How to activate a TracFone/StraightTalk locked iPhone SE 2020 on RedPocket - Apple iPhone 12 Guides, News, & Discussion

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)

Related

LS996 Working With Non Sprint Carriers For Free

I got the sprint version to work with other carriers, even Verizon! I haven't figured out how to make MMS work on Verizon, but I do get LTE most places. I didn't have to activate on Sprint and didn't have to go to the store.
Here are my steps:
1. Activate device on free plan on Ringplus.net
2. Call Sprint at 1-888-211-4727. Go thgrough the prompts until you reach someone. Tell them that you have a Sprint phone that is not active on Sprint and you would like to sim unlock the phone, aka domestic SIM unlock.
3. Restart your phone and give it a few minutes to unlock. It will most likely reset itself.
4. Pop in a new SIM card and see if it works.
Quick question are you rooted?
Not rooted
simon21 said:
Not rooted
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Did you get at&t working
I am not sure if you have to activate it to Ringplus to get it unlocked from Sprint.
It should be GSM unlocked by Sprint directly, no need to activate it with RingPlus if you don't want to use it with Sprint network.
All carriers will SIM unlock devices that are not activated and paid for or out of contact.
Hardware may limit some 4G functionality with different carriers since each carrier uses different frequency ranges.
Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk
The sprint unlock is through a signal they send to the phone. It will not work if it's not on an active line, unless you take it in to the store. That was my experience at least, and I've seem other posts saying the same.
I didn't have an AT&T sim to check

S7, APN Settings, and Prepaid

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!

eSIM/dual SIM on AT&T variant

Got my AT&T variant today. Doesn't look like eSIM funcationality is enabled. Second IMEI and eSIM shown but greyed out and no way to activate. Is this true? If so, does anyone know if unlocked version allows for eSIM use so you can get dual sim? I need dual SIM for both US (AT&T) and international travel (Singapore).
no dual sim on unlocked version either
uicnren said:
no dual sim on unlocked version either
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Really? Why put the eSIM in if you're just going to disable it?
well that's a bummer. Hopefully someone will come up with some firmware or we'll see a country release the 4G version of the phone that will work in the US and support dual SIM. I do, however, use wifi calling a lot and right now the iPhone seems to be the only choice that can be AT&T wifi calling compatible and dual sim.
Thanks for letting me know - i also had an order for the unlocked variant that I will cancel.
TGUY25 said:
.... I do, however, use wifi calling a lot and right now the iPhone seems to be the only choice that can be AT&T wifi calling compatible and dual sim....
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Pixel 4/4XL unlocked versions (as well as bought thru AT&T) will do Wi-Fi calling and HD Voice on AT&T (sometimes requires a little work on your part to bug AT&T).
Also, I cannot find anyway to do Wi-Fi calling on the Flip, let alone HD Voice, though it is perfectly clear with calls I have made so far.
I bought the ATT version of the flip so getting wifi calling. I didn’t think Pixel 4 was dual sim? Before various bans, I had decent luck getting HD voice on Huwawei phones but never WiFi calling unless ATT firmware (or iPhone)
TGUY25 said:
I bought the ATT version of the flip so getting wifi calling. I didn’t think Pixel 4 was dual sim? Before various bans, I had decent luck getting HD voice on Huwawei phones but never WiFi calling unless ATT firmware (or iPhone)
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Typical AT&T treatment of BYOD with regards to Wi-Fi.
Pixel 4's are physical SIM and eSIM.
Basically you can (if you find a tech who can/will) provision the account with an IMEI that supports those features, and your SIM is current, it will/should work. My 4XL is currently set up like this (and previous Pixels as well).
Thx didn’t know about the pixel 4 - I did the same thing with IMEI numbers. I bought a cheap galaxy phone from ATT for the sole purpose of having an IMEI that shows ATT. It won’t help WiFi calling which needs firmware support but has consistently gotten HD voice to work. Hopefully a different variant of the flip will show up with dual sim support that can be used on the ATT network
TGUY25 said:
I bought the ATT version of the flip so getting wifi calling.....
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Slightly off topic, but if you have a minute, could you post where the setting(s) for Wi-Fi calling actually are (if there is any), I'm curious to see if they are on mine (I can't find any as of yet).
Thanks.
It gave me the option to setup when I ran. Y hone setup. It’s all under connections in setting or you can search setting for WiFi calling. I believe this is only available with the ATT firmware
TGUY25 said:
It gave me the option to setup when I ran. Y hone setup. It’s all under connections in setting or you can search setting for WiFi calling. I believe this is only available with the ATT firmware
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I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious, and yes, seems its only on AT&T branded device(s).
On the unlocked version, I was able to access the hidden SIM manager menu using Activity Launcher and enable the second SIM. However, even after doing so, it doesn't seem that I can do much with it.
I saw same you can see it but it's not really enabling it (under about phone, esim is still greyed out). I bought a European Version of the phone that is supposed to have dual sim enabled and is arriving tomorrow - I will report back if I can add my AT&T plan to the eSIM and use my SG SIM card on the second line and how it works. Even if I get that to work, i will have to give up wifi calling (since not an AT&T variant of the phone) and usually - Samsung pay doesn't work (but usually google pay does). i will report back. Love the phone but without the ability to use 2 SIMs, it will sadly be doing back.
TGUY25 said:
I saw same you can see it but it's not really enabling it (under about phone, esim is still greyed out). I bought a European Version of the phone that is supposed to have dual sim enabled and is arriving tomorrow - I will report back if I can add my AT&T plan to the eSIM and use my SG SIM card on the second line and how it works. Even if I get that to work, i will have to give up wifi calling (since not an AT&T variant of the phone) and usually - Samsung pay doesn't work (but usually google pay does). i will report back. Love the phone but without the ability to use 2 SIMs, it will sadly be doing back.
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I thought that the Wi-Fi calling piece was becoming more universally supported, regardless of variant. I have the unlocked version and Verizon Wi-Fi calling (and HD calling) are both working.
Hi, I got one in Czech Republic and the dual sim (eSim/normal Sim) dual standby. the setting for eSIM are under Connections>>Sim card Manager, there should be a section with eSIMS and you select 'add mobile plan' (in CZ you scan the barcode of the eSIM thats provided by the operator). Wifi calling is in the phone app under call settings and can be activated for both sim 1 and sim 2 at the same time
I got the UK version of the phone. I have an AT&T phone number on an eSIM and have the eSIM card (with the QR code). I removed the plan from my old device (a Galaxy Fold Dual SIM I bought in Singapore that worked fine with both SIMS) and then tried to "add the plan" onto my new flip. I scanned the QR code and get the message "Your mobile plan is already being used on another device. For more information, contact your service provider.: I called AT&T and advanced tech support added the new IMEI's(both physical and eSIM) to that number on their end but still getting the error. They were at a loss for a solution. Any ideas on how to fix this? Really love the phone though useless to me without the ability to use an eSIM for my AT&T number.
BTW, yes to calls over LTE (VoLTE) with AT&T SIM on UK variant of the phone and, not surprisingly, no joy on Wifi Calling
You need a new QR code from ATT. If you are using an older QR code it wont work.
Are both SIMs 3G capable?
TGUY25 said:
I got the UK version of the phone. I have an AT&T phone number on an eSIM and have the eSIM card (with the QR code). I removed the plan from my old device (a Galaxy Fold Dual SIM I bought in Singapore that worked fine with both SIMS) and then tried to "add the plan" onto my new flip. I scanned the QR code and get the message "Your mobile plan is already being used on another device. For more information, contact your service provider.: I called AT&T and advanced tech support added the new IMEI's(both physical and eSIM) to that number on their end but still getting the error. They were at a loss for a solution. Any ideas on how to fix this? Really love the phone though useless to me without the ability to use an eSIM for my AT&T number.
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I gonna buy the UK model and so I can use both my personal and company numbers on one phone.
My company's number is nano sim and the supports 3G and 4G
My personal number is esim and supports 3G and 4G
Neither my personal nor company number network support 2G.
I read somewhere that while Z Flip is dual sim, one of the sims only support 2G. is that right? Can anyone confirm it?
went to AT&T store, moved my old esim (galaxy fold) to a physical sim, activated and tested on physical SIM then converted it again to eSIM (new QR code). Worked! Had trouble going from eSIM to eSIM but converting to physical SIM in the middle of the process (something I read on another forum) fixed it.

Straight Talk won't activate my phone.

I have a tracphone Samsung Galaxy Luna SM-120vl. It is brand new and I called straight talk to activate it but only to be told that because of upgrades to their system they No longer activate this phone to their network. So basically at the moment I'm stuck with a non working phone. I requested they unlock the phone and they refused. How can I get this phone activated on their network or one of tracphones other networks like total wireless? What if I activated a SIM card on another device I no longer use then move it to the non activated device. Would that work ? Or try and change the imei number. Any help would be appreciated.
Daddy1400 said:
I have a tracphone Samsung Galaxy Luna SM-120vl. It is brand new and I called straight talk to activate it but only to be told that because of upgrades to their system they No longer activate this phone to their network. So basically at the moment I'm stuck with a non working phone. I requested they unlock the phone and they refused. How can I get this phone activated on their network or one of tracphones other networks like total wireless? What if I activated a SIM card on another device I no longer use then move it to the non activated device. Would that work ? Or try and change the imei number. Any help would be appreciated.
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Click to collapse
I'm not sure if this method is valid, but, here is a video detailing how to SIM unlock your device to be used on other networks. Be aware that even if the unlock method works to actually unlock the device, there are still no guarantees that the device can be activated on a Tracfone network. Your best bet would be to contact the various Tracfone subsidiary networks to see if your device can even be used on their network before you go through all the trouble of trying to unlock/activate your device.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LEY-fJff0X4
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk
No that did not work. However, I recently activated a tracfone SIM card on a device that I no longer have, a device that is broken. I took the SIM card and placed it into the phone that the company said could not be activated and it began working. It is day 4 and the phone is still working. Now what I'm wondering is, could I switched to say total wireless or straight talk and do the same as tracfone does own these companies too. I'm going to try it. Let you know how it goes.

Best way to make my Moto E-5 work on any network even if locked?

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

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