Did a search for SD cards and it came up with a SIM EMU post on this site. So going off topic, whats SIM EMU, what can it do for me, where can i get it (tried the link, that didn't work, tried a search and most of the sites aren'ti n english)
Seems like you can put more than one number on a card and switch without having to turn the phone off. Any further input, sounds like it could be good.
Will not work in UK, I found to my cost after destroying 2 sim cards. There is another twin sim holder that works with xda2 though, you just switch off and on when you wish to change sims.
Simemu is indeed a very good way to have up to eight numbers/accounts on one sim card. You select which one to use by pin number, so no more swapping cards over. It works fine in the XDA and just about any other unlocked phone.
The hard part is getting the needed info out of your original sim card. This is called the "Ki" and needs to be extracted. In the UK this has only been possible with all Orange and some O2 cards, never with Vodafone.
In the last year or so, some sims have appeared with a limit on the number of cycles they will run before self destructing, so attempting to extract the Ki can harm the card.
So it all depends on what networks you want to use and how old your sims are.
So can this be done with orange UK sims? My sims are about 4 years old, i have one thats much older, but i cancelled the contract on that so presumably disabled. Also have a couple of active PAYG sims.
I'd be interested to merge the new contract i have with an old number on the same card, would be useful.
I'm currently using everyphone divert, but it diverts all the time, even when my new [hone is off and old one is on. Annoying.
Other pain is it doesn't divert SMS, so i quite often miss them.
Yes, UK Orange cards of this age should be easy to extract the Ki from, payg or contract.
Also if you manage to get the Ki from the de-activated card, you should be able to get Orange to turn it back on as a payg or something.
Remember that only one number can be active at any one time, and you must never have the original sim turned on in another phone while using the copy of it in the multi sim.
Thanks for your replys kerr.
Have you done this yourself? Do you have any links of where i can find out information on how to effeectively try it and get it done?
All i'm looking for is that i have a sim with a great number. Its on orange no monthly tariff (i just pay for calls and just get a bill when i use it) Thats great for me as i hardly use it.
Then i got a new phone on contract (as it was way cheaper than upgrade). I've set up an everyphone divert from my old number to this one, but that annoys me as even with new one off and old one on, it still diverts. Shame.
So if i could get both numbers on the same sim that would be great, in principal! I get my number that i like, and i can quickly swith to new number to make calls (as its got free minutes). After the year contract is up i'll dump the new number anyway.
Whay can't you have the original sim on if its cloned?
Cheers
If you have the original sim switched on at the same time as the clone the system will know about it and you will probaly end up with a zapped sim courtesy of your provider.
there has to be a way around that :wink:
Have you done this yourself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I made a card about 2 1/2 years ago which contains:-
1X O2 Anytime account
1X O2 Offpeak account
1X Genie PAYT
3X Orange PAYT with different off peak times chosen
1X Spanish PAYT
1X Greek PAYT
It has worked fine in every phone I have tried it in.
Whay can't you have the original sim on if its cloned?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must not have them both on at the same time because they will both log onto the network and appear to be some kind of fraud attempt. (Somone else trying to use your account)
You really need to programme the card yourself rather than get it done because the last thing you would want is anyone else knowing your Ki.
To do this you would need a phoenix, a pic programmer and a blank silver card. All the software is free.
That sounds like one action packed card!
It would be useful just to have a couple of numbers on there, but you seem to be making the most of it!
Where can the exquipment be bought, borrowed? Is it readily available and cheap?
I see what you mean about someone else having the details. Could be a bit dodgy.
So this method is a bit like having a double sim car thing, but instead of having to turn the machine on and off, you can just put in a pin number.
With the XDA II tho, would the double sim card thing work if you turned flight mode off then on, would that switch the sims? Where can a double sim holder be got from
If you know anyone who is into Satellite Television, they will almost certainly have everything you need to do the job.
If you need to buy take a look at www.interesting-devices.com or www.maxking.co.uk. You could also look in the sat section on ebay.
If you go for a multi programmer like a Mastera, it would be all that is needed in one. See www.mcsat.co.uk.
When you change between numbers the phone does a soft reset, so I imagine flight mode on/off would have the same effect on a twin sim.
Using Supersim
Hello,
i read somewere that's impossible with new sim to read the Ki code of the sim because this code is read-protected.
Tring to read this you can destroy the sim.
It's correct?
I have an italian sim by vodafone!
Thanks for the reply.
Davide
Yes, that's right. Most of the newest SIM cards has a newer algorithm, so u cannot clone it. I don't know about your SIM card, maybe you have an old one. However, if U have 250 entry names in your phonebook, than it's probably new one and it could not be read, but do not be afraid to destroy it..., that will happen if U'l try to read it a few hours again and again....hope this helps!
Regards!
P.S.:
All backUp function support A3A8 COMP128V1 SIM Card only.
This SIM Card Back-UP device doesn't support newest SIM Card that uses COMP128V2 algorythm to code KI key.
Some GSM SIM Cards from 2001 (COMP128V1) are Scan-Limited. It has limited running scan 65536 times. If the scan is over 65536, the SIM Card will be locked. This SIM Card will not work any more.
All backUp function support A3A8 COMP128V1 SIM Card only.
This SIM Card Back-UP device doesn't support newest SIM Card that uses COMP128V2 algorythm to code KI key.
Some GSM SIM Cards from 2001 (COMP128V1) are Scan-Limited. It has limited running scan 65536 times. If the scan is over 65536, the SIM Card will be locked. This SIM Card will not work any more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Write
Hello,
i read somewere that's impossible with new sim to read the Ki code of the sim because this code is read-protected.
Tring to read this you can destroy the sim.
It's correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ki is stored in SIM card like CHV in respective file, but in Ki file's header all permission bytes are FF, e. g. it is impossible to read/write etc. with this file from external. From internal (COS) it is possible to read... the SIM do this when it calculate SRES+Kc
Okay, first off, I will preface this thread and questions by stating that I come from cdma phone world. This glacier is my first GSM android and I find them absolutely facinating. Secondly, I am advanced in the tech sector, so I am asking these questions from a professional standpoint and any help or input is welcomed.
So on with the questions.
1.) For GSM phones, is there a utility application like CDMAworkshop and QPST that I can use to see the settings (radio and network settings is mostly what I am after).
Currently, I am aware of an app called SIM TOOLKIT but it only asks for a 8 digit unlock code for the SIM itself, not for the phone. I would like to change the settings of the quality of the calls, and just play around with stuff I am familiar with, or become familiar with.
2.) What is a IMSI, IMEI, and what does the GSM phone send to the carrier (provider network)? I know with CDMA phones, we just can read the memory and change serial numbers. But I have a tracfone sim card and a mytouch tmob phone. I want the mytouch to be able to use the phone portion but they keep disconnecting me, so I have to match my info to the other phone. I got it to work successfully time and time again, but I keep getting disconnected, and it looks like its by a human cause its not at all in sync with a timer or a pattern, at least I haven't noticed it. I know they can dc phones at will and I was just wondering what information they get when making that decision.
3.) Has anyone done a tracfone sim on a glacier (t-mobile mytouch 4g) before? I have the sim unlocked, s-off, root, and custom recovery. I have also changed the IMEI number. I know the process of opening it up in a binary program, using the command 'dd' to modify /dev/block/mmcblk0p7 cause thats where its located. Also there is a T-MOB010 carrier id in that file, should I be changing this to tracfone's CID (carrier ID) and if so, does anyone know that?
I know this is a bit advanced, hopefully someone out there will help me out. There is no funny business going on here, I am just trying to use my tracfone sim in my droid, both are my phones, one i bought from someone for cheap.
I get it to work but random times it will get Disconnected seems like a person. Talk and Text only is needed, not mobile network or 3g or 4g.
ALSO, concerning /dev/block/mmcblk0p7 that is where the IMEI is located... does anyone know any other locations of IMSI or IMEI numbers? I find this fascinating and would like to know what mmcblk0p7 stands for, and what part of the radio and firmware this makes up as well of other locations similiar to this.
birdisthewordfella said:
Okay, first off, I will preface this thread and questions by stating that I come from cdma phone world. This glacier is my first GSM android and I find them absolutely facinating. Secondly, I am advanced in the tech sector, so I am asking these questions from a professional standpoint and any help or input is welcomed.
So on with the questions.
1.) For GSM phones, is there a utility application like CDMAworkshop and QPST that I can use to see the settings (radio and network settings is mostly what I am after).
In the GSM world we just flash various radios. Those can be found the development forum.
Currently, I am aware of an app called SIM TOOLKIT but it only asks for a 8 digit unlock code for the SIM itself, not for the phone. I would like to change the settings of the quality of the calls, and just play around with stuff I am familiar with, or become familiar with.
2.) What is a IMSI, IMEI, and what does the GSM phone send to the carrier (provider network)? I know with CDMA phones, we just can read the memory and change serial numbers. But I have a tracfone sim card and a mytouch tmob phone. I want the mytouch to be able to use the phone portion but they keep disconnecting me, so I have to match my info to the other phone. I got it to work successfully time and time again, but I keep getting disconnected, and it looks like its by a human cause its not at all in sync with a timer or a pattern, at least I haven't noticed it. I know they can dc phones at will and I was just wondering what information they get when making that decision.
The IMEI is the serial number of the phone. Used for warranty purposes, and verification. [IIRC] The IMSI is the serial number of SIM card. IT is the serial number that T-Mobile would approve to allow your phone to connect to their network. I believe that Tracfone is a CDMA carrier. If that is the case the two different radio technologies are preventing you from using a GSM phone, on a CDMA network. Sort of like trying to get FM to play on a AM only radio.
3.) Has anyone done a tracfone sim on a glacier (t-mobile mytouch 4g) before? I have the sim unlocked, s-off, root, and custom recovery. I have also changed the IMEI number. I know the process of opening it up in a binary program, using the command 'dd' to modify /dev/block/mmcblk0p7 cause thats where its located. Also there is a T-MOB010 carrier id in that file, should I be changing this to tracfone's CID (carrier ID) and if so, does anyone know that?
If you are messing with the IMEI of the phone you are messing with stuff that can get you in a lot of trouble. And is punishable by law. You are not allowed to copy IMEI according to FCC standards.
I know this is a bit advanced, hopefully someone out there will help me out. There is no funny business going on here, I am just trying to use my tracfone sim in my droid, both are my phones, one i bought from someone for cheap.
I get it to work but random times it will get Disconnected seems like a person. Talk and Text only is needed, not mobile network or 3g or 4g.
ALSO, concerning /dev/block/mmcblk0p7 that is where the IMEI is located... does anyone know any other locations of IMSI or IMEI numbers? I find this fascinating and would like to know what mmcblk0p7 stands for, and what part of the radio and firmware this makes up as well of other locations similiar to this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've answered to the best of my ability.
Your questions might be better addressed to the Tracfone subforum on HowardForums.
Tracfone locks the SIM to the phone. If you wanted to use your own phone, why in the world did you go with Tracfone?
If you want to get pay-by-the-minute service on your MT4G, go with T-Mobile prepaid or AT&T GoPhone. There are also other MVNOs of both T-Mo and AT&T that do allow you to bring your own device.
If you plan on using data, your best speeds will be found on T-Mobile or its MVNO Simple Mobile due to hardware radio compatibility.
neidlinger said:
I believe that Tracfone is a CDMA carrier. If that is the case the two different radio technologies are preventing you from using a GSM phone, on a CDMA network. Sort of like trying to get FM to play on a AM only radio.
I've answered to the best of my ability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, thank you very much. As far as tracfone goes, its both a CDMA and GSM carrier, I do believe if you get a leased number from them you will get either verizon (which will be a cdma phone) or you will get AT&T (which I currently have) one and that will even display AT&T when porting it over.
I don't have a lot of money and the job market is dry so until I save enough up to move then I just research the tech that I can get my hands on, this is a good way to learn, which brings me to my next question to your reply...
HAS ANYONE EVER GOT IN TROUBLE FOR THIS??? I'm not selling or distributing or even trying to access anything i'm not supposed to to benefit or gain by taking away so I'm just curious if there have been any cases where they show up from someone just tinkering... by 'they' i mean the fuzz.
And for the AT&T go phone, their sims are better? could I just pull that out and put it in my glacier?
Thanks guys.
birdisthewordfella said:
And for the AT&T go phone, their sims are better? could I just pull that out and put it in my glacier?
Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go with AT&T GoPhone, the key is to just buy a SIM - not a GoPhone itself. The phones that come with airtime bonuses are locked to the SIM for some number of months. If you buy just a SIM you can use it in any phone. Voice calls are 10¢/min. If you buy $100 in airtime you get a 1-year expiry, but all other denominations are shorter and would lead to a higher annual spend if you stick with them.
If you go with T-Mobile prepaid, get a SIM activation kit (both a SIM and an activation code included). If you buy a full $100 in airtime right off the bat, you get a 10¢/minute rate, 1-year expiry, *and* every top-up you make from that point onwards will have a 1-year expiry (even a $10 top-up). Or you can top up as little as $10 and get a 90-day expiry but a much higher per-minute rate.
It all really depends on your usage pattern - how many minutes and texts would you use? Do you have any interest in getting data?
If you end up switching and you have a balance left to burn in your TracFone account, you can always do so using SMS donation (look up Mobile Giving Foundation for a list of charities).
Yeh, i found what I am going to do, the go phone is .10c a min, or $2 a day for unlimited. That's not bad at all. They even have unlimited for $50 /mo. So I'm definitely doing that. Thanks for the suggestion. Btw, that unlimited is voice text and DATA!
birdisthewordfella said:
Yeh, i found what I am going to do, the go phone is .10c a min, or $2 a day for unlimited. That's not bad at all. They even have unlimited for $50 /mo. So I'm definitely doing that. Thanks for the suggestion. Btw, that unlimited is voice text and DATA!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
t-Mobile?
It's a 2Gb cap then they throttle your speed back to "EDGE" speeds... don't get to happy.
they don't sell gophone cards online, so I'm taking my phone to the at&t store, wish me luck
birdisthewordfella said:
they don't sell gophone cards online, so I'm taking my phone to the at&t store, wish me luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you'll only get EDGE speeds all the time then.
AT&T Prepaid Go Phone Sim Cards are available online.
Use the ebay link. You Can also activate it online.
Check out this one
This is much better, 2 bucks.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ONWGMC
It is in the software update are? What does it relate to in S4?
General info in UICC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UICC
It deals with the GSM SIM card.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium
cellfreak said:
It deals with the GSM SIM card.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you be more specific?
sim card
Sprint rep said you can lock your sim. So it cant be used by someone else.
---------- Post added at 12:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 AM ----------
The UICC are Sprint cards they are not like the AT&T SIM cards. But they both can have PIN locks put on them to keep your data on them a little safer.
cellfreak said:
Sprint rep said you can lock your sim. So it cant be used by someone else.
---------- Post added at 12:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 AM ----------
The UICC are Sprint cards they are not like the AT&T SIM cards. But they both can have PIN locks put on them to keep your data on them a little safer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for info
any info on how to lock it??
alexd51 said:
any info on how to lock it??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow.. this is sort of an old thread for google to be leading me to.. but uh... i think everyone here has a total missunderstanding of Sprint's SIM cards... They're UICC... Which, I guess some people on here already can see that it is. But, what they don't seem to understand, is that this style of SIM card does NOT contain ANY personal information about you... there is NO NEED TO LOCK IT... because its ALREADY LOCKED... UICC SIM cards, are simply there to give you access to LTE, nothing more, nothing less. They have a 'personalized code' that is linked to your device, and will ONLY work on that device. You CAN NOT take the SIM card, and put it into another device, even if its the same exact model, and expect it to work. They are locked to your device PERMANENTLY. No ifs, ands, or buts. You can however, unlock your DEVICE to work with other SIM cards. So yes, you CAN put an AT&T SIM card into the phone, and have it work, but ONLY if your DEVICE is unlocked by the carrier and thus be allowed to access other networks. Though, I'm pretty sure you have to get a UICC SIM from them, which unless things have changed within the last few years, I hear is kind of difficult to get from GSM carriers.
So, to answer Alex's question: you do not need to lock it, for it is already locked permanently to your device. There is no personal information stored on the UICC SIM card, so there is nothing to be gained by someone who somehow gains physical access to the SIM card. Not only will it simply just not work unless they are using the physical linked device, but there is no information to be retrieved from it what so ever. Your phone number is not saved on it, text messages aren't saved on it, contacts aren't saved on it, email addresses are not saved on it. It is basically just a 'security chip' to allow Sprint and other UICC SIM card using carriers to make sure only authentic devices are allowed to use their LTE networks.
This can also be demonstrated by people who have bought sprint phones off of ebay and people don't include the UICC SIM card that came with the device. They most likely wont ever be able to use LTE on that device unless they somehow convince the people at a sprint store to trade the device in for one with a UICC SIM, or on more rarer cases: have them contact someone who can order a replacement and be able to 'link' it to the device. My brother has had this happen twice to him. He'd buy a phone off of Ebay, and it wont have the SIM. not thinking it was a big deal, he just tried to activate it via the Sprint website, and with one, it simply wouldn't activate, and the other just wouldnt' get LTE. He had to take it into the store, and they luckily were willing to exchange the device for one with a UICC SIM, and for the one that just wouldnt' connect to LTE, they managed to have a blank one in the store and they had to ship the phone and the SIM off to some place to have them 'linked'. Its a hard coded issue, not simply a software issue...
SO, bottom line: Don't worry about 'locking' the UICC SIMs.... they wont really 'lock', because they already are, and there is no real reason/gain to do so anyway.
the menu item is to unlock the uicc slot for international sims OTA... thats how we originally unlocked the S4, by using an meid that was unlocked already, hitting that menu option, and going back to our meid.......
Almost Not Quite
HikariNoKitsune said:
Wow.. this is sort of an old thread for google to be leading me to.. but uh... i think everyone here has a total missunderstanding of Sprint's SIM cards... They're UICC... Which, I guess some people on here already can see that it is. But, what they don't seem to understand, is that this style of SIM card does NOT contain ANY personal information about you... there is NO NEED TO LOCK IT... because its ALREADY LOCKED... UICC SIM cards, are simply there to give you access to LTE, nothing more, nothing less. They have a 'personalized code' that is linked to your device, and will ONLY work on that device. You CAN NOT take the SIM card, and put it into another device, even if its the same exact model, and expect it to work. They are locked to your device PERMANENTLY. No ifs, ands, or buts. You can however, unlock your DEVICE to work with other SIM cards. So yes, you CAN put an AT&T SIM card into the phone, and have it work, but ONLY if your DEVICE is unlocked by the carrier and thus be allowed to access other networks. Though, I'm pretty sure you have to get a UICC SIM from them, which unless things have changed within the last few years, I hear is kind of difficult to get from GSM carriers.
So, to answer Alex's question: you do not need to lock it, for it is already locked permanently to your device. There is no personal information stored on the UICC SIM card, so there is nothing to be gained by someone who somehow gains physical access to the SIM card. Not only will it simply just not work unless they are using the physical linked device, but there is no information to be retrieved from it what so ever. Your phone number is not saved on it, text messages aren't saved on it, contacts aren't saved on it, email addresses are not saved on it. It is basically just a 'security chip' to allow Sprint and other UICC SIM card using carriers to make sure only authentic devices are allowed to use their LTE networks.
This can also be demonstrated by people who have bought sprint phones off of ebay and people don't include the UICC SIM card that came with the device. They most likely wont ever be able to use LTE on that device unless they somehow convince the people at a sprint store to trade the device in for one with a UICC SIM, or on more rarer cases: have them contact someone who can order a replacement and be able to 'link' it to the device. My brother has had this happen twice to him. He'd buy a phone off of Ebay, and it wont have the SIM. not thinking it was a big deal, he just tried to activate it via the Sprint website, and with one, it simply wouldn't activate, and the other just wouldnt' get LTE. He had to take it into the store, and they luckily were willing to exchange the device for one with a UICC SIM, and for the one that just wouldnt' connect to LTE, they managed to have a blank one in the store and they had to ship the phone and the SIM off to some place to have them 'linked'. Its a hard coded issue, not simply a software issue...
SO, bottom line: Don't worry about 'locking' the UICC SIMs.... they wont really 'lock', because they already are, and there is no real reason/gain to do so anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a Galaxy Note 3 which did not have any SIM card, I simply went into the local sprint store and they gave me a UICC SIM free of charge. Then after a little time with tech support on the line figuring out that they had incorrectly linked my new SIM to the old account and correctly linking it to the proper account for the Note 3 my LTE was up and running. Although I have heard as well that some locations they do run short on the SIM cards but keep calling some local stores and one can definitely be found at least from my prior experience.
On a less contradictory note, excellent explanation of the UICC SIM card usage in regards to accessing LTE
HikariNoKitsune said:
Wow.. this is sort of an old thread for google to be leading me to.. but uh... i think everyone here has a total missunderstanding of Sprint's SIM cards... They're UICC... Which, I guess some people on here already can see that it is. But, what they don't seem to understand, is that this style of SIM card does NOT contain ANY personal information about you... there is NO NEED TO LOCK IT... because its ALREADY LOCKED... UICC SIM cards, are simply there to give you access to LTE, nothing more, nothing less. They have a 'personalized code' that is linked to your device, and will ONLY work on that device. You CAN NOT take the SIM card, and put it into another device, even if its the same exact model, and expect it to work. They are locked to your device PERMANENTLY. No ifs, ands, or buts. You can however, unlock your DEVICE to work with other SIM cards. So yes, you CAN put an AT&T SIM card into the phone, and have it work, but ONLY if your DEVICE is unlocked by the carrier and thus be allowed to access other networks. Though, I'm pretty sure you have to get a UICC SIM from them, which unless things have changed within the last few years, I hear is kind of difficult to get from GSM carriers.
So, to answer Alex's question: you do not need to lock it, for it is already locked permanently to your device. There is no personal information stored on the UICC SIM card, so there is nothing to be gained by someone who somehow gains physical access to the SIM card. Not only will it simply just not work unless they are using the physical linked device, but there is no information to be retrieved from it what so ever. Your phone number is not saved on it, text messages aren't saved on it, contacts aren't saved on it, email addresses are not saved on it. It is basically just a 'security chip' to allow Sprint and other UICC SIM card using carriers to make sure only authentic devices are allowed to use their LTE networks.
This can also be demonstrated by people who have bought sprint phones off of ebay and people don't include the UICC SIM card that came with the device. They most likely wont ever be able to use LTE on that device unless they somehow convince the people at a sprint store to trade the device in for one with a UICC SIM, or on more rarer cases: have them contact someone who can order a replacement and be able to 'link' it to the device. My brother has had this happen twice to him. He'd buy a phone off of Ebay, and it wont have the SIM. not thinking it was a big deal, he just tried to activate it via the Sprint website, and with one, it simply wouldn't activate, and the other just wouldnt' get LTE. He had to take it into the store, and they luckily were willing to exchange the device for one with a UICC SIM, and for the one that just wouldnt' connect to LTE, they managed to have a blank one in the store and they had to ship the phone and the SIM off to some place to have them 'linked'. Its a hard coded issue, not simply a software issue...
SO, bottom line: Don't worry about 'locking' the UICC SIMs.... they wont really 'lock', because they already are, and there is no real reason/gain to do so anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is really inaccurate. You can switch the UICC SIM buddy. Even when you're doing the swap yourself over sprint.com you'll get a pop up alerting you the device uses a sim and if you want to use the original one that came with device or use another. Hope no one bought a sim less device on ebay and read this, you probably gave them a heart attack..
Also when the Note 4 and Note Edge where having signal problems many service centers were swapping out the SIM cards. I don't know why your brother was giving such runaround, a new sim would had his device up and running with lte. Sounds like your sprint store is ran by reps who know nothing.
Sent from my SM-N915P using XDA Free mobile app
AndroiBoi420 said:
I bought a Galaxy Note 3 which did not have any SIM card, I simply went into the local sprint store and they gave me a UICC SIM free of charge. Then after a little time with tech support on the line figuring out that they had incorrectly linked my new SIM to the old account and correctly linking it to the proper account for the Note 3 my LTE was up and running. Although I have heard as well that some locations they do run short on the SIM cards but keep calling some local stores and one can definitely be found at least from my prior experience.
On a less contradictory note, excellent explanation of the UICC SIM card usage in regards to accessing LTE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RayTrue04 said:
This is really inaccurate. You can switch the UICC SIM buddy. Even when you're doing the swap yourself over sprint.com you'll get a pop up alerting you the device uses a sim and if you want to use the original one that came with device or use another. Hope no one bought a sim less device on ebay and read this, you probably gave them a heart attack..
Also when the Note 4 and Note Edge where having signal problems many service centers were swapping out the SIM cards. I don't know why your brother was giving such runaround, a new sim would had his device up and running with lte. Sounds like your sprint store is ran by reps who know nothing.
Sent from my SM-N915P using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AndroiBoi420 Now-a-days it depends on the device. If the carrier has a blank SIM, most phones 'now' will allow you to put it in. My brother's cases were back when LTE for sprint was just then becoming a 'thing'.
As for RayTrue04... I'm sorry, but that's completely accurate... you CAN NOT take the SIM card out of, say, a Galaxy S6 and put it into a Galaxy Note 5... It WILL, NOT, WORK. I've tried it, plenty of other people have tried it. IT. DOES. NOT. WORK. The SIMs are LOCKED to ONE device and ONLY that device. You CAN however, go off and get a BLANK SIM card and shove them in and they will work.
But in any case, my posting was about why locking the SIM card does absolutely nothing, because nothing personally identifiable is stored on them. So, if you sold the phone on eBay, and left the SIM in it, you're 100% fine, because the only thing that SIM card has on it, is the HEX key that allows the device to be identified by the network. But taking that SIM card out with hopes of just shoving it into your 'next device' will not work, and will just leave you frustrated and upset when you try everything you can to get it working. Every device that uses this type of SIM, has to have its OWN card, NOT some other device's card. Replacing it with a blank one is perfectly viable. But it just depends on your device, and if they have any around in stock to just throw at you anyway. Most sales/service reps are generally nice and will just give you the card if that's the case. But I do know of some who do everything 'by the book' and will charge you for the SIM AND its activation because that is what they are technically 'supposed to do'.
HikariNoKitsune said:
As for RayTrue04... I'm sorry, but that's completely accurate... you CAN NOT take the SIM card out of, say, a Galaxy S6 and put it into a Galaxy Note 5... It WILL, NOT, WORK. I've tried it, plenty of other people have tried it. IT. DOES. NOT. WORK. The SIMs are LOCKED to ONE device and ONLY that device. You CAN however, go off and get a BLANK SIM card and shove them in and they will work.
But in any case, my posting was about why locking the SIM card does absolutely nothing, because nothing personally identifiable is stored on them. So, if you sold the phone on eBay, and left the SIM in it, you're 100% fine, because the only thing that SIM card has on it, is the HEX key that allows the device to be identified by the network. But taking that SIM card out with hopes of just shoving it into your 'next device' will not work, and will just leave you frustrated and upset when you try everything you can to get it working. Every device that uses this type of SIM, has to have its OWN card, NOT some other device's card. Replacing it with a blank one is perfectly viable. But it just depends on your device, and if they have any around in stock to just throw at you anyway. Most sales/service reps are generally nice and will just give you the card if that's the case. But I do know of some who do everything 'by the book' and will charge you for the SIM AND its activation because that is what they are technically 'supposed to do'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2937387
I've also successfully activated an LG G2's SIM on my Note Edge. They're not locked to one device. It just needs to be a Sprint registered SIM and deactivated at the moment of activating whatever device you plan on using. One thing is though, not all SIM cards are interchangeable with certain devices.
Sent from my SM-N915P using XDA Free mobile app
HikariNoKitsune said:
Wow.. this is sort of an old thread for google to be leading me to.. but uh... i think everyone here has a total missunderstanding of Sprint's SIM cards... They're UICC... Which, I guess some people on here already can see that it is. But, what they don't seem to understand, is that this style of SIM card does NOT contain ANY personal information about you... there is NO NEED TO LOCK IT... because its ALREADY LOCKED... UICC SIM cards, are simply there to give you access to LTE, nothing more, nothing less. They have a 'personalized code' that is linked to your device, and will ONLY work on that device. You CAN NOT take the SIM card, and put it into another device, even if its the same exact model, and expect it to work. They are locked to your device PERMANENTLY. No ifs, ands, or buts. You can however, unlock your DEVICE to work with other SIM cards. So yes, you CAN put an AT&T SIM card into the phone, and have it work, but ONLY if your DEVICE is unlocked by the carrier and thus be allowed to access other networks. Though, I'm pretty sure you have to get a UICC SIM from them, which unless things have changed within the last few years, I hear is kind of difficult to get from GSM carriers.
So, to answer Alex's question: you do not need to lock it, for it is already locked permanently to your device. There is no personal information stored on the UICC SIM card, so there is nothing to be gained by someone who somehow gains physical access to the SIM card. Not only will it simply just not work unless they are using the physical linked device, but there is no information to be retrieved from it what so ever. Your phone number is not saved on it, text messages aren't saved on it, contacts aren't saved on it, email addresses are not saved on it. It is basically just a 'security chip' to allow Sprint and other UICC SIM card using carriers to make sure only authentic devices are allowed to use their LTE networks.
This can also be demonstrated by people who have bought sprint phones off of ebay and people don't include the UICC SIM card that came with the device. They most likely wont ever be able to use LTE on that device unless they somehow convince the people at a sprint store to trade the device in for one with a UICC SIM, or on more rarer cases: have them contact someone who can order a replacement and be able to 'link' it to the device. My brother has had this happen twice to him. He'd buy a phone off of Ebay, and it wont have the SIM. not thinking it was a big deal, he just tried to activate it via the Sprint website, and with one, it simply wouldn't activate, and the other just wouldnt' get LTE. He had to take it into the store, and they luckily were willing to exchange the device for one with a UICC SIM, and for the one that just wouldnt' connect to LTE, they managed to have a blank one in the store and they had to ship the phone and the SIM off to some place to have them 'linked'. Its a hard coded issue, not simply a software issue...
SO, bottom line: Don't worry about 'locking' the UICC SIMs.... they wont really 'lock', because they already are, and there is no real reason/gain to do so anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So after reading all the answers, best thing to do is ask Sprint b4 buying one off ebay
Thank you!!! This was most helpful & very well stated/Explained!!! Good job?
Just a bit more info on sim swapping, some sim swaps are compatable and some are not...if you swap a sim just call in to tech support for your provider and have your IMEI(essentially vin number of your phone) updated in there systems to avoid any confusion in provisioning or features, a common issue is inibility to access data on your device.
Sim cards are free of charge to replace through some providers such as AT&T.
Just a tid bit of info from your friendly neighborhood tier 3 tech support agent.
Uicc unlock??
HikariNoKitsune said:
Wow.. this is sort of an old thread for google to be leading me to.. but uh... i think everyone here has a total missunderstanding of Sprint's SIM cards... They're UICC... Which, I guess some people on here already can see that it is. But, what they don't seem to understand, is that this style of SIM card does NOT contain ANY personal information about you... there is NO NEED TO LOCK IT... because its ALREADY LOCKED... UICC SIM cards, are simply there to give you access to LTE, nothing more, nothing less. They have a 'personalized code' that is linked to your device, and will ONLY work on that device. You CAN NOT take the SIM card, and put it into another device, even if its the same exact model, and expect it to work. They are locked to your device PERMANENTLY. No ifs, ands, or buts. You can however, unlock your DEVICE to work with other SIM cards. So yes, you CAN put an AT&T SIM card into the phone, and have it work, but ONLY if your DEVICE is unlocked by the carrier and thus be allowed to access other networks. Though, I'm pretty sure you have to get a UICC SIM from them, which unless things have changed within the last few years, I hear is kind of difficult to get from GSM carriers.
So, to answer Alex's question: you do not need to lock it, for it is already locked permanently to your device. There is no personal information stored on the UICC SIM card, so there is nothing to be gained by someone who somehow gains physical access to the SIM card. Not only will it simply just not work unless they are using the physical linked device, but there is no information to be retrieved from it what so ever. Your phone number is not saved on it, text messages aren't saved on it, contacts aren't saved on it, email addresses are not saved on it. It is basically just a 'security chip' to allow Sprint and other UICC SIM card using carriers to make sure only authentic devices are allowed to use their LTE networks.
This can also be demonstrated by people who have bought sprint phones off of ebay and people don't include the UICC SIM card that came with the device. They most likely wont ever be able to use LTE on that device unless they somehow convince the people at a sprint store to trade the device in for one with a UICC SIM, or on more rarer cases: have them contact someone who can order a replacement and be able to 'link' it to the device. My brother has had this happen twice to him. He'd buy a phone off of Ebay, and it wont have the SIM. not thinking it was a big deal, he just tried to activate it via the Sprint website, and with one, it simply wouldn't activate, and the other just wouldnt' get LTE. He had to take it into the store, and they luckily were willing to exchange the device for one with a UICC SIM, and for the one that just wouldnt' connect to LTE, they managed to have a blank one in the store and they had to ship the phone and the SIM off to some place to have them 'linked'. Its a hard coded issue, not simply a software issue...
SO, bottom line: Don't worry about 'locking' the UICC SIMs.... they wont really 'lock', because they already are, and there is no real reason/gain to do so anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So i asked sprint for an unlock. They said they granted the unlock for iphone6 an galaxy gs6. Gs6 says uicc now able to accept international sim, but when said sim put in nothing happens.
Thank you for the DETAILED answer to help those of us who do not understand a lot of the technological terms that most products come with nowadays and makes it difficult for regular people without a college degree to comprehend and even some like me who have an extensive college degree (but just wasn't my thing)! (A lot of regular people THINK they are knowledgable that really are not and then they get mad when the language isn't down to their level because it then becomes even MORE difficult for them to understand the technical product they want all their friends to think that they "know all about".)
For all the tl;dr out there...
UICC Sim Unlock is an option provided to unlock the sim slot for use outside of the US and is only prevalent on Sprint devices (and its prepaid subsidiaries) to provide LTE service while using a Sprint account.
Older UICC Sim Cards are only tied to the device they are activated with and are not usually to be swapped between phones. They carry only your access to the LTE network and do not hold any account or phone information. Newer UICC cards can be passed across devices for the same purpose if the new device is linked to the same account the sim was activated on from the original device. In most cases the sim is actually blank and only calls to the tower to allow LTE service because its more convenient than activating/reactivating a sim.
Selecting UICC Unlock sends a request to Sprint to unlock the sim slot for use with GSM carriers outside of the US, providing you have properly closed the associated account and paid off the phone (or else your still SOL) and cannot be used to grant access to US based GSM carriers because Sprint locked the sim slot and the phones capabilities out of the US GSM band spectrum. That is unless you search hard enough on XDA on how to do it properly, which since LP is hit or miss and nobody seems to have simple enough answers like "yes" or "no" to the questions about Baseband version (in the latest GSM unlock attempts anyway).
Still tl;dr for you? Basically its an almost useless security feature to stop you from jumping ship from Sprint service to their competitors. Unless your moving outside of North America or sending your (ELIGIBLE!) device across seas, don't worry about it because it is of no use to you
Yet you can take your sim out and use it on a Nexus 6
This is illegal, companies are no longer allowed to lock the sim to their own devices. Thus the unlock messages everyone is getting on their devices.