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i am not a tmobile customer (rogers), and i don't have a credit card (well i do but i'm also FLAT BROKE) is there anyway i can unlock my htc dream?
+ how do you even go about unlocking the phone once you have the "code"
please answers are appreciated i am quite desperate i leave in a week (to europe) and have no money to buy a cell phone there
Unfortunately eBay is your only friend
The cheapest (and fastest) method I have seen is eBay. There are no other ways to unlock your phone. If you have a t-mobile phone on the rogers network, shouldn't your phone already be unlocked? If it is a G1 and not a Dream, that is.
Most people either unlock through the vendor in this case t mobile, or alternate sites offering unlocking services generally between 10-35 bucks. Most sites I've seen are around 25
Sent from my Nexus One using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
and the second part of your question, "how do you even go about unlocking the phone once you have the "code""
you put a different carriers sim card in your phone and it will ask for the code.
just an update here i contacted rogers and they pretty much refused to give me the code, even if i paid them. found a trusted/guaranteed seller on ebay plan on trying that on thurs, will update with details
I tried to talk to Rogers about it too, right after the e911 debacle, but even in the time of need, the would not budge. The CSR tried to say that putting another SIM in my phone would work, LOL.
Where are you going in Europe? I can recommend a good provider for England and/or Italy
lisbon then porto form 1month then paris for another how did u get your phone unlocked?
When I was in Europe I already had an unlocked phone with my, an i-Mate. With my Dream, the second I put a foreign SIM in it and turned it on it asked for an unlock code, which I bought from eBay.
I have not been to Portugal, I almost went last January, they had a last minute sale for 8 nights Hotel+Flight+Rental car for $550 including taxes. I had to work though.
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
hey, i don't want to wait for the release in europe so i wanna buy one on ebay.com. I found pretty much of the devices on ebay.com. there is often said that the devices has bad esn's and can't not be activated in the verizon network. what is this about?
they say the phone is unlocked but only outside the us. can i buy such a phone or not?
I purchased a Droid Pro two weeks ago on Ebay which just arrived last Friday and I am already very much in love with this phone.
I guess the best option is to get in touch with the seller directly. The best case scenario you can go for is to buy it from a private seller who has a good standing with Verizon. My seller helped out a lot to activate the device, and then call up Verizon to get an official unlock code for me that I just had to enter after popping in my sim card and which worked perfectly! Bad ESN means that it can not be activated on the Verizon network. However, in order to do the unlock the usual way, the device needs to be activated once and that MUST be on the Verizon US network, it is not possible anywhere else. If you do a google search you will find a way to get around the activation by a simple "touch all the corners of the screen trick".. but I am not sure how reliable that is and what happens after you do an update. In case you can not get an official Verizon unlock code, they are available on the internet. However, if you check the other forums, increasingly more online unlock codes have no effect as Verizon is starting to change the databases OTA (over-the-air) on the devices.. and I am not sure whether the developers have caught up with it yet.
Also something you want to be careful about, try to find out how the device performs on your network. Because there are also reports that some users are not able to use their phones with their home 3G networks, even after manually putting in the APN infos. I am sure that will sort itself out as soon as the Motorola Pro officially hits Europe...
Also just to give you a figure of what price you can expect.. I paid $300 for mine activated and supplied with an official Verizon unlock code, oh the seller was so kind to include a 16GB microSD card... I have the feeling this device is getting more and more popular in Europe which might have an impact on the prices on Ebay..
If theres anything else I can help you with, please feel free. I know of at least a handful users from Europe and Asia that have imported Droid Pros so the combined knowledge should be sufficient to help you out Where are you based?
thank you for this great reply. ok i tried out to find some private seller on ebay.com. when this doesn't work i think i will buy such a bad esn phone and give it a try. when you have contact to your seller please let me know. then i can contact him if he sell some more of the devices.
best regards from germany
There is an update of unlock code by Verizon over OTA in end of Jan or begin of Feb for sure, and the unlock code has been changed. But it seems new unlock code provider (not from verizon) pop on web site/ebay.
I just bid one bad esn droid pro from ebay and waiting happily
Hi @vivid i sent a PM to you. Please reply.
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?
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.
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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.
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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