Question Dual Sim plus health monitor (ECG, etc) impossible? - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

I just got a new S21 Ultra dual sim Latin American variant, because no US version dual sim Samsung exists. I have a US Version Galaxy Watch 3 that pairs nicely with it, except when the health monitor app on the phone tries to open for the ECG I get an error saying that it is not available in my location. I verified with Samsung that this is because the phone is a non US variant and there is no way around this limitation (according to them), even though ECG is cleared for use in my home country (USA).
So an idea I am exploring now is to send this phone back (still in return period) and buy a UK variant dual sim S21 Ultra. My reasoning is that ECG is cleared for use in UK and apparently the health monitor app is working for the UK. I asked Samsung tech support and the agent said I would not be able to get through the health monitor "onboarding process" from a physical US location using a UK origin device. She didn't think using a UK IP VPN would help any, but she didn't seem sure. Still it seems like a legit idea to me ... the phone is from an "ECG cleared" country and I live in an "ECG cleared" country. But does logic apply with Samsung . . . I am not so sure anymore.
Do you think this idea would work?
Any other ideas of how I could end up with a dual sim S21 on which the health monitor app (ECG, etc) would work . . . that wouldnt risk bricking my phone?
Many thanks in advance for any help.

So here is a second idea to run past the experts here:
change CSC (currently set to TPA ) to XAA using method in this link:
Change CSC on Samsung Devices | Guide | iHax
Looking for a way to change CSC/Country Specific Code on your Samsung Galaxy device? Here's a quick guide on how to do it easily.
ihax.io
I actually pulled up that radio button screen to see what it currently was, but I chickened out of changing it
1) would this change make my dual sim phone a single sim phone?
2) is there a chance it would be impossible to revert back to TPA if the change caused problems?
3) any chance this change would brick the phone?
4) since I have 2 imei numbers, what is the result of making this change on only one imei?
5) do you think this change would solve the problem of not being able to start up and "onboard" the health monitor app?

Changing a csc from dual sim variant to dual sim variant shouldn't have any impact on IMEI. Almost no chance to brick the phone.
CSC just define preinstalled apps and features (ECG, call recording...)
I would say its worth the try but I can't guarantee anything

tiliarou said:
Changing a csc from dual sim variant to dual sim variant shouldn't have any impact on IMEI. Almost no chance to brick the phone.
CSC just define preinstalled apps and features (ECG, call recording...)
I would say its worth the try but I can't guarantee anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for that. Actually Id be changing CSC from dual sim variant (Latin America) to single sim variant (USA). Do you think that would cause issues ... like break the dual sim functionality?

So I backed up and looked at this complete mess Samsung has me in trying to kludge their products into working after I paid a hefty price for them and I made a decision. Im still in the return period on everything. So everything is getting boxed back up for return (chargers/watch/phone/cables/etc). Im going to take that money and put it into a dual sim Iphone12 and Apple Watch 6 which apparently works very well in the USA right out of the box with no complicated hacks. Been awhile since I hitched myself to the Apple Wagon ... we'll see how it goes. So long Samsung. RELIEF!

so i tried the iphone for awhile and I just couldnt do it anymore. so the new iphone went to the wife, and i got a Note 20 Ultra (Tmobile brand) today and the dual sim (using esim) does work . . . BUT
1) you have to endure Tmobile unlock policy nonesense
2) the dual sim functionality isnt as finely controlable as iphone or dual sim androids. you select one which of the esim/sim will be "primary" and it will use data. so you cant have the physical sim as the data user and the esim as the primary voice/sms line.
annoying , but not insurmountable issues.
not a bad phone, but the bronze color is actually more like a pink. a big plus for some would be the expandable memory.
a HUGE con is the price . . . 1300 USD
apparently ONLY the TMobile branded us version Note 20's have the esim enabled.

Have you checked the watch does not have to be from a country that supports ECG feature not the phone?

I cannot confirm whether or not the country of the watch itself has any effect. All I can say for sure is the phone has to be a version from a country that supports the ECG feature.

Related

Anyone got a 950F/D on Rogers in Canada?

I've ordered one, and got it, but it does not seem to want to work at all with my SIM card. It sees the SIM in the tray, and it is set for data, but a) network does not work and b) I can't even make calls. I'm stumped!
Also, will Samsung Pay and VoLTE even work?
I had a N9500 but nothing worked properly, no Samsung Pay, bunch of stuff in Chinese I couldn't change to English... so I returned it. I'm pretty sure flashing a W firmware would have either fried it or at the very least lost dual sim function. Now I got an F and I see similar issues so I'm starting to get desperate: not only do I really want dual sim, but the W is not Exynos like the S7 was, it's SD and I'm not too thrilled about that.
Any guidance will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Rogers uses the N950W, I imagine you would have to flash a N950W CSC to enable VoLTE and Wifi Calling, you will probably lose the ability to use duel sim as N950W doesn't have duel SIM, this would only work on Blv1 and Blv2, if you're on Blv3 then you have to stick with your current firmware.
I had an F for about a week. Was on Rogers sim. true for volte and wifi calling to flash W csc but in fact its useless as Rogers blacklists non carrier IMEI. but the rest worked.
to recap:
you should have 4g and phone line by default from the get go. Go to DL mode and check what model it says you have.
BTW did you get it region unlocked? where did you buy it from?
Sometimee they need to open the box and make a 3 min call in the region the phone is from to lift the lock before sending it over.

N950N Olympics edition having trouble on TMobile

Hi all,
Received an Olympic edition note 8 (n950n) at the Olympics. We were supplied originally with a KT sim and even in the settings there's a "service provider" menu of KT related items. I have gotten back to North America and popped in my TMobile sim. It took resetting all network settings until I finally got LTE working on it.
However, volte doesn't seem to work at all. I even downloaded the shortcut master and went to ims settings to enable volte switch but still switches to 3g when I make a call. Similarly it can't even find hd calling. The option in shortcut master "hd voice" shortcut says "not found" when I try to launch it.
Ideally it seems as though I just need a different CSC but I don't want to void any warranty on this phone, especially given that I'm sure Samsung USA won't touch it since it's an international model.
Are the n950n's just lacking in many features?
Thanks!
I dont know how your carrier handles VOLTE, but my carrier requested me to go in person and there they activated the service
hgeek23 said:
Hi all,
Received an Olympic edition note 8 (n950n) at the Olympics. We were supplied originally with a KT sim and even in the settings there's a "service provider" menu of KT related items. I have gotten back to North America and popped in my TMobile sim. It took resetting all network settings until I finally got LTE working on it.
However, volte doesn't seem to work at all. I even downloaded the shortcut master and went to ims settings to enable volte switch but still switches to 3g when I make a call. Similarly it can't even find hd calling. The option in shortcut master "hd voice" shortcut says "not found" when I try to launch it.
Ideally it seems as though I just need a different CSC but I don't want to void any warranty on this phone, especially given that I'm sure Samsung USA won't touch it since it's an international model.
Are the n950n's just lacking in many features?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey There,
I'm glad to stumble upon an actual user of an Olympic edition.
Would you mind installing Samsung PhoneInfo app from playstore and sharing your current CSC Code, and your Device Model number - which I assume is N950N ?
I'm just looking for a way to obtain the bootanimation and the theme of it...
hgeek23 said:
Hi all,
Received an Olympic edition note 8 (n950n) at the Olympics. We were supplied originally with a KT sim and even in the settings there's a "service provider" menu of KT related items. I have gotten back to North America and popped in my TMobile sim. It took resetting all network settings until I finally got LTE working on it.
However, volte doesn't seem to work at all. I even downloaded the shortcut master and went to ims settings to enable volte switch but still switches to 3g when I make a call. Similarly it can't even find hd calling. The option in shortcut master "hd voice" shortcut says "not found" when I try to launch it.
Ideally it seems as though I just need a different CSC but I don't want to void any warranty on this phone, especially given that I'm sure Samsung USA won't touch it since it's an international model.
Are the n950n's just lacking in many features?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short answer, sell it and get the USA version.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Don't want to sell something that has such sentimental value to me
Product code SM-N950NZWZKTC
CSC code KTC
Additionally it doesn't seem to have the ability to have conference calls?
If you enabled all the switches through IMS setting & VoLTE still doesn't work, you'll need T-mobile CSC to get it working. Aside from the IMS settings, there are some VoLTE related settings in cscfeatures.xml. I have a N950F with modified T Mobile CSC, VoLTE, Wifi calling are working fine, I also have the VoLTE quick setting tile. But I'm rooted & is how I installed it
You'll need T Mobile CSC for wfi calling.
---------- Post added at 05:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:56 PM ----------
Limeybastard said:
Short answer, sell it and get the USA version.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heck no, I say root it, I'd never trade it for a US Snapdragon but that's just me. Can easily get VoLTE working along with many more features.
shouren04 said:
If you enabled all the switches through IMS setting & VoLTE still doesn't work, you'll need T-mobile CSC to get it working. Aside from the IMS settings, there are some VoLTE related settings in cscfeatures.xml. I have a N950F with modified T Mobile CSC, VoLTE, Wifi calling are working fine, I also have the VoLTE quick setting tile. But I'm rooted & is how I installed it
You'll need T Mobile CSC for wfi calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will the Tmobile CSC work on this particular device? Tmobile csc i thought would not work on the 950n's as its not the same hardware?
where can i get the csc?
hgeek23 said:
Will the Tmobile CSC work on this particular device? Tmobile csc i thought would not work on the 950n's as its not the same hardware?
where can i get the csc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That I have no idea, I have no idea if flashing just the CSC file works between different model/chipset phones. I assume not. I rooted my phone in 2 days so I have no experience flashing official CSC files.
I'm using a modified version of TEKHD's S8 T-Mobile transformation pack. It's an early version of the following mod that I further modified for myself.
[MOD] Exynos T-Mobile CSC Wifi Calling, VoLTE etc for N950N / N950F
The person who made it has a N & specifically made it to get VoLTE & WIFI calling to work on N models. I'm using an earlier version cause it works fine on F models but still had issues on N models. To summarize that thread, he finally got it working fine for N models with nothing additional needed. But you need TWRP & root to install it.
Limeybastard said:
Short answer, sell it and get the USA version.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shouren04 said:
That I have no idea, I have no idea if flashing just the CSC file works between different model/chipset phones. I assume not. I rooted my phone in 2 days so I have no experience flashing official CSC files.
I'm using a modified version of TEKHD's S8 T-Mobile transformation pack. It's an early version of the following mod that I further modified for myself.
[MOD] Exynos T-Mobile CSC Wifi Calling, VoLTE etc for N950N / N950F
The person who made it has a N & specifically made it to get VoLTE & WIFI calling to work on N models. I'm using an earlier version cause it works fine on F models but still had issues on N models. To summarize that thread, he finally got it working fine for N models with nothing additional needed. But you need TWRP & root to install it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I need to flash a new kernel? Firmware? Will this replace the Olympics bootscreen?
@hgeek23 Did you see my PM ? Thanks
hgeek23 said:
I need to flash a new kernel? Firmware? Will this replace the Olympics bootscreen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't replace the Olympics boot screen but it will trip Knox & may void warranty (not sure what warranty laws are from the original COO, some countries don't void warranty for tripping Knox). But if you are in the US, you can't claim warranty on the phone in the US anyway.
You'd have to install TWRP & root your phone to install the mod I linked. But being how rare that phone is, I wouldn't do it unless you find a copy of the stock Olympics FW for that phone in case anything happens. Seems like others have been looking for it but can't find it yet. Other say it's just a theme that can be installed but if it has a different boot screen then I doubt it's just a theme for the theme store.
hgeek23 said:
Hi all,
Received an Olympic edition note 8 (n950n) at the Olympics. We were supplied originally with a KT sim and even in the settings there's a "service provider" menu of KT related items. I have gotten back to North America and popped in my TMobile sim. It took resetting all network settings until I finally got LTE working on it.
However, volte doesn't seem to work at all. I even downloaded the shortcut master and went to ims settings to enable volte switch but still switches to 3g when I make a call. Similarly it can't even find hd calling. The option in shortcut master "hd voice" shortcut says "not found" when I try to launch it.
Ideally it seems as though I just need a different CSC but I don't want to void any warranty on this phone, especially given that I'm sure Samsung USA won't touch it since it's an international model.
Are the n950n's just lacking in many features?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you've got the rare paralympic edition of Note8 which isn't capable of it? (I know, tastefully offensive. I'll be going to hell for that joke)
On a serious note, since it's the N950N which is similar to the N950F afaik, you're better off asking TMobile directly about any connectivity issues.
Usually like others have previously mentioned, should be CSC related but f.e. (if I'm not mistaken) due to the OMC folder/ structure, nearly all country CSC are included. Just the CSC features aren't accessible unless you replace the specific CSC with a modified one from S8/S8+.
If TMobile can't fix it or help you out, you're choice would be to root, double check with a N950F/N950N user if they have volte or (someone has to jump in here to verify) try flashing -if available- factory binaries for specifically USA.
I doubt T-Mobile will help or can even do anything being an international phone. My F on T-Mobile USA worked perfectly fine. You don't need IMEI provisioning with T-Mobile USA like you do with some carriers like AT&T. My speeds were great out the box, better than my T-Mobile Note 5, just didn't have VoLTE & Wifi calling until I enabled them w/ root. We now have 2 more Note 8s in the household, U T-Mobile variants. Speeds are pretty much exactly the same as my F.
shouren04 said:
That I have no idea, I have no idea if flashing just the CSC file works between different model/chipset phones. I assume not. I rooted my phone in 2 days so I have no experience flashing official CSC files.
I'm using a modified version of TEKHD's S8 T-Mobile transformation pack. It's an early version of the following mod that I further modified for myself.
[MOD] Exynos T-Mobile CSC Wifi Calling, VoLTE etc for N950N / N950F
The person who made it has a N & specifically made it to get VoLTE & WIFI calling to work on N models. I'm using an earlier version cause it works fine on F models but still had issues on N models. To summarize that thread, he finally got it working fine for N models with nothing additional needed. But you need TWRP & root to install it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there, I thought I recognized the name. Remember me? One of the first to test and rip open the F model to try and figure out the LTE issue / carrier aggregation issue.
I've read through some pages over on the OEM Lock thread ... so to conclude, they figured out the issue with the OEM lock disappearing, but did they ever figure out the carrier aggregation for using F/N model 100% on T-Mobile??
I know people with the F and N models that are still suffering from carrier aggregation and like this Olympic Edition model, which is just a N model with a cool back white Olympic cover. Those who plan to use this on T-Mobile may face the LTE connectivity (carrier aggregation) issue..
For those in really good reception areas may not seem like they have an issue, but that is because they are connected to a really strong (single) signal/frequency, which makes it seem like everything is fine...
Would you be able to provide links to any progress regarding this issue? Has it been solved? If so, it's likely buried in the pages somewhere in the other threads....:highfive:
iunlock said:
Hey there, I thought I recognized the name. Remember me? One of the first to test and rip open the F model to try and figure out the LTE issue / carrier aggregation issue.
I've read through some pages over on the OEM Lock thread ... so to conclude, they figured out the issue with the OEM lock disappearing, but did they ever figure out the carrier aggregation for using F/N model 100% on T-Mobile??
I know people with the F and N models that are still suffering from carrier aggregation and like this Olympic Edition model, which is just a N model with a cool back white Olympic cover. Those who plan to use this on T-Mobile may face the LTE connectivity (carrier aggregation) issue..
For those in really good reception areas may not seem like they have an issue, but that is because they are connected to a really strong (single) signal/frequency, which makes it seem like everything is fine...
Would you be able to provide links to any progress regarding this issue? Has it been solved? If so, it's likely buried in the pages somewhere in the other threads....:highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I remember you. I may not be the best guy to answer your questions but I'll share what I remember.
If you remember, I was just about the only guy in those threads that didn't experience any of the issues you guys did. I'm still using an early version of KT's TMO zip which was basically a slightly modified version of tekhd's S8 zip. The versions to follow is when they started changing more & had issues as it was later found out that the TMB_keystrings.dat from N950U was the cause. Once they replaced that file the issues were reported to have been resolved. I think the current version is like 9m or something I like, I'm using 3a & always have been, never tried any later versions & is probably why I never experienced those issues.
At home my reception is not very good nor are speeds, I get 20-40mbps depending on the time of day. This was the same before I used the zip. My CA combos were different than what the zip gave me but I still had the combos that get's used the most in my area. Around town in good areas I can get 80-135mbps. I stopped checking as I put the subject to rest a while ago.
A few months ago my parents both got Tmobile N950Us. I compared my F with the TMO zip & speeds are pretty much the same, sometimes my F is slightly faster, sometimes the U, but not a big difference so I consider that other factors & call them the same. I've even tried a speed test at a local T-mobile store & the speed was like 6mbps (that area I know doesn't have good coverage) on a U where mine was getting just under 20. Still I'm not saying my F is any better but since I was able to test actual T-Mobile U variants, I don't believe my phone to have any issues with speeds & CA in my area.
Yes the Olympics edition is simply an N with a theme applied and physical cover with the logo on it. the bootscreen is an olympics logo etc.
Merging calls doesnt seem possible, i dont know why. LTE frequently drops on Tmobile now and just goes to 3g or no service at all.
Volte not working either.
I had a similar situation. I bought my phone (N950F) from abroad. Although the phone was in the compatible devices list of my carrier company, they told me that VoLTE could not be used on phones taken from abroad (silly reason). VoLTE enable is carried out by sending a request SMS to the carrier. I put my SIM card into a friend's phone, and sent the request through it. My carrier enabled my SIM card. I put it back to my phone and voila! I have been using VoLTE since then without any problem.
Just wanted to post a final kind of update and that is that the above referenced CSC for Tmobile worked well.

Regional Lock

Hi There
Hopefully some insight can be shed on this topic, it would be greatly appreciated.
I've read that all you need to do is use the device in the region of purchase for 5-10 mins of local calls & then the region lock is unlocked to any world wide sim.
- is this still the case with Samsung devices?
- lets say once the device is unlocked (in country of origin) but reset a few months later in another country other than it was bought in, will the region lock be back?
Thanks
antares* said:
Hi There
Hopefully some insight can be shed on this topic, it would be greatly appreciated.
I've read that all you need to do is use the device in the region of purchase for 5-10 mins of local calls & then the region lock is unlocked to any world wide sim.
- is this still the case with Samsung devices?
- lets say once the device is unlocked (in country of origin) but reset a few months later in another country other than it was bought in, will the region lock be back?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so, the question youre asking can be answered in several ways. Firstly, the locks placed on the phones are placed by the carrier, so if your phone is truly unlocked, itll never lock on to a service provider permanently. The process you describe about using it for local calls for a few min to have it grab your carrier is CSC related and more applies to whether you can use SPay and SHealth or not. There are also subsidy locks that make carrier switching impossible without an unlock. These subsidy locks can be in the firmware or even an app that was granted root permissions making it impossible to remove on snapdragon devices outside of Odin.
I guess, what issues are you trying to avoid?
Youdoofus said:
so, the question youre asking can be answered in several ways. Firstly, the locks placed on the phones are placed by the carrier, so if your phone is truly unlocked, itll never lock on to a service provider permanently. The process you describe about using it for local calls for a few min to have it grab your carrier is CSC related and more applies to whether you can use SPay and SHealth or not. There are also subsidy locks that make carrier switching impossible without an unlock. These subsidy locks can be in the firmware or even an app that was granted root permissions making it impossible to remove on snapdragon devices outside of Odin.
I guess, what issues are you trying to avoid?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firstly thanks for taking the time to respond. ?
So I'm not technical at these things but here's a quick background on my query.
A friend purchased a Samsung from an Asian country now while there & the box said specifically that it is made for use in that region and their sim. He's using it but won't know if it will work here till he returns. He is able to get one for me as it's much cheaper there, hence the research on the topic.
Through my search I've seen on Samsung forums people buying phones from difference regions with some able to successfully use it in their country & others not (comments vary on reasoning as to why but the use of that country local SIM seems common)
When he queried the sticker they said to just follow that calling process (I'm presuming now this is the carrier lock) However I'm not sure if there are carrier locks on the device as through my search, that country normally doesn't practice carrier locks (Service Provider) as the US or Europe does as devices are sold at any shop in Asia. So it's a bit confusing..
From your knowledge, let's say he activates & uses it for a few minutes. When he returns & I reset the device, will the lock revert back for that region or will be opened for any sim? And something that just came to mind, as the Samsung devices are regional, will this affect how updates come through or will it be based on that regional timetable for updates?
Thanks again
antares* said:
Firstly thanks for taking the time to respond.
So I'm not technical at these things but here's a quick background on my query.
A friend purchased a Samsung from an Asian country now while there & the box said specifically that it is made for use in that region and their sim. He's using it but won't know if it will work here till he returns. He is able to get one for me as it's much cheaper there, hence the research on the topic.
Through my search I've seen on Samsung forums people buying phones from difference regions with some able to successfully use it in their country & others not (comments vary on reasoning as to why but the use of that country local SIM seems common)
When he queried the sticker they said to just follow that calling process (I'm presuming now this is the carrier lock) However I'm not sure if there are carrier locks on the device as through my search, that country normally doesn't practice carrier locks (Service Provider) as the US or Europe does as devices are sold at any shop in Asia. So it's a bit confusing..
From your knowledge, let's say he activates & uses it for a few minutes. When he returns & I reset the device, will the lock revert back for that region or will be opened for any sim? And something that just came to mind, as the Samsung devices are regional, will this affect how updates come through or will it be based on that regional timetable for updates?
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
terrible questions.. i tell ya what..... TOTALLY KIDDING!!
actually very solid questions and its also great to hear people doing this kind of research prior to pulling the trigger. I commend you
Anywho, lets see.
1: What Asian country? Yes, it matters. Or if you can get the model number from the download mode screen, that would be helpful too. If you dont know how to get to the DL mode, power the phone off, hold down the volume down button along with power and itll boot to a warning screen that will say volume up to continue to download mode or volume down to reboot normally. If you cant get that kind of access to the phone (or your friend rather) then its a crap shoot as many phones being offered up like this have been found to be non-us versions or even worse, utter fakes. Buyer beware if you cant get to download mode to at least check that too. Download mode is the hardest part to fake, fwiw
2: Galaxy S devices come in 2 flavors, Snapdragon and Exynos. Well, 3 i guess, the 3rd being fake. Snapdragons are the only ones that can work on CDMA carriers such as Sprint and VZW, Exynos phones work on GSM only. SD phones can also use GSM services, but the Exynos equipped phones are GSM only. SD are not rootable, Exynos are.
3: The part about your friend using it with their SIM and having problems strictly due to that. No. So long as its a legit USA model with no financial locks on it etc etc, you will be just fine. You might have to flash a CSC file in download mode or perhaps even the entire firmware (doubt youd need to do that last part), but if its an unlocked SnapDragon model built for the US market, then youre good to go.
4: make sure it doesnt have a FRP lock enabled. As long as your friend can boot it up and get past the login screen, you should be fine.
5: The last bit about the SIM again, as long as its a legit G973U with no locks and FRP inst on, you should be good to use it on any USA carrier no matter where it was initially used.
6: updates are issues out in order of IMEI batches. Being physically in a country outside of the one that the firmware is for can and often does impede updates, but thats not a worry as updates can be easily flashed manually and once the phone is on the correct CSC and physically in the right country, then updates will go on as normal.
7: youre welcome
Youdoofus said:
terrible questions.. i tell ya what..... TOTALLY KIDDING!!
actually very solid questions and its also great to hear people doing this kind of research prior to pulling the trigger. I commend you
Anywho, lets see.
1: What Asian country? Yes, it matters. Or if you can get the model number from the download mode screen, that would be helpful too. If you dont know how to get to the DL mode, power the phone off, hold down the volume down button along with power and itll boot to a warning screen that will say volume up to continue to download mode or volume down to reboot normally. If you cant get that kind of access to the phone (or your friend rather) then its a crap shoot as many phones being offered up like this have been found to be non-us versions or even worse, utter fakes. Buyer beware if you cant get to download mode to at least check that too. Download mode is the hardest part to fake, fwiw
2: Galaxy S devices come in 2 flavors, Snapdragon and Exynos. Well, 3 i guess, the 3rd being fake. Snapdragons are the only ones that can work on CDMA carriers such as Sprint and VZW, Exynos phones work on GSM only. SD phones can also use GSM services, but the Exynos equipped phones are GSM only. SD are not rootable, Exynos are.
3: The part about your friend using it with their SIM and having problems strictly due to that. No. So long as its a legit USA model with no financial locks on it etc etc, you will be just fine. You might have to flash a CSC file in download mode or perhaps even the entire firmware (doubt youd need to do that last part), but if its an unlocked SnapDragon model built for the US market, then youre good to go.
4: make sure it doesnt have a FRP lock enabled. As long as your friend can boot it up and get past the login screen, you should be fine.
5: The last bit about the SIM again, as long as its a legit G973U with no locks and FRP inst on, you should be good to use it on any USA carrier no matter where it was initially used.
6: updates are issues out in order of IMEI batches. Being physically in a country outside of the one that the firmware is for can and often does impede updates, but thats not a worry as updates can be easily flashed manually and once the phone is on the correct CSC and physically in the right country, then updates will go on as normal.
7: youre welcome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firstly apologies for the long delay in response, just been crazily busy and was doing research on what you said soon I am up to scratch to what you said.
1. It is from India, and yes I am aware of fakes so any purchases will be from reputable seller's. I'll have to do some research on that because I'm sure the different Samsung models will have their own codes.
2. I believe for that region they get Exynos variants.
3. From looking at some of the Samsung models online I see the product code ends with "INS" which I'm pretty sure relates to India and that country only so probably I will have to follow the DL mode you explained for my region in changing the CSC
4. I never knew about this.. How does one make sure its not enabled? Is this in the process that relates to no.3 during the CSC change?
5. Not from the US but good to know lol
6. Perfect lol
7. Thanks again, appreciate it :good::good:
antares* said:
Firstly apologies for the long delay in response, just been crazily busy and was doing research on what you said soon I am up to scratch to what you said.no worries mate, life happens. I just hope all is well in your part of the universe
1. It is from India, and yes I am aware of fakes so any purchases will be from reputable seller's. I'll have to do some research on that because I'm sure the different Samsung models will have their own codes. booting to recovery will generally tell you if its fake or not. you cant fake knox
2. I believe for that region they get Exynos variants. i believe so too. Id just get pretty much any F variant of the phone model you want and youll likely be able to get it working from there
3. From looking at some of the Samsung models online I see the product code ends with "INS" which I'm pretty sure relates to India and that country only so probably I will have to follow the DL mode you explained for my region in changing the CSC. just stick with the F models, you can flash whatever carrier stuff you need after you have it in hand
4. I never knew about this.. How does one make sure its not enabled? Is this in the process that relates to no.3 during the CSC change? Itll show you this in the download mode screen. Itll say FRP: on or FRP: OFF
5. Not from the US but good to know lol
6. Perfect lol
7. Thanks again, appreciate it :good::good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
always glad to help bro!

SM-G973U VoLTE

I recently bought an unlocked Galaxy S10 SM-G973U on Amazon. Got new SIM card from a Verizon MVNO and activated phone. The phone downloaded Android 12, One UI version 4.0. Firmware Build number SP1A210812.016.G973USQS6HVA1. Service provide Software version SAOMC_SM-G973U_OYN_SPR_12_0007 SPR/XAA/VZW. The problem is there is no menu option to activate/switch on VoLTE which means when I'm on a call there is no internet. I've talked to the MVNO tech support multiple times and was told they couldn't see any problems on their side, or that the SM-G973U does not support VoLTE which is not true. I found on one of AT&T's sites that the SM-G973U needs a software patch to enable VoLTE. I also found a couple of USSD codes but they either didn't work or didn't get me to the right setup screen to turn on VoLTE. I even stopped by a Samsung store and they weren't any help either. They said they could re-flash a stock firmware but it would revert to being locked to a carrier which is apparently also not true based on what I've read on this forum. Anyone know how I can turn on VoLTE or know of an apk file or software patch to enable VoLTE?? Does one of the firmware versions posted online have the patch to turn on VoLTE??
I think the issue is that your phone is showing SPR/XAA/VZW. You say you're on a verizon MVNO (who, by the way?)... but your phone isn't seeing that. It's actually saying it's active for SPRint. The second one, XAA, means it's not able to detect the SIM type... and the third was that it was originally VZW, which you can't change and isn't really relevant. (That's just what the phone was "born" as).
Bottom line, your phone isn't seeing VZW or an MVNO as the active CSC nor the SIM card. In the past, the easy thing was to change the CSC to what you need, but I haven't found a way to do that actively. What's supposed to happen is that the CSC should update based on the SIM card and cell signal you're getting... but this doesn't always happen. I bought two phones - one switched with no issues, the other I could not get it to change no matter what I tried.
That said, the easiest thing is to clean flash the phone with ODIN to a VZW or your MVNO's ROM, so that (hopefully) the CSC updates automatically. You could also consider flashing a U1 (unlocked) ROM, as yours is not technically an unlocked ROM (U means it's a carrier ROM... which may be why it's not switching over?)
Again, I tried all of these on the second phone I bought, and nothing would switch it (my carrier is Total Wireless, which is a VZ MVNO, and actually shows up as Tracfone (TFN). I had to return that second phone and get another with TFN already activated, and that worked fine... so be sure you do this before you drop out of your return period.
Bottom line, you should be able to get this all working... my VOLTE/VOWIFI works fine... just a matter of getting you there.
Thanks. My carrier is Straight Talk which is now VZ. The SIM card they sent me has the wording "Verizon Compatible" written on it. I finally found a document that explains how to interpret the CSC codes and your explanation clarifies my understanding of it. Sound like I'll have to re-flash it. Since it was originally a VZW phone I'm thinking I should flash it back to VZW to see if that works before trying U1.
Dumb question as this is my first time flashing a phone. (I've flashed quite a few other things but never had to worry about CSC codes and bootloader versions, etc.) I don't see VZW firmware on samfirms or sammobile. I see Sprint, T-Mobile, and one listed as USA without carrier info but I don't see one for VZW. Can someone point me to the correct location to download SM-g973U and U1 firmware for VZW? Greatly appreciated and thanks for putting up with my lack of knowledge!
Edited: Found the files on sammobile. Will try the U1 (VZW) first. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
schwinn8 said:
I think the issue is that your phone is showing SPR/XAA/VZW. You say you're on a verizon MVNO (who, by the way?)... but your phone isn't seeing that. It's actually saying it's active for SPRint. The second one, XAA, means it's not able to detect the SIM type... and the third was that it was originally VZW, which you can't change and isn't really relevant. (That's just what the phone was "born" as).
Bottom line, your phone isn't seeing VZW or an MVNO as the active CSC nor the SIM card. In the past, the easy thing was to change the CSC to what you need, but I haven't found a way to do that actively. What's supposed to happen is that the CSC should update based on the SIM card and cell signal you're getting... but this doesn't always happen. I bought two phones - one switched with no issues, the other I could not get it to change no matter what I tried.
That said, the easiest thing is to clean flash the phone with ODIN to a VZW or your MVNO's ROM, so that (hopefully) the CSC updates automatically. You could also consider flashing a U1 (unlocked) ROM, as yours is not technically an unlocked ROM (U means it's a carrier ROM... which may be why it's not switching over?)
Again, I tried all of these on the second phone I bought, and nothing would switch it (my carrier is Total Wireless, which is a VZ MVNO, and actually shows up as Tracfone (TFN). I had to return that second phone and get another with TFN already activated, and that worked fine... so be sure you do this before you drop out of your return period.
Bottom line, you should be able to get this all working... my VOLTE/VOWIFI works fine... just a matter of getting you there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Success! Was able to flash U1. VoLTE is now working. The CSC now shows TFN/TFN/VZW. Much appreciated!!!
Awesome, glad to hear that fixed it easily!
And TFN... I'm a fan there, too!
Hi! I'm having a similar issue with the same model and happy to see someone was able to enable VoLTE. However, most of what you said above is a foreign language to me. Would one of you be willing to give me a crash course in what you did?
Here's my specific situation. Last week (~1/4/23) Tracfone shutdown 3G. My Samsung Galaxy S10 (SM-G973U) says my network is set to LTE/3G/2G. I've read LTE is 4G, but still can't make or receive calls/texts, but data and 911 calls still work. Their tech support is no help.
From reading online it sounds like I may need VoLTE, not just LTE. Hence finding this thread. If one of you would be willing to spare some time to walk me through what you did I'd really appreciate it. In the mean time I'll try to figure out what "flashing" mean in a context that doesn't involve showing body parts
Thank you in advance!!
I'm on Tracfone (they were bought out by Verizon, BTW) - I was on Total Wireless before, which is now Total by Verizon. You might try contacting support again, as they are now VZ, and may have more help to offer.
My S10+ is running 975U1 now, and it works for VOLTE/VOWIFI properly. You may consider getting a U1 ROM installed, and maybe even the VZW (or TFN) version if available - that may get you working.
Did VOLTE ever work for you before on this or any other carrier? What is your CSC right now?
schwinn8 said:
I'm on Tracfone (they were bought out by Verizon, BTW) - I was on Total Wireless before, which is now Total by Verizon. You might try contacting support again, as they are now VZ, and may have more help to offer.
My S10+ is running 975U1 now, and it works for VOLTE/VOWIFI properly. You may consider getting a U1 ROM installed, and maybe even the VZW (or TFN) version if available - that may get you working.
Did VOLTE ever work for you before on this or any other carrier? What is your CSC right now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying! I'm not entirely sure if VoLTE has worked previously. I bought this phone 6/2021 and have only haver had tracfone service for it. I did find in my setting that VoLTE calling is set to on so it seems like it should work. Of note, the 4Glte in my status bar has always been grayed out (I went back and looked at some old screenshots).
My current CSC is VZW/XAA/ATT.
I spoke with tracfone customer service yesterday and they had me reset my network setting and now I don't even have data and the 4Glte in my status bar that was previously gray has now completely disappeared.
Their customer service refuses to talk to me now (literally no one answers when it transfers to an agent) or they hang up on me, and no I haven't been rude, but I have told them I'm recording the call.
I bought a mint mobile package last night because I'm beyond frustrated with Tracfone. I'm worried I'll have the same problems with Mint. I'm not sure if my settings are screwed up or if it's just Tracfone. In any case things are worse now after talking to customer service yesterday.
I also notice there was no APN setting on my phone so I updated it today and restarted but no difference.
Thanks for any input!! Much appreciated. Sorry for the novel.
Ok, so based on your CSC, the phone is not seeing the SIM's carrier - it's showing XAA which means it's using the default settings, which is probably why your not getting VOLTE. The active CSC of "VZW" may be ok... depends on which carrier you're on with Tracfone. I think they're VZW only, but I'm not completely sure.
You may want to just get a new SIM card and get that activated. HOWEVER, the problem you'll likely face is that the phone was born ATT (last CSC). This means the IMEI won't match a "compatible" phone to Verizon, and they will flat out refuse to activate it (even though WE al know it will work fine). If you still want to do that, you will have to activate the new SIM on a VZ "compatible" phone, then you can swap it to the S10. Note that VZ complains about this when you talk to them... so don't tell them you're doing this... but I've done it many times and it works fine.
If your actual behind-the-scenes carrier is ATT, then you can do the activation with your phone without issue.
If none of this works for you, you can switch carriers to an ATT MVNO and you should be good to go.
schwinn8 said:
Ok, so based on your CSC, the phone is not seeing the SIM's carrier - it's showing XAA which means it's using the default settings, which is probably why your not getting VOLTE. The active CSC of "VZW" may be ok... depends on which carrier you're on with Tracfone. I think they're VZW only, but I'm not completely sure.
You may want to just get a new SIM card and get that activated. HOWEVER, the problem you'll likely face is that the phone was born ATT (last CSC). This means the IMEI won't match a "compatible" phone to Verizon, and they will flat out refuse to activate it (even though WE al know it will work fine). If you still want to do that, you will have to activate the new SIM on a VZ "compatible" phone, then you can swap it to the S10. Note that VZ complains about this when you talk to them... so don't tell them you're doing this... but I've done it many times and it works fine.
If your actual behind-the-scenes carrier is ATT, then you can do the activation with your phone without issue.
If none of this works for you, you can switch carriers to an ATT MVNO and you should be good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK some of that was still over my head. I'll see what happens with the Mint Sim... one f/u question now though. You said the ATT means my phone was "born" ATT. I bought my phone off backmarket and it was sold as "unlocked". Was that not true? How can I be sure in the future if I buy a used phone that's not from my carrier that it will actually be compatible?
Unlocked just means it's not locked to a carrier. That is true in your case, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to install ANY non-ATT SIM. So, you did the right thing to get an unlocked phone, and that is what you got.
The issue with compatibility is just the asshole carriers spreading lies. They do this to try to get people to buy THEIR phones, for no reason other than to make money and confuse consumers. The "born" CSC has no bearing on anything, really... neither does the carrier-specified IMEI. In your case, the XAA is good, which means it's a multi-carrier ROM, which works with all USA carriers.
Mint is a good idea - being an ATT carrier (IIRC), that should work and they should help you get it up and running even if they have to activate it. Good luck!
Awesome! Fingers crossed!! Thank you for your time and all the info❣
I'll try to remember to give an update in a few weeks for future readers
Goldie8709 said:
Awesome! Fingers crossed!! Thank you for your time and all the info❣
I'll try to remember to give an update in a few weeks for future readers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UPDATE: Switching to Mint worked like a charm! Once my number ported and I put the new SIM card in, service was instantaneous! I've had Mint for 3 weeks now and the service is so much better than with Tracfone! My calls go through nearly as soon as I hit call, the internet is faster.
I didn't need to do a thing either. No making APN settings, etc. I'm betting it has to do with what you said about my phone being born ATT. So funny because the software(?) is Verizon - shows the Verizon when I restart/power up. I still love my bastard phone
So thankful I didn't buy a different phone!!! Again thanks for all your help @schwinn8
Thanks for reporting back and letting us all know, and I'm glad it worked out well!
Yeah, the carriers pull this nonsense all the time... it's BS. The phones are all the same, only the ROM changes. If we can change ROMs (which we can) then there should be no reason to force users to specific IMEIs. But we know why they do this - follow the money. I encourage people to write to the FTC and FCC about this (I have).

Question Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra won't work on Visible or Verizon

Hello, I'm having an issue getting my Visible service working on my Galaxy S21 Ultra SM-G998U1.
I purchased the phone on Swappa to replace my OP7 Pro, so I'm not sure exactly what carrier or model its from. But it should be factory unlocked and I can't call, text, or get data.
I tried installing a Verizon sim but still no service. T-Mobile sim works perfectly though. And I've tried all the troubleshooting steps like network reset, adding APNs, even factory reset.
When I boot the phone or cycle airplane mode, occasionally 5G will turn on for a few seconds and immediately disconnect again.
The APNs all install automatically when I put the SIM in but i just don't get any service, even though it's showing full bars.
go to your sim settings and deactivate it then reactivate it. What version of android are you running? is it rooted? Need more info on your phone. You're sure it's U1 and not an exynos model?
ffuser1 said:
go to your sim settings and deactivate it then reactivate it. What version of android are you running? is it rooted? Need more info on your phone. You're sure it's U1 and not an exynos model?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have done that many times. I've also tried all different firmwares and SIMs from various carriers. Visible and Verizon are the only ones that don't work.
It's running Android 12 latest firmware. I believe it was originally purchased from Verizon but it's now on U1.
What does it say under service provider software version under software information? Vzw/vzw, vzw/vzw?
ffuser1 said:
What does it say under service provider software version under software information? Vzw/vzw, vzw/vzw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, four VZW codes.
It's strange because when I reboot the phone it will briefly connect to 5G then immediately disconnect and say "Emergency Calls Only". My SIM is activated and works perfectly in my OP7 Pro.
I can also use T-Mobile and ATT Sims in the Samsung.
Ok, so if I lock it to 5G or LTE then the data works. But calls and texts don't work no matter what.
So I figured it out. It seems to have been a hardware issue with the phone itself. I ordered a different S21 Ultra just to see if it would work and it accepted my SIM immediately. For whatever reason it wouldn't accept Visible or Verizon SIMs even though it was unlocked.
Bit frustrating I wasted several days trying to figure out the problem but at least I figured it out. Posting this here in case anyone has a similar issue with a second hand used S21 Ultra.
I had a s8 plus that wouldn't connect to visible and I went through all kinds of heck. I finally figured out that because the firmware was u1 that it was not compatible. When I flashed to a u firmware I was able to connect to visible. I also heard the nines and tens had the same issue. It may be that Verizon puts a block on u1 firmwares
Also I think I had to manually change a few settings for my APN after I change to a firmware ending in u.
Limon_Lime said:
So I figured it out. It seems to have been a hardware issue with the phone itself. I ordered a different S21 Ultra just to see if it would work and it accepted my SIM immediately. For whatever reason it wouldn't accept Visible or Verizon SIMs even though it was unlocked.
Bit frustrating I wasted several days trying to figure out the problem but at least I figured it out. Posting this here in case anyone has a similar issue with a second hand used S21 Ultra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny how Visible will not accept The s21 Ultra when I have net10 5G on Verizon towers. Been that way since I bought the phone new last year.

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