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My TP2 Won't turn on, please help!

Hello All,
I hope someone can help me with this.
I have a TP2 (Sprint) and I need to use it for At&t.
The first thing I did was unlock the device using RhodiumWUnlocker from Olipro (and made my donation ).
I did all steps, and everything went fine. No problems. And it detected AT&T
Then I flashed the ROM with EnergyROM Leo Manila 2.5 WM6.5 v 16Feb2010, By NRGZ28. (File: Energy.RHOD500.23529.Leo_MaxManila.16.Feb.2010.rar) - Still all well, no problems.
Then it went back to stock and could not detect AT&T. So I flashed the Radio Version: 4.49.25.91 from this thread: forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=549939.
Now I cannot turn on my phone at all - No "touchpro2" screen, no bootloader, nothing at all. The phone doesn't react to any combinations of buttons to turn on or load up bootloader. When I connect the phone to the computer (Vista by the way) the charging orange light comes on for about 3 minutes then goes off. Then I press the power button and the light comes back on, but nothing else happens to the phone.
Please help!!! Let me know what's wrong and how I can fix it, please!!! I'll make another donation to fix it.
Thanks!

I'm no expert but it sounds like you may have flashed a CDMA Rhodium with GSM firmware. I had a quick look and it seems the Sprint Rhodium is CDMA, you should have a look at the CDMA Rhodium forum here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=517
I'm not totally sure of the GSM / CDMA thing because I'm not in the U.S. it's not something I need to worry about.
Good luck dude

Yeah the more I look at this, the more I am convinced this is what has happened.
You used CDMA HardSPL (RhodiumWUnlocker)
Then flashed a CDMA ROM (Energy.RHOD500 ...)
but your mistake was to flash a GSM Radio ROM (I followed the URL you gave and up popped the GSM Radio ROM thread)
I don't know if this is recoverable but searching the CDMA forum would be a good start. You can't be the first person this has happened to.

Thanks for the response, but I am certain I flashed the correct ROM.
*I went to the wingster website
*I selected CDMA ROM's
*Clicked on EnergyROM Leo
*Clicked on Download - Hotfile.com
*Selected this ROM: Energy.RHOD500.23529.Leo_MaxManila.16.Feb.2010.rar
When I flashed this ROM, the phone loaded up without any issues. The only problem was that I could not make calls because it could not detect the AT&T SIM card. So I flashed the radio shown on the post from xda, and the PC said congratulations, everything is complete and good. At this time, the cell phone rebooted and it just never came back on.
Thanks for the help!!

Thanks MadBeef, I will research the CDMA forum.

The Main ROM you flashed was fine. It's the Radio ROM you flashed that killed it, because your phone is CDMA hardware but now it has GSM Radio ROM on it. That's my theory anyway, I'm hoping someone a bit more experienced with CDMA will be able to chime in.
If you can get back into the bootloader somehow, you should be able to flash a CDMA Radio ROM.

I only read the first line of your problem...sprint to at&t...it can never happen. Sprint is cdma which has no sim and at&t is a gsm which has a sim. You better have insurance so you can run over your now "speed bump" and get a new one.

shenriquez84 said:
Thanks for the response, but I am certain I flashed the correct ROM.
*I went to the wingster website
*I selected CDMA ROM's
*Clicked on EnergyROM Leo
*Clicked on Download - Hotfile.com
*Selected this ROM: Energy.RHOD500.23529.Leo_MaxManila.16.Feb.2010.rar
When I flashed this ROM, the phone loaded up without any issues. The only problem was that I could not make calls because it could not detect the AT&T SIM card. So I flashed the radio shown on the post from xda, and the PC said congratulations, everything is complete and good. At this time, the cell phone rebooted and it just never came back on.
Thanks for the help!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROM fine.
Radio ROM = BAD.
RHOD400 and RHOD500 are the model numbers for the Sprint and Verizon TP2s respectively. Other carriers also share these model numbers, but those are the big two.
The Radio ROM you flashed however is for the GSM only TP2, not the combo CDMA/GSM TP2 that you have.
Flashing that Radio ROM was a HUGE no-no. Boom.
akademik_acheeba said:
I only read the first line of your problem...sprint to at&t...it can never happen. Sprint is cdma which has no sim and at&t is a gsm which has a sim. You better have insurance so you can run over your now "speed bump" and get a new one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should put a little more time into research before jumping in with the flip comments.
1) Sprint does have SIM cards. I've got one in my hand. (No, they're not used in all phones of course, but Sprint does have their own).
2) The Sprint Touch Pro 2 can very well be used on ATT once it is security unlocked and a patched Radio ROM is flashed. To say "it can never happen" is flat out wrong because it's been happening for a few months.
3) The CDMA Touch Pro 2 models (RHOD400 and RHOD500) aren't just CDMA. They are CDMA/GSM/UMTS worldphones, supporting operation in all three modes.

I'm Sorry Gamescan if I did not understand correctly. Does this mean there is no help? There's absolutely nothing I can do to revert this and fix it?
I really appreciate all the help!!
I wanted to reply to Akademik's comment, but I didn't have time. This is not the first phone I flash, but it is the first CDMA/GSM phone. I know this phone is dualmode, else I wouldn't have bought it to use it in AT&T.
Thanks again!

shenriquez84 said:
I'm Sorry Gamescan if I did not understand correctly. Does this mean there is no help? There's absolutely nothing I can do to revert this and fix it?
I really appreciate all the help!!
I wanted to reply to Akademik's comment, but I didn't have time. This is not the first phone I flash, but it is the first CDMA/GSM phone. I know this phone is dualmode, else I wouldn't have bought it to use it in AT&T.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you connect to it via a mtty terminal?

I don't know if the SD card flash method would work here. If it were my phone I'd try it, but if it's not getting as far as the bootloader I think the chances are slim Maybe while there is no SIM card in it, give the radio ROM less to do?
Found some CDMA radios here:
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=90342
Sounds like you might be screwed but there's a few ideas you can try. Good luck.

gamescan said:
mtty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I knew that would get a mention sooner or later uh oh hehe

Sorry, but what's a mtty terminal? That's new material for me...
and as Madbeef said, I have no access to the bootloader screen. I'm pressing all possible combinations of keys, and nothing.
Thanks again.

gamescan said:
ROM fine.
You should put a little more time into research before jumping in with the flip comments.
1) Sprint does have SIM cards. I've got one in my hand. (No, they're not used in all phones of course, but Sprint does have their own).
2) The Sprint Touch Pro 2 can very well be used on ATT once it is security unlocked and a patched Radio ROM is flashed. To say "it can never happen" is flat out wrong because it's been happening for a few months.
3) The CDMA Touch Pro 2 models (RHOD400 and RHOD500) aren't just CDMA. They are CDMA/GSM/UMTS worldphones, supporting operation in all three modes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shenriquez84 said:
I'm Sorry Gamescan if I did not understand correctly. Does this mean there is no help? There's absolutely nothing I can do to revert this and fix it?
I really appreciate all the help!!
I wanted to reply to Akademik's comment, but I didn't have time. This is not the first phone I flash, but it is the first CDMA/GSM phone. I know this phone is dualmode, else I wouldn't have bought it to use it in AT&T.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this result is based on shenriquez american flag in his pro. basically saying hes in america using an american sprint tp2 and trying to use american att service.
gamescan, if i said it cant be dont its quite obvious ive done research through trials and also working a phone carrier for 3 years before finding a better job...THIS CANNOT BE DONE. the dual mode in the sprint tp2 is ment for when people travel to europe, they can pop their "european sim" in and be on their merry way. european cell towers accept the frequency of the sprint tp2 and establish a connection. the US towers have "locked out" tmo and att from being used in the sprint tp2. the reason why you found att on connection setup was that your phone was basically saying" yes att is here, but your not connecting". shenriquez i followed the link to the radio you flashed before you got "shut off". you shouldnt have flashed a GSM radio on a SPRINT TP2...you are bricked my dude. you gave your phone a seizure man.

shenriquez84 said:
Sorry, but what's a mtty terminal? That's new material for me...
and as Madbeef said, I have no access to the bootloader screen. I'm pressing all possible combinations of keys, and nothing.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google mtty (or search for it on here).
Short version it's text based, but it's pretty much the lowest level access that a consumer can get to a HTC device without ripping the sucker open, manually desoldering the flash chip and putting in another.
If you're not getting the tri-color bootloader screen, there is still the possibility of saving it via terminal commands, but it's not straightforward (and depending on what happened it is certainly NOT guaranteed).
akademik_acheeba said:
this result is based on shenriquez american flag in his pro. basically saying hes in america using an american sprint tp2 and trying to use american att service.
gamescan, if i said it cant be dont its quite obvious ive done research through trials and also working a phone carrier for 3 years before finding a better job...THIS CANNOT BE DONE. the dual mode in the sprint tp2 is ment for when people travel to europe, they can pop their "european sim" in and be on their merry way. european cell towers accept the frequency of the sprint tp2 and establish a connection. the US towers have "locked out" tmo and att from being used in the sprint tp2. the reason why you found att on connection setup was that your phone was basically saying" yes att is here, but your not connecting". shenriquez i followed the link to the radio you flashed before you got "shut off". you shouldnt have flashed a GSM radio on a SPRINT TP2...you are bricked my dude. you gave your phone a seizure man.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only it can be done.
With the tools mentioned in this here very forum.
Any many people have done it.
Again, you're not doing your research and making claims that are flat out wrong.
1) The Sprint TP2 hardware does support the US GSM frequencies.
2) The Sprint TP2 hardware does not ship with a SIM lock.
3) The Sprint TP2 hardware does ship with the two US GSM frequencies disabled in software.
4) If you pay for the Olinex security unlocker you can easily flash a patched radio ROM which re-enabled the two disabled frequencies.
About the only correct thing said in the post above is that he should not have flashed a radio ROM from a GSM-only TP2 to a CDMA/GSM combo TP2. The two devices do have different hardware so flashing the wrong drivers *IS* a BAD THING(tm).
But, assuming you have paid for the security unlocker, flashing a Sprint TP2 with an updated radio ROM is stupid easy and once you've done that making it work on ATT or TMO in the US requires nothing more than slotting in an active SIM card and switching the phone to GSM mode.
If you don't know the answer to something, please feel free to ASK about it, but don't make unfounded and incorrect statements. When you state an absolute that is false it just spreads misinformation which makes things confusing for other users, especially those new to the device.

gamescan said:
Google mtty (or search for it on here).
Short version it's text based, but it's pretty much the lowest level access that a consumer can get to a HTC device without ripping the sucker open, manually desoldering the flash chip and putting in another.
If you're not getting the tri-color bootloader screen, there is still the possibility of saving it via terminal commands, but it's not straightforward (and depending on what happened it is certainly NOT guaranteed).
Only it can be done.
With the tools mentioned in this here very forum.
Any many people have done it.
Again, you're not doing your research and making claims that are flat out wrong.
1) The Sprint TP2 hardware does support the US GSM frequencies.
2) The Sprint TP2 hardware does not ship with a SIM lock.
3) The Sprint TP2 hardware does ship with the two US GSM frequencies disabled in software.
4) If you pay for the Olinex security unlocker you can easily flash a patched radio ROM which re-enabled the two disabled frequencies.
About the only correct thing said in the post above is that he should not have flashed a radio ROM from a GSM-only TP2 to a CDMA/GSM combo TP2. The two devices do have different hardware so flashing the wrong drivers *IS* a BAD THING(tm).
But, assuming you have paid for the security unlocker, flashing a Sprint TP2 with an updated radio ROM is stupid easy and once you've done that making it work on ATT or TMO in the US requires nothing more than slotting in an active SIM card and switching the phone to GSM mode.
If you don't know the answer to something, please feel free to ASK about it, but don't make unfounded and incorrect statements. When you state an absolute that is false it just spreads misinformation which makes things confusing for other users, especially those new to the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Prove your lame theory. Links that sprint gsm will connect to US towers. Even links in "this very forum". Different frequencies dude.

My two cents -- as I am new, too -- but I ran into a similar situation trying to update the radio on my Verizon TP2 due to 1X issues. My phone is unlocked as I was running Mighty but decided to return to stock (6.1).
Note: my SIM is not unlocked. If I understand correctly, the SIM needs to be unlocked to be able to install a radio from a different carrier, like Sprint.
[As a side note: I think these forums use the term "radio" a little too loosely because the program to unlock the phone to be able to flash unsigned ROMs is also called a "radio" unlocker.]
Back on topic: I flashed my phone with and unlocked radio 2.23.00WU and the result was similar to what happened to your phone: it did not turn on, orange light was on.
I was able to flash stock ROM back onto the phone using the USB cord and the phone is back to normal. Even though it was basically non-responsive except for the orange light.
My phone is in working order after the wrong radio incident.
I hope this helps.
--
sunNsnow

akademik_acheeba said:
Prove your lame theory. Links that sprint gsm will connect to US towers. Even links in "this very forum". Different frequencies dude.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you believe that you're obviously flat out lying when you make the claim of having worked for a carrier for three years, because no one who worked for a wireless carrier could possibly be this ignorant about how GSM works. It's either that or you're purposely posting false information in a lame attempt to screw with the newbies on this site.
The Sprint TP2 hardware supports all four GSM frequencies - 850, 900, 1800, 1900. You can pull up any spec sheet on the model to see that. This isn't exactly hidden information.
Sprint disables the US frequencies in firmware.
If you are security unlocked you can flash one of the two patched radios in the sticky thread in this forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=578659
Then you toss an active SIM card into the phone and turn it on while in the US. Set it to GSM mode and bam, you're on a US tower.
Your claim is the equivalent of running around screaming "The sky is GREEN because I say it is! The sky can't be blue. That's false!"
sunNsnow said:
My two cents -- as I am new, too -- but I ran into a similar situation trying to update the radio on my Verizon TP2 due to 1X issues. My phone is unlocked as I was running Mighty but decided to return to stock (6.1).
Note: my SIM is not unlocked. If I understand correctly, the SIM needs to be unlocked to be able to install a radio from a different carrier, like Sprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone needs to be security unlocked to flash a different radio. If it is not security unlocked a unsigned radio will cause the boot sequence to fail. Flashing a carrier provided radio will restore the phone to service.
Security Unlocking means setting the phone to SuperCID. It is different than SIM unlocking.
SIM unlocking allows you to use different SIM cards. It does not allow you to flash unsigned radios.
The Olinex unlocker will both security unlock you (SuperCID) and SIM unlock you (if needed).

if device was security unlocked and is detected by pc, most likely it can be recovered by mtty. unlike my case where device was not sec unlocked but its detected by mtty using usb or serial. bad news is it would be very hard to recover, im doing some jtag research first, at least i found the pins but no pinout.

gamescan said:
If you believe that you're obviously flat out lying when you make the claim of having worked for a carrier for three years, because no one who worked for a wireless carrier could possibly be this ignorant about how GSM works. It's either that or you're purposely posting false information in a lame attempt to screw with the newbies on this site.
The Sprint TP2 hardware supports all four GSM frequencies - 850, 900, 1800, 1900. You can pull up any spec sheet on the model to see that. This isn't exactly hidden information.
Sprint disables the US frequencies in firmware.
If you are security unlocked you can flash one of the two patched radios in the sticky thread in this forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats for a radio not rom. find the cdma rom that allows you to use a gsm sim. you cant use the cdma rom over att network...and that link you posted, there are no success stories in it, only complaints. you have no idea what you are talking about. you sit there posting false statements and trying to sound smart with your handy thesaurus. stop posting false statements lame.

[Q] Unlocked D2G Working On TMobile US But Questions Remain

Hi,
I'm actually not new to XDA, I 've been a member for about 3 years and used to screw with my old broken HTC G1 all kinds of ways. So ignore the newbie status, I forgot all the old login info and had to re-roll.
Anyway, so now I have a sweet shiny Droid 2 Global that I bought off a ebay for a very nice $149 buy it now in used but excellent condition.
It was listed as unlocked and obviously indeed is because I am running it on Tmobile with a tmob simcard in Dallas, tx. So, I can make calls, internet works and is ok but only on edge (2G), signal is generally pretty good overall.
My questions (after days of searching and reading up, don't tell me to search) Are these:
1. Am I already band unlocked? I can already use tmob's edge/2g, and I can see AT&T's 2g and 3g networks when I search but I can't connect to them or they don't work if I do i'm guessing because i'm on a tmobile sim and obviously can't logon to at&t.
2. If it isn't band unlocked, would doing so unlock tmobile's 3g or is that just straight up not compatible and never going to happen with or without a band unlock?
3. If not with tmobile np, can I get 3g with at&t? Especially since I already can see their 3g network when searching.
4. Wether or not I am running a custom rom or the stocker....
It says it's running 2.4.330 A956.verizon.en.us kernel android version 2.2 kernel version 2.6.32.9 build number VZW
Not sure if this is the stocker or a pre-installed XDA Rom. It boots to a clockwork recovery tool screen too before actually booting into android. Is that something added on or is it on the phone already?
Thanks in advance for any help, so happy to have a badass new phone to screw with.

1. Sure seems like it. You wouldn't be able to use the T-Mobile SIM at all otherwise.
2. T-Mobile uses 1700MHz. The D2G does not support 1700MHz. Period.
3. Yes.
4. 2.4.330 is stock Motorola Froyo firmware.
In your case it would probably be better to SBF your phone to 2.4.29 or 2.4.330, and follow the instructions in the band unlock thread to get you to Gingerbread with band unlock.

Gasai Yuno said:
1. Sure seems like it. You wouldn't be able to use the T-Mobile SIM at all otherwise.
2. T-Mobile uses 1700MHz. The D2G does not support 1700MHz. Period.
3. Yes.
4. 2.4.330 is stock Motorola Froyo firmware.
In your case it would probably be better to SBF your phone to 2.4.29 or 2.4.330, and follow the instructions in the band unlock thread to get you to Gingerbread with band unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be very careful with doing an SBF to an unlocked phone. An SBF would rewrite the radio firmware and very likely undo the unlocking that's in place.
The only way that it would be safe to do so is if he still had the unlock code, then he could just re-unlock and re-apply the band unlocker after SBF'ing.

Thanks for the replies. So I guess i'm looking at switching carriers at some point for the 3g. Honestly the 2g isn't that bad though. Plus I heard that since att failed to acquire tmobile, they ended up cutting some deal to share some att tech with tmobile. So some areas will get 1900 mhz 3g at some point. Probably won't happen to me but oh well.
As for the rom, I don't think I want to update just yet. I have no unlock code since it came that way already.
If I get a code though, since it's already unlocked and rooted (i'm assuming),
Do I just toss the sbf file on an sdcard and run the update? I've installed roms on my old G1 but I don't know the exact process on the D2G yet.

benjmiester said:
If I get a code though, since it's already unlocked and rooted (i'm assuming)
Do I just toss the sbf file on an sdcard and run the update? I've installed roms on my old G1 but I don't know the exact process on the D2G yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SBF files are something else completely. SBF files contain images for every aspect of the phone, from Radios, to the operating system, kernel, and more. Think of an SBF file as a Windows CD. It helps to wipe the entire system clean and installs everything factory fresh.
SBF files reside on your hard drive, and they are flashed to the phone with a Windows app called RSD Lite. The current version is 5.6. There are links to it everywhere around the forums.

projektorboy said:
I would be very careful with doing an SBF to an unlocked phone. An SBF would rewrite the radio firmware and very likely undo the unlocking that's in place.
The only way that it would be safe to do so is if he still had the unlock code, then he could just re-unlock and re-apply the band unlocker after SBF'ing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if you read my post at all.
I stated that the safest bet is to perform everything from the start, including the band unlock process.
Why the hell would someone need the unlock code at all on a device that was already SIM unlocked?
I bought my phone off eBay, unlocked, and I have no SIM unlock code stored anywhere. I SBF'd it at least 20 times by now.

Gasai Yuno said:
Not sure if you read my post at all.
I stated that the safest bet is to perform everything from the start, including the band unlock process.
Why the hell would someone need the unlock code at all on a device that was already SIM unlocked?
I bought my phone off eBay, unlocked, and I have no SIM unlock code stored anywhere. I SBF'd it at least 20 times by now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well in this case, this is good knowledge to have. I presumed that an SBF would essentially erase a SIM Unlock because it rewrites essentially every bit of data stored in the phone.
Looks like there's something else going on in these phones when they get SIM unlocked. It's nice to know that SIM unlocks are truly permanent.

I am getting a prompt now for the new OTA update. Will this be safe to do in my phone's current state then? I just keep putting it off for now because I don't want to lose any of the sim unlock or my data ability.
I know it doesn't do much, but I think it might help my battery life which drains 90% every day with only very light use and only 2g data.
It appears that I am going to be stuck on tmobile until 2013 but I can probably deal, or trade it... So I want it to be the best it can be without being fast on data obviously.

SIM lock state doesn't change.
If you're on T-Mobile USA, you definitely have the US band unlock hack performed and if you update you will lose it with no way to rollback to 2.4.x baseband.
90% battery spent per day is normal for Froyo. I get 26 to 32 hours with light use on 3G with WiFi and GPS enabled on stock 4.5.608, used to get 16 hours on 2.4.330.

Hmm, well can I flash the new one. I was reading this earlier:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1437177
Would that do the trick?
Otherwise, is there a way to stop it from promting me from updating?

If you flash the 4.5.608 SBF image, you'll lose your US band unlock.
To disable OTA:
Rename /system/app/BlurUpdater_VZW.apk, /system/app/BlurUpdater_VZW.odex, and /system/etc/security/otacerts.zip by adding .bak to their names (e.g. otacerts.zip.bak).

Ok, I will rename those for now. I was using Astro and it said permissions no allowing me to rename so so I am going to try another browser app.
So is there nothing I can do to get this update done and get back on tmobileusa? There's a way to band unlock it again isn't there?

How many times needs one to repeat that
USA GSM BAND UNLOCK IS ONLY SUPPORTED ON THE BASEBAND FIRMWARE THAT COMES WITH 2.4.29 AND 2.4.330 FIRMWARE
?

Well that's retarded, thanks motorola/verizon for steering me away from ever purchasing one of you phones again. Looks like I will be trading or selling my phone after all. I had an offer to trade for a samsung vibrant which can be flashed to gingerbread and has a bigger, nicer looking amoled screen that I think I will go ahead and do that. Way to screw up your customer base motorola. I USED to like you guys.

Did you mean: “OMG I'm a US GSM user and I wanted to use a Motorola CDMA handset made exclusively for Verizon on my GSM network and Motorola are such jerks because they won't let me”?

Gasai Yuno said:
Did you mean: “OMG I'm a US GSM user and I wanted to use a Motorola CDMA handset made exclusively for Verizon on my GSM network and Motorola are such jerks because they won't let me”?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously. I have no idea why he's being such a big baby about this. The phone was designed to Verizon's specifications by Motorola. It was designed to not work with Tmo/ATT from the very start. This was known by everyone at the time of the phone's release.
We were lucky in the first place to even get the ATT/Tmo hack. If someone isn't willing to put in the work to accommodate the requirements of the hack then this phone isn't for you.

projektorboy said:
Seriously. I have no idea why he's being such a big baby about this. The phone was designed to Verizon's specifications by Motorola. It was designed to not work with Tmo/ATT from the very start. This was known by everyone at the time of the phone's release.
We were lucky in the first place to even get the ATT/Tmo hack. If someone isn't willing to put in the work to accommodate the requirements of the hack then this phone isn't for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not, man. I already know why this is and have known since about 5 posts ago. BTW I bought this phone off of ebay a month ago and it was 'listed as unlocked for att&t, tmobile etc' WTF am I supposed to think when I read that? Stop projecting your in-depth knowledge onto all people like it's 'common' knowledge. It's not. That's like saying I should know Obama's favorite food or whatever the hell else for example. I don't know that nor do the vast vast vast majority of people. You know who does know that? Somebody who looked it up!
The only way somebody would know that this phone is locked out of tmob's 3g is by looking that up specifically. I would like to point out that I had the phone for at least a week prior to posting at all, all the while reading up on how to get my 3g before the kind folks on the 1st page answered the final question I had about that (which is the only way I know that now). So it took at least a week of researching to discover this.... We should really close and lock this thread since it's just wasting space with my displeasure about this phone purchase. $5 says this whole ordeal is the very reason the guy was selling the phone in the first place!! (He said he was currently using it on tmobile when I asked if it was unlocked for tmob...)

[BOUNTY] ($205 so far) Enable HSPA+ on 1900 MHz / 1700MHz for VZW Galaxy S3 i535

Total is shown on 2nd post.
GO TO POST #3 FOR ACHIEVEMENTS, GOALS, NOTES and QUESTIONS
To get some momentum behind this, after reading lair12's "S3 as a world GSM phone" (Link), the great replies to my thread about flashing an AT&T radio to the I535 (Link), and judging from the wealth of information gathered by and the vast knowledge of the great devs such as E.V.A, Adam Outler and Ralekdev when they were working on unlocking the bootloader, I am starting this bounty thread to get some good devs behind this much sought after ability to get full domestic 3G and HSPA+ on the I535, for enabling either 1900MHz or 1700MHz WCDMA on I535 similar to what was done for Galaxy Note i717 (Link). Please add your donations publicly (NOT by pm) to this thread, similar to the bounty thread for unlocking the bootloader. I will update the thread periodically. All regular bounty disclaimers apply. Do any work to reach this goal at your own risk, if you mess up your phone, it's not my fault or anybody else's fault, or if you choose to test any software or firmware on it. Make sure you know what you're doing and that you won't damage your phone before you do it.
Copying the following from another thread:
Requirements to Receive Bounty:​
Be first person to create a method of enabling 1900/1700MHz 3G/HSPA+ capability on SCH-I535
Make a post in this thread with the following:
Proving it works with appropriate photos or screenshots
Providing full step-by-step instructions which anyone else can follow
Wait for another member to follow the method and confirm it works
Claim your bounty via PM from donors
Payment will be processed between each member and the bounty collector via PM on an individual basis.
*** Please note: No hardware modification of the phone's radio chips or antennae is allowed to achieve this goal, it will be by software/firmware/coding/flashing only. If the phone turns out to be missing both the wcdma 1900 or 1700 MHz radio(s), this bounty will be void as the goal will not be achievable without hardware modifications. Even if only one of the wcdma bands is "unlocked" and HSPA+ is achieved on only one domestic carrier, the bounty can still be received. ***
I will start myself by donating $50 to the person that reaches this goal first. Please make posts below for your donations. I will update the list and the total bounty regularly.
*** BUMP ***
Any dev with jtag willing to flash a stock or modified AT&T modem on i535 to try it, or edit the "padding" at the end of a stock i535 modem to see if it causes a brick?
Any dev (such as Ralekdev, or with similar knowledge) willing to modify the modem.bin file from an i535 with parts from an AT&T or T-Mobile modem to keep the i535 signatures and hand-off, but operate as an AT&T radio maybe to enable wcdma modulation on 1900 MHz? The RF path for 1900 MHz is already there for gsm 1900. We can involve the help of some AT&T or T-Mobile forum members and devs if dumps from AT&T / T-Mobile modems or other files are required, that part should not be that difficult.

Day 11:
TOTAL = $205​
Donations:​"newuser134" = $50
"ac21365" = $30
"Buff McBigstuff" = $25
"cvsolidx17" = $20
"mybook4" = $25 (for T-Mobile HSPA+) or $50 (for T-Mobile HSPA+ on 1700 AND 1900)
"preusstang" = $20
"worldlyinquirer" = $10​
As a separate item, you may wish to donate to replace or repair someone's hard bricked i535 phone if they flash an AT&T modem, when ALL options to find out, prior to actually flashing, have been exhausted to determine whether a cross-device modem flash would brick or not. In that case a volunteer would flash a modem with the agreement of others on this thread. Only in that case, would others who chose to before the flash took place, donate to help replace or repair that person's phone. So far these donations have been made for that purpose:
"mybook4" = $25
"newuser134" = $25​

Achievements / Steps
Main Goal: Enable HSPA+ data on 1700 MHz/1900 MHz (or both) on the Samsung GS3 SCH-i535
To enable the use of it on US gsm carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile) for voice, sms and high speed data
The VZW GS3 is capable of roaming on 850Mhz/900Mhz/1800Mhz/1900Mhz GSM and 2100Mhz WCDMA. As pointed out, if we have the necessary hardware to receive 1900Mhz, it is possible that flashing another modem may allow us to gain the capability to run WCDMA hspa/hspa+ over 1900Mhz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WARNING, testing modems can result in a hard brick that is only recoverable by JTAG.
As answers are found, they will be posted here with links to the posts containing the results.
Main Milestones:
Find out whether or not all of our existing modems lack the ability to utilize hspa/hspa+ over 1900Mhz WCDMA (also verify the area the user tries the sim operates hspa/hspa+ on 1900Mhz WCDMA).
a) Try AT&T post paid sim using VRLF2 modem
b) Try AT&T post paid sim using VRLG1 modem
c) Try AT&T post paid sim using VRLG7 modem
d) Try AT&T post paid sim using VRLEC modem​
Find out whether or not it is possible to flash a modem other than the Verizon released/leaked modems. This is more of a follow up bootloader investigation. I recommend those investigating this to look in the original bootloader unlock thread opened by Adam Outler in the Original Development Section.
a) Find someone with JTAG skills who would be willing to attempt to​
i) hex edit an existing modem, changing some non-critical section (perhaps any padding that may exist at the end of the image). This would allow us to see whether or not secure boot checks the modem partition (unfortunately, it almost certainly does).
ii) flash an AT&T modem (will most likely fail due to a different hardware identifier and signature)​
b) Investigate whether or not secure boot can be disabled (even if it involves a small hardware mod to accomplish it). The bootloader unlocking thread has a decent amount of info on this, but we still would need to research further.
c) Reverse the machine code of the modem image to ARM assembly and then to C using Ralekdev's method described in the bootloader unlocking thread. This could give us some info on how the secure boot chain is enforced.​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*** Would modifying NV entries be the solution, if it's not, o not just, the modem? Either way, it is deeper than /system, because flashing a rooted stock AT&T rom (just /system, /data and kernel) did not unlock wcdma 1900, so it is something beyond the rom and kernel. See this post.

$30 towards this. Regardless whether it works or not, I just want someone to prove whether this phone has the proper hardware for WCDMA on 1900/1700.
Sent from my Choco Taco using xda premium

I have $25

Will donate $20 if I can successfully flash T-Mobile's as well as pull both 3g and 4G data
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I'm in for $25 if we can get hspa+ working on TMobile.
$50 if we can get hspa+ working on TMobile for both 1900Mhz (WCDMA) and 1700/2100Mhz (AWS).
I'll be switching to TMobile when my contact ends. They still have unlimited data.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 08:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:14 PM ----------
The VZW GS3 is capable of roaming on 800Mhz/900Mhz/1800Mhz/1900Mhz GSM and 2100Mhz WCDMA. As pointed out by newuser134, if we have the necessary hardware to receive 1900Mhz, it is possible that flashing another modem may allow us to gain the capability to run WCDMA hspa/hspa+ over 1900Mhz.
Might be a good idea to focus on some areas to start. WARNING, testing modems can result in a hard brick that is only recoverable by JTAG. As we find answers, we should post them in the opening post with links to the posts containing the results.
1) Find out whether or not all of our existing modems lack the ability to utilize hspa/hspa+ over 1900Mhz WCDMA (also verify the area the user tries the sim operates hspa/hspa+ on 1900Mhz WCDMA).
a) Try AT&T post paid sim using LF2 modem
b) Try AT&T post paid sim using LG1 modem
c) Try AT&T post paid sim using LG7 modem
2) Find out whether or not it is possible to flash a modem other than the Verizon released/leaked modems. This is more of a follow up bootloader investigation. I recommend those investigating this to look in the original bootloader unlock thread opened by Adam Outler in the Original Development Section.
a) Find someone with JTAG skills who would be willing to attempt to
i) hex edit an existing modem, changing some non-critical section (perhaps any padding that may exist at the end of the image). This would allow us to see whether or not secure boot checks the modem partition (unfortunately, it almost certainly does).
ii) flash an AT&T modem (will most likely fail due to a different hardware identifier and signature)
b) Investigate whether or not secure boot can be disabled (even if it involves a small hardware mod to accomplish it). The bootloader unlocking thread has a decent amount of info on this, but we still would need to research further.
c) Reverse the machine code of the modem image to ARM assembly and then to C using Ralekdev's method described in the bootloader unlocking thread. This could give us some info on how the secure boot chain is enforced.
Some background info...
Some thoughts:
1) We may need to change more than just the modem partition (mmcblk0p1) for 1900Mhz WCDMA to work. For example, the Synergy IMEI backup script saves backup copies of modemst1, modemst2, efs, fsg, and backup (mmcblk0p12, mmcblk0p13, mmcblk0p11, mmcblk0p21, and mmcblk0p20). Clearly some cellular related data is stored in these partitions. Flashing just the AT&T modem might not play nice with the related partitions (although I don't see this preventing a boot as these partitions are not part of the boot chain; more likely you would boot to no cellular connection).
2) The bootloader unlocking thread has a lot of info regarding the boot chain partition order. I could be wrong, but I believe the modem hands off control to executable code at a very specific location in the next partition in the boot chain (after loading the executable code to memory?). If this location differs between the AT&T and verizon phones, it could cause a hard brick (a jump to the wrong location). During the bootloader unlocking efforts, Ralekdev was able to reverse several verizon GS3 bootloader partition's machine code (1s and 0s) into arm assembly and then reverse them to C. Using his methodology, we may be able to see if the AT&T and VZW modems (mmcblk0p1) both jump to the same partition at the same location. This could help us to know if flashing the AT&T would definitely hard brick (this isn't the only way the AT&T modem could hard brick, but identifying one way could stop us before we did hard brick). This is tedious work and we would need a full dump from someone with an AT&T phone (mmcblk0p1,2,3,etc). The alternative would be someone with JTAG and brass ones just flashing the modem.
Also check this out http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...php?p=31705003
It is the full partition layout for a 32GB i535.
PS, I read through some of the bootloader unlocking thread again (brings back good memories). This post by Ralekdev
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...php?p=30082055 may explain why flashing an AT&T modem might hard brick. The AT&T modem would need to have the same hardware identifier and signature as the VZW one for the msm8960 to hand over execution to it. I'm gonna take a wild guess that it doesn't. I believe Verizon's locked bootloader may have just struck again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our current bootloader unlocking method was achieved by flashing an unsecure aboot partition (mmcblk0p5). In English (lol), there are several partitions in the boot chain leading to the kernel. The last one is aboot. The one after aboot is the kernel or the recovery partition (depending on whether you are or are not booting to recovery). Each partition in the boot chain checks to see that the next one has the correct signature before handing over execution to it. The unsecure aboot partition we now use to "unlock the bootloader" doesn't enforce (or just doesn't check) the signature of the kernel partition. This is why we are able to run custom kernels not signed by Samsung.
However, the bootloader partitions earlier than aboot still enforce signature checking before handing off execution. The first signature checks are done in hard coded msm8960 firmware. Although I'm not 100% certain of this, I believe the modem partition signature is checked in hardware by the msm8960 prior to execution (it would be a poor security system if it wasn't). So, unless we had Samsung's i535 private key used to sign the modem partition (something that would take more time than the current age of the universe to brute force on the world's fastest supercomputers), the AT&T modem would fail the signature check and the boot process would stop there. The AT&T and TMobile variants (and sprint for that matter) don't have Qualcomm's Secure Boot enabled, so their modem partition isn't subject to a signature check and enforcement.
On the bright side, if we were able to find a way to run a custom (non-i535) modem partition, we would have discovered a true bootloader unlock at one of the lowest levels.
Before the unsecure aboot partition was leaked and the i535 community rejoiced, there was some talk about seeing whether or not a QFuse for secure boot had been blown (permanently enabling secure boot). I don't think we ever found out with 100% certainty whether or not it was. If it isn't, we might still be able to disable secure boot, but it may involve a small hardware modification (a pull up or pull down resistor on an msm8960 GPIO pin. Annoying (and would take quite a while to locate the right one), but not too crazy to do with guts and a decent soldering iron. A software method is definitely preferred, but when you get that low level, you are sometimes dealing with read only segments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone does indeed do WCDMA on 2100, the question we all would like answered is what other bands is the phone capable of operating WCDMA on, and if it does have that hardware, we need to figure out what Verizon did to the software to have it disabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a great discussion, when we got the unsecure aboot a month ago, I thought of this same issue, because on phones like HTC, when you get S-off, the phone basically doesn't care what code you put on it, it just loads it (as long as it is executable code). However, we just created a "hole" in the signature check, as you said, the unsecure aboot is still signed with the right signature, it just doesn't check for more signatures after that point. I posted this question in a thread right at that point, I'll look for it, but I don't think anyone responded to it. To achieve a truly unlocked phone on the same level as the other carrier versions, the CPU secure boot needs to be disabled. That is why I was still bothered by "secure boot enabled" when you go into Odin mode. This is not to say that what the devs did wasn't unbelievable and we are still benefiting from the fruits of all their work on unlocking the bootloader, so we did reach that goal, but I'm just making an observation that to truly be able to flash any partition without worry of not making the hand-over to the next partition, secure boot needs to be disabled.
I did some work on Motorola 6811 micro controllers when I was in college, there were different versions, some were only test chips and thus programmable only once, using e-fuses, so I understand how incredibly stupid and annoying it would be if Verizon has blown the q-or e-fuses in everyone's I535, which we paid for just like those on other carrier networks, but we didn't get the same phone they did if this is in fact true. In the bootloader R&D thread, which is now closed, E.V.A and I shortly had a few posts about enabling the gpio pin to turn off secure boot, they were trying to figure out the right voltage for the pull up resistor source, I think it ended up being 3V or something like that (don't try it without doublechecking that), but apparently there was a different pin somewhere that grounded that gpio thru a FET transistor, so applying the pull up voltage didn't help. Another thought was that even though the q-fuse may not have been blown (I sure hope it wasn't), that the gpio was somehow pulled down internally through the chip inside with a weak ground (like a voltage divider), so a higher pull up current (bias) was needed to actually disable secure boot. Adam also mentioned that not all Samsung schematics are always correct, that even though the manual said a high is needed to disable secure boot, it may actually need to be grounded, so that it was internally pulled high, and that it needed to be grounded externally for it to work right. Another option would be that it's a combination of pins that need the right input, not just that one (I think it was q-fuse 6 or 7), so until the right voltage is applied to all those pins, secure boot won't get disabled.
This all assumes that he q-fuse isn't blown, so there is a way to disable secure boot. If it is blown, then it cannot be disabled. Then the only option would be to make a hybrid AT&T / VZW modem file that has the signature needed, but executes the same things as the AT&T modem, hence enabling the 1900 MHz band.
A final thought is that just like the original aboot never enforced security on the /system or /recovery partitions, maybe when secure boot is on, it enforces signature checks when they are in some partitions, but if the code in the specific partition doesn't ask for it, like the unsecure aboot now doesn't, maybe the modem isn't checked for signature, ad th modem doesn't check for signature when handing over to the next link in the boot chain. That's why I was saying we just need to do it, and have someone with jtag do it, so no one bricks their phone, but we get an answer to the question without making a mistake that can't be recovered from.
Your thoughts, and anyone else's, are greatly appreciated, and it would be great at this point, to continue on to tackle the issue of secure boot, and figure out what we can flash to this phone without bricking it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're not really trying to improve reception, we're trying to open some frequencies for gsm/wcdma that would make this phone fully functional on AT&T or T-Mobile, it wouldn't really change anything on Verizon and CDMA/LTE. It would just make this phone a true multi-network phone. Right now it can get "4G" data on gsm carriers overseas, but not on AT&T or T-Mobile, when we solve this problem, it will get 3G/4G data on ANY gsm network, even domestic ones. So you could take your phone to AT&T or T-Mobile and get service there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, like ac21365 said, this phone does in fact receive wcdma 2100, we're uncertain about wcdma 1900, and although it is highly unlikely that this one might be there, wcdma 1700 (AWS band). Here's the interesting part though, the chipset in this phone is identical to the one in the AT&T version, I747, that one has both 2100 and 1900 bands. Our Verizon phone also has ALL the gsm bands that the AT&T version has (gsm 850, 900, 1800 and 1900), so the 1900 band filter, antenna and amplifier is already there for gsm. If they wanted to save money, why not remove all the gsm stuff since this is a CDMA phone? At this point, it would be cheaper to leave all the hardware stuff on the phone the way it is and just make them all the same, rather than make multiple versions, which would actually be more expensive. It is strange that all the gsm/wcdma bands that Verizon needs for their overseas gsm roaming is there, but the only one that would le you ge AT&T's "4G", is disabled, even though the chipset is physically able to receive/handle it. So it makes no sense that to save money, they left wcdma 2100 fully capable on this phone, but removed wcdma 1900. It could very likely be disabled by Verizon's modem software. That's why we want to get to the bottom of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Called the local at&t store. They wouldn't let me try a post paid sim in store unless I signed up for a plan. Very customer friendly, lol.
In other news, incubus posted that the developer edition of the vzw gs3 is available for sale. I'm curious if we can use some of the partitions? Finding someone who has bought this will be tough.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

cvsolidx17 said:
Will donate $20 if I can successfully flash T-Mobile's as well as pull both 3g and 4G data
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do realize that we will def. not be able to get T-Mobile 4G right? We're talking about HSPA+ here (3G data). TMO's 4G LTE uses different hardware. Please modify your post to reflect whether or not you're still in this.
Count me in for $20 towards at least AT&T ( this would let me use straight talk w/o messing with cdma workshop and the dirty clone job :/ )
BTW, thank you for starting this bounty. I hope this issue gains some momentum now!

preusstang said:
You do realize that we will def. not be able to get T-Mobile 4G right? We're talking about HSPA+ here (3G data). TMO's 4G LTE uses different hardware. Please modify your post to reflect whether or not you're still in this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think what he means by that is T-Mobile's "4G", which they've had before even starting on their LTE, both T-Mobile and AT&T refer to HSPA+ as "4G", so that's what he means. The scope of this bounty never included LTE service from ANY other provider, so a donation for that wouldn't even be accepted as it is not possible to reach that goal. Just to reiterate, this bounty is for either wcdma 1900 OR wcdma 1700, or both, whichever is possible by hardware. We are not attempting to enable any other carrier's LTE service on this phone.
Hope that clarifies things a little.

mybook4 said:
Called the local at&t store. They wouldn't let me try a post paid sim in store unless I signed up for a plan. Very customer friendly, lol.
In other news, incubus posted that the developer edition of the vzw gs3 is available for sale. I'm curious if we can use some of the partitions? Finding someone who has bought this will be tough.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The signatures may not work on the hardware-coded signatures that these phones are looking for though, and even if they do, they probably didn't write its firmware to make the radio activate those bands we want though anyway. However, that phone may be the way for us to get to the solution; the dev edition doesn't have secure boot enabled (most likely, otherwise I wouldn't want one) but the hardware is IDENTICAL to the i535 (regular) version, so maybe if we could raise enough w/ the bounty to get one, we could flash att or t-mo modems, and see if that would enable 1900 wcdma band, right? It would help us on the way to "dev" the right modem file, hehe, since it's the dev edition.

Someone claims to have flashed an at&t modem on a Verizon GS3 and still been able to boot. Hopefully it isn't a spoof (that would be pretty messed up as it could lead others to hard brick their devices).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=31936888
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

mybook4 said:
Someone claims to have flashed an at&t modem on a Verizon GS3 and still been able to boot. Hopefully it isn't a spoof (that would be pretty messed up as it could lead others to hard brick their devices).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=31936888
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't seem like a spoof or hoax, judging from the person's membership length and info. The other reason is that from what I've read on the AT&T sections, when they flash a pure (non-modified to utilize the i747 radios) T-Mobile (T999) modem, the i747 doesn't brick either, but it loses signal completely. Unless the information was gathered from those threads (which seems unlikely), it seems somewhat realistic. I don't know why anyone on this forum, after being a member for that long, would make up something that horrific and cause everyone on here to hard brick their phones. Now we just need to get someone with jtag, maybe Adam Outler, to flash an AT&T modem and see what happens.

newuser134 said:
It doesn't seem like a spoof or hoax, judging from the person's membership length and info. The other reason is that from what I've read on the AT&T sections, when they flash a pure (non-modified to utilize the i747 radios) T-Mobile (T999) modem, the i747 doesn't brick either, but it loses signal completely. Unless the information was gathered from those threads (which seems unlikely), it seems somewhat realistic. I don't know why anyone on this forum, after being a member for that long, would make up something that horrific and cause everyone on here to hard brick their phones. Now we just need to get someone with jtag, maybe Adam Outler, to flash an AT&T modem and see what happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but there is one key difference between our GS3 and every other variant... Secure Boot. It's the only reason I'm hesitant/skeptical but I really hope the poster is genuine. If he/she is, I feel he/she should be included in the reward (if it turns out to be a breakthrough that helps us get working 1900Mhz hspa).
If an AT&T modem flash works on our device without bricking it, it must mean that either the modem partition (one of the earliest parts of the boot chain) isn't checked for signature / hardware identifier or that the AT&T modem he used was signed with the same private key used to sign our modems.
I wonder if the AT&T bootloader partitions do any checks of subsequent boot partitions? If they don't, this could be a way around secure boot. If they do, they may check to see if secure boot is enabled before actually enforcing the check. All this is speculation until we receive confirmation from the poster.
... <drumroll>...
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

mybook4 said:
Yeah, but there is one key difference between our GS3 and every other variant... Secure Boot. It's the only reason I'm hesitant/skeptical but I really hope the poster is genuine. If he/she is, I feel he/she should be included in the reward (if it turns out to be a breakthrough that helps us get working 1900Mhz hspa).
If an AT&T modem flash works on our device without bricking it, it must mean that either the modem partition (one of the earliest parts of the boot chain) isn't checked for signature / hardware identifier or that the AT&T modem he used was signed with the same private key used to sign our modems.
I wonder if the AT&T bootloader partitions do any checks of subsequent boot partitions? If they don't, this could be a way around secure boot. If they do, they may check to see if secure boot is enabled before actually enforcing the check. All this is speculation until we receive confirmation from the poster.
... <drumroll>...
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I was wondering about: If any checks are enforced even if a partition does have checks written into it if secure boot is disabled. What is the exact roll of secure boot? Does it only do hardware check on the first partition boot (modem), or is it like a "guard", and forces every subsequent partition look for a signature to? If the latter is true, then disabling secure boot would make ALL signature checks turn off and obsolete, making the phone truly unlocked whether the software code asks for signatures or not. If the initial condition is true (only checks the first boot partition) then like you said, getting a modem file that has no signature check would almost entirely get around secure boot, I wouldn't really bother us any more if we managed to get firmware that has no signature check, kind of like the unsecure aboot.
Why is it so difficult to get a dev with jtag setup to try this for us? To flash a stock AT&T or T-Mobile modem and see what happens?

I just came to a feeling of "revelation" after reading through some of the AT&T threads about the AT&T Note working on T-Mobile, to the conclusion that if a phone is capable of gsm on ANY band, it MUST also be capable of wcdma on that same band (as long as the phone has wcdma capability on other bands and is not a pre-3G/pre-wcdma era phone, like old flip phones, and we all know our phone is capable of wcdma 2100 AND gsm 1900).
This is why: the difference between gsm and wcdma is frequency/spectrum bandwidth and software manipulation by the CPU, kind of like wave and mp3 files. All the signals go to the same tranceiver, so if the phone has hardware for gsm 1900, it already has the hardware and RF path for wcdma 1900. It also has the ability to take larger chunks of a gsm band and use software to decode a wider frequency portion and turn in into a higher bandwidth (speed) wcdma connection. It's the modem software that does this. This wouldn't work if we were concluding the same thing for interchangeability between gsm and LTE, because LTE uses MiMo (multiple-in Multiple-out connections), and that is a different method of reaching higher data rates, it is not just a different modulation scheme using a wider bandwidth, so gsm and LTE aren't interchangeable even on the same frequency, but gsm and wcdma are. That's how they were able to change 3G into HSPA+ "4G", and receive higher data rates just by changing software, that's why 3G gsm phones can usually also get HSPA+ speeds on AT&T, but they don't call it 4G, just H+. That's why T-Mobile is going to re-farm its EDGE network to run HSPA+ on 1900 MHz, otherwise it would use it for LTE. The antennae are already there, the difference is modifying how the band is used with the help of software. Compare it to putting a large picture on a network of multiple tv screens as one big picture, instead of on just one screen. With the right software and multiple screens (in our case CPU power), it can be done.
That is why the 3G gsm/wcdma capable Verizon iPad 3 (newest version) can also receive AT&T's HSPA+, because the modem software is there, or the same iPhone 4s, if unlocked, can run on Verizon's CDMA 850/1900 and AT&T's wcdma 850/1900 without any hardware differences.
The difference between CDMA, gsm and wcdma is just software to understand the modulation/demodulation and the width of the frequency band, notice how they all use the same frequencies (850/900/1800/1900)? LTE is totally different and requires different bands (like 700, 1700 - this is not the same as 1700 AWS part of the band that is used for t-Mobile's wcdma) and won't work with the others.
All that is needed is the right modem software to literally "patch" the i535 radio to understand wcdma modulation on 1900 MHz, the same way it does on 2100 MHz. Right now it can receive wcdma on 1900 MHz, but it means nothing to the phone, it needs the ability to "read" it, we already know it has the ability to decode wcdma signals.
The only factors that decide this, are provisioning (sim), RF hardware (we know it is there for 1900 MHz) AND, the right modem software. When we put in an AT&T sim, we've provided 2 of these requirement, the one missing is the modem file. If someone can write the correct modem / shuffle the right files onto the right partitions (it may not be just the modem partition as we have seen from the imei problems), I know this phone could do it. I hope this proves it to everyone else the way it just proved it to me. I think that's why the Note was able to run on t-mobile, it had the RF hardware, it just needed the software decoding. Call it a codec if you will, that's all that's missing.
Now, if anyone is able to figure out what is needed, that's a different question, but being able to flash AT&T or t-mobile modems is the very first step. Now we need to figure out if it will brick or not.

wow I really hope this goes somewhere! as I will be planning to use my S3 on Simple Mobile once my contract ends with VZW
40$ vs 70$ is a huge difference for me

I was able to get 3g on ATT.

Strothmann said:
I was able to get 3g on ATT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone know why this says EDGE and shows edge speeds, but the icons say 3G or 4G? Shouldn't phone info say "UMTS" under network type?

ITs due to me revering back to vzw. when i took the screenshot.

[info] s3 sch-r530 u/c/m/x

[I'd like to create a thread to collect information for all variants of the R530. I'll update this first post with additional information people give during discussion. Sorry it is here in the Verizon sub, but this is the closest model]
The SCH-R530 is a special flavor of the Samsung Galaxy S3 with sub-favors: (you should probably puke now)
SCH-R530U is a US Cellular variant
SCH-R530C is a Cricket variant
SCH-R530M is a MetroPCS variant
SCH-R530X is a Generic variant
I suspect these are all the same hardware, but just different ROMs. I would like to confirm this.
I would like to know and post the newest firmware versions for each. (at least the names, if not the ROM files themselves) I'd like to know if ROMs are compatible, if modem firmwares are compatible, if bootloaders are compatible. The small community of owners need to pull together as much as possible.
Model -- Hardware Version / Firmware Versions / Baseband
SCH-R530U --
SCH-R530C --
SCH-R530M --
SCH-R530X -- R530X.01 / JSS15J.R530XWWUBMK4 / R530XWWUBMK4
Please post if you can add to this information!

I'm working on my dad's SCH-R530X (Generic CDMA). It was on a regional CDMA provider that he was not happy with -- he paid $500 to them in January for the phone. Edit: Today, he's on PagePlus, but without data for some reason.
Concerns (that someone may be able to help me with):
Once you go to KK 4.4 you can not go back? Your bootloader is updated and will not boot 4.3?
I'm running 4.3, can I root -> replace recovery -> custom ROM ... without tripping the KNOX warranty void? I've read that saferoot will not trip KNOX?
This phone seems to have an odd Call Audio Quality problem. While listening during a phone call (on the R530), the other party's voice cuts out. Specifically, it cuts out when the other person isn't speaking in their mic close enough or loud enough. It's as if the R530 is filtering out anything under a certain volume level. I've turned off Call Equalizer and Noise Reduction to try to solve this problem. I believe I've read people say a firmware/ROM update from US Cellular fixed this problem.
So you can see, I have some constraints: Still in warranty and don't want to void it by tripping KNOX. Want to try a newer firmware for call audio problem. Don't want to brick phone with incompatible firmware, unless US Cellular will work on this X/Generic phone.
Help would be appreciated.

I do have the USC and Cricket variants but the USC version is soft bricked.
HW: R530C.01
Firmware: JSS15J.R530CVVUCMK3
Baseband: R530CVVUCMK3
Also fyi, this and the USC version requires a sim card.

motoyola said:
I do have the USC and Cricket variants but the USC version is soft bricked.
HW: R530C.01
Firmware: JSS15J.R530CVVUCMK3
Baseband: R530CVVUCMK3
Also fyi, this and the USC version requires a sim card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks... I'll add the info. I think I'll make a spot to record if it has a SIM slot too -- as my 530X does not have a SIM slot and was labeled with a little sticker "3G CDMA"... but the MEID starts with a "9" and LTE visible in DFS.

syserr said:
Thanks... I'll add the info. I think I'll make a spot to record if it has a SIM slot too -- as my 530X does not have a SIM slot and was labeled with a little sticker "3G CDMA"... but the MEID starts with a "9" and LTE visible in DFS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a regional version of the s3 as well, d2xar (sch-r530x) on Inland Cellular, primarily based in the north west US. as far as i can tell, i havent dissasembled my phone to see if there is a lte radio, in the original build.prop for my phone it is disabled on boot so it will not consume power since it is not being used. thus the 3g cdma only sticker. for the us cellular version i do not know if there is a kitkat firmware but if there is there is always the possiblity you will not beable to go back. as for the generic version it is only on 4.3 right now. eitherway the higher the bootloader version is better for customroms due to recoveries and features working better. as for saferoot i dont remember if it trips the warranty bit or not since ive long since written a custom recover to the device which tripped it but i do know itll make the stock rom list itself as custom in the settings after being rooted. also something to keep in mind with a custom rom is, unless you have the apns for your carrier eg, pageplus, usc, ect. you will not have mms capabilities. Im still tearing my build.prop and apn back up apart to see if i can include some of that info into a custom rom to fix mms, or a recovery that will inject it after a rom flash.

Update?
Lrs121 said:
I have a regional version of the s3 as well, d2xar (sch-r530x) on Inland Cellular, primarily based in the north west US. as far as i can tell, i havent dissasembled my phone to see if there is a lte radio, in the original build.prop for my phone it is disabled on boot so it will not consume power since it is not being used. thus the 3g cdma only sticker. for the us cellular version i do not know if there is a kitkat firmware but if there is there is always the possiblity you will not beable to go back. as for the generic version it is only on 4.3 right now. eitherway the higher the bootloader version is better for customroms due to recoveries and features working better. as for saferoot i dont remember if it trips the warranty bit or not since ive long since written a custom recover to the device which tripped it but i do know itll make the stock rom list itself as custom in the settings after being rooted. also something to keep in mind with a custom rom is, unless you have the apns for your carrier eg, pageplus, usc, ect. you will not have mms capabilities. Im still tearing my build.prop and apn back up apart to see if i can include some of that info into a custom rom to fix mms, or a recovery that will inject it after a rom flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any update to this? I have the sticker too and it'd be great to have LTE on since this phone supports it, it seems. I've made this post
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/general/s3-d2xar-cdma-how-to-set-straight-talk-t3012846

uplusion23 said:
Any update to this? I have the sticker too and it'd be great to have LTE on since this phone supports it, it seems. I've made this post
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/general/s3-d2xar-cdma-how-to-set-straight-talk-t3012846
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last I checked there was a bug with the d2lte builds that break the ability to set apns... I made a cm10.2, I think, build that allowed changing the APN. Um if I remember right the physical design of the d2xar has hardware similar to the Verizon s3. I still don't know if there is an lte modem in the phone since there doesnt seem to be a sim card slot, though there maybe an integrated uicc. I haven't played with it much since I switched to using my nexus 5 on T-Mobile.

Lrs121 said:
Last I checked there was a bug with the d2lte builds that break the ability to set apns... I made a cm10.2, I think, build that allowed changing the APN. Um if I remember right the physical design of the d2xar has hardware similar to the Verizon s3. I still don't know if there is an lte modem in the phone since there doesnt seem to be a sim card slot, though there maybe an integrated uicc. I haven't played with it much since I switched to using my nexus 5 on T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got to the service mode settings, which oddly enough it listed GSM and CDMA. Quite weird. To get there was even weirder. Sadly the D2xar doesn't support TWRP Recovery, and the only one that works is CWM by Philz.

uplusion23 said:
I got to the service mode settings, which oddly enough it listed GSM and CDMA. Quite weird. To get there was even weirder. Sadly the D2xar doesn't support TWRP Recovery, and the only one that works is CWM by Philz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yah I noticed that to when I was digging around for apns for my old carrier. As for twrp I got around that problem by building my own version using cyanogenmod and the d2lte device files. It made cyanogenmod delta updates possible on the d2lte build. Which are really nice. My source is floating around github, though you'd have to do a little digging to find everything. I do have precompiled twrp images on my webserver that I try to keep up to date for my friend who's brother has the same phone. If you go to my site its safe to ignore the certificate warnings, I have it set to force HTTPS and the reason the warning pops up is because I self signed it instead of paying for a company like verisign

Sorry for my superbly late reply. I've done a ton of digging with this phone. Turns out it only supports Evdo. So no LTE sadly. Even worse, using the Test Menu I can't bands to USA bands, only the (800 or 850?) Hz Global band. I can't get a connection. Well. The bars are listed as 2-3 generally, but it says "Roaming Indicator Off". I have the latest and only baseband, too.
(Wow. After two months of fiddling, as of typing this, I turned on cellular service, which is usually in Airplane mode, I got a " 3G" connection for the first time. Only for a second.)
I don't think I'll be able to switch this over to Straight Talk any time soon, though. I'll check your GitHub soon for that TWRP.
---------- Post added at 11:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:49 AM ----------
uplusion23 said:
Sorry for my superbly late reply. I've done a ton of digging with this phone. Turns out it only supports Evdo. So no LTE sadly. Even worse, using the Test Menu I can't bands to USA bands, only the (800 or 850?) Hz Global band. I can't get a connection. Well. The bars are listed as 2-3 generally, but it says "Roaming Indicator Off". I have the latest and only baseband, too.
(Wow. After two months of fiddling, as of typing this, I turned on cellular service, which is usually in Airplane mode, I got a " 3G" connection for the first time. Only for a second.)
I don't think I'll be able to switch this over to Straight Talk any time soon, though. I'll check your GitHub soon for that TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, just of now I've been unable to re-acquire the "3G" that caused me to have a boost of hope. Now even when I attempt calling which it usually would bring me to the Verizon automated system, asking to make a collect call, since around here is primarily Verizon, I can't even get it to call. It now states that no mobile network is available, even when I have 2-3 bars.

You have no "3g" because your keys are wrong. Y'all need some QPST and see the whole logon process and baseband messages. Then you can really troubleshoot your phone.

I have a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 on the Straight Talk network. I check for software updates and it tells me the software is up to date however it says my phone is running off of 4.4.2 instead of the Lollipop or the one just under. Does anyone know if Lollipop 5.0 or 5.1 has reached the S3 yet? Or how to manually update my phone software so its not so low?

flash a custom rom with 5.x for your model.

nxb said:
flash a custom rom with 5.x for your model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phone is not rooted so how do I do that? I need or to be updated. My phone doesnt work right on 4.4.2
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA Free mobile app

you will have to root, trip knox and lose your warranty... there is no way to go back. on verizon you may be screwed if you have signed/locked bootloaders. search on XDA about unlocked bootloaders for verizon. also: http://androidforums.com/threads/verizon-verizon-bootloader-unlock.856221/
aaaand... make sure to back up your mmc boot partitions so you can debrick if you mess up.
p.s. prepare to learn a lot of technical things. if that sounds annoying and you don't want to spend a lot of time on it you might be better off buying a used phone.

nxb said:
you will have to root, trip knox and lose your warranty... there is no way to go back. on verizon you may be screwed if you have signed/locked bootloaders. search on XDA about unlocked bootloaders for verizon. also: http://androidforums.com/threads/verizon-verizon-bootloader-unlock.856221/
aaaand... make sure to back up your mmc boot partitions so you can debrick if you mess up.
p.s. prepare to learn a lot of technical things. if that sounds annoying and you don't want to spend a lot of time on it you might be better off buying a used phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not using Verizon. I'm using straight talk on a Verizon phone
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA Free mobile app

ST only has GSM AT&T and CDMA verizon... if you have an I535 past 4.3 you have locked bootloader problems.

Needing the pit file for the SCH-R530C. PLEASE! I am at the end of my tether. Thank you in advance, DaMoose

DaMoose517 said:
Needing the pit file for the SCH-R530C. PLEASE! I am at the end of my tether. Thank you in advance, DaMoose
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have any idea if the 530c and the 530x share a similar partition table? If they do then I can pull the one from my 530x

Lrs121 said:
Do you have any idea if the 530c and the 530x share a similar partition table? If they do then I can pull the one from my 530x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not know. I'd love to take the chance, but the risk of totally bricking the R530C is there . . . heck, let me try it.

Unlocked or not?

I got a Metro by T-Mobile phone unlocked on eBay and while the phone no longer rejects MVNO sims, it won't connect to any network either. It still connects when I put the Metro sim back in but it won't connect with sims from Lyca, Tello or Hello Mobile, all T-Mobile MVNOs. The phone is a TCL 30 XE 5G (T767W) and I bought two of them new and they both have the same problem. I'm new to the T-Mobile network and I don't know if I'm missing something. I've never had this kind of trouble on Verizon or AT&T. Has anyone else run into a problem like this? I appreciate any help anyone can offer.
Thanks!

Look inside here:
How to Check If Android Phone is Unlocked or Locked
Before buying a new Android Phone, it is best to check if Android Phone is Unlocked or Locked. Here are 2 ways to check the Simlock status of your Android phone.
www.unlockboot.com

xXx yYy said:
Look inside here:
How to Check If Android Phone is Unlocked or Locked
Before buying a new Android Phone, it is best to check if Android Phone is Unlocked or Locked. Here are 2 ways to check the Simlock status of your Android phone.
www.unlockboot.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to that site my phone is unlocked but it still won't connect to any network unless the original Metro sim is installed.

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
According to that site my phone is unlocked but it still won't connect to any network unless the original Metro sim is installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you need to enter service menu and change your radio settings or maybe you need to flash a different modem for your specific model number.
I know you said you bought them new but can you confirm that their IMEI is intact?

Droidriven said:
Maybe you need to enter service menu and change your radio settings or maybe you need to flash a different modem for your specific model number.
I know you said you bought them new but can you confirm that their IMEI is intact?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply! Both phones were shipped to me from Metro by T-Mobile. The phones were able to connect with an MVNO sim when I set the radio to 2G only mode but that option disappeared when the phones updated to Android 12 and now they can't connect at all. Even before the update, the phones would frequently disconnect and I had to set them back to 2G only mode to get service back so there was always something wrong. I'm pretty good with computers but I've never flashed a phone before and I've been suspecting that I would have to do that with these phones. I'll be happy to check their IMEI numbers if you could let me know what I'm looking for. I'd also like to learn more about flashing a new modem as you mentioned above that sounds like it might address the problem. And if you wouldn't mind letting me know where I could find the service menu?
Thanks in advance!!

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
Thank you for your reply! Both phones were shipped to me from Metro by T-Mobile. The phones were able to connect with an MVNO sim when I set the radio to 2G only mode but that option disappeared when the phones updated to Android 12 and now they can't connect at all. Even before the update, the phones would frequently disconnect and I had to set them back to 2G only mode to get service back so there was always something wrong. I'm pretty good with computers but I've never flashed a phone before and I've been suspecting that I would have to do that with these phones. I'll be happy to check their IMEI numbers if you could let me know what I'm looking for. I'd also like to learn more about flashing a new modem as you mentioned above that sounds like it might address the problem. And if you wouldn't mind letting me know where I could find the service menu?
Thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After they updated, have you tried booting into recovery and wiping the cache partition(not factory reset)? Sometimes, after updates, wiping cache is necessary to remove conflicts between previously existing data and the new update.
If you are getting a connection of any kind then your IMEI is fine.
Flashing a modem is sometimes necessary but it can have risks if you flash the wrong thing.
I'm not familiar with TCL devices or how they are flashed. Typically, to flash a different modem requires downloading a firmware that has the modem that you want/need then extracting the modem from the firmware then flash the extracted modem onto the device.
Methods to access service/radio menu different from device to device, I don't know how it is done on TCL devices. Most of the time it is done by using your dialer and dialing a specific code, if there is a dialer code for your device, you should be able to find it with a Google search for:
"TCL 30 XE 5G dialer menu code"
Or
"TCL 30 XE 5G service menu"

Droidriven said:
After they updated, have you tried booting into recovery and wiping the cache partition(not factory reset)? Sometimes, after updates, wiping cache is necessary to remove conflicts between previously existing data and the new update.
If you are getting a connection of any kind then your IMEI is fine.
Flashing a modem is sometimes necessary but it can have risks if you flash the wrong thing.
I'm not familiar with TCL devices or how they are flashed. Typically, to flash a different modem requires downloading a firmware that has the modem that you want/need then extracting the modem from the firmware then flash the extracted modem onto the device.
Methods to access service/radio menu different from device to device, I don't know how it is done on TCL devices. Most of the time it is done by using your dialer and dialing a specific code, if there is a dialer code for your device, you should be able to find it with a Google search for:
"TCL 30 XE 5G dialer menu code"
Or
"TCL 30 XE 5G service menu"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to find my phone's service mode or engineering mode (hope they're the same thing) and get service back by setting the phone to 2G only mode again but that doesn't solve the problem of it losing service when LTE or 5G are turned on. Are there any other settings I could try changing?

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
I was able to find my phone's service mode or engineering mode (hope they're the same thing) and get service back by setting the phone to 2G only mode again but that doesn't solve the problem of it losing service when LTE or 5G are turned on. Are there any other settings I could try changing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you use the service menu to find out which bands/frequencies and network type the current modem/radio is using?
Can you find out which bands/frequencies and network type that your carrier network is using?
Compare them to see if they are compatible.
Or, try calling customer support for your carrier, there may be something they need to do in their system from their end to get your device to connect.

Droidriven said:
Can you use the service menu to find out which bands/frequencies and network type the current modem/radio is using?
Can you find out which bands/frequencies and network type that your carrier network is using?
Compare them to see if they are compatible.
Or, try calling customer support for your carrier, there may be something they need to do in their system from their end to get your device to connect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by network type?
There are a lot of options to choose from, several of them list bands. Is there a specific menu I should look for?
The carrier I have the phone on is Tello which is a T-Mobile MVNO. I've also tried Lyca and Hello Mobile both are also Tmo MVNOs and all three had the same problem. The phones are from Metro by T-Mobile so everything should be compatible. Tello customer service has tried to help but they can't figure it out.

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
What do you mean by network type?
There are a lot of options to choose from, several of them list bands. Is there a specific menu I should look for?
The carrier I have the phone on is Tello which is a T-Mobile MVNO. I've also tried Lyca and Hello Mobile both are also Tmo MVNOs and all three had the same problem. The phones are from Metro by T-Mobile so everything should be compatible. Tello customer service has tried to help but they can't figure it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But, are the bands that are presently available on the device within the range of bands that your carrier uses? Do the network and the device use the same bands? If so, you shouldn't need to flash a different modem, if not, you may need a different modem.
Did you boot into recovery and wipe the cache partition to remove any potential conflicts caused by updating to android 12?
Are you certain that the SIM(s) you are trying to use is/are valid and active? If they have been previously deactivated, they won't work
Don't skip through my posts and only answer part of my questions. Let's cover the bases without skipping an answer to a question. Otherwise, it could lead to a wild goose chase that could have been avoided by answering everything I ask.

Droidriven said:
But, are the bands that are presently available on the device within the range of bands that your carrier uses? Do the network and the device use the same bands? If so, you shouldn't need to flash a different modem, if not, you may need a different modem.
Did you boot into recovery and wipe the cache partition to remove any potential conflicts caused by updating to android 12?
Are you certain that the SIM(s) you are trying to use is/are valid and active? If they have been previously deactivated, they won't work
Don't skip through my posts and only answer part of my questions. Let's cover the bases without skipping an answer to a question. Otherwise, it could lead to a wild goose chase that could have been avoided by answering everything I ask.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry about the confusion. I did wipe the cache and in the past I've done a full factory reset from recovery mode it didn't help. And this problem already existed before the update to Android 12. It started the moment I changed sims. The phones only ever worked right with the original Metro sim and still do. That's why I wasn't sure if they were unlocked right but they don't reject other sims either.
The sims are active and have never been deactivated and now that I can force the phones back into 2G mode again, I can make and receive calls and use 2G data.
As for the bands I'm finding in the service menu, this is where it gets weird. They're all selected, there must be over a hundred bands turned on including bands I know this phone doesn't support.
I have confirmed the phone supports all the same bands that Tello uses. Tello uses the same bands as T-Mobile.

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
Sorry about the confusion. I did wipe the cache and in the past I've done a full factory reset from recovery mode it didn't help. And this problem already existed before the update to Android 12. It started the moment I changed sims. The phones only ever worked right with the original Metro sim and still do. That's why I wasn't sure if they were unlocked right but they don't reject other sims either.
The sims are active and have never been deactivated and now that I can force the phones back into 2G mode again, I can make and receive calls and use 2G data.
As for the bands I'm finding in the service menu, this is where it gets weird. They're all selected, there must be over a hundred bands turned on including bands I know this phone doesn't support.
I have confirmed the phone supports all the same bands that Tello uses. Tello uses the same bands as T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, thanks for confirming.
It is weird, everything seems to be in place. Have you made sure your APNs(Access Point Names) are set correctly for the network?
I can't be certain that you have all of your network and radio settings set correctly because I have no idea what settings you have, what the options are or if there are any tucked away somewhere that isn't obvious.
If everything is right on your end, it may be something on their end that they need to get right.

Droidriven said:
Ok, thanks for confirming.
It is weird, everything seems to be in place. Have you made sure your APNs(Access Point Names) are set correctly for the network?
I can't be certain that you have all of your network and radio settings set correctly because I have no idea what settings you have, what the options are or if there are any tucked away somewhere that isn't obvious.
If everything is right on your end, it may be something on their end that they need to get right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the APN was the first thing I checked and Tello confirmed it too.
I can send you screenshots of the service menus if that would help.
Tello is now saying the phone might not be "fully unlocked" I don't know what that means. Is there more than one way to lock a phone? Did T-Mobile come up with another way of locking their phones? A screen in the settings menu does warn the phone is still locked and it isn't yet eligible to be unlocked but it accepts the sim and connects to 2G at least. Could Tello be on to something here?

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
Yeah, the APN was the first thing I checked and Tello confirmed it too.
I can send you screenshots of the service menus if that would help.
Tello is now saying the phone might not be "fully unlocked" I don't know what that means. Is there more than one way to lock a phone? Did T-Mobile come up with another way of locking their phones? A screen in the settings menu does warn the phone is still locked and it isn't yet eligible to be unlocked but it accepts the sim and connects to 2G at least. Could Tello be on to something here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are couple of different kinds of "unlocked"
There is SIM/carrier unlock and there is bootloader unlock. They two completely different things and have nothing to do with each other.
Have you tried going through the carrier unlock process yourself to confirm it has been done correctly?

Droidriven said:
Have you tried going through the carrier unlock process yourself to confirm it has been done correctly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how to do that.

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
I don't know how to do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally, there is a website that you go to to get an unlock code.
Google search:
"TCL 30 XE 5G (T767W) SIM unlock"

Droidriven said:
Generally, there is a website that you go to to get an unlock code.
Google search:
"TCL 30 XE 5G (T767W) SIM unlock"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding is that Metro phones can't be unlocked with a code. Instead, they're unlocked by a preinstalled carrier app when the phone becomes eligible for an unlock, which my phone isn't. In my case, I bought an unlocking service from eBay which had me hook up my phone to my PC via USB for the unlock. Is there another way to check?

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
My understanding is that Metro phones can't be unlocked with a code. Instead, they're unlocked by a preinstalled carrier app when the phone becomes eligible for an unlock, which my phone isn't. In my case, I bought an unlocking service from eBay which had me hook up my phone to my PC via USB for the unlock. Is there another way to check?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You got scammed, whether they did it on purpose or not is another question. They probably didn't rob you on purpose, it is just a matter of there never being any kind of guarantee that a 3rd party unlocking service works on every device. You took that chance when you chose to go that route.
If there is an app that is supposed to be used, why is your device not eligible to unlock via the app? You will have to use the official unlock method if/when it is eligible, hopefully the 3rd party unlock service hasn't done anything that conflicts with the official method.
I suggest that, in the future, don't make gambles or look for shortcuts when buying devices without being 100% certain that you are buying from a reputable source that guarantees their products and services. It is best to buy directly from the carrier/manufacturer or from Swappa. I wouldn't buy from eBay unless I could confirm that there was a legitimately proven unlock method for the specific model number that I'm considering purchasing before I actually purchase the device.
If you can return the device and get your money back, I suggest you do it or report it to eBay to see if they will protect your purchase since what you got is not what you agreed to purchase.

Droidriven said:
You got scammed, whether they did it on purpose or not is another question. They probably didn't rob you on purpose, it is just a matter of there never being any kind of guarantee that a 3rd party unlocking service works on every device. You took that chance when you chose to go that route.
If there is an app that is supposed to be used, why is your device not eligible to unlock via the app? You will have to use the official unlock method if/when it is eligible, hopefully the 3rd party unlock service hasn't done anything that conflicts with the official method.
I suggest that, in the future, don't make gambles or look for shortcuts when buying devices without being 100% certain that you are buying from a reputable source that guarantees their products and services. It is best to buy directly from the carrier/manufacturer or from Swappa. I wouldn't buy from eBay unless I could confirm that there was a legitimately proven unlock method for the specific model number that I'm considering purchasing before I actually purchase the device.
If you can return the device and get your money back, I suggest you do it or report it to eBay to see if they will protect your purchase since what you got is not what you agreed to purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the phones new from Metro not eBay. The only thing I got from eBay was the unlocking service which cost me $8. And I didn't pay anything for the phones either as they were free with the purchase of one month of Metro service. So there's really no point in returning the phones and I'm not gonna bother opening a case with eBay over $8.
Metro won't unlock the phones until I've paid for six months of their service.
A quick search on eBay comes up with multiple sellers offering unlocks for my specific phone model locked to Metro. I've been thinking about just trying to get the phones unlocked again by another seller but everything and everyone seems to be telling me the phones are already unlocked so I don't know what I should try next. Is there a way to check if the phones are really unlocked?

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
I got the phones new from Metro not eBay. The only thing I got from eBay was the unlocking service which cost me $8. And I didn't pay anything for the phones either as they were free with the purchase of one month of Metro service. So there's really no point in returning the phones and I'm not gonna bother opening a case with eBay over $8.
Metro won't unlock the phones until I've paid for six months of their service.
A quick search on eBay comes up with multiple sellers offering unlocks for my specific phone model locked to Metro. I've been thinking about just trying to get the phones unlocked again by another seller but everything and everyone seems to be telling me the phones are already unlocked so I don't know what I should try next. Is there a way to check if the phones are really unlocked?
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You've already used methods to check if it is unlocked. Obviously, the service you paid for didn't work, you can't get your money back for that, those services don't come with any guarantee. As I said, you can take another chance and try another 3rd party service that also is not guaranteed or you can wait and do it the official way. I'm betting the unlock service is a waste of time and money and you'll have to wait and do it the right way. That is the cost of blindly taking a shortcut.