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Hi everyone,
I recently upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy s 2 on T-mobile here in the UK. Obvisously it came with T-mobile's version of Android 2.3.3 . When the phone starts up or shuts down, it displays T-mobile's logo wallpaper.
The phones has an option to search for updates, but it can never connect to the server.
It does not have the option to sign into the Samsung account, it does not exist on my handset, only Google account and the usual facebook and others options.
As a result of this I don't have the option to use Samsung's mobile tracker. For those unsure google samsungdive.
I don't need to use other networks on my handset, just T-mobile. T-mobile have removed the tracking option so this is why I want to put Samsung's software on my phone.
My question or what I want to do is this:
1)Remove the current T-mobile Android software from my phone and install Samsung's Android firmware.
2)Have the option of signing into Samsung's account from my phone and be able to use Samsung's tracker.
3)Be able to update to the latest updates as and when available.
Please advise me as to what I have to do or what my best options are.
Thanks very much!
I would flash the stock version of JVR and use a custom kernel like semaphore etc
Sent using geek power
My friend can you tell which modem u r using on t mobile. Or baseband
Baseband version:
I9100BOKG1
I Spoke to Samsung about this and they said because I got the phone through my contract with T-Mobile, T-Mobile have played around with the software and some features are not present compared with buying the phone sim free with the Original Samsung software.
They said if I remove current software and put Generic Samsung software I will void warranty on the phone.
What do you think about this?
Thanks
I'd flash anyway mate, worse case scenario is if you get a fault, you can reset to factory using ODIN. Plus, I have a t-mobile s1 and it was flashed day of purchase from t-mobile, and even if you ring them, they aint really too bothered if its been flashed. Example, I flashed my brothers which played up, he rang t-mobile told them it was flashed they said well done, and would replace it if I couldnt sort it.....which I did.
In a nutshell....flash and dont look back!! Its really quite hard to'kill' an android phone!!
Before I buy another used Captivate to swap motherboards, I'd like to know if there's anything else I should look at.
Scenario: Bought used Captivate with bad USB port and running CM9 Beta. Once I finally got my SIM card, I had no network signal (couldn't even find any operators when you search for them). Redid the APNs multiple times though those seem to be for Internet and MMS rather than cell. Wifi works fine. Flashed to CM 9.1 stable. No difference. Verified phone is unlocked. Verified IMEIs match. Verified baseband was listed. Verified my phone # is listed. Flashed to CM 7.1. No difference. I wanted to flash to stock but can't because Mobile Odin won't work with CM's partition layout. Thus, it seems I am stuck with CM or MIUI.
Is there anything in efs or another system directory that could prevent me from getting a signal?
topshot said:
Before I buy another used Captivate to swap motherboards, I'd like to know if there's anything else I should look at.
Scenario: Bought used Captivate with bad USB port and running CM9 Beta. Once I finally got my SIM card, I had no network signal (couldn't even find any operators when you search for them). Redid the APNs multiple times though those seem to be for Internet and MMS rather than cell. Wifi works fine. Flashed to CM 9.1 stable. No difference. Verified phone is unlocked. Verified IMEIs match. Verified baseband was listed. Verified my phone # is listed. Flashed to CM 7.1. No difference. I wanted to flash to stock but can't because Mobile Odin won't work with CM's partition layout. Thus, it seems I am stuck with CM or MIUI.
Is there anything in efs or another system directory that could prevent me from getting a signal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been with you on another thread so I know for a fact you've tried all that stuff. But I don't recall did you ever try to flash an new or different modem? If you haven't or just want to try a new one I attached the one I use. Or I can get you the link to a page with a whole lot of others to choose from.
Other than trying a new modem I'm at a loss as to what it could be besides hardware at this point. Btw were you ever able to test your sim card in another phone to make sure it's functioning? Or do you know anyone with an att sim that you could test your phone with?
Things you could try:
1. Turn the flight mode on and then turn it off and see if that helps.
2. Open the phone and see if the antenna's contact points are okay.
3. Open the nv_data.bin in efs directory and see if the value at the offset(you can search for the exact value) that stores the network lock flag is 00. If it is 01 then it is still locked. I know you checked for the lock already but it never hurts to double check. You could also take a look at nv.log and see if there is anything there at the end that might be helpful. You could also check for lock by dialing *#7465625#.
m1batt1 said:
Other than trying a new modem I'm at a loss as to what it could be besides hardware at this point. Btw were you ever able to test your sim card in another phone to make sure it's functioning? Or do you know anyone with an att sim that you could test your phone with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My next move was to flash some other modems actually, but I may wait until after tomorrow (see below). I tried to swap with my SIL who is on the same service but her phone takes the micro SIM. I'll try again Wed night with another choir member that has an ATT S2 I think.
uhm said:
Things you could try:
1. Turn the flight mode on and then turn it off and see if that helps.
2. Open the phone and see if the antenna's contact points are okay.
3. Open the nv_data.bin in efs directory and see if the value at the offset(you can search for the exact value) that stores the network lock flag is 00. If it is 01 then it is still locked. I know you checked for the lock already but it never hurts to double check. You could also take a look at nv.log and see if there is anything there at the end that might be helpful. You could also check for lock by dialing *#7465625#.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No help.
2. Where are the contact points? I've not found any schematic or disassembly instructions for this phone. I can see the external antennae connector, of course.
3. That was how I verified it was unlocked. All the bits in the appropriate area were 00. I'll have to look at the log file.
How would I dial any service code with no service? It tells me "mobile network not available" once I hit the Phone button.
New Info
I'm really hoping this is the answer to all my headaches the past several days trying to figure out why this phone won't get service. I just spent the past hour on the phone with my OLD carrier trying to re-activate my OLD phone with a different number to give to my son. We had to jump through a bunch of hoops because my old line was still "suspended" because of the port order. It is due to be "deleted" tomorrow. So even though my NEW carrier said activation was complete and my OLD phone stopped making and receiving calls 8 days ago, could the fact my number has been "suspended" be the reason I can't see any GSM networks?
Sadly my SIM worked in another phone but his didn't in mine.
Looks like I have a mini netbook.
topshot said:
Sadly my SIM worked in another phone but his didn't in mine.
Looks like I have a mini netbook.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any luck changing modems?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA
m1batt1 said:
Any luck changing modems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I flashed back to CM 9.1 and then flashed in XXJVU - 12/28/2011
are you getting a good signal strength? that would veify antenna is okay.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app
laughingT said:
are you getting a good signal strength? that would veify antenna is okay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not getting ANY signal. It always shows -110 dbM or less and 0 or 1 asu. The seller said the GPS worked fine, but I don't get a lock on that either (but maybe you need to "fix" the GPS with each ROM flash?). I've only been concerned with cell service at this point.
I'm going to pick up another Captivate in another hour. I'd like to root and unlock it right there to make sure it works, but don't think I'm that good yet to do quickly and safely. Assuming it's running KK4, the Easy Root pgm seems simple enough to root. May also try SuperOneClick.
For unlocking, I'd hoped to use Galaxy_S Unlock, but couldn't figure out how to get it onto my micro SD card to load onto the other phone.
The "new" Captivate works. It came with KK4 and a good USB port. I'll flash something onto it soon once I learn how to properly back up everything.
glad your new one works.
re: old phone gps. i think you may need to edit gps.conf in etc folder to set gps mode to standalone, rls the gps wants a network connection. in standalone mode, expect a v long time to lock, like 15 minutes.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app
topshot...
While u r on kk4 see this post for gps fix... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=19422197.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using xda premium
If you start the phone without a sim card in it, does it detect its absence and vice versa too? If that functions properly then another possibility could be that the IMEI of the phone might be blacklisted. It might have been reported as stolen. You could call your carrier to find that out.
uhm said:
If you start the phone without a sim card in it, does it detect its absence and vice versa too? If that functions properly then another possibility could be that the IMEI of the phone might be blacklisted. It might have been reported as stolen. You could call your carrier(AT&T I suppose) to find that out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it detected whether a SIM was in it or not. When I had signed up for the new service it had said the IMEI was OK. I guess that doesn't mean it stayed that way. I would think that would just prevent you from accessing the service, not prevent you from detecting a signal at all. When I picked up the second used Captivate, his SIM card had been deactivated, but it still showed it was getting a signal.
topshot said:
Yes, it detected whether a SIM was in it or not. When I had signed up for the new service it had said the IMEI was OK. I guess that doesn't mean it stayed that way. I would think that would just prevent you from accessing the service, not prevent you from detecting a signal at all. When I picked up the second used Captivate, his SIM card had been deactivated, but it still showed it was getting a signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once I had my efs folder deleted while flashing a rom and my IMEI defaulted to some value and it showed no signal at all. I checked IMEI and realized it was a different one and that led me to look at the efs. Once I restored the efs folder from my back up, all was fine again. Therefore I think if your IMEI is blacklisted it could happen and hence made that suggestion to call your carrier. Your carrier might also be able to tell you if your phone made any attempts to register on their network or not.
Please help. Just bought a new S5 & have a question about enabling native tethering
I just purchased from the daily steals special unlocked galaxy S5. Being that I am from Canada, and because the description of the phone was in error I did not realize I was purchasingThe AT&T version which is locked down. While I don't strongly feel the need to root the phone and customize it, I would like to still have full functionality which includes native tethering which on my plan, with my provider in Canada I am entitled to. My understanding is that this version of the phone has the tethering locked down to AT&T. Being that I have not taken ownership of the phone yet I do not know which firmware is installed on it to see whether or not the option of rooting the device on kitkat (and changing the tethering can be done) and then bringing firmware up to lollipop is an option. This is something important to me as I use this feature often.
I would like to ask the following questions:
1. Firstly I would like to know when phones are purchased new do they always have KitKat firmware on them for this model or were any of you who purchased the phone did it come with lollipop out-of-the-box? This is supposed to be a new unlocked model for sale. It is not a refurbished model.
2. Question is there a way to know based on the serial number on the outside of the box what the firmware is? The reason I am asking is because when I pointed out the error of the advertised description of the phone they told me I am entitled to return the phone without restocking fee if I have not opened it yet. That it is already on an unrootable firmware.
3. If by chance this phone is on lollipop, is it still possible to enable native tethering if I am unable to root the phone? I have seen mention on an earlier thread where people used ADB and were able to pull the tethering provision file modify it and push it back to the system which would then allow native tethering to work. I am just not sure if this was specific to pre-lollipop firmware. I have also seen somebody advertise on YouTube it he for a fee is providing the service to enable native tethering on the galaxy S5. However he is the only person I have seen mention this anywhere so I am not sure whether or not this is something that can be done without root. Does anybody have any experience having done this?
I am unfortunately in the awkward situation of having this phone currently be in the US and be brought back to me in the next few days. So I essentially have the weekend to make a decision as to what I should do. If anybody can provide me any insight I would greatly appreciated.
Anyone?
Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk
Mine came with KitKat but if you connect to the wifi upon setup I believe they automatically update to Lollipop
I have a rooted G900-A connected to MetroPCS, and I downloaded an app from google play which unlocks the tethering function
OK so this is kind of weird. I just took ownership of my factory unlocked AT&T Samsung galaxy S5. I was dismayed to find when i opened the box and booted it up that it actually had the latest version of lollipop 5.1.1. What is very interesting however is I am in Canada it once I realized that I will not be able to root this device, I decided for fun to turn on the Wi-Fi hotspot and see if it would work and to my surprise and excitement the Wi-Fi hotspot worked with my Sim card for my Canadian carrier. So I don't know if this was a special version that was put out because this came factory sealed in the box it was a factory unlocked model the tethering was unlocked as well. It does have the AT&T bloatware on it but otherwise I am quite pleasantly surprised and happy as my primary reason for choosing to root the device was to enable hotspot. Does anybody suggest that I try to root this phone given that the hotspot is working.? Maybe this is a special version does not have the same locked boot loader as before? How should I proceed if I want to try?
Hi all,
Received an Olympic edition note 8 (n950n) at the Olympics. We were supplied originally with a KT sim and even in the settings there's a "service provider" menu of KT related items. I have gotten back to North America and popped in my TMobile sim. It took resetting all network settings until I finally got LTE working on it.
However, volte doesn't seem to work at all. I even downloaded the shortcut master and went to ims settings to enable volte switch but still switches to 3g when I make a call. Similarly it can't even find hd calling. The option in shortcut master "hd voice" shortcut says "not found" when I try to launch it.
Ideally it seems as though I just need a different CSC but I don't want to void any warranty on this phone, especially given that I'm sure Samsung USA won't touch it since it's an international model.
Are the n950n's just lacking in many features?
Thanks!
I dont know how your carrier handles VOLTE, but my carrier requested me to go in person and there they activated the service
hgeek23 said:
Hi all,
Received an Olympic edition note 8 (n950n) at the Olympics. We were supplied originally with a KT sim and even in the settings there's a "service provider" menu of KT related items. I have gotten back to North America and popped in my TMobile sim. It took resetting all network settings until I finally got LTE working on it.
However, volte doesn't seem to work at all. I even downloaded the shortcut master and went to ims settings to enable volte switch but still switches to 3g when I make a call. Similarly it can't even find hd calling. The option in shortcut master "hd voice" shortcut says "not found" when I try to launch it.
Ideally it seems as though I just need a different CSC but I don't want to void any warranty on this phone, especially given that I'm sure Samsung USA won't touch it since it's an international model.
Are the n950n's just lacking in many features?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey There,
I'm glad to stumble upon an actual user of an Olympic edition.
Would you mind installing Samsung PhoneInfo app from playstore and sharing your current CSC Code, and your Device Model number - which I assume is N950N ?
I'm just looking for a way to obtain the bootanimation and the theme of it...
hgeek23 said:
Hi all,
Received an Olympic edition note 8 (n950n) at the Olympics. We were supplied originally with a KT sim and even in the settings there's a "service provider" menu of KT related items. I have gotten back to North America and popped in my TMobile sim. It took resetting all network settings until I finally got LTE working on it.
However, volte doesn't seem to work at all. I even downloaded the shortcut master and went to ims settings to enable volte switch but still switches to 3g when I make a call. Similarly it can't even find hd calling. The option in shortcut master "hd voice" shortcut says "not found" when I try to launch it.
Ideally it seems as though I just need a different CSC but I don't want to void any warranty on this phone, especially given that I'm sure Samsung USA won't touch it since it's an international model.
Are the n950n's just lacking in many features?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short answer, sell it and get the USA version.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Don't want to sell something that has such sentimental value to me
Product code SM-N950NZWZKTC
CSC code KTC
Additionally it doesn't seem to have the ability to have conference calls?
If you enabled all the switches through IMS setting & VoLTE still doesn't work, you'll need T-mobile CSC to get it working. Aside from the IMS settings, there are some VoLTE related settings in cscfeatures.xml. I have a N950F with modified T Mobile CSC, VoLTE, Wifi calling are working fine, I also have the VoLTE quick setting tile. But I'm rooted & is how I installed it
You'll need T Mobile CSC for wfi calling.
---------- Post added at 05:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:56 PM ----------
Limeybastard said:
Short answer, sell it and get the USA version.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heck no, I say root it, I'd never trade it for a US Snapdragon but that's just me. Can easily get VoLTE working along with many more features.
shouren04 said:
If you enabled all the switches through IMS setting & VoLTE still doesn't work, you'll need T-mobile CSC to get it working. Aside from the IMS settings, there are some VoLTE related settings in cscfeatures.xml. I have a N950F with modified T Mobile CSC, VoLTE, Wifi calling are working fine, I also have the VoLTE quick setting tile. But I'm rooted & is how I installed it
You'll need T Mobile CSC for wfi calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will the Tmobile CSC work on this particular device? Tmobile csc i thought would not work on the 950n's as its not the same hardware?
where can i get the csc?
hgeek23 said:
Will the Tmobile CSC work on this particular device? Tmobile csc i thought would not work on the 950n's as its not the same hardware?
where can i get the csc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That I have no idea, I have no idea if flashing just the CSC file works between different model/chipset phones. I assume not. I rooted my phone in 2 days so I have no experience flashing official CSC files.
I'm using a modified version of TEKHD's S8 T-Mobile transformation pack. It's an early version of the following mod that I further modified for myself.
[MOD] Exynos T-Mobile CSC Wifi Calling, VoLTE etc for N950N / N950F
The person who made it has a N & specifically made it to get VoLTE & WIFI calling to work on N models. I'm using an earlier version cause it works fine on F models but still had issues on N models. To summarize that thread, he finally got it working fine for N models with nothing additional needed. But you need TWRP & root to install it.
Limeybastard said:
Short answer, sell it and get the USA version.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shouren04 said:
That I have no idea, I have no idea if flashing just the CSC file works between different model/chipset phones. I assume not. I rooted my phone in 2 days so I have no experience flashing official CSC files.
I'm using a modified version of TEKHD's S8 T-Mobile transformation pack. It's an early version of the following mod that I further modified for myself.
[MOD] Exynos T-Mobile CSC Wifi Calling, VoLTE etc for N950N / N950F
The person who made it has a N & specifically made it to get VoLTE & WIFI calling to work on N models. I'm using an earlier version cause it works fine on F models but still had issues on N models. To summarize that thread, he finally got it working fine for N models with nothing additional needed. But you need TWRP & root to install it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I need to flash a new kernel? Firmware? Will this replace the Olympics bootscreen?
@hgeek23 Did you see my PM ? Thanks
hgeek23 said:
I need to flash a new kernel? Firmware? Will this replace the Olympics bootscreen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't replace the Olympics boot screen but it will trip Knox & may void warranty (not sure what warranty laws are from the original COO, some countries don't void warranty for tripping Knox). But if you are in the US, you can't claim warranty on the phone in the US anyway.
You'd have to install TWRP & root your phone to install the mod I linked. But being how rare that phone is, I wouldn't do it unless you find a copy of the stock Olympics FW for that phone in case anything happens. Seems like others have been looking for it but can't find it yet. Other say it's just a theme that can be installed but if it has a different boot screen then I doubt it's just a theme for the theme store.
hgeek23 said:
Hi all,
Received an Olympic edition note 8 (n950n) at the Olympics. We were supplied originally with a KT sim and even in the settings there's a "service provider" menu of KT related items. I have gotten back to North America and popped in my TMobile sim. It took resetting all network settings until I finally got LTE working on it.
However, volte doesn't seem to work at all. I even downloaded the shortcut master and went to ims settings to enable volte switch but still switches to 3g when I make a call. Similarly it can't even find hd calling. The option in shortcut master "hd voice" shortcut says "not found" when I try to launch it.
Ideally it seems as though I just need a different CSC but I don't want to void any warranty on this phone, especially given that I'm sure Samsung USA won't touch it since it's an international model.
Are the n950n's just lacking in many features?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you've got the rare paralympic edition of Note8 which isn't capable of it? (I know, tastefully offensive. I'll be going to hell for that joke)
On a serious note, since it's the N950N which is similar to the N950F afaik, you're better off asking TMobile directly about any connectivity issues.
Usually like others have previously mentioned, should be CSC related but f.e. (if I'm not mistaken) due to the OMC folder/ structure, nearly all country CSC are included. Just the CSC features aren't accessible unless you replace the specific CSC with a modified one from S8/S8+.
If TMobile can't fix it or help you out, you're choice would be to root, double check with a N950F/N950N user if they have volte or (someone has to jump in here to verify) try flashing -if available- factory binaries for specifically USA.
I doubt T-Mobile will help or can even do anything being an international phone. My F on T-Mobile USA worked perfectly fine. You don't need IMEI provisioning with T-Mobile USA like you do with some carriers like AT&T. My speeds were great out the box, better than my T-Mobile Note 5, just didn't have VoLTE & Wifi calling until I enabled them w/ root. We now have 2 more Note 8s in the household, U T-Mobile variants. Speeds are pretty much exactly the same as my F.
shouren04 said:
That I have no idea, I have no idea if flashing just the CSC file works between different model/chipset phones. I assume not. I rooted my phone in 2 days so I have no experience flashing official CSC files.
I'm using a modified version of TEKHD's S8 T-Mobile transformation pack. It's an early version of the following mod that I further modified for myself.
[MOD] Exynos T-Mobile CSC Wifi Calling, VoLTE etc for N950N / N950F
The person who made it has a N & specifically made it to get VoLTE & WIFI calling to work on N models. I'm using an earlier version cause it works fine on F models but still had issues on N models. To summarize that thread, he finally got it working fine for N models with nothing additional needed. But you need TWRP & root to install it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there, I thought I recognized the name. Remember me? One of the first to test and rip open the F model to try and figure out the LTE issue / carrier aggregation issue.
I've read through some pages over on the OEM Lock thread ... so to conclude, they figured out the issue with the OEM lock disappearing, but did they ever figure out the carrier aggregation for using F/N model 100% on T-Mobile??
I know people with the F and N models that are still suffering from carrier aggregation and like this Olympic Edition model, which is just a N model with a cool back white Olympic cover. Those who plan to use this on T-Mobile may face the LTE connectivity (carrier aggregation) issue..
For those in really good reception areas may not seem like they have an issue, but that is because they are connected to a really strong (single) signal/frequency, which makes it seem like everything is fine...
Would you be able to provide links to any progress regarding this issue? Has it been solved? If so, it's likely buried in the pages somewhere in the other threads....:highfive:
iunlock said:
Hey there, I thought I recognized the name. Remember me? One of the first to test and rip open the F model to try and figure out the LTE issue / carrier aggregation issue.
I've read through some pages over on the OEM Lock thread ... so to conclude, they figured out the issue with the OEM lock disappearing, but did they ever figure out the carrier aggregation for using F/N model 100% on T-Mobile??
I know people with the F and N models that are still suffering from carrier aggregation and like this Olympic Edition model, which is just a N model with a cool back white Olympic cover. Those who plan to use this on T-Mobile may face the LTE connectivity (carrier aggregation) issue..
For those in really good reception areas may not seem like they have an issue, but that is because they are connected to a really strong (single) signal/frequency, which makes it seem like everything is fine...
Would you be able to provide links to any progress regarding this issue? Has it been solved? If so, it's likely buried in the pages somewhere in the other threads....:highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I remember you. I may not be the best guy to answer your questions but I'll share what I remember.
If you remember, I was just about the only guy in those threads that didn't experience any of the issues you guys did. I'm still using an early version of KT's TMO zip which was basically a slightly modified version of tekhd's S8 zip. The versions to follow is when they started changing more & had issues as it was later found out that the TMB_keystrings.dat from N950U was the cause. Once they replaced that file the issues were reported to have been resolved. I think the current version is like 9m or something I like, I'm using 3a & always have been, never tried any later versions & is probably why I never experienced those issues.
At home my reception is not very good nor are speeds, I get 20-40mbps depending on the time of day. This was the same before I used the zip. My CA combos were different than what the zip gave me but I still had the combos that get's used the most in my area. Around town in good areas I can get 80-135mbps. I stopped checking as I put the subject to rest a while ago.
A few months ago my parents both got Tmobile N950Us. I compared my F with the TMO zip & speeds are pretty much the same, sometimes my F is slightly faster, sometimes the U, but not a big difference so I consider that other factors & call them the same. I've even tried a speed test at a local T-mobile store & the speed was like 6mbps (that area I know doesn't have good coverage) on a U where mine was getting just under 20. Still I'm not saying my F is any better but since I was able to test actual T-Mobile U variants, I don't believe my phone to have any issues with speeds & CA in my area.
Yes the Olympics edition is simply an N with a theme applied and physical cover with the logo on it. the bootscreen is an olympics logo etc.
Merging calls doesnt seem possible, i dont know why. LTE frequently drops on Tmobile now and just goes to 3g or no service at all.
Volte not working either.
I had a similar situation. I bought my phone (N950F) from abroad. Although the phone was in the compatible devices list of my carrier company, they told me that VoLTE could not be used on phones taken from abroad (silly reason). VoLTE enable is carried out by sending a request SMS to the carrier. I put my SIM card into a friend's phone, and sent the request through it. My carrier enabled my SIM card. I put it back to my phone and voila! I have been using VoLTE since then without any problem.
Just wanted to post a final kind of update and that is that the above referenced CSC for Tmobile worked well.
Hi There
Hopefully some insight can be shed on this topic, it would be greatly appreciated.
I've read that all you need to do is use the device in the region of purchase for 5-10 mins of local calls & then the region lock is unlocked to any world wide sim.
- is this still the case with Samsung devices?
- lets say once the device is unlocked (in country of origin) but reset a few months later in another country other than it was bought in, will the region lock be back?
Thanks
antares* said:
Hi There
Hopefully some insight can be shed on this topic, it would be greatly appreciated.
I've read that all you need to do is use the device in the region of purchase for 5-10 mins of local calls & then the region lock is unlocked to any world wide sim.
- is this still the case with Samsung devices?
- lets say once the device is unlocked (in country of origin) but reset a few months later in another country other than it was bought in, will the region lock be back?
Thanks
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so, the question youre asking can be answered in several ways. Firstly, the locks placed on the phones are placed by the carrier, so if your phone is truly unlocked, itll never lock on to a service provider permanently. The process you describe about using it for local calls for a few min to have it grab your carrier is CSC related and more applies to whether you can use SPay and SHealth or not. There are also subsidy locks that make carrier switching impossible without an unlock. These subsidy locks can be in the firmware or even an app that was granted root permissions making it impossible to remove on snapdragon devices outside of Odin.
I guess, what issues are you trying to avoid?
Youdoofus said:
so, the question youre asking can be answered in several ways. Firstly, the locks placed on the phones are placed by the carrier, so if your phone is truly unlocked, itll never lock on to a service provider permanently. The process you describe about using it for local calls for a few min to have it grab your carrier is CSC related and more applies to whether you can use SPay and SHealth or not. There are also subsidy locks that make carrier switching impossible without an unlock. These subsidy locks can be in the firmware or even an app that was granted root permissions making it impossible to remove on snapdragon devices outside of Odin.
I guess, what issues are you trying to avoid?
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Firstly thanks for taking the time to respond. ?
So I'm not technical at these things but here's a quick background on my query.
A friend purchased a Samsung from an Asian country now while there & the box said specifically that it is made for use in that region and their sim. He's using it but won't know if it will work here till he returns. He is able to get one for me as it's much cheaper there, hence the research on the topic.
Through my search I've seen on Samsung forums people buying phones from difference regions with some able to successfully use it in their country & others not (comments vary on reasoning as to why but the use of that country local SIM seems common)
When he queried the sticker they said to just follow that calling process (I'm presuming now this is the carrier lock) However I'm not sure if there are carrier locks on the device as through my search, that country normally doesn't practice carrier locks (Service Provider) as the US or Europe does as devices are sold at any shop in Asia. So it's a bit confusing..
From your knowledge, let's say he activates & uses it for a few minutes. When he returns & I reset the device, will the lock revert back for that region or will be opened for any sim? And something that just came to mind, as the Samsung devices are regional, will this affect how updates come through or will it be based on that regional timetable for updates?
Thanks again
antares* said:
Firstly thanks for taking the time to respond.
So I'm not technical at these things but here's a quick background on my query.
A friend purchased a Samsung from an Asian country now while there & the box said specifically that it is made for use in that region and their sim. He's using it but won't know if it will work here till he returns. He is able to get one for me as it's much cheaper there, hence the research on the topic.
Through my search I've seen on Samsung forums people buying phones from difference regions with some able to successfully use it in their country & others not (comments vary on reasoning as to why but the use of that country local SIM seems common)
When he queried the sticker they said to just follow that calling process (I'm presuming now this is the carrier lock) However I'm not sure if there are carrier locks on the device as through my search, that country normally doesn't practice carrier locks (Service Provider) as the US or Europe does as devices are sold at any shop in Asia. So it's a bit confusing..
From your knowledge, let's say he activates & uses it for a few minutes. When he returns & I reset the device, will the lock revert back for that region or will be opened for any sim? And something that just came to mind, as the Samsung devices are regional, will this affect how updates come through or will it be based on that regional timetable for updates?
Thanks again
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terrible questions.. i tell ya what..... TOTALLY KIDDING!!
actually very solid questions and its also great to hear people doing this kind of research prior to pulling the trigger. I commend you
Anywho, lets see.
1: What Asian country? Yes, it matters. Or if you can get the model number from the download mode screen, that would be helpful too. If you dont know how to get to the DL mode, power the phone off, hold down the volume down button along with power and itll boot to a warning screen that will say volume up to continue to download mode or volume down to reboot normally. If you cant get that kind of access to the phone (or your friend rather) then its a crap shoot as many phones being offered up like this have been found to be non-us versions or even worse, utter fakes. Buyer beware if you cant get to download mode to at least check that too. Download mode is the hardest part to fake, fwiw
2: Galaxy S devices come in 2 flavors, Snapdragon and Exynos. Well, 3 i guess, the 3rd being fake. Snapdragons are the only ones that can work on CDMA carriers such as Sprint and VZW, Exynos phones work on GSM only. SD phones can also use GSM services, but the Exynos equipped phones are GSM only. SD are not rootable, Exynos are.
3: The part about your friend using it with their SIM and having problems strictly due to that. No. So long as its a legit USA model with no financial locks on it etc etc, you will be just fine. You might have to flash a CSC file in download mode or perhaps even the entire firmware (doubt youd need to do that last part), but if its an unlocked SnapDragon model built for the US market, then youre good to go.
4: make sure it doesnt have a FRP lock enabled. As long as your friend can boot it up and get past the login screen, you should be fine.
5: The last bit about the SIM again, as long as its a legit G973U with no locks and FRP inst on, you should be good to use it on any USA carrier no matter where it was initially used.
6: updates are issues out in order of IMEI batches. Being physically in a country outside of the one that the firmware is for can and often does impede updates, but thats not a worry as updates can be easily flashed manually and once the phone is on the correct CSC and physically in the right country, then updates will go on as normal.
7: youre welcome
Youdoofus said:
terrible questions.. i tell ya what..... TOTALLY KIDDING!!
actually very solid questions and its also great to hear people doing this kind of research prior to pulling the trigger. I commend you
Anywho, lets see.
1: What Asian country? Yes, it matters. Or if you can get the model number from the download mode screen, that would be helpful too. If you dont know how to get to the DL mode, power the phone off, hold down the volume down button along with power and itll boot to a warning screen that will say volume up to continue to download mode or volume down to reboot normally. If you cant get that kind of access to the phone (or your friend rather) then its a crap shoot as many phones being offered up like this have been found to be non-us versions or even worse, utter fakes. Buyer beware if you cant get to download mode to at least check that too. Download mode is the hardest part to fake, fwiw
2: Galaxy S devices come in 2 flavors, Snapdragon and Exynos. Well, 3 i guess, the 3rd being fake. Snapdragons are the only ones that can work on CDMA carriers such as Sprint and VZW, Exynos phones work on GSM only. SD phones can also use GSM services, but the Exynos equipped phones are GSM only. SD are not rootable, Exynos are.
3: The part about your friend using it with their SIM and having problems strictly due to that. No. So long as its a legit USA model with no financial locks on it etc etc, you will be just fine. You might have to flash a CSC file in download mode or perhaps even the entire firmware (doubt youd need to do that last part), but if its an unlocked SnapDragon model built for the US market, then youre good to go.
4: make sure it doesnt have a FRP lock enabled. As long as your friend can boot it up and get past the login screen, you should be fine.
5: The last bit about the SIM again, as long as its a legit G973U with no locks and FRP inst on, you should be good to use it on any USA carrier no matter where it was initially used.
6: updates are issues out in order of IMEI batches. Being physically in a country outside of the one that the firmware is for can and often does impede updates, but thats not a worry as updates can be easily flashed manually and once the phone is on the correct CSC and physically in the right country, then updates will go on as normal.
7: youre welcome
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Firstly apologies for the long delay in response, just been crazily busy and was doing research on what you said soon I am up to scratch to what you said.
1. It is from India, and yes I am aware of fakes so any purchases will be from reputable seller's. I'll have to do some research on that because I'm sure the different Samsung models will have their own codes.
2. I believe for that region they get Exynos variants.
3. From looking at some of the Samsung models online I see the product code ends with "INS" which I'm pretty sure relates to India and that country only so probably I will have to follow the DL mode you explained for my region in changing the CSC
4. I never knew about this.. How does one make sure its not enabled? Is this in the process that relates to no.3 during the CSC change?
5. Not from the US but good to know lol
6. Perfect lol
7. Thanks again, appreciate it :good::good:
antares* said:
Firstly apologies for the long delay in response, just been crazily busy and was doing research on what you said soon I am up to scratch to what you said.no worries mate, life happens. I just hope all is well in your part of the universe
1. It is from India, and yes I am aware of fakes so any purchases will be from reputable seller's. I'll have to do some research on that because I'm sure the different Samsung models will have their own codes. booting to recovery will generally tell you if its fake or not. you cant fake knox
2. I believe for that region they get Exynos variants. i believe so too. Id just get pretty much any F variant of the phone model you want and youll likely be able to get it working from there
3. From looking at some of the Samsung models online I see the product code ends with "INS" which I'm pretty sure relates to India and that country only so probably I will have to follow the DL mode you explained for my region in changing the CSC. just stick with the F models, you can flash whatever carrier stuff you need after you have it in hand
4. I never knew about this.. How does one make sure its not enabled? Is this in the process that relates to no.3 during the CSC change? Itll show you this in the download mode screen. Itll say FRP: on or FRP: OFF
5. Not from the US but good to know lol
6. Perfect lol
7. Thanks again, appreciate it :good::good:
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always glad to help bro!