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I upgraded from a Galaxy S4 to a Galaxy S5 some time ago, and while my active Verizon service is on my S5, I still use my S4 as a wifi only device (I prefer it for things like reading because it is lighter and shorter, so extended use doesn't cause joint pain like the S5 does). I keep several of my accounts connected to it for email, etc. as well, so I feel that it is important to keep the OS updated for security purposes, but I've been told by Verizon support that there are only 2 ways to get the updates on an inactive Verizon device - I can either move service from my S5 to my S4, download/install the OTA update, then move service back to my S5 or I can take the S4 to a Best Buy store and have them install the update at their Samsung device center.
Option one is quite a hassle for a few reasons. First, my girlfriend and I both had the same S4 and we both have the same S5. When going through the service moving process on Verizon's site, it asks if I am activating a device that was previously active on my account. When I select the "Yes" radio button, a dropdown menu lists all of the devices on our account, but there are no unique identifiers to delineate between devices of the same model, so I don't know whether I'm about to move service to my old S4 or to my girlfriend's old S4 in the first stage, then when moving back to the S5, there are 3 identical choices because my girlfriend's original S5 had to be replaced at one point. To make matters worse, the first time that I tried updating my S4 this way - at a Verizon support person's suggestion btw - it forced me to cancel my insurance coverage when I deactivated the S5 and then wouldn't let me re-enroll when I reactivated it less than an hour later because it wasn't during an open enrollment period for the insurance! I contacted support and they told me there was nothing they could do about that.
Option two is not only a hassle, but it means handing over a device that has personal and potentially sensitive information on it to a complete stranger and giving them unfettered access to it.
There has got to be a better solution to this; it makes no sense to me that a Best Buy employee can jack in to the device and update it, but the device owner can't do the same thing from their own home!
Solved! Go to Correct Answer
Correct answers
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The reason I asked if you'd tried to update the phone via wi-fi without an active SIM card is because I know it's do-able ... I've done it with multiple phones. Give it a try and see if it works. If it doesn't, then as noted earlier, the easier thing to do is to move the SIM card between the phones since they both have the same size SIM card.
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Have you tried updating the S4 over wi-fi rather than connecting it to VzW data service?
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TYLSTA22 wrote:
When going through the service moving process on Verizon's site, it asks if I am activating a device that was previously active on my account.
You don't have to go through all of that. You can just take the SIM from your S5 and place it in your S4 and then perform the over the air update. After the update you just put the SIM back in your S5. The website is really only need if the devices use different size SIM cards(Micro to Nano).
I recently used the Software Upgrade Assistant to update 3 retired S4's to the newest update. This method is great because it does not require an active sim. You just need a computer, a USB cable, and an internet connection. Make sure the USB drivers are fully installed before performing the update
http://support-us.samsung.com/VerizonSoftwareUpdateWin
This is a direct link to the installer or you can install the one preloaded on your phone.
Software Update - Software Upgrade Assistant (Samsung) | Verizon Wireless
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Apparently there is "no way" to get the OS updates either via wifi directly
to the device or through a computer. I didn't just take Verizon support's
word on that either; I searched exhaustively online for a way to get the OS
updates without having service on the device or bringing it to Best Buy...
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The reason I asked if you'd tried to update the phone via wi-fi without an active SIM card is because I know it's do-able ... I've done it with multiple phones. Give it a try and see if it works. If it doesn't, then as noted earlier, the easier thing to do is to move the SIM card between the phones since they both have the same size SIM card.
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I updated 3 retired Samsung Galaxy S4 Phones to the latest update using the Software Upgrade Assistant. This method does NOT require a SIM.
http://support-us.samsung.com/VerizonSoftwareUpdateWin
This is a direct link to the installer or you can install the one preloaded on your phone.
Software Update - Software Upgrade Assistant (Samsung) | Verizon Wireless
Link to Verizon's instructions for using the Software Upgrade Assistant to update your phone.
After the Software Upgrade Assistant is installed, connect the phone to the computer with a USB cable and choose MTP connection. Then run the Software Upgrade Assistant and select Upgrade Galaxy S4.
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Ugh...is it seriously as simple as removing the inactive SIM card? That
never occurred to me to try, I didn't see it mentioned anywhere online, and
Verizon support most definitely didn't bring it up. If that ends up
working, you are my hero, thank you!!!
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In reality you should always remove the SIM card from an inactive phone to ensure that the device is fully deactivated and off the network.
I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.
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As noted earlier, if the S4 has a SIM card in it, remove it. Inactive phones don't need SIM cards, especially if you're using it as a wi-fi only device.
I'd still try updating over wi-fi first; tap the Check System Updates button and see if it works .. at least then you'll know for that particular device (as will we). And then if it doesn't work, yes ... just move the SIM card from the S5 to the S4 (I use a nano SIM with an adapter as needed and swap devices frequently that way).
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Ok, that makes sense, it just never occurred to me to bother removing it,
thanks!