I've been trying to research this for a while now but can't seem to get straight answers. I am hoping the community here can help me especially if you guys have done it, or something similar.
I want to purchase the S3 and have it connected on prepaid, pay as you go with either ATT or Tmobile. I am leaning more towards Tmobile. I dont need any data packages mostly because i am around Wifi 95% of the time. All i need is to be able to get the cheapest pay per minute rate to make and receive calls and use the rest of the phones powers via Wifi. Seems like i can get the Pay as you go sim card from tmobile for free, but can i use that SIM card for the S3? i am pretty sure i need to cut it to size,but can it be done? do i need to get an unlocked GSM S3 for it to work, or will a tmobile S3 work? how about an tmobile S3 unlocked? I've read in some sites (conflicting reports) that if ATT or Tmobile find out you are using a smart phone on their pay as you go they can suspend your line?
please anyone with some concrete info let me know.
thanks!!!
mischief316 said:
I've been trying to research this for a while now but can't seem to get straight answers. I am hoping the community here can help me especially if you guys have done it, or something similar.
I want to purchase the S3 and have it connected on prepaid, pay as you go with either ATT or Tmobile. I am leaning more towards Tmobile. I dont need any data packages mostly because i am around Wifi 95% of the time. All i need is to be able to get the cheapest pay per minute rate to make and receive calls and use the rest of the phones powers via Wifi. Seems like i can get the Pay as you go sim card from tmobile for free, but can i use that SIM card for the S3? i am pretty sure i need to cut it to size,but can it be done? do i need to get an unlocked GSM S3 for it to work, or will a tmobile S3 work? how about an tmobile S3 unlocked? I've read in some sites (conflicting reports) that if ATT or Tmobile find out you are using a smart phone on their pay as you go they can suspend your line?
please anyone with some concrete info let me know.
thanks!!!
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Click to collapse
I think the SGSIII requires a premium data plan on both networks. If you tried to use a pay as you go SIM, they'd probably blacklist your IMEI. I would contact both carriers and ask to be sure.
Related
My friend had service with TMobile a while ago. He no longer has service with them anymore, but still has his B&W TMobile Sidekick. I know its possible to unlock phones, but realize it might be different in this case because its not exactly a regular phone. He uses it for the organizer, im not sure if he'd want to go online with it or not. Would it be possible for him to sign up with AT&T prepaid since he wouldn't use it as much, take the sim card out of the phone that it comes with with the prepaid service and use it in the sidekick? I assume the sidekick would have to be unlocked first (is that even possible) so it can be used across networks?
If its possible what would i need to do it?
Just wondering if its possible, tryin to help a friend out,
Thanks,
~J
Send the phone to me, I will unlock it for you!
im in a werid situation. the only phone i want is the htc one x. my plan expires the 26th of this month and i dont know what to do the phone comes out may 6th. heres the deal my dad is making me pay my line by myself so he will give the original family plan line to my little brother. so with his upgrade i intend to buy the one x and use the 50$ unlimited plan from their go phone options
will everything work ? the guy told me data wont work on 4g phones. and will a go phone sim even work on a smart phone ? i really want all this to work out because i need a nice screen and camera but do not want a contract. what other options should i look at because even atnt contracts minimum is close to 80 bucks !
are you talking about using an international one x? i decided on a prepaid plan and it works - but i bought an at&t branded micro-sim card from amazon. others are cutting down at&t sim cards. some are transferring micro-sims from unlocked iphones. there are people posting on the boards that the $50/month plan works for them - you just have to be careful about not drawing attention to yourself by your data usage. i am a minimal user so i went for the $2/day when used only plan (i am on personal wi-fi most of the time) and bought a data package.
you should also be aware that carriers like straight talk and net10 are offering $45-$50/month unlimited plans with purchase of their micro-sim cards. you can find out which network they run off in your area - they all use the towers of the larger phone companies.
check out some of the threads in the general forum as well as this one mentioning at&t. may help you. just be aware that having an international htc could mean no access to certain apps. it seems, for example, that google wallet will install but not open (at this time) on an unrooted international one x. could be a function of at&t, but i think it's google. found a way around that for google voice, but not for wallet. don't know if google wallet will install and open on an unrooted phone.
thanks for all the info. i was able to see h20 works in my area. im not buying the international version this is straight up the may 6th atnt released version. thats why im curious how am i going to keep the same number yet somehow use call sms and minimal data. i too am on wifi a lot but i def need 3g for work and gps. im just worried about getting a micro sim card and im hearing a lot of people getting cut off data on atnt once they found out their using a smart phone
also sucks to be buying an lte phone and no lte available lol
would this work ? what kind of speeds are on it
http://www.shopstraighttalk.com/bpd...ction=view&productVariantExtensionId=13837291
there are a couple of people on these boards who are longtime at&t users and know far more about the ins and outs. you might try searching them out in the at&t-related threads in the one lx forum, since you are planning to buy, i gather, an at&t phone. better to know ahead of time what you can and can't do. it may still be worth your while to check out straight talk and net10, however, since the last i looked they were advertising programs for at&t gsm phones that claim to be unlimited for $50/month. no lte, obviously, but also possibly no hassle over a separate data package, though they are making it clear they will pull your account if you go over their "unlimited" limit.
alright i searched around a lot and straight talk does use atnt towers so that may be my best bet i just need someone to help me confirm that if i buy the atnt one x should i let them install a sim card in it ? will it even matter? as soon as i get home i would take that phone out and put in my prepaid one. does atnt prepaid not let u use data anymore for 4g phones? lol so confusing
check out howard forums re at&t prepaid and also straight talk. i got into at&t recently. apparently there have been some policy changes that i wouldn't have noticed since i am not a long time user. one of them applies to smartphone data usage limitations - as in, you have to buy a data package if on one. there are a couple of people on these boards claiming they are using data without a data package on their smartphones and it's a matter of not triggering usage limitations. i have no way of knowing and it's confusing to me, too, so i'm just sticking with what i have till i run into a wall, then i may jump to net10 or straight talk also.
Hi guys, need some help.
If I switch carrier then phone automatically get bad Sprint ESN, right? If so, thats ok, because I dont want to use Sprint.
I've got Sprint L710 but I never used CDMA before, so little bit confused with how to get rid of that Sprint and make it work with Boost even w/o 4g.. perhaps 2g or 3g if possible. Or Virgin, doesn't really matter, the most important is prepaid plan w/o contract.
I'll make a root and even if then I install custom ROM then still will be using Sprint? Or after flashing custom ROM I can go to Boost and ask them to flash their codes?
Nobody else will help me, I hope for your understanding.
As far as I know. You won't get bad esn as long as you don't have any pending balances pending.
And if you pay the early termination fee.
But I'm not sure. As far as the s3 on another net work then it would have to be flashed with whatever company your gonna use it with.
But your probably better off just selling it on craugslist or eBay and buying an unlocked international version.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
When I switched from ATT contract to TMobile prepaid I just unlocked phone, pulled out ATT sim card and go forward with TMobile. I didnt make any notifications to ATT, TMobile just transferred my number in few secs.
I mean how could I make same on CDMA? Could by example Cricket take my phone to their network? Is it possible to delete all related to Sprint from my phone, make it clean as from factory? And then come to Cricket or another CDMA carrier? In that case if I terminate Sprint contract without any notification I think ESN would be bad.
escknx said:
When I switched from ATT contract to TMobile prepaid I just unlocked phone, pulled out ATT sim card and go forward with TMobile. I didnt make any notifications to ATT, TMobile just transferred my number in few secs.
I mean how could I make same on CDMA? Could by example Cricket take my phone to their network? Is it possible to delete all related to Sprint from my phone, make it clean as from factory? And then come to Cricket or another CDMA carrier? In that case if I terminate Sprint contract without any notification I think ESN would be bad.
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Well if your gonna flash the phone to another carrier like cricket. Then bad esn or clean esn don't matter. Just go into a cricket store and tell them you need to flash your phone and they'll put other on their network.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
And am I be able to get at least their Cricket's 3G?
Or for that I need to go through special procedure with donors?
escknx said:
And am I be able to get at least their Cricket's 3G?
Or for that I need to go through special procedure with donors?
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What? lol
they should have a cricket store where they flash phones. Idk how the procedure is done, or how it affects the phones. But there might be something screwy with MMS, but you can always ask before you do it. and there might be a fix for that sort of stuff here at XDA
Cricket said that they flash only their phones and I cant keep my existing.
BTW finally we've switched it to Verizon prepaid
escknx said:
Cricket said that they flash only their phones and I cant keep my existing.
BTW finally we've switched it to Verizon prepaid
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weird, down here where I'm at, they flash any phone really.
well if your S3 is just a brick there you can always sell it.
If the price is low enough i can buy it from you, or also ebay
They said that in New York area they flash only Cricket phones.
But even good, cause because of I that I got Verizon.
So check this out.... I am an AT&T user and back when the HTC HD2 came out for T-Mobile I bought it from a friend when they signed up for a new contract. Got an unlock code from Ebay and have been using it for the past 2 years without having to have a data plan, never got added automatically to my plan like i have heard happen to others? And I'm wondering why? Is it possibly cuz its a T-Mobile phone? Or is it cuz I still have an old "Cingular" SIM card? I am curious about this because right now, Wally World has a special sale on the phone at $249, plus a $100 gift card, which will bring the phone down to $150 basically, so a pretty damn good deal for a phone just out on the market. And I'm plan on getting it this week, I was wondering if any of you would be able to tell me if at some point if i was able to get a T-Mobile version of the Samsung Note 2 if i could slip my SIM card into it and then be able to cancel my DATA plan, if i told them i went back to a Motorola Razr or something, which worked when i got my HD2? Or will AT&T be able to see that i have a smartphone? Is it the newer smaller SIM card, that will tell AT&T that I have a smartphone, or will the phone it self be what sends info to the servers or whatever that tells AT&T I have a smartphone? Or do you think this method of getting a T-Mobile phone and using an AT&T SIM card will work and I won't get stuck with a DATA plan? Everywhere I go has Wi-Fi so I have no need for the Data plan it will be going to waste.
The newer phones, including this one, use a micro-SIM.
I think it is because you have a phone that is not sold by AT&T that they can't tell what it is, so you would probably be forced to get a data plan if you get the AT&T Note II. I would think that regardless of the sim card you have it would still report your phone model to the network, but I really don't know anything about that, so hopefully others can chime in.
I have been using an unlocked Xperia Pro on AT&T and they don't seem to have a clue what it is or even that it is a smartphone, so I could probably do whatever I want with the data plan.
If you got the international version of the Note perhaps you would not have to have a data plan.
acey_zero said:
I think it is because you have a phone that is not sold by AT&T that they can't tell what it is, so you would probably be forced to get a data plan if you get the AT&T Note II. I would think that regardless of the sim card you have it would still report your phone model to the network, but I really don't know anything about that, so hopefully others can chime in.
I have been using an unlocked Xperia Pro on AT&T and they don't seem to have a clue what it is or even that it is a smartphone, so I could probably do whatever I want with the data plan.
If you got the international version of the Note perhaps you would not have to have a data plan.
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I'm wondering if it has something to do with the IMEI? If it isn't listed in there network or something? Maybe I will be alright? I don't know... But back when I got the Tmobile HD2 I went from a Motorola Razr to the HD2 just fine and wasn't automatically enrolled into a data plan, like some others people on at&t were that got the same phone. I don't know how I wasn't, but I'm happy I wasn't and was hoping to find out how to avoid it again. Everywhere I go has Wi-Fi, I don't need to throw away, $15 to $30 extra a month when I'm not even going to use the Data network very often. I have been going just fine with my HD2 with no data plan, just using Wi-Fi.
P1 Wookie said:
The newer phones, including this one, use a micro-SIM.
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Click to collapse
Right, I know I'll have to get a new SIM card and that is what kinda worries me, I don't know anything about the SIM cards. I was just curious if my older "Cingular" SIM card is what was helping keep me stay under the radar of them not knowing I have a smartphone, or if its because, the HD2 phone I have is from Tmobile and not in their system, so it can't recognize it? I went from a Razr to the HD2 and it still shows as a Razr in my account. An when I get the Note 2 phone, hopefully from Tmobile sometime, I was hoping I can still get away with not having to add a Data plan if i can find out how to avoid it...
Its all in the IMIE ... I was using a Galaxy Nexus overseas on a dumb phone plan because they didnt have the IMIE in system they couldnt tell it was a smartphone but they have cracked down on it now. Only phone that seem to be making it through the loop hole is overseas ones that are not very popular. If you switch to the AT&T version you will 100% be put on data plan if you choose a note 2 from say Rogers there is a slight chance you could sneak under the radar and not need it but for how long no one really knows.
I've seen people come in with T-Mobile phones or international phones and they don't register as a smartphone with the IMEI. So no data is required with unlocked phones.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
hiii_imkris said:
I've seen people come in with T-Mobile phones or international phones and they don't register as a smartphone with the IMEI. So no data is required with unlocked phones.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
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Do you work at an AT&T store or something? Just curious, cuz it kinda sounds like it from the way you worded that reply. I've read on other threads that AT&T does checks or sweeps every now and then, that might detect a smartphone? Have you heard about that before, not sure what they meant by that?
So my gf has a Galaxy SIII from sprint, w no sim card. I have an at&t contract with two lines. I called AT&T and they replaced the IMEI for my 2nd line, to the IMEI of her SIII. Well obviously it's not that easy bc the **** don't work lol. I don't even know where to start, and don't bother telling me to "read the forums" bc I did and it's all gibberish to me anyway. Long story short I don't have any sim cards, never did. Not for my two htc one mini's through AT&T nor her SIII. Her SIII is running 4.1.2, which if i read some of the other posts right, it means it's impossible to transfer her phone to AT&T? I guess for starters is it even possible to bring a 4.1.2 SIII onto AT&T service? AT&T already changed the IMEI to her SIII, for whatever that's worth....
And on a side note, the SIII is completely stock from the manufacturer, aside from having the most current updates (Firmware etc). And I would like to emphasize that I have no access to any kind of "sim" card, nor will I ever. If there is a way to connect a Sprint SIII to the AT&T network, the method absolutely can not involve sim cards, and must be able to be done on a completely updated S3.
The last time I ever messed with the internals of a phone was back when the LG Ally was first released, and I did a one touch root, so I could use Verizons data through a WiFi hotspot, and not have to pay for a hotspot data package. So other than that I have not one pinch of knowledge or experience in this, as I've never had the need for it until now. I can follow instructions, but every single thread I've found on this site is so mind numbingly vague, it may as well read "insurt teh usb, do teh magix stuff, unplugs teh usb, ta-da!" And I'm not trying to start anything, I'm just trying to put into perspective how absolutely lost i am.
I tried the *# code in the dialer, and nothing. (probably bc i have NO sim cards)
I called AT&T and had them change the IMEI on my second line to the Sprint SIII
I read countless novel length threads on here, all of them seemingly useless.
I went to the sprint store to have them unlock it, they refused, naturally.
There is not an AT&T retail location for MANY miles, not like they'd be helpful anyway I assume...
I'm just stuck, all these threads do not apply to me, but I'm sure there's a way... There has to be.
To be able to connect the phone to the AT&T network you have to have a SIM card, without SIM you will never get to connect to the AT&T network. Your best bet would be to check here or craigslist to see if someone might be willing to exchange phones. or to purchase or upgrade to a phone with a SIM card slot, no sim card slot no service with AT&T.
I'm not a dev but I can tell you this.
1. Please do not insult one of the best source for Android development because you refuse to read the stickies and tutorials.
2. I'm sorry but a CDMA only Sprint Galaxy S3 does not have the necessary hardware to use AT&T's network. Though you state there must be a way you are unfortunately wrong in this case.
3. Prepare to get flamed and possibly have this thread closed.
4. You should try a Sprint MVNO or other CDMA based phone company like Boost, Virgin Mobile, etc.
5. I feel sorry if by girlfriend's phone you mean you bought a hot phone off someone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
We're not here to flame, he has a legitimate question and simply needs an answer. Bit1 is right it's a CDMA phone and won't work with AT&T. It's very unfortunate but you won't get it to work. Your best bet now is to resell it as a CDMA phone and purchase the AT&T version.
Well, I guess that solves that, lol. Yeah I did some foot work around the city, talked to several retailers and a couple techs, learned a lot more a lot quicker. So yeah it basically comes down to the radio being in a completely different band/freq wtfe than AT&T uses. (The whole CDMA and the other deal). I mean the IMEI isn't locked, the phone isn't "hot". She's behind $250 on her sprint bill and now has a $300 paperweight, so I was trying to add the phone to my AT&T plan. Anywho, thanks for clearing this up. As far as trying to sell the thing, I saw a kiosk with a used S3 for $280? Is there even a market for S3's? They don't exactly seem like the "in" thing anymore if you catch my drift. My next question would be, if I sold the phone to someone who wanted to use it on the Sprint network, can they use it? More specifically I know they lock IMEI's if they're reported stolen/lost, but would they do it for not making a bill payment? (She hasn't used the thing/had service in over a month now...) My goal really is to figure out what to do with the thing. Best Buy offered $150 for an S3, but I don't know if the IMEI is good or not : / The screen is cracked so i was going to get a $15 one off EBay, fix it, and sell it. My concern is on selling the thing, should I make the $15 investment and chance not being able to sell the thing? I'm broke as all get out, so I'd rather have the 3 packs of cig's than a wasted investment lol.
Anybody need an SIII?
LMAO