Say buh-bye to VZW: Flashing your Droid X to Cricket or MetroPCS

[Hesster]

Feel like giving Verizon the finger and taking your DX somewhere else? Yes, you can! When I made my introduction post and stated I was flashing the phone to Cricket, someone asked me to write up a guide. My DX is now working 100%, so I thought I would post how I did it.

There was originally a guide written by Kryptonit3 at myrootedandroid.com, but the site has been down for over a month now. I was lucky enough to find a cashed version on Google, but who knows how long that will last, and some of the information was out of date. So I decided to update the info and post it here.

First of all, make a backup of your ROM and data. There is already a great guide on this site, so I'm not going to reinvent the wheel. I'm also going to assume you have at least a working knowledge of menus and such.

Here is what you will need:

(hardware)
Rooted Droid X
USB data cable

(software)
HW Virtual Serial Port
CDMA Workshop 2.7 or 3.5
QPST

Let me explain a bit about CDMA phones and how they work. With GSM phones, all the data the phone needs to make and receive calls is stored in the SIM card. With CDMA phones, it is saved in various settings in the phone, and in a software file called a PRL, short for Preferred Roaming List.

When you dial *228 and do over the air programming, the phone makes a data call to the nearest tower and refreshes these settings, and the PRL. These settings are independent of the ROM. That's why the phone doesn't forget stuff like the phone number and that it's a Verizon phone when you flash the ROM.

Both CDMA Workshop and QPST have a ton of settings and can royally screw up your phone if you mess with the wrong ones. DO NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO ANY OTHER SETTINGS UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

Now let's get started...

Section 1: Creating a COM Port for Your DX

For this part, I'm just going to quote Kryptonit3, since it's exactly the same.

1. Boot the phone up regularly without the cable attached. There is no special button to press while booting.
2. Connect the phone to the PC with a USB data cable.
3. Slide down the notification bar and click on USB Connection row.
4. Make sure the phone is set to PC Mode
5. If you have the Android SDK kit on the PC the drivers should install automatically, or be pulled from the phone. If not there are some attached to this post.
6. Now Download and Install HW Virtual Serial Port HERE.
7. Once you have it downloaded and installed open it up.
8. Click the Login button. The password should automatically be filled in and click OK.
9. Go to the Settings tab and make sure that NVT Enabled is unchecked and go back to the Virtual Serial Port tab.
10. To be safe, pick a COM port above 8.
11. Make sure the IP Address field reads 192.168.16.2 and the Port field reads 11008
12. Click the Create COM button and after a few moments you should now have successfully created a COM port for your Droid X.

If you get Error in the LAN Status field then you have not successfully installed the drivers for the phone, or the phone is not set in PC Mode.

You can now use CDMA Workshop or QPST with the port you have created.

Section 2: Downloading Files You Need

1.) Download a PRL for your carrier. Just google the name of your carrier and EVDO prl. It doesn't really matter how old the PRL you download is. Just get one, and save the file.

2.) Next step is to get the NV settings for your number. You generate the file HERE. In the first box, type "xxxxxxxxxx@mycricket.com" for Cricket, or "xxxxxxxxxx@mymetropcs.com" depending on your carrier. Type your phone number in place of xxxxxxxxxx. Select your version of CDMA Workshop using the radio buttons, and click the "Generate" button. It will generate a .txt file with a name that starts with your phone number. Save the file.

3.) Now you need to download the .zip file with the carrier MMS settings. Download the file HERE. It's for the Eris, but works fine for the DX. I used Cricket v10 with Gummy Jar 2.5 and had no issues.

Section 3: CDMA Workshop

You can find CDMA Workshop online. It's fairly expensive, but worth it. This guide uses version 2.7. The latest one might be slightly different, but the settings should still be the same.

2.) Open CDMA Workshop. On the "Main" tab, look for COM Settings (AT mode). Click the drop down box next to Port: and select the COM port you created. Click the "Connect" button at the bottom. It should say "Connected to COM <whatever> port successfully" in the bottom left corner.

3.) Click the "Security" tab. Under the SPC box, there will be a drop down menu and an empty box. Leave the drop down alone. Type 000000 in the box. Click the "SPC" button, then click "Send." You should see a little popup box that says the SPC is correct and the phone is unlocked. Click the "OK" button.

4.) Click the "Other" tab. In the PRL section, click the "Write" button. You will get a browse window. Browse to the location of the PRL you downloaded and click "Open."

5.) Click the "Nam" tab. Type your MIN number in the MIN field. If you don't know what it is, call your carrier and they can tell you. Sometimes it's the same as the phone number, but not always. Type your phone number in the Dir_Number field. Do not put in any spaces or dashes, and no one in front. Click the "Write" button at the bottom of the screen.

6.) Click the "Memory" tab and click the "Write" button under NV items. It will pop up a box reminding you to put in the SPC first. Click "OK" and a browse window will pop up. Browse to the .txt file you downloaded in part 2 of section 2 and click "Open." It will tell you 12 NV items have been loaded successfully.

7.) Go back to the "Main" tab and click the "Mode" button. Select "Reset" and the phone will reboot. When it comes back on, test call to *611. You should receive the customer service prompt from the new carrier. If not, try loading a different PRL.

8.) Close out of CDMA Workshop.

Section 4: QPST

When using QPST, don't let your phone go into sleep mode or it will lose connection.

1.) Open your Programs menu and go to QPST > QPST Configuration. If you do not see an active phone listed, select the "Ports" tab and click "Add New Port..." at the bottom right. Highlight the port you created for the DX, then click "OK." It should show the phone information. If it doesn't, check to make sure the DX is in PC mode.

2.) Close the window, and go back to Programs > QPST > Service Programming. Select the phone info, and click "OK." On the new window that pops up, click the "Read from Phone" button on the bottom left. A box will pop up asking for the SPC, but it already has 000000 in it, so just click "OK" and a blue progress bar will start creeping across the top left part of the screen. It might take a few minutes to finish.

3.) Click the "M.IP" tab. Select the entry for your phone, then click the "Edit" button. Make sure the NAI and Tethered NAI both read xxxxxxxxxx@mycricket.com or xxxxxxxxxx@mymetropcs.com. Your phone number should take the place of the xxxxxxxxxx. Home address, Primary HA address, and Secondary HA address should all be 0.0.0.0. If they aren't, change them. Click the "OK" button. While you're on the M.IP tab, make sure the Mobile IP behavior drop down is set to "Mob + Simp f/back" and Active User is set to 0.

4.) Select the "PPP Config" tab and click the "Um" button. Tethered NAI and User ID should be the same as they were in the M.IP tab. The Req PW box should be checked. In the password field, type in either "cricket" or "metropcs" depending on your carrier. Click the "AN" button, and make sure the USR ID is the xxxxxxxxxx@mycricket.com or xxxxxxxxxx@mymetropcs.com. The Req PW box should be checked, and the password is the same as it was for the Um tab. Tethered NAI should be blank and grayed out.

5.) Click the "Write to Phone" button on the bottom of the screen. It may take a few minutes, and the phone may reboot. When it comes back up, you should have web access.

Section 5: MMS Settings

There's an extensive thread on this HERE so I'm just going to briefly cover it.

1.) Download the .zip file for your carrier from the links in the thread. No registration is required. Save the .zip file onto your SD card.

2.) Use the boot loader of your choice to get into the boot menu and run the zip file. I used Droid X Bootstrapper from Clockwork. You can download it off the Android Market. Run the .zip file from the boot loader screen and reboot. MMS should be working after the phone comes back up. If not, register on the Eris forum and ask for help.

Congrats! You now have a DX without VZW!

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[gunner1982]

Well that's all fine and good but why would I want to leave Verizon service is awesome and customer support is very good

sent from the liberated droid army

[plumcrazy]

so you want me to leave the absolute best cell coverage in the USA ?....not gonna happen

[mikeinrichmond]

Thanks for the info..For someone that is done with their contract, is looking for a cheaper plan, and is one of the lucky ones in their coverage areas, it could be ok...Here's coverage area comparison: The area in dark green is Cricket's coverage, lighter green is a 'Partner's' coverage (whomever that is)..



And here's Verizon's:

[Dvan]

Im assuming he is posting this because those carriers are cheaper

1.23ghz/Apex 1.4

[Hesster]

Correct. Cricket's android plan is $55 per month (including taxes) with unlimited minutes, MMS, and SMS. It includes 1 GB of data transfer per month, after which they throttle your connection. But you're never going to open your bill to find a massive amount of data overage charges. They don't charge extra for tethering, either. So if you need to hop on a laptop occasionally, you don't have to pay extra. If you live in an area where they have good coverage, it's a great deal.

Keep in mind that the red area on VZW's map includes both VZW coverage and their roaming partners. So the big red area is equivalent to both the dark green and light green on Cricket's network. Verizon's native coverage area is undoubtedly larger, though.

[mikeinrichmond]

You will pay extra when outside the dark green areas for roaming. Here is a link to the Cricket site that discusses the additional Roaming charges for anyone interested....

support | Cricket Wireless

[Hesster]

I worked for Verizon Wireless for three years. Not trying to convince anyone to leave VZW. Just trying to help out those that want to, or already have Cricket/Metro PCS service and have bought a DX with the intention of flashing it.

[Snow02]

Nice writeup. This info isn't (or, wasn't) the easiest to find.

[xrazedx]

Metropcs just recently came to NYC. I don't plan on leaving verizon anytime soon, but if i ever do, i will consider this. I think I know some people who may be interested in this now though. Thanks for this.