[Q] Could Carrier block an Unlocked device ? LG G2 from T-mobile - G2 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I just traded my Nexus 4 plus cash with a T-mobile LG G2 from someone on Craiglist. I checked IMEI on swappa.com and it is clean.
The owner told me he got the g2 from an 2 year upgrade under T-mobile. And now he is using StraightTalk on T-mobile network,
After the trade, I sim unlocked the G2 and currently using it on AT&T (prepaid plan).
My question is that is there any chance that the guy called T-mobile and has t-mobile black-list my G2? The G2 is all doing good right now but I am a liitle worried.
Could T-mobile black-list an Unlocked G2?
I do have the text and email proof of our transaction.So if worst of worst my G2 get blacklist, could I show them to T-mobile to prove my ownership?
Thank you for any opinion~~

laofan said:
I just traded my Nexus 4 plus cash with a T-mobile LG G2 from someone on Craiglist. I checked IMEI on swappa.com and it is clean.
The owner told me he got the g2 from an 2 year upgrade under T-mobile. And now he is using StraightTalk on T-mobile network,
After the trade, I sim unlocked the G2 and currently using it on AT&T (prepaid plan).
My question is that is there any chance that the guy called T-mobile and has t-mobile black-list my G2? The G2 is all doing good right now but I am a liitle worried.
Could T-mobile black-list an Unlocked G2?
I do have the text and email proof of our transaction.So if worst of worst my G2 get blacklist, could I show them to T-mobile to prove my ownership?
Thank you for any opinion~~
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point it is probably not working on T-Mobile if he didn't meet his 2 year commitment I bought one on E-Bay which was a T-Mobile and I unlocked sim and used it on ATT with no problems and IMEI showed as good when I checked but still wouldn't work on T-Mobile. So I got with T-Mobile and they said IMEI showed good but phone was on a two year contract and individual wasn't suppose to sell it until after two year commitment so not working on T-Mobile. Also there is discussion of blacklisting across carriers if they do that won't work on any of them. Just be advised of that in case it goes dead on ATT. As of now I try to buy brand new if I can because I got burnt with my purchase because I am now on T-Mobile and can't use the phone I bought had to buy another one out right because I don't like contracts

jimmydee62 said:
At this point it is probably not working on T-Mobile if he didn't meet his 2 year commitment I bought one on E-Bay which was a T-Mobile and I unlocked sim and used it on ATT with no problems and IMEI showed as good when I checked but still wouldn't work on T-Mobile. So I got with T-Mobile and they said IMEI showed good but phone was on a two year contract and individual wasn't suppose to sell it until after two year commitment so not working on T-Mobile. Also there is discussion of blacklisting across carriers if they do that won't work on any of them. Just be advised of that in case it goes dead on ATT. As of now I try to buy brand new if I can because I got burnt with my purchase because I am now on T-Mobile and can't use the phone I bought had to buy another one out right because I don't like contracts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The guy told me he got the phone on Dec 2013, so I guess he did not meet his new 2 year contract( I don't know for sure).
Chance is that the phone could still be blacklist by T-mobile even it is unlocked?
I have done some research, and still could not make sure about carrier black-list unlocked phones.
Last time I call AT&T, they told me once the phone is unlocked, it would be wipe off their database so nobody could block unlocked phones.
I am not sure whether T-mobile has the same rule.

laofan said:
The guy told me he got the phone on Dec 2013, so I guess he did not meet his new 2 year contract( I don't know for sure).
Chance is that the phone could still be blacklist by T-mobile even it is unlocked?
I have done some research, and still could not make sure about carrier black-list unlocked phones.
Last time I call AT&T, they told me once the phone is unlocked, it would be wipe off their database so nobody could block unlocked phones.
I am not sure whether T-mobile has the same rule.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I unlocked my xperia z which was on T-mobile at the time and like I said it was not blacklisted but t-mobile would not let me use it on there network because it was set up originally on 2 year contract and commitiment was not completed. Maybe ATT will allow you to use it but T-Mobile will not because they block the my IMEI. The only way to know for sure is try a T-Mobile sim. Mine gave a error code which I'm not sure what that was since it has been 6 months ago which basically like I said earlier would not let me use on T-Mobile. The IMEI is specifically for T-Mobile that is why you can't use on there network.

jimmydee62 said:
I unlocked my xperia z which was on T-mobile at the time and like I said it was not blacklisted but t-mobile would not let me use it on there network because it was set up originally on 2 year contract and commitiment was not completed. Maybe ATT will allow you to use it but T-Mobile will not because they block the my IMEI. The only way to know for sure is try a T-Mobile sim. Mine gave a error code which I'm not sure what that was since it has been 6 months ago which basically like I said earlier would not let me use on T-Mobile. The IMEI is specifically for T-Mobile that is why you can't use on there network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see what you mean. To sum up, even it is a unlocked clean imei phone from T-mobile, there is chance that it could not be used on T-mobile because the phone might still be under someone else's contract.
The seller messaged me today about setting up APN on the Nexus 4 I trade to him. At least he seems like a honest person.
I really like the G2 ! LG has made a lot of underated phones, the Optimus G, the G pro, and the G2!
Just bought a $30 phone as backup, if anything goes wrong( I hope not...),,,I would have a phone to use.
BTW, TMO 4.4.2 KK could not be rooted yet.. Seems like I have to stay stock for a while

laofan said:
I see what you mean. To sum up, even it is a unlocked clean imei phone from T-mobile, there is chance that it could not be used on T-mobile because the phone might still be under someone else's contract.
The seller messaged me today about setting up APN on the Nexus 4 I trade to him. At least he seems like a honest person.
I really like the G2 ! LG has made a lot of underated phones, the Optimus G, the G pro, and the G2!
Just bought a $30 phone as backup, if anything goes wrong( I hope not...),,,I would have a phone to use.
BTW, TMO 4.4.2 KK could not be rooted yet.. Seems like I have to stay stock for a while
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the 4.4.2 can be rooted just can't put a custom recovery on it. If you look in the development section you will see that can flash back to 4.2.2 and then root and put recovery on it of a 4.4.2 custom rom. So is possible just have to follow instructions given. I'm using a G flex rom but it is a 4.2.2 version but believe me there are many 4.4.2 roms available.

You can always call T-Mobile, give them the IMEI and ask if the phone is paid off.

laofan said:
The guy told me he got the phone on Dec 2013, so I guess he did not meet his new 2 year contract( I don't know for sure).
Chance is that the phone could still be blacklist by T-mobile even it is unlocked?
I have done some research, and still could not make sure about carrier black-list unlocked phones.
Last time I call AT&T, they told me once the phone is unlocked, it would be wipe off their database so nobody could block unlocked phones.
I am not sure whether T-mobile has the same rule.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. T-Mobile stopped doing contracts so that is out the window.
2. The risk you take is he had the device on EIP (installment plans). Of he stops paying the device will get blocked and the only way to unblock would be for the original owner to pay it off and that's it.
3. If he really wanted to, he could report the phone stolen. Even with documents it would take some serious work to get it unblocked.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

JE_25 said:
1. T-Mobile stopped doing contracts so that is out the window.
2. The risk you take is he had the device on EIP (installment plans). Of he stops paying the device will get blocked and the only way to unblock would be for the original owner to pay it off and that's it.
3. If he really wanted to, he could report the phone stolen. Even with documents it would take some serious work to get it unblocked.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I call T-mobile just now, they would only check the IMEI only if I open a new service ( which I am not gonna to do. I would stay on AT&T for now).
But the representative I talkd to told me that as long as I plug in a new T-mobile sim card, the phone would be transferred to the new sim account and has nothing to do with the old one.
That recall me same thing about AT&T, they just said as long as a new sim in put in the phone, the phone would be released from its original account.

Related

AT&T now blacklisting stolen or inproperly scanned phones.

I didn't see a thread on this so I thought I'd warn anyone who doesn't know.
AT&T now blacklisting stolen phones.
AT&T is now blacklisting all reported stolen phones, or devices they say were "Improperly scanned" out of inventory and major retailers such as Best Buy or Wal-Mart. What this means is that sometime after inserting your SIM card into one of these phones, AT&T will lock your SIM card and you will either get a message stating the device is blocked from the network, or the phone will only call AT&T's security division. Even if you put it back in another phone.
This lock is supposed to occur within minutes according to AT&T, however we have seen it take up to weeks for the lock to occur. This also applies to any pre-paid service such as Straight Talk and Red Pocket who use AT&T phones. If you are on one of these plans, you must call your carrier, not AT&T and request the account be unlocked.
Sounds like a good plan right? The only problem with this is, at this time, unlike Verizon, Sprint, and other carriers, there is no way to call in and check the IMEI before you purchase a used or refurb phone. Thus, if you buy a phone from Craigslist, Ebay, or a local used phone store, its imposable to check the esn like you would a CDMA phone to determine if it has been reported lost or stolen.
The best you can do is put your SIM in the phone and try it out before you buy it and, more importantly, make sure there is a return policy at the store you buy it from. At this time there seems to be no sure fire way to determine if a phone you buy from an individual or online has been reported lost or stolen, and AT&T will not unblock any phone reported stolen except by the person who reported it.
The only exception is if you have purchased a phone from a major retailer. In that case AT&T security division reports that if you take the phone back with the receipt, they will unblock it.
Just reading this reminds me about insurance scams where someone would sell their old phone on some site and then call in the phone as stolen. To me: this is just another risk for buying used phones now. Then again: I recall reading a very recent article about a iphone theft ring in San Francisco. Maybe it's better off this way.
Puts ATT in hard spot. They can either let the thieves sell the units and then the end customer's are unknowingly screwed or let the units work. I suppose their rationale is that if the unit stops working they can report who sold them the phone?
I think they very well should blacklist phones reported as stolen. They've been doing it in Europe for years. My problem is, unlike every other major carrier, you cannot verify if a phone is stolen or not before you buy it. This doesn't punish the thieves so much as the person who unknowingly buys it.
killgorian said:
I think they very well should blacklist phones reported as stolen. They've been doing it in Europe for years. My problem is, unlike every other major carrier, you cannot verify if a phone is stolen or not before you buy it. This doesn't punish the thieves so much as the person who unknowingly buys it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's reported stolen that's one thing - but what about the phones that somebody hasn't paid their bill to on the major carriers - the money owed goes on that person's SS# anyways for life until they settle up - I see bad esn's being sold on ebay all the time. I don't feel bad flashing a phone to cricket with a bad esn since it's tied to somebody's social. If it's stolen by thieves of course - lock em down. I'm just sayin'
mook_ said:
the money owed goes on that person's SS# anyways for life...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. 7 years max.
killgorian said:
My problem is, unlike every other major carrier, you cannot verify if a phone is stolen or not before you buy it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. This service should have been offered FIRST and then a couple of years later they should have introduced the banning practice. As it is I can see a lot of people making honest mistakes.
You can call into att and have them check the numbers on the phone ...I just did this a week ago with my one x after getting.burnt on one
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Some online stores have a very efficient and reliable pre-purchase customer care.
I bought my AT&T phone from europe from negrielectronics.com and I clearly asked to know the IMEI of the device before placing the ordere since we have some specific IMEI issues here n Europe.
They could immediately email me the code.
So just ask if you want to purchase on the internet; maybe you'll be lucky.
We can actually deactivate stolen / lost phones,
I`m not sure about blacklisting, savedesk knows that,
After we make reports on lost/stolen phones we just send them to savedesk
It has always been a long before practise to ask the customer to rescan again to where you have bought the phone in cases of phones tagged as warehouse are not deactivated
this post is approved by the national potato safety regulation
hey guys - so i just got taken. bought a phone on CL and turns out it's blacklisted. do you know if there's anyway for ATT to check who this phone belonged to based on IMEI? my long shot is maybe contacting original owner (i know ATT doesn't give out information) but could THEY possibly contact original owner and tell him someone found his device?
i figure this is better than me tossing the device?? any thoughts?
piotrus22 said:
hey guys - so i just got taken. bought a phone on CL and turns out it's blacklisted. do you know if there's anyway for ATT to check who this phone belonged to based on IMEI? my long shot is maybe contacting original owner (i know ATT doesn't give out information) but could THEY possibly contact original owner and tell him someone found his device?
i figure this is better than me tossing the device?? any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have any of the seller's info you can report it to authorities.
The only info i have is a cell phone number. Which was a pay as you go number. So i dont think they can do anything if sim card has been tossed right?
What will they authorities do? Dont they have more important things? Ill they confiscate the phone? I just realized i could sell it for use in Europe potentially?
piotrus22 said:
The only info i have is a cell phone number. Which was a pay as you go number. So i dont think they can do anything if sim card has been tossed right?
What will they authorities do? Dont they have more important things? Ill they confiscate the phone? I just realized i could sell it for use in Europe potentially?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's IMEI programmed.
so no matter what SIM you'll use it will still be blacklisted,
as long as a stolen phone can receive a signal and passes through AT&T's database it will automatically send out a code to lock out the phone,
it is n "as-is" basis though,
depends entirely on the phone
deathnotice01 said:
it's IMEI programmed.
so no matter what SIM you'll use it will still be blacklisted,
as long as a stolen phone can receive a signal and passes through AT&T's database it will automatically send out a code to lock out the phone,
it is n "as-is" basis though,
depends entirely on the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, my first post here.
I have a customer (I do computer repair, not cell phones) who unknowingly bought a "blacklisted" att phone an HTC one x from craigslist. Is there anything he can do? I told him I would look into it to try and help him out. But I know nothing of cell phones. The guy's like 60 trying to make a few bucks while in retirement buying and selling cell phones.
He used it for a day or so then it just stopped working. when his att sim was deactivated he went to att as he knows the folks who work in the local store. They cleared his sim card, but not the phone. They weren't interested in taking the phone from him either. They said it could be blacklisted for several reasons from non-payment, to stolen or some other reason, but they couldn't tell him the reason. Some advice or a point in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. Would unlocking the phone make any difference (to use on another carrier) or is he just basically screwed with this one?
Thanks,
Chris
SIM unlock it and have it on T-Mobile.
Lil Chris said:
Hi, my first post here.
I have a customer (I do computer repair, not cell phones) who unknowingly bought a "blacklisted" att phone an HTC one x from craigslist. Is there anything he can do? I told him I would look into it to try and help him out. But I know nothing of cell phones. The guy's like 60 trying to make a few bucks while in retirement buying and selling cell phones.
He used it for a day or so then it just stopped working. when his att sim was deactivated he went to att as he knows the folks who work in the local store. They cleared his sim card, but not the phone. They weren't interested in taking the phone from him either. They said it could be blacklisted for several reasons from non-payment, to stolen or some other reason, but they couldn't tell him the reason. Some advice or a point in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. Would unlocking the phone make any difference (to use on another carrier) or is he just basically screwed with this one?
Thanks,
Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T is very strict with matters pertaining to blacklisted phones,
reactivation of a valid sim card is possible but not the phone,
i never had actual experience with AT&T phones since i'm not in the US and we only had experience navigating them during our training at AT&T tech support,
but you can try flashing the stock generic firmware from a AT&T HTC one X and using a T-mo sim instead of a AT&T sim to prevent execution and authentication of IMEI protocols which are nessesarry to deactivate the blacklisted phone,
Welcome to the bad ESN world
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
cell128 said:
Welcome to the bad ESN world
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And corporate controlled america
--------------------------------------------------------------
By staring at this post you have waived your right to privacy
Complaints will be trolled accordingly
Im a bit confused. Maybe someone could shed some light. Can a at&t iphone that is not in good standing with at&t be used on straight talk. If so must it be a ST Tmobile sim?
Im buying my mom an at&t iphone 4s off CL and want to make sure it can be activated. Thanks!!
themow said:
Im a bit confused. Maybe someone could shed some light. Can a at&t iphone that is not in good standing with at&t be used on straight talk. If so must it be a ST Tmobile sim?
Im buying my mom an at&t iphone 4s off CL and want to make sure it can be activated. Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as it is not reported lost or stolen it can. If it has been blacklisted, no it cannot.

[Q] Verizon Galaxy Note 3 - BAD ESN with T-Mobile

I purchased a Verizon Galaxy Note 3 from a guy off Craiglist and checked the ESN, it was clean then and I proceeded to use with T-Mobile. Everything was working fine, HSPA and such. But now, after waking up, the phone has not signal, so I went online to check to see if anything happened to the ESN, and noticed it now has changed from Good to Bad. I've tried to contact the guy but no response.
I tried to remove the sim and inserted it in a different phone and everything was fine.
Is there anyway I can still use the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 with T-Mobile even though the ESN is bad?
I've tried to change the APN settings (epc.tmobile.com) and even (fast.t-mobile.com) on the device but nothing is working for me. It keeps showing No Service - Selected Network (T-Mobile) not available.
The device model is SM-N900V, Android 4.3.
Please help !
Waw I did not think that happened . he called the phone lost stolen after he sold it . sorry this happened to you . did you call up Verizon to explain the situation ?, they are the ones that issued the lock on the ESN They might be able to help . please keep is posted
ttav9216 said:
I purchased a Verizon Galaxy Note 3 from a guy off Craiglist and checked the ESN, it was clean then and I proceeded to use with T-Mobile. Everything was working fine, HSPA and such. But now, after waking up, the phone has not signal, so I went online to check to see if anything happened to the ESN, and noticed it now has changed from Good to Bad. I've tried to contact the guy but no response.
I tried to remove the sim and inserted it in a different phone and everything was fine.
Is there anyway I can still use the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 with T-Mobile even though the ESN is bad?
I've tried to change the APN settings (epc.tmobile.com) and even (fast.t-mobile.com) on the device but nothing is working for me. It keeps showing No Service - Selected Network (T-Mobile) not available.
The device model is SM-N900V, Android 4.3.
Please help !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may also want to try to set your network settings to global rather than to lte. For some reason, if you have it set to global it uses a different radio and will work just fine on tmobile.
jmichaels1982 said:
Waw I did not think that happened . he called the phone lost stolen after he sold it . sorry this happened to you . did you call up Verizon to explain the situation ?, they are the ones that issued the lock on the ESN They might be able to help . please keep is posted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have called both T-Mobile and Verizon.
I called Verizon first to explain the situation and the representative transferred me to Tech Support, and then the Tech Support asked me for the ESN, which I gave him. He then told that indeed the ESN is bad, but he could not find the reason why. He recommended me to call T-Mobile.
I then called T-Mobile and told them about the situation. It's funny because for reasons T-Mobile found out that the reason ESN is bad is because, exactly what you said, the phone has been reported lost/stolen. The phone is now blocked from accessing any US carriers. The representative from T-Mobile told me that Verizon was the one who put the lock on it, so I would need to call Verizon to get the problem fixed.
I called Verizon again, and this time, I spoke with a really friendly representative, she listened to the whole situation, and tried to fix the problem for me. She even tried to look up the phone numbers that I used to contact the guy with. But unfortunately, none would work. I feel really bad because she tried all she could. The conversation went on for almost an hour.
Long story short, the phone is now locked from being able to use with any US carriers. I'm stuck with a very expensive brick. Both T-Mobile and Verizon could not do anything about my situation. Pretty frustrated now.
Learned my lesson, I will never buy any phones from anyone on Craiglist ever again !
Certain people will buy it for parts . dont give up on selling it . try swappa next time . they have PayPal protection . although anyone can do what just happened to you . to protect yourself against this in the future : put the phone under your account either by calling or in a verizon store . I believe that once the ESN is registered under your name they can't report it lost or stolen . popping the Sim in , I think , without calling just puts the phone on your account but doesent register the ESN . these are all.just speculations . I could be way off. There is a verizon rep on these forums . he is very friendly ... Look up his forum and ask away !
It's unfortunate. I had a friend who ran into the same thing about two months ago with a note 2 on verizon. Not to mention I had been scammed on an ATT phone. Unfortunately att phones they dont block the phone for a couple hours, so when I was purchasing the phone I was able to make a test call then I got blocked in the morning. This was few months after tmobile, att and verizon instituted that co-network nationwide ban.
I'm not sure if it would help, but next time it might be a good idea to do a transaction instore. Possibly having one of the employees transfer over the phone and issuing a new sim card, might deter the would be thief from doing an insurance claim. Since you would be able to prove that you did everything in store, hopefully with the aid/witness of the verizon rep that helped you.
You can use blacklsted note 3 on att and t-mobile. However, u need to add apn into the phone yourself in order to get data. I don't need you need to root it or not to change it. Go switch to GSM I think there people who able to get lte on T-mobile in band 4 , but i don't know how. I had a blacklisted note 3 currently running on ATT. Only get H+ .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2582747
I wonder what could be the motivation of a seller to report a phone stolen after selling it? Fraudulent insurance claim afterwards? Or maybe it was a stolen phone but the owner was out of town and was unaware of the theft? (Strange scenario.) Or maybe Verizon blacklists phones for non-payment on an account?
Sorry this happened to you, but I am sort of curious if you got a "too good to be true" deal off of CL... do you mind me asking how much you paid for a $700 phone?
Performing the sale right in a carrier's retail store with an immediate account transfer does seem to be a really good idea - if the seller gets cold feet about that, you'll know that things are not on the up and up.
A sure fix is replacing the motherboard with one from a shattered unit.
Check the IMEI number before purchasing.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
raginmonkey said:
You may also want to try to set your network settings to global rather than to lte. For some reason, if you have it set to global it uses a different radio and will work just fine on tmobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did OP try this?
That's very unfortunate. I've dealt many times over craigslist I'm fortunate that the phones I've bought were from good people.
I hope you get something out of it.
I trade phones alot, and thats why I swap sims wherever I meet someone.
brex91 said:
I trade phones alot, and thats why I swap sims wherever I meet someone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you elaborate?
xdadevnube said:
Can you elaborate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i mostly trade even up, went from a note 2 to a s4 to a note 3 and only spent money on gas to meet the person with the phone.
So when we both arrive I look at the phone for physical damage, then power both down, swap sims and power back up. If I get a signal it's activated. (on verizon at least)
(I think theres a limit to how many times you can do this in a certain period of time, but for me it's only every 6 months or so, so no problems)
And of course in my situation I'm doing trades locally off craigslist.
brex91 said:
i mostly trade even up, went from a note 2 to a s4 to a note 3 and only spent money on gas to meet the person with the phone.
So when we both arrive I look at the phone for physical damage, then power both down, swap sims and power back up. If I get a signal it's activated. (on verizon at least)
(I think theres a limit to how many times you can do this in a certain period of time, but for me it's only every 6 months or so, so no problems)
And of course in my situation I'm doing trades locally off craigslist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose after a trade you can call in your old phone lost/stolen if the other guy does it to your "new" phone. If you just buy a phone, then I can see what happened to the OP being much more likely.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 2
xdadevnube said:
I suppose after a trade you can call in your old phone lost/stolen if the other guy does it to your "new" phone. If you just buy a phone, then I can see what happened to the OP being much more likely.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
possibly, but like i said, that's why I swap sims. After that the phone is activated on my account, they can't report it stolen. I make sure I have a signal before the trade is done.
brex91 said:
possibly, but like i said, that's why I swap sims. After that the phone is activated on my account, they can't report it stolen. I make sure I have a signal before the trade is done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now I'm confused. So in the case of the OP, he should have activated it with Verizon first (Verizon phone)?
He said it was working with T-Mobile, then it stopped working.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 2
Never heard of a Verizon phone being blocked from the other carriers. I bought a bad esn Verizon note 3 for my girlfriend off eBay and she still using it on AT&T. Please update on the situation if you're able to use with AT&T
Sent from my SM-N900V using xda app-developers app
so OP, did anything work out for you?
This just happend to me too..
I lost my AT&T S4, and since i had over a year left on the contract i sought craigslist for a new phone.
I purchased a used Verizon s4 for $380 from a person claiming to be the original owner, he said he upgraded and was selling the current phone.
I put my AT&T sim in the phone and it was all good.. i had signal and tested it by making a call to the sellers phone.. I did other physical check to make sure no water damage etc.
I purchased the phone and switch the SIM back to my temp dumb phone. when i reach home i was googling APN settings for AT&T when i came accross a link that mentioned bad ESN, so just for the heck of it, i plugged in the ESN of the new phone and turns out it was reported Stolen!!
i am little scared to put in my SIM back into the phone... is it OK to put the SIM back? will it work? is there any other issues i may face?
Ofcourse i tried contacting the seller,, but as exected, he has not responded yet.
I checked ESN on checkesnfree.com, as well as the verizon site and they all report it as stolen.
I checked same ESN on tmobile site and used the ESN # as IMEI, and even tmobile site said it was stolen.
I did the same thing on Swappa.com and they were not able to determine ESN status..
on AT&T, if i go in as a new buyer, add SIM card to my cart, it asks me to enter device IMEI and it accepts it.. the AT&T rep told me that this was a good way to check if IMEI is clean or not.. so i am assuming IMEI is clean on AT&T, but for how long??
Sorry i know i am asking Too many questions.. but this has been so sudden and unexpected.. kind of feeling like a fish out of water!
If a phone is reported stolen, it will not work on T-Mobile or AT&T. If it is bad esn/imei for non payment, then it will only be blocked on Verizon.

AT&T and Sprint branded phones are carrier locked

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PI1HJCS/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PI1G69K/
Click on "without a service plan" it will state they are carrier locked.
Cheetohz said:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PI1HJCS/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PI1G69K/
Click on "without a service plan" it will state they are carrier locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No they aren't. There are multiple threads to confirm this. I have a Sprint Nexus 6 and it works on T-Mobile with no problem.
Not true. I have a "Sprint" N6 and popped in my AT&T sim and it works fine.
Has anyone been able to confirm this if purchased from Amazon?
derfnoslen said:
No they aren't. There are multiple threads to confirm this. I have a Sprint Nexus 6 and it works on T-Mobile with no problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Purpleclad said:
Not true. I have a "Sprint" N6 and popped in my AT&T sim and it works fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what batch you got. Only the initial Amazon batches were unlocked. The later Sprint Amazon batches are sim locked AFAIK.
Skripka said:
It depends on what batch you got. Only the initial Amazon batches were unlocked. The later Sprint Amazon batches are sim locked AFAIK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a Nexus 6 straight from Sprint, and I'm using my Verizon sim. The Verizon sim actually works better. I only have data with my sprint sim I can't send or receive texts or make or receive calls. I get a message cannot validate you account when trying to make a call. Everything works flawlessly with my Verizon sim.
Sent from my Nexus 6
Not to sound like an advertisement but I got my att model from bestbuy sim locked and used Cellunlocker to unlock it.
as of this moment, onlty att locks the sim. people are speculating if verizon will also do this, but its only att at the moment.
Another nod for Sprint being unlocked. I just put my N6 that I got 2 days after it hit the Sprint shelf on Tmobile and it rings for incoming calls again. Sprint has network issues and I got tired of missing calls and having cust service always start out with "factory reset your phone." My note 3 had the same issue on Sprint. 15 mins for Tmob to setup the account and put the sim in. 0$ and a better plan price to boot.
simms22 said:
as of this moment, onlty att locks the sim. people are speculating if verizon will also do this, but its only att at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my experience with Verizon's version of the Galaxy Nexus left a bad taste in my mouth. I will be very very hard pressed to ever buy a verizon branded phone ever again. they do get my money though. That I don't mind paying for because I have signal everywhere I go and the legacy unlimited data plan.
The carrier locks aren't really a big deal in any case. $20 and you can get it unlocked at any number of cell unlocking sites.
Would rather it not be locked at all, but isn't that big of a deal....
I just paid to get mine unlocked so I can sell my nexus. I really don't like it
konaman said:
I just paid to get mine unlocked so I can sell my nexus. I really don't like it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you don't like about it?
yellowman82 said:
What you don't like about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably the paying part to need to unlock it.
As of today, if you are not under contract with the carrier that the phone is locked to, or owe them money due to an EIP, they have to unlock the phone.
http://www.tmonews.com/2015/02/new-carrier-phone-unlock-regulation-active-from-today/
v8dreaming said:
As of today, if you are not under contract with the carrier that the phone is locked to, or owe them money due to an EIP, they have to unlock the phone.
http://www.tmonews.com/2015/02/new-carrier-phone-unlock-regulation-active-from-today/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The nexus was never locked to begin with unless you had a contract through AT&T, all other versions are unlocked from factory
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
A2CKilla said:
The nexus was never locked to begin with unless you had a contract through AT&T, all other versions are unlocked from factory
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure you read my post correctly, as that's what my post pertained to. Contracts, EIP, or if they bought the phone outright from AT&T etc.
v8dreaming said:
I'm not sure you read my post correctly, as that's what my post pertained to. Contracts, EIP, or if they bought the phone outright from AT&T etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's still wrong information, mine is with a contract through sprint, it's still fully unlocked, I can put any sim in and I'm good to go, t-mobile was the same way, at&t was the only one that did a lock and we still have yet to find out about verizon
HELP
im looking to purchase an AT&T Nexus 6 from clist TODAY to use on Sprint. I got a sprint nano sim and was wondering if i can activate it. I heard you give sprint the IMEI number without the last digit or something. Has anyone done this? Anything i should know? im searching and googling and havent gotten a solid answer before i drive an hour to meet this guy. thanks in advance
edisepic said:
im looking to purchase an AT&T Nexus 6 from clist TODAY to use on Sprint. I got a sprint nano sim and was wondering if i can activate it. I heard you give sprint the IMEI number without the last digit or something. Has anyone done this? Anything i should know? im searching and googling and havent gotten a solid answer before i drive an hour to meet this guy. thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T are the only ones that are carrier locked, unless it was purchased outright or paid off, I would really double check with whoever you're buying it from and have them meet you at a sprint store to actually check everything out before you commit
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app

Unlock Sprint Version

Hi,
So a friend of mine is bringing the Essential Phone to India from the USA. It is a Sprint model. Can anyone help me and tell me how can I go about unlocking the device so that I can use it with Indian carriers?
zaydenQ said:
Hi,
So a friend of mine is bringing the Essential Phone to India from the USA. It is a Sprint model. Can anyone help me and tell me how can I go about unlocking the device so that I can use it with Indian carriers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have your friend from the USA stay on a sprint account for 50 days then he can call them to unlock it for international as long as it's paid in full.
Unlock sprint
Hey. Can somebody help me with the unlock my essential phone pH 1
I had to send mine back. They have two types of UICC unlocks. One of them in for carriers inside the USA only and the other is for international carriers. The problem is that the international unlock is temporary. Even if the phone is paid in full their systems are relocking lots of phones when used on international carriers using the essential on USA carriers seems to be fine. Mine was paid in full with sprint and was unlocked for 1 month when I called Sprint they said that the international UUIC unlock is temporary so I needed to request it again. I decided to return the phone and once I got the refund and I purchased one directly from essential and my problems were solved.
Sprint is a CDMA network, so you need to check a few things before actually using the phone outside Sprint network.
CDMA networks use network-based white lists to verify their subscribers. That means you can only switch CDMA phones with your carrier’s permission. Details: https://www.unlockunit.com/blog/cdma-networks/
However, you might be able to use your phone with a local Indian GSM network. You must make sure that your phone has also GSM capabilities. you can check this on https://www.gsmarena.com/
And you can check your network's bands here: https://www.frequencycheck.com/
Jahdiel2011 said:
I had to send mine back. They have two types of UICC unlocks. One of them in for carriers inside the USA only and the other is for international carriers. The problem is that the international unlock is temporary. Even if the phone is paid in full their systems are relocking lots of phones when used on international carriers using the essential on USA carriers seems to be fine. Mine was paid in full with sprint and was unlocked for 1 month when I called Sprint they said that the international UUIC unlock is temporary so I needed to request it again. I decided to return the phone and once I got the refund and I purchased one directly from essential and my problems were solved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was your phone unlocked after 50 days with Sprint? I'm only keeping Sprint for 50 days to get them to do the international unlock. After that I will cancel. My phone was automatically unlocked for US sims after I paid off the lease and I'm using it with a T-mobile sim now. I noticed that the UICC menu is gone with my T-mobile sim in the phone. Do you know if the phone can be relocked for international sims even if it doesn't have a Sprint sim in the phone?
DrvLikHell said:
Was your phone unlocked after 50 days with Sprint? I'm only keeping Sprint for 50 days to get them to do the international unlock. After that I will cancel. My phone was automatically unlocked for US sims after I paid off the lease and I'm using it with a T-mobile sim now. I noticed that the UICC menu is gone with my T-mobile sim in the phone. Do you know if the phone can be relocked for international sims even if it doesn't have a Sprint sim in the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine was paid in full and was unlocked both domestically and internationally. I was not 50 days with Sprint. Since I had to travel abroad I asked for the International unlock which they granted as I had already paid for the phone. I started using the phone in South America and around one month later I got the Invalid SimCard message. When I called they said that the UUIC international unlock is temporary so I need to call Sprint and request it again. The domestic unlock is permanent not the same for the international (It made no sense) I called again yesterday to get info on their policies again and now I got different info the phone was supposedly unlocked according to their systems.
Besides this I've got info from trusted sources saying that even devices purchased Unlocked from essential are being locked by sprint when inserting sprint sim cards so stay away from those sim cards.
unlocked then relocked
My phone was unlocked by Sprint shortly after I paid it off, about two days after I received it. I was able to insert a Vietnamese SIM card and download all the Essential security updates.
Then somehow it got relocked. called Sprint to asked them to unlock it internationally, as I actually do travel internationally for work quite a bit. They responded with an email refusing to unlock it until it had been on the network for 50 days.
I have had the last three phones on Sprint unlocked internationally with less trouble than this one.
I guess I'll try again when the 50 days are up.
Jahdiel2011 said:
Mine was paid in full and was unlocked both domestically and internationally. I was not 50 days with Sprint. Since I had to travel abroad I asked for the International unlock which they granted as I had already paid for the phone. I started using the phone in South America and around one month later I got the Invalid SimCard message. When I called they said that the UUIC international unlock is temporary so I need to call Sprint and request it again. The domestic unlock is permanent not the same for the international (It made no sense) I called again yesterday to get info on their policies again and now I got different info the phone was supposedly unlocked according to their systems.
Besides this I've got info from trusted sources saying that even devices purchased Unlocked from essential are being locked by sprint when inserting sprint sim cards so stay away from those sim cards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that information. When you were in South America and got the invalid sim card message, were you on a non-US sim? Did you put the Sprint sim back in at any time before you got that message? I'm trying to figure out if they can relock the device without the Sprint sim card in it, because if so I'm not keeping this phone. I requested the international unlock on my phone as well, but they told me I had to wait until the phone was active for 50 days. They wouldn't budge on that at all. Maybe the 50 day policy is why yours got relocked?
huzordaddy said:
My phone was unlocked by Sprint shortly after I paid it off, about two days after I received it. I was able to insert a Vietnamese SIM card and download all the Essential security updates.
Then somehow it got relocked. called Sprint to asked them to unlock it internationally, as I actually do travel internationally for work quite a bit. They responded with an email refusing to unlock it until it had been on the network for 50 days.
I have had the last three phones on Sprint unlocked internationally with less trouble than this one.
I guess I'll try again when the 50 days are up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My phone was unlocked for domestic sims 48 hours after the lease was closed. US sims work in it now, but I put a European sim in it and it asked for an unlock code. Did your phone get relocked while it had the Vietnamese sim in it, or were you swapping between that and the Sprint sim?
Once my 50 days are up and I cancel Sprint, I really don't want to have a phone that can be randomly locked by a company that I no longer have any business with. If that's the case I'm going to get rid of this phone and go with another brand.
DrvLikHell said:
Thanks for that information. When you were in South America and got the invalid sim card message, were you on a non-US sim? Did you put the Sprint sim back in at any time before you got that message? I'm trying to figure out if they can relock the device without the Sprint sim card in it, because if so I'm not keeping this phone. I requested the international unlock on my phone as well, but they told me I had to wait until the phone was active for 50 days. They wouldn't budge on that at all. Maybe the 50 day policy is why yours got relocked?
My phone was unlocked for domestic sims 48 hours after the lease was closed. US sims work in it now, but I put a European sim in it and it asked for an unlock code. Did your phone get relocked while it had the Vietnamese sim in it, or were you swapping between that and the Sprint sim?
Once my 50 days are up and I cancel Sprint, I really don't want to have a phone that can be randomly locked by a company that I no longer have any business with. If that's the case I'm going to get rid of this phone and go with another brand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not even bring the Sprint Sim on my trip so I'd say Yes. They can relock it even with other sim card. I was using non US sims the whole time. I'm not sure if the issue is the 50 days policy but I did not want to have a phone I paid in full and cannot own as I should.
How can they lock the phone if it's not on their Network? Sounds like some funny business with firmware updates.
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA Labs
I got a Essential from an ebay reseller, I checked the IMEI before buying it , said it was clean... and thought that's all that mattered :/
It's locked to someone's sprint account or something, i can't use it on sprint even if I wanted! I have no way of contacting that owner... what can I do?
Can I put some other firmware on it or is there some unlocking service I can opt for?
When I contacted sprint they said the phone is clean/not stolen... so yeah... very frustrating.
Please help/advise.
Edwii said:
I got a Essential from an ebay reseller, I checked the IMEI before buying it , said it was clean... and thought that's all that mattered :/
It's locked to someone's sprint account or something, i can't use it on sprint even if I wanted! I have no way of contacting that owner... what can I do?
Can I put some other firmware on it or is there some unlocking service I can opt for?
When I contacted sprint they said the phone is clean/not stolen... so yeah... very frustrating.
Please help/advise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's locked to someone elses Sprint account, and it's not sim unlocked so you can't use it on a GSM service, the only option you have is to return it to the eBay seller. If the seller said it was unlocked or otherwise ready to be activated, that was incorrect and you can do an "Item not as described" type of return, stating that it is not able to be used and you'll get your money back. eBay offers very good protection for this sort of thing.
avd said:
How can they lock the phone if it's not on their Network? Sounds like some funny business with firmware updates.
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to know the same thing. From what I've learned the sim lock is a single bit somewhere that's nearly impossible to change without an unlock code. And I've never heard of a phone relocking. I don't know how they're doing it with the Essential. The interesting thing is that when you put in a non-sprint sim, the phone will then update to a newer firmware because sprint is behind on theirs, but it can still relock with the newer firmware. Also, with a non-sprint sim the UICC menu disappears, but then it comes back when you put a sprint sim back in. I don't know what its deal is.
Just the fact that it's possible for sprint to relock a phone remotely is enough to steer me away from this phone. I can't be in a situation where I'm relying on my phone for communication in another country and then, oops, sprint decided to relock my phone and now I can't contact anyone. I've been in situations where that could be very dangerous. If I stay with the PH1, I'll sell my sprint phones and get one directly from the company. Otherwise, I'm already looking at other phones.
Edwii said:
I got a Essential from an ebay reseller, I checked the IMEI before buying it , said it was clean... and thought that's all that mattered :/
It's locked to someone's sprint account or something, i can't use it on sprint even if I wanted! I have no way of contacting that owner... what can I do?
Can I put some other firmware on it or is there some unlocking service I can opt for?
When I contacted sprint they said the phone is clean/not stolen... so yeah... very frustrating.
Please help/advise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
File a claim.
Device different than specified.
So Far the PH-1 is a great option only if you buy it directly from essential and Never EVER put a Sprint Sim Card on it.
Edwii said:
I got a Essential from an ebay reseller, I checked the IMEI before buying it , said it was clean... and thought that's all that mattered :/
It's locked to someone's sprint account or something, i can't use it on sprint even if I wanted! I have no way of contacting that owner... what can I do?
Can I put some other firmware on it or is there some unlocking service I can opt for?
When I contacted sprint they said the phone is clean/not stolen... so yeah... very frustrating.
Please help/advise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
File a claim with eBay, they'll get your money back!
I have found that a lot of eBay sellers just put "Check IMEI" in their listing, with no other claim to being locked/unlocked, etc. So that it then becomes the buyer's responsibility to throughly check it before they buy. I checked the IMEI on Ting's website and they said it was good to go (vs. a phone that I have with a Bad ESN that they knew about and would understandably not accept - and no this is not a post about Bad ESN so back off wolfdroids!) I didn't bother filing a claim though because it makes an excellent WiFi Smartphone.
Still, I hate Sprint. No nonsense "Account Number and PIN" or we're not going to help you. I wanted to see about paying off the lease myself. Nope! They don't want my money.
atrac88 said:
I have found that a lot of eBay sellers just put "Check IMEI" in their listing, with no other claim to being locked/unlocked, etc. So that it then becomes the buyer's responsibility to throughly check it before they buy. I checked the IMEI on Ting's website and they said it was good to go (vs. a phone that I have with a Bad ESN that they knew about and would understandably not accept - and no this is not a post about Bad ESN so back off wolfdroids!) I didn't bother filing a claim though because it makes an excellent WiFi Smartphone.
Still, I hate Sprint. No nonsense "Account Number and PIN" or we're not going to help you. I wanted to see about paying off the lease myself. Nope! They don't want my money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Find someone that has a Sprint account and see if they can add it on so you can pay it off and use it. It's too good of a phone to be stuck at home being used as a mini-tablet
@Jahdiel2011 About how long did your international sim unlock last before it relocked on you?
30 days or so

How do I remove Sprint bloatware after Unlock?

I finally reached the 50 day finish line and will have my phone unlocked today or tomorrow. I want to sell this, but as "unlocked" on Swappa to make a bit more on it. How do I remove the Sprint Bloatware after unlock?
The variant you have technically will always be a Sprint variant. If you start up in bootloader mode, it will have variant - sprint not openus
I want to know the answer to this as well. I heard that factory resetting with a non sprint sim would take that stuff away. I am still 10 days out from the unlock.
runderekrun said:
I want to know the answer to this as well. I heard that factory resetting with a non sprint sim would take that stuff away. I am still 10 days out from the unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think that will work. We switched my wife's from the Sprint stock rom to the openus stock rom for better updates and it's still showing Sprint variant. It is also unlocked. So I don't know. But our phones never had bloatware on them to begin with.
JoRocker said:
I finally reached the 50 day finish line and will have my phone unlocked today or tomorrow. I want to sell this, but as "unlocked" on Swappa to make a bit more on it. How do I remove the Sprint Bloatware after unlock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it will always be a Sprint variant and can only be unlocked for domestic use. Please make sure buyers are aware if you sell it on Swappa.
Airwolf79 said:
Yes it will always be a Sprint variant and can only be unlocked for domestic use. Please make sure buyers are aware if you sell it on Swappa.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's 100% false.. I already talked to Sprint about this because I'm moving to Taiwan in February, and they said it will work anywhere in the world. I.E. International and domestic unlock. There is no Sprint Bloatware just a PRL manager when Sprint Sim is inserted..
I also received an email stating my phone has been "International and Domestic Unlocked".
JoRocker said:
That's 100% false.. I already talked to Sprint about this because I'm moving to Taiwan in February, and they said it will work anywhere in the world. I.E. International and domestic unlock. There is no Sprint Bloatware just a PRL manager when Sprint Sim is inserted..
I also received an email stating my phone has been "International and Domestic Unlocked".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct.
I don't see any bloatware on my phone.
It will always be a Sprint variant but that is only for identification.
JoRocker said:
That's 100% false.. I already talked to Sprint about this because I'm moving to Taiwan in February, and they said it will work anywhere in the world. I.E. International and domestic unlock. There is no Sprint Bloatware just a PRL manager when Sprint Sim is inserted..
I also received an email stating my phone has been "International and Domestic Unlocked".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Sprint doesn't say anything about unlocking it internationally. https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/device/faqs-about-unlocking-your-sprint-device.html
Maybe you'll be lucky and it'll work for you, but I wouldn't take a chance taking a Sprint variant over seas with their track record of randomly relocking phones. There was a post here on the forum of a guy from Germany that bought an unlocked Sprint phone and couldn't use it over there. So until you actually try it, you won't know for sure. I still stand by my OP that the seller should disclose that it's a Sprint variant because it's not worth as much. There's plenty of regular unlocked ph1's on Swappa to choose from, so good luck trying to sell it for more than $300, if it's mint.
JoRocker said:
I finally reached the 50 day finish line and will have my phone unlocked today or tomorrow. I want to sell this, but as "unlocked" on Swappa to make a bit more on it. How do I remove the Sprint Bloatware after unlock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What Sprint bloatware are you referencing? I had my sprint installed but that was it. I keep it to pay my bill and track other things, but I was able to delete it just for kicks.
Airwolf79 said:
Well Sprint doesn't say anything about unlocking it internationally. https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/device/faqs-about-unlocking-your-sprint-device.html
Maybe you'll be lucky and it'll work for you, but I wouldn't take a chance taking a Sprint variant over seas with their track record of randomly relocking phones. There was a post here on the forum of a guy from Germany that bought an unlocked Sprint phone and couldn't use it over there. So until you actually try it, you won't know for sure. I still stand by my OP that the seller should disclose that it's a Sprint variant because it's not worth as much. There's plenty of regular unlocked ph1's on Swappa to choose from, so good luck trying to sell it for more than $300, if it's mint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just called Sprint again to make sure (spoke to international department) they said there will be no issues it is 100% unlocked. I don't know what happened with that guy from Germany, but I'd guess he was lied to about it being unlocked from whoever he bought it from. In fact unless the post is less than a couple weeks ago, I know that's the case, because I got mine the first week of the offer and just was able to get it unlocked late last week.
I went to Swappa and every mint selling for $340 is still locked to Sprint. In fact, every posting says "locked to Sprint, will be unlockable after 50 days". So I'd assume people are selling the unlocked Sprint variants on "Unlocked" section, because there's no Bloatware, and it is unlocked.
carterfalls said:
What Sprint bloatware are you referencing? I had my sprint installed but that was it. I keep it to pay my bill and track other things, but I was able to delete it just for kicks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I meant, I figured out how to remove it. I actually don't have to, it gets installed with Sprint Sim it seems.
JoRocker said:
I just called Sprint again to make sure (spoke to international department) they said there will be no issues it is 100% unlocked. I don't know what happened with that guy from Germany, but I'd guess he was lied to about it being unlocked from whoever he bought it from. In fact unless the post is less than a couple weeks ago, I know that's the case, because I got mine the first week of the offer and just was able to get it unlocked late last week.
I went to Swappa and every mint selling for $340 is still locked to Sprint. In fact, every posting says "locked to Sprint, will be unlockable after 50 days". So I'd assume people are selling the unlocked Sprint variants on "Unlocked" section, because there's no Bloatware, and it is unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People that got in on the early lease program were told that they wouldn't have to wait the whole 50 days, and many posted their devices were unlocked within a few days of being paid off. One guy even posted his contract, and it didn't say anything about being only DSU until 50 days of use. Obviously, Sprint caught on to this that people were cancelling their contracts as soon as they paid off the device.
My point is, sellers of a Sprint device that are trying to sell it as an unlocked device need to disclose that it's a Sprint variant because most people will gladly pay a little more for a true GSM unlocked device that they don't have to worry about getting randomly relocked. The cheapest PH1 on Swappa in the unlocked section is $389, and none of them say they are Sprint variants, but there are people who will lie and not tell someone it's a Sprint variant, so I just wanted to inform the OP. That's not right.
Airwolf79 said:
People that got in on the early lease program were told that they wouldn't have to wait the whole 50 days, and many posted their devices were unlocked within a few days of being paid off. One guy even posted his contract, and it didn't say anything about being only DSU until 50 days of use. Obviously, Sprint caught on to this that people were cancelling their contracts as soon as they paid off the device.
My point is, sellers of a Sprint device that are trying to sell it as an unlocked device need to disclose that it's a Sprint variant because most people will gladly pay a little more for a true GSM unlocked device that they don't have to worry about getting randomly relocked. The cheapest PH1 on Swappa in the unlocked section is $389, and none of them say they are Sprint variants, but there are people who will lie and not tell someone it's a Sprint variant, so I just wanted to inform the OP. That's not right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, I know you want to be right, but you just aren't... I ordered my phone day 3 of the deal. My phone was unlocked originally and then relocked a week later, because Sprint initially made a mistake and corrected it. It didn't affect me because I'm on the Sprint BYOD deal anyways. That's more than likely what happened to the German guy...
There is zero difference between the Unlocked and Sprint version. Usually with carrier specifics phones (note again I said usually) they alter the accepted frequencies to support that specific network and add carrier Bloatware, that's not the case with the Essential phone. Once the 50 days is up and you get it unlocked, it's unlocked forever. It's yours and you own it to use how you see fit. There is no Sprint Bloatware whatsoever or any carrier branding. It is now deemed "Unlocked" and can be advertised as such. I'll put in my listing that it was used on Sprint Network, but to say it will randomly relock is a ridiculous statement and has no chance of happening. It will accept all frequencies that any Essential phone is capable of using.
JoRocker said:
Look, I know you want to be right, but you just aren't... I ordered my phone day 3 of the deal. My phone was unlocked originally and then relocked a week later, because Sprint initially made a mistake and corrected it. It didn't affect me because I'm on the Sprint BYOD deal anyways. That's more than likely what happened to the German guy...
There is zero difference between the Unlocked and Sprint version. Usually with carrier specifics phones (note again I said usually) they alter the accepted frequencies to support that specific network and add carrier Bloatware, that's not the case with the Essential phone. Once the 50 days is up and you get it unlocked, it's unlocked forever. It's yours and you own it to use how you see fit. There is no Sprint Bloatware whatsoever or any carrier branding. It is now deemed "Unlocked" and can be advertised as such. I'll put in my listing that it was used on Sprint Network, but to say it will randomly relock is a ridiculous statement and has no chance of happening. It will accept all frequencies that any Essential phone is capable of using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just completely contradicted yourself. Your phone was relocked "accidentally". LMAO. Ok buddy, you're right, I'm wrong.
JoRocker said:
Look, I know you want to be right, but you just aren't... I ordered my phone day 3 of the deal. My phone was unlocked originally and then relocked a week later, because Sprint initially made a mistake and corrected it. It didn't affect me because I'm on the Sprint BYOD deal anyways. That's more than likely what happened to the German guy...
There is zero difference between the Unlocked and Sprint version. Usually with carrier specifics phones (note again I said usually) they alter the accepted frequencies to support that specific network and add carrier Bloatware, that's not the case with the Essential phone. Once the 50 days is up and you get it unlocked, it's unlocked forever. It's yours and you own it to use how you see fit. There is no Sprint Bloatware whatsoever or any carrier branding. It is now deemed "Unlocked" and can be advertised as such. I'll put in my listing that it was used on Sprint Network, but to say it will randomly relock is a ridiculous statement and has no chance of happening. It will accept all frequencies that any Essential phone is capable of using.
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There are two sprint system apps installed onto the sprint variant. Once it's unlocked, it is close enough to unlocked to probably sell it as such but there is a slight differences.
Airwolf79 said:
You just completely contradicted yourself. Your phone was relocked "accidentally". LMAO. Ok buddy, you're right, I'm wrong.
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I didn't contradict myself... They relocked people because they hadn't had service on the phone for 50 days to fully own the device... I have now. It is unlocked internationally and Domestically. It will accept all carriers in the world without risk of relocking... You're trying to way too hard to be correct.
I have already removed the Sprint PRL manager, by flashing Essentials stock ROM, not that it actually shows unless there's a Sprint Sim in the phone in the first place, but still for others peace of mind. It is now an Unlocked Essential Phone. No difference from my phone to an Essential website or Amazon version...
Airwolf79 said:
You just completely contradicted yourself. Your phone was relocked "accidentally". LMAO. Ok buddy, you're right, I'm wrong.
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Click to collapse
Sprint can't relock them if there's no Sprint sim in them anymore.
I bought 4 through the deal, only 1 got relocked, that was the one that still had a sprint sim (and that one is unlocked now as well since the 50 days are up).
2 of them I gave to my parents who live in Belgium (that's in Europe) and they've been working perfectly ever since.
Gambler_BE said:
Sprint can't relock them if there's no Sprint sim in them anymore.
I bought 4 through the deal, only 1 got relocked, that was the one that still had a sprint sim (and that one is unlocked now as well since the 50 days are up).
2 of them I gave to my parents who live in Belgium (that's in Europe) and they've been working perfectly ever since.
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Ok I'm glad it worked out for you. Then I guess the right thing to do if selling the phone in the unlocked section on Swappa is to state that the 50 days has passed and it's fully unlocked. I stand corrected.
RE: Thread comment related to domestic and international unlocks on PH-1 Sprint variant.
Both unlocks are applicable on PH-1.
Attached composite of screen captures from my unlocked PH-1's illustrating BOTH domestic AND international unlocks of one of my PH-1's as reference example.
Friends don't let friends insert Sprint SIM's into their Essential phones View attachment 4803126

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