View Full Version : Soliciting Advice for New Mobile Phone and Carrier
james_bond_007
08-29-2015, 10:51
Short Story:
Moving from ATT to Verizon.
Will also be needing new (new to me, so used are OK) phones.
Questions for Which I Need Advice:
VERIZON
What are the Pros/Cons with Verizon
Coverage ?
Customer Service ?
Plans ? (Note: As of 2 weeks ago they now only offer no-contract plans and full price phones)
Any recommended Verizon MVNO's that offer better plans ?
Pros/Cons of getting a plan at a Verizon store vs a re-seller ?
Any 'deals/promotions' that you know of ?
PHONE
Looking at Samsung S-series (4, 5 flavors) What are the Pros/Cons ?
Recommended place to get a used phone ?
Consideration with a used Phone
1) I understand about making sure the IMEI is not blacklisted
2) I understand about making sure the LTE data works on Verizon if using an unlocked phone from another carrier on Verizon
3) I understand the battery may not hold a charge and may need to be replaced
4) Make sure I see the phone work (text/Phone/LTE 4G) before purchase
Can an S4/S5 be rooted to allow apps to run from the Flash Card (I did this with my Tab 7 2.0 and 4.0)
I tend to keep my phone for a long time, so I'd like to get something reliable
What else ?
Long Story:
I've been with ATT since BEFORE it went to Cingular (first phone was the old Moto PT550 era). All was good.
My wife has a new job and is unable to get an ATT signal at work. ATT gave us a new uCell, but since it needs to be
placed by a window for GPS Lock (FCC requires the registration of the location of the TX's, thus the uCell uses GPS to do this)
and no windows are anywhere near where she works (nor does it have an external GPS antenna), it is not an option. So we need to change carriers.
ATT verified that there were tons of uCells near her workplace (thus they confirm there is poor coverage) and the nearest tower is pointing away from her workplace.
She 'surveyed' her co-workers and found that other ATT users have the same issue.
T-Mobile and Sprint are better at work, but not stellar.
Thus Verizon seems to be the best, per the informal survey.
We will also need to upgrade phones. Both of us are thinking Samsung S-somethng. She's more inclined to the S5, I'm OK with something a bit lower/older, but prefer something small in size (S4-mini ?).
Would prefer NOT having to get brand new phones at Full price, so looking at used or refurbished.
Verizon recently (13AUG15) did away with their discounted phones w/ 2-year contract and only sells no-contract plans and full price (payments spread out over 24 mo) phones.
So, I'm thinking I can do better, dollar-wise, by getting a used phone somewhere.
Features I am interested in (not in any order):
[*=1]Use the Phone as a Hotspot for a tablet (occasionally)
[*=1]Can make WiFi calls (when at home/office)
[*=1]GPS (for navigation)
[*=1]Expandable Flash ( slot can be under the cover)
NOTE: This is one of the reasons we don't want an iPhone
[*=1]Decent Screen (do not need Top of the line; want to be able to see screen in sunlight)
[*=1]Waterproof (afraid I may accidentally dump in in the toilet etc.)
[*=1]Camera w/ Flash (For Snapshots; does not have to be Top of the Line)
[*=1]Sync w/ Outlook
[*=1]Android ( I am a developer, so another test platform would be handy)
[*=1]BT LE (I think going fwd most BT accessories will be BT LE 4.x and up)
If you read through this lengthy post, congrats for making it through and thanks for taking time to do that.
If you take some time to offer advice... thank you again.
hurley842002
08-29-2015, 10:58
You may be in luck, I have a near new Galaxy S5 with a couple cases (a Lifeproof), extra factory battery, and standalone Samsung charger, I'm thinking about selling.
hurley842002
08-29-2015, 10:59
Oh, and it's for Verizon.
I like my S5. Haven't had any issues with it yet. Well, other than its a bit big for pocket carry. Lol.
hurley842002
08-29-2015, 11:17
I should also at least give my experience instead of just trying to pimp my wares lol.
Verizon is the only carrier I've ever had, so my experience is very limited, but it's the only carrier I've had for a reason. Coverage has been awesome for me, even on trips to the back country. They are a bit pricey, but I believe you get what you pay for. Also no experience in the CS department as I've never needed it.
As far as phones go, I learned awhile back, to only go with the "big names" in smart phone, as they will continue to receive support longer than others, along with aftermarket support.
Bailey Guns
08-29-2015, 11:27
I've used AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon. Hands down, nobody has the coverage Verizon does. They may be slightly more than some other carriers but it seems to be pretty negligible when comparing plan to plan. On the other hand, it doesn't matter how much you save if you don't have service. We're currently getting a 22% discount because of a deal with the wife's employer and a 10% "Loyalty" discount. Even so I still pay $95 per month for 2 smartphones with unlimited talk/text and 3GB of data (my company gives me a $30/month phone allowance so I actually pay about $65).
The coverage in Colorado was excellent. It's even good here in the outback of Idaho. From talking to some people here it's the only carrier that even has service outside most cities.
I've only needed customer service with plans and such or to activate a phone. Verizon CS has always been quick and helpful for me. I've never had an issue with phones or anything. Currently have an S5 as well. My favorite phone so far.
In my experience AT&T would be next best with coverage...can't speak to their pricing.
I currently have service with Verizon and Sprint. Verizon works pretty much everywhere. Even in some of the remote areas where my job takes me. Sprint... not so much. The only reason I switched to Sprint for my family service was they had an "unlimited everything" plan at the time. With a wife and two teenagers on the plan it was nice not having to worry about minutes, texts, or data usage. Been thinking about canceling my Sprint service and moving everything back to Verizon just for better coverage. The Sprint works fine as long as I'm in the city along the front range but head the slightest bit east and you might as well just turn the phone off.
I will mention, based off personal experience, if you aren't very geeky or technologically savvy you might actually like the iPhone. I had one for several years and it is very intuitive to use. Also, the phone itself is very well made. Had zero issues with mine. Ever.
I like my S5 better than the iPhone because I'm getting better at figuring stuff like that out now. But it does do stupid things every now and then and you have to restart it or sometimes even pull the battery to unlock the darn thing. Not often. Maybe once a month or two. But my iPhone never did anything like that. It just worked.
Bailey Guns
08-29-2015, 11:45
^^ Funny! That's exactly why I like my S5 so much...I thought it was very intuitive and easy to use. Never had to restart it or pull the bat-tree so far after about a year and a half of using it. I can't even remember ever turning it off. But I've never used an iPhone.
Don't get me wrong. I really like my S5. But it does have it's quirks. At least mine does. I found it a bit less user friendly than the iPhone at first but now that I'm used to it I don't have any issues doing things on it. Most of the time. Lol.
hurley842002
08-29-2015, 11:53
^^ Funny! That's exactly why I like my S5 so much...I thought it was very intuitive and easy to use. Never had to restart it or pull the bat-tree so far after about a year and a half of using it. I can't even remember ever turning it off. But I've never used an iPhone.
Yeah I've never had to restart or pull the battery, although I've been known to pull the battery from time to time as recommended by many "phone geeks". That reminds me of another point worth noting. The S5 is the last of the reputable removable battery phones, which is what has kept me on the Galaxy series for quite awhile. Also had multiple batteries and standalone charger for my S4, VERY nice feature.
I currently have service with Verizon and Sprint. Verizon works pretty much everywhere. Even in some of the remote areas where my job takes me. Sprint... not so much. The only reason I switched to Sprint for my family service was they had an "unlimited everything" plan at the time. With a wife and two teenagers on the plan it was nice not having to worry about minutes, texts, or data usage. Been thinking about canceling my Sprint service and moving everything back to Verizon just for better coverage. The Sprint works fine as long as I'm in the city along the front range but head the slightest bit east and you might as well just turn the phone off.
Pretty much this. I had Verizon since high school but they were so much more, and wouldn't deal with me so I switched to Sprint and pay $38/mo for unlimited everything on a smart phone. At the time, I was paying $90/mo for a dumb phone with Verizon. Verizon has hands down better coverage though.
Bailey Guns
08-29-2015, 12:00
... now that I'm used to it I don't have any issues doing things on it. Most of the time. Lol.
Yeah. I can take pictures and make phone calls without too much trouble. I can even send a text message now and then. I've grown to tolerate texting because that's how my company communicates mostly. I'm hardly a phone/tech geek.
Just a few things I can add specifically because no one else has. I'm not a rooting expert, but offer what little I know. My experiences are also based in having been on a corporate plan for as long as I can remember. I do have a rooted (not unlocked) phone (S4) and corp has no admin rights on it.
Short Story:
Moving from ATT to Verizon.
Will also be needing new (new to me, so used are OK) phones.
Questions for Which I Need Advice:
VERIZON
What are the Pros/Cons with Verizon
Coverage ? I've always been impressed by VZW coverage, esp when friends/family lose coverage with ATT, Sprint, etc. and I can still make calls. Remote areas can be iffy though on any carrier.
Customer Service ?
Plans ? (Note: As of 2 weeks ago they now only offer no-contract plans and full price phones)
Any recommended Verizon MVNO's that offer better plans ?
Pros/Cons of getting a plan at a Verizon store vs a re-seller ?
Any 'deals/promotions' that you know of ?
PHONE
Looking at Samsung S-series (4, 5 flavors) What are the Pros/Cons ?
Recommended place to get a used phone ?
Consideration with a used Phone
1) I understand about making sure the IMEI is not blacklisted
2) I understand about making sure the LTE data works on Verizon if using an unlocked phone from another carrier on Verizon
3) I understand the battery may not hold a charge and may need to be replaced
4) Make sure I see the phone work (text/Phone/LTE 4G) before purchase
Unless it's someone you know and trust, take the phone and seller to a Verizon store.
Can an S4/S5 be rooted to allow apps to run from the Flash Card (I did this with my Tab 7 2.0 and 4.0)
Short answer yes. Long answer, the bootloaders have been locked down on all recent firmware revs so custom ROM use is questionable AFAIK. I overlooked an OTA update that was allowed to run on mine days before I decided to root that would have otherwise allowed an unlock. Some later firmwares may not currently have a Knox safe root but they usually follow by a few months of release. If you trip the knox e-fuse, you void the warranty. I've been extremely pleased with my S4 and have had it rooted for about two years now with little ill effects. It does lock up once in a while and needs a reboot and not often a battery pull.
I tend to keep my phone for a long time, so I'd like to get something reliable
What else ?
Long Story:
I've been with ATT since BEFORE it went to Cingular (first phone was the old Moto PT550 era). All was good.
My wife has a new job and is unable to get an ATT signal at work. ATT gave us a new uCell, but since it needs to be
placed by a window for GPS Lock (FCC requires the registration of the location of the TX's, thus the uCell uses GPS to do this)
and no windows are anywhere near where she works (nor does it have an external GPS antenna), it is not an option. So we need to change carriers.
ATT verified that there were tons of uCells near her workplace (thus they confirm there is poor coverage) and the nearest tower is pointing away from her workplace.
She 'surveyed' her co-workers and found that other ATT users have the same issue.
T-Mobile and Sprint are better at work, but not stellar.
Thus Verizon seems to be the best, per the informal survey.
We will also need to upgrade phones. Both of us are thinking Samsung S-somethng. She's more inclined to the S5, I'm OK with something a bit lower/older, but prefer something small in size (S4-mini ?).
Would prefer NOT having to get brand new phones at Full price, so looking at used or refurbished.
Verizon recently (13AUG15) did away with their discounted phones w/ 2-year contract and only sells no-contract plans and full price (payments spread out over 24 mo) phones.
So, I'm thinking I can do better, dollar-wise, by getting a used phone somewhere.
Features I am interested in (not in any order):
[*=1]Use the Phone as a Hotspot for a tablet (occasionally) My S4 - Yes, there are also root apps for hotspot
[*=1]Can make WiFi calls (when at home/office) My S4 and TabPro use Google Hangouts
[*=1]GPS (for navigation) Yes, I also use an app on my S4 when hunting. Carry a spare replaceable battery and large sdcard installed make this a good choice. Add a waterproof case (I use a Seido Obex)
[*=1]Expandable Flash ( slot can be under the cover) S4 yes, S5 yes, S6 no (but there are add-on covers that hook into the USB port)
NOTE: This is one of the reasons we don't want an iPhone
[*=1]Decent Screen (do not need Top of the line; want to be able to see screen in sunlight) Samsung screens are great but they can't seem to get their auto brightness right.
[*=1]Waterproof (afraid I may accidentally dump in in the toilet etc.) S4 no, need case, S5 is "resistant"
[*=1]Camera w/ Flash (For Snapshots; does not have to be Top of the Line) S4 is OK, but not impressive IMHO
[*=1]Sync w/ Outlook - If your corp allows it, latest Outlook app works (mine does not allow) but I use mobimail for an off-grid (no admin) OWA client
[*=1]Android ( I am a developer, so another test platform would be handy) S4, S5 fer sure
[*=1]BT LE (I think going fwd most BT accessories will be BT LE 4.x and up)
If you read through this lengthy post, congrats for making it through and thanks for taking time to do that.
If you take some time to offer advice... thank you again.
We are Verizon and have been for about 13-14 years. Only company we have had except for a brief stint at t mobile. I wanted international calling and data and they have a great plan, unfortunately the service here at home sucked., poor reception, dropped calls all over the place, no signal in the house but the booster they gave us worked great, and about 15 minutes north of town it went to roaming where instead of unlimited data, you got 50MB which I used in all of 45 minutes of sending a couple pictures and needing gps. That was the final straw on top of being sold into a plan that wasn't available to us and was going to be $40 more a month than promised.
we were always droid until this last time around we went with the iPhone's so not much help there, but the integrity of the iPhone compared to droids and other phones I have had is a lot better. We sold our iPad 1 not long ago and the thing still worked great. I can't say that for any droid phone or windows based device I've owned, they seem to have a 2-3 year life expectancy with us.
We have unlimited everything plan and more data then we could use in a month and it about $170 for the two of us. Coverage is great, call reception is great, no roaming, tons of data and good phones to boot.
james_bond_007
09-08-2015, 13:54
Some Verizon Info:
They have done away with contracts Online and are soon to do so At the Stores.
Cost w/o Contract:
$40 Activation (New customer)
$20/mo/line
$45/3G shared data (They have other sizes such as Small $30/1G, Med $45/3G, Lg $60/6, and XL $80/$12 ...& more if you need it)
Phones - BYOP or buy at Full Retail (EX: S5 is $552)
Cost w/ Contract
SAME Activation
$40/mo/line
SAME Data
Phones - BYOP or Buy at discount (EX: S5 is $150)
Both about the same for 2 years with Verizon purchased phones.
So I went with NO Contract and bought 2 S4 Mini from a non-Verizon dealer.
Monthly will be 2x$20 + $45 = $85 + taxes/fees (That was about what I was paying at AT&T with 1G Shared Data)
My wife now has reception at work and is now happy with the phone situation.
Did I mention my wife is now Happy ? [Beer]
james_bond_007
09-08-2015, 13:55
Something else I should mention: I believe the customer service at Verizon may be a bit better. Why ?
While I was waiting to signup, I talked to another customer about the poor coverage of AT&T at my wife's location.
He said he had issues early on when he lived in the boonies with coverage from Verizon, but Verizon came out and adjusted some things on the tower to provide him great coverage.
He said he later moved and had issues at his new place of employment. They again adjusted some things and he had coverage.
When I got to the counter, I asked the guy about it and was told that Verizon has and will attempt to adjust things if possible and the HE also had this happen to him.
He asked me to make sure I ASK about it, if I find myself having poor signal strength. He said they can rotate the antennas and boost the signal strength (a bit).
He was surprised that AT&T did not offer to do anything like that, since they are actively trying to retain customers.
Honestly I'm fed up with verizon. I'm sitting at Inverness east and can only get analog. I get no 4g at my house in englewood. I've talked to my business rep and he's baffled. They can see ALL and I mean ALL the dropped calls. There is a tower not far from my house.
Granted this is an iPhone and I didn't have these issues prior, but there are HUGE dead spots outside of downtown that I can find anywhere. 225 & alameda. 225 and Parker. University and bellview. Arapahoe and Broadway all the way to race.
Sent by a free-range electronic weasel, with no sense of personal space.
buffalobo
09-08-2015, 14:41
Honestly I'm fed up with verizon. I'm sitting at Inverness east and can only get analog. I get no 4g at my house in englewood. I've talked to my business rep and he's baffled. They can see ALL and I mean ALL the dropped calls. There is a tower not far from my house.
Granted this is an iPhone and I didn't have these issues prior, but there are HUGE dead spots outside of downtown that I can find anywhere. 225 & alameda. 225 and Parker. University and bellview. Arapahoe and Broadway all the way to race.
Sent by a free-range electronic weasel, with no sense of personal space.
^This^
We live in the sticks and Verizon used to have half way decent coverage/service for us, that was the reason we selected them.
About the time the Lollipop update came out the wife started to complain about no service. Spoke with CS and they sent tech to area to check and he said a network extender would be required.
When I bring up that the service has deteriorated CS dances around issue and pretty much blows us off.
We will be changing at least the wife's service.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
james_bond_007
09-10-2015, 12:03
Corporate Discounts:
I understand that some are better than others; however, the Verizon store indicated that going forward, most will only apply to the Data Plan...and nothing else.
Some Verizon Info:
They have done away with contracts Online and are soon to do so At the Stores.
Cost w/o Contract:
$40 Activation (New customer)
$20/mo/line
$45/3G shared data (They have other sizes such as Small $30/1G, Med $45/3G, Lg $60/6, and XL $80/$12 ...& more if you need it)
Phones - BYOP or buy at Full Retail (EX: S5 is $552)
Cost w/ Contract
SAME Activation
$40/mo/line
SAME Data
Phones - BYOP or Buy at discount (EX: S5 is $150)
Both about the same for 2 years with Verizon purchased phones.
So I went with NO Contract and bought 2 S4 Mini from a non-Verizon dealer.
Monthly will be 2x$20 + $45 = $85 + taxes/fees (That was about what I was paying at AT&T with 1G Shared Data)
My wife now has reception at work and is now happy with the phone situation.
Did I mention my wife is now Happy ? [Beer]
Aloha_Shooter
09-10-2015, 13:10
I have both the Galaxy S4 and S5 Active. I would advise you get the Active model of either one for the IP6/7 (waterproof/dustproof) feature; the non-Active versions meet all the other requirements you listed.
Personally, I prefer holding the S4 in my hand but the S5 is nicer to my aging eyes. The biggest problem Samsung has is that both phones are limited to 16 GB native memory. Yes, you can expand them with microSD cards (and should) but it's very easy to add enough apps, ringtones, etc. to the point where you can't update the apps due to lack of memory (even when you have 11 free GB on the microSD).
As far as acquiring new phones, check out Swappa: http://www.swappa.com Great way to get used phones without the risk of Craigslist or eBay. Sellers have to prove their phones are clean and unencumbered before listing them. Right now, I see the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 for Verizon going for $109+ or $215+ respectively.
I'm on Verizon now all I can say be ready to open your pocket book. If you use a lot of internet make sure you keep an eye on they will charge you if you go over.
I have also had the galaxy s4, 5, used the 6. Some iPhone experience I'm on the LG G4 now and its awesome
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
james_bond_007
09-10-2015, 14:23
Yes, I heard that they like to make you use a lot of data.
I talked to a few people that were on their 'unlimited plan' for years and used, say 2-3 GB/mo. When they switched to their 'fixed' plan, their usage somehow was 2x -3x what it was before.
So, I've changed a bunch of settings to try and minimize Mobile data usage when I don't NEED it:
DATA USAGE-> RESTRICT BACKGROUND DATA - seems to have done the most for me. (You can set it for ALL events or select the ones you are interested in)
Setting this, has prevented all the crappy updates for programs I don't care about from downloading when I'm away from WIFI and on Mobile Data.
When I connect back to WIFI, the D/Ls start again.
By the way, this only seems to apply to BG tasks. If I bring up an app, say Email, in the FG, it will use Mobile Data until I put it in the BG.
If I use a NAV app or MUSIC app, it will use Mobile data, but the other 'updates' won't occur.
This is what I want. I want to be able to use Mobile data, but only when I NEED/WANT it, not when the programs want to dump meaningless updates across my Mobile Data account.
EMAIL SYNC -
a) I stopped syncing some of my folders that I route stuff I don't always need (see 'b' below)
b) I've been filtering out crap on the Server Side with 'Filters' or 'Rules' into Folders. Basically selectively moving the 'junk' email out of the Inbox and into a 'Junk Mail' folder
---so I can read it and delete it later. This lets me get somewhat meaningful email when I DO decide to sync via Mobile Data.
b) Sync - the above BGG DATA seems to have halted syncing when I'm on Mobile Data, and allows it on WIFI
Anything else I should look at ?
I'm on Verizon now all I can say be ready to open your pocket book. If you use a lot of internet make sure you keep an eye on they will charge you if you go over.
I have also had the galaxy s4, 5, used the 6. Some iPhone experience I'm on the LG G4 now and its awesome
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
james_bond_007
09-10-2015, 14:31
On my Android Tablets, I have 'Rooted' them, partly for the limited memory issue you describe.
The 'Roots' I have done allow me to move 95+% of the app's executable to the SD Card, and then run them from the SD card.
For about 98% of the apps I tried, it works fine. The other 2% either won't LET me move them, run too slow from the SD, or crash.
The other thing I liked about rooting was, providing you look around, you can find a suitable ROM Image without the Bloatware (pre-installed apps eating up ROM that you don't want).
Then you can selectively install what you want.
Again, this helped free up my Device memory.
I plan to do the same for my new phones, providing I can find a reliable image.
I'm told Verizon locks things down a bit tighter than the factory Samsung devices (Ex: the bootloader is hard to access)
I have both the Galaxy S4 and S5 Active. I would advise you get the Active model of either one for the IP6/7 (waterproof/dustproof) feature; the non-Active versions meet all the other requirements you listed.
Personally, I prefer holding the S4 in my hand but the S5 is nicer to my aging eyes. The biggest problem Samsung has is that both phones are limited to 16 GB native memory. Yes, you can expand them with microSD cards (and should) but it's very easy to add enough apps, ringtones, etc. to the point where you can't update the apps due to lack of memory (even when you have 11 free GB on the microSD).
As far as acquiring new phones, check out Swappa: http://www.swappa.com Great way to get used phones without the risk of Craigslist or eBay. Sellers have to prove their phones are clean and unencumbered before listing them. Right now, I see the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 for Verizon going for $109+ or $215+ respectively.
james_bond_007
09-10-2015, 14:35
I'd also like to go on the record stating that I'm not trying to state 'Verizon is better than all the others'.
The ONLY reason I moved to them was because they had good coverage where my wife works.
I am, however, trying to pass on my personal experiences.
Thus far, all is as expected...no punches pulled or hidden fees applied.
...I'll let you know if I feel the same way after my first bill.
Here's a Very Current comparison of the big carriers: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-family-plan-us-carriers/
james_bond_007
09-10-2015, 14:40
I do have a question of which maybe someone knows the answer.
Data Usage
My phone can, of course , show me how much data I used via Android. (it shows data used by MY phone only).
If I use the Verizon App "My Verizon Mobile" or text to #DATA (aka #3282), can I see the total data used by ALL devices in my SHARED Plan ?
Or if not, is there a way to see the total Shared Data Usage ?
The only reason I'm still with verizon is that I still have unlimited data on our phones. Our bill is too much for 2 phones, but my wife used 80gb of 4g last month....
It does suck having to do the full price phones, especially when like 3 good phones get listed here for sale 2 days after I spend $625 on one.
hurley842002
09-10-2015, 14:47
, but my wife used 80gb of 4g last month..
I'm trying to fathom what causes a person to go through 80GB of data? Video streaming?
I'm trying to fathom what causes a person to go through 80GB of data? Video streaming?
Probably. She watches a bunch of TV on her phone. Month before it was 58gb and change.
She used to only use maybe 5gb per month, until she got the Note 4
hurley842002
09-10-2015, 15:01
Probably. She watches a bunch of TV on her phone. Month before it was 58gb and change.
She used to only use maybe 5gb per month, until she got the Note 4
Ouch! Take advantage of unlimited if you got it! I foolishly got rid of it because I trashed my phone and had to upgrade to get another phone.
On my Android Tablets, I have 'Rooted' them, partly for the limited memory issue you describe.
The 'Roots' I have done allow me to move 95+% of the app's executable to the SD Card, and then run them from the SD card.
For about 98% of the apps I tried, it works fine. The other 2% either won't LET me move them, run too slow from the SD, or crash.
The other thing I liked about rooting was, providing you look around, you can find a suitable ROM Image without the Bloatware (pre-installed apps eating up ROM that you don't want).
Then you can selectively install what you want.
Again, this helped free up my Device memory.
I plan to do the same for my new phones, providing I can find a reliable image.
I'm told Verizon locks things down a bit tighter than the factory Samsung devices (Ex: the bootloader is hard to access)
Watch out for KNOX on VZW Samsung devices. Blow the e-fuse and your warranty is gone.
Looks like there's a new app - Kingroot - that is a one click root that's working on current model firmware but I haven't finished reading through the threads yet to see if it's KNOX safe.
I doubt you're going to find any way to unlock the bootloader on any current VZW Samsung device. Best you're doing to get is root. You can get around the bloatware with Titanium backup, xposed framework, etc. There may be others, I haven't looked lately. root thread on xda http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2784860
blacklabel
09-10-2015, 19:49
I'm trying to fathom what causes a person to go through 80GB of data? Video streaming?
When I was still with Verizon and had their grandfathered unlimited, I went through 115 one month. That was purely out of spite though.
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