I am by far no where near the caliber of technology that lie within this web site, however, I am simply trying to get some direction regarding my S3.
I purchased it from Verizon-2 yrs ago, contract expired 7/8/13; did not renew. I went with Consumer Cellular (more fitting for the older generation) but my S3 WON'T WORK ON THEIR NETWORK!
I have spent the last 3 weeks doing research on this phone to see if it can be 'unlocked' to work with a another carrier. The phone is like brand new and I don't want to get rid of it, I'd prefer to use it with the new carrier.
Is there anyone who can give me some direction to this issue? Can the phone infact be "unlocked' to work with Consumer, it has the Verizon SIM card in it, I was able to root it, successfully, now if I can just get it unlocked. Had to purchase another phone so that I would not be without phone service while I work on trying to get this one unlocked.
I've been told it can't because Verizon is a CDMA carrier and Consumer is a GSM..if this in fact true than I've no options but to sell the phone.
I do have "Preferred Network Mode' and it gives me the following options, Global, LTE/CDMA & GSM/UMTS.
Any help, directions or information would be greatly appreciated. With my thanks to all those who have taken the time to read this post.
Southern66 said:
I am by far no where near the caliber of technology that lie within this web site, however, I am simply trying to get some direction regarding my S3.
I purchased it from Verizon-2 yrs ago, contract expired 7/8/13; did not renew. I went with Consumer Cellular (more fitting for the older generation) but my S3 WON'T WORK ON THEIR NETWORK!
I have spent the last 3 weeks doing research on this phone to see if it can be 'unlocked' to work with a another carrier. The phone is like brand new and I don't want to get rid of it, I'd prefer to use it with the new carrier.
Is there anyone who can give me some direction to this issue? Can the phone infact be "unlocked' to work with Consumer, it has the Verizon SIM card in it, I was able to root it, successfully, now if I can just get it unlocked. Had to purchase another phone so that I would not be without phone service while I work on trying to get this one unlocked.
I've been told it can't because Verizon is a CDMA carrier and Consumer is a GSM..if this in fact true than I've no options but to sell the phone.
I do have "Preferred Network Mode' and it gives me the following options, Global, LTE/CDMA & GSM/UMTS.
Any help, directions or information would be greatly appreciated. With my thanks to all those who have taken the time to read this post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get this phone 2 years ago? It barely came out a little more than a year ago.
Next, you can unlock it, but only if you pay for the full retail for the phone and then contact Verizon about what you want to do and then get an unlock code. After that, you're going to need a SIM card from Consumer Cellular.
There shouldn't be a problem with radio frequencies since the Verizon GS3 is a global phone. So the SIM card should work after you get it set up.
If I'm wrong in some aspect, someone feel free to correct me.
sent from my Infected Bonestock GS3
david_hume said:
How did you get this phone 2 years ago? It barely came out a little more than a year ago.
Next, you can unlock it, but only if you pay for the full retail for the phone and then contact Verizon about what you want to do and then get an unlock code. After that, you're going to need a SIM card from Consumer Cellular.
There shouldn't be a problem with radio frequencies since the Verizon GS3 is a global phone. So the SIM card should work after you get it set up.
If I'm wrong in some aspect, someone feel free to correct me.
sent from my Infected Bonestock GS3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In regards to Unlocking the phone, the phone is unlocked out of the box, you just pop in your sim and select GSM mode! you have to set the APN for DATA yourself tho!
Galaxy s3 sCH-I535
david_hume said:
How did you get this phone 2 years ago? It barely came out a little more than a year ago.
Next, you can unlock it, but only if you pay for the full retail for the phone and then contact Verizon about what you want to do and then get an unlock code. After that, you're going to need a SIM card from Consumer Cellular.
There shouldn't be a problem with radio frequencies since the Verizon GS3 is a global phone. So the SIM card should work after you get it set up.
If I'm wrong in some aspect, someone feel free to correct me.
sent from my Infected Bonestock GS3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi:
I do not recall the date of purchase but know that when I purchased it I had to sign for a 2 yr contract with Verizon..that contract was up July 8,2013.
That is not important, what is important is to find out if in fact the phone can be unlocked, VERIZON swears it is unlocked so they are not going to be of any use to me to get their help. It is up to me to find someone who can unlock this phone via a cable. The code places I have contacted can't come up with a code, they have instructed me that it needs to be done with a cable.
As I stated, I am simply trying to get the phone unlocked to use on Consumer Celluar, of which I am already a memeber and have the SIM card activated on another SAMSUNG phone of which I had to buy.
I do not have to buy the phone outright, as the phone is paid for, thus the 2 yr contract. the phone is mine, but as long as it is in the state it is now, I can only use it on VERIZON.
The I535 has a sim card in it from Verizon, when I take out the Verizon SIM card and put in the Consumer SIM card I get the message, "this is a non verizon SIM card.
I am researching this everyday to find out if IT CAN BE UNLOCKED, AND #2 WHO CAN I GET TO UNLOCK IT? Verizon went so far as to tell me that all the person needs is a USB cable and PC...how true this is, I don't know.
Thank You
Southern66 said:
Hi:
I do not recall the date of purchase but know that when I purchased it I had to sign for a 2 yr contract with Verizon..that contract was up July 8,2013.
That is not important, what is important is to find out if in fact the phone can be unlocked, VERIZON swears it is unlocked so they are not going to be of any use to me to get their help. It is up to me to find someone who can unlock this phone via a cable. The code places I have contacted can't come up with a code, they have instructed me that it needs to be done with a cable.
As I stated, I am simply trying to get the phone unlocked to use on Consumer Celluar, of which I am already a memeber and have the SIM card activated on another SAMSUNG phone of which I had to buy.
I do not have to buy the phone outright, as the phone is paid for, thus the 2 yr contract. the phone is mine, but as long as it is in the state it is now, I can only use it on VERIZON.
The I535 has a sim card in it from Verizon, when I take out the Verizon SIM card and put in the Consumer SIM card I get the message, "this is a non verizon SIM card.
I am researching this everyday to find out if IT CAN BE UNLOCKED, AND #2 WHO CAN I GET TO UNLOCK IT? Verizon went so far as to tell me that all the person needs is a USB cable and PC...how true this is, I don't know.
Thank You
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon is right by saying its unlocked, and thats the most anyone can help you, if you are going to try unlocking the phone by cable, you might as well throw money down the drain! and 2 you need to update to the MF1 software! as MB1 and MD3 would tell you its non verizon sim card, but even on that update if you put the phone in GSM mode in Network settings the phone should work fine for calling and texting!
having the same issue, if you find out anything will you please let me know how to do this too. i would greatly appriciate it
SIM
Did you get the free Consumer Cellular SIM yet? Your post said you have rooted and have the Verizon SIM, and you can't get on CC network without their SIM card.
The phone is already "unlocked" for global/GSM use with the JB update, so you should be able to just pop in a SIM card from CC and change settings (they should provide you with this info).
A lot of ppl are saying the Verizon GS3 is already unlocked, but when i pop in my metro pcs sim card and switch network to cdma, nothing happens. What would I have to do to make it work with this metro carrier?
No Data, No Voice, No SMS
Hi. Im also having the same issue. I have a Verizon GS3 that was originally running 4.0.4, VRALHE. I rooted, updated the baseband to MF1, and installed RLS16 of Hyperdrive, so I now am on 4.1.2. I have the option to go GSM or Global, but when I put in my MetroPCS sim, I get nothing. It prompts me for Global, but I cant make calls or send sms. I also put in the APN and no data as well. Anyone know whatbI should do next? I have an IMEI, it doesnt appear to be lost, and I have tried the phone info app, as well as trying to go through the secret menu, the network lock menu is blank.
Hey, I got the same problem, and considering how it's been a while since the last post I wonder if there is any new news on this front. Thanx!
P.s: It came preinstalled with 4.3 stock, not rooted yet. I have the option to instal 4.4.2 via Kies {PDA:NE1 / PHONE:NE1 / CSC:NE1 (VZW)}.
Update here:
I digged into some settings and found that switching it into either Global or GSM seems to make the phone capable of voice calls.
Idk about 3G, I did manually type in the APN settings, but I never use anything other than wifi because internet here is expensive unless you go with one of their plans.
So if you haven't tried it, on 4.3 go to settings, under wireless and networks select 'More Settings', Mobile Networks, Network Mode.
Worked for me, although I still get "Non-Verizon SIM" in the notifications bar and it looks like my signal is a bit weaker than before. But still works.
guys you are wrong
guys there is no way metropcs, Boost mobile or sprint networks Work cause these are CDMA carriers and verizon and the other CDMA Carriers has a different activation way on Verizon smartphones the GSM module(gsm networks as well) come unlocked for foreigner carriers even the GSM US carriers(AT&T or TMOBILE) sometimes doesnt work hope that info help
Hello, I just bought a verizon Samsung Galaxy s7. I am a net10 customer, so to use the phone i purchased the byop kit and inserted the verizon compatible chip and then i go to register the phone with net10, and it says it cant do it, to contact customer service. So I called them and they said that for some reason the imei wont register manually, and that i have to call verizon and see if it was locked. So i called verizon and they said according to the imei i gave them it isnt locked, and that verizon doesnt even lock 4g lte devices. but no matter what i do i cannot get the phone to register with imei. I have even tried strait talk. Another thing to note is that on the verizon website, the s7 isnt listed as compatible device for a byop plan.
So theres no one i can call to have anything unlocked, i cant get my money back from net10, after i called net10 customer service back and told them that verizon said it wasnt locked, net10 CS then stated that the phone wasnt compatible on their network.
A verizon tech said he sometimes has problems registering phone imei's. He said sometimes it goes through, and sometimes you have to keep trying. I really have no clue of what type of process is happening here...
So, i took out the verizon compatible sim, and put in the att/unlocked gsm device sim and then registered that through net10. it actually went through, I now have a phone number and i have basic data, but i cannot send or receive mms. I used the APN settings i found somewhere on the internet for ATT network as they are the only ones that work so far..
The other problem i have is that my phone says the sim isnt from verizon, which im assuming i can just flash the "u" version of the rom to take care of? But am i hoping there is a way to make my phone work in their network so that i can use the intended sim card.
So with all that said I have a couple questions.
1. Why wont my phones imei register on the carrier networks?
2. If i cant get it to register on their networks, is there any way to at least get my mms working?
I find it very strange that no one else has had this problem. I cant find any information as to why the s7's arent part of the byop yet.
Thanks in Advance!
Hello, I have a LG G4 That is set up for Verizon. Is there a way to set up the phone to use any service or does a service have to chosen first? Also, can the sim card be used for other services or will I need to get a new sim card? I want to set up the phone for a service like Tracfone? Do I have to have a sim card? Can I get a blank sim card and program it myself?
Prayerwimp said:
Hello, I have a LG G4 That is set up for Verizon. Is there a way to set up the phone to use any service or does a service have to chosen first? Also, can the sim card be used for other services or will I need to get a new sim card? I want to set up the phone for a service like Tracfone? Do I have to have a sim card? Can I get a blank sim card and program it myself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In most cases where you intend to use a phone from one network on a different network, it typically requires a device that has been SIM/carrier unlocked.
In the case of switching from Verizon to Tracfone, you might be able to just buy a SIM and activation kit from Tracfone then use it to activate your Verizon device on the Tracfone network. You need to verify this by checking the Tracfone website or by calling Tracfone support to see if your device can be activated on the Tracfone network without SIM/carrier unlocking the device first.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
In most cases where you intend to use a phone from one network on a different network, it typically requires a device that has been SIM/carrier unlocked.
In the case of switching from Verizon to Tracfone, you might be able to just buy a SIM and activation kit from Tracfone then use it to activate your Verizon device on the Tracfone network. You need to verify this by checking the Tracfone website or by calling Tracfone support to see if your device can be activated on the Tracfone network without SIM/carrier unlocking the device first.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can the phone be reformatted/reloaded/reset without any network?? So that I can choose my network at a later date. I want to remove the Verizon network from the phone.
Prayerwimp said:
Can the phone be reformatted/reloaded/reset without any network?? So that I can choose my network at a later date. I want to remove the Verizon network from the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using the device on another network doesn't involve removing anything from the device. The Verizon network is not "in your phone", your device's information is entered into the Verizon network and activated on the Verizon network.
I think you need to do some more reaearching and reading about how devices are switched from one network to another.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
Using the device on another network doesn't involve removing anything from the device. The Verizon network is not "in your phone", your device's information is entered into the Verizon network and activated on the Verizon network.
I think you need to do some more reaearching and reading about how devices are switched from one network to another.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I turn on the phone a Verizon splash screen comes up and then it wants me to set up the phone on the Verizon Network. I am wanting to know how to get that off the phone. Maybe it is on the sim card. I don't know allot about this.
Prayerwimp said:
When I turn on the phone a Verizon splash screen comes up and then it wants me to set up the phone on the Verizon Network. I am wanting to know how to get that off the phone. Maybe it is on the sim card. I don't know allot about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have an activation kit that contains a SIM from the carrier that you want to use the device on? You can't leave the Verizon SIM in, it requires a SIM from the network that you intend to activate it on.
Call the support line for the network that you intend to activate the device on and verify with them whether or not the device you have is compatible with their network, if it can be activated on their network, they will tell you what you need.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
Do you have an activation kit that contains a SIM from the carrier that you want to use the device on? You can't leave the Verizon SIM in, it requires a SIM from the network that you intend to activate it on.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, if I remove the sim the Verizon will be gone? Do I need a sim? I had a phone before that, with the help of a person on this forum, I re-installed the operating system and I did not put a network on it. I did not remove the sim and don't know if it was removable on that phone. It was a HTC one.
Prayerwimp said:
So, if I remove the sim the Verizon will be gone? Do I need a sim? I had a phone before that, with the help of a person on this forum, I re-installed the operating system and I did not put a network on it. I did not remove the sim and don't know if it was removable on that phone. It was a HTC one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, right now the device has a Verizon operating system, but the OS does not necessarily have anything to do with what network the device is used on, it can be used on another network with the OS that it currently has, sometimes, flashing a different stock firmware is part of switching networks, but is not requires on every device and not for every carrier.
Flashing the stock firmware will remove the system data that is associated to your device being activated on the Verizon network
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
Yes, right now the device has a Verizon operating system, but the OS does not necessarily have anything to do with what network the device is used on, it can be used on another network with the OS that it currently has, sometimes, flashing a different stock firmware is part of switching networks, but is not requires on every device and not for every carrier.
Flashing the stock firmware will remove the system data that is associated to your device being activated on the Verizon network
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When flashing the device will the sim card be flashed also? Or will I still need to get a new sim card?
Prayerwimp said:
When flashing the device will the sim card be flashed also? Or will I still need to get a new sim card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SIM and flashing have nothing to do with each other unless the device is being used in a different region than where it was originally sold/activated. You need to do some reading or call the support number for your carrier, you don't understand the process well enough to understand what I'm trying to tell you.
First, CALL THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT NUMBER, then verify with them whether or not your device is compatible with their network and can be activated on their network. You are wasting your time until you do that. Once they have verified that your device can be used on their network, then they can tell you how to get it activated on their network.
Don't "assume" that you can just switch to another network, make the phone call to customer support, that way you know whether or not you are wasting your time or not.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
I have successfully activated a $230 TracFone locked iPhone SE 2020 on RedPocket, and here’s how
What you need to do is go into BestBuy or Target and buy a $1 TracFone SIM kit. Once you have this you will need to remove the Verizon compatible SIM intended for Verizon compatible devices.
Next you will need to go into settings and get the IMEI of the DIGITAL SIM, not the Primary IMEI. If you try and activate using the devices primary IMEI you will receive an error and activation won’t go through
Next insert the new Verizon TracFone SIM into your device, you should see it say “Searching” and then TFW at the top. Go into settings and make sure under Primary that LTE is enabled and set as default.
Next go to the RedPocket activation page https://www.redpocket.com/activate and for ICCID enter in the ICCID of the Verizon compatible TracFone SIM you just purchased and inserted into your locked phone, and for IMEI use the IMEI listed under “Digital SIM” with no spaces. Again, do NOT use the IMEI listed under Primary as this won’t work.
Once you have entered that info in and the fields turn green you can then continue the process of making a RedPocket account, confirming your email and then entering in your billing details, paying for the plan and finishing the final steps to complete activation like saying you want a new phone number and agree to their terms and conditions and then you should receive the message saying it went through with your new phone number.
At this point completely power off the iPhone and wait a few minutes then power it back on and unlock it and continue waiting a few more minutes. Then under cellular settings for the primary plan make sure Data is set to LTE and VoLTE is disabled and off.
I attempted initially to place calls with VoLTE on and it did not work, disabling it fixed the issue.
You should then be able to successfully make a phone call and use data and send texts, the carrier at the top still says TFW and your phone is still locked to TracFone, but you’ve bypassed the lock by programming the Verizon TracFone SIM it accepts with a different Verizon MVNO.
This could work with other iPhone models too however I have not tested this with other iPhone models and cannot guarantee something won’t go wrong especially with the 5G capable devices which use different carrier profiles.
This should work with other Verizon MVNOs however many other MVNOs do not accept regular Verizon SIM cards that aren’t branded to their specific MVNO, for example US Mobile. It is possible you could activate a plan with a VZW MVNO and then ask their support to transfer the plan to a new SIM and give them the new ICCID of the TracFone Verizon SIM however this may not work.
The TracFone SIM kit also comes with an AT&T compatible TracFone SIM which this phone also accepts, and AT&T prepaid’s website also accepts the TracFone SIM ICCID as a valid SIM for service, so it’s possible this may also work to use this device with AT&T prepaid as well however there are absolutely no guarantees and this is pure speculation
Essentially the basis for this is to bypass the carrier lock by using allowed TracFone SIM cards but activating those SIMs with different MVNOs under the same network
I hope to be able to use this same method to allow this phone to be used on other various MVNOs as well besides RedPocket as their plans honestly aren’t that competitive, but this was more of a proof of concept to show this can be done and this locked phone can be used on other carriers without being unlocked or using some sketchy scammy SIM tool since I saw their website was taking ICCIDs of unactivated Verizon TracFone SIMs that work in these locked iPhones.
It should also be noted that any TracFone subsidiary like PagePlus will also work with this phone no issue since they issue TFW branded SIMs out of the box (remember the days when you’d have to pay someone over Skype to flash your Verizon 4G phone to Page Plus with 3G only, glad that’s over)
So this is kind of weird, I recently received a sim card for my E-5, It's a second hand phone that I bought ebay "Unlocked", I used it for a few years with a provider on the Sprint Network, now T-mobile, nothing owed free and clear. My current carrier is telling me based on the fact that the APN are greyed out and same for network controllers with the sim card inserted that the phone has "network restrictions" meaning it's locked to the last network which would be Sprint, I can confirm that since I still have the old sim card and it says sprint on it and when it's inserted there is a signal just no network. I contacted the previous provider and they said I need to contact Sprint to get it unlocked, Sprint has the most stringent requirements to unlock, the tech support at my current provider said I could also do a factory reset and that should remove the network restriction, but I don't want to do a reset if it doesn't work and I have a feeling that's BS. So my question is what's the best way to make my phone work on any network, do I need to root it and than debrand it? I'm a total newb to this part of phone modding, so if someone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it as I have been without cell service for a couple of months now since I lost my other phone. Thanks