Best USA GS 7 version with most band support? - Samsung Galaxy S7 Questions and Answers

I am leaving the post paid cell service and going prepaid.
I since majority if prepaid US prepaid carriers are Sprint, T-Mobile and some AT&T. I want a GS 7 that will support all three carriers with as much bands possible.
Any suggestions for carrier versions or does the Sprint version support (once unlocked) support AT&T and T-Mobile.

There's only 1 model variant in the US now - they all have the same band support - it all depends on firmware as to what bands are active.
But one thing to consider is that while a Verizon/Sprint phone may work on Tmobile/AT&T the same might not be the case the other way around because the AT&T/Tmo phone will probably have the bands disabled in the FW

Just to show this is my tmobile S7, wcdma bands that are enabled - so seems it would support Verizon/Sprint on bands 800/850/1900/2100 -- 2100 is a band not listed on Phonescoop FYI

nest75068 said:
just to show this is my tmobile s7, wcdma bands that are enabled - so seems it would support verizon/sprint on bands 800/850/1900/2100 -- 2100 is a band not listed on phonescoop fyi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wcdma ≠ cdma

unknownbeing said:
wcdma ≠ cdma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess we'll have to wait until a Sprint/Verizon person gets their phones and get into the service menu to see what it looks like
Wasn't sure if they were the same thing (left Sprint well over a decade ago for GSM and never looked back lol)
But based on your info, then my first comment is probably true - Tmo/AT&T variants will not work on Sprint/Verizon due to not having the proper FW

nest75068 said:
Just to show this is my tmobile S7, wcdma bands that are enabled - so seems it would support Verizon/Sprint on bands 800/850/1900/2100 -- 2100 is a band not listed on Phonescoop FYI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a way to set preferred lte band like the s6?

PunishedSnake said:
Is there a way to set preferred lte band like the s6?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried yet. Don't want to mess something up

nest75068 said:
There's only 1 model variant in the US now - they all have the same band support - it all depends on firmware as to what bands are active.
But one thing to consider is that while a Verizon/Sprint phone may work on Tmobile/AT&T the same might not be the case the other way around because the AT&T/Tmo phone will probably have the bands disabled in the FW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this right? The FCC filing shows 5 models (SM-G930V [Verizon], SM-G930P [Sprint], SM-G930R4, SM-G930A [ATT], SM-G930T [T-Mobile]). It shows each version having support for different bands.
How would one go about changing the firmware? For instance, if I have the VZW version (doesn't support LTE Band 12) and want to use it on T-Mobile, how would I change the firmware to T-Mobile's?
S7/S7 Edge FCC Filing Showing LTE Support

jblazea50 said:
Is this right? The FCC filing shows 5 models (SM-G930V [Verizon], SM-G930P [Sprint], SM-G930R4, SM-G930A [ATT], SM-G930T [T-Mobile]). It shows each version having support for different bands.
How would one go about changing the firmware? For instance, if I have the VZW version (doesn't support LTE Band 12) and want to use it on T-Mobile, how would I change the firmware to T-Mobile's?
S7/S7 Edge FCC Filing Showing LTE Support
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As for FW change, not sure how that would go. We shall see what happens when the Dev's get their hands on these and start to figure it out.

nest75068 said:
As for FW change, not sure how that would go. We shall see what happens when the Dev's get their hands on these and start to figure it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has that been ever done successfully on any of the carrier devices? You couldn't do that on the S6 to enable certain bands. I'm not too familiar with the other devices.

jblazea50 said:
Has that been ever done successfully on any of the carrier devices? You couldn't do that on the S6 to enable certain bands. I'm not too familiar with the other devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well looking at Phonescoop, the S6 had separate CDMA and GSM models. Based on my understanding of the S7, there is 1 phone for the US market (where each carrier has their own model #) but internally the phone is the same.
The only other phone I can think of that had 1 variant for the US market was the iPhone (where each phone internally was the same and the bands that were active was dependent on the FW)

nest75068 said:
Well looking at Phonescoop, the S6 had separate CDMA and GSM models. Based on my understanding of the S7, there is 1 phone for the US market (where each carrier has their own model #) but internally the phone is the same.
The only other phone I can think of that had 1 variant for the US market was the iPhone (where each phone internally was the same and the bands that were active was dependent on the FW)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think on the S5 you could change some of the NV to enable different bands. The iPhones are all one variant and they don't disable certain bands either. I have a 6S+ on T-Mobile (supports all bands); if I swap the sim for Verizon, it'll work on all of Verizon's lte bands as well. The S7 for verizon shows support for bands 2/4/5/13 so I'm not sure if I were to place a T-Mobile sim that it'll enable band 12 since it's not enabled on Verizon's version.
I guess we'll have to wait and see if it's truly one variant of the S7 in the US.

I'm in the UK, I'm wanting the S7 Edge - but don't want the 8890. The screengrab shows it supporting the main UK bands too.. Hm! Can you get simfree phones in US?

PunishedSnake said:
Is there a way to set preferred lte band like the s6?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Figured out on the Tmobile variant how to set preferred band.
For me Band 12 is great for calls/texts in my building but HORRIBLE for data so I always switch to Band 4 as my only lte band (which means I don't get calls since I have VoLTE off but no biggie).
To do this on the S7 requires a few more steps than the S6, you have to
*#2263# for service menu
Select clear all bands
Then select LTE band preferences and choose the band you want
Then hit the more button(top right hand corner) and select back
Then hit Apply band band configuration
To revert back to normal go back into the service menu and choose select all bands and then choose apply band configuration

nest75068 said:
Figured out on the Tmobile variant how to set preferred band.
For me Band 12 is great for calls/texts in my building but HORRIBLE for data so I always switch to Band 4 as my only lte band (which means I don't get calls since I have VoLTE off but no biggie).
To do this on the S7 requires a few more steps than the S6, you have to
*#2263# for service menu
Select clear all bands
Then select LTE band preferences and choose the band you want
Then hit the more button(top right hand corner) and select back
Then hit Apply band band configuration
To revert back to normal go back into the service menu and choose select all bands and then choose apply band configuration
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just want band 4 to be the preferred one instead of b12

PunishedSnake said:
I just want band 4 to be the preferred one instead of b12
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well another thing you can do is go in and specifically turn band 12 off only and will still net you calls and whatnot

nufclad said:
I'm in the UK, I'm wanting the S7 Edge - but don't want the 8890. The screengrab shows it supporting the main UK bands too.. Hm! Can you get simfree phones in US?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We normally can purchase phones outright but they are usually branded by their carrier. AFAIK, there wont be a unbranded version in the US. However, isnt the S7 doing something with the phone locking to the first sim/carrier being placed in the phone?

i have a g930t that is working with a Verizon sim card in it . and this is what i did
1: i used the sim unlock app on the s7 tmobile to unlock my phone
2: then flash g930u firmeware
3: i dont know if this one helped or not but i did *#2263# to slect all the bands.
4: turned off the phone
5ut the verizon sim card and turned it on
6: after it finished booting up the phone you will see a message on the screen that will say something like" need to reboot to configurate your sim card" hit ok and let it reboot.
enjoy

Can one use a G930P (Sprint S7) on T-Mobile USA with full band usage? I am assuming the phone would need to have a custom ROM on it.

Related

[Q] 1800MHz LTE Band

This phone is the first phone Verizon is selling (except the iPhones) that has the 1800MHz LTE Band (band 3).
When I saw this I was particularly excited as I visit Australia often and that's the band Telstra uses. I am currently in Australia now, and I am unable to pick up any LTE on this phone. I have gone through every possible mode in the phoneinfo app, but none will get any LTE signal.
I am using a Telstra SIM that has LTE service and I put in the correct APN settings.
The only possible explanation that comes to mind is that Verizon is blocking the 1800MHz LTE band from being used, just like the S4 came with AWS but only a software update pushed later on was able to unlock that band. If that were the case, is there any way around it?
Any other ideas why it's not working?
I tested my SIM in the same location in a iPhone and it got lte
Sent from my HTC One M8 using Tapatalk
levilib said:
This phone is the first phone Verizon is selling (except the iPhones) that has the 1800MHz LTE Band (band 3).
When I saw this I was particularly excited as I visit Australia often and that's the band Telstra uses. I am currently in Australia now, and I am unable to pick up any LTE on this phone. I have gone through every possible mode in the phoneinfo app, but none will get any LTE signal.
I am using a Telstra SIM that has LTE service and I put in the correct APN settings.
The only possible explanation that comes to mind is that Verizon is blocking the 1800MHz LTE band from being used, just like the S4 came with AWS but only a software update pushed later on was able to unlock that band. If that were the case, is there any way around it?
Any other ideas why it's not working?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bit of a necro-post, but I asked both HTC and Verizon associates and they said that it should work...so don't know if some bad information has been passed my way or GSM/LTE is just being funky (I do remember reading that has been, or was, a problem)

LTE and Verizon

Has anyone with a Verizon data sim try and drop it into the LTE model yet?
Curious if it picks up a data signal.
Hitman3984 said:
Has anyone with a Verizon data sim try and drop it into the LTE model yet?
Curious if it picks up a data signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've not tried it, but I read that the modem does not support the Verizon LTE bands.
cam30era said:
I've not tried it, but I read that the modem does not support the Verizon LTE bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
was worth a shot
Hitman3984 said:
was worth a shot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I scanned for networks while playing around, I noticed that it did find the Verizon (4G) network. Obviously, I have no idea if it works as I'm on T-Mobile, but I thought I'd let you know.
mikeyadon said:
When I scanned for networks while playing around, I noticed that it did find the Verizon (4G) network. Obviously, I have no idea if it works as I'm on T-Mobile, but I thought I'd let you know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking at the specs it "APPEARS" two supported bands are there? The whole thing is annoying honestly, especially when Verizon won't allow an actual activation so you need an active data sim to try.
Confirmed
Verizon sim card does not work. Just got mine today, popped in my Verizon card from my note 2 and it doesn't even recognize the carrier.
A network scan (for my area) only shows at&t and t-mobile.
First the nexus 5 and now this. It's really starting to such to be on Verizon ...
It would only support AWS LTE on Verizon (what they call XLTE). It doesn't support Verizon's primary LTE band, which is Band 13. And AFAIK Verizon hasn't deployed LTE on PCS.
AFAIK there are three makes of the shield tablet
npaladin2000 said:
It would only support AWS LTE on Verizon (what they call XLTE). It doesn't support Verizon's primary LTE band, which is Band 13. And AFAIK Verizon hasn't deployed LTE on PCS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May want to check this out just got it from the shield tablet site - just putting this here so anyone who finds this thread also finds the relevant data
There are three versions of SHIELD tablet LTE. There is a North American version that works on AT&T, T-Mobile and Rogers on LTE bands 2, 4, 5, 7, and 17 and HSPA bands 1, 2, 4, 5.
There is a second International version that works on popular European and Asian networks. It supports LTE bands 3, 7, 20 and HSPA+ bands 1, 2, 5, 8.
Check with your favorite store/carrier to verify coverage in your area and as to what device variant you'll ACTUALLY be getting
That being said Verizon uses these bands AFAIK 13(700 MHz Block C) and 4(1700/2100 MHz AWS) for LTE(XLTE for the latter) and 0 and 1 for 3G (1xRTT/EV-DO/eHRPD) - so the only chance of using it is on band 4 - and that will only happen if the devices radio can use the AWS network which i suppose is possible AND the tower in your area having XLTE support - will just need to see - guess i wont know till i get it since they have XLTE in my town, or it could have a snowballs chance in heck or only work after a soft update..ill post an update on what happens
CodieRae said:
May want to check this out just got it from the shield tablet site - just putting this here so anyone who finds this thread also finds the relevant data
There are three versions of SHIELD tablet LTE. There is a North American version that works on AT&T, T-Mobile and Rogers on LTE bands 2, 4, 5, 7, and 17 and HSPA bands 1, 2, 4, 5.
There is a second International version that works on popular European and Asian networks. It supports LTE bands 3, 7, 20 and HSPA+ bands 1, 2, 5, 8.
Check with your favorite store/carrier to verify coverage in your area and as to what device variant you'll ACTUALLY be getting
That being said Verizon uses these bands AFAIK 13(700 MHz Block C) and 4(1700/2100 MHz AWS) for LTE(XLTE for the latter) and 0 and 1 for 3G (1xRTT/EV-DO/eHRPD) - so the only chance of using it is on band 4 - and that will only happen if the devices radio can use the AWS network which i suppose is possible AND the tower in your area having XLTE support - will just need to see - guess i wont know till i get it since they have XLTE in my town, or it could have a snowballs chance in heck or only work after a soft update..ill post an update on what happens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you have any luck with Verizon?
Sent from my LG-VS985 using Tapatalk
Did you have any luck with Verizon? I'm thinking about purchasing one.

No LTE?

I am using the phone on a T-Mobile network. For the APN I have the IPv6 setting, for some reason the icon next to the signal bars is only H+ not LTE. Was wondering if that was just me? If is just me is there a way to get LTE? I know that this phone support LTE.
Thanks.
which model is it? (D68xx..) might not support the LTE bands that T-mobile has
which area are you located in? perhaps your area doesn't have/weak LTE signal
paperWastage said:
which model is it? (D68xx..) might not support the LTE bands that T-mobile has
which area are you located in? perhaps your area doesn't have/weak LTE signal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh... damn just checked and tmo lte band is 1700 my phone supports 1800/2100.
Well that will be something I remember the next time I buy an unlocked device.
b1969 said:
oh... damn just checked and tmo lte band is 1700 my phone supports 1800/2100.
Well that will be something I remember the next time I buy an unlocked device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed. Also of note, Tmo LTE only works on a more recent SIM. I tried a cut down 5 year old SIM and no LTE.
Thanks for the info!
I'll admit that I didn't do proper research prior to buying the unlocked device. After reading more into T-Mobile bands, they said that by the end of this year they will be releasing band 2 which is the 700mhz. Since this model supports that I'm guessing I can get lte?
Please clarify this for me. Thanks.

Turn in AT&T variant for International?

Hello. I bought an AT&T variant of the S6. I haven't had a carrier branded phone in a long time (as my signature shows), so I was surprised at the bloat, not only from AT&T, but from Samsung. This leads to my question...
Would it benefit me to return my AT&T phone and buy an international version? My concerns are as follows:
1. I'm only slightly worried about the LTE bands/IMEI issues since I use Straight Talk mainly (I'm only on AT&T long enough for them to unlock my phone [60 days]). I'm wondering if Straight Talk would even understand the issues with the IMEI not being registered, or if I'd be stuck on AT&T paying a higher prepaid amount.
2. For those who have bought an international version, what kind of charger came with it? I asked an eBay seller who has several 920I's listed if it comes with a Samsung U.S. fast charger, and they said 'no'. If not, I guess we're on our own to buy a charger/fast charger?
Any answers would be much appreciated.
wvcadle said:
Hello. I bought an AT&T variant of the S6. I haven't had a carrier branded phone in a long time (as my signature shows), so I was surprised at the bloat, not only from AT&T, but from Samsung. This leads to my question...
Would it benefit me to return my AT&T phone and buy an international version? My concerns are as follows:
1. I'm only slightly worried about the LTE bands/IMEI issues since I use Straight Talk mainly (I'm only on AT&T long enough for them to unlock my phone [60 days]). I'm wondering if Straight Talk would even understand the issues with the IMEI not being registered, or if I'd be stuck on AT&T paying a higher prepaid amount.
2. For those who have bought an international version, what kind of charger came with it? I asked an eBay seller who has several 920I's listed if it comes with a Samsung U.S. fast charger, and they said 'no'. If not, I guess we're on our own to buy a charger/fast charger?
Any answers would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Return it. I am using SM-G920F International Version on AT&T network. It's way faster and I've already received an update improving stability of the device. Also, check with AT&T about which LTE bands are operating in your area. Atlanta, for example, is operating on LTE bands 17 and 4. Since SM-G920F does not have band 17 support, I am only able to receive band 4 LTE. Keep in mind that AT&T's main LTE band is 17, which covers most areas and SM-G920F does not have that support. You won't receive LTE if AT&T operates on band 17 in your area.
Also, the charger you will receive is Samsung Adaptive Fast Charger.
LTE-X said:
Return it. I am using SM-G920F International Version on AT&T network. It's way faster and I've already received an update improving stability of the device. Also, check with AT&T about which LTE bands are operating in your area. Atlanta, for example, is operating on LTE bands 17 and 4. Since SM-G920F does not have band 17 support, I am only able to receive band 4 LTE. Keep in mind that AT&T's main LTE band is 17, which covers most areas and SM-G920F does not have that support. You won't receive LTE if AT&T operates on band 17 in your area.
Also, the charger you will receive is Samsung Adaptive Fast Charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been looking into the 920I, which, by this eBay seller's listing supports LTE bands 2, 4, 5, 12, 17 & 26. That should cover about everything in the U.S., correct?
Also, I haven't read any threads about rooting/flashing custom recovery (because no way to do so right now on AT&T version), but I'm assuming the 920I or F both already have root methods and custom recoveries, right?
EDIT: I just found a 920F on eBay, and it lists the following connections (including LTE band 17):
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G bands LTE B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(1700/2100AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B17(700), B18(800), B19(800), B20(800), B26(800).
Sure yours doesn't support band 17?
From my understanding. The international model does support Band 17.
Sent from my SM-N910W8
daniel4653 said:
From my understanding. The international model does support Band 17.
Sent from my SM-N910W8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any international model, or a particular one, like the 920F?
wvcadle said:
Any international model, or a particular one, like the 920F?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The F and the I models
Sent from my SM-N910W8
daniel4653 said:
The F and the I models
Sent from my SM-N910W8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the answers. Has anyone been able to verify this? I'm looking at two eBay sellers with 99.9% ratings over thousands of items sold, and both are listing band 17 on LTE as supported.
EDIT: D'oh! I misread your post as reading 'do not' support band 17. My apologies.
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=7765&c=samsung_sm-g920f_galaxy_s6_lte-a_64gb_samsung_zero_f
Above site doesn't list band 17. From my experience, I was never connected to band 17 LTE using AT&T. It was either Band 4 LTE or Band 2 Hspa+. Maybe I am missing something or AT&T towers lock Band 17 LTE for AT&T branded devices.
I am not ATT customer. Bought ATT version and have a weeks battle to get unlock code after paying full price at bb. Yes, it has tons of ATT and Samsung bloatware. Took it back and get G9201i from eBay seller Breed. Loving it and working flawlessly on cricket which uses ATT towers.
Ian B
LTE-X said:
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=7765&c=samsung_sm-g920f_galaxy_s6_lte-a_64gb_samsung_zero_f
Above site doesn't list band 17. From my experience, I was never connected to band 17 LTE using AT&T. It was either Band 4 LTE or Band 2 Hspa+. Maybe I am missing something or AT&T towers lock Band 17 LTE for AT&T branded devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that site "the standard resource" for this type of information?
If so, then it shows the 920I as having 2, 4, 5, 12, 17 and 26 LTE bands.
SM-G920I
wvcadle said:
Is that site "the standard resource" for this type of information?
If so, then it shows the 920I as having 2, 4, 5, 12, 17 and 26 LTE bands.
SM-G920I
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That website is one and only website that an actual person cross references with the government integrity registration from FCC and oversea government organizations as well. Since SM-G920I model does have band 17 and 4, you will be perfectly fine with using it on AT&T's network. Sorry for the earlier confusion (I thought you were referring to SM-G920F model, which is the one that I am using).
Just to add: voLTE feature is disabled on international versions right now. It should be enabled in the future.
Thanks! Any reason cited that it's disabled? I mean, I could care less anyway, just wondering.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
Mr Ian B said:
I am not ATT customer. Bought ATT version and have a weeks battle to get unlock code after paying full price at bb. Yes, it has tons of ATT and Samsung bloatware. Took it back and get G9201i from eBay seller Breed. Loving it and working flawlessly on cricket which uses ATT towers.
Ian B
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear Mr lan, do you get LTE? I'm using G920i and my provider is ATT, I never get LTE here in New York.
My main concern now is if I'll have any problems with LTE on Straight Talk. I'm guessing the only reason one may not get LTE is if their provider doesn't have their IMEI registered as an LTE device. I can only imagine Straight Talk's reaction to someone asking them to register their IMEI.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
jokies said:
Dear Mr lan, do you get LTE? I'm using G920i and my provider is ATT, I never get LTE here in New York.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Must be your apn settings. Yes I get full LTE. I can check when light up on display and the dialer code does show I am connected to an LTE band.
Some folks w att have had them replace thwir imei with an old imei recognized in their network as 4G enable and that may fix your issue to.
Ian B
Mr Ian B said:
Must be your apn settings. Yes I get full LTE. I can check when light up on display and the dialer code does show I am connected to an LTE band.
Ian B
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there not an LTE icon in the status bar when connected to LTE?
wvcadle said:
Is there not an LTE icon in the status bar when connected to LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, mine shows LTE on notification bar.
Ian B
Mr Ian B said:
Yes, mine shows LTE on notification bar.
Ian B
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last question, I think... did your 920I come with a genuine Samsung adaptive fast charger? Was it a European fast charger with an American adapter, or American Samsung fast charger all the way?
wvcadle said:
Last question, I think... did your 920I come with a genuine Samsung adaptive fast charger? Was it a European fast charger with an American adapter, or American Samsung fast charger all the way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No European charger or adapter. It was a standard Samsung fast charger. That's what it says on side and when I plug to the phone it recognizes it as a fast charger.
Ian B

Verizon Model LTE Bands same as Unlocked Model?

Do you guys think the Verizon unit will have the same LTE bands as the Play Store model? I can get these st 2yr contract pricing on my Verizon business account and would like to use one on AT&T service, but need to be sure Band 12/17 is unlocked and ready for use.
The answer is yes, there are only different frequency bands for the intl and US versions. The US version, which Verizon is selling, supports all major carriers, according to Google.
alexjzim said:
The answer is yes, there are only different frequency bands for the intl and US versions. The US version, which Verizon is selling, supports all major carriers, according to Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only concern is that the Verizon website does not list all US LTE bands such as Band 12 or Band 17. This was an issue with my Note 7 also. Band 12/17 were capable and supported by the hardware, but Verizon locked these from being used. It wasn't until I flashed AT&T Note 7 firmware onto my Verizon Note 7 unit that I was able to use those 2 LTE bands.
alright I take it back. According to google, it is carrier locked to verizon http://i.imgur.com/Jc9eV9E.png
alexjzim said:
alright I take it back. According to google, it is carrier locked to verizon http://i.imgur.com/Jc9eV9E.png
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is 100% wrong. No Verizon phone's have been locked to the carrier for a few years now.
mdmogren said:
This is 100% wrong. No Verizon phone's have been locked to the carrier for a few years now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct they have been carrier unlocked since the iPhone 5 came out. Verizon still locks the LTE bands for data, however. The only phones that have unlocked LTE bands on Verizon are iPhones, because Verizon does not/cannot tamper with the firmware before boxing the phones up.
MrBaltazar said:
Correct they have been carrier unlocked since the iPhone 5 came out. Verizon still locks the LTE bands for data, however. The only phones that have unlocked LTE bands on Verizon are iPhones, because Verizon does not/cannot tamper with the firmware before boxing the phones up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Evidence? I've had no problem using several verizon phones on T-Mobile LTE bands.
mdmogren said:
Evidence? I've had no problem using several verizon phones on T-Mobile LTE bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is because Verizon uses the same bands as TMobile in many areas of the country, so those bands are unlocked. Verizon does not use AT&T's primary bands at all, so they lock it out. (Band 17)
As a quick example, AT&T uses Band 3 in more rural areas and I was able to catch a bar or two of LTE here and there on a 100% stock Verizon Note 7 with AT&T sim card in it since Verizon also uses Band 3, , but it would quickly fall back to HSPA because it lost band 3 signal. I verified this with LTE Discovery app. At my office I only have Band 17 from ATT, so I was only getting HSPA. As soon as I flashed AT&T Note 7 firmware onto the Verizon Note 7, I had full LTE signal on Band 17.
Since Verizon cannot legally carrier SIM lock their devices anymore, they still do what they can to make the phones as unusable as possible on other carriers with their firmware, including a message that pops up every time you start the phone saying "this sim is not from Verizon"
I'm trying to figure out if the Pixel will be the same story as my Note 7, in which Verizon locks out a majority of LTE bands. And if so, can the Play Store version firmware be flashed onto thr Verizon version of the Pixel to unlock these bands?
The Snapdragon 821 supports all LTE bands so I know it won't be hardware limited, only firmware limited.
MrBaltazar said:
That is because Verizon uses the same bands as TMobile in many areas of the country, so those bands are unlocked. Verizon does not use AT&T's primary bands at all, so they lock it out. (Band 17)
As a quick example, AT&T uses Band 3 in more rural areas and I was able to catch a bar or two of LTE here and there on a 100% stock Verizon Note 7 with AT&T sim card in it since Verizon also uses Band 3, , but it would quickly fall back to HSPA because it lost band 3 signal. I verified this with LTE Discovery app. At my office I only have Band 17 from ATT, so I was only getting HSPA. As soon as I flashed AT&T Note 7 firmware onto the Verizon Note 7, I had full LTE signal on Band 17.
Since Verizon cannot legally carrier SIM lock their devices anymore, they still do what they can to make the phones as unusable as possible on other carriers with their firmware, including a message that pops up every time you start the phone saying "this sim is not from Verizon"
I'm trying to figure out if the Pixel will be the same story as my Note 7, in which Verizon locks out a majority of LTE bands. And if so, can the Play Store version firmware be flashed onto thr Verizon version of the Pixel to unlock these bands?
The Snapdragon 821 supports all LTE bands so I know it won't be hardware limited, only firmware limited.
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The only reason LTE won't work on at&t is because at&t won't provision it unless it's an At&t branded phone. You can get around this by having them activte your sim in an at&t store phone. My brother used to have at&t and I gave him my old S7E from Verizon which had full LTE after doing that.
cadcamaro said:
The only reason LTE won't work on at&t is because at&t won't provision it unless it's an At&t branded phone. You can get around this by having them activte your sim in an at&t store phone. My brother used to have at&t and I gave him my old S7E from Verizon which had full LTE after doing that.
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That is correct IF there isn't a LTE capable IMEI on your AT&T account, you would need to have them add the LTE capable IMEI and provision LTE. This issue is based on Verizon's firmware and their lockdown, however. I have thoroughly tested this and even entered service mode to see what bands are available with Verizon firmware vs AT&T firmware.
not good news for the verizon pixel with att. Some guy on the pixel xl xda reported he is getting only H+ with the verizon pixel xl. Definitely need more people to check it out. Donr believe PC mag one bit. They said bootloader was unlocked but it turned out to be LOCKED.
zboy2 said:
not good news for the verizon pixel with att. Some guy on the pixel xl xda reported he is getting only H+ with the verizon pixel xl. Definitely need more people to check it out. Donr believe PC mag one bit. They said bootloader was unlocked but it turned out to be LOCKED.
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I'm using a VZW Pixel XL on AT&T and I have the best reception I have ever had. I don't know why he's not getting LTE coverage, but that's not my experience whatsoever.
hollowlog said:
I'm using a VZW Pixel XL on AT&T and I have the best reception I have ever had. I don't know why he's not getting LTE coverage, but that's not my experience whatsoever.
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If you install LTE Discovery you can see the band you're connected do. If the phone can connect to band 12 or 17, I would say the Verizon version most likely supports all LTE bands.
I am using a Verizon Pixel currently on a 850Mhz/1.9Ghz GSM and Band 4 (2.1Ghz) and I am experiencing no issues. I used my carrier's SIM, and the only thing I had to do differently was update the SCMS in the *#*#3646#*#* to match my carrier's Service Center ID. This allowed my SMS to work. I experience no issues here as the phone operates as though it were unlocked.
I've even used the VZW pixel on T-Mobile and had band 12 carrier aggregation with band 2. Definitely not a problem and same bands.
I believe the only difference is the imei disallows bootloader unlocking. And the post boot Verizon three app install (which is an easy uninstall)
Doesn't att require the imei added for LTE? They audit accounts on the regular and if they find an unknown imei they disallow LTE.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
smgrimes said:
I've even used the VZW pixel on T-Mobile and had band 12 carrier aggregation with band 2. Definitely not a problem and same bands.
I believe the only difference is the imei disallows bootloader unlocking. And the post boot Verizon three app install (which is an easy uninstall)
Doesn't att require the imei added for LTE? They audit accounts on the regular and if they find an unknown imei they disallow LTE.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
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Thanks for posting, VZW wouldn't lock certain frequencies (12 and 17) on the Pixels like others have stated since their phones have been fully unlocked for years. This phone works with all US carriers.
jawmail said:
Thanks for posting, VZW wouldn't lock certain frequencies (12 and 17) on the Pixels like others have stated since their phones have been fully unlocked for years. This phone works with all US carriers.
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Yup and on top of that they seem 100% feature parity. I've even seen (on my Verizon sim) the option for volte video calling. And volte voice definitely works on T-Mobile as well as wifi calling.
Just the locked bootloader is the only downside.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
alexjzim said:
alright I take it back. According to google, it is carrier locked to verizon http://i.imgur.com/Jc9eV9E.png
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This is 100% incorrect. It is NOT locked to a carrier, and does support all bands. I have been using my VZW Pixel on other carriers.
TCPDump said:
This is 100% incorrect. It is NOT locked to a carrier, and does support all bands. I have been using my VZW Pixel on other carriers.
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Agreed, those customer service reps. need more training.
jawmail said:
Agreed, those customer service reps. need more training.
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The misinformation and confusion about this phone in general all the way around astounds me. It's actually rather simple. The only major difference in the Verizon variant from the play is that the bootloader is locked.

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