Locked SIM HELP - Sprint Samsung Galaxy S8 Questions & Answers

So, this is a really dumb story. My friend, who doesn't know much about phones, ordered the S8 Sprint version. The thing is, we live in Colombia, South America.
The SIM is locked and Sprint said the only way they would unlock was by first having a 50 day minimum of contract with them.
Is there anything he can do?
I know with the Z3x box we can do something but it's too expensive for a one time use. Any help would be appreciated, even returning the phone for some money would be amazing.

Related

VZM Unlocking with month-to-month payment?

Hi i'm new here. and i need a little help.
lately i'm interested in buying the verizon touch pro 2 with the so called month-to-month plan since i will only stay here for a few months. i've read some posts here that, if i want vzm to actually unlock the gsm slot, i must stay in their network for at least 6 months. have i got it right?
if that's the case, is there other way i can let vzm unlock this phone for me? say, if a friend of mine has been a verizon user for quite a long time, can i let him request for the unlock code, although the phone is not from his contract?
thanks!
I am new to verizon. I just unlocked my phone with a company called UniquePhones. Cost was $20. This company got the code to me tonite in less than 20 min. I have 3G data on T Mobile and Edge on ATT. Will keep a TM card in for tethering.
Verizon stated it could not unlock for 60 days. This is to protect me against fraud.
hmbfuze said:
I am new to verizon. I just unlocked my phone with a company called UniquePhones. Cost was $20. This company got the code to me tonite in less than 20 min. I have 3G data on T Mobile and Edge on ATT. Will keep a TM card in for tethering.
Verizon stated it could not unlock for 60 days. This is to protect me against fraud.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can i just buy the phone in full price but do NOT use verizon? for me i'm just interested in the phone iteself, vzm, not so much.
This is something I would like to know too.

eoic 4g to use in europe!!!

hy. I just bought the new model sprint evo g4
but i'm in Italy.. so only now I comprehend that this model run in w-cdma
so.. what can I do? I've choosed with the stomach and not with the brain.. sigh
I read here post 8465960
that I can change the band that operates.. in order to use it in Europe.
so i'm really scared.. I lost my money in a wasted choice?
thanks in advance
ugo
Resell it unless there is a wcdma provider.... which I don.t think there is.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
ugokind said:
hy. I just bought the new model sprint evo g4
but i'm in Italy.. so only now I comprehend that this model run in w-cdma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if you are talking about the Epic (post title) or Evo (actual post) but both are sprint phones that run on Sprint's cdma network, which is a lot different from wcdma and I don't think either phone can do wcdma which requires different hardware. I think Italy uses GSM (which is often combined with wcdma, but not cdma) and neither phone will work on that kind of network.
The only thing useful you can do with it is sell it to somebody in the US (or maybe Mexico, Brazil, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Canada, or another country that uses CDMA). Italy is 100% GSM. Europe is 99.9% GSM (100%, if you don't count any country that used to be part of what was formerly known as "Eastern Europe").
If you have any friends or family members in the US, send the phone to THEM, and have THEM sell it on eBay. As a practical matter, most Americans will be nervous about buying an Epic/Evo from someone in Europe, just because an Epic/Evo *is* so completely useless in Europe, they'll assume it was stolen, or was bought from someone in the US who owed Sprint a lot of money and got the phone's ESN blacklisted (if you owe Sprint money, they'll refuse to activate your old phone for anyone who buys it; because Sprint phones mostly work only on Sprint, and only Sprint phones work on Sprint, it makes their bill-collection effort more efficient).
ugokind said:
hy. I just bought the new model sprint evo g4
but i'm in Italy.. so only now I comprehend that this model run in w-cdma
so.. what can I do? I've choosed with the stomach and not with the brain.. sigh
I read here post 8465960
that I can change the band that operates.. in order to use it in Europe.
so i'm really scared.. I lost my money in a wasted choice?
thanks in advance
ugo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sell it. You would be better off with a G2 from T-Mobile for GSM compatibility.
ok
I see..
thanks to everybody for the informations..
i'll sell it asap..
sigh.. I'm sad.. auuuuu
bye
bitbang3r said:
The only thing useful you can do with it is sell it to somebody in the US (or maybe Mexico, Brazil, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Canada, or another country that uses CDMA). Italy is 100% GSM. Europe is 99.9% GSM (100%, if you don't count any country that used to be part of what was formerly known as "Eastern Europe").
If you have any friends or family members in the US, send the phone to THEM, and have THEM sell it on eBay. As a practical matter, most Americans will be nervous about buying an Epic/Evo from someone in Europe, just because an Epic/Evo *is* so completely useless in Europe, they'll assume it was stolen, or was bought from someone in the US who owed Sprint a lot of money and got the phone's ESN blacklisted (if you owe Sprint money, they'll refuse to activate your old phone for anyone who buys it; because Sprint phones mostly work only on Sprint, and only Sprint phones work on Sprint, it makes their bill-collection effort more efficient).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
stolen? I hope not!!
so in that case I lost my money 2 times!
If you can find Sprint's non-800 number, you can ask them to do an "ESN Check" and they'll tell you whether or not the phone is clean & can be activated.
Worst-case, if Sprint can't/won't activate the phone, you're now the owner of a very expensive wi-fi Android tablet with a small screen. The good news is that, unlike windows mobile devices, it's still useful even if you never activate it as a phone.
Alternatively, as long as you have the MSL code (you DID get the MSL code, right? That's the code that unlocks the phone), you can sell it to someone who's in a country with CDMA besides the US, Mexico, or Canada (Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore are probably the easiest ones) for $250 and use the money to buy a high-end Android tablet from China. You'll take a loss compared to what you paid for it, but you'll ultimately end up with a better Android tablet to play with.

Unlocking phones is illegal now, what about the second hand market?

I was just reading an Engadget post about how unlocking a carrier locked phone is illegal now, in the US anyway. It was long, but really didn't answer the question I had. I am on T-mobile with no contract and like to switch phones every few months. My most frequent stop for phones is eBay, although recently I've gotten unlocked phones from Amazon and Newegg as well. On eBay, I usually buy a locked carrier version (usually At&t) because they are usually cheaper than straight unlocked ones (carrier branded) and much cheaper than international unlocked ones. Then I buy an unlock code from eBay for a few bucks and voila. For some phones that are carrier exclusive or have no international variant yet, this is the only way to get them.
Does this new rule apply to me? I'm thinking no since it is second hand after all and I'm not the one who signed the contract, but they are vague about second-hand unlocking. I also sell my phone on eBay once I'm done using it.
I think of you as you are to unlock the phone which actually was first locked.
This is my opinion, now expect others to comment on
I think as long as the original contract has been satisfied it doesn't matter.
ruangle you
This is so Verizon,Contact phones and other junk. I have a unlocked phone from ebay on simple mobile which is gsm can use it anywhere in the world and no contract, I just rooted my sisters new S3 on the same phone carrier its under contract,lets see what happens I dont expect anything its my phone in so many words as long as I pay the bill Right ?
xtnelson said:
This is so Verizon,Contact phones and other junk. I have a unlocked phone from ebay on simple mobile which is gsm can use it anywhere in the world and no contract, I just rooted my sisters new S3 on the same phone carrier its under contract,lets see what happens I dont expect anything its my phone in so many words as long as I pay the bill Right ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As i know in europe and maybe also in US it is not illegal to unlock your phone - if you have no contract anymore with any provider !
Because it's "YOUR PHONE" and if you make the choice to cut it in small slices - why not - it is yours (when paid) !
But one decision - you have to unlock yourself - as i know it is not allowed by companies in US !
I read the actual text of the decision and it's pretty clearly spelled out (and not even that long). Sorry to be that guy. :silly:
Yeah I have no idea what some of you people are talking about. Or understand the Engrish. The phone is sold to an end user and the software is also licensed to them. This is the relationship between the carrier and the user entering a contract. However, I don't buy direct from the carrier or sign any contracts. Thus, I am not a license holder at all. Furthermore, the ruling allows for "legacy" devices to be unlocked and sold. Legacy device would be loosely understood as second hand, basically what I am buying and unlocking.
delete
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cell-phones-legal/1g9KhZG7
They'll have to respond to this issue now so hopefully it gets changed and you won't have to worry.
how to other country?
If you have the carrier unlock it, it is not illegal.
If you use your upgrade to get a cheaper phone with a contract and then use a 3rd party SIM unlocker to use on another carrier then it IS illegal.
Start with asking the carrier it is locked by for an unlock code

[Q] Buy an Unlocked S6 For North America

Anyone have any tips? I'm on Cricket, so an AT&T phone would work, but I'd love a T-Mobile one since they seem to be the most dev friendly. Doesn't look like I can pre order without starting service. Anyone think they'll sell me one if I walk into the store on the 10th?
EDIT: Crap, just saw the question ban, but I can't delete...
Bought a tmobile one too. Also on cricket. Will be getting mine tomorrow. Yup have to hey service too but I'm quickly going to cancel it. Going to see how I can unlock the phone too.

The word is that the phone locks to carrier on sim insertion.

Interesting. So does this mean that the phone is technically "unlocked". This is going to play out a little differently with me because I purposely ordered a T-Mobile version for use on AT&T because of my experience with the Note 4. Now I am a bit worried because I wonder what routine the phone uses and if it locks the bootloader if I put an ATT sim in it first. I guess that is the risk you run when you want to step up to the plate first. I think I will wait before I stick a sim in the phone as I would hate for me to be locked out of it by ATT. Not sure if I am going to root this one or not, wavering on keeping it stock and will for a while until the brains get there hands on it and I get more information on the downsides.
http://www.gsmarena.com/galaxy_s7_a...cks_to_the_first_inserted_sim_-news-16902.php
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Along these same lines is the question of whether or not the US S7's/S7E's have hardware support for all bands, cdma and gsm, and its just a software block that will be on them? I've seen posted elsewhere the FCC filings that seem to point to one US model of both phones that work on all carriers but nobody seems to know any specifics.
I'm blown away by the fact that all these major Android and Tech blogs go to these conferences and have Samsung tech people right in front of them and they don't ask these kinds of questions. If each phone was capable of working on all bands in the US, holy crap that's huge, and would mean that maybe at some point we would have a chance at an unlocked US phone that wasn't tied to any carriers. Wishful thinking, I know, with Samsung.
Edit: Found this thread over in the regular S7 section, thought if someone stumbled on this thread in S7E it would be useful to follow. http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/how-to/finally-single-hardware-variant-carriers-t3308040
I've always bought HTC One and before that, I used to own iPhones... I could always buy a factory unlocked HTC online no hassles, so I am new to this and I am SO CONFUSED!
I want to buy an unlocked S7 Edge with a Snapdragon 820 to use in South America. I have a friend that can bring me the phone from USA, but there is no way to buy one.
1) Where can I check the bands used on the AT&T vs T-Mobile one to see which one is better for me?
2) I spoke with T-Mobile rep and he said phone must be tied to a plan for 7 days for them to unlock it (this is paying the full $800 for the phone), is it easy to have my friend make an account with T-Mobile to get the phone and cancel it? Will he have credit score issues or something? (Keep in mind I am paying the full amount not subsidized)
3) How soon (if ever) would a Factory Unlocked with Snapdragon 820 appear in Amazon or Best Buy?
schn1tt3r said:
I've always bought HTC One and before that, I used to own iPhones... I could always buy a factory unlocked HTC online no hassles, so I am new to this and I am SO CONFUSED!
I want to buy an unlocked S7 Edge with a Snapdragon 820 to use in South America. I have a friend that can bring me the phone from USA, but there is no way to buy one.
1) Where can I check the bands used on the AT&T vs T-Mobile one to see which one is better for me?
2) I spoke with T-Mobile rep and he said phone must be tied to a plan for 7 days for them to unlock it (this is paying the full $800 for the phone), is it easy to have my friend make an account with T-Mobile to get the phone and cancel it? Will he have credit score issues or something? (Keep in mind I am paying the full amount not subsidized)
3) How soon (if ever) would a Factory Unlocked with Snapdragon 820 appear in Amazon or Best Buy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.frequencycheck.com/models
schn1tt3r said:
I've always bought HTC One and before that, I used to own iPhones... I could always buy a factory unlocked HTC online no hassles, so I am new to this and I am SO CONFUSED!
I want to buy an unlocked S7 Edge with a Snapdragon 820 to use in South America. I have a friend that can bring me the phone from USA, but there is no way to buy one.
1) Where can I check the bands used on the AT&T vs T-Mobile one to see which one is better for me?
2) I spoke with T-Mobile rep and he said phone must be tied to a plan for 7 days for them to unlock it (this is paying the full $800 for the phone), is it easy to have my friend make an account with T-Mobile to get the phone and cancel it? Will he have credit score issues or something? (Keep in mind I am paying the full amount not subsidized)
3) How soon (if ever) would a Factory Unlocked with Snapdragon 820 appear in Amazon or Best Buy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-mobile requires a device to be active for 40 days according to their terms of service. before they will give unlock code. The thread mentioned above compares the two carriers. The problem is that we don't know how ATT is going to modify the phone before sale IF they do at all. In the past ATT has been notorious for locking the bootloader which makes rooting difficult. T-Mobile usually doesn't. According to the above mentioned thread what I saw is that the T-M version is missing one or two bands. However, this might not be the case if all phones are created equal as the phone might have a built in routine that occurs upon sim insertion to install carrier specifics which makes me nervous because who knows if it can be undone. I am glad I have 14 days to return as if this is what Sammy has done, essentially barring me from and unlock then the phone is going back. I am not paying 800 dollars for a phone that funnels me to one direction.
jackler1 said:
T-mobile requires a device to be active for 40 days according to their terms of service. before they will give unlock code. The thread mentioned above compares the two carriers. The problem is that we don't know how ATT is going to modify the phone before sale IF they do at all. In the past ATT has been notorious for locking the bootloader which makes rooting difficult. T-Mobile usually doesn't. According to the above mentioned thread what I saw is that the T-M version is missing one or two bands. However, this might not be the case if all phones are created equal as the phone might have a built in routine that occurs upon sim insertion to install carrier specifics which makes me nervous because who knows if it can be undone. I am glad I have 14 days to return as if this is what Sammy has done, essentially barring me from and unlock then the phone is going back. I am not paying 800 dollars for a phone that funnels me to one direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is weird, I spoke with online support (T-Mobile) and he said after 7 days if paid in full... but still, problem is I know no one that has a T-Mobile account where I can "link" my phone to have it unlocked. So that is the reason I want to know if it would be a problem to have my friend make a T-Mobile account, pay the phone in full to get it unlocked, and cancel T-Mobile. And yeah, from what I read, your statement about AT&T is the reason I want T-Mobile. I can't live with a phone that doesn't have AdAway. You should see my FireFox browser on my computer with Greasemonkey + adblock plus + anti adblock killer, and NoScript
schn1tt3r said:
That is weird, I spoke with online support (T-Mobile) and he said after 7 days if paid in full... but still, problem is I know no one that has a T-Mobile account where I can "link" my phone to have it unlocked. So that is the reason I want to know if it would be a problem to have my friend make a T-Mobile account, pay the phone in full to get it unlocked, and cancel T-Mobile. And yeah, from what I read, your statement about AT&T is the reason I want T-Mobile. I can't live with a phone that doesn't have AdAway. You should see my FireFox browser on my computer with Greasemonkey + adblock plus + anti adblock killer, and NoScript
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He should read the policies better
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1588
Unlock eligibility for monthly phones, tablets, and mobile internet devices
The device must have been active on the T-Mobile network for at least 40 days on the requesting line.
If the device is financed using T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment Plan (EIP)or if it's leased through JUMP! On Demand™, all payments must be satisfied and the device must be paid in full.
If the device is on an account that is under a service contract term, at least 18 consecutive monthly payments must have been made or the account has migrated to Simple Choice no contract rate plan.
If the device is associated with a canceled account, the account balance must be zero, including all pending charges
Unlock eligibility for Pay in Advance (Prepaid) phones, tablets, and mobile internet devices
The device has been active on the T-Mobile network for more than 1 year on the requesting line.
If the device has been active for less than 1 year on the requesting line, the Pay in Advance account associated with the device must have had more than $25 in refills for basic phones or $100 in refills for smartphones or tablet since device first use date. $100 in total refills is required for each device that is requested to be unlocked.
schn1tt3r said:
That is weird, I spoke with online support (T-Mobile) and he said after 7 days if paid in full... but still, problem is I know no one that has a T-Mobile account where I can "link" my phone to have it unlocked. So that is the reason I want to know if it would be a problem to have my friend make a T-Mobile account, pay the phone in full to get it unlocked, and cancel T-Mobile. And yeah, from what I read, your statement about AT&T is the reason I want T-Mobile. I can't live with a phone that doesn't have AdAway. You should see my FireFox browser on my computer with Greasemonkey + adblock plus + anti adblock killer, and NoScript
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just spend another 10 dollars to get an unlock code from an app from the playstore. Screw waiting for T-Mobile.
I wonder if it's possible to just flash the appropriate carrier firmware then just activate with sim card.
The reason i ask is I am on verizon and sprint has a buy one get the second 50% off. I have friend on sprint and is pre ordering the s7 edge but asked if I wanted the second line for verizon, I had to turn her down, but that was before I knew about carrier sim lock. Am i completely thinking the wrong way?
anrichardson said:
I wonder if it's possible to just flash the appropriate carrier firmware then just activate with sim card.
The reason i ask is I am on verizon and sprint has a buy one get the second 50% off. I have friend on sprint and is pre ordering the s7 edge but asked if I wanted the second line for verizon, I had to turn her down, but that was before I knew about carrier sim lock. Am i completely thinking the wrong way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK you can set it up but once the sim is inserted it will flash carrier firmware and you will have to set up again. You cannot choose which carrier firmware without the appropriate sim card.
anrichardson said:
I wonder if it's possible to just flash the appropriate carrier firmware then just activate with sim card.
The reason i ask is I am on verizon and sprint has a buy one get the second 50% off. I have friend on sprint and is pre ordering the s7 edge but asked if I wanted the second line for verizon, I had to turn her down, but that was before I knew about carrier sim lock. Am i completely thinking the wrong way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the S6, you could use odin to flash METRO PCS stock tar - it is the same exact firmware as TMOBILE but it didn't include the "UNLOCK AP". TMobile Unlock app made it impossible to unlock the device with an unclock code that you might have purchased from an online service.
So once you flashed the Metro PCS stock rom in Odin, you could buy and use an Unlock Code to unlock the device.
schn1tt3r said:
I've always bought HTC One and before that, I used to own iPhones... I could always buy a factory unlocked HTC online no hassles, so I am new to this and I am SO CONFUSED!
I want to buy an unlocked S7 Edge with a Snapdragon 820 to use in South America. I have a friend that can bring me the phone from USA, but there is no way to buy one.
1) Where can I check the bands used on the AT&T vs T-Mobile one to see which one is better for me?
2) I spoke with T-Mobile rep and he said phone must be tied to a plan for 7 days for them to unlock it (this is paying the full $800 for the phone), is it easy to have my friend make an account with T-Mobile to get the phone and cancel it? Will he have credit score issues or something? (Keep in mind I am paying the full amount not subsidized)
3) How soon (if ever) would a Factory Unlocked with Snapdragon 820 appear in Amazon or Best Buy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CuBz90 said:
AFAIK you can set it up but once the sim is inserted it will flash carrier firmware and you will have to set up again. You cannot choose which carrier firmware without the appropriate sim card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is it isn't it.? The million dollar question? Does it matter who you buy the phone from? With T-M they have eliminated contracts. You don't owe them a dime if the phone is paid in full, they just require that if they are going to provide you with an unlock code you have to be with them for 40 days. Now, for me, that is 50 for the first month plus taxes etc and a pro-rated 50 for the second. So approximated 85 dollars all in give or take. On day 40 I call and they give me the code to unlock and then I cancel not costing me much more than a lot of unlock services and i get something for it as does T-M . Now, if I stick my ATT sim in FIRST then it becomes ATT carrier locked. I may then have to call ATT who could say that because the phone was not purchased through them they have no obligation to unlock the phone. Catch 22.
This may not be looking good for me as a consumer as it seems to be a loophole for the carriers. This is why. The carriers can say they are under no obligation to unlock a phone for you if you haven't done business with them. For me that is tricky because my phone service is provided to me by work and so I have no rights to claim I have service technically.
This is how it adds up for me:
1. The firmware on the phone at purchase is generic. It only becomes specific when it recognizes a carrier via sim and downloads or loads a routine already on the phone which installs a carrier group and then deletes everything else. ATT may have a say on what the contents of the routine may be and it may lock you out. You then become beholden to the first place of service, not the place of purchase. This is bad because I can tell you that if there is no warning that this will happen T-M might be getting a phone back that says ATT on it.
2. We can get a preimage first and essentially odin that image onto the phone resetting it back to factory before branding. In essence and unlocked phone from the jump. This would be awesome for us tinkerers, not so much for the everyman.
3. The phone is unlocked from the jump. Put whatever sim you want in it and it works. Not likely.
4. We I am over thinking this thing and things will be as they always have, T-M gets there phone loaded with the firmware they want with the safeguards as they see them in place at sim insertion. I have to wait my 40 days and then I get the unlock code and use it with whomever. This seems most likely. There may be other scenarios that I didn't consider.
I guess it's a wait and see proposition but as I have sold my Note 4 and am using a Skyrocket right now I will have to hold myself back from inserting a sim in that bad boy until we see what shakes out. This sounds like it could be the greatest or the worst or the same thing as ever.
The carriers could say that they are like DTV (Direct TV) if you want service it's a two year contract. DTV doesn't care if you have your own equipment or not. The service is tied to registering the card. They give you a new card to go into your equipment, it marries when you call to activate and you are locked in for two years. There is no discount for paying for your own equipment. I could see the carriers going in that direction because they can change their terms and get out from under the FCC says situation. When you activate a sim you agree to a 2 year contract. The phone is unlocked take it where you want but you owe us for two years or an ETF. Most people lock themselves in regardless but not good for me.
My credit card just charged this morning BTW the phone is on it's way I would presume.
Very insightful post. I also sold my HTC one and have a Sony M4 for the moment. I wanted to take advantage of the free VR headset, but since I need the oh one to work in South America, I can't do anything.
Why not just purchase from US Cellular? The S6 and Note 5 came unlocked from them. http://www.uscellular.com/site/legal/mobile-wireless-device-unlocking.html
While I hope the article that said the S7 would; be automatically locked to the carrier for the Sim card you insert first - I am having a little trouble believing that - not saying it isn't true - and frankly for me, that is the perect situaiton - but it doesn't make sense.
If this were true, a user who purchased a phone with month to month payments - could conceivably insert a sim from a different carrier and use it without having paid in full for the device. Carriers typically won't unlock the phone if you still owe them money - there may be exceptions, but I haven't heard of any.
Just seems odd to me - but then I guess stranger things have happened....
It'd be nice if someone found a way to setup the phone without having carrier bloat installed before inserting the sim.
mocsab said:
While I hope the article that said the S7 would; be automatically locked to the carrier for the Sim card you insert first - I am having a little trouble believing that - not saying it isn't true - and frankly for me, that is the perect situaiton - but it doesn't make sense.
If this were true, a user who purchased a phone with month to month payments - could conceivably insert a sim from a different carrier and use it without having paid in full for the device. Carriers typically won't unlock the phone if you still owe them money - there may be exceptions, but I haven't heard of any.
Just seems odd to me - but then I guess stranger things have happened....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is another twist. I called T-M yesterday because my bank stopped payment because of the amount. I approved it but T-M cancelled the order. Just as well because I decided I wanted to switch to black instead of silver. That pushed me back a bit but they said I would still get the Netflix and VR set. and a phone by the 11th and overnight. I asked the agent about this issue and she had no clue. She did however say that because I had purchased the phone outright I could call in on day one and get the unlock code. I will believe if when I see it.
HOWEVER this is the twist which I never thought of. The phone is going to arrive with a SIM IN IT and ALREADY ACTIVATED. So I will have no choice. The only way to not have this happen is to purchase the phone on launch day and not let them put a sim in it. So all of us with pre-orders are going to receive carrier locked phones. Bare that in mind when you pre-order. Fortunately I have 14 days and can walk the phone back in if bad news comes.
noamaniac said:
Why not just purchase from US Cellular? The S6 and Note 5 came unlocked from them. http://www.uscellular.com/site/legal/mobile-wireless-device-unlocking.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
US Cellular doesn't offer service in my area for one and two, there is no mention on their website as to the status of the phone being locked or not. The price is right but no year of netflix only VR set. May be an option for some people.
jackler1 said:
There is another twist. I called T-M yesterday because my bank stopped payment because of the amount. I approved it but T-M cancelled the order. Just as well because I decided I wanted to switch to black instead of silver. That pushed me back a bit but they said I would still get the Netflix and VR set. and a phone by the 11th and overnight. I asked the agent about this issue and she had no clue. She did however say that because I had purchased the phone outright I could call in on day one and get the unlock code. I will believe if when I see it.
HOWEVER this is the twist which I never thought of. The phone is going to arrive with a SIM IN IT and ALREADY ACTIVATED. So I will have no choice. The only way to not have this happen is to purchase the phone on launch day and not let them put a sim in it. So all of us with pre-orders are going to receive carrier locked phones. Bare that in mind when you pre-order. Fortunately I have 14 days and can walk the phone back in if bad news comes.
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When I have done Pre-orders in the past with TMobile - the SIM was not installed. Now, maybe they will install it this time - but that seems unlikely to me. That means they would have to open thousands of phones - work the sim card away from the business card holder it comes in and and insert in the phone. I don't think that is likely - but like I said, it could happen. Maybe because it does lock to the carrier of the first Sim card inserted, they will take the extra effort to insert sim cards in every pre-order.
But think about it a bit - anytime you buy a phone from a TMOBILE STORE - they have to manually insert the sim card while you wait - and like I said, all previous pre-orders I had to manually install the sim.
---------- Post added at 10:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:04 AM ----------
jackler1 said:
My credit card just charged this morning BTW the phone is on it's way I would presume.
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I also noticed today that I have pending charges on the card I purchased the S7 on - my best reccollection in the past for every pre-order I have done before is that I didn't see charges show up on my card until shipping was imminent. I don't know for sure that this is the case this time, but it has me hopeful for an early shipping date for pre-orders....Fingers Crossed!!! :laugh:
EDIT -
Shipping Label Created today by UPS 2-28-2016
Checked My UPS and discovered that a UPS Shipping Label has been created. (my credit card shows a charge today for the purchase price of my phone) looks like Shipping for my New S7 is Imminent!
---------- Post added at 10:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:14 AM ----------
jackler1 said:
There is another twist. I called T-M yesterday because my bank stopped payment because of the amount. I approved it but T-M cancelled the order. Just as well because I decided I wanted to switch to black instead of silver. That pushed me back a bit but they said I would still get the Netflix and VR set. and a phone by the 11th and overnight. I asked the agent about this issue and she had no clue. She did however say that because I had purchased the phone outright I could call in on day one and get the unlock code. I will believe if when I see it.
HOWEVER this is the twist which I never thought of. The phone is going to arrive with a SIM IN IT and ALREADY ACTIVATED. So I will have no choice. The only way to not have this happen is to purchase the phone on launch day and not let them put a sim in it. So all of us with pre-orders are going to receive carrier locked phones. Bare that in mind when you pre-order. Fortunately I have 14 days and can walk the phone back in if bad news comes.
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TMobile has very clear policies about unlocking devices - If you have been a customer for more than a year, you can get it unlocked immediately, if you own the phone (paid outright)
If you have been a customer for less than a year, you have to wait 40 days
if you have a Pre-Pay account, you can unlock immediately as long as their is a minimum pre-paid balance of $100 on your account. (but, you can't pre-order an S7 for a Pre-Paid account. They won't sell it to you. You would have to start a different account and then move the phone to the prepaid account by switching sims.)

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