Hi, I am mentally challenged and needs one-on-one help. I want to unlock and release my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to switch to a government program carrier who also uses T-Mobile. The device is from T-Mobile. Right now, I am stuck with money, moving into low-income-housing apartment and I need help to stay connected. I've seen people somehow unlock and release their devices from cerriers before being paid in full. Please help me to do the same on here for my Note 3 then all I need to do is go to the store for goverment provider service to purchase a SIM card. My text is 405-593-8077 and I really need help, please. My only option is to buy a device at a pawn shop, which is scary cuz I dunno why they were pawned. The store has been waiting for a few weeks for S3 to arrive, so I either wait for the S3, or unlock to release my N3 or buy a device at a pawn shop. I need at least 1GB. Their Nokia Lumia 520 and iPhone 4 has 512mb of RAM. So my options are limited. I dunno why the S3 shipment from provider to warehouse are late. Help me on how to unlock, please. If ya don't want to text, then eMail at [email protected] is fine. I've had several one-on-one help here before. Please help.
ThunderOKC said:
Hi, I am mentally challenged and needs one-on-one help. I want to unlock and release my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to switch to a government program carrier who also uses T-Mobile. The device is from T-Mobile. Right now, I am stuck with money, moving into low-income-housing apartment and I need help to stay connected. I've seen people somehow unlock and release their devices from cerriers before being paid in full. Please help me to do the same on here for my Note 3 then all I need to do is go to the store for goverment provider service to purchase a SIM card. My text is 405-593-8077 and I really need help, please. My only option is to buy a device at a pawn shop, which is scary cuz I dunno why they were pawned. The store has been waiting for a few weeks for S3 to arrive, so I either wait for the S3, or unlock to release my N3 or buy a device at a pawn shop. I need at least 1GB. Their Nokia Lumia 520 and iPhone 4 has 512mb of RAM. So my options are limited. I dunno why the S3 shipment from provider to warehouse are late. Help me on how to unlock, please. If ya don't want to text, then eMail at [email protected] is fine. I've had several one-on-one help here before. Please help.
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Since the carrier you're talking about also uses T-Mobile, I'm about 90% sure the phone will not need to be unlocked to use the service. My T-Mobile N900T Note 3 isn't unlocked and I've tested all kind of carriers that utilize their service. Other than my contract SIM I've tested T-Mobile's prepaid, Family Mobile, and MetroPCS and all work perfect since they use the same service and can use identical APN's. However, if you do want to have the phone unlocked to make sure, it's very simple. As long as it's been active on your account for at least 40 days and the account is in good standing (no past due bill) then T-Mobile is obligated to provide you with an unlock code for it if you call and request it.
Now the part about releasing the device before the bill is paid in full, I'm pretty sure you will not have to do that either. That is unless you purchased it under their Equipment Installment Plan (EIP) and you're still paying for the phone. As long as you own the device then I do not believe they can Blacklist it at all. The only time they Blacklist them is for the EIP I explained, and you just stopped paying your bill, or if you reported it lost or stolen.
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
The service got suspended and I didn't turn it on. So now what? Any way I can still unlock? Or just buy a ph on eBay or at pawn shop?
ThunderOKC said:
The service got suspended and I didn't turn it on. So now what? Any way I can still unlock? Or just buy a ph on eBay or at pawn shop?
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Click to collapse
Go here and enter your IMEI number.
https://swappa.com/esn
It will tell you the status and if the phone is still clear to use or not.
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
What is the proper procedure to unlock an att s9 to use with another carrier?
Thanks.
Just to clarify. This phone was purchased from Samsung directly with the new $150 discount for Att branded phones.
RossTeagan said:
So the phone is bought from samsung but lock on att?
Try the following to check if your phone is network locked be sure you really need to unlock it (otherwise, I don't think you need to unlock it).
1. Insert a GSM SIM card from another network (a non-AT&T SIM, liek Cricket ot T-Mobile)
2. Try placing a call
If your phone manages to connect and make the call with this other SIM card, then you won't need to unlock it, as it's already unlocked. And if the phone is locked, I recommend you check with AT&T, given that this phone is not tight to a contract.
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I don't have the phone yet (2 more days,) but I did an extensive Google search, and it seems like this particular phone will be sim locked. It's paid off outright, no contract or anything, but there were several heavy discounts like $150 off msrp and another $150 off for trading in S6.
My Google search gave me two possible options -
1) Talk to ATT and ask to unlock,
2) Use an unlock site, like DeviceUnlock, pay 20-50 dollars for them to obtain and send an unlock code to you.
As for #1, I saw a post where a guy complained that talking to ATT and Samsung was useless to him in a similar situation - each company sent him to the other one to get it unlocked, so he got nowhere with this option.
Also, I saw a few posts that said that a locked phone may have to be activated on ATT first and used for up to 40 days before ATT will unlock it for you. What would happen with this Samsung bought phone though?
And for #2, I just don't know how this kind of business works - you send them IMEI and the locked carrier info, pay money, and a few days later, they send you an unlock code that you can enter yourself.
Is it safe? How does it work exactly? What if there's a problem because the IMEI is not actually registered on ATT because the phone was sold by Samsung?
I have many more questions, just because I don't know what I am talking about, but the bottom line is this. What should I do?
Thanks.
AS your phone is paid off and there is no contract on it, you should stick with your first option: ask att to unlock it but as you said you will need an activated phone, so you will need to activate the phone with att, however, you should go to them immediately and not wait for 40 days. While Samsung locked the phone, the actual company who controls the lock and who has authority of unlocking it att. So don't let them fool you to go search the code somewhere else.
Also, there is a law in the US that forces operators to unlock your phone if there are no debts or contract on your device. So keep that in mind.
Regarding third parties, they are a shortcut and you just have to provide them the devices IMEI and network lock. They, in turn, will look for the unlocking code for you. And if there are issues, as you said, I think you can ask for a refund (so if you decide to go for such a service, first make sure they have a money back guarantee).
TLDR Go with att, they should (have to) provide the unlock for you
Hi nabbed,
did you manage to unlock it?
what did you do in the end?
Giskardors said:
Hi nabbed,
did you manage to unlock it?
what did you do in the end?
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Click to collapse
I called ATT, spoke to tech support. The tech said that since I had no history/account with ATT, they had to make one to verify that the phone IMEI was clean. He created a new account - name, address, phone, email, imei etc info. He created a support ticket (and gave me its number) for sim unlock. He said that I should receive an email within 48 hours that would either tell me that I cannot unlock or will come with the unlock code (if it is decided that I should be able to unlock.)
I tried using their default web service for getting an unlock https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/#/unlockstep1 but that thing doesn't work - the Next button cannot be clicked.
If unsuccessful, I am considering going and talking to a retail ATT store representative directly. They probably don't know much, but perhaps they can be more convincing on the phone with ATT.
Third option is trying one of the unlock websites.
So I had to do this with my S9, same kind of situation as you (I have T-Mobile service, received an AT&T locked device).
As you know, the web portal won't work. AT&T never entered your IMEI in their database, so as far as THEY are concerned, your phone doesn't exist.
Call tier 2/advanced tech support and have them create a case with the Device Unlock Team. GET A CONFIRMATION NUMBER. You should receive an email confirming that the case was made.
48-72 hours later, you SHOULD have an unlock code. Should. This is AT&T, and they don't know their ass from their elbow. It took me 2 weeks.
Device unlock services didn't work, as the IMEI has to be in AT&T's database for it to work correctly. They'll just (hopefully) refund your money when it fails.
Don't go into an AT&T store. As a former AT&T retail employee, I can guarantee you, those employees are dumber than a bag of wet hammers, and have no way of helping you with this, whatsoever. In addition, since you're not BUYING anything, they're not going to help too much even if they could.
Good luck. It will work for you eventually.
entropism said:
So I had to do this with my S9, same kind of situation as you (I have T-Mobile service, received an AT&T locked device).
As you know, the web portal won't work. AT&T never entered your IMEI in their database, so as far as THEY are concerned, your phone doesn't exist.
Call tier 2/advanced tech support and have them create a case with the Device Unlock Team. GET A CONFIRMATION NUMBER. You should receive an email confirming that the case was made.
48-72 hours later, you SHOULD have an unlock code. Should. This is AT&T, and they don't know their ass from their elbow. It took me 2 weeks.
Device unlock services didn't work, as the IMEI has to be in AT&T's database for it to work correctly. They'll just (hopefully) refund your money when it fails.
Don't go into an AT&T store. As a former AT&T retail employee, I can guarantee you, those employees are dumber than a bag of wet hammers, and have no way of helping you with this, whatsoever. In addition, since you're not BUYING anything, they're not going to help too much even if they could.
Good luck. It will work for you eventually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
The tech guy didn't say what kind of a support ticket he created. It may have been a general support ticket, or maybe he referred me to the unlock team directly, I don't know. He seemed like he understood perfectly what I needed. Anyway, the ticket format is like this - cm10230128_122673352, does that look right?
I have received an email confirmation that the call was made, but not that the case was created yet. The call ended at 5:30pm CDT on a Friday night, so maybe it would take until Monday to get a confirmation?
nabbed said:
Thanks.
The tech guy didn't say what kind of a support ticket he created. It may have been a general support ticket, or maybe he referred me to the unlock team directly, I don't know. He seemed like he understood perfectly what I needed. Anyway, the ticket format is like this - cm10230128_122673352, does that look right?
I have received an email confirmation that the call was made, but not that the case was created yet. The call ended at 5:30pm CDT on a Friday night, so maybe it would take until Monday to get a confirmation?
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Click to collapse
Maybe it will take up to tuesday. That's the limit
Im going to the US for 2 weeks, I dont know if i'll be able to unlock it on time, but If I order it I'll get it on the 2nd week.
I really hope you can unlock it!
Keep us updated
Update:
Got the unlock code in an email. The instructions say "Please allow 24 hours upon receipt of this notification to complete the unlock process." Not sure what that means, gonna try to unlock tomorrow with a project fi sim.
Update2:
Phone unlocked fine with a Project FI sim card and connected to T-mobile.
We're on the same boat!
I'm also on Project Fi and I received my AT&T S9 today.
My IMEI was found in AT&T's database and I just submitted the unlock request.
Do you experience any issues when using S9 w/ Project Fi?
zenlifexxa said:
We're on the same boat!
I'm also on Project Fi and I received my AT&T S9 today.
My IMEI was found in AT&T's database and I just submitted the unlock request.
Do you experience any issues when using S9 w/ Project Fi?
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Click to collapse
I just used the Fi sim card to facilitate the unlock procedure (the S9 is not mine, it's for a friend, and I am just setting it up.) I just looked at sim status in the options to confirm that provider was T-Mobile. In my research, I read that using Project FI T-Mobile was no different from any other unlocked gsm phone using T-Mobile. You will lose all Project FI apps because they don't exist with non-Google phones. There will not be carrier switching between T-Mob, Sprint and US Cell, and there will not be wifi calling. But if your T-Mob service is already good, there shouldn't be a problem.
As as side note, my own FI service is kind of awful. Ever since Google introduced "preferred partner" feature, where a FI phone would connect not to the strongest signal carrier but rather to a particular carrier, in this case Sprint in my area, I have had really bad sound quality.
US Cellular has best towers in this area, with signal strength of -70-80 db or so, while Sprint has crappy towers with signal strength of less -100 db. Yet I am constantly connected to Sprint with crappy sound quality because they are the preferred partner here. I have to constantly to remind myself to manually switch to US Cell if I'm to make a lengthy phone call.
Good luck.
I just received an SM-G960 for my birthday from my parents. They bought it off ebay a couple of months ago and have had it for a couple of months in the box. When I opened the box I found a T-Mobile S9 (I have a verizon plan). The phone however has an unpaid balance to t-mobile so I am unable to unlock the phone in order to use the verizon network. If any of you can help me I would really appreciate it, thank you.
TheRedPandaS9 said:
I just received an SM-G960 for my birthday from my parents. They bought it off ebay a couple of months ago and have had it for a couple of months in the box. When I opened the box I found a T-Mobile S9 (I have a verizon plan). The phone however has an unpaid balance to t-mobile so I am unable to unlock the phone in order to use the verizon network. If any of you can help me I would really appreciate it, thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Going thru T-Mobile for the sim unlock code is out of the question, you'll have to go elsewhere.
I'm not exactly aware on what the SnapDragon model development is like. Best I can assume is you'll be very limited and won't have access to whatever the Verizon model software offers.
Best you can do is make sure is whatever phone you're using now that features like VoLTE is enabled on the line. If you do get it sim unlocked hopefully sms and VoLTE works. Stuff like WiFi Calling would be out of the question.
Unless someone else has more Information.
Please move it to correct forum if this is not the right one.
I bought Samsung Galaxy Note Plus 10 5G in Oct 2019 from Verizon (all paid). I ported my number from Verizon to AT&T 5 days ago (after 9 months of using it with Verizon). My account is disconnected from Verizon and I have received the port is completed e-mail from them. AT&T has confirmed that the sim is fully activated.
But Guess what, When I put the sim in mobile it says another carrier is not allowed to be used on this phone ! For last 4 days I have wasted more than 10 hours staying in Verizon store and on call with customer care and they have no idea what is going on ! Customer care says the phone is fully unlocked. After 3 days of constant trying one of the representative said you have to reactivate the old account again and then try unlock again from the backend (which I have no control of !) . And, guess what, none of those good people are reactivating the account.
Verizon store guy doesn't help, just says talk to customer care and customer care says its unlocked so they can't do anything.
What should I do ?
About the only things I can suggest are:
If you have flashed firmware that is not the Verizon carrier firmware then flash it back to Verizon carrier firmware.
If you have disabled any carrier applications on the phone please re-enable them.
Make sure they are attempting to unlock the phone while you are within native Verizon coverage
I am not sure if a non-carrier branded firmware exists for the Note 10+ 5G, but non-carrier firmware has caused network unlocking issues before. The second idea is just in case you may have used a package disabler and disabled something necessary for network unlocking the phone. Last one is from past experiences where I wasn't able to complete phone activation because I wasn't within Verizon's native coverage area. The coverage I was in, while not roaming (or extended area) was not actually native Verizon coverage... I would tend to believe this would possibly be the same for network unlocking the phone.
Otherwise get a hold of Verizon and hound them to get it unlocked. Not much else can be done really... If the phone qualifies for being unlocked they should unlock it.
Filed fcc complaint
I have filed FCC complaint. I never changed anything in the mobile (didn't even know firmware flash was a thing until now when I started looking for solutions), used it for general purpose. I am in the same area where I bought it. Verizon store guy tried everything from simple reset to factory reset wiping everything out but nothing worked.
I have also ordered a prepaid Verizon sim. I will put that in and will try to get the phone unlocked.
I will post my results after 2-3 days.
Thanks for the quick reply !
scottusa2008 said:
About the only things I can suggest are:
If you have flashed firmware that is not the Verizon carrier firmware then flash it back to Verizon carrier firmware.
If you have disabled any carrier applications on the phone please re-enable them.
Make sure they are attempting to unlock the phone while you are within native Verizon coverage
I am not sure if a non-carrier branded firmware exists for the Note 10+ 5G, but non-carrier firmware has caused network unlocking issues before. The second idea is just in case you may have used a package disabler and disabled something necessary for network unlocking the phone. Last one is from past experiences where I wasn't able to complete phone activation because I wasn't within Verizon's native coverage area. The coverage I was in, while not roaming (or extended area) was not actually native Verizon coverage... I would tend to believe this would possibly be the same for network unlocking the phone.
Otherwise get a hold of Verizon and hound them to get it unlocked. Not much else can be done really... If the phone qualifies for being unlocked they should unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it resolved.
Final Update:
Since I had filed FCC complaint online, Verizon Executive Relations department contacted me and She was able to unlock from her side with the help of 'Technical Management' employee on call.
dagarwal82 said:
I have filed FCC complaint. I never changed anything in the mobile (didn't even know firmware flash was a thing until now when I started looking for solutions), used it for general purpose. I am in the same area where I bought it. Verizon store guy tried everything from simple reset to factory reset wiping everything out but nothing worked.
I have also ordered a prepaid Verizon sim. I will put that in and will try to get the phone unlocked.
I will post my results after 2-3 days.
Thanks for the quick reply !
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Click to collapse
if I purchased a fold 3 on contract in EU and than moved to States and carrier unlocked the phone to use in the states would Samsun be able to remotely disable the phone?
I am not planning to do this, but i have been here for 12 years and just renewed and upgraded my contract 2 months ago.
I got notice that my appeal ( was a 7 yr process to get appeal denied) to stay here in country was denied recently so am having to move back to states asap since i no longer have right to work here. Carrier wont let me return phone and get out of contract of course without paying 2 years of service. So just figuring out my options as i figure out everything else.
If they report the IMEI to be disabled because you did not fulfil the contract or whatever reason, they can remotely kill it and make it non-functional.
Just be prepared to buy another phone is what I am saying.
ty that's what I was wondering. not sure what ill do with it
does eu and USA share blacklist now?
The "Black Lists" are global. I can tell you this from back in the day (before 3G when I worked for AT&T Corporate and T-Mobile Corporate) that it's a universal database that everything is reported to by the Carriers > Manufacturers > Public DB Repo.
How often all of the data is sync'd across the globe is another question, but it's not long.
The worst case, if it is blacklisted, you will be able to use it only as a WiFi device and no carrier will activate it.