Develop Bugs

Unlocking T-Mobile for AT&T service

hi everyone:
I have been looking via numerous thread online on many Android forums especially here and have been unsuccessful for the past 2 days now. So I figured I would need to create a thread and finally give in and ask for some help. I have a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy 3 phone and I need to unlock it so that it will work on my AT&T service. Now i understand about rooting the phone and being able to play with themes etc, but its not that great if I can't use the phone itself.
Now without coming up with some kind of answer I must have watched about 40 youtube video's hoping to find out some kind of information. Mostly what I got out of it was numerous website that offer unlocking for phones at a certain price.
unlockcodesource(.)com
unlock2go(.)com
mobileunlockcodes(.)co.uk
Has anyone ever used any of these website or can someone give me some good advise on how I can get this phone unlocked please/
~Aqua

I think the toolkit stickied in the development forum has an option to SIM unlock the GS3. I have not tried this, and do not know if it works, but if the option is there, you might want to give it a shot.

If you're on contract with t mobile and your account is in good standing with them. Call them tell them you're going over seas and need to unlock your phone so you can use it. They will send you unlock code ... then pop in an att sim card and it will prompt you to enter the unlock code t Mobil gave you. Done
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

thanks _
Crisisx1 said:
If you're on contract with t mobile and your account is in good standing with them. Call them tell them you're going over seas and need to unlock your phone so you can use it. They will send you unlock code ... then pop in an att sim card and it will prompt you to enter the unlock code t Mobil gave you. Done
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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OK thank you. I followed your instructions and they said it would take up to maybe 24 hrs for the phone to be unlocked. If it isn't unlocked than she said to call back with the conformation number she gave me. If that doesn't work than they would have to give Samsung my info and could take up to 14 days. She said when you buy phones almost all stands and corp stores have already unlocked phones.
she also said it would be auto unlocked for good. Can they lock the phone back up once it is be unlocked?
~Aqua
edited: Once I have it unlocked ( if all goes good ) do i use the same APN settings that I needed to put into the phone in order for my phone to work on the AT&T network as I did with my S2 that I got unlocked ?

Don't they use different frequencies for HSPA+
You would be relegated to edge speeds, correct me if I'm wrong

speed issue
five40 said:
Don't they use different frequencies for HSPA+
You would be relegated to edge speeds, correct me if I'm wrong
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I really don't know. That would be a great question if someone would be nice enough to help me with this information? Again i have a T mobile S3 hopefully its unlocked would I be losing speeds by being on the AT&T network?
thanks
~Aqua

AquaWater said:
I really don't know. That would be a great question if someone would be nice enough to help me with this information? Again i have a T mobile S3 hopefully its unlocked would I be losing speeds by being on the AT&T network?
thanks
~Aqua
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The T-Mobile S3 has the 850/1900 3G bands so it will work on AT&T's 3G network. It will not get LTE though.
You can unlock either by paying for a code from the various resellers online or requesting an unlock code from T-Mobile if you have an account in good standing with them. If you can't get the code from T-Mobile I suggest searching 'T999 unlock' on eBay and you'll find some good options.

The tmobile galaxy s3 will work on the ATnT HSPA+21 frequency. Same frequency the International version runs on for that network.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Edge network and 3/4G Question
I found an excellent place so far on eBay for buying unlock codes. they have almost 3800 sells with a 99% positive feedback. Great customer service. The guy answered numerous questions of mine and made sure i did everything correctly. Payment was $24.95 US, so hopefullly everything will go good.
He was talking about being on something called an " Edge " network which is a little slower, but he said you won't notice a difference between your unlocked S2 and the unlocked S3 now. Right now my S2 says I have 3G service when I use it. I dont understand how i had a inspire4G, what is the 4G for if AT&T only gives you 3G service? And where I am in United States I should have 4G service no matter what. I'm confused on that.,

AquaWater said:
I found an excellent place so far on eBay for buying unlock codes. they have almost 3800 sells with a 99% positive feedback. Great customer service. The guy answered numerous questions of mine and made sure i did everything correctly. Payment was $24.95 US, so hopefullly everything will go good.
He was talking about being on something called an " Edge " network which is a little slower, but he said you won't notice a difference between your unlocked S2 and the unlocked S3 now. Right now my S2 says I have 3G service when I use it. I dont understand how i had a inspire4G, what is the 4G for if AT&T only gives you 3G service? And where I am in United States I should have 4G service no matter what. I'm confused on that.,
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Edge is 2G speeds, which are substantially slower than 3G speeds. IMHO, 3G speeds are livable, 2G/Edge is not.
Different phones have different radios which work on different frequencies. Some phones are not compatible with other services at all, and some will work on other carriers but often not at optimal speeds.

Darmokk said:
Edge is 2G speeds, which are substantially slower than 3G speeds. IMHO, 3G speeds are livable, 2G/Edge is not.
Different phones have different radios which work on different frequencies. Some phones are not compatible with other services at all, and some will work on other carriers but often not at optimal speeds.
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So than why would someone suggest that I would get "edge" instead of what i have now? I'm getting 3G now with my T-Mobile S2 unlocked on AT&T, but now I'm going to have an unlocked S3, why wouldn't it be the same?

Because the radios in the devices are different.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

So than why would someone suggest that I would get "edge" instead of what i have now?
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Because he/she doesn't know what he/she is talking about. You will be fine with a T-Mobile S3 on AT&T.

That's what I said earlier in not so many words.
Voice willl work fine you will not see HSPA+ speeds on At&t with a T-Mobile Galaxy SIII.
If the T-Mobile SIII has the hardware capability to support the At&t HSPA+ bands you would need modified radio software to unlock this ability.
I believe this was done on the Galaxy Note to tun on T-Mobile HSPA+ network before it was officially launched on T-Mobile.
kmdub I believe your the one that's wrong.

five40 said:
That's what I said earlier in not so many words.
Voice willl work fine you will not see HSPA+ speeds on At&t with a T-Mobile Galaxy SIII.
If the T-Mobile SIII has the hardware capability to support the At&t HSPA+ bands you would need modified radio software to unlock this ability.
I believe this was done on the Galaxy Note to tun on T-Mobile HSPA+ network before it was officially launched on T-Mobile.
kmdub I believe your the one that's wrong.
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I unlocked my t999 and am using an att straight talk sim getting HSPA speeds. Going to switch back to tmobile prepay because it is way faster than att HSPA with better latency. Although coverage may be lacking, i may just switch to an att ST sim.
To answer your question, a Tmobile S3 will work on ATT HSPA+ network with the HSPA+ Speeds of up to 6-7mbps in NYC area. The average I've been getting is around 2-3.5 mbps. With the tmobile prepay sim I have, it's usually around 2-18mbps down in NYC area.
The T-mobile S3 will not work on the ATT LTE network because it lacks that radio (or so they say for now); there have been other threads suspecting it's just a matter of flashing the right radio to "turn on" the ATT LTE radio. However, if all you want is HSPA+ speeds, rest assured it will work fine.
The ATT S3 is lacking the AWS bands for TMobile so it will not get the HSPA+ on Tmobile.
Best regards.

radio issue
First off, I would like to thank everyone who has been helping me along with my issues with my phone. I appreciate it a lot and I'm picking up more knowledge more and more everyday from you guys and reading heavily on the forums.
if the hardware in the phone doesn't support HSPA+ 1) will i have to root the phone and 2) change the radio? And 3 ) if I change the radio does that mean I would need to install a custom ROM i order for it to work properly?
Also, from one of the post they said "The T-Mobile S3 has the 850/1900 3G bands " - of that is true will than I should be able to have the 3G speeds correct?
I really hope I am not making some people angry, I'm new to this and trying my hardest to understand everything so I don't make mistakes. Please bare with me. Again, thank you so much everyone who has contributed so far. I still have a lot to learn. The reason why is because I just don't want it to work ( I do, want it to work ) but I want to understand why everything is working they way it is and I've over the past almost month have been picking up a lot of knowledge. Can't wait to hear from you guys

kmdub I believe your the one that's wrong.
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No, actually, you are wrong. The T-Mobile S3 does not need any modification to work properly on AT&T's HSPA network. Seems you are confusing something else with frequency. Quit spreading bad information.
OP: Don't worry about it. Some are making this way more complicated than it needs to be. As said before, if you have the T999, you will be fine on AT&T's HSPA network without any modifications (other than an account...lol). Just get the phone SIM-unlocked, pop in the right SIM, you are good to go. Seriously, it is that easy.

Well there it is, I stand corrected!
I had no idea the T-Mobile SIII supports At&t HSPA+ bands.
Is the same true to all T-Mobile HSPA+ phones?

Sorry for any issues, just learning
Hi everyone,
thanks so much for the info. Will the S2 I needed to put in certain APN settings inorder to receive MMS ( picture ) via texts. Do i use the same settings for the Samsung Galaxy 3?

kmdub said:
No, actually, you are wrong. The T-Mobile S3 does not need any modification to work properly on AT&T's HSPA network. Seems you are confusing something else with frequency. Quit spreading bad information.
OP: Don't worry about it. Some are making this way more complicated than it needs to be. As said before, if you have the T999, you will be fine on AT&T's HSPA network without any modifications (other than an account...lol). Just get the phone SIM-unlocked, pop in the right SIM, you are good to go. Seriously, it is that easy.
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I too have learned from this thread

Will this phone work with T-Mobile HSPA+/4g?

I have an s3 but I may be getting this phone but I'm on T-Mobile network..I know with the gti9100 I had 4g wasn't possible.. but is it the same deal with this phone or did they make the phone compatible with every network? Thanks in advance.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

pezlomd said:
I have an s3 but I may be getting this phone but I'm on T-Mobile network..I know with the gti9100 I had 4g wasn't possible.. but is it the same deal with this phone or did they make the phone compatible with every network? Thanks in advance.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
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I made the mistake of buying this phone assuming the same thing... Right now the international Note 2 will only get EDGE in the vast majority of places, because T-Mobile runs most of its 3G on the 1700 frequency which the N7100 doesn't support. T-Mobile is in the process of changing to 1900 (mostly for iPhone users), but who knows how long that'll take. I'm mostly fine with EDGE since I'm on WIFI a lot, but I definitely wish I had known before buying.

Riio said:
I made the mistake of buying this phone assuming the same thing... Right now the international Note 2 will only get EDGE in the vast majority of places, because T-Mobile runs most of its 3G on the 1700 frequency which the N7100 doesn't support. T-Mobile is in the process of changing to 1900 (mostly for iPhone users), but who knows how long that'll take. I'm mostly fine with EDGE since I'm on WIFI a lot, but I definitely wish I had known before buying.
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Thanks. I had the exact same question and you answered it perfectly. I was going to buy the GT-N7100 to use on T-Mobile, but if it only gets edge, I won't. Maybe it would work on another carrier, though, like AT&T straight-talk?

Just FYI, I do get HSPA+ while driving to work here in Northern VA although some sites suggest T-Mobile is work to upgrade their 850 to 1900. I do get pretty good speed (5Mbps down/2Mbps up). Check this site if you want to confirm your area but for sure it will work currently only on EDGE: http://www.airportal.de/
I just ordered a Straight Talk SIM card because I know lots of people have constant 3G/4G connection on it since it runs on AT&T. The only draw back with AT&T/Straight Talk is the prohibit unlimited international SMS which I use A LOT.

"E"??
Hi, I just got my N7100 yesterday and upon booting it up with a T-Mobile sim all I get is the "E" for edge network. Like you guys mentioned I guess this is normal for right now correct? Also do any of you get the "R" icon next to your signal strength bar? I opens up the "Roaming" page buddy and thinks I'm roaming. How do you get rid of this "R" icon or can you? Please help newbie here.
Thanks,
John

glad i live in an area where we have the 1900mhz band. its faster than my ATT speed. with my gf tmobile sim i was getting 7mbps and with my att its like 3mbp
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Note2.. yep

i dont get it.. if your going to spend $600+ why not just get the T-Mo version?

YoungAceAtlanta said:
i dont get it.. if your going to spend $600+ why not just get the T-Mo version?
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people are impatient. .
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Note2.. yep

Carrier branded versions of phones are often sim-locked and significantly slower to receive software updates. They're also more expensive in the long-run once you factor in the cost of a contract, even with the discounts. And carrier bloatware is usually a negative, too.
Is the T-Mobile Note II free of any of these disadvantages?

2 thumbs up!
strumcat said:
Carrier branded versions of phones are often sim-locked and significantly slower to receive software updates. They're also more expensive in the long-run once you factor in the cost of a contract, even with the discounts. And carrier bloatware is usually a negative, too.
Is the T-Mobile Note II free of any of these disadvantages?
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Click to collapse
:good::good: Couldn't have explained my reason better! Thanks!

strumcat said:
Carrier branded versions of phones are often sim-locked and significantly slower to receive software updates. They're also more expensive in the long-run once you factor in the cost of a contract, even with the discounts. And carrier bloatware is usually a negative, too.
Is the T-Mobile Note II free of any of these disadvantages?
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Click to collapse
1.) SIM Unlocking is dirt cheap (even free sometimes).
2.) ROM upgrade availability is just as quick if not quicker if you use custom ROMS (and if you're on this site you likely know how to flash them).
3.) Carrier branded devices can be bought off contract.
4.) Carrier bloatware can be frozen and/or removed quite easily.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

[Q] Sprint to Verizon?

I've seen some threads that are close, but I wanted to know if I can flash my GS3 from Sprint for use on the Verizon network? I'm not trying anything shady, it's just that Sprint's network has me about at my end, and I was given a demo S3, and man, it's not even close.
So, I have an S3, with no outstanding contract from Sprint, can I use it with a new account on Verizon? Just trying to avoid ending up with a Sprint GS3...
Thanks

No, you can't. I'm pretty sure the Verizon version uses frequencies that the Sprint version can't. For instance, Sprint's version uses 1900MHz for LTE, but Verizon's uses 700MHz.
Even if the radios matched, it wouldn't work because the Verizon one requires a removable SIM for LTE, and that's not an option on the Sprint one.
On the bright side, there's a chance you could do an even trade with someone who has the Verizon S3, so no one has to spend extra money.

Verizon and Sprint use a different frequency between networks, the actual hardware in the phone (radio) cant pick up anything else than its been made to see. Best bet is selling sprint phone and buying a verizon model

Really? My Sprint GS3 was flashed to Verizon with no issues. LTE of course does not work but I knew that prior to flashing. My 3g speeds are pretty good anyway, much faster than Sprints.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

ret4425 said:
I've seen some threads that are close, but I wanted to know if I can flash my GS3 from Sprint for use on the Verizon network? I'm not trying anything shady, it's just that Sprint's network has me about at my end, and I was given a demo S3, and man, it's not even close.
So, I have an S3, with no outstanding contract from Sprint, can I use it with a new account on Verizon? Just trying to avoid ending up with a Sprint GS3...
Thanks
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Click to collapse
Well I have my sprint gs3 flashed to page plus which is Verizon prepaid. Everything is working fine as well!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

AT&T S3 on Tmobile

Hey guys I'm about to buy an at&t galaxy s3 but my service is under tmobile so I have a few questions. As for making it run all I need to do is unlock the phone and put my tmobile sim in right? I also have seen that the 3g won't work, does this mean I have no internet access (other than wifi)? Also is there any way around this?
And any other issues I should know about before buying the att version?
I realize some of these have been answered already, but I am very new to the smartphone game so a lot of the terms I see in other posts confuse me :silly:

You can run edge which is pretty slow internet.
You can unlock for free. Look into general section.
I guess you need to change apn but not sure on that
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

dsljk2009 said:
Hey guys I'm about to buy an at&t galaxy s3 but my service is under tmobile so I have a few questions. As for making it run all I need to do is unlock the phone and put my tmobile sim in right? I also have seen that the 3g won't work, does this mean I have no internet access (other than wifi)? Also is there any way around this?
And any other issues I should know about before buying the att version?
I realize some of these have been answered already, but I am very new to the smartphone game so a lot of the terms I see in other posts confuse me :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlock the phone
You can get 2g/edge speeds whatever you want to call it, just in put the tmobile apn. If there is 1900 service on tmobile you would get the 4g. I'm using an iphone 5 on 2g speeds, it gets the job done for basic browsing and email.

[Q] What note 2 to buy next

I currently own a note 2 L900 sprint version flashed over to boost mobile. Right now I have it on ebay. I want to get one I can use with straight talk or other gsm providers. I hear it's easy to get the ATT version on straight talk. I also hear the Verizon version can be flashed over to straight talk but idk why if it was unlocked the apn couldn't be added to use straight talk. If anyone can clarify that please let me know. Also I see different versions for Verizon and different versions for ATT. Please help me in deciding the perfect note 2 for me! Thank you all very much for viewing and any input I may get on this. Also being able to go back to boost mobile might be a plus. Where I go Verizon is the best signal but I'm all done with paying such a high bill and only getting squat for data. Also I would like to add Sprint service sux!

ok, from what I gather the sprint/verizon phones can be used and run on verizon signal. Att and tmobile run on ATT. Anyone know if there's any phones that can be programmed to accept both signals. that would be fantastic. CDMA vs GSM would be the stopper but what about the 4s and it being CDMA and GSM?

jd14771 said:
you will never find a phone in the usa that will run both cdma and gsm. unless you came from the future 0.o
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this is so wrong that its not even funny. ever heard of the touch pro 2? a world phone with pentaband radios and a gsm sim card slot that runs cdma on sprint.
the moto photon was also a world phone as well as many blackberrys.

↑ austin420 must be from the future... lol
sent from MY BAD A$$ ET4G