Question Stock Android or iPhone?

[asolar]

Hi,

What phone is available that does not have a carrier's software/firmware loaded on it?

My wife & I have used nothing but Samsung phones after leaving the old flip phones behind years ago. However, I am not pleased at all with the carriers software & firmware being hard-coded on my phone. The carriers all advertise that you can bring your current carrier's phone to the new carrier but what they fail to tell you is that the phone may not work as well on the new carrier. This has happened to me in the past when I went from Verizon to T-Mobile and then back to Verizon and now back on T-Mobile with my Verizon-purchased Samsung S5 Galaxy. My wife & I want to upgrade our phones but we do not want to buy a phone from T-Mobile, or any carrier, as it will be loaded with that carrier's software/firmware. As an example, my current Samsung Galaxy S5 will display the Verizon login screen every time I restart or turn it off & back on, and I always have a message "Simcard is not a Verizon sim card". T-Mobile will only tell me there is nothing they can do since I did not buy it from them. The functionality of the phones decreased a lot once we left Verizon in August 2018 and it took a lot of Web searching to get the SMS to work on T-Mobile, who again, was of absolutely no help ""it is not our phone, your phone is old, etc" But, I got the SMS to work. However, in December 2018, the SMS on my phone quit working and no matter what I have tried since I cannot get it to work. Additionally, my wife's phone may or may not receive calls. So, it is time to get a new phone.

What phone is available that does not have a carrier's software/firmware loaded on it? I want the freedom to switch carriers but do not want the same issue I have now (on the T-Mobile network but phone displays Verizon login in) . My daughter has an iPhone that we bought in August 2018 from Verizon just before we switched to T-Mobile and she does not have this problem. Is an iPhone my only option?

Thanks.

 

[nigelivey]

Google Pixel; good phone, Vanilla Android.

 

[RealBeast]

You can buy Samsung Galaxy and pretty much every other Android phone without carrier software.

Not sure about iPhones as far as carrier software but you can buy them without a carrier now and just need to supply your own sim card.

 

[britechguy]

I have been very happy with my Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Plus and Redmi Note 6 Pro (both global unlocked versions - both on T-Mobile). The OTA support of the OS, MIUI, which is Xiaomi's twist on Android has been excellent and I've been using the Evie Launcher. Both of these models are still available, but both have newer models that followed them. The Note 5 Plus topped out at MIUI derived from Android 8 and the Note 6 Pro looks like the last update to the OS, which is the one I currently have, is based upon Android 9.

When it comes to checking which models of global unlocked GSM phones will be compatible with one or more US carriers' networks, I have found that the information you get by searching https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker to be highly accurate.

 

[King_V]

My Nexus 5x recently keeled over, and so I got a Moto G7 Play. Slightly odd resolution, but never saw the need for high resolutions on phone-sized screens.

I wouldn't call it pure Android, but pretty close, and I'm personally fussy about these things. Minimal crapware.

 

[Sagar_20]

The majority of phones are not carrier locked phones (i think) and i currently know of only Samsung that sells carrier locked phones. So, may be you're a samsung fan.

If you want stock android, then Google, Motorola, and Nokia are your only options. Otherwise, get an iPhone. They last really long.

I personally use Moto X4 and love it. It offers amazing value for it's price and is definitely one of the most attractive looking phones in the world.

Here is a speed comparison you can watch.

 

[TechNerd360]

Many Android phones are available without Carrier integration. Look up on Amazon. You can get a Pixel or even other close to stock android phones like the ASUS Zenfone 6 (2019). iPhones are really not practical for people who have been in the Android ecosystem for a long time.

 

[britechguy]

Circling way back to the beginning, are you planning to stay with your current carrier? (T-Mobile in this case, but the question is generic and could apply to other carriers, too.)

A great many of the customizations done by carriers to the firmware and software on phones they retail does make them work better, sometimes significantly better, on their network by using tricks/techniques specific to what they know about their own systems.

If your objection is not purely philosophical, or your reason for buying third-party is not driven by cost, since one can generally get the same devices, or better, than the carrier retails for lower cost, then buying from the carrier and having those customizations can make things work better.

 

[COLGeek]

Google Pixel; good phone, Vanilla Android.

I purchased one of these directly from Google (unlocked). Just moved my SIM from a previous Samsung into it. Instant AT&T service, with ZERO bloatware. I am even able to uninstall other pre-installed apps, like Facebook (I use no social media).

I have been very pleased. I suspect you can do similarly with many unlocked devices (not sold to you via the carrier itself).

 

[britechguy]

. . . I am even able to uninstall other pre-installed apps, like Facebook (I use no social media).

I have been very pleased. I suspect you can do similarly with many unlocked devices (not sold to you via the carrier itself).

You can, but most often if whatever it is came with the Android that's on the device, and a later update is part of the deal, it will very likely come back.

I, too, use no social media, among other things, but under both Android and Windows 10 I just allow those things to lie fallow and to make sure they are not permitted to run in the background. That does tend to stick when an Android update is applied (and has for the analogs in Windows 10, too).

 

[COLGeek]

You can, but most often if whatever it is came with the Android that's on the device, and a later update is part of the deal, it will very likely come back.

I, too, use no social media, among other things, but under both Android and Windows 10 I just allow those things to lie fallow and to make sure they are not permitted to run in the background. That does tend to stick when an Android update is applied (and has for the analogs in Windows 10, too).

Nope, FB never came back. Been gone since shortly after receiving the Pixel 3. Couldn't be happier. With my previous Samsung, was stuck with it unless I rooted the phone.

In fact, all AT&T bloatware I wanted rid of is gone now. The initial transfer installed it, I then uninstalled what I wanted gone.

 

[britechguy]

Have you had any Android OS updates on the device?

I really am curious as to whether anyone's gone from, for example, Android 7 to 8 (or whatever number jump), on any given phone manufacturer's device and not had whatever they package with Android come back.

I can tell you, if that's exactly your experience, it's the exception, not the rule, as anyone's "flavor" of Android tends to come with the apps they want it to have, and upgrades mean another removal cycle in a great many cases.

 

[COLGeek]

Have you had any Android OS updates on the device?

I really am curious as to whether anyone's gone from, for example, Android 7 to 8 (or whatever number jump), on any given phone manufacturer's device and not had whatever they package with Android come back.

I can tell you, if that's exactly your experience, it's the exception, not the rule, as anyone's "flavor" of Android tends to come with the apps they want it to have, and upgrades mean another removal cycle in a great many cases.

Multiple. Those updates come from Google, not AT&T. I get the latest Android releases, before Samsung/AT&T pushed with my previous Galaxy models.

 

[britechguy]

Cool. It must be Google that's "keepin' it clean" as far as checking to see what a user has uninstalled and not reinstalling it as part of an Android Version Update. Good for them. Now if we could get them to work on some of their other problematic behaviors . . .