SGS4, rooted but cant unlock sim since contract end - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have had my SGS4 but used as stock as not felt the need to to root it, when my sim contract ended i cancelled it and have decided to sell the handset, i came here to unlock it as i have done with many other phones, i have tried both methods of sim unlock available but it would seem they have been patched by samsung, i next thought that rooting the device would get the phone unlocked somehow. Initially i thought there was something wrong with the phone as when i put in another sim it says that no sim card is inserted, the phone was originally on Tmobile UK and i upgraded to EE from phones4u..the SGS4 was not purchased from a Tmobile store and was bought online..i took it to shop today and they put in a active tmobile sim and it worked perfectly..so i guess that some sims are showing point blank as not inserted and some are requesting a sim unlock code (02 sim), how can i now go about unlocking this phone ?
Thanks.
EDIT:
Some extra info...further reading seems to suggest i need to downgrade the modem but i have read in a thread thats not possible now ?
MODEL: GT-I9505
ANDROID VERSION: 4.3
BASEBAND VERSION: I9505XXUEMK9
KERNEL VERSION: 3.4.0-2082040
BUILD NUMBER: JSS15JI9505XXUEMK9

I have no idea where you have bought the phone from, but for me - obviously from TMo as the phone is locked with them.
Again, I have no idea how it is with TMo, but O2 UK have the policy that after half term of contract, if you'll call them, they are providing you the sim unlock code for free (they done it for my HD2 and later for I9300). Most likely, you have to call the TMo customer support for that.

My wife paid them £20, had to wait 20 days, then found out they mucked up, and had to wait another 20 days.

I would prefer not to pay, i am pretty sure Tmobile are not going to unlock for free, i will try though.
I find it hard to believe there is not a hack of some sort now my phone is rooted, other than the code and system menu method (which is patched now) i cant find any solid guide
EDIT: Basically they want £20 to unlock, which i politley told them to poke up their bum

Im like that when I go to shell and fill up my X5.

theunderling said:
Im like that when I go to shell and fill up my X5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well at least let me help you out then, get some false plates made up and just fill up and drive off..its not worth their while trying to find you, you could also wear a disguise.

Any advice for Tesco, when I go to checkout and bird says"thats £150 please"?.

So..maybe this is unlocked...
Tried my daughters GIFF GAFF (o2) sim..WORKED
Mywifes Tmobile sim..............................WORKED
Bought a new Vodaphone sim.................WORKED
My working EE sim keeps showing as not inserted in the the S4..but works fine in my wifes NOTE 2...what gives ??

theunderling said:
Any advice for Tesco, when I go to checkout and bird says"thats £150 please"?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
£150...Is that all. Anyway..not to say i dont like to help people, heres what to do, Buy some sausages,put them on the conveyor belt in such a way that they are pointing towards her as the travel down. Prior to doing this, on your way to check out, get a semi going, when you are almost hard nestle Mod Edit... Please mind your language in with the sausages, she wont be paying attention,you wont get any money off but youll get some gratification from it.
I have helped you out twice now..you have helped me zero..any chance ??

...
I don't understand why they just don't give users the option to flash to the stock vanilla android and allow them to install which Samsung tweaks they want and don't want to use.

You could try inserting something else into your phone.

Related

usings aria on tmobile

I'm very interested in the HTC Aria because of its small size, but I have tmobile service. I'm not getting a data plan (I've got wifi everywhere I go) and I'm fine with buying it retail. My only question is how to unlock it to use tmobile's network. I heard I can call ATT and get an unlock code. I also heard there were online service that could generate an unlock code. Well, at this point I'm really nervous to buy this phone because I don't want to purchase this device and not be able to use it on my network. This is going to be my first android phone and I'm eager to get into the whole rooting and custom ROM business. Please help!
Thanks,
dm
EDIT: My grandma has had service with ATT for about a year now. I've heard that tmobile with give the unlock codes for free if you've had service with them for 90 days. I'm curious if ATT does the same.
2x EDIT: Sorry for the typo in the title.
there are plenty of unlock services via the web, just find a site and after you pay the usual $20 they will email you directions on how to unlock the device so that you are able to run it on tmobile.
Thanks for the quick response! I'm scared that's what I may have to resort to, but I just assume the potential for getting scammed is pretty high. Are there any reputable ones that you know of that unlock the Aria? I know it's pretty new...
I did some searching and the only ones that I can find are:
www(dot)iunlockit(dot)com/htc-aria-unlock-code-p-58064.html
www(dot)unlockallcellular(dot)com/aria-unlock-code-p-58064.html?osCsid=brnitand0jq564to0v7tirhnk7
Like I said, this looks fishy because it appears to be the same site with different domain names. Are these reputable sites? I still haven't bought my Aria because I want to be certain that I can unlock it fairly easily.
I paid $2 to unlock my LG VU on eBay...
Worked perfectly. They said they'd do it for all AT&T phones
if i unlock this phone to use on tmobile will i still be able to use 3g and all of the other features on this phone?
no 3g (but if you don't want data it won't matter) all other features should be just peachy afaik
I never thought about ebay; great idea.
and, no, I'm not going to be using a data plan, seeing as I rarely use data and I've got wifi everywhere I'm at (work, school, home, etc.)
Thanks a lot guys. I'll leave an update once I get the phone. Hopefully within the next week.
i was going to do the same (to get out of the data) but
free phone+2 years of data=360
just the phone=380
we'll see what att's policies are like in 2 years though
So I bought the Aria and I love it. However, I can't find anyway to unlock it. I bought one of those ebay unlock services, seeing as it advertised an unlock code in 2 hours or less. Well, that was two days ago. I also looked up on those sites that I mentioned previously and they are scams. So I've got this awesome phone that I can't use as a phone. What are my options now? I love this phone!
donald =/
I have tried this a couple of AT&T phones and it worked for me.
Call up AT&T and tell them you have to leave country for work and would not like to spend money on roaming. They asked for IMEI number and handed me the code instantly.
ayush20m said:
I have tried this a couple of AT&T phones and it worked for me.
Call up AT&T and tell them you have to leave country for work and would not like to spend money on roaming. They asked for IMEI number and handed me the code instantly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did this with every single one of my AT&T phones and they never gave me trouble. For me it was the true since I travel to Hong Kong every year to visit my parents.
ayush20m said:
I have tried this a couple of AT&T phones and it worked for me.
Call up AT&T and tell them you have to leave country for work and would not like to spend money on roaming. They asked for IMEI number and handed me the code instantly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done this as well....
dmellenbruch said:
So I bought the Aria and I love it. However, I can't find anyway to unlock it. I bought one of those ebay unlock services, seeing as it advertised an unlock code in 2 hours or less. Well, that was two days ago. I also looked up on those sites that I mentioned previously and they are scams. So I've got this awesome phone that I can't use as a phone. What are my options now? I love this phone!
donald =/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there, did you find a way to unlock the phone?
I'm wondering on the details about calling AT&T to get the code. I bought my Aria through ebay and presently have the phone at Mexico. Do AT&T ask for phone number (registered with AT&T), ssn or any other personal details regarding the phone? or just by calling them with IMEI # they will provide the code?
I don't have AT&T for obvious reasons.
Unlock
tongas said:
Hi there, did you find a way to unlock the phone?
I'm wondering on the details about calling AT&T to get the code. I bought my Aria through ebay and presently have the phone at Mexico. Do AT&T ask for phone number (registered with AT&T), ssn or any other personal details regarding the phone? or just by calling them with IMEI # they will provide the code?
I don't have AT&T for obvious reasons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
I try maybe all store in Ebay and nothing, only get my code here:www.freeyourhtc.com/
I hope this help.
Thanks Rafa, but just bought a code from the ebay seller... will let everybody know if it worked or not.
Ebay Unlock code for HTC Aria actually worked!
I finally got to say that the ebay deal really worked for me!!! Couldn't be more happy!
Please refer to this post for more info:
How sketchy are the ebay unlockers?
Was a little skeptical about it but just got the code on the email minutes ago and worked right away!!!
Cost me 9.95 because the price was reduced and paid with PayPal. Bought it in the morning and got the code 5-6 hours later.
Thanks again to breakeven and xda-developers forum!!!
Can I unlock my phone if im in a two year contract?
I used http://www.cellunlock.net/ to unlock my gf's MyTouch 3G. They took 1 day and I got the code.
It seems they usually take less time, but they had some problems.
$10 if you use the code crackb50 on checkout.
And no, I don't work for them.
kevina90 said:
Can I unlock my phone if im in a two year contract?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Course you can!
If you have at&t, then I would suggest you try the call them and get the code for free method first. If that's doesn't work, then just buy a code.
The reason why me and many others went through ebay, it's because most of the unlockers out there with web site presence, and being the aria a relative new phone, they do not carry yet codes or access to them. I tried first 1 of this unlockers and wrote email to 2 of them and none of the 3 had access to codes yet, finally the ebay thing worked for me and take only about 7 hours to get the code.
You should know that unlocking the phone will no release you of the contract but just give you the ability of changing gsm provider. Unlocking the phone it is only intended for that. If what you want is to remove some crappy apps installed by default, then what you might need is to have root access to phone instead unlocking. Rooting the phone is quite easy with the aria and is free; you just need some further reading about.
Sent using XDA app

How sketchy are the ebay unlockers?

I have not ever done this before, but I found this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/UNLOCK-Code-AT-...Accessories&hash=item1c138c9851#ht_4764wt_913
I was wondering if any of these are legit or do they all fall into the realm of too good to be true. I have called at&t and they stated that I could not have an unlock code so that is why I am going down this route, if it turns out to be legit.
Anyway I welcome your feedback about what may be just a dumbass question, LOL.
p.s. the only reason I am looking at this guy's page is that he has +50000 reviews with 99.8% quality.
my one experience with an ebay unlock code was it bricked the phone I was using. After doing further research I found that this was a constant for that phone. I have not seen any posts about unlocking an Aria yet but I also have not been looking for them since I am on AT&T so there is no need to unlock the phone for a different carrier currently.
that's the same guy i used to unlock 3 at&t phone. i never had a problem
If you are going out of the country then call att and tell them that. they will give you your unlock code for free all youll have to do is get a different (Non att) sim.
sd73ta said:
If you are going out of the country then call att and tell them that. they will give you your unlock code for free all youll have to do is get a different (Non att) sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They changed that policy. Now you have to wait for your contract to run out before they will unlock your phone, even if you tell them you're traveling. I tried calling them and having them unlock it, and that's what they told me. I was really disappointed too, because they've unlocked my phone before and never gave me any trouble because of the contract.
Maybe if I had threatened to unlock it anyhow, I might have had better luck– but I doubt it.
Ya I tried calling them too. Told them my situation and it was denied. I guess I will try this guy. At the most I am out 10 bucks.
Sent from my HTC Intruder using the XDA app.
fluffyarmada said:
They changed that policy. Now you have to wait for your contract to run out before they will unlock your phone, even if you tell them you're traveling. I tried calling them and having them unlock it, and that's what they told me. I was really disappointed too, because they've unlocked my phone before and never gave me any trouble because of the contract.
Maybe if I had threatened to unlock it anyhow, I might have had better luck– but I doubt it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange, I just re-upped my contract when buying my Aria, and unlocked my phone with the code from ATT tech support for free. I do go internation a few times/year, so that may be a flag that I am not entirely lying, but it was no problem. Also, I used chat, instead of phone...they gave the my code in 10 seconds.
So I took the plunge. Fast service from this guy. Bought yesterday and got today. Went by t-mobile store and borrowed a sim. Put in unlock code and let me in the system. Rebooted to verify with t-mobile sim. Did not ask for code the second time.
Altogether happy. Me -$13.00. Phone unlocked.
Buyer beware. Cannot guarantee same results.
Sent from my HTC Intruder using the XDA app.
breakeven said:
I have not ever done this before, but I found this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/UNLOCK-Code-AT-...Accessories&hash=item1c138c9851#ht_4764wt_913
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also used blowfish06 to try and unlock my HTC Aria. He couldn't unlock it for whatever reason and immediately refunded my money. I'd use him again.
breakeven said:
Went by t-mobile store and borrowed a sim. Put in unlock code and let me in the system. Rebooted to verify with t-mobile sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just curious so please forgive me but how did that go, you walked into store..umm, can I borrow a sim ? they just hand them out to try out ?
I spoke with ATT tech (actually chat and then called to verify..) and they said they will give unlock code in 90 days from day of activation, no problem on their part, no cost.
i'm curious about all this too and still with a locked HTC Aria.
I went to the ebay link and read everything.
At some point it says:
"...be advised I cannot do refunds if phone asking for a PIN (personal code) which is password set on the phone (?)"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if this is my phone and I have the personal password, then I might have it.
When inserting a SIM card the phone says:
"SIM network unlock PIN", SOOOOO, I don't get it... will write the guy an email about it and hear what he says about it...
Eager to unlock this phone!
So..
1. I have heard various things from people regarding what AT&T will do for them. I would call them first and if they will unlock it for you then great. I spoke to them and they would not give it to me and told me that they had an exclusive right to the phone for the foreseeable future.
2. I did just walk into the t-mobile store and ask for a sim. The girl looked at me puzzled and said they are 20 bucks. I told here I need it for five seconds to unlock my phone. She said that Phones don't do that. I said that I have the code. She gave me a used sim.
In conclusion I think that I did go searching for a credible way to do this. I don't want a million people telling me what at&t's policy is since I did call them though. At any rate I did unlock my phone so I am good.
breakeven said:
So..
1. I have heard various things from people regarding what AT&T will do for them. I would call them first and if they will unlock it for you then great. I spoke to them and they would not give it to me and told me that they had an exclusive right to the phone for the foreseeable future.
2. I did just walk into the t-mobile store and ask for a sim. The girl looked at me puzzled and said they are 20 bucks. I told here I need it for five seconds to unlock my phone. She said that Phones don't do that. I said that I have the code. She gave me a used sim.
In conclusion I think that I did go searching for a credible way to do this. I don't want a million people telling me what at&t's policy is since I did call them though. At any rate I did unlock my phone so I am good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I ask you and if you remember what was the message the phone displayed before you unlock it with the t-moblie SIM card?
It was the message "SIM network unlock PIN" or what did it say?
I believe what you did, I've done certain type of things in past, walking into a store and asking for those sort of things... lol... great that it worked!
Ya it was something like "SIM NETWORK UNLOCK" not a personal unlock and I had to put in the 8 digit unlock code I bought off ebay. The previous post of mine was just about all the people stating all the AT&T policies that they have heard of and asking why I didn't just call them when I stated in my first post that I did. Also ya social engineering worked great there as they gave me some old sim to use they they found in a desk that didn't work but had a different network ID on it so it would prompt me for the SIM UNLOCK code.
seems then that I 'm having the same message, will try buying a code from the ebay guy then.
thanks a lot for your response.
PS. Calling AT&T wont work for me either as I bought the phone through ebay and I have not and will never have AT&T phone # or something to just simply call them and say 'hey I bought one of your phones over ebay, would you please give me the unlock code?' lol...
just bought a code from the ebay seller... will see how it develops and if the code works.
I will post results and everything related once I have the code
universal Sim
I have tried a few online sellers and they say a code is not available for my aria. Bummer, hopefully that will change. I remembered I had one of those universal sim chips like a Rebel Sim. I sort of works. Sometimes when I turn the phone on I can manually choose the network and get service, but most of the time it won't connect. Maybe I can buy a newer version of the universal sim.
Well dude, I got to say that the ebay deal really worked for me!!! Couldn't be more happy!
Was a little skeptical about it but just got the code on the email minutes ago and worked right away!!!
Cost me 9.95 because the price was reduced and paid with PayPal. Bought it in the morning and got the code minutes ago.
There's another ebay seller with the same price/offer which seems to work too (good feedback too)
--------------
ravemind said:
universal Sim
I have tried a few online sellers and they say a code is not available for my aria. Bummer, hopefully that will change. I remembered I had one of those universal sim chips like a Rebel Sim. I sort of works. Sometimes when I turn the phone on I can manually choose the network and get service, but most of the time it won't connect. Maybe I can buy a newer version of the universal sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What phone did you tried to unlock?
---------------
Thanks to breakeven and xda-developers forum!!!
I decided to test this out today for fun.
I tried 3 different ebay unlockers (all were rated as top-sellers) and all 3 were unable to unlock my off-contract Aria (from Amazon). They did, however, offer to try on another server, at around 2-3x the original cost, which I refused and was refunded my money.
I really don't care if my Aria can be unlocked since I have no intention of leaving AT&T anyway, but I thought I'd share MY experience with the rest of you. YOUR experience may vary.
On a side note, I unlocked 2 different models of Blackberry (again, just for fun) a few days ago using one of those ebay sellers with no problem. So I wouldn't worry too much about getting ripped off (as long as they are top rated sellers).
tongas
hey tongas would you mind telling us which ebay seller unlocked you Aria?
Thanks

SIM Unlock MyTouch (Use of foreign sim cards)

I logged in today and was surprised to see these three new threads about this already well known topic. So I'm going to try to put an end to this by merging all of the "Help me unlock my MyTouch" topics into this one thread and stickie it so that I can just move future posts directly to the trash. So be warned, any future posts regarding SIM unlocking WILL be removed!
The very first rule of the XDA-Developers forum is to search before posting.
So I figure that if this is stickied then there really isn't any excuse whatsoever.
While I'm doing all of this I want to clearify something for all of those that are interested in unlocking their MyTouch.
Currently (as of July 2010) there is no solution for unlocking your MyTouch without first acquiring the Subsidy key for your device.
There are no hardware hacks, software installations or anything like that.
You really only have four options.
Contact your carrier and request it. Most carriers have minimum requirements to be met before requesting. Check with your carrier for additional information.
Use of third party services (go ahead post your success in this thread).
Use of an overlay card. (I have not personally verified this method)
Purchase the device already unlocked.
If you have a successful result then post it in this thread and I'll update this post accordingly.
Please note that myself, other members or the XDA-Developers do not take responsiblity for failed efforts, damage to your device, money wasted or anything else that might make you upset.
Any new posts regarding anything already discussed in this topic will be subject to deletion without warning!
As stated above, I merged three three new topics and moved them to this thread.
I have tried several service and got a code that did not work. (another gave me another set and still didnt work). All had to go the the htc master database to get the code
The phone works on t-mobile but i want to use it in all countries.
And way to unlock the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Phone locked by T-Mobile
Whats the way to unlock network ??
thanx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi All,
I had used the search and found out that all the questions regrading Tmobile HTC mytouch sim unlock were refferd to pay-sites.
Is this true? did non of the forum members das an answer?
and if so, What is the most reliable site for this ?
I got a TMobile htc Mytouch 3g and I can not use it.
(I noticed that other members had said that all TMobile's MyTouch are sim free, well mine is not).
Please help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could use something like a TurboSIM. It's a small film-like device that goes between the SIM card and the reader in your phone, forcing your phone to accept it. I don't know if all/any work on android/sapphire so you'd need to get a second opinion before ordering.
The only HTC Sapphires that come unlocked are the 'Google ION'/ADP2 devices, so yes you'll need to buy an unlock code. If you've been with tmo for more than 3 months phone them and say you're going out of the country, they should give you the code. If you're looking for a reputable company for unlock codes, go on eBay, that way you know the testimonials and feedback is real.
I've used SIM unlock services from ebay. Cost about $10 and was fairly painless. Had to try a few different sellers since the others couldn't find the code. HTC master key had to be used in order to get the code for mine, that's why they charged $10 instead of the usual $2-3.
Even at $10, I found it to be a lot cheaper and effective than other website prices.
xdame said:
I've used SIM unlock services from ebay. Cost about $10 and was fairly painless. Had to try a few different sellers since the others couldn't find the code. HTC master key had to be used in order to get the code for mine, that's why they charged $10 instead of the usual $2-3.
Even at $10, I found it to be a lot cheaper and effective than other website prices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info!
i use a overlay card like x-sim and its cheap and effective
blizard80 said:
i use a overlay card like x-sim and its cheap and effective
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that input. Please also include any additional information if you have it available such as:
Product name
Company name
Website
Cost
Device compatibility
and any other information that you might find helpful for the rest of the community.
just the thread i was looking for!
does 3g work if its unlocked? im thinking of giving the phone to my gf because i dont think its worth it to sell.
also, i just canceled my tmo service and its expiring at the end of this month. had tmo for almost a year. do you think theyll give me the subsidy key? and last question, is the subsidy key the imei or is that the real unlock code for it?
thanks
manooti said:
just the thread i was looking for!
does 3g work if its unlocked? im thinking of giving the phone to my gf because i dont think its worth it to sell.
also, i just canceled my tmo service and its expiring at the end of this month. had tmo for almost a year. do you think theyll give me the subsidy key? and last question, is the subsidy key the imei or is that the real unlock code for it?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3G will probably not work for another carrier if that's what you're asking.
If you are no longer a T-Mo subscriber then they will probably not give you the key.
You submit the imei to the unlock service (carrier or whoever) and they use that to look up your devices specific unlock key. Takes anywhere from a few minutes to a few days to get it though.
thanks for the info. sucks that i cant get the code from tmo. i should of gotten it before i told them to cancel my service. ill probably just use this phone for backup or something. i dont feel like i want to part with my first android device lol
root / upgrade locks me back?
I have an HTC Magic from Rogers Canada that I got unlocked as soon as I bought it. I need it unlocked since I am living over 5000 miles away from Canada. Everything is all well and nice now, working on the local carrier 3g and all.
I have been considering rooting the phone or maybe installing an unofficial ROM for a while now, but I never ended up doing it for fear my phone might get locked back to Rogers, rendering it useless for me.
What are the risks of this actually happening? Is the phone unlock a permanent operation, or are there any.types of upgrade or root that could bring the lock back?
Thanks!
adamantivm said:
I have an HTC Magic from Rogers Canada that I got unlocked as soon as I bought it. I need it unlocked since I am living over 5000 miles away from Canada. Everything is all well and nice now, working on the local carrier 3g and all.
I have been considering rooting the phone or maybe installing an unofficial ROM for a while now, but I never ended up doing it for fear my phone might get locked back to Rogers, rendering it useless for me.
What are the risks of this actually happening? Is the phone unlock a permanent operation, or are there any.types of upgrade or root that could bring the lock back?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you unlock the phone for other carriers it stays unlocked regardless of rom.
LOL
Anyway, There was a reason for my posting.
I ended up getting the unlock code from T-mobile and it is the exact number that I got from the unlocking service which did not work in the first place.
So I am wondering if the problem now lies in the fact that I rooted the phone and installed 3rd party rom before I unlocked the phone.
Binary100100 said:
As stated above, I merged three three new topics and moved them to this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SL said:
So I am wondering if the problem now lies in the fact that I rooted the phone and installed 3rd party rom before I unlocked the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no way that's the cause...
AdrianK said:
There is no way that's the cause...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only agree. I don't see how that would be possible since the subsidy has nothing to do with the type of spl, radio version or rom.
the unlock code has nothing to be with rom... spl or radio only imei
blizard80 said:
the unlock code has nothing to be with rom... spl or radio only imei
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like something that I had just said.
Success!!
Website: www.unlock2go.com
Cost: $20 USD
Delivery time: instant (even on a Saturday evening at 8:30pm)
Important note: I selected "T-Mobile" as the carrier, and then MyTouch 3G as the manufacturer, NOT HTC. Not sure if this matters, but thought I'd pass along that info.
Good luck!
Edit: So far we have 2 confirmed success cases. Anyone else that uses it please post up - would be nice to confirm reliability for everyone.
Hey Thanks for the site I used them and received the code less than thirty mins
I can also confirm unlock2go.com works! for Mytouch 3g
Sent them my payment 19-08-2010 at 11:40 pm EST and got the code by 11:50 pm !!!! all I can say is wow, it now recognizes my SIM in Colombia.
Tip: I used promo code unlock30 and got $2 off (paid $18).
Help! now that the phone is unlocked I'm stuck because I've got no data plan, and I can't find the way to go to Wifi, or even make a regular call. All the guides I find assume the phone is already working, but my menu, or home keys don't do nothing I get back to the green robot screen.
Any pointers will be greatly appreciated.

[Q] Defy+ with a gophone sim

Please pardon my noobishness, I've been reading til my eyes crossed, but I can't seem to find a straight answer.
I just purchased an unlocked (UK) Defy+ because I need a durable phone and they don't seem to offer many options here in the US. I don't use many minutes and I just wanted text and phone coverage without a data plan: I have wifi coverage much of the time and can live without internet when I don't have it. Therefore, I snagged a cheap gophone ($20 got me a sim, a backup phone, and an extra charger) planning to run the sim in the Defy.
The problem is that while the gophone works fine, when I put the sim in the defy it tells me I have an invalid sim. The phone is supposed to be unlocked and it doesn't ask me for an unlock pin.
One possibility that I haven't tried yet - I have bypassed the motoblur setup so far, since my reading has had nothing good to say about it, and I don't use facebook, twitter or really any major social media (and if I did, I wouldn't want motorolla messing with it anyway). Could this be my problem? I didn't plan to root the phone (at least not yet...) since I didn't think I needed this level of access. I wanted to simply skip the motoblur service in the first place. I did run across some references on google of other motorolla phones having these symptoms because of not setting up motoblur. Should I just bite the bullet and set it up, or maybe root the phone and get rid of it? How intrusive is the motorblur service?
I don't think it matters. Try a friends phone with that sim?
Verstuurd van mijn MB525 met Tapatalk
The sim works fine in the cheap gophone I got when I set it up. I can't imagine it being any different anywhere else. I tried plugging in an ancient cingular sim I still had floating about for some reason which gave me a different message - no service instead of invalid sim card.
Further reading, could this be a baseband version issue? They never intended the defy+ for the US market. I knew from the start that web access would not function except by wifi, but I was given to understand that I could make phonecalls. Not much of a phone without that...
I think maybe I'm on the right track with the baseband issue. I need to be running at 850/1900mhz which the phone will do according to the box... UK is 900/2100, correct? Is it possible that baseband ver. epu93_U_00.60.00 doesn't support my frequencies?
Thanks to everyone responsible for all the info on this forum. I'm overwhelmed at this point, but hopefully it will become more clear with time. I need to walk away from this for the night. Hopefully, tomorrow some of this stuff will have sorted itself out in my head. If anyone has any input, please weigh in!
If you want to see if baseband change helps.
Root the phone, install baseband changer (or something) and try out the Argentinian. They also use the 850/1900 frequentie band. T-mobile uses 850/1700/2100.
But normally I thought that was only needed to get 3g working.
Further updates and no luck.
I made the mistake of letting the phone update via wifi, thinking that might help, so now at 2.3.6 I can't seem to unlock it - tried superoneclick and doomlord, no luck so far. I'm very close to seeing if I can't get my money's worth of frustrations out of this phone with a 12lb sledgehammer. Wouldn't be the most expensive thing I've ever destroyed!
Its funny, this same kind of crap with the SLVR I bought years ago was why my last motorola product was going to be the last thing I ever purchased from them. Fool that I am, I thought I'd give them another chance.
For rooting the phone on 2.3.6 check the 'bl7 finally rooted' threat.
Have you tried factory reset? Read somewhere that that helps
Yes, I had tried the factory reset. The "BL7 finally rooted" thread did root the phone. I haven't done the baseband switch yet, but I'm hopeful.
Baseband switcher thread
Well, I should've listened to labsin in the first place - go figure.
My phone is now unlocked, rooted and baseband switched - it now recognizes US 3G, but the sim is still invalid. On the upside, I think I know what the problem is now. Turns out AT&T sometimes locks their sims for 180 days to the phone you activate it with. I guess I need to go to the store and try to get a different sim out of them.
If its at&t go phone u need to call at&t and have ur sim unlocked . Its locked to the phone u activate it in for so many months. Just tell them that ur go phone wont work and u cant return it . Hope this works for u . I had to do this couple times .
Sent from my MB525 using XDA
Didnt read all of ur last post before i posted . Sorry . But just give them a call . U shouldnt need a new one ..
Sent from my MB525 using XDA
Probably ought to call them from a landline, huh?
I tried going into the store yesterday. The girl there told me it was locked for 30 days, which is different than the six months I had heard elsewhere. I wonder if she was just trying to keep the great big scary guy (aka me) from losing his temper. I get it, I guess. They don't want people with smartphones using their $50 prepay unlimited, then tethering their laptop off it... What kind of person would do such a thing. On the other hand, don't call it unlimited if it isn't!
Ahhhh, victory. Thanks for all the help. By the look of things, switching basebands was necessary in the end, so I'm glad I went through all the trouble. I can't believe some of you guys do this as a hobby, I'd rather slam my privates in a car door than go through this again!

Sprint Essential Phone - Network outside US (Germany) ?

Hi together,
due to the great price for the phone via Sprint, there are several pretty cheap ones also on ebay. I want to use the phone only outside the US (Germany) - is there any problem when it is locked to Sprint? Few years ago i imported a Verizon Locked Photon Q, and as i remember it was fully usable outside the US.
The ebay listing also includes the IMEI of the phones, and when i check them, they are "Clean on Sprint". But does that mean that they are locked? And if so, can i somehow unlock the phone, when i am in Germany and not on a Sprint Network?
Sorry about the confusion, i dont really get you phone locking stuff in the US
Best regards and thank you so much in advance!
If the phone is truly still locked to Sprint, it probably won't work with any other SIM card (the phone will just report Invalid SIM). You could look at ting.com/byod and check the IMEI there to see if it reports clear GSM / CDMA capabilities. If that shows up OK, then it at least doesn't have any financial obligation, and it should work.
Are you sure the phones are still Sprint Locked? Or was the seller just indicating they were Sprint variant phones, and were unlocked?
kbonnel said:
If the phone is truly still locked to Sprint, it probably won't work with any other SIM card (the phone will just report Invalid SIM). You could look at ting.com/byod and check the IMEI there to see if it reports clear GSM / CDMA capabilities. If that shows up OK, then it at least doesn't have any financial obligation, and it should work.
Are you sure the phones are still Sprint Locked? Or was the seller just indicating they were Sprint variant phones, and were unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for the fast reply :good:
- I checked multiple lisitings from this seller at ting.com/byod, and they all say its compatible with ting/gsm/cdma. So if i get this right, the phone itself should not be locked then, because its neither stolen nor in financial trouble?
- i dont know if i am able to post ebay links here, one of the lisitings from this seller is 332465030454 - the seller just says that the buyer itself should check the IMEI. But as i understood it, i cant check if the phone is net/simlocked to sprint, just if its "legal"..
regards
Kampfgans said:
Thank you so much for the fast reply :good:
- I checked multiple lisitings from this seller at ting.com/byod, and they all say its compatible with ting/gsm/cdma. So if i get this right, the phone itself should not be locked then, because its neither stolen nor in financial trouble?
- i dont know if i am able to post ebay links here, one of the lisitings from this seller is 332465030454 - the seller just says that the buyer itself should check the IMEI. But as i understood it, i cant check if the phone is net/simlocked to sprint, just if its "legal"..
regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really wish I was able to give you a definitive answer, esp. since you are in Germany, as the return capabilities are a lot harder since it takes a while to ship back and forth. I was reviewing the company's website to see where they get their inventory, but couldn't really come up with a clear answer. They do indicate in the FAQ that they offer a service to test the ESN for a fee, but it doesn't go into much detail. Maybe give them a call, or send the seller a message on ebay to see if they are willing to pop in a non-sprint sim to verify it at least doesn't report back invalid - sim.
kbonnel said:
I really wish I was able to give you a definitive answer, esp. since you are in Germany, as the return capabilities are a lot harder since it takes a while to ship back and forth. I was reviewing the company's website to see where they get their inventory, but couldn't really come up with a clear answer. They do indicate in the FAQ that they offer a service to test the ESN for a fee, but it doesn't go into much detail. Maybe give them a call, or send the seller a message on ebay to see if they are willing to pop in a non-sprint sim to verify it at least doesn't report back invalid - sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to let you know about the outcome - they cannot guarantee that it is unlocked
Hopefully there will be another Amazon Deal or somebody doesnt need his F&F code
Kampfgans said:
Just to let you know about the outcome - they cannot guarantee that it is unlocked
Hopefully there will be another Amazon Deal or somebody doesnt need his F&F code
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what was the outcome? I have one ebay seller that isn't sure either. He bought it from sprint. Wanted to use it in Germany
saschb2b said:
So what was the outcome? I have one ebay seller that isn't sure either. He bought it from sprint. Wanted to use it in Germany
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assume anything bought from Sprint that the seller can't verify was active on Sprint's network for 50 days as unusable.
Sprint will only generate ISU (international SIM Unlock) that is permanent after a device has been on the network for 50 days.
This policy is strictly enforced and even if the device is paid off, it does not matter.
Hello guys and happy new year.
I'm planning to buy the essential phone from ebay. I have found some quite interesting offers from sprint locked devices. My question is the device will work at cosmote greece?
„Invalid sim“
I bought an essential phone from USA a few days ago and it is sim locked for sprint and I have not found any way to make it simlock free.
It says invalid sim.
I can use it as an expensive MP3 player or camera or when using WiFi.
But not as a telephone.
I asked the seller for help. He said he would call sprint.
I was able to flash Oreo beta2 Android 8.
In fast boot mode the mobile said it was a sprint variant.
I guess only sprint can made it sim lock free with a code.
If there is no solution I will maybe have to send it back.
What a pity situation. Why is essential phone not selling the phone for Europe ?
That's what I was afraid about. Thought a proper rom flash could remove the lock. But it seems you can't do it yourself. Essential will bring it to Europe. But when is not sure.
saschb2b said:
So what was the outcome? I have one ebay seller that isn't sure either. He bought it from sprint. Wanted to use it in Germany
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As already mentioned above -the seller could not guarantee it to me that i will be able to use it.
Finally, i ended up ordering it directly from Essential. Have it since 2 weeks now, works great on Telekom!
Hi, I am in Ireland and got a PH-1 which was locked by Sprint but i contacted them and they told me they have unlocked it for me and i can use it in Ireland but i am actually not able to use it on any network here, it just says Invalid Sim every time i put the sim card in.
Can anyone help me please?
forget sprint in europe!
In Germany it does not work with "Sprint" Locked Essential Phone.
Sam.anas said:
Hi, I am in Ireland and got a PH-1 which was locked by Sprint but i contacted them and they told me they have unlocked it for me and i can use it in Ireland but i am actually not able to use it on any network here, it just says Invalid Sim every time i put the sim card in.
Can anyone help me please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way to unlock it is with a Sprint SIM and they update the the phone or enter in a code.
Heloo i bought essential ph-1 amd it says invalid sim card. Im from georgia and want to work gsm carrier. Can i unlock the phone?

Categories

Resources