I am having a bug that has baffled Samsung, T-mobile and at&t and I figured I would try coming here for help.
I bought a s8 off of the app letgo. It was carrier locked to t-mobile. So we met at a tmobile and he paid off the rest of his contract then tmobile said that the phone would be eligible for unlock. So I took the phone home and got it unlocked by calling tmobile customer support. It worked for like an hour. Then I realized that there was an ota update for the phone, so I decided to download it. When I downloaded it it said removing tmobile apps. So I thought awesome no more bloat wear, I okayed it then left it to update. When I came back the phone was stuck in a bootloop with the at&t logo showing up instead of the tmobile one (I had an att sim card in at the time of the update). I booted into recovery mode and factory reset the phone. Now in the developer settings it lists demo phone and the baseband version is unknown as is the imei. I took it to att, they said they had never heard of something like that happening, and to contact tmobile, so I went to tmobile and they said they had never seen it ever, then I went to samsung and they said to go to tmobile and I have just been looping between the two saying that there is nothing they can do. So I pretty much have a mint condition phone that I can't use on a network because something got corrupted or the wrong software got installed during the ota update. Is there any thing you guys can think of that could make it so my phone actually works. Also I know it isn't stolen because I have checked the imei with tmobile and samsung, and I watched the guy I bought the phone from pay off the rest of his bill in front of me.
Thank you in advance for any of your help.
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Hi everyone,
So about five days ago I was in the middle of using my Galaxy S4 (I think I was playing a game or something) and all of the sudden my cellular signal dropped out completely—from 4 bars to zero with a little X in it. There it's remained ever since.
My first thought was that I ought to reboot the thing and see if that would solve anything. The answer was no.
My second thought was that maybe my contract was up (as that was due to happen this month), and rather than auto-renewing, they kicked me off. Weird, but possible. But that's not it: I phoned up my provider and they said that all systems are go, there are no outages, your account is active for a week still, and even past that contract expiry I'll just get bumped to month-to-month and never experience a blip in service. So that's not it.
So then I put my SIM in another unlocked phone, and lo-and-behold, it connects just fine. So clearly the problem is with my phone.
My i337M is running Liquid Smooth 2.9 and KToonSez' kernel. I decided to make a nandroid and flash back to stock ROM/kernel. Still I could not connect to the network.
I can only think of two potential problems. First, I unlocked the phone myself via FastGSM.com's tethered USB method. It was a Bell-locked phone, and I'm on Rogers. This was accomplished back in July, and since then, there haven't been any issues to speak of (i.e., the unlock worked flawlessly). I tried to see if those unlocks ever expire, and couldn't find any reason why they ought to. I personally don't think it's that, but I mention it out of interest in being thorough.
Second, I messed around with my phones NVData a few weeks back to enable the AWS network via this method. I didn't experience any signal problems after doing so. Again I mention this out of interests of being thorough. Could that have had something to do with it? I suppose I could try flashing back my original NVData, but honestly I don't see why that would suddenly kick in now since I did it weeks ago originally.
Any thoughts? This is really bizarre, and it sucks being without connection.
I was also thinking of flashing back to stock and going to a Bell shop to see what happens when I put a tester SIM in.
It sounds to me like it's hardware related. Don't see anything you've done that would have caused it. I'd flash back to stock and if it still persists I'd file a warranty claim.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
Hi, thanks for your reply.
An additional thought's occurred to me: I lost signal at or about the same day I setup Android Device Manager to allow for remote lock/wipe directly from Google. That couldn't possibly be responsible for signal loss, could it...?
Currently flashing back to stock, and I'll unroot/restore kernel/restore NVData and make it look factory, and see what the store says about it. Hopefully I don't have to pay for another unlock at some point.
Okay, this is very messed up. Nobody has any idea why my phone isn't getting signal. I can scan for networks and everything shows up, but in any case with any SIM it says "unable to connect to network". It doesn't matter what ROM I'm on. I flashed back to stock and updated to latest using KIES of all things, which found a firmware/modem/baseband update, and still no dice. I don't know what to do with this thing except take it to an unlocking store that might be able to figure something out for me, but it'll cost me. This is messed, I've never had to get someone else to look at my tech for me.
Okay, so the situation is that it most probably is a hardware failure related to the radio.
I am a Rogers customer who bought the phone from a guy from CraigsList who apparently got it from Bell. I went into Bell and explained the situation, and they scanned the IMEI and printed me out a proof of purchase of the guy's name and told me I should take that to the Bell service centre, and it doesn't matter if I'm not the guy. I also had them check to see if he reported the phone stolen; it turns out he did not—though it should be known that if he had done so, then that could have very well been the reason I wasn't getting signal from anyone, as all providers across Canada apparently share their blacklists with one another now (including the little guys like Wind/Mobilicity).
So now I am in the process of making it look like it's never ever been hacked before: I shall restore my NVData, unroot, and update everything using KIES, and then perform a factory data reset. I'm also on the hunt to figure out what the heck the "flash counter" is and whether or not I need to reset that, but perhaps since mine is the i337M Canadian variant, I don't need to worry about that. (Any advice on restoring my phone to factory condition would be welcome, thanks.)
Edit: Figured out TriangleAway and everything associated. I'm all stock now and ready to bring it back to the factory.
MAJOR UPDATE: PROBLEM IDENTIFIED
So I got my phone back from the factory today. They reported that everything is 100% a-ok on the hardware/software side of things. The radio IC is NOT blown as was suspected.
You know what they said? The problem is on the network. I have a story to tell that I think people should hear, as I've learned something very valuable today and people need to learn this lest they get conned themselves.
Today I phoned in Rogers again, armed with new information, to ask what's up. They ran the IMEI number, and this time... it's come up on the blacklist.
It wasn't there last week. In fact, it wasn't even there an hour ago. It actually only appeared there as the clock ticked past midnight Eastern time... as that is EXACTLY 90 days from when the phone was reported missing. It took them a long time to track down this information.
To reiterate, I did not steal the phone. I bought it from a guy on Craigslist who had it brand new in box with the screen-protector sticker still on the front of it. I checked it out, tried it, and unlocked it myself and have been using it since July without issue, until a week ago.
There is the trouble of, why now? Why only now does the IMEI come up blocked? What the senior rep at Rogers thinks happened was that the guy had it delivered to his house, didn't sign for it, kept it in box, reported it as "undelivered", and flipped it to me for cash. Insurance has meanwhile hooked him up with a new phone, and the factory kept my phone in the "we're looking for it" pile for the requisite 90 days, after which they officially publish its IMEI as "blacklisted". That would explain why it worked for a while but doesn't now; and this 90-day TO THE DAY period is the same for Rogers as it is for AT&T apparently (which is where the rep used to work for 10+ years).
I am in possession of stolen property. I've little hope of recuperating my losses. I've been advised to file a police report, and I think I will actually, given that I've got a receipt with the "anonymous" guy from Craigslist's name on it which I had printed out from Bell after they scanned the IMEI number for my factory warranty receipt. This phone will officially never work in Canada, as there is no way for it to be removed from the blacklist. I've been very unfortunate in this case, and it's a real shame.
People should take note: If buying a phone, ALWAYS do it in-store and have the IMEI number run first to check and see if it's on the blacklist. Next, have the phone transferred into your name so that the IMEI and you are officially linked, and the guy can't report his gear stolen or lost. That should suffice in most cases... except in the case of insurance fraud, which is my case, where there is a 90-day delay period in the IMEI number being added to the blacklist (which is why it didn't come up on the blacklist last week when I had the Bell rep run it in-store for me). Another point of interest is that in my case, I found it was possible to lose service BEFORE the number is on the blacklist—assuming the Bell guy didn't run the number wrong last week.
So f**k me. All I can do is try to hack the number, I guess, or find a way to spoof the IMEI.
Edit: Unf***ing believeable—I somehow reenabled data and texting by messing around with QPST. Calls still not happening, though.
I bought a Tmobile G2 from a guy on Swappa. It shows its got a clear ESN. Even called Tmobile and they show its clean and clear and even gave me the unlock code for the phone.
But when I call or even go into MetroPCS to activate the phone they say that Tmobile shows a hold on it from Balance Due. I stayed in the Metro storeyesterday for over an hour with tmobile rep on the phone with us saying the phone is clear and paid off. But yet MetroPCS cannot activate on their service becuase tmobile shows balance due in their system.
No one knows how to "bypass" this issue at either metro of tmobile. I was in a corporate office for metro which the techs on their phone support said they could fix it. they couldnt fix it. so now I have to wait till their "corporate office of the corporate office" on friday IF i can get some time away from work to do so. and they MAY be able to help me out. I love the phone but this has been a headache since i got it in the mail. I'm waiting on the seller to get back with me cause tmobile claims the "original owner" or last number active on the phone needs to call them to see if theres any other issues on the account. but with the holidays who knows when that will be.
Has anyone else ever had this issue? anyone out there work with either company and know what can be done?
Hey there, first time poster , long time user of this site. I started using this site about four years ago when I needed help modifying a HTC one V, and from there on out I haven't been able to stop modding and rooting. This site has been so helpful, you have no idea
To date I haven't had many issues with the unlocking of boot loaders and rooting, installing roms and also network unlocking.....Until today.
I am currently trying to network unlock a Samsung s5 neo. I did indeed buy the unlock code from Koodo (the original service provider). However (heres where its going to get weird), no matter how many times I try putting the darn code in, it plain well just refuses to take it. I can sit here all day and nadda a thing will happen.. IN FACT I thought after 10 times it would hard lock its self, resulting in me having to buy a unfreeze code. But nupe.
I'v used 3 different sim cards to try to get this phone unlocked but nothing, Bell Mobility from my LG G5 phone, A PC mobile sim and a Eastlink sim (By the way I'm from Canada)
I tried flashing (odin) with koodo OEM roms, from the first one which i think was 5.1 up to 6.** not sure where it left off. Even went as far as flashing with Telus rom, as koodo is the sister of Telus, and still it sits there pretty much laughing at me.
Factory reset from both with in the OS and the recovery menu, used every code for the phone dialer and half refuse to work. Installed shortcut master (Yes I'm rooted) and keeps saying locked. Also been trying to sim unlock both unrooted and rooted.
I'm completely mind blowen, i even said what the heck and bought a code off line for kicks and sure enough as soon as it showed up in my inbox, same EXACT code Koodo gave me. So we know the code is right.
Any help would be great as I'm at a complete lost. this is the first phone iv had , i'v ever had this much troubles unlocking. OH and if it helps "KNOX" is disabled
P.S I have no idea if i posted this in the right forum , sorry if i didn't.
Thanks
I recently switched carriers to Tmobile and couldn't be happier, they also paid the remaining balance on both my v20's
I requested for the phones to be unlocked which they did.
it of course isn't a phone I want to use as my Daily since I got the V30+ but just for the hell of having a backup
I tried my tmo sim card and it worked I just had to set apns.
Last night I decided to reset the phone cause I hate that sprint bootscreen and also wanted it to be fresh.
I tried putting the Tmo sim card again and now it won't even recognize the sim is in..
So anyone with more experience would or could point me to make it work again ??
I would really appreciate any feedback
thanks!!
No one??
Did you just do a standard factory reset?
Zaleus3 said:
Did you just do a standard factory reset?
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Yes!
Settings/backupand restore/factory reset..
And I also cleared the attached Data profile from Sprint with a ##code
Does the t mobile SIM card you're trying to use work in any other device? Ensure that SIM isn't just worn out from you taking it out and inserting it into phones by trying it in another phone. Also confirm the phone sees the Sprint SIM when that one is in. Pay attention to how both SIMs sit in the phone to see if you can see one of them sitting slightly further into the phone or something like that. I'm not sure how you expected your boot to not have a Sprint logo on startup if you did a factory reset though because as far as I know that's just part of the stock OS bootup, even if the phone is running a different carrier.
kbrn said:
I recently switched carriers to Tmobile and couldn't be happier, they also paid the remaining balance on both my v20's
I requested for the phones to be unlocked which they did.
it of course isn't a phone I want to use as my Daily since I got the V30+ but just for the hell of having a backup
I tried my tmo sim card and it worked I just had to set apns.
Last night I decided to reset the phone cause I hate that sprint bootscreen and also wanted it to be fresh.
I tried putting the Tmo sim card again and now it won't even recognize the sim is in..
So anyone with more experience would or could point me to make it work again ??
I would really appreciate any feedback
thanks!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS is the stupid world of Sprint. This is what exactly happened to two LG XPowers I had with Sprint. My GSM SIMs worked great with the XPowers until I reset the device to factory settings or that the device went through a security update. You unfortunately have to get Sprint involved with the unlocking process from their end. And getting Sprint to do something? Good luck with that.
Had I not been getting unlimited free service from Sprint I would have left it some time ago and it's not for their phone or data service, but unlocking devices that is a pain in the ass!
Zaleus3 said:
Does the t mobile SIM card you're trying to use work in any other device? Ensure that SIM isn't just worn out from you taking it out and inserting it into phones by trying it in another phone. Also confirm the phone sees the Sprint SIM when that one is in. Pay attention to how both SIMs sit in the phone to see if you can see one of them sitting slightly further into the phone or something like that. I'm not sure how you expected your boot to not have a Sprint logo on startup if you did a factory reset though because as far as I know that's just part of the stock OS bootup, even if the phone is running a different carrier.
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Yes The boot logo goes away when you reset the phone..
When it activates then u get the sprint logo.
The sim card I used work just fine on another phone, I actually thought the same thing you mentioned but nothing.
And yes indeed the sprint sim card reads just fine just no service.
Thanks for your willingness and suggestions though
HD2FORNICK said:
THIS is the stupid world of Sprint. This is what exactly happened to two LG XPowers I had with Sprint. My GSM SIMs worked great with the XPowers until I reset the device to factory settings or that the device went through a security update. You unfortunately have to get Sprint involved with the unlocking process from their end. And getting Sprint to do something? Good luck with that.
Had I not been getting unlimited free service from Sprint I would have left it some time ago and it's not for their phone or data service, but unlocking devices that is a pain in the ass!
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I guess I will have to do so.. oh well..
Figured I share my repair experience here as OnePlus has set a new low in my book for customer service. Started when I sent my device (unlocked by T-Mobile) for repair last month. I was given the option of repair or replacement but chose repair so I wouldn't have to unlock again. I received it back about a week later but with no documentation as what the repair was (found out through my calles it was a motherboard replacement. I did notice the SN was the same but the IMEI was different. Used it for 3 days and called T-Mobile to have it unlocked but their system now sees my device as a non-T-Mobile phone and they can't unlock it (and they have tried 4 times since Sept 25th). Over the past few weeks I have conferenced on T-Mobile support with OnePlus support in an attempt to get it unlocked and every time I call it's like starting from scratch with OnePlus. Four times now I've been told to wait 24-48 hours so they can hear back from there repair facility, I've made 14 total calls to check status (they have never called me back once). T-Mobile has been absolutely great and were on the phone with OnePlus with me for over an hour. So for know unless a miracle happens I'm stuck with a phone that can't be network unlocked by any carrier. Looks like the repair facility perhaps used a standard motherboard and flashed the T-Mobile firmware on it from what I can determine. If you need service for a T-Mobile device ALWAYS choose a replacement if you have the option)
Rule #1: Never ever choose repair when replace is an option. XDA is rife with people complaining about repair issues with every phone manufacturer. But I think you know that now. Also, I would hardly fault OnePlus in this situation. Its a simple issue of the IMEI not being in the T-Mobile database. Thats not OnePlus' fault. Thats a T-Mobile issue. IT can be added to there database. Verizon does this but for a completely different reason. But ultimately fault is in the eye of the beholder.
Also, to further support my claim think of it this way... T-Mobile (and Verizon) request the bootloader / SIM lock. If you buy the non carrier version from One Plus this would be a mute point. Again, a T-Mobile issue, not OnePlus. If you really want to get technical fault the US Congress for allowing them to lock in the first place. Ok Ok... Way off on a tangent...
Now... Some questions for you...
Have you ran the IMEI against an IMEI check database to see what kind of device it returns as? I would be curious to see. Another way to find out if its a T-Mobile device is to check the IMEI against your last phone. If the first few digits are the same or different will support your claim of the device being different.
Have you tried to tried to toggle the bootloader unlock switch or is it gray'ed out?
Have you tried popping in another carriers SIM just for giggles?
Lastly, have you tried to unlock it yourself by using the built in unlock program in network settings?
If that fails you may want to consider sending it back to OnePlus again for replacement. I can only assume that you do not have insurance? If you do then you may want to check with them about replacement faulting the IMEI as the issue. Might be a hard sell but I'm sure it could be done.
Scott said:
Rule #1: Never ever choose repair when replace is an option. XDA is rife with people complaining about repair issues with every phone manufacturer. But I think you know that now. Also, I would hardly fault OnePlus in this situation. Its a simple issue of the IMEI not being in the T-Mobile database. Thats not OnePlus' fault. Thats a T-Mobile issue. IT can be added to there database. Verizon does this but for a completely different reason. But ultimately fault is in the eye of the beholder.
Also, to further support my claim think of it this way... T-Mobile (and Verizon) request the bootloader / SIM lock. If you buy the non carrier version from One Plus this would be a mute point. Again, a T-Mobile issue, not OnePlus. If you really want to get technical fault the US Congress for allowing them to lock in the first place. Ok Ok... Way off on a tangent...
Now... Some questions for you...
Have you ran the IMEI against an IMEI check database to see what kind of device it returns as? I would be curious to see. Another way to find out if its a T-Mobile device is to check the IMEI against your last phone. If the first few digits are the same or different will support your claim of the device being different.
Have you tried to tried to toggle the bootloader unlock switch or is it gray'ed out?
Have you tried popping in another carriers SIM just for giggles?
Lastly, have you tried to unlock it yourself by using the built in unlock program in network settings?
If that fails you may want to consider sending it back to OnePlus again for replacement. I can only assume that you do not have insurance? If you do then you may want to check with them about replacement faulting the IMEI as the issue. Might be a hard sell but I'm sure it could be done.
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Click to collapse
Same situation here, mine was unlocked did a replacement and it was locked and T-Mobile has no record of it. It took me 17 days to get the replacement and every day I checked the status I get told wait 24-48 hours. Now after I got it I'm told every day to wait 3-5 days for an update. Really one plus?
One plus sucks at anything customer service. Can you not do a warranty through tmobile?
Hi, i have the same problem. I was able to unlock my OP8 the moment I bought it. But after sending my OP8 for repair, it was locked when sent back. I got the error "server 255" when I tried to do a permanent unlock.
I contacted Tmobile and they said I need a valid tmobile account, which I don't:
"One of our mobile device unlock requirements is an active T-Mobile account. Since you don't have one you're going to need the get the unlock via a 3rd party company. Our apologies for this."
I have contacted OP 4 times now. They say they'll escalate my problem to the relevant team.
So how did u ppl solve it? Anyone tried the mtd below:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oneplus/comments/qn8dez
Thanks.
zonexo said:
Hi, i have the same problem. I was able to unlock my OP8 the moment I bought it. But after sending my OP8 for repair, it was locked when sent back. I got the error "server 255" when I tried to do a permanent unlock.
I contacted Tmobile and they said I need a valid tmobile account, which I don't:
"One of our mobile device unlock requirements is an active T-Mobile account. Since you don't have one you're going to need the get the unlock via a 3rd party company. Our apologies for this."
I have contacted OP 4 times now. They say they'll escalate my problem to the relevant team.
So how did u ppl solve it? Anyone tried the mtd below:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oneplus/comments/qn8dez
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
I hate oneplus with a passion I'm 8 months and still going with an issue they keep BS'n me on
Hi, I would like to post an update. After contacting OP support a few times thru chat, they agree to help me talk to Tmobile directly. I told them I can't use the phone, I'm overseas (really, no joke), and I contacted Tmobile but they refused to help.
After waiting for a few days, my IMEI is whitelisted and I was able to unlock the phone. So I guess if you are persistent enough and tell them tt you've exhausted your options, they will help. So I guess they're still nice ppl (kudos to Sophia!)
Hope someone with similar problem can try what I did.
Just wanted to fan the flames that OnePlus is still up to their BS. I sent my phone to repair the back glass after I recovered from unbricking my phone rooting after the Android 13 OTA. When I get it back, after all these warnings signs something was off I realized when I tried to put my unlock_code.bin and it kept failing that they gave me a new motherboard. Luckily I AM a Tmobile customer, but holy heck, what if I was not? Luckily somehow I was able to get in to get the info to request another code to unlock my bootloader even though I'm still carrier locked.
fgjruiz said:
Just wanted to fan the flames that OnePlus is still up to their BS. I sent my phone to repair the back glass after I recovered from unbricking my phone rooting after the Android 13 OTA. When I get it back, after all these warnings signs something was off I realized when I tried to put my unlock_code.bin and it kept failing that they gave me a new motherboard. Luckily I AM a Tmobile customer, but holy heck, what if I was not? Luckily somehow I was able to get in to get the info to request another code to unlock my bootloader even though I'm still carrier locked.
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Click to collapse
I just had my op8 repaired back with a motherboard replacement so that it can't unlock the sim as I am not a T mobile customer. I used online chat several times and complained about sim-unlock. Finally, after I gave them both old and new imei and strong complain, they unlocked my sim card. Not a good experience, but the result turned out to be good.