i have a simple question
1>if i buy a htc hero from lets say sprint k.
if i unlock it then do i have to keep paying sprint for two years?
or once i unlock and i stop using their sim then i can just stop paying them?
cheers
Firstly, if you were to buy a Hero from Sprint, you'd be getting a CDMA device that doesn't have a SIM card. In order to get it functioning on a different CDMA network, you'd have to convince your carrier to add the ESN from the Hero to their network, and as far as I'm aware the US carriers Verizon and Sprint, don't allow this any more.
Secondly, if you've bought a device as part of a 2 year contract, you are legally obliged to honour it.
Regards,
Dave
Hi. I'm new to these devices and have a question regarding the 2 phone options. I come from the iphone. I have a factory unlocked iphone that I use a tmobile sim in. I ordered the nexus one with the plan today. My question is are these phones like iphones where the one through tmobile is locked to tmobile. In my situation att sucks. I would never use them and do not plan on switching carriers. And these phones won't work on any other carriers until the spring. So, I like tmobile and went that route. My iphone takes any sim so I can hopefully swap the tmobile one out. If I am wrong please let me know. Anyway, are the tmobile ones locked to them so popping in a att sim won't work or is the phone not locked and they just want the contract?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_lock
If you bought the phone at $180 with the Tmobile plan then it is locked, meaning you can only use it with Tmobile. After a certain period of time though, you can call tmobile and ask to unlock your phone and they will walk you through it.
A locked phone means you can only use it on the carrier's service you bought the phone from. An unlocked phone is a phone you can use on any carrier.
Locked and unlocked phones have to do with GSM phones or phones that take SIM cards like Tmobile and ATT. Verizon and Sprint use CDMA phones, which do not have SIM cards.
When buying an unlocked phone, you need to make sure the phone will be compatible with your wireless service's 3G band or you will be stuck using their slower data offerings.
I found this out the hard way back when I bought an unlocked Nokia n95 with my Tmobile service. The Nokia n95 operates on ATT's 3G frequency and not Tmobiles...I had super slow internet on tmo's EDGE network. Fail.
If you do buy a phone from a carrier and it is locked, you can unlock it by calling the phone carrier and telling them you want to unlock your phone. Most carriers allow you to do that after you've had your phone for a certain period of time.
Thanks for the reply. Looks to be locked to tmobile which is fine for my situation. Sorry to be such a bother, but do you think it will work in my unlocked iphone then. I just want to be able to switch the sim between my N1 and iphone. Thanks again.
fdxgnd said:
Thanks for the reply. Looks to be locked to tmobile which is fine for my situation. Sorry to be such a bother, but do you think it will work in my unlocked iphone then. I just want to be able to switch the sim between my N1 and iphone. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. You WILL be able to switch between GSM phones
That makes more sense to me. Also, my question is answered now. I don't mind tmobile as they are the premiere carrier here. Att doesn't even have 3g here and tmobile does. So, I made the right choice then. I wouldn't ever use an unlocked N1 on att for that reason. Now if it will work in my iphone life will be grand. Just to put this out there. I have no favorite software or phone. I usually get what works for what I need. I have far too many apps on my iphone to give it up. Probably upwards of $500 worth. I literally run my business on it. I am just sick of the fact that this phone was $1000 and I can't even do anything to it. I am making my way the android for that reason. Once the apps I do need come available bye bye iphone. Thanks for the great forum everyone and all willing to help out with answers. Much appreciated.
BTW. Ever try getting and iphone unlocked from apple or att. It would be easier to root the droid eris. Wife has one and I'm waiting. LOL
no if you get it for 180$ its STILL UNLOCKED!
see here:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=6864cbe91ce938f6&hl=en
Never realized how controlling apple was until that comment melterX12. I'm getting a phone that is not locked on a plan I do want.
very true... hence the subsidized pricing and what not. the phone is unlocked which is why you have to pay more for it if you want to break your contract before the *so many days...
i'm pretty sure thats a good hint as to it coming unlocked through the t-mobile offer
All my past ppc's have been unlocked. It the best way, and it going to now (thanks to google) be the wave of the future in the States!
have a verizon s5 id like to use on tmobile . the contract just ran out and there is no outstanding debt on the contract or device.
I believe that the Verizon S5 is SIM unlocked. I just went through the same thing when I switched from Verizon to AT&T with my phone. I found out the SIM is unlocked but the bootloader is not. When I tried to unlock the bootloader through Verizon, it definitely was like pulling teeth and I finally gave up because I didn't have the time or patience to deal with them anymore about this. When I tried to explain that I was out of contract, it seems like it fell on deaf ears. They wouldn't say whether there was an unlock key because of warranty issues and they didn't want to be responsible for any damage that might happen to the phone. That was the last straw with me. I've got a much better deal with AT&T and the people at the local AT&T store are very nice and helpful when I have any issues with my phone and system, When I took the phone to the AT&T store, they were able to get it to work with their system. The only minor annoyance that you'll have on the phone is that each time your phone boots up, you'll get a message that tells you that the SIM card is not from Verizon. Other than that, it works fine on AT&T. If I remember right, T-Mobile is a GSM carrier like AT&T. You best bet would be to take the phone to your local T-Mobile store and have them help you out with it.
Cindy
Hello all,
Like many others, I unknowingly bought a blacklisted phone on eBay. It's a Samsung S7 with T-Mobile from the US. I live in Costa Rica, and I'm trying to use a SIM from a local service provider. Sending the phone back for an uninteresting list of various reasons is impossible at this point. So, I am attempting to unlock it.
I rooted the phone with SuperSu thinking that would work, now I know better. After hours and hours of research, I found a xda dev that can remove the lock, but with my slow internet speed, he says it's impossible.
I was suggested to use one of the paid services, but I'm concerned that if my slow connection will not work for the xda dev, why would it work for a paid unlock service? My connection is 5/1. Anyone have any luck buying the expensive @$$ service and successfully receiving the code with a slow connection?
Is there really no way around the T-Mobile Unlock App?
Is there truly no DIY process or program that I can do, being that the paid unlock services may not to work?
I really need this phone to work. I just moved to Costa Rica, and I use my phone to work. So, I am pretty damn stuck between a rock and a hard place with spikes. I'm pretty desperate, almost willingly to pay my last money to a dumb unlock service.
But some of the services say that it will not work if the phone is blacklisted.
I just don't know what my options are at this point.
Blacklisted phone
victoriaa22 said:
Hello all,
Like many others, I unknowingly bought a blacklisted phone on eBay. It's a Samsung S7 with T-Mobile from the US. I live in Costa Rica, and I'm trying to use a SIM from a local service provider. Sending the phone back for an uninteresting list of various reasons is impossible at this point. So, I am attempting to unlock it.
I rooted the phone with SuperSu thinking that would work, now I know better. After hours and hours of research, I found a xda dev that can remove the lock, but with my slow internet speed, he says it's impossible.
I was suggested to use one of the paid services, but I'm concerned that if my slow connection will not work for the xda dev, why would it work for a paid unlock service? My connection is 5/1. Anyone have any luck buying the expensive @$$ service and successfully receiving the code with a slow connection?
Is there really no way around the T-Mobile Unlock App?
Is there truly no DIY process or program that I can do, being that the paid unlock services may not to work?
I really need this phone to work. I just moved to Costa Rica, and I use my phone to work. So, I am pretty damn stuck between a rock and a hard place with spikes. I'm pretty desperate, almost willingly to pay my last money to a dumb unlock service.
But some of the services say that it will not work if the phone is blacklisted.
I just don't know what my options are at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might be able to resell the phone with a *disclaimer* that it is blacklisted, I would recommend Swappa over Ebay though, (I got a really decent chunk of change for my Galaxy S Blaze that I sold on there), and then use the proceeds from that to acquire a phone that isn't stolen.
I got mine unlocked in a repair shop at gaffar market,delhi,india for rs 3200 inr and it was blacklisted on tmobile's website, when bought it was unlocked but after few days it automatically got locked to tmobile.
I mean to say if i can get it done in india you guys can also get it done in your countries.
You would have to do a firmware swap - which you could do yourself - you just won't be able to use it on that particular carrier, even via an MVNO on that carrier. My own S7 is ex-VZW (network locked); but I could take it to T-Mobile (and did) via firmware swap. My carrier (Tracfone) uses both VZW and T-Mobile towers ; while VZW was out, T-Mobile, however, works fine. If you sell the phone post-swap, include documentation that a firmware swap was done, so the buyer does not try to take it to T-M by mistake - some folks insist on following the labelling unless expressly told not to. (My S7 still has VZW labelling.)
PGHammer said:
You would have to do a firmware swap - which you could do yourself - you just won't be able to use it on that particular carrier, even via an MVNO on that carrier. My own S7 is ex-VZW (network locked); but I could take it to T-Mobile (and did) via firmware swap. My carrier (Tracfone) uses both VZW and T-Mobile towers ; while VZW was out, T-Mobile, however, works fine. If you sell the phone post-swap, include documentation that a firmware swap was done, so the buyer does not try to take it to T-M by mistake - some folks insist on following the labelling unless expressly told not to. (My S7 still has VZW labelling.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firmware swap? So you're saying you can take a Note 4 on T-Mobile that is blacklisted and you can fix the problem just by flashing a new firmware from AT&T? Am I understanding that correctly or no? Because I have a Note 4 that is on T-Mobile that someone left at my GF's work and never came back for, so they wanted to throw it away, so I took it, I rooted it, deleted all the bloatware and have it working great as a small tablet, but I can't use it as a phone because it is blacklisted. Been trying to find a way to use it for years now with no luck, I will not dish out any money to one of those sites, I don't trust them. If there is a way I can do it myself I would surely try it.
Indeed You Can
Anthonyx82x said:
Firmware swap? So you're saying you can take a Note 4 on T-Mobile that is blacklisted and you can fix the problem just by flashing a new firmware from AT&T? Am I understanding that correctly or no? Because I have a Note 4 that is on T-Mobile that someone left at my GF's work and never came back for, so they wanted to throw it away, so I took it, I rooted it, deleted all the bloatware and have it working great as a small tablet, but I can't use it as a phone because it is blacklisted. Been trying to find a way to use it for years now with no luck, I will not dish out any money to one of those sites, I don't trust them. If there is a way I can do it myself I would surely try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A blacklisted IMEI only affects the blacklisted carrier in question - it does not affect ALL carriers. (I cannot take my Snapdragon S7 to Verizon or that side of Tracfone due the IMEI being Verizon-blacklisted; however, it does not affect T-Mobile or the T-Mobile side of Tracfone - which is a separate network/carrier - which is why I was able to take the phone there.
. In your case, your Note 4 has a T-Mobile blacklisted IMEI; therefore, you can take it to AT&T Mobility, Verizon, the Verizon half of Tracfone, or Sprint - you simply need the apropos firmware and SIM. If the phone itself has T-Mobile labeling/branding, and you are trying to sell it, you should include documentation indicating what was done, and why (honesty). The biggest issue is sellers that DON'T do that (document what was done) or worse - don't do a firmware/ROM change for a phone with a blacklisted IMEI. So you can actually use it as a phone - you just can't take it to the original carrier.
victoriaa22 said:
Hello all,
Like many others, I unknowingly bought a blacklisted phone on eBay. It's a Samsung S7 with T-Mobile from the US. I live in Costa Rica, and I'm trying to use a SIM from a local service provider. Sending the phone back for an uninteresting list of various reasons is impossible at this point. So, I am attempting to unlock it.
I rooted the phone with SuperSu thinking that would work, now I know better. After hours and hours of research, I found a xda dev that can remove the lock, but with my slow internet speed, he says it's impossible.
I was suggested to use one of the paid services, but I'm concerned that if my slow connection will not work for the xda dev, why would it work for a paid unlock service? My connection is 5/1. Anyone have any luck buying the expensive @$$ service and successfully receiving the code with a slow connection?
Is there really no way around the T-Mobile Unlock App?
Is there truly no DIY process or program that I can do, being that the paid unlock services may not to work?
I really need this phone to work. I just moved to Costa Rica, and I use my phone to work. So, I am pretty damn stuck between a rock and a hard place with spikes. I'm pretty desperate, almost willingly to pay my last money to a dumb unlock service.
But some of the services say that it will not work if the phone is blacklisted.
I just don't know what my options are at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try https://www.gsmzambia.com/.
You need a Windows PC with Teamviewer.
Anthonyx82x said:
Firmware swap? So you're saying you can take a Note 4 on T-Mobile that is blacklisted and you can fix the problem just by flashing a new firmware from AT&T? Am I understanding that correctly or no? Because I have a Note 4 that is on T-Mobile that someone left at my GF's work and never came back for, so they wanted to throw it away, so I took it, I rooted it, deleted all the bloatware and have it working great as a small tablet, but I can't use it as a phone because it is blacklisted. Been trying to find a way to use it for years now with no luck, I will not dish out any money to one of those sites, I don't trust them. If there is a way I can do it myself I would surely try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I am saying - that and a SIM from a carrier other than the one that blacklisted the IMEI - I took my own phone from VZW to T-Mobile (Tracfone supports both carrier networks). Because it was an internal swap (same MVNO), it cost me nothing.
Here's what's going on (long story) around two years ago I bought an unlocked Galaxy Note 4 from a friend that was having no issues using her phone with t-mobile even though the phone was made for Sprint, and I stress the word Sprint. She had also bought the phone off hand from someone else, and seeing as to how I liked the phone as well she sold it to me. She had it for around a year and gave it to me because it was too big for her. I get the phone I do a factory format and what not and plop in my Sim card. The phone worked great for about two years. I used it for T-Mobile since it was unlocked and everything worked. This is where I get troubled. Around November of 2017 I lost my service completely from the phone and I called up T-Mobile and they told me that the phone was blacklisted and therefore unusable. I was bummed. I checked the IMEI through a checker online and yes I confirmed that it was blacklisted. After all that time that my friend and I had it for the phone all of the sudden became blacklisted. That was not the main issue. Remember the phone is for Sprint and I can confirm that through the settings of the phone and the rom and whatnot, but my IMEI shows up as T-Mobile in the online checkers! So in my phone it shows up as a Sprint phone not T-mobile. I know that the phone is originally Sprint because Sprint is a CDMA network and with my T-mobile sim I only get up to 3G service not LTE or even 4G, although I understand why and I am ok with 3G. But why does it show up as a T-mobile phone online not a sprint phone? Thanks for any help plus please ask questions if you need to.
If it's unlocked, my understanding is that it can be used in either one so long as the handset itself has the ability to do both the GSM and CDMA signals (if i'm right of course) but it sounds like the phone was blacklisted because it may have been reported lost/stolen all of a sudden (highly doubt) or the original Owner has some issue involving debt with the original carrier of the phone (most likely). happened to me once when i got a phone off ebay. all good for 3 months, then bamn it was blacklisted.