I recently bought a desire s off ebay, it's suppose to be new but I wondered if there's anyway for me to tell for sure or does a factory reset wipe all such info?
Do the carriers have a way of finding out how long a handset has been in use?
FlexiPack said:
I recently bought a desire s off ebay, it's suppose to be new but I wondered if there's anyway for me to tell for sure or does a factory reset wipe all such info?
Do the carriers have a way of finding out how long a handset has been in use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cut it in half and count the rings.
No seriously, there is no way I know of to check on the handset how long it has been in use. The only thing I can think of is to make a note of the IMEI number, and ring carriers and police to see if it's been reported stolen or has been registered on a network.
Edit: It's also almost impossible to use the Desire S for any period of time, without wearing off the paint surrounding the USB charging socket. Does that show an signs of clumsy cable attachment or wear?
Another edit: How easily does the battery cover come off? If it's brand new it'll be a b*tch. If it slides off easily it's a sure sign it's been on & off several times before.
The best way to know if its used..call few network providers and ask them if its black listed (even if its not) and they can exactly tell u from and till when it was used and even the mobile number used on it....all they need is the IMEI number....anyways let me know the IMEI number if u r in the UK....will try to check it for you....
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA App
Thanks for the advice guys. From what you've said I'm confident that it was brand new, but thanks for the offer mackhenri!
Hi,
New to HTC and Android, but just wanted to get your opinion on something.
I got an unlocked HTC Desire S from a Chinese (Hong Kong) supplier via a local middleman. It had all kinds of Chinese bloatware on it, and so I decided to flash a new rom. When I went into About phone > Phone identity to write everything down before flashing, I noticed it has a strange 'Device serial number' of 123456789012. That looks kind of strange. On the box sticker and on the sticker in the battery compartment of the phone, what I see is "S/N: SH1CATJxxxxx". Is there anything fishy going on there?
The default Android 2.3.3 OS seems all right. It has what looks like a default HTC startup splash screen (though I don't know if that makes a difference). I did notice that there wasn't a Power settings entry in settings to change fastboot. I had to pull out the battery to get to the boot screen. Don't know if that's a big deal either. I also noticed it was S-Off to begin with when I installed root.
Does this all seem strange, legit, clone-ish? Are there even Desire S clones/knock-offs/gray models/and the like out there? I don't think so... but still, that is a strange device serial number in the phone software, and even the printed serial numbers on the box and battery compartment seem strange, starting with SH instead of HT.
Would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.
waterprism said:
Hi,
New to HTC and Android, but just wanted to get your opinion on something.
I got an unlocked HTC Desire S from a Chinese (Hong Kong) supplier via a local middleman. It had all kinds of Chinese bloatware on it, and so I decided to flash a new rom. When I went into About phone > Phone identity to write everything down before flashing, I noticed it has a strange 'Device serial number' of 123456789012. That looks kind of strange. On the box sticker and on the sticker in the battery compartment of the phone, what I see is "S/N: SH1CATJxxxxx". Is there anything fishy going on there?
The default Android 2.3.3 OS seems all right. It has what looks like a default HTC startup splash screen (though I don't know if that makes a difference). I did notice that there wasn't a Power settings entry in settings to change fastboot. I had to pull out the battery to get to the boot screen. Don't know if that's a big deal either. I also noticed it was S-Off to begin with when I installed root.
Does this all seem strange, legit, clone-ish? Are there even Desire S clones/knock-offs/gray models/and the like out there? I don't think so... but still, that is a strange device serial number in the phone software, and even the printed serial numbers on the box and battery compartment seem strange, starting with SH instead of HT.
Would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Set up adb and type
adb devices
That'll give you your actual device number. No confusion then...
BTW even my device serial number starts with SH... that's not an indicator of a fake device. Check tour device serial number via adb and if it matches the one on the box... I guess you're good to go.
Beamed from the Dark Side using xda premium.
Through adb, it shows that same 123456789012 number.
so, it's probably just dumb luck that the no. is so Nothing to worry about.
shrome99 said:
so, it's probably just dumb luck that the no. is so Nothing to worry about.
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Click to collapse
Yup. Guess you're just plain lucky!! But then the box belongs to some other phone.how about some pics or screenshots??
Beamed from the Dark Side using xda premium.
waterprism said:
...starting with SH instead of HT...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are different serials for different regions/brands. SH is ok, it is the same for North Africa
I am not aware of a method to change the serial number (never needed such) but I am sure that there is. So if your system is android and your device is solid and nice then this should be a Desire S
Hi. Thanks, everyone.
@enigmaamit, I've posted a few pics and a screenshot. Not sure what kind of screenshot you need. Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks. Also not sure if these pics mean much if funny stuff is going on somewhere. The serial on the box clearly doesn't match the screenshot. And that seal was broken when I opened the package.
@amidabuddha, okay, thanks. But like I said above, and enigma said, the S/N on the box is one thing, the S/N the phone is printing out in the 'Phone identity' screen is totally different.
Appreciate your help.
That 'seal' doesn't look very authentic. There are grammatical mistakes too. And(I just noticed) it says 'SEALED PACKGE' instead of package so there's definitely something wrong.
I hope the phone is genuine.
The device is probably legit, just slightly used by someone else before. I think it's second hand, and the box belongs to another device.
waterprism said:
Hi. Thanks, everyone.
@enigmaamit, I've posted a few pics and a screenshot. Not sure what kind of screenshot you need. Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks. Also not sure if these pics mean much if funny stuff is going on somewhere. The serial on the box clearly doesn't match the screenshot. And that seal was broken when I opened the package.
@amidabuddha, okay, thanks. But like I said above, and enigma said, the S/N on the box is one thing, the S/N the phone is printing out in the 'Phone identity' screen is totally different.
Appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks legit to me. I wouldn't worry if it was my device.
Lol.... why don't you fool around and use the bar code scanner to scan the bar codes on the box and see where that leads you to!!
I'm starting to enjoy this Scotland yard stuff!!
Beamed from the Dark Side using xda premium.
Thanks, everyone. Guess I'll have to decide on my next step.
I'll do that, enigma. You mean with just a normal downloaded QR code app?
Use this - https://market.android.com/details?...mNvbS5nb29nbGUuenhpbmcuY2xpZW50LmFuZHJvaWQiXQ..
My device was made in Taiwan, not in China as yours!
Well, HTC is based Taiwan, but sometimes companies manufacture stuff in other countries too. It may also be that the packing is fake, which seems most likely at this time.
Also, since it's S-OFF, you should try some custom ROMs, Sense 3.5 is nice. Try Endymion or Virtuous Affinity. If they work, then it should prove that the device is legit. A knock off can't flash a ROM made for this, it's impossible.
Also, in hboot mode, select recovery and tell us what you see. If it's CWM or 4EXT, then it'll prove it's second hand. If you see stock HTC recovery, (red triangle with !) forget your worries
My box looks the same, the only difference is the seal
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
shrome99 said:
Well, HTC is based Taiwan, but sometimes companies manufacture stuff in other countries too. It may also be that the packing is fake, which seems most likely at this time.
Also, since it's S-OFF, you should try some custom ROMs, Sense 3.5 is nice. Try Endymion or Virtuous Affinity. If they work, then it should prove that the device is legit. A knock off can't flash a ROM made for this, it's impossible.
Also, in hboot mode, select recovery and tell us what you see. If it's CWM or 4EXT, then it'll prove it's second hand. If you see stock HTC recovery, (red triangle with !) forget your worries
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. Unfortunately, I've already flashed a new rom and so I can't remember what the original recovery was like... I flashed it up to 2.3.5 and Sense 3.0. I'm still new to Androids and didn't really have any misgivings about the phone at that time. It was during the whole process of flashing it, seeing that it was already S-Off, seeing that the serial number was sketchy, etc., that I began to wonder. By the time I was pretty sure something was wrong, I'd already flashed to official 2.3.5 to get rid of the Chinese stuff that I mentioned in my OP.
So, what this tells us is that the phone isn't a knock-off I guess. But I'm pretty sure it's a refurb/second-hand phone (refurb and second-hand are pretty much mutually inclusive here, so bottom line, it's a refurbished second-hand phone).
If not that, it's maybe some kind of development set or something. I came across some Chinese threads out there that have the serial number 0123456789012 mentioned in them. When I did a Google Translate on them, I kind of gleaned that that number can indicate a development or engineering set (or something like that). So it could mean it was used in development and now they're selling them off. Either way, not a new phone.
But the plot thickens when I actually came across a post here at xda that mentions that you can actually change the serial number like this --
Code:
fastboot oem writeserialno HT95XXXXXXXX
Which means these guys could have taken any phone and just wiped the serial number for this serial number.
yup, that seems to be it. It's a second hand phone, and the seller, in order to protect his identity, changed the serial no. The culprit is your supplier or middleman.
CASE CLOSED
One more thing - do you see any sort of hardware issues, that may be caused due to aggressive usage? Like big scratches on the screen or the unibody? If not, then you're just lucky to have gotten an S-OFF device.
shrome99 said:
One more thing - do you see any sort of hardware issues, that may be caused due to aggressive usage? Like big scratches on the screen or the unibody? If not, then you're just lucky to have gotten an S-OFF device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, not really. Phone works pretty well. Nothing glaring that I can notice, especially now after flashing to a slightly newer version of Android and Sense than the release shipped with. Also, obviously getting rid of that Chinese bloatware helped it a bit. There's a teeny-tiny scratch on the mesh speaker at the top that gets my goat right by the goddamn horns, I have to admit. I also just realized right this second that there's a protector screen on it! I just took it off. I doubt brand new Desire S's ever shipped with a screen protector already attached, if someone could just confirm.
But yeah, I've got it and it's S-Off. As I type that though, I'm pretty sure I'll be taking this further.
i doubt its fake ,i more expect that its a stolen phone with a changes serial number.
you can also check the warranty seal on top of a tiny screw right above the battery compartment.
hello fellas,
okay let me first explain you the issue. There is guy who I met yesterday and he have a I9003 but he is facing IMEI problem, i.e, he dont have a IMEI on his phone and also the baseband is missing.. Well luckily I know how to fix IMEI so he contacted me.
Here comes the situation now,This sort of IMEI break happens if some one tries to delete the .efs folder and wants to add a custom IMEI(which may even not exist) so that he can enjoy the services till the device breaks without getting traced.I think that this phone might be a stolen one.There is strong possibility that I said "STOLEN" because he said he have the box(factory box) of the phone and even on the box there is no IMEI number printed.I even looked at the backside(below battery) and it seems as if the IMEI number has been physically made erased by means of a sharp tool like razor blade I guess.
I am really confused and I said I will think about this matter.. so what you guys say that is this phone might be of gray market(stolen one)?? or am I just over reacting?
PS:IMEI number is missing and also Baseband version is missing.
mustafahussain said:
hello fellas,
okay let me first explain you the issue. There is guy who I met yesterday and he have a I9003 but he is facing IMEI problem, i.e, he dont have a IMEI on his phone and also the baseband is missing.. Well luckily I know how to fix IMEI so he contacted me.
Here comes the situation now,This sort of IMEI break happens if some one tries to delete the .efs folder and wants to add a custom IMEI(which may even not exist) so that he can enjoy the services till the device breaks without getting traced.I think that this phone might be a stolen one.There is strong possibility that I said "STOLEN" because he said he have the box(factory box) of the phone and even on the box there is no IMEI number printed.I even looked at the backside(below battery) and it seems as if the IMEI number has been physically made erased by means of a sharp tool like razor blade I guess.
I am really confused and I said I will think about this matter.. so what you guys say that is this phone might be of gray market(stolen one)?? or am I just over reacting?
PS:IMEI number is missing and also Baseband version is missing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am doubtful about that device. Because if someone has purposefully earased printed IMEI on device it means surely someone dont want to know original IMEI which is wiered. So I will suggest not to play with that device.
@OP And considering what has happened in hyderabad recently, I'll advise you to return the box and not think about it again.
yeah I have not touched the device after that and I am not gonna fix anything in it. Thanks Vishal and Hetalk for your advice
Hello, my mom really wanted a new phone fast because right now she uses an old samsung and it's has some problems but for her phone is in need because of work... So in eBay we found an awesome deal! OnePlus One auction, and we won that phone only for 37 pounds. Phone has to come tomorrow, but I was scrolling through eBay and I wanted to read some feedbacks on seller again so I went to OPO information and then I readed that phone doesn't pick up any network. So, I know that mother will kill me because network will not work. So I wanted to ask, is there any way fix that fast without any parts changing? Just change something in settings and it will work?
Are you serious dude?
Ever heard of "If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is"?
If it was that easy to fix then it would have been sold for far more than £37. Basically, no chance of fixing it in settings I'd guess, but you could try flashing a factory ROM image and praying lots.
Not sure until you actually get the phone and see what's wrong with it.
Soo, phone came and any sims doesn't work on him. So we took it to the repair, they told that they will see if they can fix it. So we waited until next day, they told that they will try to fix it until today. We came to the repair and they told that they changed the sim tray and problem still exist and they said to us to wait until tomorrow if phone gets any better they will call us. But my mom wanted to know, can be that problem can't be fixed at all?
Does the phone show IEMI in Settings/About Phone/Status/IEMI Information? "do not post your IEMI" just let know if does.
For the price you've paid inc the repair you could have got a Nexus 5 in good condition on Ebay.
stylez said:
Does the phone show IEMI in Settings/About Phone/Status/IEMI Information? "do not post your IEMI" just let know if does.
For the price you've paid inc the repair you could have got a Nexus 5 in good condition on Ebay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think so that it shows IMEI, I can't check right now because phone is teardowned and I saw that antenna was corrupted so we gonna changed it on Thursday and what about nexus 5, we could get it but only 16gb but my moms needs more memory so .
And more about IMEI, last time when I checked IMEI was in place but I don't know what about last time when I restored the phone after flashing ROMs .
If you have TWRP installed try backing up the EFS partition. That's where the IMEI is stored.
There's no more problems after antenna change, thanks everyone who tried to help!
Yesterday I went to buy ultra from marketplace.
Imei was all zeros, could not reset, the language has Eng and Belaus (bit weird). It could be bit discrimination but he was using very old looked xiaomi phone probably from 15.
Why and when the Imei goes all zeros?
He scammed you in that case, I'm guessing he was messing with the system partitions in some way and lost the IMEI, rendering it useless in terms of SIM card use. Unless he gave you the box with it, which would usually also have both the IMEI numbers written on it, then there's not much you can do as far as I know. You can always try to contact support see if it's possible to salvage it somehow but seeing as you're not even the first original buyer, who knows what you'll get for a response.
erik2041999 said:
He scammed you in that case, I'm guessing he was messing with the system partitions in some way and lost the IMEI, rendering it useless in terms of SIM card use. Unless he gave you the box with it, which would usually also have both the IMEI numbers written on it, then there's not much you can do as far as I know. You can always try to contact support see if it's possible to salvage it somehow but seeing as you're not even the first original buyer, who knows what you'll get for a response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dashed away after checked it.
Bring it to service center. The imei number is still there. It is hidden within the phone. Ask me how I know. They can fix it.
Could also be a demo unit.
doubledragon5 said:
Bring it to service center. The imei number is still there. It is hidden within the phone. Ask me how I know. They can fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We don't have service center near by. Sad
MRDOCA said:
Could also be a demo unit.
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Click to collapse
Yeah he asked me 270 USD ish. So I was thinking about having it as Cam and Youtube player. But he do not reply for day after I asked to see IMEI from Sim tray
I'd say it's a demo unit and that's why it has no imei. You can't make a demo unit a real phone unfortunately. Many people have tried and it's not possible.
Ssser1 said:
Yeah he asked me 270 USD ish. So I was thinking about having it as Cam and Youtube player. But he do not reply for day after I asked to see IMEI from Sim tray
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you buy it? If not, DON'T!
Nah