I've got a UK S5 purchased sim free and have just made a 5 minute call in the hope the region lock will be removed, but does anyone know if there is a way to test this? I'm going abroad in a few months (Singapore) and would like to use the phone there but want to be certain this has been region unlocked beforehand.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance
Spend $35-$40 on online unlock service, you will be worry free mate
babygau said:
Spend $35-$40 on online unlock service, you will be worry free mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't need SIM unlocking, the phone is factory unlocked, but just want to know if there is a way to check the status of the RegionLock (before going overseas and trying another sim)
p4j1 said:
I don't need SIM unlocking, the phone is factory unlocked, but just want to know if there is a way to check the status of the RegionLock (before going overseas and trying another sim)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
make 10-15 minutes more of calls just to be on the safe side? lol. but all kidding aside I have no idea how to check, and very quick/brief google search didn't turn up results (again very very quick search I may have overlooked it lol)..
I think you don't have to be worry about region lock. As far as i know, Singapore has the same mobile network (GSM) with Australia, theoretically you could use any sim to make phone calls in Singapore
p4j1 said:
I've got a UK S5 purchased sim free and have just made a 5 minute call in the hope the region lock will be removed, but does anyone know if there is a way to test this? I'm going abroad in a few months (Singapore) and would like to use the phone there but want to be certain this has been region unlocked beforehand.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need to verify this. It's already an acknowledged fact. Samsung just wanted to reduce sales in the grey market.
Not many user seem to read your question carefully or simply don't get what the problem is..
I will have the same problem as I will go to Korea in a few month. I guess we just have to believe what Samsung said about the 5 min. call. Even trying the phone with a foreign sim card (foreign friends etc) is not sure since it will connect to the same region operators. But maybe it's worth a try!
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
oTToToTenTanz said:
Not many user seem to read your question carefully or simply don't get what the problem is..
I will have the same problem as I will go to Korea in a few month. I guess we just have to believe what Samsung said about the 5 min. call. Even trying the phone with a foreign sim card (foreign friends etc) is not sure since it will connect to the same region operators. But maybe it's worth a try!
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5 m8n is not enough, use it for 1 or 2 hours with not less of 15 min of call but 3-4 calls not only one and everything will be ok ( tested on my s5 and on s4 mini) i have multiple sim of france and othrr country outside of UE so i had experience of that probleme
Has anyone found a way to check if the phone is region locked? Would receiving 5 mins worth of calls on a regional SIM card be enough or does one have to make the calls?
There are some technical approaches but why not simply insert an out of region SIM card and try making a call? Does it work - or do you get an error? If you didn't plan ahead and don't have an out of region SIM on hand, a large, local mobile shop can probably furnish one for you to test.
Even if you had to purchase a prepaid SIM by mail order.. wouldn't that be worth it to know the answer? Otherwise you could be scrambling to fix it abroad under more difficult circumstances.
----> If you are rooted, you can do an authorative check by looking at your phone's blacklist file as described here
.
Some websites say that apart from making 5 mins worth of calls its also necessary to insert a regional SIM card before turning on the phone for the first time. Is this true?
lambada24 said:
Some websites say that apart from making 5 mins worth of calls its also necessary to insert a regional SIM card before turning on the phone for the first time. Is this true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No way to know unless someone does rigorous testing. Samsung probably prefers the particulars to remain murky to make it harder for end users to buy lower priced phones from other countries.
.
How can I go about resetting my phone to as close to its factory state as possible? I want to go through the initial configuration process with the SIM card inserted as I had configured it without a SIM card.
lambada24 said:
How can I go about resetting my phone to as close to its factory state as possible? I want to go through the initial configuration process with the SIM card inserted as I had configured it without a SIM card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A bit off topic in this thread. So you should start a new thread if you have any follow up questions..
But to answer, Settings > General > Backup and reset > Factory data reset > Reset
That should do what you want.
Be warned that this will delete all of your user data, files and apps. So do a backup first.
And optionally follow that by using Odin or Kies to flash a full OEM stock firmware image on the device.
The latter step isn't really necessary 99% of the time and does very little that the first step hasn't already done. But you did say.. as close as... possible
.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
did I mention that if it was my device being sold, etc, that I would also trash my encryption keys, do several dd passes over the flash memory, soft brick, repartition, then wipe again with forensic software while pondering whether I had any reasons to simply grind the handset into fine powder.. ?
Did both steps. At least if the phone decides not to work with a local sim card when I'm out of Europe I'll have a clean conscience
Thanks a million.
lambada24 said:
Did both steps. At least if the phone decides not to work with a local sim card when I'm out of Europe I'll have a clean conscience
Thanks a million.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi Mate, was your phone region unlocked after 5 mins of call? M planning to buy one but its from other region. Also, will it get region locked again after any update?
Yes it worked fine for me with another regions sim card. I haven't been abroad again since I updated it so I don't know if it's still region unlocked.
I just got an s8 in switzerland, but the sim card lasted no time, as no credit. I have made several calls of about 2.50 minutes each to 0800 numbers (toll free) will this work?
Thanks
Related
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.
Hello,
Me and my girlfriend are both going to India in December 2013. We are getting married -- YAY!!!:laugh:
Anyways, we both live in Canada and she has Note 3 (Snapdragon LTE model) N900W8 with Rogers Wireless and I have the similar model with Bell Mobility.
I was just wondering if there is a way to SIM unlock these devices so we can use it in India.
My phone is rooted with TWRP installed but as I read through the forums that I cannot use the RegionLock chainfire method.
What do I need to do to get these 2 devices unlocked? I don't want to pay a high unlocking fee. (I found quotes from cellunlocker dot net and it costs $14.99 for Rogers model and $32.99 for Bell Model)
Please help!.
Thanks in advance.!
roni2915 said:
Hello,
Me and my girlfriend are both going to India in December 2013. We are getting married -- YAY!!!:laugh:
Anyways, we both live in Canada and she has Note 3 (Snapdragon LTE model) N900W8 with Rogers Wireless and I have the similar model with Bell Mobility.
I was just wondering if there is a way to SIM unlock these devices so we can use it in India.
My phone is rooted with TWRP installed but as I read through the forums that I cannot use the RegionLock chainfire method.
What do I need to do to get these 2 devices unlocked? I don't want to pay a high unlocking fee. (I found quotes from cellunlocker dot net and it costs $14.99 for Rogers model and $32.99 for Bell Model)
Please help!.
Thanks in advance.!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi man, I am in the same spot more or less, How can I sim unlock my Samsung Note 3 N900W8 with out a sim code? Is there a way by rooting? Or maybe there is another kernel out that I can flash etc?
Also Cellunlocker.net has not refunded me my money for a sim code for this phone. I have messaged them and they keep sending me replies saying "pending". So I would not recommend using that site for the N900W8. Cheers
I have used cellunlocker.net for my Note 3 and received my unlock code within an hour. Had no issue unlocking and done many phones using their services.
You simply need to use the generic "ALL CANADIAN VERSION" option instead of your specific carrier and it goes much faster.
What I would be concerned about the compatibility of the GSM Band in India...
You know... like trying to use a canadian Note 3 with Verizon... ? Not compatible.
---------- Post added at 08:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:57 PM ----------
Also... the region unlock is not for the sim but a specific lock on the phone initial activation that can prevent the cellphone from being used in a different region of the world. The lock remove itself after first setup.
Canadian SM-N900W8 do not come with region lock anyway. So not an issue anyway.
All you need is an unlock code for the phone Sim lock.
Eagerly waiting to unlock my device.
I wouldn't mind unlocking by SIM Unlock code, but the prices are way too much..
Plus you said cellunlocker.net doesn't work on canadian models, so I'm skeptical to even try it out.
cellunlocker is my last resort anyway!!
roni2915 said:
Eagerly waiting to unlock my device.
I wouldn't mind unlocking by SIM Unlock code, but the prices are way too much..
Plus you said cellunlocker.net doesn't work on canadian models, so I'm skeptical to even try it out.
cellunlocker is my last resort anyway!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I unlocked my Telus samsung note 3 with them =] it was really easy. It works with all GSM sim cards i throw at it. (even wind and mobilicity)
I also heard there are a few options too. my friend has an S4 and downgraded the firmware and did a free unlock!
I couldnt find a free unlock for the Ntoe 3 =( If anyone knows it would have been graet.
1sagain said:
I unlocked my Telus samsung note 3 with them =] it was really easy. It works with all GSM sim cards i throw at it. (even wind and mobilicity)
I also heard there are a few options too. my friend has an S4 and downgraded the firmware and did a free unlock!
I couldnt find a free unlock for the Ntoe 3 =( If anyone knows it would have been graet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know older models of S4, S3, Note 1 and Note 2 can be unlocked via the phone menu on the device itself!!! Doesn't work with note 3...
Hence my only option is to order unlock code, but i will still wait as I have a few weeks before i leave
roni2915 said:
I know older models of S4, S3, Note 1 and Note 2 can be unlocked via the phone menu on the device itself!!! Doesn't work with note 3...
Hence my only option is to order unlock code, but i will still wait as I have a few weeks before i leave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to unlock a stock T-Mobile N900T by first using URDLV to root as outlined here: http://www.theandroidsoul.com/universal-root-de-la-vega-script/ Rooting did not trip Knox, still says "Samsung Official"
Then I used Chainfires Region Lock Away app, instructions as found here: http://androidfannetwork.com/2013/10/06/sim-unlock-t-mobile-note-3-for-free/ but since I didn't have a T-Mobile Sim, I skipped the first two steps, leaving me with this:
3. Install RegionLock Away app
4. Run the app, and instead of rebooting say Reboot Later (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)
5. Power off the Note 3
6. Insert SIM of choice
7. Turned on the device – BOOM! no Region Lock, and NO SIM Lock.
I don't know for sure, but think this *may* work for those with N900W8 if the T-Mobile roms work with the same device. Follow above steps at your own risk, but please post results.
ncho2233 said:
I was able to unlock a stock T-Mobile N900T by first using URDLV to root as outlined here: http://www.theandroidsoul.com/universal-root-de-la-vega-script/ Rooting did not trip Knox, still says "Samsung Official"
Then I used Chainfires Region Lock Away app, instructions as found here: http://androidfannetwork.com/2013/10/06/sim-unlock-t-mobile-note-3-for-free/ but since I didn't have a T-Mobile Sim, I skipped the first two steps, leaving me with this:
3. Install RegionLock Away app
4. Run the app, and instead of rebooting say Reboot Later (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)
5. Power off the Note 3
6. Insert SIM of choice
7. Turned on the device – BOOM! no Region Lock, and NO SIM Lock.
I don't know for sure, but think this *may* work for those with N900W8 if the T-Mobile roms work with the same device. Follow above steps at your own risk, but please post results.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heyy Just a quick question
I hear a lot about this Region Lock.
I never had the sticker warning on my box in Canada. but i see it on the boxes in U.S.A. and Europe.
Do you actually see on your phone screen itself saying "YOUR PHONE IS REGION LOCKED" ?
or something like that?
I am super curious. cuz on my note 3 which did not come with region lock stickers asked me for the SIM network unlock PIN (network unlocking message)
Noone so far has been able to show me anything close to region locking in real life yet. Many just show the SIM network unlock PIN message which isn't region locks
I am super duper curious
Thanks!!!
1sagain said:
Heyy Just a quick question
I hear a lot about this Region Lock.
I never had the sticker warning on my box in Canada. but i see it on the boxes in U.S.A. and Europe.
Do you actually see on your phone screen itself saying "YOUR PHONE IS REGION LOCKED" ?
or something like that?
I am super curious. cuz on my note 3 which did not come with region lock stickers asked me for the SIM network unlock PIN (network unlocking message)
Noone so far has been able to show me anything close to region locking in real life yet. Many just show the SIM network unlock PIN message which isn't region locks
I am super duper curious
Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI, there was nothing on the phone screen saying it's region locked. Just wouldn't accept the SIM from another carrier, I think the error message was "INVALID SIM" before.
This is something that a lot of people are coming to us to ask at the moment and I haven't seen or heard of anything that suggests once an unlock code is entered on the "SIM Network unlock PIN" screen, which 1sagain mentioned, that the region lock hinders the user taking the phone internationally.
We've provided thousands of unlocks since the region locks became active and I haven't heard back from one person informing us that the region lock is still stopping them using their phone abroad. Although it isn't direct evidence that the region locks are removed by codes, it is a large enough sample for us to feel the lack of evidence can be used as evidence in itself.
Essentially, from what I know, remove the SIM Network unlock PIN request = removes the region lock.
mobileunlocked said:
This is something that a lot of people are coming to us to ask at the moment and I haven't seen or heard of anything that suggests once an unlock code is entered on the "SIM Network unlock PIN" screen, which 1sagain mentioned, that the region lock hinders the user taking the phone internationally.
We've provided thousands of unlocks since the region locks became active and I haven't heard back from one person informing us that the region lock is still stopping them using their phone abroad. Although it isn't direct evidence that the region locks are removed by codes, it is a large enough sample for us to feel the lack of evidence can be used as evidence in itself.
Essentially, from what I know, remove the SIM Network unlock PIN request = removes the region lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So where can I purchase a code, i need 2 code, one for Rogers and one for my Bell N900W8.
Plus, how much does it cost?
Thanks.
roni2915 said:
So where can I purchase a code, i need 2 code, one for Rogers and one for my Bell N900W8.
Plus, how much does it cost?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm here to offer help where I can simply because we have knowledge in this area but I can't link to us as that would be voiding the terms of usage on XDA. You can find code sites by searching in search engines or Youtube.
ncho2233 said:
HI, there was nothing on the phone screen saying it's region locked. Just wouldn't accept the SIM from another carrier, I think the error message was "INVALID SIM" before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm
I see,
Invalid SIM, however, implies many things as it has many factors.
Invalid sim can be due to incompatible network with your phone/old sim card that wont work on the note 3 but on other phones/plan on the sim is not compatible with your device/or Other damages or bugs
Best work arounds I see:
1. Replace the sim.
2. Try waiting at least 5 - 10 minutes with this sim inserted (knowing this is a fully activated sim card)
3. Make sure your phone is fully compatible with the Network (Make sure the Network doesn't use CDMA)
4. Make sure your phone is NOT asking for the SIM network unlock PIN (This means your phone is still SIM Locked (not region locked))
5. Restart the phone with the Fully activated new SIm inserted.
6. Call the new carrier you are using your unlocked phone with.
Many more things etc etc to try. etc etc
Pow35 said:
I have used cellunlocker.net for my Note 3 and received my unlock code within an hour. Had no issue unlocking and done many phones using their services.
You simply need to use the generic "ALL CANADIAN VERSION" option instead of your specific carrier and it goes much faster.
What I would be concerned about the compatibility of the GSM Band in India...
You know... like trying to use a canadian Note 3 with Verizon... ? Not compatible.
---------- Post added at 08:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:57 PM ----------
Also... the region unlock is not for the sim but a specific lock on the phone initial activation that can prevent the cellphone from being used in a different region of the world. The lock remove itself after first setup.
Canadian SM-N900W8 do not come with region lock anyway. So not an issue anyway.
All you need is an unlock code for the phone Sim lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip I will try using the "ALL CANADIAN VERSION". I did receive a refund in the end, so no worries about them stealing your money. Cheers
Canada Note3 N800
roni2915 said:
Hello,
Me and my girlfriend are both going to India in December 2013. We are getting married -- YAY!!!:laugh:
.....................
Thanks in advance.!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
I am from India so sharing my experience.
Can u be more specific of phone model? Pl post exact model no & FW.
I have SM-N800 (FW N900XXUBMI2) bought in USA, used with US SIM in US & working in India wout any region/sim lock issues.
1. LTE Bands in India are differnt than in USA & Canada. So you Cant use LTE in India
2. 3G & GSM will work in India as they are global bands
3. If you are already using the Note3 in Canada, are they carrier locked? Have u tried by swapping SIM between 2 of you and still the Note3 works? If Yes, then your phone is already Region & SIM unlocked and you don't need any unlock code to use phone outside Canada.
4. You can also contact Canada Samsung Service center to confirm if your phone is region/sim unlocked. They can tell. Also carry your US Bills for phone to India in case you have to visit Samsung India for help for any other issue.
Hope this helps.
Cheers!!!
ncho2233 said:
I was able to unlock a stock T-Mobile N900T by first using URDLV to root as outlined here: http://www.theandroidsoul.com/universal-root-de-la-vega-script/ Rooting did not trip Knox, still says "Samsung Official"
Then I used Chainfires Region Lock Away app, instructions as found here: http://androidfannetwork.com/2013/10/06/sim-unlock-t-mobile-note-3-for-free/ but since I didn't have a T-Mobile Sim, I skipped the first two steps, leaving me with this:
3. Install RegionLock Away app
4. Run the app, and instead of rebooting say Reboot Later (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)
5. Power off the Note 3
6. Insert SIM of choice
7. Turned on the device – BOOM! no Region Lock, and NO SIM Lock.
I don't know for sure, but think this *may* work for those with N900W8 if the T-Mobile roms work with the same device. Follow above steps at your own risk, but please post results.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is the risk in performing these steps with my N900W8? I requested a code to unlock my phone from cellunlocker and now it is more than 12 hrs and I didn't get anything back from them except pending. please let me what is harm in performing those steps without rooting the device.
Pow35 said:
I have used cellunlocker.net for my Note 3 and received my unlock code within an hour. Had no issue unlocking and done many phones using their services.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's been over 14 hours and I still have not received the code from them.
E mail them. It works.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
nawkwan said:
It's been over 14 hours and I still have not received the code from them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where you able to unlock your phone. Cellunlocker refunded me the money because they could not find the code. what do I do? please help. My phone is in a drawer now. please help!!!!
Anyone try this method for the N900W8?
1.Remove the SIM from the Galaxy Note 3. Replace it with a SIM from another carrier.
2.Turn off the device then switch it back on.
3.Access the dial pad and type the following: *#197328640#.
4.Go back to the main menu and open UMTS.
5.Open Debug Screen> Phone Control > Network Lock.
6.Open Options and choose Perso SHA256 OFF.
7.Wait for 30 seconds.
8.Return to the main menu and choose back.
9.After completion, wait for the device to read "Network Lock."
10.Choose NW Lock NV Data INITIALLIZ.
If the user followed the procedures precisely, the device should read: "Asterisk Pound One Nine Seven Three Two Eight Six Four Zero Pound". Owners of Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and Note 2 can also use the following procedures to unlock their devices.
Hello,
I recently bought a S5 in the netherlands (i live and use the phone in belgium). Started it up, everything works fine. I make one phonecall as required for the regionlock, works fine.
Then something strange happens, after the one phonecall required, i cant accept or make phonecalls anymore.
I get a message "your phone has been locked due to security reasons"
Now the weird thing is, if i use a simcard from another carrier, the phone just works fine, no locking whatsoever...
Called Samsung support, told the story, they tell me phone is region locked and i need to get a code, but the phone never asks me for a code nor can i put one in anywhere.
So i called my provider, they tell me the phone is blacklisted probably but they cant check that...
After some research i found out the phone is actualy from UK with an international firmware on it: G900FXXU1ANG2 (countrycode BTU)
Anyone have an idea how to get rid of this problem?
I dont want to root the phone just yet in case i have to exchange it for another one.
Would it help to get the countryspecific stock firmware installed for my country? (Belgium)
thanks a lot for the help
thale
You'd get better help if you gave us more details, notably verbatim error messages, rather than paraphrasing.
Your provider can certainly tell you if your phone is blacklisted since an IMEI blacklist is under their direct control. So ask them again to clarify that. Region locking is much more likely though. Samsung region locks phones to prevent grey market sales, which is exactly what you've tried to do. The region lock is released after you use the phone a short while with a provider in the original region, which sounds like the UK in your case. Region locking is also a type of blacklist, although that term is almost always used to refer to carrier IMEI blacklisting unless otherwise specified.
As you didn't make any preliminary calls in the UK, nor apparently did the previous owner (or vendor), the phone is now restricted. You could travel to the UK and use your phone there for a day to dissipate the region lock. Or a lot of people claim that a regular SIM unlock code, such as you can buy on Ebay or any number of other places will also remove the region lock (unconfirmed). Or you can root your phone and circumvent the region lock by editing the blocked regions in your customer.xml file.
There are lots of existing threads on this subject, as you would know if had you done a search. Refer to those for further elaboration or you can search my post history as I've posted in detail how to remove the region lock in previous posts.
.
Thanks for the reply, this forum was my last resort since i didnt understand the problem.
I dont get any error messages at all.
provider A in S5 --> while calling i get the message phone blocked for security reason
provider A in S4 mini --> works perfectly
Provider B in S5 --> works perfectly
so i thought problems lies with faulty simcard, exchanged it but problem stays
when i call samsung they tell me its a provider problem
when i call my provider they say its a phone problem
in europe shouldnt matter realy where you buy your phone since there's free traffic of goods and services. I wonder if the webshop knows they are selling UK phones, ill talk to them about it tomorrow.
thanks again for the reply ill try to get the problem sorted, if that doesnt work at all, i guess ill just root it and fix the problem
kind regards,
thale
Humh, sounds weird.
Use the code *#7465625# (*#SIMLOCK#) to check for the lock status. On some devices this code needs root to launch.
thalekick said:
Thanks for the reply, this forum was my last resort since i didnt understand the problem.
I dont get any error messages at all.
provider A in S5 --> while calling i get the message phone blocked for security reason
provider A in S4 mini --> works perfectly
Provider B in S5 --> works perfectly
so i thought problems lies with faulty simcard, exchanged it but problem stays
when i call samsung they tell me its a provider problem
when i call my provider they say its a phone problem
in europe shouldnt matter realy where you buy your phone since there's free traffic of goods and services. I wonder if the webshop knows they are selling UK phones, ill talk to them about it tomorrow.
thanks again for the reply ill try to get the problem sorted, if that doesnt work at all, i guess ill just root it and fix the problem
kind regards,
thale
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I understood you correctly, your SIM card works properly in other phones. So your SIM card shouldn't be the issue. If your S5 is SIM unlocked (carrier unlocked), you could try someone else's SIM card in your S5 to rule out less common problems e.g. bent SIM socket.
And regardless, in your place, I'd open a support ticket with your provider. That should cover anything like a IMEI blacklist. All in all though it does sound like region locking. Which is Samsung blocking a phone from being used in a different region unless it has been first activated (i.e. used for a few calls) in the original region first. I wouldn't think that a region lock between two parts of Europe would be intentional, but it is still something to look into.
Without any explicit error messages, it is difficult to narrow down the cause. You might consider installing a logcat app to capture the system log which may have more information about the error.
Also try dialing *#06* and ensure that you have a valid IMEI (not all zeros)
And dial *#0011#. You should see a (IMEI) certificate "Pass"if at the end. If it says IMEI CERTI: FAIL or NA you may have a flash error or IMEI blacklist.
.
Hello,
phone is an unlocked one, i used 2 different simcards from 2 different providers.
imei certificate passes so thats good!
im gonna make some phonecalls today and keep you all posted
kind regards
thale
Try to use Provider A with another sim card?
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Had another talk with the helpdesk from the provider, they told me the phone is blacklisted but couldnt give me a reason why.
Im only blacklisted with provider A, if u use the phone with another simcard from another provider it works like a charm.
Ive had to send them my proof of purchase, and they will unblock the phone...
Havent had any feedback yet from the shop i bought it from, so maybe they can shine a new light on the whole deal!
Try
How about contacting the retailer? I think you'd better not root the phone or fix it by yourself.
I recently shifted from iOS to this amazing phone just a day back. I saw my friend having this phone and bought it the next day a few hours before my flight in India. I am now in Vietnam and tried inserting the sim card it went on to ask me for a Unlock Code. I removed the sim and put it back on my old phone, after finding out about the Network Lock by Samsung. My Question is can I have any alternative methods than the 5 minute call from the country purchased in ? I am not going back to India for another 6 months and would be so sad to see this phone not being my primary phone
Hope you amazing people out there can guide me on this.
Thanks for any help in advance.
aeferado said:
I recently shifted from iOS to this amazing phone just a day back. I saw my friend having this phone and bought it the next day a few hours before my flight in India. I am now in Vietnam and tried inserting the sim card it went on to ask me for a Unlock Code. I removed the sim and put it back on my old phone, after finding out about the Network Lock by Samsung. My Question is can I have any alternative methods than the 5 minute call from the country purchased in ? I am not going back to India for another 6 months and would be so sad to see this phone not being my primary phone
Hope you amazing people out there can guide me on this.
Thanks for any help in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i dont know if this help you or not
it is risky but you can try to flash vietnam firmware through odin
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/download/126030/C900FDDU1AQB2_C900FOLB1AQB2_XEV/
this should work but do it on your own risk!!
i.snehal.kiran said:
i dont know if this help you or not
it is risky but you can try to flash vietnam firmware through odin
this should work but do it on your own risk!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the Reply. I tried flashing (Good thing is half the bloatware is removed now) but still no luck with the network unlock. When I enter my local sim card it still asks for a Netowrk Unlock Code.
How about this suggestion: Order an Indian pre-paid sim card, one that also allows you to make international calls. Put that in your phone, and make a call for 5 minutes. If I remember correctly, the sticker on the box doesn't say that you actually have to make the 5-minute call in the country of purchase. It only says you need to make the call with a sim card of the country of purchase (I don't have the sticker anymore, so I could be wrong).
Hi Folks,
I am switching from an iPhone to S8 and noticed this annoyance. I spent 3+ hours setting up my S8 and proceeded to insert my SIM. After which, it totally erased my phone! I googled around and found out that this is apparently a "security feature".
I'm wondering if there's a way to disable this "feature"? I would want an option to pop-in the local sim when I am traveling abroad.
Thanks for your help!
I believe this only happens under initial setup or after a factory reset. When you insert a different sim from now on it will not reset everything.
Link to info you found on Google? So need to stick sim on it before we boot up if we're switching from say iPhone to S8?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yes, definitely insert your sim before you do anything.
boomfunk said:
Yes, definitely insert your sim before you do anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After initial setup are you allowed to swap sim as you see fit? Have a iPhone I'm going to share duties with.
Did you have the Canadian version? I saw this in S7 that was sold in Costco. Due to the unified rom, the first sim you put in will wipe the phone and configure it to that network.
This happens because when the SIM card is inserted, its carrier is detected and the phone switches from a generic CSC to the CSC of that carrier. Changing the CSC on a Samsung phone always results in a factory reset.
It is one of the reasons that carrier employees are supposed to insert the SIM card into the phone before giving it to the customer in the store. For those who receive their phone by mail, unfortunately there is no warning.
A good rule of thumb for Samsung phones (and probably a good idea for all Android phones in general) is to always insert the SIM card before doing any setup of any sort.
Yes, I have the Candian version and I'm with Koodo. As some of you pointed out, the restart indeed locked my phone. I can pop in another sim no problem now, but the phone prompts me for an unlock code.
A warning for mail orders would have been nice. But, such is life.
I also had this beautiful experience. I have not tried another SIM and have to admit I'm very hesitant to now, until I figure out a good backup process, now that I'm root-less. Did you try a SIM from a whole other carrier?
Edit: Sorry, misread and confused with my own experience. Unlock code = because you tried another carrier, right? I picked up elsewhere that the phones lock themselves to the first carrier they pick up, so you now need to get an unlock code from your carrier.
Geebus, I can't say I don't find this a bit annoying, I bought an unlocked device to avoid things like that. That's what you get for not researching, I suppose. :silly:
Edit 2: To impart a bit of what I found for other readers (since there aren't many threads about it, from what I can tell):
- Snapdragon phones since the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge come Region Locked, not just carrier-locked. A region lock is to combat grey market reselling, but it's not so bad; just place a five-minute phone call in the region the phone was intended for, and that constraint is gone.
- Next, carrier SIM lock codes are not new, but I guess I was surprised to find that my direct-from-Samsung device will lock itself to the first carrier it attaches to. You can get an unlock code from the carrier (especially if you are leaving/moving, or the contract is over, for example), or via third-party service for around $30 USD or less.
If anyone has evidence or experience of the contrary, by all means let me know!
kachunkachunk said:
Next, carrier SIM lock codes are not new, but I guess I was surprised to find that my direct-from-Samsung device will lock itself to the first carrier it attaches to. You can get an unlock code from the carrier (especially if you are leaving/moving, or the contract is over, for example), or via third-party service for around $30 USD or less.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is correct. It is done this way so that only one set of firmware is needed for the entire country, despite us having almost a dozen different carriers. It would be too much work for Samsung to have to tweak each new firmware update for each individual Canadian carrier, so they put them all into a single package.
All SM-G955W units use the same firmware and said firmware contains the CSC settings and 'bloatware' of every Canadian carrier. The pre-installed firmware does not install any carrier bloatware; those apps just sit in waiting, hidden in the firmware. Once a SIM card is inserted for the first time, the phone detects said SIM card's carrier, reboots into recovery and 'updates' by locking itself to that carrier and installing that carrier's bloatware. That change is written permanently into the phone's internals; from this point on, any time you factory reset it will go back to this state, with that carrier's firmware installed, even if you have subsequently unlocked the phone and have a different carrier's SIM card inserted.
When you see firmware downloads for a Samsung phone and each one is listed from a different carrier, that is actually irrelevant. The resulting firmware is identical and the phone will take whatever settings, CSC, and apps from within the firmware and install according to which carrier it was originally locked to (even if it is now unlocked).
Sevael said:
Once a SIM card is inserted for the first time, the phone detects said SIM card's carrier, reboots into recovery and 'updates' by locking itself to that carrier and installing that carrier's bloatware. That change is written permanently into the phone's internals; from this point on, any time you factory reset it will go back to this state, with that carrier's firmware installed, even if you have subsequently unlocked the phone and have a different carrier's SIM card inserted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does this affect a device that was a carrier device but flashed to the U1 firmware? Or, alternate question: I flashed 950U1, so if I need to factory reset, will it revert to Verizon's branding?
raduque said:
How does this affect a device that was a carrier device but flashed to the U1 firmware? Or, alternate question: I flashed 950U1, so if I need to factory reset, will it revert to Verizon's branding?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will factory reset to whatever the default is for the currently installed firmware.
Samsung phones from the US use a different firmware for each carrier. What was covered in this thread mostly applies to the Canadian firmware, which is just a singular firmware for all carriers throughout Canada.
Sevael said:
It will factory reset to whatever the default is for the currently installed firmware.
Samsung phones from the US use a different firmware for each carrier. What was covered in this thread mostly applies to the Canadian firmware, which is just a singular firmware for all carriers throughout Canada.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. It's nice to know Verizon won't be coming back on factory reset.
Maybe it's a carrier thing. I factory reset my devices when I first get them and don't put the SIM in until I get my Samsung and Google accounts set up the way I want them. For my Exynos S8+ I had it almost completely set up before I went to AT&T to get its SIM cut. Whenever you remove a SIM from a phone where its currently being used you'll always get a "SIM removed - restart required." But it's a normal restart not a reset.
kachunkachunk said:
I also had this beautiful experience. I have not tried another SIM and have to admit I'm very hesitant to now, until I figure out a good backup process, now that I'm root-less. Did you try a SIM from a whole other carrier?
Edit: Sorry, misread and confused with my own experience. Unlock code = because you tried another carrier, right? I picked up elsewhere that the phones lock themselves to the first carrier they pick up, so you now need to get an unlock code from your carrier.
Geebus, I can't say I don't find this a bit annoying, I bought an unlocked device to avoid things like that. That's what you get for not researching, I suppose. :silly:
Edit 2: To impart a bit of what I found for other readers (since there aren't many threads about it, from what I can tell):
- Snapdragon phones since the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge come Region Locked, not just carrier-locked. A region lock is to combat grey market reselling, but it's not so bad; just place a five-minute phone call in the region the phone was intended for, and that constraint is gone.
- Next, carrier SIM lock codes are not new, but I guess I was surprised to find that my direct-from-Samsung device will lock itself to the first carrier it attaches to. You can get an unlock code from the carrier (especially if you are leaving/moving, or the contract is over, for example), or via third-party service for around $30 USD or less.
If anyone has evidence or experience of the contrary, by all means let me know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you purchased unlocked from Samsung Canada they included the unlock code and IMEI with the shipping notice email. The phone locks to the first carrier then you put in the next SIM and use the unlock code from the shipping order. It didn't reset anything when I used a Rogers SIM to unlock from Virgin.
Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk
Fantastic, thanks for letting me know! It'll help others too I'm sure.
I remember my phone arriving before I got a notice, so I may need to do some digging. Can't quite find it just yet. : /
Edit: Ah, look for Tech Data, not Samsung.
Sevael said:
This is correct. It is done this way so that only one set of firmware is needed for the entire country, despite us having almost a dozen different carriers. It would be too much work for Samsung to have to tweak each new firmware update for each individual Canadian carrier, so they put them all into a single package.
All SM-G955W units use the same firmware and said firmware contains the CSC settings and 'bloatware' of every Canadian carrier. The pre-installed firmware does not install any carrier bloatware; those apps just sit in waiting, hidden in the firmware. Once a SIM card is inserted for the first time, the phone detects said SIM card's carrier, reboots into recovery and 'updates' by locking itself to that carrier and installing that carrier's bloatware. That change is written permanently into the phone's internals; from this point on, any time you factory reset it will go back to this state, with that carrier's firmware installed, even if you have subsequently unlocked the phone and have a different carrier's SIM card inserted.
When you see firmware downloads for a Samsung phone and each one is listed from a different carrier, that is actually irrelevant. The resulting firmware is identical and the phone will take whatever settings, CSC, and apps from within the firmware and install according to which carrier it was originally locked to (even if it is now unlocked).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any way to flash out the settings and apps from the original Sim/carrier?
I.e. im going from Rogers to Freedom mobile and have factory unlocked my phone with a code; can I now go from a rogers branded phone to a Freedom mobile branded phone or more preferably an unbranded version and still utilize all the functions of Freedom mobile such as Wi-Fi calling?
howellinmad said:
Is there any way to flash out the settings and apps from the original Sim/carrier?
I.e. im going from Rogers to Freedom mobile and have factory unlocked my phone with a code; can I now go from a rogers branded phone to a Freedom mobile branded phone or more preferably an unbranded version and still utilize all the functions of Freedom mobile such as Wi-Fi calling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply. I didn't get an email notification about this post for some reason...
With root access, you would normally be able to remove these apps from the system partition of the phone, but on an unrooted Samsung device, the best you can do is to disable those apps. Once disabled, they are completely dormant and you can go about your business as if they aren't there. The bloatware from all Canadian carriers is baked into the firmware and on every one of our phones regardless, so it's not like you could truly get an "unbranded" Samsung phone in Canada. At best, these apps are hidden. They are not taking up space in the user partition, so it's not like deleting them would free up any usable space anyhow.
As for WiFi calling, my understanding is that carriers that support WiFi calling have to flag that IMEI to allow WiFi calling on their network. Furthermore, it seems that the carriers only initially flag their own phones (i.e. the ones you buy directly from that carrier) and refuse to add devices by customer request. I've read that some people have had luck calling their new carrier and asking for their ported phone to be enabled for WiFi calling, but it appears that the vast majority of people are denied. So I can't really say whether or not you will have any luck enabling WiFi calling after bringing a phone that was originally from a different carrier. If I had to wager, I would say that it wouldn't work as that seems to be the general consensus.
My "unlocked" Canadian SM-G955W Galaxy S8 is currently set on the FIDO network, since it was the first SIM I inserted into it.
I didn't mind too much about the bloatware: they're easy enough to disable.
I was a little irritated that the FIDO firmware disabled the "data" and "wireless hotspot" quick tiles, but read of a way using adb to make them available; but that needs to be done again after every firmware update.
But now, I'm pissed to discover that the FIDO firmware removed the option to do Bluetooth tethering. What? That's what brought me to this thread, searching for a way to have a truly unlocked phone.
So there really is no way to do this without rooting? What would happen if I flashed a US firmware? or UK?
Thanks!
You can change the csc to the unlocked variant xac, Dial *#243203855# in the dialer. But this will wipe your device.