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US Cellular Variant Offical Thread

Hey guys, the Samsung Galaxy S III is finally coming to US Cellular this Thursday and/or Friday.
This is the official thread for the US Cellular variant of the phone.
We will discuss mods, flashing, rooting, and etc.

In for my 2 friends on USCC whose phones I'll be rooting (for tether). Hopefully it won't be locked like VZW.

jnadke said:
In for my 2 friends on USCC whose phones I'll be rooting (for tether). Hopefully it won't be locked like VZW.
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It won't, I spoke with a US Cellular representative today and it's where I got the release date and other details.
The thing is, that the phone does have a lot of similarities with Verizon, so the devs have 2 options.
They can make one for US Cellular and edit it for Verizon.
But as Verizon is a larger carrier, they'll probably get the Developer's edition of the phone and then at some point make a root for the US Cellular version.
You think that CyanogenMod 9 or 10 will be supported for the USC variant?

Testicopolicious said:
You think that CyanogenMod 9 or 10 will be supported for the USC variant?
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There's no reason why not.
As far as root, the CWM flash method has worked on all variants thus far, I don't see why it won't work on the USCC phone.

I am switching this fall when my contract is up in Verizon to US Cellular. What will the dev scene look like on this phone? Will it be easy to port ROMs from other GS3? If there are very few devs working on this phone, how easy is it for a end user to port the ROM from another GS3?

since I already have a mini sim and a lTE acount thats active, from my Galaxy Nexus on verizon, can I just pay cash for the us cellular version and plug in my active sim and it will work?

jnadke said:
There's no reason why not.
As far as root, the CWM flash method has worked on all variants thus far, I don't see why it won't work on the USCC phone.
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Well, there are already people getting the phone today, but I know that past phones like the Mesmerize and the Aviator have been Cyanogenmod supported, and Root supported.
Do you happen to know which carrier US Cellular has the most similarities to?

Pompsy said:
I am switching this fall when my contract is up in Verizon to US Cellular. What will the dev scene look like on this phone? Will it be easy to port ROMs from other GS3? If there are very few devs working on this phone, how easy is it for a end user to port the ROM from another GS3?
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The US Cellular variant of the Galaxy S II shared a lot of similarities with the Epic4G Touch.
Well, as US Cellular is finally starting to grow, I've seen a lot of developers for AOKP and CM9 discussing the possibilities of ROMs by making it for the 4G Touch, and just porting it over by changing a few things.
I can't answer that last question as I really have no idea on porting ROMs, but as I said in another post, it's either closer to Verizon or Sprint.
But for the S II, I've seen a few threads that it was very easy, but that they just had to change a few things, so I'm assuming that it's not that much of a hassle.

chakra said:
since I already have a mini sim and a lTE acount thats active, from my Galaxy Nexus on verizon, can I just pay cash for the us cellular version and plug in my active sim and it will work?
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I've tried Googling that but I can't seem to find an answer.
Some answers say yes some say no, but I think that US Cellular has more similarities to Verizon than any other carrier, at least that's my speculation in terms of radios, as they both use the same spectrum.
But you can go to the website and go to a live chat with a representative and ask there.

Has anyone rooted this phone yet? Can we get our own section?

Bump for a fellow U.S. Cellular S3 owner. Would love to see it rooted.

nairbandroid said:
Bump for a fellow U.S. Cellular S3 owner. Would love to see it rooted.
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The instructions at galaxys3root.com works for US Cellular.

So it is confirmed that this phone has an unlocked bootloader?

Has anyone tried and can verify on U.S. Cellular that they have used galaxys3root.com and it worked?

this phone can be rooted with the method that team epic uses for the sprint version. I dunno what the website you're talking about does but it is the same method as it is with all the other carriers.
I would love to see a separate section for us, no we aren't gonna have a whole lot of development going on compared to the big 4 but it would be really nice to have a place where we can have specific discussions and rom ports and things for just us.
Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2

Does anyone know if a verizon mini sim will work in this device?

Yes that site just has a set by step guide for installing the Team Epic recovery using ODIN and it worked on my US Cellular Galaxy S III.
Seconded on the separate forum idea. I think there will be more than enough people to have one. I know a lot of people is moving to this from the Desire and that had a decent sized community.

Successful root using teamepics procedure.

Agree with vex and all the rest. A separate forum for USCC GS3 owners would be wonderful.

Who would we contact to get a separate section?

CDMA Galaxy s6 modem

So it seems the CDMA s6 uses the qualcomm MDM9635 modem instead of the shannon 333. This is surely because of the fact CDMA patents are largely owned by qualcomm (something along the lines of that) . What I want to speculate on is the fact that both the sprint and U. S. Cellular version have more lte bands listed than the Verizon model. Most notably 12 and 17. These would be great to have especially if someone ever wanted to jump ship to T-Mobile or AT&T (I'm sure for that exact reason verizon probably asked for them to be disabled). I'm wondering if we ever received root, and that's a big if, we could theoretically unlock those bands also. All in all it would make this phone more globally and domestically appealing. What are you guys thoughts on this? Hopefully we can have some devs jump aboard once we achieve root to make this happen.

jgeorge15 said:
So it seems the CDMA s6 uses the qualcomm MDM9635 modem instead of the shannon 333. This is surely because of the fact CDMA patents are largely owned by qualcomm (something along the lines of that) . What I want to speculate on is the fact that both the sprint and U. S. Cellular version have more lte bands listed than the Verizon model. Most notably 12 and 17. These would be great to have especially if someone ever wanted to jump ship to T-Mobile or AT&T (I'm sure for that exact reason verizon probably asked for them to be disabled). I'm wondering if we ever received root, and that's a big if, we could theoretically unlock those bands also. All in all it would make this phone more globally and domestically appealing. What are you guys thoughts on this? Hopefully we can have some devs jump aboard once we achieve root to make this happen.
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Just a guess but I don't think just having root would allow this as at bare minimum it sounds like you'd have to modify the RIL.

Just get a Canadian variant G920W8. No CDMA support, but full LTE interoperability with SHANNON333 modem supporting Band 12, 13, 17, 2, 4, 5, 29.

Hmmmm...try this maybe
jgeorge15 said:
So it seems the CDMA s6 uses the qualcomm MDM9635 modem instead of the shannon 333. This is surely because of the fact CDMA patents are largely owned by qualcomm (something along the lines of that) . What I want to speculate on is the fact that both the sprint and U. S. Cellular version have more lte bands listed than the Verizon model. Most notably 12 and 17. These would be great to have especially if someone ever wanted to jump ship to T-Mobile or AT&T (I'm sure for that exact reason verizon probably asked for them to be disabled). I'm wondering if we ever received root, and that's a big if, we could theoretically unlock those bands also. All in all it would make this phone more globally and domestically appealing. What are you guys thoughts on this? Hopefully we can have some devs jump aboard once we achieve root to make this happen.
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Could try the Qualcom Unlocking Bands thread....http://forum.xda-developers.com/cro...ad-progress-please-leave-im-updating-t2871269

milan03 said:
Just get a Canadian variant G920W8. No CDMA support, but full LTE interoperability with SHANNON333 modem supporting Band 12, 13, 17, 2, 4, 5, 29.
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If CDMA wasn't an issue I would have got the international SM-G925F because that has plenty of LTE Band support. But at least for the next few years verizon still has a CDMA network and where I'm at that's the only provider I get good service with.

sd_N said:
Could try the Qualcom Unlocking Bands thread....http://forum.xda-developers.com/cro...ad-progress-please-leave-im-updating-t2871269
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I actually did this with the one plus I had but I don't know if I want to try this with my s6. Don't have time to really fix things if anything goes wrong unfortunately or I would have

jgeorge15 said:
I actually did this with the one plus I had but I don't know if I want to try this with my s6. Don't have time to really fix things if anything goes wrong unfortunately or I would have
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I tried on my rooted G920V. Can not connect to QPST or DFS. Are you sure there is a MDM9635?

lostvangel said:
I tried on my rooted G920V. Can not connect to QPST or DFS. Are you sure there is a MDM9635?
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Well in all honesty the sprint galaxy s6 uses the mdm9635 as per a sprint rdf file on the phone. I was just making the assumption that the Verizon one would use the same one.

I'd love to hear if anyone else succeeds w/ this. I need more LTE bands than the crap list that Verizon supports on this damn modem

BobbySteel said:
I'd love to hear if anyone else succeeds w/ this. I need more LTE bands than the crap list that Verizon supports on this damn modem
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The hardware is definitely capable. It's just a matter of someone more experienced tampering around. It should be on a software side that the bands are being disabled. Unfortunately if there is code within the kernel itself that's blocking these bands we may never be able to utilize them.

BobbySteel said:
I'd love to hear if anyone else succeeds w/ this. I need more LTE bands than the crap list that Verizon supports on this damn modem
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Verizon supports very few other LTE Bands for international users. Those in Asia do not have LTE coverage.

jgeorge15 said:
I actually did this with the one plus I had but I don't know if I want to try this with my s6. Don't have time to really fix things if anything goes wrong unfortunately or I would have
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Do you think this is possible on the verizon s6 galaxy? My phone has a custom rom but my kernel and bootloader are stock.

kmalh said:
Do you think this is possible on the verizon s6 galaxy? My phone has a custom rom but my kernel and bootloader are stock.
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The thing is its stated you might need a custom kernel for these changes to stick. Seeing as our bootloader is locked most likely we will never get anything more than a custom rom. I don't really think any devs are looking into this. Modem work isn't really my cup of tea. Hope eventually someone comes up with something.

Which Galaxy S7 to get for AT&T if bought outright and want to avoid bloat?

Quick background story, I've been using an HTC phone since the M7, and owned all the M Flagships and currently using an AT&T Branded M9. My wife is currently using a AT&T branded Galaxy S5. I really liked how open my HTC phones are, and all 3 of them had been able to be Fully SIM Unlocked, S-OFF, and can run any compatible ROM. The AT&T Branded GS5 of course only can use AT&T Software and its been a pain waiting on AT&T for patches and updates.
We're planning to replace them both with new Galaxy S7s and since we're planning to buy them outright, my question is which one should we buy? From I read it looks like all units have the same hardware, but the TMO variants seems to at least have the bootloader unlocked and should be SIM Unlocked if I bought it outright.
Our basic requirements.
- Sim unlocked(able)
- Bootloader Unlocked(able)
- Able to use Android Pay/Samsung Pay in the USA
- Rooting is nice but not required, and as long as it don't break A.Pay/S.Pay
- Able to work on AT&T with little or no issue (not missing any LTE Bands, etc)
- Open to get the Exynos model if can still support A.Pay/S.Pay in USA and elsewhere.
- Able to flash debloated or custom ROMs if needed
Its been awhile since i did any work on any Samsung Phones, so I don't know if its just as easy to flash ROMs and Recoveries like my HTCs
Thanks for any feedback on the matter.

You want the tmo version.

peachpuff said:
You want the tmo version.
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It figures as much. How easy or difficult is it to flash non-carrier rom? I know people are just started getting their S7s, did the s6 have any issues with flashing a clean rom and keeping all A.Pay and S.Pay?

There's no development currently on these phones since the sources haven't dropped yet since the phone hasn't technically launched, after mar 11 samsung will release some sources.
If you're looking to remove bloat on non-rooted phones your only options is this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ospolice.packagedisablerpro&hl=en with a rooted rom android/samsung pay wont work.

Last year with the S6 I know for sure the international versions worked just fine with AT&T's LTE network. But last year all models used the same modem (Shanon 333), but this year the international version and the U.S. version are different and both have integrated modem and that throws in an uncertainty. I see no reason why the International versions worked last year with Samsung's modem but not this year, but until someone reports with first-hand experience I would not pull the trigger on the international version (Exynos).
I used SM-G920I (S6) and SM-G928G (S6 Edge+) and both worked flawlessly on AT&T's network.

lopri said:
Last year with the S6 I know for sure the international versions worked just fine with AT&T's LTE network. But last year all models used the same modem (Shanon 333), but this year the international version and the U.S. version are different and both have integrated modem and that throws in an uncertainty. I see no reason why the International versions worked last year with Samsung's modem but not this year, but until someone reports with first-hand experience I would not pull the trigger on the international version (Exynos).
I used SM-G920I (S6) and SM-G928G (S6 Edge+) and both worked flawlessly on AT&T's network.
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Are you able to use Android pay or Samsung pay on those International models? Thanks

Goofytek said:
Are you able to use Android pay or Samsung pay on those International models? Thanks
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No.
Edit: Oh, wait. Android Pay = Yes, Samsung Pay = No.

lopri said:
No.
Edit: Oh, wait. Android Pay = Yes, Samsung Pay = No.
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Hmmm, still missing out on Samsung Pay eh, I wonder if there would be a non-carrier version of the phone we can get in the states with full support of all avaliable features and services. :fingers-crossed:

I'd like to bump this old thread for updates now that the S7 has been around for some time. I'm looking to get an S7, and it looks like the G930U variant might be the one to get now- is that right? I have the same requirements as the original poster, but I'll list them anyway:
-Able to work on AT&T with no issue (I read somewhere that some aspects of AT&T LTE are not supported? What impact does this have?)
-root is required (is it true that rooting prevents being able to encrypt the phone?)
-no bloat or bloat is removable (seems this is the main benefit of G930U?)
-SD card slot (seems like all US models have the SD card slot?)
Are there different versions of the G930U? Is this, for example, the right one: http://a.co/6QgYIxA ?
Thanks

Exynos Note8 on AT&T?

Has anyone considered using the Global or the Korean version of this phone on ATT network? I don't buy a phone if I can't have bootloader unlock and root access. Right now it looks like only Exynos versions of this phone will have this. Just wanted to know if anyone is using one on ATT and what their experience has been.

Kul_dood said:
Has anyone considered using the Global or the Korean version of this phone on ATT network? I don't buy a phone if I can't have bootloader unlock and root access. Right now it looks like only Exynos versions of this phone will have this. Just wanted to know if anyone is using one on ATT and what their experience has been.
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There is a big discussion about this over on the S8+ forum. There are trade offs, but I think they have ironed out most of the big set backs.

ShrekOpher said:
There is a big discussion about this over on the S8+ forum. There are trade offs, but I think they have ironed out most of the big set backs.
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Would you mind linking to that thread please?
I did a comparison of the bands and it seems the Korean version (SM-N950N) has all the same bands as the ATT version. I figure I just pop in my SIM card and go. Am I misssing anything?

Kul_dood said:
Would you mind linking to that thread please?
I did a comparison of the bands and it seems the Korean version (SM-N950N) has all the same bands as the ATT version. I figure I just pop in my SIM card and go. Am I misssing anything?
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Some of AT&T's network features will not work.
WiFi calling, VoLTE, etc.
There are some workarounds out there, but the results vary.

Kul_dood said:
Would you mind linking to that thread please?
I did a comparison of the bands and it seems the Korean version (SM-N950N) has all the same bands as the ATT version. I figure I just pop in my SIM card and go. Am I misssing anything?
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I think Band like 28 or 29 is missing. It's the carrier aggregation band. So you won't miss it unless you live in a big city.
I know there were other issues as well, I ended up getting the AT&T S8+ and now the AT&T Note 8. Too many weird things to deal with on the international versions.
I think it's missing G things like Samsung pay as well.
Also root is a bit tricky now too. You can use magisk to hide your root from "Safety Net" checking apps (Netflix, Samsung pay, Android pay, Pokémon Go etc.) but every time Google updates Safety Net or any of those apps update your access to them will be broken until magisk gets updated. Can take weeks sometimes.

Kul_dood said:
Would you mind linking to that thread please?
I did a comparison of the bands and it seems the Korean version (SM-N950N) has all the same bands as the ATT version. I figure I just pop in my SIM card and go. Am I misssing anything?
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Here is a thread that is the Exynos on Tmobile related to the Note 8
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-8/help/slow-lte-n950f-uk-clove-t-mobile-usa-t3688437

Singapore S9+ VoLTE on T-Mobile USA

I'm sorry if this question is answered elsewhere but can someone please tell me if it's possible to enable VoLTE for T-Mobile USA on the exynos DUOS variant of the S9+ from Singapore? If root is required, can someone tell me what steps are required to get there? Currently I have 4G service as reported by speedtest but whenever I place a call all the data goes away.
Not a total noob but almost.
Thanks

Welcome to XDA! T-mobile US VoLTE is not yet working on the Exynos DUOS. We will need someone like TKKG1994 to work his magic like he did for international S8 version. The CSC for Tmobile is built for Snapdragon so it will need to be ported to Exynos variant. Most likely, you will have to root to get there when it becomes available. (Thanks to the awesome devs here...)

VICosPhi said:
Welcome to XDA! T-mobile US VoLTE is not yet working on the Exynos DUOS. We will need someone like TKKG1994 to work his magic like he did for international S8 version. The CSC for Tmobile is built for Snapdragon so it will need to be ported to Exynos variant. Most likely, you will have to root to get there when it becomes available. (Thanks to the awesome devs here...)
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thanks for the info! do you know if att VolLTE would work in the US on this phone?

None of the US VoLTE would work until one of the devs figure out a way to integrate it. AT&T requires an AT&T phone to register for VoLTE so your best bet would be to get an AT&T phone. Someone had success on S8 Exynos by providing AT&T an IMEI from AT&T branded phone and then using the Exynos with "US CSC patch" someone had combined. Hit the thanks button if you find the post useful

VICosPhi said:
None of the US VoLTE would work until one of the devs figure out a way to integrate it. AT&T requires an AT&T phone to register for VoLTE so your best bet would be to get an AT&T phone. Someone had success on S8 Exynos by providing AT&T an IMEI from AT&T branded phone and then using the Exynos with "US CSC patch" someone had combined. Hit the thanks button if you find the post useful
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I don't think that's entirely true. I have a Verizon Pixel 2 and I get VoLTE on AT&T.

Whanksta said:
I don't think that's entirely true. I have a Verizon Pixel 2 and I get VoLTE on AT&T.
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I think having a US model will always get you a better chance of VoLTE vs international Exynos model. I do not use AT&T or Verizon so I am not entirely sure but read a few other posts in this matter.

I bought S9+ from Samsung in Singapore. Brought to US, 4G works fine on Tmobile.
At first, I can't get 4G to show up. Upgraded software, still 4G does not show up.
Then I asked someone to send me a text message and I made a quick phone call. 4G showed up after that. I think it needs a synchronization.

Do you have VoLTE though? When you make a phone call does it stay 4G or does it change to H+?

On the Exynos variants you will get 4G data but not at the true data speeds and noVoLTE as I have noticed with my Korean variant. If you have already rooted and got things going you can follow a thread by a fellow international user on XDA who was able to achieve on his Note8.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-8/help/exynos-odin-flashing-fail-please-mistake-t3673231

newestmember said:
Do you have VoLTE though? When you make a phone call does it stay 4G or does it change to H+?
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When I call, I notice it stays 4G. Web surfing also on 4G. I notice it is a bit faster than my older S6.
Note that Singapore S9+ only has 4 bars signal strength, not like US version which has 5 bars. So you might notice it is lower signal strength but the dBm is probably the same. I have no way of measuring so I don't know.

Just FYI everyone, TekHD has forged a CSC flashable that gives all carrier features from Tmobile on international Exynos model. !!!

Link please?

https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...n8-s8x-s9x-oreo-usa-t-mobile-efs-csc-t3772385
I guess this is it. Looks very promising. Will probably try it out soon. But I hate to loose Samsung pay and secure folder...but then again. How many times do I really use that anyways?

Will going through this TWRP process trip KNOX? If so, is there any way to make Samsung Pay work again?

Sunnyschlecht said:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...n8-s8x-s9x-oreo-usa-t-mobile-efs-csc-t3772385
I guess this is it. Looks very promising. Will probably try it out soon. But I hate to loose Samsung pay and secure folder...but then again. How many times do I really use that anyways?
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I thought this is just a CSC flash, which doesn't trigger Knox

Whanksta said:
I thought this is just a CSC flash, which doesn't trigger Knox
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You have to flash this zip with TWRP which I think needs root. I have been away from the scene since s7 edge but I'm pretty sure you need to root.
Gesendet von meinem SM-G965F mit Tapatalk

I also have a Singapore S9+ (XSP) 965F. Are you sure VoLTE works with Tmobile? That is awesome!

VICosPhi said:
Just FYI everyone, TekHD has forged a CSC flashable that gives all carrier features from Tmobile on international Exynos model. !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume this requires rooting though VIC?