Hi all!
Well Googled my a.. off but I can't seem to get a straight answer.
So here it goes:
- Will a phone with "bad ESN", which you see often on Ebay, work in Europe?
(assuming it is a world capable phone)
As I understand it, ESN is the only used in the US when the phone is used in Europe it uses a different antenna and makes use of the IMEI code. So in theory it should work, different systems. But I can't seem to find anyone who can confirm this without a shadow of doubt.
And lets not go into the discussion about the ethical or legal side of things, I just want to know if it will be a problem or not?
Cheers,
Martijn
If we're referring to the Droid Pro or any other global Verizon phone, the bad ESN is only "bad" on Verizon's network. Verizon doesn't share it's ESN information with other carriers around the world, so there would be no way for them to know the phone has a bad ESN on Verizon. People have been able to use Verizon phones with a bad ESN on Page Plus without any issues. Since I've never tried to use a global Verizon device with a bad ESN overseas with a local SIM card I can't say 100% for sure, but logic would cause one to assume that as long as the SIM slot is unlocked (because they come locked to the Verizon/Vodafone SIM card the phones ship with), it should work just fine on other GSM carriers that have supported bands (which is pretty much everyone around the world...except AT&T and T-Mobile in the US).
I have the Droid Pro with a bad ESN works fine in GSM networks. It also flashed CDMA module under local CDMA operator. EVDO works fine.
it works!
A friend ob Mine does use a Bad esn droid pro with vodafone sim in germany
[/B]QUOTE=m.dekoning9;16603551]Hi all!
Well Googled my a.. off but I can't seem to get a straight answer.
So here it goes:
- Will a phone with "bad ESN", which you see often on Ebay, work in Europe?
(assuming it is a world capable phone)
As I understand it, ESN is the only used in the US when the phone is used in Europe it uses a different antenna and makes use of the IMEI code. So in theory it should work, different systems. But I can't seem to find anyone who can confirm this without a shadow of doubt.
And lets not go into the discussion about the ethical or legal side of things, I just want to know if it will be a problem or not?
Cheers,
Martijn[/QUOTE]
Does a bad ESN necessarily mean that the phone was stolen? I always assumed that would be the only reason why a phone would have a bad ESN.
Also, If I purchase another phone and want to sell my Droid, does my droid pro have a "clean" ESN?
LeoBloom. said:
Does a bad ESN necessarily mean that the phone was stolen? I always assumed that would be the only reason why a phone would have a bad ESN.
Also, If I purchase another phone and want to sell my Droid, does my droid pro have a "clean" ESN?
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Click to collapse
Stolen is one possibility. Another possibility is that the person who owned the phone didn't pay their bills, so the ESN of their phone was flagged.
Assuming you don't have anything outstanding on your account, your Droid Pro's ESN will be clean and clear for someone else to activate as soon as you activate a different phone on that line.
purchasing advice
Hi all - first post for me!
I'm in a position where I could do with some advice around buying a Droid Pro from the States. I have three options, and I'm struggling to find any definitive threads that allow me to buy with confidence using the first two options:
1) The cheapest (£100) is a bad ESN phone (unlocked).
I have asked the seller what the reason is for the bad ESN (He'll probably lie to me, but at least I have it in writing!) and whether he will accept a return if it won't work with a UK SIM.
The summary is from what I've read on here, it will work fine in the UK but I'm buggered if I ever venture to the USA. Fair enough I suppose.
Anyone got a view on selling the device on to someone like CEX in the future? Is it worth mentioning that it has a bad ESN in the states if I sell to a UK seller? (I think I know the moral answer to this already!)
2) Buy a used/locked Verizon phone (£150ish)and attempt to get it unlocked
I've read quite a few resources and from what I understand, it is pretty difficult to get the device unlocked by using third party vendors (The codes don't work). Is there a way to unlock the phone yourself using a new ROM or root?
3) Buy a new/unlocked phone (£270)
The price jumps massively here but still probably alot cheaper than a new Pro+ will be when it arrives in the next couple of months. Someone is selling a used/unlocked Droid on here from Birmingham, UK but the asking price is wildly optimistic. It just so happens I'm in Birmingham too!
Any views would be most appreciated.
mjgerrard said:
1) The cheapest (£100) is a bad ESN phone (unlocked).
I have asked the seller what the reason is for the bad ESN (He'll probably lie to me, but at least I have it in writing!) and whether he will accept a return if it won't work with a UK SIM.
The summary is from what I've read on here, it will work fine in the UK but I'm buggered if I ever venture to the USA. Fair enough I suppose.
Anyone got a view on selling the device on to someone like CEX in the future? Is it worth mentioning that it has a bad ESN in the states if I sell to a UK seller? (I think I know the moral answer to this already!)
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Click to collapse
You shouldn't expect to be able to return a phone with a bad ESN. They're always sold "as is" because of the fact that it has a bad ESN. But yeah, it should work in the UK just fine. There's no reason that it wouldn't. As far as venturing to the USA, even if it didn't have a bad ESN, you still wouldn't be able to use it in the USA. The GSM bands for AT&T and T-Mobile are locked out in the USA, even if you're trying to roam on a foreign SIM. The only way to use a Droid Pro in the USA (short of paying a good chunk of change to Team Black Hat to flash the phone and unlock the GSM bands) is through Verizon, and you'd have to have an account with them to use it.
And I would mention the bad ESN if trying to resell it, if only for the probably very doubtful fact that someone might want to end up trying to activate it on Verizon. But of course, the ESN is only bad for Verizon and no other carrier.
You could also look around and try to find a used, unlocked Pro. I tried to sell my unlocked Pro a month or so ago and couldn't move it here or on any other forum, even at $200 US. Doesn't seem to be much interest these days. But, I'm glad I didn't end up selling it because I didn't care that much for the Droid 3 and was longing for my Droid Pro again.
bsweetness said:
You shouldn't expect to be able to return a phone with a bad ESN. They're always sold "as is" because of the fact that it has a bad ESN. But yeah, it should work in the UK just fine.
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Yup the reason why I asked about returning it was not for the fact that it had a bad ESN, but that the seller explicitly says in the advert that it can be used outside of the USA. It just made (hopefully) for a foolproof plan of activating it in the UK.
bsweetness said:
As far as venturing to the USA, even if it didn't have a bad ESN, you still wouldn't be able to use it in the USA. The GSM bands for AT&T and T-Mobile are locked out in the USA, even if you're trying to roam on a foreign SIM. The only way to use a Droid Pro in the USA (short of paying a good chunk of change to Team Black Hat to flash the phone and unlock the GSM bands) is through Verizon, and you'd have to have an account with them to use it.
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I might be going mad, but I have gone over to the USA with a GSM only phone and it worked fine. Frankly, I'm never expecting these things to work when going State-side, but pleasantly suprised when they do. Sorry I can't remember what phone it was that I took over there though...
bsweetness said:
You could also look around and try to find a used, unlocked Pro. I tried to sell my unlocked Pro a month or so ago and couldn't move it here or on any other forum, even at $200 US. Doesn't seem to be much interest these days. But, I'm glad I didn't end up selling it because I didn't care that much for the Droid 3 and was longing for my Droid Pro again.
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That's a shame - I'd happily pay $250 (negotiable) if it was in good condition and clean ESN/Unlocked. Let me know if you wish to part with it!
Mike.
Any comments from anyone on option 2: Unlocking a Verizon phone using a 3rd party vs rooting the device?
mjgerrard said:
I might be going mad, but I have gone over to the USA with a GSM only phone and it worked fine. Frankly, I'm never expecting these things to work when going State-side, but pleasantly suprised when they do. Sorry I can't remember what phone it was that I took over there though...
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Click to collapse
Generally GSM phones will work in the USA. But with Verizon devices, it's different (or I should say with several Verizon devices). Verizon doesn't have a lot of devices with a GSM radio since they're a CDMA network. The few devices they do have with a GSM radio are marketed as global devices, and the GSM radio is designed to be used outside of the US. Verizon doesn't want people using their devices (that they pay to carry exclusively in the USA) on other networks within the USA. So, they lock out the bands for the two GSM providers in the USA - AT&T and T-Mobile. Unless you go through the costly process of having those bands unlocked (which can't be done with every phone), the phones will generally only work on Verizon in the USA. In order to have it work with Verizon, it would have to be activated on their CDMA network. With a Verizon branded phone, that of course can't happen unless you're a Verizon customer and it certainly can't happen for a phone with a bad ESN.
So yeah, normally unlocked GSM devices will work just fine in the USA, but Verizon devices are a different story...most of the time (there are a few Verizon global devices that work in the USA, but the Droid Pro is not one of them).
As for your question about unlock codes, they have been hit or miss from most online vendors. Most of the reputable vendors will refund the money to you if the code doesn't work, but of course you're still stuck with a locked phone. Most of the posts I've seen recently have reported successful unlocks with the online codes however. I haven't seen anything about unlocking it via root though. That's not to say there isn't a way, but I've never seen anything for that.
Brilliant post on the USA networks pal, its difficult to appreciate the differences considering I live in the UK. Thanks for that, alot more of Engadget CDMA news posts make sense now!
As for the other point, I guess ill have to figure out whether I want to take the risk or not. The bad ESN phone on eBay has sold (not a major problem) so ill be trying to get a good price for a used/unlocked model.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Considering buying a bad esn phone for a kid to use as a media player. Trying to understand if there are any reasons this would NOT be evil before I do it, and I fully realize that the only way to know for sure is if the seller is willing to reveal the ESN somehow and ask the carrier. If the seller won't reveal, I will assume evilness and move on. SO here are the reasons I understand so far for a bad esn.
1. Stolen/Lost phone that needs to go back to the owner
2. Owner walked away from contract, carrier is out $$ and would presumably like the hardware back
3. unreturned warranty exchange unit (technically stolen too)
come to think of it, seems like there are no legit reasons for a bad esn, but i welcome thoughts anyway
btrcp2000 said:
Considering buying a bad esn phone for a kid to use as a media player. Trying to understand if there are any reasons this would NOT be evil before I do it, and I fully realize that the only way to know for sure is if the seller is willing to reveal the ESN somehow and ask the carrier. If the seller won't reveal, I will assume evilness and move on. SO here are the reasons I understand so far for a bad esn.
1. Stolen/Lost phone that needs to go back to the owner
2. Owner walked away from contract, carrier is out $$ and would presumably like the hardware back
3. unreturned warranty exchange unit (technically stolen too)
come to think of it, seems like there are no legit reasons for a bad esn, but i welcome thoughts anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Er, I'm using an Iphone 4 with a bad ESN (from Ebay). But not for cell service. I'm using it as a wireless internet phone ( Callwithus ) over wifi.
btrcp2000 said:
Considering buying a bad esn phone for a kid to use as a media player. Trying to understand if there are any reasons this would NOT be evil before I do it, and I fully realize that the only way to know for sure is if the seller is willing to reveal the ESN somehow and ask the carrier. If the seller won't reveal, I will assume evilness and move on. SO here are the reasons I understand so far for a bad esn.
1. Stolen/Lost phone that needs to go back to the owner
2. Owner walked away from contract, carrier is out $$ and would presumably like the hardware back
3. unreturned warranty exchange unit (technically stolen too)
come to think of it, seems like there are no legit reasons for a bad esn, but i welcome thoughts anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But, wouldn't it be illegal, or unwise at least, to sell such a phone on Ebay then?
Id never buy a bad ESN mobile myself. Loads on ebay.com in the USA and afak, a bad ESN mobile phone or as they say in the USA, cell phone, it will NOT work in the UK. GSM or CDMA. Dont buya bad esn phone thinking you will save money or you will end up with an expensive brick. Android or IOS phones with bad ESNs DO NOT work in the UK
Hey guys!
I'm excited to say that I'm about to buy an HD2!! I'm finally getting up to speed!! (Upgrading from my Topazi)
I'm planning on buying this off of ebay, but I'm not sure what to look for when selecting it. I'm going to buy new, even though it costs more... I've got AT&T and don't know if i can get a t-mobile one or if i have to get one that ebay says will work with AT&T or if i'm just putting too much thought into this...
Any tips you guys could offer on choosing one off of ebay? Thanks in advance!!
for att get the austrailian (telstra) version, not the tmobile one - this will allow you to get 3g. or if you get the tmobile one, you will NOT get 3g, just edge. (this is a hardware issue.)
other than that, i guess everything you look for is well, what you should look for, ya know?
Make sure it has five buttons on the front, not four as at least some of the Chinese clones have.
Buy only from someone with very high feedback, and a significant number of them.
Avoid buying something that has a stock photo in place of actual photos of what you are paying for.
By the same token, avoid items whose photos are blurry or hard to see. Good sellers have nothing to hide and won't try.
I recently bought my second HD2, this one a brand new unit, and it was a good deal all the way around. But I'm very careful. You should be too.
Ask questions before you bid. In my years of buying from eBay sellers I've come to use this as a way of gauging good service. If you can't get an answer to a simple question, you're unlikely to get one if you experience a problem with the transaction. Good service starts before the sale imho.
Good luck!
jsmccabe78 said:
for att get the austrailian (telstra) version, not the tmobile one - this will allow you to get 3g. or if you get the tmobile one, you will NOT get 3g, just edge. (this is a hardware issue.)
other than that, i guess everything you look for is well, what you should look for, ya know?
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Click to collapse
Thanks for that, it would suck to not have 3G up here... I can't find anything that specifically states "Telstra" or australian on ebay for new HD2's... I'm searching by compatible carriers and AT&T comes up- would that one work? Here's an example.
Thanks again in advance!
BTW- Do you live on/near MN 78? I'm near MN 33... I like the pic
Sorry mate for the late response. I don't know what the difference is for the telstra in looks. But I would assume it is NOT the one you mentioned unless it specifically states so. My guess is the one you linked is the European version. I woulf pm kameirus as he did what toy want to do.
And am a Minnesotan but in mpls. The highway sign just worked with my handle.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
I have just purchased to S4s for my household. I plan on rooting my phone. I did a bit of searching but I did not see a root for the t-mobile version of this phone. I see one for sprint, and att. If there is a root for the t-mobile version please direct me to that.
The other question I have is I need a recommendation on accessories. Aside from micro-usb cables and what do you suggest I buy. I am currently looking for something that can make the phones as close to indestructible as possible. My wife has the tendency to destroy phones really quickly. I was thinking of the following products. http://www.spigen.com/cell-phone/sa...ctor-glas-tr-slim-premium-tempered-glass.html and http://www.spigen.com/cell-phone/samsung/galaxy-s4-cases/galaxy-s4-case-slim-armor.html
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2279
This is the area for TMobile - nothing in there?
driodman98 said:
I have just purchased to S4s for my household. I plan on rooting my phone. I did a bit of searching but I did not see a root for the t-mobile version of this phone. I see one for sprint, and att. If there is a root for the t-mobile version please direct me to that.
The other question I have is I need a recommendation on accessories. Aside from micro-usb cables and what do you suggest I buy. I am currently looking for something that can make the phones as close to indestructible as possible. My wife has the tendency to destroy phones really quickly. I was thinking of the following products. http://www.spigen.com/cell-phone/sa...ctor-glas-tr-slim-premium-tempered-glass.html and http://www.spigen.com/cell-phone/samsung/galaxy-s4-cases/galaxy-s4-case-slim-armor.html
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Click to collapse
Hi all!
Let me say this right now...when it comes to Cell phones I am the capital "N" in Noob!
Here is what I'm trying to do:
I just bought a brand new S5 from Best Buy. Paid $800 for the Sprint S5 because we use Ting and that is a Sprint MNVO...we saw S5s' on their site and assumed we could BYOD over like we did with our 3 previous phones. We paid what we did and used Best Buy so we could use our credit card and absorb the painfully expensive hit over a bunch of months. Anyway, I digress....apparently there is a contract that Ting cannot BYOD device if said device is newer than a year....so....what do I need to do to take this brand new Sprint S5 and get it on to Ting? (I'll even take getting it on to Boostmobile at this point)
What do I need to unlock or root or flash...or whatever to get this fantastic new phone on either Ting or Boostmobile? IS there anything I can do? Can someone help?? My wife (her phone) is extremely unhappy and she loves the copper gold color we got so taking it back is, hopefully, not an option. Let me know...I would greatly appreciate it...thanks!!!! PS...I do have the MLS code...if that helps.
Mezzavo said:
Hi all!
Let me say this right now...when it comes to Cell phones I am the capital "N" in Noob!
Here is what I'm trying to do:
I just bought a brand new S5 from Best Buy. Paid $800 for the Sprint S5 because we use Ting and that is a Sprint MNVO...we saw S5s' on their site and assumed we could BYOD over like we did with our 3 previous phones. We paid what we did and used Best Buy so we could use our credit card and absorb the painfully expensive hit over a bunch of months. Anyway, I digress....apparently there is a contract that Ting cannot BYOD device if said device is newer than a year....so....what do I need to do to take this brand new Sprint S5 and get it on to Ting? (I'll even take getting it on to Boostmobile at this point)
What do I need to unlock or root or flash...or whatever to get this fantastic new phone on either Ting or Boostmobile? IS there anything I can do? Can someone help?? My wife (her phone) is extremely unhappy and she loves the copper gold color we got so taking it back is, hopefully, not an option. Let me know...I would greatly appreciate it...thanks!!!! PS...I do have the MLS code...if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bumping this...Anyone...can anyone help??
Mezzavo said:
Bumping this...Anyone...can anyone help??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of Sprints MNVO's have this policy/agreement with Sprint. Short of changing the MEID which is not only illegal, but apparently renders the phone unable to get a signal, theres really no options i know of at the moment other than waiting out the year or selling the device and possibly taking a hit on the price. Too bad you cant use it on a GSM network, but thats not a option currently either. I seem to remember the wait being 2 years a few years back, thankfully its only 12 months now.
I wish you luck, but i fear there may be little or nothing you can do short of selling or waiting out the year
Hi all,
I want to buy a used s4 as i currently have no phone. I was just wondering what i should look for, what carrier has locked bootloaders etc because i want to root and flash custom roms. I will look for the physical things like scrratches but what should i look for in the software.
Im in the UK so the carriers are different and the model would probably be the GT-19505.
Thanks
xOutcasTx said:
Hi all,
I want to buy a used s4 as i currently have no phone. I was just wondering what i should look for, what carrier has locked bootloaders etc because i want to root and flash custom roms. I will look for the physical things like scrratches but what should i look for in the software.
Im in the UK so the carriers are different and the model would probably be the GT-19505.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T and Verizon (VZW?) have locked bootloader.
Make sure it is a genuine S4 and not a fake one. I guess the only way to spot one is too take a good look at the software.
Download an app to display hardware info if you can. That way you can make sure it has the right parts.
Even better, try to get into download mode and read the device's model number. If you're able to get into download mode, the S4 is genuine. But GDReaper's advice to get a hardware app like Samsung Info is a good one. There are plenty of unscrupulous sellers out there who will take a riffbox, convert an AT&T S4 into an I9500 or I9505 by transferring the IMEI from a dead I9500/9505 to the AT&T S4 (with bad IMEI), then try and hide the origin of the S4 by installing European firmware. The purchaser wonders why things aren't working right, and we end up having to tell them what they really bought.
If you're in the UK, you want an I9505 or the Black Edition variant. None of the I9505 devices have locked bootloaders, so you'll have no worries about modding the hell out of the phone unlike here in the US. For best results, you want to go through Swappa, because of Swappa's guarantees against shenanigans.
Thanks i was going to buy it from cash converters as it is close and i can actually check out the phone.
If you can check out the phone, that's even better. Most of the time I recommend Swappa because here in the US, other than in pawn shops and Game Stop, there really aren't places that sell used devices.