yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
Just saw this on the web today: https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/20/22240282/lg-smartphone-business-exit-2021-internal-memo

Another reason I may need to avoid LG on the next round. If they don't support for new updates much right now, then you know you won't get any support if they exit the market...

I looked at Pixel and OnePlus phones... the pixels are very unimpressive specs. The OnePlus may be interesting. I think I'm still leaning towards the S10. I may not get root, but I may not need it... the search continues.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] tech_infinity:
My v30's display and back glass got cracked at the corners.

Fingerprint also stopped working.

But I'm so appalled by the so called "flagship" phones' lack of features that I'm going to stick with V30 until it falls apart.

My love for V30 is also playing a part in the decision I guess.

But personally it makes no sense to spend a lot of money to get a Phone without SD card, headphone jack and root
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
Sorry, just to carry on the discussion... another reason I'm leaning S10: https://news.samsung.com/global/sam...g-to-three-generations-of-android-os-upgrades
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
OS upgrade support is only as good as the company releasing the upgrade. I've owned my share of Samsungs in the past and their ROMs are absurdly bloated and developers break root/unlock as often as they can. They're certainly great devices, but combine that with the price and I'd just assume stick with my years old V30. There's got to be another non-Samsung phone that meets the requirements out there somewhere ?!
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
Here's one from the anti-LG side. Yikes!

LG planning to sell its phone manufacturing to Vietnam

LG is planning to sell its phone manufacturing facilities to a Vietnamese conglomerate.

www.afterdawn.com
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
Sure, I'd love to hear options. Just not seeing many. Also thinking that I may have to give up rootability, in general... I hate to say it, but on the other hand I'm not sure how much I "need" it. And I'm all for ChazzMatt's principle of owning your phone, etc... but it's certainly getting harder and harder to do that. Again, I'm just hunting now while I can, because eventually we'll all have to make the jump to something else.

Also, I've had a Samsung before and yes it had lots of Samsung stuff on it, but it's not that big of a deal to me. You can disable most of it (as I did before with TiBu... sure I can't run that without root, but we can still disable in the settings, which is good enough). I just don't understand the obsession some have with "bloat"... turn it off and move on, so what if the app is still on the flash.. it just doesn't seem that big of a deal to me? What am I missing?

Anyway, again, would love to hear options. The batteries on our phones are not lasting as long as they used to... and replacing them means losing the IP rating. Not that I use it often, but as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, my wife dropped hers in the water recently... if it wasn't for the IP rating, I'd need a new phone now... so bring on the suggestions!
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
You don't have to switch/upgrade a phone just because it's old. If it still meets your basic requirements and functions on a high level, don't buy into the hype. Seems like your only issue with the V30 is the battery capacity over time, which is every battery ever. That's why I bought another relatively unused V30!

For the record, I just looked in Magisk and I have 15 apps with root access. There's no way I replace those all with non-root apps, no way.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
Oh don't worry, I don't upgrade for the sake of upgrading... not my style. I still have my VERY old desktop computer that runs an old Athlon X2 CPU that I use for computer repair and data recovery purposes.

Battery is the issue... as you mentioned, they wear out. I could consider another V30, but I'd also like more RAM and performance/efficiency, particularly for my wife who really uses her V30 hard. She's on it constantly and the "2 day" battery never lasted that long for her, and it's down to like half a day for her.

Maybe that's the trick - I stay on the V30 and get her a new battery via new phone. Her Magisk only has TiBu, and she doesn't even use that app (I use it when I'm working on her phone). My phone adds Tasker, but I don't know that I need it to have root. Hence my direction that maybe I don't need root after all...

So, again, it looks like I may not "need" root... as much as I'd prefer the principle of having it...

Again, if people have other devices to recommend, bring it on...
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
If I use the phone hard I also only get ~half a day out of it. Maybe as part of an alternative someone can recommend a phone with great battery. But honestly, I don't think it exists!
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] tech_infinity:
LG V60 and ASUS ROG3 would be battery champions, but ROG 3 has a lot of compromises - no SD card, headphone jack

V60 isn't rootable
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
Looks like the non-US variants are now supporting bl unlock, maybe another WTF method? haha!

https://www.xda-developers.com/lg-v60-lg-v50s-and-lg-g8s-bootloader-unlocking-support-is-now-live/
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
Agreed, finding a good battery is hard. I don't need anything super-crazy, but something bigger would be great. That said, the V30 has a 3300mAh battery, while the S10 has 3400mAh so I figured I would be fine with that... plus the stronger CPU means it won't draw as much for any given task (due to higher power efficiency and faster processing, so less time running at a higher clock).

FWIW, the S10+ is another possibility... 4100mAh battery. And an S20 is something I may consider, except they dropped the headphone jack with that... which my wife uses a lot. I don't use it at all, so I could get away without it... but it's also another device so root is a question, of course...

Again, I'm just talking aloud for my search... feel free to ignore me. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do, or that they're wrong, etc. I'm hoping to hear ideas of devices I may have missed/forget...
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ChazzMatt:
Yes, I would take the S10+ over the S10 if you are deciding between those two.

And this is entirely ignoring the root question.

When I first got my Open Market US998 phones (V30 and V30+), I did so with the expectation LG would unlock the bootloader. Finally, they only allowed that (and not even officially) on the 64GB US998 V30 and never on the 128GB US998 V30+. I had two V30 and one V30+ US998, from B&H Photo. Only with the WTF exploit did I get root on my V30+, which then became my daily phone.

But for awhile after buying the phones I had no root on any of them. Just the implied promise -- which I know was stupid of me, but I specifically WAITED MONTHS for the Open Market variants to be released because up until then LG had given bootloader unlock for those.

But now the future looks bleak for future rooted phones with the specs I want. I don't want to think about it. My V30 is still running good.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
It's pretty obvious that the best answer is not to buy a phone that isn't already unlockable (on XDA or otherwise), or at the very least rootable.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ChazzMatt:
Yes, I agree.

But besides the V30/V30+ hit every spec checkbox I had, LG ALWAYS gave the Open Market (non carrier branded) G-series and V-series variants unlocked bootloader, for both Europe and North America. I specifically waited past the U.S. carrier variants (including U.S. Cellular US998, which would NOT have the required IMEI) until North American Open Market US998 was released in December 2017. (Open Europe was released couple months earlier)

By that time the Open European H930 had received the expected LG official bootloader unlock credentials. Heck, even the Italian H930G (V30+) got official LG bootloader unlock -- which was a surprise because it was from TIM carrier.

So, when the Open Market US998 V30 and V30+ was released, of course it was going to get the same treatment. There was no risk in buying it. It wasn't like the carrier branded T-Mobile H932 -- which everyone bought ASSUMING it would get Dev root first. (It got root last.) No exploit was going to be needed. North American Open Market, like Open Europe, was going to get LG OFFICIAL bootloader unlock... Like it always had! :rolleyes:

EXCEPT at that time when North American Open Market was released, LG Mobile suddenly underwent massive reorganization due to poor sales. Stuff changed. Now no North American Open Market phones past 2016 have official unlocked bootloaders. Even the 2017 64GB US998 no longer gets LG unlocked bootloader. That workaround/website hack we found for that one variant was later wiped out with LG website re-design. (But it showed that LG was in the process of giving the US998 bootloader unlock -- that the IMEIs were being inputted.)

But it was really a broken promise. IF you are going to change policy, announce it and do it AFTER the current series is fully released, not in the middle... Instead LG didn't announce or explain anything.

Some people feel the Oreo WTF exploit was actually left in by LG staff to make up for LG's broken promises on the Open Market US998 bootloader unlock. Such a beautiful exploit! And unlike Motorola phones, you can revert back to older firmware to still take advantage of any found exploits.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
And the other problem with this stance is that basically no phone does this, other than maybe the Pixel? All other phones are unlocked via exploits and such (including the V30)... so that could change (as ChazzMatt mentioned above).

Apparently, with foreign market phones like the S10 from Asia, the laws there require that the phone is unlockable, so those devices allow it. Of course, the USA is behind the times as usual, because the carriers lie and say it's necessary to make their network operate... and the politicians believe it. And then the carriers in the US play games with IMEIs as if that makes any damn bit of difference... but it does force you into buying THEIR phone. /rant
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
I certainly agree with all this, I wasn't trying to cause too much of a stir. Maybe the answer is nobody's making good phones that tick all the boxes anymore? Pixel is almost there, but no extSD. The Samsungs would be great but are a bear to bl unlock. So here we are sitting around with our V30+ just enjoying the last great phone.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
Agreed, and please don't take what I said as defensive or offensive... we're just having a discussion and I'm looking for options. It's a discussion forum, after all! :)
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
haha certainly none taken! What was the point of this thread again... Oh yes, bring on the recommendations to ditch my V30!
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] TheDannemand:
Maybe the best thing to do right now is nothing -- if that's an option: As long as our V30's aren't broken, they're still excellent phones. Until such time as they're kicked off the networks, we can afford to wait for better options to come out.

And of course the best deals on new phones are rarely when they're new.

I bought two refurbished US998 a year ago, anticipating that I would use them for at least 1-2 years, one as my primary, the other as backup/music streamer.

I'm going to hang on to them for awhile yet.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] Lenster45:
I have kind of arrived at the same conclusion to keep the V30 but on a side issue has anyone found a drop off on battery life as the phone ages?
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
yes, we all have. That's not specific to the V30, it's every phone battery, watch battery, etc ever
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
That's why I'm starting my hunt for a replacement... wife burns through her battery within the day, by the afternoon usually. She is a heavy user (only web browsing, really, so not even gaming).
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] tech_infinity:
Is ability to root essential for your wife?

Or that's a prerequisite only for you?

S10 Snapdragon checks most boxes of your needs, but root situation is tricky.

Also if you prefer battery life then a 700 Snapdragon series phone might be better as they're more power efficient (at the cost of performance)
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
She certainly doesn't care. I prefer it on principle... as ChazzMatt says, so that I can "own my phone".

Yeah, root is tricky on the S10. Are you speaking from experience, or just from reading? Any experience you can share is appreciated.

Yes, I suppose 700-series could have better battery life... I'm not seeing a clear-cut advantage either way, but comparing the Pixel 4a (Snap 730) to the S10 (Snap 855) shows the 4a has a slight advantage (even with the smaller battery on the 4a)... but that could be due to the lower res and smaller screen, too. If you have any better comparisons, I'd love to see them... but I'm not averse to going that way. Again, just looking for ideas here, so your post is appreciated!
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
@ChazzMatt and really everybody, why has the V50 not been considered? Seems to check all the same boxes (external SD, 1440p, qi charging, headphone port). It's on sale today for $260 here: https://ebay.to/2Z1Wydl

Also it appears to be bl unlockable here:

https://xdaforums.com/t/root-fastbo...isk-all-in-one-guide-for-noobs.4099337/page-4

and

https://xdaforums.com/t/guide-lg-g8...nlock-and-magisk-root-using-firehose.4221793/

What am I missing??
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ChazzMatt:
Hmmm.... This is very new development. Late January 2021. I didn't know about it, but then I have two new children. :)

But until now, all the non-European V50 (Korean, U.S. Sprint) could only get some kind of

temp root, not permanent root

. (Euro V50 of course has official LG bootloader unlock.)

With this new development for people using T-Mobile (Sprint), with the Sprint V50 seems (since it was a "Sprint" branded phone) they would have VoLTE/VoWiFi) if they stay on rooted stock firmware. AT&T people would probably be out of luck. AT&T users have a year until HSPA shuts down.

Sprint V50 does have LTE band 13 so should work with Verizon SIM card. Curious about Verizon VoLTE with an already-activated Verizon SIM card.

The root guide says Android 10 is required, so you would have to buy one with that already installed since Sprint didn't release public KDZ. Sprint (now T-mobile) wouldn't allow updates unless you had their SIM card installed. This was why non-Sprint owners of LS998 had to Frankenstein to US998 even before the WTF exploit was created. Frankenstein was to 1) carrier unlock and 2) help users update to newer KDZ firmware.

I see those on eBay are already carrier-unlocked, but you would need to make sure they have Android 10 installed...

https://xdaforums.com/t/guide-lg-g8...nlock-and-magisk-root-using-firehose.4221793/
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
I hear you, glad you are well with the new kiddos!

It says Sprint CDMA/GSM unlocked, does it have the bands for Verizon? As far as I can tell VZ requires 2, 4, 5, 13, 46, 48, 66. The device seems to have all of these except 48. I don't know enough about wireless bands to know if that makes a difference.. But at the top of the auction page on EBAY it says: "LG Warranty-Not For Verizon Or Boost Mobile"

LG V50 ThinQ 5G - Full phone specifications

www.gsmarena.com

I'm sure you don't know these answers and I should read more into the V50 thread, but this seems legit, yes? At the top of the EBAY auction page it says
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
Not for nothing, the Verizon version is also for sale for under $200 on swappa:

Buy Verizon LG V50 ThinQ 5G

Get a cheaper, gently used Verizon LG V50 ThinQ 5G phone for sale on Swappa. Safety, simplicity, and staff-approved listings make Swappa the better place to buy.

swappa.com

Really thinking about pulling the trigger here!
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
This is why I love this thread! Let's keep the ideas flowing!

Great idea, @ldeveraux with the V50. I think the reason it was overlooked is because it wasn't rootable in the past... now that it seems it could be, that's certainly a game changer.

Too bad my mother in law doesn't live nearby, as she has the V50 (got sucked in by the VZ IMEI BS)... I could have tinkered with it. But this is a viable option for me, too... will have to do a little more reading, but I welcome other people's findings!
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] tech_infinity:
Just from reading.

Tbh S10 is far better imo overall than 4a as a device. If there isn't a substantial price difference then S10 would be the way to go.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ChazzMatt:
Not sure why it says "not for Verizon" since it should have CDMA bands, being a former Sprint phone. It also has LTE band 13, which is most important for Verizon. Band 13 for them is like Band 12 for T-Mobile. Their VoLTE use it, to my understanding.

But they probably mean you can't ACTIVATE on Verizon. But if you have an already-activated SIM card...

However, definitely buying the Verizon version would be less risky for Verizon users.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
I've read bad things about that Ebay seller (from the SD thread) but also bad things about the V50 in the same thread. Who knows?

I think I would get the VZ variant, but they haven't confirmed in the thread it will definitely unlock that variant. So I'm on hold for now until confirmed.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] cmrntnnr:
@ChazzMatt - Congratulations, sounds like twins?

I've been lurking in this thread for a while. It is interesting to watch the options evolve, but nothing attractive has presented itself.

@ldeveraux - thank you for pointing out that root has come to the V50/G8. It is not an option I'm willing to pursue. The hardware is great like other LG flagships. The software side had remained terrible. LG made promises and broken them egregiously. I will not support them any longer with my dollars. No surprise why LG's mobile division is circling the toilet bowl.

I hate to say it but the best option, as I see it, looks like heresy, an iPhone.

Edit:

1-Regarding Apple and iPhone, it has been enjoyable watching Zuck squirm.

2-Google phones are the other option.

Cheers
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
Yes, how dare LG only support phones released in the past couple years with software updates. If they were a company worth their salt, they would support all phones they've ever released with the absolute latest Android version. /s

1-If you're even considering an iPhone over literally anything Android based, you're in the wrong forum. Don't know how you'd consider the "software side" to be any better from Apple. They're built for kids and rubes with not enough impetus to customize their devices and too much money to care. You can't even manually sort/organize icons on your home screen. They just appear there..

2-Pixels don't have external SD storage. So no.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] cmrntnnr:
Yes, I do expect LG to provide updates. Three years of support is a good minimum starting point. I am angry at LG not only for not providing enough updates but also for not living up to their promises. For the record, the open market V30S never received a single update. The V35 Fi model was also promised A10. These phones are still perfectly good except for outdated software. They were also 600 USD each. LG doesn't have to act this way toward customers who buy their flagships. I bought a Sony XZ2 compact at the same time as the V30S for about the same money. It's been on A10 for months. LG rightfully deserves its plight. Part of me hopes to see them bankrupt but I'd rather seem them reform themselves.

None of the options look good. It's the radio button problem but worse. All that's left is to chose priorities and what to give up. Security updates matters more to me than latest hardware. I am in the right forum because hopefully there will be options shared other than iPhone and Pixel that look attractive. Sony is close, too. I did say heresy when referring to the iPhone and am familiar with its downsides.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
XDA has become:

Primarily - A place to learn how to unlock bl or root at the very least any android device

Last on the list - a place to ask questions about a stock phone

There's nothing wrong with wanting the latest updates, but XDA is a place where people circumvent what the manufacturers give us to make devices hyper optimized/customized.

With the topic of this thread in mind, the V50 has newly become the phone that loyal V30 users can graduate to.

You seem to have an unnatural hatred for a faceless company by the way!
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] cmrntnnr:
There's a lot of discussion on cross-flashing, mods for stock roms, and general problem solving. I migrated my V30S over to stock to be ready for Verizon's 3G shutdown. The LOS based roms are great. LiquidRemix was sweet! Sadly none of the LOS roms support VoLTE on LG phones. It would be a game changer if developers are able to crack or reverse engineer the RIL. VoLTE support in LOS actually ends up being another criteria for choosing where to go!

Definitely a bipolar view of LG. Love the awesome hardware and hate the support.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
I stopped messing with LOS a long time ago. Most on XDA (the vocal ones at least) just use the stock ROMs with bl unlock, root, and debloated. I use the latest VS996 ROM and it's been smooth sailing, no I'm not in any dire need to switch. Really trying to find a cheap V50 to toy around with.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
Sick burn!

But seriously, eff Apple, stick to the V30.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
I really wasn't going for a burn on anyone... I'm really curious as to why people think that an iPhone is "better" in any way (even versus even the V30) when so many features are missing or lacking. Does having the latest rom really mean that much? It doesn't to me... but I'm always willing to learn what I'm missing!
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
If you're going to root/unlock your phone you're essentially circumventing the security fixes provided by the update. 99% of the time a "security fix" is just to protect their IP, nothing to do with general security.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] schwinn8:
Forgot to mention, speaking of malware. I have a VS996 on TotalWireless. Yet, the other day, I saw that something background-installed an app on my phone. I checked the info on the app, and it said it was installed by "Verizon App Manager". Seriously, WTF?! I'm not on VZ and never asked for their garbage installation choices. Fortunately, due to a rooted phone, I could easily freeze the app in TiBu.

So, as far a malware and security goes, I have more to complain about the carriers than any third party or hacker.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] cmrntnnr:
I despise Apple, too, maybe for different reasons. Their 30% cut for access to the istore is usary. They make nothing themselves and are societal leaches. It was a pleasure to learn how Nissan and Hyundai rebuffed Apple's proposal to become the FoxConn of cars. Itunes to access pics and media is beyond terrible. The only good thing has been willingness to provide users a way to opt out of the human futures market. It's been nice seeing Zuck squirm.

Leaks make the upcoming Sony Xperia 1 III look pretty good. Bootloader unlock likely supported, too.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] ldeveraux:
You're literally repeating yourself, down to the dig on Mark Zuckerburg. But sure, point taken.
[LG V30 Questions & Answers] cmrntnnr:
No thoughts about the Sony? It's a serious upgrade to V30. I know bashing apple is fun. but where to go after the V30 is the point of this thread after all. No notch, 3.5 mm jack, sd card slot, great screen, decent battery. It even comes with a cheesy name. Seems a better choice than an abandoned V50.