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I'm in peculiar situation: I bought my T-mo S8 direct from Samsung, paid in full, so now whom do I go to unlock my SIM? People from Canada received unlock code together with copy of bill, but I can't find anything on mine, any suggestions? Of course I want to do it as painless as possible and I want to ask here before calling customer service and waste few hours.
pete4k said:
I'm in peculiar situation: I bought my T-mo S8 direct from Samsung, paid in full, so now whom do I go to unlock my SIM? People from Canada received unlock code together with copy of bill, but I can't find anything on mine, any suggestions? Of course I want to do it as painless as possible and I want to ask here before calling customer service and waste few hours.
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Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat as you
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
pete4k said:
I'm in peculiar situation: I bought my T-mo S8 direct from Samsung, paid in full, so now whom do I go to unlock my SIM? People from Canada received unlock code together with copy of bill, but I can't find anything on mine, any suggestions? Of course I want to do it as painless as possible and I want to ask here before calling customer service and waste few hours.
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Click to collapse
I am in the same situation. From my understanding of past and present TMo devices, the account has to be in good standing (EIP/equipment paid off) AND your device needs to have 40 or 45 days (someone correct me) of continuous usage on TMo network before you can request the Device App unlock = carrier unlock.
So just wait until then
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
As I suspected, I called Samsung to unlock my phone, they told me to call T-mo, called T-mo, they told me to call Samsung, wasted already 1 hour on this.
escabar said:
I am in the same situation. From my understanding of past and present TMo devices, the account has to be in good standing (EIP/equipment paid off) AND your device needs to have 40 or 45 days (someone correct me) of continuous usage on TMo network before you can request the Device App unlock = carrier unlock.
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Click to collapse
It's 40 days, that is I was told by CS. After that you use "Device unlock" app on your phone and choose permanent unlock.
Same techniques for S6 and S7 and it worked for me.
First of all I'm leaving on a trip in 20 days, second, the phone is paid in full now, not in 40, third I didn't buy it from T-mo so most likely they wont have any record of it. It's total BS and should be illegal, in Canada Samsung sends unlock code with the phone., but I guess here consumers have no protection. Last time I'm buying carrier phone. This whole locking of the phones is leftover from carrier subsidies and should not exist outside of those plans, if they still taking place. And a funny thing is I have no intention of leaving T-mo anyway and there are services to unlock phone for money. I remember some law about phone getting unlocked when paid I read about few years ago, but can't get any details now.
pete4k said:
First of all I'm leaving on a trip in 20 days, second, the phone is paid in full now, not in 40, third I didn't buy it from T-mo so most likely they wont have any record of it. It's total BS and should be illegal, in Canada Samsung sends unlock code with the phone., but I guess here consumers have no protection. Last time I'm buying carrier phone. This whole locking of the phones is leftover from carrier subsidies and should not exist outside of those plans, if they still taking place. And a funny thing is I have no intention of leaving T-mo anyway and there are services to unlock phone for money. I remember some law about phone getting unlocked when paid I read about few years ago, but can't get any details now.
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That is T-Mobile branded phone, and that is their rules, sorry for that. What you can do, before going on the trip, on that app/ choose Temporary unlock, it's good for 30 days and you can have it up to 5 times in a year.
pete4k said:
First of all I'm leaving on a trip in 20 days, second, the phone is paid in full now, not in 40, third I didn't buy it from T-mo so most likely they wont have any record of it. It's total BS and should be illegal, in Canada Samsung sends unlock code with the phone., but I guess here consumers have no protection. Last time I'm buying carrier phone. This whole locking of the phones is leftover from carrier subsidies and should not exist outside of those plans, if they still taking place. And a funny thing is I have no intention of leaving T-mo anyway and there are services to unlock phone for money. I remember some law about phone getting unlocked when paid I read about few years ago, but can't get any details now.
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You can call T-Mobile and let them know that you are travelling out of the country on ___ date and ask for an unlock code for a long time customer. It has worked for me in the past if you get the right rep.
mrbear01 said:
You can call T-Mobile and let them know that you are travelling out of the country on ___ date and ask for an unlock code for a long time customer. It has worked for me in the past if you get the right rep.
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I have the same problem, I bought the phone from Samsung.com and there was no option to purchase an unlocked phone. I am traveling in two days for a few weeks and I called Tmobile several times trying to at least get a temporary unlock and even that cannot be done. They said it has to be on their network for 40 days. I even called Samsung and they said all the unlock codes are sent to Tmobile and only they can unlock it due to the stupid Device Unlock app. You cannot unlock it even if you have the code, only the app can unlock it. If I didn't like the S8 so much I would have switched to the iPhone 7. Absolutely ridiculous!!!
I still don't understand how T-mo will know the phone you purchased direct from Samsung is paid for and should not have SIM locked to begin with.
I have the same problem with my S8. Bough it directly from Samsung. I contacted Samsung and they told me that I need contact tmobile; contact tmobile and they told me that my phone does not show in their system as a tmobile phone because I did not buy it from them. I need my phone unlock so when I travel overseas I can use a local sime card. I don't want to wait until 40-45 days go able to unlock my phone and then not be able to return it to Samsung. There some unlock services charging $50.00 plus to unlock it. I don't want to expend more money, since this phone is already very expensive.
kindongo said:
I have the same problem with my S8. Bough it directly from Samsung. I contacted Samsung and they told me that I need contact tmobile; contact tmobile and they told me that my phone does not show in their system as a tmobile phone because I did not buy it from them. I need my phone unlock so when I travel overseas I can use a local sime card. I don't want to wait until 40-45 days go able to unlock my phone and then not be able to return it to Samsung. There some unlock services charging $50.00 plus to unlock it. I don't want to expend more money, since this phone is already very expensive.
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Click to collapse
It's not even about money, this should be illegal. This whole business of locking the SIM card is left over from contract subsidized phones and I could perfectly understand that phone belonged to phone company and you just leased it until end of contract. Now I praise T-mo for getting rid of this practice and changing whole industry, so now at least you know what are you paying for and how much. But now SIM locking shouldn't even happen anymore: if phone is stolen/unpaid for, blacklist IMEI and also you can unlock SIM for the fee, even if it is stolen, so what purpose this SIM locking serves? Canada gets unlock code with the phone.
Anybody had any luck getting the phone unlock.?I waited too long to return the phone, now I'm stuck with it.
http://www.cellunlocker.net/t-mobile-device-unlock-app.php
the service is expensive $130 dls for the unlock
kindongo said:
Anybody had any luck getting the phone unlock.?I waited too long to return the phone, now I'm stuck with it.
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I was in the same boat as you. Went through T-Force on Twitter and seemed to have gotten a rep on the first go who understood the situation and submitted my IMEI number to the right place. Your IMEI number needs to be added to their "device distribution inventory system" and needs to be submitted to their highest level tech support, this allows the Device Unlock app think your phone came from T-mobile's inventory and will let the app unlock your phone.
There may be hope for everyone in the future, this one of the final responses I got from them:
"I am right there with you. It definitely makes things harder on both sides since the phone isn't technically bought from us, even though it is branded a T-Mobile phone and our system rejects any IMEI that didn't come from our inventory. None the less, we're all about giving you full access to what is yours. Teams are currently working on a process update that'll make things a lot more seamless, but in the meantime we've got this work around! I really appreciate you taking the time to reach out to us today!"
14 hours later I tried the Unlock Device app and requested the permanent unlock and was greeted with "Unlock Approved: Mobile Device is permanently unlocked"
Device is fully unlocked, tested with an AT&T SIM card and everything worked fine. After 2 reboots the Device Unlock app even disappeared from my phone. I'm so happy with how fast T-Mobile dealt with this. The more people that make a stink about this issue on social media hopefully T-Mobile will find a permanent fix for people buying a SIM locked at full price and have it easily unlocked under their standard procedure.
INGHUGO said:
http://www.cellunlocker.net/t-mobile-device-unlock-app.php
the service is expensive $130 dls for the unlock
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Click to collapse
Did this work for you and were you able to successfully unlock ?
no,unfortunately it couldn't be unlocked because cellunlock no longer have access to their server ,I had to have a contract and wait the 40 days that are the requirement so I can release it
I dont think anybody has now. nearly all the sites i checked unlocking tmobile does not seems to be available.
fragg3d said:
I was in the same boat as you. Went through T-Force on Twitter and seemed to have gotten a rep on the first go who understood the situation and submitted my IMEI number to the right place. Your IMEI number needs to be added to their "device distribution inventory system" and needs to be submitted to their highest level tech support, this allows the Device Unlock app think your phone came from T-mobile's inventory and will let the app unlock your phone.
There may be hope for everyone in the future, this one of the final responses I got from them:
"I am right there with you. It definitely makes things harder on both sides since the phone isn't technically bought from us, even though it is branded a T-Mobile phone and our system rejects any IMEI that didn't come from our inventory. None the less, we're all about giving you full access to what is yours. Teams are currently working on a process update that'll make things a lot more seamless, but in the meantime we've got this work around! I really appreciate you taking the time to reach out to us today!"
14 hours later I tried the Unlock Device app and requested the permanent unlock and was greeted with "Unlock Approved: Mobile Device is permanently unlocked"
Device is fully unlocked, tested with an AT&T SIM card and everything worked fine. After 2 reboots the Device Unlock app even disappeared from my phone. I'm so happy with how fast T-Mobile dealt with this. The more people that make a stink about this issue on social media hopefully T-Mobile will find a permanent fix for people buying a SIM locked at full price and have it easily unlocked under their standard procedure.
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Thanks, I will try that
Hi guys, anyone know of a good method to unlock a locked T-mobile Note 5 that was bought from e-Bay? I've been using t-mobile for years, but I don't know if the 40 days of use method will work since I didn't buy my previous/current Note 5 (unlocked) from t-mobile. My new Note 5 is factory locked, and I don't think the unlock code method some third party sellers sell will work with it.
Any info?
It doesnt matter if you bought the device from Tmo or not you may have to get service for at least 40 days. and after that last payment with 40 days in mind the unlocker app will work....I went thru that with the Lg v10 when it first came out and i got it from swappa. But i dont know off hand if things have changed or not since then but third party unlockers couldnt do it then. Thats one reason i quit buying devices from tmo and having to mess with that app but after 40 days made the payment on the 42nd day and the app worked fine.....
KennyLG123 said:
It doesnt matter if you bought the device from Tmo or not you may have to get service for at least 40 days. and after that last payment with 40 days in mind the unlocker app will work....I went thru that with the Lg v10 when it first came out and i got it from swappa. But i dont know off hand if things have changed or not since then but third party unlockers couldnt do it then. Thats one reason i quit buying devices from tmo and having to mess with that app but after 40 days made the payment on the 42nd day and the app worked fine.....
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. As far as I've read there used to be more options in the past:
-People would flash a MetroPCS Rom to their Note 5's in order to prompt to enter an unlocking code they would buy from a third party seller.
-People would unlock the phone through the T-mobile app regardless of where they bought the phone from, after a 40 day service under t-mobile, and have the phone fully paid if they bought it through t-mobile (used to be a whole year in the old old days). Also, some people reported being able to unlock after only 4 days of use under a t-mobile line, and requesting help from t-mobile. However IF the phone was stolen, or the previous owner had pending payments, the phone would get flagged by t-mobile, and other issues would appear to prevent you from unlocking, which is why it's risky to buy used phones off not so reputable sources like eBay.
- Some people or third party sellers would offer a server based unlock that was either free or paid by donation. I read that they needed root, but would use a "ping pong" type of temporary root that would not trip Knox, which sounds amazing, but I doubt people are still doing that since a lot of users ar moving on from the Note 5 by now.
thenetvines said:
Thanks for the info. As far as I've read there used to be more options in the past:
-People would flash a MetroPCS Rom to their Note 5's in order to prompt to enter an unlocking code they would buy from a third party seller.
-People would unlock the phone through the T-mobile app regardless of where they bought the phone from, after a 40 day service under t-mobile, and have the phone fully paid if they bought it through t-mobile (used to be a whole year in the old old days). Also, some people reported being able to unlock after only 4 days of use under a t-mobile line, and requesting help from t-mobile. However IF the phone was stolen, or the previous owner had pending payments, the phone would get flagged by t-mobile, and other issues would appear to prevent you from unlocking, which is why it's risky to buy used phones off not so reputable sources like eBay.
- Some people or third party sellers would offer a server based unlock that was either free or paid by donation. I read that they needed root, but would use a "ping pong" type of temporary root that would not trip Knox, which sounds amazing, but I doubt people are still doing that since a lot of users ar moving on from the Note 5 by now.
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Click to collapse
I wasnt getting nowhere talking to tmo but went ahead and got the service with them just to unlock the device. But after that i started buying international devices, which was better since tmo is allowing bootloader lock and i prefer the exynos chips anyhow over snapdragon.
Hey, I was able to easily unlock my phone through T-mobile for free and really quick.
I bought a genuine T-mobile locked Note 5 from eBay, fearing it maybe a fake, since they still sell so many fake phones out there.
I tried the unlocking app on my SM-920T, and it said my device wasn't eligible. I called T-mobile, and a lady told me that she wouldn't know how to unlock my device past the unlocking app, so I asked her to transfer me to a tech guy, and she did.
The tech guy looked up my IMEI number, and realized it wasn't a stolen phone, or a used phone under someone's account left with a debt, so he said that was good so far, and he tried his first "unlock method" to no success... I don't know what that method was, but then he said he'd try a second method (probably server based), and he was successful. He told me to wait anywhere from 2 hours to 24 hours, and try the unlocking app.
I tried the unlocking app right away, and it worked. Overall, it took less than 5 minutes talking to T-mobile to unlock permanently.
I did this in Florida, US, with a refurbished phone that seems to be legit. I don't know how this method will vary under other circumstances.
thenetvines said:
Hey, I was able to easily unlock my phone through T-mobile for free and really quick.
I bought a genuine T-mobile locked Note 5 from eBay, fearing it maybe a fake, since they still sell so many fake phones out there.
I tried the unlocking app on my SM-920T, and it said my device wasn't eligible. I called T-mobile, and a lady told me that she wouldn't know how to unlock my device past the unlocking app, so I asked her to transfer me to a tech guy, and she did.
The tech guy looked up my IMEI number, and realized it wasn't a stolen phone, or a used phone under someone's account left with a debt, so he said that was good so far, and he tried his first "unlock method" to no success... I don't know what that method was, but then he said he'd try a second method (probably server based), and he was successful. He told me to wait anywhere from 2 hours to 24 hours, and try the unlocking app.
I tried the unlocking app right away, and it worked. Overall, it took less than 5 minutes talking to T-mobile to unlock permanently.
I did this in Florida, US, with a refurbished phone that seems to be legit. I don't know how this method will vary under other circumstances.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im glad you didnt go thru the crap most of us had to do with tmo unlock app...
KennyLG123 said:
Im glad you didnt go thru the crap most of us had to do with tmo unlock app...
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Click to collapse
Hey man, just to let you know, it is even EASIER to unlock phones through T-mobile now, and for free!!! All you have to do is leave a message about it on T-Mobile's Facebook support, and leave them your IMEI.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE NOT USING THE PHONE ON T-MOBILE
NO CONTRACT OR DAYS OF USE WITH THEM REQUIRED
THEY USUALLY RESPOND IN MINUTES
NO CHARGE WHATSOEVER
IF YOU ARE IN THE US, EVEN THE SIM CARD ON TMOBILE SHOULD BE FREE IF YOU NEED IT, JUST DON'T GO TO A SHADY SMALL T-MOBILE SHOP OWNED BY A THIRD PARTY, GO TO THE BIG STORES.
Is there anybody who can unlock my Pixel 4 XL just like it was done with the OnePlus 7 Pro? I really appreciate if it's possible
Call them and ask for unlock, did mine last night with no issues
capsnbottles said:
Call them and ask for unlock, did mine last night with no issues
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You paid in full? They don't wanna do it for me, I need a employee here on XDA who is willing to do it for me
SmileBigNow said:
You paid in full? They don't wanna do it for me, I need a employee here on XDA who is willing to do it for me
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Nope, im on the jump on demand program. I told them I was leaving for work overseas and needed it asap like they have always done for me. Sweet talk them a little if you have to. Threaten to return it or something. Keep trying and eventually you will get someone cool, avoid the over seas reps at all costs though, they are useless
capsnbottles said:
Nope, im on the jump on demand program. I told them I was leaving for work overseas and needed it asap like they have always done for me. Sweet talk them a little if you have to. Threaten to return it or something. Keep trying and eventually you will get someone cool, avoid the over seas reps at all costs though, they are useless
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Click to collapse
Gotcha, maybe I'll try T-Force, will see how that will go
There a a thread I read today that showed 2 people unlocking a Verizon pixel by taking the sim card out and setting the phone up while connected to WIFI. They where able to check the unlock button then unlock with adb.
srimay said:
There a a thread I read today that showed 2 people unlocking a Verizon pixel by taking the sim card out and setting the phone up while connected to WIFI. They where able to check the unlock button then unlock with adb.
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Click to collapse
Just taking out the SIM card will make the option in settings available?
Apparently...
srimay said:
Apparently...
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Interesting
capsnbottles said:
Nope, im on the jump on demand program. I told them I was leaving for work overseas and needed it asap like they have always done for me. Sweet talk them a little if you have to. Threaten to return it or something. Keep trying and eventually you will get someone cool, avoid the over seas reps at all costs though, they are useless
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Click to collapse
I just did the same thing and they said no problem your JOD, whitelisted my number / device and going to the app doesn't work!! Tried a ton of times. He's calling me back shortly to verify working or not. Hopefully they get this right bc otherwise I'm returning and buying Google. Gotta have root.
You're looking for a carrier unlock to unlock to bootloader or to just have the phone Sim unlocked?
Either way you're at the mercy of your carrier. Until the phone is paid in full they legally don't have to Sim unlock it, and if it's never fully paid it will be blacklisted on all major carriers
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Well TMO has no idea why it won't work. Device is listed as applicable for unlock and they claim it's good to go. Going to website on my account shows device as locked and eligible for unlock but will not unlock via TMO app. Technical support escalating to engineering as expedited. Guess we will see what happens from here. I've w feeling I'm returning this to TMO in favor of Google p4xl and I'll wait for op7t pro McLaren 5g to arrive on tmo for my jod
Ippolito1971 said:
Well TMO has no idea why it won't work. Device is listed as applicable for unlock and they claim it's good to go. Going to website on my account shows device as locked and eligible for unlock but will not unlock via TMO app. Technical support escalating to engineering as expedited. Guess we will see what happens from here. I've w feeling I'm returning this to TMO in favor of Google p4xl and I'll wait for op7t pro McLaren 5g to arrive on tmo for my jod
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The app on the Pixel is broken, they have to do it manually on their side
SmileBigNow said:
The app on the Pixel is broken, they have to do it manually on their side
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Click to collapse
I've talked to 2 people now. Neither has been able to do it. They did yours?
I'm in this same boat of the unlock app not working. Device is eligible, IMEI whitelisted multiple times, still fails every time. I now have a support case with the executive response team and have been going back and forth trying to find a solution. They've had me swap the phone with a new one and issued me a new temporary plan on a different SIM, neither of which made a difference. There is clearly a problem with their unlock app not working with this phone. No one at T-Mobile seems to know what's going on.
So my device was unlocked remotely without the T-Mobile unlock app.
This only happened once I filed a complaint with the FCC. Other people have stated that they had their device unlocked within a couple days after filing a complaint with the FCC.
I received an email this morning from the FCC that they contacted T-Mobile to unlock my device under federal law requiring carriers unlock eligible devices.
A few hours later I got a notification stating my device has been unlocked (no T-Mobile unlock app required).
It's a shame you have to involve the government so companies follow the law. I was previously told the device unlock app was the only way to unlock my phone, obviously not.
I'd recommend anyone who is struggling with the unlock app file a complaint with the FCC. If you are eligible to unlock the device under T-Mobile's policy, they are required by federal law to do so.
Hi, I'm thinking about buying a locked T-Mobile Google Pixel 4 XL being from outside the US, and I'd like to check first with you guys what are my options yo unlock it. I've read here that if the owner Is a long-time owner they can request the phone to be unlocked, although this might not be the case with the person I'm planning to make the purchase with.
Is my only option to unlock it by buying a code (if that"s still a thing..) anyway, I would appreciate your help, thanks!
I contacted T-mobile directly because I do not have an account. The rep told me if I bought the pixel 4xl in the store I would still have to wait 40 days for an unlock code even though I am buying the phone outright.
Get the t-mobile app and chat with them. If you ask nicely they'll unlock it
If the phone is being financed through them then they will most likely refuse to unlock it.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
I used Facebook messenger to contact TMobile. Mine is paid off but the rule is 2 payments and 40 days I think. 40 days is easily waived.
Thank you all, I can give it a try, however, will they help me even if I purchased it through eBay?
Took me about 6 or 7 Pixel 4XLs, ordering and returning via Care, TMOHelp, or a Supervisor from either. On the 12th (of February), i received my last and final Pixel 4XL, when i received it, i left it in the UPS Box, so the IMEI is yet to be active, and i owed FULL PRICE for the device, and i contacted the right Rep @ TMOHelp on Twitter to white list my IMEI, before i even activated or turned the device ON. The TMOHelp rep asked for the new IMEI and 5-10 minutes and he would try and work his "MagentaMagic" and i tried explaining, as long as he whitelists the correct IMEI, we wouldnt and shouldnt have any issue. He came back and said all went well, just turn the device on make sure I update the UNLOCK App and choose PERMANENT UNLOCK and there she was : T-Mobile Google Pixel 4XL Carrier Unlocked and awaiting fastboot instructions... Only took 6-7 Devices and a little over a Month!
TeeJay420 said:
Took me about 6 or 7 Pixel 4XLs, ordering and returning via Care, TMOHelp, or a Supervisor from either. On the 12th (of February), i received my last and final Pixel 4XL, when i received it, i left it in the UPS Box, so the IMEI is yet to be active, and i owed FULL PRICE for the device, and i contacted the right Rep @ TMOHelp on Twitter to white list my IMEI, before i even activated or turned the device ON. The TMOHelp rep asked for the new IMEI and 5-10 minutes and he would try and work his "MagentaMagic" and i tried explaining, as long as he whitelists the correct IMEI, we wouldnt and shouldnt have any issue. He came back and said all went well, just turn the device on make sure I update the UNLOCK App and choose PERMANENT UNLOCK and there she was : T-Mobile Google Pixel 4XL Carrier Unlocked and awaiting fastboot instructions... Only took 6-7 Devices and a little over a Month!
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Click to collapse
@TMOHelp OR @TmobileHelp ?
*Edit* must be @TmobileHelp because @TMOHelp looks fake as hell.
mikepopo99 said:
Get the t-mobile app and chat with them. If you ask nicely they'll unlock it
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Click to collapse
Yep, that what I did and the rep unlocked my phone even my phone is not paid off yet but the 40 days is a must.
Caltinpla said:
Yep, that what I did and the rep unlocked my phone even my phone is not paid off yet but the 40 days is a must.
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Click to collapse
Mine was unlocked immediately (within 20 minutes) via the Twitter help. Once the rep white listed the IMEI it took about 10 minutes for the permanent unlock to show up. My device is not paid off, however I have had 6 lines on a business account with auto pay setup for over 2.5 years. I'm definitely thinking account longevity helps.
kdoggy said:
@TMOHelp OR @TmobileHelp ?
*Edit* must be @TmobileHelp because @TMOHelp looks fake as hell.
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Click to collapse
https://twitter.com/TMobileHelp
CBMC said:
Mine was unlocked immediately (within 20 minutes) via the Twitter help. Once the rep white listed the IMEI it took about 10 minutes for the permanent unlock to show up. My device is not paid off, however I have 6 lines on a business account with auto pay setup.
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Click to collapse
I used the chat option within the T-Mobile app and got it unlocked immediately after the phone reboot. He didn't even ask for the IMEI number but just the last 4 digits of the phone number of the phone to be unlocked.
He mentioned the phone must be active with T-Mobile service for at least 40 days, account in good standing, and been with them for a long time. So, it really depends on how and who you talk to to get it done!
Caltinpla said:
I used the chat option within the T-Mobile app and got it unlocked immediately after the phone reboot. He didn't even ask for the IMEI number but just the last 4 digits of the phone number of the phone to be unlocked.
He mentioned the phone must be active with T-Mobile service for at least 40 days, account in good standing, and been with them for a long time. So, it really depends on how and who you talk to to get it done!
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Click to collapse
Yes. I think the length of time you are with them is the key factor. The guy on Twitter said as much.
Okay so I am in shock right now.
I'm a brand new T-Mobile customer, my phone is on a lease and I just got this Pixel 4 XL like 4 days ago.
My phone is fully SIM unlocked and I can verify that the OEM bootloader unlock is no longer greyed out and I've already checked it and it worked.
Originally when I asked I said hey I don't really have a good signal where I work can we unlock the phone so I can use a different sim when I'm at work and they told me I needed to pay off the phone and wait the 40 days.
I tried messaging them again and asking them to enable the dual SIM feature and they did. They asked why I needed it and when I told them they said sure no problem, they set my T-Mobile SIM to be an eSIM and then white listed my phone so I could use the T-Mobile unlock app so that I could use my AT&T SIM.
Sounds like the trick is to ask them to enable dual SIM mode due to signal carrier issues. I will say that the person that I was speaking to told me which type of tower I was connected to and that they could see that I had an extremely poor signal in that area and that there was probably nothing we could do to fix it. Basically they verified that I was in an area with a poor signal and then were like sure no problem!
The person helping me stayed right there on Twitter and walked me through the entire process until I had both SIMs functioning together.
Have my phone just over a week, tried and failed 2 times!
Finally, after third time chatted with T-Mobile through Twitter got my phone unlocked.
It depends who you talk to... Just keep trying!
I just purchased a Samsung S21 Ultra AT&T version from samsung.com and paid the full payment. I requested to unlock my phone in att's website but my requested was denied because my service hasn't been active for at least 60 days.I do not have any payment installment and contract with AT&T since I paid the full price when I bought my phone. I tried to call ATT customer service 800-331-0500, but each time I said unlock phone to the phone robot, the call was disconnected and directed my to submit a unlock request online. I am current using Cricket Wireless, and the the sim card works on this ATT locked phone. I want to unlock it because I would like to flash the XAA firmware. Does anyone have experience to handle the unlock process with ATT? Thanks in advance.
Update on 3/16/2021:
I called ATT retention department and talked with 3 reps, but no one was able to solved the issue. Two rep said they were not able to unlocked a phone without 60 days ATT service or let me ask samsung to unlock the phone, and the third one directed me to fill the unlocking form in the https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/ again. This request was denied within one hour, claiming "Your IMEI number & device don't match". This reason is different with my first request. I am very confused with their unlocking system. After 24 hours (this afternoon), I submitted an online unlocking request again. Surprisingly, this request was approved within half an hour. This is a happy ending, but I hate this hassle progress.
Hope my experience can help someone else.
Call them again and ask to talk with the Customer Loyalty Dept aka Retainment Dept.
Escalate the case if needed.
If nice doesn't get it, hound them.
If bought with a Master Card you can file a claim for a refund (you need return the phone first).
Trust me if you're assertive with AT&T you'll get it done. Been there, done that... many times
blackhawk said:
Call them again and ask to talk with the Customer Loyalty Dept aka Retainment Dept.
Escalate the case if needed.
If nice doesn't get it, hound them.
If bought with a Master Card you can file a claim for a refund (you need return the phone first).
Trust me if you're assertive with AT&T you'll get it done. Been there, done that... many times
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Thanks for your suggestion. ATT sucks.
qoupan said:
Thanks for your suggestion. ATT sucks.
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You can play with them. The CEO gives their reps a lot of leeway to resolve problems.
You just need to leverage them a bit sometimes.
Consider it assertiveness training.
One way or another... get it done
Just a question, why get a carrier locked phone instead of an unlocked phone to begin with?
Sonin66 said:
Just a question, why get a carrier locked phone instead of an unlocked phone to begin with?
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The reason I bought a ATT locked phone it the 256gb black unlocked version is out of stock.
qoupan said:
The reason I bought a ATT locked phone it the 256gb black unlocked version is out of stock.
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At the worst you'll only need to wait 60 days to comply with the contract.
Speed is always expensive...
Sonin66 said:
Just a question, why get a carrier locked phone instead of an unlocked phone to begin with?
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It is not unusual for a Carrier to have this kind of policy - TMobile has a similar rule - I don't know about Verizon, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did too. Like someone said earlier, if the OP complains long enough, there is a very good chance he will get what he wants.
Geekser said:
It is not unusual for a Carrier to have this kind of policy - TMobile has a similar rule - I don't know about Verizon, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did too. Like someone said earlier, if the OP complains long enough, there is a very good chance he will get what he wants.
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I had AT&T unlock my S4+ as I was in compliance with the contract.
They are contractually bound by that agreement.
They are only obligated to fullfill the terms of that contract although they may choose to alter it on the OP's behalf.
One point to remember though is that they make most of their profit by providing cell service not the devices.
The OP should carefully check the buy out clause(s) in the contract as well as any state laws that apply ie contact the State Attorney General's office.
I found this thread when I did the research. It analyzed the potential reason why ATT's unlock system is problematic.
S21 AT&T variant purchased from Samsung.com IMEI not recognized in unlock portal | AT&T Community Forums
@ATTCARES Samsung CS confirms phone is an AT&T device per their IMEI portal. AT&T's unlock portal does not contain the IMEI so they have no ability to produce an unlock code. Device is acti...
forums.att.com
you do know that carrier unlock is not needed to flash the xaa firmware