AT&T Samsung Galaxy S8 Softwate update when not on AT&T anymore

Hello @orubin,

Signing up for a brief prepaid sim is one way to go. However, should another update be released for your device, you will remain in the same situation with your new carrier.

Without being on our network there is nothing we can do unfortunately.

Thank you for reaching out,

Cleveland AT&T Community Specialist

Hello @orubin,

We understand your concern for security when using outdated software.

AT&T does not provision software updates to individual devices out of network. In your particular case we suggest using Samsung Smart Switch as you mentioned.

Because you've received an error message however you should reach out to Samsung for information on updating the Galaxy S8 and possible troubleshooting.

Best regards,
Cleveland, AT&T Community Specialist

Thanks Cleveland. yes, I am well aware that you cannot update an out of network phone. This is not a surprise, and was not expecting that. And looking at the list of updates I have missed so far, I am WAY behind the curve on security updates. Sadly, reaching out to Samsung was totally useless, they said to contact you since you are where I bought the phone from.

Smart switch shows me to be on a software version way back from November 8, 2017. 

Sadly, as I said, this limitation of never getting an update again if I left the AT&T network was never explained to me when buying the phone, nor when talking to the rep when closing the AT&T account. A small problem of disclosure here as well. Personally, I think AT&T has a responsibility here since you sold the phone to me. Legally, I guess I will need to talk to legal advice to see who really owns that responsibility. 

One suggestion they did say was to see if my old SIM would still work, and if not, see if it can be provisioned long enough to get the updates. No calls, no texts, no data usage beyond the system messages from AT&T to let the device upgrade.  I still have my old AT&T SIM, but it reads "Not provisioned" (as expected) when I insert it. Maybe there is something that can be done here? Maybe I just turn it on to pre-paid for one month? Would the $30 "no data" plan allow my phone to upgrade if I did that?  Looking for ideas here to not have an outdated phone. 

Personally, I just want to update my phone's software for security reasons, and believe that AT&T should provide with a way to do that on a phone bought from an AT&T store and still displaying the AT&T logo every it powers up, and obviously locked to your network for updates. I am looking for a solution, and as a long time customer of AT&T (and former employee) I feel that wringing your hands and dismissing the issue is just bad customer service. Not getting the warm and fuzzy feeling with AT&T right now.

So, can we please try again? Perhaps you can fire this up the food chain at your end and find me a solution please?

Thank you. 

Actually no with the s8 once he updates to a current level the phone will auto switch the carrier sim card in the phone.

Thanks GLIMMERMAN76, that is what I was told. There seems to have been a fix some time ago that allows the phone to switch over on an update. So besides missing security changes, I am missing that piece too. 

I will say that I am reconsidering ever using an AT&T Wireless product again, and I am supposed to have AT&T internet installed on Tuesday, and am thinking about canceling that as well. This is the worst customer service I have seen since Comcast in the 90's. 

Thanks GLIMMERMAN76 for the real answer. Maybe I'll go to an AT&T store and see if they will let me use a SIM for an hour while waiting there to at least get the necessary 7.0 updates. 

Cheers

Well, this is still not resolved actually. Last time I use AT&T Wireless. You have lost me for good on your Wireless plans. Nice going, and great customer service for a customer who bought their phone at an AT&T store, and was a wireless customer for maybe 10 years!  SIGH!

Went to an AT&T store, and they said flat out they would not put one of their SIMS in my phone to test out a software update. The not so bright clerk actually told me that they do not have any SIMs just lying about. (There was a drawer full of them actually, and a dozen or so demo phones with SIMS in them.) But getting one to use WHILE IN THE STORE seemed to be out of the question. The not so smart clerk in the store actually said to me, "What are you trying to pull here?" Really AT&T, this is how you train your clerks, to insult customers in the store?

I'm now curious to know what exactly I could pull off by putting another SIM in my phone for 10 minutes while I connect to Smart Switch and try and force a software update? 

My only option offered with $35 plus tax for a pre-paid SIM that they could not assure me it would allow a software update, and, of course,  no refunds on that plan!

So anyone know FOR SURE: If I install an AT&T pre-paid SIM card into my AT&T Samsung S8 phone, will I actually be able to get software updates to my phone? And once updated, will it fix the problem going forward (which the new software is supposed to do) and properly update once I put my T-Mobile SIM back in?  Don't really want to pay $35 for a month of service I will not use if it wont do the update. 

Sorry, but I do not really trust the AT&T people on this forum, They have been wrong so many times before. 

Thanks

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@orubin wrote:

Well, this is still not resolved actually. Last time I use AT&T Wireless. You have lost me for good on your Wireless plans. Nice going, and great customer service for a customer who bought their phone at an AT&T store, and was a wireless customer for maybe 10 years!  SIGH!

 

Went to an AT&T store, and they said flat out they would not put one of their SIMS in my phone to test out a software update. The not so bright clerk actually told me that they do not have any SIMs just lying about. (There was a drawer full of them actually, and a dozen or so demo phones with SIMS in them.) But getting one to use WHILE IN THE STORE seemed to be out of the question. The not so smart clerk in the store actually said to me, "What are you trying to pull here?" Really AT&T, this is how you train your clerks, to insult customers in the store?

 

I'm now curious to know what exactly I could pull off by putting another SIM in my phone for 10 minutes while I connect to Smart Switch and try and force a software update? 

 

My only option offered with $35 plus tax for a pre-paid SIM that they could not assure me it would allow a software update, and, of course,  no refunds on that plan!

So anyone know FOR SURE: If I install an AT&T pre-paid SIM card into my AT&T Samsung S8 phone, will I actually be able to get software updates to my phone? And once updated, will it fix the problem going forward (which the new software is supposed to do) and properly update once I put my T-Mobile SIM back in?  Don't really want to pay $35 for a month of service I will not use if it wont do the update. 

 

Sorry, but I do not really trust the AT&T people on this forum, They have been wrong so many times before. 

 

Thanks

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that all depends how far you are behind in updates.  You can google search and find the software on XDA to flash to ATT oreo on your phone then it will auto switch carriers.  Its really not the hard to do..  But remember you WILL LOSE ALL DATA on your phone..

@orubin,

To be fair to AT&T, you are technically no longer a current paying customer anyway... right?

I mean, you left for T-Mobile already, so what do they have to lose now?  They have no commitment to you.

I'm not trying to be harsh, just realistic about the situation. 

And, no, the AT&T store people will not always be the brightest, but certainly will not be the easiest to work with when some random person off the street comes into their store asking "hey, can you stick one of those SIMs in my phone here?"  They don't know who you are, except that you're not a customer.  It really doesn't matter if you bought the phone from AT&T, their commitment to providing a service for it was done when you fulfilled your commitment to pay for it and had it unlocked to use elsewhere.  That service contract goes both ways.

Warranty issues may be the only thing AT&T still has to provide, assuming it's still less than a year since you bought it.

Now, I'm not here to sing all the praises of AT&T, I've complained about them many times, even here on this forum - especially about their commitment to BlackBerry because - until last year when I got the S8 - I've had one with AT&T since 2007, and AT&T never kept their BlackBerry phones updated with the current OS.  Now, with the current BlackBerry android phones, they are a bit more current, they still don't provide all the enhanced services to them for some reason (and the phones can certainly handle them).  On the OS side with the old BBOS and BB10 phones, I just decided to never rely on AT&T and loaded up OS files made available by BlackBerry to the rest of the world and moved on with my life.  Customer service for the phone itself was never an issue with AT&T because I never dealt with them.  CrackBerry was my service adviser. 

However, customer service with my account service, I have to say, was always great.  And, that's the reason I'm still with them.  We are on a family plan with 3 phones in all tied to it, and have had no problems.

Actually att is the only carrier that won't provide updates if you take your phone with you as they do a imei check.

Thanks joeldf. But not helpful, and does not answer my question: If I buy a Pre-paid card, can I use it to get my phone to update it's software? Simple question.

As for being a customer, I was a customer for more than 10 years, I bought a lot of equipment from them, and I left because they made constant mistakes on my account that I had to fight to correct every time, charges that were unjustified or in error, took forever to correct problems, and are still among the most expensive carriers in the industry. I am now paying less than half what I was paying before for considerably more service (unlimited EVERYTHING!) and MUCH better customer service. As well as VERY inexpensive foreign use as we travel a lot), which AT&T does not have. AT&T's $10/day/phone is crazy expensive if you travel to Europe for 2 weeks at a time ($280 bucks!)

And I am still an AT&T customer for other services. That is why they should help to answer your question. I can easily change those services to other companies as well. And if they want customers to come back, they need to entice them with good service, not treat them badly. That does nothing to make me want to return. 

As for AT&T's responsibility, they are the ones that lock the phone to their system for updates, since it is supposed to be possible to do updates with SmartSwitch off the network, except for AT&T phones it seems. At this point, I will probably just sell the phone on-line and buy a new phone on the new network. That would ensure I don't return. 

I guess all that stuff about pleasing your customers and potential customers by treating them well that I learned in business classes years ago does not apply today. It certainly does not apply to AT&T it seems.