[Q] help unlocking? samsung galaxy s - General Questions and Answers

I bought a used Samsung Galaxy S Epic 4g sprint phone. tried to switch to my account, says it's still active. I can't get in contact with the lady I bought from, is there anyway I can "open" or deactivate it so I can use it on my account. I would hate to waist $400...... Thanks....

hmmph? Thanks for all the assistance..... I got the phone for my wife and she has no need or desire for it to be rooted or anything like that. I'm in the military and the lady I got the phone from PCS'd (moved by the army) to the east coast and I didn't feel like waiting for her to get situated to fix the problem. I have a hand written bill of sale but we all know that hand written isn't worth more than the paper its written on...... oh well, I'll just have to wait on her.
Sent from my HTC Dream using XDA Premium App

Related

[Q] I have a Sprint NExus S with a bad ESN. What can...

I do with it? I tried for days to get a good deal on a Sprint Nexus and inadvertantly bought one that had a bad ESN. I know it was a stupid thing to do and I've learned my lesson. I suppose I'll put it on EBay and try to unload it. I've read that these phones can b used on Cricket but what other options are there? Are there other carriers that can use this phone? Can the average Joe flash these phones to alternate carriers or do they need to be sent to hecking geniuses that charge a fee to do it?
Anyone want to take it off my hands?
That sucks. I believe it may be flashable on metro pcs as well.
Sent from my Nexus S
That really does suck, next time meet at a Sprint store.. you'll never get burned that way. So how much are you wanting for the phone?
xjreyes said:
That really does suck, next time meet at a Sprint store.. you'll never get burned that way. So how much are you wanting for the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I paid $160 for it. I'd like to try to get my money back. The phone literally is in mint condition. I can't find a single scratch or scuff anywhere on it. It came with a black silicon case. I'm going to register and post it for sale over on the cricket forums. I was reading and it seems like it's a favorite for cricket users.
This really can't be fixed? I hears you can
I have seen them with bad esn sell for 200+ on ebay
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium
You can put it on boost without flashing
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

Sprint insurance

Do they still have the ns4g available or would they give me a different phone.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda app-developers app
Probably give you a galaxy nexus. That's my best guess
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium
They still have NS 4g's. Just got a really nice one thru insurance.
Supposed I have grown tired of my NS4G... What are some ways I can go about getting a new phone with my insurance or whatever? >.>
Do I have to get the same phone?
I'm on a 2yr btw.
jacob66 said:
Supposed I have grown tired of my NS4G... What are some ways I can go about getting a new phone with my insurance or whatever? >.>
Do I have to get the same phone?
I'm on a 2yr btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If an NS4G is what you have then that is what you will get given supply. You can't exactly ask for more then you got.
Just took my ns4g in a few days ago because of abysmal signal and Increasingly yellow tinge to white colors on the screen. They offered to replace it because they didn't have any parts available in house but then discovered that the insurance company had no replacements available and had it listed as no chance of restock. The insurance company had it locked so it could only be replaced with a evo slide, htc design, or Motorola photon 4g. I tried *****ing them into a galaxy nexus but they said they couldn't do anything about it, the system would only let them choose from those 3. So if any of these phones interest you Id give it a shot. Just keep in mind that the Motorola photon the only decent option has a locked boot loader and the newest one hasn't been hacked yet, so you would be stuck with old ass android 2.3 rather than the sexy 4.1 you have now. The other two are also stock 2.3 but may be hackable, I didn't really look because i went for the photon.
Quick side note,
I first took it to the sprint store 5 min from my house and they told me it wouldn't be worth my time to get a replacement, and they wouldn't even look at it. They gave me the number of the insurance company and said I would have to pay shipping and a deposit to get a replacement. Then went to a sprint place 45min away a few days later for the lolz(was in the area) and they offered a replacement on the spot. Same with the epic 4g on my account. space bar was broken on keyboard, first store couldn't even open it up because of "a stripped screw" so they wouldn't be able to replace/fix it. went to second store they opened it right up and fixed it. Moral of the story if they wont give you what you want try another sprint store. (both are corporate stores btw)
Crappy choices...
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda app-developers app

[Q] Bought stolen HTC One X - deal gone sour HELP!

Hi guys,
I bought an HTC One X a while back on Craigslist and was using it for about a month. After purchasing the phone I even went to the AT&T store where I got it activated and running on my account. After using the phone on 2.20 stock (not being able to root) I decided to sell the phone and get a Samsung GSIII. However, a little after I sold the phone, the person who bought it told me that they went to the AT&T store to get a new sim but the phone was reported stolen which I was completely unaware about. I met back with the person and refunded their money. Just to test out of the phone I put my sim card into the phone and it worked just fine. I then went home and put in my mom's sim card (from an iPhone 4) just to test out the call/text features to see if only my sim would work on it (i don't really know why i did this). I switched my mom's sim back into her iphone 4 and for some reason AT&T reports the iphone 4 stolen and blocks it. I called AT&T and they unblocked the iphone for me but couldn't get them to do the same for the One X since it was reported stolen from a different account.
To sum it up, I have a stolen HTC One X and I don't know what to do with it. Let me know if you guys have any suggestions! Thanks!
iKidRobot said:
Hi guys,
I bought an HTC One X a while back on Craigslist and was using it for about a month. After purchasing the phone I even went to the AT&T store where I got it activated and running on my account. After using the phone on 2.20 stock (not being able to root) I decided to sell the phone and get a Samsung GSIII. However, a little after I sold the phone, the person who bought it told me that they went to the AT&T store to get a new sim but the phone was reported stolen which I was completely unaware about. I met back with the person and refunded their money. Just to test out of the phone I put my sim card into the phone and it worked just fine. I then went home and put in my mom's sim card (from an iPhone 4) just to test out the call/text features to see if only my sim would work on it (i don't really know why i did this). I switched my mom's sim back into her iphone 4 and for some reason AT&T reports the iphone 4 stolen and blocks it. I called AT&T and they unblocked the iphone for me but couldn't get them to do the same for the One X since it was reported stolen from a different account.
To sum it up, I have a stolen HTC One X and I don't know what to do with it. Let me know if you guys have any suggestions! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you seriously asking what to do with stolen property ?? i don't think this is the right place ?!!!
take it up with ATT since they activated it for you, the IMEI has not changed...
MODS PLEASE, can we close this ???
lol why you asking here ? really and if its a one x WHY are you in these forums .. this is for the one XL the one x is the International version if im not mistaken
if this violates any rules, I will agree to close this thread. I was just looking for some advice since I got screwed over. sorry if i broke any rules i did not mean to!
iKidRobot said:
if this violates any rules, I will agree to close this thread. I was just looking for some advice since I got screwed over. sorry if i broke any rules i did not mean to!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you read the rules ? im guessing no
I give u $30 and a bologna sandwich, you mail it to me. Everybody's happy and the world will rejoice. For cereal...
Sent from my One X using xda premium
iKidRobot said:
if this violates any rules, I will agree to close this thread. I was just looking for some advice since I got screwed over. sorry if i broke any rules i did not mean to!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no no i'm sure it doesn't break any rules, especially when the thread advertises stolen property. really ???
.
He didn't know it was stolen. He just wants advice guys..
Yea, it's probably not the best place. But asking for advice for a device 'claiming to be stolen' and saying they 'knowingly bought a stolen device' are completely different. Cut the man a break.
HTC_Phone said:
He didn't know it was stolen. He just wants advice guys..
Yea, it's probably not the best place. But asking for advice for a device 'claiming to be stolen' and saying they 'knowingly bought a stolen device' are completely different. Cut the man a break.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see anyone saying "that he knowingly bought a stolen device" but he does have knowledge now that the device has been stolen as reported by his carrier and is holding on to it (which in itself is illegal). Since the said carrier originally activated the phone i suggested he contacts them, they (ATT) certainly know who the legitimate owner is and may be able to work something out in the best interest of all parties.
I still don't see what such a thing is doing in q&a forum dedicated to phone development.
You won't be able to use it on at&t but you can unlock it for T-Mobile
Sent from my One X using xda app-developers app
Naisaelee21 said:
You won't be able to use it on at&t but you can unlock it for T-Mobile
Sent from my One X using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and there we go, exactly the point I was trying to make...now you're suggesting to "knowingly" make use of a stolen device....
"Bad boy, bad boy wat you gonna do, wat you gonna do when they come for you ?"
Ok folks, this thread is going nowhere fast. XDA does not get involved with shady deals, stolen property, or anything that even touches upon topics of this nature.
Thread Closed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"
Sent from my Galaxy Note (i717), using XDA Premium.

HTC Thunderbolt activation

Hello all,
So I snagged a thunderbolt from a guy locally who only wanted 20.00 bucks for the phone cause he upgraded to a new phone. I don't think this guy know how much this phone still sells for used, thought it was to good to be true but jumped on the offer anyway and bought it for the heck of it even though I already have a droid X2 running off of page plus. The phone is almost in new condition,called Verizon to verify it was clean for activation and it is
So my question ive heard that http://www.beigephone.com/ will flash the phone to work on page plus, has anyone used this and is it a good company to go though? Also would I have to pick up another 4G LTE sim card since he left is old one in the phone?
I would do it myself, I have been rooting and flashing phones for a few years now but not sure if I wanna pony up the 100.00 bucks for CDMA Workshop since this company only charges 49.99 for flashing.
Sorry for any misspells bad day at work and was kind of drunk when I wrote this
Thanks,
Daniel San
dlahmeyer said:
Hello all,
So I snagged a thunderbolt from a guy locally who only wanted 20.00 bucks for the phone cause he upgraded to a new phone. I don't think this guy know how much this phone still sells for used, thought it was to good to be true but jumped on the offer anyway and bought it for the heck of it even though I already have a droid X2 running off of page plus. The phone is almost in new condition,called Verizon to verify it was clean for activation and it is
So my question ive heard that http://www.beigephone.com/ will flash the phone to work on page plus, has anyone used this and is it a good company to go though? Also would I have to pick up another 4G LTE sim card since he left is old one in the phone?
I would do it myself, I have been rooting and flashing phones for a few years now but not sure if I wanna pony up the 100.00 bucks for CDMA Workshop since this company only charges 49.99 for flashing.
Sorry for any misspells bad day at work and was kind of drunk when I wrote this
Thanks,
Daniel San
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've known of a few people using it on Page Plus. Apparently is the best to go with if you're moving the Tbolt outside of Verizon.
Yes, you'll need to get a SIM and toss his.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium
If you find at least one person who wants to flash their phone to PP... Might be worth buying CDMA workshop.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Do not buy used phones: you are powerless!

So I know this type of discussion isn't really related to developing but since this forum was basically THE Android forum for me, I would like to get the word out here. I don't want another victim like me to happen; I hope this will help any future phone buyers from falling into the trap I did. This is going to be a long story but I hope I can clear up all this confusion about used phones, so strap in!
I bought an iPhone 4S last year from a guy on Craigslist; he offered to meet at an AT&T store to verify the clean IMEI and this action alone made me go against my gut instincts, which were telling me this guy looked kind of sketch. He was a white male in his late thirties, pot belly and dressed really sloppily; also had a slight hunch. But you can't judge a book by it's cover right? His story was that this was his wife's iPhone and that he sold his own a few days ago because he wanted a Samsung Galaxy S3; the phone had one more year on-contract and came with the original box so I knew it wasn't stolen. I gave him my $400 after inspecting the phone and left. Fast-forward to this week...
The phone was given to my dad to use on AT&T a month ago; I used the phone on T-Mobile for almost a year and nothing unusual came up. Just two weeks ago, my dad started getting messages saying "This device has been blocked from network use. Please call your service provider..." Not making much of it or even feeling any panic because I was that naive, I thought to myself "no way the previous owner would call in a year later to blacklist his phone. Who would even do that?" I called AT&T and after an hour, the representative was getting annoyed and said "I'll open up a case; wait three days." Three days pass and I had no word from them; I called in again and after another hour l found out my case was closed and got transferred to the supervisor. To sum up what he said: the phone was fine on T-Mobile until it was registered in the AT&T system, the owner can block a phone years down the line because the "30 days since it's loss" translates to "30 days since it's last been used by ANYONE," and that even if I have proof I bought the phone, only the original owner can remove it from the blacklist. So wireless carrier's have this huge hole in their policy that creates victims for people who buy phones secondhand and they honestly don't give a crap because it earns them money. I asked "so there is NOTHING to protect people like me? You can't even tell the police who this guy is?" He brushed me off and told me to call the police and open up a case, even if the police do get involved though, he said their company will stay quiet.
So I ended the call, speechless and dumbfounded. Lost, confused, and frustrated, I went to the police station in my city, but it turns out I lived outside the city limits so I had to call a dispatcher in another county; after the short conversation, the dispatcher told me to wait for an officer to call. The straightforward police officer, being much more friendly and understanding than the people at AT&T told me "since the phone wasn't actually stolen, it's a civil issue; the only thing you can do is try to find this guy and take it to court. We don't get involved in these kinds of matter. I know it's tough to accept but the wireless companies just want profit and this policy that creates victims like you gets them what they want. This happens all the time and us police officers can't do anything about it. I'm sorry for your loss and I really wish I could help but this is the truth; you're left to your own devices now. Whenever you buy a phone secondhand YOU TAKE A HUGE RISK!" I'm hung-up the the phone in a better mood than I was because someone actually had sympathy for what had happened to me. Left here with just an e-mail address, I knew there was no hope of finding this guy; this person that was a criminal in a moral sense, and yet was not in a legal sense. What this guy did, the police officer said it's COMPLETELY LEGAL!
So the best I could do was go on Craigslist again and find someone who wanted a phone with a bad IMEI for parts or use overseas; I guess luck and karma were on my side and this guy quickly responded, wanting to buy the phone for $200. It turns out he worked for a company that fixes phones and ships them overseas to sell. I knew this guy, who was in his late twenties and rotund, was trained in buying phones; he brought a toothbrush, SIM card remover, and various other tools to inspect the device. I was uneasy during and after the deal; left scarred and paranoid from the previous Craigslist experience. To show how paranoid I was, I even went to a bank teller, asking him to check if the money he gave me was fake. After this ordeal, I realized that spending that extra $300 to buy a brand new phone is worth it; all this stress, mental exhaustion, and time is worth saving by putting down that extra money.
But the problem wasn't over; I bought a T-Mobile HTC One on Swappa for myself when I gave my iPhone 4S to my dad, although from a trusted seller, I knew I could not risk it anymore. Even though I know this guy's name, address, PayPal account, and had proof of purchase, I was still powerless; the wireless and insurance companies don't care about the facts. The merit of facts flies out the window and all they do is put their fingers in their ears and scream "OUR POLICY!" But I remembered during the escapade with the AT&T supervisor, he said I could have transferred the ownership of the phone. To get my facts straight, I went to T-Mobile with all the evidence I had saying I bought this phone from Swappa; I didn't bother with the bottom-feeders and went straight to the manager. Guess what he said? "We can't tap into the system and transfer ownership of a phone since it's tied to a contract. The best we can do it make a note on YOUR account that you bought this phone; this won't prevent it from being blacklisted but it will help if you decide to escalate the issue to Asurion (the insurance company)." Now I thought to myself, "would Asurion even give a damn?" The answer: NO; no they would not. They would most likely try to push the responsibility to someone else and dismiss this huge hole that creates helpless victims because their business runs on customers "losing" their phones or getting it "stolen," and then paying them to replace it.
After all this time wasted trying to get to the bottom of things, I'm left with the cold hard truth: you WILL get burned if you buy a used phone and there is NOTHING you can do about it! NOTHING! The best you can do is to take matters into your own hands and sue; the companies don't care and the police can't help! Save yourself from what has happened to me; just spend that extra $300 to buy a new phone. It's worth every penny for that extra security because this world is full of people who will take advantage of you! I can already feel my idealism fading...
yorkies88888 said:
I bought an iPhone 4S last year from a guy on Craigslist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry this happened, but you purchased the phone off of craiglist!! You should of known better a simple google search would of told you about the dangers.
That was a long read but well worth it sorry that happened to you man, But i think recommending people not buy a second hand phone is somewhat extreme not everyone is a crook and are out to get you.
Anyway glad you were able to recoup half of the money back.
I often meet with someone on the way to sell me a second-hand mobile phone, I did not bother these people.
I bought my HTC one s from a local pawn shop. It was a fido phone which I unlocked and use on Telus network. So basically as long as you buy a phone which was not on the carrier you are going to use it on, then you are completely safe right?
Could you not have still switched that iPhone back to T-Mobile?
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
350Rocket said:
I bought my HTC one s from a local pawn shop. It was a fido phone which I unlocked and use on Telus network. So basically as long as you buy a phone which was not on the carrier you are going to use it on, then you are completely safe right?
Could you not have still switched that iPhone back to T-Mobile?
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the problem is that carriers in the U.S. are starting to share the same blacklist; AT&T, T-Mobile, and the other smaller wireless companies under them share the same list. Once you get blacklisted on one carrier, you're blacklisted by most now.
Thanks for the info.. glad you told.the story. I know this now heh.. sorry for what happened
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
Thanks for the story.
I think it is pretty safe to buy second hand unlocked phone...
Sent via Tapatalk 2
yorkies88888 said:
Well the problem is that carriers in the U.S. are starting to share the same blacklist; AT&T, T-Mobile, and the other smaller wireless companies under them share the same list. Once you get blacklisted on one carrier, you're blacklisted by most now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This applies to me as well. Without getting into too much detail: Purchased a late model android phone from Craigslist, an unlocked AT&T branded device and I use T Mobile. Fast forward until 2 weeks ago the phone would no longer make calls and gave me a specific error code which I forget now. Turns out that code meant "stolen or lost device" and it would no longer work on any US cellular networks.
Someone who isn't me was unsuccessful in changing the number that shall remain nameless in order to get the phone working again.... that is all
yorkies88888 said:
Well the problem is that carriers in the U.S. are starting to share the same blacklist; AT&T, T-Mobile, and the other smaller wireless companies under them share the same list. Once you get blacklisted on one carrier, you're blacklisted by most now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now i am living in europe, so this doesnt really bother me, yet i am still curious: what if you buy a htc one (for example) that someone had with contract, and root it? Would it still be in a blacklist? And for the iphones: does a jailbreak do the trick to get the phone going again?
Also, sorry for your experiences :/
Greets Vauvenal7
Sent from my HTC MyTouch_4G_slide
Vauvenal7 said:
Now i am living in europe, so this doesnt really bother me, yet i am still curious: what if you buy a htc one (for example) that someone had with contract, and root it? Would it still be in a blacklist? And for the iphones: does a jailbreak do the trick to get the phone going again?
Also, sorry for your experiences :/
Greets Vauvenal7
Sent from my HTC MyTouch_4G_slide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. Software modifications won't do anything as your IMEI has been blacklisted. The only way around that is a new motherboard.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
@ yorkie8888
*Interesting read, Sorry to hear what happened, everyone else, I'm from London UK and was wondering if anyone else had experienced anything similar to yorkie here in the UK?
Sent from my Revolutionary Htc One X
Anyone know if this affects Canada the same? For example using an unlocked fido/rogers phone on Telus. Do they share a blacklist too?
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
This I feel has to be said:
Your spent $400 on a USED iPhone?
Buying used phones entails some downsides, like not getting to claim warranty, and this blacklisting thing is really sad, but, meh, that's why we buy them cheap.
Also, I feel the lesson here is, take precautions when buying second-hand, for instance, leave the phone unused for 31+ days. Buy a bat and work out. Take incriminating photos of the seller, etc.
Anyway isn't it possible -although illegal, I know- to change your IMEI?
Seems to be "common" losing/changing it when flashing ROMs.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Thanks for the info
Sent from my HTC Explorer A310e using xda app-developers app
Thanks for sharing this info.
So what is the point of someone blacklisting a phone a year later? Do they get a insurance claim or something.
I have bought used sprint phones for years, but now that I am using a phone (tmobile) with a sim card/imei it seems that you are more likely to get screwed.
Does swappa and PayPal not protect against this issue? And if not what the hell is swappa charging the customer $10/transaction for?
I am almost positive I got this same error a couple of years ago on a phone purchased directly from AT&T. It was a bad SIM card. I wasn't able to make calls or anything. They replaced the SIM and it worked. So for those who buy a used phone and get that error, check your SIM card first.
I've been buying and selling used phones for the last 2 years and never had an issue. I've don't buy off craigslist though, I stick to swappa or ebay where you have some protection via paypal. Yes you always run the risk of someone reporting the device lost/stolen after the sale, but that's why you only buy from reputable/rated sellers and skip on anything that looks too good to be true.
I'm sorry to hear you got screwed on your iphone, but I wouldn't consider your experience the norm. As for the warranty/insurance issue on your other phone, that's just how it is, do your research. The warranty only applies to the original buyer of the device (when bought through an authorized retailer). Same with insurance, you can only add it in a certain time frame when you've bought the phone from an authorized retailer.
However, some carries do have an "open enrollment" where you can add insurance to your device regardless of when/where you bought it. Verizon actually has it going on right now through Dec 2.

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