Moved S8+ from Verizon to Tmobile... Do I need to reset for this to work properly?

[SlippySlimm]

Hello all...

Title pretty much says it all. I just wanted to get out of Verizon's iron grip once and for all, and was under the impression the S8+ is unlocked and all I had to do was insert my Tmobile sim and reboot and I'd be good to go. So far that hasn't worked out so well. Not only am I getting terrible service to where I'm seeing "E" or "H/+" whatever the heck that means, but all of a sudden I can't seem to stay connected to my wifi. It's freaking out for whatever reason and stays on for like ten seconds then turns off, then back on and reconnects, then back off and so on - not even just disconnects and reconnects, but actually turns off and on as if it's toggling the wifi on and off on its own. I had to put the sim in my iPhone 7+ and that's been a little better so far, after some finagling that I really didn't think I'd need to do with the iPhone either.

Can anyone shed some light on this? After 13+ years with Verizon, and paying out the butt, I really don't want to have to go back to that, and I don't think I should have to switch to a Tmobile phone considering the Verizon phones are unlocked and pretty much have all the bands needed to work with Tmobile, with the exception of band 12 that I've noticed so far.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mikef91]

Have you gone to a T-Mobile store to have them look at the phone?

 

[Frenzytom]

Hello all...

Title pretty much says it all. I just wanted to get out of Verizon's iron grip once and for all, and was under the impression the S8+ is unlocked and all I had to do was insert my Tmobile sim and reboot and I'd be good to go. So far that hasn't worked out so well. Not only am I getting terrible service to where I'm seeing "E" or "H/+" whatever the heck that means, but all of a sudden I can't seem to stay connected to my wifi. It's freaking out for whatever reason and stays on for like ten seconds then turns off, then back on and reconnects, then back off and so on - not even just disconnects and reconnects, but actually turns off and on as if it's toggling the wifi on and off on its own. I had to put the sim in my iPhone 7+ and that's been a little better so far, after some finagling that I really didn't think I'd need to do with the iPhone either.

Can anyone shed some light on this? After 13+ years with Verizon, and paying out the butt, I really don't want to have to go back to that, and I don't think I should have to switch to a Tmobile phone considering the Verizon phones are unlocked and pretty much have all the bands needed to work with Tmobile, with the exception of band 12 that I've noticed so far.

Thanks in advance!

I went through the same issues as you when I switched. You need to make a few changes to the APN settings. Make sure you follow the settings to the letter (even capitalization and spaces) from the link below.

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-34255

If you can't get it to work, just go the a store and they will do it for you. Congrats on the move and welcome to the other side.

 

[SlippySlimm]

Have you gone to a T-Mobile store to have them look at the phone?

I have not gone yet. I was on the phone with a Tmobile rep last night who was having me turn off LTE and all this other stuff. Turn off LTE? I found that odd. He was also trying to say my service was crap at my house because they are in the middle of upgrading the towers to the 5G network? Hmmm idk, seems I should still have better service than I do though. I'll try and figure this out with my existing phones, but I may be forced to go back to Verizon if I can't figure it out within the 14 days I have to cancel Tmobile service.

 

[SlippySlimm]

I went through the same issues as you when I switched. You need to make a few changes to the APN settings. Make sure you follow the settings to the letter (even capitalization and spaces) from the link below.

https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-34255

If you can't get it to work, just go the a store and they will do it for you. Congrats on the move and welcome to the other side.

So your APN settings weren't set automatically and you had to add it manually, or they were set automatically and you had to make changes to get it to work properly? Also, do they stick after a reboot? Sorry if that's a silly question, I'm just trying to fully understand. Either way I will compare my S8+ APN settings to what you posted when I get home, as I have no choice but to use the iphone for now, and see if it's any different. However, the settings I see suggested in the article you posted look to be the same I saw last night set automatically on my S8+ and it was still a crap shoot. And besides the data connection, the WiFi was going bonkers and that makes no sense to me whatsoever.

So just to be clear about this, you're saying I shouldn't have to factory reset and start fresh with the Tmobile sim to get this to work properly?

Also I'd like to say thanks with excitement for clawing away from Verizon's death grip, but so far I'm honestly regretting it. I wish I waited to port my number and cancel my Verizon service. I was just excited at the time and not thinking clearly. Lesson learned. Hopefully I can fix this.

Are you finding your Tmobile service to be comparable to Verizon wherever you're located? I'm in New Jersey and figured it wouldn't be much different, but it definitely seems slower on Tmobile so far, when I was lead to believe it might even be faster. Hopefully that's just because of the issues I'm having getting the Verizon S8+ to work. Iphone 7+ seems to fluctuate a lot, but overall fairly steady with Tmobile.

Tmobile offered to send me a device to bring the outside signal into my home to get better signal in my house. Shouldn't have to resort to that. What happens when I go to friends houses or wherever else? Idk, I just never had to deal with this with Verizon. Kinda bothered by this experience so far and it's only been 24 hours. Sorry, I'm venting a bit lol my bad...

Anyway, I appreciate everyones help with this!

 

[SlippySlimm]

Also - would any of you recommend resetting the network settings? Or would that not really make a difference?

 

[Frenzytom]

So your APN settings weren't set automatically and you had to add it manually, or they were set automatically and you had to make changes to get it to work properly? Also, do they stick after a reboot? Sorry if that's a silly question, I'm just trying to fully understand. Either way I will compare my S8+ APN settings to what you posted when I get home, as I have no choice but to use the iphone for now, and see if it's any different. However, the settings I see suggested in the article you posted look to be the same I saw last night set automatically on my S8+ and it was still a crap shoot. And besides the data connection, the WiFi was going bonkers and that makes no sense to me whatsoever.

So just to be clear about this, you're saying I shouldn't have to factory reset and start fresh with the Tmobile sim to get this to work properly?

Also I'd like to say thanks with excitement for clawing away from Verizon's death grip, but so far I'm honestly regretting it. I wish I waited to port my number and cancel my Verizon service. I was just excited at the time and not thinking clearly. Lesson learned. Hopefully I can fix this.

Are you finding your Tmobile service to be comparable to Verizon wherever you're located? I'm in New Jersey and figured it wouldn't be much different, but it definitely seems slower on Tmobile so far, when I was lead to believe it might even be faster. Hopefully that's just because of the issues I'm having getting the Verizon S8+ to work. Iphone 7+ seems to fluctuate a lot, but overall fairly steady with Tmobile.

Tmobile offered to send me a device to bring the outside signal into my home to get better signal in my house. Shouldn't have to resort to that. What happens when I go to friends houses or wherever else? Idk, I just never had to deal with this with Verizon. Kinda bothered by this experience so far and it's only been 24 hours. Sorry, I'm venting a bit lol my bad...

Anyway, I appreciate everyones help with this!

No, you need to manually put the APN settings for a Verizon branded phone on TMobile. The settings will stick on reboot and you need to do it only once (not sure about factory reset though).

The store couldn't get it to work at first (it is my wife's phone so I don't have the exact settings) but got it to work after looking at a display model phone and took the settings from there.

I live in NYC so my service has been good. Only things like in tunnels and bridges do I not get service that VZ use to have. The speed is better overall so far. I went traveling upstate and PA during the holidays and it was actually comparable to VZ service.

BTW​, you might need to do a reboot of the phone after inputting the settings. Hopefully you can resolve your issues.

 

[Zendroid1]

Are you handy with a computer at all? I did this on my Verizon S8 Plus and it is now unbranded software and nearly everything works on T-Mobile. Wifi calling, VoLTE, Band 12. The only thing not working is video calling.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS8/comments/6dtr4f/bloat_free_flash_for_snapdragon_s8_available/

If you need any help with this process let me know. It's very easy once you read it over a few times.

 

[rdickert]

If you do change your mind, it's easy to move back - especially if you still have your old Verizon SIM - just call VZW and ask for the winback department. They will reverse the port and take everything back to the way it was.

 

[SlippySlimm]

Oh boy... you guys are the BEST!!!! Seriously, I lost sleep over this last night thinking I was up S**ts creek without a paddle. Now I have to decide if I want to stay with Tmobile and just flash the unlocked firmware, which seems VERY promising, or go back to Verizon - which I didn't know they could do in such a smooth fashion.

Seriously, thank you guys so much! Huge load off my mind! I may just go back to Verizon and just do the unlimited plan, even though it's expensive as S**t ... but I will ponder this for a day or two first.

 

[SlippySlimm]

Update: (not that anyone is all that interested, I'm sure ) I decided to go back to Verizon. The experience of doing so was THE MOST PLEASANT customer service experience of my life. I even got a free Google Home out of it, along with an extra GB of data per month for LESS than what I was paying before for 4gb. And the key thing I took away from it? That's right, actual connectivity!! I can actually use my phone and make phone calls and use the internet and actually load a page and so on. Lol TMobile is a joke. Never again. I say this after trying a TMobile phone at my house before making my final decision, with little to no difference than the craptastic experience I was having with my Verizon phones using my TMobile sim. I repeat... NEVER AGAIN!

I want to sincerely thank you guys again for all the info and assistance!

 

[Misterb]

T-Mobile likes to go around acting like the "fun parent", but when the rubber hits the pavement, they can often times leave you stranded.

 

[Zendroid1]

I wouldn't say T-Mobile is a joke. It simply isn't good where you are. For many of us, it's great.

 

[SlippySlimm]

I wouldn't say T-Mobile is a joke. It simply isn't good where you are. For many of us, it's great.

Fair enough. Didn't mean to offend. You're right, if it works for you... fantastic! For me, it was abysmal.

Thank you again for your post before. If I was willing to stick it out with T-Mobile, I would have gone through with the flash. That was a great tip! I wonder if I might still benefit from it in some way, even though I'm back on Verizon.

 

[SlippySlimm]

T-Mobile likes to go around acting like the "fun parent", but when the rubber hits the pavement, they can often times leave you stranded.

And stranded I most certainly was...

 

[schwanz583]

I left AT&T to T-Mobile about two years ago and it was the best thing I ever did! I loved At&t coverage and service but T-MOBILE is faster and the service is almost as good (coverage wise). the only place I notice at&t was better is out in the sticks and I'm not out in the sticks often. T-Mobile rocks!! love the free upgrade 3 times a year also!!! I get a new phone every 6 months for nothing

 

[pseudoware]

We're planning to leave AT&T, and I'm trying T-mobile for a week. Maybe the signal is better away from my house, but if it wasn't for Wifi-calling, this experiment would be over after one day.

 

[SlippySlimm]

We're planning to leave AT&T, and I'm trying T-mobile for a week. Maybe the signal is better away from my house, but if it wasn't for Wifi-calling, this experiment would be over after one day.

I thought the same thing initially... Thought "I could be fine with WiFi calling... At least I have that, right?" Then I thought "what if my WiFi has issues at any point or my internet or power goes out and I'm stuck with no cell signal?!" ... That helped make my decision a lot easier.

 

[Zendroid1]

Fair enough. Didn't mean to offend. You're right, if it works for you... fantastic! For me, it was abysmal.

Thank you again for your post before. If I was willing to stick it out with T-Mobile, I would have gone through with the flash. That was a great tip! I wonder if I might still benefit from it in some way, even though I'm back on Verizon.

You might want to look into flashing the unlocked firmware. Do some research to see what will/won't work on Verizon though. I lost very little with Tmobile so it was worth it. You would lose the splash screen and some bloat so that might be worth it to you.

 

[Almeuit]

You might want to look into flashing the unlocked firmware. Do some research to see what will/won't work on Verizon though. I lost very little with Tmobile so it was worth it. You would lose the splash screen and some bloat so that might be worth it to you.

Yeah I debated that but said na not worth it. The VZW version has a few apps -- some can be uninstalled except for a few like the Caller ID but they can be disabled (even without a 3rd party app). Much easier to just disable what you don't want and use the phone. That way I have no issues with cell connectivity and the VZW features (such as Video Calling) work without issue.

Not sure on WiFi calling ... Verizon's WiFi calling on their branded phones is different from other carriers in the sense that it won't use it unless you have no cell signal (or very little). I have great signal at home / out about so it never would use it so... the feature just stays off for me.