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I'm sorry if this questions have been asked before. I read through many pages on the Q&A section of this phone and didn't come with clear answers to my questions.
This is the first time I will attempt to unlock, root and flash a ROM on an Android phone.
First of all, I've read and I still don't know if I can flash a custom ROM, or one of those Brazil/Orange JB images available and be able to have the phone unlocked to use with different carriers. Jelly Bean hasn't been released to this phone here in Mexico yet.
1.- I don't mind unlocking the bootloader with Motorola solution. Is this the best way to unlock it?
2.- Flashing a custom ROM or a stock one makes the phone unlocked so I can use it with different carriers?. If the answer is yes, what ROM do you recommend. Are those Brazil/Orange images good for any user or its better to stick with third-party ROMs?
3.- If the answer to number 2 is NO, what should I do in order to unlock the phone? I need to be able to use in Mexico (the phone if from Telcel) and also use it on the United States (with AT&T). I've read about modem files that had to do with carriers but I'm not sure if I need special files to unlock this phone? If this is needed, where do I start or where do I find this files?
4.- If there is something else I need to know (and I didn't asked here) about unlocking the phone and flashing a stock or third-party ROM and have it unlocked to work with other carriers, please let me know by replying.
What are you guys using to backup the factory image? I haven't fiddled with Android for a while after flashing a Kindle Fire many times. I got a Nexus 7 and I haven't needed to root, unlock or try third party ROMs. The last time I used TWRP to backup the image of the Kindle Fire I think.
Thanks in advance
ajua said:
I'm sorry if this questions have been asked before. I read through many pages on the Q&A section of this phone and didn't come with clear answers to my questions.
This is the first time I will attempt to unlock, root and flash a ROM on an Android phone.
First of all, I've read and I still don't know if I can flash a custom ROM, or one of those Brazil/Orange JB images available and be able to have the phone unlocked to use with different carriers. Jelly Bean hasn't been released to this phone here in Mexico yet.
1.- I don't mind unlocking the bootloader with Motorola solution. Is this the best way to unlock it?
2.- Flashing a custom ROM or a stock one makes the phone unlocked so I can use it with different carriers?. If the answer is yes, what ROM do you recommend. Are those Brazil/Orange images good for any user or its better to stick with third-party ROMs?
3.- If the answer to number 2 is NO, what should I do in order to unlock the phone? I need to be able to use in Mexico (the phone if from Telcel) and also use it on the United States (with AT&T). I've read about modem files that had to do with carriers but I'm not sure if I need special files to unlock this phone? If this is needed, where do I start or where do I find this files?
4.- If there is something else I need to know (and I didn't asked here) about unlocking the phone and flashing a stock or third-party ROM and have it unlocked to work with other carriers, please let me know by replying.
What are you guys using to backup the factory image? I haven't fiddled with Android for a while after flashing a Kindle Fire many times. I got a Nexus 7 and I haven't needed to root, unlock or try third party ROMs. The last time I used TWRP to backup the image of the Kindle Fire I think.
Thanks in advance
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Click to collapse
Unlocking BL doesn't change the unlocked status of the phone for carriers. If you want to unlock it to use with different carriers you'll have to pay the unlock fee to whoever you choose to unlock with.
1. Answered above.
2. Custom ROMs or ROMs from different carriers won't unlock the carrier.
3. I believe there is some sort of file modification to have it unlocked. Not sure what you have to do but if I remember correctly its risky and affects IMEI.
Sent from my RAZR HD XT925
saloums7 said:
Unlocking BL doesn't change the unlocked status of the phone for carriers. If you want to unlock it to use with different carriers you'll have to pay the unlock fee to whoever you choose to unlock with.
1. Answered above.
2. Custom ROMs or ROMs from different carriers won't unlock the carrier.
3. I believe there is some sort of file modification to have it unlocked. Not sure what you have to do but if I remember correctly its risky and affects IMEI.
Sent from my RAZR HD XT925
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I know the bootloader won't change the locked status. As this is the first time flashing a phone, not a tablet, I thought that using a custom ROM or one from different carrier would work for this.
I've tried other SIMs on the phone (it's my sister's, not mine) but the phone didn't asks for a code when a SIM from a different carrier is inserted. I haven't bought any code because of this.
Anyone has a suggestion on what to do to have the phone unlocked to use with different carriers?
I have a Verizon tablet. I would like to flash a version of the firmware did not come from Verizon, the same firmware that I'd have gotten if I didn't buy it from them and is not tied to any carrier at all. Is this possible without doing anything weird that you'd have to do with a custom ROM like unlock the bootloader? Or can this be accomplished with no complications whatsoever by flashing through Odin?
counciler said:
I have a Verizon tablet. I would like to flash a version of the firmware did not come from Verizon, the same firmware that I'd have gotten if I didn't buy it from them and is not tied to any carrier at all. Is this possible without doing anything weird that you'd have to do with a custom ROM like unlock the bootloader? Or can this be accomplished with no complications whatsoever by flashing through Odin?
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Click to collapse
Firmwares are model number specific plus, Verizon has locked bootloader on every one of their Samsung devices younger than 2 years old and some of the older ones that have been updated to Lollipop or newer have locked bootloader, some are locked as far back as KitKat. If the device you have has a locked bootloader then it's not gonna allow you to flash anything that isn't Verizon firmware.
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
Got it, thank you.
Hello All,
Ok so first off you guys at XDA are the ****! I swear I can find anything I need to know on this site with a little research, much respect. So as the title suggests I wanted to know if it's possible to flash a SM-G970U (US) with SM-G970F (UK) firmware? I am basically looking for a slightly less complicated way of enabling "OEM Unlock" to Unlock the bootloader. And yes I realize that more than likely I will not be able to use any US sim cards with that firmware but if it is possible and I could unlock the bootloader I could basically load anything I wanted onto it right?
......actually seems like the SM-G9700 would be a better candidate for the firmware to load on the SM-G970U.
.....be gentle, I'm a N00B...kind of =\
Hello All,
xlivexevilx said:
Ok so first off you guys at XDA are the ****! I swear I can find anything I need to know on this site with a little research, much respect. So as the title suggests I wanted to know if it's possible to flash a SM-G970U (US) with SM-G970F (UK) firmware? I am basically looking for a slightly less complicated way of enabling "OEM Unlock" to Unlock the bootloader. And yes I realize that more than likely I will not be able to use any US sim cards with that firmware but if it is possible and I could unlock the bootloader I could basically load anything I wanted onto it right?
......actually seems like the SM-G9700 would be a better candidate for the firmware to load on the SM-G970U.
.....be gentle, I'm a N00B...kind of =\
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Click to collapse
Actually i want to know as well because i read somewhere where someone said its possible because they are all the same models........did it work for you?
yea no...don't do that it won't work
Lol i already tried it flashed succesfully according to odin but when the device rebooted it came with the same firmware before and nothing changed Lmao
how did it flashed ,please specify
I was told this is not possible. Unless you can find original overstock (i.e. that has NOT been updated) in which case you can pay to unlock the bootloader.
Otherwise, I believe any bootloader beyond v1 cannot be bootloader unlocked. Only hope is Sammie does us a solid when this goes EOL and unlocks the bootloader. Question is whether VZW and AT&T will prevent them from doing that.
My S10e is still going great, and if I could root and flash a custom rom I'd probably replace the battery and roll with it another 3-4 years because I have no interest in the larger phones that dominate the Android market now.
Hello.
I have searched the forums and they say there is no way to unlock the carrier for my model; I'm no expert, but what if I flash the ROM? Is it possible to unlock the carrier like that? So I went to the LG website and they have stock firmware files for flashing, the problem is that there is no exact copy of my model, so I was wondering if it is possible to use other ROMs for flashing my phone, like the only difference is the company carriers, there's LM-Q720MS, Q720MS, Q720TS, Q720VSP, I don't live in the USA so I don't know much about phone carriers; Since I have limited bandwidth I can't download all of them and experiment, does anyone knows if any of those ROM files are able to unlock my phone?
The answer is no this process will bricked your cellphone.
Osmodivs said:
Hello.
I have searched the forums and they say there is no way to unlock the carrier for my model; I'm no expert, but what if I flash the ROM? Is it possible to unlock the carrier like that? So I went to the LG website and they have stock firmware files for flashing, the problem is that there is no exact copy of my model, so I was wondering if it is possible to use other ROMs for flashing my phone, like the only difference is the company carriers, there's LM-Q720MS, Q720MS, Q720TS, Q720VSP, I don't live in the USA so I don't know much about phone carriers; Since I have limited bandwidth I can't download all of them and experiment, does anyone knows if any of those ROM files are able to unlock my phone?
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Click to collapse
no, I don't know your answer, I'm on metro PCS, and was able to just request the unlock through the carrier app on my phone, and they did it right away
Attached are pictures of the error messages I'm getting. I've tried everything I come across on these forums, and nothing seems to fix the issue. Does anyone know how to get around this?
eddieofny said:
Attached are pictures of the error messages I'm getting. I've tried everything I come across on these forums, and nothing seems to fix the issue. Does anyone know how to get around this?
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There should be a PIT file packaged into the AP.tar. You need to extract this and use it in the PIT tab in Odin.
See this guide
V0latyle said:
There should be a PIT file packaged into the AP.tar. You need to extract this and use it in the PIT tab in Odin.
See this guide
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That's exactly what I did that caused it to throw these error messages
eddieofny said:
That's exactly what I did that caused it to throw these error messages
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Are you using the correct firmware?
V0latyle said:
Are you using the correct firmware?
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I guess I should have specified this in the original post. I'm trying to convert it from T-Mobile firmware to carrier unlocked firmware, which is exactly why I was trying to repartition the devices. Right now, it has TMB firmware on it, I'm trying to put XAA firmware on. I'm using the latest version of Patched Odin to try and accomplish that, and to the best of my knowledge, none of the files are corrupt.
eddieofny said:
I guess I should have specified this in the original post. I'm trying to convert it from T-Mobile firmware to carrier unlocked firmware, which is exactly why I was trying to repartition the devices. Right now, it has TMB firmware on it, I'm trying to put XAA firmware on. I'm using the latest version of Patched Odin to try and accomplish that, and to the best of my knowledge, none of the files are corrupt.
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Click to collapse
Ah. Are you following a specific guide that tells you to do this? Carrier unlocking is generally done by the carrier in question. If you're the original owner of the device, contact TMobile and ask them to unlock your phone for use on another network. Your account must be paid off and in good standing to do this.
You can't unlock a phone simply by flashing new firmware, at least not to my knowledge.
A brief search through your post history shows that you already asked the relevant question, so it would appear that you're attempting to do something no one recommended without the knowledge that it will work.
It's better to ask questions before you try to do something you don't really know anything about, because the knowledge and expertise held by many here on XDA can save you a lot of pain. Trying to do things your own way can result in your device becoming no more useful than the average pebble.
As I said above, you cannot carrier unlock a device by flashing different firmware. It is hardware locked to the TMobile network, and to unlock it, the original owner and account holder must contact TMobile for the unlock code.
There are professional methods that can perform an unlock but this is not in the realm of the average user, and those tools are not available here.
V0latyle said:
Ah. Are you following a specific guide that tells you to do this? Carrier unlocking is generally done by the carrier in question. If you're the original owner of the device, contact TMobile and ask them to unlock your phone for use on another network. Your account must be paid off and in good standing to do this.
You can't unlock a phone simply by flashing new firmware, at least not to my knowledge.
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Click to collapse
It's not to carrier unlock it, the phone is already carrier unlocked. But the TMO firmware does not allow for OEM unlocking and comes with a ton of bloatware as well. From all the research I've done, flashing unlocked firmware solves both of those problems
eddieofny said:
It's not to carrier unlock it, the phone is already carrier unlocked. But the TMO firmware does not allow for OEM unlocking and comes with a ton of bloatware as well. From all the research I've done, flashing unlocked firmware solves both of those problems
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What research where?
Is this a Snapdragon device?
You shouldn't need to repartition your device to flash a different CSC. However, flashing firmware with a different CSC won't enable OEM unlocking.
V0latyle said:
What research where?
Is this a Snapdragon device?
You shouldn't need to repartition your device to flash a different CSC. However, flashing firmware with a different CSC won't enable OEM unlocking.
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No, it's a MediaTek device. Honestly, I've read so much stuff, I wouldn't be able to remember where. I've read alot from here, as well as Stack Overflow and pretty much anywhere on the internet that looked like it had answers. I came away with the impression that carriers could choose to remove OEM Unlocking from their firmware, but that non-carrier firmware as a general rule of thumb would have that option available. As it stands, I don't have OEM Unlocking in my Developer Options at all
eddieofny said:
No, it's a MediaTek device. Honestly, I've read so much stuff, I wouldn't be able to remember where. I've read alot from here, as well as Stack Overflow and pretty much anywhere on the internet that looked like it had answers. I came away with the impression that carriers could choose to remove OEM Unlocking from their firmware, but that non-carrier firmware as a general rule of thumb would have that option available. As it stands, I don't have OEM Unlocking in my Developer Options at all
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Well...Yes and no.
There are a couple of properties that determine whether OEM Unlocking is visible: ro.oem_unlock_supported which is set at build time, and sys.oem_unlock_allowed
The first one is generally set at build time. The second one can be dynamic, like if the OEM/carrier wants the device to normally be unlockable, but wants E.T. to phone home to determine whether it should be allowed.
It's hard to say what the circumstance is here. But, in most cases, simply flashing different firmware will not permit unlocking the bootloader; in fact, a locked bootloader will generally prevent flashing anything but the firmware intended for that specific device.