Yeah, I could try the AT&T store. I'm also headed to the big city this weekend, so I might give the Best Buy Samsung desk method a shot. But I've gone through all the things I can do on my own, and can't get it to update any farther than 4.4.4. I'm getting pretty pissed off at this scam smart phone industry about now. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the hardware, they're just forcing the consumer to buy new phones by making it nearly impossible to update.
What does the Fox say?
- Thread starter NJmike PE
- Start date
Help Support Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum:
knight1fox3
Jedi MASTER & Friend of Capt. Solo
Agreed. There are usually minimal gains lately by just getting the latest and greatest. I loathed having to part ways with my GS4 because it worked great and actually still does (IP cam, portable music player, calculator, simulator, fitness tracker, etc.).
MetsFan
Well-known member
Costco has a trade-in deal on the new Samsung S9 where I can buy the S9 for $679 and trade in my GS7 Edge for a $360 gift card, so $319 out of pocket. Do you think the upgrade is worth it? My main concern is the battery since I'd be going from 3,600 mAH to 3,000 mAH.
edit: I should note I paid around $360 for my S7 Edge so I'd be getting the full value back.
edit: I should note I paid around $360 for my S7 Edge so I'd be getting the full value back.
Last edited by a moderator:
I went to two Best Buys today to try to get my Samsung S5 Active "flashed" to a newer version of Android. The first sent me to the second, the second said they can't do it because their "machine" broke a year ago and corporate never sent them another. They both tried to talk me into a new phone, of course. **** Samsung.
knight1fox3
Jedi MASTER & Friend of Capt. Solo
"machine"....LOL. You mean the broadband waves that send the Android data to the phone? And as noted above, this is most definitely NOT a Samsung issue. You can thank your illustrious carrier AT&T for this oversight (yet another reason I dropped them many years ago). When I had my GS4 on Verizon, I had no issues getting the latest version of Android.
Also, usually, Carrier Store >> Best Buy (or equiv.). I find the level of technical knowledge at these retail stores (Geek Squad included) declining at an exponential rate. So I'm not surprised one bit that they weren't able to assist.
MetsFan
Well-known member
I didn't go through with the upgrade. It would have been $640 out of pocket plus taxes for two phones, so I'll just keep the S7. As cool as the S9 would have been, I think I'll keep this one around for another couple of years hopefully.
youngmotivatedengineer
Well-known member
It's crazy how nobody does free phones anymore and they claim that with free phones the price was built into the package. I haven't seen significant decreases in plan pricing after stopping the free phone promotions. Or with At&t, I think the shared plan comes to about $40 a month but you have to play the additional smart phone/access fee for each phone line.
MetsFan
Well-known member
I think part of it is that the free phones back in the day were around $200 or so. I remember when getting my Moto V360, I had to pay $150 or $200 out of pocket to upgrade from the free model. Same with the Samsung Behold. You're right that plans haven't decreased in price though.
Look at my example - you won't be able to keep it for another couple of years because the sites you depend on (online banking through USAA in my case) will stop support for the older OS's, and you won't be able to upgrade due to a total lack of support. The smart phone industry is just another racket, premised on forcing you to buy a new one every 2-3 years through planned obsolescence.
Road Guy
Well-known member
You could just access USAA through a browser and not the app
My old lady is frugal as hell and she has an old iPhone 5, she refuses to spend money on a new phone so any apps that don't work on that version she just uses the browser, including banking stuff
My old lady is frugal as hell and she has an old iPhone 5, she refuses to spend money on a new phone so any apps that don't work on that version she just uses the browser, including banking stuff
Yeah, the browser isn't so convenient when you're depositing checks. I haven't tried it yet, but I hear you have to take a photo of the check and then upload it to the PC, whereas with the phone it's all there in one package - take photos of the front and back, select the account to deposit it into, type in the amount, and you're done.
I have a Samsung S5 and the USAA app doesn't work on it - they stopped supporting all Android operating systems older than 5.0 (my 5 has OS 4.4.4). My wife also has a 5, but she bought it a few months later than I did and it has OS 5.something, so it still works. Samsung supposedly supports my phone through OS 6.something, but I can't get anyone to do it for me because my carrier (AT&T) says I am "up to date" at the latest version of 4.4.4.
I'm about to see what happens when you drive a nail through a lithium samsung battery....
I have a Samsung S5 and the USAA app doesn't work on it - they stopped supporting all Android operating systems older than 5.0 (my 5 has OS 4.4.4). My wife also has a 5, but she bought it a few months later than I did and it has OS 5.something, so it still works. Samsung supposedly supports my phone through OS 6.something, but I can't get anyone to do it for me because my carrier (AT&T) says I am "up to date" at the latest version of 4.4.4.
I'm about to see what happens when you drive a nail through a lithium samsung battery....
Last edited by a moderator:
Road Guy
Well-known member
Sorry I meant iPhone 5-
I use their app and it's cool - before then I had to go to a UPS store and they would deposit the check for me. It's was a PIA - I only use them to manage this site(EB) - I would just use a regular bank for my real banking - I don't see that it really provides me anything else I can't get at a "brick and mortar bank"
What we do on phones and I am sure it works for Samsung styles is we just buy whatever the last version is through friends or amazon and don't go through the phone stores - for all my kids have used iPhone 6 through amazon for around $220 each . And if they lose one they can just fire up an old 5 and deal with it...
But if we stay just one or two generations behind the "system" seems to work whereas most of America gets wet every time a new version comes out - and people like us that don't like to pay to "rent" phones through the store are probably causing a small dent in profits - but I plan to ride it out as long as I can...
I use their app and it's cool - before then I had to go to a UPS store and they would deposit the check for me. It's was a PIA - I only use them to manage this site(EB) - I would just use a regular bank for my real banking - I don't see that it really provides me anything else I can't get at a "brick and mortar bank"
What we do on phones and I am sure it works for Samsung styles is we just buy whatever the last version is through friends or amazon and don't go through the phone stores - for all my kids have used iPhone 6 through amazon for around $220 each . And if they lose one they can just fire up an old 5 and deal with it...
But if we stay just one or two generations behind the "system" seems to work whereas most of America gets wet every time a new version comes out - and people like us that don't like to pay to "rent" phones through the store are probably causing a small dent in profits - but I plan to ride it out as long as I can...
snickerd3
Taking suggestions
knight1fox3
Jedi MASTER & Friend of Capt. Solo
There's an alternative to just relying on technical support from your carrier. But is going to require a bit more effort and patience on your end. You can root the phone and wipe out the old version of Android altogether and go with something more recent. But in doing so, will void any warranty on the phone itself and typically any corresponding "support" you might have gotten from your respective carrier. (2) of my very old phones are running newer versions of Android with no problem.
And if your carrier is refusing to provide you with support for an upgrade, while the phone manufacturer indicates support for a newer OS, then IMO it's time to drop said carrier. I do not tolerate incompetence like that. We pay a handsomely for these services and expect comprehensive support in return. Anything below this expectation is no longer worthy of my investment.
As an environmental discipline, surely you know this would be ill-advised. Not only as a hazard to yourself but any other living thing Lithium comes in contact with. I've witnessed industrial grade Lithium spills and it is NOT a pretty sight.
Last edited by a moderator:
^That's exactly why I want to do it - I want to see it BURN
We don't have much choice in carriers up here, unless you live in one of the two metropolitan areas. It's either AT&T or a prominent local carrier, who is decent, but doesn't serve outside the state.
We don't have much choice in carriers up here, unless you live in one of the two metropolitan areas. It's either AT&T or a prominent local carrier, who is decent, but doesn't serve outside the state.
knight1fox3
Jedi MASTER & Friend of Capt. Solo
And what did you do before cell phone plans were abundant?
In either case, the issue lies with your carrier. If the local AT&T carrier stores aren't willing to help solve your problem, then it's time to go up the chain of command. It can be rather gratifying how quickly a social media blast gets responded to when a technical issue like this happens. As long as you're willing to see it through.
And as mentioned above, the rooting method is another alternative course of action that can solve the problem.
