Database Develop

Oh AT&T... how I loathe you!

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Another one done with AT&T

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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.

Worth buying N910T?

Hey T mobile users, I currently have a Sprint note4 unlocked on Cricket network. As you may know I only get hspa speeds this way, Not a super big deal to me. As I've had the phone this way for a year now. Only reason I even ended up this route is because i got the phone (at the time) real cheap from a relative.
But now that I've seen the prices drop quite a bit cause of its age, my question to you is first will the t mobile phone get lte speeds with Cricket(at&t)? It looks like to me it has them bands.
Second, Do you think it's worth the hassle? I figured I could comp the price by selling mine afterwards.
Your advice and opinion is appreciated. Thank you!

It WILL work, but it isn't worth the hassle. With T-Mobile you would only benefit from VoLTE and WiFi calling. You can root your existing phone and flash a ROM with the T-Mobile system files and keep your.
AT&T and T-Mobile note4 is the same hardware-wise except the bootloader, modem and corresponding kernel required to make WiFi calling work for the N910T. The N910A is punished with the locked bootloader, so I can see your concern.
If I understand you correctly: You wish to keep your current carrier, but to switch phones just to get LTE speeds?

I have a 910T running on Cricket's network. I think I paid $150 for it used which was a huge upgrade from the HTC Desire 510 I was using. It had a burnt in screen but I learned to deal with it for $150. Also has some other quirks that usually only show when a phone's been water damaged. I learned to deal and get around them though. Because of this, I don't recommend buying a phone used. And since you're content with your Sprint model, I might just stay with that.
The reason I went T-Mobile was because of the unlocked bootloader. And there's no doubt in my mind that I'll have this phone for another 2 years. It's a great phone and after Samsung took a bunch of features away with the Note 5 and then created an exploding Note 7, I'm quite happy with this device for a while to come. Now the rumor is that Samsung might be taking away the 3.5 headphone port. If that's true, **** them. I just used my headphones for over 6 hours on a Greyhound bus and Bluetooth requires charging which I don't wanna deal with.
I can't tell you what to do but if it were me, I'd stick with the Sprint model. But I do love custom ROMs so...

****If you buy a note 4****
Only buy a refurbished or recertified one with a full warranty...
There's reported issues with these phones real or imagined... don't take the risk!!!
Good Luck!

PSA: Pixel 4 / 4 XL (Unlocked) on Xfinity Mobile - all advanced calling features work

Hi everyone. After a big blowout I had with AT&T leading me to finally leave them after our family being customers for 20 years, it led me to porting out all 5 of my family's numbers to Xfinity Mobile. Good riddance.
I'm happy to report that, unlike with AT&T, advanced calling features work with the Google Store / Unlocked Pixel 4 XL (and regular Pixel 4, which my wife is now using). VoLTE and WiFi calling both work perfectly. Both phones were immediately bootloader unlocked and heavily modified as soon as I got them. Like usual, none of the advanced calling features worked while on AT&T (for our last 2-3 days with them before I got the Xfinity Mobile SIM cards in the mail and peaced out, lol). I was worried that advanced calling might not work on Xfinity Mobile either unless you bought the phone from them, and considering they're closely related to Verizon, I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to unlock the bootloader if purchased from them. Well, you don't need to worry if you buy the factory unlocked variant.
They also extended their BYOD promo, so doing BYOD and porting out your number from your carrier will get you a $50 "rebate" so to speak per number ported out ($250 for me, wooo! My brother and parents all had iPhones that were also BYOD'd). I'll be honest, I friggin hate Comcast as a cable company, but seeing as how they're my only option for ISP for the foreseeable future, why the hell not reduce my cell phone bill by ~60-70% and be on a better network than AT&T's crap?
Oh, and also, for the last month of service with AT&T, knowing it wouldn't be a full month of service, I dropped our 35GB family plan to 3GB, expecting to save a few bucks. According to them, the total month cost was supposed to go down by ~$40. Instead, it went UP by $10. Yup, I dropped our data allotment by 90%, and our bill went UP. They didn't tell us that instead of $15 per line access charge we've been paying for years, it would become $20, and charge the primary line $45 access fee, just because. Goodbye you f"king scam artists.
PS: I'm not a Comcast shill. This is more of a PSA, and if I could convince anyone else to leave AT&T and stop giving them your hard earned money, this is all worth it.
edit for more info/thoughts: Part of the BYOD process involved entering the device IMEI numbers, before being able to order the sim cards - I suspect to check that, A) they're compatible BYOD devices, B) whether it corresponds to certain carriers, and C) for iPhones, that they are indeed carrier unlocked. I would also suspect that this process registers these devices' IMEI numbers into their database to allow VoLTE and WiFi Calling on their network. So I really don't see any reason they would suddenly pull these features away for eligible BYOD devices, done the right way. I did notice when I tried to drop the new SIM into my wife's old HTC U11, data and advanced calling wouldn't work. Like some MVNO's, this may make switching phones a little more annoying in the future, but probably easily taken care of as long as you use a compatible phone and a quick call. Ultimately still well worth it if you ask me. Oh, and my brother, mom, and stepdad use iPhone 6s, 7, and 7 Plus - advanced calling features worked on them too. 2 of them were unlocked AT&T phones, and the other was Verizon (which at the time were all SIM unlocked).

Issue with Activating Unlocked US Pixel 5 with T-Mobile

Curious if anyone is using the unlocked Pixel 5 with T-Mobile? I bought the unlocked Pixel 5 from Best Buy today and went to activate it with T-Mobile and they are telling me it doesn't support VoLTE or LTE Extended Range so they can't activate the device?? This is the model I bought: GA01316-US

I have T-Mobile and dropped my sim card from my og Pixel XL into my new phone (same model # as you provided). Works well, no issues at all.

I'm waiting on the arrival of my phone, but there was a message from TMobile a while back about needing a new sim card to use the 5G SA Network. Does anyone know if this applies to Pixel 5?
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I'm no expert on 5g, but the sim card I dropped in my new phone has been around since at least 2014, and I'm getting 5g in Phx.

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/devices/latest-sim-for-great-network-experience
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I also picked up my pixel 5 at a Best Buy in the Chicago area. Getting 5G on T-mobile just fine with a 5 year old sim.

From what I'm reading, Stand Alone is supposed to be better. You need a new Sim card for that. I have 5G everywhere with my old Sim. Probably going to get a new Sim soon

I should mention I'm a Sprint customer but I'm using a T-Mobile SIM in my current iPhone 11. I don't think that should matter though?

I'm curious if you all put your IMEI in T-Mobiles IMEI checker what does it say? When I put mine in for model: GD1YQ it tells me that it's not supported on T-Mobile. I did the same IMEI check for Verizon and AT&T and it checked out fine. This is so weird...

Newerabs said:
Curious if anyone is using the unlocked Pixel 5 with T-Mobile? I bought the unlocked Pixel 5 from Best Buy today and went to activate it with T-Mobile and they are telling me it doesn't support VoLTE or LTE Extended Range so they can't activate the device?? This is the model I bought: GA01316-US
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am.
It's a long story, I won't bore everyone with it. I have replaced (tried to) my Pixel 4 XL on Thursday the 29th, which was running on an eSIM.
I called T-Mobile after work to get a new eSIM downloaded. I wasted six hours of my life with getting an eSIM with absolutely clueless technicians. I was really pissed off, T-Mobile has always been number one in customer service from my experience. They gave up and told me to visit a store to get a physical SIM. Bull****. After I told them no way I was visiting a store they wanted $25.00 US to mail me a SIM. As far as I know, it's still coming, but Customer Service in the US has removed the charges from my upcoming bill, especially after I told them I'm talking to them on a SIM-less device. If do receive the SIM, I will be depositing it in a strong metal container. My trash can.
I called back the next day during normal business hours and the eSIM deal took exactly five minutes to get done, as was my experience with my Pixel 4 XL.
Lesson learned? Hang up and call back during normal business hours to find someone with a clue. Everything you are stating that T-Mobile told you is incorrect.
After speaking with the network engineer, I learned that currently T-Mobile is both 5G SA and NSA, that's how he was seeing my connection and provisioning profile for my account, but should change soon. in some areas and they are migrating to complete SA, I am good to go with my account on with both versions of 5G. Right now NSA isn't quite as fast as SA, in theory, but not reality at this time. If I understood him correctly I was on NSA, which could simply be due to my physical location. Pulling 100Mb/s but the potential is there for 300Mb/s or better.
You can find the distinctions on:
https://www.t-mobile.com/support/devices/latest-sim-for-great-network-experience
Your mileage will vary depending on your area I live and tower proximity, I live in a major city in the US, and I understand they are working with the city's downtown area as priority. He was unfamiliar with which bands the Pixel covers, but it does have the antennae to handle the higher frequencies AT&T and Sprint uses, T-Mobile is using the 600Ghz for the majority of its customers:
https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/t-mobile-network

I put my ~4 year old T-Mobile SIM card in my Pixel 5 and it's working just fine on 5G. The sim was previously in my Pixel 4, Pixel 3 before that, and Pixel 2XL, prior to that.
I didn't know you could buy an unlocked Pixel 5 from BestBuy that wasn't meant to work with Verizon or Sprint. I'm wondering if your "unlocked" phone is really meant for one of those two carriers.

bleez99 said:
I am.
It's a long story, I won't bore everyone with it. I have replaced (tried to) my Pixel 4 XL on Thursday the 29th, which was running on an eSIM.
I called T-Mobile after work to get a new eSIM downloaded. I wasted six hours of my life with getting an eSIM with absolutely clueless technicians. I was really pissed off, T-Mobile has always been number one in customer service from my experience. They gave up and told me to visit a store to get a physical SIM. Bull****. After I told them no way I was visiting a store they wanted $25.00 US to mail me a SIM. As far as I know, it's still coming, but Customer Service in the US has removed the charges from my upcoming bill, especially after I told them I'm talking to them on a SIM-less device. If do receive the SIM, I will be depositing it in a strong metal container. My trash can.
I called back the next day during normal business hours and the eSIM deal took exactly five minutes to get done, as was my experience with my Pixel 4 XL.
Lesson learned? Hang up and call back during normal business hours to find someone with a clue. Everything you are stating that T-Mobile told you is incorrect.
After speaking with the network engineer, I learned that currently T-Mobile is both 5G SA and NSA, that's how he was seeing my connection and provisioning profile for my account, but should change soon. in some areas and they are migrating to complete SA, I am good to go with my account on with both versions of 5G. Right now NSA isn't quite as fast as SA, in theory, but not reality at this time. If I understood him correctly I was on NSA, which could simply be due to my physical location. Pulling 100Mb/s but the potential is there for 300Mb/s or better.
You can find the distinctions on:
https://www.t-mobile.com/support/devices/latest-sim-for-great-network-experience
Your mileage will vary depending on your area I live and tower proximity, I live in a major city in the US, and I understand they are working with the city's downtown area as priority. He was unfamiliar with which bands the Pixel covers, but it does have the antennae to handle the higher frequencies AT&T and Sprint uses, T-Mobile is using the 600Ghz for the majority of its customers:
https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/t-mobile-network
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So maybe try with an esim? If you put your IMEI in T-Mobile IMEI checker does it say it's compatible? This is just so mind boggling to me. I can activate it with Sprint but not with T-Mobile. It's so weird.

Newerabs said:
So maybe try with an esim? If you put your IMEI in T-Mobile IMEI checker does it say it's compatible? This is just so mind boggling to me. I can activate it with Sprint but not with T-Mobile. It's so weird.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try getting an eSIM. Eventually, SIM cards will go away as bothersome. Do yourself a favor though, I don't know what your location is, but call T-Mobile during their normal 9-5 business hours. If your call is routed overseas, hang up and call again, or ask to speak to a US based engineer. Please don't take that the wrong way, I found that the outsourced call centers are poorly trained, and cannot perform the simplest of technical tasks. I actually had an argument with an "engineer" when he told me to scan the QR code without activating the EID in their system. Moron. He refused to listen to someone who has some understanding of cellular operations. Then he accused me of not knowing what a QR code is. This is not magic, you cannot just scan the QR code on their website and expect registration without prior entry into the system by EID.
Don't expect the reps at the stores to understand how to set up an eSIM either.
IMEI doesn't matter to T-Mobile at all. When it comes to an eSIM, they do ask you for an EID. The IMEI is either whitelisted after activation or rejected because it's on a "questionable or stolen list" The fact, as far as I understand it, report you phone stolen and the IMEI will become blacklisted. They have the IMEI and the phone is dead to the world. If someone is asking for an IMEI for an eSIM, hang up. Rest assured your IMEI will show up on their systems and your account once your phone is up and running on their network AFTER successful EID based registration.
This is why I find it incredible that people steal phones, when in reality they are stealing a paperweight.
As far as companies like AT&T, they refuse to activate phones if not on their supported list EMEI list, I told them where they can stick their IMEI and walked across the street to T-Mobile after being with AT&T forever. The last straw was refusing to let me use HD voice because didn't purchase the phone from them (IMEI related). Petty, idiotic, they lost a customer. I don't know why I didn't leave AT&T earlier, they refused to activate Nexus and Play Edition phones without a lot of drama.
Here it is, T-Mobile is bring your own device friendly, always has been, that's why IMEI is not relevant to them. AT&T can burn in hell.
Their polices may have changed since then, I wouldn't know, and I don't plan on ever finding out.

sn0warmy said:
I put my ~4 year old T-Mobile SIM card in my Pixel 5 and it's working just fine on 5G. The sim was previously in my Pixel 4, Pixel 3 before that, and Pixel 2XL, prior to that.
I didn't know you could buy an unlocked Pixel 5 from BestBuy that wasn't meant to work with Verizon or Sprint. I'm wondering if your "unlocked" phone is really meant for one of those two carriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think they have Verizon, ATT, Sprint/TM, Unlocked.

On their web site, Best Buy shows two options. Verizon and Unlocked.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

sn0warmy said:
I put my ~4 year old T-Mobile SIM card in my Pixel 5 and it's working just fine on 5G. The sim was previously in my Pixel 4, Pixel 3 before that, and Pixel 2XL, prior to that.
I didn't know you could buy an unlocked Pixel 5 from BestBuy that wasn't meant to work with Verizon or Sprint. I'm wondering if your "unlocked" phone is really meant for one of those two carriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, the unlocked one from Best Buy works with all carriers. It's no different than the unlocked version you can buy from Google.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

xRogerxC said:
Actually, the unlocked one from Best Buy works with all carriers. It's no different than the unlocked version you can buy from Google.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what's so weird. I don't understand why when I put in the IMEI on T-Mobiles website it says it's not supported. It's just so strange to me. Even when I call T-Mobile and try and activate they tell me it won't work. I think I'm going to go and return and try another one. Maybe I got a dud or something... I don't know how but you never know.

Newerabs said:
That's what's so weird. I don't understand why when I put in the IMEI on T-Mobiles website it says it's not supported. It's just so strange to me. Even when I call T-Mobile and try and activate they tell me it won't work. I think I'm going to go and return and try another one. Maybe I got a dud or something... I don't know how but you never know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works just fine. Those guys don't know what their talking about.

My carrier, Spectrum, sells the P5 but won't activate an unlocked P5. At least not now they won't, they said in future they would, no time line.
Multiple ppl I talked all bought it unlocked and just used their old SIM and it works fine, even gets 5G in the areas where its available.
My P5 comes tomorrow and I'm just gonna pop my old SIM in and call it a day.

TokedUp said:
My carrier, Spectrum, sells the P5 but won't activate an unlocked P5. At least not now they won't, they said in future they would, no time line.
Multiple ppl I talked all bought it unlocked and just used their old SIM and it works fine, even gets 5G in the areas where its available.
My P5 comes tomorrow and I'm just gonna pop my old SIM in and call it a day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could not get the IMEI to check with Spectrum. I called them and they are sending me a new SIM. I was told I need a new one for 5G. I will verify I can activate it when I get it. I was able to verify the IMEI with the Verizon check site.