Ok so this is going to be a long one... sorry in advance if I've broken any site rules posting here (made an account so I could make this post).
First, I work retail loss prevention for an off-brand retailer (in the USA). About 3 months ago we found a T-Mobile s8+ in one of our fitting rooms. The phone was turned into me via one of the store employees where I let it sit in my office for 3 days while turned on, hoping someone who knows the original owner would call it. No one called, so I took the phone to my local T-Mobile store to turn it in or see if they could contact the owner. The T-Mobile representative told me that they would be unable to take the phone from me, or give me any information regarding the owner. So the phone sat in my stores Lost and Found box for 30 days as policy. Once those 30 days passed our policy states to throw out the phone with the normal trash. Being an expensive phone, and the technology lover I am, I kept the phone which I had all legal right to do since the store had thrown it out.
The phone itself had a pin-lock and probably some sensitive data regarding the previous owner which I was able to clear out via a re-flash of the OS on the phone (i'm not a bad guy I didn't want their personal data).
So, obviously, the phone itself has an IMEI number reported as "Lost" with T-Mobile. Which means I'm basically unable to use it on our carrier (Metro PCS), however my wife was using it for the camera and other apps while at the house.
Flash forward another month and my wife's phone begins to start acting up so I figured there could be some way to work out to let her use this s8+ (I own a normal s8 myself and have no real use for the s8+). So i called T-Mobile customer support, explained the situation described above, and they told me I would need to take the phone to a Samsung store to have the device refurbished? Well, I drove about 30 minutes out to the nearest Samsung store to be told they don't perform such a service.
So I decided to look into altering the IMEI# of the s8+ to a clean IMEI of my wife's current phone or an older one we no longer use, and all the laws and specifications regarding what can and can't be done. All I could dig up regarding IMEI laws in the US was here: congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/3186/text/is -- Which isn't actually a law it's a proposed bill that never got passed. I did find some stuff from the FCC about cell phone cloning fraud:fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-fraud -- but this also doesn't exactly fit my situation since we only want to use one phone, not two under the same identifications. There also is the concern of 'is it really fraud if I own both phones in question?'.
So this brings us to the current status: I have this phone that I obtained legally with a bad IMEI and cannot use it for everyday purposes.
Any help on how we can get the phone to a usable state would be greatly appreciated.
[Edit update]: I realize this is a very unusual situation, and am fully aware of the stigma regarding asking what to do regarding bad IMEI numbers and just want to clarify that I do not intend to break any laws or act with malicious intent to others. I simply want to have a phone, which I own legally, working.
Best your gonna get on this is google can be your friend. We dont discuss this in any form here.
Starhound said:
Ok so this is going to be a long one... sorry in advance if I've broken any site rules posting here (made an account so I could make this post).
First, I work retail loss prevention for an off-brand retailer (in the USA). About 3 months ago we found a T-Mobile s8+ in one of our fitting rooms. The phone was turned into me via one of the store employees where I let it sit in my office for 3 days while turned on, hoping someone who knows the original owner would call it. No one called, so I took the phone to my local T-Mobile store to turn it in or see if they could contact the owner. The T-Mobile representative told me that they would be unable to take the phone from me, or give me any information regarding the owner. So the phone sat in my stores Lost and Found box for 30 days as policy. Once those 30 days passed our policy states to throw out the phone with the normal trash. Being an expensive phone, and the technology lover I am, I kept the phone which I had all legal right to do since the store had thrown it out.
The phone itself had a pin-lock and probably some sensitive data regarding the previous owner which I was able to clear out via a re-flash of the OS on the phone (i'm not a bad guy I didn't want their personal data).
So, obviously, the phone itself has an IMEI number reported as "Lost" with T-Mobile. Which means I'm basically unable to use it on our carrier (Metro PCS), however my wife was using it for the camera and other apps while at the house.
Flash forward another month and my wife's phone begins to start acting up so I figured there could be some way to work out to let her use this s8+ (I own a normal s8 myself and have no real use for the s8+). So i called T-Mobile customer support, explained the situation described above, and they told me I would need to take the phone to a Samsung store to have the device refurbished? Well, I drove about 30 minutes out to the nearest Samsung store to be told they don't perform such a service.
So I decided to look into altering the IMEI# of the s8+ to a clean IMEI of my wife's current phone or an older one we no longer use, and all the laws and specifications regarding what can and can't be done. All I could dig up regarding IMEI laws in the US was here: congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/3186/text/is -- Which isn't actually a law it's a proposed bill that never got passed. I did find some stuff from the FCC about cell phone cloning fraud:fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-fraud -- but this also doesn't exactly fit my situation since we only want to use one phone, not two under the same identifications. There also is the concern of 'is it really fraud if I own both phones in question?'.
So this brings us to the current status: I have this phone that I obtained legally with a bad IMEI and cannot use it for everyday purposes.
Any help on how we can get the phone to a usable state would be greatly appreciated.
[Edit update]: I realize this is a very unusual situation, and am fully aware of the stigma regarding asking what to do regarding bad IMEI numbers and just want to clarify that I do not intend to break any laws or act with malicious intent to others. I simply want to have a phone, which I own legally, working.
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This is illegal and will bring you to jail so dont even try it
kpwnApps said:
This is illegal and will bring you to jail so dont even try it
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In most countries yes not all but either way frowned talks on xda
Update: I no longer need assistance.
Side Note: Here is the US law regarding changing mobile identification numbers: govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title18/USCODE-2011-title18-partI-chap47-sec1029
Starhound said:
Update: I no longer need assistance.
Side Note: Here is the US law regarding changing mobile identification numbers: govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title18/USCODE-2011-title18-partI-chap47-sec1029
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Yes as that may be true. But the rules here on xda as well as the rest of the world prohibit this. I do agree with you on the law here in US though. ???
Starhound said:
Update: I no longer need assistance.
Side Note: Here is the US law regarding changing mobile identification numbers: govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title18/USCODE-2011-title18-partI-chap47-sec1029
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Click to collapse
That law is surpassed by the cell phone cloning act of the early 90's. In the US it is illegal to alter the IMEI or even have tools that allow you to do so. It effects the IMEI and ESN (for older phones) many sites have been closed down for it. XDA has a very strong stance against it.
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-fraud
solitarios.lupus said:
That law is surpassed by the cell phone cloning act of the early 90's. In the US it is illegal to alter the IMEI or even have tools that allow you to do so. It effects the IMEI and ESN (for older phones) many sites have been closed down for it. XDA has a very strong stance against it.
I'm not really here to argue if the act is illegal or not (it is). But, to point out I also wasn't exactly asking on instruction on how to change an IMEI.
I only asked what laws are in place that specify the legality of the situation (which has been solved), and what -can- be done in this situation (remains unsolved).
-Thank you
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Starhound said:
solitarios.lupus said:
That law is surpassed by the cell phone cloning act of the early 90's. In the US it is illegal to alter the IMEI or even have tools that allow you to do so. It effects the IMEI and ESN (for older phones) many sites have been closed down for it. XDA has a very strong stance against it.
I'm not really here to argue if the act is illegal or not (it is). But, to point out I also wasn't exactly asking on instruction on how to change an IMEI.
I only asked what laws are in place that specify the legality of the situation (which has been solved), and what -can- be done in this situation (remains unsolved).
-Thank you
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The only thing that can be done is turn it in to t-mobile. If I t was me. I would turn it in to t-mobile so they can return it to the proper owner.
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solitarios.lupus said:
Starhound said:
The only thing that can be done is turn it in to t-mobile. If I t was me. I would turn it in to t-mobile so they can return it to the proper owner.
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I attempted to do exactly that about 3 days after the phone was turned in to me (as described in original post). T-Mobile refused to take it from me. Nor would they give me information to contact the owner. Maybe that's not their standard policy, I don't know.
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Starhound said:
solitarios.lupus said:
I attempted to do exactly that about 3 days after the phone was turned in to me (as described in original post). T-Mobile refused to take it from me. Nor would they give me information to contact the owner. Maybe that's not their standard policy, I don't know.
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I can tell you that is not their policy. Mail it to the corporate office with a letter saying what happened and where you took it. That person will be fired on the spot. But that is up to you. Either way it is useless unless you use it on att.
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Starhound said:
solitarios.lupus said:
That law is surpassed by the cell phone cloning act of the early 90's. In the US it is illegal to alter the IMEI or even have tools that allow you to do so. It effects the IMEI and ESN (for older phones) many sites have been closed down for it. XDA has a very strong stance against it.
I'm not really here to argue if the act is illegal or not (it is). But, to point out I also wasn't exactly asking on instruction on how to change an IMEI.
I only asked what laws are in place that specify the legality of the situation (which has been solved), and what -can- be done in this situation (remains unsolved).
-Thank you
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I have your same issue. A phone was forgotten on the bathroom of my cafe and nobody reclaimed for more than 6 months. Once tried to used after this long time the phone seems to be reported lost and imei locked. I cleaned up the phone to erase all the old personal information but not able to use it.
I understand the role on this forum and nobody want talk about it. would be really appreciate if you can privately point me to the right direction to make the phone working.
I won't contribute to the pocket of a lot of people on youtube or ebay selling the service for 50 pound. This is not a businness for me but just try to use a phone instead of bin it
Mine is a G950F model
Thanks
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Related
Hey everyone, I have seen someone Samsung Galaxy S3's on craigslist for like $300 and their IMEI is blocked. Meaning either stolen, blocked, or the owner didn't pay a bill.
I honestly can care less, I just want to know if T-Mobile blocks an IMEI if I can still use Simple Mobile on it, or I will have to unlock it to use a AT&T or other GSM carrier. My main concern is for Simple Mobile though since it is my current network.
Also, I have heard of changing the IMEI, can anyone provide information about that?
Thanks.
MasterGGM said:
Hey everyone, I have seen someone Samsung Galaxy S3's on craigslist for like $300 and their IMEI is blocked. Meaning either stolen, blocked, or the owner didn't pay a bill.
I honestly can care less, I just want to know if T-Mobile blocks an IMEI if I can still use Simple Mobile on it, or I will have to unlock it to use a AT&T or other GSM carrier. My main concern is for Simple Mobile though since it is my current network.
Also, I have heard of changing the IMEI, can anyone provide information about that?
Thanks.
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I would get the ESN and call to see if they would activate it. That's what we used to do when I sold cell phone years ago.
The imei is the gsm equivalent of esn. Anyway, call them before you buy, and simple mobile is a T-Mobile subsidiary so if it's blacklisted on tmo it won't work on simple because the towers refuse to work with you. I say just call tmo and they might help you, but don't tell them you want to use it on simple because they might not.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2
No, it won't work on Simple Mobile, because Simple Mobile runs on T-Mobile. You're not allowed to discuss buying phones not owned by the seller. You don't own the phone if you pay the $200 to buy it and then stop paying the bills.
I have purchased CDMA phones on Craigslist for years now. I bought one phone with a bad ESN and learned the most important lesson with regards to buying a cell phone second hand...activate the phone before handing over any cash. If that means taking it to one of these places or meeting the seller at a place that unlocks phones (unless you have a laptop and the means to unlock it yourself prior to purchasing). Also even with the phone not activate it should still call customer service. Verify that the IMEI is good. If a seller acts shady when you tell them you are going to do this...save your gas.
how??
MasterGGM said:
Hey everyone, I have seen someone Samsung Galaxy S3's on craigslist for like $300 and their IMEI is blocked. Meaning either stolen, blocked, or the owner didn't pay a bill.
I honestly can care less, I just want to know if T-Mobile blocks an IMEI if I can still use Simple Mobile on it, or I will have to unlock it to use a AT&T or other GSM carrier. My main concern is for Simple Mobile though since it is my current network.
Also, I have heard of changing the IMEI, can anyone provide information about that?
Thanks.
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How can it be blocked when its a gsm? if its stolen you jus pop your sim in it and thats it it still works.
blocked imei i never heard of. can someone please clarify?
intrygue83 said:
How can it be blocked when its a gsm? if its stolen you jus pop your sim in it and thats it it still works.
blocked imei i never heard of. can someone please clarify?
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You can block an IMEI like you can block an ESN now if the phone is lost, stolen, or has an unpaid balance.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Product F(RED) said:
You can block an IMEI like you can block an ESN now if the phone is lost, stolen, or has an unpaid balance.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
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I had a Galaxy S 3 stolen yesterday. There is no way for me to get it back, I can get over that. What I can't get over is someone having my 3 month old phone and being able to use it with no problems.
I contacted T Mobile on 3 separate occasions to see if they could block the IMEI number because I have the original packaging. I was told from 3 different account specialists that T Mobile CANNOT block the IMEI. Whoever stole my phone just has to pop in a new sim card and the stolen phone will work just fine, and there is nothing I can do about it.
If anyone knows how I can get my stolen phone blocked, I'd love to hear how.
Adam
boda05 said:
I had a Galaxy S 3 stolen yesterday. There is no way for me to get it back, I can get over that. What I can't get over is someone having my 3 month old phone and being able to use it with no problems.
I contacted T Mobile on 3 separate occasions to see if they could block the IMEI number because I have the original packaging. I was told from 3 different account specialists that T Mobile CANNOT block the IMEI. Whoever stole my phone just has to pop in a new sim card and the stolen phone will work just fine, and there is nothing I can do about it.
If anyone knows how I can get my stolen phone blocked, I'd love to hear how.
Adam
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Escalate it and tell them you need that phone marked lost or stolen. They do it for non-payment, they can do it for lost or stolen phones.
Product F(RED) said:
Escalate it and tell them you need that phone marked lost or stolen. They do it for non-payment, they can do it for lost or stolen phones.
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Thanks so much for the reply. On all three occasions I escalated the matter as high as I could. Have you had an IMEI blocked personally by calling T Mobile?
boda05 said:
Thanks so much for the reply. On all three occasions I escalated the matter as high as I could. Have you had an IMEI blocked personally by calling T Mobile?
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I'm on Straight Talk AT&T. I've never had experience doing that, but I know it's possible because people have been scammed and end up with lost/stolen/non-payment T-Mobile phones that won't register onto the network.
well..
boda05 said:
Thanks so much for the reply. On all three occasions I escalated the matter as high as I could. Have you had an IMEI blocked personally by calling T Mobile?
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Sorry your phone was stolen but doing that is not going to stop anything. If it was password protected then they won't has access to it.
until they bring it to someone like myself who can wipe it and reuse it. Its a GSM so all i have to do is wipe it n pop a new sim in it and wola.
That's just how it is
intrygue83 said:
Sorry your phone was stolen but doing that is not going to stop anything. If it was password protected then they won't has access to it.
until they bring it to someone like myself who can wipe it and reuse it. Its a GSM so all i have to do is wipe it n pop a new sim in it and wola.
That's just how it is
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Product F(RED) said:
I'm on Straight Talk AT&T. I've never had experience doing that, but I know it's possible because people have been scammed and end up with lost/stolen/non-payment T-Mobile phones that won't register onto the network.
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Yes I've read many stories about people buying a used phone from a person and the imei being blocked. I am just confirming/questioning that this isn't possible (whether it's a recent thing or ever) with T Mobile.
This seems like a good way for stolen phones to be blocked, but what about customers that report their phones stolen to t-mobile and then sell it on craigslist (I know a few people that do this)..the poor sucker that bought the phone will have it activated and by the time T-mobile blacklists the number they are left with a worthless phone.
euklid said:
This seems like a good way for stolen phones to be blocked, but what about customers that report their phones stolen to t-mobile and then sell it on craigslist (I know a few people that do this)..the poor sucker that bought the phone will have it activated and by the time T-mobile blacklists the number they are left with a worthless phone.
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People just neeed to do their research and take precautions. If you don't put in the extra time to figure out how to buy a used phone safely, you're going to be taking a chance - and you get what you get.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-develope rs app
Blacklisted
I work for a cell phone buy-back firm. Every since November of last year we have been running into blacklisted imeis. We've got phones coming back because the person who sold us the phone quit paying on a subsidized phone. Considering our agents call people all over the country attempting to buy their used or inactive phones, most people see us as way out. This hasn't been an issue with cdma phones because we can check esn. Two days ago checkesnfree.com added imei blacklisted. But what I don't understand is our audit department can put a live sim card in a blacklisted phone and make a successful test call. But when a customer tries to put it on an account, it can't be done. Can someone explain to me why this is. I understand the calls and text are using a different section of the tower than the data network uses. But any more than that I'm at a loss. Thanks
IMEI blocking is only inner company at the moment. If att black lists an imei it will not work on any carrier that piggy backs att towers. Soon it will become cross company and global.
Wayne Tech S-III
zelendel said:
IMEI blocking is only inner company at the moment. If att black lists an imei it will not work on any carrier that piggy backs att towers. Soon it will become cross company and global.
Wayne Tech S-III
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ok every one i have you this solved !!!! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE BAD ESN/IMEI ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE i have gotten 2 Samsung Galaxy S III and a s4 off ebay with "BAD ESN/IMEI" unlocked them and working fine on simple mobile !!
juggalo818 said:
ok every one i have you this solved !!!! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE BAD ESN/IMEI ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE i have gotten 2 Samsung Galaxy S III and a s4 off ebay with "BAD ESN/IMEI" unlocked them and working fine on simple mobile !!
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How would I unlock it, please share, I have a galaxy s3
Put in a sim from another provider and then search for an unlock code and your done its about $15-$20 normally
Sent from my SGH-T679 using xda app-developers app
So we are clear: I am not talking about stolen phones. I am not asking how to change the IMEI on any device.
I am aware of someone who is involved in drugs, I know her mother but I do really know anything about her. It seems to me that she has some kind of scam going on with buying and reporting cell phones stolen. I really do not know the details of the scam, still putting the pieces together.
She took her mother's vehicle one night. Days later the mother was able to locate it and take it back.
In the truck was a lot of stuff, one was a receipt for four new phones on an ATT family plan. In the bottom portion it listed the same phones as the top portion with a statement regarding changing the IMEI.
I guess I am wondering if anyone knows what -if any- advantage there is to having the store change the IMEI of the phone you just bought?
Is this part of some scam anyone might be aware of?
I didn't even imagine that the store would, or could, change the IMEI before seeing this.
Interested story though!
Ok First off. Talks about this are not allowed on XDA. Now that is clear le me explain what is going on.
When a device is reported stolen/lost the carrier can put a block on the IMEI so it can not be used on the network. In EU they can do it so it doesnt work on any network in the area. By changing the IMEI (which is illegal in 98% of the world) This allows the device to be used on the network. This allows the device to be resold as a working device. Only the OEM has the rights to change these numbers. And I dont mean the phone OEM I mean the OEM for the main board which is where this number is hard coded.
I would stay as far away from this girl as you can. She is gonna get you caught up in more drama then you know.
Thread closed
My phone got stolen. I reported it to t-mobile and sent a text to the phone saying that it's being tracked and they better return it before cops find them. They returned it to a lost and found location where i picked it up but now the IMEI # is blocked because i reported it stolen... i called t-mobile telling them the story and that i needed my phone unblocked... tmobile tells me they don't block non-tmobile phones... i contacted oneplus one and they can't do anything about it. now i have a useless phone... is there anyway i can unblock this phone?!... Thanks for any help!!
P.S. oneplus one customer service sucks ass!!!!!!
It has nothing to do with OnePlus. They're a manufacturer of phones, they have nothing to do with the networks that the phones connect to, nor do they have anything to do with the blocking or unblocking of IMEI numbers. What exactly do you expect them to do? Assigning blame or grief towards them is seriously misplaced and unjust.
It's T-Mobile who are responsible for blocking the IMEI, and it's T-Mobile who should be responsible for unblocking the IMEI. Them giving you an excuse that they don't unblock non T-Mobile device is BS. Push them harder, if they refuse to play ball then advise them that you'll be taking the situation to your local telecommunications ombudsen or consumer rights bureau (whatever you have available), that should motivate them to help you out.
timmaaa said:
It has nothing to do with OnePlus. They're a manufacturer of phones, they have nothing to do with the networks that the phones connect to, nor do they have anything to do with the blocking or unblocking of IMEI numbers. What exactly do you expect them to do? Assigning blame or grief towards them is seriously misplaced and unjust.
It's T-Mobile who are responsible for blocking the IMEI, and it's T-Mobile who should be responsible for unblocking the IMEI. Them giving you an excuse that they don't unblock non T-Mobile device is BS. Push them harder, if they refuse to play ball then advise them that you'll be taking the situation to your local telecommunications ombudsen or consumer rights bureau (whatever you have available), that should motivate them to help you out.
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I didn't blame OnePlus on the issue... i'm saying their customer service sucks because i had to wait about 4 weeks before getting a response from their customer service and it took them about another week and about 3 different customer service reps to tell me there was nothing they could do. They did not offer me any advice on how to go about unblocking the phone. Seeing as they are a cell phone manufacture they should know how the cell phone industry works and who i should be contacting to get it unblocked.
I'm not sure how IMEI blocking works... Tmobile told me they don't block non T-mobile phones so i don't know who blocked my phone then. Is there a way i can find out?? i guess i will have to push T-mobile harder to unblock it since it's their network i don't see how or why they can't get it removed. I was just wondering if anyone else had an issue with trying to unblock a blacklisted phone and if they had any advice or where to go to so i can get this issue resolved.
Thanks i will push t-mobile to see if there is something else they can do.
timmaaa said:
It has nothing to do with OnePlus. They're a manufacturer of phones, they have nothing to do with the networks that the phones connect to, nor do they have anything to do with the blocking or unblocking of IMEI numbers. What exactly do you expect them to do? Assigning blame or grief towards them is seriously misplaced and unjust.
It's T-Mobile who are responsible for blocking the IMEI, and it's T-Mobile who should be responsible for unblocking the IMEI. Them giving you an excuse that they don't unblock non T-Mobile device is BS. Push them harder, if they refuse to play ball then advise them that you'll be taking the situation to your local telecommunications ombudsen or consumer rights bureau (whatever you have available), that should motivate them to help you out.
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I agree. And add to that, to your local small claims court, as you can prove you are the original purchaser, and the phone is now back in your (rightful) hands.
Kuno3x16 said:
My phone got stolen. I reported it to t-mobile and sent a text to the phone saying that it's being tracked and they better return it before cops find them. They returned it to a lost and found location where i picked it up but now the IMEI # is blocked because i reported it stolen... i called t-mobile telling them the story and that i needed my phone unblocked... tmobile tells me they don't block non-tmobile phones... i contacted oneplus one and they can't do anything about it. now i have a useless phone... is there anyway i can unblock this phone?!... Thanks for any help!!
P.S. oneplus one customer service sucks ass!!!!!!
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Click to collapse
Send a tweet to Legere, you might be surprised how responsive he can be on twitter
For those adventurous ones... might want to read this first before attempting any kind of root. Such a shame... T-Mobile here I come.
“In most of the U.S. devices, if you root the device the device won’t even boot up; if it’s AT&T or Verizon,”
Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+ Specs And Features: AT&T And Verizon Models Won’t Boot Up After Rooting
WTF, that's unacceptable
If it's unacceptable, better not buy the phone! Because it certainly isn't illegal, so I don't think anyone can force them to change it if they don't want to.
Of course, that is assuming that this is even true. Hasn't been confirmed by anyone yet...
JasonJoel said:
If it's unacceptable, better not buy the phone! Because it certainly isn't illegal, so I don't think anyone can force them to change it if they don't want to.
Of course, that is assuming that this is even true. Hasn't been confirmed by anyone yet...
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I already did lol ordered the white 32gb today
Pretty sure the jailbreak legal case would count for this tho, therefore we are allowed to root with a device that we paid (full price)
I've never actually rooted a Samsung device before, but we kinda need it now because Samsung isn't going to fix the ram issue
Good luck. Not sure what you will do if rooting it actually bricks it... even if you are legally right, that might not help make your bricked phone work any faster. Lol
Maybe a smart developer will find a way around it anyway.
Maybe this http://youtu.be/qCh0QuEwAgY
Here's to hoping for a Developer Edition
Someone will bypass this nonsense. Where there's a will there's a way
Samsung pay for Verizon is disable already ...why would it be a problem when rooting and booting
GreeleyXda said:
I already did lol ordered the white 32gb today
Pretty sure the jailbreak legal case would count for this tho, therefore we are allowed to root with a device that we paid (full price)
I've never actually rooted a Samsung device before, but we kinda need it now because Samsung isn't going to fix the ram issue
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Click to collapse
Ummm...being "allowed" to root and being "able" to root are 2 different things. If you figure a method around their security then you can root...nothing in that Jailbreak lawsuit says they have to make it easy.
KennyG123 said:
Ummm...being "allowed" to root and being "able" to root are 2 different things. If you figure a method around their security then you can root...nothing in that Jailbreak lawsuit says they have to make it easy.
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Yes, verizon is bricking phones.
Locked bootloader would the equivalent to able
while bricking would be the equiv to allowed
I dont understand the need to brick a phone, instead of idk deny service. Since service is what verizon owns, while you own the hardware
GreeleyXda said:
Yes, verizon is bricking phones.
Locked bootloader would the equivalent to able
while bricking would be the equiv to allowed
I dont understand the need to brick a phone, instead of idk deny service. Since service is what verizon owns, while you own the hardware
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Just because you own a device (governed by FCC regulations as a communications device) does not mean you are to be provided with methods to modify it any way you want. The one thing is there is no law preventing you from rooting...nothing says the carrier (the customer) can't ask the manufacturer to make it as close to impossible as possible. If I own a satellite box, it does not give me the right to a method to get all the Pay channels.
You have to remember what drives Verizon and AT&T...$$$$$$$$ and making the phone so secure and locked down will gain them millions more in military, government and corporate accounts...this is not an attack on the amateur modder...we are just collateral damage.
KennyG123 said:
Just because you own a device (governed by FCC regulations as a communications device) does not mean you are to be provided with methods to modify it any way you want. The one thing is there is no law preventing you from rooting...nothing says the carrier (the customer) can't ask the manufacturer to make it as close to impossible as possible. If I own a satellite box, it does not give me the right to a method to get all the Pay channels.
You have to remember what drives Verizon and AT&T...$$$$$$$$ and making the phone so secure and locked down will gain them millions more in military, government and corporate accounts...this is not an attack on the amateur modder...we are just collateral damage.
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Click to collapse
I understand what youre saying im just lost on the part that theyre allowed to brick the phone. It just makes more sense to me for them to deny you sevice on a modified phone rather than bricking it. Wonder what this means for future nexus phones at verizon
Id be kind of tempted to test it, but im assuming there would be 0 chance of being able to get my money back on the phone.
GreeleyXda said:
I understand what youre saying im just lost on the part that theyre allowed to brick the phone. It just makes more sense to me for them to deny you sevice on a modified phone rather than bricking it. Wonder what this means for future nexus phones at verizon
Id be kind of tempted to test it, but im assuming there would be 0 chance of being able to get my money back on the phone.
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Yeah, I have to agree with you there...perhaps they are counting on publicity and the fear factor of a few sacrifices to discourage any attempts at finding a solution. I miss the days of the S3 where you can flash just about anything and still recover if you screwed up. This is what keeps me stuck on Sprint. Can't go to T-Mobile because there is basically only LTE literally on the highways here.
KennyG123 said:
Just because you own a device (governed by FCC regulations as a communications device) does not mean you are to be provided with methods to modify it any way you want. The one thing is there is no law preventing you from rooting...nothing says the carrier (the customer) can't ask the manufacturer to make it as close to impossible as possible. If I own a satellite box, it does not give me the right to a method to get all the Pay channels.
You have to remember what drives Verizon and AT&T...$$$$$$$$ and making the phone so secure and locked down will gain them millions more in military, government and corporate accounts...this is not an attack on the amateur modder...we are just collateral damage.
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Click to collapse
I agree that it still has to be FCC compliant and should not give everything for free like your other tv example. But here is my issue. I can buy a computer from bestbuy and put linux on it or modify whatever i want. Secondly I understand it is using verizon bands etc but why is this just verizon & AT&T??? Seems a little bit odd that it is just them. Why do they care unlike tmo and sprint that probably have unlockable bootloaders. I get the military/corporate discounts but at least offer a developer edition. But is there really not a law that says the carrier can shut your phone down? Doesn't there always have to be an emergency call option? I need to do some legal digging and see I find it odd that a carrier can disable a phone for any reason!
oneandroidnut said:
I agree that it still has to be FCC compliant and should not give everything for free like your other tv example. But here is my issue. I can buy a computer from bestbuy and put linux on it or modify whatever i want. Secondly I understand it is using verizon bands etc but why is this just verizon & AT&T??? Seems a little bit odd that it is just them. Why do they care unlike tmo and sprint that probably have unlockable bootloaders. I get the military/corporate discounts but at least offer a developer edition. But is there really not a law that says the carrier can shut your phone down? Doesn't there always have to be an emergency call option? I need to do some legal digging and see I find it odd that a carrier can disable a phone for any reason!
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I am with you..just trying to explain Big Red's and AT&T's logic....they got the power by having the best coverage in the US..they are #1 and #2 there...I am sure they have worked with the military, government, corporate and all Exchange users to ask what they would need to sign big contracts with them...of course the answer is always that these mini-computers be as secure as possible.....then these carriers worked with Samsung to provide these solutions. I am not sure why T-Mobile and Sprint have not followed suit...we would need to see more of the deal between Sammy and Verizon to know how much engineering costs and exclusivity is in there...perhaps it is out of the lower two's budget.
Now as far as legality..you are attempting to modify the phone against the carrier's instructions which results in a brick...legalwise is that much different than expecting it to be able to dial 911 if you throw it against the wall? Both things are not supported by the carrier or manufacturer. The carrier is not disabling the phone...you are by attempting an unauthorized procedure. (Just devil's advocate here)
With so many hackers out there trying desperately to get at your identity and banking information (all done with cell phones now), and vulnerabilities being discovered daily, expect security to only get tighter and tighter going forward. The point of vulnerabilities may become moot if the phone is so locked down against any root functions and unauthorized use.
You do have options though...a Nexus.
Someone will root the device. To date there has never been an unrootable device
bash_array said:
Someone will root the device. To date there has never been an unrootable device
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Verizon note 4
---------- Post added at 08:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:23 PM ----------
KennyG123 said:
I am with you..just trying to explain Big Red's and AT&T's logic....they got the power by having the best coverage in the US..they are #1 and #2 there...I am sure they have worked with the military, government, corporate and all Exchange users to ask what they would need to sign big contracts with them...of course the answer is always that these mini-computers be as secure as possible.....then these carriers worked with Samsung to provide these solutions. I am not sure why T-Mobile and Sprint have not followed suit...we would need to see more of the deal between Sammy and Verizon to know how much engineering costs and exclusivity is in there...perhaps it is out of the lower two's budget.
Now as far as legality..you are attempting to modify the phone against the carrier's instructions which results in a brick...legalwise is that much different than expecting it to be able to dial 911 if you throw it against the wall? Both things are not supported by the carrier or manufacturer. The carrier is not disabling the phone...you are by attempting an unauthorized procedure. (Just devil's advocate here)
With so many hackers out there trying desperately to get at your identity and banking information (all done with cell phones now), and vulnerabilities being discovered daily, expect security to only get tighter and tighter going forward. The point of vulnerabilities may become moot if the phone is so locked down against any root functions and unauthorized use.
You do have options though...a Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know you are and as far as an unauthorized procedure does Verizon list in their statement about rooting phones??
oneandroidnut said:
Verizon note 4
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Originally it was rootable. Updates have made it locked
bash_array said:
Originally it was rootable. Updates have made it locked
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Still counts though lol it's current state it isn't
I purchased a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5 from someone who isn't longer reachable on Craigslist, unfortunately they got one over on me, it's blacklisted however I contacted T-Mobile & it was due to non payment but there still isn't anything they can do nor I can do.
To my question, is there anything I can do to fix the issue so I can use it.
I currently have metro pcs, if I were to get it unlocked would it then work?
Help me please!
Thanks in advance,
Joanna
Msjoannalynn said:
I purchased a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5 from someone who isn't longer reachable on Craigslist, unfortunately they got one over on me, it's blacklisted however I contacted T-Mobile & it was due to non payment but there still isn't anything they can do nor I can do.
To my question, is there anything I can do to fix the issue so I can use it.
I currently have metro pcs, if I were to get it unlocked would it then work?
Help me please!
Thanks in advance,
Joanna
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Click to collapse
If you were to use it on a non-tmobile network (att, straight talk on att,etc) yes. Just none that use tmo network.
I don't know why T-Mobile doesn't do it, but when I has Verizon and the same thing happened to me, they have me an option to pay the balance due on the device and use it. I didn't, they wanted way to much money. But the option was there.
diopskill said:
If you were to use it on a non-tmobile network (att, straight talk on att,etc) yes. Just none that use tmo network.
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justin94 said:
I don't know why T-Mobile doesn't do it, but when I has Verizon and the same thing happened to me, they have me an option to pay the balance due on the device and use it. I didn't, they wanted way to much money. But the option was there.
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Unfortunately the information that was provided to you was to the best of my knowledge incorrect. Due to the fact that T-mobile owns Metro PCS it would not be usable even if you unlocked the device. All of the GSM carriers in the U.S share blacklists now and a device cannot be unlocked and taken over to another carrier. I have had this happen to me previously before. A word of advice for all future craigslist transactions call customer care and ask if there is a remaining EIP or Lease balance on the device you are looking to purchase. The individual you are purchasing the device from will have to verify their account and get the information for you but this is the quickest and easiest way to avoid a scam.
If the phone is good and working without a confirmed balance make sure before you leave you make a phone call or two to register the device to your account to somewhat avoid a loss/theft claim as well. If you want to go a step further in ensuring that the device you just bought stays non-listed as lost or stolen complete the IMEI change during the same conversation as the balance inquiry and make sure the representative notates your account that the phone has been purchased from said individual. If they somehow manage to make a claim after that all they will have to do is look at the notes and they will see that both accounts were verified during the process and 9/10 times unlock the device again.
This has happened to me more times than I would like to admit and those are some of the things i have dont to really cover myself in the case of a scam.
I wish you the best of luck with future purchases and sorry for what happened!!