Hi guys,
I have Xperia Arc which was locked to 3 UK. I flashed generic firmware from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1115542 , rooted it and updated to 2.3.3 The phone is rooted and unbranded now, but it is still locked to the network. If I put another sim card it asks for Sim network unlock PIN. How can I unlock it?
Thanks
Im on 3 and UK there is no way to unlock it except from a code mate. I pm'ed u
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There must be a way around this, it is software issue, I thought the lock was in firmware, but if not, where can it be? is it in bootloader? Or I flashed wrong firmware?
aristarh said:
There must be a way around this
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Click to collapse
Only way is to pay.
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XperienceD said:
Only way is to pay.
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Click to collapse
Now I'm really intrigued, why is it not possible? Can anyone explain this?
If XDA wizards have access to firmware source, why they can't remove this lock from there?
Or I know for sure that unlocked smartphones exist, why not to take firmware from them?
This is not a hardware feature (or is it?), so it should be possible to overcome this, am I wrong?
SIM/network locking has nothing to do with firmware/software, hence you can flash any firmware onto any phone and maintain your (un)lock.
It's a lower-level software lock on the radio which is loaded before any firmware.
Think BIOS password on a PC. It locks the PC regardless of what operating system you have on it and is loaded before any OS.
Carrier-branded phones also cannot be bootloader unlocked at the moment, but there aren't any custom ROMs yet so it's not a big issue.
@BluechipJ
Thanks for reply,
Do you mean this is done in the bootloader? I know it is possible to unlock bootloader.
And what do you mean by carrier-branded phones? this phone doesn't have any logos on it. There was carrier splashscreen and a couple of apps but they are gone now after I flashed generic firmware. Is my phone still branded or not?
It is not branded but sim-locked now.
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aristarh said:
@BluechipJ
Thanks for reply,
Do you mean this is done in the bootloader? I know it is possible to unlock bootloader.
And what do you mean by carrier-branded phones? this phone doesn't have any logos on it. There was carrier splashscreen and a couple of apps but they are gone now after I flashed generic firmware. Is my phone still branded or not?
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Click to collapse
No, the radio/network/SIM lock is separate and independent from the bootloader and any firmware.
Carrier-branded means the phone had carrier apps/logo/is sold directly by the carrier. My Rogers arc does not have any physical logos either. It had Rogers applications and splash but like yours, are now gone since I flashed a generic firmware. However, it is still a carrier-branded phone. It was sold directly by a carrier. The bootloader is therefore, locked and cannot be unlocked (yet).
You can go to the Sony Ericsson site (http://unlockbootloader.sonyericsson.com/) and get your unlock key, but there is no way to get into Fastboot mode to enter it (on carrier-issued phones).
Thanks for the explanation.
SIM/network locking has nothing to do with firmware/software, hence you can flash any firmware onto any phone and maintain your (un)lock.
It's a lower-level software lock on the radio which is loaded before any firmware.
Think BIOS password on a PC. It locks the PC regardless of what operating system you have on it and is loaded before any OS.
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Click to collapse
I just thought the other brand(s) of android phones is not as secure as this, that we need to pay for an unlock code. Others can just be sim-unlocked by software!
You can unlock the Phone using the Unlock code,You can get the Unlock code from the site www.theunlockspot.com and unlock it..Then you can use in any Country GSM Carriers.
No! It is possible to unlock the phone with proper simlock.ta cuz I have locked it by flashing it. God damn it!
So it is possible to vice versa.
cool_recep said:
No! It is possible to unlock the phone with proper simlock.ta cuz I have locked it by flashing it. God damn it!
So it is possible to vice versa.
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Click to collapse
So, Did you have success???
Related
I've been trying to unlock my Rogers Arc's bootloader for a while now and it doesn't seem to be working. I've flashed WWE firmware that wasn't Rogers branded and I still can't get into fastboot mode. Is there any other way of unlocking the Rogers Arc's bootloader?
By definition, Rogers branded phones can't have unlocked bootloaders (as I posted in the other thread, blagus is trying to work around this)
Just want to add that SIM-unlocking your phone won't make a difference either. I thought doing so along with un-branding it would allow me to unlock the bootloader, but I was wrong.
DemonicHawk said:
Just want to add that SIM-unlocking your phone won't make a difference either. I thought doing so along with un-branding it would allow me to unlock the bootloader, but I was wrong.
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Wish it were true, but it's also bad logic.
SIM/network unlocking is independent of any software/firmware/bootloader.
The bootloader is loaded before any firmware/ROM (i.e. generic/debranded) meaning that altering anything on top of it wouldn't have an affect.
Right now, there's almost no reason to unlock the bootloader anyways. There are no custom ROMs available yet so the only reason would be to root 2.3.3 which can't be rooted with Gingerbreak.
Maybe this can help you? I haven't tried yet, but will do soon.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1115989
Help me please. i have some questions on terms i am having a hard time to understand.
What does OTA means?
What does a bloatware means? Someone said that if i rooted my phone i can still update my phone as long as the bloatware is backed up?
I have a kernel version of 2.6.32.9-perf,and a build version of 3.0.1.A.0.145, are these version can be rooted or bootloader unlocked or do i still need to change or upgrade it to a newer one? how do i do it?
And what is a omnius and what is a TA backup?
I badly need somebody's help. To help me clear my mind on what to do on my phone. I promise to press the thanks button a single time on my computer and a million times to my heart.
vdciii said:
Help me please. i have some questions on terms i am having a hard time to understand.
What does OTA means?
What does a bloatware means? Someone said that if i rooted my phone i can still update my phone as long as the bloatware is backed up?
I have a kernel version of 2.6.32.9-perf,and a build version of 3.0.1.A.0.145, are these version can be rooted or bootloader unlocked or do i still need to change or upgrade it to a newer one? how do i do it?
And what is a omnius and what is a TA backup?
I badly need somebody's help. To help me clear my mind on what to do on my phone. I promise to press the thanks button a single time on my computer and a million times to my heart.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ota means "Over the Air" It's basically when an update gets pushed directly to your phone over WIFI.
bloatware is when SE and networks add there own apps ontop of the default android apps.
TA stands for trim area. It holds unique information dedicated to your device.
omnius is a software by the omnius team, it allows you to back up things like your TA and GDFS it also can unlock sony phones
AndroHero said:
Ota means "Over the Air" It's basically when an update gets pushed directly to your phone over WIFI.
bloatware is when SE and networks add there own apps ontop of the default android apps.
TA stands for trim area. It holds unique information dedicated to your device.
omnius is a software by the omnius team, it allows you to back up things like your TA and GDFS it also can unlock sony phones
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Click to collapse
thanks a lot man..
what about those versions i have? are those possible for rooting and unlocking bootloader?
Do you have a sim free or sim locked phone ?
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i have a phone that has a sim with it. i don't know what it means if it is sim free or sim locked. whew
vdciii said:
i have a phone that has a sim with it. i don't know what it means if it is sim free or sim locked. whew
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Sim free is when you can use any sim with your phone, sim locked is when you can use only one network. Ok try this turn off your phone, plug the usb cable into your PC, hold the search button on your phone and plug the cable in your phone, if the led on the power button goes blue you can easly unlock bootloader.
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AndroHero said:
Sim free is when you can use any sim with your phone, sim locked is when you can use only one network. Ok try this turn off your phone, plug the usb cable into your PC, hold the search button on your phone and plug the cable in your phone, if the led on the power button goes blue you can easly unlock bootloader.
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yes sir, it is blue. and it is sim free. what does that mean? what do i have to do? if i unlock bootloader on my phone and root it, i can still OTA update right?
vdciii said:
yes sir, it is blue. and it is sim free. what does that mean? what do i have to do? if i unlock bootloader on my phone and root it, i can still OTA update right?
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Click to collapse
No, if you use the official bootloader unlock method, you will not be able to ota update. Using ota will brick your phone. There is paid method of bootloader unlock though, with that method you keep DRM certs and ability to ota
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AndroHero said:
No, if you use the official bootloader unlock method, you will not be able to ota update. Using ota will brick your phone. There is paid method of bootloader unlock though, with that method you keep DRM certs and ability to ota
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is that paid unlocking from sony ericsson itself? how? i think im interested?
vdciii said:
is that paid unlocking from sony ericsson itself? how? i think im interested?
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Click to collapse
No it's from users on here, they use a tool called setool. You have to connect the test point behind battery and setool can unlock bootloader, unlike the official method it's kind of an engineering unlock, what the sony repair centre would do if you bricked your phone, then they can relock and send it back with no issues
i used jinx13 http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=4002805 to unlock mine. it was only £15 an took 5 mins, you should pm him
Stupid question time. If my phone is vanilla Arc S unlocked to all networks (unbranded) is that the same as not having a locked bootloader or is that something entirely different? Excuse me if I seem thick over this point.
deadman3000 said:
Stupid question time. If my phone is vanilla Arc S unlocked to all networks (unbranded) is that the same as not having a locked bootloader or is that something entirely different? Excuse me if I seem thick over this point.
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The same
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So in order to flash some ROM's I have to lock the already unlocked bootloder? Bit confusing when some say I have to lock the bootloader you see.
Maybe I should rephrase the question. Is a bootloader lock the same as a sim lock? In some instances they say in order to do OTA you need to re-lock the bootloader. Since mine never had a 'sim' lock does this even matter?
Well this is confusing.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1488346&highlight=simlock
Especially the last couples of replies.
Sim lock and bootloader lock are different thing. If ur sim is unlocked,the phone still have a possibility to be locked.
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Its simple really if you have a phone with an unlocked sim it should have an unlock able bootloader, in that case the reason you want to unlock your boot loader is so you can flash a custom kernel. If you have a locked boot loader you can't do that.
A lot of custom roms require a custom kernel to work. If you are new to loading custom roms go look at one of the many guides before you proceed. Because there aren't shortcuts to get it Working.
Unlocking your bootloader may void your warranty.
Sent from my Xperia Arc using XDA
i heard that it isn't possible to unlock the bootloader after the date 12w11.. mine is built in 12w36 so no way to unlock the bootloader.
if i use this video (unlocking via testpoint) it works? Because in description is standing if there is standing bootloader unlock allowed: no you have to root it at first!?
mine is rooted and there is still standing no so can i unlock my phone with testpoint!?
A friend has the xperia arc (lt15i) and a guy from Handybörse (so it's called in germany) unlocked his bootloader but at phone were standing 12w24 !?
i dont know how he unlocked it but it works and before there were standing no and now there is standing yes??
So i can unlock my lt18i with this video (sorry its in german but i think everybody know what this programm is and what it means)??
Thank you guys
Hope for fast answers!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anztorUlj2Y
Phone after 12W11 can be unlocked via official method only, cannot be unlocked via testpoint.
僕のLT18iから送られてきた
ok, but mine is 12w36 and i cannot unlock by official method..
so if i cancle the sim/netlock it is able to unlock it?
because i have bought my smartphone by 3 (provider in austria) and there is a branding and sim/netlock.
slimy44 said:
ok, but mine is 12w36 and i cannot unlock by official method..
so if i cancle the sim/netlock it is able to unlock it?
because i have bought my smartphone by 3 (provider in austria) and there is a branding and sim/netlock.
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No, you are one of the unlucky ones, who can not unlock bootloader at all.
Removing sim-lock/branding does not allow you to unlock your phone, because fastboot is disabled and only way to enable is via test point method, which is impossible at the moment for the phones manufactured 12W11.
ohhhhhh...
but it worked at the arc from a friend...
there was standing unlock allowed no and he disabled sim/netlock and there stand bootloader unlock allowed yes..
manufactor at 12w14 :/
so i dont know
slimy44 said:
ohhhhhh...
but it worked at the arc from a friend...
there was standing unlock allowed no and he disabled sim/netlock and there stand bootloader unlock allowed yes..
manufactor at 12w14 :/
so i dont know
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Click to collapse
Mine is also after 12w11 and I unlocked official but I had a badblock @Sahaab also couldn't unlock his bootloader so dude face we are stuck with a locked bootloader if you want a newer android version buy a more recent phone
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the bootloader isnt the problem. but i want to flash any kernel to overclock my phone. but i think this isnt possible on my device so ill forget it. i dont want a better android version. i only want to use my gingerbread roms faster and use all of them. thats why..
im happy enough if i can flash kernel
But to flash custom kernel, you need to unlock your boot loader, which is impossible unless you get rid of the carrier lock.
僕のLT18iから送られてきた
I have a rooted ZL. The bootloader is showing as unlockable: No
Why, when sony even provides instructions on unlocking bootloaders, are some phones not unlockable?
Educate me!
same here..
Any way out to install CM11 or omni rom??
cwoodffr said:
I have a rooted ZL. The bootloader is showing as unlockable: No
Why, when sony even provides instructions on unlocking bootloaders, are some phones not unlockable?
Educate me!
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It's not Sony, it's blocked by carrier network. It cannot be unlocked through any software, as its linked to chipset
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coolrevi said:
It's not Sony, it's blocked by carrier network. It cannot be unlocked through any software, as its linked to chipset
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So the carrier locks at two levels? I unlocked the carrier with a code but you are saying that the bootloader is locked by them as well?
Phone was locked to bell Canada. I unlocked it and run on Rogers now.
cwoodffr said:
So the carrier locks at two levels? I unlocked the carrier with a code but you are saying that the bootloader is locked by them as well?
Phone was locked to bell Canada. I unlocked it and run on Rogers now.
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You can unlock network but not boot loader. Because it's hard coded. Reason behind this is that is something happens to the phone it would be difficult to replace it. There are people who would unlock boo loader at some price. I'm not sure.
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