Database Info

Sim Unlock Suggestion (T-Mobile & Metro PCS)

So i assume that everyone has heard of the new Device Unlock app preinstealled on Devices sold by T-Mobile and Metro PCS. They present it as a new way for carrier unlocking devices in an easier way but the catch is having to meet THEIR requirements like using their service for at least 90 days (Prepaid) or fully paying off the device (Postpaid).
The problem is that they are practically forcing us to throw money at them to get anything we want even though we prepaid customers purchased our devices outright. Sure for some people the device was sold at a discounted price so it would make since for them to gain that money back through service activations, but that still wouldn't equal the amount you would be paying during a 90 day period. On top of that there are people that didnt get this device at a discounted price, therefore we shouldn't have to be "Limited" like those who did.
So after doing alot of research, since i too have a MS631 Stylo, it seems that this device was reprogram to generate sim unlocking remotely, but that doesnt entirely mean it's impossible to bypass this like most people say. This isn't iPhone, this is Android. Completely open sourced and with root access, we have the ability to manipulated any given SOFTWARE function.
Looking through files etc. It seems the sim unlocking menu was removed. Doesnt take a scientist to do that (Nice job Metro and T-Mobile). Simply sideloading the SimUnlock Menu apk from another LG device will bring it back. The dialer codes were also generating null output. On the MS631 the dialer code is 2945#*631# if im not mistaken. Entering this defaultly will generating nothing but the digits being erased. Installing the sim unlock menu from the LG G2 reactivates this function. Using the same dialer code will bring up the sim unlock menu successfully but none of the options will work. Choose any will greet you with a nice message stating "Your phone is not personalised". This means theirs no internal script or file locking your device like before, this officially confirms the unlock proccess is server sided. But, you have to take into consideration that the SimUnlock menu only reads from a specific directory to locate and process the unlock code when entered. So now the question relies on where the unlock is triggered on your phone from their servers.
Removing the Device Unlock app will do nothing since it's nothing but a tool to proccess this unlock via sever then callbacked to trigger the unlock on the device. So i tried flashing the T-Mobile KDZ thinking it would automatically unlock my device or at least lock it to the T-Mobile's Network instead which is the service im trying to switch to anyway. Flashing the KDZ is successful but nothings changes. Im still greeted with the Network Lock message upon entering a foreign sim, even a T-Mobile sim. Users in the S6 forums have had success flashing the Metro PCS firmware on their T-Mobile S6's to bring up the Unlock Screen, but the thing with their situation was the device unlocking software was not programmed into the Metro PCS software. The Device Unlock was programmed on Both Metro and T-Mobile stylo firmwares.
How can your phone still tell you're locked to a specific network even though youre using a different firmware? Well apparently the device unlocking function is programmed in the modem. To my knowledge Metro and T-Mobile share the same modem for the Stylo, meaning flashing another firmware may have worked on other phones but not on the Stylo considering the status of the modem has not changed.
So here's my suggestion to get the Stylos unlocked or at least bring back a work Unlocking menu and bypassing the Device Unlock app. Port the international rom to the Metro and T-Mobile versions. Don't say it's impossible, because it's been done on several devices and people still do it to this day. The international versions dont carry the same modems nor do the cricket and boost versions. It could also be possible to look at porting those too. It would be harder to port due to the T-Mobile and Metro versions being the only ones to have 16GB or Internal and 2GB of RAM, but it's possible. If there are any devs willing to do this then that would be great. This isn't just a solution for the LG Stylos but potentially for every other phone with this new unlocking function. Carriers are trying to control us again and it's time to fight for our rights to what WE OWN! Thanks

90 days doesn't seem to terribly long to wait.

Thediesel1972 said:
90 days doesn't seem to terribly long to wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right it isn't. But there are people that buy T-Mobile devices strictly for the Unlocked Bootlader and having to activate service with them for 90 days and dish out 3 months worth of money just to use it on their service provider is a bit far fetched. Like in my situation, I bought the Metro variant on CL because no one was selling the T-Mobile variant except the T-Mobile store which cost almost $100 more. I was told my T-Mobile sim would work in it since its the same network anyway. Well it was my fault for not researching and seeing that even though metro works on T-Mobile devices out of the box, T-Mobile does not work on metro devices unless it's unlocked. According to metro in order for me to unlock it I have to have service with them for 90 days. So now I'm forced to cancel my T-Mobile service and hop on Metro, when I don't won't to because of the crappy coverage, for 90 days just to use my main service provider afterwards. It's too much for one simple thing.

sirhc said:
You're right it isn't. But there are people that buy T-Mobile devices strictly for the Unlocked Bootlader and having to activate service with them for 90 days and dish out 3 months worth of money just to use it on their service provider is a bit far fetched. Like in my situation, I bought the Metro variant on CL because no one was selling the T-Mobile variant except the T-Mobile store which cost almost $100 more. I was told my T-Mobile sim would work in it since its the same network anyway. Well it was my fault for not researching and seeing that even though metro works on T-Mobile devices out of the box, T-Mobile does not work on metro devices unless it's unlocked. According to metro in order for me to unlock it I have to have service with them for 90 days. So now I'm forced to cancel my T-Mobile service and hop on Metro, when I don't won't to because of the crappy coverage, for 90 days just to use my main service provider afterwards. It's too much for one simple thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that metro ditched their cdma network i do believe they run on the same towers. You could also change the apn to t-mobile as well. And Metro is cheaper and doesn't throttle the data speeds on their unlimited plan.
I used around 50gb in two days with pretty fast speed.
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Thediesel1972 said:
Now that metro ditched their cdma network i do believe they run on the same towers. You could also change the apn to t-mobile as well. And Metro is cheaper and doesn't throttle the data speeds on their unlimited plan.
I used around 50gb in two days with pretty fast speed.
View attachment 3545095
View attachment 3545096
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Changing Apns wont work as the apn never sticks. T-Mobile rep confirmed that even though Metro runs on their network, they aren't allowed to utilize all of their towers which explains the crappy coverage with them. Based on what T-Mobile said, there could be 7 of their FULL LTE towers in an area but the Metro network could only use maybe 1-3 of them. Thats the price they pay for being an MVNO instead of an official carrier. That's great that you get good speeds with Metro, but unfortunately in my area i don't.

All in all, the new network lock seems to point out the actual locking/unlocking process is being done in the modem.
If using a new modem image (taken from an unlocked version) won't work by default (which I tend to think will be the case) then, the network lock validation process (based on the IMEI) must be done within the modem???
Anyway, I think this whole new locking process is kind of abusive. I read many forum threads about people complaining that they had to either address to FCC or try many times with the TMO support to get an unlock for their phones even though they should have been able to do it from the app because they met the conditions.
I think this new abusive unlock method will continue to plague many new phones in the future.

sirhc said:
Changing Apns wont work as the apn never sticks. T-Mobile rep confirmed that even though Metro runs on their network, they aren't allowed to utilize all of their towers which explains the crappy coverage with them. Based on what T-Mobile said, there could be 7 of their FULL LTE towers in an area but the Metro network could only use maybe 1-3 of them. Thats the price they pay for being an MVNO instead of an official carrier. That's great that you get good speeds with Metro, but unfortunately in my area i don't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use this hidden menu by dialing 277634#*# you will be able to APNunlock which lets you deleted defult apn and make new Apn's and they will stick
P.S im assuming metro variant have the same dialing code for the hidden menu. Images below.

DrakenFX said:
If you use this hidden menu by dialing 277634#*# you will be able to APNunlock which lets you deleted defult apn and make new Apn's and they will stick
P.S im assuming metro variant have the same dialing code for the hidden menu. Images below.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done the Apn Unlock already and even though i change the Apn settings, nothing changes. I still can't use my sim because i get presented with the Network Lock screen. I've used the dialer code and I've used an app called Shortcut Master and accessed hidden menus through there to see if i could find anything in the modem pointed to a Network Lock

sirhc said:
I've done the Apn Unlock already and even though i change the Apn settings, nothing changes. I still can't use my sim because i get presented with the Network Lock screen. I've used the dialer code and I've used an app called Shortcut Master and accessed hidden menus through there to see if i could find anything in the modem pointed to a Network Lock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you rooted with twrp install i may have an idea...

feabhas said:
All in all, the new network lock seems to point out the actual locking/unlocking process is being done in the modem.
If using a new modem image (taken from an unlocked version) won't work by default (which I tend to think will be the case) then, the network lock validation process (based on the IMEI) must be done within the modem???
Anyway, I think this whole new locking process is kind of abusive. I read many forum threads about people complaining that they had to either address to FCC or try many times with the TMO support to get an unlock for their phones even though they should have been able to do it from the app because they met the conditions.
I think this new abusive unlock method will continue to plague many new phones in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! Even people who do meet the eligibility requirements still have issues using the app. When i use the app i cant even get to the permanent unlock option. It says "Device not recognized by your service provider, please call customer care". I looked up the error and Metro says it's due rooting. I've flashed the stock KDZ, removing root, several times and the message still comes up. My device actually does meet the eligibility requirements as it was active with Metro for well over 90 days but the app always throws an error. Metro has no clue how to help me and basically just says "Oh well". This new unlocking is just bs and they know it. They're trying way too hard to force people on their network. Thats bad business. The more people figure out about this stupid unlock system, the more customers they lose. I know for a fact it's modem related. Flashing the T-Mobile modem won't do anything because it's the exact same as Metros modem. The only other modem i can think that could unlock this device is Fidos Variant but i feel thats just gonna cause a brick. I remember flashing Fidos KDZ and i got a super hard brick, having to send the device to LG for repair. There is an international version of this phone but theres no way to get my hands on the modem.

DrakenFX said:
Are you rooted with twrp install i may have an idea...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i am

sirhc said:
Yes i am
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download my T-mobile Bootstack and flash it over TWRP... Do factory reset after that let us know what happen.....
No worries you can just reflash metro bootstack if that doesnt do what im thinking will do

DrakenFX said:
Download my T-mobile Bootstack and flash it over TWRP... Do factory reset after that let us know what happen.....
No worries you can just reflash metro bootstack if that doesnt do what im thinking will do
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think i flashed your T-Mobile Bootstack when i was using the Katana rom and it still didnt work. Im back on stock now but I'll give it another try and post results

DrakenFX said:
Download my T-mobile Bootstack and flash it over TWRP... Do factory reset after that let us know what happen.....
No worries you can just reflash metro bootstack if that doesnt do what im thinking will do
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashed your Bootstack and did a Factory Reset and still no dice. Im still greeted with the beautiful Network Lock screen

sirhc said:
Flashed your Bootstack and did a Factory Reset and still no dice. Im still greeted with the beautiful Network Lock screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have TWRP and flashed the Bootstack as well but no changes whatsoever. I still get the nasty Network Lock message ...

I seen on youtube where some guy unlocked an S6 and removed the Network Lock message via USB. He had the phone plugged into his computer and i could see ADB shell command notifications on the phone. He wouldnt show his method obviously because he was charging people for it. So there must be away to get rid of this if the guy did it himself

sirhc said:
I seen on youtube where some guy unlocked an S6 and removed the Network Lock message via USB. He had the phone plugged into his computer and i could see ADB shell command notifications on the phone. He wouldnt show his method obviously because he was charging people for it. So there must be away to get rid of this if the guy did it himself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you post the video?

feabhas said:
Could you post the video?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't find it. Just search on youtube galaxy s6 device unlock app solution or something

Could we extract the modem from one of the flashable zips to see if its possible to use it to simunlock

ipeedalil said:
Could we extract the modem from one of the flashable zips to see if its possible to use it to simunlock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile and Metro have the same modem, so that won't work. I've already flashed the modem from the Fido Kdz and got a bootloop.

I just bootloader unlocked a Verizon branded Pixel 3 - how is this possible??

I mean, I'm not complaining. But I was incredibly surprised! I bought the phone BRAND NEW AND SEALED, from the current sale on woot ($170), and yet was still intending on returning it after I realized I had bought a Verizon variant, albeit carrier unlocked. Yeah, it's only the 64gb version, but I literally just bought this for testing, and as a backup. Actually bought a P3 from a friend that was in decent condition. A really close, trusted friend too, but unfortunately it just happened that about a month later the battery started exhibiting the dreaded behavior indicating it was starting to fail, so I decided to pull the trigger on the sale, not realizing it was a Verizon model. I went into much more detail about it in my post on Slickdeals: https://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=146850461&postcount=127
It's also pink, but I'm putting on the Mint colored Spigen Neo Hybrid case on it anyway
So anyway, from all my collective knowledge about Pixels, and plenty of knowledge about (and hate towards) certain US carriers locking down devices, I wasn't expecting to be able to bootloader unlock this phone. Luckily I decided to open the box anyway and see if the OEM unlocking toggle was greyed out (which is what I fully expected!)... And it wasn't!? I still expected something, anything, to go wrong, but no, it actually successfully unlocked the bootloader (proceeded to factory reset as usual, etc)!! Unfortunately, it seems that the eSIM is still locked up and disabled, but like I said, for my usages as a simple dev'ing, testing, and/or backup phone, the eSIM isn't really important to me.
Don't think it matters, but I did this immediately upon opening the brand new phone, and it was on firmware PQ3A.190505.002 (May 2019, Pie). I mentioned it in my SD post, but the IMEI does start with 35, and checking it through Verizon's prepaid check system also indicated it as Verizon branded. I know that historically (on older Pixels, not even the 3, iirc), there was a [anecdotal] workaround where some owners would pop out the VZW SIM card before ever turning on the phone and they could then unlock the bootloader. Crazier for me is that I didn't even bother pulling out the VZW SIM card the phone came with before turning it on.
The only thing I can think, is that (and my memory here is foggy about the anecdotal posts) maybe when people were buying the phones from Verizon, those phones were actually turned on with then-active SIM cards, thus allowing them to "phone home" and permanently lock up the bootloader, at some point before ultimately shipping to the buyers. However, as these brand new Pixel 3's being sold are just leftover old, albeit brand new and factory sealed, stock, they were never turned on, whether at all or with active VZW SIM cards, at any point. When I initially turned on this new phone earlier today, since I left in the VZW SIM card included with the phone, I got a message pop up saying something along the lines of "we couldn't activate the device" or whatever.
So anyway, I wanted to say all of this because I'm always fascinated by flukes like this, where someone (me in this case!) is able to bootloader unlock a phone that should otherwise be completely unable to do so... Also attaching screenshots to show that it is indeed a Verizon branded Pixel 3 with the bootloader now unlocked. Note that it now shows current April 2021 firmware installed, but like I mentioned before it shipped with May 2019 installed from the factory, and I updated the firmware after unlocking the bootloader immediately after opening. Is there any explanation to this? Did I just get incredibly lucky? Does my theory in the previous paragraph possibly make sense? Or is there already a known explanation somehow and I just was completely unaware (and if so please let me know)?
final note: pics look like phone's screen is fuzzy because I haven't even removed the factory plastic wrap yet, lol. amazon glass screen protectors come tomorrow!
EDIT: LMAO! The listing on Woot now says in big bold letters, "The bootloader is LOCKED on these phones". Pretty sure it didn't say that when I bought it, so must be a lot of people complaining about it and trying to return! Not sure how I was able to do it though still... even if I couldn't, I would have just cited the lack of eSIM as my reason for return. Fully Unlocked != eSIM Neutered, lol.

Should I buy one to try to get an OEM unlock version?

Hey, i5lee8bit
I was poking around and saw this. I ordered one of these from the woot sale. SHould be arriving in the next day or so. Mine is the 128 GB version.
I'm down to try your process and see if I am able to have success too.
What method did you use to unlock the bootloader?

aNewHoax said:
Hey, i5lee8bit
I was poking around and saw this. I ordered one of these from the woot sale. SHould be arriving in the next day or so. Mine is the 128 GB version.
I'm down to try your process and see if I am able to have success too.
What method did you use to unlock the bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, I would remove the SIM card before you ever turn it on, just in case. I didn't bother and it still worked, but just in case that somehow allows it to "phone home" and lock itself up.
I just did "fastboot flashing unlock" from bootloader.
Just skip through setup, connect to wifi, enable developer options, and check (hopefully) OEM unlocking toggle is not greyed out. Enable the OEM unlock toggle, reboot to bootloader. While phone is booted to bootloader, connect to PC (or another Magisk rooted Android device with adb / fastboot module installed), and use command "fastboot flashing unlock" without quotes. Should hopefully prompt you to confirm unlock bootloader / wipe data.
To reboot to bootloader, either shut off and then power on while holding volume down, or enable adb debugging and send command "adb reboot bootloader" without quotes from command line / terminal.
I saw that deal you mentioned, haha. Are you a SD user / browser? I think the deal popped up this morning or something. If it's indeed brand new and sealed, hopefully it works! Best of luck, I hope you manage to get the bl unlocked!

Thanks for the direction. Haven't done a root on a phone in a long time.
Indeed, I am a Slicker ha. Over there I am @Skullk. The name was taken here so I used an alternate. Been a long time lurker on these forums.
This was the Slickdeal https://slickdeals.net/f/14972183-google-pixel-3-128gb-not-pink-199-99-with-free-shipping-on-woot
I received the phone yesterday. Made sure no SIM installed. Battery was completely dead, that makes sense though as these are some older stock.
Hope to have some time this weekend to give it a try. I'll report back with my findings.
Cheers!

Dude! It totally worked!!
I feel like we got something here. Maybe since the phones batteries were completely dead for a while in stock? Or just starting with a fresh phone on whatever exact version these are out of stock.

Are you sure theyre not Google phones
that were jus set up with Verizon in their former lives?

aNewHoax said:
Dude! It totally worked!!
I feel like we got something here. Maybe since the phones batteries were completely dead for a while in stock? Or just starting with a fresh phone on whatever exact version these are out of stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woohoo! Back a while ago, when I was still on AT&T, I was researching Pixel 4 series and saw that bootloader was indeed unlockable once SIM is unlocked (like Apple, SIM unlock is controlled on Google's side servers, but once whitelisted, not only unlocks the SIM but also "flags" the OEM unlock toggle to be allowed as well - unfortunately not the case for Verizon Pixels). Unfortunately I had problems with AT&T and eventually bought a factory (Google store) Pixel 4 XL and switched to Xfinity Mobile. Anyway, during all that research, I also saw that some Verizon Pixel 4 / 4 XL phones (iirc) were able to be bootloader unlocked as well. There were a few theories, one of which (again, iirc) applied to older gen Pixels - this particular one being that as long as the phones were never turned on with a Verizon SIM inserted, they could be bootloader unlocked (some theories suggesting doing factory reset gymnastics and stuff). But this didn't work for everyone (actually, it didn't work for the overwhelming majority of people - a lot of people suspecting lies / hoax / misunderstanding). But now I'm starting to think this theory may hold some water, though. Perhaps when you buy phones from Verizon, they're doing something on their end that essentially processes your account info to the IMEI of the phone you bought, somewhere in the backends of their systems. That, or maybe they're doing something with the SIM cards to set up for your account and turning on the phone once before shipping to you (I have no idea, I've never been a VZW customer). Either way, the phone's IMEI gets to "phone home" to Verizon thus locking the bootloader.
But since we're buying these old stock, never touched, never processed / activated into their system, completely factory sealed Pixel 3 / 3 XL phones that are total virgins to Verizon's systems (other than being preinstalled with a VZW SIM card), maybe that's why we can unlock the bootloaders. I don't think it has anything to do with the exact firmware versions they shipped with. I believe I remember seeing people on SD having bootloader unlocked on various firmware levels. Hard to say which thread(s), because the deal popped up so many times in the last few months, but I definitely remember seeing scattered preloaded firmware versions being bootloader unlocked.
Another theory had to do with a mistake on Google's end. Some people got lucky, some people got EXTREMELY unlucky. Some phones were manufactured and branded for the wrong carrier. For example, a phone manufactured for Tracfone ended up being locked to Verizon (not sure of the specific carriers and whether vice versa but you get the idea). But some people would get a phone that should have been bootloader locked down (OEM unlock toggle disabled) but still be able to do so. Not sure if the latter is related at all to how we're able to unlock these, but I doubt it. These were very small batches that got mixed up in manufacturing. Right now, we're seeing definitely Verizon locked phones, old stock, that all seem to be able to be bootloader unlocked. I really do suspect that there is a "phone home" process when initially setting up the phone that seals the deal with ending up with a permanently unlockable bootloader.
Now, an interesting experiment (that I wouldn't wish for anyone to try to be honest, lol) would be to have someone buy one of these old stock, brand new Pixel 3 Verizon phones, and initially turn it on WITH AN ACTIVE VZW SIM CARD INSTALLED. See if that permanently locks the bootloader. If not, maybe Verizon's side only perma-locks these phones up to a certain date (like their activation server sends some sort of command to permanently lock the bootloader, but that behavior of their activation server is only active during a certain lifespan of the device)? Either way, it would be interesting if smarter people could somehow use this information to come up with an exploit to bypass the initial bootloader locking mechanism, whatever it may be, and allow bootloader locking on future Verizon Pixel variants (though you'd likely be screwed once it's perma-locked).
On an alternate note, I absolutely hate that these carriers are screwing us, the end consumers and ultimate OWNERS of the device, for no damn legit reason. Ok, I can somewhat understand that they want to prevent modifications to the device to use their network (and by understand, I mean BARELY understand). But once the phone reaches end of life, ALLOW US TO UNLOCK THE DAMN BOOTLOADERS!! Otherwise, they should automatically chop off the sale price in half to whatever is the best current price from another vendor. F|_|CK Verizon and AT&T!
rocketrazr1999 said:
Are you sure theyre not Google phones
that were jus set up with Verizon in their former lives?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
100% definitely Verizon branded. They're factory sealed, and come with a preinstalled Verizon SIM card. Also the IMEI starts with 35, and (unfortunately) the eSIM is locked and unusable. Like I posted in the OP, the box shows it's a Verizon locked variant.

Worked for me!

Hi, I too bought pixel 3 64gb from woot last week, I started the setup as well without taking the included sim card out. After completing setup, I can verify that OEM unlocking is not grayed out.
I am very noob to custom roms, but definitely interested in trying out the custom rom when the official support ends, Is there anything else I should do before popping in my Visible sim card in it, so that the bootloader stays unlock.

Thanks, long story short this worked for me too.
I ordered my pixel 3 from woot on june 7th when it clearly said "The bootloader is LOCKED on these phones." and got it today. I removed the sim card before turning it on, skipped most of the setup including WIFI, enabled developer options, and the "OEM unlocking" option was greyed out . Then I found a post about it needing to have internet access to enable that option - sure enough I connected to wifi and the option was live! I guess I should have mimicked your procedure exactly.
I then followed the instructions from here: https://android.gadgethacks.com/how-to/unlock-bootloader-your-pixel-3-3-xl-beginners-guide-0189128/
and the rest of the process completed successfully.

So, you did not do any special thing but just enabled Developer Options and the bootloader unlock was not grey? But mine was grey when I enabled Developer Options.

aNewHoax said:
Dude! It totally worked!!
I feel like we got something here. Maybe since the phones batteries were completely dead for a while in stock? Or just starting with a fresh phone on whatever exact version these are out of stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You also did nothing special, but just enabled Developer Options and found that the bootloader unlock was not greyed out?

yourrealking said:
So, you did not do any special thing but just enabled Developer Options and the bootloader unlock was not grey? But mine was grey when I enabled Developer Options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't do anything else. It was greyed out right after I enabled developer options but after I connected to WIFI for the first time and went back into that menu it was active.

yourrealking said:
You also did nothing special, but just enabled Developer Options and found that the bootloader unlock was not greyed out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a little confusing, your question. Did you read the posts from the beginning? I mean the OP **specifies** exactly what he did... so when you say 'you did nothing special'... He says exactly what he did, would u call it 'special'?
it's impossible to answer your question, he did exactly what he said he did, what more do you want to know?

AsItLies said:
It's a little confusing, your question. Did you read the posts from the beginning? I mean the OP **specifies** exactly what he did... so when you say 'you did nothing special'... He says exactly what he did, would u call it 'special'?
it's impossible to answer your question, he did exactly what he said he did, what more do you want to know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
His posts are long, so I am not sure I got it correctly or not, but it seems that all he did was just enabling developer mode and ran "fastboot flashing unlock" in the bootloader mode. But that is a regular method that Google should have disallowed to work on a bootloader-locked device, so I wondered if there were some other "special" hacking-ish thing he did.
I thought I had tried that, but it was a long time ago, so just to be sure, I did that again now, and all I got was
"FAILED (remote: 'flashing unlock is not allowed')
fastboot: error: Command failed

Thanks to the OP, think I got the last one from woot. Did exactly as this post described and sure enough, oem unlock not grayed out.
It seems, as others have said, that when vzw disables oem unlock is when they 'set the phone up' for you at the store, or maybe simply when it connects to the vzw network with their sim.
I've unlocked and fb flashed to latest A11 non - verizon firmware, relocked bootloader, and am still able to unlock if I want.
Google sure does make it a lot easier to flash new firmware using fastboot. Especially compared to LG and lgup (only on windows), and patched dll's so u can crossflash, and one dll version for this, and another for that... meh.
Google even gives you an shell script that works with Linux Awesome!

i5lee8bit said:
I mean, I'm not complaining. But I was incredibly surprised! I bought the phone BRAND NEW AND SEALED...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Registered just to thank you for this. Bought a Pixel 3 from a B+H sale for my wife (who was really looking forward to her new phone) - we're in Canada, so thought I was screwed. Took awhile to get the USB drivers set up properly, but she's now got her new phone.

Thank you! It worked for me too for two Pixel 3 phones, one from B&H (software version PD1A.180720.031) and one from Woot (software version PQ1A.181105.017.A1). Here are the steps I followed (with android platform tools including adb and fastboot already installed):
1. Removed verizon sim card (just in case) before powering on
2. Powered on and skipped through Google setup
3. Connected to my T-Mobile tethered wifi instead of Verizon Fios home wifi (just in case)
4. Enable developer options, wait for "OEM Unlocking" to become not-greyed-out (requires wifi)
5. Enable USB debugging in developer options
6. Issue `adb reboot bootloader` from PC (or shutdown and use hardware keys)
7. Issue `fastboot flashing unlock` from PC
8. execute `flash-all.sh` from the official stock pixel 3 factory image zip from here: <https://developers.google.com/android/images#blueline>
a. This gets rid of Verizon's firmware completely
9. Wait for it to complete, reboot into bootloader
10. Issue `fastboot flashing lock` (erases user data) to re-lock bootloader
11. Booted normally and setup. OEM Unlocking is still available in developer options if I want it in the future.

johannish said:
Thank you! It worked for me too for two Pixel 3 phones, one from B&H (software version PD1A.180720.031) and one from Woot (software version PQ1A.181105.017.A1). Here are the steps I followed (with android platform tools including adb and fastboot already installed):
1. Removed verizon sim card (just in case) before powering on
2. Powered on and skipped through Google setup
3. Connected to my T-Mobile tethered wifi instead of Verizon Fios home wifi (just in case)
4. Enable developer options, wait for "OEM Unlocking" to become not-greyed-out (requires wifi)
5. Enable USB debugging in developer options
6. Issue `adb reboot bootloader` from PC (or shutdown and use hardware keys)
7. Issue `fastboot flashing unlock` from PC
8. execute `flash-all.sh` from the official stock pixel 3 factory image zip from here: <https://developers.google.com/android/images#blueline>
a. This gets rid of Verizon's firmware completely
9. Wait for it to complete, reboot into bootloader
10. Issue `fastboot flashing lock` (erases user data) to re-lock bootloader
11. Booted normally and setup. OEM Unlocking is still available in developer options if I want it in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So we don't need to download the blueline images that say Verizon and can just use the latest 11.0.0 (RQ3A.210705.001, Jul 2021) image instead?
I haven't done this forever, is there still a need for TWRP if we are sticking with the stock rom, unlocking the bootloader and installing Magisk?

Question Few questions about My A326U1UEU3AUH1 (5G)

So, I purchased the A32 5g version a little over a year ago and when I came to xda to find the method to root, I found out the bad news. But read in one of the threads that if your sitting on build 1,2 or 3 to not update because there was a possible method to unlock the bootloader coming soon and taking the updates would make it harder/impossible to unlock the bootloader. So I have been sitting on the build that came with my phone when they handed it to me which is RP1A.200720.012.A326U1UEU3AUH1.
I have been ignoring the update notifications for a year in hopes of a *free* method to be released to no avail.... I think... Right?
Also The old update notifications I would get were easy to ignore and swipe away from the notification swipe down menu and I wouldn't see them again for another week or two. But now just in the past few days for some strange reason the update notifications are different and more annoying. Whenever I restart my phone and unlock it for the first time after restart I always get a whole window notification that takes up my whole screen asking me to update so I always click "later". And it's also permanently in my notification swipe down menu now, I can't swipe it away or turn the notis off. And they've also pinned a huge banner at the top of my main settings menu that says "A software update is available" with an accept button right below it.
So, a couple questions:
If I haven't taken any updates how did my carrier change all of these update notifications and pin one to the top of my settings menu that was never there before? Are they able to do that without me taking an update? It's almost like they're trying to put it everywhere on my phone in hopes that there's more of a chance of me accidentally accepting it. Also, I believe that eventually I will accidentally hit accept on one of these constant notifications and I've waited so long for a *free* method to unlock the bootloader that hasn't come yet, should I just update and get it over with? Or is there a *free* method somewhere or word of one coming?
I also have a couple off topic questions about my carrier. So I believe my build # is the Verizon version of the A32 but my actual cell company is cellcom (American cellcom) and cellcom uses Verizon's network. So why does my carrier use Verizon software and the Verizon network? Why doesn't Verizon just open up shop where I live?
All the previous phones I've gotten from cellcom have always been pretty easy to root and they've always been carrier unlocked. Not sure why but they have been. That is until I made the mistake of getting this phone without doing any research on whether or not it was rootable.
Sorry for the long, all over the place post but If anyone could answer my few questions, it'd be greatly appreciated! Because at this point I'm thinking of just pulling the trigger on the updates if there's no way to unlock the bootloader without paying for a token.

Mine is bootloader version 8 so it can't be rooted; but yours is below 6 so this thread says it can be rooted. Please check it out & let the rest of us know how it works out for you if you try those rooting methods.
How to ROOT A32 5G

Unlocked or not?

I got a Metro by T-Mobile phone unlocked on eBay and while the phone no longer rejects MVNO sims, it won't connect to any network either. It still connects when I put the Metro sim back in but it won't connect with sims from Lyca, Tello or Hello Mobile, all T-Mobile MVNOs. The phone is a TCL 30 XE 5G (T767W) and I bought two of them new and they both have the same problem. I'm new to the T-Mobile network and I don't know if I'm missing something. I've never had this kind of trouble on Verizon or AT&T. Has anyone else run into a problem like this? I appreciate any help anyone can offer.
Thanks!

Look inside here:
How to Check If Android Phone is Unlocked or Locked
Before buying a new Android Phone, it is best to check if Android Phone is Unlocked or Locked. Here are 2 ways to check the Simlock status of your Android phone.
www.unlockboot.com

xXx yYy said:
Look inside here:
How to Check If Android Phone is Unlocked or Locked
Before buying a new Android Phone, it is best to check if Android Phone is Unlocked or Locked. Here are 2 ways to check the Simlock status of your Android phone.
www.unlockboot.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to that site my phone is unlocked but it still won't connect to any network unless the original Metro sim is installed.

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
According to that site my phone is unlocked but it still won't connect to any network unless the original Metro sim is installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you need to enter service menu and change your radio settings or maybe you need to flash a different modem for your specific model number.
I know you said you bought them new but can you confirm that their IMEI is intact?

Droidriven said:
Maybe you need to enter service menu and change your radio settings or maybe you need to flash a different modem for your specific model number.
I know you said you bought them new but can you confirm that their IMEI is intact?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply! Both phones were shipped to me from Metro by T-Mobile. The phones were able to connect with an MVNO sim when I set the radio to 2G only mode but that option disappeared when the phones updated to Android 12 and now they can't connect at all. Even before the update, the phones would frequently disconnect and I had to set them back to 2G only mode to get service back so there was always something wrong. I'm pretty good with computers but I've never flashed a phone before and I've been suspecting that I would have to do that with these phones. I'll be happy to check their IMEI numbers if you could let me know what I'm looking for. I'd also like to learn more about flashing a new modem as you mentioned above that sounds like it might address the problem. And if you wouldn't mind letting me know where I could find the service menu?
Thanks in advance!!

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
Thank you for your reply! Both phones were shipped to me from Metro by T-Mobile. The phones were able to connect with an MVNO sim when I set the radio to 2G only mode but that option disappeared when the phones updated to Android 12 and now they can't connect at all. Even before the update, the phones would frequently disconnect and I had to set them back to 2G only mode to get service back so there was always something wrong. I'm pretty good with computers but I've never flashed a phone before and I've been suspecting that I would have to do that with these phones. I'll be happy to check their IMEI numbers if you could let me know what I'm looking for. I'd also like to learn more about flashing a new modem as you mentioned above that sounds like it might address the problem. And if you wouldn't mind letting me know where I could find the service menu?
Thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After they updated, have you tried booting into recovery and wiping the cache partition(not factory reset)? Sometimes, after updates, wiping cache is necessary to remove conflicts between previously existing data and the new update.
If you are getting a connection of any kind then your IMEI is fine.
Flashing a modem is sometimes necessary but it can have risks if you flash the wrong thing.
I'm not familiar with TCL devices or how they are flashed. Typically, to flash a different modem requires downloading a firmware that has the modem that you want/need then extracting the modem from the firmware then flash the extracted modem onto the device.
Methods to access service/radio menu different from device to device, I don't know how it is done on TCL devices. Most of the time it is done by using your dialer and dialing a specific code, if there is a dialer code for your device, you should be able to find it with a Google search for:
"TCL 30 XE 5G dialer menu code"
Or
"TCL 30 XE 5G service menu"

Droidriven said:
After they updated, have you tried booting into recovery and wiping the cache partition(not factory reset)? Sometimes, after updates, wiping cache is necessary to remove conflicts between previously existing data and the new update.
If you are getting a connection of any kind then your IMEI is fine.
Flashing a modem is sometimes necessary but it can have risks if you flash the wrong thing.
I'm not familiar with TCL devices or how they are flashed. Typically, to flash a different modem requires downloading a firmware that has the modem that you want/need then extracting the modem from the firmware then flash the extracted modem onto the device.
Methods to access service/radio menu different from device to device, I don't know how it is done on TCL devices. Most of the time it is done by using your dialer and dialing a specific code, if there is a dialer code for your device, you should be able to find it with a Google search for:
"TCL 30 XE 5G dialer menu code"
Or
"TCL 30 XE 5G service menu"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to find my phone's service mode or engineering mode (hope they're the same thing) and get service back by setting the phone to 2G only mode again but that doesn't solve the problem of it losing service when LTE or 5G are turned on. Are there any other settings I could try changing?

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
I was able to find my phone's service mode or engineering mode (hope they're the same thing) and get service back by setting the phone to 2G only mode again but that doesn't solve the problem of it losing service when LTE or 5G are turned on. Are there any other settings I could try changing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you use the service menu to find out which bands/frequencies and network type the current modem/radio is using?
Can you find out which bands/frequencies and network type that your carrier network is using?
Compare them to see if they are compatible.
Or, try calling customer support for your carrier, there may be something they need to do in their system from their end to get your device to connect.

Droidriven said:
Can you use the service menu to find out which bands/frequencies and network type the current modem/radio is using?
Can you find out which bands/frequencies and network type that your carrier network is using?
Compare them to see if they are compatible.
Or, try calling customer support for your carrier, there may be something they need to do in their system from their end to get your device to connect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by network type?
There are a lot of options to choose from, several of them list bands. Is there a specific menu I should look for?
The carrier I have the phone on is Tello which is a T-Mobile MVNO. I've also tried Lyca and Hello Mobile both are also Tmo MVNOs and all three had the same problem. The phones are from Metro by T-Mobile so everything should be compatible. Tello customer service has tried to help but they can't figure it out.

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
What do you mean by network type?
There are a lot of options to choose from, several of them list bands. Is there a specific menu I should look for?
The carrier I have the phone on is Tello which is a T-Mobile MVNO. I've also tried Lyca and Hello Mobile both are also Tmo MVNOs and all three had the same problem. The phones are from Metro by T-Mobile so everything should be compatible. Tello customer service has tried to help but they can't figure it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But, are the bands that are presently available on the device within the range of bands that your carrier uses? Do the network and the device use the same bands? If so, you shouldn't need to flash a different modem, if not, you may need a different modem.
Did you boot into recovery and wipe the cache partition to remove any potential conflicts caused by updating to android 12?
Are you certain that the SIM(s) you are trying to use is/are valid and active? If they have been previously deactivated, they won't work
Don't skip through my posts and only answer part of my questions. Let's cover the bases without skipping an answer to a question. Otherwise, it could lead to a wild goose chase that could have been avoided by answering everything I ask.

Droidriven said:
But, are the bands that are presently available on the device within the range of bands that your carrier uses? Do the network and the device use the same bands? If so, you shouldn't need to flash a different modem, if not, you may need a different modem.
Did you boot into recovery and wipe the cache partition to remove any potential conflicts caused by updating to android 12?
Are you certain that the SIM(s) you are trying to use is/are valid and active? If they have been previously deactivated, they won't work
Don't skip through my posts and only answer part of my questions. Let's cover the bases without skipping an answer to a question. Otherwise, it could lead to a wild goose chase that could have been avoided by answering everything I ask.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry about the confusion. I did wipe the cache and in the past I've done a full factory reset from recovery mode it didn't help. And this problem already existed before the update to Android 12. It started the moment I changed sims. The phones only ever worked right with the original Metro sim and still do. That's why I wasn't sure if they were unlocked right but they don't reject other sims either.
The sims are active and have never been deactivated and now that I can force the phones back into 2G mode again, I can make and receive calls and use 2G data.
As for the bands I'm finding in the service menu, this is where it gets weird. They're all selected, there must be over a hundred bands turned on including bands I know this phone doesn't support.
I have confirmed the phone supports all the same bands that Tello uses. Tello uses the same bands as T-Mobile.

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
Sorry about the confusion. I did wipe the cache and in the past I've done a full factory reset from recovery mode it didn't help. And this problem already existed before the update to Android 12. It started the moment I changed sims. The phones only ever worked right with the original Metro sim and still do. That's why I wasn't sure if they were unlocked right but they don't reject other sims either.
The sims are active and have never been deactivated and now that I can force the phones back into 2G mode again, I can make and receive calls and use 2G data.
As for the bands I'm finding in the service menu, this is where it gets weird. They're all selected, there must be over a hundred bands turned on including bands I know this phone doesn't support.
I have confirmed the phone supports all the same bands that Tello uses. Tello uses the same bands as T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, thanks for confirming.
It is weird, everything seems to be in place. Have you made sure your APNs(Access Point Names) are set correctly for the network?
I can't be certain that you have all of your network and radio settings set correctly because I have no idea what settings you have, what the options are or if there are any tucked away somewhere that isn't obvious.
If everything is right on your end, it may be something on their end that they need to get right.

Droidriven said:
Ok, thanks for confirming.
It is weird, everything seems to be in place. Have you made sure your APNs(Access Point Names) are set correctly for the network?
I can't be certain that you have all of your network and radio settings set correctly because I have no idea what settings you have, what the options are or if there are any tucked away somewhere that isn't obvious.
If everything is right on your end, it may be something on their end that they need to get right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the APN was the first thing I checked and Tello confirmed it too.
I can send you screenshots of the service menus if that would help.
Tello is now saying the phone might not be "fully unlocked" I don't know what that means. Is there more than one way to lock a phone? Did T-Mobile come up with another way of locking their phones? A screen in the settings menu does warn the phone is still locked and it isn't yet eligible to be unlocked but it accepts the sim and connects to 2G at least. Could Tello be on to something here?

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
Yeah, the APN was the first thing I checked and Tello confirmed it too.
I can send you screenshots of the service menus if that would help.
Tello is now saying the phone might not be "fully unlocked" I don't know what that means. Is there more than one way to lock a phone? Did T-Mobile come up with another way of locking their phones? A screen in the settings menu does warn the phone is still locked and it isn't yet eligible to be unlocked but it accepts the sim and connects to 2G at least. Could Tello be on to something here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are couple of different kinds of "unlocked"
There is SIM/carrier unlock and there is bootloader unlock. They two completely different things and have nothing to do with each other.
Have you tried going through the carrier unlock process yourself to confirm it has been done correctly?

Droidriven said:
Have you tried going through the carrier unlock process yourself to confirm it has been done correctly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how to do that.

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
I don't know how to do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally, there is a website that you go to to get an unlock code.
Google search:
"TCL 30 XE 5G (T767W) SIM unlock"

Droidriven said:
Generally, there is a website that you go to to get an unlock code.
Google search:
"TCL 30 XE 5G (T767W) SIM unlock"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding is that Metro phones can't be unlocked with a code. Instead, they're unlocked by a preinstalled carrier app when the phone becomes eligible for an unlock, which my phone isn't. In my case, I bought an unlocking service from eBay which had me hook up my phone to my PC via USB for the unlock. Is there another way to check?

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
My understanding is that Metro phones can't be unlocked with a code. Instead, they're unlocked by a preinstalled carrier app when the phone becomes eligible for an unlock, which my phone isn't. In my case, I bought an unlocking service from eBay which had me hook up my phone to my PC via USB for the unlock. Is there another way to check?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You got scammed, whether they did it on purpose or not is another question. They probably didn't rob you on purpose, it is just a matter of there never being any kind of guarantee that a 3rd party unlocking service works on every device. You took that chance when you chose to go that route.
If there is an app that is supposed to be used, why is your device not eligible to unlock via the app? You will have to use the official unlock method if/when it is eligible, hopefully the 3rd party unlock service hasn't done anything that conflicts with the official method.
I suggest that, in the future, don't make gambles or look for shortcuts when buying devices without being 100% certain that you are buying from a reputable source that guarantees their products and services. It is best to buy directly from the carrier/manufacturer or from Swappa. I wouldn't buy from eBay unless I could confirm that there was a legitimately proven unlock method for the specific model number that I'm considering purchasing before I actually purchase the device.
If you can return the device and get your money back, I suggest you do it or report it to eBay to see if they will protect your purchase since what you got is not what you agreed to purchase.

Droidriven said:
You got scammed, whether they did it on purpose or not is another question. They probably didn't rob you on purpose, it is just a matter of there never being any kind of guarantee that a 3rd party unlocking service works on every device. You took that chance when you chose to go that route.
If there is an app that is supposed to be used, why is your device not eligible to unlock via the app? You will have to use the official unlock method if/when it is eligible, hopefully the 3rd party unlock service hasn't done anything that conflicts with the official method.
I suggest that, in the future, don't make gambles or look for shortcuts when buying devices without being 100% certain that you are buying from a reputable source that guarantees their products and services. It is best to buy directly from the carrier/manufacturer or from Swappa. I wouldn't buy from eBay unless I could confirm that there was a legitimately proven unlock method for the specific model number that I'm considering purchasing before I actually purchase the device.
If you can return the device and get your money back, I suggest you do it or report it to eBay to see if they will protect your purchase since what you got is not what you agreed to purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the phones new from Metro not eBay. The only thing I got from eBay was the unlocking service which cost me $8. And I didn't pay anything for the phones either as they were free with the purchase of one month of Metro service. So there's really no point in returning the phones and I'm not gonna bother opening a case with eBay over $8.
Metro won't unlock the phones until I've paid for six months of their service.
A quick search on eBay comes up with multiple sellers offering unlocks for my specific phone model locked to Metro. I've been thinking about just trying to get the phones unlocked again by another seller but everything and everyone seems to be telling me the phones are already unlocked so I don't know what I should try next. Is there a way to check if the phones are really unlocked?

WhatsWrongWithThisPhone said:
I got the phones new from Metro not eBay. The only thing I got from eBay was the unlocking service which cost me $8. And I didn't pay anything for the phones either as they were free with the purchase of one month of Metro service. So there's really no point in returning the phones and I'm not gonna bother opening a case with eBay over $8.
Metro won't unlock the phones until I've paid for six months of their service.
A quick search on eBay comes up with multiple sellers offering unlocks for my specific phone model locked to Metro. I've been thinking about just trying to get the phones unlocked again by another seller but everything and everyone seems to be telling me the phones are already unlocked so I don't know what I should try next. Is there a way to check if the phones are really unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've already used methods to check if it is unlocked. Obviously, the service you paid for didn't work, you can't get your money back for that, those services don't come with any guarantee. As I said, you can take another chance and try another 3rd party service that also is not guaranteed or you can wait and do it the official way. I'm betting the unlock service is a waste of time and money and you'll have to wait and do it the right way. That is the cost of blindly taking a shortcut.

Question SOLVED - Verizon Hotspot not working?

Hey folks,
So I'm in hour 5 with Verizon Support trying to solve this:
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I've been with Verizon forever and I've never had this problem before. Hotspot has worked fine for like at least the last 10 years when I have brought my own device. Now they're saying because its a non-Verizon device they can't guarantee all features will work. That makes logical sense, but I"m not using some off brand Chinese knock-off here.
Anybody else has this problem? Did you find a solution?
I have reset APN's to default, I have reset network connections, the Verizon person removed and added the feature to my line. So far nothing has worked.
The same thing is also happening to my wife's P7P as well.

Works fine here. I have a non-VZW P7P. Maybe try making your hotspot name something simple and without special characters....just a guess, but cant hurt to try

I'm Verizon, unlocked 7 Pro. Have you tried having them set you up with e-sim? It'll be a clean provision and maybe that will help. My hotspot works fine as well.

For what it's worth, I have an unlocked rooted P7P and am able to get my hotspot working...
I would think that it's simply on the Verizon server/system side. If you use Android Messages, does the chat/RCS enable/turn on as well? I can't think of other carrier/Verizon enabled "features" but I'm sure there's more, but you should try them also. I would try to narrow down if it's specifically and only hotspot or your total connection to them.
*Also, if it makes a difference or not, I am not on an unlimited plan, but a tiered allotted with carryover data plan...

A sincere thank you to each of you for replying, I'm hoping someone will have a nugget of information that will lead to a solution.
cmh714 said:
Works fine here. I have a non-VZW P7P. Maybe try making your hotspot name something simple and without special characters....just a guess, but cant hurt to try
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but default simple name didn't work, and single word with no special chars didn't work. I also tried each of the different security options and none of those worked. I appreciate the reply, this gives me hope.
aer0zer0 said:
I'm Verizon, unlocked 7 Pro. Have you tried having them set you up with e-sim? It'll be a clean provision and maybe that will help. My hotspot works fine as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't. I'm using the same sim that was in my OnePlus 9 Pro a few months ago and worked fine in it. Maybe something to try though if it comes down to it. Curious if the other posters are on e-sim?
Another user with a working hotspot with the same device, this gives me more hope. I worked with like 7 different Verizon people and more than one claimed to remove the feature and put it back.
simplepinoi177 said:
For what it's worth, I have an unlocked rooted P7P and am able to get my hotspot working...
I would think that it's simply on the Verizon server/system side. If you use Android Messages, does the chat/RCS enable/turn on as well? I can't think of other carrier/Verizon enabled "features" but I'm sure there's more, but you should try them also. I would try to narrow down if it's specifically and only hotspot or your total connection to them.
*Also, if it makes a difference or not, I am not on an unlimited plan, but a tiered allotted with carryover data plan...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sure feels that way since the exact same thing is happening to my wife's P7P, with the same sim that worked on her Pixel 4 XL. Everything on the phone seems to work fine, RCS is good. It connects to 5G.
I appreciate the mention of your plan, because I wondered if that could be a contributor, I am also on an old tiered plan with rollover.
I tried contacting Google Support after the Verizon folks threw in the towel, but they were disappointingly useless, and after like 5 minutes asked if I wanted a warranty replacement.
Each of you gives me some hope that I can get this working, but on the other hand it diminishes my hope that a monthly update will fix it, if its solely my problem, and everybody else is working OK.
Anybody else got any ideas?
Vzw support reached back out to me and wants to try again tonight after work, so we'll see how that goes.

I have an unlocked phone (from google), rooted, on Verizon's network, and it works fine. Are you saying you have a phone that is not Verizon branded, on Verizon's network, and hotspot doesn't work? Are you rooted?

I would request a new physical sim as well. Everything worked with my old VZW sim, but the VZW system said I wasnt "registered". I requested a new sim, and that did register properly to the VZW system. In both cases, the Hotspot was working properly. GL!!!!

I would try a new SIMs for both of you. I was able to get away with using my 4G SIM from my Pixel 2 XL onto my Pixel 5 and was able to get 5G fine (hotspot worked in all cases as well). I was able to get it working pretty perfectly when transferring it to me and my wife's P7P -- 5G, hotspot, RCS everything worked just fine -- but only upgraded my SIM because I would have this alert/notification in my My Verizon app & My Account (web portal) alerting the necessity of "registering" my new device and when I would, it complained that it wasn't properly registering into the system and would require a new SIM. Point is; even if everything seemingly works with older SIMs, you never know why/if things might guck up for whatever random reason because of it.
Also, I don't know if you have an unlocked bootloader and are familiar with flashing Full Factory images onto your phone, but if you are (or if you are not, you can consider using the official Android Flash Tool or PixelFlasher), I might consider (even if it might be downgrading) flashing the Full Factory image that was specifically for Verizon. As I understand it, that firmware update has specific modifications to the radio that is tailored & beneficial to the Verizon stations/signal/servers. Just a thought that maybe it might "reset" or set right your & your wife's P7P radio properly to Verizon's including ability to hotspot and/or properly registering your phones to the system...
Good luck!

ffuser1 said:
I have an unlocked phone (from google), rooted, on Verizon's network, and it works fine. Are you saying you have a phone that is not Verizon branded, on Verizon's network, and hotspot doesn't work? Are you rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, that is exactly it, hotspot does not work when on cellular coverage. I am not rooted on this device.
cmh714 said:
I would request a new physical sim as well. Everything worked with my old VZW sim, but the VZW system said I wasnt "registered". I requested a new sim, and that did register properly to the VZW system. In both cases, the Hotspot was working properly. GL!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you know, there was some weird "registration" communications when I first inserted the sim in this phone about 5G, but there has never been any coverage or connection issues, so I figured whatever it was was resolved. I will request a new sim from them and see what happens.
simplepinoi177 said:
I would try a new SIMs for both of you. I was able to get away with using my 4G SIM from my Pixel 2 XL onto my Pixel 5 and was able to get 5G fine (hotspot worked in all cases as well). I was able to get it working pretty perfectly when transferring it to me and my wife's P7P -- 5G, hotspot, RCS everything worked just fine -- but only upgraded my SIM because I would have this alert/notification in my My Verizon app & My Account (web portal) alerting the necessity of "registering" my new device and when I would, it complained that it wasn't properly registering into the system and would require a new SIM. Point is; even if everything seemingly works with older SIMs, you never know why/if things might guck up for whatever random reason because of it.
Also, I don't know if you have an unlocked bootloader and are familiar with flashing Full Factory images onto your phone, but if you are (or if you are not, you can consider using the official Android Flash Tool or PixelFlasher), I might consider (even if it might be downgrading) flashing the Full Factory image that was specifically for Verizon. As I understand it, that firmware update has specific modifications to the radio that is tailored & beneficial to the Verizon stations/signal/servers. Just a thought that maybe it might "reset" or set right your & your wife's P7P radio properly to Verizon's including ability to hotspot and/or properly registering your phones to the system...
Good luck!
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as mentioned to the quote above, I now remember that I did experience some weird 5G 'registration' issues when I first got the P7P (my wife did not, but her phone exhibits the same issue). I'm going to request a new sim and see what happens.
I am not rooted or rom'ed on this phone, but I was a flasher back in the day, and am comfortable doing some tinkering. I thought about doing the old dun provision check (if that's even still a thing) but have been pursuing conventional support methods so far.

three west said:
I thought about doing the old dun provision check (if that's even still a thing) but have been pursuing conventional support methods so far.
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This comment triggered a thought...have you tested your hotspot under LTE, 3G, and 2G/1x signals? I would change these under the radio special menu versus the toggles that's in the normal network settings....I'm curious if it would work on any of these lower signals and/or register it properly if attempted under different signals other than 5G or LTE...

simplepinoi177 said:
This comment triggered a thought...have you tested your hotspot under LTE, 3G, and 2G/1x signals? I would change these under the radio special menu versus the toggles that's in the normal network settings....I'm curious if it would work on any of these lower signals and/or register it properly if attempted under different signals other than 5G or LTE...
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well. define 'radio special menu' for me, I DID test with "preferred network type" set to LTE & 3G and that did not help.
EDIT: oh, you mean the *#*# #*#* type menu?

three west said:
well. define 'radio special menu' for me, I DID test with "preferred network type" set to LTE & 3G and that did not help.
EDIT: oh, you mean the *#*# #*#* type menu?
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yes, although I have not been able to get the *#*#*#* method to work since the Pixel 2, but there are other ways to get to the advanced "Phone Info" "Set Preferred Network Type" option (although the *#*#* method may have changed/been updated and I just haven't tried it since...)

I was having this same exact issue just the other week. Unlocked P7P on Verizon and never had this issue on my previous P6P. I tried a number of things like resetting network settings, forcing 4G and seeing if it would work but I would still get the authentication failed message. I read on other forums and most of the solutions ended up contacting verizon and they would have to fix it on their end. I normally try to avoid contacting support but I ended up opening a chat with a verizon rep and they had me do the typical troubleshooting steps that I already did but nothing worked. After going back and fourth the rep asked me to restart my phone as he did something on his end but he didn't say what he did. After I restarted my phone it actually worked and my hotspot was working again. I used it a few days later and hotspot was still working but I haven't used it since and now while I type this I tried enabling my hotspot and I'm getting the same error again. I'm gonna end up contacting verizon again to see what's going on but I have no idea why specifically the P7P has this issue. I as well have been using unlocked phones since the P2XL and never had this issue. Hoping to get a permanent fix for this.

simplepinoi177 said:
yes, although I have not been able to get the *#*#*#* method to work since the Pixel 2, but there are other ways to get to the advanced "Phone Info" "Set Preferred Network Type" option (although the *#*#* method may have changed/been updated and I just haven't tried it since...)
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*#*#4636#*#* gets you into the test menu...

ok guys, issue is solved!
I took off work this afternoon and drove into town to attempt to acquire a new sim. I was told the wait would be 45-60 minutes, so I bailed and came back home. I then started up with Verizon support on chat after work. I was planning to ask for a sim to be mailed to me, but they offered to switch to e-sim, so I switched over to e-sim tonight and the issue seems to be resolved.
one of the multitude of techs tonight did tell me that she was having trouble ordering a new sim because there was some sort of conflict.