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This is a SGH-M919 cell phone. It had a clean ESN when purchased from a 3rd party. It was GSM unlocked and used with AT&T network for two years. Then friend decides to switch to T-Mobile network. Then the phone was locked by T-Mobile. T-Mobile says there is an unpaid financial obligation on the phone. It is impossible to contact the original owner.
So is there anything we can do with this phone? This phone is considered old by now and we do not intend to spend a lot of time with this phone. I'm thinking to see if there is a cheap defective phone with a good board/ESN. Or just leave it as a WiFi device.
I do not know if there is anyway we can get T-Mobile to release the ESN.... Any success story?
have a verizon s5 id like to use on tmobile . the contract just ran out and there is no outstanding debt on the contract or device.
I believe that the Verizon S5 is SIM unlocked. I just went through the same thing when I switched from Verizon to AT&T with my phone. I found out the SIM is unlocked but the bootloader is not. When I tried to unlock the bootloader through Verizon, it definitely was like pulling teeth and I finally gave up because I didn't have the time or patience to deal with them anymore about this. When I tried to explain that I was out of contract, it seems like it fell on deaf ears. They wouldn't say whether there was an unlock key because of warranty issues and they didn't want to be responsible for any damage that might happen to the phone. That was the last straw with me. I've got a much better deal with AT&T and the people at the local AT&T store are very nice and helpful when I have any issues with my phone and system, When I took the phone to the AT&T store, they were able to get it to work with their system. The only minor annoyance that you'll have on the phone is that each time your phone boots up, you'll get a message that tells you that the SIM card is not from Verizon. Other than that, it works fine on AT&T. If I remember right, T-Mobile is a GSM carrier like AT&T. You best bet would be to take the phone to your local T-Mobile store and have them help you out with it.
Cindy
Im about to buy an H918 v20 and was wanting to use it on MetroPCS. The issue is its not paid off since he switched to Verizon. I bought my v10 almost 2 years ago used , not paid off and its been fine. Has T-Mobile updated their imei blocking at all or does it really not apply to Metro ?
Phones locked to T-Mobile work fine on MetroPCS. If the IMEI is blacklisted, then it won't work on Metro...
-- Brian
Ok cool. Is the esn checker on swappa reliable?
https://swappa.com/esn
No idea. If I were you, I would check with T-Mobile. Don't waste time talking to Metro since it will work on Metro if T-Mobile says that it is good. Get the IMEI, and call T-Mobile and explain that you want to buy a used phone, but you want to make sure that it can be activated on their network.
I buy all my phones from reputable eBay sources, so I know I can return it if the IMEI is bad. As a result, it has been a WHILE since I had to check one, so I can't tell you which department you should speak with.
-- Brain
I think tmobile will say no because its not paid off. Neither was my v10 and thats been a long time. Swappa for mine says its good for activation. ESNchecker passes on Tmobile but fails on MetroPCS , which Ive been using since ive had the phone. Doesnt make sense
Hello all,
Like many others, I unknowingly bought a blacklisted phone on eBay. It's a Samsung S7 with T-Mobile from the US. I live in Costa Rica, and I'm trying to use a SIM from a local service provider. Sending the phone back for an uninteresting list of various reasons is impossible at this point. So, I am attempting to unlock it.
I rooted the phone with SuperSu thinking that would work, now I know better. After hours and hours of research, I found a xda dev that can remove the lock, but with my slow internet speed, he says it's impossible.
I was suggested to use one of the paid services, but I'm concerned that if my slow connection will not work for the xda dev, why would it work for a paid unlock service? My connection is 5/1. Anyone have any luck buying the expensive @$$ service and successfully receiving the code with a slow connection?
Is there really no way around the T-Mobile Unlock App?
Is there truly no DIY process or program that I can do, being that the paid unlock services may not to work?
I really need this phone to work. I just moved to Costa Rica, and I use my phone to work. So, I am pretty damn stuck between a rock and a hard place with spikes. I'm pretty desperate, almost willingly to pay my last money to a dumb unlock service.
But some of the services say that it will not work if the phone is blacklisted.
I just don't know what my options are at this point.
Blacklisted phone
victoriaa22 said:
Hello all,
Like many others, I unknowingly bought a blacklisted phone on eBay. It's a Samsung S7 with T-Mobile from the US. I live in Costa Rica, and I'm trying to use a SIM from a local service provider. Sending the phone back for an uninteresting list of various reasons is impossible at this point. So, I am attempting to unlock it.
I rooted the phone with SuperSu thinking that would work, now I know better. After hours and hours of research, I found a xda dev that can remove the lock, but with my slow internet speed, he says it's impossible.
I was suggested to use one of the paid services, but I'm concerned that if my slow connection will not work for the xda dev, why would it work for a paid unlock service? My connection is 5/1. Anyone have any luck buying the expensive @$$ service and successfully receiving the code with a slow connection?
Is there really no way around the T-Mobile Unlock App?
Is there truly no DIY process or program that I can do, being that the paid unlock services may not to work?
I really need this phone to work. I just moved to Costa Rica, and I use my phone to work. So, I am pretty damn stuck between a rock and a hard place with spikes. I'm pretty desperate, almost willingly to pay my last money to a dumb unlock service.
But some of the services say that it will not work if the phone is blacklisted.
I just don't know what my options are at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might be able to resell the phone with a *disclaimer* that it is blacklisted, I would recommend Swappa over Ebay though, (I got a really decent chunk of change for my Galaxy S Blaze that I sold on there), and then use the proceeds from that to acquire a phone that isn't stolen.
I got mine unlocked in a repair shop at gaffar market,delhi,india for rs 3200 inr and it was blacklisted on tmobile's website, when bought it was unlocked but after few days it automatically got locked to tmobile.
I mean to say if i can get it done in india you guys can also get it done in your countries.
You would have to do a firmware swap - which you could do yourself - you just won't be able to use it on that particular carrier, even via an MVNO on that carrier. My own S7 is ex-VZW (network locked); but I could take it to T-Mobile (and did) via firmware swap. My carrier (Tracfone) uses both VZW and T-Mobile towers ; while VZW was out, T-Mobile, however, works fine. If you sell the phone post-swap, include documentation that a firmware swap was done, so the buyer does not try to take it to T-M by mistake - some folks insist on following the labelling unless expressly told not to. (My S7 still has VZW labelling.)
PGHammer said:
You would have to do a firmware swap - which you could do yourself - you just won't be able to use it on that particular carrier, even via an MVNO on that carrier. My own S7 is ex-VZW (network locked); but I could take it to T-Mobile (and did) via firmware swap. My carrier (Tracfone) uses both VZW and T-Mobile towers ; while VZW was out, T-Mobile, however, works fine. If you sell the phone post-swap, include documentation that a firmware swap was done, so the buyer does not try to take it to T-M by mistake - some folks insist on following the labelling unless expressly told not to. (My S7 still has VZW labelling.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firmware swap? So you're saying you can take a Note 4 on T-Mobile that is blacklisted and you can fix the problem just by flashing a new firmware from AT&T? Am I understanding that correctly or no? Because I have a Note 4 that is on T-Mobile that someone left at my GF's work and never came back for, so they wanted to throw it away, so I took it, I rooted it, deleted all the bloatware and have it working great as a small tablet, but I can't use it as a phone because it is blacklisted. Been trying to find a way to use it for years now with no luck, I will not dish out any money to one of those sites, I don't trust them. If there is a way I can do it myself I would surely try it.
Indeed You Can
Anthonyx82x said:
Firmware swap? So you're saying you can take a Note 4 on T-Mobile that is blacklisted and you can fix the problem just by flashing a new firmware from AT&T? Am I understanding that correctly or no? Because I have a Note 4 that is on T-Mobile that someone left at my GF's work and never came back for, so they wanted to throw it away, so I took it, I rooted it, deleted all the bloatware and have it working great as a small tablet, but I can't use it as a phone because it is blacklisted. Been trying to find a way to use it for years now with no luck, I will not dish out any money to one of those sites, I don't trust them. If there is a way I can do it myself I would surely try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A blacklisted IMEI only affects the blacklisted carrier in question - it does not affect ALL carriers. (I cannot take my Snapdragon S7 to Verizon or that side of Tracfone due the IMEI being Verizon-blacklisted; however, it does not affect T-Mobile or the T-Mobile side of Tracfone - which is a separate network/carrier - which is why I was able to take the phone there.
. In your case, your Note 4 has a T-Mobile blacklisted IMEI; therefore, you can take it to AT&T Mobility, Verizon, the Verizon half of Tracfone, or Sprint - you simply need the apropos firmware and SIM. If the phone itself has T-Mobile labeling/branding, and you are trying to sell it, you should include documentation indicating what was done, and why (honesty). The biggest issue is sellers that DON'T do that (document what was done) or worse - don't do a firmware/ROM change for a phone with a blacklisted IMEI. So you can actually use it as a phone - you just can't take it to the original carrier.
victoriaa22 said:
Hello all,
Like many others, I unknowingly bought a blacklisted phone on eBay. It's a Samsung S7 with T-Mobile from the US. I live in Costa Rica, and I'm trying to use a SIM from a local service provider. Sending the phone back for an uninteresting list of various reasons is impossible at this point. So, I am attempting to unlock it.
I rooted the phone with SuperSu thinking that would work, now I know better. After hours and hours of research, I found a xda dev that can remove the lock, but with my slow internet speed, he says it's impossible.
I was suggested to use one of the paid services, but I'm concerned that if my slow connection will not work for the xda dev, why would it work for a paid unlock service? My connection is 5/1. Anyone have any luck buying the expensive @$$ service and successfully receiving the code with a slow connection?
Is there really no way around the T-Mobile Unlock App?
Is there truly no DIY process or program that I can do, being that the paid unlock services may not to work?
I really need this phone to work. I just moved to Costa Rica, and I use my phone to work. So, I am pretty damn stuck between a rock and a hard place with spikes. I'm pretty desperate, almost willingly to pay my last money to a dumb unlock service.
But some of the services say that it will not work if the phone is blacklisted.
I just don't know what my options are at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try https://www.gsmzambia.com/.
You need a Windows PC with Teamviewer.
Anthonyx82x said:
Firmware swap? So you're saying you can take a Note 4 on T-Mobile that is blacklisted and you can fix the problem just by flashing a new firmware from AT&T? Am I understanding that correctly or no? Because I have a Note 4 that is on T-Mobile that someone left at my GF's work and never came back for, so they wanted to throw it away, so I took it, I rooted it, deleted all the bloatware and have it working great as a small tablet, but I can't use it as a phone because it is blacklisted. Been trying to find a way to use it for years now with no luck, I will not dish out any money to one of those sites, I don't trust them. If there is a way I can do it myself I would surely try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I am saying - that and a SIM from a carrier other than the one that blacklisted the IMEI - I took my own phone from VZW to T-Mobile (Tracfone supports both carrier networks). Because it was an internal swap (same MVNO), it cost me nothing.
Just received my S10+ a few hours ago. Purchased online through Verizon with device payments. This is probably my 8th Smart Phone purchase with device payments and never had one carrier lock before. My last 3 phones (Pixel 2 XL, iPhone XR, Note 9) have not been carrier locked what so ever even if they are financed.
Today shortly after activating and setting up the device, I pulled my Verizon SIM out and inserted my T-Mobile SIM like I've done many times before. I instantly got a message that said "Sorry, your device cant be activated on another carriers network right now."
Could this be Verizon Carrier locking the phone or is there an issue server side at Samsung?
The phone activated with no issues on Verizon's end, calls, messages, data all working fine.
i bought Verizon s10+ on samsung.com, it works fine with Freedompop, using ATT network.
I called Verizon. They say there should be no carrier lock regardless of how it was purchased. Guess I'll have to chat with Samsung.
I'm having the same exact issue on my new Verizon S10. Wanted to finish off my month of Google Fi before switching back to Verizon, but I get the same pop-up "Sorry, your device cant be activated on another carriers network right now." I've been on the phone for hours with multiple Verizon, Samsung, and Google Fi reps about this issue and no one has an answer.
Verizon has triple checked and confirmed that there are no carrier locks on my phone. Google Fi just pretends like the issue is that their service isn't "officially compatible" with the new S10 yet. And Samsung keeps telling me that Verizon needs to unlock my phone (even though it's unlocked and paid off). Verizon suggested that maybe it was a Google Fi issue too, so I tried my wife's AT&T and I get the same pop-up restricting other carriers. I even tried activating the phone on Verizon first with a brand new line, and then switching SIMs, but still the same pop-up.
I'm onto my last resort right now, which is to exchange my Verizon S10 for a completely unlocked S10. That isn't ideal since my intentions were to switch back to Verizon eventually, and I would be losing Verizon-specific features. I've never had this issue before, and Verizon tech support has never seen this issue before either. I have no idea what Samsung is doing on their end with these carrier-specific S10s. I'm even currently using a Verizon Note 9 on Google Fi, with absolutely no issues. Not sure if there is new software with these new phones, but it is extremely frustrating.
Same. Nobody knows whats going on.
I will use my S10+ on Verizon for a few days and try to swap the sim again maybe next week. See if somehow it updates on its own.
S10 plus Verizon
Well I just purchased a Verizon branded s10 plus. Popped in my tmobile sim and LTE works.
I'm having the same issue, Verizon S10+ trying to move to T-Mobile
Those having issues, also financed?
Mine is fixed. Did it on its own.
jhous3s said:
Mine is fixed. Did it on its own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried my Google Fi SIM card again, and it still has the same pop up. "Your device cannot be activated on another carrier's network right now." You said you activated the phone on Verizon first though right? How many days did you have a Verizon line active?
The very first power ON was on Thursday around Noon with a T Moible SIM. The phone quickly rejected it and I installed the sim it came with. I messed around with it for a few hours until I gave up and just left the Verizon sim in it.
Today (sunday) I decided to try the T Mobile SIM around 4PM and noticed it was working so I posted an update.
So you actually paid the activation fee and had an active Verizon line on the phone first?
Yes I financed through Verizon.
Wenbinbin2010 said:
I'm having the same exact issue on my new Verizon S10. Wanted to finish off my month of Google Fi before switching back to Verizon, but I get the same pop-up "Sorry, your device cant be activated on another carriers network right now." I've been on the phone for hours with multiple Verizon, Samsung, and Google Fi reps about this issue and no one has an answer.
Verizon has triple checked and confirmed that there are no carrier locks on my phone. Google Fi just pretends like the issue is that their service isn't "officially compatible" with the new S10 yet. And Samsung keeps telling me that Verizon needs to unlock my phone (even though it's unlocked and paid off). Verizon suggested that maybe it was a Google Fi issue too, so I tried my wife's AT&T and I get the same pop-up restricting other carriers. I even tried activating the phone on Verizon first with a brand new line, and then switching SIMs, but still the same pop-up.
I'm onto my last resort right now, which is to exchange my Verizon S10 for a completely unlocked S10. That isn't ideal since my intentions were to switch back to Verizon eventually, and I would be losing Verizon-specific features. I've never had this issue before, and Verizon tech support has never seen this issue before either. I have no idea what Samsung is doing on their end with these carrier-specific S10s. I'm even currently using a Verizon Note 9 on Google Fi, with absolutely no issues. Not sure if there is new software with these new phones, but it is extremely frustrating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is your Note 9 on Google Fi? Was considering switching from T-Mobile to Find. Do you still get WiFi calling? What kinda of data speeds so you get? Sorry, off topic, but don't know anyone personally on Google Fi that doesn't have a pixel.
As an FYI... I purchased an S10+ in full, no payments on Friday morning from the Verizon store. I put my tmobile sim in later that afternoon and got the same message. I talked to tech support and they said it takes 48 hours from activation. He mentioned that they are doing this to prevent theft from store and from people buying/stealing them with out activating them and trying to sell them.
He unlocked it immediately while I was on the phone and I got a text message saying "when I insert a non-verizon sim in the phone it will be unlocked". I put in my tmobile sim and worked fine.
Makes sense why my device started to work after two days.
S10Plus said:
As an FYI... I purchased an S10+ in full, no payments on Friday morning from the Verizon store. I put my tmobile sim in later that afternoon and got the same message. I talked to tech support and they said it takes 48 hours from activation. He mentioned that they are doing this to prevent theft from store and from people buying/stealing them with out activating them and trying to sell them.
He unlocked it immediately while I was on the phone and I got a text message saying "when I insert a non-verizon sim in the phone it will be unlocked". I put in my tmobile sim and worked fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I talked to 3 different tech supports and they repeated told me all of the possible locks on my phone were unlocked...did you activate the phone first in the Verizon store, or did you go straight to a T-Mobile SIM?
Wenbinbin2010 said:
I talked to 3 different tech supports and they repeated told me all of the possible locks on my phone were unlocked...did you activate the phone first in the Verizon store, or did you go straight to a T-Mobile SIM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of them don't know what they are talking about. I talked to many of them who said the phones were not locked, some said the phones are always locked which I clearly disputed as they don't know their own employers policies/information and read from scripts. The 333rd person I spoke with knew exactly what I was talking about lol.
I didn't activate it in the store, I did when I got home using the verizon sim. After, I put in my tmobile sim and got the message. I didn't want to wait 48 hours (what the first tech told me) so I kept calling until I finally got someone knowledgeable enough to know what I was talking about and he unlocked it while I was on the phone in 10 seconds.
S10Plus said:
Most of them don't know what they are talking about. I talked to many of them who said the phones were not locked, some said the phones are always locked which I clearly disputed as they don't know their own employers policies/information and read from scripts. The 333rd person I spoke with knew exactly what I was talking about lol.
I didn't activate it in the store, I did when I got home using the verizon sim. After, I put in my tmobile sim and got the message. I didn't want to wait 48 hours (what the first tech told me) so I kept calling until I finally got someone knowledgeable enough to know what I was talking about and he unlocked it while I was on the phone in 10 seconds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm thanks for the info. Guess I'll keep trying different tech supports. I wonder if they'll be able to unlock without activation at all. Otherwise I'll be paying $50 for a pointless line.
Yes. Verizon now sim locks phones for 24 hours after initial activation. iPhones included. Sometimes the older stock androids or iPhones will immediately accept another sim, but most times now, you have to wait a day. This has been going on since January as far as I've seen.