Hi guys,
Easy questions I hope:
I've never (yet) got into the area of unlocking phones and I would appreciate someone just answering a couple of questions to make sure I've got the general idea of unlocking.
1.
Am I right in thinking that you have to unlock a phone so that you can use a different provider's SIM card - instead of using one that is provided at purchase time?
e.g if I have an XDA supplied by O2, I could unlock the XDA and then use a SIM card from T Mobile?
2.
Do I need to unlock my phone EVERY time I put a SIM card from a different provider in it? Or once the phone is unlocked I do not need to do it again?
e.g. If I unlock my XDA, put in an O2 SIM card, and then go on a flight abroad, can I simply pull out the O2 card and pop in one from a local shop in a different country?
3.
Do I need to keep a record of anything before I unlock it?
e.g. Are any settings needed to be recorded BEFORE YOU START in order to unlock the phone ? Do I need to record information so that in the future I can put things back exactly as they originally were.
4.
Is there any differences between unlocking phones that have PAYG or CONTRACT cards? Are there any issues here?
Thanks for answers
Anne
In the USA a un-locked fone will bring more money used or new. and also has a wider seller/buyer market.
Once unlocked that's it. any sim anytime.
we have 5 fones between the two of us ( me and my better 1/2)
2 nokia's, a palm treo, a behold and a behold II (rooted 12/1/2009)
We have just our personal sim cards from T mobile (one each) we work weird, REALLY wierd hours. Some times our smart fones don't get charged or go dead while we are out. We just pop the sim cad into one that's got enough juice to get one of the "better" fones charged.
We both rely on our fones for our jobs.
A little know fact: in the USA it's a federal law. IF you bought your fone legitamatly. IE: not stolen. the carrier must provide you with the un-lock code in 24 hours.
The people that pay 15.00 or more to have a fone unlocked are either. Un-aware of that law. In a country where it's illegal to unlock a fone. Or knowingly have a stolen fone.
1: So yes you are right you need to un-lock the fone to use another provides fone with your sim.
2: You un-lock the fone once any sim card will work after that. AGAIN your right. (provided your in a country that has the same GSM 3g 4g network)
3: ALWAYS keep a written log of any "admin" #'s given to you for a fone.
the behold has a admin # that lets you turn on all kinds of things that are "off" out of the box. and you need that # everytime you make a adminastrative change. This maybe true with other fones as well.
4: I don't know about pay as you go. I would think once unlocked you would be able to use the fone pay as you go, so long as you had minutes on the sim installed.
I'm sure there are alot of people here that know alot more than me, and can help you further. I just got back into the cell fone game about a year ago and was out of it for about 10 years.
Things have really changed, then again they really haven't changed.
HTH
Later
Rich
One thing of note is that just because a GSM phone is unlocked, doesn't mean it'll work with every carrier, as carriers will sometimes use different baseband frequencies (there are four, 850, 900, 1800, 1900mHz I think) and some phones only support 2-3 our of 4.
I'm in Canada for example, where Rogers and Fido support GSM networks (phones that use SIM cards), Bell and Telus use CDMA (phones that have ESNs programmed into them). So if I buy a Sony Xperia X1 for example, I have to be sure to buy the American version, as Rogers only supports 850mHz, and the European version of the X1 will only support 900mHz. So even if I unlock the european version of the X1, I can't use it on Rogers in Canada.
I'm guessing you're from the UK, where the market is even more diversified. 3 Mobile for example, can only use phones that support 3G (or HSDPA). A good place to look for such specs, after finding out what frequencies your carrier supports, is GSM Arena.
Hi... my first post here, but have been following this forum for a while and have found it to be extremely informative. I finally need some help with a couple of questions I cannot find answers to.
I have an AT&T Skyrocket that I have unlocked via cellunlocker. To my surprise, I've encountered the RAT restriction which has been discussed all over this very forum.
I have two "pay as you go" world roaming sim cards that I've used without any problems for years with a very lame unlocked Blackberry. These sim cards seem to automatically select the correct service provider to work with the negotiated rates/plans that are incorporated into the sim plans I purchased.
I leave from California to europe in a few days and was hoping to take the unlocked skyrocket and roaming sim cards with me. With this RAT restriction, I'm not sure what will happen when I arrive in europe and start the phone up.
My questions are these...
Does the sim card select the provider automatically, or is the at&t rom/radio pre-programmed to only select the at&t contracted providers, even though the phone is "unlocked"?
If I flash the Rogers radio to the phone, will I have to manually select the provider in each country (for instance, in the UK I know it should be on O2), or will the sim tell the phone which to select?
Worst case scenario, I take the old blackberry with me instead... but was hoping to try the skyrocket out overseas.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Gordes.
Well if your sim is for international use than it will select the carrier for you if not change apn and that will most likely resolve ur problem. Might help after flashing different modems/radios.
gordes said:
Hi... my first post here, but have been following this forum for a while and have found it to be extremely informative. I finally need some help with a couple of questions I cannot find answers to.
I have an AT&T Skyrocket that I have unlocked via cellunlocker. To my surprise, I've encountered the RAT restriction which has been discussed all over this very forum.
I have two "pay as you go" world roaming sim cards that I've used without any problems for years with a very lame unlocked Blackberry. These sim cards seem to automatically select the correct service provider to work with the negotiated rates/plans that are incorporated into the sim plans I purchased.
I leave from California to europe in a few days and was hoping to take the unlocked skyrocket and roaming sim cards with me. With this RAT restriction, I'm not sure what will happen when I arrive in europe and start the phone up.
My questions are these...
Does the sim card select the provider automatically, or is the at&t rom/radio pre-programmed to only select the at&t contracted providers, even though the phone is "unlocked"?
If I flash the Rogers radio to the phone, will I have to manually select the provider in each country (for instance, in the UK I know it should be on O2), or will the sim tell the phone which to select?
Worst case scenario, I take the old blackberry with me instead... but was hoping to try the skyrocket out overseas.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Gordes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Howdy, so... I'm quite new, obviously.
I've searched the forums for information regarding the SGH-i727r but came to the conclusion it does not have it's own forum so info. is scattered.
My question is: What is the going official name of this phone and/or does it matter what unlock code Model I use?
IE: I have a Galaxy S II SGH-i727r however all of the unlock websites I've been to do not specifically list the SGH-i727r as a model.
Which of the following would my model be closest to? (according to cellunlocker.net):
Galaxy S II LTE i727
Galaxy S II Skyrocket LTE i727
i727 Galaxy S II LTE
Or does it make a difference?
Thanks for the (hopeful) patience
Those three models you listed are all the same as far as the i727.. are you on rogers? i would assume it's the same phone as the at&t version. I don't know for sure, but try asking cell unlocker if you aren't sure. they should be able to tell you.
EDIT: so i just went to the site, just choose one of the ones you listed.. they are all the same, choose your network and enter your imei. It shouldn't be too hard man.
It's a toughie to describe what carrier I'm with. Rogers pulled out of Northwestern Ontario and sold they're 807 numbers to our local carrier in exchange for them to use the Rogers towers.
so, in a nutshell I'm Tbaytel powered by Rogers. My phone is an SGH-i727r (the r designates it's a rogers phone), and from the information I've gathered, Rogers is the only one that is LTE branded(?)
There are only a few minor differences between the few i727's that I know of, but I just don't want to pay for one and find out it's the wrong code.
In a perfect world....
stuck? said:
It's a toughie to describe what carrier I'm with. Rogers pulled out of Northwestern Ontario and sold they're 807 numbers to our local carrier in exchange for them to use the Rogers towers.
so, in a nutshell I'm Tbaytel powered by Rogers. My phone is an SGH-i727r (the r designates it's a rogers phone), and from the information I've gathered, Rogers is the only one that is LTE branded(?)
There are only a few minor differences between the few i727's that I know of, but I just don't want to pay for one and find out it's the wrong code.
In a perfect world....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No difference same phone, as long as it says i727, R just stands for Rogers baseman, u can flash custom tomorrow or radio and it will have no R.
Skyrocket=LYRICS in USA.
Before paying for code, use the unlockers for SII. In the market they should work.
Good luck
odeccacccp said:
No difference same phone, as long as it says i727, R just stands for Rogers baseman, u can flash custom tomorrow or radio and it will have no R.
Skyrocket=LYRICS in USA.
Before paying for code, use the unlockers for SII. In the market they should work.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The unlockers do NOT work for our phone, sim unlock code must be obtained from an unlock site
I'm not going to say you are wrong or not, but if I recall (and I could also recall wrong) there were a few MINOR differences between brands of the models.
As well, 2 of those 3 devices are 24.99$ while the other is 7.99$ To me at least, that says they're different.
Gonna try searching more, thanks for the help.
CellUnlockedNow.com worked for me on my Rogers S2 LTE. Can't remember how much but it was cheaper than the rest without messing around with discount codes.
This is not a shill
Honestly, a bit hesitant on the cellunlockednow website. Read lots of bad reviews. But kudos if it was working for you
I'm back stuck in a .. equation again. I have a Rogers BRANDED phone but it's locked to my local carrier Tbaytel.
The only site that I have seen thus far with an unlock code for the Tbaytel network is Canadagsm dot com. Offering an unlock code for 35$! Seems a bit steep but, maybe it's because it's a goofy network and not a big telecomm one?
Borrow a Rogers sim card and unlock it, that should work. It'll save you $10, at least
I apologize, as I read through this I think i just made some things more confusing than they actually are, but I dug deeper and got a bit more info.
The phone is all Rogers. But just Tbaytel is a reseller of their phones. So my phone (SIM card?) is locked to the Tbaytel network.
I do, however, possess my old Rogers SIM card still.
However, my knowledge is that Tbaytel does NOT have any towers that are GSM compatible, and are strictly CDMA towers.
If I were unlock my phone with the Rogers SIM would that not still leave me with my Tbaytel sim LOCKED to the Tbaytel network? I could always use that Rogers SIM to get on their GSM networks, but as soon as it's plopped in my new phone its incompatible.
Again, I'm sorry for all of my confusing, queer'd up posts. It's a mess of a situation with an even messier carrier (tbaytel).
Might be wrong but i'm reading everywhere that the Samsung model is GT-I9210T. Hope that helps.
Use this option:
http://www.cellunlock.net/Unlock_Rogers_Fido_phones_p/rogersfidoimei.htm
Plus the code 'android50' and it's $8.50CAD. That's how I got mine.
They'll need the IMEI obviously and the model, I just put SGH-I727R.
Took them a little longer (28 hours) but it was worth the money I saved.
skaoiboy said:
Use this option:
http://www.cellunlock.net/Unlock_Rogers_Fido_phones_p/rogersfidoimei.htm
Plus the code 'android50' and it's $8.50CAD. That's how I got mine.
They'll need the IMEI obviously and the model, I just put SGH-I727R.
Took them a little longer (28 hours) but it was worth the money I saved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, Just ordered
===
Just a quit note: I got the code and tried to unlock on ICS but no success. Then I reflashed back to GB and it went through.
Figured i'd update everybody.
Tbaytel fried my old Rogers SIM when they transfered my phone number from the Rogers SIM to the new Tbaytel SIM.
Therefore, I cannot use my old Rogers SIM to unlock.
So with this information, is it possible to use the current Tbaytel SIM to unlock the phone, and WITH THAT SIM be able to access the GSM network? As it stands the phone/SIM card is LOCKED to the TBAYTEL HSPA+ network and if I go into my network settings and choose GSM ONLY, I won't get registered on the network.
I'm very disgusted with Tbaytel but they are practically the only option, other than going with Koodo and using the CDMA network (plus crappy phones).
*also, should I root first or unlock then root?*
stuck? said:
*also, should I root first or unlock then root?*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's two different things. does not really matter.
Thanks for all the help this far, and sorry to be an idiot again. Just a quick question.
For unlocking, do I need to use an ACTIVE SIM card? I have 2 old inactive Rogers cards @ home, but I just thought that I may need an active one to do the unlocking.
And if so, will using it to unlock my phone have any consequence on the other person's SIM card?
stuck? said:
Thanks for all the help this far, and sorry to be an idiot again. Just a quick question.
For unlocking, do I need to use an ACTIVE SIM card? I have 2 old inactive Rogers cards @ home, but I just thought that I may need an active one to do the unlocking.
And if so, will using it to unlock my phone have any consequence on the other person's SIM card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try your old card. if not working just put an active card from other carrier. It will popup a windows ask your network unlock code. type the code to unlock. if succeed your phone will be working under other carrier; if not it will keeps popping up the window asking the code. There is no harm to other person's card.
This should be in q&a
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk
nrm5110 said:
This should be in q&a
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent From my Two Tin Cans & String Device on The Wookie Network
skaoiboy said:
Use this option:
Plus the code 'android50' and it's $8.50CAD. That's how I got mine.
They'll need the IMEI obviously and the model, I just put SGH-I727R.
Took them a little longer (28 hours) but it was worth the money I saved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just ordered. Wait and see.
Hello all, I have an HTC One M8 that I bought while working in the US for a year. I am back in Canada and want to use it with Rogers or Bell doesn't matter who. I thought it was unlocked so I could use with anything but apparently I was miss-guided.
When I put in a Rogers SIM card it says SIM from Unknown Source or something along those lines. When I go into about in settings I can see that it picks up the signal for rogers and also shows my cell phone number. I'm guessing there is some sort of way I can make this thing work here?
Can I overwrite the ROM and put a Rogers ROM in? I have no clue. This is about as far as I get with phone tech.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hi!
Verizon M8 is sold "internationally unlocked", so Verizon customers can use it everywhere in the world: not just the CDMA networks (Verizon's) but also in GSM networks (most widely spread standard). I live in Spain and mine works in a GSM/LTE network perfectly and it does too in France, Germany or Italy.
For your mobile to work in Canada, you have to make sure your phone is sim unlocked. If you purchased it to verizon you can ask them to remotely unlock it, as you've paid for it, and they will. They may take some time, but they will. Once it is sim unlocked, you will be able to use it with any other operator's sim.
Note that, even when it is sim unlocked (and functional), you may be receiving a notification of "unknown sim" when the phone starts and an icon in the tray. It's just a software issue, as it will work, but to make it dissapear you have to do much more complicated things (unlock the bootloader, get root privileges) and i'm not sure it is worth if you're not familiarized with these sort of things.
Hi everyone
I’m kinda puzzled with this note 8 and need some advice. Recently got a note 8 from AT&T and since I was traveling I had it unlocked to use by a third party company ( since att doesn’t unlock until Device payment is complete)
I got the code, unlocked the phone successfully. Before I left USA I put a working T-Mobile sim to test if connectivity, no luck, it doesn’t work, I tried a Verizon sim, nothing works....
Note... this T-Mobile sim and Verizon sim if I put it on a different device it will work...
any reason why this is happening
jmathew86 said:
Hi everyone
I’m kinda puzzled with this note 8 and need some advice. Recently got a note 8 from AT&T and since I was traveling I had it unlocked to use by a third party company ( since att doesn’t unlock until Device payment is complete)
I got the code, unlocked the phone successfully. Before I left USA I put a working T-Mobile sim to test if connectivity, no luck, it doesn’t work, I tried a Verizon sim, nothing works....
Note... this T-Mobile sim and Verizon sim if I put it on a different device it will work...
any reason why this is happening
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is not unlocked. Seems like an error happened when you got the unlock code. I'd try again.
Did you use this device on the att network? I mean, do you have it activated?
If you unlocked it by codes and the message after inserting the code is something like "unlock successfull" then your device must accept other GSM SIM cards.
Also, I would recommend you place a 5 min call with your device, with the att sim card and then insert again the tmob card.
What is the message when you insert the tmobile card in this device?
I did the same thing by using a Tmobile SIM during the unlocking process, and it worked on TMobile right after I unlocked it. It sounded like you did not unlock it using a different network SIM but using some other method. I am not sure if that mattered or not.
I then traveled to Asia, and I bought and used a local SIM card with zero issues. The 4G LTE was faster in that country than AT&T... LOL