Can i change the firmware location? - Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers

Ok, so I bought a note 8, unlocked, dual sim, unbranded on ebay. I had it on att, and it worked ok. I'm now on tmobile and it's being contrary. Signal and ability to make calls, text, use data are intermittent. Between great signal and still not able to do anything, and the otherwise expected great signal, great service, low signal, low service.
So I did some digging, and found out it may be due to the band that my phone is using. Which lead me to the possibility that it could have to do with where my phone is regioned for. My phone is regioned for united arab emirates. I am in the United States.
What can I do, and exactly, step by step, what do I need to do to make this work? I'm somewhat tech savvy, but have never attempted something like this before, though I am confident in my abilities with proper instruction.
Thanks in advance!

Maybe you could try this
[https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...nt/n8-s8x-s9x-oreo-t-mobile-efs-csc-t3772374]
Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

Related

I'm so sorry this has to be my first post..

Hey XDA - I've been a browser forever, but I just signed up;
because I am in diiiiiiiiire need of some help.
I'm really sorry this has to be my first thread.
I promise I'm not a troll, and I promise I'll contribute as
much as I possibly can!
I have a situation I am in -
I currently have a Nexus One, on T-Mobile U.S.
It's completely stock, no hacks or roots, mods or anything.
To make a long story short - I'll be switching phones and providers soon (Evo), but I would like to give this phone to my girlfriend, who happens to live in the United Kingdom. She's on the O2 network, and has all the data/plan stuff covered already, I just need to get the phone working for her when she pops in her SIM card.
From what I've gathered, it seems like the Nexus One WILL work on O2 with both 2G and 3G speeds, if this is true; can someone verify?
"O2 use 2100MHz for 3G and 900/1800MHz for GSM (2G - Voice/GPRS).
The Nexus One supports these frequencies for both services."
Also, I've never unlocked, or rooted a phone before. This phone would NEED to be unlocked for her to be able to use it, right? Is it possible to unlock a phone without rooting it? I really am new to all of this. She's not a power user, so I'd like her to keep the stock build and get all the updates. Is that possible? To unlock the phone and keep everything stocked?
Can someone maybe help with that? Or should I just follow one of those guides to "unlock and flash the rom" guides that I've found all over the internet? I really want to just keep everything stock for her, with the exception of the phone being unlocked.
Whatever happens, will the Android market still be working for her?
Does anyone know how Google Maps would work on the phone for her, in the UK?
I'm basically in love with the girl, and we're trying to do everything we can to make the best of a long distance relationship. The main reason I want her to have an android phone (mine) is for her to be able to use Fring with me, and Google Chat - so I'd really hope those apps worked in the UK.
Any help on unlocking this bad boy is much appreciated.
Thank you XDA,
You guys are awesome - and I have all the respect in the world for you.
Hey Dude,
my US Nexus is working fine on O2 here in germany and there are no problems with 3G and 2G, so no worries. And afaik no Nexus One is sim-locked.
Hope this helps.
Siggi303 said:
Hey Dude,
my US Nexus is working fine on O2 here in germany and there are no problems with 3G and 2G, so no worries. And afaik no Nexus One is sim-locked.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That actually does help a lot - but,
did you purchase the unlocked Nexus from Google?
I can't confirm, but I've heard that both are different,
the T-Mobile version being sim locked.
I also have the APN settings from O2 U.K already
- I'm aware of that part.
Hi, I am on o2 in the uk and the nexus works Just fine (2g & 3g). Also, I thought the nexus wasn't sim locked, I certainly never had to unlock mine.
dazzawright said:
Hi, I am on o2 in the uk and the nexus works Just fine (2g & 3g). Also, I thought the nexus wasn't sim locked, I certainly never had to unlock mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was yours purchased unlocked though?
Thank you
Europe uses the same bands in every country. Its a direction from the European Union so every phone bought in Europe will work in every country in Europe.
Coincidentally, T-MO US uses the same bands so you won't have any trouble with it. I have the T-MO US version here in Romania and works fine on 2G and 3G.
I don't think its sim locked. You should put an att sim in it, although you're only gonna get 2G. But that will show you if its sim locked or not.
I am pretty sure that although Google were selling the Nexus with a T-Mobile option there are no sim- or netlocked Nexus Ones - simply for the fact that Google did not want that. That is also how Vodafone handles the Nexus distribution here in germany: There is an option for a bundle with a contract and the Nexus you get with it is not sim- or netlocked.
Also, to answer another question of you: Yes, your gf will be able to use all functions (market, maps, etc.) without any rooting-action necessary.
lorin.bute said:
Europe uses the same bands in every country. Its a direction from the European Union so every phone bought in Europe will work in every country in Europe.
Coincidentally, T-MO US uses the same bands so you won't have any trouble with it. I have the T-MO US version here in Romania and works fine on 2G and 3G.
I don't think its sim locked. You should put an att sim in it, although you're only gonna get 2G. But that will show you if its sim locked or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was a genius suggestion.
Popped in a co-workers ATT sim, and it worked
just fine with absolutely zero issues. Thank you!
AHHH I am so relieved. DDDDDDDDDDDDDD!
Siggi : Thank you also for that bit of information, you guys really just took a huge weight off my chest.
1. It will be fully functional on the provider you specified.
2. There is no such thing as SIM-locked Nexus.
3. It's fun using Fring video to show people places.
just for our your clarification: EVERY NEXUS ONE SOLD IS UNLOCKED, and, IT WILL WORK IN THE UK.
Settled.
zachthemaster said:
just for our your clarification: EVERY NEXUS ONE SOLD IS UNLOCKED, and, IT WILL WORK IN THE UK.
Settled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly.
I also got a Nexus One from Google US and it's working without any problems in germany.
Just remember, even though your Nexus One is unlocked, if you are on contract with T-Mobile and you cancel early, you will have to pay an ETF.

Is this phone (Tmobile) compatible with Mexico’s Telcel?

Hi guys, just a quick question, although all signs point to yes and I’ve done my research, there’s no real loss in asking here.
I am in Mexico and went to some Telcel centers here and even the Samsung stores and they just don’t have the phone down here at the moment, it’s all sold out except for colors I don’t want, so I went online and found a good deal on a completely unlocked T-Mobile version and I am about to pull the trigger but I just want to make sure T-Mobile and telcel are 100% compatible when it comes to voice, 3g and LTE. As far as I know now that T Mobile has a different LTE infrastructure it is now compatible with ATT, Telcel and Rogers but I rather ask the experts here.
If it is compatible I will pull the trigger on this offer instantly because I really like this phone.
As long as it's unlocked then you should be good

Using a Tab S2 with LTE as a phone

I have a Tab S2 T817W with LTE, unlocked and rooted.
I am leaving for Japan, China and Hong Kong for vacation soon. I was able to use the data SIM cards in those places to connect to Internet last time when I was there.
Is there anyway that I can use it as a regular phone, eg dial and receive phone calls with a local number?
I have hear 2 versions of an answer to this question & hope someone knows for real. Answer #1 is No as the versions of tablets sold in the USA do not have the calling hardware and answer #2 is probably yes with firmware mods as the hardware id the same in all versions. Anyone know the right answer?
I think all US LTE models have the phone removed, and I don't think hacking it in has worked thus far. You can sometimes do regular texting tho, but you may need to pay a little extra. As I just wrote in another thread, my SM-T719 works exactly like a phone tho, it's the international unlocked model, no carrier connection at all. Just pop in your sim and it's basically a huge smartphone I think the key here in the States is the network not recognizing the IMEI, so not knowing that it's a tablet.
YrrchSebor said:
I think all US LTE models have the phone removed, and I don't think hacking it in has worked thus far. You can sometimes do regular texting tho, but you may need to pay a little extra. As I just wrote in another thread, my SM-T719 works exactly like a phone tho, it's the international unlocked model, no carrier connection at all. Just pop in your sim and it's basically a huge smartphone. I'm using it on T-Mobile now as my only phone at the moment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the model number SM-T719 (no letter) or something like SM-T719Y ??
rwcherry100 said:
Is the model number SM-T719 (no letter) or something like SM-T719Y ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just T719, no letter at all.
Verizon s2 lte can be used as a phone. Messaging+ from Verizon can enable calls and calls can be made and received. Only downside is, it is missing the 3g band. I live in Los Angeles so I always have lte signal.
Sent from my SM-T817V using Tapatalk

SM-G973F/DS in USA? Waste of time?

Long time lurker, first time poster here. First of all, a massive THANK YOU to everyone here. You guys and gals are Awesome! <3
So, I bought a Samsung S10 (SM-G973F/DS) on Ebay recently and flashed it to Lineage OS 19.1. All was fine until I tried to activate it. We did everything...manually changing the ASP settings, and a bunch of other stuff to try and get this thing to connect to the mobile network. Even placed the SIM card in another phone just to confirm the SIM card was fine, which it was.
Long story short, I think the device was perhaps locked even though the seller claimed it was unlocked. Whatever, I'm over it. I flashed stock back on it and re-locked the boot loader, sent it back. Not worth the aggravation. However, I am questioning if there wasn't something else I could have done?
I was trying to activate the S10 on Mint Mobile USA (a T-Mobile reseller, so GSM) it should have been fine. The default language on the device was German. I don't think that should matter, but maybe it does? Do European phones have problems activating in North America?
My question is: If I decide to get another S10 (SM-G973F/DS) from the secondary market (if its even worth it at this point, since the SM-G973F/DS is really hard to find), is there anything I can find out from the seller first so I don't end up having to send it back?
Or, should I just give up my dream of having an S10 installed with Lineage OS and it's glorious headphone jack and expandable storage forever? If so, are there any worthy alternatives to the S10 worth considering, given my affinity for headphone jacks and expandable storage?
Hello PhonePerfection, all a novel why you speak S10 G973F / DS in the United States.
Already your model S10 G973F/DS exynos 5G or the first 4G model so if these this Europe chip model, if now installed Samsung phone info look at who is scoring at worst take screenshots.
I don't understand your question United States, locked unlocked the seller.
You buy in the back market refurbished and unlocked telephone all operator therefore for sim card, the concern these the chip to install network either US or ASIA controls your model if these good SM-G973F/DS and not SM-G973U or G973U1.
Don't forget to say hello
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/comp...m-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
schwinn8 said:
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/compsomethingatibility/RdEkS7k/samsung-sm-g973f-ds-galaxy-s10-global-dual-sim-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
schwinn8 said:
I think what @meric57 is trying to say is that your phone doesn't have the right chips to communicate on the frequencies in the USA. It's made for other markets and other frequencies... so it won't work here.
If you use FrequencyCheck you can see what carriers support what frequencies on your specific model: https://www.frequencycheck.com/comp...m-td-lte-512gb-samsung-beyond-1/united-states
Scroll down to the "United States" area and you'll see it doesn't support the frequencies used in the USA (except for GSM 2.5, which is old and dead here in the USA). The US is primarily on LTE... and you can see that phone model doesn't support ANY of the available frequencies.
Bottom line "GSM" doesn't tell you enough. You have an incomatible phone model for the USA market. No SIM card will fix that.
Note, in SOME cases, you can activate other frequencies by loading different ROMs into the phone. My old LG V30 did this, for example. I have heard that you can run some Exynos phones here in the USA, but I don't know the details to help. FrequencyCheck may help you figure that out. Be sure the look for the complete model number, not just "Galaxy S10" or something... the naming is worthless for figuring this out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, this is great info. Good to know. It looks like that S10 could only communicate on 1 of 8 bands used by Mint/T-Mobile. That 1 usable band appears to have been deprecated by T-Mobile as it is. I think that explains it perfectly. Thank You!
You're welcome.
Yeah, frequencies/bands are very important to watch, particularly if you're buying out of market devices. You have to know model numbers and carriers to be sure of anything, and unfortunately this info is relatively hidden.
schwinn8 said:
You're welcome.
Yeah, frequencies/bands are very important to watch, particularly if you're buying out of market devices. You have to know model numbers and carriers to be sure of anything, and unfortunately this info is relatively hidden.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The CSC on that device was DBT (Germany). I had to find that out in order to put the correct stock OS back on there.
Makes me wonder if the ebay seller even knows this. They appear to specialize in mobile phones with tens of thousands of transactions, so I would hope they've encountered this situation before. They were more than happy to accept a return on the device. Sent me a prepaid shipping label immediately.
Back to the CSC... Let's say I look for another S10 (SM-G973F/DS) but I ask what the CSC is for that device. Are there any regions outside the lower 48 states with reasonably good chances of it working? I suppose I would need to study the mobile frequency website for the answer to that.
I did some quick searching, and supposedly there are websites that say the 973F/DS will work on MM (mint mobile)... but they don't detail how. For example: https://de-googled.com/blogs/news/a-word-on-network-compatibility-of-our-degoogled-phones
and https://www.ebay.com/p/15030406771 (in the description).
So, maybe it is possible? I don't know, so maybe someone else can chime in.
Personally, I stuck with U-version phones and gave up rooting/romming. It's just getting too hard to find phones that offer this, so I figured I'd just adapt back to a stock ROM, since choices are limited. I had done a bunch of that in the past, but I found that stock roms (today) are pretty good... and allow enough customization that made root/rom unnecessary... for me. My current is an SM-G975U1 (unlocked, USA, Snapdragon S10+) on Total Wireless (VZ MVNO)... it works great and I don't miss root/rom at all.
Rumor is that the Galaxy S23 will only be offered as Snapdragon, so maybe that will open up more options... but I doubt it. Samsung loves it's Knox system, and will likely lock down the phone even more with every generation.
schwinn8 said:
I did some quick searching, and supposedly there are websites that say the 973F/DS will work on MM (mint mobile)... but they don't detail how. For example: https://de-googled.com/blogs/news/a-word-on-network-compatibility-of-our-degoogled-phones
and https://www.ebay.com/p/15030406771 (in the description).
So, maybe it is possible? I don't know, so maybe someone else can chime in.
Personally, I stuck with U-version phones and gave up rooting/romming. It's just getting too hard to find phones that offer this, so I figured I'd just adapt back to a stock ROM, since choices are limited. I had done a bunch of that in the past, but I found that stock roms (today) are pretty good... and allow enough customization that made root/rom unnecessary... for me. My current is an SM-G975U1 (unlocked, USA, Snapdragon S10+) on Total Wireless (VZ MVNO)... it works great and I don't miss root/rom at all.
Rumor is that the Galaxy S23 will only be offered as Snapdragon, so maybe that will open up more options... but I doubt it. Samsung loves it's Knox system, and will likely lock down the phone even more with every generation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link. I think I may try for an S10 again if the seller can tell me what the CSC is. That page on De-googled.com affirms that American devices are more restrictive than their European counterparts.
It just doesn't make any sense to me personally to use a device with an open source OS that has loads of telemetry, spyware, bloat, etc. Which is a contradiction that I am not comfortable with. It's like installing a Linux distro that comes bundled with Facebook.
To me, being proactive about privacy is the equivalent to standing up for yourself in the real world. Sure, you can use a stock ROM and there is nothing wrong with that. It's having the freedom to choose which is most important. So long as that choice is available, I will happily go that route.
I like the added bonus of an Android device that seems faster with a longer lasting battery as well. I mean, I paid for this device. I should have the right to decide what apps are running on it.
No argument there... I agree with why we should be allowed to root/rom. Unfortunately, the carriers pull the strings in the USA (business over people) so we are losing options. Frankly, it pisses me off that they can still prevent phones from connecting to their network just because the IMEI doesn't match (even if the software is correct). In the end, if the device CAN work on the network, the carrier should have no say in allowing/disallowing it on the network. They like to claim that a "bad" device could "hurt" the network, but if that happens, they can lock out that phone and figure it out. I doubt that's even ever happened, but whatever. (They prevented me from using my already-working V30 US998 phone on the network, even though it ran as VS996 with no issues for years... they only later saw the IMEI wasn't "theirs" (original SIM card failed) so they prevented me from re-registering it. So stupid.)
Good luck, and let us know if you figure it out... I'm always curious to learn!
yes, most japan and europe phones do not have the correct radios channels in them for 4g and 5g. i ran into this same problem with my xperia phones that i bought overseas. this is a common problem that can happen.
The S10 and all it's variants is a world compatible GSM phone. So yes, the F variant should work with most GSM carriers and resellers in N. America.
There are various websites that will tell you what frequencies and carriers any particular model will work with if you do a search. Like this one.
WillMyPhoneWork.net - Check if your phone works on a network
Check 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE Network Frequency Compatibility for a Smartphone, Tablet, and Mobile Device in any Country and Mobile Network Carrier
willmyphonework.net
According to that site the SM-G973F/DS supports all 2G, 3G, and 4G frequencies used by Mint.

SM-G973U slow Data Speed

Hi Guys
I have a Snapdragon Galaxy S10 SM-G973U that I bought as a refurbished device in Switzerland. I think it is an ATT Unlocked phone. Phone calls and Text Messages work flawlessly on a Swiss Carrier, but I have never had an OTA Update and the Dataspeed of LTE is always at around 0.2Mbps download. Does anyone know why it is that slow and what I can do to resolve this? I'm really in love with the S10 but the dataspeed is quite annoying.
I hope anyone knows more than I do because i'm curious what's going on.
Thanks Guys
You're using a USA phone on a non-US carrier. My guess is that you're not really connected to LTE on the ideal frequencies, so you're only getting 3G support. You'll have to look into whether the frequencies used by your carrier match up with those of the ATT ROM on the phone. And then make sure those frequencies are actually being used...
I often use https://www.frequencycheck.com/ as a first check to see if the phone works on the carrier...
Thanks a lot for your quick reply. I have tried my SIM-Card in another phone and had the same slow data speed so I'm quite sure it's not the phone but my data plan. I am going to see if I can change my data plan to resolve it. It's a bit embarassing for me because I found the problem like 30 minutes after posting the question here. But still a huge thanks to you @schwinn8 for taking your time for my problems!
Thanks
If the other phone was US also, it still could be this issue... but, yes, a plan could restrict it as well, of course.
The other phone was a swiss Iphone

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