They told me that my code can be used five times before it is permanently locked to att service.
Is this true?
Ive never ever heard of that! Usually when the code is entered the phone is unlocked for life.
Why would you need to use the Unlock code more than once?
Once the phone is SIM unlocked, it unlocked, you can put any SIM in it...forever.
Sounds like the CS rep is demonstrating his/her usual amazing command of the technical world (caution: irony!)
You will be unlocking your SIM card only...Not your phone.
If you have a 'Tilt' the best recommendation is to re-flash to a good ROM,(Tilt is a very basic OLD bug ridden ROM) IMO the latest HTC ROM as they built the device is best!!!
Um, no. You will be SIM unlocking your phone. That means you can then use any company network SIM card (i.e. Tmo) with your Tilt. Of course as long as its GSM.
SIM Unlocking != CID Unlocking. SIM unlocking, as I said, lets you use other carrier SIM cards. CID unlocking lets you put any Kaiser ROM on the phone. Without CID unlocking, you can only use the AT&T Tilt ROMs.
You only have to enter the SIM unlock code they gave you once.
The "5 times" comment is if you screw up and mistype it 5 times, your phone will not accept the Unlock code.
jomo25 said:
Um, no. You will be SIM unlocking your phone. That means you can then use any company network SIM card (i.e. Tmo) with your Tilt. Of course as long as its GSM.
SIM Unlocking != CID Unlocking. SIM unlocking, as I said, lets you use other carrier SIM cards. CID unlocking lets you put any Kaiser ROM on the phone. Without CID unlocking, you can only use the AT&T Tilt ROMs.
You only have to enter the SIM unlock code they gave you once.
The "5 times" comment is if you screw up and mistype it 5 times, your phone will not accept the Unlock code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not my experience in the US with a 'non carrier' phone but what the hey!
What works for you best...
If it's a non-carrier phone then, by definition it's SIM unlocked - IE you can put anyone's SIM in it and, so long as the SIM hasn't been disabled (by being reported stolen for example) or it's a Pay As You Go with no money left then it will work.
As said before, SIM unlocking means SIM unlocking the phone.
CID unlocking means CID unlocking the phone.
Both are one-way trips.
SIM unlocking means you can use anyone's SIM.
CID unlocking means you can use anyone's Operating system that supports the hardware.
Farsquidge said:
You will be unlocking your SIM card only...Not your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that's not correct. You unlock your phone not the SIM card.
staryon said:
No, that's not correct. You unlock your phone not the SIM card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just humour me... Try another SIM card please.
I worked there for 2 yrs and could not completly unlock my phone but it may have changed.
Farsquidge said:
Just humour me... Try another SIM card please.
I worked there for 2 yrs and could not completly unlock my phone but it may have changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm doing it right now. I have a AT&T plan in the US and I now I'm in Spain, using Movistar.
staryon said:
I'm doing it right now. I have a AT&T plan in the US and I now I'm in Spain, using Movistar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wonderful... you have just confirmed to me that there are people still on here ready to try something new. I will freely admit I do not know all and will listen to any new ideas/developements. But I will not commit to a blind view without all the facts!!!
Power to your profile!!! (cant say elbow as that only works in the UK!)
Farsquidge said:
Wonderful... you have just confirmed to me that there are people still on here ready to try something new. I will freely admit I do not know all and will listen to any new ideas/developements. But I will not commit to a blind view without all the facts!!!
Power to your profile!!! (cant say elbow as that only works in the UK!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe you should read staryon's 1st post again, he disagrees with you also. As everyone else has said here, unlocking the phone is what happens when you call AT&T and request a code. The code that AT&T gives you only works with the IMEI of the phone, it has nothing to do with the sim card. AT&T isn't going to ask for the sim id, they ask for IMEI of the phone (located under the battery).
Most likely staryon has a SIM-unlocked Tilt.
Farsquidge said:
Wonderful... you have just confirmed to me that there are people still on here ready to try something new. I will freely admit I do not know all and will listen to any new ideas/developements. But I will not commit to a blind view without all the facts!!!
Power to your profile!!! (cant say elbow as that only works in the UK!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ATT will give you the UNLOCK code for the phone.. Not the SIM card.. I have had a blackjack and an 8525 that was unlocked using the code after calling ATT/Cingular department. I took my friends t-mobile sim card, put it into my phone and via, it worked as if it was a tmobile phone to make calls. Same with the 8525 but I put a german pre paid sim card and used it for 3 weeks over there, came back to the states put my att sim card back into it and it worked on att again...
jomo25 said:
Um, no. You will be SIM unlocking your phone. That means you can then use any company network SIM card (i.e. Tmo) with your Tilt. Of course as long as its GSM.
SIM Unlocking != CID Unlocking. SIM unlocking, as I said, lets you use other carrier SIM cards. CID unlocking lets you put any Kaiser ROM on the phone. Without CID unlocking, you can only use the AT&T Tilt ROMs.
You only have to enter the SIM unlock code they gave you once.
The "5 times" comment is if you screw up and mistype it 5 times, your phone will not accept the Unlock code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah she said that if I screw it up five times it will lock to att. I thought that was weird.
Also she said she had to change something in my international portion of my plan. she did not fully explain. does anyone know what could have been changed?
tiptoekirk said:
ATT will give you the UNLOCK code for the phone.. Not the SIM card..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry guys, I think I must be working from old info and things have changed since then.
A few years ago.... I got Verizon to unlock my US phone for a UK SIM card and all I ended up with was the capability of the phone to use just the Verizon card and my UK one. If I tried to put any other SIM in it, it would not work.
Soz again, forget my input and excuse an old 'Fart'
tresmith said:
Yeah she said that if I screw it up five times it will lock to att. I thought that was weird.
Also she said she had to change something in my international portion of my plan. she did not fully explain. does anyone know what could have been changed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, AT&T will give out free unlock codes. But to justify it, they are assuming you will need your phone unlocked because you are using it internationally. Of course, they expect that if you are in the US, you are using AT&T's network and thus have no reason to use it with any other US carrier SIM like TMobile.
So, since they make this assumption, they most likely added 1 or 2 items to your monthly bill:
1. AT&T World Connect
2. AT&T International Roaming
THe first lets you call anywhere in the world from the US for reduced (though still quite expensive) per minute rate. The rates are reduced (e.g. 2.29 to 1.99 per minute), but they charge you a monthly set fee (like $5 or so).
The second gives you special rates when roaming in other countries, while still using your AT&T SIM. Again, it just gives reduced per minute rates, that are still quite expensive. I think this one costs a monthly fee of about $9per month.
Also, they need to "provision" your phone to be able to access thenetwork outside of the US. THis does NOT cost anything, but it must be done or your AT&T SIM card phone will never get a signal outside of the US. This is a spearate step that they only give to people who ask for int'l access. Cuz if they just let everyone access int'l networks, some people might not realize the ridiculous per minute rates they charge and end up getting an extremely high monthly bill.
So, anyways, the point is: in AT&T's mind you will only use AT&T SIM for your phone in the US. And the only reaosn they let you unlock it is to use in internationally with a non-US carrier's SIM. So, since they assume that, they may have added some charges to your monthly bill. Its not 100% that they did add the charges and only added the provisioning, but you might want to check.
Go check your online account via att.com/wireless. Check your monthly services. If you see these items, and you do not need them because you arent' going to make calls on AT&T's SIM to or from outside the US, remove those items from our services and you will be credited pro-rated.
Oh, and as for theunlock code they gave you. Assuming you typed it in correctly and got your phone unlocked successfully, you can keep the code, BUT YOU WILL NEVER NEED IT AGAIN. It only needs to get typed in once. Even if you hard reset and flash your phone with a new ROM, you will not need to unlock it again. And it will NOT work for anyone else, so don't think that you can give it to 4 other people and it will work. The unlock codes are unique to the phone via IMEI number.
anybody needs to Unlock ther Kaiser,
PM me for info.
Unlock Code
What is the unlock code?
every phone has a different unlock code, one code for one phone only, it cannot be transfered of anything like it. and of course those kinds of things aint free.
jomo25 said:
Yes, AT&T will give out free unlock codes. But to justify it, they are assuming you will need your phone unlocked because you are using it internationally. Of course, they expect that if you are in the US, you are using AT&T's network and thus have no reason to use it with any other US carrier SIM like TMobile.
So, since they make this assumption, they most likely added 1 or 2 items to your monthly bill:
1. AT&T World Connect
2. AT&T International Roaming
THe first lets you call anywhere in the world from the US for reduced (though still quite expensive) per minute rate. The rates are reduced (e.g. 2.29 to 1.99 per minute), but they charge you a monthly set fee (like $5 or so).
The second gives you special rates when roaming in other countries, while still using your AT&T SIM. Again, it just gives reduced per minute rates, that are still quite expensive. I think this one costs a monthly fee of about $9per month.
Also, they need to "provision" your phone to be able to access thenetwork outside of the US. THis does NOT cost anything, but it must be done or your AT&T SIM card phone will never get a signal outside of the US. This is a spearate step that they only give to people who ask for int'l access. Cuz if they just let everyone access int'l networks, some people might not realize the ridiculous per minute rates they charge and end up getting an extremely high monthly bill.
So, anyways, the point is: in AT&T's mind you will only use AT&T SIM for your phone in the US. And the only reaosn they let you unlock it is to use in internationally with a non-US carrier's SIM. So, since they assume that, they may have added some charges to your monthly bill. Its not 100% that they did add the charges and only added the provisioning, but you might want to check.
Go check your online account via att.com/wireless. Check your monthly services. If you see these items, and you do not need them because you arent' going to make calls on AT&T's SIM to or from outside the US, remove those items from our services and you will be credited pro-rated.
Oh, and as for theunlock code they gave you. Assuming you typed it in correctly and got your phone unlocked successfully, you can keep the code, BUT YOU WILL NEVER NEED IT AGAIN. It only needs to get typed in once. Even if you hard reset and flash your phone with a new ROM, you will not need to unlock it again. And it will NOT work for anyone else, so don't think that you can give it to 4 other people and it will work. The unlock codes are unique to the phone via IMEI number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok I just checked my account and I don't see anything new/weird.
Thanks.
Related
I just got off the phone with ATT and I got an unlock code over the phone within 2 minutes!!!
Simply call 1-(916)-843-4685 and do what it says and you will talk to a representative. Tell them you are going to England/France/Germany/etc this week and you bought a Tilt and your old phone died and that you have a European SIM with you that you use over there and you need it to work in the Tilt. I just did it and I now have an unlocked phone!
Also, for all of you naysayers, google that phone number and it will show up with the ATT International Support.
Enjoy!
staulkor said:
I just got off the phone with ATT and I got an unlock code over the phone within 2 minutes!!!
Simply call 1-(916)-843-4685 and do what it says and you will talk to a representative. Tell them you are going to England/France/Germany/etc this week and you bought a Tilt and your old phone died and that you have a European SIM with you that you use over there and you need it to work in the Tilt. I just did it and I now have an unlocked phone!
Also, for all of you naysayers, google that phone number and it will show up with the ATT International Support.
Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a SIM unlocked phone. This doesnt mean you can go dumping any ROM on it you want. But yes its a good idea
yeah, the technique works on ur convincing abilities though
@bratag: I'd say SIM unlocking is a much more desired issue as compared to cid unlocking, but then it might vary from person to person..
Quick... somebody try this with an iPhone!!.... *crickets chirping* anyone? *cricket* eh... *shrug* I love my Kaiser :-D
I posted this elsewhere and its documented by others all over.
SIM unlock is very easy. And legal. And actually done by AT&T.
Step 1: Call AT&T @ 1-(916)-843-4685, tell them you travel alot internationally. Ask them to to add the "International Dial" add on to your account (it costs like $6/month). (Note: the reason the number is not a 800 number is because it asumes you are calling from an int'l location, since its their int'l support line. 800 numbers don't work from an int'l location. You can even call the normal 800 # or even call 611 from your phone, and you can get routed to the int'l support line. I recommend you call from a separate line, so you can actually type in the unlock code when they give it to you to confirm it "takes" before you hang up. If you have another company SIM card, you can even test it with them on the phone)
Step 2: Tell them you also travel for extended periods of time and might need to use a local SIM in your phone. And you need an unlock code to do it. Since you have the international plan, they almost always will oblige. (if they don't, hang up, call back, get another rep, and ask again. They will eventually do it)
Step 3: They ask for your IMEI number. And they give you an unlock code.
Step 4: Say thanks to them
Step 5: Go online to your account manager, and remove the Int'l Plan on your features page to cancel it. You will only be charged a pro-rated amount for the feature.
Step 6: Enjoy your SIM unlocked phone.
Bratag said:
You have a SIM unlocked phone. This doesnt mean you can go dumping any ROM on it you want. But yes its a good idea
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well my phone is CID unlocked too, but thanks to Pof
ehhhh, slow it please:
what is the difference between SIM Unlock and CID Unlock?
Which is more permanent or more secure?
If I buy an unlocked Kaiser off this website, is it SIM unlocked or CID Unlocked?
thanks, MN
actually sometimes you dont even have to add international call...if you have been with ATT for a while (I'm going to assume 1 yr +) they will either give it to you over the phone, or email you it within a week if they dont have the code for your phone on hand (this is what happened with my 3125, which is still has no free SIM unlock) CID unlocking of course, is a completely different issue...
CID unlocking allows you to flash any carrier's ROM. SIM unlocking allows you to insert any carrier's SIM.
I dont have an ATT number. I just went into a store and bought the phone, and later that night called internation support and they gave me an unlock code, no questions asked (except for imei )
staulkor said:
I dont have an ATT number. I just went into a store and bought the phone, and later that night called internation support and they gave me an unlock code, no questions asked (except for imei )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That surprises me - I've ALWAYS had to give my account information, so I'm leaning towards calling B.S. on your description of your experience, unless you told them a number of other things also....
FWIW, the 800# for International Services is: (800) 335-4685 though for exactly your point about dialing 800#s outside the US, most of us have the non 800 # in our phones: (916) 843-4685.
I've never had to add the $5.99/mo discounted international roaming, just make sure that the "normal" international roaming is enabled. (Of course they fvcked that up last time and took me 3 calls from Japan on VOIP to get it fixed.)
YMMV of course,
Richard
rsolomon said:
That surprises me - I've ALWAYS had to give my account information, so I'm leaning towards calling B.S. on your description of your experience, unless you told them a number of other things also....
FWIW, the 800# for International Services is: (800) 335-4685 though for exactly your point about dialing 800#s outside the US, most of us have the non 800 # in our phones: (916) 843-4685.
I've never had to add the $5.99/mo discounted international roaming, just make sure that the "normal" international roaming is enabled. (Of course they fvcked that up last time and took me 3 calls from Japan on VOIP to get it fixed.)
YMMV of course,
Richard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait AT&T charge for international roaming?
Good grief - what DONT they charge for.
I got my unlock code, but where can i find the instructions? anyone? thanks
Bratag said:
Wait AT&T charge for international roaming?
Good grief - what DONT they charge for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha, well actually, of course they charge a huge amount per minute for calls when u are roaming intl'ly. But you can buy a monthly service that brings the cost down per minute. It goes from f'in ridiculous rates to just plain ridiculous per minute rates. But this add-on does make sense if you plan to go overseas for an extended trip. And since its an add-on you can add it / cancel it whenever you need/don't need it. An example of the rates: in some cases its like 2.29 per minute to call without the plan. But with the plan its only 1.99
But at 30 cents per minute, if you make more than 20 min of calls, then you've "saved" money. So, how I stumbled upon getting an unlock code was since I was going to be there for a month, I actually got a local SIM and tried to put it in the phone and they said I could, but they'd have to give me an unlock code, which they did.
You may call BS, but who cares. I did this and it worked. If you want to call BS on this, go ahead. I found this on Howard Forums and thought you guys might like to know. Others have got their unlock code directly from ATT by using this method.
staulkor said:
You may call BS, but who cares. I did this and it worked. If you want to call BS on this, go ahead. I found this on Howard Forums and thought you guys might like to know. Others have got their unlock code directly from ATT by using this method.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are the first person I've heard of getting an AT&T unlock code without being an AT&T customer. Bravo for you if true. (Note that I didn't say the *method* was B.S. - in fact I affirmed it working for me as well! I said doing all that when you "dont have an ATT number" sounded like BS - because I've always been asked for my account information as soon as they answer the phone.)
Richard
Hi,
I'm new in this phoneworld. I wonder if it is possible to buy a AT&T tilt via ebay and nulock her in Belgium. Do you think it is possible?
Kind regards.
I have called twice now to get my SIM unlock code and both CSRs said that because I have had AT&T service for less than 90 days, they can't/won't do it. They say I have to have at least 3 months service. Will try a couple more times but doesn't look good.
bernard.schockaert said:
I'm new in this phoneworld. I wonder if it is possible to buy a AT&T tilt via ebay and nulock her in Belgium. Do you think it is possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'm not aware of any verified-working Kaiser unlocking services right now, so I'd say no - not unless the person you buy it from has already had AT&T unlock it.
Richard
YMMV
rsolomon said:
You are the first person I've heard of getting an AT&T unlock code without being an AT&T customer. Bravo for you if true. (Note that I didn't say the *method* was B.S. - in fact I affirmed it working for me as well! I said doing all that when you "dont have an ATT number" sounded like BS - because I've always been asked for my account information as soon as they answer the phone.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I got a Tilt on Friday and called this morning to get it unlocked. For grins I bought a brand new $20 GoPhone w/activation kit, activated it, and used that phone # at an Agent store to buy the Tilt no-contract ($530 ugh). Then I called the International Services folks and gave them the GoPhone # and my new Tilt IMEI. I expected a big spiel about the length of time I'd been a customer (as T-mo did to me on a prepaid unlock), a refusal to unlock phones on prepaid (as I'd previously heard from Cingular), or some other such nonsense - at which time I planned to call right back on my loooong-term account and get an unlock code.
Note that the first thing the agent asked was "Mobile number and last 4 digits of SSN". I gave him the prepaid phone # (active for <1wk) and my correct last 4 digits of SSN. He seemed to have trouble getting that combination to take, so I mentioned "This is prepaid, so I didn't think there was a SSN on it...."
To my unending shock, the guy on the other end of the phone then said "Ok, I've got an unlock code for you. Ready?" and read me out the code for my phone. Popped in an old Tesco SIM I had kicking around, entered the code, and wham! Unlocked Tilt.
So there's either some serious YMMV going on at International Services or AT&T has thrown in the towel on unlocking!
YMMV of course
Richard
I'm soon changing into boost from T-mobile but i dont want to leave my G1. I want to continue using it but i'm not sure how to do this. This is what i did:
I shut off my phone, Removed the T-mobile sim & then added the Boost Sim card. When i powered on, The screen said "SIM network unlock PIN" The options where : Unlock,(after the typing) & Dismiss (below "Unlock)
My G1 is rooted, & when i used a tutorial to root it, it said that it was also being unlocked with root.
Do i call the Boost company for a PIN?
Do i need to buy a PIN?
Do i need to do more hacking stuff? < --- lol ?
I really love my G1, so i want to keep it.
Rooting does not unlock your phone for different providers.
Call T-mobile and if you have had a contract with them long enough they will just give it to you for free. Tell them you are going overseas or something.
If they wont give it to you (most likely because you haven't been with them) you will need to bey an unlock code from eBay or Cragslist, or something like that. They are usually around $10.
When did G1 started working on IDEN/CDMA networks? I must've miss the memo....
Sleeepy2 said:
Rooting does not unlock your phone for different providers.
Call T-mobile and if you have had a contract with them long enough they will just give it to you for free. Tell them you are going overseas or something.
If they wont give it to you (most likely because you haven't been with them) you will need to bey an unlock code from eBay or Cragslist, or something like that. They are usually around $10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a scam 99% of the time. Just keep calling back to back until you get a rep to do it. They'll do it eventually, they're not ALL dicks.
BUT....
borodin1 said:
When did G1 started working on IDEN/CDMA networks? I must've miss the memo....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true. Boost Mobile = CMDA. :/
I'm going to be travelling to Thailand from the US on Saturday and would like to know if anyone has been successful with calling AT&T and having them give you the carrier unlock code for the Vivid? I'm a long time AT&T wireless customer (since Cingular e.g. 2002ish) and not sure if that helps also?
I just want to be able to have access to data while in Thailand and won't be making any calls so was thinking I could just get a local prepaid sim card to get data the week I'm there. Make sense or is there something else I should do?
All thoughts are welcome!
You can get your Unlock code off of your ATT account. Login to ATT, mouse over "My ATT", then mouse over "Wiress", then click phone/device. The next page it pulls up will be info for your device. You will see a "Unblock Sim" link, click it and it will give you your unlock code and instructions.
Thanks for the info. But where do you enter the puk code. I type it in the dialer and it just dials a number.
* nevermind google does wonders. I need another company's sim to bring up the option.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium
That wont allow you to use a different carrier's sim in your Vivid. Its just to unblock your sim if its been locked. To unlock your phone to use on a different carrier you either have to call AT&T or pay to have it done online.
Lutfen said:
You can get your Unlock code off of your ATT account. Login to ATT, mouse over "My ATT", then mouse over "Wiress", then click phone/device. The next page it pulls up will be info for your device. You will see a "Unblock Sim" link, click it and it will give you your unlock code and instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I need the phone unlocked, not the sim card. I want to use a carrier in Thailand other than AT&T. I guess I'll suck it up and give AT&T a call to see if they're giving unlock codes for the Vivid yet.
Please post your results from the call. I would like to know if you have any success and what needs to be done.
As jayv81 found out through google, you need another company's sim in order to use the unlock code from ATT. Why is that because your phone is sim locked. Whatever sim you get in Thailand will not work until you go through the unlock process. This process should allow your phone to work in Thailand, verify with ATT though. I had an old Nokia 6230 from Cingular days that I used in Turkey with multiple carriers after I unlocked it using this process.
I called AT&T and they won't provide an unlock code because the phone is still "exclusive" to them. Think I may try one of the websites out there to see if they can generate an unlock code for me. Probably worth $5 or so to give it a shot.
This is probably the most reliable place to unlock it but its a bit more expensive. I went to the site and its on special for about $17 right now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1Oa2yy_EGE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium
After a bit of digging around I have a few questions/suggestions -
1 - Did you buy the phone off contract, or with a new line or upgrade discount? If you bought the phone off contract at full price, you have some more pull.
2 - I saw a post on another forum where someone had this issue with previous devices, and the front line rep he spoke with assured him this couldn't be done, but then he asked to speak with Int'l Support, and they were able to do it for him in minutes
3 - Also suggested was to speak with a supervisor and request that a case be opened. Once a case is open with the Case Team, they're more likely to provide you with the unlock code
This is not from personal experience, just some suggestions I've found. As always in these situations, it's best to stay calm and collected, while being assertive at the same time. Screaming and yelling at helpless reps get us nowhere..
Just use ebay 5$ quick and essey most use swiftunlocks and are reliable
I just used this $4.00 service and it literally took 9 minutes for the order to be processed and the unlock code to be sent to me.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNLOCK-CODE-For-ATT-HTC-Vivid-Not-Found-IMEI-starting-35629804-/320850117920
They have an online process which is fully automated so it makes this a lot faster.
Oh ya, and the code worked fine with my AT&T VIVID. I have a German SIM card for my business travels and once I put it in my phone it asked for the unlock code. I punched it in and VOILA, it gave me a positive response and said it needed to reboot to complete the process. After the reboot the German SIM card was active in the phone.
Usually, you can unlock your phone six months after you bought your phone.
But I'm not very sure for them can let you go earlier or not. or do they have a temper code for you to unlock your phone.
you can try it, but if you have already bought it for six months, you can unlock it without any questions.
I don't actually need to unlock my SIM I am just simply curious as to what would prevent us from unlocking it without purchasing a code. My reason for asking this is since our device is now bootloader unlocked and rooted why can't we flash something that would unlock the SIM if that information Is stored in a filesystem somewhere or since it is android that the dialog box pops up when you insert a foreign SIM card into the phone simply write an application the emulates the behavior of that application and thereby unlock the SIM. I'm most likely thinking about this wrong but I am just curious. Does it have to do with an encryption that is too difficult or too time consuming to circumvent? Or is it illegal to do this without purchasing a code? Or is there something I am missing?
Thank you and sorry if I wasted your time.
Sent from my MB886 using xda app-developers app
There is a way. No one knows it though.
Sent from my PACMAN MATRIX HD MAXX
I'm pretty sure the reason why, is because the company you bought the phone from (in our case, AT&T) has to give those people the code, to give to you. I always figured the reason we couldn't do it ourselves is because it has to be done by the network. I.E send a signal to the phone via a tower, telling the phone it's now SIM unlocked. If someone would correct me if I'm wrong, that'd be nice, lol.
devilsmarch said:
I always figured the reason we couldn't do it ourselves is because it has to be done by the network. I.E send a signal to the phone via a tower, telling the phone it's now SIM unlocked. If someone would correct me if I'm wrong, that'd be nice, lol.
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I would say you're wrong. People in India and South America have bought codes and unlocked their phones. AT&T's signal doesn't reach that far ... :laugh:
diamond12 said:
I would say you're wrong. People in India and South America have bought codes and unlocked their phones. AT&T's signal doesn't reach that far ... :laugh:
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Ah, okay, haha.
I'm not gonna pretend to know everything about the sim unlock process, but the sim unlock code sends a signal to your phone's radio that tells it "its ok to listen to other signals now". Put in the wrong code too many times and it won't accept codes anymore. Some of the older phone/radio combos could be software unlocked...meaning as long as you ran the right combo of radio, firmware, and executables it would unlock itself...also had to do some wacky steps for some phones.
I tried to start the process of unlocking my TMOBILE S6 today - first thing I discovered is that I need to get a new ATT NANO SIM Card - the Note 4 I am using has a Micro SIM - and the S6 uses the smaller NANO SIM CARD.
When I chatted with one of the online "unlock" web sites - they said they are not able to unlock the S6 EDGE because it does not give the user a prompt to enter an unlock code after inserting the ATT Sim Card.
he did not know if this would happen (or not happen) on the regular S6.
I am going to get a nano SD card from ATT and try it today - but after what I heard happened on the S6 Edge - It is not promising - it looks like TMOBILE is trying to close the door on people buying their phones and then immediately using them on ATT or some other provider.
If anyone has any experience they can share it would be helpful - I am going to see what happens later today after I get a new NANO Sim Card from ATT.
Updating my original post -
I have learned (thru attempting to use an ATT NANO SD CARD - that the only way to unlock the TMOBILE N920T at this time is by using a special AP available from TMOBILE - and then it will only work when TMOBILE has authorized it.
Cellunlockers or any of the other web sites that offer codes to unlock your phone will not work as you never are given a chance to enter an UNLOCK CODE.
I don't know if there are any other options - maybe secret samsung codes - or a special app by one of our illustrious developers - but for the time being, if you have purchased a TMOBILE S6 (like I have) and want to use it on ATT - it is not possible.
I would love to hear from any one who has an idea on what can be done about this (if anything) short of getting TMOBILE to give you an Unlock Code.
(I beleive the current policy at TMOBILE is that they won't give an unlock code until after 3 months of service. I might be wrong on that - but I beleive that is the situation.)
Any suggestions
What if i have been using T-Mobile for a few years now and decide to buy the phone full price. Wouldnt that also unlock the phone? My wife uses T-Mobile on her iPhone 5S and i wanted to buy a S6 Edge and pop her sim card in it, wait a few minutes and request the unlock. Would that work?
serialtoon said:
What if i have been using T-Mobile for a few years now and decide to buy the phone full price. Wouldnt that also unlock the phone? My wife uses T-Mobile on her iPhone 5S and i wanted to buy a S6 Edge and pop her sim card in it, wait a few minutes and request the unlock. Would that work?
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You might be able to do that - best to call Customer Service at TMO
serialtoon said:
What if i have been using T-Mobile for a few years now and decide to buy the phone full price. Wouldnt that also unlock the phone? My wife uses T-Mobile on her iPhone 5S and i wanted to buy a S6 Edge and pop her sim card in it, wait a few minutes and request the unlock. Would that work?
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T-Mobile has no idea how to unlock it and they claim that they won't until after the phone officially launches (April 10th). I have been on the phone with them for hours over this.
I'm officially UNLOCKED!
I can tell you that I have had my S6 for about 4 days and I put my prepaid sim card in it instead of the one it came with (had to create a postpaid account so that I could get this phone!). I tried to unlock with the app on the phone and it told me NO, I am not eligible to do that, but I just tried it a 3rd time about 30 mins ago and BOOM! I am permanently unlocked and can confirm that AT&T works great! The phone rebooted and it automatically froze the unlock app. LOL I un froze the app and sure enough, I am perm unlocked! Not bad for using the phone for less than a week and not calling T-Mobile even once to ask. Just wanted to give people a heads up in case u wanted to try this yourself with a pre-paid sim (if u have a prepaid account, of course). I love my $30 plan so I will be cancelling my service so that I don't have to pay for anything except for the phone itself. Good luck!
Wow! Lucky!
I tried 10 times with an AT&T sim but no luck.
shojus said:
I can tell you that I have had my S6 for about 4 days and I put my prepaid sim card in it instead of the one it came with (had to create a postpaid account so that I could get this phone!). I tried to unlock with the app on the phone and it told me NO, I am not eligible to do that, but I just tried it a 3rd time about 30 mins ago and BOOM! I am permanently unlocked and can confirm that AT&T works great! The phone rebooted and it automatically froze the unlock app. LOL I un froze the app and sure enough, I am perm unlocked! Not bad for using the phone for less than a week and not calling T-Mobile even once to ask. Just wanted to give people a heads up in case u wanted to try this yourself with a pre-paid sim (if u have a prepaid account, of course). I love my $30 plan so I will be cancelling my service so that I don't have to pay for anything except for the phone itself. Good luck!
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I don't know if this will work for me but I will try when I get home - Just wanted to confirm - before hitting unlock app - did you install the att SIM card first? Then hit unlock ?
mocsab said:
I don't know if this will work for me but I will try when I get home - Just wanted to confirm - before hitting unlock app - did you install the att SIM card first? Then hit unlock ?
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Since it's associated with your account u gotta have YOUR SIM card in there in order for the app to know if you are even eligible or not. So, u are correct, u have to unlock it with a T-Mobile SIM card than after it reboots (if successful) then u can put a non T-Mobile sim in.
My question is.. S
Did your phone say unlocked before or after you put in the Att sim card. Your first post wasn't clear. Also are you rooted or no?
mocsab said:
My question is.. S
Did your phone say unlocked before or after you put in the Att sim card. Your first post wasn't clear. Also are you rooted or no?
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What he is explaining is that he had his T-Mobile SIM card in the phone, he then opened the T-Mobile unlock app and tried to unlock the phone. And it told him no. So he tried a few more times, and finally it allowed him to unlock the phone. Then AFTER the phone was unlocked he put his AT&T SIM in and it worked.
The reason behind this is for the T-Mobile unlock app to work it has to check your account to verify that you are eligible for the unlock to occur. The phone will not unlock with any SIM that is not a T-Mobile SIM because it will not be able to verify if it is or is not eligible. And since there is no chance to enter an unlock code there is no need to put your AT&T SIM in the phone until after it is already unlocked. Basically they changed everything.
To be eligible for the unlock from T-Mobile, you must have an account in good standing at least 40 days old, and the device must be paid in full. So my suggestion would be to find a friend or family member that has had T-Mobile for a while and swap their SIM into your phone and do the unlock request, afterwards swap out your AT&T SIM and you should be good to go.
Thanks for the clarity that was lacking in the original post. Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has tmobile. Oh well... Waiting ain't so bad...
Unlock code
I bought an unlock code, as everyone stated the unlock code screen doesn't come up with an ATT sim installed but if you turn the phone on with no SIM in it and the. Go to the phone screen, type #7465625*638*# it will take you to the unlock code screen. I was able to get an unlock successful but when I restart the phone with my ATT sim it still says insert valid sim. Very weird and very frustrating. Have a friend that is prepaid. Trying that tomorrow
storageviolator said:
I bought an unlock code, as everyone stated the unlock code screen doesn't come up with an ATT sim installed but if you turn the phone on with no SIM in it and the. Go to the phone screen, type #7465625*638*# it will take you to the unlock code screen. I was able to get an unlock successful but when I restart the phone with my ATT sim it still says insert valid sim. Very weird and very frustrating. Have a friend that is prepaid. Trying that tomorrow
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I tried too using AT&T sim card but a no go. I did get a successful unlock after entering unlock code but phone still locked.
I got lucky, had a chat with TMOBILE rep and they approved for the unlocK. I only opened the account a few days back. She did say it may take up to 14 days because the unlock cod or the device isn't available in the database yet
storageviolator said:
I got lucky, had a chat with TMOBILE rep and they approved for the unlocK. I only opened the account a few days back. She did say it may take up to 14 days because the unlock cod or the device isn't available in the database yet
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What did you tell them to give you the unlock code/did they tell you how to unlock it?
shojus said:
I can tell you that I have had my S6 for about 4 days and I put my prepaid sim card in it instead of the one it came with (had to create a postpaid account so that I could get this phone!). I tried to unlock with the app on the phone and it told me NO, I am not eligible to do that, but I just tried it a 3rd time about 30 mins ago and BOOM! I am permanently unlocked and can confirm that AT&T works great! The phone rebooted and it automatically froze the unlock app. LOL I un froze the app and sure enough, I am perm unlocked! Not bad for using the phone for less than a week and not calling T-Mobile even once to ask. Just wanted to give people a heads up in case u wanted to try this yourself with a pre-paid sim (if u have a prepaid account, of course). I love my $30 plan so I will be cancelling my service so that I don't have to pay for anything except for the phone itself. Good luck!
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To unlock a prepaid phone, T-Mobile requires that you put at least $100 in your prepaid account if the account is newer than 1 year old. My question is, have you deposited over $100 in your account, or did you just recently open up the $30 line and you got lucky? Trying to replicate with my $30 plan I just bought
wahoofan5 said:
To unlock a prepaid phone, T-Mobile requires that you put at least $100 in your prepaid account if the account is newer than 1 year old. My question is, have you deposited over $100 in your account, or did you just recently open up the $30 line and you got lucky? Trying to replicate with my $30 plan I just bought
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You are correct, but that is only one of their stipulations... You have to be activated for at least 40 continuous days for the phone you are trying to unlock AND your account must have had at least $100 of funds that have been put on it with the number assigned to the phone you are unlocking. With me, none of those requirements were met and my unlock still went through so I don't really know what the hell happened but it was def not policy. See, I have had the same prepaid number with the same $30 plan for over a year but I have not maintained continuous service. I jump from carrier to carrier so as long as I don't let my number get deactivated then I can keep going back to that plan but if I don't fund my account for over 90 days then my prepaid number gets recycled and I have to get a new sim card to get back on the plan I had. It may seem weird but I have been doing this 4 awhile now so I have caught on to the way T-Mobile works. I just put $30 on my account so that I could upgrade to the S6 but then I was told NO and that I had to wait til they were available at stores and that did not fly with me so I activated a postpaid account in order to get the S6 but I never put the new accounts sim card in my S6, I just immediately put the prepaid sim card from my old account in there and that's the way I got it unlocked. It's confusing but I'm trying to give you the best details I can so everyone knows EXACTLY what I did. Hope that helps...
Just bought a T-Mobile s6 today and it was unlocked when I purchased it, the guy I bought it from has been with T-Mobile for 5 years and he unlocked it right away when he got the phone. All you really need to do is find someone that has had a T-Mobile account for the said time and pop the sim in ur phone and get it unlocked. Working like a champ on ATT network.
Sent from my SM-G920T using XDA Free mobile app
shojus said:
I can tell you that I have had my S6 for about 4 days and I put my prepaid sim card in it instead of the one it came with (had to create a postpaid account so that I could get this phone!). I tried to unlock with the app on the phone and it told me NO, I am not eligible to do that, but I just tried it a 3rd time about 30 mins ago and BOOM! I am permanently unlocked and can confirm that AT&T works great! The phone rebooted and it automatically froze the unlock app. LOL I un froze the app and sure enough, I am perm unlocked! Not bad for using the phone for less than a week and not calling T-Mobile even once to ask. Just wanted to give people a heads up in case u wanted to try this yourself with a pre-paid sim (if u have a prepaid account, of course). I love my $30 plan so I will be cancelling my service so that I don't have to pay for anything except for the phone itself. Good luck!
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So what is a prepaid sim? im relatively new to sim cards