I requested a unlock code from ATT for my Lumia 640, surprisingly it was approved in less than an hour, I have the code but I don't have any kind of sim card that fits the phone is there anyway to enter the unlock code without a sim-card, I read any sim card should work. anyone know?
Unlocking can only be done in the AT&T network coverage region. Without a SIM card in the phone, it is not possible to connect the phone to the mast.
ze7zez said:
Unlocking can only be done in the AT&T network coverage region. Without a SIM card in the phone, it is not possible to connect the phone to the mast.
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Ok but what I read is not to use the AT&T sim card only a non network sim card would trigger the entry for unlock code, but that doesn't add up if the phone needs to be connected to a ATT&T tower, which I assume there is one where I am. Actually a non network sim card is showing as valid but I get because the phone isn't unlocked yet it won't work. So it looks like I need a ATT&T sim card than, does that mean I would have to sign up for service with them? Or do I just buy a ATT&T sim card on ebay and unlock it to use on the network of my choice? Thanks
For specific questions, it is better to contact the mobile phone operator directly. Especially since you have an easy contact.
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Can networks actually tell what phone is being used to use the sim card?
Like, does the imsi number for example,contain this sort of information.
or is it purely stored seperately in imei
thanks in advance!!
yes the network identify by sim and imei nr.
if a phone is stolen the sim and imei are both blocked
leaving both of them unable to be used on the network
and any network in corporation with it
cheers..
so does the sim nr that gets sent to network say what phone its using, like 'Hey im in an omnia' or the numbers seperate?
toady2k1 said:
cheers..
so does the sim nr that gets sent to network say what phone its using, like 'Hey im in an omnia' or the numbers seperate?
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i know att distinguishes just fine...within a few minutes of switching sim card to another phone, their corporate website register the type of phone the sim is inserted into. ofc, the phone must be charged and powered on...
what r u up to anyways!?
well, got mugged on holiday, but had taken sim card out to use phone on plane. Consequently used my sim in mates phone, but know some insurance companies wont replace phone if sim wasnt in it (absolutely daft imo), so wondewring if i claimed wehther theyd be able to tell if id put sim into another phone.
is the thunderbolt the same as older SIM card phones? where if a phone is stolen it cannot be deactivated? i understand that in order to activate a SIM card you have to also supply the esn number of the phone it will be paired with. but down the line when there are more LTE phones out, if someone had an activated SIM card, could they place it into a stolen phone to use it? or is there a way to blacklist a phone even if it uses a SIM card?
Are you saying that you have a stolen phone or is this just for knowing?
Take this with a grain of salt but the Verizon reps told me the SIM cards are not swappable with the LTE network. I've exchanged my phone 3 times now and they have to give a new SIM each time. They shred the old SIM.
They lied to you. I have exchanged phones never changing the sim.
Not for me 2 phones same sim, no issues here.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Perhaps all of the LTE SIM cards are the same, and the only authorization is done through the ESN code like it always has been. That way, if someone loses their SIM card (how?) it wouldn't be a big deal, and if they lose their phone, it could still be given a bad ESN and not let anyone else register it.
edifus said:
Take this with a grain of salt but the Verizon reps told me the SIM cards are not swappable with the LTE network. I've exchanged my phone 3 times now and they have to give a new SIM each time. They shred the old SIM.
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I'm also on my 3rd Thunderbolt and still have the same SIM card I got on launch day.
pianoplayer said:
Are you saying that you have a stolen phone or is this just for knowing?
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i was just wondering how it worked in comparison to the SIM card on other networks i had used in the past. when i was with T-mo i know they couldnt lock down a phone like verizon can since they where on SIM cards. so was just wondering if that was the case for our phones now that we have SIM cards?
necosino said:
Perhaps all of the LTE SIM cards are the same, and the only authorization is done through the ESN code like it always has been. That way, if someone loses their SIM card (how?) it wouldn't be a big deal, and if they lose their phone, it could still be given a bad ESN and not let anyone else register it.
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yes, im wondering if this is the case? really im just curious if i lose my phone or it gets stolen. is it a paper weight once i report it? or is it up for sale to anyone with an activated SIM card?
3 phones same SIM for me...
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Just my two cents here. There is definitely an place in the Phone Identity portion of the settings menu that states the SIM Card ID, IMEI, and MEID. It seems to me that this would make it so you can still swap devices without extra hassle, but VZW should still be able to blacklist phones reported stolen via the MEID. I could be wrong, this just seems to be the case to me.
The sim card activates the phone, upon activating it communicates with verizon database. Pure and simple verizon can and will track the MEID and if the phone is stolen or in non pay table then it won't activate. Try it out, then your tbolt off and turn it back on. The first 10 seconds upon boot you won't have signal or data. Then it comes on. It's like the same as a prl update *228. Anyways I'm getting off track here's the deal. Your phone has a seperate entity from your sim card. Both need to be clear to activate.
Morkai Almandragon said:
They lied to you. I have exchanged phones never changing the sim.
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This is true. If you have the Thunderbolt and the Charge or any other VZW 4G LTE phone you are able to swap the sim back and forth.
you only have to replace the sim card if you cahnge your number or activate the device he sim can only be used with 1 phone number. The serial number of the sim card and the ESN of the phone both must match in the VZW system or it will not connect to the towers. I have to replace them all the time. So no you could not use a lost,stolen, or non payment phone on the network, phone still essentially a paper weight or spare parts.
I was under the impression that the sim was only applicable to LTE-level functions. The phone's main functionality is still mostly CDMA based and those functions can still be shut down if the phone is stolen. To my understanding, simply inserting the sim card into the tbolt does not just activate and associate the phone to your account. There's still an operator you have to call, right? With Tmo and att, inserting a sim card activated the phone without calling someone or going into a store.
The SIM is a RUIM which eliminates the need for an ESN swap the the best of my knowledge. I started with a LG VL600 air card and then got a thunderbolt. I was issued a new card at that time but I can swap between devices and it works without a problem. Once June 15th I fully expect this to stop working.
I have a T-Mobile sensation,S-off, xboarders CM7 rom... located in AZ. I do not have another sim card for another carrier, I obtained the unlock code from the terminal emulator method. I "THOUGHT" unlocking the sim card was enabling my current sim card/sensation for t-mobile, to work on other carriers.
However I obviously learned that the only way to enter the code was to insert a sim card from a different carrier, and enter the code. That being said, if I insert another sim card in my phone "like a friend with AT&T", will it affect his sim card at all? And when I put my sim card back in, will I be able to use different networks? Will it lock my sim card out of my phone or vise versa? I have been researching for a while now and I havent found too much defining what im looking for. Any one who can enlighten me would be appreciated!
all unlocking your phone does, is allows it to use different sim cards to run on different networks.
your available networks are controlled by your sim card, and any unlocking won't change that. No it won't effect your friend's att sim card, and not it won't hcange anything currently. However, if you were to get a different carrier that uses sim cards, then you could freely insert that sim card and then use their network with their sim card, provided you have the available frequencies supported (i.e. 3g/4g).
That makes sense. So people who have their phones sim unlocked usually sell the phone or have another sim card for a different network, which means they pay for two data plans? Well I feel like I wasted my time, I sure am glad I didnt pay to get my unlock code. On the bright side, the research I did find mentioned a higher resale value for the phone. However I dont see myself selling my sensation ANYTIME soon !
I appreciate the input, and thank you for your time sir!
ibmaxin said:
That makes sense. So people who have their phones sim unlocked usually sell the phone or have another sim card for a different network, which means they pay for two data plans? Well I feel like I wasted my time, I sure am glad I didnt pay to get my unlock code. On the bright side, the research I did find mentioned a higher resale value for the phone. However I dont see myself selling my sensation ANYTIME soon !
I appreciate the input, and thank you for your time sir!
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Its a wasted of time when you are on a contract and do not planned to sell the phone, but if you travel inside or outside the country is a DAMN good advantage cus you just change or get a local SIM and you dont need to buy a new phone.. you see?
And also like you said "higher resale value for the phone"
Hi, I am planning to pick up a AT&T paid as you go sim card to test my unlock phone. When the sim card expire, and I put it on my unlock phone, would I still get some kind of indication that it works for my phone (i.e. ATT carrier on phone option, signal bar, etc). thanks!
I have a polish sim card which works fine with my other Iphone, when i insert the same sim card to my nexus 5 it can't register to any carrier !
Why is that, is there any solution for this bizarre problem ?
Thanks
You tried the sim with an iphone (works) and Nexus 5 (doesn't work). Did you try the sim in a third phone?
The Nexus 5 cannot be carrier unlocked because it was never carrier locked.
I don't have a third phone. Do you think that I should flash another radio ver. on the phone?
The Nexus 5 detects the sim card? If it does detect the sim card, I think your iphone's imei is somehow tied to the sim card.
What does it mean?
And how can I resolve it?
I would really appreciate any help ?
P.s.
Apparently a different sim (vodaphone) doesn't work in this phone either.
???
Has the vodaphone sim been activated?
If both sim cards do not work in the phone and the phone can see but not connect to networks, it may be possible that the phone is blacklisted? Is the imei correct?
audit13 said:
Has the vodaphone sim been activated?
If both sim cards do not work in the phone and the phone can see but not connect to networks, it may be possible that the phone is blacklisted? Is the imei correct?
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That's friend phone....so....
He said that the sim (which doesn't work right now) worked before. I don't know about the Vodafone sim.
How can i find out that this phone is in the blacklisted?
Thanks again,
You can check the imei here: https://swappa.com/esn
Since the vodaphone sim is not active, it is not a good test of the Nexus 5. It would be best to try an active/working sim in the N5.
1. How can I know if my phone tied to the sim card ? (you mentioned it before)
2. Do you know this website http://www.imei.info/
Thanks
I don't know that site but the swappa site will tell you if the phone is blacklisted.
The only way to tell if the sim card is tied to the iPhone;'s imei is to try the sim in another phone to see if you can connect to the carrier network. In the USA, AT&T tie their prepaid sim cards to a phone imei.
As I mentioned before the sim card worked fine with my iPhone.
But the "fishy" story here is that the Vodafone's sim card doesn't work as well.
So it might be a blacklisted issue.
Your thoughts?
Did you check the imei on the swappa site?
Note yet
I would check the imei to make sure the imei is not blacklisted and does belong to a nexus 5.
I updated my friend to do so.
Thanks