Unlocking problems with old phone. - General Questions and Answers

Hi,
I'm currently trying to unlock the aging Samsung Galaxy 3 (i9300).
I currently don't have a phone, and so my girlfriend who has the s6 gave me her old s3.
It's on the orange network, and as said is the i9300 model, which is where the issue lies.
I'm from the UK, and instead of being locked to orange wanted to switch to the Giff Gaff network.
I first headed to their site which gave a rundown on how to unlock the S3 using the usual code you punch into the number pad, but found that I needed to be on an older operating system.
I was on Jelly bean 4.3 and needed to be on a 4.1 variant for this to work.
I downgraded to the 4.1 via the debugging menu and downloading the firmware from Samsungupdates.com and for some reason the firmware I downloaded for my region defaulted to the UK network 3's variant of 4.1.
Now that I was on 4.1, I went back to the unlock steps.
Typed in the code, followed all the steps, but then found out that the steps were for the i747 and not the i9300.
I looked online and came across an old thread on this forum from a few years ago on the subject, which talked about rooting the device and then using another app to do the job, but then others said this no longer worked after July 2013.
I'm not really sure what to do, or weather there's anything I can do.
I'm not even sure if I've messed it up by downgrading the firmware with it now for some reason booting as if the phone was on the three network and not orange.
I know it's an old and unsupported phone, but I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas of what I should do?
Thanks allot.

Related

S6 Purchase

So I bought a 2nd hand S6. The price was good, not great, but good and the phone functions very well with no issues. I probably didn't look at it as closely as I should have, but live and learn. Anyhow, the phone is still on 5.1.1, so I went to flash it in Odin to 6.0.1 - nothing worked. The model says it's an SM-g920f, however, when I go into download mode it's listed as an SM-g920p. Also, the bootloader etc are all 920p. I didn't think twice about it being the f model as I am an American, but I live in the philippines. It is very common to see the international versions of phones here. I know that the p model is common in the US as a sprint phone, and I should have keyed on the fact that when I opened the browser, it took me to the sprint webpage right away. The device is of course rooted. I cannot upgrade it using smart switch. Of course when I initially tried to flash it in odin with a 920f rom, it failed miserably. So, I am wondering if I flash it back to a stock 920p, will it cause me issues?
jaymac99 said:
So I bought a 2nd hand S6. The price was good, not great, but good and the phone functions very well with no issues. I probably didn't look at it as closely as I should have, but live and learn. Anyhow, the phone is still on 5.1.1, so I went to flash it in Odin to 6.0.1 - nothing worked. The model says it's an SM-g920f, however, when I go into download mode it's listed as an SM-g920p. Also, the bootloader etc are all 920p. I didn't think twice about it being the f model as I am an American, but I live in the philippines. It is very common to see the international versions of phones here. I know that the p model is common in the US as a sprint phone, and I should have keyed on the fact that when I opened the browser, it took me to the sprint webpage right away. The device is of course rooted. I cannot upgrade it using smart switch. Of course when I initially tried to flash it in odin with a 920f rom, it failed miserably. So, I am wondering if I flash it back to a stock 920p, will it cause me issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone?

Stumbled Upon TMO and Metro Unlocks Free

This is my first post... All I know about phones I've learned from this great website. I hope this is a chance to give back.
I've been playing with flashing either of these carrier firmwares on a few different Samsung phones. One being a production model the Galaxy On5. I do not know if this is an exploit or not... but this is what I did and the results of both.
SM-G550T - Galaxy On5 T-Mobile
T-Mobile Sim
I flashed SuperStarz Rom (Don't know how to link it)
His rom however is a Metro based rom..
I hit the device unlock app just for fun and to my shock it actually unlocked it. I've confirmed this with an AT&T sim card thus far. This model and account does not meet the criteria at all for the device unlock app stock to this phone.
Well I was curious..
SM-530T1 Galaxy Grand Prime
T-Mobile Sim
Tried stock unlock app... No success...
Flashed stock tmo firmware and tried again... it worked. Confirmed with a Wal-Mart family plan sim... and AT&T.
Please if anyone has the capability to try this and confirm it, let us know what happened.
Thank you!!
*I realize now this may be the wrong place to post this*
*UPDATE 4/3/17 - I performed a complete wipe and unroot on the On5... tried the unlock app for kicks... and it failed.
Because it was already unlocked!!!!*
Just did the same with the Grand Prime with the same result... seems as tho it might be legit. If someone else can confirm this I'll write a quick tut up for everyone. I also learned from my buddy that tried this after I explained what I was doing... he took the S4 Att and flashed tmo on it... and unlocked it. Flashed OG firm and remained unlocked. Or so he says... I will confirm later.
what unlocked it? the metropcs device unlock app?
Yes. And the Tmobile Unlock App on the other device.
Just tested with Galaxy Grand Express with success. Please... Anyone else confirm this??
Failing never felt so good!!! (On5)
So....
It seems to work well with later production models... Samsung Tmo Metro Att... and minutes ago with my Tmo sim, an older LG Boost phone.
Pls Anyone with any type of multi firmware capable phone, able to flash tmo or metro firms with the unlock app.. try this and let me know the results. I will be posting a full tut with screens in the AM.
I'm pretty sure I'm dying from H1N1 or Sars.... when I'm well enough to think I'll post tut.
metro galaxy grand prime unlock?
I have a MetroPCS Galaxy Grand Prime I'm trying to figure out how to unlock. I rooted it, flashed it with a paired down stock BUT I think that paired down stock got rid of the 'device unlock' app that was on my old Samsung Galaxy Core Prime because when I used that app on THAT phone it worked perfectly but I don't know how to unlock this phone or even if it IS locked (have no clue how to find out if it is). I ordered a global FreedomPop sim card to stick into this phone and give to my little girl (I want it for the tracking capabilities only for the most part, the rest I'm locking up).
This is the closest thread I can find about this subject. Any help would be deeply appreciated. I'm not a super genius for phones or programming but I can figure out how to get into the build and tinker if given the right instructions. I don't even know the mechanics of how phones are locked, though, so maybe that won't work. Again, not a super genius. Thanks, y'all.
Hi, i tried this today with a Galaxy on5 Tmobile (G550T) and didn't work. Had latest firmware installed, then installed twrp, backed up stock rom and installed Superstarz rom. MetroPCS device unlock app keeps saying 'Unlock Failed'.
Just reporting so others don't try in vain.
Yep, it's an oldie and moldie!?

I bumped into a locked firmware and I don't know what to do

Hi guys. This is my very first post here. I searched all over the internet for my problem but nothing. But it seemed that similar questions redirected me to this forum and that's why I decided to join.
So, all started this morning, when the colors of my Galaxy S7 Edge became faded, it was more noticeable on the black color. I tried to find a solution online and they suggested doing something under Developer Tools. The next problem and my big big mistake, was that I unchecked and rechecked something, that after restarting my phone, wouldn't let me enter, showing a text "Custom binary blocked by FRP Lock". I searched for a solution and I saw that the only way was to install a new firmware.
I always thought my phone was SM-G935FD, because that is what it read on the "About device", but at the download screen it showed SM-G935W8. So I downloaded a firmware for the SM-G935W8. This is what it says also on the back of my phone, i noticed it just some minutes ago. So I went and I searched for W8 firmwares. I got the 6.0.1 from Canada and Bell carrier if I am not mistaken. I did the instalĺ. It started well, but after some updates it went from 6, to android 7 and it blocked my actual carrier. I can't make any phone calls.
Now I don't know what to do. I live in Albania and I purchased the phone here, it was a used one. I think at some point the phone was rooted because I had some very strange apps that has to do with rooting apparently (I never rooted a phone and I don't know much).
I want to know if there is a way to have an unlocked firmware. I don't even know what carrier was the phone on the first place.
Edi1994 said:
Hi guys. This is my very first post here. I searched all over the internet for my problem but nothing. But it seemed that similar questions redirected me to this forum and that's why I decided to join.
So, all started this morning, when the colors of my Galaxy S7 Edge became faded, it was more noticeable on the black color. I tried to find a solution online and they suggested doing something under Developer Tools. The next problem and my big big mistake, was that I unchecked and rechecked something, that after restarting my phone, wouldn't let me enter, showing a text "Custom binary blocked by FRP Lock". I searched for a solution and I saw that the only way was to install a new firmware.
I always thought my phone was SM-G935FD, because that is what it read on the "About device", but at the download screen it showed SM-G935W8. So I downloaded a firmware for the SM-G935W8. This is what it says also on the back of my phone, i noticed it just some minutes ago. So I went and I searched for W8 firmwares. I got the 6.0.1 from Canada and Bell carrier if I am not mistaken. I did the instalĺ. It started well, but after some updates it went from 6, to android 7 and it blocked my actual carrier. I can't make any phone calls.
Now I don't know what to do. I live in Albania and I purchased the phone here, it was a used one. I think at some point the phone was rooted because I had some very strange apps that has to do with rooting apparently (I never rooted a phone and I don't know much).
I want to know if there is a way to have an unlocked firmware. I don't even know what carrier was the phone on the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try flashing the SM G935FD, it probably had the G935FD firmware flashed on it so that it would work in your region, flashing G935FD again might make it work again.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
Try flashing the SM G935FD, it probably had the G935FD firmware flashed on it so that it would work in your region, flashing G935FD again might make it work again.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay but, which version of FD? Because I search it and I see versions for countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Nigeria etc etc, and I am not sure if it will be a locked version again.
Edi1994 said:
Okay but, which version of FD? Because I search it and I see versions for countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Nigeria etc etc, and I am not sure if it will be a locked version again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it was rooted before, it was probably rooted so that some things could be modified to make it work in your country.
You said you flashed an android 6 firmware then you did an OTA update to android 7. That might be a problem because it might not be able to root again in order to make the modifications that were originally done to make it work in your country.
Here is a link to all the Russian firmware for SM G935FD, try the 6.0 firmware, try the various 6.0 firmwares and see if any of them work. After flashing the 6.0 firmware, if you get a notification saying there is an update available, DO NOT ACCEPT IT, keep the 6.0 android version. You will probably still be blocked by FRP, according to XDA rules, we can't help you bypass FRP, you'll have to figure that out yourself.
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-s7-edge/SM-G935FD/SER/
Once you get FRP straightened out, do some searches for:
"How to root SM G935FD"
Then you can work on getting it configured to work in your region on your carrier. Sometimes this involves flashing a separate modem(radio) file that has been extracted from a different firmware in order to make your radio work with your specific carrier. You might be in for more than you bargained for. I don't know which specific modifications you'll need or what files you'll need to make it work in your region, im just trying to give you an idea of what you need to look into.
You can try some of the Russian android forums, someone there might know how to make the device work in Albania. You might want to ask around in those forums first before you try anything, that way you won't waste time trying things that might not work. It will save you time if they know where you need to start and what you need.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk

Unlocked AT&T Galaxy S7 Active to Verizon

So, these past couple of days I've been trying to find a way to get my unlocked ATT Galaxy S7 Active to work with Verizon.
Well, I have read and read and can't seem to get it done. I just realized that it was an "active" which means its not a normal galaxy S7, I guess. I have read that flashing with the U firmware would be best, but every time I've found one that I thought would work it never has. I've tried both on a mac using the ported version of odin for mac which I couldn't get to work at all. I have also tried going with the Oreo OS as well as the one before it, but the U versions firmware, and trying to install them with the Odin 3.13 software using Vmware and it just constantly fails. is it even possible to flash the firmware on this model?
I have he ATT Galaxy S7 Active Model number: SM-G891A
NeedAMonitor said:
So, these past couple of days I've been trying to find a way to get my unlocked ATT Galaxy S7 Active to work with Verizon.
Well, I have read and read and can't seem to get it done. I just realized that it was an "active" which means its not a normal galaxy S7, I guess. I have read that flashing with the U firmware would be best, but every time I've found one that I thought would work it never has. I've tried both on a mac using the ported version of odin for mac which I couldn't get to work at all. I have also tried going with the Oreo OS as well as the one before it, but the U versions firmware, and trying to install them with the Odin 3.13 software using Vmware and it just constantly fails. is it even possible to flash the firmware on this model?
I have he ATT Galaxy S7 Active Model number: SM-G891A
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why i never buy branded phones!
The rubbish ATT&T active is on a GSM baseband and Verizon use CDMA so your phone won't work on Verizon until you unlock the CDMA radio software on the phone.
Finally got my g891a on verizon with stock rom and root
I would be really interested to see how you did it. I'm in that situation now. I have the G891A and my carrier is switching from running on ATT network to Verizon. I like this phone (I know it is getting some age on it) and it still does all I need/want and I really don't want to give it up.

Help Unlocking Service Provider

So, a couple of months ago I bought a used S10e. The phone was unlocked by a third party. I assumed that if I installed the latest firmware the unlock will still work. So I installed the latest firmware and next thing I know, my phone didn't had signal. So I contacted the seller and he fixed things up but 1. He didn't flashed the latest android version since it wasn't "available" at the time and 2. I can't update my phone. Apparently phone bootloader is unlocked too. Do you guys know what can I do to unlock the phone by myself and update to latest firmware? Maybe also lock the bootloader since I'm losing some features (Samsung Pass, Samsung Health).
hope someone can help
I have quite the similar issue with my s10e. My phone is only showing lte with full bars. I dont know that I cant let my wifi auto download the update.

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