Changing mobile carrier

[Myk Rian]

We're changing our mobile carrier from Verizon to Xfinity. When I put the Xfinity SIM card in my Android S21, is the phone OS going to be reset and reinstalled with whatever Xfinity wants me to have?
Will I be losing pictures and documents during the process?

[Kev Williams]

I haven't a clue as I don't do smartphones- but since my wife does, I DO know that you *should be* able to connect the old phone to your computer and transfer any and all files from the phone to the computer. Just do a copy/paste so all the pics and files will still be on the old phone. If there IS a problem, at least you won't have lost them...

[Myk Rian]

How to backup data isn't the question. Do I need to, is.
It's turning out to be a nightmare moving our phones to Xfinity from Verizon.
You need to have Verizon unlock the phone, then you need a 6 digit PIN from them, and none of their online resources make sense, or work.
Tech support phone waits are 40+ minutes, then you're on the phone for an hour, and still there are problems. I'm going to need a sleeping pill tonight.

[Ed Aumiller]

We recently went from ATT to Consumer Cellular.. We have 2 Samsung Android phones and one Iphone... ATT sent codes to unlock phones. After they were unlocked and received new sim cards from CC, it went very smooth with help from CC..
Our bill dropped from $134 to $49... to be fair, if we would have went unlimited data it would have been $75.. still a lot monthly..
We did not back up our phones, but probably should have..
Good luck..

[Jim Becker]

You need to be sure your phone is unlocked from VZ and you'll also need your PIN code to allow your number to be transferred to XFinity if you are keeping the same number(s). Your phone shouldn't change at all when you put a different SIM into it for a different carrier.

You should always backup your device before you make a major change like this. Stuff happens... In fact, a periodic backup is always a best practice if you don't have it automated, especially if you have information and media like photos that are important to you.

[Myk Rian]

Verizon has told us 3 times my phone is unlocked. Xfinity says it isn't.
A 56gig backup is going to take me awhile. That's just my data files.
I'll work on it tomorrow.

[Steve Wurster]

The "funniest" part about reading this thread is the fact that Xfinity uses Verizon for its wireless service. You won't be leaving the Verizon network at all.

[Jim Becker]

The "funniest" part about reading this thread is the fact that Xfinity uses Verizon for its wireless service. You won't be leaving the Verizon network at all.

True dat. Coopetition at its best.... Of course, the XFinity implementation only uses the VZ infrastructure when the device needs to be on cellular signal. Otherwise, it all goes through WiFI...all those open XFinity access points that consumers allow (because they didn't opt out or didn't know they could opt out or are not aware their access point is usable by other XFinity subscribers) provide nearly continuous non-cellular connectivity in the neighborhoods, etc. So the impact to VZ's network is a lot less and they get a few shekels from Comcast to share.

[Myk Rian]

The "funniest" part about reading this thread is the fact that Xfinity uses Verizon for its wireless service. You won't be leaving the Verizon network at all.
The difference is $50+/month savings with xfinity.

[Steve Wurster]

The difference is $50+/month savings with xfinity.

Oh, I don't doubt it. But it's annoying for you that you have to do all this SIM shenanigans when you're not technically leaving the underlying carrier.

[Steve Wurster]

True dat. Coopetition at its best.... Of course, the XFinity implementation only uses the VZ infrastructure when the device needs to be on cellular signal. Otherwise, it all goes through WiFI...all those open XFinity access points that consumers allow (because they didn't opt out or didn't know they could opt out or are not aware their access point is usable by other XFinity subscribers) provide nearly continuous non-cellular connectivity in the neighborhoods, etc. So the impact to VZ's network is a lot less and they get a few shekels from Comcast to share.

That behavior from Comcast is one of the reasons why I don't own any of their equipment (except CableCARDs) even though I have been one of their customers since forever. I own my own modem, my own router, and I use TiVo STBs.

[Lee DeRaud]

A 56gig backup is going to take me awhile. That's just my data files.
I'll work on it tomorrow.
On a Samsung A21? That sounds like most of it is on an SD card. Just pop it out until the switchover is complete, then put it back in: instant backup.

[Lisa Starr]

We switched from Verizon to Google Fi not too long ago. The Verizon Web page allows you to request the Pin to transfer the phone number. It took around 15 minutes for each Pin to come thru after the request. We were getting new phones at the same time, and Fi offered an app that moved absolutely everything from the old phone to the new. We were transferring from Samsung to Samsung for one phone and Samsung to Pixel for the other. It worked perfectly in both cases.

[Myk Rian]

It's an S21. No SD card.

This has been a real PITA trying to get my phone ported over. Verizon unlocked it, but the number stayed locked. 3 days talking to both services, and someone finally figured that out. Got the transfer finally done this morning after 2 hrs on the phone. Holy cow.

Anyway, no OS replacement, just a few Xfinity apps installed and a few Verizon apps removed.

[Lee DeRaud]

It's an S21. No SD card.Ah, sorry, misread that.

[Lee DeRaud]

We were transferring from Samsung to Samsung for one phone and Samsung to Pixel for the other. It worked perfectly in both cases.
Whatever else anyone thinks of Samsung and their "not-quite-standard-Android" mentality, they've got the whole phone-change process down perfect.

(Unlike, say, Motorola, who recently caused me to use quite a bit of non-SMC-approved language.)

[Myk Rian]

Whatever else anyone thinks of Samsung and their "not-quite-standard-Android" mentality, they've got the whole phone-change process down perfect.

(Unlike, say, Motorola, who recently caused me to use quite a bit of non-SMC-approved language.)

That Knox programming Samsung uses prevents the phone from being rooted. That took all the fun out of it. I rooted my S3 no problem. The S7 and now the S21 are nogo.

That language has been frequent here for the last 2 days.
We couldn't get Smart Switch to work to transfer her files to the Moto as it wanted to use the network to do it. Well, that didn't work.
The Tech at Verizon suggested using the Moto transfer app. Haven't tried it yet.

My wife is going for a walk to lower the blood pressure.

[Jim Becker]

That behavior from Comcast is one of the reasons why I don't own any of their equipment (except CableCARDs) even though I have been one of their customers since forever. I own my own modem, my own router, and I use TiVo STBs.

I haven't use them for a very long time, actually. I moved to symmetrical fiber about the first day it was available at the Buckingham property. I was literally on "port one" of the fiber tap on the pole. Haven't looked back. :) While that service is from Verizon, I don't use them for wireless...T-Mo got that business a few years ago as it was half the cost we had been paying to AtT. (the "corporate carrier" given my employer was a spinoff of a spinoff from ATT)

[Myk Rian]

One very good thing about losing Verizon, I don't get the nagging to subscribe to Visual Voicemail anymore. I could find no way to turn that off or delete it.