Develop Bugs

[Q] Newbie here - unlocked i317 "MM#6 Phone not allowed" for overseas network

[Q] Newbie here - unlocked i317 "MM#6 Phone not allowed" for overseas network
hi all,
I'm new to this forum and its great to be associated with such a wonderful group
I bought an unlocked AT&T note2(i317, android 4.1.1 and firmware- i317UCALJ2) off ebay.com and got it to India a month back from WA.
I have been trying to configure mobile network on Indian carriers but always got these errors :
- " your sim card doesnt allow connection to this network" and "MM#6 phone not allowed"(MM#6 appears only since yesterday)
- the network bar(i.e. signal strength icon on home screen) doesnt capture the local networks at all which is quite surprising.
- Phone's IMEI(35700..) doesnt match IMEI on the back panel(35542..)
I heard about cases where phones purchased from ebay/craigslist getting blocked ( for example, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2341622) but I guess that shouldn't stop it from using overseas? Also, I heard IMEIs of such blocked phones look like "null", "0"s etc. but IMEI of my phone looks good and doesn't showup in the list of blacklisted IMEIs on swappa or CheckEsnfree. Lastly, I also checked the GSM bands of i317 and they are definitely compatible in India.
Can someone kindly help?
Many thanks in advance.
Chaitanya.

I would like to add that I have tested SIMs from multiple carriers but failed to locate networks and APNs. All other features like WIFI, Bluetooth etc are working like a charm so I suspected if it got to do something with the IMEI.
I request some guidance from the experts in pointing to the issue so that I can try the workaround(Sorry..Im a novice at troubleshooting android )
Kindly let me know or redirect me to a forum if already exists.
Thanks,
Chaitanya.

Could you please say your baseband? It's in settings> about> phone.

rangercaptain said:
Could you please say your baseband? It's in settings> about> phone.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply mate.
Here are the details:
baseband - I317UCALJ2
CSC - i317ATTALJ2
Bootloader - i317UCAMH3

The good news is your phone is clean stock.
The bad news is your phone is blacklisted, and the IEMI was hacked/changed.
The only legal way to solve this is to contact the original carrier (I'm guessing AT&T USA), give them your IEMI, tell them you bought it legally in the USA, and ask them to unblock it. The blacklist is all US carriers and their overseas versions, all European carriers and their subsidiaries. Like Orange or Voda or t-mobile.

rangercaptain said:
The good news is your phone is clean stock.
The bad news is your phone is blacklisted, and the IEMI was hacked/changed.
The only legal way to solve this is to contact the original carrier (I'm guessing AT&T USA), give them your IEMI, tell them you bought it legally in the USA, and ask them to unblock it. The blacklist is all US carriers and their overseas versions, all European carriers and their subsidiaries. Like Orange or Voda or t-mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad..I should have checked the status beforehand in detail. Till now I was only aware that bad IMEI phones arent allowed majorly in US only (saw many such phones being sold on ebay intended for international use ).
As far as I know, i317 is only the at&t version of note2 in US and it differs a lot from its International versions (gt 7100, 7105 etc). Do you still think this blacklisted issue holds good in countries where i317 isnt available?
Since sending the product back to US is highly unlikely, can you kindly let me know the best way I can get the issue fixed?

Answered in my post above. From India you can probably use the tech chat from AT&T website.
It's a blacklist of disallowed IEMI's so the model is irrelevant.

rangercaptain said:
Answered in my post above. From India you can probably use the tech chat from AT&T website.
It's a blacklist of disallowed IEMI's so the model is irrelevant.
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Click to collapse
Thanks Rangercaptain for your clarification. I tried AT&T's live chat but it seeks registered contact details to login. Is there any email support?
Not sure if these kind of questions are allowed here but I heard there are tools that help to retrieve lost IMEIs (which work on rooted phones).
In case it gets tough to get hold of AT&T, can I try any of such tools on my phone since it is not registered in my county anyway and doesnt come with any warranty?
P.S:I know changing IMEI is illegal but I guess retrieving it is not :fingers-crossed:

chaitanyapatwari said:
Thanks Rangercaptain for your clarification. I tried AT&T's live chat but it seeks registered contact details to login. Is there any email support?
Not sure if these kind of questions are allowed here but I heard there are tools that help to retrieve lost IMEIs (which work on rooted phones).
In case it gets tough to get hold of AT&T, can I try any of such tools on my phone since it is not registered in my county anyway and doesnt come with any warranty?
P.S:I know changing IMEI is illegal but I guess retrieving it is not :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I started to think may be the motherboard got changed(since S/N also looks different and the phone looks absolutely new with no wear at all)?
I'm being forced to think that IMEI is clean because some followup with AT&T and US Samsung care have confirmed that the phone's back IMEI and S/N are definitely good with warranty till 2015 and don't show up in any of the blacklisted lists.
I'm sorry for posting different questions but please note that I'm not much aware about this phone's history and I'm trying to openly share the results from my extensive findings. Thanks!!

If you're sure everything is clean are you sure your Sim card is correctly provisioned for the network? The easiest way to find out is to trade cards with a working phone.
Before you think about trading main boards (I did that because the gps connector was broken) go to www.mobiletechvideos.com and see what they can do for you.

rangercaptain said:
If you're sure everything is clean are you sure your Sim card is correctly provisioned for the network? The easiest way to find out is to trade cards with a working phone.
Before you think about trading main boards (I did that because the gps connector was broken) go to www.mobiletechvideos.com and see what they can do for you.
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Click to collapse
Yes, I have been trying this on a working sim with an active data plan which is currently working on my xperia.
Over the last 2-3 days, I have learnt that flashing a wrong ROM sometimes might corrupt EFS folder that stores IMEI,serial number etc., and reinstalling firmware through ODIN(which requires to download original stock ROM separately) or KIES software might restore the lost EFS folder.
I thought of giving this a try and accordingly reinstalled the official firmware but without any success.
Can someone redirect me to any such guides/threads that might help? If it doesnt happen then I would like to close this thread and create a new one for EFS related troubleshooting.

If efs is corrupted there is no s/n or imei shown. It displays null

Nexus 5x pick no service

my lg nexus 5x recently went to become just a personal compact computer that unable to make or receive any call or connect to network, not a phone as smartphone as it should be. everything work just fine only that it not pick up any service. it has detected the sim card is inserting and the carrier name of the card (it's AIS, i'm living in Thailand) but still the bar is empty and its IMEI is still good. After several investigation and tens of flashing which doesn't work, I came across with some clue of the causes of the problem and I'm begging if someone has a solution for it.
1. i found that in Thailand the LTE band that is support here is only band 1 and and band 3 which in this device it support only USA, 5 and 7 so is anyone know where to get a radio.img file for flashing it to make it work?
2. when I brought this phone it said it the description that it is unlocked, but I not sure its really is or not, so is there any way to check on that and a way to unlock it.
3. i'm quite certain that isn't a hardware problem as it's still able to detect the card i put in, so if it a software problem and someone know a clue of solution, please post in
thank you

pongsiritn said:
my lg nexus 5x recently went to become just a personal compact computer that unable to make or receive any call or connect to network, not a phone as smartphone as it should be. everything work just fine only that it not pick up any service. it has detected the sim card is inserting and the carrier name of the card (it's AIS, i'm living in Thailand) but still the bar is empty and its IMEI is still good. After several investigation and tens of flashing which doesn't work, I came across with some clue of the causes of the problem and I'm begging if someone has a solution for it.
1. i found that in Thailand the LTE band that is support here is only band 1 and and band 3 which in this device it support only USA, 5 and 7 so is anyone know where to get a radio.img file for flashing it to make it work?
2. when I brought this phone it said it the description that it is unlocked, but I not sure its really is or not, so is there any way to check on that and a way to unlock it.
3. i'm quite certain that isn't a hardware problem as it's still able to detect the card i put in, so if it a software problem and someone know a clue of solution, please post in
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Has it ever worked? Does it work on 2G/3G as the websites I link below say it should? The actual phone or simcard could be at fault here. But some info: If its not the international version and your carrier does not use the same bands then there is no software fix for this as it has to do with the hardware make up. Eg If the hardware cannot see band 3 no software with make it do so.
Here maybe some helpful links
https://www.frequencycheck.com/compatibility/k6lh22/google-nexus-5x-lg-h790/thailand
http://www.droid-life.com/2015/09/25/nexus-5x-hits-fcc-with-all-us-carrier-bands-including-verizon/
My suggestion, Return it and get the international (h791) model.
2.Unlocked in the fact there are no carrier/manufacturer restrictions preventing you from modding or preventing you from going to another carrier other than the one you brought it for. EG Moding a samsung device is a nightmare as carriers/manufacturers prevent you from unlocking the bootloader/installing recovery's etc and hacks are required to get around this. LG/Google allow this. 2 easy steps to unlock the bootloader and you are away.
3. It maybe the fact that the information maybe hardcoded on the simcard.

Thank you for your solution. It seems likely to be the first one as it has said in the description that it is the h790 when I brought it from eBay, and when it came and after I refurbished it, it never pick up my carrier's service since then.
One more question, is there any way to test the signal receiver function as if its still functional or not, by simulate US signal or something, because I may want to sell it to US someday and I want to make sure that it is actually work.

pongsiritn said:
Thank you for your solution. It seems likely to be the first one as it has said in the description that it is the h790 when I brought it from eBay, and when it came and after I refurbished it, it never pick up my carrier's service since then.
One more question, is there any way to test the signal receiver function as if its still functional or not, by simulate US signal or something, because I may want to sell it to US someday and I want to make sure that it is actually work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way to test it is to use it on a network it supports.

Looking To Buy This Phone...Need Advice...

I am looking to get this phone and needed some advice. I haven't bought a cellular branded phone for a long while. I usually go with the USA Factory unlocked version. On this phone is the cellular named stamped on the back of the phone? I know the model for the USA Unlocked version is G820QM (with a 7 at the end at times) but it is honestly harder to find. What does everyone recommend on this phone in regards to getting the cellular branded one or should I keep trying to find the USA Unlocked version? What about bloatware with the different cellular branded ones? How is that? Can you get rid of the bloatware? I also like what I call the LG Branded ones as they get the updates faster do they not? Please help me. I am looking for a phone and this one stuck out at me unless someone suggests a different phone with similar specs to this one? Thanks so much! :good:

alias4ever said:
I am looking to get this phone and needed some advice. I haven't bought a cellular branded phone for a long while. I usually go with the USA Factory unlocked version. On this phone is the cellular named stamped on the back of the phone? I know the model for the USA Unlocked version is G820QM (with a 7 at the end at times) but it is honestly harder to find. What does everyone recommend on this phone in regards to getting the cellular branded one or should I keep trying to find the USA Unlocked version? What about bloatware with the different cellular branded ones? How is that? Can you get rid of the bloatware? I also like what I call the LG Branded ones as they get the updates faster do they not? Please help me. I am looking for a phone and this one stuck out at me unless someone suggests a different phone with similar specs to this one? Thanks so much! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unsure where you're from, but stay away from the AT&T unlocked model (my model G820UM), I'm from the UK and ordered one, big mistake, AT&T does not send any update to their phones if they are not using an AT&T SIM card in the US, some users have been successful in updating they're OS, by just using a AT&T SIM card outside of the US, some haven't and I haven't tried it, because I don't want to waste more money on a SIM card when the results are not 100% guaranteed.
There is no way of cross flashing a different ROM, so you will be stuck without updates, until someone finds a way of cross flashing a ROM from an unlocked model. I'm checking this forum regularly hoping some has found a solution, but nothing so far
If you are in the US and on AT&T then it will fine, bloatware (which is a lot) can be removed/disabled easily
Honestly, for the price I paid (£280), I think the Xiaomi Mi9 would have been a better option, similar specs, updates every 2 months and you're able to unlock bootloader, not the best process to unlock the bootloader, but still possible (just need to wait for permission from Xiaomi which could take a few weeks), you'll be missing out on the best headphone jack, better cameras (not by much) and better battery life, for a similar price I think this is the best deal for snapdragon 855 phone.
If you don't mind paying a bit more and want the same features as the G8, go for the Samsung S10.

hugoprh said:
Unsure where you're from, but stay away from the AT&T unlocked model (my model G820UM), I'm from the UK and ordered one, big mistake, AT&T does not send any update to their phones if they are not using an AT&T SIM card in the US, some users have been successful in updating they're OS, by just using a AT&T SIM card outside of the US, some haven't and I haven't tried it, because I don't want to waste more money on a SIM card when the results are not 100% guaranteed.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried updating after taking out the SIM card?

ChrisAG said:
Have you tried updating after taking out the SIM card?
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Yep no luck, I've sold the phone, I was wasting too much time trying to find a solution, so just sold it and claimed my sanity back xD
Going back to the trusty Xperia 5, timely updates and great software and they are going for around £260 so easily recommended.

That's too bad, AT&T must be interfering, because I just purchased an unlocked G8 in Canada, and it updated to 10 over WiFi, before I inserted a SIM from my carrier (Bell Mobility). Phone was not on Bell originally.

ChrisAG said:
That's too bad, AT&T must be interfering, because I just purchased an unlocked G8 in Canada, and it updated to 10 over WiFi, before I inserted a SIM from my carrier (Bell Mobility). Phone was not on Bell originally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, this a AT&T "feature", want updates? Buy at AT&T SIM card and use it in the US, guess they don't want anyone outside the US to use their products, unsure why, but it is what it is...

hugoprh said:
Unsure where you're from, but stay away from the AT&T unlocked model (my model G820UM), I'm from the UK and ordered one, big mistake, AT&T does not send any update to their phones if they are not using an AT&T SIM card in the US, some users have been successful in updating they're OS, by just using a AT&T SIM card outside of the US, some haven't and I haven't tried it, because I don't want to waste more money on a SIM card when the results are not 100% guaranteed.
There is no way of cross flashing a different ROM, so you will be stuck without updates, until someone finds a way of cross flashing a ROM from an unlocked model. I'm checking this forum regularly hoping some has found a solution, but nothing so far
If you are in the US and on AT&T then it will fine, bloatware (which is a lot) can be removed/disabled easily
Honestly, for the price I paid (£280), I think the Xiaomi Mi9 would have been a better option, similar specs, updates every 2 months and you're able to unlock bootloader, not the best process to unlock the bootloader, but still possible (just need to wait for permission from Xiaomi which could take a few weeks), you'll be missing out on the best headphone jack, better cameras (not by much) and better battery life, for a similar price I think this is the best deal for snapdragon 855 phone.
If you don't mind paying a bit more and want the same features as the G8, go for the Samsung S10.
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Click to collapse
Is 10 really that big a deal from 9? I have 9 on my phone i could care less if it gets 10 and I am pretty sure it wont , lol

I feel like if we have temp root then it's only a matter of time before we get TWRP and roms. I just picked up an AT&T model for $178. Not sure if it's unlocked, but fairly easy through AT&T. Just worried if we have an exploit, updating to 10 might invalidate it.
I come from PS3/xbox 360 hacking, haha.

How are Consumer Cellular Note 10 Carrier Locked? Help Needed

I have a Note 10 Plus N975U1 that was sold as a Consumer Cellular device through Target. The phone came with the N975U1 unlocked ROM installed on the phone and there is no carrier apps or Consumer Cellular identification anywhere. The only reason I know it's Consumer Cellular is because of a message that popped up for something, can't recall what now.
Anyway, the phone acts just like an unlocked model. Put in various sim cards and the phone reboots through the blue recovery screen to update carrier software for the sim you are using. APN settings are available and can be edited. Everything is just like an unlocked model.
Except, it connects to the network for a couple minutes or so and then stops working. It acts like the Verizon versions do before they are unlocked by Verizon. Except the Verizon versions give you a little pop up stating the phone can't be used on another network. This model has no message.
I am guessing that they are locked using the same mechanism that Verizon uses for locking their devices now except they just are not showing anything to let you know.
Is anybody aware of exactly how this is done and any third party who can unlock it? I have tried a couple different unlocked ROM s as well as an AT&T and Verizon just to see what happens. Same problem.
Thanks

Have a link from the target site to the phone you bought?
I have a feeling that the phone is not actually unlocked or it may not be as what it appears exactly. You can run the IMEI number using swappa and see if the phone is indeed an U1 variant or just the normal carrier N975U.
It maybe possible (not sure how exactly) that your using an international variant that was flashed and configured to look like a N975U1. For example the phone listed here is an international variant that is compatible with US LTE, but I have some serious doubts with how compatible it really is. From past experiences with a local store that sells unlocked Note 10+ units for Net10, I discovered they are not actually US models and are really international models. They were flashed and configured in a weird way (best I can describe it) that it would work for the most part, work with Net10, but it would not work with the other providers here locally. It would at first appear to work but then fail all together.. It wasn't until I started digging into the IMEI number and what it belonged too that I discovered the truth of what the model actually is, and I then promptly returned the phone to the store I bought it from.
If the phone is just network locked and a genuine N975U1 model it would just seem that you only have to use the phone with the service for a certain period of time before they will unlock it. Consumer Cellular would be the best place to go to get (and ask about getting) the phone unlocked.
https://www.consumercellular.com/Help/phones-and-services/5

I resell used phones and specifically phones from Consumer Cellular. All the previous Samsung models used to come unlocked, but about the time the S10 was released, all their Samsung phones came with this unusual lock. I've tried working with countless unlockers and no one has been able to remove it. Once it connects to the internet, it downloads some google update and the phone loses voice/data service. I've wondered how they do this too. A few other models I have that have the same lock are the A10e A20 J7 S10/+ S20/+ Note 10/+. Really really frustrating as I've been searching for a long time now. If anyone knows anything, please let me know. I have hundreds of these that need to be unlocked. Also to clarify, yes they are all the U1 factory unlocked models.

Edit: Apparently when a carrier locked device is flashed to U1 firmware BEFORE unlocking, there is no software prompt to unlock the device. It probably was a carrier locked N975U originally. Maybe on Consumer Cellular firmware, there would be a prompt to unlock it?

These are the guys but they only do commercial work. I am pretty sure they never fail unlock.
https://www.swiftunlocks.us/

Guyinlaca said:
Edit: Apparently when a carrier locked device is flashed to U1 firmware BEFORE unlocking, there is no software prompt to unlock the device. It probably was a carrier locked N975U originally. Maybe on Consumer Cellular firmware, there would be a prompt to unlock it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are not the U versions. I've sold CC phones for years and they are and have always been U1 models. Not only does it say it in the software, but even on the back glass. They are locking these things with an update somehow.
I'll reach out to swiftunlocks, but I would put a big bet up that they can't unlock it either. I'm connected with some of the top unlockers in the world as this is my business and no one has any idea. If anyone is reading this and wants a phone to test, I'll even send you one if you think you can unlock it. It's worth a lot of money to me to find a solution. The worst part is that these phones are all paid off and eligible to unlock through the carrier, but since "I'm not the original owner" they won't help me.

Shatter65 said:
These are not the U versions. I've sold CC phones for years and they are and have always been U1 models. Not only does it say it in the software, but even on the back glass. They are locking these things with an update somehow.
I'll reach out to swiftunlocks, but I would put a big bet up that they can't unlock it either. I'm connected with some of the top unlockers in the world as this is my business and no one has any idea. If anyone is reading this and wants a phone to test, I'll even send you one if you think you can unlock it. It's worth a lot of money to me to find a solution. The worst part is that these phones are all paid off and eligible to unlock through the carrier, but since "I'm not the original owner" they won't help me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My friend, did you finally find a solution to unlock samsung phones locked to consumer cellular, i have a few phones locked to them and i would like to know if theres a way to unlock them

seth81 said:
My friend, did you finally find a solution to unlock samsung phones locked to consumer cellular, i have a few phones locked to them and i would like to know if theres a way to unlock them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally use samkey.org

Question A52S/sm a526b/ds successfully rooted with camera working+ demo unit baseband 0000 imei question problem.

I purchased this phone unknowingly that it was a demo version.
I removed the demo version from it via the code, reset and then flash and update.
The dual imei numbers are both 0000 when I typed some code ( cant remember it showed that the imei is ok)
I wanted to get it repair via some of those remote box services. I dealt with very rude unpleasant person who was impolite, told me to install quite old xsg rom which is different csc compared to my original rom. When I flashed under imei there is UAE csc and new lines added under: TRA ID :
and TA : , and these two were not there before, device also shows just as a52 instead as a52s as previously. The person suggested the rom based on the build number that I sent him.
Afterwards he was asking for pictures and then blocked me.
Im wondering If I can fix this unit to usable cellular state with working real imeis
I thought xposed modules would help, but it seems they only help with apps and only change imei on them.
I highly doubt that this device has banned imei.
I would be happy to help you to root it and I would appreciate if someone can help me.
I searched many threads without success, I know the efs/qcb is probably corrupted
What route I should go to fix this device?

If it is a demo version and has no IMEI this tells you that this legally is no mobile device that is approved to use with operators. Inserting a new IMEI can not be legal in normal countries. IMEI is a device identifier sent with all phone traffic to ensure that the device is a legitimate one and is not stolen and black (do not work at all) or grey (works but flagged to be traced) listed.
Go back to the seller and demand your money back!

I hoped that someone with more experience with this would chime in, on these new galaxy devices the imeis still seems to suppose to be there, in galaxy 8 or older galaxy version there was no 4g module and antenna removed, I think this is what you are talking about right ? and it was purchased on ad.
Im wondering if these services like chimera can fix it.

I thought it's unrootable. How did you do it?

gerhard_wa said:
If it is a demo version and has no IMEI this tells you that this legally is no mobile device that is approved to use with operators. Inserting a new IMEI can not be legal in normal countries. IMEI is a device identifier sent with all phone traffic to ensure that the device is a legitimate one and is not stolen and black (do not work at all) or grey (works but flagged to be traced) listed.
Go back to the seller and demand your money back!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought it off an add, impossible, so Im trying to at least fix it, one person here popped in my messages, trying to help... I think he recovered my damaged imei partition and stole it and sold it. Xda what a wonderful place of helpful people.

lucas_54 said:
I thought it's unrootable. How did you do it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats bs, my firmware is older but cam is working,The method described in a52 thread, patching file through odin.

ftaqh said:
I bought it off an add, impossible, so Im trying to at least fix it, one person here popped in my messages, trying to help... I think he recovered my damaged imei partition and stole it and sold it. Xda what a wonderful place of helpful people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must be joking; demo phones have no imei. They are not phones they are dummies. Throwing around inane accusations will do you no god around here.