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No SE X1 in ATT acct Management!

For those of you using ATT in the US. I went to my acct management to mess around with my plans when I discovered that my default device had been switched to a moto Q. I chose the "this is not my device" option but the Xperia is not on the list.
Are there any workarounds. The reason this is important is that I am unable to change my data plan, plus a lot of features and options that used to show up when I had my Fuze are gone.

alabij said:
For those of you using ATT in the US. I went to my acct management to mess around with my plans when I discovered that my default device had been switched to a moto Q. I chose the "this is not my device" option but the Xperia is not on the list.
Are there any workarounds. The reason this is important is that I am unable to change my data plan, plus a lot of features and options that used to show up when I had my Fuze are gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Searched for "HTC kovsky" ??

gtrab said:
Searched for "HTC kovsky" ??
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Click to collapse
Could you please elaborate. There is no HTC kovsky in the list of possible devices. The only HTC item is "Fuze black".

I had the same problem. I called AT&T to give them my imei number and to change my data plan and The lady kept insisting that I was using a Motorola Q. I insisted that I was not and that I was holding my x1 in my hand. She said she did an imei search and that I was wrong and kept insisting my phone was a Q! I finally just hung up. My phone under my acct. management page stills shows as a Q.

if att does not sell the xperia, i don't think that they would have it on their devices list.

Isn't that a good thing that you can go for the cheaper $15 unlimited data plan?

Couldn't u just pop ur sim in an old regular phone, change the plan and then pop the sim back into the xperia?

did you get a 3g sim card for your x1? thats what the lady told me to do because i initially wasnt getting texts nor internet.
for some reason, the lady i talked to was very helpful and was able to change all the settings on my plan - i just explained to her what kind of phone it was, smartphone with hsdpa?, so on and so on
hope this helps

The AT&T phone tool is garbage. Some of the promotional tools insists that the agent ties the IMEI number to the feature in order to add it to your account. It is ridiculous that the IMEI comes up as a different phone as an IMEI supposedly represents the DNA of the phone. Albeit the X1i is not a supported AT&T phone it should not populate as any other phone in their system at all. Maybe this is AT&Ts sly way to squeeze out any users using non-supported handsets. We already know they are capable of taking that route seeing how the iPhone conditions panned out.

AT&T Idiots
You can't call them to get any help. They go only on the IMEI # now, because they send you packets via sms/mms for the specific phone that comes up with that number. This way there is no knowledge needed of how to actually walk someone through settings. Obviously they don' t offer the X1 so they have any sort of support for it. I went through ten minutes of telling some woman it wasn't a razor! I just went to the store and told the guy I have a fuze and I wanted off my Iphone plan. He didn't even look at the phone and that was that.

IMEIs went from having the first 6 as an identfier to the first 8. This means that some IMEI lookup still pick up old phones.
Suppose the only trick if ATT aren't helping is to borrow a phone which can be identified that has similar features and to stick your SIM in it.

alabij said:
For those of you using ATT in the US. I went to my acct management to mess around with my plans when I discovered that my default device had been switched to a moto Q. I chose the "this is not my device" option but the Xperia is not on the list.
Are there any workarounds. The reason this is important is that I am unable to change my data plan, plus a lot of features and options that used to show up when I had my Fuze are gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you trying to do with the AT&T website and within the X1A, what do you want access to?
If you use a lower end phone, you can get your Data plan for only $15 (medianet). Fuze is a smartphone = $30. Either way, you will get 3G and HSDPA.

williamn said:
What are you trying to do with the AT&T website and within the X1A, what do you want access to?
If you use a lower end phone, you can get your Data plan for only $15 (medianet). Fuze is a smartphone = $30. Either way, you will get 3G and HSDPA.
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Click to collapse
LOL! I'm not trying to change anything. I'm fine with my plan. I was just curious as to why my phone was being classified as a Moto Q and wondered if anyone else had the same issue.
When I was with T-Mobile, their database would show my phone even if it wasnt offered by T-Mob.

Change the model number on US Tmobile MyTouch to HTC Magic?

Hi all,
I am currently using Tmobile Webconnect USB Laptop stick. I have tried to use the sim in the Webconnect stick and use it in an iphone - it works but only running as EDGE (since iphone uses 2100Mhz UMTS instead of Tmobile 1700Mhz UMTS band).
so I have purchased a Tmobile Mytouch (HTC Magic 32B) but it keeps saying that Data Service Required and my data connection is not compatible. I have used the APN epc.tmobile.com and this is the same setting as in iphone. For some reason when I use the mytouch somehow Tmobile detects the phone and forces it to use its web2go service instead.
Any idea if I can change the model number of the Mytouch to a generic HTC Magic, or if anyone knows how the carrier detects the model number of your phone?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
DMA

imei. changing that is illegal.

I'll second that one. T-Mobile uses the IMEI to validate the device. Even if you are brave enough to do an (I to believe it to be illeagal) IMEI change, they have the right to cancel your service based on "unusual data usage" if they find out. Beter to just get the data only plan for the phone if that's what your going to use. Just my opinion though.

stupid answer
Sorry, but i think that it is 2 stupid answers.
Change imei is I-L-L-E-G-A-L ok
say how do it is illegal too??? Sure????
I can tell you how you can stole but it is not ILLEGAL. If you stole, IT IS ILLEGAL, NO SAY IT.
i think that is possible change imei because you can obtain a full copy of NAND memory.

Niether one of the answers stated anything about posting the process of changing the IMEI. Only about the process itself. Another thing is, If XDA started posting a bunch of questionable material, it would open the site up to a lot of legal issues. I'm sure any moderator could go on for hours about the fact that this site will not tolerate that type of posting. Illegal to post? maybe not. Ileagal to do? Probably. Why take the chance? I don't think they were "stupid" answers at all. Once again, my opinion.

[Q] Question about Data plan and Rooting

I have a T-mobile Unlimited Web+ 400 free messages and the issues is this plan is paid for by my company and I cannot change the plan, currently data works on my HD2 with Android.. I want to know if the data will work on a rooted myTouch 4g without changing to Android data plan? Can anyone explain this to me??

If I understand things correctly -- and I may not -- a GSM carrier's "plan" is tied to the SIM card.
With that assumption, you can move the SIM card from the HD2 to the MT4G without T-Mobile's involvement. Whatever agreements you have with T-Mobile will remain in force, assuming the phone is capabile of providing those services. You could also go the other way, and move the SIM to a lower end "feature phone" and be limited to text only, as such a phone doesn't have Data capability. But you or your company would be paying on the same plan.
If you are switching SIMs for any reason -- for instance, keeping the HD2 as a personal phone, then T-Mobile would have to provision the new SIM. Using this scenario, they might recommend moving the HD2's SIM into the MT4G for use as your business phone, and putting the MT4G's SIM into the HD2 and provisioning it with a personal plan.
Rooting and using a custom ROM have no bearing on your carrier plan. Unless you need to return the phone for some reason, in which case restoring stock software is advised.

Thank you
jggimi said:
If I understand things correctly -- and I may not -- a GSM carrier's "plan" is tied to the SIM card.
With that assumption, you can move the SIM card from the HD2 to the MT4G without T-Mobile's involvement. Whatever agreements you have with T-Mobile will remain in force, assuming the phone is capabile of providing those services. You could also go the other way, and move the SIM to a lower end "feature phone" and be limited to text only, as such a phone doesn't have Data capability. But you or your company would be paying on the same plan.
If you are switching SIMs for any reason -- for instance, keeping the HD2 as a personal phone, then T-Mobile would have to provision the new SIM. Using this scenario, they might recommend moving the HD2's SIM into the MT4G for use as your business phone, and putting the MT4G's SIM into the HD2 and provisioning it with a personal plan.
Rooting and using a custom ROM have no bearing on your carrier plan. Unless you need to return the phone for some reason, in which case restoring stock software is advised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for the quick reply.. My main issue is, T-mobile has different data plans for different category of phones, I currently use an HD2 like I told and the data works.. But when I tried using the same SIM in Android it did not work.. I was wondering how T-mobile will know what type of phone I am using...
I don't know how data works on HD2 (on Android).. I totally agree with your explanation, as I am not going to buy a myTouch 4G on contract from T-mobile, I am going to buy it off Craigslist so there will be no T-mobile involvement.. I called up T-mobile to check if I can change my data plan but they said I can't as only my Company can do that.. I cannot ask my company to change the data plan as that is out of the question..
I know its really a strange situation I am in, I am getting a my phone bill paid by my company and I have a data plan so I wanted to know if I can really make good use of it..
Thanks once again...

Hmmm. If the SIM from the Windows phone does not work for you in the Android phone, then there must be more to provisioning of "Data" than the SIM alone -- but moving the SIM should work fine for voice, sms, and mms (which don't use "data" services).
As I suggested, I might have been wrong.

the difference in data plans is nothing more than a marketing scheme. all you have to do is put the sim card from the HD2 into the mt4g and enjoy it, there's nothing else to it. That's the nice thing about using sim cards, no need to call the carrier to activate different phones, just pop your working sim into any phone(as long as it's unlocked or from the same carrier).

erickdj said:
the difference in data plans is nothing more than a marketing scheme. all you have to do is put the sim card from the HD2 into the mt4g and enjoy it, there's nothing else to it. That's the nice thing about using sim cards, no need to call the carrier to activate different phones, just pop your working sim into any phone(as long as it's unlocked or from the same carrier).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But anush.isaac has already reported that the SIM did not work in the Android phone. Hmmm.... he also said he is =going= to purchase. So I do not know what Android phone he tested the SIM in. If it was another carrier's locked phone, then that would be the reason for a failure.

jggimi said:
But anush.isaac has already reported that the SIM did not work in the Android phone. Hmmm.... he also said he is =going= to purchase. So I do not know what Android phone he tested the SIM in. If it was another carrier's locked phone, then that would be the reason for a failure.
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Click to collapse
actually, I can report, having come from a blackberry with a blackberry data plan, that it DID take a call to t-mobile to get switched to an android data plan before my internet would fully work on my new (then) g2. Currently loving the mt4g, though. and t-mobile never charged me any extra for the switch, it was just a matter of making things right in their system to get it working.

jmwils3 said:
actually, I can report, having come from a blackberry with a blackberry data plan, that it DID take a call to t-mobile to get switched to an android data plan before my internet would fully work on my new (then) g2.
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Click to collapse
Thats because blackberries have a different internet plan that uses blackberry's own servers as part of the APN. If he's coming from any other phone, his current internet plan should work

cybereclipse said:
Thats because blackberries have a different internet plan that uses blackberry's own servers as part of the APN. If he's coming from any other phone, his current internet plan should work
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Click to collapse
Ok, sorry for confusing things, then. My bad.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

erickdj said:
the difference in data plans is nothing more than a marketing scheme. all you have to do is put the sim card from the HD2 into the mt4g and enjoy it, there's nothing else to it. That's the nice thing about using sim cards, no need to call the carrier to activate different phones, just pop your working sim into any phone(as long as it's unlocked or from the same carrier).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jmwils3 said:
actually, I can report, having come from a blackberry with a blackberry data plan, that it DID take a call to t-mobile to get switched to an android data plan before my internet would fully work on my new (then) g2. Currently loving the mt4g, though. and t-mobile never charged me any extra for the switch, it was just a matter of making things right in their system to get it working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi all,
Thank you very much for the much needed insight... I first apologize for confusing many... Let me tell you the updates..
* I have a data plan called T-mobile Smartphone Unlimited+ 400 free msgs
* I called a T-mobile rep and asked him if I can go to the Android plan, but as I explained earlier I don't have the permissions/authority to change plans as its under my company name and he said he will need to talk to my company's internal phone services (which I don't want to happen..)
* The T-mobile rep also told my plan will work only on Windows based Smart phones that T-mobile offers..
* Currently my data(Internet/Browsing) works with my HD2 running on Android (maybe because it still sees it as a Windows device).
* The phone I tested my SIM was the Vibrant, and the Vibrant's data did not work with my SIM.
My question now, I just Observed, mt APN says TelKila, and I do not know if this has something to do with accessing the network, with my HD2 both APNs TelKila and epc.tmobile.com work.. Let me know your thoughts on this one...

anush.isaac said:
Hi all,
Thank you very much for the much needed insight... I first apologize for confusing many... Let me tell you the updates..
* I have a data plan called T-mobile Smartphone Unlimited+ 400 free msgs
* I called a T-mobile rep and asked him if I can go to the Android plan, but as I explained earlier I don't have the permissions/authority to change plans as its under my company name and he said he will need to talk to my company's internal phone services (which I don't want to happen..)
* The T-mobile rep also told my plan will work only on Windows based Smart phones that T-mobile offers..
* Currently my data(Internet/Browsing) works with my HD2 running on Android (maybe because it still sees it as a Windows device).
* The phone I tested my SIM was the Vibrant, and the Vibrant's data did not work with my SIM.
My question now, I just Observed, mt APN says TelKila, and I do not know if this has something to do with accessing the network, with my HD2 both APNs TelKila and epc.tmobile.com work.. Let me know your thoughts on this one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There shouldn't be a reason why it wouldn't work. Was that vibrant you tried also a t-mobile phone or was it from a different carrier? Why not go to a t-mobile store and try your sim card on one of their demo mt4g's? That's about the only way to know for sure. I used the same sim card I had on my G1 for two years on my mt4g as soon as I took it out of the box and it worked fine.

erickdj said:
There shouldn't be a reason why it wouldn't work. Was that vibrant you tried also a t-mobile phone or was it from a different carrier? Why not go to a t-mobile store and try your sim card on one of their demo mt4g's? That's about the only way to know for sure. I used the same sim card I had on my G1 for two years on my mt4g as soon as I took it out of the box and it worked fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the Vibrant is for T-mobile only.. When I called T-mobile they said that my current data plan only works for Windows based devices and if i want to use an Android Device I will have to change my data plan to an Android data plan that they have. Somehow T-mobile are able to find out what device I am using and they are able to filter my data service. Since I cannot change my current data plan I am stuck to using a Windows device!! BUMMER!!
If there is any workaround I will be more than happy to do it, so I can make data working on my Android phone...

I'm a T-Mobile employee (RSA), and I can confirm that the type of data plan (known as the SOC) matters. They're actually working to change that (the new "4G" SOCs work for everything except blackberry). What this also means is that if you were on a legacy/promo SOC and you change platforms, you may lose that promo/legacy rate (a good chat with customer service might help, but all the guys in the store can do is call customer service for you). I don't really know any more details as to how it works on the back end, but that's the end result.

What is that "UICC Unlock" menu item?

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
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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.

[Q] International travel questions

Hey guys,
I tried searching on the topic but I'm hoping for more information specific to this phone.
I'm traveling to Germany in September. This will be my first time out of the country. I just called Sprint and requested for the phone to be unlocked for international travel. Since I've had the GS4 less than 90 days, I'm told this process will take a few days.
My questions are:
Now that my phone is unlocked, I can use international/locally bought micro-SIM cards, correct?
If I use these SIMs, will I still be subject to Sprint's high usage billing or will it operate entirely independently of Sprint's service?
If I flash a ROM, should I stick to the TW-based variants to ensure international capability? Or is it safer to leave the phone entirely stock until my trip is over?
If you have any tips and tricks for traveling (best SIM card, how to save money, the ROM you used while traveling, best apps for using minimal data, etc.) please do so! I appreciate your advice, everybody.
Thanks
-Tory

Edit:
D'oh! Thought I was in the Q&A forum. Mods, please move.
-Tory

mynameistory said:
Edit:
D'oh! Thought I was in the Q&A forum. Mods, please move.
-Tory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you lucky and your unlocking will go through without issues that some of us here are having then you should be able to use any non-US sim cards while outside the US. You will be subject to those carriers charges only. Just don't forget to turn off CDMA roaming and switch the phone to GMS/UMTS mode.
I cannot comment on the ROMs though.

I'm currently delpoyed with the military. Had my gs4 remotely unlocked and I now use a rebelphone sim card for my local area. Just turn your phone to gsm and I turn off data because its not included in my rebel phone package. Should be all good to go once u get that done.
Oh and I use blue kabans ROM
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app

Please read forum rules before posting
Questions and help issues go in Q&A and Help section
Thread moved
Thank you for your cooperation
Friendly Neighborhood Moderator

Possible to use US sim?
obender said:
If you lucky and your unlocking will go through without issues that some of us here are having then you should be able to use any non-US sim cards while outside the US. You will be subject to those carriers charges only. Just don't forget to turn off CDMA roaming and switch the phone to GMS/UMTS mode.
I cannot comment on the ROMs though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it possible to use a US sim card from another carrier in the US to check that the phone has successfully been unlocked before traveling? Sprint's told me that they unlocked my phone, but I want to be absolutely sure before I step on a plane in two weeks. I also have an update procedure to unlock the phone - I'd like to do that here in the US before I leave so that if there's any problem, I can work them in advance.

Thanks for moving Kenny!
Kate, from what I've been reading, under no circumstances will Sprint allow the phone to connect to a US GSM network using a T-Mobile or AT&T SIM card. I think this is analogous to "unlocking" the phone from its carrier, which carriers do not tolerate.
Buck, I will look at rebel phone among others. It seems data will be expensive, no matter what SIM card I choose. I expect things like Facebook updates and photo uploads should wait until I connect to wireless at hostels or my friend's place.

kate98 said:
Is it possible to use a US sim card from another carrier in the US to check that the phone has successfully been unlocked before traveling? Sprint's told me that they unlocked my phone, but I want to be absolutely sure before I step on a plane in two weeks. I also have an update procedure to unlock the phone - I'd like to do that here in the US before I leave so that if there's any problem, I can work them in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat as you are, from what I could gather from forums and Sprint itself, the answer is NO, you cannot verify that you phone was unlock while here in the US with _ANY_ SIM card.

obender said:
I'm in the same boat as you are, from what I could gather from forums and Sprint itself, the answer is NO, you cannot verify that you phone was unlock while here in the US with _ANY_ SIM card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey obender, when you use international SIM cards, you lose your phone number for one they provide, correct?

mynameistory said:
Hey obender, when you use international SIM cards, you lose your phone number for one they provide, correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that's correct.

And does the phone need to be rooted? It sounds like maybe not for voice, probably for data? I will want both when we go to Spain in a few months. I don't have the phone yet but plan to pick one up this week - love my S3 but I can't use it internationally, and I don't think I can go back to my Photon for the trip.

RhinoDoc said:
And does the phone need to be rooted? It sounds like maybe not for voice, probably for data? I will want both when we go to Spain in a few months. I don't have the phone yet but plan to pick one up this week - love my S3 but I can't use it internationally, and I don't think I can go back to my Photon for the trip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People report issues with data but according to sprint once it is unlocked it should work just fine both gsm voice and data, no rooting should be needed.

You can verify your UICC(sim) slot is unlocked by sticking in any "non-Sprint" sim card... if you get an error saying "Invalid Sim" then it's not unlocked... if you see no error.. you are probably unlocked. You can further verify this by going into About Device > Status and seeing if it's reading the ICCID of your new sim card.
You can test this with domestic sims too(ATT/Tmo etc).. though you will not get service due to Samsung blocking them. But yes.. the phone will read the ATT/Tmo ICCID if unlocked.

autoprime said:
You can verify your UICC(sim) slot is unlocked by sticking in any "non-Sprint" sim card... if you get an error saying "Invalid Sim" then it's not unlocked... if you see no error.. you are probably unlocked. You can further verify this by going into About Device > Status and seeing if it's reading the ICCID of your new sim card.
You can test this with domestic sims too(ATT/Tmo etc).. though you will not get service due to Samsung blocking them. But yes.. the phone will read the ATT/Tmo ICCID if unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to sprint what you just said is not true. It should show "invalid SIM" all the time while you are in US no matter if you unlocked or not.

obender said:
According to sprint what you just said is not true. It should show "invalid SIM" all the time while you are in US no matter if you unlocked or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I got my sprint s4 unlocked by sprint for international use. I've got a europe orange sim, and when I put it in the phone, I don't get any error msg. (BTW, when I leave the phone without any sim card, it shows some small icon on top saying I'm missing a sim, also it won't let me go into network settings..) is it how it's suppose to be when Sprint unlock the phone for 3rd party sim (international) card? meaning If the phone was "unlocked" i would have get some error msg. saying the device "Can't access" the sim card etc.?
Thanks!

wolf1_o said:
Hi,
I got my sprint s4 unlocked by sprint for international use. I've got a europe orange sim, and when I put it in the phone, I don't get any error msg. (BTW, when I leave the phone without any sim card, it shows some small icon on top saying I'm missing a sim, also it won't let me go into network settings..) is it how it's suppose to be when Sprint unlock the phone for 3rd party sim (international) card? meaning If the phone was "unlocked" i would have get some error msg. saying the device "Can't access" the sim card etc.?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The error message would be the same small icon but it would just say "Invalid SIM", but this is just on my phone that was supposedly unlocked by Sprint, I cannot confirm that it actually works with non US SIM card since I haven't had a chance yet to travel outside the US. Your phone can be unlocked as well or not, you, unfortunately, have no way of telling this until you travel outside the US and try it.

obender said:
The error message would be the same small icon but it would just say "Invalid SIM", but this is just on my phone that was supposedly unlocked by Sprint, I cannot confirm that it actually works with non US SIM card since I haven't had a chance yet to travel outside the US. Your phone can be unlocked as well or not, you, unfortunately, have no way of telling this until you travel outside the US and try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, If it says invalid sim after you put international card in it's definitely not unlocked. Me and me friend got the phone on the same day and called sprint about 100 time to get the phones working. After sprint told me and my buddy that phones are unlocked, we put it German sim card in and it said invalid sim, but sprint said it will change when you go to Germany. So i didn't believe them and called them another 100 times till about mid June I talked to some supervisor and she said that phone is unlocked. So I put it my German sim back in and it sent me an SMS about the rates of that German service in USA. After that my friend called those assholes another 100 times and they assured him that it will definitely work even though it says invalid SIM. Long story shor... we get there and he is screwed for 3 weeks. Even more so, he was willing to pay $10 per minute to roam in Germany with Sprint... NO SIGNAL ANYWHERE... AND my data did not work with different sim card. only calls and sms. Later i found out that it could be fixed by going to a local branch and downloading something but it was too late. SO Sprint sucks.

Here's the email I got upon requesting the unlock:
Hello Torrance,
This email is intended to confirm that Sprint has successfully processed the unlock request for your Samsung Galaxy s4 Device.* In order for the unlock to be completed, the device has to be connected to the CDMA Network or Wi-Fi connection for the update to finalize.
*Once the update has been completed, please follow the steps below to unlock the device after you have the third party SIM:
*Turn off device > Insert 3rd party SIM > go to Settings > More (tab) > System Update > UICC unlock.* You will receive the update and it should change to GSM Mode.* *
*Phone number: XXX-XXX-XXXX
*If you have any additional questions comments or concerns please contact Sprint World Wide care 24/7 at 888-226-7212
*Thank you,
Ayesha J.
Sprint eCare

tarasator said:
Alright, If it says invalid sim after you put international card in it's definitely not unlocked. Me and me friend got the phone on the same day and called sprint about 100 time to get the phones working. After sprint told me and my buddy that phones are unlocked, we put it German sim card in and it said invalid sim, but sprint said it will change when you go to Germany. So i didn't believe them and called them another 100 times till about mid June I talked to some supervisor and she said that phone is unlocked. So I put it my German sim back in and it sent me an SMS about the rates of that German service in USA. After that my friend called those assholes another 100 times and they assured him that it will definitely work even though it says invalid SIM. Long story shor... we get there and he is screwed for 3 weeks. Even more so, he was willing to pay $10 per minute to roam in Germany with Sprint... NO SIGNAL ANYWHERE... AND my data did not work with different sim card. only calls and sms. Later i found out that it could be fixed by going to a local branch and downloading something but it was too late. SO Sprint sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What version of the firmware are you running, is it the latest OTA MF9?
---------- Post added at 02:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:29 AM ----------
tarasator said:
Later i found out that it could be fixed by going to a local branch and downloading something but it was too late. SO Sprint sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you be more specific?

obender said:
According to sprint what you just said is not true. It should show "invalid SIM" all the time while you are in US no matter if you unlocked or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint doesnt know what theyre talking about half the time. that is incorrect info.
no matter what sim you put in... if its PROPERLY unlocked... then you wont see a "invalid sim error". even att/tmobile.
if you put a sim in and it says "invalid sim" then the OTA sim unlock was not properly done and despite saying unlocked in sprints system.. it's really not.
I have both a sprint gs4 and sprint htc one. it's exactly the same on both.