I have been trying to find information about how well the /e/OS will be supported in the United States without much luck. Will devices designed for U.S. carriers be operable once the /e/ ROM is installed? Many of the references I can find seem to indicate that /e/ OS is more Euro-centric at the moment (i.e. donation prices and phone prices are listed in Euros).
Support for U.S. carriers will become important soon because our 3G networks will be turned off either this year or in a few short years. This will mean that all phones will have to support VoLTE in order to be able to make calls—which right now is only supported on carrier approved phones.
I have also noticed that in the devices list it is not clear if U.S. models are supported, while some devices specifically say the U.S. model is not supported (GS7 for example). Has anyone in the U.S. had experience with /e/ OS and could give me some assurance of U.S. support now and going forward?
I really love the principles of the /e/ foundation and hope that I will be able to participate instead of being another product of Google.
Many of the phones will work with AT&T or T-Mobile, Verizon has more limited choices, and I am really not sure with Sprint as they require a phone to be specifically approved. I have been running a 1+3T on T-mobile without issue (including VOLTE an WiFi calling). Use one of the sites like https://www.frequencycheck.com/ to see if the model is compatible with your preferred carrier.
Thanks for the information, it is good to know that you have had a good experience with devices on T-Mobile, does anyone know if the same is true for AT&T? They have the best service in my area so I would like to utilize their service, but I hear they actively prevent the use of VoLTE on devices they don’t sell. Is there any truth to that?
Thanks for the further info. Do you think that it is worth worrying over the potential lack of calling over 4G? My main concern is that in a few years the phone will turn into a brick without that feature.
I agree with ithink314. Many of the /e/ compatible phones can be bought for < $100. Just buy one and use it while it lasts. Also remember that the shutdown does not mean that the system is turned off on that date, it means they no longer guarantee coverage after that date. So if it takes 2 years for them to get around to swapping your local cell out for the “new” technology, you will still have operation until then.
/e/OS, being Lineage-based or any ROM really, technically has no limitations as to where one lives. Everything is working super here in the Los Angeles area, T-Mobile, on an Essential PH-1 and Axon 7 A2017U.
As far as the devices soon to be offered, that’s another thing. The exact variants of those devices is not mentioned. Are they global or regional models? My last quick check led me to believe they might not be U.S. friendly. For those in the U.S. considering one of those phones we really need to know the models so the network bands can be checked and cross referenced with a particular carrier.
T-Mobile, for instance, uses bands 2, 4, 5, 12, 66, and 71. Band 4 is the main and supported by most “global” phone variants but also having bands 2, 5, and maybe 12 would mean a better network experience. Maybe.
I agree @marcdw it would be helpful to know what compatibility would be for the devices in the wiki, even just knowing what model the ROM is targeting would be helpful. That would prevent someone from buying a phone that wouldn’t be compatible. I personally bought a OnePlus 5T for use with /e/, due to its onboard RAM, but mainstream users may prefer Samsung devices (name value and all) and it looks like /e/ may not be compatible with the US variants of the S8 and S7.
I’ll offer my assistance if it would help. If the developers of /e/ can tell us what version of each device /e/ is built for I can work on a spreadsheet that would list what country the device is compatible with.
Hi @Romey thanks for volunteering to update the data on compatible phones. The original spreadsheet was created by @Superman .
I will pass on the information on adding the device version number as well as maybe firmware against which the /e/ build was made to @rhunault on to add our wiki’s if possible,
Thank you for your advises. For some devices, especially Samsung, we already list the model variant supported (example here for the S7). Please open an issue if you find something missing or wrong on the wiki.
I agree, it would be useful to add the firmware version!
Just to clarify when I mentioned needing model numbers for devices I was referring to the phones that will be offered for sale preloaded with /e/OS.
The devices in the wiki do include model numbers, as mentioned, as well as their android codenames. Makes it a bit easy to research a particular device. Some still require extra work like Xiaomi with their myriad of submodels and variants. Lots of fun figuring out some of those.
Hi, /e/ noob here, very excited to discover this project. I’m in the US and thinking to install /e/ on an unlocked US Samsung S7, model number SM-G930U which is not on the current list. Should I try to install and see how it goes? Am I risking bricking the phone?
Hi @Russ you can brick your device by force installing a ROM not specifically built for it. Raise a request for a build here or try building one yourself.
Unfortunately, ATM we support only Exynos variant of the S7. In USA, it’s the Qualcomm chipset that is used. So you will no being able to use our ROM on your device.
Thank you for the clarification @rhunault and everyone for your comments. Any recommendations for a similar phone that works in the US? I’m trying to escape the Google/Apple matrix.
This is good information: The Exynos variants of the S7 are SM-G930F (International Single SIM) and SM-G935F (International Single SIM) per Wikipedia.
With that nugget of info and the help of this site it (tentatively) appears that the best cellular compatibility in the U.S. will be from T-Mobile (and MVNOs like Mint Mobile) as these phones will operate on all 2G, 3G and 4GLTE bands.
Hope this is helpful to current and potential U.S. users (such as myself)- if I am incorrect in any of this, please feel free to correct me!
I am an old retired IT person but new to the jungle that is mobile phones. I live in the US and have a Huawei Honor 5x that I would like to install /e/ on and use with Mint Mobile. It is an unlocked phone as far as carrier is concerned but I understand there is another level of unlocking by the manufacturer. I would appreciate links on how to install, any locking info, and any other information regarding my situation. Not used to having a machine that I can’t do what I want with.
I would appreciate any help anyone could give me…including links to sites that would give me more info.
Hi @OldBuck,as you are aware Huawei is not very flexible when it comes to unlocking of their devices. We have a Huawei device in our support list .There are some hacks which are required to unlock the device which are detailed here.
