Master Thread for Radio/GSM Unlocking Discussion in America

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terinfire

Senior Member
Feb 2, 2011
285
138
At present, we have topics every few weeks or so with someone new, coming to ask if GSM works in America. Then, someone wants to help and try to figure out why -- but there is no consistent thread for this. So let's use this.

Does the Droid 4 work in the US on GSM yet? NO

This is to be used as a master thread to post research/thoughts/findings. If anyone has any clever thoughts, please search the thread first to make sure it hasn't been found yet.

What we do know is that with OTA ICS from Verizon, the Droid 4 supports GSM for *OTHER* carriers outside of the US. There could be any number of reasons that it does NOT work. As a quick run-down of the problem, I'll identify where the primary issues could be and allow for anyone else to build upon it, ask questions, and discuss.

The Radio Firmware
-- The firmware for the radio itself could have a lock or a setting that needs to be adjusted and all data requests are blocked through this.

RIL
-- The interface between the radio and Android -- there could be a software lock here that restricts specific carrier ID's.

ROM
-- The ROM itself has a baked-in block for GSM in America.

The best thing we can do is to try and identify or step through the stack (if such is possible -- I'm a developer, but not for Android) and see WHERE the calls break at.

--If it is a software lock in the ROM, then aftermarket ROM's like CyanogenMod should allow data to work in the US. If we're not seeing this, then this is likely not the case.
--If it is a software lock in the RIL library, then we'd have to have a reverse-engineered library (which could be very difficult to do). We should be getting some kind of error somewhere in here. At this point, though, it's hard to tell if the Radio Firmware or RIL is the actual problem.

Anyone with any background on this, please feel free to contribute. correct, and update. I'll try to get back here and update this master page as I see responses further in the thread.
 

dewhashish

Senior Member
Jan 29, 2012
197
18
I assume this is just a GSM radio, without HSPA+, but does anyone know the frequencies it uses?
 

danifunker

Senior Member
Sep 12, 2011
893
242
41
Toronto
www.funkervogt.com
I just finished comparing a Droid RAZR XT912 to a Rogers RAZR XT910, I checked the /system/lib folder and build.prop files.

I found some really interesting differences, and also found that most of the important build.prop differences between the Rogers XT910 and Verizon XT912 were also consistent with the D4.

lines like:

persist.ril.modem.mode = (1 = CDMA, 2= UMTS)
persist.ril.mux.noofchannels = (10 on Rogers, 8 on VZW)
persist.radio.ap.phonetype = (1 = GSM, 2= CDMA)

and my favourite line

persist.ril.features = (0x182 = Rogers, 0x90A = Verizon)

I also found something only in Rogers build.prop:
ro.tether.denied=false

What's also interesting, is that most of the files in the /lib folder is consistent between the D4 and the RAZR, I have also included this report in the attached ZIP file.

Maybe this in combination with some files from the /lib folder might help. Either way, I've included my comparisons in the attached ZIP.

Does anybody want to just try changing the persist.ril.features in the US and see what happens??

Let's get US bands unlocked soon!!!

In my comparissions,

D:\ = XT894
G:\ = XT912
H:\ = XT910
 

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blackstar1744

Member
Sep 1, 2011
39
5
Los Angeles
I saw these and a couple other changes comparing the D4 file to the bionic GSM-working ICS leak build.prop. Unfortnately I'm studying for a GRE exam I have tomorrow but will try to give these changes a try when I take a break and if not, definitely by the end of tomorrow. I'm starting to have faith we'll find something. I don't think Verzion did anything that low-level to implement this US carrier block.

Sent from my SGH-T839 using Tapatalk
 
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gtmaster303

Senior Member
Oct 19, 2010
1,556
417
I saw these and a couple other changes comparing the D4 file to the bionic GSM-working ICS leak build.prop. Unfortnately I'm studying for a GRE exam I have tomorrow but will try to give these changes a try when I take a break and if not, definitely by the end of tomorrow. I'm starting to have faith we'll find something. I don't think Verzion did anything that low-level to implement this US carrier block.

Sent from my SGH-T839 using Tapatalk

School first, xda second. Good luck on your GRE!

Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2
 
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blackstar1744

Member
Sep 1, 2011
39
5
Los Angeles
Trying to get Radiocomm to recognize my phone but my phone keeps switching to mass storage mode even with Android debugging and mock location enabled. Was in Hashcode's AOKP and went back to the stock ROM and now I can stay in Media Device (MTP) but still don't have the appropriate Windows x64 driver. I'm currently running the attached file which I came across at some point in the Android Development forum in my earlier research into this whole domestic GSM issue. Does anyone else have another x64 driver?

The motivation for my question: Yesterday ariethekid claimed to get T-Mobile working on his Droid Bionic running Verizon's official ICS 246 release so the steps on this page *should* work - http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1297714&page=13 along with the appropriate build.prop modifications. The bionic build.prop I attached includes the necessary changes. They would have to be included migrated to the D4 build.prop and I would/will eventually do it but I'm just not that far along yet given my Radiocomm issues.

Update: The OTA ICS updates already includes this 8 byte revision. I believe the only thing that needs to be done is the update of the build.prop.
 

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Last edited:

danifunker

Senior Member
Sep 12, 2011
893
242
41
Toronto
www.funkervogt.com
Trying to get Radiocomm to recognize my phone but my phone keeps switching to mass storage mode even with Android debugging and mock location enabled. Was in Hashcode's AOKP and went back to the stock ROM and now I can stay in Media Device (MTP) but still don't have the appropriate Windows x64 driver. I'm currently running the attached file which I came across at some point in the Android Development forum in my earlier research into this whole domestic GSM issue. Does anyone else have another x64 driver?

The motivation for my question: Yesterday ariethekid claimed to get T-Mobile working on his Droid Bionic running Verizon's official ICS 246 release so the steps on this page *should* work - http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1297714&page=13 along with the appropriate build.prop modifications. The bionic build.prop I attached includes the necessary changes. They would have to be included migrated to the D4 build.prop and I would/will eventually do it but I'm just not that far along yet given my Radiocomm issues.

Update: The OTA ICS updates already includes this 8 byte revision. I believe the only thing that needs to be done is the update of the build.prop.

In order to get the RadioComm interface, make sure you're using the latest Motorola Mobile Phone Drivers (these are different than the android drivers), they are version 5.9 as of right now. Please download them from here :

https://developer.motorola.com/tools/usb_drivers/

Looks like the Motorola site is down though, so you can download them from here :

http://handheld.softpedia.com/get/Drivers/Motorola-Handset-USB-Driver-for-Windows-64-bit-38124.shtml
 
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gtmaster303

Senior Member
Oct 19, 2010
1,556
417
Just a thought. Perhaps these values could be checked against a Bionic?

4869^"GSM Carrier Suppression"^"GSM*"
4870^"GSM 850 Carrier Suppression"^"GSM*"
4871^"GSM DCS Carrier Suppression"^"GSM*"
4872^"GSM 1900 Carrier Suppression"^"GSM*"

You would have better luck posting this question in that forum.
By the way, Bionic GSM is a go. They have it fully up and running in that thread. Confirmed working by quite a few users
 

terinfire

Senior Member
Feb 2, 2011
285
138
Last edited:

daqueenzkid

New member
Jan 25, 2007
1
0
D4 for US GSM Bump

Hello out there?

Has anyone come up or been experimenting on how to get the domestic U.S. carriers unblocked on the Droid 4? I've been searching high and low and apparently the Bionic fixes do not work on the D4.
 

gtmaster303

Senior Member
Oct 19, 2010
1,556
417
Hello out there?

Has anyone come up or been experimenting on how to get the domestic U.S. carriers unblocked on the Droid 4? I've been searching high and low and apparently the Bionic fixes do not work on the D4.

Quite a few poked around, but there hasn't been any progress in the past few months. If this phone had more support, I'm sure it could be figured out, but not like this. It does take brilliant minds at work to figure this stuff out.

Sent from my SGH-I927 using Tapatalk 2
 

blackstar1744

Member
Sep 1, 2011
39
5
Los Angeles
Quite a few poked around, but there hasn't been any progress in the past few months. If this phone had more support, I'm sure it could be figured out, but not like this. It does take brilliant minds at work to figure this stuff out.

Sent from my SGH-I927 using Tapatalk 2

There are some people looking into it but it is absurdly complicated. Granted they keep moving closer to a solution, this is the most complicated phone workaround I've ever seen. Motorola/Verizon is straight evil.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2144335

Sent from my XT894 using Tapatalk 2
 

gtmaster303

Senior Member
Oct 19, 2010
1,556
417
There are some people looking into it but it is absurdly complicated. Granted they keep moving closer to a solution, this is the most complicated phone workaround I've ever seen. Motorola/Verizon is straight evil.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2144335

Sent from my XT894 using Tapatalk 2

Yea that's definitely apparent. That's a brand new thread. Haven't seen it before. Those guys are doing alright

Sent from my SGH-I927 using Tapatalk 2
 

sukebe671

New member
Jan 6, 2011
1
0
droid bionic gsm unlock

Hey guys. Ive been on XDA for so long and never reslly mentioned that the gsm on my droid bionic on ICS is unlocked. Ive tried alot of methods but one method i used finally worked. i just pop a non verizon sim card in and it works 100%. txt etc.
 

cellzealot

Senior Member
Jan 4, 2008
1,314
815
Philadelphia, PA
It's been known and well established that the MDM6600 radio on Bionic, in particular the hardware revision A first production devices, do not have the block on US GSM carriers that the subsequent RAZR/D4 models have and can be made to work with a few simple modifications.

This does not apply to the RAZR/D4 and after a great deal of examination it has been determined that the block is in the signed BP radio image and cannot be disabled via NV editing nor any other means.
 

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  • 5
    At present, we have topics every few weeks or so with someone new, coming to ask if GSM works in America. Then, someone wants to help and try to figure out why -- but there is no consistent thread for this. So let's use this.

    Does the Droid 4 work in the US on GSM yet? NO

    This is to be used as a master thread to post research/thoughts/findings. If anyone has any clever thoughts, please search the thread first to make sure it hasn't been found yet.

    What we do know is that with OTA ICS from Verizon, the Droid 4 supports GSM for *OTHER* carriers outside of the US. There could be any number of reasons that it does NOT work. As a quick run-down of the problem, I'll identify where the primary issues could be and allow for anyone else to build upon it, ask questions, and discuss.

    The Radio Firmware
    -- The firmware for the radio itself could have a lock or a setting that needs to be adjusted and all data requests are blocked through this.

    RIL
    -- The interface between the radio and Android -- there could be a software lock here that restricts specific carrier ID's.

    ROM
    -- The ROM itself has a baked-in block for GSM in America.

    The best thing we can do is to try and identify or step through the stack (if such is possible -- I'm a developer, but not for Android) and see WHERE the calls break at.

    --If it is a software lock in the ROM, then aftermarket ROM's like CyanogenMod should allow data to work in the US. If we're not seeing this, then this is likely not the case.
    --If it is a software lock in the RIL library, then we'd have to have a reverse-engineered library (which could be very difficult to do). We should be getting some kind of error somewhere in here. At this point, though, it's hard to tell if the Radio Firmware or RIL is the actual problem.

    Anyone with any background on this, please feel free to contribute. correct, and update. I'll try to get back here and update this master page as I see responses further in the thread.
    4
    It's been known and well established that the MDM6600 radio on Bionic, in particular the hardware revision A first production devices, do not have the block on US GSM carriers that the subsequent RAZR/D4 models have and can be made to work with a few simple modifications.

    This does not apply to the RAZR/D4 and after a great deal of examination it has been determined that the block is in the signed BP radio image and cannot be disabled via NV editing nor any other means.
    2
    I just finished comparing a Droid RAZR XT912 to a Rogers RAZR XT910, I checked the /system/lib folder and build.prop files.

    I found some really interesting differences, and also found that most of the important build.prop differences between the Rogers XT910 and Verizon XT912 were also consistent with the D4.

    lines like:

    persist.ril.modem.mode = (1 = CDMA, 2= UMTS)
    persist.ril.mux.noofchannels = (10 on Rogers, 8 on VZW)
    persist.radio.ap.phonetype = (1 = GSM, 2= CDMA)

    and my favourite line

    persist.ril.features = (0x182 = Rogers, 0x90A = Verizon)

    I also found something only in Rogers build.prop:
    ro.tether.denied=false

    What's also interesting, is that most of the files in the /lib folder is consistent between the D4 and the RAZR, I have also included this report in the attached ZIP file.

    Maybe this in combination with some files from the /lib folder might help. Either way, I've included my comparisons in the attached ZIP.

    Does anybody want to just try changing the persist.ril.features in the US and see what happens??

    Let's get US bands unlocked soon!!!

    In my comparissions,

    D:\ = XT894
    G:\ = XT912
    H:\ = XT910
    2
    Quite a few poked around, but there hasn't been any progress in the past few months. If this phone had more support, I'm sure it could be figured out, but not like this. It does take brilliant minds at work to figure this stuff out.

    Sent from my SGH-I927 using Tapatalk 2

    There are some people looking into it but it is absurdly complicated. Granted they keep moving closer to a solution, this is the most complicated phone workaround I've ever seen. Motorola/Verizon is straight evil.

    http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2144335

    Sent from my XT894 using Tapatalk 2
    1
    I'm planning on visiting USA - to be clear I would need a Verizon sim in order to get service there, yeah? Or can I roam using my European SIM?

    Yes, Verizon is your only choice if you want to use your phone

    Sent from my Droid RAZR M