Verizon Galaxy S4: Can this phone be taken to Straight Talk and still use Verizon towers?

[barton1014]

Everyone gets hung up on 3G vs 4G speed. I found the phone makes a huge difference in web speed and 3G works fine with a better phone with good processing speed. I have a refurb LG phone I bought through E-Bay for around $160. The phone was on Wal-Mart.com and straighttalk for over $200. So if Verizon towers cover your area better, go with a Galaxy S3 or one of the newer LGs and you may be surprised. Now I do not do video streaming on my phone and only stream music at home on my wifi but I have used Pandora traveling in the car. There is an initial LAG when you launch but once it gets going it plays fine in the car.

 

[Amber Notestine]

I got the LG G2 for Verizon and it was unlocked, so I put a straight talk sim card and it works but its using gsm towers though at&t. But im not getting 4g, do i have to get another straight talk sim card that supports 4g

I just got the same phone how did u get the sim card to work on a stright talk?

 

[4freese]

I just got the same phone how did u get the sim card to work on a stright talk?

Straight Talk now has a Verizon 4G LTE sim in their kit at walmart. Just bought one. It has one for ATT/Tmobile and one for Verizon. The kit is $59 and the data is capped at 5 mbps on 4g but still worth it not to pay verizons prices.

 

[dpham00]

How much data do you get for $59?

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 4

 

[John Heacock]

i set up my s4 using straight talk and it was easy. When i set up an s3 two years ago on straight talk, they told me it couldn't be done, but i did it anyway with apn settings i got offline and it worked great. I will say that the s4 was easier tho and works better.
Simple. Just use the proper sim card in the straight talk starter packet, and update your apn settings (straight talk will walk you through).

how do u know which verizon s4 will work with straight talk.cdma or gsm

 

[Personal User]

I joined just to reply to this thread.

In my area, only Page Plus actually uses Verizon towers (Blue Ridge mountains foothills).I live in an urban area down a street that blocks all towers other than Verizon. Straight talk cannot get a decent signal at my home, although Page Plus can.I am uncertain how Straight Talk would be affected in various areas of the country, but it is my understanding that in Western NC and SC, only Page Plus will use Verizon towers.

Verizon recently made a change, effective January 15, 2015 that "unknown" or flashed phones( not approved on their network) can not be used by Page Plus. My family has been using four flashed "moto G" phones on 3 G ,with Page Plus for about a year, 3G has been fine for our needs, we don't stream much of anything..

When I ported a number out (my business phone) I tried to transfer the same phone that had been working for a year on page plus to another number currently on Page Plus. Page Plus would not transfer the phone, even when I told them if they did not I would port the number out. I was told that Verizon implemented a policy Jan 15 not allowing flashed phones on their network.

My point here, is that if Verizon has recently implemented this with Page Plus, it is quite possible they could prohibit flashed phones from other carriers (on new accounts) sharing their towers in other areas of the country.

This is a recent development ( and we still have three flashed phones working on Page Plus) You may or may not find info in this thread may be out of date ( as far as implementing _new service_)

Also, talked with the Page Plus local dealer (who had flashed the phones) and he said there is no workaround. Basically, Page Plus looks up the MEID in their system and it is approved or not.

I am aware that the OP is concerned about Straight Talk. However, if straight talk shares towers with Verizon in other areas of the country it may be that this is a concern for new users. Old users, their phones should continue working. If that phone goes out of service, you may not be able to replace the phone in the system - depending on what phone it is.

Hope this helps, at least as far as use of towers, and flashed phones with prepaid carriers on Verizon.

 

[Eric Sinclair]

That my friend is not true, I have been told by many that I could not use my samsung galaxy s4 from Cricket wireless on any other network, what I did was went to a real place called XDA forums and found a guy that does remote flashing and he flashed my cricket phone to straight talk cdma, yes I only get 3g but it does work, this phone also has a sim card slot cause of the 4g LTE internet which does not work and wont work cause the sim card slot was designed only for cricket samsung galaxy s4 which cannot be unlocked with any code or nothing so it sits there in my phone empty nothing at all in it, It's possible to do this same thing on almost all phones you just have to either use a program for cdma phones such as cdmaworkshop or a gsm unlock code can be purchaced off the net to unlock it to use different Carriers for gsm only not cdma, cdma phones can all be flashed over to any cdma service no matter what, its all in who you know and if you can execute it

CDMA Samsung galaxy s4 cricket wireless flashed over to straight talk, You will get 3g speeds for net and everything else works as it's supposed too, I use my wireless internet most of the time anyways so the 4g is not that big of a deal my wireless internet blows 4g out of the water anyways

 

[Brenda Ward Grissom]

I bought a unlocked note 4 straight talk activation was on AT&T doses not work in my area is there any way to use cdma it has setting for both? Help. Then I bought a note 2 turned out to be sprint no spot for sim card it's a cdma.

 

[Brenda Ward Grissom]

Re: Can this phone be taken to Straight Talk and still use Verizon Towers?

I have a note 2 cdma from sprint it's supposed to be unlocked not the case no spot for sim card. How do I unlock it??

 

[perrykacik]

Re: Can this phone be taken to Straight Talk and still use Verizon Towers?

Hi rocket99 - You seem to have this figured out! I am currently using a 3-year old Verizon Motorola Razr Maxx (4 buttons on bottom: three bars + home + return + search) not upgradeable past 4.1.2. The phone goes to 4G when not on wifi (I also have a Fusion 4G Internet router/modem for my computers as a backup for webinars when my awful 1.5-ish DSL drops often (in rural Vt, being 3 miles from the DSL "office").
Trying to get faster phones AND lower carrier charges I want to get one of the Straight Talk Samsung Galaxy S4's from Walmart. Given my nearby Verizon signal should the Galaxy be a solid choice? Thanks SO MUCH for your help.

 

[kmol37]

I just bought a Verizon unlocked Samsung Galaxy S4 and took it to Straight Talk and it works great over the Verizon tower. I so love this phone.