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Called AT&T Store in NYC for the Note 3; full price at @ $725 and they will unlock

Called AT&T Store in NYC for the Note 3; full price at @ $725 and they will unlock
I just called an AT&T store in Manhattan, NY and asked about the Note 3. They said they will be able to sell the phone on Oct. 4th, but will have the units for display beginning tomorrow. They also said they will sell the phone at the full price of $725 and that they will unlock it, but they will need to order the full-priced phone online, as the in-store units are all meant for the monthly plans. They will also need me to fill out a form to get some approval from AT&T for unlocking the phone.

My question is how do they unlock them? We should do whatever they do and that way it looks legit all the way through. No tripping that e-fuse from KNOX.

SgtGoldy said:
My question is how do they unlock them? We should do whatever they do and that way it looks legit all the way through. No tripping that e-fuse from KNOX.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course, I don't have the answer to how they unlock it. That may be a question for some of our XDA members who work for AT&T. Any takers?

incisivekeith said:
I just called an AT&T store in Manhattan, NY and asked about the Note 3. They said they will be able to sell the phone on Oct. 4th, but will have the units for display beginning tomorrow. They also said they will sell the phone at the full price of $725 and that they will unlock it, but they will need to order the full-priced phone online, as the in-store units are all meant for the monthly plans. They will also need me to fill out a form to get some approval from AT&T for unlocking the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SgtGoldy said:
My question is how do they unlock them? We should do whatever they do and that way it looks legit all the way through. No tripping that e-fuse from KNOX.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
incisivekeith said:
Of course, I don't have the answer to how they unlock it. That may be a question for some of our XDA members who work for AT&T. Any takers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think they mean they will unlock the bootloader, only that they will sim-unlock the phone.

http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB414532#

Zach Alt said:
I don't think they mean they will unlock the bootloader, only that they will sim-unlock the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mind explaining a bit more of the difference? Also, is it possible for any of these awesome devs on here to replicate?

SgtGoldy said:
Mind explaining a bit more of the difference? Also, is it possible for any of these awesome devs on here to replicate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocked bootloader means custom roms and root and whatnot. SIM unlocked means you can use an ATT phone on T-Mobile or vice versa.

Zach Alt said:
Unlocked bootloader means custom roms and root and whatnot. SIM unlocked means you can use an ATT phone on T-Mobile or vice versa.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick, simple, and clear. Thanks Zach :highfive:

SgtGoldy said:
Mind explaining a bit more of the difference? Also, is it possible for any of these awesome devs on here to replicate?
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Click to collapse
No AT&T Corporate store is going to do anything that AT&T doesn't instruct and allow them to. At least not more than once.
Here's AT&T's SIM unlock policy (from the above link).

BarryH_GEG said:
No AT&T Corporate store is going to do anything that AT&T doesn't instruct and allow them to. At least not more than once.
Here's AT&T's SIM unlock policy (from the above link).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you pay full price for a phone off contract they will always sim unlock it for you.

Why would you have to order the full priced one online?

drmacrofish said:
Why would you have to order the full priced one online?
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That's what I asked too, but the AT&T rep didn't have an answer. I wonder if other AT&T stores may do everything in the store.

incisivekeith said:
That's what I asked too, but the AT&T rep didn't have an answer. I wonder if other AT&T stores may do everything in the store.
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I would hope so. I went into my local one today and told them I wanted to buy one full price and he said sounds good like it wouldn't be an issue. Gave me his card and told me to call next week. I really hope I don't go in on the 4th and them have them tell me they got to order one for me and then have to wait even more. I will be sure to clarify that again next week.
This was at a corporate store by the way that I was at.

drmacrofish said:
I would hope so. I went into my local one today and told them I wanted to buy one full price and he said sounds good like it wouldn't be an issue. Gave me his card and told me to call next week. I really hope I don't go in on the 4th and them have them tell me they got to order one for me and then have to wait even more. I will be sure to clarify that again next week.
This was at a corporate store by the way that I was at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or you could order one on Monday.

So this is very interesting. I had been reading on XDA that the AT&T store in Jamaica, Queens, NY, had Note 3 phones for sale, so I called them this morning and asked if they had the black Note 3 in stock. The rep said they did, after consulting his manager.
I was a little shocked to hear they had phones in stock for sale, so I asked again if he meant Note 3. He said he meant Note 3, too. Then I asked him how much it would cost me to purchase the phone at the full price and he said it would be $725, after consulting again with the manager. I said I would drop by to buy the phone and hung up.
I had a couple of other questions, so i called again a few moments later, and confirmed again that they had Note 3 in stock for sale.
So, having confirmed so many times they had the phone in stock, I made a 50-min trip to their store, and ask for the rep I spoke with. The rep met me and then asked me to wait while he would get the phone. I heard him talking to a couple of colleagues of his and I kinda knew what was coming. They were saying something from which I concluded the phone was not in stock.
The rep came to me and said they didn't have the phone. I was PISSED! I told him that i asked and confirmed so many times if they had the phone and he said they did. The rep said he had asked his manager and the manager had said they did have the phone, so he told me they had the phone.
I spoke with the manager, and he said he was sorry as there was a misunderstanding. This pissed me off more. They specifically told me the price of the full-price Note 3 was $725 on the phone, so where the freak was the chance of mixing that phone with the Note 2 or any misunderstanding? I am normally very tolerant, but this just made me mad.
The dummy manager screwed it all up, and even when apologizing, he was very dismissive, saying they don't have the phone and will let me know when it arrives. I wanted to say, " You moron, I came to this store because you were selling it today. If I wanted to wait, I could have bought from where I live instead of making a long trip to this store." But, I didn't say that, completely. I said it without the "moron" part. It took them additional five minutes to look in their system to tell me it was going to be available for sale on Oct. 4th.
The funny part was another rep was telling two women they had the Note 3 for sale while I was standing there, after being told they didn't have the Note 3. So that rep went and asked someone and came back and told the women they didn't have the phone for sale. How incompetent these reps are at that store!
Other XDA members, who work at AT&T, this post is not directed toward you. I am just sharing my experience and frustration at the misinformation from and incompetence of the store reps of the Jamaica corporate AT&T store and the dummy manager.
I checked out the display unit of Note 3 at that store, and I have to say, I wasn't very impressed, in comparison to the Note 1. The display unit's baseband version wasn't N9005, but N900auc something.

I've dealt with a lot of dummy employees and managers at the At&t stores and t-mobile in the past so I know your pain. They most likely have the phone in stock but aren't allowed to sell it till the 4th of Oct.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app

Zach Alt said:
If you pay full price for a phone off contract they will always sim unlock it for you.
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Click to collapse
If you get a T-Mobile phone and have them unlock it it will be bootloader AND sim unlocked. This locked bootloader garbage makes me want to drop AT&T.

so this is only sim unlocked ? bootloader will still be locked ?

markysd said:
so this is only sim unlocked ? bootloader will still be locked ?
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Click to collapse
That is correct.

pretty sure u can get it unlocked on Ebay for cheaper.. Just like u can with iphones.. for a few bucks

[Q] Could Carrier block an Unlocked device ? LG G2 from T-mobile

I just traded my Nexus 4 plus cash with a T-mobile LG G2 from someone on Craiglist. I checked IMEI on swappa.com and it is clean.
The owner told me he got the g2 from an 2 year upgrade under T-mobile. And now he is using StraightTalk on T-mobile network,
After the trade, I sim unlocked the G2 and currently using it on AT&T (prepaid plan).
My question is that is there any chance that the guy called T-mobile and has t-mobile black-list my G2? The G2 is all doing good right now but I am a liitle worried.
Could T-mobile black-list an Unlocked G2?
I do have the text and email proof of our transaction.So if worst of worst my G2 get blacklist, could I show them to T-mobile to prove my ownership?
Thank you for any opinion~~

laofan said:
I just traded my Nexus 4 plus cash with a T-mobile LG G2 from someone on Craiglist. I checked IMEI on swappa.com and it is clean.
The owner told me he got the g2 from an 2 year upgrade under T-mobile. And now he is using StraightTalk on T-mobile network,
After the trade, I sim unlocked the G2 and currently using it on AT&T (prepaid plan).
My question is that is there any chance that the guy called T-mobile and has t-mobile black-list my G2? The G2 is all doing good right now but I am a liitle worried.
Could T-mobile black-list an Unlocked G2?
I do have the text and email proof of our transaction.So if worst of worst my G2 get blacklist, could I show them to T-mobile to prove my ownership?
Thank you for any opinion~~
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point it is probably not working on T-Mobile if he didn't meet his 2 year commitment I bought one on E-Bay which was a T-Mobile and I unlocked sim and used it on ATT with no problems and IMEI showed as good when I checked but still wouldn't work on T-Mobile. So I got with T-Mobile and they said IMEI showed good but phone was on a two year contract and individual wasn't suppose to sell it until after two year commitment so not working on T-Mobile. Also there is discussion of blacklisting across carriers if they do that won't work on any of them. Just be advised of that in case it goes dead on ATT. As of now I try to buy brand new if I can because I got burnt with my purchase because I am now on T-Mobile and can't use the phone I bought had to buy another one out right because I don't like contracts

jimmydee62 said:
At this point it is probably not working on T-Mobile if he didn't meet his 2 year commitment I bought one on E-Bay which was a T-Mobile and I unlocked sim and used it on ATT with no problems and IMEI showed as good when I checked but still wouldn't work on T-Mobile. So I got with T-Mobile and they said IMEI showed good but phone was on a two year contract and individual wasn't suppose to sell it until after two year commitment so not working on T-Mobile. Also there is discussion of blacklisting across carriers if they do that won't work on any of them. Just be advised of that in case it goes dead on ATT. As of now I try to buy brand new if I can because I got burnt with my purchase because I am now on T-Mobile and can't use the phone I bought had to buy another one out right because I don't like contracts
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Click to collapse
The guy told me he got the phone on Dec 2013, so I guess he did not meet his new 2 year contract( I don't know for sure).
Chance is that the phone could still be blacklist by T-mobile even it is unlocked?
I have done some research, and still could not make sure about carrier black-list unlocked phones.
Last time I call AT&T, they told me once the phone is unlocked, it would be wipe off their database so nobody could block unlocked phones.
I am not sure whether T-mobile has the same rule.

laofan said:
The guy told me he got the phone on Dec 2013, so I guess he did not meet his new 2 year contract( I don't know for sure).
Chance is that the phone could still be blacklist by T-mobile even it is unlocked?
I have done some research, and still could not make sure about carrier black-list unlocked phones.
Last time I call AT&T, they told me once the phone is unlocked, it would be wipe off their database so nobody could block unlocked phones.
I am not sure whether T-mobile has the same rule.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I unlocked my xperia z which was on T-mobile at the time and like I said it was not blacklisted but t-mobile would not let me use it on there network because it was set up originally on 2 year contract and commitiment was not completed. Maybe ATT will allow you to use it but T-Mobile will not because they block the my IMEI. The only way to know for sure is try a T-Mobile sim. Mine gave a error code which I'm not sure what that was since it has been 6 months ago which basically like I said earlier would not let me use on T-Mobile. The IMEI is specifically for T-Mobile that is why you can't use on there network.

jimmydee62 said:
I unlocked my xperia z which was on T-mobile at the time and like I said it was not blacklisted but t-mobile would not let me use it on there network because it was set up originally on 2 year contract and commitiment was not completed. Maybe ATT will allow you to use it but T-Mobile will not because they block the my IMEI. The only way to know for sure is try a T-Mobile sim. Mine gave a error code which I'm not sure what that was since it has been 6 months ago which basically like I said earlier would not let me use on T-Mobile. The IMEI is specifically for T-Mobile that is why you can't use on there network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see what you mean. To sum up, even it is a unlocked clean imei phone from T-mobile, there is chance that it could not be used on T-mobile because the phone might still be under someone else's contract.
The seller messaged me today about setting up APN on the Nexus 4 I trade to him. At least he seems like a honest person.
I really like the G2 ! LG has made a lot of underated phones, the Optimus G, the G pro, and the G2!
Just bought a $30 phone as backup, if anything goes wrong( I hope not...),,,I would have a phone to use.
BTW, TMO 4.4.2 KK could not be rooted yet.. Seems like I have to stay stock for a while

laofan said:
I see what you mean. To sum up, even it is a unlocked clean imei phone from T-mobile, there is chance that it could not be used on T-mobile because the phone might still be under someone else's contract.
The seller messaged me today about setting up APN on the Nexus 4 I trade to him. At least he seems like a honest person.
I really like the G2 ! LG has made a lot of underated phones, the Optimus G, the G pro, and the G2!
Just bought a $30 phone as backup, if anything goes wrong( I hope not...),,,I would have a phone to use.
BTW, TMO 4.4.2 KK could not be rooted yet.. Seems like I have to stay stock for a while
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the 4.4.2 can be rooted just can't put a custom recovery on it. If you look in the development section you will see that can flash back to 4.2.2 and then root and put recovery on it of a 4.4.2 custom rom. So is possible just have to follow instructions given. I'm using a G flex rom but it is a 4.2.2 version but believe me there are many 4.4.2 roms available.

You can always call T-Mobile, give them the IMEI and ask if the phone is paid off.

laofan said:
The guy told me he got the phone on Dec 2013, so I guess he did not meet his new 2 year contract( I don't know for sure).
Chance is that the phone could still be blacklist by T-mobile even it is unlocked?
I have done some research, and still could not make sure about carrier black-list unlocked phones.
Last time I call AT&T, they told me once the phone is unlocked, it would be wipe off their database so nobody could block unlocked phones.
I am not sure whether T-mobile has the same rule.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. T-Mobile stopped doing contracts so that is out the window.
2. The risk you take is he had the device on EIP (installment plans). Of he stops paying the device will get blocked and the only way to unblock would be for the original owner to pay it off and that's it.
3. If he really wanted to, he could report the phone stolen. Even with documents it would take some serious work to get it unblocked.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

JE_25 said:
1. T-Mobile stopped doing contracts so that is out the window.
2. The risk you take is he had the device on EIP (installment plans). Of he stops paying the device will get blocked and the only way to unblock would be for the original owner to pay it off and that's it.
3. If he really wanted to, he could report the phone stolen. Even with documents it would take some serious work to get it unblocked.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I call T-mobile just now, they would only check the IMEI only if I open a new service ( which I am not gonna to do. I would stay on AT&T for now).
But the representative I talkd to told me that as long as I plug in a new T-mobile sim card, the phone would be transferred to the new sim account and has nothing to do with the old one.
That recall me same thing about AT&T, they just said as long as a new sim in put in the phone, the phone would be released from its original account.

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.
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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

Sprint One Year Free - Essential Phone?

Hi,
has anyone used the BYOD one year of free service on sprint? I'm currently with USmobile, and apparently that makes me eligible for this plan. That'd basically pay for the phone in savings, which sounds great, but I'm wondering if anyone else has used it? Anything that one would have to take into account taking the unlocked Essential Phone to Sprint?

i have the bYOD free year using sprint and now with the essential phone. I switched over from my pixel.
I am however getting a terrible signal and non existent 4g speeds, currently researching to see if i can do anything about this! Right now, i wish i had my pixel still...

i did byod with an essential phone... and it must have relocked it. when going into settings to unlock (while on the free plan and after waiting the required time frame) it would not unlock. i tried contacting customer support and it said it could only be unlocked by the original owner. then after more back and forth said it was already unlocked. so what i determined was putting it back on sprint RE-locked it, but their system was so messy that it showed it as unlocked.

x000x said:
i did byod with an essential phone... and it must have relocked it. when going into settings to unlock (while on the free plan and after waiting the required time frame) it would not unlock. i tried contacting customer support and it said it could only be unlocked by the original owner. then after more back and forth said it was already unlocked. so what i determined was putting it back on sprint RE-locked it, but their system was so messy that it showed it as unlocked.
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Yikes, that's some ****ed up ****... I'm on the sprint plan now, how do I figure out whether they locked my phone? Also, how is that even possible, wth?

dsip said:
Yikes, that's some ****ed up ****... I'm on the sprint plan now, how do I figure out whether they locked my phone? Also, how is that even possible, wth?
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there was a sale, sprint was selling them for $150, and you could pay it off early, unlock them and leave sprint. a lot of people did that, and then later sprint changed the terms of having to wait x amount of days to unlock them. my first one was probably one of these (got it off ebay). It might only involve those that were sold at that greatly discounted price. easiest way to tell if it is still unlocked is to put a different carrier sim and see what happens, otherwise look for something called uicc unlock. i think if it is relocked you have to wait 45 days to unlock it. I eventually gave up asking sprint customer support, and just did this https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75994498&postcount=360 to unlock it

Carrier unlock if the device hasn't been paid off?

I bought this v35 off of eBay and turns out it hasn't been paid off and I can't pay it off because I don't have the old account info.
Can I still go through the online carrier unlock methods to get this unlocked? Is there any way to unlock it myself or otherwise?

You need to return it for a refund.
Ohitstarik said:
I bought this v35 off of eBay and turns out it hasn't been paid off and I can't pay it off because I don't have the old account info.
Can I still go through the online carrier unlock methods to get this unlocked? Is there any way to unlock it myself or otherwise?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Sadly I can't. I tried to refund it on eBay and they sided with the seller on some bull****. The point I made was that I couldn't unlock it because it wasn't paid off (not that it wasn't paid off in the first place), and the seller said it was locked to at&t in the ad (but they didn't say anything about it not being paid off).
So, I'm stuck with this at&t phone in my hand. Apparently at&t users can use it though.
Also: the IMEI is clean

Ohitstarik said:
Sadly I can't. I tried to refund it on eBay and they sided with the seller on some bull****. The point I made was that I couldn't unlock it because it wasn't paid off (not that it wasn't paid off in the first place), and the seller said it was locked to at&t in the ad (but they didn't say anything about it not being paid off).
So, I'm stuck with this at&t phone in my hand. Apparently at&t users can use it though.
Also: the IMEI is clean
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Click to collapse
Wow that seems outrageously bogus. Ebay sides with seller that is selling a phone, that isn't paid off? Hard to imagine how they justified that. You can't sell a used car that isn't paid off, unless paying the lien on it is part of the selling transaction, which it usually is. How is it justified selling a phone that isn't paid off, knowing that it can't be unlocked without it being paid for?
I guess that they indicated it was locked to at&t somehow mitigates this in ebays eyes? But it's not like you bought it from the seller knowing you'd have to now pay more to at&t to be able to pay it off and unlock it? that seems totally unfair.

That is crazy for all of the reasons already given. Unless you file an appeal or escalate in some other way, the best you can hope for is that it wasn't stolen, gets paid off, and stays off IMEI blacklists. You have a paperweight if the latter happens.
Ohitstarik said:
I bought this v35 off of eBay and turns out it hasn't been paid off and I can't pay it off because I don't have the old account info.
Can I still go through the online carrier unlock methods to get this unlocked? Is there any way to unlock it myself or otherwise?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

It definitely is bull****.
Can't say I'm the most responsible person, if I pushed hard enough I might have been able to get something out of this back in the day. It still hasn't been paid off, this all happened 2 years ago. It really surprised me since ebay pretty much always sides with the buyer no matter what.
I've been lazy and have been using the phone lightly for ground control stuff for drones, but it's been sitting around for most of the time. I have a OnePlus 6T but was still thinking of switching to the V35 and selling the 6T. 2gb less ram, but the screen and cameras from what I see are worth it.
Its not possible though? Through bootloader unlock and flashing a new ROM? I guess the network & software side are a different, and the IMEI points to the network stuff. I guess I'll just try to sell it to some At&t user.

Ohitstarik said:
It definitely is bull****.
Can't say I'm the most responsible person, if I pushed hard enough I might have been able to get something out of this back in the day. It still hasn't been paid off, this all happened 2 years ago. It really surprised me since ebay pretty much always sides with the buyer no matter what.
I've been lazy and have been using the phone lightly for ground control stuff for drones, but it's been sitting around for most of the time. I have a OnePlus 6T but was still thinking of switching to the V35 and selling the 6T. 2gb less ram, but the screen and cameras from what I see are worth it.
Its not possible though? Through bootloader unlock and flashing a new ROM? I guess the network & software side are a different, and the IMEI points to the network stuff. I guess I'll just try to sell it to some At&t user.
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Click to collapse
No, I don't think crossflashed or boot unlocked will matter. It's the IMEI that will be recognized, no disguising it. And that's too bad, as they are good phones. How much is owed on it? Even on at&t that might be a problem?

That's the thing, they won't even let me pay it off/figure out how much is left on the account. The people at At&t I talked to said you can still use it on the at&t network, but you just can't unlock it (which doesn't make sense). I wonder if there's other forces at play, e.g. this was a store model phone or something like that..

Ohitstarik said:
That's the thing, they won't even let me pay it off/figure out how much is left on the account. The people at At&t I talked to said you can still use it on the at&t network, but you just can't unlock it (which doesn't make sense). I wonder if there's other forces at play, e.g. this was a store model phone or something like that..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's how it makes sense...
AT&T can still make money by people using it on AT&T. If carrier unlocked then they don't. The person who didn't finish paying for it was probably reported for not paying a contracted debt. (Technically, it's still AT&T property.)
Probably one of those "buy one, get one free deals" -- but you have to maintain a new line for x number of months (6?, 12? 24?). That's the probably the "debt" they didn't pay, not the phone itself but probably the terms of the freebie deal where a new line is started and maintained.
We saw this a lot with T-Mobile V30. Tons sold on eBay that were "free" phones but with unpaid T-Mobile financial commitment attached.
AT&T have long since written this V35 off, but IF a rep let you pay off the deal:
1) Cost is probably more than the phone is worth. X number of monthly bills? What is X? Would you have to start a new line?
Is interest owed?
Too many questions.
2) It would supremely annoy AT&T's accountants, who have already reconciled 2018 books and would have to adjust their ledger.
3) The debt would no longer be outstanding and AT&T would have to go back and retract the black mark on the previous owner's credit reports. Because some stranger paid the bill? Easier for them to leave it just as it is.

I got you. It's definitely a bummer but that makes sense and at least gives some cleared up closure for me

I was just wondering how you know it has balance? Did AT&T rep said so? Have you run imei check on swappa and on imeipro.info? One of these sites would show if phone is still under obligation. There is a possibility that phone is paid off but just locked to AT&T. I feel this to be the case because too much time has passed for it to have not been paid off or it should have had bad imei by now. Let's assume that it was paid off but locked to AT&T, even then AT&T will not unlock it. I went through many V35 phones that AT&T wouldn't unlock because many of these AT&T branded phones were sold by third parties and mvnos where AT&T didn't have unlock info, or would just refuse to unlock the phone.
I am sure you can still get it unlocked. Go on eBay, search for "lg v35 unlock code". Look for $9.99 listing by seller uws-tech. He should be able to unlock this phone. In my case, over the years, AT&T refused to unlock 5 of lg v35 i tried, i even made complaint on BBB, but AT&T failed to unlock and third party unlock service like the above mentioned unlocked them for me. They worked fine on all carriers i tried them on afterwards.

I tried to unlock it through AT&Ts unlocking service online, and it said it wasn't paid off.
It's clean IMEI though, I ran it through some IMEI checkers online. I remember the seller online did say it was locked to AT&T but I just assumed that was because of the unpaid balance thing. I didn't realize phones would be forever locked to AT&T, even after 2 years. You think that's the case? I'll give a shot to the seller you're talking about if so.

Yes most carriers do not automatically unlock phones once the phone is paid off, although some carriers are starting to do that. Give the unlock service a try but make sure that you use the seller i suggested or the ones who offer premium service. When i quick searched ebay last night he seemed to be the only one but today found cheaper seller, universe.2018. Try this one if you haven't already ordered:. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Unlock-Cod...ium-Service-/283645621174?hash=item420a98b3b6
Just make sure the listing mentions premium service and that they support all imei because for V35 phones they have to look up special database that the cheaper services do not utilize.

Used the seller you noted last night, worked like a charm. V35 is now unlocked, thanks to everyone in the thread.

Ohitstarik said:
Used the seller you noted last night, worked like a charm. V35 is now unlocked, thanks to everyone in the thread.
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So I'm in the same situation as you except my phone is a cricket variant. Which seller did you use on Ebay? $7.50 one or $9.99 one? Thanks.

Ohitstarik said:
Used the seller you noted last night, worked like a charm. V35 is now unlocked, thanks to everyone in the thread.
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My phone isn't asking for an unlock code. It's just not connecting to any mobile network. It shows an error in "call services" app in the notification badge. Did your phone do this? Or did it ask for an unlock code?

intervalchange said:
My phone isn't asking for an unlock code. It's just not connecting to any mobile network. It shows an error in "call services" app in the notification badge. Did your phone do this? Or did it ask for an unlock code?
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Click to collapse
Unlock procedure would be same for Cricket version and one of the sellers I pointed in my posts above will work for you. Is your phone on AT&T/Cricket firmware? (It will show AT&T logo on startup), if it has already been cross-flashed to another firmware such as ULM or Fi firmwares, it will not show the popup for unlock code. You can't reflash AT&T firmware back on V35 because AT&T don't release their firmwares.
You will need to use Dev patched LG UP that you can get from ChazzMatt's post here (make sure you thank the OP): https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76510671&postcount=168
to flash Mexican version of the software that you can get here: https://lg-firmwares.com/lg-lmv350awm-firmwares/
Then after phone setup, you can insert non-AT&T sim to enter the unlock code. After the phone is unlocked, you can flash any KDZ you like back and it will stay unlocked.

Android# said:
Unlock procedure would be same for Cricket version and one of the sellers I pointed in my posts above will work for you. Is your phone on AT&T/Cricket firmware? (It will show AT&T logo on startup), if it has already been cross-flashed to another firmware such as ULM or Fi firmwares, it will not show the popup for unlock code. You can't reflash AT&T firmware back on V35 because AT&T don't release their firmwares.
You will need to use Dev patched LG UP that you can get from ChazzMatt's post here (make sure you thank the OP): https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=76510671&postcount=168
to flash Mexican version of the software that you can get here: https://lg-firmwares.com/lg-lmv350awm-firmwares/
Then after phone setup, you can insert non-AT&T sim to enter the unlock code. After the phone is unlocked, you can flash any KDZ you like back and it will stay unlocked.
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Click to collapse
I have a non rooted V35 on Android 9. Will this method work on Pie?

intervalchange said:
I have a non rooted V35 on Android 9. Will this method work on Pie?
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Click to collapse
Your phone is unrooted but again as I asked above you need to make sure whether it is on AT&T firmware or not? This part is very important because if you are on AT&T version of firmware and not getting unlock pop-up, the person who sold you the phone may have used up all the 10 tries to enter the unlock code. After 10 failed tries the phone is permanently locked and you cannot unlock it even if you have an unlock code so no point in buying a code if it is hardlocked.
So to make it less confusing, if the phone shows AT&T logo when you restart, don't bother buying unlock code it won't work.
If phone doesn't show AT&T logo when you restart it, use the directions to flash Mexico region KDZ, finish setup after phone starts up, enter non-AT&T sim card in phone, a popup should appear, enter unlock code and phone will restart and will be unlocked.
Yes as long as you still have unlock tries left, this will work regardless of which firmware you are on. I think they only have Oreo on LG firmwares website for Mexico region but that doesn't matter, once you unlock phone, you can use LG UP to go back to your original firmware as the unlock itself is permanent. By the way use the DL partition option in LG UP when downgrading to Mexico region Oreo and then DL partition or Upgrade option to go back to your original firmware.

Android# said:
Your phone is unrooted but again as I asked above you need to make sure whether it is on AT&T firmware or not? This part is very important because if you are on AT&T version of firmware and not getting unlock pop-up, the person who sold you the phone may have used up all the 10 tries to enter the unlock code. After 10 failed tries the phone is permanently locked and you cannot unlock it even if you have an unlock code so no point in buying a code if it is hardlocked.
So to make it less confusing, if the phone shows AT&T logo when you restart, don't bother buying unlock code it won't work.
If phone doesn't show AT&T logo when you restart it, use the directions to flash Mexico region KDZ, finish setup after phone starts up, enter non-AT&T sim card in phone, a popup should appear, enter unlock code and phone will restart and will be unlocked.
Yes as long as you still have unlock tries left, this will work regardless of which firmware you are on. I think they only have Oreo on LG firmwares website for Mexico region but that doesn't matter, once you unlock phone, you can use LG UP to go back to your original firmware as the unlock itself is permanent. By the way use the DL partition option in LG UP when downgrading to Mexico region Oreo and then DL partition or Upgrade option to go back to your original firmware.
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Click to collapse
The phone is not on AT&T software. There's no logo of any carrier when it boots up. I have downloaded the LGUP software and am ready to go however I don't get the last part.
When flashing the KDZ, should I click on DL partition instead of the refurbish or upgrade option?