Develop Bugs

How to sim unlock! I'm Confused please Help!

Ok so i have been researching and i'm soooo confused. I am on 4.3. I have read that i need to downgrade but doing so will hard brick my phone. I need to sim unlock it so i can use it on cincinnati bell. can somone please tell me how i can sim unlock my phone successfully? When i go into the hidden menu i have the option that says rat_free_support.

pitbullmommy45245 said:
Ok so i have been researching and i'm soooo confused. I am on 4.3. I have read that i need to downgrade but doing so will hard brick my phone. I need to sim unlock it so i can use it on cincinnati bell. can somone please tell me how i can sim unlock my phone successfully? When i go into the hidden menu i have the option that says rat_free_support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, nobody has yet posted a method to successfully free unlock the S3 running on 4.3. It's possible to downgrade your ROM only to 4.1.1 without downgrading the bootloader and retain full phone functionality. However, you would still not be able to free unlock as you need to be on complete stock 4.1.1, including the bootloader, to be able to free unlock. Until someone comes up with an exploit, your best options now would either be to request the unlock code from your carrier, if eligible, or purchase an unlock code online.

Larry2999 said:
Unfortunately, nobody has yet posted a method to successfully free unlock the S3 running on 4.3. It's possible to downgrade your ROM only to 4.1.1 without downgrading the bootloader and retain full phone functionality. However, you would still not be able to free unlock as you need to be on complete stock 4.1.1, including the bootloader, to be able to free unlock. Until someone comes up with an exploit, your best options now would either be to request the unlock code from your carrier, if eligible, or purchase an unlock code online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so i got a different s3. its on 4.1.2. i'm trying to downgrade but i can't find the firmware download anywhere

pitbullmommy45245 said:
so i got a different s3. its on 4.1.2. i'm trying to downgrade but i can't find the firmware download anywhere
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Downgrading 4.1.2 to 4.1.1 and unlocking is a breeze. You will find the Odin flashable file and downgrading instructions via the link below...
http://fortedge.com/downgrade.html

Larry2999 said:
Downgrading 4.1.2 to 4.1.1 and unlocking is a breeze. You will find the Odin flashable file and downgrading instructions via the link below...
http://fortedge.com/downgrade.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank u so much. the file says its a rom though? do i have to root my phone. my phone is completly stock unrooted or anything.

pitbullmommy45245 said:
thank u so much. the file says its a rom though? do i have to root my phone. my phone is completly stock unrooted or anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a zip file. You would need to download it extract all files. The file to flash via Odin is: I747UCDLK3_I747ATTDLK3_I747UCDLK3_HOME.tar.md5. It doesn't matter whether your phone is rooted or not. A successful flash will deliver a complete stock image. When downgrading from 4.1.2 to 4.1.1, you may experience some error messages after reboot due to some remnants of 4.1.2 on the system. This can be resolved by doing a reset to factory settings either via recovery or from the settings menu.

[Q] firmware downgrade

has anyone figured out how to downgrade 4.3 ota to 4.1.1. can't unlock my phone with 4.3 installed. thanks

dandydon414 said:
has anyone figured out how to downgrade 4.3 ota to 4.1.1. can't unlock my phone with 4.3 installed. thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There have been several well documented reports of successfully downgrading the ROM (only) from 4.3 to 4.1.1. What has also been established is that you cannot downgrade the 4.3 bootloader to 4.1.1 which is required for the free unlock process to work. If you are seeking, therefore, to free unlock your phone, sorry but it won't work. Once you have the 4.3 via OTA, you will need an unlock code.

Larry2999 said:
There have been several well documented reports of successfully downgrading the ROM (only) from 4.3 to 4.1.1. What has also been established is that you cannot downgrade the 4.3 bootloader to 4.1.1 which is required for the free unlock process to work. If you are seeking, therefore, to free unlock your phone, sorry but it won't work. Once you have the 4.3 via OTA, you will need an unlock code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the reply...hopefully by the time I'll need to travel abroad (in september) someone would have figured out a way to unlock for free this phone running on 4.3.. bought this on ebay for use abroad and never occurred to me to make sure it wasn't upgraded to 4.3.. live and learn.

so many unlock threads... so is a 4.3/4.4.2 sim unlock possible?

I've done a ton of searching for methods to unlock the I747m Canadian variant of the S3 and always get confused because I'm a not too tech savvy newb. Does anyone who cares to read this know if there's a method of downgrading the s3 to 4.1 ? I remember an ambiguous thread on how you can use mobile Odin to downgrade everything but the boot loader but I have no idea how that works or where I even found that thread. Can anyone point me in the right direction, if there is one?

Once updated to 4 3 you cannot downgrade or unlock for free

In order to use the free unlock method on an i747 or i747m, you need to be running a completely stock Samsung 4.1.1 ROM, including the 4.1.1 bootloader, to ensure that the phone actually gets unlocked.
If you have the 4.3 or higher bootloader, you cannot downgrade the bootloader. Attempts to downgrade the 4.3 bootloader to an earlier will probably brick your phone. Since you cannot downgrade the 4.3 bootloader, you cannot use the free method to unlock your phone.
Yes, you can use mobile Odin to downgrade the i747 and i747m Samsung ROM to 4.1.1 from 4.3 but your phone will still have the 4.3 bootloader which cannot be downgraded.
To sum things up: if you have the 4.3 or newer bootloader, you will need to buy an unlock code.

I can't unlock my S3 T999

Hello guys.
Just few months ago I got an used S3 T999 (T-Mobile). I didn't know so much about how to change the ROM and also root the cellphone, but I found a lot of info in this forum and I learned how to do it. First, I noticed that my S3 had an update available: 4.3 JB (The stock one). When I made the update, few days after I changed the ROM (installing it with the CWM recovery, of course): the CyanogenMod 12.1.1 (http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal.../rom-cyanogenmod-12-t-mobile-samsung-t3055048).
Since that, I've been using that one and I haven't found problems. But really, I thought that I can unlock the cellphone whenever I want with an app that I heard months before I got the cellphone. I tried that one and few more ways but I can't make it... GalaxSim Unlock, Galaxy S Unlock, the code with the phone dialer... Nothing. I've been finding in the whole internet and the only thing I found is: My S3 T999 isn't compatible OR It has to be on 4.1 Stock Version.
When I found that Info I tried to do a downgrade. I were lucky that I didn't brick my S3, because I read about doing a Downgrade when you upgraded your S3 to the 4.3 JB version and the EFS Folder V2 and V1 (about the baseband or whatever). Also I tried to downgrade from the CyanogenMod 12.1 to 4.3 JB and I made it (with that one I tried all ways and I couldn't unlock it. Then I came back to the 12.1.1 CyanogenMod), but I can't make it with an older version and try those ways I said.
If you need more info to make an answer: Yes, I made a backup to the EFS when I made the Upgrade to the CyanogenMod 12.1. YES, my S3 is totally rooted. YES, I installed the correct ROM for my cellphone in all cases (the same model and baseband).
Now (as I said) I have:
- CyanogenMod 12.1.1
- Baseband: T999UVUENC2
About ODIN mode info (I don't know if you need this):
- Warranty Bit: 1
- Bootloader RP SWREV: 1
- Qualcomm SecureBoot: Enable
- Current Binary: Custom
- System Status: Custom
- Product Name: SGH-T999
- Custom Binary Download: Yes (12 counts)
I'll be grateful if you can help me with this. I can't use my network because I'm not T-Mobile User.
Beforehand, thanks.

There is no free method to unlock the phone once you are on the 4.3 bootloader. The phone needs to be using a stock 4.1.1 before you can use the free unlock method.
You will have to get an unlock code and return to a stock dialler in order to enter the unlock code.

audit13 said:
There is no free method to unlock the phone once you are on the 4.3 bootloader. The phone needs to be using a stock 4.1.1 before you can use the free unlock method.
You will have to get an unlock code and return to a stock dialler in order to enter the unlock code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I have to pay for a code (With the IMEI way) and then install a stock version like 4.3 JB in order to use the dialler?

Correct.

[Q]Android 4.1 ROM, SIM Unlock?

Hello. I recently got my hands on a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy SIII. The phone is network locked and I need to unlock it. I already rooted the phone.
However I have not been successful in unlocking the SIM. There is a method posted here on XDA which tells you to use the menu by dialing *#197328640#. However it won't work on the versions after Android 4.1
I was wondering if anyone can share with me where I can download the stock or a custom ROM with Android 4.1 so that I can use this method to unlock the SIM.
If you know of any other methods that don't require me to pay third parties please share them with me.
Thank you.

If the phone is running a stock 4.3 or newer bootloader, you cannot use the free method to unlock the phone.

audit13 said:
If the phone is running a stock 4.3 or newer bootloader, you cannot use the free method to unlock the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right. I was wondering if anyone could share with me a 4.1 bootloader because I wasn't successful in finding one.

You can't flash a 4.1 bootloader over a 4.3 or 4.4.2 bootloader. Trying will probably brick the phone.