New to the Note 9 (SM-N960U1) Unlocked US version of the phone. I have the OS/ROM that came with the phone Android 8.1.0 w/Android security patch level December 1, 2018. I know with the unlocked version of the phone we have to wait for all carriers to finish testing before it comes out for the unlocked version. At the moment we are waiting on Verizon. I am going to try and wait a few more days at most a week and then I might try updating the phone. I would prefer to stay on the non branded/non carrier version if at all possible.
If I do end up trying to load something and not wait, what level of concern should one have getting these firmware from places like firmware science, samobile, here, or even others locations. Can they be modified from what was provided over a OTA, carrier, or Samsung? Can malicious code be introduced? I did notice unlike a Nexus you can't just download the firmware from the source (google). Does KNOX remaining intact give any assurance nothing is wrong with the ROM/OS/Phone? Along with a CRC on the file and scanning a zip of course.
Any lefty cases out there that are like the fold over one from Samsung. The dayview or clearview maybe? Not had much luck with that either. I use my device right handed but I prefer to open it with my left hand. and flipping it the other way seems weird to me. Guess I can just get use to it.
Below is the info I pulled from the phone. If there is more that is needed I can provide it as well. Question on BaseBand Version and the Build Number. I see a lot of shorter terms being used in threads like the ARL1 or ARH2. What are these? Is there a build info faq or something that explains the format of this number and the meaning?
Also having a issue with Wifi calling. I see that may or could be due to Android 8. Still troubleshooting that issue. If I turn off the cell coverage I can not make a wifi call. The settings are there, my wifi is detected in wifi calling and shows up, I enabled GPS (didn't want to ugh..), and even tried to de-register and register. I can not tell it if is working with both wifi and cell on at the same time. Will try again tomorrow.
Note 9 (SM-N960U1) Unlocked US on Sprint Network
Android 8.1.0
Baseband version: N960U1UEU1ARL1
Build number: M1AJQ.N960U1UEU1ARL1
Thank you
I was able to update my phone with no issue. I don't need any help with that now. Wanted to check if anyone could help on some of the other questions.
I can provide more detail on what I did if someone would like. Here is a tldr: I used the information I provided above and ended up using firmware science to get my phone updates. Also used the latest version of Odin to do it.
Related
Ok so I just acquired an S6 (AT&T, OEM/not rooted) and I know that 7.0 is rolling out for it and after some investigating it seems that the only way I'll be able to update it to 7.0 from 6.0.1 is if my baseband is at a certain version, which it is not. There are 3 listed updates for this phone on the At&T site that I don't seem to have (SPL Nov 1, SPL Dec 1 & SPL Jan 1) and I'm wondering how I can apply these updates and at least have my phone up to date. I've tried checking OTA updates and also installing SmartSwitch and it says that my phone is currently updated and doesn't offer any patches. Any help is appreciated!
Here's a screenshot of where I'm at now-
http://imgur.com/a/PcnFQ
No OTA updates if it's not on the AT&T network, sadly. I have an AT&T S6 on Cricket and I get my updates by going to a Best Buy with a Samsung Experience Center inside. They can update it for you. If that's an option based on where you live you can wait a couple weeks, they didn't have the Nougat update yet when I checked yesterday. Otherwise, since it's a new phone and presumably you don't have any data on it to lose, you can update manually. See this thread to start:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s6/general/att-galaxy-s6-firmware-thread-t3525469
09dgceph said:
No OTA updates if it's not on the AT&T network, sadly. I have an AT&T S6 on Cricket and I get my updates by going to a Best Buy with a Samsung Experience Center inside. They can update it for you. If that's an option based on where you live you can wait a couple weeks, they didn't have the Nougat update yet when I checked yesterday. Otherwise, since it's a new phone and presumably you don't have any data on it to lose, you can update manually. See this thread to start:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s6/general/att-galaxy-s6-firmware-thread-t3525469
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Thanks for the tips. I'm on cricket actually so going into a Best buy might be the best option when they get it. Do you have to pay them to do it? Will i get my phone back right away or do I need to leave it with them for a while ? Side question for you - do you use the hotspot on the s6? That's something else I'm trying to get working/enabled.
It's free. I've done it three times and it's been a breeze. You don't leave your phone, you just wait around for the updates to install. Depending on how many updates you are behind it can take a while, but there are plenty of ways to kill time at Best Buy. You can check online which ones have the Samsung Experience Center inside.
As for hotspot, I never use it.
I realize that this question has likely been answered here a few times, but I've read so many different answers that I'm second guessing myself.
I imported a P20 pro to the US to use on AT&T. I'm very glad that I did. It's a great phone and I've really had no issues with it whatsoever.
The model I have was an unlocked model bought through ebay and is a CLT-L29. EMUI version is 8.1.0. Build number is CLT-L29 8.1.0.121(C605)
I simply don't know where to start with updating to the latest firmware. The OTA update feature won't work on this phone.
I have firmware finder installed. I can see that updates exist for this thing. However, I don't know for sure how I download and install the update.
The methods I have read seem quite involved, which seems odd to me. It seems I should be able to download the appropriate file, stick it in a folder on my phone, reboot the thing while holding down a combination of buttons and boom...updated phone. Is this not the case for me? It always went this way for me in the past!
Please....even though I'm really really not an idiot, I need you to assume that I am and explain this to me.
I'm curious about this too. I'm also in the US on AT&T, but my device was on 128 out of the box. I'm hoping we get OTA updates when our device region gets them.
hi, i want to get a 512GB note9 for use with spectrum mobile, they're a small mvno carrier that uses the verizon network. i think the CSC code for spectrum is "CHA" because they are owned by charter.
the carrier is stupid and can't tell me what models they will accept, or how to ensure all the features like wifi calling are supported, they keep asking for an IMEI to check it, and i don't have one because I haven't bought the damn phone yet... and buying one directly from them is overpriced.
what do you think is the best model for me to buy? i might want to root someday if it ever becomes possible, but for now i just want to use oreo, block the pieUI and bootloader updates, and prevent knox from tripping to preserve any warranty.
some extra concerns are:
#1 i see a lot of people complaining that unlocked phones from samsung.com & bestbuy don't support wifi calling, and neither do the international ones.
#2 if i buy an international version phone from amazon, supposedly I won't have any warranty???
#3 would a carrier refuse to activate a phone if it's not from my region? (usa)
thanks!
The SM-N960U1 is the US unlocked version, with the same hardware as all the other US variants, and the reason it is different than the international version is the international version is built with the Samsung/Exynos SOC which is GSM only, while the Qualcomm/Snapdragon hardware variant must be used for the USA because of Sprint/Verizon (CDMA). The USA version is what you must get to support the CDMA bands (international version will not work on the Verizon network). And You will be not only at the mercy of what Verizon only allows, but also Spectrum, which uses the Verizon network. It's very unlikely you will get wifi calling, but you may get data during calls. I bought my unlocked USA version SM-N960U1 brand new from ebay for $635 about three weeks ago. If you buy a US variant that is carrier specific AND not unlocked by that carrier, you may not be able to use it on any carrier except the one it is locked to.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-9/945781-unlocked-note-9-verizon.html
also..... Pie runs BEAUTIFULLY out of the box (do all the incremental security updates then Oreo>Pie before installing any apps). Night Mode (native dark UI) is very nice too. ..... and I agree, Spectum sucks.
i have seen lots of people complaining that they didn't like the pie update because of oneUI, it breaks the camera pro-mode, removes the video taking button, removes the minimize taskbar button, makes split-screen mode harder to use, and it wastes half of the screen in the menus, lots of complaints like that.
the wasting of half the screen seems pretty stupid to me, because the whole idea of this phone is to have a big useful screen. i don't think its going to make it any easier to control with a thumb just by removing half the items from the screen it just means now you have to do a bunch of scrolling to find what you wanted. am i wrong, or what is your experience with it?
i have also heard that if you let the phone update, the bootloader version will increment and that prevents you from ever re-flashing oreo again, and like it or not you'll be stuck with pie forever. so i'm really hesitant to even try pie out to see if i like using it or not.
dumbfone said:
i have seen lots of people complaining that they didn't like the pie update because of oneUI, it breaks the camera pro-mode, removes the video taking button, removes the minimize taskbar button, makes split-screen mode harder to use, and it wastes half of the screen in the menus, lots of complaints like that.
the wasting of half the screen seems pretty stupid to me, because the whole idea of this phone is to have a big useful screen. i don't think its going to make it any easier to control with a thumb just by removing half the items from the screen it just means now you have to do a bunch of scrolling to find what you wanted. am i wrong, or what is your experience with it?
i have also heard that if you let the phone update, the bootloader version will increment and that prevents you from ever re-flashing oreo again, and like it or not you'll be stuck with pie forever. so i'm really hesitant to even try pie out to see if i like using it or not.
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I read a few issues too, and so when I got the phone, some here said people who factory reset after update, or update right after setup before installing apps have no problems. That's what I did, and I have no problems. Not one thing yet have I discovered is not working as designed.
I write and test software and I trust that Samsung releases good software. They cannot test with everyone's weird setups, but they do test with clean setups, and they wouldn't have released if it was as bad as people claim. As long as you update before installing anything or factory reset after install, you'll have a great running system like Samsung tests on.
I've installed many apps since. All good.
Also extremely impressed with battery performance. I use this phone a lot, and my S7 on Oreo would often be at 10% by the end of the day. Note 9 on Pie doesn't go below 50%
Back in July I got a steal on a new US Cellular Galaxy Note 9, so I immediately threw my iPhone 6S SIM card into it and went through several rounds of software updates. After the last update the splash screen switched to AT&T and it suddenly had several AT&T apps. It didn't TOTALLY eliminate the US Cellular stuff because I had to delete at least one app and change the Samsung browser's default home page.
Due to the iPhone SIM card and some stuff on AT&T's side, it would not do VoLTE or WiFi calling until I got a new SIM and had AT&T use the IMEI from an AT&T Galaxy Note 9 (read it off one from the store). I did that in late August and the only remaining issue O noticed was that my MMS messages will not download as long as I am on WiFi.
I just noticed what may be a new issue: I think I stopped getting carrier updates. Looking on AT&T's site, I see that they have multiple newer updates with the latest from September 18th:
https://www.att.com/devicehowto/tut...tep_KM1278532?make=Samsung&model=SamsungN960U
My "Security Patch Level" says May 1, 2019, while AT&T's website says that there have been 4 updates since then (latest at Security Patch Level September 1, 2019).
My baseband version doesn't quite match any of the ones associated with AT&T updates, though their May 22nd update seems to be the most similar (AT&T's N960USQS1CSE1 compared with my N960USQU1CSE3).
I recall that the new phone updated multiple times and was still on Oreo before it updated again to Pie, and again to AT&T-flavored Pie. I figure the final update was really just adding the AT&T apps and splash screen, but it somehow stopped me from getting further updates from US Cellular. I'm pretty sure I had an AT&T SIM card inserted for all of my updates.
On that note, I believe I tossed the original SIM and US Cellular does not operate in my region (only showed up here through a salvage store). I'm not easily able to get another US Cellular SIM for triggering it to revert to a US Cellular ROM. I'm not interested in custom ROMs and all that and ultimately just want to keep my phone up to date the same way a normal AT&T customer would after buying theirs from AT&T. I thought the Note 9 adding carrier customizations to match the inserted SIM would take care of all this automatically (half the point, right?) but I guess I was wrong.
Is it possible to get carrier updates like I was getting before? If not, what would you guys recommend for getting up to date and staying up to date? Thanks!
CZroe said:
Back in July I got a steal on a new US Cellular Galaxy Note 9, so I immediately threw my iPhone 6S SIM card into it and went through several rounds of software updates. After the last update the splash screen switched to AT&T and it suddenly had several AT&T apps. It didn't TOTALLY eliminate the US Cellular stuff because I had to delete at least one app and change the Samsung browser's default home page.
Due to the iPhone SIM card and some stuff on AT&T's side, it would not do VoLTE or WiFi calling until I got a new SIM and had AT&T use the IMEI from an AT&T Galaxy Note 9 (read it off one from the store). I did that in late August and the only remaining issue O noticed was that my MMS messages will not download as long as I am on WiFi.
I just noticed what may be a new issue: I think I stopped getting carrier updates. Looking on AT&T's site, I see that they have multiple newer updates with the latest from September 18th:
https://www.att.com/devicehowto/tut...tep_KM1278532?make=Samsung&model=SamsungN960U
My "Security Patch Level" says May 1, 2019, while AT&T's website says that there have been 4 updates since then (latest at Security Patch Level September 1, 2019).
My baseband version doesn't quite match any of the ones associated with AT&T updates, though their May 22nd update seems to be the most similar (AT&T's N960USQS1CSE1 compared with my N960USQU1CSE3).
I recall that the new phone updated multiple times and was still on Oreo before it updated again to Pie, and again to AT&T-flavored Pie. I figure the final update was really just adding the AT&T apps and splash screen, but it somehow stopped me from getting further updates from US Cellular. I'm pretty sure I had an AT&T SIM card inserted for all of my updates.
On that note, I believe I tossed the original SIM and US Cellular does not operate in my region (only showed up here through a salvage store). I'm not easily able to get another US Cellular SIM for triggering it to revert to a US Cellular ROM. I'm not interested in custom ROMs and all that and ultimately just want to keep my phone up to date the same way a normal AT&T customer would after buying theirs from AT&T. I thought the Note 9 adding carrier customizations to match the inserted SIM would take care of all this automatically (half the point, right?) but I guess I was wrong.
Is it possible to get carrier updates like I was getting before? If not, what would you guys recommend for getting up to date and staying up to date? Thanks!
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Click to collapse
Attached is the link for my last update , I'm using it on AT&T , phone is original from AT&T, and all is Ok for me, I hope can help you.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....note-9-att-rom-update-sept-2019-t3979303/amp/
Thunderxxx said:
Attached is the link for my last update , I'm using it on AT&T , phone is original from AT&T, and all is Ok for me, I hope can help you.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....note-9-att-rom-update-sept-2019-t3979303/amp/
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I'll check it out when I get back to my PC. Thanks! I assume it's something I need to flash with Odin?
So many people are reporting with the 3/1 sweep by AT&T, that they are blocking almost all Unlocked phones: See: Downdector Link We personally have a S10 (G973U1). AT&T is saying on this list: AT&T approved phone list that it is supposed to work. But like many other people "calls" end immediately, but we can text and data work. It is some sorta ploy by AT&T to force us to upgrade our phones. They want us all to upgrade to S22s. Anyway I was ranting. Anyway, if you look at that link, they are saying that the phone has to be on the latest software. The last update from AT&T or the manufacturer was in January. I checked the firmware site, and Android 11 is the latest in January. I'm wondering if there is some hack to get us on to '12' or something. An update might solve this issue. We know that a new SIM does not work. Calls seem to be rejected on the network, just based on the phone model or Android version.
We are aware that a version 12 is out there for the phone, just that firmware is not for our US-unlocked model yet. But maybe it can be hacked?
Edit: It appears this thread may be linked with this older one... But it is ever more pressing issue now:
S10 Unlocked phone with AT&T Firmware here they explain how, and the problems with flashing. This was back in 2019, so I'm not sure if this will still work. Even then it didn't work for everyone. Some in that forum claimed that it did. AT&T seems to now be blocking from their calling network any phones not enabled with VOLTE and the extended AT&T services that are not present in Unlocked phones.
robertkjr3d said:
So many people are reporting with the 3/1 sweep by AT&T, that they are blocking almost all Unlocked phones: See: Downdector Link We personally have a S10 (G973U1). AT&T is saying on this list: AT&T approved phone list that it is supposed to work. But like many other people "calls" end immediately, but we can text and data work. It is some sorta ploy by AT&T to force us to upgrade our phones. They want us all to upgrade to S22s. Anyway I was ranting. Anyway, if you look at that link, they are saying that the phone has to be on the latest software. The last update from AT&T or the manufacturer was in January. I checked the firmware site, and Android 11 is the latest in January. I'm wondering if there is some hack to get us on to '12' or something. An update might solve this issue. We know that a new SIM does not work. Calls seem to be rejected on the network, just based on the phone model or Android version.
We are aware that a version 12 is out there for the phone, just that firmware is not for our US-unlocked model yet. But maybe it can be hacked?
Edit: It appears this thread may be linked with this older one... But it is ever more pressing issue now:
S10 Unlocked phone with AT&T Firmware here they explain how, and the problems with flashing. This was back in 2019, so I'm not sure if this will still work. Even then it didn't work for everyone. Some in that forum claimed that it did. AT&T seems to now be blocking from their calling network any phones not enabled with VOLTE and the extended AT&T services that are not present in Unlocked phones.
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Click to collapse
I was helped by a user to achieve ascendance onto the AT&T network. I'm not sure if I'm to reveal his name. We 1) go into Developers mode on the phone. 2) Hack the Kernel. 3) Flash the rom to the G973U (model)... with the AT&T firmware. So that the Wifi-Calling and 5G features would work, and AT&T would allow it on their network.
robertkjr3d said:
I was helped by a user to achieve ascendance onto the AT&T network. I'm not sure if I'm to reveal his name. We 1) go into Developers mode on the phone. 2) Hack the Kernel. 3) Flash the rom to the G973U (model)... with the AT&T firmware. So that the Wifi-Calling and 5G features would work, and AT&T would allow it on their network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've literally been searching for an answer to this for days now. My wife and I have S10's. I work far from home so I really need her phone working in case of emergency. Can you please point me in the general direction? Thanks!
Agreed, I didn't know such a thing was possible, but I'd love to hear more about this!
skrapmetal said:
I've literally been searching for an answer to this for days now. My wife and I have S10's. I work far from home so I really need her phone working in case of emergency. Can you please point me in the general direction? Thanks!
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At first I had to use the Samsung Band Selector app from the Play store and go into More Network Settings > AT&T > Preferred Network Type and choose 3G. Unfortunately this killed LTE so all data and calls were going through H+. As I was mostly on wifi I could live with it since I could actually use the phone again.
Then Friday morning I checked for updates and there was the update to take me to Android 12. I took the update then when it finished it said it needed to reboot to connect new SIM to carrier services....it wasn't a new SIM. I let it reboot and everything was working with VoLTE again.
Hope this helps.
KennyG123 said:
At first I had to use the Samsung Band Selector app from the Play store and go into More Network Settings > AT&T > Preferred Network Type and choose 3G. Unfortunately this killed LTE so all data and calls were going through H+. As I was mostly on wifi I could live with it since I could actually use the phone again.
Then Friday morning I checked for updates and there was the update to take me to Android 12. I took the update then when it finished it said it needed to reboot to connect new SIM to carrier services....it wasn't a new SIM. I let it reboot and everything was working with VoLTE again.
Hope this helps.
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I appreciate you getting back to me. Unfortunately I am still on android 11 with a custom ROM and also this is a global phone so that app didnt work for me. I dont receive OTA updatez. I'll update to a new ROM and see what happens. Thanks