Hello folks,
A while back, I managed to get AT&T to block network data on my mobile line.
Shortly thereafter, I purchased an unlocked HTC Touch in Europe and experienced no problems receiving/making calls in the U.S. Inserting my AT&T SIM was plug-and-play, for lack of better words.
During a recent trip to Europe, I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S4. After inserting my AT&T SIM, I can not receive/make any calls.
I have bars, get a Voice Mail notification, as well as a 'Not registered to network' message. I am also unable to register to the AT&T networks the phone searches and finds...
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!
apn settings would not stop registration.. maybe the phone was a black listed imei that went to europe and you bought it and are trying to use it here.
what is the model number.
AlcatrazT2 said:
Hello folks,
A while back, I managed to get AT&T to block network data on my mobile line.
Shortly thereafter, I purchased an unlocked HTC Touch in Europe and experienced no problems receiving/making calls in the U.S. Inserting my AT&T SIM was plug-and-play, for lack of better words.
During a recent trip to Europe, I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S4. After inserting my AT&T SIM, I can not receive/make any calls.
I have bars, get a Voice Mail notification, as well as a 'Not registered to network' message. I am also unable to register to the AT&T networks the phone searches and finds...
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you got screwed dude. the phone has bad esn and they blocked the phone already. sorry to hear
Isn't this the "region Locking" that Samsung has been getting flack for lately? If you buy a phone in EU, you have to register it in EU with an EU SIM (Any EU SIM if it an unlocked phone) initially. After that, I think you can then use ATT SIM if the phone is unlocked. It doesn't always work though and people are mad
I am assuming you bought an unlocked phone in EU
Google "SAMSUNG Region lock"
Could be the radio IC blown. That's what happened to my phone, which has a perfectly-fine IMEI (not blacklisted).
See this thread. I'm about to get my phone back from the factory today.
I just bought a factory unlocked Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, it has the dual sim slots and is the SM-G9350 model. Now, the person who sold it to me said it works on Verizon, and everywhere I search it says it should be compatible. But when I put my Verizon SIM card in, which is already activated, it isn't saying I have service. It recognizes there is a SIM and that it is Verizon, but it says like cellular network unavailable. Am I doing something wrong? I've never bought a factory unlocked phone, I know nothing about it, like where is it from? How does it work? It doesn't even have samsung keyboard or anything. Please help!!!
Did you search the IMEI to see if the phone is lost/stolen? I bought a S7 Edge and the same thing happened to me... I called the network (Telus) and they informed me that it was a reported phone so I can't use it. Kicker is that they can't even contact the original owner! So I had to root it and installed Xposed, now I'm stuck on how to unlock the network or change the IMEI
Thesweets918 said:
Did you search the IMEI to see if the phone is lost/stolen? I bought a S7 Edge and the same thing happened to me... I called the network (Telus) and they informed me that it was a reported phone so I can't use it. Kicker is that they can't even contact the original owner! So I had to root it and installed Xposed, now I'm stuck on how to unlock the network or change the IMEI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did, the imei isn't coming up anywhere because the phone is from Hong Kong or something. But the seller had it activated with tracfone.
First thing first, I have sent the unlocked S8 (bought unlocked directly from Samsung) back to repair center for the issue. The phone was returned to me, claimed to be repaired, with the same issue. While I submitted another ticket to send it back again, I believe the devs here may have better solutions than the incompetent technicians at Samsung repair center. I need help!
Description of Issue
Before routine phone reboot
• AT&T compatible SIM (Cricket) worked on the S8.
• Verizon compatible SIM (Red Pocket) worked on the S8.
After routine phone reboot
• AT&T compatible SIM still worked on the S8.
• Verizon compatible SIM couldn’t register on Verizon’s network on the S8. However, the SIM could register on Verizon and make phone calls on another two phones.
• Verizon SIM worked on the S8.
I was instructed by a Samsung technician through chat to
a) do a network reset
b) enter safe mode
c) do a factory reset
None of the above worked. No setting (APN or whatnot) is required for the AT&T compatible or Verizon compatible SIM to work. In short, the Verizon compatible SIM is working properly and the S8 is not blacklisted by Verizon. The S8 just doesn’t work with the Verizon compatible SIM after a reboot.
After the repair
I just received the S8 from the repair center from the previous ticket. I inserted the Red Pocket SIM to S8 and the phone still couldn’t register it on Verizon’s network. I inserted the same SIM to another phone and the phone received messages from Red Pocket right away and showed it was on Verizon’s network. In short, the same issue remained.
Even though I'm sending the S8 back to Samsung for repair, given my first repair experience, I don't have much confidence in their technicians in fixing this. Any input is much appreciated!
Did you figure this out? I am having the exact identical issue and ready to go nuts trying to figure it out. Any help would be great!
willjob said:
Did you figure this out? I am having the exact identical issue and ready to go nuts trying to figure it out. Any help would be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I haven't. But I do have updates. I sent the phone back for a second repair. The phone came back with the same problem. No surprise at all. One thing I noticed though, from the service record, the technician replaced a third component (the other two were the same as that of the first service). Not sure if this made a difference, I did see "Verizon Wireless" on the status bar when I turned the phone on with the Red Pocket SIM. This was the first time I saw the "Verizon Wireless" after the reboot. However, while I was turning it on, the S8 mandated a reboot to "get the SIM card ready." And man... that reboot just reverted everything to before.
I was on the phone with a Samsung representative and a supervisor after I discovered the phone was not fixed for the second time. While he promised to make a note to the repair center about my situation, the supervisor said the option of a replacement phone wouldn't kick in until 3 or 4 unsuccessful repairs. Frustrated as I was, I've got no choice but to send it back for a third repair.
Hope you have better luck with yours.
willjob said:
Did you figure this out? I am having the exact identical issue and ready to go nuts trying to figure it out. Any help would be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I haven't. But I do have updates. I sent the phone back for a second repair. The phone came back with the same problem. No surprise at all. One thing I noticed though, from the service record, the technician replaced a third component (the other two were the same as that of the first service). Not sure if this made a difference, I did see "Verizon Wireless" on the status bar when I turned the phone on with the Red Pocket SIM. This was the first time I saw the "Verizon Wireless" after the reboot. However, while I was turning it on, the S8 mandated a reboot to "get the SIM card ready." And man... that reboot just reverted everything to before.
I was on the phone with a Samsung representative and a supervisor after I discovered the phone was not fixed for the second time. While he promised to make a note to the repair center about my situation, the supervisor said the option of a replacement phone wouldn't kick in until 3 or 4 unsuccessful repairs. Frustrated as I was, I've got no choice but to send it back for a third repair.
Hope you have better luck with yours.
Thanks for the reply. The phone I was having problems with was an S8+. My wife's phone is an s8. I didn't have any problems on Red Pocket CDMA for the first week of service. That was until this morning. Exact same thing on my S8+ and what you describe above. On another forum someone said this is a problem with Samsung devices on Verizon MVNOs.
I just switched both to GSMA for now until I figure out to switch from Red Pocket.
willjob said:
Thanks for the reply. The phone I was having problems with was an S8+. My wife's phone is an s8. I didn't have any problems on Red Pocket CDMA for the first week of service. That was until this morning. Exact same thing on my S8+ and what you describe above. On another forum someone said this is a problem with Samsung devices on Verizon MVNOs.
I just switched both to GSMA for now until I figure out to switch from Red Pocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing, especially on Verizon MVNOs. GSM (Cricket) has no signal at all in many locations around where I live and work. If Samsung still couldn't fix my S8 after a couple more tries or even with a replacement phone, I will have to opt for the Verizon MVNO theory and buy a different phone. Heck, my $40 Moto E4 works just fine on both Cricket and CDMA Red Pocket.
I have the same issue my believe is red pocket does not have LTE/CDMA in their sim they have LTE/2g/3g 2g/3g and 2g only they should have LTE/CDMA instead of LTE/2g/3g to work,
xike17 said:
First thing first, I have sent the unlocked S8 (bought unlocked directly from Samsung) back to repair center for the issue. The phone was returned to me, claimed to be repaired, with the same issue. While I submitted another ticket to send it back again, I believe the devs here may have better solutions than the incompetent technicians at Samsung repair center. I need help!
Description of Issue
Before routine phone reboot
• AT&T compatible SIM (Cricket) worked on the S8.
• Verizon compatible SIM (Red Pocket) worked on the S8.
After routine phone reboot
• AT&T compatible SIM still worked on the S8.
• Verizon compatible SIM couldn’t register on Verizon’s network on the S8. However, the SIM could register on Verizon and make phone calls on another two phones.
• Verizon SIM worked on the S8.
I was instructed by a Samsung technician through chat to
a) do a network reset
b) enter safe mode
c) do a factory reset
None of the above worked. No setting (APN or whatnot) is required for the AT&T compatible or Verizon compatible SIM to work. In short, the Verizon compatible SIM is working properly and the S8 is not blacklisted by Verizon. The S8 just doesn’t work with the Verizon compatible SIM after a reboot.
After the repair
I just received the S8 from the repair center from the previous ticket. I inserted the Red Pocket SIM to S8 and the phone still couldn’t register it on Verizon’s network. I inserted the same SIM to another phone and the phone received messages from Red Pocket right away and showed it was on Verizon’s network. In short, the same issue remained.
Even though I'm sending the S8 back to Samsung for repair, given my first repair experience, I don't have much confidence in their technicians in fixing this. Any input is much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update:
No. This problem was not fixed by Samsung after three repairs.
I ordered a new Verizon SIM from Red Pocket during the third repair. Samsung didn't replace anything in the third. I received the phone and popped in the new SIM and the phone could register the SIM on Verizon! I even tried a couple of restarts (which caused the problem in the first place) and everything seemed fine. I even blamed myself for bashing Samsung technicians' incompetence. How stupid was I to blame myself and how naive was I to believe Samsung technician had actually delivered...
It's the fourth or fifth day I've been using the phone and the new SIM. The battery died after a long day. When I returned home and charged the phone, the S8 needed to "reconfigure" the SIM, which prompted for an automatic reboot. Voila! The same pesky unable-to-register-on-Verizon issue came right back. The phone is now in the process of a replacement. I honestly don't hold much hope for the replacement that I'm awaiting. Perhaps I should consider selling off the phone or asking Samsung for a refund.
Confirmed s8 doesn't work on the budget Verizon mnvo's
I just switched from the att sim on red pocket to the Verizon sim with no luck. I found a temporary fix. When prompt to restart to configure network, press the power button and go into emergency mode. Then restart from there. May take a couple of tries but the prompt disappeared. Then switch back to regular mode. I was able to use the phone on Verizon but can only get 3g speeds. This all goes away the moment you restart the phone as the moment the confirmation takes it won't recognize the Verizon networks. This is a cheap Verizon service. You can see your options for network mode are lte/3g/2g. Not the typical lte/cdma. Also tried boom mobile, and that sort of worked but my texts would not go out and again no fix. I'm convinced this is purely Verizon restricting needed services that the s8 requires. The att sim works perfectly. Most phones are fine, not the newer Galaxy.
nytq said:
I just switched from the att sim on red pocket to the Verizon sim with no luck. I found a temporary fix. When prompt to restart to configure network, press the power button and go into emergency mode. Then restart from there. May take a couple of tries but the prompt disappeared. Then switch back to regular mode. I was able to use the phone on Verizon but can only get 3g speeds. This all goes away the moment you restart the phone as the moment the confirmation takes it won't recognize the Verizon networks. This is a cheap Verizon service. You can see your options for network mode are lte/3g/2g. Not the typical lte/cdma. Also tried boom mobile, and that sort of worked but my texts would not go out and again no fix. I'm convinced this is purely Verizon restricting needed services that the s8 requires. The att sim works perfectly. Most phones are fine, not the newer Galaxy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the workaround. I'll give a shot when I receive the replacement. Meanwhile, I have been using an unlocked prepaid Verizon Moto E4 and everything works fine. I have 4G with the E4. I can also receive multimedia text. A $40 budget phone works better for my needs than a $700 factory unlocked premium phone. How ironic!
I have the same problem
I have a fully-paid-for Galaxy S8 from a Verizon account with good standing, and service on this particular line is ended. It worked on Redpocket until I took the sim out to insert an SD card. Afterwards it reconfigured the sim and lost network access. The sim works in my iPhone and the original Verizon sim works in the S8 and the phone states its ready to set up a Verizon account.
The third Redpocket support agent I contacted sent me a screenshot listing an error "DISCOUNT_4_ACCESS". He stated that means Verizon is blocking it for some reason but he doesn't have access to the reason. Two Verizon agents couldn't even tell if they were blocking it or not - but as far as they could tell everything was good.
According to an article on Whistleout, Verizon MVNO requirements are that the "phone must be network compatible, financially unencumbered, and not less than 12 months old (though this last policy changes from time to time)" Could our phones be blocked because they were sold less than 12 months ago?
Leecewest said:
I have a fully-paid-for Galaxy S8 from a Verizon account with good standing, and service on this particular line is ended. It worked on Redpocket until I took the sim out to insert an SD card. Afterwards it reconfigured the sim and lost network access. The sim works in my iPhone and the original Verizon sim works in the S8 and the phone states its ready to set up a Verizon account.
The third Redpocket support agent I contacted sent me a screenshot listing an error "DISCOUNT_4_ACCESS". He stated that means Verizon is blocking it for some reason but he doesn't have access to the reason. Two Verizon agents couldn't even tell if they were blocking it or not - but as far as they could tell everything was good.
According to an article on Whistleout, Verizon MVNO requirements are that the "phone must be network compatible, financially unencumbered, and not less than 12 months old (though this last policy changes from time to time)" Could our phones be blocked because they were sold less than 12 months ago?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing this. I bought a Moto E4 around February, a Verizon postpaid (or prepaid?) from Walmart and got it unlocked through eBay. This is the phone I'm using with Red Pocket now. The phone is of course less than 12 months old. One thing to mention is when I asked Red Pocket support to activate a new SIM with the E4, I was told because the phone was Verizon branded (post/prepaid) they could not activate the phone with the SIM. Then I told them I had success before. The rep further said the service would be deactivated once their system detected the phone was Verizon branded. Well, it turned out this rep knew nothing. I ended up using IMEI of another phone to activate the line then inserted the SIM in the E4. And I have been using the E4 ever since without a single issue (network-wise).
Wow, so i wasn't the only one. Had the exact same problem. Ported my number from Red Pocket Verizon to Red Pocket AT&T. Now everything is fine.
When I switch from a Verizon SIM to my Red Pocket-Verizon SIM the phone comes up with "SIM card changed" but the phone receives incoming calls and notifications (wi-fi is off). Unfortunately, the only thing that I can do with the "SIM card changed" message showing is answer phone calls - I cant even turn "Emergency mode" on. Could it be that Red Pocket SIM messes up the configuration? One of the first things Red Pocket support wants to check is if the phone is in CDMA mode, but with the Red Pocket sim inserted modes are limited to LTE/3G/2G. The Verizon SIM gives CDMA options.
With the Verizon SIM in and configured, switch to "Emergency Mode". Replace the Verizon SIM with the Red Pocket SIM without turning the phone off. Turn "Emergency Mode" off. The phone doesn't detect the SIM change, but it shows the ICCID of the Red Pocket SIM and correct phone number. Data works, 4G LTE. Of course, the first power cycle it detects the SIM change and messes up the configuration.
Another update: Received an unlocked S9 (yes, because Samsung is out of unlocked S8 inventory) two days ago. Inserted Red Pocket Verizon... the phone couldn't register the SIM on Verizon at all in my first try. This is the end of my journey with Samsung phones. I hope one day this issue can be addressed and solved.
Am having the same red-pocket/Verizon/S8 problem. Too bad I did not see this first.
I have tried almost everything (barring having a different network Sim Card) to have my phone request me to restart the phone on inserting new sim. It appears the last network is saved somewhere and my unlocked/unbrand S8 does not seem to forget it.
Is there a way where I can force the phone to request a restart if I re-insert the Sim card. Thanks
fnkhan said:
Am having the same red-pocket/Verizon/S8 problem. Too bad I did not see this first.
I have tried almost everything (barring having a different network Sim Card) to have my phone request me to restart the phone on inserting new sim. It appears the last network is saved somewhere and my unlocked/unbrand S8 does not seem to forget it.
Is there a way where I can force the phone to request a restart if I re-insert the Sim card. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding is that Galaxy S8s are configured wrong when Red-Pocket (and other Verizon MVNO) SIMs are inserted - they aren't fully set to the Verizon network and if your phone had, for example, and AT&T SIM, the phone stays AT&T branded when a Red-Pocket Verizon SIM is inserted.
The work-around:
1) Insert a Verizon SIM and let it setup everything and reboot when it wants.
2)Turn on "Emergency mode" (Hold down the power button and select "Emergency mode")
3)Insert Red-Rocket SIM
4)Turn "Emergency mode" off
*If you reboot after inserting the Red-Pocket SIM the phone will become wrongly-configured and you'll need to do the work-around again.
Leecewest said:
My understanding is that Galaxy S8s are configured wrong when Red-Pocket (and other Verizon MVNO) SIMs are inserted - they aren't fully set to the Verizon network and if your phone had, for example, and AT&T SIM, the phone stays AT&T branded when a Red-Pocket Verizon SIM is inserted.
The work-around:
1) Insert a Verizon SIM and let it setup everything and reboot when it wants.
2)Turn on "Emergency mode" (Hold down the power button and select "Emergency mode")
3)Insert Red-Rocket SIM
4)Turn "Emergency mode" off
*If you reboot after inserting the Red-Pocket SIM the phone will become wrongly-configured and you'll need to do the work-around again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the update. Yes - if I can only get hold of a non Red-pocket Sim, this can work. Since I don't have Verizon (or any other) Sim card, I was wondering if there is some other workaround to have the phone request me to restart. I suppose I would still need Verizon Sim since it uses that to configure the network.
Looking at another thread - it appears the 'configuration' that Verizon sim card does has to do with CSC codes. My phone is unbranded, so the codes are XAA (Firmware) and XAA (Network). I believe the latter has to be VZW and a Verizon Sim fixes that. Someone who has successfully used the workaround can confirm what codes are being displayed at their end. I am using 'phone info' app. Then maybe we can work to find another workaround ....
My S8 is Verizon branded. It CSC is currently VZW. Under "Service provider SW ver." its VZW/VZW/VZW.