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Every GALAXY launch we go through the same BS. No 32GB option available, and this time no GOLD or BLUE color options available. Why? Why? Why? Is it really that difficult to include all the colors with 32GB? Now those of us who want to get the phone on launch are once again screwed just like we were last year and the year before on 32gb of storage. Of course I take all this back if the unlocked variant offered AT&T LTE support; which it doesn't by the way. Why am I not surprised? The 16gb S5 will have about 10GB of user storage.
I am so fed up with this type of BS. AT&T is, unfortunately, the only carrier that works well in my area. T-Mobile is spotty with lots of EDGE. If only their service was on lower spectrum, I'd be all over them.
Anyone else feeling just as frustrated with this mess we endure every year.
I totally agree, but the ATT S4 did come with a 32Gb. I am using it right now. I wish Sammy would up them all to 32Gb and an option for 64Gb. 16Gb is too small with how large touchwiz is with each revision. No way I will go back to only 16Gb on board.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
16GB is never an issue with me, regardless of the device. It's more than enough for my needs, considering I have maybe 2-4 very small games on my devices at any given time. What does piss me off is the lack of all the colors. I wanted the blue model, but of course, that's not possible...for whatever idiotic reason. I just said screw it and preordered the black. I guess I'll just buy a different back cover down the road.
karmuh said:
16GB is never an issue with me, regardless of the device. It's more than enough for my needs, considering I have maybe 2-4 very small games on my devices at any given time. What does piss me off is the lack of all the colors. I wanted the blue model, but of course, that's not possible...for whatever idiotic reason. I just said screw it and preordered the black. I guess I'll just buy a different back cover down the road.
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16GB may not be an issue for everyone, but why can't they just give the customer the choice at pre-launch? I have no problem paying more for storage. Why does Apple sell every color and size up front from day 1? That's what I don't get. Since they are dying so much to be like Apple, then why can't they at least do that?
MattMJB0188 said:
16GB may not be an issue for everyone, but why can't they just give the customer the choice at pre-launch? I have no problem paying more for storage. Why does Apple sell every color and size up front from day 1? That's what I don't get. Since they are dying so much to be like Apple, then why can't they at least do that?
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Agreed -- it really doesn't make any sense at all. All model options should be available from day 1, no exceptions. That's one thing Apple does an excellent job at. They announce their devices and the same day you can start preordering any color/storage model, assuming the stock is available, of course. It pissed me off even more, because we had to wait this long after the S5 announcement to just preorder it...and then we don't have all the options available? Very annoying.
karmuh said:
Agreed -- it really doesn't make any sense at all. All model options should be available from day 1, no exceptions. That's one thing Apple does an excellent job at. They announce their devices and the same day you can start preordering any color/storage model, assuming the stock is available, of course. It pissed me off even more, because we had to wait this long after the S5 announcement to just preorder it...and then we don't have all the options available? Very annoying.
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+1, Samsung never have full availability of their models. Either they announce a color but don't have it or announce a 64 GB version and don't have it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
barondebxl said:
+1, Samsung never have full availability of their models. Either they announce a color but don't have it or announce a 64 GB version and don't have it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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Yeah I know. Its ridiculous. I don't know why I had such high hopes for them to turn around and launch the S5 differently than before.
MattMJB0188 said:
I am so fed up with this type of BS. AT&T is, unfortunately, the only carrier that works well in my area. T-Mobile is spotty with lots of EDGE. If only their service was on lower spectrum, I'd be all over them.
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I know it doesnt help right now, but i recall reading on Engadget recently that T-Mobile is claiming that all of their 2g areas will be upgraded to 4g by 2015 or early in 2015. That should open up more options for you and countless others.
cloudraker said:
I know it doesnt help right now, but i recall reading on Engadget recently that T-Mobile is claiming that all of their 2g areas will be upgraded to 4g by 2015 or early in 2015. That should open up more options for you and countless others.
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That will help, but a major problem T-Mobile has it that their frequencies don't reach as far as AT&T's and therefore you get EDGE. T-Mobile has all their towers upgraded in my area to HSPA+ and some with LTE, but since those signals don't travel as far, it always turns into EDGE. They need to shut EDGE down entirely and use only H+.
New TouchWiz is just over 8 gigs of space, I've been told the 16gb version will have about 7 gigs of usable storage. I'm waiting for the 32gb version to come to AT&BS I guess a little later this year.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
This is why I am thinking of passing on s5 and going to HTC one m8. I checked out the phone at AT&T and very impressed with it plus it comes in 32gb at AT&T as default. Tired of Samsung Bs. They will release a 32gb version on AT&T 6 months down the road or never.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
sabre31 said:
This is why I am thinking of passing on s5 and going to HTC one m8. I checked out the phone at AT&T and very impressed with it plus it comes in 32gb at AT&T as default. Tired of Samsung Bs. They will release a 32gb version on AT&T 6 months down the road or never.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Yea. With the S4 I think they announced the 32GB version about 2 weeks after the 16GB went on sale; ultimately screwing anyone who wanted one because their return policy was up.
I actually ordered the 16GB because I never have come close to filling the internal storage I was just pissed its not an option. I just really wanted the blue. **** like that pisses me off. I am sure if AT&T gets the 32GB it will only come in black. I wanted white this time.
Yeah AT&T waited 2 weeks on purpose so you couldn't return the 16gb version. I bet they will pull something similar now. Hoping that somebody is desperate to open another line or pay full price to get it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Same thing with last year. 64GB M7 cost the same as a 16GB S4.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
Equally as important as the space issue is the "download booster" feature, which is disabled on all the demo devices that are popping up in AT&T stores. I'm going to wait for the actual devices to ship to customers before passing judgment because floor models definitely do have things disabled sometimes. That said, it certainly shouldn't shock anyone that AT&T would want this disabled. Years of history support the idea that they don't want people using their network, and they push people toward WiFi whenever possible. I can just see some corporate goon in a boardroom breaking out in a cold sweat over the idea of people accidentally using download booster and going over their data plans because they didn't realize what they were doing.
Let us not forget this is also the same carrier who disabled installation of non-market APKs on their early Android devices, shipped the Note 2 without the multi-window functionality until enough people raised hell, and removed the Knox security app from the Note 3. This says nothing of the fact that they still manage to get their paws into Nexus devices, successfully getting Google to code in an exception that disables tethering on the Nexus 7 if you have an AT&T SIM card in it. There's no account check or anything else. If you have an AT&T SIM card in your Nexus 7, the tethering option disappears. End of story. Not even Verizon does that. Also, does anyone remember how, for the longest time, AT&T made both Apple and Google disable video chat in Facetime and Hangouts over HSPA+ and LTE, forcing you to use WiFi?
So far, I'm leaving my preorder intact, but if my device doesn't have the download booster feature, I'm returning it. Every time I decide to give a carrier-branded device a chance, it seems I get let down. Even with Nexus devices, AT&T finds a way to let me down (thus why I have my N7 on Verizon). I'm trying to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt on the download booster, but I'm not at all optimistic. :/ I mainly stick with AT&T because they're basically the only choice if you want to use unlocked Nexus and/or GPE devices and still have Verizon-like coverage.
oldblue910 said:
Equally as important as the space issue is the "download booster" feature, which is disabled on all the demo devices that are popping up in AT&T stores. I'm going to wait for the actual devices to ship to customers before passing judgment because floor models definitely do have things disabled sometimes. That said, it certainly shouldn't shock anyone that AT&T would want this disabled. Years of history support the idea that they don't want people using their network, and they push people toward WiFI whenever possible. I can just see some corporate goon in a boardroom breaking out in a cold sweat over the idea of people accidentally using download booster and going over their data plans because they didn't realize what they were doing.
Let us not forget this is also the same carrier who disabled installation of non-market APKs on their early Android devices, shipped the Note 2 without the multi-window functionality until enough people raised hell, and removed the Knox security app from the Note 3. This says nothing of the fact that they still manage to get their paws into Nexus devices, successfully getting Google to code in an exception that disables tethering on the Nexus 7 if you have an AT&T SIM card in it. There's no account check or anything else. If you have an AT&T SIM card in your Nexus 7, the tethering option disappears. End of story. Not even Verizon does that. Also, does anyone remember how, for the longest time, AT&T made both Apple and Google disable video chat in Facetime and Hangouts over HSPA+ and LTE, forcing you to use WiFi?
So far, I'm leaving my preorder intact, but if my device doesn't have the download booster feature, I'm returning it. Every time I decide to give a carrier-branded device a chance, it seems I get let down. Even with Nexus devices, AT&T finds a way to let me down (thus why I have my N7 on Verizon). I'm trying to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt on the download booster, but I'm not at all optimistic. :/ I mainly stick with AT&T because they're basically the only choice if you want to use unlocked Nexus and/or GPE devices and still have Verizon-like coverage.
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Well said. Personally, I have never used a Nexus device. I have heard bad things about LG's nexus. But I guess it wouldn't be fair of me to judge that device without actually using it. Samsung's TW provides me with exactly what I need. I love the look and a lot of the features. Like you, and as I have already stated, I will keep my pre-order intact and wait until I actually get the device to see for myself if the feature has been disabled or not.
If they do, in fact disable download booster, I probably will go with the international variant. No carrier branding whatsoever. I believe its the same case as in the past. NO LTE, but 21mbps HSPA+ which is fine for my needs. I think loosing LTE may be worth getting an untouched/non-carrier branded Samsung phone. NO limitations, no nothing. Having the ability to have a custom recovery and kernels would be a deal breaker alone. We already know the AT&T S5 will have a locked down bootloader.
One thing I am looking forward to with the AT&T S5 is its support for carrier aggregation. I live in the Chicago land area (one of AT&T's first LTE-A markets). So I am dying to see how much faster my speeds will be.
oldblue910 said:
Equally as important as the space issue is the "download booster" feature, which is disabled on all the demo devices that are popping up in AT&T stores. I'm going to wait for the actual devices to ship to customers before passing judgment because floor models definitely do have things disabled sometimes. That said, it certainly shouldn't shock anyone that AT&T would want this disabled. Years of history support the idea that they don't want people using their network, and they push people toward WiFI whenever possible. I can just see some corporate goon in a boardroom breaking out in a cold sweat over the idea of people accidentally using download booster and going over their data plans because they didn't realize what they were doing.
Let us not forget this is also the same carrier who disabled installation of non-market APKs on their early Android devices, shipped the Note 2 without the multi-window functionality until enough people raised hell, and removed the Knox security app from the Note 3. This says nothing of the fact that they still manage to get their paws into Nexus devices, successfully getting Google to code in an exception that disables tethering on the Nexus 7 if you have an AT&T SIM card in it. There's no account check or anything else. If you have an AT&T SIM card in your Nexus 7, the tethering option disappears. End of story. Not even Verizon does that. Also, does anyone remember how, for the longest time, AT&T made both Apple and Google disable video chat in Facetime and Hangouts over HSPA+ and LTE, forcing you to use WiFi?
So far, I'm leaving my preorder intact, but if my device doesn't have the download booster feature, I'm returning it. Every time I decide to give a carrier-branded device a chance, it seems I get let down. Even with Nexus devices, AT&T finds a way to let me down (thus why I have my N7 on Verizon). I'm trying to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt on the download booster, but I'm not at all optimistic. :/ I mainly stick with AT&T because they're basically the only choice if you want to use unlocked Nexus and/or GPE devices and still have Verizon-like coverage.
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Well said. Unlocked devices in the USA pretty much only fully support AT&T frequencies. Sure they may be unlocked, but use any other carrier and you'll end up losing out on one to numerous frequencies.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
SolarTrans said:
Well said. Unlocked devices in the USA pretty much only fully support AT&T frequencies. Sure they may be unlocked, but use any other carrier and you'll end up losing out on one to numerous frequencies.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
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I can't speak for all unlocked devices, but every Nexus device with a cellular radio fully supports all bands for both AT&T and T-Mobile. In addition, the Nexus 5 fully supports all Sprint CDMA and LTE bands, and the 2013 N7 has full Verizon LTE support.
On the GPE side, you're right. The Moto G and both generations of the HTC One lack support for HSPA+ on the AWS/1700 MHz band, which T-Mobile requires for any area not refarmed to use HSPA+ on the PCS/1900 MHz band.
That said, all GPEs fully support T-Mobile LTE.
Sent from my Z Ultra Google Play Edition using Tapatalk
oldblue910 said:
I can't speak for all unlocked devices, but every Nexus device with a cellular radio fully supports all bands for both AT&T and T-Mobile. In addition, the Nexus 5 fully supports all Sprint CDMA and LTE bands, and the 2013 N7 has full Verizon LTE support.
On the GPE side, you're right. The Moto G and both generations of the HTC One lack support for HSPA+ on the AWS/1700 MHz band, which T-Mobile requires for any area not refarmed to use HSPA+ on the PCS/1900 MHz band.
That said, all GPEs fully support T-Mobile LTE.
Sent from my Z Ultra Google Play Edition using Tapatalk
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Yeah that's true I forgot about T-Mobile. Nexus 5 did it right with good carrier support. GPE supporting T-Mobile and AT&T is nice, but nowhere near ideal. Case in point the M8 unlocked and Dev editions only support AT&T. Also, I think the unlocked iPhones support all the US carriers (99% sure).
Point is, to my knowledge, unlocked device support in the USA is like this (greatest adoption to least):
1. AT&T
2. T-Mobile
3. Sprint (very little support)
4. Verizon (pretty much nothing)
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
i'm confused, why doesn't everyone that want bigger memory space to just spend 35 dollars on amazon and get a 64GB micro card? that'd what i did so now when i get my AT&T S5, I'll have a total of 70 GBs free space....
i think you guys are crying way too much about this 16GB deal.
I am coming from my last few phones being Samsung models , the Galaxy Nexus, Note 2 and 3, and the S4. The last Motorola phone I had was a Droid Razr. I left Moto because the hardware specks started to decline, no sd-slot, no removable battery, less desirable construction. I came back due to Samsung's questionable antenna and radio package. I never really had good strong signal with Samsung though. So, Motorola finally comes out with a beast of a phone in the specs catagory, although still no sd or battery pull but my signal is amazing, reception just about everywhere. So I'm confused why is there no development for the US Verizon Turbo? To me it seems like a no brainer.
That one is easy to answer... Until a vulnerability is found and exploited and root is achieved there is no platform to develop on. That doesn't mean that there isn't anyone working on it, just that not much is going to happen until root is achieved.
Then how do we get some of the heavy hitting android minds on this thing? It really is the best specimen out there currently.
PerCompLLC said:
That one is easy to answer... Until a vulnerability is found and exploited and root is achieved there is no platform to develop on. That doesn't mean that there isn't anyone working on it, just that not much is going to happen until root is achieved.
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I'm sorry, maybe I'm being a newbie here, but I never understood the software difference between Droid Turbo and Moto Maxx that makes the last rootable and the first not. Is it just the bootloader?
You can unlock the Moto Maxx bootloader. You cannot unlock the Turbo's. Plain and simple.
DarkLey said:
I'm sorry, maybe I'm being a newbie here, but I never understood the software difference between Droid Turbo and Moto Maxx that makes the last rootable and the first not. Is it just the bootloader?
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Two words. Unlockable bootloader.
DarkLey said:
I'm sorry, maybe I'm being a newbie here, but I never understood the software difference between Droid Turbo and Moto Maxx that makes the last rootable and the first not. Is it just the bootloader?
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All bootloaders can be unlocked by the manufacturer. But in the case of the Verizon variant (Droid Turbo) Verizon has asked/told Motorola to keep the bootloader locked. Ergo the need for a vulnerability - and someone who knows how to exploit it.
Everything I've been reading indicates that root for the Turbo is a long shot, since the folks that do that stuff really don't want to spend the efforts on a phone that's strictly on only one carryier, Verizon in this case.
this_is_nascar said:
Everything I've been reading indicates that root for the Turbo is a long shot, since the folks that do that stuff really don't want to spend the efforts on a phone that's strictly on only one carryier, Verizon in this case.
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Don't blame it on that. The Thunderbolt was exclusive and had root before it even was officially released.
It more boils down to that those who can do it have day jobs and probably don't have the phone nor care to have it.
adrynalyne said:
Don't blame it on that. The Thunderbolt was exclusive and had root before it even was officially released.
It more boils down to that those who can do it have day jobs and probably don't have the phone nor care to have it.
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Like I said, I really don't know. I'm just repeating what I've said, however I can understand your point as well.
Are there any recognized developers that even have the phone? I know its a bad idea to purchase devices and "loan" them to developers, but I feel like we should donate a few. Something like the bounty for root, but the money funds devices ahead of time. Find a few devs that would be interested and give them the device. It would have to be no strings attached though, if the Dev had no success people couldn't demand their money back. You would know ahead of time that you were donating for the chance at root, not a guarantee. Probably would just end up being an ordeal, but we really need capable devs with the device to take a look. I feel like at this point were just waiting for another moto device to get rooted that happens to work for us.
No root, no recovery, but moto maxx its same device basic "quark" have root and recovery too, but no roms or kernel, the real problem is device dont sell in all countrys, so no devs until now.
georgiadog3 said:
I am coming from my last few phones being Samsung models , the Galaxy Nexus, Note 2 and 3, and the S4. The last Motorola phone I had was a Droid Razr. I left Moto because the hardware specks started to decline, no sd-slot, no removable battery, less desirable construction. I came back due to Samsung's questionable antenna and radio package. I never really had good strong signal with Samsung though. So, Motorola finally comes out with a beast of a phone in the specs catagory, although still no sd or battery pull but my signal is amazing, reception just about everywhere. So I'm confused why is there no development for the US Verizon Turbo? To me it seems like a no brainer.
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I know this thread isnt about sd card slot, but why not go and use a otg usb sd mount stick? Its like having a sd card.
I am guessing that since Verizon is furnishing mobile and internet to some major corporations, the corporate environment wants to have phones secure. Hence that is why they want the bootloader locked as to appeal to the major companies and sell more phones. That was the reason it was when I worked for a major company.
web_ninja said:
I am guessing that since Verizon is furnishing mobile and internet to some major corporations, the corporate environment wants to have phones secure. Hence that is why they want the bootloader locked as to appeal to the major companies and sell more phones. That was the reason it was when I worked for a major company.
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That is not the reason. All carriers have deals like that and not all of them are locking bootloaders.
Verizon is doing it for warranty, support, and insurance reasons.
adrynalyne said:
That is not the reason. All carriers have deals like that and not all of them are locking bootloaders.
Verizon is doing it for warranty, support, and insurance reasons.
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I am making the switch to tmobile at the end of the day today because verizon straight out is trying to over charge for stuff on the bill that shouldnt be there. No one on my account has ever used the visual voicemail paid version nor gone over usage and my fiancees line is said to be 600 dollars or more a month. Not happening. I called tmobile and talked to them for a bit, and explained to her about the bill she gave me the best deal plus with unlimited data for 70 a month. Bringing over my nexus 6. After that was all done I just randomly asked questions about locked bootloaders and root, and the lady spoken clear as day is we are not verizon or att. We support the development community (root and unlocked bootloaders), and that all devices are unlockable in that sense. Tmobile is a go to company for me. Yes some of the service is spotty but still its well worth it for having to deal with verizon since 1998. She even brought up that she is currently using an s5 with cyanogenmod. They actually allow their employees to do that stuff to their work phones as long as they know how to return to stock. Verizon you have been ok in the past but i am out.
Have a good day guys. Happy flashing
the_rooter said:
I am making the switch to tmobile at the end of the day today because verizon straight out is trying to over charge for stuff on the bill that shouldnt be there. No one on my account has ever used the visual voicemail paid version nor gone over usage and my fiancees line is said to be 600 dollars or more a month. Not happening. I called tmobile and talked to them for a bit, and explained to her about the bill she gave me the best deal plus with unlimited data for 70 a month. Bringing over my nexus 6. After that was all done I just randomly asked questions about locked bootloaders and root, and the lady spoken clear as day is we are not verizon or att. We support the development community (root and unlocked bootloaders), and that all devices are unlockable in that sense. Tmobile is a go to company for me. Yes some of the service is spotty but still its well worth it for having to deal with verizon since 1998. She even brought up that she is currently using an s5 with cyanogenmod. They actually allow their employees to do that stuff to their work phones as long as they know how to return to stock. Verizon you have been ok in the past but i am out.
Have a good day guys. Happy flashing
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I tried T-Mobile a couple of months ago for exactly the reasons you described. I wanted to stay with them so badly but I just couldn't deal the spotty coverage. Ended up back with Verizon. Hopefully you have better luck!
the_rooter said:
I am making the switch to tmobile at the end of the day today because verizon straight out is trying to over charge for stuff on the bill that shouldnt be there. No one on my account has ever used the visual voicemail paid version nor gone over usage and my fiancees line is said to be 600 dollars or more a month. Not happening. I called tmobile and talked to them for a bit, and explained to her about the bill she gave me the best deal plus with unlimited data for 70 a month. Bringing over my nexus 6. After that was all done I just randomly asked questions about locked bootloaders and root, and the lady spoken clear as day is we are not verizon or att. We support the development community (root and unlocked bootloaders), and that all devices are unlockable in that sense. Tmobile is a go to company for me. Yes some of the service is spotty but still its well worth it for having to deal with verizon since 1998. She even brought up that she is currently using an s5 with cyanogenmod. They actually allow their employees to do that stuff to their work phones as long as they know how to return to stock. Verizon you have been ok in the past but i am out.
Have a good day guys. Happy flashing
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Click to collapse
As far as T-Mobile is concerned I hope you live in a better coverage area than I. Typically if you only stick to cities then your good but if your on the out skirts or in rural areas your screwed on signal. Even though the coverage map said to be strong network coverage where I lived it just wasn't so.
I happened to purchase this phone expecting the development to be near non existent. I was wanting to see if I could use a phone that was non-rooted and bootloader locked for a period of time as I have never done this before in all the years I have used smart phones.
good luck with T-Mobile though.. love what they are doing just hated the service coverage areas.....
bkeaver said:
As far as T-Mobile is concerned I hope you live in a better coverage area than I. Typically if you only stick to cities then your good but if your on the out skirts or in rural areas your screwed on signal. Even though the coverage map said to be strong network coverage where I lived it just wasn't so.
I happened to purchase this phone expecting the development to be near non existent. I was wanting to see if I could use a phone that was non-rooted and bootloader locked for a period of time as I have never done this before in all the years I have used smart phones.
good luck with T-Mobile though.. love what they are doing just hated the service coverage areas.....
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Don't switch trust me, I just switched from managing T-maybe to managing Verizon I switched all my lines and have never been happier with the choice. T-Mobile even in a metro area constantly drops calls.
kwyrt said:
I tried T-Mobile a couple of months ago for exactly the reasons you described. I wanted to stay with them so badly but I just couldn't deal the spotty coverage. Ended up back with Verizon. Hopefully you have better luck!
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I switched as well a few months ago and the coverage was so spotty I had to switch back. Good luck though.
Upgrading from a very buggy Galaxy S4 here. (The bugs are my fault and I'm not savvy enough to fix them, so I just deal with them.) Have a few questions about which version of the S6 I should get because I'm seeing a lot of info and I'm not really sure what all of it means, so hopefully you guys can give me straight and simple answers.
1. I'm currently on Straight Talk using AT&T. However, Verizon is overall the best in my area, so if I get switched to a new client where AT&T doesn't work I may need to change back to Page Plus quickly. I'm seeing conflicting information on the unlocked versions of these phones, but there does seem to be hope out there that it's possible for some versions to be able to switch between the two easily. Which version do I want if I want to be able to switch between AT&T and Verizon? If you're bored and want to look or know of a handy link where I can buy one of these phones, please feel free to toss it at me. eBay sellers 75% of the time don't seem to know what they're selling when it comes to unlocked phones.
2. An out-of-the-box, working mobile hotspot feature is extremely important to me. My S4 is messed up primarily because my attempt at making the hotspot work didn't go as easily as it was supposed to. I've seen on these forums that some users are saying that at least the Verizon version will work if you use FoxFi, no rooting or tether file hacking required (so no risk of me breaking my phone, yay). I have the paid version of FoxFi already, so that's good news if it's true. Confirm/deny and is the same true for the AT&T version if I had to get that instead?
In case it makes any difference: I'm not really set on getting the Edge if I have to get the regular S6 for the above features, I just couldn't decide which forum to post this in.
Thanks all!
I've reached the end of my patience with phones purchased from AT&T and their (lack of) upgrades. So I'm considering buying a new Samsung S& edge unlocked (SM-G935F) from an eBay seller. I have some questions about this process. I looked online but didn't find answers to my questions. If there's an online resource, feel free to redirect me.
Assumptions:
1) I'm satisfied with AT&T as a carrier.
2) Customer in good standing. No contract commitments.
3) I have as S6 with working AT&T nano-sim.
4) I'm fine purchasing for cash. I'm not interested in AT&T's Next plans.
Questions:
1) Do I simply move the sim to the new phone? Is any registration of the new phone/IMEI required with AT&T? Do I have to setup a new APN? Does call forwarding function the same?
2) Are there any features I lose vs. an AT&T branded phone? Samsung Pay? Any others?
3) AT&T uses LTE bands 2,4,5,17. So does the SM-G935F. So I should get the same LTE performance I would get with an AT&T branded phone, right?
4) How do I get system updates? With an AT&T branded phone, I get them OTA thru Settings>About Device>Software Update. How does this work with an unbranded phone when Samsung releases an update?
5) Do I get any support of the phone from AT&T or Samsung? No warranty, correct?
6) Are there any other pluses or minuses to this approach.
I will be going this route for the S7 as well. It's an expensive option but at least I won't have AT&T crapware and faster updates.
In my experience with previous unlocked phones, the SIM card can just be inserted into the new phone and it will automatically configure the data, mms, and voicemail settings.
Provided the phone you are purchasing supports the required LTE bands, there should be no difference in speed.
There will be no support from AT&T and the warranty is not valid within the U.S.
AFAIK Samsung Pay does not work on the international versions in the U.S. This is what will suck because I happen to like Samsung Pay.
AFAIK, your understanding is correct on all your points. I have an unlocked US Cellular moto e that I use as an alternate to my S6, I swap my SIM back and forth with no issues, and there is no official ATT support for the version of moto e that I have, so I can't imagine you'd have any issues getting the phone up and running. You may have to manually enter your APN, but that info is widely available and it's easy to do. Not sure how updates would work.
Only other consideration is that the int'l version uses an Exynos processor rather than the Snapdragon in the ATT version. From the reviews I've seen, the exynos beats the snapdragon slightly in performance and battery life. It's likely going to make development of custom ROMs for the S7 considerably slower than if it were snapdragon based though. However, the locked bootloader on the ATT one will = zero development unless it gets unlocked (I'm guessing that's very unlikely). So this probably doesn't matter too much.
There will also be no Voice over LTE (HD voice ) on the international version should that be a priority for you
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk
VoLTE would be nice. Any idea when AT&T plans to make that available for non-iPhones?
How are software updates delivered?
VoLTE is available on certain phone already. S6 and others support it. Depends on your area, so you will have to check the map.
iceman4357 said:
VoLTE is available on certain phone already. S6 and others support it. Depends on your area, so you will have to check the map.
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Click to collapse
Yes but only on AT&T branded Android phones and iphones. The OP was speaking of an unbranded international version Galaxy S6 S7 which does not support volte
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk
I'm the OP. It appears that AT&T-branded S7's support VoLTE (HDVoice) as does (somewhat to my surprise) my S6, though I've never been aware of it based on any calls I've made or received. HDVoice appears to be available throughout my SF Bay Area. But, if I understand correctly, this would be a feature I would lose with an unbranded international phone (or, presumably, with an unlocked phone from, say, T-Mobile with an AT&T sim). Correct?
What about features that AT&T removed? Like download booster, simple sharing, and smart manager? These appear to be Samsung additions that were removed from AT&T-branded S6's. Would they be available on an unlocked, unbranded international version? (I'm not sure I would use these, but it's annoying to have them stripped by the carrier.)
And the remaining question that I haven't heard an answer to: how do I get upgrades? OTA (from who)? Download from somewhere & install with Smart Switch (or some other software)? Something Else?
Thanks for your help so far.
If I remember correctly you can download updated ota just like you do now. It just comes from Samsung not at&t.
All the carrier bloat is gone, and all factory apps will be there because there is no one to strip it from the phone.
BUT
If you buy an unlocked t-mobile phone you will have to Odin the updates. I used a verizon s4 with t-mobile I had to manually update everything myself through XDA and odin.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using XDA Premium HD app
I sold my S6 Edge in December and swapped it with a Tmobile unlocked S6 Edge and what a good decision. Got my Marshmallow update this week and the phone felt new again. So much quicker and boosted my Antutu scores too.
8 year AT&T customer and I'm not coming back. LTE speeds and signal is great with Tmobile and unlimited video streaming.
https://store.google.com/product/nexus_6p Starts at $449. Monthly updates. Easy rooting. Easy everything. Great phone.
Came back here to see if any progress made on S6 bootloader unlock and/or rooting (for a friend), and saw this.
Switched to a Nexus when the Nexus 5 came out. I will never, ever, buy a non-Nexus phone ever again. You should be in full control of whatever hardware you buy. Control should never be dictated by a carrier.
Just thought I'd toss in my own perspective (from a former original Galaxy S then S3 owner). Never had any issues at all with my Nexus 5 or 6P. If you have the money, you won't regret a 6P purchase.
If you don't have that kind of money, I think the 4th Gen Moto G (soon to be released, leaks everywhere this week) will probably be the strongest choice.
Pig Vomit said:
https://store.google.com/product/nexus_6p Starts at $449. Monthly updates. Easy rooting. Easy everything. Great phone.
Came back here to see if any progress made on S6 bootloader unlock and/or rooting (for a friend), and saw this.
Switched to a Nexus when the Nexus 5 came out. I will never, ever, buy a non-Nexus phone ever again. You should be in full control of whatever hardware you buy. Control should never be dictated by a carrier.
Just thought I'd toss in my own perspective (from a former original Galaxy S then S3 owner). Never had any issues at all with my Nexus 5 or 6P. If you have the money, you won't regret a 6P purchase.
If you don't have that kind of money, I think the 4th Gen Moto G (soon to be released, leaks everywhere this week) will probably be the strongest choice.
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Click to collapse
Except there's no Smart Stay or Samsung Pay, both features I use and rely on. I'd buy an unlocked Samsung before a a Nexus.
I ordered a T-Mobile sim to test out the carrier where I live, I need to unlock my AT&T S6 Edge first but after that I plan on getting the new Nexus and selling my S6. I simply can't take AT&T's horrible service anymore.
I'm the OP and am back to report. I bought an S7E (G935F) on Amazon (from one of their Marketplace sellers), complete with Prime 2-day free shipping (& no tax). All works as expected:
1) dropping in my old AT&T SIM works fine. No need to call AT&T. No need to configure APNs. Voice calls, SMS, MMS, and LTE data all seem to work correctly. My LTE connection appeared to be on Band 2 in my area.
2) Of course, no AT&T crapware. Features deleted by AT&T are available (download booster, simple sharing, etc.) and work correctly. The Samsung-bundled Microsoft apps (and free 100GB OneDrive) are present.
3) OTA system software updates appear to be available, but there haven't been any.
4) Mine came with Arabic (?!) (and English) printed instructions but the phone sets up fine in English. The (apparently original, sealed) box included a European (Type-C) 2 pin power adapter (with a European-to-US adapter packed separately).
The only unexpected things I've encountered are:
1) changing the VoiceMail configuration. VM works (calls forward to VM as expected and I can retrieve VMs both by calling and using Visual VM app). The only thing I so far unable to do is CHANGE the VM configuration. I can't change the number I forward to (like Call Forward Always to another number, like a colleague). I get a Network Error message when loading the Phone/More Settings page or trying to set a new number. My wife has an AT&T LG G3 that has exactly the same problem. The HTC One M8 (where the S7E SIM came from) VM configuration worked correctly. But an AT&T Samsung S6 works correctly. I haven't found a way around this for any of the phones. I'm wondering if this is some kind of security provision (so that I can't "borrow" your SIM and change the call forwarding to re-route your incoming calls).
2) When I view my AT&T account online, the picture of the phone changed from it's previous model (HTC One M8) to Device Unknown. A minor detail, to be sure, but curious.
So, after a week, I would not hesitate to do this again in the future.
Glad It Worked out For you, I considered an unlocked model but don't want to loose HD Voice and wifi calling (once it arrives). I personally can hear an incredible differnce with HD voice enabled. couldnt care less about it, but video calling would also be lost with unlocked varient.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk
You are correct & I neglected to mention that HDVoice, WiFi Calling, and Video Calling are absent in the International version. It would be nice to have those, but not critical for me. Voice, in general, is less and less important for me. There is video call button in my dialer but it doesn't appear to do anything useful, at least that I've been able to uncover. I have HDVoice on my AT&T S6 and in the few instances that I've had a potential HDVoice call (to a friend's AT&T S7E), I frankly couldn't detect a noticeable difference. I don't know how to see an indication of whether a call is HDVoice or not.
jc95 said:
You are correct & I neglected to mention that HDVoice, WiFi Calling, and Video Calling are absent in the International version. It would be nice to have those, but not critical for me. Voice, in general, is less and less important for me. There is video call button in my dialer but it doesn't appear to do anything useful, at least that I've been able to uncover. I have HDVoice on my AT&T S6 and in the few instances that I've had a potential HDVoice call (to a friend's AT&T S7E), I frankly couldn't detect a noticeable difference. I don't know how to see an indication of whether a call is HDVoice or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On AT&T with an international version you typically loose the HDvoice, Wifi calling and video calling. I have seen people on Verizon with unlocked phones (Galaxy series, htc 10, 6P) that report you can use those features on their network. I think the ideal situation is to have an unlocked phone on Verizon at this point.
OP again with an update... Got a 2nd G935F for wife. Running G935FXXU1APD with AT&T SIM. Call forwarding worked fine on this one. (Not sure why it doesn't work on my other one.) Also, sideloaded Samsung Pay & Samsung Pay Framework from APK Mirror. Installed and works fine. So my list of things that don't work is just HD Voice, WiFi calling and Video calling.
OP again. I'm now more confused. I now have 2 unlocked S7 Edge (one G935F and one G935FD). Both unlocked. Both using AT&T sims. Identical software on both. On the FD, things work better than I was expecting: Samsung Pay works. I can add cards and use it to pay. I can also change the Call Forwarding settings (in particular CF All). But the 935F can't add a card to Samsung Pay (server connection error) and I can't change the CF settings. There are a number of online references complaining about server connection error and many seem related to device encryption (can't add cards to encrypted devices). I also have an S6 that's working with SPay and was encrypted with Lollipop. With Marshmallow, the Lock Screen settings have changed and it's no longer encrypt/decrypt device, only Require screen lock to decrypt data when device turned on. There doesn't seem to be an obvious way to decrypt a Marshmallow device. But even with this set, I can add cards to me S6 and S7E (FD), but not my S7E (F).
I suppose I should be grateful that SP works at all on one of my unlocked S7Es. But it's frustrating to have them behave differently.
I bought a (now) carrier-unlocked G920A, thinking that the Samsung Galaxy S6 would have been popular enough to have a really healthy XDA community, with rooting and lots of ROMs available.
But I after an hour of searching the forums, I can't seem to find any options to root phone that's allready ready on Nougat / 7.0 / G920AUC-S6EQJ1.
Is my google-fu weak and I missed something, or did I just not do my homework, and ended up with an abandoned platform?
kc-guy said:
I bought a (now) carrier-unlocked G920A, thinking that the Samsung Galaxy S6 would have been popular enough to have a really healthy XDA community, with rooting and lots of ROMs available.
But I after an hour of searching the forums, I can't seem to find any options to root phone that's allready ready on Nougat / 7.0 / G920AUC-S6EQJ1.
Is my google-fu weak and I missed something, or did I just not do my homework, and ended up with an abandoned platform?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Long 'abandoned'. No root except for early versions of Lollipop.
If you want root/ROMs, buying ATT or VZW branded devices is a bad idea.
I never would have expected there would be more development for my old MetroPCS Galaxy Core Prime (G360T) than for the AT&T S6!
Lesson learned, I guess.
kc-guy said:
I never would have expected there would be more development for my old MetroPCS Galaxy Core Prime (G360T) than for the AT&T S6!
Lesson learned, I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought into the S6 at launch (on contract as I wasn't ready to pony up the $850 or whatever ridiculous price it was at the time) with the hope it would get a decent following. My previous experience with ATT branded stuff was mostly good, in that the devices I had (HTC Aria, Galaxy S2, LG Optimus G) had all been unlockable one way or another, and all had good dev communities.
S6 soured me on Samsung and on carrier branded phones.
ATT has, from what I can tell, gotten considerably more aggressive about locking down. Also, the better availability of unlockable unbranded devices the last couple years has led to less interest and less effort at cracking the branded stuff.
Pretty sure the unlocked/TMO S6 community was pretty healthy at one point... Maybe still is?
I currently run an unlockable Moto z play, that is now out of warranty by about a week. First device I've kept unrooted for more than a week. There's apparently a means to get back to fully relocked out of the box stock. There's a working Oreo 8.1 ROM. I still haven't pulled the trigger. It's that good stock...
Maybe I can cell the ATT version and buy the Tmo version-- after some more research.
Ignoring the bloatware and lack of an SD card, I really enjoyed having the Xposed framework available, especially the Wanam call recording and XPrivacy options. Android still doesn't have the level of native privacy controls they should.
kc-guy said:
Maybe I can cell the ATT version and buy the Tmo version-- after some more research.
Ignoring the bloatware and lack of an SD card, I really enjoyed having the Xposed framework available, especially the Wanam call recording and XPrivacy options. Android still doesn't have the level of native privacy controls they should.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TBH, the S6 isn't that great a device, with the exception of the camera, compared to a lot of inexpensive current phones. Battery life is atrocious.
Did you get it crazy cheap?
If you're looking for decent device for smallish money that's unlockable and has a dev community, check out Motorola mid-range or budget phones (you can get an unlockable e4 on us Cellular prepaid for like $50) or OnePlus 3/3t
Thanks dandrumheller
dandrumheller said:
Did you get it crazy cheap?
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Click to collapse
Nope, I overpaid ($140) because I waited too long to replace my old phone and it was approaching unusable.
I struggle to pay as much for a phone with a 3 year lifespan as I would for a mid-range laptop, even if I'm going to use it almost as often.
eBay has the OnePlus 3/3t for around $300, but the specs are really impressive.
64/128 GB, 6 GB RAM + 2x2.35 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo + Dual 16 MP cameras
dandrumheller said:
Motorola e4 on US Cellular
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
16 GB, 2 GB RAM + 8/5 MP camera + Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53
The e4 is around $100 on eBay.
The price point, and SD card expansion option definitely sways me towards the e4, although the camera isn't great
Is there any way to check which phones have carrier-specific models?
I couldn't find a comprehensive list for the e4 on the XDA forums, except for a post saying the Verizon variant can't be rooted.
A global list would be an amazing resource for the community, but I don't have a clue how I'd start building it.
Here are the carriers I saw listed for the e4 on eBay, plus prices on the carrier website, where available.
I tracked all this down in case anyone else with a G920A can benefit from the advice. Those not listed are CDMA or known to be unrootable.
Consumer Cellular (1) [Not on carrier website]
MetroPCS (22) [Website may list e not e4?]
Republic Wireless (1) [$129 on carrier site)
U.S. Cellular (6) [US Cellular doesn't have service in my area, so I'd have to find a workaround (eBay) if I bought it directly]
Unlocked (166) [dice roll]
Not Specified (53) [ dice roll]
Sorry all; I am a newbie, so forgive this question:
Like OP, I also have a now-carrier unlocked G920A, updated to 7.0. I would like to install a stock ROM--not AT&T ROM, but a clean Samsung ROM--so I can get rid of AT&T bloatware. I'd also like to do this because after I switched from AT&T to a MVNO, Wi-Fi calling is grayed out, despite Wi-Fi calling being enabled by my new MVNO. I believe the Wi-Fi calling capability is locked into the AT&T-branded ROM (and that therefore Wi-Fi calling is only allowed on AT&T towers), and that I need a "stock" Samsung ROM.
Is this possible? Per the above I believe it is not, because the phone must be rooted first, and the AT&T S6 apparently cannot be. Is that right? Thanks.
I'm not sure if you can use ADB or Samsung's Odin software to push a new ROM from your PC to an non-rooted phone or not.
But from what I've seen, this phone's bootloader is locked, so we don't have the option of pushing a new ROM, even if we were able to root it.
My understanding is that rooting your phone is the equivalent of your phone's admin password (in fact, Linux/Unix-based systems (like Android) actually refer to the admin account as root), and will allow you to remove bloatware and install programs that require elevated permissions (e.g. Xposed framwork, certain file managers).
I think the bootloader is analogous to a PC's security "feature" in the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) that replaced traditional BIOS/CMOS, intended to prevent unauthorized changes to the OS.... and can also cause problems with Linux installations, which are obviously not going to have a Microsoft-provided checksum.
ROMs are basically custom a OS (e.g. CyanogenModOS and LineageOS). They can provide a but more built-in privacy and security than Google's native Android OS provides, and even separate the phone from Google's Play Store and other software entirely.
Both of these are separate from Carrier Unlocking, which will allow you to use the phone other other carriers, but not provide any elevated permissions. You're still stuck with bloatware and Android's standard privacy permissions.
You'll want to wait until somebody tells me why I'm wrong to get a better answer, but that's the joy of Cunningham's Law and the internet.
FUUUCK, feels like AT$T & Samsung cockblock'd us. No kidding about aggressive measures, my SO's Sony still can be forced to Hotspot unrooted.. but it takes several tricks after manually acquiring FoxFi and PDANet+. Basturds, I'm stuck with a seemingly unrootable 7.0 S6 where these apps are being successfully blocked.
kc-guy said:
Thanks dandrumheller
Nope, I overpaid ($140) because I waited too long to replace my old phone and it was approaching unusable.
I struggle to pay as much for a phone with a 3 year lifespan as I would for a mid-range laptop, even if I'm going to use it almost as often.
eBay has the OnePlus 3/3t for around $300, but the specs are really impressive.
64/128 GB, 6 GB RAM + 2x2.35 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo + Dual 16 MP cameras
16 GB, 2 GB RAM + 8/5 MP camera + Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53
The e4 is around $100 on eBay.
The price point, and SD card expansion option definitely sways me towards the e4, although the camera isn't great
Is there any way to check which phones have carrier-specific models?
I couldn't find a comprehensive list for the e4 on the XDA forums, except for a post saying the Verizon variant can't be rooted.
A global list would be an amazing resource for the community, but I don't have a clue how I'd start building it.
Here are the carriers I saw listed for the e4 on eBay, plus prices on the carrier website, where available.
I tracked all this down in case anyone else with a G920A can benefit from the advice. Those not listed are CDMA or known to be unrootable.
Consumer Cellular (1) [Not on carrier website]
MetroPCS (22) [Website may list e not e4?]
Republic Wireless (1) [$129 on carrier site)
U.S. Cellular (6) [US Cellular doesn't have service in my area, so I'd have to find a workaround (eBay) if I bought it directly]
Unlocked (166) [dice roll]
Not Specified (53) [ dice roll]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, camera is definitely not spectacular.
I'm not aware of any really comprehensive lists - I usually look at www.gsmarena.com and www.willmyphonework.com to do initial data gathering for devices I'm looking at. then check here and other articles to try to confirm funcitonality, unlockability, and ROM options.
GSM Arena is my go-to for specs and side-by-side comparisons, but the only time you get full model numbers is if a particular phone doesn't have a feature offered by the other phones (fingerprint scanner, FM Radio functionality)
http://www.willmyphonework.com/ displayed a parked domain page (Gandi.net).
Sorry. It's https://willmyphonework.net
That's a really great site, thanks!
root
how to root g920a
TwO-x said:
how to root g920a
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're already on Android version 7, you can't root the g920a.
ok
ok thanks
Su