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I am urgently in need of someone who can solve this network problem I have been having. Right now I can not access any mobile network with this phone.
I am using an Atrix 4g unlocked and rooted.
Basically, my problem is that my phone has been asking me for a "SIM network unlock PIN" every since my time in Italy.
I recently went to Italy 2 weeks ago, and came back yesterday. On my first day in Italy I bought an Italian SIM card from the Mobile Network company Tre, a company similar to AT&T. When I replaced my AT&T network card with the Tre one, it asked for the SIM network unlock pin. Seeing that I did not have a code on me at the time, and after trying several numbers given to my by Tre, I replaced the tre card with my original AT&T SIM card. I later learned that my phone was not international and I unfortunately did not call AT&T ahead to unlock it, causing the phone to lock network access. I learned that this is a security feature in case your phone is stolen.
I'm asking for your help because I spent literally over an hour with tier one and tier two support of both AT&T and Motorola technical support all telling me the same BS.
Before calling any support numbers, I went to an AT&T branch, and I told them the situation. They replaced my AT&T SIM card with a new one, yet the phone still asked for the SIM network unlock PIN. They then told me to call support and ask them about a subsidy unlock code. AT&T phone support gave me multiple codes to unlock the phone, but none of them worked. All of the SIM and IMEP numbers on the phone were correct in their systems too. After telling me exactly the same thing as tier 1 support, AT&T tier 2 then transferred me to common Motorola support tier 1 support. Motorola only told me to hard reset the phone, which I do multiple times every time I update your firmware anyway. The last hard reset I did to my device was literally 30 minutes before I called technical support. They then told me that the only thing I could do is to replace the phone under warranty with either motorola or AT&T.
However, I am in a pickel becuase my phone is completly unlocked, rooted, has CFW/kernel, etc...and I think that wards the warranty.
I have been using this same firmware ever since I got this phone during the last summer, and it has been working perfectly. After I put in the Italian SIM card, the network locks. I have no where else to turn but to an expert here on xda.
Is there anything I can do? The only thing I can think of is to tell my story to a nonobservant AT&T guy over at a store and ask him to replace it. However, I don't know what would happen if they found out my phone is unlocked and they gave me a new phone under warranty before realizing this...
Thanks
eurosport360 said:
I am urgently in need of someone who can solve this network problem I have been having. Right now I can not access any mobile network with this phone.
I am using an Atrix 4g unlocked and rooted.
Basically, my problem is that my phone has been asking me for a "SIM network unlock PIN" every since my time in Italy.
I recently went to Italy 2 weeks ago, and came back yesterday. On my first day in Italy I bought an Italian SIM card from the Mobile Network company Tre, a company similar to AT&T. When I replaced my AT&T network card with the Tre one, it asked for the SIM network unlock pin. Seeing that I did not have a code on me at the time, and after trying several numbers given to my by Tre, I replaced the tre card with my original AT&T SIM card. I later learned that my phone was not international and I unfortunately did not call AT&T ahead to unlock it, causing the phone to lock network access. I learned that this is a security feature in case your phone is stolen.
I'm asking for your help because I spent literally over an hour with tier one and tier two support of both AT&T and Motorola technical support all telling me the same BS.
Before calling any support numbers, I went to an AT&T branch, and I told them the situation. They replaced my AT&T SIM card with a new one, yet the phone still asked for the SIM network unlock PIN. They then told me to call support and ask them about a subsidy unlock code. AT&T phone support gave me multiple codes to unlock the phone, but none of them worked. All of the SIM and IMEP numbers on the phone were correct in their systems too. After telling me exactly the same thing as tier 1 support, AT&T tier 2 then transferred me to common Motorola support tier 1 support. Motorola only told me to hard reset the phone, which I do multiple times every time I update your firmware anyway. The last hard reset I did to my device was literally 30 minutes before I called technical support. They then told me that the only thing I could do is to replace the phone under warranty with either motorola or AT&T.
However, I am in a pickel becuase my phone is completly unlocked, rooted, has CFW/kernel, etc...and I think that wards the warranty.
I have been using this same firmware ever since I got this phone during the last summer, and it has been working perfectly. After I put in the Italian SIM card, the network locks. I have no where else to turn but to an expert here on xda.
Is there anything I can do? The only thing I can think of is to tell my story to a nonobservant AT&T guy over at a store and ask him to replace it. However, I don't know what would happen if they found out my phone is unlocked and they gave me a new phone under warranty before realizing this...
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, perm SIM locked.
Pretty sure that has to go back to the manufacturer to be fixed, if it can be fixed at all.
Just go ask for a replacement, they shouldn't be able to unlock it anyways.
Longcat14 said:
Ahh, perm SIM locked.
Pretty sure that has to go back to the manufacturer to be fixed, if it can be fixed at all.
Just go ask for a replacement, they shouldn't be able to unlock it anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the reply.
However, two things:
1) I thought it might be permanent, but I was not sure. Back in Italy I remember the phone giving me a certain number of try's, so I now that I think of it I might have exceeded that, causing it to perm lock. Is there any other way in telling if it's perm locked?
2) Also, one of my concerns is that AT&T will see that my phone is unlocked and rooted and all of that, thus warding the warranty and the replacement. I'm thinking that maybe after I give them this phone and I get a new one, they look at the old phone in the future and will see that its rooted and unlocked. Is this possible or what?
eurosport360 said:
thanks for the reply.
However, two things:
1) I thought it might be permanent, but I was not sure. Back in Italy I remember the phone giving me a certain number of try's, so I now that I think of it I might have exceeded that, causing it to perm lock. Is there any other way in telling if it's perm locked?
2) Also, one of my concerns is that AT&T will see that my phone is unlocked and rooted and all of that, thus warding the warranty and the replacement. I'm thinking that maybe after I give them this phone and I get a new one, they look at the old phone in the future and will see that its rooted and unlocked. Is this possible or what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Just putting your sim card in and having the phone not respond pretty much sums up the sim lock.
2) I would at least revert the phone back to stock. AFAIK, unlocking the bootloader burned some sort of efuse so returning it back to a true factory state is "technically" impossible, but I do remember seeing that you could at least relock(?) and removed the unlocked notification at boot. I believe you should still be able to access the phone even when the sim has been locked, just start it without a sim card in place. If you can bring it back to an AT&T build, I think you'll be okay if you're still under warranty.
Just remember that next time you travel, either have an unlocked GSM phone or get a sim subsidy code from the carrier that the phone is linked to.
Would getting a code from cellunlock.net work? Or is their code the same as the ones given to me by AT&T tech support?
AT&T tech support gave me three '8 digit numbers', which were randomly generated. None of those worked. DO you think a cellunlock number would work?
Also, I am reading up on some forums saying that people in my situation (who's phone does not accept any SIM card and still askes for the code), can get the phone to accept some codes by reverting to stock firmware and radio. This is by .sbf though....
If things haven't changed, I believe the sim subsidy unlock would only clear the phone for the next foreign sim card placed in the phone whereas a real unlock code would completely unlock the code. Once your phone has been locked though, I don't think that code will be of use anymore.
It wouldn't hurt to try to sbf back to a stock build provided you follow the proper instructions to not get the x1000 hard bricks. Aside from trying that, I would think your best bet would be to just get the phone exchanged under warranty.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
SIM lock
Looks like you have locked your SIM. Since you have rooted your phone you voided your warranty , best bet is look for SIM unlock code from online probably ebay will give you cheaper options, try them if worked great if not then there is a tool to root/unroot any android device, I will post the download link once i find. restore the device to factory settings if it permits and unroot back . then claim for replacement.
Hi i just unlock my device after hours of investigation. You have to change the baseband. Here is what you have to do. Flash the baseband to the ones from brazil (search in google sbf not the zip ones), after the process you can put it back to the usa at&t radio. Ones you change to tha brazil radio (wipe always before changes radio), put one sim card of another provider and voila, the code will work. You need to have your phone with no registration of motoblur at all.
I hope it will help you.
Enviado desde mi MB860 usando Tapatalk 2
kemoli said:
Hi i just unlock my device after hours of investigation. You have to change the baseband. Here is what you have to do. Flash the baseband to the ones from brazil (search in google sbf not the zip ones), after the process you can put it back to the usa at&t radio. Ones you change to tha brazil radio (wipe always before changes radio), put one sim card of another provider and voila, the code will work. You need to have your phone with no registration of motoblur at all.
I hope it will help you.
Enviado desde mi MB860 usando Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey this metod works with an lg p930 too?
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.
[Q] (Unlocked) AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4 SGH i337 gives MM#6 error for MetroPCS SIM Card
Hello everyone. I feel that I have a rather unique issue here.
My sister recently bought an AT&T GS4 from eBay to use here under a MetroPCS service. I took it to a local phone shop in order to have it unlocked. I am not a noob when it comes to rooting/unlocking/ROMing/etc. since I've done so and experimented with my Verizon HTC Rezound. Since I've nearly bricked my Rezound three times, I decided that I should leave it to someone more experienced.
I took it in, within 2hrs the guy had the phone unlocked for me. He put in a Simple Mobile SIM card, I called my own phone and it worked. I take it to Metro PCS to have my sisters current line transferred to a SIM card to use the GS4 with. The problem is that whenever the SIM card is put into the phone and turned on, it says Phone not allowed (MM#6). I then proceeded to look up the IMEI to see if its blacklisted. I checked online and it said that it was clean. I also went to a corporate AT&T store to have them check if it is indeed blacklisted and they said that it is clean. While at the store, I decided to look through the phone for anything unusual. After checking the Status of the phone, I find that the IMEI value is 0. I then hit the *#06# menu and get a popup which says IMEI 0/04. I let the Sales Rep know and ask him if that could be an issue and he said that whoever I took it to might have messed up with the root and that there's nothing they can do since I don't have service with them.
I thought that maybe the phone wasn't connecting to the network because it wasn't set on the GSM radio so I used the *#*#4636#*#* menu but yet nothing happens. I added the APN values for T-Mobile (works for MetroPCS) and still no luck. I even tried factory resetting the phone but whenever I add the SIM card, I keep getting the same popup. In the Service Menu (*#0011#>>Back>>Key Input: 1) UMTS Main Menu, I hit [2] Version Info >> [1] SW Version >> [1] Read IMEI >> and it says "IMEI NOT ACTIVE."
I started looking around the net to see if I can restore and/or repair the phone and I've seen YouTube videos of people unlocking the code by using the Service Menu. Currently, I'm looking around the XDA Forums to see if there is anything I can try out. I'd appreciate the help. I do not want to install any ROMs on my sister's phone unless I absolutely have to. If anything, at the moment I'm trying to flash back to stock. Does anybody know anything about this issue? Also, if I am posting in the wrong area, I apologize for the inconvenience.
You need to put the original imei back to your phone, because the guy unlock the phone for you he messed up with your phone 's imei that why after unlock the phone shows zero imei
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
shock_and_awe said:
Hello everyone. I feel that I have a rather unique issue here.
My sister recently bought an AT&T GS4 from eBay to use here under a MetroPCS service. I took it to a local phone shop in order to have it unlocked. I am not a noob when it comes to rooting/unlocking/ROMing/etc. since I've done so and experimented with my Verizon HTC Rezound. Since I've nearly bricked my Rezound three times, I decided that I should leave it to someone more experienced.
I took it in, within 2hrs the guy had the phone unlocked for me. He put in a Simple Mobile SIM card, I called my own phone and it worked. I take it to Metro PCS to have my sisters current line transferred to a SIM card to use the GS4 with. The problem is that whenever the SIM card is put into the phone and turned on, it says Phone not allowed (MM#6). I then proceeded to look up the IMEI to see if its blacklisted. I checked online and it said that it was clean. I also went to a corporate AT&T store to have them check if it is indeed blacklisted and they said that it is clean. While at the store, I decided to look through the phone for anything unusual. After checking the Status of the phone, I find that the IMEI value is 0. I then hit the *#06# menu and get a popup which says IMEI 0/04. I let the Sales Rep know and ask him if that could be an issue and he said that whoever I took it to might have messed up with the root and that there's nothing they can do since I don't have service with them.
I thought that maybe the phone wasn't connecting to the network because it wasn't set on the GSM radio so I used the *#*#4636#*#* menu but yet nothing happens. I added the APN values for T-Mobile (works for MetroPCS) and still no luck. I even tried factory resetting the phone but whenever I add the SIM card, I keep getting the same popup. In the Service Menu (*#0011#>>Back>>Key Input: 1) UMTS Main Menu, I hit [2] Version Info >> [1] SW Version >> [1] Read IMEI >> and it says "IMEI NOT ACTIVE."
I started looking around the net to see if I can restore and/or repair the phone and I've seen YouTube videos of people unlocking the code by using the Service Menu. Currently, I'm looking around the XDA Forums to see if there is anything I can try out. I'd appreciate the help. I do not want to install any ROMs on my sister's phone unless I absolutely have to. If anything, at the moment I'm trying to flash back to stock. Does anybody know anything about this issue? Also, if I am posting in the wrong area, I apologize for the inconvenience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're not alone on this one. I bought an AT&T S3 and having the exact same issue as you are. Here's my story...LOL. I met with a gentleman at the local AT&T store. We checked the IMEI, verified it was in good standing. Since he's the original owner, I purchased the phone from him. I use my MetroPCS SIM, and I get the same "MM#6" code you described. I'm very familiar with using AT&T phones on MetroPCS. I have transferred two NOTE 2s and an S4 to Metro accounts with no issues at all. BTW...the IMEI is still in good standing & when I insert a MetroPCS SIM, the IME still shows in the AT&T S3.
My Phone specs: Samsung Galaxy S3
Carrier: AT&T
Version: Android 4.3
What I've tried:
Downgrade to 4.1.1 (Unfortunatley, bootloader can not be downgraded)
There's two things I can think of...The Android version has something to do with it. Or...I've found out that my S3 was used overseas. And since your phone was from Ebay, theres no telling how the phone was used.
My next step is to purchase a clean SIM card from MetroPCS and have transferred to my account. I'll keep you posted on my findings. For now, I'd go to AT&T store and use their SIM and see if your IMEI comes back. Or downgrade the phone if possible and start from the bottom and work your way up.
---------- Post added at 02:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:02 PM ----------
shock_and_awe said:
Hello everyone. I feel that I have a rather unique issue here.
My sister recently bought an AT&T GS4 from eBay to use here under a MetroPCS service. I took it to a local phone shop in order to have it unlocked. I am not a noob when it comes to rooting/unlocking/ROMing/etc. since I've done so and experimented with my Verizon HTC Rezound. Since I've nearly bricked my Rezound three times, I decided that I should leave it to someone more experienced.
I took it in, within 2hrs the guy had the phone unlocked for me. He put in a Simple Mobile SIM card, I called my own phone and it worked. I take it to Metro PCS to have my sisters current line transferred to a SIM card to use the GS4 with. The problem is that whenever the SIM card is put into the phone and turned on, it says Phone not allowed (MM#6). I then proceeded to look up the IMEI to see if its blacklisted. I checked online and it said that it was clean. I also went to a corporate AT&T store to have them check if it is indeed blacklisted and they said that it is clean. While at the store, I decided to look through the phone for anything unusual. After checking the Status of the phone, I find that the IMEI value is 0. I then hit the *#06# menu and get a popup which says IMEI 0/04. I let the Sales Rep know and ask him if that could be an issue and he said that whoever I took it to might have messed up with the root and that there's nothing they can do since I don't have service with them.
I thought that maybe the phone wasn't connecting to the network because it wasn't set on the GSM radio so I used the *#*#4636#*#* menu but yet nothing happens. I added the APN values for T-Mobile (works for MetroPCS) and still no luck. I even tried factory resetting the phone but whenever I add the SIM card, I keep getting the same popup. In the Service Menu (*#0011#>>Back>>Key Input: 1) UMTS Main Menu, I hit [2] Version Info >> [1] SW Version >> [1] Read IMEI >> and it says "IMEI NOT ACTIVE."
I started looking around the net to see if I can restore and/or repair the phone and I've seen YouTube videos of people unlocking the code by using the Service Menu. Currently, I'm looking around the XDA Forums to see if there is anything I can try out. I'd appreciate the help. I do not want to install any ROMs on my sister's phone unless I absolutely have to. If anything, at the moment I'm trying to flash back to stock. Does anybody know anything about this issue? Also, if I am posting in the wrong area, I apologize for the inconvenience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heres my update. MetroPCS SIM card is "married" to each IMEI/PHONE. My phone in question (the ATT S3) was not correctly associated with my account. I called MetroPCS customer service (1-888-8METRO8) gave them the ATT S3 IMEI and the SIM number. within 10 minutes, the ATT S3 was up and running. I hope it helps.
Please provide feedback.
I had a similar issue with MM#6
I called MetroPCS - informed them I was receiving MM#6 error and asked them to 'activate' my phone.
Gave them my IMEI and within a few minutes, I was golden!
WORKED
Thank you for your update worked perfect...:d:d:d
clenceo said:
you're not alone on this one. I bought an at&t s3 and having the exact same issue as you are. Here's my story...lol. I met with a gentleman at the local at&t store. We checked the imei, verified it was in good standing. Since he's the original owner, i purchased the phone from him. I use my metropcs sim, and i get the same "mm#6" code you described. I'm very familiar with using at&t phones on metropcs. I have transferred two note 2s and an s4 to metro accounts with no issues at all. Btw...the imei is still in good standing & when i insert a metropcs sim, the ime still shows in the at&t s3.
My phone specs: Samsung galaxy s3
carrier: At&t
version: Android 4.3
what i've tried:
Downgrade to 4.1.1 (unfortunatley, bootloader can not be downgraded)
there's two things i can think of...the android version has something to do with it. Or...i've found out that my s3 was used overseas. And since your phone was from ebay, theres no telling how the phone was used.
My next step is to purchase a clean sim card from metropcs and have transferred to my account. I'll keep you posted on my findings. For now, i'd go to at&t store and use their sim and see if your imei comes back. Or downgrade the phone if possible and start from the bottom and work your way up.
---------- post added at 02:43 pm ---------- previous post was at 02:02 pm ----------
heres my update. Metropcs sim card is "married" to each imei/phone. My phone in question (the att s3) was not correctly associated with my account. I called metropcs customer service (1-888-8metro8) gave them the att s3 imei and the sim number. Within 10 minutes, the att s3 was up and running. I hope it helps.
Please provide feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Hi guys,
I've recently purchased and S7 Edge thinking that it would be easy to unlock and use in Canada. The phone isn't on any blacklist that I can find and I've contacted T-Mobile and they said no problem for the unlock using the app. But every time I try the app to unlock it based on the email from T-Mobile the app says unlock failed: device is permanently unlocked. But none of my SIM cards work.
I'm wondering if I was to flash it to a Canadian carriers ROM would the device then work with a carrier here or would it still somehow be locked to T-Mobile?
Looking for some advice on what maybe I can do here. Love the phone but it's useless unless I can get a SIM to work.
ahlerl said:
Hi guys,
I've recently purchased and S7 Edge thinking that it would be easy to unlock and use in Canada. The phone isn't on any blacklist that I can find and I've contacted T-Mobile and they said no problem for the unlock using the app. But every time I try the app to unlock it based on the email from T-Mobile the app says unlock failed: device is permanently unlocked. But none of my SIM cards work.
I'm wondering if I was to flash it to a Canadian carriers ROM would the device then work with a carrier here or would it still somehow be locked to T-Mobile?
Looking for some advice on what maybe I can do here. Love the phone but it's useless unless I can get a SIM to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Locking/Unlocking is not dependable on which firmware your phone is. If your phone is locked/unlocked no matter what you flash it will stay the same.The unlocking process with the app, you will need a Tmobile sim in the first place to do it. After that, you will need to turn off your phone and introduce the non-tmobile sim. When you introduce the non-tmobile sim, do you get a sim unlock message?
One thing that I noticed (I have 2 Tmobile S7 edge at the moment) is the unlocking app is not that accurate or Tmobile servers not up to date. I had a fully paid Tmobile that showed for months my phone was not eligible for unlocking, then one day that I decided to try it again and it showed it was unlocked.
It's weird because at one point it said it was unlocked.... But still wouldn't work... I've called t-mobile 3 times now and have gotten the different answers. First time no problem, will send you to the unlock team... They said use the app, to no avail. Next time, there's a balance owing on the phone you can't and you need an unlock code too, third time oh we'll do it just need to get you the unlock code....
Needless to say I never got an unlock code. And even though I checked the blacklist before getting it, t-mobile keeps their own so it may have a balance owing according to their site. Media device it is then I guess.