Related
Hello xda!
I've searched the web but found nothing, my question as you might have guessed from the title is the following.
Is the s8+ like the s7 edge locked to a region ? And can someone who received there phone confirm this.
To be clear I don't mean sim lock but region lock.
Thanks
Bump
denja12 said:
Hello xda!
I've searched the web but found nothing, my question as you might have guessed from the title is the following.
Is the s8+ like the s7 edge locked to a region? And can someone who received their phone confirm this.
To be clear I don't mean sim lock but region lock.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*Since September 2013, Samsung has implemented a 'region lock' on all new stock.
For correct operation, this handset should be activated inside one of these countries with a SIM card issued for use there. The device will then be able to accept SIM cards from outside of these countries.
Activation requires turning the device on for the first time & completing set-up with the SIM installed, then completing at least 5 minutes of voice call(s) with this SIM.
Without activation you may still use the device outside of these countries when 'roaming' - using a SIM card from the listed countries.
If this activation procedure is not followed then the device will lock when first attempted to be used with a SIM card from outside of these regions. Local Samsung support may provide a code to unlock such handsets.
**All member states of the E.E.A and the following additional territories: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M), Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia and Vatican City.
From what i understand you might need a sim from Korea to activate it once activated it will work worldwide with any sim card. i could be wrong but that’s how i think it works!
... watched a couple of unboxing videos but I've seen some models where the seal says "European Sim only" and factory seals where it just says the usual information about if seal is broken ...
I bought on Ebay the S8+ 128g and the seller said me it will be full unlock, i am in France, i receive it next week ... i will tell you ^^ ...
androidrouen said:
I bought on Ebay the S8+ 128g and the seller said me it will be full unlock, i am in France, i receive it next week ... i will tell you ^^ ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what happened?
Does the activation call work if done with an european SIM but outside europe's network (i.e. roaming)?
I have the SM-955N Korean Telecom version. When I went to buy it, I asked them if they had any factory sealed. The owner said that's not possible, all exported Korean phones need to be opened and activated in Korea before exporting if you want them unlocked.
I can put in any sim card now (tested with a HK sim and Japanese sim). Both work fine, but need to do some service mode tinkering to get LTE to work.
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
forsberg78 said:
I have the SM-955N Korean Telecom version. When I went to buy it, I asked them if they had any factory sealed. The owner said that's not possible, all exported Korean phones need to be opened and activated in Korea before exporting if you want them unlocked.
I can put in any sim card now (tested with a HK sim and Japanese sim). Both work fine, but need to do some service mode tinkering to get LTE to work.
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do they have a custom boot animation when they turn on, with the Korean carrier's name on it?
Yes I have the KT logo
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
forsberg78 said:
Yes I have the KT logo
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are there any markings on the device? Like branding of the carrier?
Nope. There's a line at the back of the device that shows the model number, imei, and the letters KT but it's like very small font, you wouldn't be able to see it unless you looked for it
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
forsberg78 said:
Nope. There's a line at the back of the device that shows the model number, imei, and the letters KT but it's like very small font, you wouldn't be able to see it unless you looked for it
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you be able to record the boot animation so we know how it looks like? Thanks! :highfive:
Is there a way to do it within the system? I don't have another device to record it with
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Confirmed I had to have my SM-955N unlocked and used in Korea before shipping. Also have the KT logo. Back is actually less busy than other versions without all the FCC, CE etc logos.
Psytric said:
Confirmed I had to have my SM-955N unlocked and used in Korea before shipping. Also have the KT logo. Back is actually less busy than other versions without all the FCC, CE etc logos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you have to go into service mode to unlock the LTE bands?
At the beginning I only got 3g but after going into service mode and playing with the network bands I somehow got LTE
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
forsberg78 said:
Did you have to go into service mode to unlock the LTE bands?
At the beginning I only got 3g but after going into service mode and playing with the network bands I somehow got LTE
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, but I live in China, it shows as "LTE+". Your region's mileage may vary.
I was going to make another thread, but then I saw this! I live in the US, have T-Mobile and bought a Samsung Galaxy S8+ off eBay from the Korean market. It says SK TELECOM. I currently have a lot of issues. I really regret my decision, but I'm trying to eliminate some possibilities. I spent days troubleshooting with T-Mobile and I not longer believe it to be an issue with them.
As N1NJATH3ORY pointed out, there may be a region lock. My phone appeared factory sealed. Although it doesn't say that I'm roaming or anything like that. My symptoms are: Unable to simultaneously use Data and Voice, phone calls taking approx. 15 minutes to go through and phone calls not being received and going directly to voicemail. Not to mention that some settings just are not available. For instance, Network Mode only shows me 2 options. "Use LTE when available" and "3G only". After talking with T-Mobile techs they mentioned for their phones they have one option that includes an auto-connect, LTE, 4G, 3G, Edge, etc. Since the phone is not originally a T-Mobile line, I could understand why I wouldn't see that. Still it seems very limited to only say "Use LTE when available".
There's also other things that are less pressing, but would be nice to have. Such as: Samsung Pay, WiFi Calling, VoLTE, Carrier Updates, get rid of mandatory camera shutter noise, more SOS features like US, etc.
For right now I would at least like a stable network connection for my phone. I fear I'll have to buy a new phone and have wasted the $1,200 I dropped on this phone. Despite the nice specs compare the US model, it's just not working out. In the meantime I'll be looking for answers / solutions.
Ambush083 said:
I was going to make another thread, but then I saw this! I live in the US, have T-Mobile and bought a Samsung Galaxy S8+ off eBay from the Korean market. It says SK TELECOM. I currently have a lot of issues. I really regret my decision, but I'm trying to eliminate some possibilities. I spent days troubleshooting with T-Mobile and I not longer believe it to be an issue with them.
As N1NJATH3ORY pointed out, there may be a region lock. My phone appeared factory sealed. Although it doesn't say that I'm roaming or anything like that. My symptoms are: Unable to simultaneously use Data and Voice, phone calls taking approx. 15 minutes to go through and phone calls not being received and going directly to voicemail. Not to mention that some settings just are not available. For instance, Network Mode only shows me 2 options. "Use LTE when available" and "3G only". After talking with T-Mobile techs they mentioned for their phones they have one option that includes an auto-connect, LTE, 4G, 3G, Edge, etc. Since the phone is not originally a T-Mobile line, I could understand why I wouldn't see that. Still it seems very limited to only say "Use LTE when available".
There's also other things that are less pressing, but would be nice to have. Such as: Samsung Pay, WiFi Calling, VoLTE, Carrier Updates, get rid of mandatory camera shutter noise, more SOS features like US, etc.
For right now I would at least like a stable network connection for my phone. I fear I'll have to buy a new phone and have wasted the $1,200 I dropped on this phone. Despite the nice specs compare the US model, it's just not working out. In the meantime I'll be looking for answers / solutions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On mine everything works fine, the only problem could be Samsung pay in US, But all the rest is fine.
(i have 128gb Korea SKT too)
androidrouen said:
On mine everything works fine, the only problem could be Samsung pay in US, But all the rest is fine.
(i have 128gb Korea SKT too)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you also on T-Mobile? I'm going to try to write the individual I bought the phone from. I'll also contact Samsung about the region lock. Maybe that what I'm experiencing?
Try entering the code *#2683662# and configuring the network mode
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 01:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:41 PM ----------
But yeah, if it's factory sealed when you received it you may be SOL. It needs to be opened and activated Korea first.
Sent from my SM-G955N using Tapatalk
Hi all,
I'm not sure if ok to post this on here, but I've created a petition on the UK petitions site to try a stop network operators taking control of our devices
If you are a UK user and want to sign the petition please follow this link - Petition Link
Information relating to partition
My petition: Block all mobile network operators from taking control of our android mobiles
Background: Purchased sim-free mobile without contract and network operator now provides the updates and not the manufacturer meaning receiving security updates and other updates are slow
Details: Huawei supply mobile phones to the UK and even if you purchase these unlocked and sim-free from a retailer in the UK, you will receive a phone that is then rebranded by the network operator (ie Three UK), who then authorise updates instead of the manufacturer. No matter how you buy the phone, the networks should not rebrand them or take control of the phone so they provide updates as these changes cannot be reversed
How'd you know if you've been "taken over" by the network? My L09 has no EE branding anywhere.
CLT-L09 8.1.0.110 (C782)
I had this reply from Huawei when questioning about devices purchased from the likes of CPW (this also includes currys, mobiles.co.uk and others)
The version sold in Carphone Warehouse is the open market version and it is exactly the same one sold by H3G.
The software version is also the same, however, this will be customized to the relevant operator depending on the SIM card that is inserted in the device for the very first time.
This customization is irreversible as per the operator's requirement, however, the device will maintain its SIM Free status.
One of the reasons behind it is to ensure the 4G/Wi-fi calling feature will be enabled on these devices. As you may know this option is not available on the unbranded/open market devices, as it requires network customization.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if you get the C782 version of the device it is customised by the network operator, if you get the C432 device it will not and Huawei will not provide details of where to purchase none C782 models in the UK.
Also with Huawei removing the ability of unlocking the bootloader for end-users we will be at the mercy of network operators authorising updates., as you won't be able to rebrand the phone so can get updates for another model
You may also get apps automatically installed by your network provider
walkerx said:
I had this reply from Huawei when questioning about devices purchased from the likes of CPW (this also includes currys, mobiles.co.uk and others)
So if you get the C782 version of the device it is customised by the network operator, if you get the C432 device it will not and Huawei will not provide details of where to purchase none C782 models in the UK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a bit rude. Is it only Huawei that do this? Never bought a phone that wasnt SIM free before, so never experienced this.
Usually when you buy a phone sim-free unlocked without a contract it means that you will get all updates by the manufacturer - but Huawei are supplying the same version to resellers that they would provide to network operators meaning Huawei do not provide updates and it is the network provider - even if you bought a phone on contract then left that network why should you still have to rely on the original network operator to provide the updates
as with apple the updates need to come directly from the manufacturers
Also this:
One of the reasons behind it is to ensure the 4G/Wi-fi calling feature will be enabled on these devices. As you may know this option is not available on the unbranded/open market devices, as it requires network customization.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is not true.
I have a CLT-L29(782) on EE. VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling both work.
matt4321 said:
Also this:
Is not true.
I have a CLT-L29(782) on EE. VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling both work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not email Huawei and ask them and see their reply, your phone if it is the C782 model is customised by the first network sim you put into the device. Three make it worse by customising the bootloader as well
walkerx said:
Why not email Huawei and ask them and see their reply, your phone if it is the C782 model is customised by the first network sim you put into the device. Three make it worse by customising the bootloader as well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My mistake, I have a C432, it was a C782. WiFi Calling/VoLTE work on EE with the EU model.
matt4321 said:
My mistake, I have a C432, it was a C782. WiFi Calling/VoLTE work on EE with the EU model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeh CPW do not sell the C432 model and only supply the C782 model and when I've asked Huawei where to get a non UK only version from in the UK they won't provide me that information
You can buy unlocked C432 (dual sim) on Amazon.de with free delivery to UK.
Same here, i put the sim in and it installed MyEE app and some Antivirus app that EE recommends. I dont see any branding like wallpapers etc etc. Wonder if its a one off thing or EE can install anything they like, they are bad enough for spam text marketing let alone being able to install apps on your phone (CLT-L09).
Good luck bro.
I bought my phone from EE. I use an EE SIM card.
I'm assuming any phone bought from EE is going to be locked to EE.
My wife bought hers from uSwitch also on EE, I'll check, by all accounts all uSwitch phones are bought separately which is how they do their deals.
What is it surgically you hour to achieve from this petition.
Also chances are Huawei probably had a hand in the deal with operators.
HTC and Oneplus, my last two phones certainly didn't.
Oneplus is just a dual SIM unlocked monster.
The HTC I hardware unlocked myself no problem.
PS
If you buy a phone from Huawei SIM free, the phone will have a firmware already installed, the model and variant aren't going to change should you put in a SIM.
dladz said:
I bought my phone from EE. I use an EE SIM card.
I'm assuming any phone bought from EE is going to be locked to EE.
My wife bought hers from uSwitch also on EE, I'll check, by all accounts all uSwitch phones are bought separately which is how they do their deals.
What is it surgically you hour to achieve from this petition.
Also chances are Huawei probably had a hand in the deal with operators.
HTC and Oneplus, my last two phones certainly didn't.
Oneplus is just a dual SIM unlocked monster.
The HTC I hardware unlocked myself no problem.
PS
If you buy a phone from Huawei SIM free, the phone will have a firmware already installed, the model and variant aren't going to change should you put in a SIM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want android phones to not be modified by network operators and have them blocked from doing this. On Apple you get a file update that tells the system what settings to use for network, this should be same on android.
According to Huawei the network operators want the devices to be customised by the first sim you insert and this process is irreversible. Why should someone who has purchased a sim free unlocked phone out of contract have their phone rebranded by the operator. With three its worse as they change the boot up so u get full screen three logo.
Would you be happy buying a phone outright that was unlocked, sim free, not on a contract and without network operator branding, being branded by the first sim you inserted and then relying on that operator to authorise updates? I'm not and I don't think many others would be.
Pixel phones if purchased via Google do get modified but currently wifi calling on them only works with EE.
Also you can no longer get the bootloader unlock codes from Huawei for devices purchased after a certain date and by 25 July u won't ever be able to unlock phones to install different roms, etc which is why it will be my last Huawei phone purchased.
I might not get anywhere with the petition but unless we try we won't know.
Sent from my Huawei P20 Pro using XDA Labs
I have a Pixel 3 from the Google Store that I want to activate on Verizon via eSIM. Currently, I have the physical SIM from Verizon in the phone. However, with international travel coming up, I want to free up the physical SIM for international SIMs.
Does anyone know if Verizon will do this? It seems their web guides all reference the iPhones as the only eSIM devices they register. I'd assume it's as simple as them just adding the EID/IMEI, device being irrelevant.
This guide from Reddit is the best thing I could find on any steps, and I still had a rep tell me that they can't do it because it's not an iPhone.
Revenge282 said:
I have a Pixel 3 from the Google Store that I want to activate on Verizon via eSIM. Currently, I have the physical SIM from Verizon in the phone. However, with international travel coming up, I want to free up the physical SIM for international SIMs.
Does anyone know if Verizon will do this? It seems their web guides all reference the iPhones as the only eSIM devices they register. I'd assume it's as simple as them just adding the EID/IMEI, device being irrelevant.
This guide from Reddit is the best thing I could find on any steps, and I still had a rep tell me that they can't do it because it's not an iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't be done. Probably not until the P4 is released in October and even then maybe not. I think you would have an easier time getting the international one on the eSim since they are well ahead of us in that technology. The only other option is getting Fi on the eSim since they have a pretty good international plan. https://fi.google.com/about/international-rates/
Yes. Right now Verizon is only doing esim with iPhones.
I am a German citizen living in Japan.
Today I have received a Google Pixel 3a (lock free, model G020H) that I ordered directly from the Japanese Google store.
When inserting my Japanese SIM card I got a message saying "SIM card isn't supported Ask SoftBank if this device can be unlocked". When I inserted my German SIM card I got the same message. The mobile network options are all greyed out/disabled. The phones software is up to date as far as I can tell (Security patch level August 1, 2019 and no available updates in the Google play store).
Either SIM card works fine in both my lock free Galaxy S8(European version) and my wife's lock free iPhone 7 (Japanese version). I have used the German SIM card as well as local SIM cards with the Galaxy S8 in Europe, USA, Australia and various Asian countries and never encountered any problem.
SoftBank(formerly Vodafone Japan) is a Japanese cell phone carrier like Verizon in the USA or Vodafone in Europe. As the message suggested I went to a local SoftBank store and was told that I either have to get a SoftBank contract or, if I want to use the Pixel 3a with any other carrier, have to register my personal information with SoftBank and pay ¥3000 (~28$ | 25€) to unlock the phone.
There was no mention of SoftBank - or any other carrier for that matter - and no mention of necessary registration with third parties and/or additional fees that have to be paid in order to be able to use the phone as advertised (lock free) during the ordering process.
I'll try to get in touch with the Google support tomorrow to make sure that this is not somehow a big misunderstanding or something.
Perhaps someone else had a similar experience or has an explanation? Because I am totally baffled.
day 2
The support was very polite but sadly not very helpful.
According to the Google tracking system I haven't received the phone yet even though the parcel tracking system from the company that delivered it shows it as delivered.
They didn't know the IMEI of the phone they sent to me or really anything related to my account/order other than the country my google play store is registered to. The answers to all of my questions were something along the lines of sorry, we don't know and have to confirm this. They promised to get back to me by phone or e-mail. Hasn't happened today.
After doing some searching I found other Japanese customers who had a similar experience. I am not allowed to post links yet but if you search for "Google Pixel 3a SIMフリー 『SIMフリーなのにロックが掛かっている』 のクチコミ掲示板" you should find a forum thread.
day 3
Today I got a call from a California phone number (around midnight California time), it was the same lady I spoke to yesterday. Apparently Google is routing calls from Japan to the USA and then back to Japan.
This time she was able to see the sim lock in their system and unlock it. A message saying " Carrier lock removed The device can now be used on any network" popped up and the phone had a signal. She said I'll get a ¥1500 coupon code for the Play store by mail and ended the call.
I can't really complain about the support other than the very strict business process flow that they apparently have to follow. After double checking the package I noticed that the senders address was written down as Singapore even though it was shipped from Hong Kong. And since the support didn't know which phone was shipped to me, I assume Googles Asia Pacific logistics/inventory management is a bit wonky?
The phone itself is great so far btw, especially the battery life. I haven't charged it since I received it with something around 80% which is now down to 40% with 4h SoT of which ~3h were setting it up, restoring data and so on. Sadly Google dropped eSIM support from the Japanese model in favor of FeliCa.
I own an SM-S908E/DS that apparently is loaded with the firmware from Chile. The global S22U supports a lot of the AT&T bands, though there are some differences.
When I went to the AT&T store to activate the S22U, they told me that they can't register the phone's IMEI.
For now, they registered my S22U phone's new SIM with my previous OnePlus 7 Pro's IMEI. I suspect that I may not get full features (like, connection to 5G) using my old IMEI.
Has anybody experienced this with AT&T? I can't believe I would be the first person to experience this.
Is there a way to get my SM-908E/DS properly registered on AT&T as an S22U?
Did you buy it new or used?
If you were actually able to get your device activated on AT&T they WILL end up kicking your phone off the network at some point. AT&T has blocked international S22/+/U models on their network for basically no reason. This version is not on their weird whitelist of devices which means that they will not allow it on their network.
Maybe when S23 line releases in about a month, they will allow these models since it seems that international versions of the S10-S21 line are allowed on their network. It could also already be on the list but not on that outdated document.
If it is not on that list, you will find out soon enough when your line gets suspended and you have to call to reactivate it.
gernerttl said:
Did you buy it new or used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought it brand new, off of a eBay reseller who had very high ratings.
The Samsung box was sealed, and looked totally new (identical to my wife's US version), so I know it should be legit.
nnighthawk said:
If you were actually able to get your device activated on AT&T they WILL end up kicking your phone off the network at some point. AT&T has blocked international S22/+/U models on their network for basically no reason. This version is not on their weird whitelist of devices which means that they will not allow it on their network.
Maybe when S23 line releases in about a month, they will allow these models since it seems that international versions of the S10-S21 line are allowed on their network. It could also already be on the list but not on that outdated document.
If it is not on that list, you will find out soon enough when your line gets suspended and you have to call to reactivate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well ... This sounds depressing. I'm assuming this happened to you? It sounds like the voice of experience.
¿GotJazz? said:
I bought it brand new, off of a eBay reseller who had very high ratings.
The Samsung box was sealed, and looked totally new (identical to my wife's US version), so I know it should be legit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should be legitimate then. Even so, buying off of Ebay can still be hit or miss.
If they activated the new SIM, then you should be fine for the most part.
The list that nnighthawk posted is AT&T's list of devices that were tested and approved for support purposes. That doesn't mean it won't work. However, if you have connection or service issues, they will tell you that you are using an unsupported device and therefore they can't help you.
Also, from a network security perspective, US carriers (and many non-US) don't like it when people want to use devices that are not tested on their respective networks. Untested models with firmware that is untested/unapproved are potential security risks. Carriers don't make money by selling devices; they make it by selling services. Any potential network breach could cost them billions of dollars in revenue and customer trust. The latter can lead to litigation and government investigations, which costs even more money.