Database Info

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.)

where should i buy the pixel from?

Hi, does any one knows if the retail price version of the google pixel that best buy are selling is unlocked? the price tag is 699$ can i purchase it and activate without verizon sim card? or would it be available in the 20th in walmart and target?
thanks
thanks.

Because it's listed as the Verizon version, I would bet that it will be the permanently locked bootloader version that Verizon is going to sell in their stores but I have not seen any official statement on that being true. I would theorize that if it does end up being sold at Target or Walmart, it will be Verizon version as well as neither store probably sells $650 unlocked, non-carrier branded phones. If it is the Verizon version, you'll also be stuck with waiting for Verizon to send out any sort of update that isn't a monthly security patch; this has been reported by a few different news outlets (including XDA I believe).
If it's listed at $699, that is $50 more than on the Google Store (store.google.com) and with the possibility of a perma-locked bootloader I'm not sure why you would want to buy it from BestBuy. If you are willing to pay full price for it, just buy it directly from Google. I'd stay away from any version that has the word Verizon anywhere near it.

Jepod said:
Because it's listed as the Verizon version, I would bet that it will be the permanently locked bootloader version that Verizon is going to sell in their stores but I have not seen any official statement on that being true. I would theorize that if it does end up being sold at Target or Walmart, it will be Verizon version as well as neither store probably sells $650 unlocked, non-carrier branded phones. If it is the Verizon version, you'll also be stuck with waiting for Verizon to send out any sort of update that isn't a monthly security patch; this has been reported by a few different news outlets (including XDA I believe).
If it's listed at $699, that is $50 more than on the Google Store (store.google.com) and with the possibility of a perma-locked bootloader I'm not sure why you would want to buy it from BestBuy. If you are willing to pay full price for it, just buy it directly from Google. I'd stay away from any version that has the word Verizon anywhere near it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply :good:
I'm searching a better option too

Jepod said:
Because it's listed as the Verizon version, I would bet that it will be the permanently locked bootloader version that Verizon is going to sell in their stores but I have not seen any official statement on that being true. I would theorize that if it does end up being sold at Target or Walmart, it will be Verizon version as well as neither store probably sells $650 unlocked, non-carrier branded phones. If it is the Verizon version, you'll also be stuck with waiting for Verizon to send out any sort of update that isn't a monthly security patch; this has been reported by a few different news outlets (including XDA I believe).
If it's listed at $699, that is $50 more than on the Google Store (store.google.com) and with the possibility of a perma-locked bootloader I'm not sure why you would want to buy it from BestBuy. If you are willing to pay full price for it, just buy it directly from Google. I'd stay away from any version that has the word Verizon anywhere near it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think a lot of people are looking for another source to get their Pixel from as Google appears to be out of stock on the most popular choices. I am personally doing the same thing until either I find a retailer with a Google version or Google has them back in stock.

That's incredibly disappointing. I'm surprised that Verizon would still have control over the OTA updates even if one was to use a Best Buy-bought Pixel for the sole purpose of having it on another carrier.

Google smartphone Storage US Price
Google Pixel 32GB $649
Google Pixel 128GB $749
Google Pixel XL 32GB $769
Google Pixel XL 128GB $869

Verizon will not delay updates. http://phandroid.com/2016/10/12/verizon-pixel-updates-simultaneously/
So if you don't care about rooting your phone then it makes sense to get one from best buy to use on Verizon because they offer the best deal. ($100 gift card and chromecast)
I'm glad I got a blue one from Verizon because Best Buy and Google have been sold out of that color ever since it launched.

Thanks for the response, I wanted to buy it from Google but the delivery time is 5-6 weeks and I'm only on the states for the next 3 weeks, as far as I know verizon version is unlocked which means that I can use it with any carrier I want.
Sent from my SM-G920V using XDA Forums

Verizon bootloader

Now that today is the official release of the pixel 2 and instead of speculations is it confirmed that bootloader can't be unlocked on Verizon edition phones?

Here's the thing..... Unless you're credit is HORRIFIC.... Google store should approve you to finance through them....so what's the point of getting it through Verizon only to be locked?

318sugarhill said:
Here's the thing..... Unless you're credit is HORRIFIC.... Google store should approve you to finance through them....so what's the point of getting it through Verizon only to be locked?
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Click to collapse
I'm buying it outright but the kinda blue color is what I'm thinking of and if the bootloader can't be locked the Google store I go

318sugarhill said:
Here's the thing..... Unless you're credit is HORRIFIC.... Google store should approve you to finance through them....so what's the point of getting it through Verizon only to be locked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not Google store that does the financing. It's a third party and they do a credit check, set you up with an account, and then send you all kinds of offers and credit limits. No thanks. I'd rather just do the monthly from Verizon if you don't care about bootloader. If you want to unlock the bl then you have no choice. Either pay outright or finance from a credit agency.

bobby janow said:
It's not Google store that does the financing. It's a third party and they do a credit check, set you up with an account, and then send you all kinds of offers and credit limits. No thanks. I'd rather just do the monthly from Verizon if you don't care about bootloader. If you want to unlock the bl then you have no choice. Either pay outright or finance from a credit agency.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First.... Symantics. Second, too get that Verizon account you had to go through a credit check and you think Verizon isn't selling your information? Or hasn't already?
It's 6 of 1, half dozen of the other. The monthly finance payment is the same. I did the device payment through Verizon because Best buy offered me $100 gift card and depixel 8 was out to unlock the Verizon bootloader. Otherwise it would have been Google store all the way.
Your statement is just an expansion of every minute detail but bottom line is the same. Synchrony bank vs Verizon financing. Still the same monthly phone payment. If you need to compartmentalize it to justify one way or another doesn't really change the reality

318sugarhill said:
First.... Symantics. Second, too get that Verizon account you had to go through a credit check and you think Verizon isn't selling your information? Or hasn't already?
It's 6 of 1, half dozen of the other. The monthly finance payment is the same. I did the device payment through Verizon because Best buy offered me $100 gift card and depixel 8 was out to unlock the Verizon bootloader. Otherwise it would have been Google store all the way.
Your statement is just an expansion of every minute detail but bottom line is the same. Synchrony bank vs Verizon financing. Still the same monthly phone payment. If you need to compartmentalize it to justify one way or another doesn't really change the reality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well naturally if you don't already have a Verizon account then it would be ridiculous to set one up just to buy this phone. I didn't think we were talking about that but the fact of opening another credit account when one already exists. The discussion though it really about bootloaders. If you have a Verizon account (let's just assume most reading this do) then if you don't need to root the device why not go through Verizon? I'm just not seeing the reason to open another credit account with a limit of 3k, which I believe is the default of Synchrony.
Whether or not any company sells your information is well beyond the scope of this discussion and a debate I'm not willing to get into. But I would like to know if a Verizon model bought from Google is able to be bl unlocked. I haven't seen the definitive answer yet but I'm sure it's coming very soon.

i just got my google pixel 2 XL in the mail. i took out the verizon sim card that was already in there and put in my tmobile sim. i turned on the phone and skipped past all the prompts to get to the home screen. i then went to developer options to see if oem unlock is greyed out and it is. i did a factory reset with tmobile sim in just for good measure but it's still greyed out.

freebee269 said:
i just got my google pixel 2 XL in the mail. i took out the verizon sim card that was already in there and put in my tmobile sim. i turned on the phone and skipped past all the prompts to get to the home screen. i then went to developer options to see if oem unlock is greyed out and it is. i did a factory reset with tmobile sim in just for good measure but it's still greyed out.
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So to clarify.. you bought a Verizon branded phone from Google and not from Verizon right? Did you connect to the network after putting in the TM sim? Those are 2 very important facts.

bobby janow said:
So to clarify.. you bought a Verizon branded phone from Google and not from Verizon right? Did you connect to the network after putting in the TM sim? Those are 2 very important facts.
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i thought the question in the OP was about a verizon bootloader meaning a phone got from verizon. the one i have came from verizon. my tmobile is still active so when i put it in it automatically connected to tmobiles network.

freebee269 said:
i just got my google pixel 2 XL in the mail. i took out the verizon sim card that was already in there and put in my tmobile sim. i turned on the phone and skipped past all the prompts to get to the home screen. i then went to developer options to see if oem unlock is greyed out and it is. i did a factory reset with tmobile sim in just for good measure but it's still greyed out.
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Click to collapse
Thank you that's the answer I was looking for...crappy

freebee269 said:
i thought the question in the OP was about a verizon bootloader meaning a phone got from verizon. the one i have came from verizon. my tmobile is still active so when i put it in it automatically connected to tmobiles network.
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Ok, thanks. We have determined that Verizon bought phones are and will be bootloader locked. However, we're trying to determine if Google bought Verizon phones are locked as well.

bobby janow said:
Ok, thanks. We have determined that Verizon bought phones are and will be bootloader locked. However, we're trying to determine if Google bought Verizon phones are locked as well.
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Would be good to know this as well... Maybe even the ones from the pop up stores

ouikikazz said:
Would be good to know this as well... Maybe even the ones from the pop up stores
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Wasn't the Pixel in the same position and anything Verizon related whether the store or fr Verizon the same?
My money is it will be locked. Why would Verizon go through he trouble for exclusive especially a color if it could be bought elsewhere without the same restrictions?
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

bobby janow said:
Well naturally if you don't already have a Verizon account then it would be ridiculous to set one up just to buy this phone. I didn't think we were talking about that but the fact of opening another credit account when one already exists. The discussion though it really about bootloaders. If you have a Verizon account (let's just assume most reading this do) then if you don't need to root the device why not go through Verizon? I'm just not seeing the reason to open another credit account with a limit of 3k, which I believe is the default of Synchrony.
Whether or not any company sells your information is well beyond the scope of this discussion and a debate I'm not willing to get into. But I would like to know if a Verizon model bought from Google is able to be bl unlocked. I haven't seen the definitive answer yet but I'm sure it's coming very soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you... But my point remains the same. 99.9% chance Verizon model gets locked. No reason to believe pixel 2 will be different than the original in that regard. So..... For ZERO difference in price or payment you get an unlocked bootloader or a locked one. jcase has been saying for years.... If you want an unlocked phone... Buy an unlocked phone. He's right. The ability to unlock through an exploit ultimately makes the device less secure for everyone. Me I take the choice to unlock mine.... So I'll go the hassle of synchrony credit to get the phone on device payments

Tidbits said:
Wasn't the Pixel in the same position and anything Verizon related whether the store or fr Verizon the same?
My money is it will be locked. Why would Verizon go through he trouble for exclusive especially a color if it could be bought elsewhere without the same restrictions?
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can think of one reason. If you bought it from Google then they are not responsible for any incursions into the bootloader or bricks. Even hardware problems they can just say "Hey you didn't buy it from us so call your vendor." I believe that if the bootloader is unlocked somehow on a Verizon model then they can also say you voided your warranty although I don't believe it will be unlocked anytime in the near future.

bobby janow said:
I can think of one reason. If you bought it from Google then they are not responsible for any incursions into the bootloader or bricks. Even hardware problems they can just say "Hey you didn't buy it from us so call your vendor." I believe that if the bootloader is unlocked somehow on a Verizon model then they can also say you voided your warranty although I don't believe it will be unlocked anytime in the near future.
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Click to collapse
Then why even go with the exclusive deal and leave it like they did with the 5X/6P? Why was the original pixel intended for Verizon no matter where it was purchased was locked down?
I don't see this time around being different. It'll be locked down and have to wait for an exploit to be found to unlock it.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

318sugarhill said:
I hear you... But my point remains the same. 99.9% chance Verizon model gets locked. No reason to believe pixel 2 will be different than the original in that regard. So..... For ZERO difference in price or payment you get an unlocked bootloader or a locked one. jcase has been saying for years.... If you want an unlocked phone... Buy an unlocked phone. He's right. The ability to unlock through an exploit ultimately makes the device less secure for everyone. Me I take the choice to unlock mine.... So I'll go the hassle of synchrony credit to get the phone on device payments
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wholeheartedly agree with you. But of course you know there is a "but" in there. If you want an unlocked bl on a payment plan then you have no option at this time and as you state there is no difference in price. (well other than possibly hurting your credit score by taking out another line of credit) But if you wait until black Friday that ZERO difference in price that you speak of will no longer be that. Now you're talking of possibly a $400 difference like they did last year with no trade in, unlike this years "qualified device trade in". But that is obviously speculation and time will tell.
---------- Post added at 01:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:34 PM ----------
Tidbits said:
Then why even go with the exclusive deal and leave it like they did with the 5X/6P? Why was the original pixel intended for Verizon no matter where it was purchased was locked down?
I don't see this time around being different. It'll be locked down and have to wait for an exploit to be found to unlock it.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a good point. If the Verizon Pixel / XL 2 bought from Google is indeed locked down then it doesn't make sense. Except for the fact that they may not have enough of them like last year? But if the Google bought Verizon 2 is not locked down then all bets are off. Still waiting on confirmation about that.
Just thought of another thing. What if Google wanted in on the finance action for the Verizon version? Maybe that was part of the exclusivity.

Then Verizon would want some control if they are going to give a piece of that pie. Even more reason as to looking down Pixels intended to Verizon.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Tidbits said:
Then Verizon would want some control if they are going to give a piece of that pie. Even more reason as to looking down Pixels intended to Verizon.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
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I don't know how companies that large operate on things like this. They could even have said to Verizon, we'll give you the exclusive if you give us some selling rights to your network. Could work both ways.

bobby janow said:
I don't know how companies that large operate on things like this. They could even have said to Verizon, we'll give you the exclusive if you give us some selling rights to your network. Could work both ways.
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Verizon isn't going to concede money for anything intended for their Network without locking the bootloader. History has proven this.
Google doesn't need rights to Verizon Network.
Fun fact any manufacturer can make a device to work on Verizon. Verizon even has to open source their standards to their Network. Most companies forgo CDMA standards as it is expensive to license which is paid to Qualcomm. So if anything Verizon often pays for this licensing for device makers for certain things in exchange. Like locked bootloader or slight variations to design or options.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Guide to buying S9+

As the title would suggest, I going give my opinion on buying S9+. Again this is my experience and my opinions. I understand most of the community here is smart and don't need financial advice about how to spend their cash. I'll try to break it down into parts so people understand my opinion. So let's start:
So as many as you know S9 and S9+ was release 3/16/2018. There is 2 version of this phone you can get bloat or no bloatware. What do I mean? In San Diego where I live, my carrier is AT&T. They sell the S9+ at $789.99 if you do one of their payments plans. However if you want buy the device out right then the price is $940.99 this is the att version. I believe the same for Verizon and Tmoblie. But Tmoblie sell it at $839.99. If you are willing g to buy the unlocked version without carrier then it $839.99 however you have to buy it from a retailer like bestbuy or amazon.
My suggestion is to buy the phone out right and unlocked. The main reason is there is no bloatware. If you buy carrier version of the device out right from they add $100 more just to have bloatware. There is no difference hardware specs on the device. So why pay more just to have the carrier bloatware?
Now if that is not an option and you want to make payments, still buy the unlocked version and do payments with credit card. If you cant do that and you have to go thru your carrier then understand the payment plan and I advise against it. Right now all of the major carriers have deal where you can trade in your old Samsung up to $350 towards the S9 & + and its good. The catch is that credit goes towards your bill and not the device. That is crazy. Plus they give you an $150 Visa gift card. So in reality they are only giving $150 for the phone. I'm talking about AT&T. I'm pretty sure it's the same for the other carriers as well. Now my advice is to sell your device yourself and use that money towards the phone or come with at least half when you upgrade setup the payments wait a bill cycle and payoff the other half.
Honesty, buying this phone unlocked is the way to go. There is no reason to buy the carrier version since they just add bloatware and slow down performance. Plus you have the option of leaving your current carrier if they **** up your bill or there is a better deal out there.

I bought the ATT carrier locked version. The only "bloat" I see is a couple of games which I was able to uninstall. Not just deactivate, but actually uninstall. The ATT apps themselves I either uninstalled or use. Again, not disable but uninstall.
If you have the money to buy unlocked, good for you. However, the payment plans are 0% interest. Buying a 800-900 dollar phone on credit, your now paying more than what your claiming to save by buying it unlocked. Again, all the "bloat" I've noticed is uninstallable. On my last phone you could only disable them.

In my case I was able to sell my old device and only pay the difference. I considered just going through the carrier. Honestly I don't want to be held to a two year contract of paying off the device. Your right, buying a device on credit compaired to the carrier is cheaper with 0% interest. That not always going to be the case in the future. Again I'm just suggesting there options out there.

Certain cards, like best buys, offer 0% over 12 months. I upgrade every year with that and sell past generations phone and it covers about ⅔ the cost of the new phone
Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk

Though this doesn't apply to everyone, I agree with OP on going the unlocked route to ensure faster official updates directly from Samsung. I am actually going a step further and getting international unlocked model (with unlocked bootloader) as I can't imagine buying a phone that has manufacturer/carrier enforced locked boot loader.

Not really followed the Galaxy Series as of late but I'm thinking of importing the SD 845 variant (for emulation) and wondering how long until bootoader can be unlocked? Would love project treble ROMs on it.
And does the Google camera work on the SD 845 variant?

There are ups and downs to each way of doing it. Though you mention the upside of doing unlocked, there is a downside if you want to use some functions too.
One upside you didn't mention on the unlocked versions is you get the Caller ID function stock! Most carriers will charge $3 a month for their "supreme" service.
Downside of doing unlocked is you might miss out on additional carrier features as well.
- HD Calling (hit and miss on this odd one at least with Verizon on past phones)
- Wifi / VoLTE Calling
- Hotspot (there can be work around to this)

New unopened at&t note 10 from Best buy

Waiting for a brand new paid off unopened att branded note 10 from best buy. I'm being told if I pop my tmo sim in,before I turn it on, it won't be att sim locked? Is this possible?

suzook said:
Waiting for a brand new paid off unopened att branded note 10 from best buy. I'm being told if I pop my tmo sim in,before I turn it on, it won't be att sim locked? Is this possible?
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Click to collapse
As far as I know, most phones are locked at factory or somewhere in between.

They're absolutely SIM locked to AT&T. There's good news though: If you contact AT&T and speak to their Advanced Tech Support, explain that it was paid in full from Best Buy, you're NOT an AT&T customer, and you need it unlocked. Tell them to email the device unlock team explaining all of this, and give a good contact number and your email address. In about 3 days, they'll unlock it for you. Do NOT put an active AT&T SIM in, or you'll be forced to wait 60 days.
My dumb ass put an AT&T SIM in, and I was basically **** out of luck for unlocking it. I ended up buying a remote unlock off Ebay (via USB, not IMEI) and $15 later it works fine on T-Mobile.

entropism said:
They're absolutely SIM locked to AT&T. There's good news though: If you contact AT&T and speak to their Advanced Tech Support, explain that it was paid in full from Best Buy, you're NOT an AT&T customer, and you need it unlocked. Tell them to email the device unlock team explaining all of this, and give a good contact number and your email address. In about 3 days, they'll unlock it for you. Do NOT put an active AT&T SIM in, or you'll be forced to wait 60 days.
My dumb ass put an AT&T SIM in, and I was basically **** out of luck for unlocking it. I ended up buying a remote unlock off Ebay (via USB, not IMEI) and $15 later it works fine on T-Mobile.
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Click to collapse
Please pm me the eBay link. The seller I bought from on swappa won't cancel the sale. I'm stuck with a sim locked att note 10. I would rather just pay the $15 for instant unlock.