the similiarities of the P6800 and the Verizon 7.7, I threw together a rom w/ stock SCH-I815 samsung/verizon kernel using the P6800 frameworks and apps into the Verizon 7.7 and removed most bloat. The LTE/Verizon antennas aren't recognized by the device at all but everything else was working.
Now, you can't swap the phone.apk's around without the framework's else you'll experience FCs. So obviously I'll need to use the base stock apps and frameworks and go through the 2 framework files hunting about.
Has anyone else with the Verizon 7.7 taken a look into this?
I'm curious if you've made any progress on this?
Not yet, probably be a week before I even look through the files again. But I believe it's fully possible to get phone use
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
i think you will need to find samsung modem for verzon networks, does verizon have a galaxy note or sgs2?
although your modem firmware probably has voice disabled, may have to find modem manufacturer and try to flash custom firmware.
good luck, wish you the best.
I'm happy enough using GrooveIP for google voice calling. What I'd really like is if we could activate the phone profile in bluetooth (or will that just come with enabling the proper phone part in the 7.7?).
As of now i can use GrooveIP and bluetooth to listen and speak, but it won't let the bluetooth device answer/hang up/transfer address book/show caller ID (on the Verizon LTE 7.7)
Doesn't verizon require some sort of signed telephony to work properly on their network
ph00ny said:
Doesn't verizon require some sort of signed telephony to work properly on their network
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got no idea but with the other packs it didn't detect the radio at all. This is keeping the vzw radio partition stock. I like the ideas and really wish the note was verizon as that'd help figure things out.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
just to confirm does this a sim slot? i thought someone said it did.
chrisrotolo said:
just to confirm does this a sim slot? i thought someone said it did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does for LTE but cdma service doesn't use sim
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA
Seeing as your data account won't have any provisioning for voice usage, even if you DID get a working modem and a modified framework to allow for phone functionality on the device, I doubt that you'd actually be able to made or receive a phone call due to Verizon's limitations at the account and provisioning level anyway.
Point is, it's a CDMA device, and thus your service is attached to the device itself, not the SIM card (except for LTE data). Basically, you can't just provision service to the SIM card alone, and then simply swap it into a different device. So if you got the modem and the framework working, and you called in to Verizon customer service and asked to provision your line for voice, they'll just be like "Umm, no... We never INTENDED for you to use that device as a phone, so no... You want a phone? Buy a phone. You want a tablet? Buy a tablet. You want to do both in one device? We won't allow that because that loses us money that we would be getting by having you either subscribe to two lines, or charge you extra to tether..."
There is a much simpler solution however.
Ditch ANY CDMA carrier in favour of a GSM carrier instead, preferably one that uses the same compatible frequencies adopted by the rest of the world, like AT&T (and MVNO's based off of AT&T's network), and buy the P6800.
The moral of this story is this: if you want the latest devices, with the best features, you're NOT going to find them in the north American market, EVER, at all, period; you're just going to find watered-down, gimped, bloated, and locked-down versions of the international models. You HAVE to import. If you're going to import, you HAVE to use a GSM service provider... That's just the way it is. It sucks, I know, but it is what it is.
I would have to agree, the GSM version would be best. It would be near impossible to make this happen. Of course if I was stick with one, I would try everything I could as well. I'd probably fail miserably and go for something like GrooveIP.
Jade Eyed Wolf said:
Seeing as your data account won't have any provisioning for voice usage, even if you DID get a working modem and a modified framework to allow for phone functionality on the device, I doubt that you'd actually be able to made or receive a phone call due to Verizon's limitations at the account and provisioning level anyway.
Point is, it's a CDMA device, and thus your service is attached to the device itself, not the SIM card (except for LTE data). Basically, you can't just provision service to the SIM card alone, and then simply swap it into a different device. So if you got the modem and the framework working, and you called in to Verizon customer service and asked to provision your line for voice, they'll just be like "Umm, no... We never INTENDED for you to use that device as a phone, so no... You want a phone? Buy a phone. You want a tablet? Buy a tablet. You want to do both in one device? We won't allow that because that loses us money that we would be getting by having you either subscribe to two lines, or charge you extra to tether..."
There is a much simpler solution however.
Ditch ANY CDMA carrier in favour of a GSM carrier instead, preferably one that uses the same compatible frequencies adopted by the rest of the world, like AT&T (and MVNO's based off of AT&T's network), and buy the P6800.
The moral of this story is this: if you want the latest devices, with the best features, you're NOT going to find them in the north American market, EVER, at all, period; you're just going to find watered-down, gimped, bloated, and locked-down versions of the international models. You HAVE to import. If you're going to import, you HAVE to use a GSM service provider... That's just the way it is. It sucks, I know, but it is what it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I move my SIM between devices all the time and have never needed to call VZ to provision the new device. Voice and data just work.
miiike said:
I move my SIM between devices all the time and have never needed to call VZ to provision the new device. Voice and data just work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can CONFIRM the following:
I have a VZ tab 7.7 with 5GB data plan and I have a VZ Razr with voice/unlimited data plan.
Both are LTE devices and hence use (micro) SIM cards. In "My Verizon" even the tab has a phone number assigned to it's "line". A call to that number just rings but obviously nothing on the tab.
BUT...
Put the tab sim in the phone and YES it will ring if you call that number! Even TXT in/out works! I assume they will just charge me per txt and per min phone use BUT IT WORKS in a PHONE.
And the kicker is, the unlimited PHONE SIM also works in the TAB! I immediately get LTE data and can surf with the tab. Of course at that point calls and texts to that phone number are "ignored" by the tab's neutered modem.
Lesson learned:
IF there was a way to flash a modem, say for example from the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to the VZ 7.7 TAB, we would have a full supersized phone in our hand. Only downside, no earpiece. So only speakerphone or BT calls I guess.
Anyway, after a little more research I also found this very interesting article:
http://www.phonenews.com/verizon-affirms-unlimited-smartphone-sim-card-usage-in-hotspots-tablets-lte-ipad-20053/
Hope this helps bring a little light into the messy CDMA/LTE darkness
I have swapped my Galaxy Nexus SIM in my VZW LTE 7.7 numerous times. It works. I'd love to have voice on the VZW LTE 7.7, then I could possibly do it all on my tab. I'm no developer tho ;p

The Ntelos S5

I have an ntelos S5 (G900R7). There is no development for this phone anywhere on the internet. Perhaps I can find support here?
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So far (you may skip this part):
I have managed to successfully install Spirit Rom with full functionality, by copying my old build.prop into the system directory, and restoring my previous apn settings using the apnsbu. I forget why I left this rom, but I did. Everything I try has some problem! I then proceeded to try just CM11, by itself, and had 3g difficulties. Then, using Kushman's sprint MIUI, (Ntelos shares sprint towers) things seemed to work right, but it remapped my recent app key to menu... (perhaps I can map it back?) and the volume was not controlled by my physical volume buttons.
-----------
Now my favorite rom so far: Mokee Rom It's fast and visually pleasing, but I have wi-fi and phone difficulties.
After imposing my APN settings, I can reproduce these effects:
(1) Before replacing build.prop, the wi-fi works and can be enabled or disabled as I need. Also, 3g works very well at nice speeds, but it says "Verizon Wireless" underneath the 3g indicator bars. However, I cannot make calls. If I attempt to do so, the 3g data stops working, turns orange, and no longer says "3g". If I do this, then no data can be transmitted or received.
(2) After Replacing build.prop with the "good original" copy (which sometimes fixes similar problems in other custom roms) the wi-fi becomes stuck in a constant state of "turning wi-fi on..." but never turns on. 3g still works, but, as in part (1), it will break if I try to make a call.'' Also, in this case it says "Sprint" instead of "Verizon Wireless"
Does any one have advice, or perhaps some build.prop settings to modify? Or maybe there's a different file that would help. Again, my phone is the SM G900R7. Has someone else with this phone had luck customizing it?
Thank you
nTelos S5
Likewise have a nTelos S5, have not found any custom roms that can successfully be installed without data or phone issues.
Also trying to install any ASOP roms resulted with all phone efs data getting cleared.
Upon searched relentlessly the only rom I found that functions is located at
http://teamcspire.com/index.php?/topic/112-gs5-g900r7-r2-teamcspire-nd8stock-deodexed-101814/
its very stock but functions flawlessly for me.
Advise if you have any luck, I will reciprocate.
doby-nut said:
Likewise have a nTelos S5, have not found any custom roms that can successfully be installed without data or phone issues.
Also trying to install any ASOP roms resulted with all phone efs data getting cleared.
Upon searched relentlessly the only rom I found that functions is located at
http://teamcspire.com/index.php?/topic/112-gs5-g900r7-r2-teamcspire-nd8stock-deodexed-101814/
its very stock but functions flawlessly for me.
Advise if you have any luck, I will reciprocate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My advice is to you, is that if you install Mokee rom, do not update it with OTA update. This is what I think broke the network for me. Even after restoring my phone to factory conditions and using Kies, I still had no network. I ended up going to the nTelos store, where they had to reset the network service for my phone on their end... strange.
Anyway, I have made a few roms work, and I suspect I could make more. If you maintain your apn settings, and build.prop, you should be able to make Spirit rom work. The same thing is true for Miui. However, if I remember from my experience correctly, if you do install Miui, then I THINK you should not restore your original build.prop; it may work without it... just restore the apn settings. When you do this, you may have to change the preferred network mode... I am a little freaked out, after my previous experience with Mokee rom, to mess with this any longer, though. I do have a problem with Spirit rom: if I use the Timely alarm clock, the time panel is miscolored, but I believe that could possibly? be fixed by flashing a different kernel. I plan on flashing Spirit tonight.... stock uses up my battery too fast, and Spirit just feels more responsive.
EDIT: I just re-flashed Spirit Rom, and they fixed the discoloration in the most recent version! Also, as before, my 3g and WiFi work fine.
Took me days...
The CSpire shares the model number and ROM. The US Cellular CM11 is the closest. Somewhere in that I lost my ability to send texts (not sure if it's the SMSC or...) and didn't get it back when I ODIN'd to stock. I would LOVE to have CM support for this model.
I also am in the same boat as you guys. I would love to get another reliable ROM on this phone. I just have bad memories of purchasing my last one (Sprint GS3) from ebay, and having one hell of a time making the MMS work after flashing it for nTelos. However, I never did have to mess with any of the APNs or build.prop settings on that one. I would think the Sprint ROMs should be the closest compatible ROM, being that nTelos and Sprint do share towers in WVa and Va (Sprint actually has zero towers in these states, and leases nTelos towers instead).
Is using EFS Backup by Wanam a good method to insure the EFS does not get screwed up?
caezec said:
(1) Before replacing build.prop, the wi-fi works and can be enabled or disabled as I need. Also, 3g works very well at nice speeds, but it says "Verizon Wireless" underneath the 3g indicator bars. However, I cannot make calls. If I attempt to do so, the 3g data stops working, turns orange, and no longer says "3g". If I do this, then no data can be transmitted or received.
(2) After Replacing build.prop with the "good original" copy (which sometimes fixes similar problems in other custom roms) the wi-fi becomes stuck in a constant state of "turning wi-fi on..." but never turns on. 3g still works, but, as in part (1), it will break if I try to make a call.'' Also, in this case it says "Sprint" instead of "Verizon Wireless"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might try saving out your wpa_supplicant file from the stock ROM and replacing it on the flashed ROM. This has worked for me before on my GS3. That might take care of the wifi anyway.
I'm also on ntelos with the s5 now. But it is a us cellular unlocked by them phone. Stuck in a ntelos sim card that I bought from store and everything works. Except 4g. I can live w/o it but it's kinda like a puzzle now. How could I enable this to work on ntelos?
Depending on where you are, ntelos does not have 4G in many places yet. It's still very spotty in West Virginia.
Has anyone taken the OTA Lollipop update? If so, how is it working and does it lock or put in a new bootloader?
I have. It's a little laggy at times, gets really hot when using it while charging and battery drains a little faster. Not sure about the bootloader
i4get75 said:
I have. It's a little laggy at times, gets really hot when using it while charging and battery drains a little faster. Not sure about the bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I will hold off for a while. My stock NK1 is laggy enough as is. Damn, I wish there was a compatible ASOP ROM available for this phone.
Honestly, this Samsung G5 is the absolute worst phone I have ever owned! I would like to get a S6, but my experience has been so bad with this S5, I am almost afraid to stick with Samsung. However, my S3 was awesome!
Just found out that the heart rate sensor is active when the phone is on no matter if S Health is open or not.
I am in the Richmond area on Ntelos. They have stated they have sold their bandwidth to T-Mobile and we are to find another carrier. My phone is not even a year old and no other carrier will activate it. Being I own mine outright and paid close to $600, I am about to lose my mind knowing that I will have a shiny expensive very small tablet in a few months. Has anyone a clue how to change this phone over to GSM or something useful. Verizon refused to even try, though I know when I tried Straight Talk's Verizon Sim it did dial to Verizon's customer service. But Straight Talk nor Verizon would activate it.
Ideas and suggestions welcome.
puterdoc said:
I am in the Richmond area on Ntelos. They have stated they have sold their bandwidth to T-Mobile and we are to find another carrier. My phone is not even a year old and no other carrier will activate it. Being I own mine outright and paid close to $600, I am about to lose my mind knowing that I will have a shiny expensive very small tablet in a few months. Has anyone a clue how to change this phone over to GSM or something useful. Verizon refused to even try, though I know when I tried Straight Talk's Verizon Sim it did dial to Verizon's customer service. But Straight Talk nor Verizon would activate it.
Ideas and suggestions welcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
page plus,i am an ntelos dealer and pageplus dealer i flash phones to and from both companies everyday i am in ruckersville va 12 mile north of charlottesville lemme know if you need help you right its the enitre eastern side of the companyh is gone now to tmobile but you can still activate on frawg..ive done many for customers
Thanks for the info. I am on the frawg side of things now. Their plans were too much when mine ended and I didn't need a phone at the time. Then a few years later, yeah I made my S1 last almost 4 years, I bought the S5 late last year outright. Loved the S1. Made that do everything it just did everything slow at the end.
Anyway, am glad there are options of some sort. Have been reading the reviews of pageplus. What kind of speeds are you getting on it with 4G? Their map shows coverage everywhere which makes me a bit uneasy, as in too good to be true. Is it a simple flash or require editing?
If I can't do something else with the phone, I may try the band opening options. According to the phone specs, it should already have all the Verizon bands but they refuse to activate it due to the meid it seems. I have a feeling this topic may get more viewers as the Ntelos off switch day comes closer.
Google Fit was the culprit for the heart rate sensor staying on. Un-installed it and fixed it
After all this time, has anybody found a ROM that works well on this phone?
can't get data so Internet not working on galaxy s5 unlocked already switched ntelos
njdan30 said:
page plus,i am an ntelos dealer and pageplus dealer i flash phones to and from both companies everyday i am in ruckersville va 12 mile north of charlottesville lemme know if you need help you right its the enitre eastern side of the companyh is gone now to tmobile but you can still activate on frawg..ive done many for customers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My internet is not working but I can get talk and text
In case nobody has seen this, there is a now a CyanogenMod 5.1.1 ROM available now for nTelos. I have been running it for 3 days now and I really like it. Good battery life too. Very stable and very speedy. There are some occasional bluetooth audio stuttering issues, but nothing terrible.
See this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...ent/unofficial-cm-12-1-g900r7-inland-t3255191
FYI, Cyanogenmod 13.0 (Android 6.0.1) is available for nTelos and C-Spire (and other) devices here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...ent/unofficial-cm-12-1-g900r7-inland-t3255191
Sucks for ntelos customers bring forced into sprint at least the CDMA phones and iphones are unlocked
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app
---------- Post added at 03:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:52 AM ----------
njdan30 said:
page plus,i am an ntelos dealer and pageplus dealer i flash phones to and from both companies everyday i am in ruckersville va 12 mile north of charlottesville lemme know if you need help you right its the enitre eastern side of the companyh is gone now to tmobile but you can still activate on frawg..ive done many for customers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry it's been a year only thing needed was a sim card and set apns it'll be 3g but beats a paper weight it'll get evdo and ehrpd speeds some cases you can get lte but very limited areas
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app

[Q] Verizon apps + Root + Move to TMo

I upgraded my unrooted Galaxy S5 to lollipop and it was bad, slow, freezing a lot. I disabled many Verizon-bloatware apps and lollipop is now a buttery smooth beautiful thing!
What pros & cons would rooting a phone generally give me for an average user's experience?
Most importantly, I'm looking to take & convert this S5 phone (and my daughter's Galaxy S3) to T-Mobile this weekend and want to make it all T-Mobile ready. Any insight, thoughts, suggestions, especially if I wanted to root or factory reset my phone but keep app data (such as Kung Fu Pets )?
I've been told by friends and cell providers these phones are already unlocked and can easily switch networks, no worries of voice or data settings on my part, TMo's WiFi calling will work as if I bought the phone from TMo, etc.
Thanks all!
KCSamerica said:
I upgraded my unrooted Galaxy S5 to lollipop and it was bad, slow, freezing a lot. I disabled many Verizon-bloatware apps and lollipop is now a buttery smooth beautiful thing!
What pros & cons would rooting a phone generally give me for an average user's experience?
Most importantly, I'm looking to take & convert this S5 phone (and my daughter's Galaxy S3) to T-Mobile this weekend and want to make it all T-Mobile ready. Any insight, thoughts, suggestions, especially if I wanted to root or factory reset my phone but keep app data (such as Kung Fu Pets )?
I've been told by friends and cell providers these phones are already unlocked and can easily switch networks, no worries of voice or data settings on my part, TMo's WiFi calling will work as if I bought the phone from TMo, etc.
Thanks all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my opinion only, with that being said for the average user there is no advantage to being rooted. The average user is not interested in flashing new roms or freezing apps beyond what Verizon allows. The average user wants to turn on their phone and go on their merry way. If something goes wrong they want to call Verizon and have they fix it for them. They would never touch Odin.
With that being said, because your in this forum your more than the average user. If you wan to freeze or uninstall more Verizon/Samsung bloat you need to be rooted.
As for moving to a different carrier I'll let some one who has done that chime in.
jrv331 said:
This is my opinion only, with that being said for the average user there is no advantage to being rooted. The average user is not interested in flashing new roms or freezing apps beyond what Verizon allows. The average user wants to turn on their phone and go on their merry way. If something goes wrong they want to call Verizon and have they fix it for them. They would never touch Odin.
With that being said, because your in this forum your more than the average user. If you wan to freeze or uninstall more Verizon/Samsung bloat you need to be rooted.
As for moving to a different carrier I'll let some one who has done that chime in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! It won't be a Verizon phone for long, so I guess with rooting it and installing a known stable release be a good idea to get rid of Verizon's bloatware (and maybe some of Samsung's) while keeping a good, hard-working phone? I noticed a big difference disabling what I'm allowed to with Verizon's apps and maybe that's enough, I don't know - any place to research which Verizon and/or Samsung apps are safe to disable (if rooting it & installing a stable release doesn't already remove them)?
Oh, also, is there where I'll go to get future updates since I'll no longer be part of Verizon, and T-Mobile will probably not update my phone since I didn't buy it from them?
Thanks again!
Through a couple phone calls, T-Mobile reassured me both my S3 and S5 would work just fine, everything just the same except I'll have to make sure the phone is unlocked. They also said on both calls that their WiFi calling would most definitely work. Verizon, though a half dozen calls, gave me a different "unlock" story each time. So much for trying to be prepared...
Neither the S3 or the S5 work as expected. The S3 uses the far inferior network speeds and takes about 3 minutes just to send a pic text, and that's only if we're using Hangouts - stock Messages or Verizon's Messages+ don't work on the S3. The S5, I get a lot of "Data (Network) connection lost", setting the time errors, I can't access my voicemail or change my voicemail phone number (not sure if that is a new issue).
So with all this in mind:
1) is the S3 using an inferior data speed network due to hardware limitations or settings I can change?
2) would rooting my S3 and S5 alleviate a lot or all of these issues?
3) any way to get TMo WiFi calling to work on a Verizon phone? Would rooting it allow me to install a TMo version Android?
4) how do I go about updating Android on these phones now that they're off Verizon and not officially TMo phones?
5) any suggestions to fix any or all of these other issues?
KCSamerica said:
Through a couple phone calls, T-Mobile reassured me both my S3 and S5 would work just fine, everything just the same except I'll have to make sure the phone is unlocked. They also said on both calls that their WiFi calling would most definitely work. Verizon, though a half dozen calls, gave me a different "unlock" story each time. So much for trying to be prepared...
Neither the S3 or the S5 work as expected. The S3 uses the far inferior network speeds and takes about 3 minutes just to send a pic text, and that's only if we're using Hangouts - stock Messages or Verizon's Messages+ don't work on the S3. The S5, I get a lot of "Data (Network) connection lost", setting the time errors, I can't access my voicemail or change my voicemail phone number (not sure if that is a new issue).
So with all this in mind:
1) is the S3 using an inferior data speed network due to hardware limitations or settings I can change?
2) would rooting my S3 and S5 alleviate a lot or all of these issues?
3) any way to get TMo WiFi calling to work on a Verizon phone? Would rooting it allow me to install a TMo version Android?
4) how do I go about updating Android on these phones now that they're off Verizon and not officially TMo phones?
5) any suggestions to fix any or all of these other issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) probably, but I haven't checked the specs.
2) probably not. The APN in your phone needs to be changed to the right settings for your mobile carrier. It's under Settings/More Networks/Mobile Networks. You should be able to google the settings for TMo.
3) The APN may resolve the issue, if the phone allows for it.
4) If you root, you can do it. You may be able to get OTAs with the new sim, but I can't for Consumer Cellular.
5)Again, the APN will solve a lot of issues. The voicemail number needs to be changed to your carrier's voicemail number under Phone Settings.
5)
Rapunzl said:
1) probably, but I haven't checked the specs.
2) probably not. The APN in your phone needs to be changed to the right settings for your mobile carrier. It's under Settings/More Networks/Mobile Networks. You should be able to google the settings for TMo.
3) The APN may resolve the issue, if the phone allows for it.
4) If you root, you can do it. You may be able to get OTAs with the new sim, but I can't for Consumer Cellular.
5)Again, the APN will solve a lot of issues. The voicemail number needs to be changed to your carrier's voicemail number under Phone Settings.
5)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) probably hardware limitations or probably settings I can change?
2 & 3) the APN was already set by the TMo in-store rep, and google search confirms it's the correct setting.
5) voicemail number just won't change! Ug, I've google searched this issue too, no luck, and it seems many Android 5.0 users have this issue unless they factory reset - an option I'm hoping to avoid for a last resort.
I have noticed by disabling Verizon apps, much is working better, but I'm wondering if Verizon made these apps imperative for the system to run properly...?
KCSamerica said:
1) probably hardware limitations or probably settings I can change?
2 & 3) the APN was already set by the TMo in-store rep, and google search confirms it's the correct setting.
5) voicemail number just won't change! Ug, I've google searched this issue too, no luck, and it seems many Android 5.0 users have this issue unless they factory reset - an option I'm hoping to avoid for a last resort.
I have noticed by disabling Verizon apps, much is working better, but I'm wondering if Verizon made these apps imperative for the system to run properly...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you disable the apps? If you used TiBU, there have been discussion of issues in some threads.
Rapunzl said:
How did you disable the apps? If you used TiBU, there have been discussion of issues in some threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used the Android's built-in disable feature (since it won't let me uninstall it).
KCSamerica said:
I used the Android's built-in disable feature (since it won't let me uninstall it).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing I can think of then, is that one or more of the disabled features are required to make things work properly. I would unfreeze the apps and then freeze them, one-by-one to find out which are causing the issues. Other than that, Kies may be able to repair the install if you don't have luck with unfreezing the apps.
Rapunzl said:
The only thing I can think of then, is that one or more of the disabled features are required to make things work properly. I would unfreeze the apps and then freeze them, one-by-one to find out which are causing the issues. Other than that, Kies may be able to repair the install if you don't have luck with unfreezing the apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easiest step is to try the enable/disable apps as you suggested. Have you, or anyone out there, tried loading another's stock software onto a phone before doing a factory reset?
See this page: http://www.andromods.com/download-files/tmobile-galaxy-s5-stock-firmware-sm-g900t.html
It gives me the impression all S5's are the same hardware. If that's true, then why can't I install TMo's stock software in the recovery partition, then do a factory reset? (Another worse case scenario, but possibly more of a thorough cure)
KCSamerica said:
Easiest step is to try the enable/disable apps as you suggested. Have you, or anyone out there, tried loading another's stock software onto a phone before doing a factory reset?
See this page: http://www.andromods.com/download-files/tmobile-galaxy-s5-stock-firmware-sm-g900t.html
It gives me the impression all S5's are the same hardware. If that's true, then why can't I install TMo's stock software in the recovery partition, then do a factory reset? (Another worse case scenario, but possibly more of a thorough cure)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you read toward the end of that post, it says:
Before download check your model number and software version, head to Settings -> About. Confirm that you get the correct firmware that match with the model number of your device, and never use a firmware that isn’t built for your S5, downgrade is also not recommended.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've also seen a thread talking about doing this for a TMo user on the Verizon S5, but I'm on Consumer Cellular, so I'm not sure if it would really work. Even if it does, I'm not sure if that would solve your issues, and I hear you're risking bricking your phone attempting it.
Not sure if I already mentioned, but sadly a couple T-Mobile reps assured me everything would work great. Not. A factory reset did help a lot, but I keep getting these oddities that TMo is now saying I just have to live with, now that my trial period is over. So any ideas and help would be great!
"Data network unavailable" often appears after a phone call and lasts for a few seconds or longer. In that time, I can't get Maps to find anything, among other issues. This error appears at random times otherwise, but most consistently after a phone call.
"SIM error" happens periodically. I'm not sure the pattern yet, but maybe after a couple phone calls in a row, or call swapping. The only way to fix this is to reboot the phone.
The top status bar bounces between "H+" and "3G". I haven't found a pattern as to when or why, but often can't do much with the phone until it settles down, if it settles down.
Everything I've read and originally heard lead me to believe this S5 should work much better than it is, as if some APN or data setting is wrong. I've triple checked and they seem to be set properly, but I don't know anymore...

AT&T forcing me to abandon my Galaxy S8!

Hello,
I am new to this site, and have a burning question I am trying to find an answer for.
So AT&T has been my carrier since about 2014. In July of 2019, I purchased an unlocked S8 from Amazon for about $350 Description says it is: Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - US Version (Midnight Black) - US Warranty - [SM-G950UZKAXAA]. In the settings, the model number is listed as: SM-G950U1.
Recently, I received a message from AT&T saying that they are shutting down their 3G network in February of 2022, and that my phone will no longer work on their network. I went into one of their stores and showed them that my phone operates on LTE, but I was told that is for data only and voice operates on 3G. I could not remember the VoLTE name at the time, but mentioned that my phone had the capability to operate on LTE. They refused to go thru settings with me, and told me that my phone will stop working in February. Period. End of story. Also, I was told the same thing that the message states, that they are sending me a new phone and will be deactivating my phone after 30 days.
Now some of my friends are laughing at me saying, "Dang free phones!" But I do not want a 5G phone (which is obviously what they are sending). I have my reasons and this is not what I wish to discuss here.
The issue is... I love my telephone!! It does exactly what I want, and I don't need anything new. Not to mention that I paid for it entirely, with no subsidy from AT&T. I specifically bought it unlocked with intentions of avoiding contracts and having the ability to switch carriers if I so choose.
I am pretty sure that I saw VoLTE mentioned in my settings a while back. But now a search on my phone finds nothing. I assume a firmware update hid this info from me.
So... what gives? Does anybody here know if this particular device can make/receive voice calls using VoLTE - on AT&T (or any other carriers) - simply by changing settings in the phone? Do I have any options to make my phone continue to operate as intended? With any carrier?
Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Steve
willnotbecontrolled said:
Hello,
I am new to this site, and have a burning question I am trying to find an answer for.
So AT&T has been my carrier since about 2014. In July of 2019, I purchased an unlocked S8 from Amazon for about $350 Description says it is: Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - US Version (Midnight Black) - US Warranty - [SM-G950UZKAXAA]. In the settings, the model number is listed as: SM-G950U1.
Recently, I received a message from AT&T saying that they are shutting down their 3G network in February of 2022, and that my phone will no longer work on their network. I went into one of their stores and showed them that my phone operates on LTE, but I was told that is for data only and voice operates on 3G. I could not remember the VoLTE name at the time, but mentioned that my phone had the capability to operate on LTE. They refused to go thru settings with me, and told me that my phone will stop working in February. Period. End of story. Also, I was told the same thing that the message states, that they are sending me a new phone and will be deactivating my phone after 30 days.
Now some of my friends are laughing at me saying, "Dang free phones!" But I do not want a 5G phone (which is obviously what they are sending). I have my reasons and this is not what I wish to discuss here.
The issue is... I love my telephone!! It does exactly what I want, and I don't need anything new. Not to mention that I paid for it entirely, with no subsidy from AT&T. I specifically bought it unlocked with intentions of avoiding contracts and having the ability to switch carriers if I so choose.
I am pretty sure that I saw VoLTE mentioned in my settings a while back. But now a search on my phone finds nothing. I assume a firmware update hid this info from me.
So... what gives? Does anybody here know if this particular device can make/receive voice calls using VoLTE - on AT&T (or any other carriers) - simply by changing settings in the phone? Do I have any options to make my phone continue to operate as intended? With any carrier?
Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue with crickett (att).
got that txt msg, recently maybe december there was a firmware update that greyed out my network settings and hid some items.
i cant even change my prefered network, 3g 4g lte etc, its locked..
I have the 950u1 also
HOWEVER I have a s8 950U that I think has all these unlocked.
Im going to backup and odin flash the U firmware to the UI and see if it works.
Thats bull**** about doing this. greedy ****s..
I go with somone else if I have to.
willnotbecontrolled said:
Hello,
I am new to this site, and have a burning question I am trying to find an answer for.
So AT&T has been my carrier since about 2014. In July of 2019, I purchased an unlocked S8 from Amazon for about $350 Description says it is: Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB Factory Unlocked Smartphone - US Version (Midnight Black) - US Warranty - [SM-G950UZKAXAA]. In the settings, the model number is listed as: SM-G950U1.
Recently, I received a message from AT&T saying that they are shutting down their 3G network in February of 2022, and that my phone will no longer work on their network. I went into one of their stores and showed them that my phone operates on LTE, but I was told that is for data only and voice operates on 3G. I could not remember the VoLTE name at the time, but mentioned that my phone had the capability to operate on LTE. They refused to go thru settings with me, and told me that my phone will stop working in February. Period. End of story. Also, I was told the same thing that the message states, that they are sending me a new phone and will be deactivating my phone after 30 days.
Now some of my friends are laughing at me saying, "Dang free phones!" But I do not want a 5G phone (which is obviously what they are sending). I have my reasons and this is not what I wish to discuss here.
The issue is... I love my telephone!! It does exactly what I want, and I don't need anything new. Not to mention that I paid for it entirely, with no subsidy from AT&T. I specifically bought it unlocked with intentions of avoiding contracts and having the ability to switch carriers if I so choose.
I am pretty sure that I saw VoLTE mentioned in my settings a while back. But now a search on my phone finds nothing. I assume a firmware update hid this info from me.
So... what gives? Does anybody here know if this particular device can make/receive voice calls using VoLTE - on AT&T (or any other carriers) - simply by changing settings in the phone? Do I have any options to make my phone continue to operate as intended? With any carrier?
Sorry for the long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
press phone icon, then top right corner hit the 3 vertical dots.
select settings and it should be in there if you havent updated lately... they ****ed us and locked out network and volte settings.
djmdesign said:
Same issue with crickett (att).
got that txt msg, recently maybe december there was a firmware update that greyed out my network settings and hid some items.
i cant even change my prefered network, 3g 4g lte etc, its locked..
I have the 950u1 also
HOWEVER I have a s8 950U that I think has all these unlocked.
Im going to backup and odin flash the U firmware to the UI and see if it works.
Thats bull**** about doing this. greedy ****s..
I go with somone else if I have to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please let me know if this works. I thought about doing the same thing, but have not gotten around to trying it. In theory, it sounds like a solid plan. But I have a couple of concerns.
During a recent phone call, AT&T told me their system has flagged my IMEI and that my phone will stop working very soon. So, if the system flagged an IMEI as an unsupported device, will it even matter which firmware is installed? Or will their system just deactivate the phone at some point?
Second, if you install the 950U firmware in place of the 950U1, will the device become carrier locked at this point? That would really suck if it did.
BTW, I was able to lock preferred network to “LTE only” by dialing *#*#4636#*#* and entering Device information screen. Unfortunately, my phone would not complete a call when using LTE only setting. VoLTE provisioned toggle is greyed out, along with others. Seems to me that if a guy could self provision VoLTE, this would solve the issue.
I called AT&T tech support and spent 45 minutes trying to get them to provision VoLTE, but they could not, or would not do it. At first, they kept telling me that my phone is a 3G phone. I argued that I could change the radio to “LTE only” and that my sim card status showed LTE for “mobile voice network type”, which proves that the phone is indeed LTE capable for voice calls - but that it will not complete a call because it is not provisioned to do so. Eventually they told me that their system would not allow them to provision VoLTE for me, since it is flagged as an unsupported device. Which leads back to the first part of this post.
I also found some stuff on reddit about putting the phone into “engineering mode” and something about a Samsung tool that unlocks additional dialer codes. Have not tried this, tho.
At this point, I am just completely fed up with AT&T for this whole S8 situation, as well as other unrelated issues. I will most likely switch carriers for principle’s sake, even though I know other carriers play similar games.
Anyway, I am interested in whether or not you find a solution and would very much like to hear about it. Thank you for the response!!
willnotbecontrolled said:
Please let me know if this works. I thought about doing the same thing, but have not gotten around to trying it. In theory, it sounds like a solid plan. But I have a couple of concerns.
During a recent phone call, AT&T told me their system has flagged my IMEI and that my phone will stop working very soon. So, if the system flagged an IMEI as an unsupported device, will it even matter which firmware is installed? Or will their system just deactivate the phone at some point?
Second, if you install the 950U firmware in place of the 950U1, will the device become carrier locked at this point? That would really suck if it did.
BTW, I was able to lock preferred network to “LTE only” by dialing *#*#4636#*#* and entering Device information screen. Unfortunately, my phone would not complete a call when using LTE only setting. VoLTE provisioned toggle is greyed out, along with others. Seems to me that if a guy could self provision VoLTE, this would solve the issue.
I called AT&T tech support and spent 45 minutes trying to get them to provision VoLTE, but they could not, or would not do it. At first, they kept telling me that my phone is a 3G phone. I argued that I could change the radio to “LTE only” and that my sim card status showed LTE for “mobile voice network type”, which proves that the phone is indeed LTE capable for voice calls - but that it will not complete a call because it is not provisioned to do so. Eventually they told me that their system would not allow them to provision VoLTE for me, since it is flagged as an unsupported device. Which leads back to the first part of this post.
I also found some stuff on reddit about putting the phone into “engineering mode” and something about a Samsung tool that unlocks additional dialer codes. Have not tried this, tho.
At this point, I am just completely fed up with AT&T for this whole S8 situation, as well as other unrelated issues. I will most likely switch carriers for principle’s sake, even though I know other carriers play similar games.
Anyway, I am interested in whether or not you find a solution and would very much like to hear about it. Thank you for the response!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I'm Newbie around here. I'd like to share my experience with ATT and my beloved S8+ this past few months:
Much like you and many others I started receiving texts from ATT by mid 2021 saying my phone would not work after Feb '22. Yes, every time they suspended my line I wasted 30~ 40 mins on the phone, listening how they would insist my S8+ was a 3G phone. It didn't matter that I offered to send them screenshots of my device showing the "VoLTE option" and "4G LTE" while both in the USA and Mexico. Thing is, they only based their saying on a st....id whitelist and all the reps are just talking heads.
I use an S8+ international version which is NOT on the dreaded list. and I am on the 300/year prepaid plan which allows roaming between Mexico and USA with no 50/50 usage limit.
I bought this phone on amazon for 350-ish bucks a couple of years ago and I love it!
I have to cross the Mexico/USA border very frequently and I need two separate numbers one on each country for business reasons so dual sim is a must. On the other hand, I receive lots and lots of phone calls while driving, this made me crave for android 8.1 when call recording was allowed by google, not the case anymore. None of these 2 features are available on the S8/S9 US based phones. I do not need 5G, I do not use social media nor watch videos on my phone but do get to use Pandora, Spotify, MLB radio and so on......... Enter SM-G955F/DS. I was able to change Samsung's CSC code to Israel so call recording is active for all those notes I cannot write down while driving and I get to carry just one device with 2 separate numbers thanks to a dual sim.
Ok, so back to my phone not being on the f... list :
Around Feb 10th, I got yet another email and SMS telling me it was my last opportunity to change or I MAY be disconnected after 2/22/22 ( funny choice of date huh?). I noticed that words on email and text messages had been changed from WILL NOT on Jul/2021 to MAY NOT work on Feb/2022. Since I know for a fact that my phone is VoLTE capable, I figured my S8+ would work as long as AT&T did not intentionally disconnected my line.
So, I took a crappy phoenix ATT phone and updated it's IMEI on my account via the ATT prepaid webpage. After getting "approval" from ATT's system, I put the SIM card in and used it for a full weekend. After that, I put the SIM card back to my S8+ and it is still going strong to date.
Today is March 1st, and I have been weary of ATT sneaking me out of their system but fortunately it has not happened yet. Needless to say, I have not updated my S8's IMEI on ATT's webpage and do not intend to do so.
Now, This "proves" that my phone is indeed capable of using VoLTE and HD , and all those things ATT said it would not do is just plain B.S.. if they disconnect me down the road I would definitely move to T Mobile although I would have some issues with the 50/50 international roaming and I still have 8 months left on my prepaid annual plan with ATT so, keeping my fingers crossed.
AT&T just wants to make more money out of selling new 5G devices while getting rid of their stocked 4G phones.
I wouldn't mind if they just plain out stated " If you do not buy from ATT then ATT will not support your device and will not sell service to you" then again, it would probably be a PR nightmare for them although they do that for WIFI calling anyways.
Ain't it funny how 2/22/22 is coincidentally a paycheck's time ( 2 weeks) after a new flagship phone (S22) was made available for purchase ?
Anyways, enough for ranting and conspiracy theories lol...
I have taken out and put back to my S8+ the SIM card two times in the past 9 days after 2/22/22 and my service is still in good standing.
Maybe if you got a new replacement phone that you don't like, you may swap back your SIM card and it MAY work just like mine is even if it is NOT ON THE INFAMOUS WHITE LIST.
Oldschoolguy said:
Hi, I'm Newbie around here. I'd like to share my experience with ATT and my beloved S8+ this past few months:
Much like you and many others I started receiving texts from ATT by mid 2021 saying my phone would not work after Feb '22. Yes, every time they suspended my line I wasted 30~ 40 mins on the phone, listening how they would insist my S8+ was a 3G phone. It didn't matter that I offered to send them screenshots of my device showing the "VoLTE option" and "4G LTE" while both in the USA and Mexico. Thing is, they only based their saying on a st....id whitelist and all the reps are just talking heads.
I use an S8+ international version which is NOT on the dreaded list. and I am on the 300/year prepaid plan which allows roaming between Mexico and USA with no 50/50 usage limit.
I bought this phone on amazon for 350-ish bucks a couple of years ago and I love it!
I have to cross the Mexico/USA border very frequently and I need two separate numbers one on each country for business reasons so dual sim is a must. On the other hand, I receive lots and lots of phone calls while driving, this made me crave for android 8.1 when call recording was allowed by google, not the case anymore. None of these 2 features are available on the S8/S9 US based phones. I do not need 5G, I do not use social media nor watch videos on my phone but do get to use Pandora, Spotify, MLB radio and so on......... Enter SM-G955F/DS. I was able to change Samsung's CSC code to Israel so call recording is active for all those notes I cannot write down while driving and I get to carry just one device with 2 separate numbers thanks to a dual sim.
Ok, so back to my phone not being on the f... list :
Around Feb 10th, I got yet another email and SMS telling me it was my last opportunity to change or I MAY be disconnected after 2/22/22 ( funny choice of date huh?). I noticed that words on email and text messages had been changed from WILL NOT on Jul/2021 to MAY NOT work on Feb/2022. Since I know for a fact that my phone is VoLTE capable, I figured my S8+ would work as long as AT&T did not intentionally disconnected my line.
So, I took a crappy phoenix ATT phone and updated it's IMEI on my account via the ATT prepaid webpage. After getting "approval" from ATT's system, I put the SIM card in and used it for a full weekend. After that, I put the SIM card back to my S8+ and it is still going strong to date.
Today is March 1st, and I have been weary of ATT sneaking me out of their system but fortunately it has not happened yet. Needless to say, I have not updated my S8's IMEI on ATT's webpage and do not intend to do so.
Now, This "proves" that my phone is indeed capable of using VoLTE and HD , and all those things ATT said it would not do is just plain B.S.. if they disconnect me down the road I would definitely move to T Mobile although I would have some issues with the 50/50 international roaming and I still have 8 months left on my prepaid annual plan with ATT so, keeping my fingers crossed.
AT&T just wants to make more money out of selling new 5G devices while getting rid of their stocked 4G phones.
I wouldn't mind if they just plain out stated " If you do not buy from ATT then ATT will not support your device and will not sell service to you" then again, it would probably be a PR nightmare for them although they do that for WIFI calling anyways.
Ain't it funny how 2/22/22 is coincidentally a paycheck's time ( 2 weeks) after a new flagship phone (S22) was made available for purchase ?
Anyways, enough for ranting and conspiracy theories lol...
I have taken out and put back to my S8+ the SIM card two times in the past 9 days after 2/22/22 and my service is still in good standing.
Maybe if you got a new replacement phone that you don't like, you may swap back your SIM card and it MAY work just like mine is even if it is NOT ON THE INFAMOUS WHITE LIST.
View attachment 5549949View attachment 5549951View attachment 5549953View attachment 5549955
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep... AT&T is full of it. I got sick of wasting my time and energy trying to fight this. I eventually just switched over to TMo, and I have been running around with my S8's radio set to LTE only. No issues whatsoever. Great cell service, $30 bucks a month cheaper, all fees included in the flat rate, and a free Netflix account, to boot.
See ya AT&T!!! I hope some group with the the gumption and time takes you to court for your deceptive trade practices. I hope you lose lots of customers, time, and money for your douchery!!!
Has anyone looked into potentially using ODIN to use AT&T's firmware on the unbranded G950U1 without rooting to see if it adds the VoLTE software feature? Does anyone know if that flashing will disable (permanently break) samsung pay? I don't want any rooting since that will permanently break samsung pay on the hardware.

Sprint phone T-Mobile network root, new T-mobile sim, and still...

I'm so very hesitant to even try to root my phone or do anything with it because I just don't understand Android and I don't honestly have the time to learn it right now. And I mean that literally I have so much going on with trying to teach myself auto repair and keep myself from getting towed so my dog and I will not lose our home. But it seems to me that when I took it to T-Mobile and they switched out my sim there was an improvement but whether it's not being able to make a receive calls or not being able to access mobile data and now it just being so unbelievably slow but technically functioning correctly, I still can't believe that it won't benefit from a root or flashing a universal ROM. But I just don't understand Android and my illness doesn't make it any easier to understand or handle. I can't get rid of the Sprint apps and I cannot use T-Mobile's app and I assume that's because it didn't actually flash the firmware. When my a13 screen broke, I swapped it Sim into this S7 which I was fortunate to have access to and it sort of worked but I didn't have mobile data at that time so I have to take it to T-Mobile and have them help me figure it out we changed access points and long story short I simply cannot load a T-Mobile app even now. This is obviously the results of some sort of conflict within the firmware software whatever I don't know I don't have the ability to comprehend it. But it is unlocked I see the OEM unlock option it even says it's unlocked I see T-Mobile network... You know a picture is worth a thousand words can anybody help me make this phone fully functional? It's just a few more days I'll get a benefit check and I'm getting a new phone but I guess I've become slightly spoiled because I can't handle 2 minutes to load an app in my chaotic life. But I can figure it out I believe if somebody just points me in the right direction. But I always get that one detail wrong when I try to figure it out myself.
I apologize for any rules that I might have broken because I can't seem to not break a rule when I post on forums even after reading and watching videos on forum etiquette guidelines.
Darylzane said:
I apologize for any rules that I might have broken because I can't seem to not break a rule when I post on forums even after reading and watching videos on forum etiquette guidelines.
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Take it easy on yourself. As long as you follow the Forum Rules and Forum Etiquette linked in my signature, you should be OK. If you make a mistake, we will let you know, and if it's a genuine mistake that you don't repeat, you'll be fine.
I would like to point out that your posts are pretty hard to understand. While we can certainly empathize with what you're going through, not everything needs to be shared online, and it's hard to understand your question when there's a lot of other information to sift through. This is why we have Rule 3:
3. Post using a clear and descriptive subject and message.
You're most likely to receive a helpful answer to your question, if you use a short subject title that describes your problem and a message that explains in detail, what your problem is and what you've done to try solving it.
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So to make sure I understand what you're asking...You're trying to use your phone on the T-Mobile network, but it shows Disconnected under Mobile Network and you're unable to make calls or use data, correct?
Unlocking the bootloader shouldn't affect this, nor should the ROM if you're using the factory Galaxy S7 firmware.
When exactly did this stop working, and did you do anything to the phone that may have been related to this problem?
V0latyle said:
Take it easy on yourself. As long as you follow the Forum Rules and Forum Etiquette linked in my signature, you should be OK. If you make a mistake, we will let you know, and if it's a genuine mistake that you don't repeat, you'll be fine.
I would like to point out that your posts are pretty hard to understand. While we can certainly empathize with what you're going through, not everything needs to be shared online, and it's hard to understand your question when there's a lot of other information to sift through. This is why we have Rule 3:
So to make sure I understand what you're asking...You're trying to use your phone on the T-Mobile network, but it shows Disconnected under Mobile Network and you're unable to make calls or use data, correct?
Unlocking the bootloader shouldn't affect this, nor should the ROM if you're using the factory Galaxy S7 firmware.
When exactly did this stop working, and did you do anything to the phone that may have been related to this problem?
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Okay, thank you. I realized I had not done a factory reset, and so I did. As expected, I now cannot use mobile data, make or receive calls. Ive only ever entered recovery mode. Never had stock firmware. And when I factory reset, as I'm entering recovery aqa plop l mb drew it looked like it was updating firmware only to be followed by the little android guy looking like he's dead with "no command" or something to thateffect. .I'm on public. The S7 is a Sprint phone, I'm on the Magenta Max plan at T-Mobile. I still have the new SIM that the rep put in at a T-Mobile store, and while I can't use data or calls, it is performing as I would expect of a phone this old. And I still have sprint apps, of course, T-Mobiles app won't stop crashing. And I just need to know a few things. It's the CSC codes I don't quite understand. If I found y exact phones model firmware on Updato where it says to make certain you download the correct firmware... will this not just reinstall Sprint Firmware. The way I interpret all the warnings is if you download g930u or g930t and flash it, you will brick the phone.
So I want to be certain, is XAA, universal?
And I'm continuing writing this reply after getting back home, I did T-Mobile's access point again and now I have the ability to text and receive texts I can go online without Wi-Fi but I cannot make calls. Modem issue correct? I just don't understand how that works with cellular. And I have this funny feeling that nobody at any T-Mobile store will know anything as much as you people do. So once again thank you so freaking much.
One more thing this means by the phrasing of it that it's not unlocked but I can unlock it right? Or is it such an old phone that its somehow is just a flick of a switch and it's unlocked?
Darylzane said:
Okay, thank you. I realized I had not done a factory reset, and so I did.
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Why did you think you needed to? When did you do this?
Darylzane said:
As expected, I now cannot use mobile data, make or receive calls. Ive only ever entered recovery mode.
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Meaning the device won't boot into Android anymore?
Darylzane said:
Never had stock firmware.
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What do you mean by this?
Darylzane said:
And when I factory reset, as I'm entering recovery it looked like it was updating firmware only to be followed by the little android guy looking like he's dead with "no command" or something to thateffect.
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I'm not familiar enough with Samsung devices to know whether it should bring up the menu automatically or
Darylzane said:
aqa plop l mb drew
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....What?
Darylzane said:
.I'm on public. The S7 is a Sprint phone, I'm on the Magenta Max plan at T-Mobile. I still have the new SIM that the rep put in at a T-Mobile store, and while I can't use data or calls, it is performing as I would expect of a phone this old.
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Okay, so you used this phone on Sprint and brought it over to T-Mobile? Sprint and TMobile are totally different networks, Sprint is (was) CDMA and TMobile is GSM. The two are not compatible. If your S7 is a Sprint specific variant (G930P) I don't think you can use it on TMobile and will have to get a new phone.
Darylzane said:
And I still have sprint apps, of course, T-Mobiles app won't stop crashing. And I just need to know a few things. It's the CSC codes I don't quite understand. If I found y exact phones model firmware on Updato where it says to make certain you download the correct firmware... will this not just reinstall Sprint Firmware. The way I interpret all the warnings is if you download g930u or g930t and flash it, you will brick the phone.
So I want to be certain, is XAA, universal?
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Click to collapse
There are a few CSCs, but they honestly don't matter. Just use any North American one. The CSC isn't the same as your device model. You shouldn't use G930U on anything but a G930U.
Darylzane said:
And I'm continuing writing this reply after getting back home, I did T-Mobile's access point again and now I have the ability to text and receive texts I can go online without Wi-Fi but I cannot make calls. Modem issue correct? I just don't understand how that works with cellular. And I have this funny feeling that nobody at any T-Mobile store will know anything as much as you people do. So once again thank you so freaking much.
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Cell phones use digital radios. The modem is the chipset that handles all the wireless communication. Like I said before, it's possible that your G930P isn't compatible with the TMobile network.
My suggestion: Call T-Mobile. If they gave you the SIM knowing what phone you were going to use, they should help you get it working. It sounds to me like a network provisioning issue, and that's not something anyone here will be able to help with.
i reformatted because it was my fathers, i had **** on there i didnt need to access, see or have cluttering. and a fresh start never hurts any tech in 99% of cases in my experience. it boot just fine. but it was once again a purely sprint phone. i knew it would be, but i think i was only able to make calls because the new T-Mobile SIM was affected by the reset to Sprint variation of the stock firmware. stock is fresh from Samsung with no bloatware. no alterations, there is factory reset, and factory reset from an originally unlocked no carrier ever assigned firmware. correct me if anything is wrong there. but i do think i just need to go to tmobile again to get my phone call function back. but does this mean i can never remove the the sprint startup logo, bloatware (with is any sprint app in my mind thus not stock) And never will be able to use a t-mobile app? if my phone is version 8 oreo, the baseband or pda is the same, as is everything except the fact that my model is a 930P and not 930T then the 930T will potentially break it?
additional questions, in recovery with no bootloader what is apply update from SD or ADB, is that anything firmware related if i do another factory reset and can ODIN or the firmware itself be loaded on my sd and flash itself?
im on a laptop and thats something im more familiar with by comparison. but custom desktops are my forte. a desktop you modify all you want and you can generally very easily fix a mistake. laptops, a tiny mistake and its taken me 6 months to just today think i can save it and save myself a 1000s buck likely. im learning the true definition of proprietary gree.... ahem software and hardware. I cant install and NVIDIA 1660ti graphics driver from NVIDIA directly and unless Lenovo modifies it i lose my display and cannot see what i need to fix. this concept is my question in regards to g930p to g930 u or XAA versions. of 8.0 oreo with everything matching except nowhere on my phone is the CSC code of SPR for sprint.
lastly, my theory is that i thought tmobile bought sprint, if they did, it makes sense T-Mobile wants to slap somthing on a product or software as a big HAHA because of how customer service quality has plummeted worldwide to appalling levels. its disgusting. but ill stop there or ill write a novel on that.
regardless i thank you all for your help. i will live till i get my social security check, but i need to bring an extra two battery banks. my NOCO CAR JUMPSTARTER died trying to keep it alive for a 2 hour long appointment. todays apps just demand too much and too many apps are secretly recording, tracking, advertising and hell in all likelyhood nefariously intended functions. just think of McAfee virus, damn near impossible to get rid of and used to be harder, costs a fortune, slows your rig and a hacker still sent a power surge into my pc killing that 3K PC desktop. smart but careless cause he somehow left screenshots of the DDOS program he used when accessing my OneDrive.
i like information, sorry to blather on, most is useless probably but hopefully you find a diamond in all that rambling.

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