Database Info

So, can someone explain to me how the GSM world works with phone swapping?

Literally all I have to do is insert my SIM card in a new phone, and I can use it like normal?
--
Sent from my HTC Supersonic.

If the phone is unlocked yes, if not no, but its not to hard unlocking your phone.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App

Macktv said:
If the phone is unlocked yes, if not no, but its not to hard unlocking your phone.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So how do you know if it is unlocked? Is that like a clean ESN for CDMA phones? If you buy a phone on contract, is it automatically locked until the contract is up?
--
Sent from my HTC Supersonic.

If you are buying a phone that is sold by a USA Carrier its got about a 95% is LOCKED. You will know when you put the sim in, if you get ERROR SIM LOCKED, Please Enter Unlock Code, it's locked. Otherwise if it lets you into the phone your golden. Locked/Unlocked is not even close to ESN being clear/bad. Just means carriers have the phone locked to them, you can buy an unlock code for almost any GSM phone for $20 or less

So the lock is just specific to a carrier and not a user?
--
Sent from my HTC Supersonic.

Correct. So that you have to come to them to get that specific phone

Some phones can be unlocked via tools you can find here on XDA other phones require some bigger equipment and you typically have to go on ebay or a similar site to get your unlock code based on your IMEI number

[Q] Why does my bootloader say "AT&T" with no SIM?

I bought an ATT frequency compatible NS (from negri) before it was available on ATT. Everything works as expected on ATT. However, the other day I removed my SIM, did a factory wipe, and then rebooted back into the bootloader and noticed that it reported "ATT" as my network even without the SIM installed. Does this mean my phone is somehow locked to ATT now? I don't care for my personal use but when I end up selling this thing later my expectation was that the next owner could use whichever frequency compatible carrier they choose. I don't have a way to test this with a different SIM. What's the deal here?

If you bought it from AT&T then it can only use AT&T's data networks. T-Mo and AT&T both use SIM so you can switch them out, but only shfor 2g/edge and voice.

That's just carrier info, if it wasn't a Google Nexus phone it would have influence on the phone. There's no downside of having a ATT in the bootloader carrier info.
Some ppl spread rumors that only "free", eg EUR (for Europe), phones get updates via Google, but it has yet to be proofed.

ellesshoo said:
I bought an ATT frequency compatible NS (from negri) before it was available on ATT. Everything works as expected on ATT. However, the other day I removed my SIM, did a factory wipe, and then rebooted back into the bootloader and noticed that it reported "ATT" as my network even without the SIM installed. Does this mean my phone is somehow locked to ATT now? I don't care for my personal use but when I end up selling this thing later my expectation was that the next owner could use whichever frequency compatible carrier they choose. I don't have a way to test this with a different SIM. What's the deal here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No nexus phone is sold sim locked, even the carrier subsidized versions.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

andythefan said:
If you bought it from AT&T then it can only use AT&T's data networks. T-Mo and AT&T both use SIM so you can switch them out, but only shfor 2g/edge and voice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said where I bought it (negri electronics) before it was even available from ATT.
The 9020a is frequency compatible with ATT, Canadian carriers, some others elsewhere in the Americas, and will do 2G/gprs in nearly every region.
My question was about the phone reporting ATT as the carrier info in the bootloader w/out a sim. Phone has zero relation to att other than it happens to support UMTS on the same bands.

krohnjw said:
No nexus phone is sold sim locked, even the carrier subsidized versions.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I realize this from reading it everywhere. I just find it odd for att to show even with no SIM. Maybe it just reports whatever the last installed sim was?

ellesshoo said:
I realize this from reading it everywhere. I just find it odd for att to show even with no SIM. Maybe it just reports whatever the last installed sim was?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The carrier info is independant from your last SIM card. Atm there's no hint to what the carrier info in bootloader is used for. For the European version (VDF, O2, EUR) you can change them around as you please via Odin w/o any effect on your phone.

krohnjw said:
No nexus phone is sold sim locked, even the carrier subsidized versions.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I understand that correctly: Any Nexus S, in its AT&T version bought at any Best Buy store in the USA is 100% SIM unlocked, correct?
But, what about the Operating system itself, Android: Does a Nexus S AT&T version bought at a Best Buy store has the pristine original version of Android as Google intended, with all its features (and describes on www (dot) google (dot) com/nexus/#/tech-specs ) ?
I have read of cases that, for instance, Nexus S AT&T phones from Best Buy had its tethering feature disabled ? If so, is this a tinkering of the OS by the carrier or store no matter the SIM (i.e. if I put in a SIM from my country's carrier, it'd still have tethering blocked)? or this presumed "disablement" of tethering is SIM/carrier dependent (i.e., not an Android alteration per se)?
Any comments on this are well appreciated. I plan on buying soon a Nexus S on Best Buy during a next trip to the USA. The phone will be used in Mexico where my carrier uses the same frequencies as AT&T or 3g.
Thanks in advance.

Carphone Warehouse Talking Bull or Not?

Hi All.
I visited my local Carphone Warehouse shop in Dorchester yesterday where I was looking to buy the Samsung Galaxy Ace mobile phone. On all networks it was £199.99 except for ThreeUK which was only £120.00.
Having previously unlocked, rooted and custom ROM'd the Ace (thanks to XDA dev's) I thought I'd buy it on ThreeUK and put it on Vodafone when I got to the computer.
I asked the cocky know-it-all chump for the phone and got out my cash and he started ranting something about was I upgrading a PAYG mobile or did I need to transfer my number to the new SIM card.
I told him I did not need the SIM card as I had my own already but he informed me that the SIM the phone was sold with would be the only SIM that would work in it and using another SIM would IMEI block the phone.
Now I have never heard of this before and I regulary read stuff on XDA and I have seen any mention of it here either.
I thought he was just making sure he couldn't blag another 80 quid out of me so I decided to be the know-it-all chump and told him I didn't care as I was unlocking it and installing a different ROM anyway.
He told me that the PAYG SIM was tied to the IMEI number and I qoute, "as the networks are loosing too much money with unlocked phones".
I decided not to buy the phone as £120 was alot of money to lose if he was right and I could hardly go back with it blocked after this conversation.
Personally while a good idea, at least in principle from the networks point of view I can see too many negative issues arising from doing this.
Can anyone clarify any of this?

Can't believe that a different sim card could block the phone after it has been rooted?

Complete Bull. Impossible to do this as the network do not know if the handset you are using is unlocked or not. Also if you had your voda sim in the handset only voda would be able to nlock your phone as only they would see the IMEI being used. 3 would not know you are using another phone. Also the network only owns your sim not your phone. As a consumer it is up to you what you do with the phone. Hope this helps.

Not sure about those carriers but ATT has been locking phones to one sim card when activated. Only on prepaid at the moment but it shows it can be and is being done.

Utter bull****. As mentioned above if you are buying a sim free phone then you are buying a a free phone and you can do whatever you want with the lgone
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using XDA App

thre3aces said:
Utter bull****. As mentioned above if you are buying a sim free phone then you are buying a a free phone and you can do whatever you want with the lgone
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think what you will. Try it for yourself and see. The carriers here have been trying to think of a way to only allow phones they say to work on the network. Take verzion and sprint. They can refuse to activate any phone that is not in their system. ATT is working on a way to do this also.

thre3aces said:
Utter bull****. As mentioned above if you are buying a sim free phone then you are buying a a free phone and you can do whatever you want with the lgone
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He was talking of a phone on a uk network subsidised by the operator called three, unless I misunderstood.
In uk phones subsidised by some networks are locked so they will only work with specific networks sims and some have been imei locked by using msin method where only one card will work in the phone.
However if you can root the device and flash non branded firmware I think that overwrites the lock and enables non three sims.
Dave
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk

he informed me that the SIM the phone was sold with would be the only SIM that would work in it and using another SIM would IMEI block the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
His wording is misappropriated: what he probably meant was that the phone was locked to the carrier so you wouldn't get network access. IMEI blocking only happens when reported lost/stolen.

mistermentality said:
However if you can root the device and flash non branded firmware I think that overwrites the lock and enables non three sims.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I hope your right Dave. I think 'thre3aces' is pretty much on the money with what was said to me at CW. I'm hoping the way of countering this will be as you said, by rooting / debranding and/or flashing the ROM and not by simular more complicated methods (in most cases) of unlocking the networks.
I don't think though that there is too much to worry about. It has never been a long wait for us modders to hack our phones after some fantastic new security device is wrecked by the likes of George Hotz (blackra1n) and the MadTeam's of the world etc.
And this whole thing stinks of Apple!

The staff at phone shops (cpw/p4u) are full of bimbos whom have little or no knowledge of what they are talking about.

sparkyuiop said:
Well I hope your right Dave. I think 'thre3aces' is pretty much on the money with what was said to me at CW. I'm hoping the way of countering this will be as you said, by rooting / debranding and/or flashing the ROM and not by simular more complicated methods (in most cases) of unlocking the networks.
I don't think though that there is too much to worry about. It has never been a long wait for us modders to hack our phones after some fantastic new security device is wrecked by the likes of George Hotz (blackra1n) and the MadTeam's of the world etc.
And this whole thing stinks of Apple!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thre3aces was on about sim free phones but if you were on about a carrier subsidised payg one then yes carriers tend to lock them though only 3 and I think vodafone have been known to imei lock to one sim card and even then not very often.
I would assume the lock is firmware related though that is an assumption but if it were hardware locked then users would need a new phone if sims got damaged and that would cost more money hence the reason a firmware lock is more probable as they could more easily alter that.
If you had problems though maybe you could get a friend on 3 to ring them and say they bought a 3 phone and tried to input their sim but it failed...as an existing customer maybe three would unlock it for them?
Dave
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk

[Q] 'IMEI Locked' error...what is supposed to be done?

I purchased a AT&T HTC One X Unlocked from a online seller through paypal (from USA). I got the phone along with the unlocked code and I unlocked i succesfully. I stay in India. I was using the phone for past one month and it was working absolutely fine. All of a sudden today I am getting a message "IMEI Locked - Please contact customer support". Although I could make calls and browse internet. But don't know what happens next and till when it works.I am very tensed. I shelled out 400$.
What is supposed to be do to resolve the issue?? Will rooting the phone helps?? or my phone is gonna be an expensive brick?? I didn't update the OS or anything. :crying::crying:
Please reply ASAP. I will be very very thankful.

chaitanya.alur said:
I purchased a AT&T HTC One X Unlocked from a online seller through paypal (from USA). I got the phone along with the unlocked code and I unlocked i succesfully. I stay in India. I was using the phone for past one month and it was working absolutely fine. All of a sudden today I am getting a message "IMEI Locked - Please contact customer support". Although I could make calls and browse internet. But don't know what happens next and till when it works.I am very tensed. I shelled out 400$.
What is supposed to be do to resolve the issue?? Will rooting the phone helps?? or my phone is gonna be an expensive brick?? I didn't update the OS or anything. :crying::crying:
Please reply ASAP. I will be very very thankful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone rely ASAP..it's urgent..I am attaching the screen shot also..

Stolen...........only way to unblock it is the original account holder must report it as recovered..........
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium

Get in touch with your carrier and ask them why the imei is locked
Not sure if us carriers share stolen imeis with Indian carriers
sent from my limited edition red Gnex

It's a at&t branded device, so no other carrier will have any information on it.
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium

Do you still have unlock code with you??
Does any sort of OS update happened??

His phone isn't sim locked. It's imei is locked. At&t just started locking them on stolen phones in late July this year.
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium

18th.abn .. thanks.. I thought of sim locked... then I do not think there is a feasible way to recover it.. Is it something like bad ESN for CDMA phones?
---------- Post added at 12:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:24 AM ----------
But I thought at&T can block usage of it only on it;s network

18th.abn said:
It's a at&t branded device, so no other carrier will have any information on it.
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's my point bro ...he's in India so how can an Indian carrier block his imei ....either his imei is 0 or cloned
sent from my limited edition red Gnex

even if they block this IMEI won't it still work with other gsm companies?
it won't work on at&t no?

It's not like cdma phones were its just on a list, which even then when you flash them to other carriers the imei has to be "repaired"(which means changed). With u.s. gsm I believe the lock is sent to device, and the only way to unlock is by a code given by or sent from the carrier.........I'm researching it but I'm 90% sure that's how they are doing it.......and by op screenshot it supports as it is the same with simlocked phones but different msg....if he slides to unlock it probably goes to a dialled to enter code............would like a confirmation on this from the op if he's still here.......
Either way, he bought on eBay so he is protected and can get a refund, or he stole it and is looking for help and there isn't an answer except call at&t
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium

18th.abn said:
Either way, he bought on eBay so he is protected and can get a refund, or he stole it and is looking for help and there isn't an answer except call at&t
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My money's on it being stolen. Yep, I have no faith in humanity.

With the way AT&T is blacklisting stolen devices, it's pretty much like the cdma list. The imei gets blocked from any gsm.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA Premium HD app

Can they lock the IMEI if you have an unpaid bill with AT&T, but have SIM-unlocked the phone and have a Straight Talk SIM?

I'd suspect even that they may be carrier partners, have roaming agreements an such in place to reach that far. Idk.
WR
Sent from my One X

all carriers share stolen IMEI numbers in a global list that is available for all carriers, around the world, to use.
In India, it is mandatory for carriers to honor the global block list because of terrorism concerns.
to the original poster - your phone is marked as stolen. The best way to deal with this is to contact AT&T, show them proof of purchase (Paypal receipt, etc.), show them the original craigslist posting, share identity documents like passport, etc. and request for unblocking. Once they have unblocked, then you will have to do the same with your local (Indian provider).

sandys1 said:
all carriers share stolen IMEI numbers in a global list that is available for all carriers, around the world, to use.
In India, it is mandatory for carriers to honor the global block list because of terrorism concerns.
to the original poster - your phone is marked as stolen. The best way to deal with this is to contact AT&T, show them proof of purchase (Paypal receipt, etc.), show them the original craigslist posting, share identity documents like passport, etc. and request for unblocking. Once they have unblocked, then you will have to do the same with your local (Indian provider).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They may, be shared but most do nothing, in Canada nadda.
This is not world encompassing yet.
WR
Sent from my One X

sandys1 said:
all carriers share stolen IMEI numbers in a global list that is available for all carriers, around the world, to use.
In India, it is mandatory for carriers to honor the global block list because of terrorism concerns.
to the original poster - your phone is marked as stolen. The best way to deal with this is to contact AT&T, show them proof of purchase (Paypal receipt, etc.), show them the original craigslist posting, share identity documents like passport, etc. and request for unblocking. Once they have unblocked, then you will have to do the same with your local (Indian provider).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh!.. is it. I never thought they will be blocked in India..anyway thanks for the info

I was just about to buy an AT&T unlocked HTC one X from ebay for use in India when I came across this post. Should I be worried? :silly:

Well, I would recommend that you ask him for photographic proof that phone is functioning fine with a simple card.
I also found this link that talks about being able to verify stolen imei in India http://imei-number.com/imei-validation-check/ not sure if it works.
Or you could go my way and buy from XDA. I heard that Swappa is also reputable - but not as much as XDA.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

[Q] Unlocking Network restriction

Hi,
My phone is locked to specific network operator, How do i unlock it? Is bootloader unlocking/ rooting the same as unlocking network restrictions?
Is buying unlock codes from ebay a must?
Thanks

Bootloader locks and SIM lock are different things. Bootloader locks prevent you from running non-standard software; SIM locks prevent you from taking your phone to another operator.
Most phones ship with locked bootloaders, but while some bootloaders can be unlocked, others are encrypted, depending on where the phone's from and what restrictions the vendor wants to place on the device. Encrypted bootloaders can't be modified and thus restrict what you can do with the device.
SIM locks are placed on the phone by the network operator. They're there to tie the phone to an operator. The commercial justification is that if your phone is tied to a single operator then you're much less likely to insert a SIM card from another operator and stop paying your bills, which would result in a loss of the money the operator has paid to subsidise your handset.
To remove your SIM lock you should contact your network operator, who may be able to provide you with an unlock code for a fee if you're out of contract, and sometimes even if you're in-contract. They don't do locking here, and most of my stuff is parallel import, but when I lived in the UK you could usually get this stuff done at a shop with the right hardware. I wouldn't be buying anything from eBay, but that's just me.

I cant do that mate! I bought the phone a is from someone else. The phone is brand new but is locked to another operator than mine. So are you telling me this is not a "Do it yourself"' tasks?

Tito_S said:
I cant do that mate! I bought the phone a is from someone else. The phone is brand new but is locked to another operator than mine. So are you telling me this is not a "Do it yourself"' tasks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what he's telling you. It does, however, depend on the phone - some phones you can do it yourself but almost never for free (sometimes you need to buy hardware, sometimes buy a code from a website).