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Can I buy a GS4 on Metro PCS and move to T-Mobile?

K

kingbabi

Lurker
I've been searching these forums all day at work (whoops) and have yet to find a definitive answer: I'm looking to buy a Galaxy S4 and would like to purchase it through Metro PCS in NYC (it's $10/mo cheaper than T-mobile).

However, if the service sucks, then can I do BYOD with T-mobile? (i.e. take the same S4 and sign up with T-mobile). Is this possible or is there something I'm missing? Thanks a lot!
 
I suppose it would depend on the sim locked nature of the device. I'm not sure if it would reject the T-Mobile sim or not even though it would run on the same towers.
 
I did the same thing with my metro pcs lg optimus f3. The phone is locked to metro pcs but I bought an unlock code on eBay and it allow T-Mobile SIM card after that. Typing on it as we speak. I think the galaxy s4 will be a similar situation.
Also note that my phone came with metro pcs softwares and even the boot up screen is metro pcs. It also came with WiFi calling too. :D
 
kingbabi said:
I've been searching these forums all day at work (whoops) and have yet to find a definitive answer: I'm looking to buy a Galaxy S4 and would like to purchase it through Metro PCS in NYC (it's $10/mo cheaper than T-mobile).

However, if the service sucks, then can I do BYOD with T-mobile? (i.e. take the same S4 and sign up with T-mobile). Is this possible or is there something I'm missing? Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...

You would get the same exact service as they're the same exact network
 
kingbabi said:
I've been searching these forums all day at work (whoops) and have yet to find a definitive answer: I'm looking to buy a Galaxy S4 and would like to purchase it through Metro PCS in NYC (it's $10/mo cheaper than T-mobile).

However, if the service sucks, then can I do BYOD with T-mobile? (i.e. take the same S4 and sign up with T-mobile). Is this possible or is there something I'm missing? Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...

you can, I was bored and checked an S4(metro branded) IMEI with T-mobiles BYOD IMEI verification to make sure I can still use it, and you can, the only thing I might suggest to you is if you want to do that, get it set up, and if your wifi calling or visual voicemail doesn't work, flash a Tmobile rom on it and you'll be set.
 
Yes but the it needs to be unlocked. Just put a tmobile s4 unlocked on Metro PCS. I wouldn't suggest Metro phone to Tmobile because Tmobile bloatware is better than Metropcs. Tmobile Wifi Calling not yet setup on Metro, still using Joyn.
 
CMDJR said:
Yes but the it needs to be unlocked. Just put a tmobile s4 unlocked on Metro PCS. I wouldn't suggest Metro phone to Tmobile because Tmobile bloatware is better than Metropcs. Tmobile Wifi Calling not yet setup on Metro, still using Joyn.
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wifi calling on the s4 metro branded does have functional operation, without joyn.
 
If you bring your the metro phone on tmobile, wifi calling won't work. I confirmed this with tmobile and metropcs. Wifi calling feature requires 911 address info which is provided by your carrier account info.
 
CMDJR said:
If you bring your the metro phone on tmobile, wifi calling won't work. I confirmed this with tmobile and metropcs. Wifi calling feature requires 911 address info which is provided by your carrier account info.
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that's not entirely accurate, while I had my xperia Z hooked up, initially, wi-fi calling did not work, but I called into customer service and asked if they could update my e911 address, afterward, wifi calling did work, but that's on the metro side, I'm not sure how t-mobile will do it.
 
When you say on metro's end. Do you mean you brought the phone to metro and if so was it under this new BYOP program? The info I got was the corp. offices. I'm going to call customer service.
 
Thanks, Hulk. Just called customer care and they got it done for me. This after going to both corp locations and being informed it can't be done. NYC corp offices are the worse.
 
CMDJR said:
Thanks, Hulk. Just called customer care and they got it done for me. This after going to both corp locations and being informed it can't be done. NYC corp offices are the worse.
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Trust me its not just NYC it seems all corp stores are Ill informed which seems counterintuitive but that's the way it is.
 
CMDJR said:
Thanks, Hulk. Just called customer care and they got it done for me. This after going to both corp locations and being informed it can't be done. NYC corp offices are the worse.
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no prob bud, I'm pretty sure it can only be done via CS, not 100% if the corp stores have that access, glad it worked out for ya.
 
I was wondering something similar but opposite. I have a T-Mobile S4 that I might use on Metro soon. I used the method here on XDA to unlock it, but Im not sure if I can just pop a metro gsm sim in it and be good to go. I do live in a BYOD area.
 
Gam3r 4 Life said:
I was wondering something similar but opposite. I have a T-Mobile S4 that I might use on Metro soon. I used the method here on XDA to unlock it, but Im not sure if I can just pop a metro gsm sim in it and be good to go. I do live in a BYOD area.
Click to expand...
You pop the metro sim in and have CS pair the sim to the phone, then your good to go.

It should not have to be that way but for the moment that seems to be the way it needs to be done.
 
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