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I need to know if I can use an Android phone JUST for the PDA functionality - It would be used on WiFi only, and never for phone calls.
I know the simple answer seems to be 'yes', but has anyone actually done it? I'm worried that some phones might require activation before even getting into the phone (like my Fascinate did.) I know you can dial a keypad combination in the dialer to override that, but this is going to be for my 68 year old father who just wants the advanced GPS functionality (logging, geotagging photos) for use with offline GPS programs like CoPilot or Sygic, along with whatever other non-internet-connected apps he might want to use.
Furthermore, I've heard that AT&T & TMo phones will display an error about a missing or inactive SIM, but I've not heard whether you can move past that and just use the device as a mini-tablet.... I've been a VZW victim since the Droid's hit the market, so I don't know if this is a concern or not.
So, bottom line, my question is this - if I buy a no-contract phone (even [gasp] one with a bad ESN from eBay) and never activate it with the cell provider, can I use the device as just a PDA, and are there any special considerations I've overlooked?
Thanks to all who offer help!!!
lenknermj said:
I need to know if I can use an Android phone JUST for the PDA functionality - It would be used on WiFi only, and never for phone calls.
I know the simple answer seems to be 'yes', but has anyone actually done it? I'm worried that some phones might require activation before even getting into the phone (like my Fascinate did.) I know you can dial a keypad combination in the dialer to override that, but this is going to be for my 68 year old father who just wants the advanced GPS functionality (logging, geotagging photos) for use with offline GPS programs like CoPilot or Sygic, along with whatever other non-internet-connected apps he might want to use.
Furthermore, I've heard that AT&T & TMo phones will display an error about a missing or inactive SIM, but I've not heard whether you can move past that and just use the device as a mini-tablet.... I've been a VZW victim since the Droid's hit the market, so I don't know if this is a concern or not.
So, bottom line, my question is this - if I buy a no-contract phone (even [gasp] one with a bad ESN from eBay) and never activate it with the cell provider, can I use the device as just a PDA, and are there any special considerations I've overlooked?
Thanks to all who offer help!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an att Captivate NO SIM that I play with all the time. I even use GrooveIP to make phone calls via wifi over Google Voice! You dont HAVE to have a SIM in the phone for it to function!
I am a new user of CyanogenMod and I absolutely find it better than the stock ROM that comes with the Droid Incredible. I am relatively new to the whole using a rooted phone, but I support it all the way due to giving me exactly what I want....total control over my phone.
With that being said, I am always looking for ways to go above and beyond what the phone is capable of and was just wondering this...
A friend that I work with was telling me about how you can, on an unrooted phone, you can dial ##778 and get into some menu within the phone, not necessarily the Incredible, but alter something to do with the EPST so that you can use a WiFi tether application without using your data plan.
1. I would like to know if it is possible to do the ##778 on a rooted Incredible w/ CyanogenMod 7? When I dial it, I don't get the menu like I should be getting, all that I hear is that dialed circuits are busy.
2. If anyone out there has successfully done this, or is just able to use WiFi tether without using data plan, any information that could point me in to the right direction and steps to reproduce would be greatly appreciated.
To give you a little context, I came over to the T869 from the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, which is basically the WiFi-only sibling of the "Plus" T869 that T-Mobile now sells. Being a WiFi only device, it had the "phone" parts of the GUI disabled, like the Phone and Messaging apps won't show up or run and you can't sync BlueTooth headsets. The T869 has the MMS app enabled, but no phone, so the same mod I did on the P3113 is useful on this one.
Thankfully, even though it seems fairly arcane, Wes Foster made a nice utility to make this much easier (and more n00b friendly) to do.
To do this (and other framework mods), first you should pull the framework-res.apk file out of the ROM.zip file you're using. Open the zip and go into /system/framework. In there you'll find framework-res.apk, which you should extract.
Drop that file into the "place-framework-res-here" folder within the Mod tool, then run the tool and enter option 1.
This will unpack the files to the "files-to-edit" folder.
Inside there you'll need to go to \framework-res.apk\res\values\
You'll need to modify the file bools.xml. Find this line and change "false" to "true":
Code:
[B]<bool name="config_voice_capable">false</bool>[/B]
Once you make that change, you're all set to "enable" phone features. You can also make other changes as desired.
Here's a partial guide: http://www.igottadroid.com/ModMarket/Listings/Darkside Agent1621289.html
Once you're done modifying the file, save it, and then run through options 2, 3, and 4 on the mod tool.
Once its done, you'll have a flashable ZIP file named "update.zip" inside the final-zip-file folder.
For extra safety, I reccomend making a copy of the update.zip called revert_framework.zip.
Open this copy in 7-Zip, go into the /system/framework folder, and delete the framework-res.apk file there. Replace it with the unmodified one from your ROM, then close 7-Zip. Now you have a second "flashable" ZIP that will put the untouched framework back onto your tablet, which comes in handy if you managed to break something and cannot boot
I did not make the tool, and found it in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1823701
I am simply reposting it over here since I found it very helpful
I stumbled across this thread when I was about to ask about the international version...is there any chance you could post a video of this in action? Not that I don't believe this works, but I remember following a thread for the T-Mobile Springboard where a few people said a certain update would allow for phone/SMS, but then others who actively tried were unable to do so because of how T-Mobile picks up the IMEI (and doesn't let you use a phone SIM with a tablet).
If this works (and if it also keeps T-Mobile 4G), then this would be a MUCH better solution than buying an international 7.0 Plus (which is not only ~$200 more expensive on average but would only work on 2G on T-Mobile US).
Well, the T869 has SMS enabled natively. I got a "data only" pay-as-you-go plan for a 4G / WiFi hotspot earlier this year, and recently got the T869 with a contact. Both of these came with a 10 digit phone number for administrative purposes, and even the hotspot had the ability to receive SMS.
This particular trick doesn't do anything to the back end services themselves, so its not like you magically get phone service just by doing this.
I use a combination of SIP and Google Voice to do phone-type stuff without a phone.
I prefer this hack because it enables the native dialer, and pretty much all the good softphone solutions allow you to "integrate" with the native call log & dialer setup, so you just go to the normal "People" app and click someone's phone # and are then given an option to call them.
Without this hack, you must go into whatever 3rd party app you're using and initiate phone calls from there.
Remember, I initially started doing this on my WiFi Only GT-P3113 (which is basically a T869 without 4G or vibration).
I was never able to get the "Native" messaging app to behave quite right. There's a Google Voice SMS Integration app, and it can sync your GV texting into the native SMS app's text history, but it can't (or couldn't) trigger native SMS notifications correctly.
I am kinda over texting in general, as I have it piped through GoogleTalk. I receive SMS at my GoogleVoice phone #, and they are automatically forwarded to GoogleTalk via a third party web service called GVMax, which is free. GV Max is basically a GoogleVoice to XMPP bridge. After federating in my other IM accounts, GoogleTalk is now my one-stop-shop for textual communications.
Just my $0.02.
Isn't the "International" version so-called because its got a quad band radio that works on like any carrier?
Also, I have heard (though this is not confirmed) that the "International" edition doesn't come with an IR blaster, whereas the T869 does. I dunno if that's true or something you'd care about, but food for thought
magus57 said:
I stumbled across this thread when I was about to ask about the international version...is there any chance you could post a video of this in action? Not that I don't believe this works, but I remember following a thread for the T-Mobile Springboard where a few people said a certain update would allow for phone/SMS, but then others who actively tried were unable to do so because of how T-Mobile picks up the IMEI (and doesn't let you use a phone SIM with a tablet).
If this works (and if it also keeps T-Mobile 4G), then this would be a MUCH better solution than buying an international 7.0 Plus (which is not only ~$200 more expensive on average but would only work on 2G on T-Mobile US).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well from what I remember, the reviews I read about the 7.0 Plus were regarding the international version and all of them mentioned an IR blaster - but regardless, that'd be one of my least-used features of the tablet. Kinda disappointed that it'd still only be calls over data - I think I'd pay the extra $200 and suffer 2G speeds (at least until T-Mobile 1900Mhz roll-out comes to Chicago) for GSM calls alone, as I'd rather not deal with a separate data plan or tethering data off my phone to get calls.
magus57 said:
Well from what I remember, the reviews I read about the 7.0 Plus were regarding the international version and all of them mentioned an IR blaster - but regardless, that'd be one of my least-used features of the tablet. Kinda disappointed that it'd still only be calls over data - I think I'd pay the extra $200 and suffer 2G speeds (at least until T-Mobile 1900Mhz roll-out comes to Chicago) for GSM calls alone, as I'd rather not deal with a separate data plan or tethering data off my phone to get calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's kindof a deal breaker. Out here in Portland OR we have 4G in most places, and I'm either at work (in an office) or at home 90% of the time, where I have a high speed WiFi hookup, AND I almost never talk on the phone, so the data-only setup is perfect for guys like me.
GSM only would pretty much make that a dealbreaker, since I suspect the audio quality would be pretty terrible.
DivinityCycle said:
Yeah that's kindof a deal breaker. Out here in Portland OR we have 4G in most places, and I'm either at work (in an office) or at home 90% of the time, where I have a high speed WiFi hookup, AND I almost never talk on the phone, so the data-only setup is perfect for guys like me.
GSM only would pretty much make that a dealbreaker, since I suspect the audio quality would be pretty terrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I do have a pretty stable 4G connection wherever I go (except for my brother's apartment, where ALL reception is horrible) or have access to my home's faster Wifi connection, and I don't talk much, I still get much better GSM service everywhere and can still get calls when I have to turn off data to save battery (since I use the data connection quite a bit when I'm away from a charger). And I haven't really had complaints with GSM audio or found voice over 4G/Wifi to be much clearer especially when the person on the other end is usually using GSM too..
I mean if you were doing some sorta data-only internet phone setup like SIP or GrooveIP or something. That's what I am using, and for it to sound alright you need decent bandwidth. Actually I ought to test out my stuff on a 2G connection and see how bad it is Should be interesting!
will this trick work on stock ICS build?
Galaxy t869
Does anyone know if this will allow making "regular" calls using my "regular" SIM CARD?
Thanks,
Jonathan
jon5407 said:
Does anyone know if this will allow making "regular" calls using my "regular" SIM CARD?
Thanks,
Jonathan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seriously doubt it, no way to be truly sure without trying it though.
T869UVLG7 ICS phone call hack
Hey I'm one the noobs mentioned in your post. I'm living in the Bahamas and a proud owner of the T869.First I have no idea what the ROM.zip is and whether this is supposed to be done on a desktop or the tab itself.I am rooted but running UVLG7 ICS UPDATE.It'd be awesome if I could get this working .My sim card is data and 3g/4g ready.Could you please /anyone inform. Thanks to u guys with your mod skills they're mad skills.Thanks man
Thanks mate~~
I did this on the T869 originally locked to T-Mobile, and it worked without a problem~!!!!
PS: >>> Be sure to first wipe cache. I skipped that the first time and i almost created an atomic bomb
PPS: >>> Also, the backup revert.zip is a brilliant idea, it's what i used when i messed up the first time!
Hey mate!
thanks again for the tutorial!
I have followed it to completion.
I however, can only do simple things like loading airtime [our networks are prepaid] and check balance,
but I can't seem to be able to make calls
I have an unlocked T869
---------- Post added at 06:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:33 PM ----------
dubblecup said:
Hey I'm one the noobs mentioned in your post. I'm living in the Bahamas and a proud owner of the T869.First I have no idea what the ROM.zip is and whether this is supposed to be done on a desktop or the tab itself.I am rooted but running UVLG7 ICS UPDATE.It'd be awesome if I could get this working .My sim card is data and 3g/4g ready.Could you please /anyone inform. Thanks to u guys with your mod skills they're mad skills.Thanks man
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey,
are you trying to follow the tutorial and are having problems???
Please be a little more clear where you're stuck so we can help
-accidental double post-
Read the thread.
To quote myself: "This particular trick doesn't do anything to the back end services themselves, so its not like you magically get phone service just by doing this."
Also I have upgraded a couple of times since I posted about this crap and no longer use my Samsung (now using a Nexus 7 2013 which is way better)
I've done quite a bit of researching but cannot find an answer I'm confident in, so...
Has anyone had success getting telephony to work on these devices? I recently updated to 4.1.2 with the OTA update from this forum. However, before I did that, I was on 4.0.4 (factory), then on the DoubleShot kernel and rom. I rooted, unlocked the boot loader, modified framework-res.apk to enable phone (one of the bools files has a line something like "phone_enabled...>false<...". After doing this, recompiling, and reflashing the rom, I was able to place outgoing "true voice calls" -- no Google Voice, no Groove IP, but a REAL voice call (with 1G or whatever the base mode for voice/SMS is). These calls originated from the VZW number associated with the sim card in the Tab. I was NOT able to receive incoming calls or send/receive SMS text. I tried everything I could think of to get these to work -- no go.
---Fast forward, aver several days of flawless outgoing phone calls---
Flashed the OTA 4.1.2 (and TrustZone and the modem) and everything worked initially. Tried to edit the framework-res.apk again, exactly as before. re-applied the update with CWM (and TZ/modem to be safe) with edited framework-res. CWM said successful, but the device would hang on the boot screen.
Any ideas how to enable phone, or why my previous method didnt work with 4.1.2?
Also, if anyone knows how to get rid of the ongoing WiFi notification (even when connected, wifi off, etc), that would be AWESOME! I know some people long-press the notification -> app info -> kill app, and that works until wifi status changes.
I've actually been trying to figure out the telephony thing myself but could not find it. Glad you did! I'll see if I what I can do also. I'd love to enable telephony on this tab and include it in doubleshotrom. Let me know if you figure it out.
For wifi - view this thread regarding the S3 [HACK] Remove WiFi reminder
It used to work on this tab on 4.0.4, don't know if it changed in 4.1.2
I'm glad you saw this thread MrHyde. I've been following along silently in the development forum (almost to 10 posts haha)
Do you have any ideas what the difference might be between 4.0.4 and 4.1.2 that would cause such a different result (failure to boot after flashing)?
I'm going to try going to the DoubleShot JB kernel (hopefully tonight) and see if it helps. Does the new DoubleShot for JB swap the storage mount points? If it does, how can I disable it? Switching back and forth between installs that don't BOTH do this is becoming a problem for me.
For the failure to boot, you need to install the TZ (trust zone). It's listed under the Requirements heading in the DoubleshotROM thread, or you can grab it from the OTA thread.
Yes the new dsr does swap the sdcards. To stop it, three ways:
1. After flashing, use adb (from CWM) or the built in file manager (TWRP) to delete /system/etc/init.d/ExtSd2InternalSd
2. Open up the ROM zip and go to /system/etc/init.d/ExtSd2InternalSd and delete it, then flash
3. Flash it normally, then use a file manager to delete /system/etc/init.d/ExtSd2InternalSd, then reboot.
Edit: just read it again and completely missed the point lol. I dont know why it would fail, but im gonna take a look. Cant imagine its much
Could you tell me exactly which file contained this phone bool? I can't seem to find it..
Decompile framework-res.apk
Look in /res/values/bools.xml
Toward the bottom, a like says something like "phone_enabled=false"
Remember, doing this, I was only able to make outgoing calls--no incoming, no sms.
You mean "config_voice_capable"?
I get a bootloop.. I think the framework-res.apk isn't recompiling properly. logcat just shows a bunch of errors
Yeah that's it. What are you using to repack?
Can you post your error log?
Now that i have time to look into it more, i think it may have something to do with the non-hlos modem we've flashed for the OTA JB.
do you think this is feasible?
Any way to unlock this I705 for using with Tmobile SIM card?
Any breakthroughs here? I would love to use my TAB as a phone.
Any updates on getting telephony to work? What would happen if you flashed the ROM for the Note II onto the tab 2? Or would this work at all? I would really like to make the tab 2 my primary phone.
Thanks.
jumpedapplesship said:
Any updates on getting telephony to work? What would happen if you flashed the ROM for the Note II onto the tab 2? Or would this work at all? I would really like to make the tab 2 my primary phone.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also thinking the same,I just wanted to flash Galaxy S4 firmware in my galaxy tab 2 7"
Sent from my GT-P3100 using xda premium
I was able to do it with ICS. Ever since I flashed DoubleShot Rom (JB), I haven't been able to figure out how to get it to work again. The method that worked for ICS does not work for JB.
I've only been able to get an outgoing call, but it goes straight to my own vmail. No other success.
Its personally not that important to me, though.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA Premium HD app
I'm getting really close to ending my 25 year business relationship with Verizon. I'm tired of piss-poor service, even though their coverage map indicated solid 4g signal and their representatives confirm I should have good service at my address. It isn't only my home address, but many other locations bi frequent. So one of two things -- either all 5 devices on my account are defective, or their coverage maps are misrepresented. Either way, Sprint is getting better in this area, has the Note II, and is significantly cheaper. And the Tab 3 8.0 is only slightly longer than the SCH-i705.
Few more questions here.
What did you use to modify the framework-res.apk to enable phone?
What did you use to de-compile, is it a special program or what? Same with recompiling.
I wonder what would happen if you got a SIM card that is used for a phone and used it in the tablet. Would this allow the phone calls and text to come in? This is something I would be willing to try if I could get the tablet to the point that it had the dialer on it.
Next why is it when I go to sammobile.com I am unable to find the SCH-I705 listed at all?
Like I mentioned in an earlier post would it be possible to flash the ROM from a Galaxy Note II or similar phone to the Tab 2?
Thanks.
Few more questions here.
What did you use to modify the framework-res.apk to enable phone?
What did you use to de-compile, is it a special program or what? Same with recompiling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
apktool. Look it up and follow instructions to get it working.
I wonder what would happen if you got a SIM card that is used for a phone and used it in the tablet. Would this allow the phone calls and text to come in? This is something I would be willing to try if I could get the tablet to the point that it had the dialer on it.
Next why is it when I go to sammobile.com I am unable to find the SCH-I705 listed at all?
Like I mentioned in an earlier post would it be possible to flash the ROM from a Galaxy Note II or similar phone to the Tab 2?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A SIM card from a cell phone might work if cell data was enabled properly.
sammobile does have 1 firmware version available. I dont know if its still there, but I nabbed it when I saw it.
http://garrettek.com/android/SCH-I705/ROMs/4.1.2/I705VRBLL2_I705VZWBLL2_VZW.zip (VRBLL2 JB 4.1.2 official, tested, working)
No. do not flash Note II ROMs on your tab 2. The ONLY device that is remotely compatible with the tab 2 lte is the verizon gs3. Except, if you flash a vzw gs3 rom, your display drivers won't work properly. Everything else will, but display drivers won't. One way around this is to flash the i705 kernel over top a i535 rom. But even then, no guarantees it won't break your tab.
It worked for me back on 4.0.4 (except the kernel).
Ok, I no longer have verizon service and would like to know if there is a way to switch it somehow so I can use CM/other roms.
Since I dont have the verizon 4g service and only using the WIFI.
Hope I worded that right.
Anyone?!
Hey thanks for reading my post. I've been rooting and installing ROMs since galaxy s2 jellybean era. Though I still need to follow guides, it's one of the most exciting things I find to make Android's greater than the iPhone. What I like best about trying a new ROM is that it's like having a brand new phone. The only thing I seem to be missing which I've acquired since I moved to MetroPCS is WiFi calling. I'm hoping to find someway to get their app to start working on a ROM that I install. I have been able to install it before and sometimes even use the app (input information to enable WiFi calling), but then if I have no service I still will not be able to make a phone call over WiFi. What about flashing a stock modem over the ROM? Would this cause a boot loop if matching Android version stock modem is used?
Please share your experience or knowledge of how something like this would be possible! Thanks
EDIT: it turns out havoc made it work I can use WiFi calling. Sweet!