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Completely out of curiosity...
why is it that iPhone users with At&T can Jailbreak then Unlock their phones via software hacks, but I have to either call up T-Mobile for some code, or pay some dodgy guy over ebay??
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-to-tech/how-to-unlock-cell-phone3.htm
doesnt explain anything :S
Try this, more phones coming all the time.
Great way to root your android.../bit.ly/aa4jxJ
Sent from my Android for Telechips TCC8900 Evaluation Board (US) using XDA App
thanks but i was looking for Unlocking from Network providers, not rooting?
from the limited knowledge i have on the subject and the things ive picked up while owning an iphone:
the iphone started out being locked to the networks indefinitely. at&t, to this day i believe, didnt/dont provide unlocking of the iphone. the way regular unlocks work, ie by code, is that the imei of the phone is used with an algorithm to provide the code. the people who have this algorithm are either the phone manufacturer and/or the network provider.
tmobile may be able to generate the code themselves, or go direct to the manufacturers for the code. the ebay sellers pay for your specific code, and then sell it onto you, basically middle men.
however with the iphone, neither at&t nor apple wanted to assist in unlocking, so without access to the algorithm generated codes, the only other option was software hacks.
problems with iphone software unlocks are that they can be wiped off with a restore; when a baseband update is released in a new firmware update, it can take a while for an update software unlock is released; you can get signal problems (blacksn0w, ios4.0.2 on unlocked 3g). nowadays, uk carriers at least, unlock phones eg o2, with t&c of course.
all in all, id rather pay the £6 to the "dodgy guy" on ebay, than have a software unlock.
ah thanks for that!
CDMA - Verizon (not), Sprint?, U.S. Cellular?
GSM - AT&T?, T-Mobile?
As with a lot of other people on this site, I'm wondering which carrier will be best to pre-order from? I use Verizon but HATE the fact that most of the times it's one of the last carriers to be able to root the phone. I would also hate for this to turn into another Verizon Samsung Note 4 issue. Too bad the rumors where Samsung was going to start making phones that were both CDMA & GSM/UTMS were not true (as far as I am aware of).
This way since I'm now paying outright for my phones (roughly $800 bucks for 7 Edge), I could use it if I moved between carriers. After reading some other posts, now I'm wondering If I'm paying full price (paid in full), Will it be unlocked? I can't be the only one that feels RIPPED OFF when I pay $800 for a device and can't have root = have my own admin access. Can you imagine buying a laptop and not being able to install/change your own OS? not having admin rights/root?
I feel it's a MAJOR excuse for a carrier to even say - if we give you root & you change the ROM, then it makes it more difficult to help you. Guess what?!? I have not ever asked for help and nor would I... Besides, why couldn't they ask for the ROM version your using... if it matches theirs, they assist... if it doesn't, they tell you before they can assist you, you must put their ROM back on? Yes - there will always be that one person... but hey - if they were able to gain root and swap the ROM, they should be able to swap it back or pay to have it swapped back. OR at least pay for insurance and "accidentally drop it" and have it replaced.
It really bites that I (along with so many other people) want to pre-order the phone for several reasons (the free VR and games along with getting the phone first) but don't want to be SCREWED by one specific carrier and not be able to unlock the phone, root and replace the ROM.
So after all that - which carrier (historically) is the best to purchase from?
CDMA - Verizon (not), Sprint?, U.S. Cellular?
GSM - AT&T?, T-Mobile?
Additional INFO - I'm also about to call Verizon to confirm - But I read 2-3 months ago that Verizon will now allow another carrier's phone on their network (if it is CDMA). If that's true, then why not purchase the phone thru Sprint or US Cellular if historically those phones have been rooted easier than Verizon? I've been on Verizon for so long, that I'm really not sure...
Comments? suggestions?
What I'm going to do is pre-order from eBay.
The phones have a hell of a mark-up (+$200/$300), but there are unlocked Qualcomms that are usually rooted much more quickly with better support for AOSP.
I hate paying that much, but I'm going to have this phone for years, and the hassle from carrier-branded phones just isn't worth it.
Edit: You should still be able to add insurance and such through your carrier too, depending on their policies.
Didn't have an issue insuring previous phones with AT&T even though they were bought off-plan through other retailers.
It is slightly cheaper when buying it from Best Buy, $779 vs $792. I saw the T-mobile version supports band 13 LTE, but I didn't see anything about CDMA support.
I also did follow up with Verizon about placing a phone on their network that was not purchased from Verizon. They said it is currently limited to 2 phones - I don't have the names because I didn't care much......they couldn't tell me the S7 would be added to the list. So does that mean people on Verizon are STUCK purchasing from Verizon?
For my s6 edge I much preferred the unlocked UK version over the US AT&T version. (Which is why I asked in another thread when we can expect to see unlocked international versions).
AT&T not only added crazy bloat but removed really cool features from the phone. Just took em right out. They also removed Samsung deals/bundles from the phone (there was a MS suite and a free TB of storage or something removed). And in exchange for screwing with the phone they had crazy delays on updates (because they had to re-remove and re-screw the phone).
Coming from iPhone I just can't deal with carrier customizations. Unlocked for life. (crazy that Apple is unlocked now and Android isn't -- bizarro world).
JustWannaRom said:
I also did follow up with Verizon about placing a phone on their network that was not purchased from Verizon. They said it is currently limited to 2 phones - I don't have the names because I didn't care much......they couldn't tell me the S7 would be added to the list. So does that mean people on Verizon are STUCK purchasing from Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus devices are the exception (6, 5X and 6P). The problem with VZW and Sprint is that they use proprietary CDMA technology for voice communication. You can bring just about any device to their networks and have data but you won't be able to make voice calls in most cases.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
JustWannaRom said:
CDMA - Verizon (not), Sprint?, U.S. Cellular?
GSM - AT&T?, T-Mobile?
As with a lot of other people on this site, I'm wondering which carrier will be best to pre-order from? I use Verizon but HATE the fact that most of the times it's one of the last carriers to be able to root the phone. I would also hate for this to turn into another Verizon Samsung Note 4 issue. Too bad the rumors where Samsung was going to start making phones that were both CDMA & GSM/UTMS were not true (as far as I am aware of).
This way since I'm now paying outright for my phones (roughly $800 bucks for 7 Edge), I could use it if I moved between carriers. After reading some other posts, now I'm wondering If I'm paying full price (paid in full), Will it be unlocked? I can't be the only one that feels RIPPED OFF when I pay $800 for a device and can't have root = have my own admin access. Can you imagine buying a laptop and not being able to install/change your own OS? not having admin rights/root?
I feel it's a MAJOR excuse for a carrier to even say - if we give you root & you change the ROM, then it makes it more difficult to help you. Guess what?!? I have not ever asked for help and nor would I... Besides, why couldn't they ask for the ROM version your using... if it matches theirs, they assist... if it doesn't, they tell you before they can assist you, you must put their ROM back on? Yes - there will always be that one person... but hey - if they were able to gain root and swap the ROM, they should be able to swap it back or pay to have it swapped back. OR at least pay for insurance and "accidentally drop it" and have it replaced.
It really bites that I (along with so many other people) want to pre-order the phone for several reasons (the free VR and games along with getting the phone first) but don't want to be SCREWED by one specific carrier and not be able to unlock the phone, root and replace the ROM.
So after all that - which carrier (historically) is the best to purchase from?
CDMA - Verizon (not), Sprint?, U.S. Cellular?
GSM - AT&T?, T-Mobile?
Additional INFO - I'm also about to call Verizon to confirm - But I read 2-3 months ago that Verizon will now allow another carrier's phone on their network (if it is CDMA). If that's true, then why not purchase the phone thru Sprint or US Cellular if historically those phones have been rooted easier than Verizon? I've been on Verizon for so long, that I'm really not sure...
Comments? suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tmobile period, not going to lock the boot loader you'll be able to root (provided the community finds a way, but it's a snap dragon and unlocked bootloader so they will most likely before it even releases. ) second if you don't want tmo service you can still root it and use am at&t sim so there's that.
I had an interesting conversion on AT&T's forum today. In short, I learned that both AT&T and Verizon had Samsung "hard code" their software to all their phones by altering the bootloader in version 5.1.1. This is nothing new to anyone who's tried to root their AT&T or Verizon Note Edge after the update. We know it as "branding", but in the past it was something we could usually bypass. No more. These "damaged" bootloaders will never allow these phones (and all future phones) to be rooted or upgraded EVER AGAIN. It's just not something a piece of software or an app can ever bypass. Even if you had AT&T unlock the SIM and you went to T-Mobile, you still have to live with AT&T's mountain of bloatware because the ROM can't be flashed. It like buying a PC and not being able to delete Windows Vista...ever. The horror.
What makes it worse is that doing a carrier unlock and jumping ship will get you no joy. I asked how someone gets OTA updates on a carrier unlocked phone and they said you can't. You can never update again. You'll need to go to Best Buy and have them flash updates for as long as you own the phone. How this doesn't violate the carrier unlock law is beyond me.
Google created an operating system that was supposed to be open source. We were happy to play the root game for years, but now AT&T and Verizon have changed the rules of the game and effectively put an end to the idea of open source. Now AT&T and Verizon androids are no better than iphones. If you ever want to root your Samsung devices in the future, DO NOT BUY YOUR PHONE FROM EITHER OF THESE CARRIERS!
This is a practice that they have already admitted will continue. #unlockourbootloaders
Sign the United States petition to stop this at once: http://wh.gov/iGwh4
Thankfully, the firmwares are available (usually) quite quickly, and the drivers and tutorials are easily found so you can flash your own update with ease!
I understand your frustration, but thanks to XDA Devs all of this is manageable.
I agree about the open-source comment, btw.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 apparently originally a 930V. It purchased it from someone used in perfect condition, and it is running the Samsung stock AT&T firmware of 930U. The phone functions perfectly well, except for Wifi calling, HD Voice, and Number Sync with my Galaxy Gear S3 Frontier that I did purchase directly from AT&T. When I talked to the 'advanced' technical support, they looked up the IMEI of the phone and said, 'that IMEI is not shown as an AT&T branded phone as it is not in our database of devices sold by AT&T, therefore these services will not work.' Long story short, the Samsung Galaxy S7's are identical hardware, and it's running Samsung stock AT&T firmware. This means there is ZERO technical reason why these services won't work. They don't work simply because AT&T blocks them from working because the IMEI of my phone isn't in their database of phones they themselves have sold. So, they are literally blocking me from using services that I pay for because I didn't buy the phone from them, which is their way of trying to force me to purchase a phone from them. I filed a complaint with the FCC. They sent my complaint to AT&T, whereby I received an email from Misti Nations at the Office of the President for AT&T, who wanted to contact me to 'work towards a resolution.' Her definition of 'work towards a resolution' was to try to force me to buy a phone from them. Didn't try to debate at all on the merit of the complaint, didn't deny that there is zero technical reason it won't work, all she did was point to their terms of service agreement which says 'if you bring your own phone to AT&T, it is POSSIBLE that not all services will work correctly', which in her mind explains away my complaint. It does not. 'May not work' is far, far different than 'we will not allow to work.' So, I'm waiting to hear back from the FCC on this, just had the call with Misti this morning.
My opinion is we can't let carrier's block features simply because they don't like that the phone wasn't purchased from them. If they were allowing the services to attempt to function and they didn't, I wouldn't complain. I am PISSED because they are specifically preventing me from using services I am paying for, simply because they want to force me to buy a phone from them. We should NOT let AT&T (and others if they also follow this practice) to get away with either extortion, or pure laziness on their tech side (we don't want to allow it because who knows it MIGHT cause an issue, we're too lazy to check). So please, others in my boat that see this thread, also file a complaint with the FCC. Let's flood them and stop this extortionist practice by carriers!
No thanks: no evidence of "blocking" services or "forcing" purchases. You actually sound a bit nutz.
I have an original 930u on stock firmware. It lacks the software to make those features work along with all of the AT&T bloat. I believe the software for the true AT&T variant has and allows those options but it has not been able to be added to the U firmware.
Sent from my SM-G930U using Tapatalk
Other carriers do this all the time. I brought my ATT device to cricket and now I am not able to use wifi calling since it's not on their imei database to allow the feature to be turned on even though it would work no problem.
spasch said:
I have an original 930u on stock firmware. It lacks the software to make those features work along with all of the AT&T bloat. I believe the software for the true AT&T variant has and allows those options but it has not been able to be added to the U firmware.
Sent from my SM-G930U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same phone, and can't use it in Southamerica. I think it's a AT&T model. I'm not interested in updating software or anything, just any stock rom available that it would make it work? Moderator Edit: NO IMEI talk on XDA I can't even root the phone with odin.
First off, make sure you have the right G930U AT&T firmware, not the unbranded one. Second of all, you're flashing different firmware and expecting them to accommodate you; that's LOL-worthy.
I'd like to understand better how OTA udpates are distributed.
The specific model I'm interested in is TA-1045, as sold by Best Buy (unlocked) in the US (TA-1045 BLACK SKU:6219312), but the principle applies more broadly.
My intention is to buy the phone and later use it in Europe with some European carriers (I do not care about 4G frequencies, but do care about security updates very much).
It seems that OTA updates have to be approved by the carrier, even for unlocked phones, and there's the risk that a given firmware/model will never be approved by a given carrier, so my question:
what are the relevant data needed to determine whether a given model of Nokia 6.1 will receive timely OTAs with a given carrier (perhaps a carrier located in a country it was not originally marketed for)?
(A small unrelated rant is that this situation, with me even asking this question, is abysmal and embarassing for whoever is responsible for the process, either the carriers or the manufacturer, etc.)
Many thanks in advance.
It's trial and error. You won't get a definitive answer on your question. Some carriers approve updates only for models marketed in their region while others approve for all (I guess that depends on specific country regulations). You can take your US sim in Europe and use it for checking for updates, just download them over WiFi.