Thursday, December 3, 2015

Enable GSM on Verizon Moto E 5.1

All credits go to this XDA thread.



Follow exactly the following steps as showing in above video:
  • Connect your Moto E on WiFi and open a web browser.
  • Click on this link to install the Network app.
  • Insert a GSM SIM card.
  • Open Settings, More under Wireless & networks, Cellular networks and now you're in the "Cellular network settings" page. Don't touch the back button; instead, touch the home button so later you can easily return to this page.
  • Turn on Airplane mode.
  • Open the Network app, switch to LTE/GSM auto (PRL), then touch on "TURN ON RADIO" - just once and ignore what happens afterward.
  • Return to the early "Cellular network settings" page by touching the square button at the right side. Touch "Preferred network type" and you have the 4G/3G/2G options that you've been dreaming for.
  • Turn off Airplane mode and you're in. You don't need to redo it after a reboot or power cycle, but you do after a SIM swap. Thank jet360 on mitbbs.
Alternative methods

1. adb method

This method is the best if you have a PC around. Like above method, you don't need to redo it after a reboot or power cycle.
  • Install the USB drivers for Moto E.
  • Enable adb USB on Moto E.
  • Download a root package that has adb included, such as this one. Unzip it into a folder, say, c:\adb.
  • Connect your phone to the PC, run the following commands from c:\adb:
adb shell "pm clear com.android.providers.telephony"
adb shell "settings put global preferred_network_mode 9"
adb shell "settings put global preferred_network_mode1 9"
adb shell "settings put global preferred_network_mode2 9"

Obviously, you can make a DOS batch file to run these commands.

2.  No PC required

This method is handy when you need to swap to a GSM SIM card while no PC available, but you need to redo it after a reboot or SIM swap.
  • Install the Network app and open it after a GSM SIM inserted.
  • Under "Set preferred network type", select the third from the bottom, i.e.:
TD-SCDMA, GSM/WCDMA,CDMA AND EvDo
  •  Then select immediately the second from the bottom, i.e.:
TD-SCDMA,GSM/WCDMA and LTE

[update] If the phone still cannot pick up a GSM service after the 4G option checked: open the Network app, enter the menu at the top right corner and select radio band to "USA Band". Thank Supergo.

6 comments:

  1. Thank you for the details. The first method worked on the new (Jan 2016) unit, with 5.1 OS.

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  2. www.androidfiler.com/gboard-apk

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  3. Thanks, your method worked for me 6 months ago but something has changed: I don't get the 4G option anymore when selecting LTE/GSM. Fortunately, alternative method 2 worked after several tries.

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  4. My mobile moto e 2nd gen 4lte only single sim.my mobile cannot show perfered network type 3g or 4g or gsm please help

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