This guide will go over everything you need to know about changing Galaxy S7 APN settings. We’ll explain what the APN settings are, where to find them, and more. This is how to use a phone with any carrier and what you need to know before continuing.
Whether you’ve recently purchased an unlocked Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge or are switching to another carrier, APN settings are something you need to know. APN stands for “Access Point Name” and is essentially a gateway to carriers.
APN settings allow our phones to communicate with carrier networks. This is exactly what allows the Verizon Galaxy S7 Edge to work on T-Mobile. A necessity for 4G LTE internet and receiving data, sending text messages and more. This is usually done automatically, but often times users have to manually configure the APN settings on their Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge.
If you have recently purchased a used or unlocked Galaxy S7, now the Galaxy S8 is coming soon, APN settings will be required. Usually when a carrier SIM card is inserted, this is all done automatically. The SIM card finds and applies the required APN information. When this happens, the phone connects to the internet and you are free to use it whenever you want.
Owners using regional carriers, pay-as-you-go, or MetroPCS are prime examples. With MetroPCS, customers can bring a phone from any carrier and use it with Metro to get a lower monthly bill. After the installation is complete, a store employee will change the APN settings for the phone to work.
However, there are times when regular users need to manually change the APN settings. You are not in a retail store to have them do this or that for you. If so, here’s how to do it yourself.
How to Change Galaxy S7 APN Settings
All we have to do is go into the settings and add a few lines of text and numbers provided by the operators. From Verizon to T-Mobile and more. First, you will need the correct APN settings for the carrier you are trying to use. These can be found quickly by doing google searchor call the carrier.
The steps to find the right menu in settings may vary slightly depending on whether the device is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or the recently released Android 7.0 Nougat. Either way, go to Settings > Networks > APN to get started. Full instructions with pictures are below. Details too provided by Samsung.
Go to settings > connections > mobile networks and go to Access Point Name. From here, owners will see the default APN option on their phone. Hit the add button in the top corner to get started. You will see lots of weird stuff like name, proxy, mmsc, port and protocol. It sounds confusing, but it’s super easy. Just like you would enter a website address in a search bar, we enter the APN settings provided here and hit save.
Shown above is the APN settings menu on the Galaxy S7 Edge. I went ahead and hit “add” and started adding the necessary information for T-Mobile’s APN settings. Enter all required lines of text, press the 3 dots at the top and select save.
This will give the Galaxy S7 all the information it needs to securely connect to and use the T-Mobile network.
A quick Google search will find the necessary APN settings for all carriers. Most selections are left blank and fill only the lines required by the particular carrier. In the instructions below on Galaxy S7 when adding APN settings
Considering T-Mobile is one of the most popular carriers, with millions of switches, T-Mobile APN details is a popular request.
Below we find the latest T-Mobile APN settings for 2017 that will ensure all capable devices work perfectly with T-Mobile and have 4G LTE connectivity.
T-Mobile APN Settings (Log in using the instructions above)
Enter all the above information in each line under the APN settings menu on the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge and hit the save button. Now go back and select that APN option from the bullet list.
After a minute or two your Galaxy S7 will connect to T-Mobile (as long as you have an active SIM card) and start working. Test it out by making a phone call, sending text messages, or online for 4G LTE data connections.
We also recommend restarting your device after adding a new APN. It will reboot and connect to your preferred carrier using the correct APN settings and you should be good to go. In closing, if you bought a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge but it’s locked to a different carrier, you’ll need to unlock it first. Once unlocked, it will work with any and all carriers. Here are the full instructions to unlock the Galaxy S7.
