USA Carrier / Device Compatibility

There have been some wondering if carrier compatibility (USA “big 3” carriers in this case) for iodé supported devices could be listed in a table. Before considering creating that, I think it would be good to make a few notes for people wanting to confirm if a device they purchase will work on their current carrier network (for voice mainly, but also for data).


TL;DR: make sure the device supports LTE, is a “carrier unlocked” variant, is NOT the “Verizon” variant, and is from a manufacturer that supports unlocking the bootloader. Use swappa.com as a reputable reseller.


Longer explanation:

I’ll abbreviate the networks as V as Verizon, A as AT&T, and T as T-Mobile. Often MVNOs will fall under the same guidelines as the parent network, but may be less restrictive (US Mobile, for example, will allow devices on their V or A networks that have been blocked on upstream V or A networks).

As a general rule you need to know that for the USA you will need a device that is “4G / LTE capable” as all 3G networks we removed back in 2022/23 and 2G networks were removed by V and A around that same time. T kept their 2G network working for the following few years, but now has shut that down as well. So any phone that does not support LTE (“4G”) or newer 5G simply have no network to connect to. So generally devices before 2018/19 will not function on USA cellular networks, and will be “wifi only” devices. You can check your device at GSM Arena, looking for “LTE” and / or “5G” in the Network section at the top of the specific device specs page.

Second, often phones sold in the USA will be sold in different hardware variants, often “carrier locked” to the network they were sold on: sadly, we love a "pay through the nose with a 3-year contract for a ‘free’ phone here :frowning: . Without getting “carrier unlocked” you will not be able to install a custom ROM. Some are sold “unlocked” and these are the best options. So you can’t just say the “Moto G52” or the “Pixel 6a” will work with all carriers, it depends on which Moto G52 or Pixel 6a.

This said, phone variants for the the A or T networks, while originally carrier locked to those networks, may be able to be unlocked by them, allowing them to work on any of the 3 networks. But the “gotcha” is that often phones carrier locked to the V network are a different hardware variant that will not support the cellular bands used by A or T. This means even if V “unlocks” the device, it will still only effectively work on the V network. V may not carrier unlock the device however, and without being carrier unlocked, you will not be able to install a custom ROM like iodé. Summary: unless you are only on the V or a V MVNO network, do not get a V variant device!! The prices are cheaper, but this is why. Stay away! :slight_smile: Get the “unlocked variant” and avoid all this hassle.

Next, even after being “carrier unlocked”, your device will need to be “vendor unlocked” to install an alternative ROM. This is immediately available on Pixel devices and I think all OnePlus devices (maybe others), is reasonably straight forward for Moto devices (but you need to use their website, etc) and Sony devices, but you may have a wait period while they verify it. And other devices, like Huawei (no longer in the USA market) aren’t able to be vendor unlocked period so are a no-go (these would not be supported by iodé at all).

Lastly, as of now all Samsung devices with custom ROMs do not support VoLTE, so no voice calls on any Samsung devices!

So how do you navigate all of this when looking at an ebay listing? My advice for USA users is to not use ebay, but instead use a more reputable phone reseller such as swappa.com. Swappa will let you filter by “unlocked” carrier, guaranteeing it will work on any network in the USA. The ones listed as A or T variants are cheaper, but hassle and risk awaits to see if you can get
it carrier unlocked (see above). So just stick to the “unlocked” filter on Swappa. You will pay a bit more, but are assured it will work for you.

If nothing else, Swappa is a simple way to check what the variant serial numbers are for the dreaded “Verizon models”. For the Pixel 6a bluejay, for example, when you filter by “Unlocked” you see the model is GX7AS, but if you filter by V, the model is listed as GB62Z (stay away!). A and T filters show GX7AS but again will need to be carrier unlocked by you (and may not be possible due to their policies).

Good luck! Sorry this got to be so long… :slight_smile:


Bootnote: If you are looking for a carrier, personally I use US Mobile for cellular services. They can provide sim cards for the V, T, or A networks, will work with you to get your IMEI approved if your device was carrier blocked by the upstream network, etc. Plus they are relatively quite inexpensive. $8 / month for unlimited voice / text and 2GB data is quite good in the USA (no laughing at us, rest of the world who finds this “way too expensive” :slight_smile: … I’ve lived overseas a lot of years and already know).

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Excellent write-up, @rik .

To evade many of the obstacles presented by the carrier restrictions and/or device limitations, there is an additional option available to U.S. and Canada users.

JMP.chat, an inexpensive open-source XMPP messaging service that also integrates phone call functionality in addition to SMS and MMS, can completely replace the usual carrier plan when combined with an alternate source of internet connection, i.e. any SIM card or eSIM.

Just add a cheap data-only SIM that doesn’t depend on VoLTE at all, and which will not be restricted by the networks it roams on. Examples: JMP/Soprani.ca sell a roaming data SIM/eSIM for the U.S. and Canada, and there are many other providers of cheap roaming SIMs and eSIMs to choose from.

Important limitation: JMP Chat doesn’t provide 911 service, but the phone itself is capable of dialing 911 independent of any carrier’s SIM card anyway. Emergency services can’t see your number to call you back if you get disconnected, though.

With the right data SIM you can roam across multiple networks depending on local coverage.

[Note that I don’t represent JMP/Soprani.ca in any way, but I am a happy customer.]

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Yes it is a good point, still a lot of the headache is in getting iodéOS or any custom ROM installed on a phone, and you will still need a device that still supports 4G / LTE cellular data. With JMP.chat or other SIMs you will still “roam” onto the “big 3 networks” in the USA for cellular data so you need hardware that can connect to those networks (unless you are OK not having calls or data away from wifi).

But again good point, jmp.chat is a great option. I have had an account for about 4 years, but haven’t used it much. I got it when using Ubuntu Touch / Droidian as LTE data worked on those platforms but VoLTE was not functional (and still isn’t reliable, but there is hope for the future – what we Linux enthusiasts live on :slight_smile: ). But there even SIP calling with the jmp.chat line was spotty, so again I never used it much.

On Android based ROMs what is your workflow for using the SIP number (what dialing app, can you set it as default for incoming, etc.)?

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I have two Sony Xperias running iodéOS, one is certified for VoLTE with T-mobile USA & connected MVNOs (only), and fully functional, the other is not certified for VoLTE on any U.S. network, but otherwise fully functional.

I have two JMP Chat numbers, one being a subaccount of the other. I use JMP’s Cheogram app (from F-Droid; a fork of Conversations), which handles all SMS/MMS/group messaging; it automatically appends the proper XMPP suffix to all my stored contacts, and uses them on demand. Phone calls can be made directly from the Cheogram app, or from the native dialer if integration with that is selected.

I have the JMP numbers integrated into the native dialer (easily set in the app’s preferences), so I usually use that to handle the phone calls, although Android often seems to want to force my data SIM to be the “Calling Account” (impossible), so I sometimes have to reselect it after a reboot.

To provide the internet connection, I can use either of two data SIM cards that I own, one from JMP/Soprani.ca (U.S./Canada roaming only) and the other from Vegolink (international roaming). They both connect to either AT&T or T-mobile in the U.S. Neither network cares that I’m using a data-only SIM in a telephone; I’m not their client for actual mobile service after all, just a “data roamer.”

I ported my normal mobile number to the JMP account about 6 months ago, and have been very satisfied with it as my only “carrier.” I haven’t encountered any problems with receiving verification codes or normal messages. Voice quality during calls is very good, but maybe more “VOIP-sounding” than through a mobile network. (I would need to do more polling of call recipients to confirm that.)

I live in a populated area, not out in the countryside, so coverage is not an issue.

No matter which device I care to use for the day, my messages and numbers are on it and ready for me.

My cost for the 2 lines (on the same phone! :slight_smile: ) is less than $9 per month, even including the separate PAYGO charge for either data SIM. (I typically use from 200-500 megabytes of mobile data per month.)

I do keep a regular Ultra Mobile PAYGO SIM card active for $3.00 per month, just in case I need it someday, but I don’t use it.

Me, too! :slight_smile:

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