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Hello xda!
I've searched the web but found nothing, my question as you might have guessed from the title is the following.
Is the s8+ like the s7 edge locked to a region ? And can someone who received there phone confirm this.
To be clear I don't mean sim lock but region lock.
Thanks
Bump
denja12 said:
Hello xda!
I've searched the web but found nothing, my question as you might have guessed from the title is the following.
Is the s8+ like the s7 edge locked to a region? And can someone who received their phone confirm this.
To be clear I don't mean sim lock but region lock.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*Since September 2013, Samsung has implemented a 'region lock' on all new stock.
For correct operation, this handset should be activated inside one of these countries with a SIM card issued for use there. The device will then be able to accept SIM cards from outside of these countries.
Activation requires turning the device on for the first time & completing set-up with the SIM installed, then completing at least 5 minutes of voice call(s) with this SIM.
Without activation you may still use the device outside of these countries when 'roaming' - using a SIM card from the listed countries.
If this activation procedure is not followed then the device will lock when first attempted to be used with a SIM card from outside of these regions. Local Samsung support may provide a code to unlock such handsets.
**All member states of the E.E.A and the following additional territories: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M), Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia and Vatican City.
From what i understand you might need a sim from Korea to activate it once activated it will work worldwide with any sim card. i could be wrong but that’s how i think it works!
... watched a couple of unboxing videos but I've seen some models where the seal says "European Sim only" and factory seals where it just says the usual information about if seal is broken ...
I bought on Ebay the S8+ 128g and the seller said me it will be full unlock, i am in France, i receive it next week ... i will tell you ^^ ...
androidrouen said:
I bought on Ebay the S8+ 128g and the seller said me it will be full unlock, i am in France, i receive it next week ... i will tell you ^^ ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what happened?
Does the activation call work if done with an european SIM but outside europe's network (i.e. roaming)?
I have the SM-955N Korean Telecom version. When I went to buy it, I asked them if they had any factory sealed. The owner said that's not possible, all exported Korean phones need to be opened and activated in Korea before exporting if you want them unlocked.
I can put in any sim card now (tested with a HK sim and Japanese sim). Both work fine, but need to do some service mode tinkering to get LTE to work.
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
forsberg78 said:
I have the SM-955N Korean Telecom version. When I went to buy it, I asked them if they had any factory sealed. The owner said that's not possible, all exported Korean phones need to be opened and activated in Korea before exporting if you want them unlocked.
I can put in any sim card now (tested with a HK sim and Japanese sim). Both work fine, but need to do some service mode tinkering to get LTE to work.
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do they have a custom boot animation when they turn on, with the Korean carrier's name on it?
Yes I have the KT logo
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
forsberg78 said:
Yes I have the KT logo
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are there any markings on the device? Like branding of the carrier?
Nope. There's a line at the back of the device that shows the model number, imei, and the letters KT but it's like very small font, you wouldn't be able to see it unless you looked for it
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
forsberg78 said:
Nope. There's a line at the back of the device that shows the model number, imei, and the letters KT but it's like very small font, you wouldn't be able to see it unless you looked for it
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you be able to record the boot animation so we know how it looks like? Thanks! :highfive:
Is there a way to do it within the system? I don't have another device to record it with
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Confirmed I had to have my SM-955N unlocked and used in Korea before shipping. Also have the KT logo. Back is actually less busy than other versions without all the FCC, CE etc logos.
Psytric said:
Confirmed I had to have my SM-955N unlocked and used in Korea before shipping. Also have the KT logo. Back is actually less busy than other versions without all the FCC, CE etc logos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you have to go into service mode to unlock the LTE bands?
At the beginning I only got 3g but after going into service mode and playing with the network bands I somehow got LTE
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
forsberg78 said:
Did you have to go into service mode to unlock the LTE bands?
At the beginning I only got 3g but after going into service mode and playing with the network bands I somehow got LTE
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, but I live in China, it shows as "LTE+". Your region's mileage may vary.
I was going to make another thread, but then I saw this! I live in the US, have T-Mobile and bought a Samsung Galaxy S8+ off eBay from the Korean market. It says SK TELECOM. I currently have a lot of issues. I really regret my decision, but I'm trying to eliminate some possibilities. I spent days troubleshooting with T-Mobile and I not longer believe it to be an issue with them.
As N1NJATH3ORY pointed out, there may be a region lock. My phone appeared factory sealed. Although it doesn't say that I'm roaming or anything like that. My symptoms are: Unable to simultaneously use Data and Voice, phone calls taking approx. 15 minutes to go through and phone calls not being received and going directly to voicemail. Not to mention that some settings just are not available. For instance, Network Mode only shows me 2 options. "Use LTE when available" and "3G only". After talking with T-Mobile techs they mentioned for their phones they have one option that includes an auto-connect, LTE, 4G, 3G, Edge, etc. Since the phone is not originally a T-Mobile line, I could understand why I wouldn't see that. Still it seems very limited to only say "Use LTE when available".
There's also other things that are less pressing, but would be nice to have. Such as: Samsung Pay, WiFi Calling, VoLTE, Carrier Updates, get rid of mandatory camera shutter noise, more SOS features like US, etc.
For right now I would at least like a stable network connection for my phone. I fear I'll have to buy a new phone and have wasted the $1,200 I dropped on this phone. Despite the nice specs compare the US model, it's just not working out. In the meantime I'll be looking for answers / solutions.
Ambush083 said:
I was going to make another thread, but then I saw this! I live in the US, have T-Mobile and bought a Samsung Galaxy S8+ off eBay from the Korean market. It says SK TELECOM. I currently have a lot of issues. I really regret my decision, but I'm trying to eliminate some possibilities. I spent days troubleshooting with T-Mobile and I not longer believe it to be an issue with them.
As N1NJATH3ORY pointed out, there may be a region lock. My phone appeared factory sealed. Although it doesn't say that I'm roaming or anything like that. My symptoms are: Unable to simultaneously use Data and Voice, phone calls taking approx. 15 minutes to go through and phone calls not being received and going directly to voicemail. Not to mention that some settings just are not available. For instance, Network Mode only shows me 2 options. "Use LTE when available" and "3G only". After talking with T-Mobile techs they mentioned for their phones they have one option that includes an auto-connect, LTE, 4G, 3G, Edge, etc. Since the phone is not originally a T-Mobile line, I could understand why I wouldn't see that. Still it seems very limited to only say "Use LTE when available".
There's also other things that are less pressing, but would be nice to have. Such as: Samsung Pay, WiFi Calling, VoLTE, Carrier Updates, get rid of mandatory camera shutter noise, more SOS features like US, etc.
For right now I would at least like a stable network connection for my phone. I fear I'll have to buy a new phone and have wasted the $1,200 I dropped on this phone. Despite the nice specs compare the US model, it's just not working out. In the meantime I'll be looking for answers / solutions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On mine everything works fine, the only problem could be Samsung pay in US, But all the rest is fine.
(i have 128gb Korea SKT too)
androidrouen said:
On mine everything works fine, the only problem could be Samsung pay in US, But all the rest is fine.
(i have 128gb Korea SKT too)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you also on T-Mobile? I'm going to try to write the individual I bought the phone from. I'll also contact Samsung about the region lock. Maybe that what I'm experiencing?
Try entering the code *#2683662# and configuring the network mode
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 01:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:41 PM ----------
But yeah, if it's factory sealed when you received it you may be SOL. It needs to be opened and activated Korea first.
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
So i currently have as sprint s4 that unlocked thanks to xda. i actually have att sim in right now and working fine although only getting HSPA+. haven't got time to try to do the upgrade to LTE for gsm also yet
But thinking of getting a replacement. Is there some sort of unlocked S7 ver that would allow for use on all 4 US networks as well as international? can i purchase that somewhere or i can only get a network sold ver and try to unlock? Thanks.
You can grey import or buy official unlocked S7 int. model (G930F or G930FD) with ease. I don't think I've actually seen a locked international version, at least not on the sites I look at.
Just be careful you don't end up buying a fake (avoid ebay). I got mine from eGlobal. Many locked US variants like the G930V get reflashed to G930F firmware and have the text on the back changed so you can't tell unless you go into download mode.
From what I've seen around here, they work in the US just fine and being the international model work in the rest of the world. You might just need to flash the appropriate CSC/modem for whatever carrier you're using at the time.
I thought international models would only have gsm support?
I bought an S8+ 955FD which seems to be genuine but when I contacted AT&T to get assistance with slow LTE speeds (I contacted them 2 months ago for the same reason when I was using an AT&T branded phone). Of course they ask for the IMEI to verify whether it's an LTE phone and is supported. When I gave them the IMEI they said it wasn't even coming up as a Samsung phone let alone LTE. It's listed as an unknown phone with 2G capabilities. I checked the IMEI on http://www.imei.info/ and it shows that it's a S8+ and everything checks out on that site as it does on my Samsung box.
My sister has an S8 too 955F and when AT&T checks hers, it comes up as a Samsung S8+.
I don't know if my having rooted the phone has anything to do with it (I'm guessing not because rooting doesn't change the IMEI) but could this be a fake? Should I return it?
icydius said:
I bought an S8+ 955FD which seems to be genuine but when I contacted AT&T to get assistance with slow LTE speeds (I contacted them 2 months ago for the same reason when I was using an AT&T branded phone). Of course they ask for the IMEI to verify whether it's an LTE phone and is supported. When I gave them the IMEI they said it wasn't even coming up as a Samsung phone let alone LTE. It's listed as an unknown phone with 2G capabilities. I checked the IMEI on http://www.imei.info/ and it shows that it's a S8+ and everything checks out on that site as it does on my Samsung box.
My sister has an S8 too 955F and when AT&T checks hers, it comes up as a Samsung S8+.
I don't know if my having rooted the phone has anything to do with it (I'm guessing not because rooting doesn't change the IMEI) but could this be a fake? Should I return it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very well could be. Where did you buy it? Take a look at this thread.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8+/help/s8-software-installation-problems-t3639259
If it has a mediatek processor and not a snapdragon or exynos it's definitely a fake.
AT&T does not have anything in their databases about international phones like the F model. When you call them and give them an IMEI of an S8 F model, they will not know anything about it, and their systems won't know what features it is capable of supporting. Ton get Volte working, you will have to flash the ATT CSC https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/samsung-galaxy-s8--s8-cross-device-development/utility-flashable-csc-selection-v1-1-0-t3636739 and keep calling them until you get a 2nd level tech support guy that is willing to go into the guts of their systems and place an IMEI of another ATT phone that has similar features. If you have another similar phone on your ATT account, they can use that IEMI to have their system figure out what features it supports. I believe they used a S7 that I used to have and that got Volte working - for a while anyway.
I have an unlocked S8+ phone Model G955U1 and was with AT&T. In the process of trying to get wifi calling (BTW, they don't provide this feature for unlocked phones, so I dumped them and went with T-Mobile), I asked them to verify the IMEI, they could not find it. Their IMEI data base lists only the phones they sell but not the factory unlocked ones or phones you buy somewhere else. I wouldn't count on AT&T and as ggrant3876 mentioned above, check your processor's make.
Flame Red said:
AT&T does not have anything in their databases about international phones like the F model. When you call them and give them an IMEI of an S8 F model, they will not know anything about it, and their systems won't know what features it is capable of supporting. Ton get Volte working, you will have to flash the ATT CSC https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/samsung-galaxy-s8--s8-cross-device-development/utility-flashable-csc-selection-v1-1-0-t3636739 and keep calling them until you get a 2nd level tech support guy that is willing to go into the guts of their systems and place an IMEI of another ATT phone that has similar features. If you have another similar phone on your ATT account, they can use that IEMI to have their system figure out what features it supports. I believe they used a S7 that I used to have and that got Volte working - for a while anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying. Funny, I never got notifications that anyone had replied.
Actually someone did add an IMEI for another similar AT&T phone.
Nothing about the phone seems fake, but when I gave them my sister's IMEI for a 955F they said it immediately came up in their system while my 955FD did not.
I'll review that thread to see if my phone would be negatively affected by the ATT CSC.
BTW, what happened to your voLTE that made it stop working?
Gratitudes!!
ggrant3876 said:
Very well could be. Where did you buy it? Take a look at this thread.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8+/help/s8-software-installation-problems-t3639259
If it has a mediatek processor and not a snapdragon or exynos it's definitely a fake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of these are applicable *whew*
The seed of doubt was planted when an AT&T rep told me it may be a fake even though I had not previously considered it.
Thanks for the link!!
TheBoozer said:
I have an unlocked S8+ phone Model G955U1 and was with AT&T. In the process of trying to get wifi calling (BTW, they don't provide this feature for unlocked phones, so I dumped them and went with T-Mobile), I asked them to verify the IMEI, they could not find it. Their IMEI data base lists only the phones they sell but not the factory unlocked ones or phones you buy somewhere else. I wouldn't count on AT&T and as ggrant3876 mentioned above, check your processor's make.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel better now, thanks! It shows Exynos 8895 and everything else seemed legit as well. I don't know why I listen to AT&T reps....
I never really liked the Wi-fi calling on my AT&T V20 and even without it, the voice clarity is wonderful.
one way to check is root , real us versions cant be rooted as its a snapdragon , so far our friends in china cant fake an s8 , just by looking at the screen will give it away , but before the years out iam sure they will have a better clone that could fool anyone.international models are always better also faster than the us versions as nd no crap ware from the carriers .
That lack of band 30 could be the issue regarding the slow LTE speeds
icydius said:
I bought an S8+ 955FD which seems to be genuine but when I contacted AT&T to get assistance with slow LTE speeds (I contacted them 2 months ago for the same reason when I was using an AT&T branded phone). Of course they ask for the IMEI to verify whether it's an LTE phone and is supported. When I gave them the IMEI they said it wasn't even coming up as a Samsung phone let alone LTE. It's listed as an unknown phone with 2G capabilities. I checked the IMEI on http://www.imei.info/ and it shows that it's a S8+ and everything checks out on that site as it does on my Samsung box.
My sister has an S8 too 955F and when AT&T checks hers, it comes up as a Samsung S8+.
I don't know if my having rooted the phone has anything to do with it (I'm guessing not because rooting doesn't change the IMEI) but could this be a fake? Should I return it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not a fake dont worry and no rooting will have nothing to do with it, also you would easily be able to tell if you compared it to your sisters s8! the current s8+ fakes are the same size as the S8 theres nothing + about them haha, they may fool someone who has never handled an s8 or seen one irl but you would 100 percent be able to tell its a fake having handled a real one regardless if its the plus or not
Very easier to know is real or not, if Odin can't detect then it is fake. Fake one impossible can install Samsung own firmware.
I know my s8+ is a fake. I just need to know how to change imei number so I can use my phone. It came from China. He said it's supported by TMobile and at&t. I want to go with TMobile if possible. He sent me the pattern to call and change it,but I don't know what numbers to replace it with.
Cecejohns said:
I know my s8+ is a fake. I just need to know how to change imei number so I can use my phone. It came from China. He said it's supported by TMobile and at&t. I want to go with TMobile if possible. He sent me the pattern to call and change it,but I don't know what numbers to replace it with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Changing imei numbers is illeagal in most contries. and You will find no help on XDA for such tasks
either way orig user solved his problem thread closed
Completely lost. Samsung Galaxy S7 bought off eBay for "Verizon" not working.
Ok guys I'm completely lost here on what is going on and hopefully someone can help. I've flashed tons of firmware, rooted and unrooted several times.
I bought a Galaxy S7 off eBay. The model number on the back of the phone is SM-G930V, the box says SM-G9300 on the back corner.
I thought it would be good, put my SIM card in it, and it won't recognize it, says "No SIM card - No Network Connection"
So I did and IMEI check, and it comes back:
Brand: Samsung
Phone model: Galaxy S7 G930P
Blacklist status*: CLEAN
So the IMEI is actually coming back as a Sprint IMEI. *#06# come back "Not Registered on Network"
In the about phone settings the IMEI matches the IMEI on the back of the phone.
currently I've flashed the latest Verizon firmware using the Verizon software upgrade assistant.
Phone Details (From About Phone)
Model: SM-G930V
Android Version: 7.0
Android Security Patch Level: August 1, 2017
Baseband Version: G930VVRU4BQH4
Build number: NRD90M.G930VVRU4BQH4
Network: Searching for service
Mobile Network type: unknown
Service state: out of service
Roaming: not roaming
Mobile Network state: Disconnected
MIN: Unknown *This field is not on my actual Verizon S7*
PRL version: unknown *This field is not on my actual Verizon S7*
ERI version: none *This field shows "6" on my actual Verizon S7 without SIM card inserted*
IMEISV: 00
ICCID: Unknown
IMS registration status: off
Phone status: Official
My main goal here is to get this phone to work on Verizon. Any help is appreciated.
Boot into download (Vol down + home + power) and get the model number from there, can be faked in the OS.
Sounds like it's a different carrier model and is still carrier locked to me.
Yep check download mode for actual model, but if a Verizon SIM isn't working and IMEI says G930P, then try putting a Sprint, Boost or Virgin Mobile SIM in it
You might need to pay to unlock it for Verizon
Download mode shows that is it a G930V, and that is what is on the back of the phone as well.
I'm not sure how if this phone is a G930v and it has all of the IMEI and G930v markings how the IMEI is registered with Sprint.
I used a co-workers SIM FOR some pre-paid plan that works on the sprint network and it did show signal
It has the Verizon OEM ROM on it though, how can I get it on for Verizon? Do I have to flash a sprint ROM or something first?
silenthill said:
Download mode shows that is it a G930V, and that is what is on the back of the phone as well.
I'm not sure how if this phone is a G930v and it has all of the IMEI and G930v markings how the IMEI is registered with Sprint.
I used a co-workers SIM FOR some pre-paid plan that works on the sprint network and it did show signal
It has the Verizon OEM ROM on it though, how can I get it on for Verizon? Do I have to flash a sprint ROM or something first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange one, unfortunately flashing different carrier ROMs doesn't switch it over to be open for that carrier, you'd need to SIM unlock it with a paid service, but as it is a G930V it should be working with Verizon SIMs unless someone has somehow modded it for Sprint, not sure if changing the IMEI (Which is not allowed to be discussed here) would do that, no idea
Personally I would give a SIM unlock service a try, or try another Verizon SIM in it in case it just doesn't like yours
Is starting to sound like it was originally a 930V and someone has changed the IMEI to Sprint, and that IMEI is still carrier locked to sprint.
Unless Sprint offers a service where they change other carrier phones onto their service?
bump, anyone?
It might be a damaged device.
Eureka!
So, something is definitely funny with this phone, i hope this can help other people who bought a phone from an eBay seller that might be less than reputable.
The Phone is IDENTICAL to my OEM purchased from the Verizon store S7. literally perfect, but I think it might be "fake". For one, the wireless charging does not work. and for two, the IMEI when checked definitely comes back to a G930P, however on the back of the phone, underneath the glass it clearly says SM-G930V and has the IMEI # engraved that matches the phone, which comes back as a G930P.
That being said, here is what I did to fix it.
I flashed the G930PVPU4APL6 Sprint 6.0.1 ROM
I then used Zx3 box to root the phone
Once rooted, I used ZX3 box to unlock the phone
Then I flashed the VZW-G930VVRU4API3-20161121101036 Verizon 6.0.1 ROM
and boom, it works on Verizon!
I do have another question.
If I go into the phone and do a "Factory Data Reset" will I lose my unlock?
No. It's safe to do a factory reset.
Sounds like a damaged ROM (possibly damaged SIM).
You CAN do a swap to a different firmware, though.
True story - my current S7 had VZW firmware (from the jump); however, the original owner blew up the phone and left oweage on it; therefore, it was "network locked". Basically, I was not supposed to be able to take it anywhere.
How I end-ran the network lock - I put T-Mobile firmware on it. (Permissible - the phone itself has a universal SoC - I downloaded T-M firmware via updato.com, installed it using the current version of Odin, and plopped a T-M SIM from Tracfone into the phone, and migrated it to the T-Mobile side of Tracfone - replacing my VZW-hosted Tracfone handset - a Galaxy Nexus. Absatively legal.) End result - VZW (supposedly) S7, running T-Mobile firmware, on the T-Mobile side of Tracfone - as legal as an American eagle. I have LTE and VoLTE working (in fact, I have it set to use LTE right now, since I'm at home; however, were I too far from a T-M tower, I could use VoLTE (this is, in fact, explicitly supported by T-Mobile as a standard feature for this phone - even for their MVNOs - such as Tracfone)). Not perfect - however, blame the carriers for not following the MVNOs and allowing non-stock firmware; VZW, for example, REQUIRES stock-only firmware on their sold-by phones - their MVNOs don't. Do the other carriers - including AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc., have the same policy? I get WHY VZW has that stock-only firmware policy - their-in-house support folks know diddly about third-party firmware - how can they be expected to know anything about all the various sorts of third-party ROMs? MVNOs don't have in-house support folks the way VZW, etc. do -most of them don't have their own retail locations, either. (Tracfone, for example, is JUST starting to deploy branded locations.)
Some of you might recognize me, used to be pretty active in the root/mod/ROM game back from the days of the OG Droid on, but have been away for a while. Now I've got a new Samsung S10E, and I don't quite get the relationships with the versions and trigraphs, etc.
My phone is a G970U1 - which I understand is a non-carrier specific unlocked model? But the Service Provider SW ver. reads SAOMC_SM-g970U1_OYM_TMB_PP0022 with TMB/TMB/SPR tags? What's the OYM? And what's up with the two T-Mobile tags followed by the Sprint tag? I did some digging around but couldn't see where there might have been a guide/explanation in this forum... pointers would be fine if it's too much of a pain to explain the whole thing here.
Also, OTAs? Would those come from TMO because of the tags, or from Samsung because of the U1 instead of the U?
Thanks....
For others' benefit: OYM is multi - covers multiple options depending on what SIM you toss into it. And the OTA question was answered a few minutes ago when I picked up the US Unlocked update from Samsung.
redoregon said:
Some of you might recognize me, used to be pretty active in the root/mod/ROM game back from the days of the OG Droid on, but have been away for a while. Now I've got a new Samsung S10E, and I don't quite get the relationships with the versions and trigraphs, etc.
My phone is a G970U1 - which I understand is a non-carrier specific unlocked model? But the Service Provider SW ver. reads SAOMC_SM-g970U1_OYM_TMB_PP0022 with TMB/TMB/SPR tags? What's the OYM? And what's up with the two T-Mobile tags followed by the Sprint tag? I did some digging around but couldn't see where there might have been a guide/explanation in this forum... pointers would be fine if it's too much of a pain to explain the whole thing here.
Also, OTAs? Would those come from TMO because of the tags, or from Samsung because of the U1 instead of the U?
Thanks....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have an unlocked S10e model, then you shouldn't have SPR at the end. It should be XAA. For example if you put T-Mobile sim in your unlocked phone, it should read: TMB/TMB/XAA, meaning that you have an unlocked US model(U1). If you put another US carrier sim in the phone, then first 2 TMB/TMB will change to that sim, such as ATT, VZW, USC...but the third XAA will stay the same. If your phones shows SPR, then it should be Sprint branded model that was flashed with U1 unlocked firmware. Basically US carrier firmware has OYN in the Service Provider SW ver. and unlocked is OYM.
Charkatak said:
If you have an unlocked S10e model, then you shouldn't have SPR at the end. It should be XAA. For example if you put T-Mobile sim in your unlocked phone, it should read: TMB/TMB/XAA, meaning that you have an unlocked US model(U1). If you put another US carrier sim in the phone, then first 2 TMB/TMB will change to that sim, such as ATT, VZW, USC...but the third XAA will stay the same. If your phones shows SPR, then it should be Sprint branded model that was flashed with U1 unlocked firmware. Basically US carrier firmware has OYN in the Service Provider SW ver. and unlocked is OYM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! That's exactly the kind of knowledge I was looking for.
So... my phone was somehow hijacked from Sprint and reflashed as unlocked somehow? It arrived in factory shape, including all the little plastic protective bits that you have to spend fifteen minutes peeling off, tearing open, etc., etc., etc...
redoregon said:
Thanks! That's exactly the kind of knowledge I was looking for.
So... my phone was somehow hijacked from Sprint and reflashed as unlocked somehow? It arrived in factory shape, including all the little plastic protective bits that you have to spend fifteen minutes peeling off, tearing open, etc., etc., etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't an issue if the phone was flashed. So if you were planning to buy a factory unlocked model, then it isn't the case but nothing to worry about.
Back when S8 was a Samsung flagship, there was a news that Samsung is planning to make the firmware more universal(at least in US) and if you have a carrier branded phone and you put another carrier's sim, then it would automatically apply that carrier's settings + download any bloatware.