Related
Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question - if I follow all the steps to root my One X, does this mean it is open to all networks? I remember rooting my Desire, and installing a custom ROM, but I had to run another tool before I sold it on to someone on a different network...
GuitarDemon said:
Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question - if I follow all the steps to root my One X, does this mean it is open to all networks? I remember rooting my Desire, and installing a custom ROM, but I had to run another tool before I sold it on to someone on a different network...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. Rooting doesn't remove the SIM/network lock.
Thank you for the reply Tiersten. Is there a way of removing the SIM/network lock? There are a few websites which want to charge in the region of £20 for an "unlock code". The phone I have is O2 branded, but I want to use my Orange SIM. Do I have to pay for a code?
HTC are offering unlock for a few quid, there's a thread in here probably a few pages back.
If I follow the procedure from XDA TV, unlocking the bootloader through HTCDEV, install CWM recovery, unlock and root stock rom from the XDA thread, flash the Leedroid Super SU, then (finally) the Leedroid ROM - has this removed any SIM lock and/or branding?
GuitarDemon said:
If I follow the procedure from XDA TV, unlocking the bootloader through HTCDEV, install CWM recovery, unlock and root stock rom from the XDA thread, flash the Leedroid Super SU, then (finally) the Leedroid ROM - has this removed any SIM lock and/or branding?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No unless there is a tool in the dev section that specifically design to unlock the sim lock. Root and flashing custom rom does not remove the lock on O2. If you bought the One X 2nd hand then either get the seller to go to O2 and get it unlocked for you as it is still linked to his contract or you will need a 3rd Party to do it.
vis-tec said:
HTC are offering unlock for a few quid, there's a thread in here probably a few pages back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not HTC. Its somebody on eBay for £1.44. Looks like it is legitimate though as quite a lot of people have said it worked for them.
I can confirm its legit, got it unlocked within 20 mins yesterday. You fill in the form at the bottom of the description.
BTW if you're an o2 pay monthly customer o2 unlock it for free
if you pay over $600 for the phone, then there is no reason why it should cost money to unlock it. now, if you bought it cheap with a plan through a carrier, then i can see why they would charge you. i wouldn't tolerate that nonsense. i paid 619.99 and if my ATT sim doesn't work, they are going to make it work if they want to keep me in contract. sometimes, all you have to do is get mad at the manager and make a scene. ;p
Thanks everyone for the help. I got in touch with O2, and as the phone was supplied with a business bundle, they unlocked the phone free of charge. I was provided with the phone by my company, but as they don't allow personal use of the company phone, I wanted to use my personal Orange plan out of company hours. O2, by the way, were very helpful!
brent8577 said:
if you pay over $600 for the phone, then there is no reason why it should cost money to unlock it. now, if you bought it cheap with a plan through a carrier, then i can see why they would charge you. i wouldn't tolerate that nonsense. i paid 619.99 and if my ATT sim doesn't work, they are going to make it work if they want to keep me in contract. sometimes, all you have to do is get mad at the manager and make a scene. ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've not got it from a carrier then it'll be SIM-free anyway so will work with any SIM in the first place
I have two problems with my phone, first one is how about unlocking the sim card.
1. I have already gone through http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2283068 these steps for one of my sim cards, it worked for the first one. But when I used another sim card it completely blocked it and didn't give me access to the net(phonecall) at all.
2. My S4 is a SGH-M919 T-mobile version, I would love to change/replace the T-mobile out of the phone, but don't know how. The phone eats my battery quite fast, and the signals are even worse, as long as there is a roof over my head I can't get a single dot of signal. :crying:
Yourfavoritenoob said:
I have two problems with my phone, first one is how about unlocking the sim card.
1. I have already gone through http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2283068 these steps for one of my sim cards, it worked for the first one. But when I used another sim card it completely blocked it and didn't give me access to the net(phonecall) at all.
2. My S4 is a SGH-M919 T-mobile version, I would love to change/replace the T-mobile out of the phone, but don't know how. The phone eats my battery quite fast, and the signals are even worse, as long as there is a roof over my head I can't get a single dot of signal. :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Cant help there dont understand much in that
2. My S4 is I9505 and its from T-mobile i flashed my phone to 4.3 google edition nexus 4 ROM now have more battery time and the phone is faster!
But you will lose some of the options (like scrolling with your eye and stuff like that, not a big lose for me) :good:
SaintDaniel said:
1. Cant help there dont understand much in that
2. My S4 is I9505 and its from T-mobile i flashed my phone to 4.3 google edition nexus 4 ROM now have more battery time and the phone is faster!
But you will lose some of the options (like scrolling with your eye and stuff like that, not a big lose for me) :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I would like to know how to solve the signal to get better as well, I think the battery problem might get solved when the signal gets better as well. Any other ideas
I have a question about Sim unlocking too. Can I unlock my phone with an unlock code without having to put another carriers Sim card?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
XxKINGxX2580 said:
I have a question about Sim unlocking too. Can I unlock my phone with an unlock code without having to put another carriers Sim card?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My first =3=
XxKINGxX2580 said:
I have a question about Sim unlocking too. Can I unlock my phone with an unlock code without having to put another carriers Sim card?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can unlock it, but you can't exactly confirm without a doubt that the unlock worked. The free method here showed all the right things for me when I used it, but my AT&T SIM still wasn't working. I would have never known that I didn't successfully unlock if I had T-Mobile service and no other SIM card.
i'm having a similar problem.
to give a little background, I took the task of unlocking a friends Tmo S4 to use with Att, since his work provides att service. his brother works at tmobile so he got that version of the phone.
does the 40 day rule still apply? it's about two weeks old. it shouldn't, since it was purchased outright. also his brother couldn't do anything with it and he works at a corporate store. maybe it's a lemon?
I've tried the above method, and i've tried a few of the root methods. absolutely nothing works. the system/unlock.sh script has a line for IMEI: and unlock code: but no numbers after the colons. and the -n 8 /dev/block method gives me all kinds of info except the unlock code you're supposed to then do some simple math with.
if any of you guys have some helpful links i'd really appreciate it. I've searched and searched, posting a Q (or replying to one) is usually a last resort.
Thanks.
Walzbeer said:
i'm having a similar problem.
to give a little background, I took the task of unlocking a friends Tmo S4 to use with Att, since his work provides att service. his brother works at tmobile so he got that version of the phone.
does the 40 day rule still apply? it's about two weeks old. it shouldn't, since it was purchased outright. also his brother couldn't do anything with it and he works at a corporate store. maybe it's a lemon?
I've tried the above method, and i've tried a few of the root methods. absolutely nothing works. the system/unlock.sh script has a line for IMEI: and unlock code: but no numbers after the colons. and the -n 8 /dev/block method gives me all kinds of info except the unlock code you're supposed to then do some simple math with.
if any of you guys have some helpful links i'd really appreciate it. I've searched and searched, posting a Q (or replying to one) is usually a last resort.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung unlock code algorithms are not easy to come by and not done with simple math.
If phone was purchased outright all you have to do is call Tmobile. They will provide you with the code free. It may take some time but it is free.
I do unlocking as a side business and unlocked over 400 s4's to date with z3x programming device. Of course if you are doing just one it's not feasible to spend $100 for the device.
Depending how much you earn an hour, your other option if you want fast service is to buy the unlock code on eBay. The tmobile one is expensive at around $30-$49. There is one dealer on ebay that does remote unlocking for $10. You may consider him as he uses the same device I use and has you connect your phone to your PC to initiate remote unlocking.
Honestly I wouldn't mess with the system files especially NV Data area because one screwup and you will delete your IMEI rendering the phone useless unless you buy the z3X to repair.
Thanks for the input and options.
Hey guys
My country(Pakistan) does not have 4g yet so samsung did not officially release the 4g model. However, as I read a lot about how much the 4g version is better than the regular version, I decided to get one even if it meant no warranty.
I looked around the local markets and found only the t-mobile version available. I asked the retailer about it and he insisted that it is factory unlocked. I bought it and had to leave the country for 2 weeks.
So here I am in a foreign country with my new phone. I buy an internet sim card and use the 4g network. It works fine. I find out my phone has supersu installed. This makes me suspicious. Out of curiosity, I check t-mobiles imei check service. Turns out my device has been blocked by t-mobile. I can only guess it has been unlocked through software.
Other than this, the phone seems to be working great. It looks brand new with box/original accessories et al. In my one and a half week of usage, it seems to be working fine too. Only problem I found was that upon trying to update, I got the message that it was unable to do that because my software has been modified.
Once I return to my country, I will definitely have a word with the retailer, however the chances of him accepting and returning the phone are slim. Chances are, I'm stuck with the device.
My question, how bad of a position am I in? Will I be unable to flash future updates even manually? Is there risk that I could lose the software unlock?
I ask this because even if the retailer returns the device(1% chance), I will still need to go through the trouble of looking for another device. And as I said, this one seems to have no other defect. The silverlining though, is that this device came rooted...which saves me the trouble to do it myself.
Please guide me as to what my best course of action would be.
Thank you in advance =)
The reason it won't allow you to update is because it's rooted. That's what it's talking about when it says it's been modified. All you have to do is use Odin to flash back to complete stock and you will be able to update. If the phone is sim unlocked, flashing or updating the phone should not effect the unlock.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk 4
Ok. But the phone's IMEI appears as 'blocked' on t-mobiles imei verification website. Doesnt that mean this is a phone that has not been factory unlocked but software unlocked? Why else would someone root a brand new phone?
Also, given I do not want to lose my root, how should I update to new versions of android without losing my unlock?
The reason why the IMEI is blocked is probably because the device was stolen/taken.
The reason why it will not update automatically is because the device is rooted.
If you have a rooted device, you have to wait for someone to post the official update and then flash it through ODIN/TWRP.
The retailer will do nothing for you, there's nothing he CAN do unless he gives you a full refund for the device.
This sort of thing happens a lot when you buy devices from people / 3rd party retailers.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Well I doubt it was stolen. It was brand new with box and all accessories. He had dozens more in stock. More likely someone is buying contract phones from tmobile and selling them witbkut paying the full contract.
How hard will it be to upgrade new roms for me? Could I lose my unlock in the process?
Edit: also, im reading a lot about how all versions of the n9005 come region locked. Since it isnt officially available in pakistan, does that mean I will need to unlock my phone regardless of where I buy it from?
Since it's rooted, you can always just flash custom roms based off whatever update comes out.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
If it's blacklisted then it won't work with any T-Mobile services if you're in the US or whatever. As stated, once rooted you won't be able to update the phone through the software update from the phone. However, you're now free to flash any of the awesome roms that is out for the Note 3 and use it over there.
iphantomi said:
Well I doubt it was stolen. It was brand new with box and all accessories. He had dozens more in stock. More likely someone is buying contract phones from tmobile and selling them witbkut paying the full contract.
How hard will it be to upgrade new roms for me? Could I lose my unlock in the process?
Edit: also, im reading a lot about how all versions of the n9005 come region locked. Since it isnt officially available in pakistan, does that mean I will need to unlock my phone regardless of where I buy it from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, he probably opened a bunch of accounts, payed the down payments for the phones ($0-$100) and now he's selling em full price.
And with the updating.
When a new update comes out, developers will make a rom from it, and then you can just flash the rom.
You will NOT lose unlock when flashing a rom.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
And are all note 3 region locked? If I get a refund, will I need to unlock any new phone I buy as well?
Hi,
I know there is no way to unlock the bootloader on an att Note 4, but if ATT unlocks it would it become an International Version and can the bootloader be unlocked? Sorry if this is a dumb question.
Young fool.... only now do you realize the power of evil AT&T produces.
Now Rosachin, you will die.
(In all realness, no of course not. ATT ain't that nice nor will it ever be. You can unlock the phone in terms of cellular network but that's it.)
I cant believe I didnt come here before I bought 2 brand new at&t Note 4's Unlocked. What an idiot I am. Just never had a at&t and didnt think anything of it because everytime I have wanted to root and mod my previous phones, I never had a problem.. I never had at&t though.. uhhgg. maybe by the time I just cant stand the stock rom, they will unlock the bootloader? I dont know if that's how it works...
Oh well, sad man here.
BlindDude said:
I cant believe I didnt come here before I bought 2 brand new at&t Note 4's Unlocked. What an idiot I am. Just never had a at&t and didnt think anything of it because everytime I have wanted to root and mod my previous phones, I never had a problem.. I never had at&t though.. uhhgg. maybe by the time I just cant stand the stock rom, they will unlock the bootloader? I dont know if that's how it works...
Oh well, sad man here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I feel you man. Note 4 was my first phone on ATT and I regret it. If I wanted to be locked down I would get a iphone. Still the note 4 is a great phone just with a lot of unused potential.
FLASHnox said:
Oh I feel you man. Note 4 was my first phone on ATT and I regret it. If I wanted to be locked down I would get a iphone. Still the note 4 is a great phone just with a lot of unused potential.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I just sent a return request for one of the note 4's. AND just bought a USED sm910T from ebay.
So, instead of me getting a brand new AT&T UNMODDABLE note 4, I will be getting a used but in great condition T-Mobile note 4.
And if I can get out of the restocking fees from the return, I will come out 50 bucks ahead. Cool.
The other new note 4 went to my daughter for xmas, and she already broke the screen. DOH!!
I lucked out this time I guess.
Cheers all.
BlindDude said:
I cant believe I didnt come here before I bought 2 brand new at&t Note 4's Unlocked. What an idiot I am. Just never had a at&t and didnt think anything of it because everytime I have wanted to root and mod my previous phones, I never had a problem.. I never had at&t though.. uhhgg. maybe by the time I just cant stand the stock rom, they will unlock the bootloader? I dont know if that's how it works...
Oh well, sad man here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah man, I'ved used At&t for years. Some phones still ended up rooting and unlocked (Sky-Rocket, LG E970, and Note II) this is the 1st phone I purchased that couldn't be rooted to install ROMs and Mods. Very annoyed but glad to know after this experience we know not to buy from At&t directly. Either buy unlocked form Swappa, eBay or Amazon or know that you will be limited when you buy from carrier. In the mean time if you really want out, pay the bill so its clear for selling, and sell it online or in person. Also you can wait it out until the next upgrade.
PhonePhan said:
Yeah man, I'ved used At&t for years. Some phones still ended up rooting and unlocked (Sky-Rocket, LG E970, and Note II) this is the 1st phone I purchased that couldn't be rooted to install ROMs and Mods. Very annoyed but glad to know after this experience we know not to buy from At&t directly. Either buy unlocked form Swappa, eBay or Amazon or know that you will be limited when you buy from carrier. In the mean time if you really want out, pay the bill so its clear for selling, and sell it online or in person. Also you can wait it out until the next upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never again for me, not directly from AT&T & maybe not Samsung. [AT&T-Captivate, and VZ-Note2..rooted and other ROM'd but now ]. Question: what aspect of the hardware allows a carrier's specific bands of LTE to function? Or is it that the hardware is fully "plastic", capable of any LTE banding given the software[albeit locked] and SIM[mine unlocked] ? There are multiple Note4's. AT&Ts also runs UMTS and GSM. T's? Verizon's also runs its EV-DO. Perhaps these 2G, and 3G aspects become irrelevant and the 4G/LTE buildout completes, but the question remains over capability on carrier specific LTE bands.
With my SIM unlocked Note4 I used a VODA SIM this summer in Italy, but don't recall whether I had access to LTE , or evn which data mode functioned.
Ok, I hope I don't get in trouble for asking this here. . I tried to search but I'm not real good on this phone yet. . That's no excuse, I know. ..
Anyway, I received my T-Mobile Note 4 today and I want to root it right away as I am an owner of titanium backup and rom toolbox.
I am wondering if there is an easy way to root my device without installing a custom kernel AND not require a pc?
If I have to use a custom kernel, which one is the most stable?
My device specs are
SM-N910T3
Android 5.1.1
LMY47X.N910T3UVU1DOK2
KNOX 2.4.1
I have data turned off on my phone and disabled data from my carrier. I use WiFi and no data. .
Again I'm sorry for asking this but it's been a real long time since I have installed custom anything and my pc blue screens randomly so I'm afraid to try rooting my phone that way.
Please, step by step, easy tutorial or a link to where I need to go?
Thanks a bunch.
Blind
BlindDude said:
Ok, I hope I don't get in trouble for asking this here. . I tried to search but I'm not real good on this phone yet. . That's no excuse, I know. ..
Anyway, I received my T-Mobile Note 4 today and I want to root it right away as I am an owner of titanium backup and rom toolbox.
I am wondering if there is an easy way to root my device without installing a custom kernel AND not require a pc?
If I have to use a custom kernel, which one is the most stable?
My device specs are
SM-N910T3
Android 5.1.1
LMY47X.N910T3UVU1DOK2
KNOX 2.4.1
I have data turned off on my phone and disabled data from my carrier. I use WiFi and no data. .
Again I'm sorry for asking this but it's been a real long time since I have installed custom anything and my pc blue screens randomly so I'm afraid to try rooting my phone that way.
Please, step by step, easy tutorial or a link to where I need to go?
Thanks a bunch.
Blind
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd recommend asking on the T-mobile Note 4 forum. We all own the ATT model here.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
spexwood said:
I'd recommend asking on the T-mobile Note 4 forum. We all own the ATT model here.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, oops. Sorry for that.. Please disregard...
Odischeese said:
Young fool.... only now do you realize the power of evil AT&T produces.
Now Rosachin, you will die.
(In all realness, no of course not. ATT ain't that nice nor will it ever be. You can unlock the phone in terms of cellular network but that's it.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The real reason carriers lock bootloaders (just remove the space after www and http)
http s://www .youtube.com/watch?v=gpVocvREboo&list=UURAxVOVt3sasdcxW343eg_A&app=desktop
[email protected] the space. Ironically....yeah i will remove the space so you can suffer clicking on the link on your phone...
Since we are on the subject of bootloaders. It's been a while since I flashed a custom rom on a phone. But from what I remember, isn't the bootloader these pictures that I attached? I took pictures on my AT&T Note 4.
Thanks
Yes i have read the whole thing.
Ok, to cut a long story short;
i bought a note 4 on an online australian shop for $470 (really hard without a job)
Anyway, they noted that their phones are from GENUINE Suppliers and i got a Note 4 UNLOCKED from, you guessed it. AT&T.
Now i wasnt too fussed. I was happy i got a note 4 that wasnt a chinese brick phone, since it technically was refurbished from their Hong Kong Warehouse. Anyways
After like...idk 2 months? approx? i decided i wanna root it. Guess what?! BOOTLOADER. WHAT THE ***T!!
Anyway, i spoke to some people, one said he hasnt rooted a phone passed gen 6. and the other person said 'no cant root. Bootloader is locked and no way to bypass.'
Soo im wondering if its possible to root the phone without removing bootloader? I dont restart my phone much and the whole bootloader doesnt worry me so im just curious if i can chuck a stock rom on without worrying about the bootloader.
Some background info:
I am Australian, therefore my phone is running under Australian networks (Boost, Lyca, Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, etc)
It is filled with unwanted, unnecessary AT&T bloatware.
esmereldakagaome101 said:
Ok, to cut a long story short;
i bought a note 4 on an online australian shop for $470 (really hard without a job)
Anyway, they noted that their phones are from GENUINE Suppliers and i got a Note 4 UNLOCKED from, you guessed it. AT&T.
Now i wasnt too fussed. I was happy i got a note 4 that wasnt a chinese brick phone, since it technically was refurbished from their Hong Kong Warehouse. Anyways
After like...idk 2 months? approx? i decided i wanna root it. Guess what?! BOOTLOADER. WHAT THE ***T!!
Anyway, i spoke to some people, one said he hasnt rooted a phone passed gen 6. and the other person said 'no cant root. Bootloader is locked and no way to bypass.'
Soo im wondering if its possible to root the phone without removing bootloader? I dont restart my phone much and the whole bootloader doesnt worry me so im just curious if i can chuck a stock rom on without worrying about the bootloader.
Some background info:
I am Australian, therefore my phone is running under Australian networks (Boost, Lyca, Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, etc)
It is filled with unwanted, unnecessary AT&T bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No root or bootloader unlock yet or maybe ever....u can disable all the att stuff but not remove completely without root. At least it will cleanup ure app drawer a lil.
AT&T note 4 update?
I'm seeing the most recent updates being in 2016. Is there any new updates on the progress of unlocking bootloader for this device?
flgators197 said:
I'm seeing the most recent updates being in 2016. Is there any new updates on the progress of unlocking bootloader for this device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still waiting for a miracle to happen
rosachin21k said:
Hi,
I know there is no way to unlock the bootloader on an att Note 4, but if ATT unlocks it would it become an International Version and can the bootloader be unlocked? Sorry if this is a dumb question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ripping encrypted DVDs (or DVDs locked to a region) = unlocked
PlayStation 3 = reverse engineered
iPhone = jailbroken
Why isn't the AT&T Note4 unlocked yet? Would offering a bounty help? Is it impossible to unlock? Is it a matter of time? Is it a matter of throwing lots of computation power against the lock?
What will finally get the AT&T Note4 unlocked?
bbwarfield said:
Ripping encrypted DVDs (or DVDs locked to a region) = unlocked
PlayStation 3 = reverse engineered
iPhone = jailbroken
Why isn't the AT&T Note4 unlocked yet? Would offering a bounty help? Is it impossible to unlock? Is it a matter of time? Is it a matter of throwing lots of computation power against the lock?
What will finally get the AT&T Note4 unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With that, the ATT Note 4 may very well be, the most secure mobile phone ever!
boofman said:
With that, the ATT Note 4 may very well be, the most secure mobile phone ever!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there no bounty offered? If each ATT Note4 owner chips in a few dollars, we could raise a bounty of several hundred dollars. Then some tech-wiz can take much time trying to unlock the bootloader.
Anybody else willing to contribute to a bounty?
Years ago, I had a Note 3, and a few China brand tablets. I learned to root them. For the tablets, I was interested in learning how to make them the most compatible for Deaf - understand this was years and years ago. (My parents are Deaf). So I have some understanding - but it's been awhile.
I've been buying a few used android phones in the interest of having loaners and was toying with the idea of repairing phones as a hobby/pin money kinda thing. I'm a veteran and now living on my disability retirement. I've been working in technology - most notably repairing PCs - software and hardware but I've had a few years here and there, networks, databases, security, etc. My resume is wide but shallow.
One of the phones I bought was a Verizon Moto G6Play (obviously I'm here). And I've come to the conclusion I'm an idiot for not researching it closer. My current provider is Verizon and I just naively thought if I put my daughter's verizon sim in it - it would work. I paid no attention to the warning on the back of the box about purchasing up to 50.00 of prepaid in order for Verizon to recoup their money invested in the cheap prices offered for the phones. To be honest, I bought this phone off of "shopgoodwill.com" auction for 6.95. I don't have a lot of money invested in and not sure I even know how much it goes for right now. I don't honestly care. When I put the verizon sim in it - at first it showed 1X - I rebooted and was looking at rooting options but had not gotten real far. I also forgot to pay my bill like always - and got online and caught it up. When I did that - it looked like the sim card updated to 4G and texting was working. But I wrongly assumed calling was not working because I had wrongly assumed in the first place it was not dialing out because I thought I let my bill lapse. (I do this all the time. I'm an idiot).
So, long story, short - I called Verizon and asked why my phone was working but hers wasn't - we got into the discussion of prepaid, etc. The help person said, I wasn't going to get around the prepaid prerequisite - but I might get away with 30.00 instead of 50.00. Ok. Fine - I give. My daughter was willing to pay 30.00+ for a new screen for the other Motorola she had wrecked (E3). I was just trying to get her out of my hair. She is very OCD/Annoying while at the same time always breaking her phones. I told her the skinny on the phone. I told her to take it to Verizon store - tell them you want to go pre-paid cheapest plan - 30.00 and bring it back home. I removed the TWRP and Terminal Emu from the phone and she took it there with her instructions - but somehow muffed it all up. The salesperson claimed it was already activated to our account. In retrospect, I thought I had seen the G6 Play as the model for her phone line. But I told her that was not possible since it didn't work. Right? So a manager came over - and told her the phone was phu(ked I do believe she told my daughter "bricked" and that she'd have to buy a new one. Needless to say I told my daughter to get out of there - they were not interested in helping - they just wanted her to buy a phone. Prior to sending her to the store - I had run through the steps here or where-ever I was - and found the codes needed to determine if I could unlock this phone and was told, nope, nope, nope.
I reset the phone completely from the Fastboot Flash Mode (sorry, if I'm not using the right term - I always want to call it bios, ). As far as I know, it was successful...
So here is the thing. Looks like I'm stuck with it - and I'd like to try my hardest to crack it anyway. I don't care if I brick it or not. I'm looking at practice here. Do I absolutely need the unlock code to get started? Can I just jump over that step and flash a new OS to the phone? Bearing in mind that I might brick it?
Thanks,
Wynne
impy2101 said:
Years ago, I had a Note 3, and a few China brand tablets. I learned to root them. For the tablets, I was interested in learning how to make them the most compatible for Deaf - understand this was years and years ago. (My parents are Deaf). So I have some understanding - but it's been awhile.
I've been buying a few used android phones in the interest of having loaners and was toying with the idea of repairing phones as a hobby/pin money kinda thing. I'm a veteran and now living on my disability retirement. I've been working in technology - most notably repairing PCs - software and hardware but I've had a few years here and there, networks, databases, security, etc. My resume is wide but shallow.
One of the phones I bought was a Verizon Moto G6Play (obviously I'm here). And I've come to the conclusion I'm an idiot for not researching it closer. My current provider is Verizon and I just naively thought if I put my daughter's verizon sim in it - it would work. I paid no attention to the warning on the back of the box about purchasing up to 50.00 of prepaid in order for Verizon to recoup their money invested in the cheap prices offered for the phones. To be honest, I bought this phone off of "shopgoodwill.com" auction for 6.95. I don't have a lot of money invested in and not sure I even know how much it goes for right now. I don't honestly care. When I put the verizon sim in it - at first it showed 1X - I rebooted and was looking at rooting options but had not gotten real far. I also forgot to pay my bill like always - and got online and caught it up. When I did that - it looked like the sim card updated to 4G and texting was working. But I wrongly assumed calling was not working because I had wrongly assumed in the first place it was not dialing out because I thought I let my bill lapse. (I do this all the time. I'm an idiot).
So, long story, short - I called Verizon and asked why my phone was working but hers wasn't - we got into the discussion of prepaid, etc. The help person said, I wasn't going to get around the prepaid prerequisite - but I might get away with 30.00 instead of 50.00. Ok. Fine - I give. My daughter was willing to pay 30.00+ for a new screen for the other Motorola she had wrecked (E3). I was just trying to get her out of my hair. She is very OCD/Annoying while at the same time always breaking her phones. I told her the skinny on the phone. I told her to take it to Verizon store - tell them you want to go pre-paid cheapest plan - 30.00 and bring it back home. I removed the TWRP and Terminal Emu from the phone and she took it there with her instructions - but somehow muffed it all up. The salesperson claimed it was already activated to our account. In retrospect, I thought I had seen the G6 Play as the model for her phone line. But I told her that was not possible since it didn't work. Right? So a manager came over - and told her the phone was phu(ked I do believe she told my daughter "bricked" and that she'd have to buy a new one. Needless to say I told my daughter to get out of there - they were not interested in helping - they just wanted her to buy a phone. Prior to sending her to the store - I had run through the steps here or where-ever I was - and found the codes needed to determine if I could unlock this phone and was told, nope, nope, nope.
I reset the phone completely from the Fastboot Flash Mode (sorry, if I'm not using the right term - I always want to call it bios, ). As far as I know, it was successful...
So here is the thing. Looks like I'm stuck with it - and I'd like to try my hardest to crack it anyway. I don't care if I brick it or not. I'm looking at practice here. Do I absolutely need the unlock code to get started? Can I just jump over that step and flash a new OS to the phone? Bearing in mind that I might brick it?
Thanks,
Wynne
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Is this phone currently in a running state? If so, do you have twrp and root? I may be able to help you. I know it's G6 play but do you know which model it is? mine is XT1922-7 for example
Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk
He isn't able to unlock the bootloader and wants to know whether he could unlock it without the unlock code.
@impy2101 You'll need that code to unlock the bootloader and being able to do modifications. Every attempt to flash another firmware while bootloader is locked will fail or could lead to a hard brick.
Did you follow the steps from Moto's website to unlock it?
WoKoschekk said:
He isn't able to unlock the bootloader and wants to know whether he could unlock it without the unlock code.
@impy2101 You'll need that code to unlock the bootloader and being able to do modifications. Every attempt to flash another firmware while bootloader is locked will fail or could lead to a hard brick.
Did you follow the steps from Moto's website to unlock it?
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The short and long answer to that is no. The process is relatively straight forward though.
Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk
Sands207 said:
Is this phone currently in a running state? If so, do you have twrp and root? I may be able to help you. I know it's G6 play but do you know which model it is? mine is XT1922-7 for example
Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk
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Yes, brand spanking new - It's just that I bought it from GoodWill so there is no returning it. And it's all good. I only paid a few bucks for it. It's an XT-1922-2. Thanks. I found the, um, erm, (sorry, old lady stuff going on) the OS MOD for it? jeterxxxblahblah and downloaded it - just not sure how I would get it loaded up if I cannot unlock it, etc.
I need to understand a little better some of the things that "we" do to the phones. For example - when unlocking the BootLoader - who locks it in the first place? What does unlocking the bootloader give us access to vs. what does root give us access to? I ask because I also have a Moto E6 and I managed to get past the pre-paid requirement and have unlocked it, rooted it (sorta - kinda weird work around where I have to boot it "recovery mode" if I want to use root - otherwise not. And I've discovered I still need another step to get rid of the provider USCellular so I can stick a VZW Sim in it. (Not asking for an answer here - just saying that I can follow instructions and understand to a certain degree but would like more indepth detail on what it is I'm doing. I even went so far as to look for the OSI model equivalent for Android - I found it - but it wasn't quite as satisfying as the one for PC - I'm still a bit puzzled.)
WoKoschekk said:
He isn't able to unlock the bootloader and wants to know whether he could unlock it without the unlock code.
@impy2101 You'll need that code to unlock the bootloader and being able to do modifications. Every attempt to flash another firmware while bootloader is locked will fail or could lead to a hard brick.
Did you follow the steps from Moto's website to unlock it?
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Yes, I followed the Moto website to unlock it - it was considered unlockable. I'm well aware it could lead to a hard brick. Apparently, when I put my Verizon sim in - I did something to it already that effed it up. According to them. I made the dumb assumption that if I had Verizon as my carrier I could use a prepaid phone as a backup device. And I'm sure I've done it before when I was with AT&T. So it may be I already made it unusable. I would like to go from knows enough to be dangerous - to really qualified. There are big chunks of information that I need to understand in order to put it all together - sometimes breaking something is a good way to learn - in fact, it's often the best way, I've discovered.
WoKoschekk said:
He isn't able to ......
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FYI - Old lady here...
impy2101 said:
FYI - Old lady here...
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So in terms of unlocking we have two different ideas here: 1. unlocking the bootloader so you can change to a custom version of android or obtain root access and 2. Unlocking the device's sim slot to use it with another network provider. This is usually done by asking the provider to unlock it, the pre requisite is that the phone or tablet must be paid off or good standing for at least one year. This is the policy of boost, sprint, virgin etc Verizon may be different. While some third parties may be able to accomplish this, it can be risky to the consumer and may even need to be done remotely. What exactly are you hoping to do? I'd be happy to help you if I can
Sent from my Moto G6 Play using XDA Labs
Sands207 said:
So in terms of unlocking we have two different ideas here: 1. unlocking the bootloader so you can change to a custom version of android or obtain root access and 2. Unlocking the device's sim slot to use it with another network provider. This is usually done by asking the provider to unlock it, the pre requisite is that the phone or tablet must be paid off or good standing for at least one year. This is the policy of boost, sprint, virgin etc Verizon may be different. While some third parties may be able to accomplish this, it can be risky to the consumer and may even need to be done remotely. What exactly are you hoping to do? I'd be happy to help you if I can
Sent from my Moto G6 Play using XDA Labs
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I'm more hoping to unlock the device's sim slot - ironically - this is a Verizon pre-paid and I want to use it with Verizon - my current carrier. I bought the phone in hopes of replacing a phone that quit working on my daughter.
I would like to understand the difference though - I've been fooling around with a Moto E6 and have unlocked the Bootloader - I did go to Motorola's site to get the key based on issuing a fastboot oem get_unlock_data command from the cmd prompt screen. Got the mile long number sent it in and got a key and ran the command to unlock it. I think because it's a newer model - E6 - it's a bit of a weird hinky thing to root it. It can only be done by booting the phone in "Recovery Mode" - I can add all kinda Magisk modules, etc...I can even blow up the phone and reinstall it.
But I can see that the Network is still Consumer Cellular. I'm really getting confused about all of this, lots of terminology without explainations, etc...so in order to teach myself effectively I'm looking at schematics of phones and building my own diagram - sorta like the OSI model for a PC - showing where the bootloader resides, the os/recovery resides, and so on, right? After seeing the Consumer Cellular is still the provider - I searched again and found a page that says I need an unlock code - and as you also said - I've run into this advice a few times - that the owner must fulfill the prerequisite contract time. I had tried arguing with Verizon that I already spent more than 50.00 by being their customer for 4 years and letting them charge me for an entire year for international service despite me telling them to turn it off 4 or 5 times (no sympathy from them...)
I'm extremely confused - where is the "code" that locks the sim to a carrier? Obviously, its not in the bootloader. Clearly, it's not part of the rooting process - which I understand is just granting permission to root directories. Is this code the same code that locks out a pre-paid from a regular sim? I'm guessing whatever it is - it's not part of recovery.img at least.
impy2101 said:
I'm more hoping to unlock the device's sim slot - ironically - this is a Verizon pre-paid and I want to use it with Verizon - my current carrier. I bought the phone in hopes of replacing a phone that quit working on my daughter.
I would like to understand the difference though - I've been fooling around with a Moto E6 and have unlocked the Bootloader - I did go to Motorola's site to get the key based on issuing a fastboot oem get_unlock_data command from the cmd prompt screen. Got the mile long number sent it in and got a key and ran the command to unlock it. I think because it's a newer model - E6 - it's a bit of a weird hinky thing to root it. It can only be done by booting the phone in "Recovery Mode" - I can add all kinda Magisk modules, etc...I can even blow up the phone and reinstall it.
But I can see that the Network is still Consumer Cellular. I'm really getting confused about all of this, lots of terminology without explainations, etc...so in order to teach myself effectively I'm looking at schematics of phones and building my own diagram - sorta like the OSI model for a PC - showing where the bootloader resides, the os/recovery resides, and so on, right? After seeing the Consumer Cellular is still the provider - I searched again and found a page that says I need an unlock code - and as you also said - I've run into this advice a few times - that the owner must fulfill the prerequisite contract time. I had tried arguing with Verizon that I already spent more than 50.00 by being their customer for 4 years and letting them charge me for an entire year for international service despite me telling them to turn it off 4 or 5 times (no sympathy from them...)
I'm extremely confused - where is the "code" that locks the sim to a carrier? Obviously, its not in the bootloader. Clearly, it's not part of the rooting process - which I understand is just granting permission to root directories. Is this code the same code that locks out a pre-paid from a regular sim? I'm guessing whatever it is - it's not part of recovery.img at least.
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I know what you mean by the code and my best answer would be that the carriers themselves have it. It is not common place for the sim unlock codes to be public because if that was the case, no one would or could be locked into a contract and the carrier companies would lose big time money. There are services to unlock sims but as i mentioned before, I've never tried them. so i cannot say if it is a safe or good idea. I have switched carriers using other ROM's besides stock and using other cdma sims in my phone but i was switching carriers. I had to edit my access point names manually for it to work and root was also needed.
Sent from my Moto G6 Play using XDA Labs
Sands207 said:
I know what you mean by the code and my best answer would be that the carriers themselves have it. It is not common place for the sim unlock codes to be public because if that was the case, no one would or could be locked into a contract and the carrier companies would lose big time money. There are services to unlock sims but as i mentioned before, I've never tried them. so i cannot say if it is a safe or good idea. I have switched carriers using other ROM's besides stock and using other cdma sims in my phone but i was switching carriers. I had to edit my access point names manually for it to work and root was also needed.
Sent from my Moto G6 Play using XDA Labs
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Well, clearly the code is not in the SIM card itself. I had good luck with AT&T prepaid. I think I found a page that indicates I can just call Consumer Cellular for my E6 and hopefully they won't force me into a contract fulfillment requirement first. For the G6, it's Verizon...and I'm thinking I gave up too soon. Verizon owes me a big favor because they kept charging me for International Calls. Granted I didn't call every month and yell at them but it took them a year to take it off my bill - I only checked once every 2 or 3 months. My bill was never the same regardless because of the constant adding and changing - so I missed it (and would forget to check).
That makes sense that the pre-paid "lock" is not public and not located in easy to search spot in the phone. I'm just trying to puzzle out the system. Is it something that would be found in the BootLoader? Unlocking the Bootloader is the first step - so you'd think it might be there. Probably not - because Bootloader's job is to load the boot the operating system. Is the Bootloader and OS on the same chip but with partitions? Or do they have separate chips? I've been studying the innards of an android phone - the various chips and there functions - it looks like two possible chips; either the ROM IC which I believe contains the bootloader and I know contains the OS (or just the kernel?) or the Flash IC which should contain "Software" and IMEI Number of the mobile phone. The others are for functions such as sound, network, tx/rx, power, CPU, etc. So? Is there a separate module (chip/ROM) in the phone specifically for the SIM slot - that the OS accesses at some point in loading? I just have a burning curiosity on where it would be stored. Don't worry, I have no real developer skills and no time to "hack" out the issue I'm having anyway. I just learn better when I understand how all the puzzle pieces fit together - I'm puzzled by this aspect of pre-paids - it must be an entirely separate module (software or firmware) that has been added to the basic OS - but where?.....
It's a matter of terminology.
SIM Lock / Carrier Lock - this determines if you can use different SIMs from other carriers. The setting could be stored in nvram or baseband image. Verizon phones usually automatically sim/carrier unlock after 24 hours on their network.
Bootloader lock/unlock - this allows modification of the partitions/software. Generally, if your bootloader is locked, you can only flash "signed" images. If you brick your phone, you can generally reflash stock roms to fix.
Most phones direct from carriers (Verizon, ATT and TMobile) don't allow bootloader unlock, especially the good deals.
MVNOs like Tracfone(and their subsidies Simple Mobile, Straight Talk, Net10) will sim/carrier unlock after 6 months to a year of paid service. They generally don't officially support bootloader unlock, that's usually through a hack.
impy2101 said:
Well, clearly the code is not in the SIM card itself. I had good luck with AT&T prepaid. I think I found a page that indicates I can just call Consumer Cellular for my E6 and hopefully they won't force me into a contract fulfillment requirement first. For the G6, it's Verizon...and I'm thinking I gave up too soon. Verizon owes me a big favor because they kept charging me for International Calls. Granted I didn't call every month and yell at them but it took them a year to take it off my bill - I only checked once every 2 or 3 months. My bill was never the same regardless because of the constant adding and changing - so I missed it (and would forget to check).
That makes sense that the pre-paid "lock" is not public and not located in easy to search spot in the phone. I'm just trying to puzzle out the system. Is it something that would be found in the BootLoader? Unlocking the Bootloader is the first step - so you'd think it might be there. Probably not - because Bootloader's job is to load the boot the operating system. Is the Bootloader and OS on the same chip but with partitions? Or do they have separate chips? I've been studying the innards of an android phone - the various chips and there functions - it looks like two possible chips; either the ROM IC which I believe contains the bootloader and I know contains the OS (or just the kernel?) or the Flash IC which should contain "Software" and IMEI Number of the mobile phone. The others are for functions such as sound, network, tx/rx, power, CPU, etc. So? Is there a separate module (chip/ROM) in the phone specifically for the SIM slot - that the OS accesses at some point in loading? I just have a burning curiosity on where it would be stored. Don't worry, I have no real developer skills and no time to "hack" out the issue I'm having anyway. I just learn better when I understand how all the puzzle pieces fit together - I'm puzzled by this aspect of pre-paids - it must be an entirely separate module (software or firmware) that has been added to the basic OS - but where?.....
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This post maybe helpful to you https://forum.xda-developers.com/chef-central/android/guide-android-rom-development-t2814763