I wanted to test the unlock i did on my phone yesterday, so i put my brothers tmobile sim card in my phone, but all it did was show a sim card icon at the top of the status bar, and i didn't have signal. so i just figured the unlock didn't work.
Then when my brother put his sim card back in his phone, his wasn't working. apparently the sim was reformatted or something, and now he has to get a new sim. anyone heard of this before? also should i try another sim card, or will it just destroy that one too?
drizzle67 said:
I wanted to test the unlock i did on my phone yesterday, so i put my brothers tmobile sim card in my phone, but all it did was show a sim card icon at the top of the status bar, and i didn't have signal. so i just figured the unlock didn't work.
Then when my brother put his sim card back in his phone, his wasn't working. apparently the sim was reformatted or something, and now he has to get a new sim. anyone heard of this before? also should i try another sim card, or will it just destroy that one too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you forgot to select network operators in the wireless settings. in the wireless and network setting select mobile network then select network operators your phone will then scan available network operators and show you at&t or t-mobile after the scan. since you want t-mobile simply select it.
gorgy76 said:
you forgot to select network operators in the wireless settings. in the wireless and network setting select mobile network then select network operators your phone will then scan available network operators and show you at&t or t-mobile after the scan. since you want t-mobile simply select it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
would that have made his sim card work again if my phone recognized the network? or was that just something weird that happened. I am new to the whole unlocking deal.
Thanks for the help, I am a little nervous to try it now, as i dont want to mess up his card again! :/
you should be fine. is your contact actually stored on your sim? ,maybe your brother's sim is empty but his contacts are stored in his phone. contacts stored in sim card are not easily get deleted than contacts stored in phone simply import you phone contacts to your sim to be safe.
my contacts are fine, but his phone actually would not work when he put his sim card back in his phone. it's just a regular dumbphone, but he didn't have signal or anything. Do you know what would cause that?
there must be an option somewhere in his phone to select the wireless network he has. what phone he is using? maybe a simple reboot on his phone with his sim card already in place would do.
yea maybe, i think he was going to go to tmobile this morning.. i guess i can't really call him to have him try though!
anyway i'll see if he will be brave enough to let me try again! thanks for the help!
I may understand sim cards wrong but from what I understand the sim does not announce to the carrier hey this is eric shins phone. It instead just broad casts a number the carrier sees the number and associates it with eric shins number. That's why you can buy a prepaid att phone call the company up, give them the sim number and they can connect that with your phone.
More then likely the sim was physically damaged
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
hmm.. that does make sense. I thought i had heard of other people just popping in other people's sim cards and it wasn't a problem, but i don't know.
Just kinda strange that it was working before , and after i tried it, his phone no longer worked. Maybe it was damaged when he took it out or put it in, but from my experience they are pretty sturdy pieces of plastic!
i'll have to see what he says when he gets it fixed.
crystalhand said:
I may understand sim cards wrong but from what I understand the sim does not announce to the carrier hey this is eric shins phone. It instead just broad casts a number the carrier sees the number and associates it with eric shins number. That's why you can buy a prepaid att phone call the company up, give them the sim number and they can connect that with your phone.
More then likely the sim was physically damaged
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmnn... thats what I thought because the op post that somewhere in the process when putting back in the sim he see's it was reformatted. just like putting an sd card with my other phone that is not samsung it can't read/open files unless you format it that would surely delete the data in it. in his instance without a warning it automatically formatted the sim and deleted all the data in it which would make it useless. in his case the sim card before is associated with the network but somehow reformatted and the data in it was lost.
so he went to tmobile today and got a new sim card, and everything works again.
maybe it did get damaged in the process.. who knows now!
Related
Can networks actually tell what phone is being used to use the sim card?
Like, does the imsi number for example,contain this sort of information.
or is it purely stored seperately in imei
thanks in advance!!
yes the network identify by sim and imei nr.
if a phone is stolen the sim and imei are both blocked
leaving both of them unable to be used on the network
and any network in corporation with it
cheers..
so does the sim nr that gets sent to network say what phone its using, like 'Hey im in an omnia' or the numbers seperate?
toady2k1 said:
cheers..
so does the sim nr that gets sent to network say what phone its using, like 'Hey im in an omnia' or the numbers seperate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know att distinguishes just fine...within a few minutes of switching sim card to another phone, their corporate website register the type of phone the sim is inserted into. ofc, the phone must be charged and powered on...
what r u up to anyways!?
well, got mugged on holiday, but had taken sim card out to use phone on plane. Consequently used my sim in mates phone, but know some insurance companies wont replace phone if sim wasnt in it (absolutely daft imo), so wondewring if i claimed wehther theyd be able to tell if id put sim into another phone.
is the thunderbolt the same as older SIM card phones? where if a phone is stolen it cannot be deactivated? i understand that in order to activate a SIM card you have to also supply the esn number of the phone it will be paired with. but down the line when there are more LTE phones out, if someone had an activated SIM card, could they place it into a stolen phone to use it? or is there a way to blacklist a phone even if it uses a SIM card?
Are you saying that you have a stolen phone or is this just for knowing?
Take this with a grain of salt but the Verizon reps told me the SIM cards are not swappable with the LTE network. I've exchanged my phone 3 times now and they have to give a new SIM each time. They shred the old SIM.
They lied to you. I have exchanged phones never changing the sim.
Not for me 2 phones same sim, no issues here.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Perhaps all of the LTE SIM cards are the same, and the only authorization is done through the ESN code like it always has been. That way, if someone loses their SIM card (how?) it wouldn't be a big deal, and if they lose their phone, it could still be given a bad ESN and not let anyone else register it.
edifus said:
Take this with a grain of salt but the Verizon reps told me the SIM cards are not swappable with the LTE network. I've exchanged my phone 3 times now and they have to give a new SIM each time. They shred the old SIM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also on my 3rd Thunderbolt and still have the same SIM card I got on launch day.
pianoplayer said:
Are you saying that you have a stolen phone or is this just for knowing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was just wondering how it worked in comparison to the SIM card on other networks i had used in the past. when i was with T-mo i know they couldnt lock down a phone like verizon can since they where on SIM cards. so was just wondering if that was the case for our phones now that we have SIM cards?
necosino said:
Perhaps all of the LTE SIM cards are the same, and the only authorization is done through the ESN code like it always has been. That way, if someone loses their SIM card (how?) it wouldn't be a big deal, and if they lose their phone, it could still be given a bad ESN and not let anyone else register it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, im wondering if this is the case? really im just curious if i lose my phone or it gets stolen. is it a paper weight once i report it? or is it up for sale to anyone with an activated SIM card?
3 phones same SIM for me...
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Just my two cents here. There is definitely an place in the Phone Identity portion of the settings menu that states the SIM Card ID, IMEI, and MEID. It seems to me that this would make it so you can still swap devices without extra hassle, but VZW should still be able to blacklist phones reported stolen via the MEID. I could be wrong, this just seems to be the case to me.
The sim card activates the phone, upon activating it communicates with verizon database. Pure and simple verizon can and will track the MEID and if the phone is stolen or in non pay table then it won't activate. Try it out, then your tbolt off and turn it back on. The first 10 seconds upon boot you won't have signal or data. Then it comes on. It's like the same as a prl update *228. Anyways I'm getting off track here's the deal. Your phone has a seperate entity from your sim card. Both need to be clear to activate.
Morkai Almandragon said:
They lied to you. I have exchanged phones never changing the sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true. If you have the Thunderbolt and the Charge or any other VZW 4G LTE phone you are able to swap the sim back and forth.
you only have to replace the sim card if you cahnge your number or activate the device he sim can only be used with 1 phone number. The serial number of the sim card and the ESN of the phone both must match in the VZW system or it will not connect to the towers. I have to replace them all the time. So no you could not use a lost,stolen, or non payment phone on the network, phone still essentially a paper weight or spare parts.
I was under the impression that the sim was only applicable to LTE-level functions. The phone's main functionality is still mostly CDMA based and those functions can still be shut down if the phone is stolen. To my understanding, simply inserting the sim card into the tbolt does not just activate and associate the phone to your account. There's still an operator you have to call, right? With Tmo and att, inserting a sim card activated the phone without calling someone or going into a store.
The SIM is a RUIM which eliminates the need for an ESN swap the the best of my knowledge. I started with a LG VL600 air card and then got a thunderbolt. I was issued a new card at that time but I can swap between devices and it works without a problem. Once June 15th I fully expect this to stop working.
With AT&T you can simply throw a sim card in and away you go with any phone you want. What do you do on AT&T namely if you have an iPhone and TBolt?
You wont be able to do it without going through Verizon to have your TB Sim card reset everytime you want to use your TB after using your iPhone.
Normally you just have to do a simple ESN swap (can do online). Unfortunately with the Thunderbolt and it's LTE SIM, things might be more complicated. I'd check with a Verizon rep to see what would be involved.
Sadly its a complete pain in the butt. One of the guys I work with had to deactivate it and reactivate it a couple of days later. The guy in the store couldn't figure out how to do it, and it took him about 3 hours on the phone with various techs to finally get it working. They ended up having to swap out the SIM card in the store.
Not sure if its the process that is tough, or if they just don't know what they are doing. Either way, I wouldn't recommend it if you can avoid it. If you really need to do it, it is possible, but its not as simple as just swapping out a SIM card like on AT&T.
Once there are more phones utilizing LTE wouldn't you just be able to swap out your sim card and put it in any LTE phone?
dirtyfingers said:
Once there are more phones utilizing LTE wouldn't you just be able to swap out your sim card and put it in any LTE phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this is correct. I can go buy the Droid Charge, and put in the SIM from my Thunderbolt, and I'll be good to go.
Thats pretty sweet, I wish I had the cash to drop on some more LTE phones when they come out.
WilliamStern said:
Yes, this is correct. I can go buy the Droid Charge, and put in the SIM from my Thunderbolt, and I'll be good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure about that? I thought we were still using CDMA for calls and there is no voice over 4G/LTE on VZW just yet.
WilliamStern said:
Yes, this is correct. I can go buy the Droid Charge, and put in the SIM from my Thunderbolt, and I'll be good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure this is wrong.
When setting up my phone the rep had to set up the sim card and phone separately.
Razorz is right, we still utilize cdma for voice, so it may be possible to get data on a new phone but no voice?
A rep told me you could, never tried I don't have another Verizon phone to swap it out with. Also ATT charges activation when you swap sims "if the sim is in a different phone for a lengthy time". Also ATT will add a data plan to your account if the phone you put it in requires one.
the id number for the sim card and the ESN for the phone both must be in the verizon system associated with your phone number or the device will not work.
stuckhere4ever said:
Sadly its a complete pain in the butt. One of the guys I work with had to deactivate it and reactivate it a couple of days later. The guy in the store couldn't figure out how to do it, and it took him about 3 hours on the phone with various techs to finally get it working. They ended up having to swap out the SIM card in the store.
Not sure if its the process that is tough, or if they just don't know what they are doing. Either way, I wouldn't recommend it if you can avoid it. If you really need to do it, it is possible, but its not as simple as just swapping out a SIM card like on AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they didn't know what they were doing.
When I had data problems with my TB, I switched to my INC via the activate phone link on the "my account" web page. An hour later when I tried to return to the TB, I got a prompt for the phone's IMEI, then prompted for the SIM card's number.. It error-ed. After calling CS, the rep couldn't help, got TS on the line, they manually entered the SIM number to make it work...
So it appears switching away from the TB deactivated the SIM, to switch back, VZW's TS had to re-add or re-activate the SIM.
And as thetwiztidfreak said, they did need BOTH the IMEI and SIM numbers to re-activate the TB.
thetwiztidfreak said:
the id number for the sim card and the ESN for the phone both must be in the verizon system associated with your phone number or the device will not work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct but when you put the registered SIM in another LTE device it registers that handsets IMEI with your account. You can infact do a SIM swap with LTE, since your phone number is tied to the SIM putting the sim in another device effectively activates the phone on your account.
I should know, it's my job ;-)
It works the same way as GSM, but going from an LTE phone to a CDMA phone is a bit different, the SIM gets decactivated and becomes useless and if you want to switch back you need to go the a Verizon store for them to sell you out a new SIM for $0(some times old SIMs can be reactivated however there may b e issues with this). It's a PITA so I don't reccomend switching back and forth between CDMA and LTE devices unless you absolutely HAVE to.
chaoscentral said:
Correct but when you put the registered SIM in another LTE device it registers that handsets IMEI with your account. You can infact do a SIM swap with LTE, since your phone number is tied to the SIM putting the sim in another device effectively activates the phone on your account.
I should know, it's my job ;-)
It works the same way as GSM, but going from an LTE phone to a CDMA phone is a bit different, the SIM gets decactivated and becomes useless and if you want to switch back you need to go the a Verizon store for them to sell you out a new SIM for $0(some times old SIMs can be reactivated however there may b e issues with this). It's a PITA so I don't reccomend switching back and forth between CDMA and LTE devices unless you absolutely HAVE to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm that it is a royal pain in the ass to go to the vzw store to get a new sim...
I just got a replacement for my tbolt. I had 5 days to return the "defective" one. I bounced the SIM card back and forth between the two phones a dozen times trying to see which one got better 3G/4G reception. The rep told me to decide which one works better and send the other phone back. It didn't matter.
Hey guys. I just got a moto g today and I find this quite annoying, because when I turn it on before unlocking it it comes up with an error saying "Vodafone NZ, no sim card - no service". It's odd because of the fact that I am still able to use the phone in both using the internet and text / call. I've come to realize that the no sim card part is due to the fact that it's, perhaps, referring to the second sim card slot being un-used. But the no service part does not particularly make sense. Also when I unlock the phone it also has a red slash going through a sim card on the top left as well as the red slash going through a graph, referring to connection.
I got the phone today and when I got it I had to get a new sim card and load my current number on it at the vodafone store, the guy did it for me.
Any help will do. Thank you.
Yeah, it's referring to the other sim card, both sims are always displayed. When I had two sims in, they both showed the carriers. "Vodafone NZ" is one and "no sim card - no service" is the other.
Okay. So essentially what it is, is that the slash through both the other sim and connection is refferring to having both no sim and connection via the 2nd sim card? so I need to get a 2nd sim in order for it to go away?
Yes to both questions. If you get a second sim, it will look like the other one.
There are some mods to get rid of it, but I think it's a much of a muchness...
Fair enough. I can only presume it got there because the vodafone guy put the sim card in both slots, therefore activiating the 2nd one. Fair enough though. It's not doing anything just annoying my ocd ;D !
Thank you so much for your assistance.
You're welcome.
Mine has both, they're there by default. It's okay, it's a common complaint... XD
Hey everyone thanks for your help in advance... I just bought my phone and went to T-Mobile to get a new micro Sims card. After putting it in, the phone didn't recognize it. I put in the APN settings and it doesn't save it. This really sucks right now because I don't know what else to do. Any help will be greatly appreciated. And my phone isnt rooted yet, just want the stock for now. Thanks again
Is the sim activated? Sometimes on a new sim it takes a few hours to start working.
I was already on Tmo with an N5. I just moved the sim over and all was good.
NaterTots said:
Is the sim activated? Sometimes on a new sim it takes a few hours to start working.
I was already on Tmo with an N5. I just moved the sim over and all was good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said. If OP has another phone that uses a MicroSIM, put the sim in that phone and see if it works.
Also did u insert the sim properly into its slot?
zephiK said:
What he said. If OP has another phone that uses a MicroSIM, put the sim in that phone and see if it works.
Also did u insert the sim properly into its slot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You Quoted the wrong post.
NaterTots said:
You Quoted the wrong post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually didn't. I agreeing with what you said and added onto your point.
I didn't mean the u to be directed to NaterTots but to the OP. Sorry for the confusion.
I screwed up and instead of using my old Sim card and cutting I went into T-Mobile and had them activate a new micro Sim card and put it straight in. The old one is deactivated.
The new micro Sim does work in my old gslaxy S2 phone which used an older big Sim card. Its now using a Sim adapter.
suaverc118 said:
I screwed up and instead of using my old Sim card and cutting I went into T-Mobile and had them activate a new micro Sim card and put it straight in. The old one is deactivated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you insert the SIM card in the right direction and not upside down? I know thats silly to ask.
to be honest its simple man and actually nothing you needed to make a thread about. Simple go to TMobile store and try an already active sim card. Go to AT&T and see if they can put an active sim card to help you out. Basically go to anywhere that works with a TMobile or AT&T derivative and try it out. Nothing really else we can do to help you on this.
Not try to be rude or anything but its the truth. If none of that works then you may have to RMA. Also maybe find a friend or family member and try their sim . Good luck :good:
Should work. Using my one plus with Solavei (t-mobile based company) and having no issues.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
zephiK said:
Did you insert the SIM card in the right direction and not upside down? I know thats silly to ask.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First time i've also put the tray wrong. True story
Just had this problem after coming from using the phone overseas and no signal whatsoever on the phone despite numerous restarts, SIM cleaning, and chats with T mobile. After verifying the APN was correct I went to Settings-->About Phone-->Status-->SIM Status and checked to see if the SIM was connected(it showed my phone number, but was disconnected). So from here went to Settings-->Mobile Networks-->Network Operators and let the phone find carriers automatically. Mine showed T-mobile(with a little SIM icon to the right of it), Verizon, and ATT. I clicked on T-Mobile and it registered and is now working.
Probably saved me $15 at the T-Mobile store. Hope this helps even just one of you.