I placed my preorder for my Gold S7 Verizon from BestBuy a few days ago and am now wondering if I shouldn't cancel that and try getting one from another carrier? I want to to be able to flash custom roms but we all know how Verizon is... Are there any other variants I can use? Thanks!
I am in the same boat as you. I have the Note 4 with locked bootloader and no root. My wife is up for an upgrade and her line is up in May. I want to get her the S7 for her upgrade, but the way Verizon and Samsung are, it's unbearable, but for her, it's no big deal, she just uses it as is. I want to see the phone in person, hopefully tonight I can before I pre order the gold one for her. I don't think she will really utilize the edge features, still feels like another year or Note 6 away from better use.
Can anyone chime in?
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
T-Mobile and I believe Sprint are the only carriers which don't make it a point to lock bootloaders; or at least give you the option to unlock. Since the Qualcomm S7 is not carrier specific you should be able to bring one from any carrier and use it on Verizon. However, im not sure if Verizon lets you bring your own phone (unless it's an approved Verizon phone). The s7 will be the same for carriers, but i wouldnt be surprised if Verizon installed some proprietary software on their s7's to distinguish it from other carriers. Meaning that any s7 not purchased from them would be unable to register on their network.
Really not sure though. I just know how they normally operate as I used to be a customer before switching to TMo.
I just purchased a Sprint S5, planed to sign up R+.
The S5 already has Android 6.0.1.
Is there a way to unlock the phone for the GSM carriers, such as T-Mobile or AT&T ?
By law, Sprint has to unlock your phone if you request it. You can just call them and ask them to unlock the phone. I think you can also unlock it online without calling Sprint, but their website is down right now so I can't give you specific instructions. Sign into your Sprint account on the web, and next to your phone, there's a drop down menu that (I think) has an option to unlock.
Idoneapps(.com) do hell of job. I'm using ATT, the only catch is I only get 3g. But I don't really care because I have a 3g throttler in use because of my custom ROM. It's around $30 for the app. But it works.
Sent from my SM-G900P using XDA-Developers mobile app
i can also confirm the idoneapps.com method as working. its $35, but it just works. Plus their support forums is backed by a fellow called NoDial and he is johnny on the spot with regards to responding to queries! also, xda member @stifilz can unlock with no preset cost, but donating to him for his time is always a good thing
So last time I had a Samsung device it was a S3 and I have been using and loving my nexus 6 however it finally got a nasty crack in it so I'm downgrading to a Samsung s6. My nexus 6 was originally from AT&T and I just had to fill out some form online to unlock it to work on tmobile and I plan to do the same with the s6 however i was reading up and someone said their are differences between the s6 on AT&T and tmobile most notably Hotspot and wifi calling are disabled. Is this still true? Will I need to flash a TMobile ROM on my s6? Or will those features be unlocked once I insert my tmobile sim card? Thanx in advance.
The backstory.... Preordered an ATT Note 7 and had many headaches with delivery / billing. I am now living with my old Note3 using Goggle Voice/Hangouts because of my weak signal (all carriers) at home. I'm using a pre-paid Straight Talk plan when away from home.
I've been waiting patiently for the S8+ and now need to decide between AT&T and T-Mobile for a GSM phone. I plan on paying full cash price and having it unlocked to use a 3rd part prepaid plan (Straight Talk or ?).
I considered a factory unlocked phone (Best Buy, May 9th??) but I am told that those will also have a locked bootloader. Up until the Note 7 I always ran rooted with custom ROMS. I became a big fan of Samsung Pay which I think also means a locked bootloader with no root is needed. Of coarse, bloatware sucks. I had good luck with Package Disabler Pro on my Note 7. I will be using my Google number, if only for forwarding to another number. WiFi calling is a must one way or another.
My Note 7 from ATT let me run Mobile Hotspot at the same time WiFi was enabled. This made it easy for giving my Android head unit in my car Internet access. The T-mobile version at the time needed to be turned on and off.
I'm leaning toward T-mobile only because of my bad blood with ATT. ATT coverage is marginally better in my area.
Thoughts, comments.
Either and flash the OS on it with ODIN. It is the same hardware so it doesnt matter.
mweinbach said:
Either and flash the OS on it with ODIN. It is the same hardware so it doesnt matter.
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Yes and also if the T-Mobile version is going to have an unlocked bootloader, flashing T-Mobile firmware should allow you to unlock it through the OS.
But it's highly unlikely it will have an unlocked bootloader, although T-Mobile have supported it, I don't think it's happening.
No unlocked bootloaders on u.s.a. Carriers....
SBERG117 said:
No unlocked bootloaders on u.s.a. Carriers....
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I get that if you buy a carrier phone and then unlock it. But what about the factory unlocked phones sold in the US?
I've heard that the bootloader on those phones is also locked, but not from a real good source of info. I've also heard international versions do not have a locked bootloader and do not support Samsung Pay. They also do not support CDMA (which doesn't bother me at all).
Interceptor777 said:
Yes and also if the T-Mobile version is going to have an unlocked bootloader, flashing T-Mobile firmware should allow you to unlock it through the OS.
But it's highly unlikely it will have an unlocked bootloader, although T-Mobile have supported it, I don't think it's happening.
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If I flash via ODIN does that kill Samsung Pay? What about Knox?
Phredeee said:
The backstory.... Preordered an ATT Note 7 and had many headaches with delivery / billing. I am now living with my old Note3 using Goggle Voice/Hangouts because of my weak signal (all carriers) at home. I'm using a pre-paid Straight Talk plan when away from home.
I've been waiting patiently for the S8+ and now need to decide between AT&T and T-Mobile for a GSM phone. I plan on paying full cash price and having it unlocked to use a 3rd part prepaid plan (Straight Talk or ?).
I considered a factory unlocked phone (Best Buy, May 9th??) but I am told that those will also have a locked bootloader. Up until the Note 7 I always ran rooted with custom ROMS. I became a big fan of Samsung Pay which I think also means a locked bootloader with no root is needed. Of coarse, bloatware sucks. I had good luck with Package Disabler Pro on my Note 7. I will be using my Google number, if only for forwarding to another number. WiFi calling is a must one way or another.
My Note 7 from ATT let me run Mobile Hotspot at the same time WiFi was enabled. This made it easy for giving my Android head unit in my car Internet access. The T-mobile version at the time needed to be turned on and off.
I'm leaning toward T-mobile only because of my bad blood with ATT. ATT coverage is marginally better in my area.
Thoughts, comments.
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Click to collapse
I'm in a similar situation and my first concern is what bands both phones support. Online it seems AT&T covers both GSM providers perfectly. The info on T-Mobile and its bands is extremely lacking. My second concern is the process of unlocking either fully paid off phone for use on the other. I think I can have TMobile unlock it for me but I'm not sure how it works with AT&T. The easiest solution is the unlocked version but thats not even got a release date set in writing anywhere.
Phredeee said:
If I flash via ODIN does that kill Samsung Pay? What about Knox?
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As long you are flashing official firmware from Samsung nothing will break. Knox will not be tripped and Samsung Pay will work.
954wrecker said:
I'm in a similar situation and my first concern is what bands both phones support. Online it seems AT&T covers both GSM providers perfectly. The info on T-Mobile and its bands is extremely lacking. My second concern is the process of unlocking either fully paid off phone for use on the other. I think I can have TMobile unlock it for me but I'm not sure how it works with AT&T. The easiest solution is the unlocked version but thats not even got a release date set in writing anywhere.
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It is my understanding that all US (Snapdragon) phones cover all bands, including CDMA. That means you could even take an unlocked AT&T phone to Verizon. I'm not used to that! It even has LTE-U which TMo is supposed to be soon supporting.
I am an ex AT&T customer. They unlocked my Note 7, and again with the replacement, without issue. I seem to remember there was a wait period at first. 7 or 14 days?
The thing I'm considering is also the VR incentives for pre-ordering. I can tell you AT&T messed up my Note 7 pre-order. They shipped it on the release day by a slow method. I ended up going to a store and buying one outright and returning the unopened one once it arrived. That caused a billing nightmare that I had to call them every months until I finally turned it in and closed my account.
Phredeee said:
It is my understanding that all US (Snapdragon) phones cover all bands, including CDMA. That means you could even take an unlocked AT&T phone to Verizon. I'm not used to that! It even has LTE-U which TMo is supposed to be soon supporting.
I am an ex AT&T customer. They unlocked my Note 7, and again with the replacement, without issue. I seem to remember there was a wait period at first. 7 or 14 days?
The thing I'm considering is also the VR incentives for pre-ordering. I can tell you AT&T messed up my Note 7 pre-order. They shipped it on the release day by a slow method. I ended up going to a store and buying one outright and returning the unopened one once it arrived. That caused a billing nightmare that I had to call them every months until I finally turned it in and closed my account.
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Can you recall where you read the carrier versions support all the bands just like the unlocked versions? All the info I found from the carriers shows different bands on each model.
Phredeee said:
I get that if you buy a carrier phone and then unlock it. But what about the factory unlocked phones sold in the US?
I've heard that the bootloader on those phones is also locked, but not from a real good source of info. I've also heard international versions do not have a locked bootloader and do not support Samsung Pay. They also do not support CDMA (which doesn't bother me at all).
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You're missing what I'm saying... There will be no unlocked bootloaders on any Samsung S8 phones for the USA. You cannot get one from carrier or factory.
I think you may be mixing up Bootloader unlock and Sim unlock....
954wrecker said:
Can you recall where you read the carrier versions support all the bands just like the unlocked versions? All the info I found from the carriers shows different bands on each model.
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Click to collapse
I do remember that it was a story about FCC approval of the factory unlocked (SIM) phone. Keep that in mind that it may be the unbranded, factory unlocked phone only, but the article did say they were all the same. The locked carrier phones may not be so flexible.
Other things I've found.. Best Buy SIM unlocked does not get the incentives. Best Buy, and their cheaper price, does not seem to offer a T-Mo phone.
The VR incentive is attractive to me, but is not a must have. At this moment, until I can find out for sure if Samsung Pay will work on an international version, I am leaning towards a T-Mo pre-order. But that is me and my preferences YMMV. I have a major dislike for AT&T.
Looking for where I read it. In the mean time this may be interesting to you.
Model numbers http://techbeasts.com/list-of-samsung-galaxy-s8-galaxy-s8plus-model-numbers/
Frequencies https://www.frequencycheck.com/models/OyqBp/samsung-sm-g955a-galaxy-s8-td-lte-samsung-dream
The link is for the AT&T model search for other models.
954wrecker said:
Can you recall where you read the carrier versions support all the bands just like the unlocked versions? All the info I found from the carriers shows different bands on each model.
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Click to collapse
It appears that going by this information the factory unlocked and the AT&T are NOT the same https://www.frequencycheck.com/compare-devices/6MQWs05y/samsung-sm-g950a-galaxy-s8-td-lte-samsung-dream/samsung-sm-g950f-galaxy-s8-td-lte-samsung-dream
You're correct that it seems T-mo info is evasive.
Hello,
I would like to know, if it posible to buy the Galaxy S8 from the samsung web page (att version), then unlock it and after that flash the unlocked rom flashing it with odin.
Can someone help me?
thanks.
Just ordered the 955F from Clove...
I'm hoping that missing bands won't hurt my AT&T usage much. Or any prepaid sims I may throw in there.
Will see if the 955U info comes out before my phone, and will decide if I want to cancel.
:good::angel:
Sorry if this thread has already been created, but I needed the quickest and most accurate of decisions before I go spending money. I'm in a position to buy a Sprint Galaxy Note 5 for a great price but I need it unlocked. I'm currently using straighttalk with their "Verizon" CDMA BringYourOwnPhone SIM card on a Sprint 5S that has been unlocked. I'm waiting to pull the trigger on the Note 5, just wanted some assurance and possibly some guidance/assistance on getting this bad boy unlocked as well! Thanks in advance
you need to take it to a pro. my phone was unlocked using one of those "boxes", octoplus box but sometimes they need a rooted phone to work so goodbye knox
I know Sprint will unlock it, even though it's not on their DSU list (Domestic SIM Unlock). I requested it, and they unlocked it for US carriers a few days later. So it can be done on Nougat.