nickdalzell
Extreme Android User
I put an inactive SIM card into my HTC Thunderbolt for the lulz to see what'd happen (when Verizon cut me off in 2022, it went from having four bars of LTE to no service while that SIM was active) and for some reason it showed four bars (and in status, network it showed that it was on LTE and 'in service') and of course no data, but it was a sign of hope.
Figuring whatever they did during the transition to VoLTE or whatever I wondered if it were possible to resurrect it in a way I did in the past, by using a BYOP SIM kit. Went out and got the necessary stuff to activate a cheap Verizon Prepaid account, and used my Samsung Galaxy S5 as the 'line'. That worked (well sorta, the website didn't like Opera for Windows 7 much and kept saying the payment method is not supported, even PayPal and a Verizon airtime card (both options). Calling the CSR they said it had activated perfectly fine, and gave me the number. I still hadn't gotten a 'welcome to Verizon' email or anything but played along anyway.
Placed the SIM into the S5 and turned it on, as expected everything worked. So an hour later I pulled the SIM and placed it into the Thunderbolt. Bars, but no data. Fine, maybe it's the APN setting given this was last used with another MVNO, so I edit the APN settings. Nothing. OK, so I can just use Wifi and live without MMS. Test sent an SMS out. Error. Failed. Well damn. Guess thou was expecting too much. Wait, My Note II still exists, and it's one year newer. Maybe..
Put the SIM in, powered it on, totally worked. 4G popped on, data, bars, and test SMS works! How?! Welp, that is neat. Sent the new number to my girlfriend, and switched it from Global Mode to CDMA/LTE/EVDO to avoid it 'disconnecting (when in Global, it occasionally goe no service and texts send, but show as failure, and she gets duplicate texts). Now I got a working 2012 Galaxy Note complete with TouchWiz Nature UX again.
I'm happy. Just had to say it. So long as LTE continues to exist, I'll be fine. Maybe we will be living together before I have to deal with the next shutdown?
I would love to know what is different about the Note II that makes it work and not my HTC Thunderbolt. Both are of similar age, and both are LTE Verizon handsets. Would anyone know why the Note II works but not that one? Band differences? I men it got bars, but no data. Odd.
I mean functionally and specs wise the Note II is far superior, but I have a fondness for the Thunderbolt that I can't exactly express. I mean it ended up being my all-time favorite Android phone in 2020/2021. I can also credit it to being the one that detoxed me from smartphone addiction (it didn't do a lot besides play MP3s, SMS, browse poorly, and make/receive calls, and the camera was no bragging right). Ever since all I use one for is texting, email and the occasional Google and playing MP3s. I haven't used one to make/receive calls since the landline in my home got reactivated and using rotary telephones. Everyone just defaults to calling that.
Figuring whatever they did during the transition to VoLTE or whatever I wondered if it were possible to resurrect it in a way I did in the past, by using a BYOP SIM kit. Went out and got the necessary stuff to activate a cheap Verizon Prepaid account, and used my Samsung Galaxy S5 as the 'line'. That worked (well sorta, the website didn't like Opera for Windows 7 much and kept saying the payment method is not supported, even PayPal and a Verizon airtime card (both options). Calling the CSR they said it had activated perfectly fine, and gave me the number. I still hadn't gotten a 'welcome to Verizon' email or anything but played along anyway.
Placed the SIM into the S5 and turned it on, as expected everything worked. So an hour later I pulled the SIM and placed it into the Thunderbolt. Bars, but no data. Fine, maybe it's the APN setting given this was last used with another MVNO, so I edit the APN settings. Nothing. OK, so I can just use Wifi and live without MMS. Test sent an SMS out. Error. Failed. Well damn. Guess thou was expecting too much. Wait, My Note II still exists, and it's one year newer. Maybe..
Put the SIM in, powered it on, totally worked. 4G popped on, data, bars, and test SMS works! How?! Welp, that is neat. Sent the new number to my girlfriend, and switched it from Global Mode to CDMA/LTE/EVDO to avoid it 'disconnecting (when in Global, it occasionally goe no service and texts send, but show as failure, and she gets duplicate texts). Now I got a working 2012 Galaxy Note complete with TouchWiz Nature UX again.
I'm happy. Just had to say it. So long as LTE continues to exist, I'll be fine. Maybe we will be living together before I have to deal with the next shutdown?
I would love to know what is different about the Note II that makes it work and not my HTC Thunderbolt. Both are of similar age, and both are LTE Verizon handsets. Would anyone know why the Note II works but not that one? Band differences? I men it got bars, but no data. Odd.
I mean functionally and specs wise the Note II is far superior, but I have a fondness for the Thunderbolt that I can't exactly express. I mean it ended up being my all-time favorite Android phone in 2020/2021. I can also credit it to being the one that detoxed me from smartphone addiction (it didn't do a lot besides play MP3s, SMS, browse poorly, and make/receive calls, and the camera was no bragging right). Ever since all I use one for is texting, email and the occasional Google and playing MP3s. I haven't used one to make/receive calls since the landline in my home got reactivated and using rotary telephones. Everyone just defaults to calling that.
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. In it's last six months we had purchased three batteries for it because the batteries were lasting two-four hours eventually it became a play phone for the daughter and I think was trade in towards the note 8 (which the wife didn't like)