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[Q] Quick question about unlocking a phone for use in Germany

Hey all, sorry this is a noob question, but I am a U.S. soldier who is to be stationed in Germany for 3 years on Thursday. Originally I was going to wait until I got over there to get a phone, but after seeing the prices compared to what I can get here I decided against it, and my buddy told me about buying phones here in the U.S. and unlocking them to put on German networks.
Well my question is if I buy the HTC Inspire 4G from AT&T or Samsung Captivate (or any Quadband droid phone that takes a sim) without a plan, how would I go about getting the Unlock code (cheapest way possible) and would it be 100% certain to work over there as it's quadband and takes SIM cards?

[q] suggestions please! :)

Hi everyone,
Sorry I'm a newbie here and I'm hoping that I came into the right place to post this question. I badly need some advice.
Let me introduce myself, I am from Thailand and just a student. I know all my life I wanted that Samsung Galaxy S 2 android phone but it seems I can't make it to that real amount of money. So, from thinking too much I came with a plan to buy a phone there in US, those with contracts because they are much cheaper (please correct me if I'm wrong). And let my friend carry with him when he got back into our place. Please be guided that he's on the US now and am planning to be back on November so I got plenty of time to save and buy it.
My question is.
1. Is it possible to buy online from those carriers like AT&T, Sprint and etc considering I am from Thailand?
2. If the answer to question no. 1 is yes, I'm thinking that I will have a locked phone meaning I can't use it with other GSM (other SIM). So can I unlock it?
3. I heard some things like "Flashing Custom ROM". Is it okay? Will it unlock for phone if you do that?
I know my motives aren't so good but this is the only way I think is the best. Thanks a lot guys! Have a good day everyone.
Best Regards,
Paolo

galangdj said:
Is it possible to buy online from those carriers like AT&T, Sprint and etc considering I am from Thailand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
10char

galangdj said:
1. Is it possible to buy online from those carriers like AT&T, Sprint and etc considering I am from Thailand?
2. If the answer to question no. 1 is yes, I'm thinking that I will have a locked phone meaning I can't use it with other GSM (other SIM). So can I unlock it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just as WierdPirate mentioned above, it is( unfortunately for you) not possible to that.
Why?
First of all, for you to get the Galaxy S II, you need to sign a contract. For you to personally do that you must:
a) Be a legal U.S Resident
b) Be at least 18 Years Old
c) Have a valid U.S Address
Be aware of the following, even if you do manage to do acquire one in some way:
The device may come cheap but you sign a two year contract with the carrier in question, another hurdle to overcome.
There may be ways to avoid sales taxes, but that won't compensate for it not working outside the US.
Hope this helps.

[Q] Basic rooting question.

Hey all,
I'm really new to this community and rooting in general and I just have a question regarding rooting between carriers. I've never really had to root my phone till my new HTC one (m8) blocked my tethering app =(.
Anyways the question is whether or not rooting my HTC one on a verizon network would be the same as rooting it on a t-mobile network. My plan was to upgrade 2 year contract via verizon and then have t-mobile buy out my contract so I can still get unlimited data (verizon takes away the unlimited plan once you upgrade and my phone is now ancient.) Since all the new 4g verizon phones come unlocked, I am free to switch over to t-mobile. The problem is I don't know anything about rooting, and while I'm fairly certain networks have nothing to do with rooting a phone, I did see different sub forums for the same phone but different network. Should I wait till I've hopped over to t-mobile before attempting to root my phone?
Sorry for the rant and thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

LatrommiSumac said:
Hey all,
I'm really new to this community and rooting in general and I just have a question regarding rooting between carriers. I've never really had to root my phone till my new HTC one (m8) blocked my tethering app =(.
Anyways the question is whether or not rooting my HTC one on a verizon network would be the same as rooting it on a t-mobile network. My plan was to upgrade 2 year contract via verizon and then have t-mobile buy out my contract so I can still get unlimited data (verizon takes away the unlimited plan once you upgrade and my phone is now ancient.) Since all the new 4g verizon phones come unlocked, I am free to switch over to t-mobile. The problem is I don't know anything about rooting, and while I'm fairly certain networks have nothing to do with rooting a phone, I did see different sub forums for the same phone but different network. Should I wait till I've hopped over to t-mobile before attempting to root my phone?
Sorry for the rant and thanks in advance for any advice you can give!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, welcome to xda.
Why upgrade on Vzw and then jump over to TMo? Sounds like you have no contract obligation with Vzw right now. From the TMo ads I've seen on tv, you won't be able to keep any new Vzw phone when you go to TMo (TMo gets it). So I don't understand what you're trying to achieve.
You said "... I'm fairly certain networks have nothing to do with rooting a phone, ...". Yes and no. The M8's on different carriers are NOT all the same. There are carrier-specific differences. The M8 for instance - bootloader is locked for Vzw phones and others such as TMo. But with TMo you could go to HTC Dev and get the bin code to unlock the bootloader; not possible with Vzw M8 (but a root exploit makes that point moot).
I'm not entirely sure what you want to do, but I think the answer to "Should I wait till I've hopped over to t-mobile before attempting to root my phone?" is yes.
Hope that helps.

Thanks!
dm5530 said:
First off, welcome to xda.
Why upgrade on Vzw and then jump over to TMo? Sounds like you have no contract obligation with Vzw right now. From the TMo ads I've seen on tv, you won't be able to keep any new Vzw phone when you go to TMo (TMo gets it). So I don't understand what you're trying to achieve.
You said "... I'm fairly certain networks have nothing to do with rooting a phone, ...". Yes and no. The M8's on different carriers are NOT all the same. There are carrier-specific differences. The M8 for instance - bootloader is locked for Vzw phones and others such as TMo. But with TMo you could go to HTC Dev and get the bin code to unlock the bootloader; not possible with Vzw M8 (but a root exploit makes that point moot).
I'm not entirely sure what you want to do, but I think the answer to "Should I wait till I've hopped over to t-mobile before attempting to root my phone?" is yes.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Thanks for the response and welcome =). The reason I don't want to switch directly over to TMo right now is because I broke my galaxy S4 a month back and I have no smart phone to use. My plan was to use the Vzw upgrade to get a new phone since TMo is willing to buy out contracts to get new customers. I mostly wanted to know if it was possible to use my Vzw M8 on the TMo network via rooting. I read about the CDMA vs GSM network problems and was wondering if there was a fix around that. As for TMo getting my phone, they only require you trade in and buy a phone for contract buyouts, but I can do that with cheap phones (trade in my htc tbolt for 50 bucks and buy a flipphone.) Thanks again for your response, can use all the help I can get =)

LatrommiSumac said:
Hi,
Thanks for the response and welcome =). The reason I don't want to switch directly over to TMo right now is because I broke my galaxy S4 a month back and I have no smart phone to use. My plan was to use the Vzw upgrade to get a new phone since TMo is willing to buy out contracts to get new customers. I mostly wanted to know if it was possible to use my Vzw M8 on the TMo network via rooting. I read about the CDMA vs GSM network problems and was wondering if there was a fix around that. As for TMo getting my phone, they only require you trade in and buy a phone for contract buyouts, but I can do that with cheap phones (trade in my htc tbolt for 50 bucks and buy a flipphone.) Thanks again for your response, can use all the help I can get =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your situation better now.
If TMo doesn't force you to turn in the M8, then I think you could find a way to use the Vzn M8 on TMo. If you do this, you'll be looking in the Vzn thread for many things since that is the version of the phone you bought. Not sure if you could use ROMs, etc from the TMo M8 thread (don't think so); I'd be cautious about doing that. Think of yourself as using a Vzn M8 in a foreign (TMo) country.
From what I found here, (in particular, I'm talking about this post) you won't be able to get LTE service and you'll have to find out how to set up the phone so there might be some challenges, too.
Just another caution - don't know if Vzn has a minimum time after start of contract where the ETF situation is even more costly than say 6 months to a year down the road. Wouldn't want to start the ball rolling then find out there are some other fees that TMo won't pay.
Good luck.

Cheers!
dm5530 said:
I understand your situation better now.
If TMo doesn't force you to turn in the M8, then I think you could find a way to use the Vzn M8 on TMo. If you do this, you'll be looking in the Vzn thread for many things since that is the version of the phone you bought. Not sure if you could use ROMs, etc from the TMo M8 thread (don't think so); I'd be cautious about doing that. Think of yourself as using a Vzn M8 in a foreign (TMo) country.
From what I found here, (in particular, I'm talking about this post) you won't be able to get LTE service and you'll have to find out how to set up the phone so there might be some challenges, too.
Just another caution - don't know if Vzn has a minimum time after start of contract where the ETF situation is even more costly than say 6 months to a year down the road. Wouldn't want to start the ball rolling then find out there are some other fees that TMo won't pay.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again for all the help! Vzw has a max 350 contract cancellation fee and TMo offers up to 350 per line so I should be fine. My main worry was indeed about the switch from CDMA to GSM network and having trouble with LTE =/. I think I might just sell the phone on Swappa and buy a TMo version if the fixes don't work. Thanks for the links, they're very helpful, and I really appreciate the help overall.

How to outright purchase a TMOB S7 after launch for carrier unlock?

Assuming that TMOB does not lock the bootloader so that the S7 variants can be rooted and custom roms eventually installed, what is the best way for a non-TMOB customer to outright purchase a TMOB variant of the S7 so that it could be unlocked and used on another carrier, like T, that locks their bootloader?
I am going to assume here that TMOB will use the same TMOB Remote Device Unlock App that requires the IMEI to be in their DB and registered. Looking at the TMOB pre-paid site, the phones available seem not to be very modern so I would guess S7 will not appear there for many years.
Is it as simple as going to a TMOB store and doing an outright purchase without a plan?
Last time, I pre-ordered a Note 4 prior to release and had to setup service and cancel within 30 days which was a bit of pain.
I am looking for a simpler retail channel.

:fingers-crossed:

Right there with ya, would love to find out.

Carriers in the US are finding new ways to keep users from unlocking phones and moving to other carriers. These new monthly installments and required post paid plans are one of those ways. Best bet would be hoping for third-party unlocking services to work with t-mobile's version soon after launch.

Flame Red said:
Assuming that TMOB does not lock the bootloader so that the S7 variants can be rooted and custom roms eventually installed, what is the best way for a non-TMOB customer to outright purchase a TMOB variant of the S7 so that it could be unlocked and used on another carrier, like T, that locks their bootloader?
I am going to assume here that TMOB will use the same TMOB Remote Device Unlock App that requires the IMEI to be in their DB and registered. Looking at the TMOB pre-paid site, the phones available seem not to be very modern so I would guess S7 will not appear there for many years.
Is it as simple as going to a TMOB store and doing an outright purchase without a plan?
Last time, I pre-ordered a Note 4 prior to release and had to setup service and cancel within 30 days which was a bit of pain.
I am looking for a simpler retail channel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat, but I don't believe a simpler retail channel exists. Each release since the S6 has been locked down with the TMOB app and even direct customers have a hard time unlocking within the first 21 days. Threads on XDA discussing carrier unlock reach hundreds of posts - never seems to be an answer other than buy the device outright and request an unlock code after 30days. =/

Found this place that is supposed to be able to unlock TMOB's crapulance. I have not idea if they really can do it though.
http://www.androidsimunlock.com/phone-unlocking-service/tmobile-device-unlock-app-official-unlock/
unlockbase.com also advertises they can too, but when I emailed them specifically about the S7 they said they were not sure.

I'm wondering whether there will be an unlocked 64gb (or hopefully 128gb!) variant that could accept a TMo stock-based ROM & utilize WiFi calling & all TMo LTE bands.

I'm glad this thread was started, I'm looking to buy the tmobile s7 outright and was trying to figure out how I was gonna unlock it.
My tmobile s5 had an unlocked bootloader, I'm hoping for the same with the s7... Anyone know if the tmobile s6 came with unlocked bootloader?

AT&T or T-Mobile for unlocked S8+ ?

The backstory.... Preordered an ATT Note 7 and had many headaches with delivery / billing. I am now living with my old Note3 using Goggle Voice/Hangouts because of my weak signal (all carriers) at home. I'm using a pre-paid Straight Talk plan when away from home.
I've been waiting patiently for the S8+ and now need to decide between AT&T and T-Mobile for a GSM phone. I plan on paying full cash price and having it unlocked to use a 3rd part prepaid plan (Straight Talk or ?).
I considered a factory unlocked phone (Best Buy, May 9th??) but I am told that those will also have a locked bootloader. Up until the Note 7 I always ran rooted with custom ROMS. I became a big fan of Samsung Pay which I think also means a locked bootloader with no root is needed. Of coarse, bloatware sucks. I had good luck with Package Disabler Pro on my Note 7. I will be using my Google number, if only for forwarding to another number. WiFi calling is a must one way or another.
My Note 7 from ATT let me run Mobile Hotspot at the same time WiFi was enabled. This made it easy for giving my Android head unit in my car Internet access. The T-mobile version at the time needed to be turned on and off.
I'm leaning toward T-mobile only because of my bad blood with ATT. ATT coverage is marginally better in my area.
Thoughts, comments.

Either and flash the OS on it with ODIN. It is the same hardware so it doesnt matter.

mweinbach said:
Either and flash the OS on it with ODIN. It is the same hardware so it doesnt matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and also if the T-Mobile version is going to have an unlocked bootloader, flashing T-Mobile firmware should allow you to unlock it through the OS.
But it's highly unlikely it will have an unlocked bootloader, although T-Mobile have supported it, I don't think it's happening.

No unlocked bootloaders on u.s.a. Carriers....

SBERG117 said:
No unlocked bootloaders on u.s.a. Carriers....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get that if you buy a carrier phone and then unlock it. But what about the factory unlocked phones sold in the US?
I've heard that the bootloader on those phones is also locked, but not from a real good source of info. I've also heard international versions do not have a locked bootloader and do not support Samsung Pay. They also do not support CDMA (which doesn't bother me at all).

Interceptor777 said:
Yes and also if the T-Mobile version is going to have an unlocked bootloader, flashing T-Mobile firmware should allow you to unlock it through the OS.
But it's highly unlikely it will have an unlocked bootloader, although T-Mobile have supported it, I don't think it's happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I flash via ODIN does that kill Samsung Pay? What about Knox?

Phredeee said:
The backstory.... Preordered an ATT Note 7 and had many headaches with delivery / billing. I am now living with my old Note3 using Goggle Voice/Hangouts because of my weak signal (all carriers) at home. I'm using a pre-paid Straight Talk plan when away from home.
I've been waiting patiently for the S8+ and now need to decide between AT&T and T-Mobile for a GSM phone. I plan on paying full cash price and having it unlocked to use a 3rd part prepaid plan (Straight Talk or ?).
I considered a factory unlocked phone (Best Buy, May 9th??) but I am told that those will also have a locked bootloader. Up until the Note 7 I always ran rooted with custom ROMS. I became a big fan of Samsung Pay which I think also means a locked bootloader with no root is needed. Of coarse, bloatware sucks. I had good luck with Package Disabler Pro on my Note 7. I will be using my Google number, if only for forwarding to another number. WiFi calling is a must one way or another.
My Note 7 from ATT let me run Mobile Hotspot at the same time WiFi was enabled. This made it easy for giving my Android head unit in my car Internet access. The T-mobile version at the time needed to be turned on and off.
I'm leaning toward T-mobile only because of my bad blood with ATT. ATT coverage is marginally better in my area.
Thoughts, comments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in a similar situation and my first concern is what bands both phones support. Online it seems AT&T covers both GSM providers perfectly. The info on T-Mobile and its bands is extremely lacking. My second concern is the process of unlocking either fully paid off phone for use on the other. I think I can have TMobile unlock it for me but I'm not sure how it works with AT&T. The easiest solution is the unlocked version but thats not even got a release date set in writing anywhere.

Phredeee said:
If I flash via ODIN does that kill Samsung Pay? What about Knox?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long you are flashing official firmware from Samsung nothing will break. Knox will not be tripped and Samsung Pay will work.

954wrecker said:
I'm in a similar situation and my first concern is what bands both phones support. Online it seems AT&T covers both GSM providers perfectly. The info on T-Mobile and its bands is extremely lacking. My second concern is the process of unlocking either fully paid off phone for use on the other. I think I can have TMobile unlock it for me but I'm not sure how it works with AT&T. The easiest solution is the unlocked version but thats not even got a release date set in writing anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is my understanding that all US (Snapdragon) phones cover all bands, including CDMA. That means you could even take an unlocked AT&T phone to Verizon. I'm not used to that! It even has LTE-U which TMo is supposed to be soon supporting.
I am an ex AT&T customer. They unlocked my Note 7, and again with the replacement, without issue. I seem to remember there was a wait period at first. 7 or 14 days?
The thing I'm considering is also the VR incentives for pre-ordering. I can tell you AT&T messed up my Note 7 pre-order. They shipped it on the release day by a slow method. I ended up going to a store and buying one outright and returning the unopened one once it arrived. That caused a billing nightmare that I had to call them every months until I finally turned it in and closed my account.

Phredeee said:
It is my understanding that all US (Snapdragon) phones cover all bands, including CDMA. That means you could even take an unlocked AT&T phone to Verizon. I'm not used to that! It even has LTE-U which TMo is supposed to be soon supporting.
I am an ex AT&T customer. They unlocked my Note 7, and again with the replacement, without issue. I seem to remember there was a wait period at first. 7 or 14 days?
The thing I'm considering is also the VR incentives for pre-ordering. I can tell you AT&T messed up my Note 7 pre-order. They shipped it on the release day by a slow method. I ended up going to a store and buying one outright and returning the unopened one once it arrived. That caused a billing nightmare that I had to call them every months until I finally turned it in and closed my account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you recall where you read the carrier versions support all the bands just like the unlocked versions? All the info I found from the carriers shows different bands on each model.

Phredeee said:
I get that if you buy a carrier phone and then unlock it. But what about the factory unlocked phones sold in the US?
I've heard that the bootloader on those phones is also locked, but not from a real good source of info. I've also heard international versions do not have a locked bootloader and do not support Samsung Pay. They also do not support CDMA (which doesn't bother me at all).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're missing what I'm saying... There will be no unlocked bootloaders on any Samsung S8 phones for the USA. You cannot get one from carrier or factory.
I think you may be mixing up Bootloader unlock and Sim unlock....

954wrecker said:
Can you recall where you read the carrier versions support all the bands just like the unlocked versions? All the info I found from the carriers shows different bands on each model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do remember that it was a story about FCC approval of the factory unlocked (SIM) phone. Keep that in mind that it may be the unbranded, factory unlocked phone only, but the article did say they were all the same. The locked carrier phones may not be so flexible.
Other things I've found.. Best Buy SIM unlocked does not get the incentives. Best Buy, and their cheaper price, does not seem to offer a T-Mo phone.
The VR incentive is attractive to me, but is not a must have. At this moment, until I can find out for sure if Samsung Pay will work on an international version, I am leaning towards a T-Mo pre-order. But that is me and my preferences YMMV. I have a major dislike for AT&T.
Looking for where I read it. In the mean time this may be interesting to you.
Model numbers http://techbeasts.com/list-of-samsung-galaxy-s8-galaxy-s8plus-model-numbers/
Frequencies https://www.frequencycheck.com/models/OyqBp/samsung-sm-g955a-galaxy-s8-td-lte-samsung-dream
The link is for the AT&T model search for other models.

954wrecker said:
Can you recall where you read the carrier versions support all the bands just like the unlocked versions? All the info I found from the carriers shows different bands on each model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It appears that going by this information the factory unlocked and the AT&T are NOT the same https://www.frequencycheck.com/compare-devices/6MQWs05y/samsung-sm-g950a-galaxy-s8-td-lte-samsung-dream/samsung-sm-g950f-galaxy-s8-td-lte-samsung-dream
You're correct that it seems T-mo info is evasive.

Hello,
I would like to know, if it posible to buy the Galaxy S8 from the samsung web page (att version), then unlock it and after that flash the unlocked rom flashing it with odin.
Can someone help me?
thanks.

Just ordered the 955F from Clove...
I'm hoping that missing bands won't hurt my AT&T usage much. Or any prepaid sims I may throw in there.
Will see if the 955U info comes out before my phone, and will decide if I want to cancel.
:good::angel: