[Q]unlocking LOST/STOLEN phone - General Questions and Answers

Hey guys, I purchased a cellphone from somebody, and I suspect that the phone was stolen as it has been blocked from service. I'm with Spark New Zealand and I went in to their store and they told me there was nothing they could do as the phone had been locked because it was reported "lost or stolen". It's a Samsung Galaxy S5, would simply flashing a new ROM to it fix this? What options do I have

srety said:
Hey guys, I purchased a cellphone from somebody, and I suspect that the phone was stolen as it has been blocked from service. I'm with Spark New Zealand and I went in to their store and they told me there was nothing they could do as the phone had been locked because it was reported "lost or stolen". It's a Samsung Galaxy S5, would simply flashing a new ROM to it fix this? What options do I have
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have two options. 1-buy a phone that wasn't stolen. 2-take the back cover off by removing all the little screws. Then submerge the phone in vinegar as it will block/short out the blacklist chip without damaging the motherboard. Then reassemble, no need to wait for it to dry completely as the vinegar will evaporate quicker than water. Then power on= profit. Good luck man.

???
Lokke9191 said:
You have two options. 1-buy a phone that wasn't stolen. 2-take the back cover off by removing all the little screws. Then submerge the phone in vinegar as it will block/short out the blacklist chip without damaging the motherboard. Then reassemble, no need to wait for it to dry completely as the vinegar will evaporate quicker than water. Then power on= profit. Good luck man.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this method really works?????

Related

Help on identifying problem

Hi guys,
My htc fell in water, but I have dried it up. Now when I press the power key, the screen does not turn on. Then, when I press it again to supposedly off the screen, the screen turns on and off in 1second. So I can catch a glimpse of the lockscreen. So I was wondering, does anyone know why this is happening?
Is this a problem I can fix myself or should I bring it to a repair shop?
Any recommendation on a repair shop besides HTC. HTC did not even bother to look at my phone, they just saw the water indicator and said it would be $300-$500, which in fact, I know that it would not be that much.
So if anyone could help me, thanks.
I'll upload a youtube video so you guys can get a better understanding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBVeprvekgY
Had the same accident on my wifes last Nokia, couldnt repair it myself and brought it to a repair shop. They told me to throw it away because the water sensor inside the phone reported the accident audn a repair would be as expensive a an equal ne phone. sorry mate, dont hope too much ...
I guess I shall just get a new phone, like an evo 3d or something. Thanks anyway
Or they can replace the parts that's been damaged. But i'm not sure if the repair costs more than buying a new phone.
I believes LCD internal circuit detect short and turns of lcd to prevent damage.
LCD may still have water inside or main board may have been damaged.
It is impossible to guess so repair tech must use parts from good phone and swap one by one to bad phone until bad part is found.
Most repair shop will not have ability to do this so they will charge minimum $200 ( average cost for them to buy phone) or they will assume LCD is defective and quote about $150. ( their charge for LCD replacement)
HTC just charges you phone refurb charge ( for customer not their cost)
I recommend sell on eBay for $150 and buy new(used phone) on Craigslist($200-$250).
I assume since you are asking this question you don't do many or any repair...if this is true...I highly suggest you keep it that way to prevent accidental and uneccesary damage
PM me and I can assist with repair/replacement
Sent from my HTC Sensation using XDA App
I was kinda hoping to fix it, but I guess I should go to HTC and ask them for an exact amount of price needed to fix this phone.
I doubt there's anymore water in the phone cause I have dried it for 3days in rice and even hair dryed it.

Need Advice Return Phone to Moto Service Center for Repair

Hi,
Due to touch screen issue(seem no touch registering on right most area of screen), I had chat with Moto Support and they want to me send phone for repair as they going to cover it under warranty as long as its not water damage. As far as I am aware there isn't any water damage but my 18 month old used the phone for his teething couple of times and I had to clean them up later. Not sure this caused some issue, is there a way I can make sure as not because of water damage? How to check this.
Also I am running Leak2 (with leak1 bootloader) rooted and webtop portion formatted. So Its better I fxz back before I send for repair? or its not needed? Any body used Moto Repair Service under warranty? I got phone unlocked and using it on T-mobile, so I don't think I can approach At&T service center. Any ideas?
Please let me know if you need more info,
Thank you.
sazhagianambi said:
Hi,
Due to touch screen issue(seem no touch registering on right most area of screen), I had chat with Moto Support and they want to me send phone for repair as they going to cover it under warranty as long as its not water damage. As far as I am aware there isn't any water damage but my 18 month old used the phone for his teething couple of times and I had to clean them up later. Not sure this caused some issue, is there a way I can make sure as not because of water damage? How to check this.
Also I am running Leak2 (with leak1 bootloader) rooted and webtop portion formatted. So Its better I fxz back before I send for repair? or its not needed? Any body used Moto Repair Service under warranty? I got phone unlocked and using it on T-mobile, so I don't think I can approach At&T service center. Any ideas?
Please let me know if you need more info,
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Motorola/any service carrier will check for water damage by removing the back cover plate, and the battery. There is a small white (if no water damage) sticker on the battery and on the inside of the phone where the serial number sticker is found. If there has been water damage, the white sticker will be red or pinkish in color.
As far as your being on ICS leak #2, it's a giant pain in the ass to get back to stock anything. You might do better for yourself by hooking up a 12v battery to the positive/negative terminals on the phone (with battery removed) to completely fry the motherboard. I did this very thing using my car battery, and shipped it off to Moto for a warranty exchange. I received my new A2 less than a week later...
If I had a nickel for every dumb post I've ever read, I'd have a sock full of nickels to beat you with
Apex_Strider said:
Motorola/any service carrier will check for water damage by removing the back cover plate, and the battery. There is a small white (if no water damage) sticker on the battery and on the inside of the phone where the serial number sticker is found. If there has been water damage, the white sticker will be red or pinkish in color.
As far as your being on ICS leak #2, it's a giant pain in the ass to get back to stock anything. You might do better for yourself by hooking up a 12v battery to the positive/negative terminals on the phone (with battery removed) to completely fry the motherboard. I did this very thing using my car battery, and shipped it off to Moto for a warranty exchange. I received my new A2 less than a week later...
If I had a nickel for every dumb post I've ever read, I'd have a sock full of nickels to beat you with
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, this no longer true there are ICS fxz files out for most regions now, they are all in the development section, and posted by the firmware team.
so I would fxz back to stock ICS 4.0.4 before sending the phone back.
Here is the link for the AT&T US fxz thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1961310

[Q] LG refuses to repair; what should I do?

My device recently survived quite the impact, the screen got shattered, top right edge got deformed a little and then the ON/screenlock button stopped working the next day, but otherwise the phone was fully functional. So I sent it back to LG for repairs and the next week I get it back in the same condition, with a note saying it's not repairable/board cracked. I called them up, and got an image of the motherboard showing no cracks whatsoever, yet they still didn't want to re evaluate their conclusion when I created a new RA. When I got the phone back the battery was dead and even though I charge it I cant turn it on, until the button is replaced. LG suggested I contact Google for repairs, Google said I should contact LG. These people are helpless, they don't know anything. I could do the repairs myself, but I can find all the required parts online. Can I get some suggestions on my next step?
"Thank you for contacting LG Customer Service.
We are sorry to hear about the problem you are experiencing with your LG device, however, your phone has already been inspected by our technitians at our repair facility and, unfortunately it has been determined that it is not repairable.
We recommend you contact your carrier for any replacement possibnility."
not much to do but to repair it yourself if you want then, or maybe look for one on swappa?
for parts http://www.etradesupply.com/lg/android-models/lg-nexus-5.html or ebay
btw it looks like you need this http://www.etradesupply.com/lg-nexus-5-lcd-screen-and-digitizer-assembly-with-frame.html
Screen and battery are no problem, i could replace them any day. The power button (blue circle in the pic) doesn't work, if that's the issue, I would need to replace it, but I can't find any replacements. I actually spotted a tiny crack on the board (red circles). Ugh. Would i have to replace the whole thing?
Maybe its best to sell it for parts and buy a new one, that phone looks allmost like a total-loss. Maybe some of the internals are damaged also and total repair would be too expensive.
ImAShark said:
Screen and battery are no problem, i could replace them any day. The power button (blue circle in the pic) doesn't work, if that's the issue, I would need to replace it, but I can't find any replacements. I actually spotted a tiny crack on the board (red circles). Ugh. Would i have to replace the whole thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have issues with the power button too because mine get stuck lot of times and it's verry annoying. I've contacted LG service center but they said that because it is soldered to the mainboard the only option to repair is to change to mainboard. I'm shocked . I haven't got warranty here because I bought it on Play Store in Canada and I'm living in Europe.
Btw I've started to research this issue and the parts and it seems these switches are the same as Samsung uses in their new galaxy phones. There are tons of pieces on ebay from it. But changing it is hard. You need a good heat gun which is able to point the heat to a small area and you have to heat the switch only. If you heat any other parts, then you phone is dead...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0xMMn1DRWs
But I'm not hundred percent sure that these are good switches for us, they just look the same :/
Kresshy said:
I have issues with the power button too because mine get stuck lot of times and it's verry annoying. I've contacted LG service center but they said that because it is soldered to the mainboard the only option to repair is to change to mainboard. I'm shocked . I haven't got warranty here because I bought it on Play Store in Canada and I'm living in Europe.
Btw I've started to research this issue and the parts and it seems these switches are the same as Samsung uses in their new galaxy phones. There are tons of pieces on ebay from it. But changing it is hard. You need a good heat gun which is able to point the heat to a small area and you have to heat the switch only. If you heat any other parts, then you phone is dead...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0xMMn1DRWs
But I'm not hundred percent sure that these are good switches for us, they just look the same :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done the repair on a Galaxy S3 using the part from Ebay. Let me tell you now that it is a pain in the ass if you don't have good micro-soldering skills. I don't, lol, but my father does and he got it done for me. Be warned, you will mess up the board if you don't know what you're doing, but it can be done. Maybe find someone local who can do the swap for you.
buy a new one, cause this one is a dissaster! keep it for repairing parts...

Moto G XT1033 Water Damanged - Need to change board

Hello XDA members,
Please help me I am in big trouble, Monday I was coming to home and rain suddenly starts and when I reached home I found my phone also become wet and not turning on. So i opened it's cover and let it dry (we can't remove its battery that is big disadvantage I found in water damage)
After 3 days I put it on charging and still it's not turning on or showing any indication. So at last I went to service center and told him so he said water damage not covered in warranty, you need to change whole circuit board and it cost 7000 INR
I am shocked because I know when my friend's LCD broken then they took 5000 INR for it's replacement and cost of phone today is 12000 INR so I make counter question to him Did all other parts are free? :silly: and he became silent..lolz
Now I need circuit board for XT1033 at affordable price but couldn't found anywhere, can anyone tell me how can I get one?
Before you change the board, since you have nothing to lose, take it out and rub some isopropyl 90% alcohol on it, let it dry and put it back in. Also try with other components, make sure you run delicately. The main reason is because when a phone falls in water some stuff (like salt) gets in it and corrodes, with alcohol you can remove it easily. I did that with a dead iPhone and it's now working again, you can find many tutorials on YouTube. You can save the phone for 5 dollars instead of buying a new 50 dollars board!
Sent from my Moto G using XDA Free mobile app
mr_nooby said:
Before you change the board, since you have nothing to lose, take it out and rub some isopropyl 90% alcohol on it, let it dry and put it back in. Also try with other components, make sure you run delicately. The main reason is because when a phone falls in water some stuff (like salt) gets in it and corrodes, with alcohol you can remove it easily. I did that with a dead iPhone and it's now working again, you can find many tutorials on YouTube. You can save the phone for 5 dollars instead of buying a new 50 dollars board!
Sent from my Moto G using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip now I will surely try & if they were asking only $50 then I had given it with smile but they are asking for $115 which is totally unreasonable.

Dropped phone, cracked screen. Best option!

I dropped my phone and shattered my screen this morning. After chatting with a Samsung representative about it, it turns out that they will repair the phone for $161 (including shipping both ways). Apparently this fee would cover any other damage that they find as well; they specifically mentioned things such as failure to charge and other physical problems. The number to call is 888-987-4357.
I just thought that this was a neat service, and significantly cheaper than Verizon's equipment insurance plan.
Plus, I'll include a nice little note to the repair team asking them politely about unlocking my bootloader.
lmao. since they just unlock BL on demand.. how much is an insurance claim?
Lol, more power to OP. If he gets it back unlocked I'll be thrilled.
Just do it yourself. Ton of YouTube videos out there
aescbrya said:
Just do it yourself. Ton of YouTube videos out there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but there are a few problems with that.
- OEM parts are more expensive than the repair through Samsung
- If I screw it up, it's even more broken than before. Apparently there's some glue behind the screen that causes easy damage.
- A Samsung repair is covered by Samsung. An Ivan repair isn't covered by Samsung.
Ehhhh, I agree the Samsung repair is easier, but definitely not cheaper. Good luck
S5 screen
Hello guys.
My Verizon S5 G900V has a damaged motherboard, but I got to successfully separate the screen from the phone. I was wondering if I could install this screen on a Galaxy S5 SM-G900M. Do you think my Verizon GS5 screen would be compatible with SM-G900M motherboard ??
Thanks in advance.
IvanN8458 said:
Hello guys.
My Verizon S5 G900V has a damaged motherboard, but I got to successfully separate the screen from the phone. I was wondering if I could install this screen on a Galaxy S5 SM-G900M. Do you think my Verizon GS5 screen would be compatible with SM-G900M motherboard ??
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try it? or look at specs for both.. if theyre identical and same layout then probably? i have no idea lol
IvanN8458 said:
Hello guys.
My Verizon S5 G900V has a damaged motherboard, but I got to successfully separate the screen from the phone. I was wondering if I could install this screen on a Galaxy S5 SM-G900M. Do you think my Verizon GS5 screen would be compatible with SM-G900M motherboard ??
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My best guess would be that it'll work, but you won't be able to use it on Verizon, since it's a GSM board. Need a mobo from a Verizon phone.
btonetbone said:
- OEM parts are more expensive than the repair through Samsung
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not if the glass is separate from the digitizer, like it was for the S3 and S4. If it is separate, new glass is like $6 on eBay and is pretty simple to replace if you buy the kit. Example.
Now, if the digitizer is broken too, yeah, you should send it off and pay $161.
Thanks!
I was actually just about to drop my phone off at the local fixit shop for a $289 replacement, this is perfect! I can confirm the $161.29 fee with free shipping included. I also looked at redoing the screen myself (I did a few iPhones) but the assembly goes for over $200.
Thanks for the info!

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