Hey all! Forgive my ignorance, it's been a long time since I've done anything with firmware on Android phones (since I flashed a custom ROM to my Motorola Droid X about 10 years ago, lol). I've been poring over these forums for a few hours now and trying to piece some information together, but I could really use a hand from some more experienced folks.
Here's my situation: I'm in the U.S. I own an AT&T SM-N950U, and a Verizon SM-N950U. The Verizon phone is no longer being used (since April of 2018). I accidentally dropped the AT&T phone and heavily damaged the screen/digitizer and chassis, and would like to go back to using the Verizon phone, but on AT&T's network. I swapped the AT&T SIM to the VZW phone, and I was surprised to see that after a reboot, the AT&T splash screen came up, and after a factory reset, acted just like a new AT&T phone. It will send and receive data, SMS, and phone calls. However, the phone is still running Oreo, and when I tried to update it through OTA or through Samsung Smart Switch, it said that the phone was up to date. A little digging in the settings shows me that the phone is still considered a VZW-branded phone (ATT/ATT/VZW), and I believe this is the reason why I'm not able to receive the OTA updates. I also noticed that I no longer get 5G service, and I'm worried that there may be other functions missing too. I've seen BlueFox721's guide on carrier switching, and decided to do a bit more research before making an attempt, but I figured I would ask some questions.
First off, my main goal is to get this VZW Note 8 to work with all intended functionality of an up-to-date AT&T Note 8, including future OTA updates, bloatware, the whole deal. Is this actually possible?
If it is possible, can it be done without tripping Knox and hindering Samsung functionality?
I've read that root isn't possible with any bootloader past v3... I'm running v4 (N950USQU4CRF3). Is root necessary to switch carriers, or is it as simple as flashing an AT&T firmware with a newer bootloader version than what I currently use?
Again, I know a lot of this information is out there, but there's just so much to comb through I thought it might be better to just ask in regards to my particular situation, in case I'm not understanding something correctly. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Please help. Just bought a new S5 & have a question about enabling native tethering
I just purchased from the daily steals special unlocked galaxy S5. Being that I am from Canada, and because the description of the phone was in error I did not realize I was purchasingThe AT&T version which is locked down. While I don't strongly feel the need to root the phone and customize it, I would like to still have full functionality which includes native tethering which on my plan, with my provider in Canada I am entitled to. My understanding is that this version of the phone has the tethering locked down to AT&T. Being that I have not taken ownership of the phone yet I do not know which firmware is installed on it to see whether or not the option of rooting the device on kitkat (and changing the tethering can be done) and then bringing firmware up to lollipop is an option. This is something important to me as I use this feature often.
I would like to ask the following questions:
1. Firstly I would like to know when phones are purchased new do they always have KitKat firmware on them for this model or were any of you who purchased the phone did it come with lollipop out-of-the-box? This is supposed to be a new unlocked model for sale. It is not a refurbished model.
2. Question is there a way to know based on the serial number on the outside of the box what the firmware is? The reason I am asking is because when I pointed out the error of the advertised description of the phone they told me I am entitled to return the phone without restocking fee if I have not opened it yet. That it is already on an unrootable firmware.
3. If by chance this phone is on lollipop, is it still possible to enable native tethering if I am unable to root the phone? I have seen mention on an earlier thread where people used ADB and were able to pull the tethering provision file modify it and push it back to the system which would then allow native tethering to work. I am just not sure if this was specific to pre-lollipop firmware. I have also seen somebody advertise on YouTube it he for a fee is providing the service to enable native tethering on the galaxy S5. However he is the only person I have seen mention this anywhere so I am not sure whether or not this is something that can be done without root. Does anybody have any experience having done this?
I am unfortunately in the awkward situation of having this phone currently be in the US and be brought back to me in the next few days. So I essentially have the weekend to make a decision as to what I should do. If anybody can provide me any insight I would greatly appreciated.
Anyone?
Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk
Mine came with KitKat but if you connect to the wifi upon setup I believe they automatically update to Lollipop
I have a rooted G900-A connected to MetroPCS, and I downloaded an app from google play which unlocks the tethering function
OK so this is kind of weird. I just took ownership of my factory unlocked AT&T Samsung galaxy S5. I was dismayed to find when i opened the box and booted it up that it actually had the latest version of lollipop 5.1.1. What is very interesting however is I am in Canada it once I realized that I will not be able to root this device, I decided for fun to turn on the Wi-Fi hotspot and see if it would work and to my surprise and excitement the Wi-Fi hotspot worked with my Sim card for my Canadian carrier. So I don't know if this was a special version that was put out because this came factory sealed in the box it was a factory unlocked model the tethering was unlocked as well. It does have the AT&T bloatware on it but otherwise I am quite pleasantly surprised and happy as my primary reason for choosing to root the device was to enable hotspot. Does anybody suggest that I try to root this phone given that the hotspot is working.? Maybe this is a special version does not have the same locked boot loader as before? How should I proceed if I want to try?
hi, i want to get a 512GB note9 for use with spectrum mobile, they're a small mvno carrier that uses the verizon network. i think the CSC code for spectrum is "CHA" because they are owned by charter.
the carrier is stupid and can't tell me what models they will accept, or how to ensure all the features like wifi calling are supported, they keep asking for an IMEI to check it, and i don't have one because I haven't bought the damn phone yet... and buying one directly from them is overpriced.
what do you think is the best model for me to buy? i might want to root someday if it ever becomes possible, but for now i just want to use oreo, block the pieUI and bootloader updates, and prevent knox from tripping to preserve any warranty.
some extra concerns are:
#1 i see a lot of people complaining that unlocked phones from samsung.com & bestbuy don't support wifi calling, and neither do the international ones.
#2 if i buy an international version phone from amazon, supposedly I won't have any warranty???
#3 would a carrier refuse to activate a phone if it's not from my region? (usa)
thanks!
The SM-N960U1 is the US unlocked version, with the same hardware as all the other US variants, and the reason it is different than the international version is the international version is built with the Samsung/Exynos SOC which is GSM only, while the Qualcomm/Snapdragon hardware variant must be used for the USA because of Sprint/Verizon (CDMA). The USA version is what you must get to support the CDMA bands (international version will not work on the Verizon network). And You will be not only at the mercy of what Verizon only allows, but also Spectrum, which uses the Verizon network. It's very unlikely you will get wifi calling, but you may get data during calls. I bought my unlocked USA version SM-N960U1 brand new from ebay for $635 about three weeks ago. If you buy a US variant that is carrier specific AND not unlocked by that carrier, you may not be able to use it on any carrier except the one it is locked to.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-9/945781-unlocked-note-9-verizon.html
also..... Pie runs BEAUTIFULLY out of the box (do all the incremental security updates then Oreo>Pie before installing any apps). Night Mode (native dark UI) is very nice too. ..... and I agree, Spectum sucks.
i have seen lots of people complaining that they didn't like the pie update because of oneUI, it breaks the camera pro-mode, removes the video taking button, removes the minimize taskbar button, makes split-screen mode harder to use, and it wastes half of the screen in the menus, lots of complaints like that.
the wasting of half the screen seems pretty stupid to me, because the whole idea of this phone is to have a big useful screen. i don't think its going to make it any easier to control with a thumb just by removing half the items from the screen it just means now you have to do a bunch of scrolling to find what you wanted. am i wrong, or what is your experience with it?
i have also heard that if you let the phone update, the bootloader version will increment and that prevents you from ever re-flashing oreo again, and like it or not you'll be stuck with pie forever. so i'm really hesitant to even try pie out to see if i like using it or not.
dumbfone said:
i have seen lots of people complaining that they didn't like the pie update because of oneUI, it breaks the camera pro-mode, removes the video taking button, removes the minimize taskbar button, makes split-screen mode harder to use, and it wastes half of the screen in the menus, lots of complaints like that.
the wasting of half the screen seems pretty stupid to me, because the whole idea of this phone is to have a big useful screen. i don't think its going to make it any easier to control with a thumb just by removing half the items from the screen it just means now you have to do a bunch of scrolling to find what you wanted. am i wrong, or what is your experience with it?
i have also heard that if you let the phone update, the bootloader version will increment and that prevents you from ever re-flashing oreo again, and like it or not you'll be stuck with pie forever. so i'm really hesitant to even try pie out to see if i like using it or not.
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I read a few issues too, and so when I got the phone, some here said people who factory reset after update, or update right after setup before installing apps have no problems. That's what I did, and I have no problems. Not one thing yet have I discovered is not working as designed.
I write and test software and I trust that Samsung releases good software. They cannot test with everyone's weird setups, but they do test with clean setups, and they wouldn't have released if it was as bad as people claim. As long as you update before installing anything or factory reset after install, you'll have a great running system like Samsung tests on.
I've installed many apps since. All good.
Also extremely impressed with battery performance. I use this phone a lot, and my S7 on Oreo would often be at 10% by the end of the day. Note 9 on Pie doesn't go below 50%
Back in July I got a steal on a new US Cellular Galaxy Note 9, so I immediately threw my iPhone 6S SIM card into it and went through several rounds of software updates. After the last update the splash screen switched to AT&T and it suddenly had several AT&T apps. It didn't TOTALLY eliminate the US Cellular stuff because I had to delete at least one app and change the Samsung browser's default home page.
Due to the iPhone SIM card and some stuff on AT&T's side, it would not do VoLTE or WiFi calling until I got a new SIM and had AT&T use the IMEI from an AT&T Galaxy Note 9 (read it off one from the store). I did that in late August and the only remaining issue O noticed was that my MMS messages will not download as long as I am on WiFi.
I just noticed what may be a new issue: I think I stopped getting carrier updates. Looking on AT&T's site, I see that they have multiple newer updates with the latest from September 18th:
https://www.att.com/devicehowto/tut...tep_KM1278532?make=Samsung&model=SamsungN960U
My "Security Patch Level" says May 1, 2019, while AT&T's website says that there have been 4 updates since then (latest at Security Patch Level September 1, 2019).
My baseband version doesn't quite match any of the ones associated with AT&T updates, though their May 22nd update seems to be the most similar (AT&T's N960USQS1CSE1 compared with my N960USQU1CSE3).
I recall that the new phone updated multiple times and was still on Oreo before it updated again to Pie, and again to AT&T-flavored Pie. I figure the final update was really just adding the AT&T apps and splash screen, but it somehow stopped me from getting further updates from US Cellular. I'm pretty sure I had an AT&T SIM card inserted for all of my updates.
On that note, I believe I tossed the original SIM and US Cellular does not operate in my region (only showed up here through a salvage store). I'm not easily able to get another US Cellular SIM for triggering it to revert to a US Cellular ROM. I'm not interested in custom ROMs and all that and ultimately just want to keep my phone up to date the same way a normal AT&T customer would after buying theirs from AT&T. I thought the Note 9 adding carrier customizations to match the inserted SIM would take care of all this automatically (half the point, right?) but I guess I was wrong.
Is it possible to get carrier updates like I was getting before? If not, what would you guys recommend for getting up to date and staying up to date? Thanks!
CZroe said:
Back in July I got a steal on a new US Cellular Galaxy Note 9, so I immediately threw my iPhone 6S SIM card into it and went through several rounds of software updates. After the last update the splash screen switched to AT&T and it suddenly had several AT&T apps. It didn't TOTALLY eliminate the US Cellular stuff because I had to delete at least one app and change the Samsung browser's default home page.
Due to the iPhone SIM card and some stuff on AT&T's side, it would not do VoLTE or WiFi calling until I got a new SIM and had AT&T use the IMEI from an AT&T Galaxy Note 9 (read it off one from the store). I did that in late August and the only remaining issue O noticed was that my MMS messages will not download as long as I am on WiFi.
I just noticed what may be a new issue: I think I stopped getting carrier updates. Looking on AT&T's site, I see that they have multiple newer updates with the latest from September 18th:
https://www.att.com/devicehowto/tut...tep_KM1278532?make=Samsung&model=SamsungN960U
My "Security Patch Level" says May 1, 2019, while AT&T's website says that there have been 4 updates since then (latest at Security Patch Level September 1, 2019).
My baseband version doesn't quite match any of the ones associated with AT&T updates, though their May 22nd update seems to be the most similar (AT&T's N960USQS1CSE1 compared with my N960USQU1CSE3).
I recall that the new phone updated multiple times and was still on Oreo before it updated again to Pie, and again to AT&T-flavored Pie. I figure the final update was really just adding the AT&T apps and splash screen, but it somehow stopped me from getting further updates from US Cellular. I'm pretty sure I had an AT&T SIM card inserted for all of my updates.
On that note, I believe I tossed the original SIM and US Cellular does not operate in my region (only showed up here through a salvage store). I'm not easily able to get another US Cellular SIM for triggering it to revert to a US Cellular ROM. I'm not interested in custom ROMs and all that and ultimately just want to keep my phone up to date the same way a normal AT&T customer would after buying theirs from AT&T. I thought the Note 9 adding carrier customizations to match the inserted SIM would take care of all this automatically (half the point, right?) but I guess I was wrong.
Is it possible to get carrier updates like I was getting before? If not, what would you guys recommend for getting up to date and staying up to date? Thanks!
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Attached is the link for my last update , I'm using it on AT&T , phone is original from AT&T, and all is Ok for me, I hope can help you.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....note-9-att-rom-update-sept-2019-t3979303/amp/
Thunderxxx said:
Attached is the link for my last update , I'm using it on AT&T , phone is original from AT&T, and all is Ok for me, I hope can help you.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....note-9-att-rom-update-sept-2019-t3979303/amp/
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I'll check it out when I get back to my PC. Thanks! I assume it's something I need to flash with Odin?
So many people are reporting with the 3/1 sweep by AT&T, that they are blocking almost all Unlocked phones: See: Downdector Link We personally have a S10 (G973U1). AT&T is saying on this list: AT&T approved phone list that it is supposed to work. But like many other people "calls" end immediately, but we can text and data work. It is some sorta ploy by AT&T to force us to upgrade our phones. They want us all to upgrade to S22s. Anyway I was ranting. Anyway, if you look at that link, they are saying that the phone has to be on the latest software. The last update from AT&T or the manufacturer was in January. I checked the firmware site, and Android 11 is the latest in January. I'm wondering if there is some hack to get us on to '12' or something. An update might solve this issue. We know that a new SIM does not work. Calls seem to be rejected on the network, just based on the phone model or Android version.
We are aware that a version 12 is out there for the phone, just that firmware is not for our US-unlocked model yet. But maybe it can be hacked?
Edit: It appears this thread may be linked with this older one... But it is ever more pressing issue now:
S10 Unlocked phone with AT&T Firmware here they explain how, and the problems with flashing. This was back in 2019, so I'm not sure if this will still work. Even then it didn't work for everyone. Some in that forum claimed that it did. AT&T seems to now be blocking from their calling network any phones not enabled with VOLTE and the extended AT&T services that are not present in Unlocked phones.
robertkjr3d said:
So many people are reporting with the 3/1 sweep by AT&T, that they are blocking almost all Unlocked phones: See: Downdector Link We personally have a S10 (G973U1). AT&T is saying on this list: AT&T approved phone list that it is supposed to work. But like many other people "calls" end immediately, but we can text and data work. It is some sorta ploy by AT&T to force us to upgrade our phones. They want us all to upgrade to S22s. Anyway I was ranting. Anyway, if you look at that link, they are saying that the phone has to be on the latest software. The last update from AT&T or the manufacturer was in January. I checked the firmware site, and Android 11 is the latest in January. I'm wondering if there is some hack to get us on to '12' or something. An update might solve this issue. We know that a new SIM does not work. Calls seem to be rejected on the network, just based on the phone model or Android version.
We are aware that a version 12 is out there for the phone, just that firmware is not for our US-unlocked model yet. But maybe it can be hacked?
Edit: It appears this thread may be linked with this older one... But it is ever more pressing issue now:
S10 Unlocked phone with AT&T Firmware here they explain how, and the problems with flashing. This was back in 2019, so I'm not sure if this will still work. Even then it didn't work for everyone. Some in that forum claimed that it did. AT&T seems to now be blocking from their calling network any phones not enabled with VOLTE and the extended AT&T services that are not present in Unlocked phones.
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I was helped by a user to achieve ascendance onto the AT&T network. I'm not sure if I'm to reveal his name. We 1) go into Developers mode on the phone. 2) Hack the Kernel. 3) Flash the rom to the G973U (model)... with the AT&T firmware. So that the Wifi-Calling and 5G features would work, and AT&T would allow it on their network.
robertkjr3d said:
I was helped by a user to achieve ascendance onto the AT&T network. I'm not sure if I'm to reveal his name. We 1) go into Developers mode on the phone. 2) Hack the Kernel. 3) Flash the rom to the G973U (model)... with the AT&T firmware. So that the Wifi-Calling and 5G features would work, and AT&T would allow it on their network.
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I've literally been searching for an answer to this for days now. My wife and I have S10's. I work far from home so I really need her phone working in case of emergency. Can you please point me in the general direction? Thanks!
Agreed, I didn't know such a thing was possible, but I'd love to hear more about this!
skrapmetal said:
I've literally been searching for an answer to this for days now. My wife and I have S10's. I work far from home so I really need her phone working in case of emergency. Can you please point me in the general direction? Thanks!
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At first I had to use the Samsung Band Selector app from the Play store and go into More Network Settings > AT&T > Preferred Network Type and choose 3G. Unfortunately this killed LTE so all data and calls were going through H+. As I was mostly on wifi I could live with it since I could actually use the phone again.
Then Friday morning I checked for updates and there was the update to take me to Android 12. I took the update then when it finished it said it needed to reboot to connect new SIM to carrier services....it wasn't a new SIM. I let it reboot and everything was working with VoLTE again.
Hope this helps.
KennyG123 said:
At first I had to use the Samsung Band Selector app from the Play store and go into More Network Settings > AT&T > Preferred Network Type and choose 3G. Unfortunately this killed LTE so all data and calls were going through H+. As I was mostly on wifi I could live with it since I could actually use the phone again.
Then Friday morning I checked for updates and there was the update to take me to Android 12. I took the update then when it finished it said it needed to reboot to connect new SIM to carrier services....it wasn't a new SIM. I let it reboot and everything was working with VoLTE again.
Hope this helps.
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I appreciate you getting back to me. Unfortunately I am still on android 11 with a custom ROM and also this is a global phone so that app didnt work for me. I dont receive OTA updatez. I'll update to a new ROM and see what happens. Thanks
I am contemplating purchase of one of these phones, and tried entering some of their IMEI numbers in the imei checker at https://www.t-mobile.com/resources/bring-your-own-phone , and was shocked to find they are ALL described as "Incompatible".
This is a bit confusing after the articles saying the AT&T and Verizon versions would not work after Jan 2021 but that the T-Mobile version would continue working. I tried looking for a later article saying that support for the T-Mobile version this model was being cancelled but could not find any such announcement.
Is that IMEI checker correct? Or is it because the samples I checked may not have gotten the last modem update installed from T-Mobile?
Is anyone still using this phone (specifically the T variant) on T-Mobile in USA? I'm assuming that last update will be important, but does this still work once it is installed?
If yes to the above, do phone calls work as VoLTE, or is it doing the fallback to 2G?
I've also seen threads about enabling more LTE bands, has anyone done that on this phone? In particular is it possible to add support for B71 (600MHz), or is this radio hardware just too old to allow that?
Thanks much, I would really like to know whether I can use this phone or if I would need to find a different model.
https://swappa.com/blog/3g-network-shutdown/ Your phone is fine.
SM-N910T with 2ETI1 OTA modem update works fine. 4g/LTE Data, WiFi Calling works. Does not drop out of 4G/LTE for voice. SM-N910V w/ MODestROM v11 (6.01 TW-based N910VVRU2CQI2 ) w/ a vzw 2CTI baseband update, has working 4gLTE data, but no WiFi Calling, or VoLTE (falls back to 2g, but I still have 2g coverage here, so it's usable, if not optimum. Here's the thing: on the VZW phone, if I set the the salescode to TMB, suddenly VoLTE works, but the Setup pages/menus/statusbar are screwed up, so it's not really useable. Here's where it gets REAL interesteing. On a VZW phone w/ VZW 2CTI1 baseband, & VZW BL, flashed with a custom TMB ROM (trltetmo_N910TUVU2EQI2_Stock_Deodexed, debloated, but still TW), EVERYTHING works. But it's not stable, it periodically loses 4g/lte. What it tells me is that the VZW h/w is NOT THE PROBLEM. I've been at this all day, everyday since VZW turned off CDMA on 01/01/23 and killed my service here. Be warned: If you go down this path, you're gonna be mostly on your own. A LOT of dead links, 'retired' devs, etc. Everyone except you, me, and three other people here have long since moved on from this awesome phone. I'll help you if I can. I bought an SM-N910T , but the damn usb port is dead. Already changed the charging board, not the problem. It's the mobo. If I could identify the usb chip (if it's not the 805 itself, I'd change it. So I have a phone with no adb that I can't unlock/root. I'd much rather get my VZW phone fully working on TMB, since I'm heavily invested in the MODestROM. Haven't given up yet. But search my posts, you'll hear the deafening silence, lol.
Seeing this forum has so little activity, on 1/21 I ended up getting a used Moto E6 (XT-2005-3 is a tmobile aka carrier unlocked MetroPCS version). While overall this is not as nice a device and has fewer features than Note 4, it does cover what for me are the essentials - removable battery, SD card slot, support for 5.8GHz wifi. Best of all, it supports B71 which will be helpful for, well, making phone calls!
I still ponder someday getting one of these as a hobby device, but that would be second place to the E6 for use as a phone, and won't be for a couple more months yet (too many expensive household issues are taking their toll on my "toy" budget right now).
ForestCat said:
SM-N910T with 2ETI1 OTA modem update works fine. 4g/LTE Data, WiFi Calling works. Does not drop out of 4G/LTE for voice.
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Thank you, this was the part I needed to find out. With that in place, the only thing missing would be the B71 coverage but the E6 is already in place for that.
Re your Verizon adventures, I have no experience with any of that. What I read about T-Mobile dropping support for the verizon version in the last network update is all I know, and I don't have the skills to dispute what they say there. The best I could do is offer some links to threads on this forum but on double checking them it seems you've already been there and got no answers.
The only thing I see that might help you with that is if you could update just the t-mobile modem without disturbing the verizon bootloader. I see you tried that but it didn't stick when using Odin. I don't know if it would be any different using SmartSwitch that seemed to work for MarineWonder as he posted at https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...pgrade-on-jan-29th-2021.4224237/post-87464609 ?
Then again he may have been putting it on a t-mobile phone rather than mixing with the verizon bootloader so who knows?
My guess since it has been so problematic for you on the verizon phone is that you may need to only use a tmobile phone since that may be the only way to get the last t-mobile modem update. Bummer that the one you bought has a dead usb port. How are you charging it? Is there any chance you could return it to the seller since it came pre-broken? Then put the refund money toward another, hopefully working, tmobile phone? And would that MODestROM work on a non-verizon phone?
The only other thought I had is there are apps to connect to ADB over wifi. Sadly most of these need root. The ones that don't, seem to need at least once using a usb connection to do the "adb tcpip 5555" command to set it all up. . . . how annoying that it is all so circular!
There is also https://telnetd.en.aptoide.com/app?store_name=apps&app_id=59202144 , maybe a telnet connection could do the "adb tcpip 5555" command instead of using the USB connection? Sadly the documentation (at https://waxrain.com/docs/010.html ) appears to be written in Chinese, and I never had much luck with google translate.
The N910T still supports VoLte.. It is still compatible with cellular networks.