Hey there! I was just prompted by @dust2dust to share what I found out a few weeks ago when I switched over from Telus to PM for the 30 GB 5G for $40 promotion. Hold on to your seat...the following will blow your mind!
Big news.....I've figured out how to enable both "5G" and "esim"! This post was previously deleted somehow but was recovered!
Big news.....I've figured out how to enable both "5G" and "esim"! This post was previously deleted somehow but was recovered!
Originally, it bugged me that my S20 Ultra 5G could not use an "esim" even though the hardware is ready for it. In finding the following solution, I enabled the esim manager AND managed to get the "5G" to show up on my S20 Ultra 5G, beyond "LTE+". I take zero responsibility to the phone procedure: if it works on your phone or not. I am only sharing the steps I took as I felt confident in my computer skills to piece together a solution that worked. As far as I am aware, this procedure does NOT "root" your phone so your phone is safe, in case you are worried. This is because an "official" Samsung Firmware will be installed.
- Find out what your exact S20 phone is and the respective Samsung model number: https://galaxys20userguide.com/galaxy-s20-model-number-details/#:~:text=Samsung%20Galaxy%20S20%20com... In my case, the S20 Ultra 5G is the SM-G988.
- Download and install the Samsung Android USB Driver for Windows: https://developer.samsung.com/mobile/android-usb-driver.html
- Download Frija from here: https://github.com/SlackingVeteran/frija/releases and save the download, preferably somewhere easy to locate (eg. Desktop).Extract and "run" Frija.
- Type in your S20-series phone's model number into the Model box with "U1" after it. In my case, it would be: "SM-G988U1". In case you are curious, "U1" means "US factory unlocked," which has no branding and full features.
- Type in "XAA" into the CSC box. In case you are curious, "XAA" means "USA (unbranded/unlocked/default)".
- Hit the "Check Update" button.
- Hit the "Download" button and select where to save the U1 firmware, preferably somewhere easy to locate (eg. Desktop).
- Download Odin3 from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/attachments/odin3-v3-14-1_3b_patched-zip.5158507/ and save the download, preferably somewhere easy to locate (eg. Desktop).
- Extract and "Run as Administrator" Odin3. You may choose to follow or ignore the instructions to disconnect your various logins.
- Extract the U1 firmware, preferably somewhere easy to locate (eg. Desktop).
- Enable Developer Mode by going to "Settings" on your S20-series phone, then "About phone", then "Software information", then tap on "Build information" seven (7) times in rapid succession. Return to "Settings" and then go to "Developer options". Enable "USB Debugging".
- Turn off your S20-series phone.
- Press and hold the "volume down" and "power" buttons at the same time to enter "Download Mode"
- Connect your phone to the computer and return to Odin3 and it should recognize that your phone has connected.
- Click the "BL" button and select the file that starts with "BL".
- Click the "AP" button and select the file that starts with "AP".
- Click the "CP" button and select the file that starts with "CP".
- Click on the "CSC" button and select the file that starts with "HOME_CSC". < THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO SELECT THE "HOME_CSC" FILE AND NOT THE "CSC" FILE. THE "CSC" FILE WILL WIPE YOUR PHONE!!!!!!
- Click the "Start" button and wait for the new firmware to be installed onto your S20-series phone.Once the installation process is complete, Odin3 will show a green "PASS" text. The phone will automatically restart and boot up.
- You can check that it has worked by going to "Settings", then "Connections", and you will see "SIM manager". Furthermore, you can to go to "Mobile networks", then "Network mode" and you can either select "GLOBAL" or "5G/LTE/3G/2G (auto connect)".
Please note that the "5G" logo will show intermittently, only when the conditions/connection actually gets "5G'. If you are worried, you can go to www.fast.com and you can test your download speed. I managed to get around the advertised 250 Mbps so I'm happy, for my needs.
Here are some photos that show that it works!
- The box my phone came in:
- Here is a picture showing the information on my phone showing the "5G" status and "U1" firmware:
- Under "Connections", you can see "SIM manager" pop up:
- Using a physical PM SIM card as well as having access to an esim.
- Latest software is August 2023, as of the date of this post.
- Phone status is "Official", in case you are worried about resale value!
- I selected "GLOBAL" but the "5G" option exists now:
Good luck!
@Questioner5 wrote:I switched to Public Mobile today. Before I was on Roger's 5g network. I signed up for PM's 5G plan but my phone's indicator shows I'm on an LTE network not 5G. When I had my Roger's sim card in it showed 5G automatically. Is there some setting I need to change for PM?
@Questioner5 , this may be a silly question but is your phones cellular settings set to 5G?
Also, does your phone have the latest OS software installed?
