Database Users

How sketchy are the ebay unlockers?

I have not ever done this before, but I found this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/UNLOCK-Code-AT-...Accessories&hash=item1c138c9851#ht_4764wt_913
I was wondering if any of these are legit or do they all fall into the realm of too good to be true. I have called at&t and they stated that I could not have an unlock code so that is why I am going down this route, if it turns out to be legit.
Anyway I welcome your feedback about what may be just a dumbass question, LOL.
p.s. the only reason I am looking at this guy's page is that he has +50000 reviews with 99.8% quality.

my one experience with an ebay unlock code was it bricked the phone I was using. After doing further research I found that this was a constant for that phone. I have not seen any posts about unlocking an Aria yet but I also have not been looking for them since I am on AT&T so there is no need to unlock the phone for a different carrier currently.

that's the same guy i used to unlock 3 at&t phone. i never had a problem

If you are going out of the country then call att and tell them that. they will give you your unlock code for free all youll have to do is get a different (Non att) sim.

sd73ta said:
If you are going out of the country then call att and tell them that. they will give you your unlock code for free all youll have to do is get a different (Non att) sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They changed that policy. Now you have to wait for your contract to run out before they will unlock your phone, even if you tell them you're traveling. I tried calling them and having them unlock it, and that's what they told me. I was really disappointed too, because they've unlocked my phone before and never gave me any trouble because of the contract.
Maybe if I had threatened to unlock it anyhow, I might have had better luck– but I doubt it.

Ya I tried calling them too. Told them my situation and it was denied. I guess I will try this guy. At the most I am out 10 bucks.
Sent from my HTC Intruder using the XDA app.

fluffyarmada said:
They changed that policy. Now you have to wait for your contract to run out before they will unlock your phone, even if you tell them you're traveling. I tried calling them and having them unlock it, and that's what they told me. I was really disappointed too, because they've unlocked my phone before and never gave me any trouble because of the contract.
Maybe if I had threatened to unlock it anyhow, I might have had better luck– but I doubt it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange, I just re-upped my contract when buying my Aria, and unlocked my phone with the code from ATT tech support for free. I do go internation a few times/year, so that may be a flag that I am not entirely lying, but it was no problem. Also, I used chat, instead of phone...they gave the my code in 10 seconds.

So I took the plunge. Fast service from this guy. Bought yesterday and got today. Went by t-mobile store and borrowed a sim. Put in unlock code and let me in the system. Rebooted to verify with t-mobile sim. Did not ask for code the second time.
Altogether happy. Me -$13.00. Phone unlocked.
Buyer beware. Cannot guarantee same results.
Sent from my HTC Intruder using the XDA app.

breakeven said:
I have not ever done this before, but I found this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/UNLOCK-Code-AT-...Accessories&hash=item1c138c9851#ht_4764wt_913
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also used blowfish06 to try and unlock my HTC Aria. He couldn't unlock it for whatever reason and immediately refunded my money. I'd use him again.

breakeven said:
Went by t-mobile store and borrowed a sim. Put in unlock code and let me in the system. Rebooted to verify with t-mobile sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just curious so please forgive me but how did that go, you walked into store..umm, can I borrow a sim ? they just hand them out to try out ?
I spoke with ATT tech (actually chat and then called to verify..) and they said they will give unlock code in 90 days from day of activation, no problem on their part, no cost.

i'm curious about all this too and still with a locked HTC Aria.
I went to the ebay link and read everything.
At some point it says:
"...be advised I cannot do refunds if phone asking for a PIN (personal code) which is password set on the phone (?)"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if this is my phone and I have the personal password, then I might have it.
When inserting a SIM card the phone says:
"SIM network unlock PIN", SOOOOO, I don't get it... will write the guy an email about it and hear what he says about it...
Eager to unlock this phone!

So..
1. I have heard various things from people regarding what AT&T will do for them. I would call them first and if they will unlock it for you then great. I spoke to them and they would not give it to me and told me that they had an exclusive right to the phone for the foreseeable future.
2. I did just walk into the t-mobile store and ask for a sim. The girl looked at me puzzled and said they are 20 bucks. I told here I need it for five seconds to unlock my phone. She said that Phones don't do that. I said that I have the code. She gave me a used sim.
In conclusion I think that I did go searching for a credible way to do this. I don't want a million people telling me what at&t's policy is since I did call them though. At any rate I did unlock my phone so I am good.

breakeven said:
So..
1. I have heard various things from people regarding what AT&T will do for them. I would call them first and if they will unlock it for you then great. I spoke to them and they would not give it to me and told me that they had an exclusive right to the phone for the foreseeable future.
2. I did just walk into the t-mobile store and ask for a sim. The girl looked at me puzzled and said they are 20 bucks. I told here I need it for five seconds to unlock my phone. She said that Phones don't do that. I said that I have the code. She gave me a used sim.
In conclusion I think that I did go searching for a credible way to do this. I don't want a million people telling me what at&t's policy is since I did call them though. At any rate I did unlock my phone so I am good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I ask you and if you remember what was the message the phone displayed before you unlock it with the t-moblie SIM card?
It was the message "SIM network unlock PIN" or what did it say?
I believe what you did, I've done certain type of things in past, walking into a store and asking for those sort of things... lol... great that it worked!

Ya it was something like "SIM NETWORK UNLOCK" not a personal unlock and I had to put in the 8 digit unlock code I bought off ebay. The previous post of mine was just about all the people stating all the AT&T policies that they have heard of and asking why I didn't just call them when I stated in my first post that I did. Also ya social engineering worked great there as they gave me some old sim to use they they found in a desk that didn't work but had a different network ID on it so it would prompt me for the SIM UNLOCK code.

seems then that I 'm having the same message, will try buying a code from the ebay guy then.
thanks a lot for your response.
PS. Calling AT&T wont work for me either as I bought the phone through ebay and I have not and will never have AT&T phone # or something to just simply call them and say 'hey I bought one of your phones over ebay, would you please give me the unlock code?' lol...

just bought a code from the ebay seller... will see how it develops and if the code works.
I will post results and everything related once I have the code

universal Sim
I have tried a few online sellers and they say a code is not available for my aria. Bummer, hopefully that will change. I remembered I had one of those universal sim chips like a Rebel Sim. I sort of works. Sometimes when I turn the phone on I can manually choose the network and get service, but most of the time it won't connect. Maybe I can buy a newer version of the universal sim.

Well dude, I got to say that the ebay deal really worked for me!!! Couldn't be more happy!
Was a little skeptical about it but just got the code on the email minutes ago and worked right away!!!
Cost me 9.95 because the price was reduced and paid with PayPal. Bought it in the morning and got the code minutes ago.
There's another ebay seller with the same price/offer which seems to work too (good feedback too)
--------------
ravemind said:
universal Sim
I have tried a few online sellers and they say a code is not available for my aria. Bummer, hopefully that will change. I remembered I had one of those universal sim chips like a Rebel Sim. I sort of works. Sometimes when I turn the phone on I can manually choose the network and get service, but most of the time it won't connect. Maybe I can buy a newer version of the universal sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What phone did you tried to unlock?
---------------
Thanks to breakeven and xda-developers forum!!!

I decided to test this out today for fun.
I tried 3 different ebay unlockers (all were rated as top-sellers) and all 3 were unable to unlock my off-contract Aria (from Amazon). They did, however, offer to try on another server, at around 2-3x the original cost, which I refused and was refunded my money.
I really don't care if my Aria can be unlocked since I have no intention of leaving AT&T anyway, but I thought I'd share MY experience with the rest of you. YOUR experience may vary.
On a side note, I unlocked 2 different models of Blackberry (again, just for fun) a few days ago using one of those ebay sellers with no problem. So I wouldn't worry too much about getting ripped off (as long as they are top rated sellers).

tongas
hey tongas would you mind telling us which ebay seller unlocked you Aria?
Thanks

[Q] Where to get cheap SIM card so I can unlock phone????

Hi,
I am not technically inclined. I need to get my Samsung Galaxy SGHI1337 unlocked.
I am ready to pay for the unlocking service. But all my friends and families are on AT&T network like I am.
Where can I get a non-AT&T SIM card cheap to get my phone unlocked via cellunlocker.net? I only have access to an old, never-activated AT&T SIM card.
I know cellunlocker gives you 3 options, but I heard inserting a non-AT&T SIM card is the most successful route.
Thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friend, co-worker / friend, classmate.
go to a store and tell them you want to unlock it because your contract is up in a couple months and you want to make sure you can use their service, they prob have one in the store thats even activated for testing purposes.
just a few thoughts off top of my head.

Thanks!
MoodSwinger said:
Friend, co-worker / friend, classmate.
go to a store and tell them you want to unlock it because your contract is up in a couple months and you want to make sure you can use their service, they prob have one in the store thats even activated for testing purposes.
just a few thoughts off top of my head.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All my friends and families are at this point are on AT&T network. It really sucks. Asked some friends' friends....they are scared of loaning me the SIM.
But thanks for the idea of going to a store instead!! I have not even thought of that one.

Another Quick Question
MoodSwinger said:
Friend, co-worker / friend, classmate.
go to a store and tell them you want to unlock it because your contract is up in a couple months and you want to make sure you can use their service, they prob have one in the store thats even activated for testing purposes.
just a few thoughts off top of my head.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I called TMobile. They said they sell a SIM card for $10.00 at the store. After that, I will need to activate the service at the store.
The problem is I am fine with AT&T since I get special discount through relatives working for AT&T. I just want to get phone unlocked so I can take it with me to Europe.
But does the SIM have to be activated for the unlocking purpose? If not, I can just buy a TMobile SIM and unlock, right?
Thanks a lot in advance!

confused2014 said:
I called TMobile. They said they sell a SIM card for $10.00 at the store. After that, I will need to activate the service at the store.
The problem is I am fine with AT&T since I get special discount through relatives working for AT&T. I just want to get phone unlocked so I can take it with me to Europe.
But does the SIM have to be activated for the unlocking purpose? If not, I can just buy a TMobile SIM and unlock, right?
Thanks a lot in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to a mall or T-mobile kiosk and get a $10 prepaid sim. They should activate it where you buy it.

Yeah like ^^he said^^, I was more thinking walk into a place, a kiosk is a good idea too, when they see you face to face and you deal with a "person" they do things a bit different than give the "company response" over the phone.
Not sure of where you live, but I heard they sell Straight Talk sims at Walmart now...don't know myself. but I think they are like $7.
Also maybe an easier time walking into a MVNO, like Boost or Metro PCS or one of those where you can Bring Your Own Phone and just tell them you want to unlock it and see if it will work with their service before your contract is up. But you have better luck going in and standing in front of the person IMO.
Good Luck.

I stopped at a T-Mobile store and said I was looking to change to them from AT&T and they gave me a sim to unlock the phones with. I guess it depends on who you talk to.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

If your on att you can order a prepaid sim off eBay for $0.99 just make sure its one compatible with tmo for example and not att and it will work for phone unlocking. For example http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SPOT-MO...MOBILE-4G-UNLIMITED-iPhone-4-4S-/190892268791 good luck

wickedninjalo said:
If your on att you can order a prepaid sim off eBay for $0.99 just make sure its one compatible with tmo for example and not att and it will work for phone unlocking. For example http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SPOT-MO...MOBILE-4G-UNLIMITED-iPhone-4-4S-/190892268791 good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do I need to actually activate any plan on the simcard? Or it will connect to network out of the box, if unlock was successful?

darshakk said:
Do I need to actually activate any plan on the simcard? Or it will connect to network out of the box, if unlock was successful?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah you shouldn't need to activate it. Just pop it in and it should recognize that it's a SIM that isn't supported (tmo based) by the network your locked to (att) and it should ask for the unlock code and you can proceed with whatever unlocking procedure your using.
I've done this on a gs1, Infuse, and a gs3. For selling purposes. An unlocked device is alot easier to sell, that's why I did it. Haven't done it to my gs4... Yet. But it should work just the same.

wickedninjalo said:
Nah you shouldn't need to activate it. Just pop it in and it should recognize that it's a SIM that isn't supported (tmo based) by the network your locked to (att) and it should ask for the unlock code and you can proceed with whatever unlocking procedure your using.
I've done this on a gs1, Infuse, and a gs3. For selling purposes. An unlocked device is alot easier to sell, that's why I did it. Haven't done it to my gs4... Yet. But it should work just the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, that's exactly what I was searching for this whole morning. I'll order one and unlock it. Thanks

darshakk said:
Awesome, that's exactly what I was searching for this whole morning. I'll order one and unlock it. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to help

Straight talk has like a kit and they send you the sim cards from the various carriers, my mom recently tried to switch from at&t on her iphone (crapple) to straight talk because it would be cheaper, then the week before she was going to cancel her at&t plan, her at&t work discount went from 19% to 50% off her bill so... but yeah came with a sim kit and all, just not the unlock code

mejakola said:
Straight talk has like a kit and they send you the sim cards from the various carriers, my mom recently tried to switch from at&t on her iphone (crapple) to straight talk because it would be cheaper, then the week before she was going to cancel her at&t plan, her at&t work discount went from 19% to 50% off her bill so... but yeah came with a sim kit and all, just not the unlock code
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once your contact is up they might just give it to you if you ask. Those kits would never coming to unlock code. The first reason each code is different for each device. Second I'm sure they would have a lawsuit on their hands if they did. You can always just tell them you're going out of the country and need the unlock code to use the cell phone over there.
but in the end it's so much more fun in hacking to get to device unlocked on your own. But again that's my own opinion.

99 cents for several different ones at http://pickyoursim.com/

I had Verizon at one point and I wanted a new sim card so I just went to the closest Verizon retail store and asked for another one. They asked me why and I told them that I was having network problems so they gave me a free one.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Unlock Sprint Version

Hi,
So a friend of mine is bringing the Essential Phone to India from the USA. It is a Sprint model. Can anyone help me and tell me how can I go about unlocking the device so that I can use it with Indian carriers?

zaydenQ said:
Hi,
So a friend of mine is bringing the Essential Phone to India from the USA. It is a Sprint model. Can anyone help me and tell me how can I go about unlocking the device so that I can use it with Indian carriers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have your friend from the USA stay on a sprint account for 50 days then he can call them to unlock it for international as long as it's paid in full.

Unlock sprint
Hey. Can somebody help me with the unlock my essential phone pH 1

I had to send mine back. They have two types of UICC unlocks. One of them in for carriers inside the USA only and the other is for international carriers. The problem is that the international unlock is temporary. Even if the phone is paid in full their systems are relocking lots of phones when used on international carriers using the essential on USA carriers seems to be fine. Mine was paid in full with sprint and was unlocked for 1 month when I called Sprint they said that the international UUIC unlock is temporary so I needed to request it again. I decided to return the phone and once I got the refund and I purchased one directly from essential and my problems were solved.

Sprint is a CDMA network, so you need to check a few things before actually using the phone outside Sprint network.
CDMA networks use network-based white lists to verify their subscribers. That means you can only switch CDMA phones with your carrier’s permission. Details: https://www.unlockunit.com/blog/cdma-networks/
However, you might be able to use your phone with a local Indian GSM network. You must make sure that your phone has also GSM capabilities. you can check this on https://www.gsmarena.com/
And you can check your network's bands here: https://www.frequencycheck.com/

Jahdiel2011 said:
I had to send mine back. They have two types of UICC unlocks. One of them in for carriers inside the USA only and the other is for international carriers. The problem is that the international unlock is temporary. Even if the phone is paid in full their systems are relocking lots of phones when used on international carriers using the essential on USA carriers seems to be fine. Mine was paid in full with sprint and was unlocked for 1 month when I called Sprint they said that the international UUIC unlock is temporary so I needed to request it again. I decided to return the phone and once I got the refund and I purchased one directly from essential and my problems were solved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was your phone unlocked after 50 days with Sprint? I'm only keeping Sprint for 50 days to get them to do the international unlock. After that I will cancel. My phone was automatically unlocked for US sims after I paid off the lease and I'm using it with a T-mobile sim now. I noticed that the UICC menu is gone with my T-mobile sim in the phone. Do you know if the phone can be relocked for international sims even if it doesn't have a Sprint sim in the phone?

DrvLikHell said:
Was your phone unlocked after 50 days with Sprint? I'm only keeping Sprint for 50 days to get them to do the international unlock. After that I will cancel. My phone was automatically unlocked for US sims after I paid off the lease and I'm using it with a T-mobile sim now. I noticed that the UICC menu is gone with my T-mobile sim in the phone. Do you know if the phone can be relocked for international sims even if it doesn't have a Sprint sim in the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine was paid in full and was unlocked both domestically and internationally. I was not 50 days with Sprint. Since I had to travel abroad I asked for the International unlock which they granted as I had already paid for the phone. I started using the phone in South America and around one month later I got the Invalid SimCard message. When I called they said that the UUIC international unlock is temporary so I need to call Sprint and request it again. The domestic unlock is permanent not the same for the international (It made no sense) I called again yesterday to get info on their policies again and now I got different info the phone was supposedly unlocked according to their systems.
Besides this I've got info from trusted sources saying that even devices purchased Unlocked from essential are being locked by sprint when inserting sprint sim cards so stay away from those sim cards.

unlocked then relocked
My phone was unlocked by Sprint shortly after I paid it off, about two days after I received it. I was able to insert a Vietnamese SIM card and download all the Essential security updates.
Then somehow it got relocked. called Sprint to asked them to unlock it internationally, as I actually do travel internationally for work quite a bit. They responded with an email refusing to unlock it until it had been on the network for 50 days.
I have had the last three phones on Sprint unlocked internationally with less trouble than this one.
I guess I'll try again when the 50 days are up.

Jahdiel2011 said:
Mine was paid in full and was unlocked both domestically and internationally. I was not 50 days with Sprint. Since I had to travel abroad I asked for the International unlock which they granted as I had already paid for the phone. I started using the phone in South America and around one month later I got the Invalid SimCard message. When I called they said that the UUIC international unlock is temporary so I need to call Sprint and request it again. The domestic unlock is permanent not the same for the international (It made no sense) I called again yesterday to get info on their policies again and now I got different info the phone was supposedly unlocked according to their systems.
Besides this I've got info from trusted sources saying that even devices purchased Unlocked from essential are being locked by sprint when inserting sprint sim cards so stay away from those sim cards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that information. When you were in South America and got the invalid sim card message, were you on a non-US sim? Did you put the Sprint sim back in at any time before you got that message? I'm trying to figure out if they can relock the device without the Sprint sim card in it, because if so I'm not keeping this phone. I requested the international unlock on my phone as well, but they told me I had to wait until the phone was active for 50 days. They wouldn't budge on that at all. Maybe the 50 day policy is why yours got relocked?
huzordaddy said:
My phone was unlocked by Sprint shortly after I paid it off, about two days after I received it. I was able to insert a Vietnamese SIM card and download all the Essential security updates.
Then somehow it got relocked. called Sprint to asked them to unlock it internationally, as I actually do travel internationally for work quite a bit. They responded with an email refusing to unlock it until it had been on the network for 50 days.
I have had the last three phones on Sprint unlocked internationally with less trouble than this one.
I guess I'll try again when the 50 days are up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My phone was unlocked for domestic sims 48 hours after the lease was closed. US sims work in it now, but I put a European sim in it and it asked for an unlock code. Did your phone get relocked while it had the Vietnamese sim in it, or were you swapping between that and the Sprint sim?
Once my 50 days are up and I cancel Sprint, I really don't want to have a phone that can be randomly locked by a company that I no longer have any business with. If that's the case I'm going to get rid of this phone and go with another brand.

DrvLikHell said:
Thanks for that information. When you were in South America and got the invalid sim card message, were you on a non-US sim? Did you put the Sprint sim back in at any time before you got that message? I'm trying to figure out if they can relock the device without the Sprint sim card in it, because if so I'm not keeping this phone. I requested the international unlock on my phone as well, but they told me I had to wait until the phone was active for 50 days. They wouldn't budge on that at all. Maybe the 50 day policy is why yours got relocked?
My phone was unlocked for domestic sims 48 hours after the lease was closed. US sims work in it now, but I put a European sim in it and it asked for an unlock code. Did your phone get relocked while it had the Vietnamese sim in it, or were you swapping between that and the Sprint sim?
Once my 50 days are up and I cancel Sprint, I really don't want to have a phone that can be randomly locked by a company that I no longer have any business with. If that's the case I'm going to get rid of this phone and go with another brand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not even bring the Sprint Sim on my trip so I'd say Yes. They can relock it even with other sim card. I was using non US sims the whole time. I'm not sure if the issue is the 50 days policy but I did not want to have a phone I paid in full and cannot own as I should.

How can they lock the phone if it's not on their Network? Sounds like some funny business with firmware updates.
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA Labs

I got a Essential from an ebay reseller, I checked the IMEI before buying it , said it was clean... and thought that's all that mattered :/
It's locked to someone's sprint account or something, i can't use it on sprint even if I wanted! I have no way of contacting that owner... what can I do?
Can I put some other firmware on it or is there some unlocking service I can opt for?
When I contacted sprint they said the phone is clean/not stolen... so yeah... very frustrating.
Please help/advise.

Edwii said:
I got a Essential from an ebay reseller, I checked the IMEI before buying it , said it was clean... and thought that's all that mattered :/
It's locked to someone's sprint account or something, i can't use it on sprint even if I wanted! I have no way of contacting that owner... what can I do?
Can I put some other firmware on it or is there some unlocking service I can opt for?
When I contacted sprint they said the phone is clean/not stolen... so yeah... very frustrating.
Please help/advise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's locked to someone elses Sprint account, and it's not sim unlocked so you can't use it on a GSM service, the only option you have is to return it to the eBay seller. If the seller said it was unlocked or otherwise ready to be activated, that was incorrect and you can do an "Item not as described" type of return, stating that it is not able to be used and you'll get your money back. eBay offers very good protection for this sort of thing.
avd said:
How can they lock the phone if it's not on their Network? Sounds like some funny business with firmware updates.
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to know the same thing. From what I've learned the sim lock is a single bit somewhere that's nearly impossible to change without an unlock code. And I've never heard of a phone relocking. I don't know how they're doing it with the Essential. The interesting thing is that when you put in a non-sprint sim, the phone will then update to a newer firmware because sprint is behind on theirs, but it can still relock with the newer firmware. Also, with a non-sprint sim the UICC menu disappears, but then it comes back when you put a sprint sim back in. I don't know what its deal is.
Just the fact that it's possible for sprint to relock a phone remotely is enough to steer me away from this phone. I can't be in a situation where I'm relying on my phone for communication in another country and then, oops, sprint decided to relock my phone and now I can't contact anyone. I've been in situations where that could be very dangerous. If I stay with the PH1, I'll sell my sprint phones and get one directly from the company. Otherwise, I'm already looking at other phones.

Edwii said:
I got a Essential from an ebay reseller, I checked the IMEI before buying it , said it was clean... and thought that's all that mattered :/
It's locked to someone's sprint account or something, i can't use it on sprint even if I wanted! I have no way of contacting that owner... what can I do?
Can I put some other firmware on it or is there some unlocking service I can opt for?
When I contacted sprint they said the phone is clean/not stolen... so yeah... very frustrating.
Please help/advise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
File a claim.
Device different than specified.

So Far the PH-1 is a great option only if you buy it directly from essential and Never EVER put a Sprint Sim Card on it.

Edwii said:
I got a Essential from an ebay reseller, I checked the IMEI before buying it , said it was clean... and thought that's all that mattered :/
It's locked to someone's sprint account or something, i can't use it on sprint even if I wanted! I have no way of contacting that owner... what can I do?
Can I put some other firmware on it or is there some unlocking service I can opt for?
When I contacted sprint they said the phone is clean/not stolen... so yeah... very frustrating.
Please help/advise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
File a claim with eBay, they'll get your money back!

I have found that a lot of eBay sellers just put "Check IMEI" in their listing, with no other claim to being locked/unlocked, etc. So that it then becomes the buyer's responsibility to throughly check it before they buy. I checked the IMEI on Ting's website and they said it was good to go (vs. a phone that I have with a Bad ESN that they knew about and would understandably not accept - and no this is not a post about Bad ESN so back off wolfdroids!) I didn't bother filing a claim though because it makes an excellent WiFi Smartphone.
Still, I hate Sprint. No nonsense "Account Number and PIN" or we're not going to help you. I wanted to see about paying off the lease myself. Nope! They don't want my money.

atrac88 said:
I have found that a lot of eBay sellers just put "Check IMEI" in their listing, with no other claim to being locked/unlocked, etc. So that it then becomes the buyer's responsibility to throughly check it before they buy. I checked the IMEI on Ting's website and they said it was good to go (vs. a phone that I have with a Bad ESN that they knew about and would understandably not accept - and no this is not a post about Bad ESN so back off wolfdroids!) I didn't bother filing a claim though because it makes an excellent WiFi Smartphone.
Still, I hate Sprint. No nonsense "Account Number and PIN" or we're not going to help you. I wanted to see about paying off the lease myself. Nope! They don't want my money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Find someone that has a Sprint account and see if they can add it on so you can pay it off and use it. It's too good of a phone to be stuck at home being used as a mini-tablet

@Jahdiel2011 About how long did your international sim unlock last before it relocked on you?

30 days or so

Invalid sim scam?

I purchased this phone through Craigslist. The guy stated it was unlocked so I thought great! Let's seal the deal. I popped my T-Mobile SIM in and like magic, it worked like a charm. Next day, invalid sim. I called Sprint, they said the phone is unlocked but no help. I called TMobile, they said it's not us it's Sprint. Popped the sim into my unlocked Pixel XL, boom! It worked. Popped it back into my Essential Phone and invalid sim, network locked. What gives? I call the guy back, straight to voicemail. I text him, it's been 10hrs nothing. Is it something going on with these phones that scammers are burning people with them?

LOVE ME PLEASE said:
I purchased this phone through Craigslist. The guy stated it was unlocked so I thought great! Let's seal the deal. I popped my T-Mobile SIM in and like magic, it worked like a charm. Next day, invalid sim. I called Sprint, they said the phone is unlocked but no help. I called TMobile, they said it's not us it's Sprint. Popped the sim into my unlocked Pixel XL, boom! It worked. Popped it back into my Essential Phone and invalid sim, network locked. What gives? I call the guy back, straight to voicemail. I text him, it's been 10hrs nothing. Is it something going on with these phones that scammers are burning people with them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same thing happened to me until i updated the software. worked fine after that.

Did you get the latest update today? Because that's the build that I I'm having invalid sim on.
ceelos218 said:
same thing happened to me until i updated the software. worked fine after that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

LOVE ME PLEASE said:
Did you get the latest update today? Because that's the build that I I'm having invalid sim on.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ohh ok i see what your saying... when i first got my phone i was on Nougat and my sim wasnt recognized so i updated it to the Aug build and then i was able to use my Verizon sim again. right now i just updated to the Sep build and i cant use it any longer. im also wondering if theres a fix.

ceelos218 said:
ohh ok i see what your saying... when i first got my phone i was on Nougat and my sim wasnt recognized so i updated it to the Aug build and then i was able to use my Verizon sim again. right now i just updated to the Sep build and i cant use it any longer. im also wondering if theres a fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! So, it's not just me? Sad to here that my friend. I contacted Essential Phone via Twitter hours ago. Still no word.

LOVE ME PLEASE said:
Wow! So, it's not just me? Sad to here that my friend. I contacted Essential Phone via Twitter hours ago. Still no word.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah and I don't have time to mess around with it. Now I'm stuck without data

ceelos218 said:
Yeah and I don't have time to mess around with it. Now I'm stuck without data
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Click to collapse
Same here! Are you able to make calls?

LOVE ME PLEASE said:
Same here! Are you able to make calls?
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Click to collapse
I just tried it with a Sprint SIM card and it works perfectly fine.

Good to know. I just checked Twitter and now there are many of people complaining about this very issue.
ceelos218 said:
I just tried it with a Sprint SIM card and it works perfectly fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

LOVE ME PLEASE said:
I purchased this phone through Craigslist. The guy stated it was unlocked so I thought great! Let's seal the deal. I popped my T-Mobile SIM in and like magic, it worked like a charm. Next day, invalid sim. I called Sprint, they said the phone is unlocked but no help. I called TMobile, they said it's not us it's Sprint. Popped the sim into my unlocked Pixel XL, boom! It worked. Popped it back into my Essential Phone and invalid sim, network locked. What gives? I call the guy back, straight to voicemail. I text him, it's been 10hrs nothing. Is it something going on with these phones that scammers are burning people with them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was on the same situation last week but mines network locked while I flashing firmwares to get T-Mobile wifi calling working the Sprint Essential Variant. I tried everything including flashing the Nougat builds and then Oreo builds and all kinds of combinations but no luck. I was lucky because the guy I bought it from was honest seller and called Sprint and Essential himself negate Sprint kept saying it was unlocked. He ended up giving me his old SIM card since he had called his service. I inserted into my phone and let it sit for an hour while connected to WiFi. I restarted my phone I was able to go to mobile settings and changed to Global and it's been unlocked since last Thursday.
If you go to the Sprint website and dig around you'll see the only way for Sprint to unlock an Android phone is to have a Sprint Sim in the phone. Maybe you can get a Sprint Sim card just so it can connect to the servers and get it unlocked.
Good Luck
https://forum.xda-developers.com/es...print-version-unlocked-t-mobile-wifi-t3830989

mexicandroid said:
I was on the same situation last week but mines network locked while I flashing firmwares to get T-Mobile wifi calling working the Sprint Essential Variant. I tried everything including flashing the Nougat builds and then Oreo builds and all kinds of combinations but no luck. I was lucky because the guy I bought it from was honest seller and called Sprint and Essential himself negate Sprint kept saying it was unlocked. He ended up giving me his old SIM card since he had called his service. I inserted into my phone and let it sit for an hour while connected to WiFi. I restarted my phone I was able to go to mobile settings and changed to Global and it's been unlocked since last Thursday.
If you go to the Sprint website and dig around you'll see the only way for Sprint to unlock an Android phone is to have a Sprint Sim in the phone. Maybe you can get a Sprint Sim card just so it can connect to the servers and get it unlocked.
Good Luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your testimony. Wow! This is madness for an unlocked device. It almost seems as though Sprint is in on the scam themselves??? But thank you so much for your help friend. I'll check back in to let you guys know what happens??? I'm contacting Essential as we speak via support email... we'll see?

mexicandroid said:
I was on the same situation last week but mines network locked while I flashing firmwares to get T-Mobile wifi calling working the Sprint Essential Variant. I tried everything including flashing the Nougat builds and then Oreo builds and all kinds of combinations but no luck. I was lucky because the guy I bought it from was honest seller and called Sprint and Essential himself negate Sprint kept saying it was unlocked. He ended up giving me his old SIM card since he had called his service. I inserted into my phone and let it sit for an hour while connected to WiFi. I restarted my phone I was able to go to mobile settings and changed to Global and it's been unlocked since last Thursday.
If you go to the Sprint website and dig around you'll see the only way for Sprint to unlock an Android phone is to have a Sprint Sim in the phone. Maybe you can get a Sprint Sim card just so it can connect to the servers and get it unlocked.
Good Luck
https://forum.xda-developers.com/es...print-version-unlocked-t-mobile-wifi-t3830989
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was the sim he gave you to insert into your Essential, activated?

I have the same problem but im not in America, I'm in Australia and have no contact to a Sprint SIM Card....I've tried fastboot and flashing but still nothing. Any help would be great right now

LOVE ME PLEASE said:
Was the sim he gave you to insert into your Essential, activated?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It had his old number programmed into it but it didn't hey any service. Sprint's setup is different than T-Mobile because of the CDMA technology they use. It's not like T-Mobile that you just pop the Sim into another phone.
I honestly don't know if you can use any Sprint SIM card but you will definitely need one from my experience. The good news for you seems to be that it is most likely paid off if Sprint says it's unlocked.
---------- Post added at 11:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:37 AM ----------
rainer217 said:
I have the same problem but im not in America, I'm in Australia and have no contact to a Sprint SIM Card....I've tried fastboot and flashing but still nothing. Any help would be great right now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After the first time it Sim locked the phone I was able to unlock it ONCE by fishing different builds but I was trying to get TMobile WiFi calling working so I kept flashing thinking it was going to stay unlocked after but sure enough it locked again and I after that I could not get it unlocked. I tried flashing so many firmwares and then updates through OTA download through the app and side loading. See if maybe you can order one online from Sprint or maybe on eBay.

mexicandroid said:
See if maybe you can order one online from Sprint or maybe on eBay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I originally got it from eBay and just emailed the guy, hopefully he knows what to do. I was told by my carrier (Optus Australia) that they could do some shifty stuff with the OS to trick it to enable it then once an update happens it changes it back to locked. However don't think that is the case due to it being a wide spread case according to the people on twitter.

rainer217 said:
I originally got it from eBay and just emailed the guy, hopefully he knows what to do. I was told by my carrier (Optus Australia) that they could do some shifty stuff with the OS to trick it to enable it then once an update happens it changes it back to locked. However don't think that is the case due to it being a wide spread case according to the people on twitter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my experience the issue is with Sprint, Essential can't really do anything about it because of the Variant

mexicandroid said:
From my experience the issue is with Sprint, Essential can't really do anything about it because of the Variant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great point. But I was thinking more along the side of Essential Phone, contacting Sprint, letting them know that it's a wide spread issue.

LOVE ME PLEASE said:
Great point. But I was thinking more along the side of Essential Phone, contacting Sprint, letting them know that it's a wide spread issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint knows by know, if you read around the web it's been going on for months. Seems the just expect you to have a Sprint Sim laying around to unlock it lol. After my unmoving experience I don't think I would ever get Sprint service lol

rainer217 said:
I originally got it from eBay and just emailed the guy, hopefully he knows what to do. I was told by my carrier (Optus Australia) that they could do some shifty stuff with the OS to trick it to enable it then once an update happens it changes it back to locked. However don't think that is the case due to it being a wide spread case according to the people on twitter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha!
Do you have a feeling that Sprint will fix this issue since it's widespread? I'm starting to think that Sprint was in on it. Or am I just an upset customer??? It's not happening to Sprint customers on there network, just people who are not on their network but have a Sprint variant. I have a strong feeling that Sprint locked us out of a unlocked phone intentionally. You?

mexicandroid said:
Sprint knows by know, if you read around the web it's been going on for months. Seems the just expect you to have a Sprint Sim laying around to unlock it lol. After my unmoving experience I don't think I would ever get Sprint service lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. This is crazy, months??? Still no software fix??? I'm starting to believe it's a network fix only. They need to officially make an open statement regarding the situation, on how to resolve the matter. I think it's time to beat down Sprints Twitter page for a resolution.

T-Mobile (USA) Carrier Lock

I got an S10+ as a gift. I asked T-Mobile support to unlock it and they said no problem and that it would take 72 hours.
Well it's been over a week and I've been back and forth with support trying everything up to and including a factory reset all with no luck. They're now saying that they've "exhausted their efforts" and that *some phones can't be unlocked".
I've never experienced this with support before and am not sure what to do next. I'm pretty sure Samsung is just going to refer me back to the carrier if I try them. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

Mikesmith2738 said:
I got an S10+ as a gift. I asked T-Mobile support to unlock it and they said no problem and that it would take 72 hours.
Well it's been over a week and I've been back and forth with support trying everything up to and including a factory reset all with no luck. They're now saying that they've "exhausted their efforts" and that “some phones can't be unlocked".
I've never experienced this with support before and am not sure what to do next. I'm pretty sure Samsung is just going to refer me back to the carrier if I try them. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*Bump*

How do you know it's still locked?

Do you have an account with T-Mobile? Contact their Twitter at TMobile help they are usually way more helpful then calling or chatting thru their website and I've personally unlocked dozens of phones like that, paid off or not.

Outbreak444 said:
How do you know it's still locked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I go to Settings and click "Permanent Unlock" I get an error message *Your phone isn't elligible to be unlocked. Reason code: 999".
However, you're right that I haven't tried to put in a different SIM maybe it already unlocked?

Mikesmith2738 said:
When I go to Settings and click "Permanent Unlock" I get an error message *Your phone isn't elligible to be unlocked. Reason code: 999".
However, you're right that I haven't tried to put in a different SIM maybe it already unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it is a Tmobile branded phone version then it is locked. Tmobile can unlock it as long as your account is 3+ month old and in good standing I think.

VICosPhi said:
If it is a Tmobile branded phone version then it is locked. Tmobile can unlock it as long as your account is 3+ month old and in good standing I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, their support said they entered it in the system to unlock and it's not working so I don't know what to do next. It's a weird position to be in.
It's my understanding that they used to unlock with an app, but that now it's built into the firmware? In any case, can't get it to work and they have literally said there's nothing else they can do which is really strange.

Mikesmith2738 said:
Again, their support said they entered it in the system to unlock and it's not working.so I don't know what to do next. It's a weird position to be in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the person that gifted it to you got it from T-mobile store then it would be quick, but if they got it from elsewhere, T-mobile always has trouble finding that order and IMEI and takes forever to actually unlock it.
Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

VICosPhi said:
If the person that gifted it to you got it from T-mobile store then it would be quick, but if they got it from elsewhere, T-mobile always has trouble finding that order and IMEI and takes forever to actually unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's directly from T-Mobile, and I gave them a screen shot of the IMEI which they confirmed over and over.
If they can't unlock it, can a third party?

No one knows?

Mikesmith2738 said:
No one knows?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try with a non T-mobile SIM and if it is still locked, take it to the T-mobile store and have them call customer service to unlock. This way the store representative can let them know it is in fact locked.
Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

Mikesmith2738 said:
No one knows?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bump

Having the same issue with TMobile always get my phones unlocked via Twitter s8, note8, s9, note 9, onplus 6t all on JOD one thing they all had in common was the unlock app with the new S10 they having build in into the system and I have spend 1 month trying to unlock it even have gotten the phone replaced thinking it was defective , T-Mobile chat has said multiple times they did a override to unlock and still nothing I feel like there is an issue with the new build in unlock process vs the unlock app

Do we know if we can use a code to unlock the phone with different firmware? Are we stuck using T-Mobile's unlock protocol/app?

HtcOnekid said:
Having the same issue with TMobile always get my phones unlocked via Twitter s8, note8, s9, note 9, onplus 6t all on JOD one thing they all had in common was the unlock app with the new S10 they having build in into the system and I have spend 1 month trying to unlock it even have gotten the phone replaced thinking it was defective , T-Mobile chat has said multiple times they did a override to unlock and still nothing I feel like there is an issue with the new build in unlock process vs the unlock app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's my experience too... there's no app and T-Mobile seems to have no solution.
So what do we do now?

Mikesmith2738 said:
That's my experience too... there's no app and T-Mobile seems to have no solution.
So what do we do now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I traded in the S10+ to the LG g8 just to make sure is the phone since the LG still has the unlock app I'll test and see
Edit: asked TMobile via Twitter for the unlock and when through the app , pressed permanent unlock and walla

I was able to successfully unlock my phone through T-Mobile on twitter. They just need your IMEI and will whitelist it. There is no unlock app anymore. I did have to chat with another rep however because the first rep that tried to help me did something wrong on their end and they tried to tell me to use the unlock app which the S10's don't have.

Locking a device with zero EIP balance should be illegal.
I went through this when I bought a 128GB S6 Edge outright. The phone was paid in full at the store yet they wanted me to wait 40 days to unlock it. I tried 3rd party unlockers and they said they couldn't unlock it. (all attempts with codes failed)
It was a real cluster-f.
I just buy my phones from ebay now. No carrier junk or branding and none of this nonsense either. Paypal is great if a seller tries to jerk you around. Fortunately I haven't had any problems.

djlee0314 said:
I was able to successfully unlock my phone through T-Mobile on twitter. They just need your IMEI and will whitelist it. There is no unlock app anymore. I did have to chat with another rep however because the first rep that tried to help me did something wrong on their end and they tried to tell me to use the unlock app which the S10's don't have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah their training is clearly a little behind, but I went through their escalations team and everything and they literally said the had "exhausted all efforts" and added that "some phones can't be unlocked". How crazy is that?
So my current question is... are there still third party unlocks possible?

cpufrost said:
Locking a device with zero EIP balance should be illegal.
I went through this when I bought a 128GB S6 Edge outright. The phone was paid in full at the store yet they wanted me to wait 40 days to unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mines similar, a promo free phone with no obligation.