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Hi guys - first post here, wish it was under less stressful circumstances. Anyway - got a Samsung Galaxy S i9000 today, I have no previous experience of such things, anyway, started it up, transferred contacts etc, installed the sniper program (for root access), Uploaded axera, went through all the motions but after reboot it was still the stock samsung apps, i did get the yellow android triangle digging and googled it which said just to pull the battery (maybe this is where things went wrong) - now the phone works with the standard samsung ROM but after entering PIN i get asked for SIM network unlock PIN. I am really ****ting it incase i have to send it back and they won't fix it - have i screwed my phone? please someone help!
There are a whole lot of missing steps there, and some of them are the important ones.
So far, it looks to me like you have locked it to a different carrier than your SIM card is for. There are unlock solutions on here to extract the unlock code from the phone. You will need to do one of these. If you cannot get past that screen try booting it without a SIM card installed (you will need to enable USB debugging to get the unlock code).
Hi,
I just wanna know what happened to my phone. It is a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 sm-n900 from Saudi Arabia, and brought back here in the Philippines still unaware of the region lock thingy and voila! yes it did....
i tried a custom ROM to unlock it and yes it did!...but if wifi is turned on it would be stuck on the "turning on" message. and another problem is that i ddnt backed up my efs files so it messed up my IMEI. Now my current IMEI was the same with the original but since it was rewritten it is not valid so I cant make a phone call or text message together with the wifi problem. so flashed the stock ROM back...and rooted it with odin and installed root explorer. i have read a thread here that if you delete the efs folder the os will give you a generic IMEI , unexpectedly my phone was fixed!...and on the lock screen it has two date and time one says roaming and another is home....but im using local sim not from the region where the phone was locked.....
I really dont know what happed??? can someone tell me?...what just i did? the phone is working the way it should i mean no problem at all!
but my IMEI was generic the one with and my sn is also changed
estompek said:
Hi,
I just wanna know what happened to my phone. It is a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 sm-n900 from Saudi Arabia, and brought back here in the Philippines still unaware of the region lock thingy and voila! yes it did....
i tried a custom ROM to unlock it and yes it did!...but if wifi is turned on it would be stuck on the "turning on" message. and another problem is that i ddnt backed up my efs files so it messed up my IMEI. Now my current IMEI was the same with the original but since it was rewritten it is not valid so I cant make a phone call or text message together with the wifi problem. so flashed the stock ROM back...and rooted it with odin and installed root explorer. i have read a thread here that if you delete the efs folder the os will give you a generic IMEI , unexpectedly my phone was fixed!...and on the lock screen it has two date and time one says roaming and another is home....but im using local sim not from the region where the phone was locked.....
I really dont know what happed??? can someone tell me?...what just i did? the phone is working the way it should i mean no problem at all!
but my IMEI was generic the one with and my sn is also changed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is a setting for lockscreen time where you can have 2 timezones,just go into the settings and turn it off.
MystaMagoo said:
there is a setting for lockscreen time where you can have 2 timezones,just go into the settings and turn it off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok sir thnx...so whats unclear to me is how did i fixed my phone?...i just deleted that efs file and then the phone just became normal...without the region lock...
Maybe u should remove ur imei from here
Sent from my SM-N900 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
lost my imei
MystaMagoo said:
there is a setting for lockscreen time where you can have 2 timezones,just go into the settings and turn it off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having the same issue but I took my AT&T Samsung galaxy note3 to an person on craigslist to unlock it "just unlock it" not change my imei number for I could use it with Metro Pcs. It works when it wants to I always have to turn it off and turn it on to get signal. It's a pain in the head. My question is you think I could recover my original imei number back? Your help is very appreciated LOTS!!! Thanks Sir....
Hi,
I need anyone's help for my mobile as it says Not registered on Network when I tried to call although the SIM is already inserted .
- This mobile was for Africa & ME version but already opened in ASIA (Non competible regaion ) and started asking the code.
- So it was routed by SU and tried to unlocked it but failed
- Then the mobile was sent back to Saudi Arabia, where I unrouted the mobile thru SU (by complete unroot option in side the SU, installed original firmware successfully. But when I try to call, it display a message as " Not registered on Network"
- I already inserted a paper between the SIM & SIM slot - no use , tried to change the setting thru Mobile Network but not accessible as it dispays " insert SIM to access the network".... ,, On & off several times - no use, went to Flight mode and back - no use...
Need anyone's guide / suggestions to resolve this issue.
Thanks
Farhan
So, if I understand you correctly, this S4 was an African phone that was powered up in Asia? If correct, then you encountered Samsung's region locking, meaning the device requires a SIM from the appropriate region. Needless to say, you don't have one of those.
This is not a hardware issue, but firmware. Therefore, inserting pieces of paper into the SIM card tray does nothing except waste time and potentially damage the SIM card tray. Airplane mode will not shut the region lock off nor will it deactivate a SIM lock.
To solve this...
1. Purchase an unlock code and type it in to remove the SIM lock. This is also supposed to remove the region locking.
If the unlock code does not remove the region locking, follow these additional steps.
2. Root.
3. Install and run RegionLock Away to remove the region locking.
On the I9505, users could downgrade the modem to an Android 4.2.2 version, root, and then run RegionLock Away to remove both the region lock and the SIM lock, thus completely unlocking the phone. However, you have an I9515, which came with Android 4.4.2 out of the box. Since the I9515 never had an Android 4.2.2 ROM available, RegionLock Away cannot remove the SIM lock, though it can still remove the region lock, which is its intended purpose. This is why you have to purchase an unlock code.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
So, if I understand you correctly, this S4 was an African phone that was powered up in Asia? If correct, then you encountered Samsung's region locking, meaning the device requires a SIM from the appropriate region. Needless to say, you don't have one of those.
This is not a hardware issue, but firmware. Therefore, inserting pieces of paper into the SIM card tray does nothing except waste time and potentially damage the SIM card tray. Airplane mode will not shut the region lock off nor will it deactivate a SIM lock.
To solve this...
1. Purchase an unlock code and type it in to remove the SIM lock. This is also supposed to remove the region locking.
If the unlock code does not remove the region locking, follow these additional steps.
2. Root.
3. Install and run RegionLock Away to remove the region locking.
On the I9505, users could downgrade the modem to an Android 4.2.2 version, root, and then run RegionLock Away to remove both the region lock and the SIM lock, thus completely unlocking the phone. However, you have an I9515, which came with Android 4.4.2 out of the box. Since the I9515 never had an Android 4.2.2 ROM available, RegionLock Away cannot remove the SIM lock, though it can still remove the region lock, which is its intended purpose. This is why you have to purchase an unlock code.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for your advise. :good:
As you understood that it is belongs to North African & Middle East.
In the phone box there is one sticker pasted which says need to insert the SIM from North Africa or Middle East first to active the phone where the Saudi Arabia also in the list, but now when I inserted the Mobily SIM from KSA, it displays the above message.
So still whether I have to go far a Unlock code or you have additional idea ?
Regards,
Farhan
I would buy the unlock code. The unlock code not only will remove the SIM lock, but it should also remove the region lock. As a bonus, you'll increase the S4's resale value, as unlocked devices command a premium over ones that are still locked to their carriers.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
I would buy the unlock code. The unlock code not only will remove the SIM lock, but it should also remove the region lock. As a bonus, you'll increase the S4's resale value, as unlocked devices command a premium over ones that are still locked to their carriers.
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Click to collapse
I went to a sim unlocking site where it says guaranteed unlocking service if the phone is not Hard Locked. So please tell me how to know my phone is hard locked or not.
For your info. wifi is working in my phone
Also, will you recommend any unlocking service site to try.
Thanks
Farhan
A little searching will do you wonders. I generally point people to sammobile's unlocking service, but if you do a search on Google you'll find hundreds of them.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
A little searching will do you wonders. I generally point people to sammobile's unlocking service, but if you do a search on Google you'll find hundreds of them.
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Click to collapse
I am coming back again to this thread after I communicated with a SIM lock Service Provider who clarified many questions and finaly advised me to take the phone to a workshop who can have original SIM and I tried the same but could not find any workshop to help in this regard.
But when I was checking a forum someone asked to check the status of the IMEI CERTIFICATE status by typing *#0011# which I did so and the mobile displayed as IMEI CERTI: FAIL.
I believe here is the problem for not recognizing the SIM . Please need your guide how to solve it.
IMEI certification is a red herring. My device, when it was on Touchwiz, worked perfectly even though the IMEI Certification result was "Fail".
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
IMEI certification is a red herring. My device, when it was on Touchwiz, worked perfectly even though the IMEI Certification result was "Fail".
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Click to collapse
So it is not the case you mean ?
I already flashed the official firmware successfuly and yesterday, I clicked the 'check update' option in the setting and it updated the latest version of the firmware. all options are working except this SIM access.
So do you think any causes like baseband version or modem problem etc.
Nope. I think you have a hardware issue. Especially if you've tried everything software related, including flashing the modem again.
For the same issue, I was in the Sammobile forum where they found my phone is not showing the product code as it says the Product Code: Not Active in the 'Phone Info *SamSung* ' program (CSC page screen shot attached)
Also they told that need to do some work on the nv-data file to restore your Product Code . But when I checked my EFS folder (rooted folder), I could not find this file. I.e. nv_data.bin (see the screen shot of the EFS file folder)
They guided me to follow the steps in this link. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=780509
but could not continue due to the missing file.
Current situation of my mobile:
- It is rooted with Super SU.
- Took the backup of this folder to my PC but no use due to the above missing file.
- EMEI in the system (*#06#) and written under the batteries are the same. (Not changed)
- All other functions including touch screen, wifi are perfectly working except the recognizing the SIM.
Appreciate your advise
Thanks
nv_data.bin hasn't been present in the EFS folder for some time now. Its information is stored in hidden partitions on the device. Those partitions can be backed up with Wanam's EFS backup tool, but to see what is in them requires you to break open the backup images.
You would be better off getting the S4 looked at, rather than risk bricking the S4 by modifying data in those partitions.
I am done with my research and yes I came with a big F in my certificate. I am exhausted, disgusted and utterly pissed! With that said, here is what happened, what I did to solve it and what was the aftermath.
What happened?
I got a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N900 as a gift from my friend. He purchased it from United States. As you can expect, I wasn't aware of this popular issue for Galaxy Note 3 because I didn't plan on purchasing it. If I would, I would have done my research. The phone, as beautiful as it was, arrived in its perfect state and worked like charm with one of the Bangladesh carriers (I used Grameenphone just in case any of you were curious).
Things were working great until I had to go to US myself. I had a transit in Saudi Arabia for about 12 hours. In the meantime, I purchased on of their local SIM card and stuffed inside Galaxy Note 3 (stop biting your nails. I know I screwed up). It worked like charm too. Arrived in US. Purchased a T-Mobile SIM card and surprisingly it worked great with that one too.
Things changed when I came back to Bangladesh though. Now that I am in my home country, the baby doesn't recognize its mother anymore. Not even a single carrier's SIM card gets detected inside NOTE 3. Instead there is a "X" sign on the top of the SIM card icon. To make it worse, the IMEI number is also gone. I know you wouldn't believe but I didn't go through any flashing process whatsoever. The only thing happened is I changed my location geographically. Since then, I never got it working. I never actually tried to get it working as I had so many phones in my stock.
But things changed. With time, my primary and secondary phones disappeared and I am only left with my Galaxy Note 3 (the last one got stolen). As a last resort, I tried everything but failed. According to the popular issues in internet, my phone doesn't ask for any sort of codes whatsoever. I am actually never greeted with that screen. The problem I have is, no matter which SIM I put in, it never detects. Any network related number execution obviously returns with "Not registered under network" (codes like *#06#). Tried the Region unlock away app by Chainfire and also didn't work. Tried tonnes of custom ROMs that didn't solve either. Right now before posting this question, I am downloading the stock 5.0 firmware from SamMobile for Bangladesh carriers. I hope it works but it will be my final try. After that, I live that upon you experts. Can you suggest what to do?
The actual problem
1) No SIM card is detected.
2) IMEI and IMEI SV says Unknown
3) Also a nifty info is after I used the Region Lock Away, it said the process failed because it "couldn't locate CSC data! You could try flashing a CSC package to correct this"
4) Just if you are curious, yes of course my device is rooted and currently running Lineage OS.
Thanks in advance.
2) IMEI and IMEI SV says Unknown
RESTORE your backed up EFS folder .
JJEgan said:
2) IMEI and IMEI SV says Unknown
RESTORE your backed up EFS folder .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now would you call it a self destruct if I said I don't have anything backed up? The IMEI disappeared when I arrived in Bangladesh and turned the phone on with the local carrier.
There has to be some way to get the SIM working, right?
Self destruct if you mean fail to read the basics then yes.
Suggest search IMEI problem amongst theo thousands of posts one or two succeeded .
Sent from my SM-N930F using XDA-Developers Legacy app
At some point after an update I noticed I couldn't use region specific apps like Galaxy Apps, Bixby Voice etc. (SM-G950U1 unlocked phone purchased and used in USA) I have been trying to find a solution for a long time now to no avail. However, I believe I managed to narrow down the problem to my csc code being gcf instead of xaa. I have been trying to revert my csc code to XAA several times now (recovery reset, Odin, using a Sprint sim etc.) Any tips?
Changing CSC code to the original one
UPDATE: I managed to solve the problem on my own despite being on call with Sprint support for hours on end to no avail. Basically, my problem was the following: I was using FreedomPop (VoIP number on a sim card). When I did a software update, my phone's CSC changed to GCF (which stands as unknown). I got a new sim card eventually (one from Sprint). However, I couldn't get it to activate and work on my phone. For others, the phone was rebooting after inserting the sim card and switching to SPR CSC whereas mine wasn't doing anything. I ended up using the Carrier Switch for Snapdragon guide (do a lot of reading beforehand). It ended up working out beautifully. I inserted the sim card, phone got activated and I was able to use all the apps I mentioned in the OP and get updates.
Berchtwald said:
At some point after an update I noticed I couldn't use region specific apps like Galaxy Apps, Bixby Voice etc. (SM-G950U1 unlocked phone purchased and used in USA) I have been trying to find a solution for a long time now to no avail. However, I believe I managed to narrow down the problem to my csc code being gcf instead of xaa. I have been trying to revert my csc code to XAA several times now (recovery reset, Odin, using a Sprint sim etc.) Any tips?
Changing CSC code to the original one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I need urgent help with this exact problem also...
maxi1773 said:
I need urgent help with this exact problem also...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I managed to solve the problem on my own despite being on call with Sprint support for hours on end to no avail. Basically, my problem was the following: I was using FreedomPop (VoIP number on a sim card). When I did a software update, my phone's CSC changed to GCF (which stands as unknown). I got a new sim card eventually (one from Sprint). However, I couldn't get it to activate and work on my phone. For others, the phone was rebooting after inserting the sim card and switching to SPR CSC whereas mine wasn't doing anything. I ended up using the Carrier Switch for Snapdragon guide (do a lot of reading beforehand). It ended up working out beautifully. I inserted the sim card, phone got activated and I was able to use all the apps I mentioned in the OP and get updates.
Hey peeps,
I myself am a newbie on Samsung but i found this on the web, use google translate. Hope it works
http://forum.android.com.pl/topic/317974-debranding-samsung-galaxy-s8/
I have the same problem and i've been looking all around for a way to make my phone update via OTA, but no chance, the last updat was from april 2017!
No i believe it's the same problem : region locking.
Is there a was to resolve this ?
The closest thing i found is that polonais link you published but it is a little outdated by now
Berchtwald said:
I managed to solve the problem on my own despite being on call with Sprint support for hours on end to no avail. Basically, my problem was the following: I was using FreedomPop (VoIP number on a sim card). When I did a software update, my phone's CSC changed to GCF (which stands as unknown). I got a new sim card eventually (one from Sprint). However, I couldn't get it to activate and work on my phone. For others, the phone was rebooting after inserting the sim card and switching to SPR CSC whereas mine wasn't doing anything. I ended up using the Carrier Switch for Snapdragon guide (do a lot of reading beforehand). It ended up working out beautifully. I inserted the sim card, phone got activated and I was able to use all the apps I mentioned in the OP and get updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok I'm ready to try this but my concern is that (G950U1UE1AQDC_XAA). Where the "UE1" on my phone is UES2 which means i am on bootloader ver-2 . Is Any way i can find a download containing bootloader ver-2 files?
Berchtwald said:
At some point after an update I noticed I couldn't use region specific apps like Galaxy Apps, Bixby Voice etc. (SM-G950U1 unlocked phone purchased and used in USA) I have been trying to find a solution for a long time now to no avail. However, I believe I managed to narrow down the problem to my csc code being gcf instead of xaa. I have been trying to revert my csc code to XAA several times now (recovery reset, Odin, using a Sprint sim etc.) Any tips?
Changing CSC code to the original one
UPDATE: I managed to solve the problem on my own despite being on call with Sprint support for hours on end to no avail. Basically, my problem was the following: I was using FreedomPop (VoIP number on a sim card). When I did a software update, my phone's CSC changed to GCF (which stands as unknown). I got a new sim card eventually (one from Sprint). However, I couldn't get it to activate and work on my phone. For others, the phone was rebooting after inserting the sim card and switching to SPR CSC whereas mine wasn't doing anything. I ended up using the Carrier Switch for Snapdragon guide (do a lot of reading beforehand). It ended up working out beautifully. I inserted the sim card, phone got activated and I was able to use all the apps I mentioned in the OP and get updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So i finally got through. What i did was root my phone then use the Samsung phone info app to change the csc (must be rooted to do this). after changing the csc i flashed back to stock rom and all is well.
maxi1773 said:
So i finally got through. What i did was root my phone then use the Samsung phone info app to change the csc (must be rooted to do this). after changing the csc i flashed back to stock rom and all is well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, been super busy this week. I was also on bootloader ver. 2. I'm glad you solved it though!