So you want to unlock your S IV... - Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshoot

You can't.
You can call Sprint and they can unlock it for you or you can purchase an already unlocked phone.
YES Sprint phones ARE international CAPABLE but have a CDMA CARD. Get it unlocked through SPRINT.
The carrier must unlock your SIM to have GSM capabilities. Period.
There's no magical code, no night gnome who can give you international capabilities, there is no work around. Your card defines your capabilities.
Glad we got that cleared up. Lets stop asking now, shall we? Please?
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2

babyshrimps said:
You can't.
You can call Sprint and they can unlock it for you or you can purchase an already unlocked phone.
YES Sprint phones ARE international CAPABLE but have a CDMA CARD. Get it unlocked through SPRINT.
The carrier must unlock your SIM to have GSM capabilities. Period.
There's no magical code, no night gnome who can give you international capabilities, there is no work around. Your card defines your capabilities.
Glad we got that cleared up. Lets stop asking now, shall we? Please?
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is wrong. You can. Just won't work on AT&T and T-Mobile USA. Every other SIM(international) is unlocked for use as long as the SIM slot itself is unlocked.
Source: The Sprint GS4 in my hand.

Interesting. I'll let my co workers at Sprint know
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2

autoprime said:
This is wrong. You can. Just won't work on AT&T and T-Mobile USA. Every other SIM(international) is unlocked for use as long as the SIM slot itself is unlocked.
Source: The Sprint GS4 in my hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that was the case more people would be saying "Go into settings and unlock UICC and bam all set international."
The very first releases from Samsung to Sprint - like mine - were actually international, however most of the employees scooped the oops devices. Those purchased at Best Buy still have intermittent unlocked devices 1:20). In the chance you got lucky then NO we don't need to unlock it but yes, for 90% of the S IV population yes, unfortunately there's a very good chance we do. If this was the case the threads would have ceased to continue resurfacing.
So either tell the people so they stop asking or continue ignoring them.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2

babyshrimps said:
If that was the case more people would be saying "Go into settings and unlock UICC and bam all set international."
The very first releases from Samsung to Sprint - like mine - were actually international, however most of the employees scooped the oops devices. Those purchased at Best Buy still have intermittent unlocked devices 1:20). In the chance you got lucky then NO we don't need to unlock it but yes, for 90% of the S IV population yes, unfortunately there's a very good chance we do. If this was the case the threads would have ceased to continue resurfacing.
So either tell the people so they stop asking or continue ignoring them.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
after 90 days Sprint unlocks them when you ask the international department. My phone came sim locked. Had the invalid sim error and everything. It was then unlocked. I have had multiple GS4's unlocked. No more sim error. International sims confirmed working.
the issue is that not everyone asking has waited 90 days. There's a good number of people that have this phone and are't even using Sprint as their carrier. This is where most of the questions and confusion comes from.. those two groups. Then there are the last two groups... those who have been but (incorrectly flagged as unlocked but no true unlock was performed OTA... and those who are just like me that have unlocked and used the device overseas.
Since there's not a ton of Sprint users that have used their device overseas... after waiting 90 days... and being unlocked properly OTA... we arent seeing lots of posts about success... but they exist. Also, you aren't accounting for when the device's unlock method goes public and Sprint is no longer needed. That's the real goal behind all of the unlock questions. How can the phone be hacked to bypass the sim lock. Then everyone can unlock at their own free will. Then the next project will come... getting the unlocked GS4s working on ATT/TMO(something I've already started working on). If you've been paying attention to the HTC forums.. they have just figured out unlock method without needing Sprints help. This was after 80+ pages of people saying it wasnt possible and failed attempts.
You mention Best Buy devices... is there something in the system not allowing anyone that purchased a phone there to not be unlocked? You mention a first batch of phones maybe working... but my most recent GS4 is 2 weeks old.. so surely thats not from the first batch... yet still unlockable.

@autoprime
so if I want to check if my phone came unlocked as you say one of your many gs4's did. All I would have to do would be to buy an international sim from eBay, or amazon if available and pop it in. Then if I don't get the sim error notification, I am unlocked?
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

daniel4653 said:
@autoprime
so if I want to check if my phone came unlocked as you say one of your many gs4's did. All I would have to do would be to buy an international sim from eBay, or amazon if available and pop it in. Then if I don't get the sim error notification, I am unlocked?
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
none of my phones came unlocked out of the box. they were all unlocked after. then tested with GSM sims... unlock confirmed working. That was my point in responding in this thread... so people knew an unlock was possible.. despite what the OP suggests.
you can use any non-sprint sim card to test if you are unlocked... even AT&T or Tmobile. If you are unlocked.. you wont get a sim card error after booting up with the new sim in. if you get the error, youre not unlocked.

Related

[Q] Is there any possibility to unlock att galaxy s4?

As the topic says
whiteyaksa said:
As the topic says
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. It's been discussed may times on here. We won't get the unlock until the Verizon version comes out. It has been unlocked, but for the sake of a quick OTA to patch the phones, the dev is waiting for the VWZ version to be released.
flucks said:
Yes. It's been discussed may times on here. We won't get the unlock until the Verizon version comes out. It has been unlocked, but for the sake of a quick OTA to patch the phones, the dev is waiting for the VWZ version to be released.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He might be referring to cellular unlock. So he can use the phone on other carriers
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
geoldr said:
He might be referring to cellular unlock. So he can use the phone on other carriers
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's been discussed also. Doesn't look like AT&T is unlocking these devices yet. You could always pay ~$35 to a third party provider for unlock if you needed it now.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
If bought outright they will, see picture.
I unlocked my S4 yesterday...24.99...cellunlocker dot net. Had the code in 8 minutes.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
i unlocked galaxy s4 from safeunlockcode.com/samsung/unlock-galaxy-s-4 , its easy to use, i think.
whiteyaksa said:
As the topic says
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just search on ebay. there bunch of them. i got mine unlocked for $13. good deal i guess. they will ask you for IMEI and about few hours later they will send you the code.
reddevilboyz said:
just search on ebay. there bunch of them. i got mine unlocked for $13. good deal i guess. they will ask you for IMEI and about few hours later they will send you the code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My phone doesnt ask for a unlock code, After i inserted a GSM SIM card of a different country (India), it allowed to phone turned on.
It did not ask anything else... However when i selected global Network Mode, It did not let me search available network operators. The option to search the network operator after switching to Global network mode was not available.
I wonder why! I am not sure even if i purchase a unlock code, where do i enter it?
There is a free alternative for unlocking just by accessing dialer code. Found a thread around here at some point.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
I tried unlock-code-world and they never could generate the unlock code. They did however refund my money. I guess you could always try a more expensive website but I'm not sure what their results will be. I did however get my galaxy s for unlocked through AT&T customer service. I looked on the international data coverage maps and found a tourist location that would be a reasonable vacation spot for Americans but also did not have great coverage through AT&T international. I've been told them I was going on vacation you need to leave the country for about a month I said so that if I use their international plans my charges would be outrageous therefore it would not be smart to use a high price international plan for so long I've been brought up the fact about unlocking my phone to use a local SIM card in this area.because I had good payment history and was with the company for least a year the on lock my phone gave me on lock codes for all 3 of my lines all 3 galaxy phones. It will be a case by case basis they determined based on payment history like the service this situation you're about to embark on.I was on the phone about 30 minutes put on a good show discussed international plans various options I couldn't let them decide to unlock it not really force the issue of them unlock it for megive it a try care for hundred percent free

"Invalid SIM" - first hand experience while outside the US

So I learned it finally the hard way.
I was told the phone is unlocked.
Tried to to verify it by inserting a foreign SIM card while in the US.
Got invalid SIM message.
Called sprint about 50 times, literally. Got the same answer, it is showing as unlocked in our system, it will work just fine when you are outside the US.
Wen to Germany, and no surprise, it doesn't work, says invalid SIM.
Sprint is absolutely helpless and hopeless, I called them while in Germany and they said the same thing, it shows as unlocked.
The phone never got any OTA for unlocking and Sprint claims there is none for this purposes.
If anyone knows any magic words I should use with them I'd appreciate the help.
I'm stuck here without phone practically.
Have you tried to go into settings /system update then hit "UICC unlock"?
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Yeah I wondered what that did.
daniel4653 said:
Have you tried to go into settings /system update then hit "UICC unlock"?
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
only a 100 times maybe
told you so
despite what Sprint says... they are not always correct. When properly unlocked, even with a domestic sim, the sim error will go away.
autoprime said:
told you so
despite what Sprint says... they are not always correct. When properly unlocked, even with a domestic sim, the sim error will go away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So even though I will never leave the country, what should one do? Never buy a phone that claims international? Buy a cheap throw away if you travel?
oscarthegrouch said:
So even though I will never leave the country, what should one do? Never buy a phone that claims international? Buy a cheap throw away if you travel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never treat what Sprint says as actual fact.
If you are a GSM-only user, never buy a Sprint device.. even if it claims to be unlocked. Even if unlocked it will never support as many GSM/WCDMA(HSPA) bands as a true GSM version. This may change in the future.. but applies to all current Sprint devices besides maybe an iPhone(ew).
Use wifi as much as possible when traveling to avoid unneeded charges. If you do decide to use international GSM service... buy a local pre-paid SIM card and NEVER use your own carriers international roaming plans unless you like being ripped off.
Don't give up on unlocking the GS4. A method will be out eventually.

[Q] using AT&T provided unlock code...

After fighting with AT&T on the phone for almost a month due to (in my opinion) unfair policy changes, I got them to provide me with unlock codes for my and my wife's phones. I want to make use of them asap and put this matter to rest. Unfortunately, the AT&T instructions say to use the codes i have to insert a non-AT&T sim card to force the phone to prompt me for code entry. At this time I do not have a non-AT&T sim. Is there any way to get to the unlock pin screen without having a "foreign" sim card on hand?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Also, does having this unlock code mean I am unlocking the bootloader or is this *just* a sim unlock?
I am considering experimenting with the 'nightly' for CM 10.2. I have CM 10.2 on a Note 8.0 and CM 9 on an original Galaxy Tab 7" already and i like it a lot.
Thanks again.
Won't touch the boot loader at all. That'll just be a Sim unlock.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
You'll need a foreign gsm SIM card. And your bootloader stays locked. One has nothing to do with the other
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
Or you could just go into the menu and unlock it yourself without a code
travispittman said:
Or you could just go into the menu and unlock it yourself without a code
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One downside to that is if you mess up, good luck fixing it.
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HiTideBlastoise said:
One downside to that is if you mess up, good luck fixing it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Research it. Then research it some more. Research it until you are comfortable doing it yourself. Don't let someone bully and say you might mess up your phone. You could mess up your phone by dropping it in your sink among other things. But doing this is quite simple. Follow the steps here is even a youtube video to do it. If you have any questions ask away. Some ppl are jerks and say it was answered somewhere else you should of found it elsewhere. When all posts inevitably get buried under mounds and mounds of new posts. Remember you only fail if you stop trying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TCl9ysOoT4
Free SIM
You could also head to t-mobile site and get a free SIM, I think they still are giving them away, not sure. I was able to get two free SIMs 5 days ago.
t-mobile free sim-card
travispittman said:
Research it. Then research it some more. Research it until you are comfortable doing it yourself. Don't let someone bully and say you might mess up your phone. You could mess up your phone by dropping it in your sink among other things. But doing this is quite simple. Follow the steps here is even a youtube video to do it. If you have any questions ask away. Some ppl are jerks and say it was answered somewhere else you should of found it elsewhere. When all posts inevitably get buried under mounds and mounds of new posts. Remember you only fail if you stop trying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TCl9ysOoT4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And this guy ^^^ isn't going to fix your phone for you if it does screw up. The "free" unlock method works for some and does not for others. I completely agree with the research until your eyes fall out part, but, in this, case, it still might not help you. So, basically, if you try the "free' unlock method it might work, it might not, and it might mess your phone up. Unfortunately, you won't know until you try. I would just go to your local mall or T-mobile store and get a cheap pre-paid sim card that you can use in your and your wife's phone. Don't listen to people that think something will work for everyone just because it worked for them, especially when it is proven to not be the case. Good luck.
I walked into a tmo store and sled if they had an activated micro Sim so I could test my phones unlock status. I told them I was thinking of switching, but needed to verify if my s4 was unlocked (I used the service menu method).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
esmith13 said:
After fighting with AT&T on the phone for almost a month due to (in my opinion) unfair policy changes, I got them to provide me with unlock codes for my and my wife's phones. I want to make use of them asap and put this matter to rest. Unfortunately, the AT&T instructions say to use the codes i have to insert a non-AT&T sim card to force the phone to prompt me for code entry. At this time I do not have a non-AT&T sim. Is there any way to get to the unlock pin screen without having a "foreign" sim card on hand?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you mind sharing how you got them to unlock your phone, I have been trying for a while now without any success.
When I had my old smartphone, I called att and told them I'd be visiting my sister in London, and that I'd want to use prepaid SIM cards, as it would be cheaper than international rates. They had no problem unlocking it (galaxy s).
Sent from my TARDIS
0p3nsrc said:
When I had my old smartphone, I called att and told them I'd be visiting my sister in London, and that I'd want to use prepaid SIM cards, as it would be cheaper than international rates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^ This. Has yet to fail me.
Lol it doesn't "mess up" your phone. *sigh* stop scaring the kiddies
5T4Y FR05TY
Usually no prompt means the phone isn't actually locked. There's a ton of instances when a network simply missed a handset and failed to lock it. For anyone I'd say test your phone first. Make sure it is locked before going through the process of unlocking it.
Also, this works on a number of older Samsung's, not too sure if it'll work on newer models, but you can type a command that targets the network lock, which is #0111*code# - you simply replace "code" with the code AT&T or anyone else gives you and it should unlock the phone. Someone might be able to confirm this as possible or not for the newer Samsung's?
I tried the traveling story. That does not work anymore. CS, including supervisor refused.
I have a AT&T Galaxy S4 SGH-i337 on MF3 and Region Lock Away unlocked the Region & SIM. I tested it with a T-Mobile SIM. The OP of Region Lock DOES NOT CLAIM it will work with the SGH-i337 but I have unlocked a S3(SGH-i747) a S4(SGH-i337) and a Galaxy TAB 2 (SGH-i497) it was worth the few bucks.
Region Lock Away
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IceTwig said:
I have a AT&T Galaxy S4 SGH-i337 on MF3 and Region Lock Away unlocked the Region & SIM. I tested it with a T-Mobile SIM. The OP of Region Lock DOES NOT CLAIM it will work with the SGH-i337 but I have unlocked a S3(SGH-i747) a S4(SGH-i337) and a Galaxy TAB 2 (SGH-i497) it was worth the few bucks.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can also verify that this works with the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4 i337 on MF3.

My unlocked Verizon S10+ is somehow locked

Alright, got a pretty wacky situation here. Trying to see if anyone has any ideas of how to fix this.
I bought an S10+ Verizon firmware from Swappa a few days ago. I intended to use it with T-Mobile. Good deal, good transaction, all good right? Wrong...
It was my understanding that most Verizon phones were unlocked and that I could just flash the Unlocked or T-Mobile firmware to get full T-Mobile functionality.
On receiving the phone I got a "This phone is locked, contact Verizon at etc etc" message. I shrugged and flashed it over to unlocked firmware, where I was met with an "Invalid SIM card. Network locked SIM card inserted." and "PIN to unlock SIM service provider" window. So the phone was locked. Here's my troubleshooting steps from there.
Contacted Verizon support online. They said they lock all their phones for 60 days now as of late July. I said I'd bought it used, they said it had been bought at Walmart recently and there was nothing they could do.
Contacted the seller. He gave me his proof of purchase that the phone was bought new from Samsung.com back in March. I used a site to check the IMEI and the phone was legit from March, and not reported stolen or sketchy at all. Samsung.com specifically says they don't lock their phones and it was well before the 60 day policy anyway.
Contacted Verizon support where they said the phone was purchased as a Verizon phone so it can't be used with other networks. I should sign up for Verizon to enjoy all the features of my phone ? ....and also have it activated on the network so it could be cleared and unlocked. Alright...
I took the phone to a Verizon store where they put an active Verizon SIM in it. Verizon SIM worked great, T-Mobile still had an unlock code. The employee was confused and said they've never entered an Unlock PIN before so he sent me to corporate Verizon support store they had nearby.
Corporate Verizon store was a ton more helpful and the guy called up their god-tier upper support guys. Those guys took over an hour fiddling with things and along the way determined that the phone and it's IMEI were all clear, not stolen, and unlocked. The previous owner had a clean account and was in good standing. The store guy said he'd never seen anything like this and in his four years he'd never entered a SIM pin before. They additionally made sure I hadn't accidentally encrypted my SIM with a pin (I hadn't) and that all the default Verizon 000000, 123456, and 111111 codes weren't going to work. They recommended I contact Samsung support.
Samsung support thought I was an idiot and said that all the phones sold on their storefront are locked and I should contact Verizon to get it unlocked. I tried explaining all of the above but it was like talking to a brick wall.
So what have I tried?
Flashed the phone from Verizon to Unlocked to T-Mobile to Unlocked firmware using Frija and patched Odin. Verizon firmware throws a "contact Verizon" message and sometimes a code window, unlocked gives me code window, and T-Mobile just says it's locked and doesn't give me anything.
I have tried Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile SIMs from my friends. T-Mobile and AT&T work for a couple minutes completely normally on reboot. Connection establishes, data, text, and calls come in. Then it locks up and doesn't work. Verizon SIM works entirely normally, but doesn't unlock phone even after being left in for an hour.
Going forward I am going to try
Ask the internet for help. I've googled the living daylights out of this problem and I can't find anyone in my situation. Help?
[\LIST]
Flash the phone back to Verizon firmware. Perhaps the unlock mechanism works somewhere in the firmware and only when it's connected to the Verizon network. Take it to the store, have them pop a Verizon SIM in for a bit, and hope for the best. Flashing from Unlocked to VZW firmware isn't working right now for some odd reason though. It's going back to TMB instead and I'm confused about that to.
[\LIST]
Figure out how to get non-incompetent support out of Verizon (though I've mostly gotten there already) or Samsung and see if someone can help me. When I had to unlock my T-Mobile S8 I bought from Samsung, the IMEI numbers weren't passed to T-Mobile so the regular support people said it was impossible. Eventually I got in contact with someone who broke me out of idiot-land and directly contacted a network engineer who solved the problem in less than 10 minutes. Maybe I can find a network engineer at Verizon?
I could use a sketchy SIM unlock website. Is there any not-sketchy ones?
There's an XDA thread for S10+ U & U1 updates by the mod ibowtoandroid. I believe he has an unlock service that's legit but apparently not cheap. If you read through that thread you might find information helpful for your situation. But if you post a question that was previously answered you will likely be told to read through the thread even though the person who tells you that could have actually answered your question in the same amount of time. It's not the friendliest thread but you might find your answer.
There is a lot of discussion about switching carrier firmware. Since your phone shows up as locked by Verizon even though it shouldn't be you might need to use a Verizon SIM for 48 hours before the phone will revert back to unlocked status--at the time your phone was originally purchased it was necessary to use a Verizon SIM on their branded phones for 48 hours before they could be switched to another carrier.
It's possible you got that message when you purchased your phone because the 48 hour clock started over for some reason but that's only a guess--the ibowtoandroid guy is far more knowledgeable since he actually has a business that unlocks phones.
Are you sure the person who you bought your phone from actually unlocked it before selling it to you? Even if the phone shows up as a device that should be unlocked the previous owner who had the Verizon service might have needed to call Verizon to verify the phone's unlock status before selling it.
Sometimes people accidentally relock these phones when flashing carrier firmware. It doesn't sound like you did that based on your description but if the previous owner flashed firmware to completely reset the phone instead of just performing a factory reset he might have accidentally relocked your phone on the software end.
based on wat ur saying the phone definitely seems to b carrier locked. I got an A50 from verizon and it does the same ecact thing..
theres services online you can use or some boxes have methods as well.. my tmo a10e for example was locked but chimera tool has a neat feature called carrier relock.. it essentially locks it to up to 64 carriers instead of actually unlocking the sim..
one thing i suggest tho is dont try to do it urself unless ur a seasoned expert lol.. i tried on a n976v and after a few harmless at commands it completely killed my imei and cert and mipi etc etc
camwow13 said:
Alright, got a pretty wacky situation here. Trying to see if anyone has any ideas of how to fix this.
I bought an S10+ Verizon firmware from Swappa a few days ago. I intended to use it with T-Mobile. Good deal, good transaction, all good right? Wrong...
It was my understanding that most Verizon phones were unlocked and that I could just flash the Unlocked or T-Mobile firmware to get full T-Mobile functionality.
On receiving the phone I got a "This phone is locked, contact Verizon at etc etc" message. I shrugged and flashed it over to unlocked firmware, where I was met with an "Invalid SIM card. Network locked SIM card inserted." and "PIN to unlock SIM service provider" window. So the phone was locked. Here's my troubleshooting steps from there.
Contacted Verizon support online. They said they lock all their phones for 60 days now as of late July. I said I'd bought it used, they said it had been bought at Walmart recently and there was nothing they could do.
Contacted the seller. He gave me his proof of purchase that the phone was bought new from Samsung.com back in March. I used a site to check the IMEI and the phone was legit from March, and not reported stolen or sketchy at all. Samsung.com specifically says they don't lock their phones and it was well before the 60 day policy anyway.
Contacted Verizon support where they said the phone was purchased as a Verizon phone so it can't be used with other networks. I should sign up for Verizon to enjoy all the features of my phone ? ....and also have it activated on the network so it could be cleared and unlocked. Alright...
I took the phone to a Verizon store where they put an active Verizon SIM in it. Verizon SIM worked great, T-Mobile still had an unlock code. The employee was confused and said they've never entered an Unlock PIN before so he sent me to corporate Verizon support store they had nearby.
Corporate Verizon store was a ton more helpful and the guy called up their god-tier upper support guys. Those guys took over an hour fiddling with things and along the way determined that the phone and it's IMEI were all clear, not stolen, and unlocked. The previous owner had a clean account and was in good standing. The store guy said he'd never seen anything like this and in his four years he'd never entered a SIM pin before. They additionally made sure I hadn't accidentally encrypted my SIM with a pin (I hadn't) and that all the default Verizon 000000, 123456, and 111111 codes weren't going to work. They recommended I contact Samsung support.
Samsung support thought I was an idiot and said that all the phones sold on their storefront are locked and I should contact Verizon to get it unlocked. I tried explaining all of the above but it was like talking to a brick wall.
So what have I tried?
Flashed the phone from Verizon to Unlocked to T-Mobile to Unlocked firmware using Frija and patched Odin. Verizon firmware throws a "contact Verizon" message and sometimes a code window, unlocked gives me code window, and T-Mobile just says it's locked and doesn't give me anything.
I have tried Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile SIMs from my friends. T-Mobile and AT&T work for a couple minutes completely normally on reboot. Connection establishes, data, text, and calls come in. Then it locks up and doesn't work. Verizon SIM works entirely normally, but doesn't unlock phone even after being left in for an hour.
Going forward I am going to try
Ask the internet for help. I've googled the living daylights out of this problem and I can't find anyone in my situation. Help?
[\LIST]
Flash the phone back to Verizon firmware. Perhaps the unlock mechanism works somewhere in the firmware and only when it's connected to the Verizon network. Take it to the store, have them pop a Verizon SIM in for a bit, and hope for the best. Flashing from Unlocked to VZW firmware isn't working right now for some odd reason though. It's going back to TMB instead and I'm confused about that to.
[\LIST]
Figure out how to get non-incompetent support out of Verizon (though I've mostly gotten there already) or Samsung and see if someone can help me. When I had to unlock my T-Mobile S8 I bought from Samsung, the IMEI numbers weren't passed to T-Mobile so the regular support people said it was impossible. Eventually I got in contact with someone who broke me out of idiot-land and directly contacted a network engineer who solved the problem in less than 10 minutes. Maybe I can find a network engineer at Verizon?
I could use a sketchy SIM unlock website. Is there any not-sketchy ones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi, did you manage to solve the problem? mine S10 also asks for an unlock code 5 minutes after turning it on.
wwwxxx1982 said:
hi, did you manage to solve the problem? mine S10 also asks for an unlock code 5 minutes after turning it on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello!
Yes I did solve the situation! Here's the steps that I used to unlock my Verizon Galaxy S10+
I had changed the firmware to unlocked firmware using Odin and Freya. This was premature.
Verizon does not do unlock codes. You need to have the Verizon firmware on the phone, a Verizon SIM card from a friend, access to the Verizon account, and like an hour of spare time.
Pop the Verizon SIM into your phone, you can get them from a friend, convince a Verizon store guy to help ya out, or just pay a few bucks for a prepaid plan. The phone has to be on the Verizon network for this to work.
Call up Verizon technical support. Tell them you've got a phone to unlock and have been working with their Tier 2 team to square things away. You have to be transferred to Tier 2.
Important to note that Verizon has instigated a 60 day locking policy to prevent theft and whatnot on their network. If the phone was purchased less than 60 days ago and activated on Verizon's network than you're outa luck. You got to wait. If you don't fall under this restriction, you should make sure the support people understand because they'll assume that's what's happening... a lot.
The Tier 2 people generally know what they're doing. They'll verify the device's IMEI and that it hasn't been stolen, is paid off, and that your Verizon account is in good standing. They'll need the PIN access code from the Verizon account holder or a two step verification with another one of their phones.
Once they run the unlock process you should get a text saying the phone is now unlocked. Leave the SIM in for another hour or two to allow the process to complete. I removed the SIM shortly after on the first try and it didn't work so I had to do it again.
After that the phone should be unlocked and you'll be able to flash whatever firmware you want and use it on whichever network. I've got mine running Unlocked firmware on T-Mobile, works great
If you don't have a Verizon S10+ that's locked to Verizon I dunno where to start. Contact the mod ibowtoandroid on here if you get really really stuck. He can get it unlocked but it will cost a ton. He's legit though.
camwow13 said:
Hello!
Yes I did solve the situation! Here's the steps that I used to unlock my Verizon Galaxy S10+
I had changed the firmware to unlocked firmware using Odin and Freya. This was premature.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, but I upgraded the phone to another firmware with the code XAA and now I can’t get it back to Verezion
camwow13 said:
Hello!
Yes I did solve the situation! Here's the steps that I used to unlock my Verizon Galaxy S10+
I had changed the firmware to unlocked firmware using Odin and Freya. This was premature.
Verizon does not do unlock codes. You need to have the Verizon firmware on the phone, a Verizon SIM card from a friend, access to the Verizon account, and like an hour of spare time.
Pop the Verizon SIM into your phone, you can get them from a friend, convince a Verizon store guy to help ya out, or just pay a few bucks for a prepaid plan. The phone has to be on the Verizon network for this to work.
Call up Verizon technical support. Tell them you've got a phone to unlock and have been working with their Tier 2 team to square things away. You have to be transferred to Tier 2.
Important to note that Verizon has instigated a 60 day locking policy to prevent theft and whatnot on their network. If the phone was purchased less than 60 days ago and activated on Verizon's network than you're outa luck. You got to wait. If you don't fall under this restriction, you should make sure the support people understand because they'll assume that's what's happening... a lot.
The Tier 2 people generally know what they're doing. They'll verify the device's IMEI and that it hasn't been stolen, is paid off, and that your Verizon account is in good standing. They'll need the PIN access code from the Verizon account holder or a two step verification with another one of their phones.
Once they run the unlock process you should get a text saying the phone is now unlocked. Leave the SIM in for another hour or two to allow the process to complete. I removed the SIM shortly after on the first try and it didn't work so I had to do it again.
After that the phone should be unlocked and you'll be able to flash whatever firmware you want and use it on whichever network. I've got mine running Unlocked firmware on T-Mobile, works great
If you don't have a Verizon S10+ that's locked to Verizon I dunno where to start. Contact the mod ibowtoandroid on here if you get really really stuck. He can get it unlocked but it will cost a ton. He's legit though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was very helpful Thanks. I am pretty sure that my phone has passed that 60 days time frame and the device has a clean IMEI as well but I am not in the US. Do I have to be on the Verizon network or just a Verizon sim will work as well?
Tarar said:
That was very helpful Thanks. I am pretty sure that my phone has passed that 60 days time frame and the device has a clean IMEI as well but I am not in the US. Do I have to be on the Verizon network or just a Verizon sim will work as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can someone please help?
Tarar said:
Can someone please help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if its locked its locked.. meet verizons requirements to have it unlock or pay for a service that can unlock it for you..
theres no easy way to unlock the device.. if there was then itd be posted on xda.. and if it was that easy thered b no point in carriers locking them to begin with
Tarar said:
Can someone please help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
elliwigy said:
if its locked its locked.. meet verizons requirements to have it unlock or pay for a service that can unlock it for you..
theres no easy way to unlock the device.. if there was then itd be posted on xda.. and if it was that easy thered b no point in carriers locking them to begin with
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its actually done through an android app modified by the carrier. The only way to get around it would be to have the carriers unique key as well as the private signing key so you could create your own version. Then you would need a way to modify the system image and successfully install it. After all that there's a good chance there's even more security server side. (Its Verizon, so you know...)
So yes, ultimately it isnt exactly possible.
Sent from my SM-G975U1 using XDA Labs
jwarrior319 said:
Its actually done through an android app modified by the carrier. The only way to get around it would be to have the carriers unique key as well as the private signing key so you could create your own version. Then you would need a way to modify the system image and successfully install it. After all that there's a good chance there's even more security server side. (Its Verizon, so you know...)
So yes, ultimately it isnt exactly possible.
Sent from my SM-G975U1 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep.. exactly y i said he needs to unlock via official means or pay for a service.. theres plenty services out there.. of course they most likely have access to servers and some tend to be fairly expensive lol.. outside of that hes sol im afraid.
Sent from my SamPWND N976V or G975U
Verizon needs to unlock your phone if you don't want to pay a third-party service. I don't think you need to have a Verizon SIM inserted for them to unlock the phone as long as it meets the necessary requirements.
jhs39 said:
Verizon needs to unlock your phone if you don't want to pay a third-party service. I don't think you need to have a Verizon SIM inserted for them to unlock the phone as long as it meets the necessary requirements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe Verizon only unlocks automatically with a sim installed thats had service for 60 days(might be 30 now). I remember seeing someone say they put a friend's Verizon sim in and rebooted and it unlocked for him. I guess they dont verify IMEI to unlock just sim number.
Sent from my SM-G975U1 using XDA Labs
jhs39 said:
Verizon needs to unlock your phone if you don't want to pay a third-party service. I don't think you need to have a Verizon SIM inserted for them to unlock the phone as long as it meets the necessary requirements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am outside the USA so no way to be on the Verizon network. I will however reinstall the original Verizon firmware and have some one call them for me. Let's see whether that works out or not. Thanks man.
Tarar said:
I am outside the USA so no way to be on the Verizon network. I will however reinstall the original Verizon firmware and have some one call them for me. Let's see whether that works out or not. Thanks man.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious, how did you get a verizon device outside of the country?
To point out, this is the very reason Verizon changed their sim unlocking policy.. to help prevent fraud and theft as they would take vzw devices then sell them for profit to non vzw customers and theyd be unlocked..
Bcuz of this is why they implemented the device needing to be activated on the vzw network and a 60 day period before it will be unlocked.
I dont see them being able to manually override/bypass this as it is policy. That as well as most reps dont even kno the policy and will tell you its unlocked or "verizon doesnt lock devices" which is inaccurate lol
jwarrior319 said:
I believe Verizon only unlocks automatically with a sim installed thats had service for 60 days(might be 30 now). I remember seeing someone say they put a friend's Verizon sim in and rebooted and it unlocked for him. I guess they dont verify IMEI to unlock just sim number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not based on sim number lol..
elliwigy said:
Its not based on sim number lol..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So any random Verizon sim thats active and has had service for 60 days or more will unlock it?
If thats the case someone could still make money off them by using there sim before selling it.
Sent from my SM-G975U1 using XDA Labs
jwarrior319 said:
So any random Verizon sim thats active and has had service for 60 days or more will unlock it?
If thats the case someone could still make money off them by using there sim before selling it.
Sent from my SM-G975U1 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.. i didnt say that lol.. its not tied to the sim card.. device needs to be active on verizon for 60 days.. i always use my same sim card that ive had for years now in my new devices.. i still had to wait 60 days for it to be sim unlocked..
U cant just pop an old sim in and have it unlock.. the device itself needs to be active 60 days..
When checking if a device is sim unlocked or not u dont put the sim number into the checker, u put the imei.. this is bcuz its tied to the imei/device.. not sim card itself..
What i dont know however is if you only need to activate it once on vzw network or if it needs to remain on vzw the full 60 days.. then again u cant use it on other networks until its unlocked anyways
Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk
elliwigy said:
No.. i didnt say that lol.. its not tied to the sim card.. device needs to be active on verizon for 60 days.. i always use my same sim card that ive had for years now in my new devices.. i still had to wait 60 days for it to be sim unlocked..
U cant just pop an old sim in and have it unlock.. the device itself needs to be active 60 days..
When checking if a device is sim unlocked or not u dont put the sim number into the checker, u put the imei.. this is bcuz its tied to the imei/device.. not sim card itself..
What i dont know however is if you only need to activate it once on vzw network or if it needs to remain on vzw the full 60 days.. then again u cant use it on other networks until its unlocked anyways
Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where does it say that on the verizon site or fcc site? I see you just need to activate it with a valid verizon account then 60 days it's unlocked...
---------- Post added at 02:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:20 AM ----------
elliwigy said:
No.. i didnt say that lol.. its not tied to the sim card.. device needs to be active on verizon for 60 days.. i always use my same sim card that ive had for years now in my new devices.. i still had to wait 60 days for it to be sim unlocked..
U cant just pop an old sim in and have it unlock.. the device itself needs to be active 60 days..
When checking if a device is sim unlocked or not u dont put the sim number into the checker, u put the imei.. this is bcuz its tied to the imei/device.. not sim card itself..
What i dont know however is if you only need to activate it once on vzw network or if it needs to remain on vzw the full 60 days.. then again u cant use it on other networks until its unlocked anyways
Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where does it say that on the verizon site or fcc site? I see you just need to activate it with a valid verizon account then 60 days it's unlocked...
Urbbs said:
Where does it say that on the verizon site or fcc site? I see you just need to activate it with a valid verizon account then 60 days it's unlocked...
---------- Post added at 02:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:20 AM ----------
Where does it say that on the verizon site or fcc site? I see you just need to activate it with a valid verizon account then 60 days it's unlocked...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I said lmao.. u need to activate it on vzw then wait 60 days and it will be unlocked..
A quick Google search you can easily find vzw unlock policy:
https://www.verizon.com/about/consumer-safety/device-unlocking-policy

Looking for a guide to unlock S10+ SM-G9750 Verizon

Hi,
I am looking for a guide to unlocking a Verizon S10+ chip version to a Movistar career from Mexico, are this is possible? I would like to load the official global fw version if it is possible.
Thanks! In advance.
hackerjj22 said:
Hi,
I am looking for a guide to unlocking a Verizon S10+ chip version to a Movistar career from Mexico, are this is possible? I would like to load the official global fw version if it is possible.
Thanks! In advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moviestar career from Mexico? You failed to mention what model phone you have exactly since everyone knows the US models can't be unlocked.
Tel864 said:
Moviestar career from Mexico? You failed to mention what model phone you have exactly since everyone knows the US models can't be unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The model is SM-G9750U, yes Movistar from Mexico. I found this guide: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...ow-to-carrier-unlock-stock-sm-g955u1-t3778162 and also this another one: https://forum.xda-developers.com/s10-plus/how-to/sm-g975u-firmware-downloads-tmo-spr-att-t3908657.
Do you think this could work?
Thank you!
Tel864 said:
Moviestar career from Mexico? You failed to mention what model phone you have exactly since everyone knows the US models can't be unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's asking for a SIM unlock, not bootloader unlock, and the Verizon device (as he mentioned, just added a 0 to the model #) gets unlocked naturally after you insert an active SIM into it. Do you know anyone in the US with a Verizon account? It should take a few minutes.
entropism said:
He's asking for a SIM unlock, not bootloader unlock, and the Verizon device (as he mentioned, just added a 0 to the model #) gets unlocked naturally after you insert an active SIM into it. Do you know anyone in the US with a Verizon account? It should take a few minutes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, probably... Do you have any guide to do it? I understand that login to the portal of Verizon and put the IMEI to get the unblock code, correct?
Thank you, I really appreciate your help!
No. You put an active SIM into the device and it unlocks. There's no code request.
entropism said:
No. You put an active SIM into the device and it unlocks. There's no code request.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent! Thank you, I will give it a try when I have the device. When does it request an unlock code?
It doesn't. You put an active Verizon SIM in, and it unlocks. Then you can use any SIM you want in it. That's it.
entropism said:
It doesn't. You put an active Verizon SIM in, and it unlocks. Then you can use any SIM you want in it. That's it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So first I need to boot with a Verizon SIM and then power off and put the Movistar sim?
Hello,
Once I put my Movistar Sim, I receive a message "Sorry your device can´t be activated on another carrier´s network right now. For help, contact Verizon at ....."
Any suggestion?
Thanks in advance!
I honestly thought this guy was going to Mexico to pursue his career by becoming a movie star.
Hi,
An update from unlockunit.com:
Hi Hackerjj,
Unfortunately, if you cannot find your Phone Model, Country or Network listed on our website, we are unable to generate the unlocking codes for your device.
If you get the message ‘’Unavailable’’ after entering the order details on our website, one of the below situations may occur:
1. Your phone is locked within a CDMA and not a GSM network (you can check on www.gsmarena.com if your phone is a CDMA model)
2. Your phone is not part of the networks/countries that we currently unlock
In order to receive the correct unlock code, it’s very important that you select the correct country and network you originally bought your phone from. In case you place an order with the incorrect order details, we will not be able to refund your payment.
We are constantly improving our service and we hope that very soon we will start to offer unlocking codes for devices locked to Verizon, U.S.A. such as yours.
Thank you for your collaboration and we apologize we couldn't help you this time.
Have a great day!
Kind regards,
Ionut Z.
Do you think following this guide, (in case that is compatible with the G9750U could works to unlock?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...m-beyondrom-v3-1-t3942112/page35#post80800765
hackerjj22 said:
Do you think following this guide, (in case that is compatible with the G9750U could works to unlock?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...m-beyondrom-v3-1-t3942112/page35#post80800765
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't believe it would change your IMEI.
It needs an active Verizon sim in it for 24 to 48 hours before it will umlock. Once unlocked it should receive a message saying so.
Sent from my SM-G975U1 using XDA Labs
jwarrior319 said:
It needs an active Verizon sim in it for 24 to 48 hours before it will umlock. Once unlocked it should receive a message saying so.
Sent from my SM-G975U1 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! - I do not have any Verizon chip, probably I can buy one from eBay, but one thing is that probably does not be activated due I am right now on Mexico. Thanks again!
matt0323 said:
I honestly thought this guy was going to Mexico to pursue his career by becoming a movie star.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:laugh::laugh::laugh: Me too :silly:
jwarrior319 said:
It needs an active Verizon sim in it for 24 to 48 hours before it will umlock. Once unlocked it should receive a message saying so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not true.. i never understood why people will come in here and trust anything anyone says when it comes to sim unlocking lol..
verizon unlock policy states to prevent theft/fraud users are required to activate the device with verizon then after 60 days the device will be unlocked..
if his verizon purchased g975u was never activated on verizon then he hasnt even started his 60 day wait period.. verizon specifically implemented this policy because of people doing what the op is doing... purchase a phone for cheap somehow then use it on some other carrier/network without ever using verizon..
i am sure they had lots of theft and fraud going on with users scamming vzw devices for cheap then reselling for profit since they were unlocked theyd work anywhere out thebox so thisis their way of trying to combat that..
https://www.verizon.com/about/consumer-safety/device-unlocking-policy
hackerjj22 said:
Do you think following this guide, (in case that is compatible with the G9750U could works to unlock?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...m-beyondrom-v3-1-t3942112/page35#post80800765
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bro, your device isnt a "g9750u" its a g975u.. theres no such thing as a g9750u lol.. also, flashing a rom wont unlock the phone.. also, you cant flash any custom roms anyways since u have alockedbl and no, ur device is not bl unlockable either
elliwigy said:
not true.. i never understood why people will come in here and trust anything anyone says when it comes to sim unlocking lol..
verizon unlock policy states to prevent theft/fraud users are required to activate the device with verizon then after 60 days the device will be unlocked..
if his verizon purchased g975u was never activated on verizon then he hasnt even started his 60 day wait period.. verizon specifically implemented this policy because of people doing what the op is doing... purchase a phone for cheap somehow then use it on some other carrier/network without ever using verizon..
i am sure they had lots of theft and fraud going on with users scamming vzw devices for cheap then reselling for profit since they were unlocked theyd work anywhere out thebox so thisis their way of trying to combat that..
https://www.verizon.com/about/consumer-safety/device-unlocking-policy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I had bought a Verizon Sim, it is on the way, I think I will receive it in 2 weeks, after that we will know it the cellphone is unlockable. This is the last thing I can do, I think this cellphone is un-rootable also a pain. Another way is to use this provider, but I have not completely trust and is very expensive. https://store.unlockboot.com/remote-unlock-service/

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