I just bought a Samsung S8+ off swappa which just got shipped.
The seller tells me the phone is AT&T locked and he hasn't told me if it was fully paid.
I want to use this phone on another carrier abroad and I was wondering if one of those 3rd party unlock services will unlock my phone even if it hasn't been paid in full (If that be the case).
Thanks
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Hi just purchased my idol 3 from koodo in Canada it was locked and was wondering if anyone has a good place for unlocking? Thanks
If it's showing sim locked you should return it. Alcatel would have no reason to lock it since they are not selling the phone via a carrier....if you ended up getting one someone fiddled with previously it's possible they managed to lock it....you won't find any place setup to unlock the idol 3 since it's intended to be sold unlocked.
In Canada they only sell with carriers. Telus koodo and bell. I put my wife's rogers sim in my koodo phone and asked for a unlock code. Even when you go to purchase a phone on alcatel website you can only purchase from the cell companies in Canada that offer the phone. We cannot purchase from Alcatel.
There might be an unlocking company online that will charge to unlock it. Or a company that will ship a US version to CA.
Romman0 said:
There might be an unlocking company online that will charge to unlock it. Or a company that will ship a US version to CA.
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Other canadians here have identified their phones as the 6045i (when everyone was uploading their stock firmware) so it's the same model as USA.
If the Canadian is locked, then it would still be beneficial to get a US version or paying for an unlock code or service.
Thanks for the help guys. Sucks that the Canadian model is locked. But not surprised. Lol
Def locked when bought from a Canadian carrier. They lock everything except the nexus phones...even when bought at full price.
I'd try cell unlocker or some other 3rd party unlock service. Telus/Koodo charges $50 for an unlock code.
scatoclysm said:
Def locked when bought from a Canadian carrier. They lock everything except the nexus phones...even when bought at full price.
I'd try cell unlocker or some other 3rd party unlock service. Telus/Koodo charges $50 for an unlock code.
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For that much would be cheaper to purchase in usa...have shipped to friend in usa then reshipped to canada....can then flash the stock canadian firmware we have online.
Yeah, Canada's wireless is borked... The CRTC did change all the rules and did force the carriers to provide a way to unlock in a contract and immediately unlock when you purchase the device in full, the only problem is, the morons forgot to add the part where the carriers should have to do it for free, when you own the device. So, now they can still charge... looks a lot like it did before, with just more pointless words in the act.
The free part was unlikely to be an oversight. It was probably the most requested part of the code of conduct. They stopped short of free and price controls when it came to unlocks.
Bit of a shame, I think if a contract has been fulfilled, they should do it for free.
At least there's a trend lately of affordable high performance phones... Hopefully that leads to fewer phones bought on contract up here. Many normal customers just aren't aware if the "device balance" mark up, and plan mark ups. Better off paying outright.
I've contacted T-Mobile directly, and they said that they do not have the ability to do so because I did not purchase the device directly from them, even though it is a T-Mobile branded device. The representative also contacted Samsung with me on the phone, Samsung specifically stated that the device can be unlock, and the carrier does it. Doesn't make any sense to me that they can't unlock it when they have my phone's IMEI in their database, and they can recognize it. To top that off, the device is paid in full, not financed. Anyway, got this escalated to the manual unlock team, but was told there's no guarantees. Will see how that goes.
Have anyone gotten their T-Mobile branded device bought directly from Samsung unlocked? Or anyone got their carrier branded device bought from Samsung unlocked?
I been trying to find a sim I can try to see if mine is unlocked but seems like everyone I know is on TMobile hahaha I bought mine thru Samsung as well paid in full I will try going to a att see if they have a sim I can try
If everything is the same, then the device should be locked. Just tried an ATT sim on my T-Mobile device, and that doesn't work.
Exact situation I went through with AT&T. They also first told me they couldn't unlock it cuz I didn't buy directly from them, however, after a few escalations to support I finally got someone that understood and I had the unlock code before the phone call ended. Just keep trying.
The escalation of my case to the unlock team resulted in receiving an automated email telling me to use the unlock app when I explicitly mentioned that method does not work..... Sigh... The incompetence of these people. Contacting them on twitter now, we'll see the results of that.
In the meantime, what's everyone's experience so far trying to get their carrier branded device unlocked?
Same issues with my s8... Samsung says T-Mobile will should be able to unlock it...and T-Mobile says it is not an eligible phone since not purchased through T-Mobile. Any other suggestions how i can unlock my phone?
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
MNX1024 said:
The escalation of my case to the unlock team resulted in receiving an automated email telling me to use the unlock app when I explicitly mentioned that method does not work..... Sigh... The incompetence of these people. Contacting them on twitter now, we'll see the results of that.
In the meantime, what's everyone's experience so far trying to get their carrier branded device unlocked?
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Have you been able to get your phone unlocked? I'm in the same situation right now
How in the hell can they not unlock a device that is BRANDED by T-Mobile and PAID OFF with T-Mobile? I would of returned the device (if within the return period) and Bought an Exynos Variant. I have an Exynos S8+ on AT&T here in the US and I haven't had any issues with carrier compatibility.
I bought a phone on eBay. Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus.
The seller didn't say that there were still payments to make on T-Mobile.
Now I can unlock it through DoctorSim service. But I want to use it on MetroPCS afterwards... Is it possible? I'm curious cause MetroPCS uses T-Mobiles network
Hi everyone,
I recently just get my new google pixel 3a from amazon,
but it seems like they send me the Verizon version of it.
The version of the phone is android 10 and I am trying to unlocked OEM under developer options in order to root my device,
but it's likely seems like there is no way that I can unlock the OEM...?
So I was wondering if anyone know the way of unlocking it or maybe there is a way that I can root without Unlocking the OEM.
Thank you!!
Skylar514 said:
Hi everyone,
I recently just get my new google pixel 3a from amazon,
but it seems like they send me the Verizon version of it.
The version of the phone is android 10 and I am trying to unlocked OEM under developer options in order to root my device,
but it's likely seems like there is no way that I can unlock the OEM...?
So I was wondering if anyone know the way of unlocking it or maybe there is a way that I can root without Unlocking the OEM.
Thank you!!
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Verizon is notorious for locking down their equipment!!! I would recommend seeing if you can return it and get the unlocked variant!
Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk
Just a heads up if anyone happens to find this after grabbing the $200 3a from Verizon: they claim they will unlock your phone after 60 days, something on their site I confirmed with a rep. I'll update January 24 if it does or doesn't happen as I plan to root then (for me, a $200 discount was worth a two month delay).
iamxaq said:
Just a heads up if anyone happens to find this after grabbing the $200 3a from Verizon: they claim they will unlock your phone after 60 days, something on their site I confirmed with a rep. I'll update January 24 if it does or doesn't happen as I plan to root then (for me, a $200 discount was worth a two month delay).
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Just so you are aware, the rep is talking about the SIM card lock. This is different than the bootloader unlock which is required to root your phone.
A SIM card unlock allows you to use the phone with other service providers. Most providers will lock the phone as long as you owe money on the phone. If you bought it outright or have paid the phone off, then the provider will generally SIM unlock the phone. Verizon won't even SIM card unlock the phone until it has been active for 60 days. They say this is to prevent pre-sale theft of their phones, but the policy is certainly more strict than any other provider. However do not misinterpret this to mean that Verizon will SIM unlock all phones after 60 days. If you owe money on the phone, they are not obligated to SIM card unlock it. It is possible sometimes to get the provider to SIM unlock the phone while you still owe money on the phone, but that can be hit and miss.
A bootloader unlock is needed to root the phone. Verizon is the one USA service provider that locks the bootloader of all their devices by policy. Even if a Verizon phone is SIM card unlocked, there is no guarantee that you will be able to bootloader unlock the phone or root it. Generally speaking, you should consider every Verizon phone to be bootloader locked and considering it "winning the lottery" if you are actually able to bootloader unlock it. There are times when Verizon messes up the IMEI numbers and allow phones to be unlocked, but that this just luck if it happens.
I've owned Verizon phones before that were bootloader locked and I will never buy another one. But that is my personal preference. If you have no interest in rooting your phone, then the bootloader isn't that important of an issue. But if you do want to root the phone (and it sound like you do), I would recommend that you see about returning the phone during the return period and purchasing the "Unlocked" version (the "NON-Verizon version).
Sic is correct. Verizon will only SIM unlock the phones. That was the main reason I left them back when I had to use rumrunner on my M7. Once it died and I had to get another phone, I left Verizon and never looked back. When they asked why I was leaving, I told them I might return if they ever let us unlock our bootloaders. The employee knew there was no saving me at that point.
If you want to have an unlocked bootloader, the best bet would be to have a non-carrier branded phone.
I just bought a brand new, never opened AT&T branded Galaxy Fold. Seals on the box were still intact. The device was originally purchased directly from Samsung and was not tied to any AT&T account, although there was a new AT&T SIM in the box that is still attached to the card and never used.
IMEI is supposedly clean and ready for activation with no outstanding financing or blacklist according to Swappa and Ting.
I tried to get a SIM unlock code from the AT&T unlock portal, but it rejects the request because “AT&T didn’t sell or activate the device.” I suppose this message is technically true since the phone was sold by Samsung and never activated, but I’m not sure how to proceed with SIM unlocking it to use on Verizon.
Anyone have any ideas?
concept0 said:
I just bought a brand new, never opened AT&T branded Galaxy Fold. Seals on the box were still intact. The device was originally purchased directly from Samsung and was not tied to any AT&T account, although there was a new AT&T SIM in the box that is still attached to the card and never used.
IMEI is supposedly clean and ready for activation with no outstanding financing or blacklist according to Swappa and Ting.
I tried to get a SIM unlock code from the AT&T unlock portal, but it rejects the request because “AT&T didn’t sell or activate the device.” I suppose this message is technically true since the phone was sold by Samsung and never activated, but I’m not sure how to proceed with SIM unlocking it to use on Verizon.
Anyone have any ideas?
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Just guessing as I never had a locked device.
Maybe you can try to use an AT&T SIM card in that device for about 11 days. Some users reported that the network/region lock set by Samsung will get deactivated after that period of time. Then you might be able to change to a Verizon sim card.
Worth a try?!
concept0 said:
I just bought a brand new, never opened AT&T branded Galaxy Fold. Seals on the box were still intact. The device was originally purchased directly from Samsung and was not tied to any AT&T account, although there was a new AT&T SIM in the box that is still attached to the card and never used.
IMEI is supposedly clean and ready for activation with no outstanding financing or blacklist according to Swappa and Ting.
I tried to get a SIM unlock code from the AT&T unlock portal, but it rejects the request because “AT&T didn’t sell or activate the device.” I suppose this message is technically true since the phone was sold by Samsung and never activated, but I’m not sure how to proceed with SIM unlocking it to use on Verizon.
Anyone have any ideas?
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If its anything like Tmobile, then you'll get the run around, Samsung will tell you its ATT and ATT will tell you its Samsung that you have to contact. On Tmobile one has to contact TForce via Twitter, then have them reach out to Samsung internally so that they can load the IMEI on to the T-Mobile system, once that part is done then Tmobile the actually carrier can go forth and process the unlock request. I am thinking it will be something similar with ATT locked devices purchased from Samsung directly.