Problems with my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G with May 8th 2024 update...

[Lou_C4]

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5g(512g,SM-G998U1) 

From January 2024-April2024 I had another S21 ultra and lost it, but I really liked it so I replaced it with more storage/memory(128g before-512g now). Also the one I had before was a Verizon phone (SM-G998"U") that was unlocked, this one is an unlocked phone(SM-G998"U1"). I had the phone for about 5 days before the update on May 8th and everything was working fine. I've been troubleshooting with my carrier(SafeLink/TracFone Wireless) ever since but have had zero success. I even bought 2 more SIM cards under their suggestion, but nothing changed. I was able to use it via WiFi calling for a while, but since this newest SIM card I put in 2 days ago, I can't even use it on WiFi calling. When I put the SIM card into my old phone(Samsung Galaxy Note8 ) it functions completely correct. I wrote an "error report" using Samsung Members app to see if they can or will help. Also, I can't unselect "automatic network selection" in the network operators tab(not sure if that means anything, but used to be able to do that on my older phones). Also, my carrier service is part of Lifeline Assistance Program(Aka Obama phone) and one of the funding sources had ended in the midst of all this, so I'm not sure what or where the problem begins, with the carrier service, or the phone itself(which I bought second hand from eBay, although it's in pristine condition). Has anybody experienced anything similar? Has that update affected anybody else in any way? Any hints, advice, or directions are appreciated, I'm all ears... Thx!

[LongHiker]

@Lou_C4 Sorry that you are having issues. The rambling post is kind of hard to read. 

I'm surprised your carrier forced you to buy SIM cards. AT&T will provide a replacement SIM card for free. First time that I have heard of any carrier charging for a replacement. 

Carriers frequently disable "automatic network selection" so that is not a surprise. 

BTW, the "Lifeline Assistance Program(Aka Obama phone)" was established in 1984 under Ronald Reagan. 

[Robin621k]

The most important part of the posters info, they bought it on Ebay, and an update broke the phone, probably because of non-OEM parts when it was refurbished. The codes written into updates may not work on non-OEM parts rendering the device useless.

[Lou_C4]

Sorry about the rambling, I've been writing these problems to several different sources looking for help this morning. And thank you for the info about lifeline assistance reaching back to Reagan, I didn't know that! I've only heard what they call it now recently, I wonder why that is... I'll have to do some research on these terms and their origin.

[Robin621k]

Unfortunately, when purchasing a phone on eBay, there is no guarantee that any replaced parts are original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. In some cases, devices with non-OEM parts may become nonfunctional after an update due to coding issues specific to OEM parts.

It is possible that this may be the issue with the device you purchased on eBay. I recommend reaching out to the seller to inquire about any potential solutions or assistance they can provide.

[Lou_C4]

Thank you for that info about the OEM parts not corresponding correctly with the updates possibly. I figured there had to be something in that district. Unfortunate timing has left me without the ability to return or exchange the phone, I think, but now I'm going to reach out to the seller and see what they have to say, who knows they might be able/willing to help. I tried to dump any information that seemed to stick out from "normal" functions to help explain the problem, and I'm sorry for kind of taking a sporadic route. Thank you for taking the time to help! I'm also reaching out to another company that offers Lifeline Assistance Program, in hopes that maybe my phone won't have the problem with a different network. I thought I'd maybe going to a "service center" I found nearby via this Samsung Members search. If you have any suggestions or ideas, or even what you might think it's the best order to try these options, I'm all ears. Thanks again!

[Robin621k]

An authorized Samsung Service Center should be able to open your phone and diagnosis the problem for free, make any recommendations to fix it.