Question

Sprint LG V50 phone on T_Mobile

  • 1 October 2020
  • 46 replies
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Hi, I recently bought a Sprint branded LG V50 which works reasonably well on T-Mobile.  I found out that the phone will no longer work after Jan 2021 because Sprint/T-Mobile is not porting VoLTE and WiFi calling over to the device.  So much for the un-carrier. 

When I called Customer Service, I was told I have to buy a new phone.  I just bought this one.  I do not get why I should have to pay for another phone. Is anyone out there in a similar situation?  Is there a remedy?

Thanks

Pete


46 replies

From my research, the Sprint V50 will cease to work once T-Mobile enforce VoLTE come Jan 2021. Sprint phones do not have T-Mobile VoLTE coding, so they cannot get VoLTE on T-Mobile network. Sprint customers get special offers from T-Mobile to upgrade to S20. But if you buy the Sprint phone on your own, you are stuck. I think that is the reason it is selling at $320.

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Thank you.  I ended up getting the S20 FE with a $500 trade in for the V50. All in all, it worked out.  I wish T-Mo had added VoLTE/VoWiFi support for the V50 because it is a great phone, but this will do.

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I was able to get a $250 trade in value for my Sprint V50 when switching over to a T-Mobile Pixel 4a 5G today.  

When y'all say the V50 "won't work anymore", you mean it won't connect with 5g, correct?  Otherwise the phone will work fine, but will only connect LTE?

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T-Mobile is requiring devices to use VoLTE to make and receive calls at some point.  This is what they are talking about.  Some Sprint and imported devices along with some other firmware variant devices will no longer work on T-Mobile once that update rolls out to the network.

I'm still confused about this.  I see that the V50 is indeed not on their compatible voLTE list, but this is what it says above that list on their website…

"Ready to take advantage of faster data speeds? Make sure you have one of compatible devices below. Don’t have the device you need? Without a 4G LTE-compatible device on our network, you’ll still have access to voice, text and picture messaging, and internet at up to 2G speeds"

This phone is AWESOME and I got it SUPER discounted AND UNLOCKED on Ebay.  Be sure to get the extra screen, too!

 

Had some issues at first with MMS and it going to 3G on calls.  Then, I looked into the web and found someone doing a ## something and it reset my network connections and apn FOR ME!!!

 

Seemed like a basic thing.  It didn't reset my phone, just the network settings and stuff.

 

My phone sends mms and doesn't do the 3g thing anymore, AND it reset the APN stuff for me.

 

Love my V50, just wish I could get the sprint flash when i startup.  Lol

 

 

WORTH THE DISCOUNT AND SUPER SIMPLE TO FIX MINOR ISSUES IF YOU'RE PATIENT.

 

MY V50 WORKS GREAT!

 

#GuyOnTheHigh

#GuyOnTheHigh, so now in July 2021 is the V50 still working well for you ?

I've answered my own question, because there was no clear answer about the V50 on T-Mobile summer 2021 anywhere that I could find.  So for anyone exploring whether to get a V50 unlocked to use on T-Mobile here you go...

08/10/2021 I decided to order a Korean version world unlocked V50 on ebay.  I inserted my sim card and updates were automatically sent to the phone and it seems to work fine.  I'm not sure it was actually necessary, but I entered the suggested apn edits from this site:

T-Mobile APN settings for LG V50 ThinQ 5G - APN Settings USA
https://apn.gishan.net/en/apn/t-mobile/lg-v50-thinq-5g.    

As far as I can tell the phone is functioning perfectly, but doesn't connect 5g, not an issue for me.  Otherwise voLTE seems to be working fine, and I am able to text and use internet and browser while on phone calls.  I wanted to upgrade to the latest pre-V60 and Velvet because of the size and rear fingerprint, which I prefer.  So far I'm happy I took the risk and wish someone would have given complete information so I could have had it months ago!  Just a slight upgrade from the V40 and G8, both of which I like very much, but I appreciate that it's a little better and up to date.  I DO NOT KNOW if my findings would apply to the Sprint version of the V50, as I did see some YouTube reviewers saying it was better to get unlocked non-Sprint version...don't know why. 

When I log in to my TMobile account it can't identify the V50 I'm using on my line, but has the IMEI and it works great.  There's some notes in my account that I'm not connecting to their 5g or LTE on the V50, but my usage experience so far says otherwise, on LTE anyway.  The phone is not actually showing me what kind of T-Mobile network connection I'm getting, but seems fast and no dropped calls or lag as far as I can tell.  I'll update if I run into any problems, but so far so good!

 

 

 

 

 

Update after 3 days, V50 unlocked Korean version is an awesome phone, awesome features and is working perfectly so far on USA T-Mobile...calls, mms, social media, voLTE, etc. (excluding 5g capability).

Update after 3 days, V50 unlocked Korean version is an awesome phone, awesome features and is working perfectly so far on USA T-Mobile...calls, mms, social media, voLTE, etc. (excluding 5g capability).

still working well? i’m thinking about buying one on ebay.

Yes sir, using it right now.  I've noticed also that it has great battery life.  If I have one complaint (just an annoyance actually), it's just that this Korean phone has popped up with a notification about something in Korean a couple of times.  I just turn them off.  Still very happy with it.  Again though, if 5G capability is important to you, it won't connect to 5g with TMO, not an issue for me because I'm on wifi 90% of the time.

Yes sir, using it right now.  I've noticed also that it has great battery life.  If I have one complaint (just an annoyance actually), it's just that this Korean phone has popped up with a notification about something in Korean a couple of times.  I just turn them off.  Still very happy with it.  Again though, if 5G capability is important to you, it won't connect to 5g with TMO, not an issue for me because I'm on wifi 90% of the time.

dope, making an order next week. super excited. i’m more interested in getting an lg v50 then i am a new iphone or galaxy phone since they all don’t have a headphone jack. I got an lg v35 thinq and that didn’t work with tmobile so i’ve been wary of picking up another LG phone

Ha!  I actually just got an unlocked ATT V35 last week, it connected to TMO fine after it downloaded updates, but it does have ATT software and some functions aren't the same.  Yes, I'm a used phone collector…

I agree, I prefer rear fingerprint because they work so well, and I have to have a 3.5mm jack too.  And the last of the new LG phones are just too big and awkward.

Be careful about unlocked Sprint vs Verizon vs Korean though.  I ordered the unlocked Korean one and it works great, but I understand there may be some issues with the Sprint version.  Don't know about the unlocked Verizon, but it's also nice that there's not another carriers startup software and logo on the Korean one.  Check out reviews on YouTube.  Good luck!

Are you getting decent lg speeds and coverage???

Im sorry i mean lte speeds

I just turned off my wifi and connected through LTE to respond to your inquiry.  The top right indicates LTE, and I notice no speed difference on the TMO website.  Seems to work fine.  I am on wifi the majority of the time, so I'm not using LTE often for data, but I see no issues.

Just connected a call and received sms while on this site, no issues.  Again, I'm using the Korean world unlocked V50 I got on ebay, I can't speak to the Verizon or Sprint versions.

Thanks! Can you download speedtest app by ookla and see what kind of download speeds you get?

6.61 Mbps

Nice. Thanks

So sprint lg v50 is a no go correct. Just the Korean one corect?

Sorry for the delayed response, but I can't answer your question anyway.  I went with Korean world phone because there may be problems with the Sprint version, but I can't say for sure.  Wish someone with a Sprint V50 could chime in on this. 

Update...traveling I did experience a connection issue with the V50, as in I wasn't able to connect calls, sms or data.  A restart corrected the issue.  Don't know why, but a simple restart corrected it so I consider it minor.  We actually had this happen on a TMobile Gal S21 as well, that's why I knew to try restart to correct.  Maybe a TMobile issue rather than phone.  Otherwise I still love the V50, wish TMO would fully support this phone. 

Further update...V50 has been working great, until this morning.  I allowed the Android 11 update to be installed last night, and I'm having sluggish performance and sms delays, as well as battery drain.  Have updated all apps and I'm operating battery saver, hopefully this hasn't caused a permanent reduction in performance.  I've also had basic settings such as ring tones, etc mysteriously changing.

My advice to anyone else using the V50 based on my short-term experience is don't upgrade to Android 11.  I'll update after I determine if the upgrade has caused permanent issues.

Hello Everyone,

Long time reader first time participating. I abandoned Samsung a long time ago. They do make awesome phone but there are overpriced and my being a single user with a grandfathered plan, no real incentive without adding a line or upgrading or trade-in etc, so I’ve been using LG starting with the V20 to V30 and V40. Unsure but it seems with LG going out of the market I’ve developed a fondness for using the LG V60 but the onscreen fingerprint reader is just too much of a headache and screen pattern not always convenient with using one hand especially if at work and wanting to quickly unlock for a quick peek. . I’d like to get an unlocked GSM Sprint V50 off of eBay. Very good specs and rear fingerprint and I don’t care about 5G really as long as I can use 4G LTE. Anyone here still using Sprint V50 on T-mobile network? I read on reddit that with modifying the apn and the likes, the phone will work great and with volte and no issues. Any thoughts on that based on actual experience and usage? Thank you greatly.

FAMD

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