I recently received a Sprint Note 5 and am trying to use it on my existing MetroPCS account. I went in to the Metro store for an ESN swap, received a new sim card, yet when I popped it in my phone it says "sim not recognized" or something to that effect; also the APN settings section disappears when the Metro sim is installed (visible when Sprint sim is in, but the options are greyed-out). I've searched for almost two hours online for a solution, to no avail. I am certain that at least a few of these LTE bands are going to work on MetroPCS, but not sure why the sim registers as unrecognizable. I called Sprint and they assured both the previous owner of the phone and myself (separate calls) that the phone is unlocked. Are they lying? Did I receive a defective sim from Metro? Am I the ultimate idiot because my search parameters are faulty and this is some common sense issue? I appreciate any help you guys can offer. Love my XDA fam.
It is like Sprint says "OK, your phone is "unlocked" (wink wink)...but you will never be able to use the portable Hotspot or edit the APNs". That's why I will never ever get another carrier branded phone. Altough my phone was unlocked by a "box" device (Octoplus) and I can add/edit APN. But wont receive or send MMS and the Hotspot is unavailable.
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I'm posting this as a new thread because of all of the answers that contradict my experience in similar threads. I took a Verizon SCH-I535 set to 'global' to T-Mobile to have a GSM SIM put in. Even the Verizon customer service said that switching to a GSM card would work as the phone is not locked.
I also took an SCH-I545 in and switched SIMs without any problem. The APN data was reset automatically and my old number was ported over to T-Mobile. All was good.
However, when they put the T-Mobile SIM card (and we tried 3 different SIMS) in the SCH-I535, the T-Mobile APN entry showed up, but the T-Mobile network won't recognize the SIM card. Since they had also transferred the number from Verizon to T-Mobile, even returning the Verizon SIM card is useless. The phone can't make or receive calls on either network. I don't think I can get Verizon to reset the number back to Verizon even temporarily since I am a couple days past-due on my bill and VZW won't give you ANY help until you pay past-due amts (won't have the check for a week ).
Any suggestions? I need an exploit to break the "non-existent" SIM lock so I can return the T-Mobile SIM to the phone and have it recognized.
Playa Cat said:
I'm posting this as a new thread because of all of the answers that contradict my experience in similar threads. I took a Verizon SCH-I535 set to 'global' to T-Mobile to have a GSM SIM put in. Even the Verizon customer service said that switching to a GSM card would work as the phone is not locked.
I also took an SCH-I545 in and switched SIMs without any problem. The APN data was reset automatically and my old number was ported over to T-Mobile. All was good.
However, when they put the T-Mobile SIM card (and we tried 3 different SIMS) in the SCH-I535, the T-Mobile APN entry showed up, but the T-Mobile network won't recognize the SIM card. Since they had also transferred the number from Verizon to T-Mobile, even returning the Verizon SIM card is useless. The phone can't make or receive calls on either network. I don't think I can get Verizon to reset the number back to Verizon even temporarily since I am a couple days past-due on my bill and VZW won't give you ANY help until you pay past-due amts (won't have the check for a week ).
Any suggestions? I need an exploit to break the "non-existent" SIM lock so I can return the T-Mobile SIM to the phone and have it recognized.
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Have you tried changing the apn settings? It may be defaulting to the VZW network
Sent from my Nexus 5
SOLVED
ShapesBlue said:
Have you tried changing the apn settings? It may be defaulting to the VZW network
Sent from my Nexus 5
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the response, but I called T-Mobile's tech services at 611 and (unlike years of dealing with VZW doofs with technical IQs approaching that of a stale Cheez Doodle) immediately got a highly knowledgeable techie. When I was in the store and the SIMs they tried didn't work, I pleaded with them to call tech support, but they insisted that it was the phone's fault since they tried multiple SIMs. Seems that, when T-Mobile (or at least this store) breaks a SIM out of its cardboard holder, but doesn't actually sell it, they simply tape the SIM back to the card and consider it cherry. When I got home and called the techie, he had me read him the SIM id and it turned out it had been tried out before and was still associated with the other cellphone (probably true also with the other "recycled" SIMs they tied. I read him my APN numbers and it turned out that the only problem there was the original name, which should be "T-Mobile" (it was slightly different).
He got the store's number from me, called somebody at the store, told him exactly what to do to get the phone working, and told me to go back within half an hour to get a brand-new unsullied SIM. I edited the APN name, he put the SIM in and - voila!
The onlyl problem I'm having now is that, though I was able to set up my T-Mobile mailbox for my Galaxy 4 with it automatically defaulting to a long-press of key 1 (or dialing 123 and hitting the call button), on the Galaxy III, the mailbox was set up, but a long-press on key 1 calls the non-functioning Verizon voicemail, and there is nothing in the stock system to allow you to edit the quick-dial assignment for button 1 (yes, I removed the Verizon voice-mail app and stuff down at root level). So, I set up button 2 to quick-dial 123 and now button 2 is my long-press voicemail button. Weird - I need to dig a bit more into the innards and find a way to clear the first button assignment - maybe set in build.props???
So, the phone was not at fault and T-Mobile's tech department was a revelation in totally unexpected competence and depth of knowledge (unexpected after 26 years with VZW), but the three people who mucked around with the phone at the retail store are not only proof that we descended from ape-like ancestors, but that many of us are still descending .
Thanks again.
Hello. I'm trying to get FreedomPop service on my Nexus 5 I got from Google Play a while back and have been using it mosly with Virgin Mobile, which is a GSM/LTE carrier (Bell's MVNO). I tried going through the FreedomPop's BYOD wizard, put in my IMEI, it told me there was a problem and instructed to call an 1-800 number. I did that, and the rep on the other end seemed to have been able to create an account and activate it. She told me to wait 15 minutes and powercycle the phone. I asked her specifically about a SIM card, and she told me I didn't need anything and that they don't use SIM cards.
I waited 15 minutes, powercycled my phone, but didn't get any service - the phone has the "no sim" icon, all network settings are greyed out because of that. If I got to the testing menu (*#*#4636#*#*), under the phone info the preferred netowork type is LTE/GSM auto (PRL). I tried switching to CDMA, LTE/CDMA auto (RPL), LTE/GSM/CDMA auto (RPL), but as soon as I go back and to phone info, the setting is back on LTE/GSM auto (PRL).
I've searched all over internet and couldn't find an answer about getting service. Most posts are about the other way (FreedomPop's phone to use with GSM carriers like TMo). Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? I wanted to ask on FreedomPop forum, but it seems you have to wait until your new forum account is approved by a moderator to even be able to PM/post/reply.
If anyone could please clarify the whole story behind Nexus 5 on Sprint/MVNO networks, whether SIM/UUIC is/is not required and how to force the phone to switch to CDMA mode, I would be really grateful.
Ok. Looks like the rep that activated the phone was not competent. She told me I didn't need a SIM (UUIC) card, which in fact I did. I got one from Sprint. This was yet another challenge, as if I told them I needed one for Nexus 5, they were saying they don't carry that phone, and don't have SIM cards for it, telling me to go to Best Buy, which wanted to charge me $30 for it. When I told them that I needed one for Galaxy S5, they surely enough gave me exactly what I needed - SIMGLW206R
I plugged in the SIM, and immediately the phone switched to CDMA mode, started displaying proper MEID (14 digit) instead of IMEI (15 digits), allowing to update profile and PRL. I called FreedomPop customer service and gave them the UUIC number, and after several minutes my phone started working on the FreedomPop network!
Hello, I just bought a verizon Samsung Galaxy s7. I am a net10 customer, so to use the phone i purchased the byop kit and inserted the verizon compatible chip and then i go to register the phone with net10, and it says it cant do it, to contact customer service. So I called them and they said that for some reason the imei wont register manually, and that i have to call verizon and see if it was locked. So i called verizon and they said according to the imei i gave them it isnt locked, and that verizon doesnt even lock 4g lte devices. but no matter what i do i cannot get the phone to register with imei. I have even tried strait talk. Another thing to note is that on the verizon website, the s7 isnt listed as compatible device for a byop plan.
So theres no one i can call to have anything unlocked, i cant get my money back from net10, after i called net10 customer service back and told them that verizon said it wasnt locked, net10 CS then stated that the phone wasnt compatible on their network.
A verizon tech said he sometimes has problems registering phone imei's. He said sometimes it goes through, and sometimes you have to keep trying. I really have no clue of what type of process is happening here...
So, i took out the verizon compatible sim, and put in the att/unlocked gsm device sim and then registered that through net10. it actually went through, I now have a phone number and i have basic data, but i cannot send or receive mms. I used the APN settings i found somewhere on the internet for ATT network as they are the only ones that work so far..
The other problem i have is that my phone says the sim isnt from verizon, which im assuming i can just flash the "u" version of the rom to take care of? But am i hoping there is a way to make my phone work in their network so that i can use the intended sim card.
So with all that said I have a couple questions.
1. Why wont my phones imei register on the carrier networks?
2. If i cant get it to register on their networks, is there any way to at least get my mms working?
I find it very strange that no one else has had this problem. I cant find any information as to why the s7's arent part of the byop yet.
Thanks in Advance!
I have a tracphone Samsung Galaxy Luna SM-120vl. It is brand new and I called straight talk to activate it but only to be told that because of upgrades to their system they No longer activate this phone to their network. So basically at the moment I'm stuck with a non working phone. I requested they unlock the phone and they refused. How can I get this phone activated on their network or one of tracphones other networks like total wireless? What if I activated a SIM card on another device I no longer use then move it to the non activated device. Would that work ? Or try and change the imei number. Any help would be appreciated.
Daddy1400 said:
I have a tracphone Samsung Galaxy Luna SM-120vl. It is brand new and I called straight talk to activate it but only to be told that because of upgrades to their system they No longer activate this phone to their network. So basically at the moment I'm stuck with a non working phone. I requested they unlock the phone and they refused. How can I get this phone activated on their network or one of tracphones other networks like total wireless? What if I activated a SIM card on another device I no longer use then move it to the non activated device. Would that work ? Or try and change the imei number. Any help would be appreciated.
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I'm not sure if this method is valid, but, here is a video detailing how to SIM unlock your device to be used on other networks. Be aware that even if the unlock method works to actually unlock the device, there are still no guarantees that the device can be activated on a Tracfone network. Your best bet would be to contact the various Tracfone subsidiary networks to see if your device can even be used on their network before you go through all the trouble of trying to unlock/activate your device.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LEY-fJff0X4
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk
No that did not work. However, I recently activated a tracfone SIM card on a device that I no longer have, a device that is broken. I took the SIM card and placed it into the phone that the company said could not be activated and it began working. It is day 4 and the phone is still working. Now what I'm wondering is, could I switched to say total wireless or straight talk and do the same as tracfone does own these companies too. I'm going to try it. Let you know how it goes.
So this is kind of weird, I recently received a sim card for my E-5, It's a second hand phone that I bought ebay "Unlocked", I used it for a few years with a provider on the Sprint Network, now T-mobile, nothing owed free and clear. My current carrier is telling me based on the fact that the APN are greyed out and same for network controllers with the sim card inserted that the phone has "network restrictions" meaning it's locked to the last network which would be Sprint, I can confirm that since I still have the old sim card and it says sprint on it and when it's inserted there is a signal just no network. I contacted the previous provider and they said I need to contact Sprint to get it unlocked, Sprint has the most stringent requirements to unlock, the tech support at my current provider said I could also do a factory reset and that should remove the network restriction, but I don't want to do a reset if it doesn't work and I have a feeling that's BS. So my question is what's the best way to make my phone work on any network, do I need to root it and than debrand it? I'm a total newb to this part of phone modding, so if someone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it as I have been without cell service for a couple of months now since I lost my other phone. Thanks