Really bad FM radio reception on G930T - Samsung Galaxy S7 Questions and Answers

I just picked up a T-Mobile S7 to play around with and, as you all know, the G930T on T-Mobile USA has FM radio enabled.
However I've noticed that the radio reception is absolutely horrible with a lot of static, crosstalk from other stations, and dropouts. I tried two other FM-supporting phones that I have (Verizon Moto G and unlocked Xperia Z5 compact) and they're both clear as day with no issues. Note that this is in the same location, with same headphones, and same station... just a different phone.
Does anyone know of any fixes for this? Is it a chipset issue, build issue, software issue?

redct said:
I just picked up a T-Mobile S7 to play around with and, as you all know, the G930T on T-Mobile USA has FM radio enabled.
However I've noticed that the radio reception is absolutely horrible with a lot of static, crosstalk from other stations, and dropouts. I tried two other FM-supporting phones that I have (Verizon Moto G and unlocked Xperia Z5 compact) and they're both clear as day with no issues. Note that this is in the same location, with same headphones, and same station... just a different phone.
Does anyone know of any fixes for this? Is it a chipset issue, build issue, software issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be anything from a faulty component -such as a bad rf amplifier circuit- to an implemented chip/circuitry revision, to a change in component suppliers. If you just purchased the S7 and are under warranty I would exchange it for another one to see if the FM broadcast receiver sensitivity is better. I know there was a big problem with the FM receiver sensitivity on the 930U model devices. I went through several of those and they all demonstrated the kind of horrible reception that you've described. Whereas each of the 930Ps and 935Ps (Sprint model) I've used have demonstrated wonderful FM reception.

Related

Are XDAs worse than "dedicated" mobiles?

My wife now all the time is saying: "Your new phone is crap". By new phone she means the (Wallaby) XDA I have asquired (mainly for navigation purposes in my car) recently.
It was replacing an Ericsson SH888. I always had excellent communication quality even in regions with weak signal strength.
Now (with the same SIM card) running E-Plus from the XDA I'm having much worse communication quality. Dropouts, opposite side doesn't hear me and such.
Can anyone explain why it is so?
Hi Krischu.
I've read posts on this forum in the past regarding poor reception (often fixed with radio stack upgrades), on the Wallaby.
People have also complained about poor sound quality & poor mic pickup too, but I never had either of these problems.
Some qualifying questions;
Which provider are you with?
What ROM & Radio Stack versions are you running?
Have you ever changed the ROM?
Is the device new, or purchased 2nd-hand?
To your knowledge, has the device ever been dropped?
Does your voice sound better (to the other person) if you use the head-phones?
Are you satisfied with the sound YOU hear?
What exactly is the problem with your voice, according to your wife? Muffled, distorted, or dropping-out?
Does the service-indicator icon show low service when you have this problem? Or does it just happen all the time?
How exactly are you using it for navigation? Serial cable to GPS? If so, do your issues only arise when the gps is running (ie. interference)?
That's probably enough questions for now.
Codenix.
Codenix said:
Hi Krischu.
I've read posts on this forum in the past regarding poor reception (often fixed with radio stack upgrades), on the Wallaby.
People have also complained about poor sound quality & poor mic pickup too, but I never had either of these problems.
Some qualifying questions;
Which provider are you with?
What ROM & Radio Stack versions are you running?
Have you ever changed the ROM?
Is the device new, or purchased 2nd-hand?
To your knowledge, has the device ever been dropped?
Does your voice sound better (to the other person) if you use the head-phones?
Are you satisfied with the sound YOU hear?
What exactly is the problem with your voice, according to your wife? Muffled, distorted, or dropping-out?
Does the service-indicator icon show low service when you have this problem? Or does it just happen all the time?
How exactly are you using it for navigation? Serial cable to GPS? If so, do your issues only arise when the gps is running (ie. interference)?
That's probably enough questions for now.
Codenix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a used XDA (T-Mobile MDA I, 32 MB) which had been flashed and unbranded.
My provider is E-Plus (Germany).
G32S54
R3.16.00
4.01.19
It happened to me once that it fell to ground. But the weak communication was with the old main board as well as with another one (I swapped main boards recently, so I don't think it's a hardware problem or faulty board)
Yes, the weak communication (drop outs - interrupted speech) mainly happens when the signal strength is low.
But that's the point - the SH888 (Ericsson) was able to smoothen out these situations, when signal strength is low.

Poor 3G Reception

Treo 750v very Poor 3G reception in buildings and on trains around London.
I have now changed job and work in central London and I have noticed on my route to and from home to central London I loose reception a number of times in various spots but on my TyTN which I took to test had no issues.
I have two Treo 750v and they both are doing it one installed with vodaphone and one Cingular rom. The lady next to me thought I was going mad two mobiles one in each hand and my eyes fixed on the reception bars all the way to London at 6:40am yesterday morning. I have not really noticed any issues with reception before this as around home it works flawlessly and I know it is not related to T-Mobile UK. I missed two calls also and whilst at work, phone on all day I got 3 voicemails. Various reviews on the internet have also said reception is poor on these phones and now it is starting to become a reality the more I use it in different areas.
I tested on the way home I rung my two land lines and spoke to my children and girlfriend on the TyTN and 750v the treo cut out 5 times whilst the TyTN held the connection from start to finish. Testing the 750v set to GSM today the phone cut out 2 so slight improvement I don't know if there will be a fix of some sort i.e. (radio or rom upgrade like the TyTN) over time fingers crossed, There is no difference for reception on the Cingular rom vs. vodaphone. But like anything it could be a hardware problem. I am sure if the treo had an antenna it would be better. First attempt for an antenna less Treo it is a good start. I hope they do a new revision of this Treo or this fault does gets fixed as I love the form factor of this phone far better than the TyTN imo.
Reception set to GSM is far better under band selection, I loose the fast browsing speed abilities of UTMS but call quality is much better overall.
Does anyone else suffer from reception issues related to 3G?
Tmobile
Vodaphone
O2
Sim cards tested in both phones.
I am also experiencing problems on 3G here in the Netherlands. I have some bad reception during calls and also alot of dropped calls when on the move and the phone is trying to fall back from UMTS to GSM.
I am also having some Bluetooth stack problems: the Bluetooth sometimes crashes, even in the middle of a conversation on the carkit. The audio connection gets lost with the parrot carkit.
mkoster007 said:
I am also experiencing problems on 3G here in the Netherlands. I have some bad reception during calls and also alot of dropped calls when on the move and the phone is trying to fall back from UMTS to GSM.
I am also having some Bluetooth stack problems: the Bluetooth sometimes crashes, even in the middle of a conversation on the carkit. The audio connection gets lost with the parrot carkit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issues you are having are just like mine, Not having any bluetooth issues like you mention though. UTMS to GSM is a big problem with the phone it is like it gets confused and then freaks out.
The reception part is really starting to get to me as my main phone it is not doing to well if you know what I mean. I only hope that a software upgrade can fix the issues. I am sure the bluetooth issues will get sorted with an update.
Same here (Italy). Bad 3G reception (Vodafone network): sometimes the 750V switches to GPRS and the call quality is fine, sometimes it doesn't, and it's a pain... I noticed a slight improvement when I upgraded from the original Vodafone ROM to newer Cingular's. Hope this means it's a software-related issue, and can be solved via a ROM upgraded in the future. After all, the 750V is made - like the TyTN - by HTC, so the reception should be more or less the same in both the devices.
Bye,
F.
xxnoelziexx said:
Treo 750v very Poor 3G reception in buildings and on trains around London.
I have now changed job and work in central London and I have noticed on my route to and from home to central London I loose reception a number of times in various spots but on my TyTN which I took to test had no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With my TyTN (radio 1.16) I get reception on a dead spot where I couldn't get reception with several other phone's (Nokia, SE, Motorola). Much better then with the standard radio 1.03 which didn't work there also. The Palm's reception is somewhere in between, and probably software-related too.
xxnoelziexx said:
The issues you are having are just like mine, Not having any bluetooth issues like you mention though. UTMS to GSM is a big problem with the phone it is like it gets confused and then freaks out.
The reception part is really starting to get to me as my main phone it is not doing to well if you know what I mean. I only hope that a software upgrade can fix the issues. I am sure the bluetooth issues will get sorted with an update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got the same problem. Fixed it by changing the band selection from "automatic" to "gsm". I'll have to change it back whenever I want to access the internet, which is a pain, but at least it's now usable as a phone.

Touch Pro 2 poor bluetooth and wifi reception

Hello
I have a German T-Mobile branded Touch Pro 2 which has been flashed to the WWE rom (1.86.401.0 build 67102), radio 4.49.25.17, protocol 61.44tc.25.32U.
I seem to be suffering from lousy bluetooth and wifi reception and was wondering if anyone else has had any problems,
For the bluetooth, it will struggle to work with a headset that is more than 3-5 feet away. For the wifi, it will struggle if it is more than 4-5m from the access point (with line of sight).
This is really really poor and I'm wondering if my unit is defective or whether they are all like this?
If it's a problem just with my one, does anyone know what the problem could be? I've seen a disassembly guide, which shows that the antenna module is at the top of the device and is relatively easily removed/replaced. Could it be a bad connection to the wifi/bluetooth antenna? The GSM/3G coverage is fine.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks,
Andrew
I have the same situation with my phone.
Mine is a US unlocked Touch Pro2 flashed with the WWE rom (2.07.401.1 build 80303), radio 4.49.25.88, protocol 61.44tc.25.33U.
Any suggestion?
I broke the screen on my old phone recently and bought a new Touch Pro 2. The new one is fine in terms of reception, so I imagine the first one (and possibly your one) are faulty. If you have the opportunity to return yours and swap it, I'd do so.
I'm going to take the old one apart to replace the screen. If I find out what's wrong with the reception along the way I'll let you know. I suspect the aerial is not properly seated/connected on the contacts on the motherboard.
Andrew
I have tried to troubleshoot my issue thinkin it could be my Altec headset. I paired it with my buddies phone "HTC Epic" and has clear connection for over 80 ft. Not the headset. I can't tell what it could be.
I have an EVO running Calkulin's EViO 2 ROM v1.2
Maybe its not that but not sure if its the Kernal or what.
My Wifi connections rock.

Poor Reception/LTE/GPS Galaxy S6 SM-G920F

Hey Guys, first post for me here!
I recently purchased a Galaxy S6 SM-G920F through Amazon. I travel and need a phone that is able to support whatever SIM I put in it, plus the benefits of tethering are excellent! I am on AT&T family plan with unlimited data. I was upgrading from a SM-G900A Galaxy S5.
I've been seeing extremely poor reception, regardless of where I am, I'll get -101dBm on my phone, holding it right next to a new phone at an AT&T store that gets -89dBm. AT&T gave me a new SIM, and refreshed a bunch of stuff on their end, no change. I talked to Samsung and went through a bunch of troubleshooting steps, no change. They told me that the phone likely had a bad modem and suggested that I exchange it for a new one. I just received the new one today and I'm seeing the same signal issues! I'm unable to make a call without complaints of poor sound quality from the other end, Waze and Google Maps don't work at all, the phone receives GPS location.
Am I doing something wrong here? My understanding is that this phone should work flawlessly on AT&T network, according to the Samsung tech specs, it supports all the necessary bands for AT&T including B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B17, B18, B19, B20, B26.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I really love the new phone, but it not getting reception or GPS really makes it useless.
I am having similar issues.
My reception stays for 10 minutes and then Its pretty much dead. No reception at all. I have to reboot my phone and then it will get signal. That doesnt stay for long and then It just disconnects.
Do you have any solution ?
I have the same variant and I've noticed that the signal is about 5dBm worse than my s4 in all situations on average. I suppose it's because it's glass and metal rather than plastic.
The signal gets stupidly erratic when I move around though it can jump up 10dBm and go straight back down. I wonder if the phone has an antenna at the top and bottom and switches between whichever one has a better signal. I don't think they've done a great job with the antennas in the s6 tbh.
same here. got the 920F from breed on eBay and I am having crappy reception at home, where as my iPhone 6 have 4 bars.
Same problem on edge version.
I think is software related because did same process with my vendor and nothing changed.
Today received an ota update and one change was the modem making it less Hot and "better" reception.
Before -103 now -93/-96
Maesedroid said:
Same problem on edge version.
I think is software related because did same process with my vendor and nothing changed.
Today received an ota update and one change was the modem making it less Hot and "better" reception.
Before -103 now -93/-96
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which OTA update was this? can you advise? Thanks!
Maesedroid said:
Same problem on edge version.
I think is software related because did same process with my vendor and nothing changed.
Today received an ota update and one change was the modem making it less Hot and "better" reception.
Before -103 now -93/-96
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interesting, please can you post more information such as your Build number and Baseband version in your phone settings/about device.
Hi, guys. I'm from the Philippines, and I also own the same S6 version as you guys do. Sadly, I'm also suffering from the same problems of my phone. Brought it to the nearest Samsung Service Center, and all they did was to re-software it. Same problem.
How are your phones now?
I'm getting -77 dBm and 18 asu as we speak, is that good?
I thought the G920F was the EU handset? Could explain the below-par signal in the US

G930U FM support?

Flashed the G930U fw to my G930P and so far only crossed one issue: FM support.
When loading NextRadio, I'm prompted with an error:
The required software is missing, but we're working hard to enable NextRadio on all devices soon...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this fixable by simply installing "missing software"? if so, what?
Nope. The 930U firmware doesn't include the FM hardware API. And I doubt if there's enough people with 930U's out there who care enough for Samsung to consider implementing it. You and I might... but few others seem to
That's actually pretty discouraging. TMO apparently released a SW update in early May that enabled the built-in FM radio on the S7. Can't think of any good reason why that hasn't been done on the G930U yet.
http://www.androidauthority.com/t-mobile-galaxy-s7-s7-edge-gained-fm-radio-latest-update-690893/
If rooted, and know the right build.prop edits from a carrier variant that has it unlocked, I'm sure we could enable it.
TehPirate_ said:
If rooted, and know the right build.prop edits from a carrier variant that has it unlocked, I'm sure we could enable it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that's the case I would be quite interested in rooting my 930U. The other option is to perhaps flash a major carrier version of the firmware onto it. I've been considering flashing the 930P version.
And I've discovered another interesting, yet discouraging fact about the 930U. I've reported within other threads that I've had possession of three 930u's over the course of the past few weeks. Each of them has shared the problem of very low wifi sensitivity. More specifically, none of the three 930U's I've tested has been able to see the weaker wifi network signals in the area of my residence. And that's based upon a direct comparison among two 930P's (Sprint-provided S7's) and one 930A (an international unlocked S7) that I've tested long side said 930U's. Of course, when someone is dealing with moderate to strong wifi signals they likely won't notice any problem with 930U's. It will only be evident on the weaker signals. But I can assure you there has been a striking difference between the 930U's and the other devices on those weaker wifi signals!
Here's the interesting part. I had contacted Samsung's 2nd level tech support about the wifi deafness on my first 930U. He concluded it was likely a hardware issue. Weeks later another 2nd level Samsung support tech told me he had encountered other complaints about the 930U and low wifi sensitivity. He as well believed it to be a hardware-related issue. Well, today I installed a 3rd party app from the Play store called 'Wifi Connect'. This app actually allows my 930U to see all of the test nodes in my area perfectly fine and at reasonable signal strength., where the firmware wifi scanner can't see any of them! And the app has no trouble seeing these nodes even when its "wifi boost" feature is toggled off. This more or less proves that the low wifi sensitivity on the 930U is not hardware-related at all, but is instead somehow peculiar to the current release of the 930U firmware (G930UUEU2APEH (CSC/CP)). That is to say that I am now convinced it's merely a software bug. I can only hope that more 930U users will notice this issue and complain so Samsung so it might become resolved. A good wifi receiver is pretty important these days!
clonk said:
If that's the case I would be quite interested in rooting my 930U. The other option is to perhaps flash a major carrier version of the firmware onto it. I've been considering flashing the 930P version.
And I've discovered another interesting, yet discouraging fact about the 930U. I've reported within other threads that I've had possession of three 930u's over the course of the past few weeks. Each of them has shared the problem of very low wifi sensitivity. More specifically, none of the three 930U's I've tested has been able to see the weaker wifi network signals in the area of my residence. And that's based upon a direct comparison among two 930P's (Sprint-provided S7's) and one 930A (an international unlocked S7) that I've tested long side said 930U's. Of course, when someone is dealing with moderate to strong wifi signals they likely won't notice any problem with 930U's. It will only be evident on the weaker signals. But I can assure you there has been a striking difference between the 930U's and the other devices on those weaker wifi signals!
Here's the interesting part. I had contacted Samsung's 2nd level tech support about the wifi deafness on my first 930U. He concluded it was likely a hardware issue. Weeks later another 2nd level Samsung support tech told me he had encountered other complaints about the 930U and low wifi sensitivity. He as well believed it to be a hardware-related issue. Well, today I installed a 3rd party app from the Play store called 'Wifi Connect'. This app actually allows my 930U to see all of the test nodes in my area perfectly fine and at reasonable signal strength., where the firmware wifi scanner can't see any of them! And the app has no trouble seeing these nodes even when its "wifi boost" feature is toggled off. This more or less proves that the low wifi sensitivity on the 930U is not hardware-related at all, but is instead somehow peculiar to the current release of the 930U firmware (G930UUEU2APEH (CSC/CP)). That is to say that I am now convinced it's merely a software bug. I can only hope that more 930U users will notice this issue and complain so Samsung so it might become resolved. A good wifi receiver is pretty important these days!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't experienced this WiFi problem but like you said, those with strong connections won't notice. I also run the G930U fw on a G930P variant which may factor in.
clonk said:
And I've discovered another interesting, yet discouraging fact about the 930U. I've reported within other threads that I've had possession of three 930u's over the course of the past few weeks. Each of them has shared the problem of very low wifi sensitivity. More specifically, none of the three 930U's I've tested has been able to see the weaker wifi network signals in the area of my residence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have any power saving modes enabled? My home wifi signal is strong, so no issues, and I haven't played with the power saving modes, but just a thought.
samnada said:
Do you have any power saving modes enabled? My home wifi signal is strong, so no issues, and I haven't played with the power saving modes, but just a thought.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both power saving mode and ultra power saving mode are and have been off all along. Per app power saving is on for a number of apps, but that only kicks in on apps that haven't been used in a couple of days (as I understand it). And the built-in wifi provision isn't an app anyway... it's a component of the OS. With the Wifi Connect app loaded, the 930U's wifi receiver sensitivity is exactly the same as that on the other devices. So the hardware is obviously fine. It can't be anything but the OS firmware in my view.
---------- Post added at 01:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:53 AM ----------
TehPirate_ said:
I haven't experienced this WiFi problem but like you said, those with strong connections won't notice. I also run the G930U fw on a G930P variant which may factor in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's possible I suppose. I'd like to test things the other way around (930P fw on 930U hardware). And I'm seriously thinking of doing just that. If I'm right, the 930P fw should cure the reduced wifi reception issue, much like the Wifi Connect app has done.
clonk said:
Both power saving mode and ultra power saving mode are and have been off all along. Per app power saving is on for a number of apps, but that only kicks in on apps that haven't been used in a couple of days (as I understand it). And the built-in wifi provision isn't an app anyway... it's a component of the OS. With the Wifi Connect app loaded, the 930U's wifi receiver sensitivity is exactly the same as that on the other devices. So the hardware is obviously fine. It can't be anything but the OS firmware in my view.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. I can't really test it since as I said my wifi is strong. When I look at the wifi scan of my neighbors networks I don't see a big difference compared to my previous Galaxy S4, although it's boxed up for shipment so i can't do a side-by-side like you are. Also, the Wifi Analyzer app looks very much like the signal strengths I saw on the S4, but that might be similar to Wifi Connect. Can only hope Samsung is working diligently on a big release to fix the SW issues. I can dream...
samnada said:
Also, the Wifi Analyzer app looks very much like the signal strengths I saw on the S4, but that might be similar to Wifi Connect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be my guess. Maybe it has something to do with the point at which these 3rd party apps hook in for the signal source. Perhaps the OS wifi receiver software takes the signal from a different location. That's all just blind theory on my part, though.
samnada said:
Can only hope Samsung is working diligently on a big release to fix the SW issues. I can dream...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too.
Got a response back from Samsung Support claiming that the S7 doesn't have a FM radio built-in. ?????
So, I emailed them a link to Youtube video of a guy actually doing the T-Mobile SW update and then playing the FM radio on his S7. We'll see what their excuse is now.
samnada said:
Got a response back from Samsung Support claiming that the S7 doesn't have a FM radio built-in. ?????
So, I emailed them a link to Youtube video of a guy actually doing the T-Mobile SW update and then playing the FM radio on his S7. We'll see what they're excuse is now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did they mean the S7 in general? Did they mean even the carrier-specific S7's? If that's what they told you, I can attest to the fact that they have given you entirely false information! I have recently been in possession of two SM-G930P's (i.e., the Sprint variant of the S7) which each received local FM broadcast stations (through the headphone wire as an antenna) via the NextRadio app. And they both did so flawlessly!
Beyond that, I've personally spoken (a number of times, actually) with Samsung 2nd tier tech support about this very issue. Each time I have been assured that the SM-G930U as well has a functional FM receiver chip onboard. It merely requires the API interface in its firmware to enable said chip. The only model that may not have the FM chip is the SM-G930A (i.e., the exynos powered unlocked international variant). And that would likely be because it's illegal in certain countries where the 930F is marketed to receive radio signals within the 88 to 108 MHz frequency band. That's not a broadcast band in all parts of the world (as it is within the US and some other places) so in some areas it may thus be used instead for government communications or other radio services that the local governments there want to keep off limits. If Samsung wants to sell phones in those areas, it may be easier for them to make those phones incapable of reception on that frequency band. So the 930F may be out of luck as far as hearing FM broadcast stations with its hardware. As far as I know, this hasn't been absolutely confirmed, though.
clonk said:
Did they mean the S7 in general? Did they mean even the carrier-specific S7's? If that's what they told you, I can attest to the fact that they have given you entirely false information! I have recently been in possession of two SM-G930P's (i.e., the Sprint variant of the S7) which each received local FM broadcast stations (through the headphone wire as an antenna) via the NextRadio app. And they both did so flawlessly!
Beyond that, I've personally spoken (a number of times, actually) with Samsung 2nd tier tech support about this very issue. Each time I have been assured that the SM-G930U as well has a functional FM receiver chip onboard. It merely requires the API interface in its firmware to enable said chip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the section of the email I got back:
"I have checked the user manual and our available resources and I found that none of our latest phones including unlocked (SM-G930U) phones have a built-in FM radio chip.
So, when there is no built –in FM radio chip embedded inside the phone the software update will not make any effect. "
So, they're clueless.
samnada said:
Here's the section of the email I got back:
"I have checked the user manual and our available resources and I found that none of our latest phones including unlocked (SM-G930U) phones have a built-in FM radio chip.
So, when there is no built –in FM radio chip embedded inside the phone the software update will not make any effect. "
So, they're clueless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. I'd say that's a pretty clueless statement. He/she "checked the user manual" *smirk* ... Since Samsung is not yet marketing the FM radio capability as a feature, naturally it's not going to be referenced in the user manual.
One of the Samsung techs explained to me that their newest mobile devices sold in the US do contain an onboard FM chip in compliance with a directive issued by the FCC. He explained that the FCC did not issue said directive so phone users would have FM broadcast audio reception capability. He said that instead the directive was issued so all new phones would be able to receive the EAS (Emergency Alert System) disaster and local emergency bulletins that are issued by the regional government emergency departments and sent out via local FM broadcast stations over the 88-108 MHz FM broadcast band to mobile devices within their coverage areas. I believe those are the little alerts with the exclamation point within a triangle that contain warning/threat/environmental alert information. He said that the phones would not be able to receive those alerts when cellular networks are down or overwhelmed if they did not contain functional FM receiver chips. Again, he said that all of Samsung's newest US-targeted phones have potentially operative FM receiver chips for this reason. While I can't confirm that his explanation is absolutely accurate, at least it sounds reasonable.
Late Update:
Just wanted to update this thread to assure anyone who may stumble upon it that the G930U (US unlocked S7 variant) absolutely does have a functional FM chip onboard. I flashed G930P firmware onto my most recent U and the NextRadio app took right off receiving local over-the-air FM stations. However, it's a shame you have to use carrier firmware to get it to work.
I've since swapped off that last 930U for another 930P, mainly because the U (like my 2 previous U's) had a wifi sensitivity issue... which is a rather huge thing for me. I still may try yet one more U though - in case the wifi issue was simply a very unlikely coincidence on the 3 U handsets I've already tested. I kind of doubt that's the case, though, which is why I haven't fully decided to try another U.
clonk said:
Late Update:
Just wanted to update this thread to assure anyone who may stumble upon it that the G930U (US unlocked S7 variant) absolutely does have a functional FM chip onboard. I flashed G930P firmware onto my most recent U and the NextRadio app took right off receiving local over-the-air FM stations. However, it's a shame you have to use carrier firmware to get it to work.
I've since swapped off that last 930U for another 930P, mainly because the U (like my 2 previous U's) had a wifi sensitivity issue... which is a rather huge thing for me. I still may try yet one more U though - in case the wifi issue was simply a very unlikely coincidence on the 3 U handsets I've already tested. I kind of doubt that's the case, though, which is why I haven't fully decided to try another U.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have been very happy with my 930U on T-Mo for the last month and besides the FM disappointment, I have had zero issues. What was the case with your wifi?
thanassi44 said:
Have been very happy with my 930U on T-Mo for the last month and besides the FM disappointment, I have had zero issues. What was the case with your wifi?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Concerning the FM radio: Since the U does have a functional FM chip, Samsung need only enable it with a future update to resolve the matter. We just can't know whether that will happen anytime soon (if ever).
The wifi sensitivity issue is that each U model I've tested seemed to suffer from a double-faceted problem. I noticed the issue in particular since I regularly use my phones at a few locations where the wifi signals I need to connect with are below moderate strength levels. The first part of the problem is that all S7's seem to mask wifi signals that are less than -85 dBm (i.e., these weaker signals won't be reported by the OS wifi software during scan mode). My guess is that this may be because the developers consider signals below the -85 dBm threshold to be virtually unusable, so to display such unusable signals would serve no practical purpose in their view. The second part of the problem is that on the U's -at least on the ones I've tested- the wifi receiver sensitivity is noticeably lower than that on the P and F models I've tested. So this brings the detectable wifi signals that are barely above -85 dBm on the P and F models to a point below -85 dBm on the U models, which not only makes them unusable, but causes them to go unreported during scanning as well. Therefore, since you can't see any wifi node signals below -85 dBm on any S7, the signals that are above -85 dBm and thus barely usable on the P and F models are not able to even be detected on the U models because of its lower wifi sensitivity. It's as if the weaker wifi nodes in an area don't exist when using a U model.
I should note that 3rd party wifi apps will not mask the weaker wifi signals. You can see them all, regardless of strength. This proves that the OS threshold masking is in place. I will admit that if masking of the weaker wifi node signals were not in place, the signals below -85 dBm would undoubtedly be too weak to connect with. But the lower wifi sensitivity on the U model tends to compound this problem. So it really comes down to the fact that the U models I've tried in fact contained noticeably weaker wifi receivers for some reason (perhaps an antenna or other component difference). If the wifi signals you will be using are of moderate signal strength or greater, you shouldn't have any issues with the U model. And in my case it still may have been an unlikely coincidence... the three U's that I tested may not have been typical as far as U model wifi performance. I have no way to be sure one way or the other.
Well lookie here:
http://phandroid.com/2016/09/01/verizon-galaxy-s7-edge-radio-update/
Maybe there's hope for some of us!
asuh said:
Well lookie here:
http://phandroid.com/2016/09/01/verizon-galaxy-s7-edge-radio-update/
Maybe there's hope for some of us!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everyone with a G930U should contact Samsung, mention this info, and ask when our S7s will have the FM radio enabled.
hello dear friends i have a g930u i updated it to android N then i installed next radio, it is working perfectly . by the way i dont live in USA i am in algeria :good:

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