Develop Bugs

SIM Network Unlock PIN - GSM Galaxy Nexus

Hi Techie folks!
All right, hopefully everyone would excuse any blunders made by a noob but this is my dilemma.
This is my first, and most assuredly not my last, post on this quite interesting platform.
I had recently purchased a device (Google Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250 Android Smartphone 16Gb) which was supposedly 'unlocked' from an online store (Expansys USA) out here in the US.
I bought it outright for $409.99
Link: http://www.expansys-usa.com/google-nexus-prime-android-smartphone-unlocked-16gb-224148/
I had received that device without any issues and had been using it for over three weeks.
I have the StraightTalk (USA) GSM SIM on it and like I mentioned, no issues whatsoever was faced during daily day-to-day use.
However, yesterday for the first time, I noticed that the network was not connecting and so I rebooted the phone thinking it was some network error.
Now when I did that I received a message after the boot-up which stated 'SIM Network Unlock Pin' and the options were to enter the PIN or dismiss that.
When I dismissed the message notification, I found out that the network was not available.
But the other features of the phone was not affected, as in navigating through the phone and applications (non-internet based) was without an problems.
Just that the network was not connecting although I observed that I could make emergency calls.
So I tried rebooting it again, by taking out the battery and SIM card as well, the issue still persisted.
So I started to troubleshoot the issue, by inserting in another GSM SIM card into the phone, but found the issue to persisting.
To double-check, I took out my StraightTalk SIM card and put in another phone, the SIM card was working fine! :good:
Just to be on the safe side, I called StraightTalk Customer Support and had asked them for some clarification as to why this SIM Network Unlock PIN was shown.
They suggested that this was the phone issue and needed to be sorted out by the place of purchase/manufacturer.
I even tried entering the SIM card's PUK code but did not reach far in that regard.
On searching the net (which is why I had come here for proper support and answers), I had found quite a lot issues with regard to this problem.
I was under the assumption that this phone was the GSM Unlocked International Version, but after this incident, it so happens that this is not the case.
The solution given online and out here is to root the phone using the Wugfresh method and after rooting, run the device with the application (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1548210) which would take care of this issue.
However, I am not too keen on voiding my warranty on this account, and also the steps are quite complicated with respect to rooting the device.
Yes I am noob! So please don't roll your eyes!
This is the issue, and now to what I would appreciate this forum's assistance.
Being an expensive product, I dont want to buy another one just because of this issue.
I do not know where this phone is purchased from, which means, I have no idea which network provider this is locked to.
I can only provide the IMEI number.
Question 1: Is it possible to find out to which network this phone is locked to?
I have to add that the phone does not have any network branding on it, nor does it show any during the boot-up process.
Question 2: Can the phone be unlocked with online unlocking sites?
Question 3: If so, can someone provide me any good sites that can unlock the device.
Is this site any good? Link: http://www.unlockallcellular.com/samsung-galaxy-nexus-unlock-code-p-196144.html
Like I said, worse case scenario, I would indeed have to root my phone and proceed to install that software which will help me get rid of this issue once and for all.
As you all can see, I'm desperately looking for some solutions/answers and would appreciate it if someone would shed any light to this issue.
PS: I do know that there are threads on this issue, but mine is more or less around finding the invisible network provider that this phone is locked to.
Best Regards,
Reena Johnson

Your device was not factory SIM-unlocked. The vendor probably unlocked it using a code. That said, you should call Expansys and ask them for the code.
Otherwise, you can take a look at the following two threads. The first one is easy, but temporary -- in other words, you will need to do unlock every time you flash a new ROM. The second is permanent, but not as straight-forward to accomplish.
1) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1548210
2) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1606982

Further queries now arise ....
efrant said:
Your device was not factory SIM-unlocked. The vendor probably unlocked it using a code. That said, you should call Expansys and ask them for the code.
Otherwise, you can take a look at the following two threads. The first one is easy, but temporary -- in other words, you will need to do unlock every time you flash a new ROM. The second is permanent, but not as straight-forward to accomplish.
1) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1548210
2) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1606982
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for the quick reply.
Wow! You guys are fast!
Much appreciated.
Now I have a query. The option 1 which you have stated, is the one which I have looked at.
Even that requires me to root my phone.
Isn't it so?
Cause the OP in that thread specifically mentions the need to root the phone.
I have asked Expansys USA for that code, and since Saturday/Sunday is off for them, I am hoping to get a reply from them on Monday.
Like I said, my main concern is that I would like this process to be hassle free.
You guys (no-offence intended for the male demographic) are quite capable of rooting the phone.
Unfortunately, I wish not to choose that route, unless no options are left available at my disposal.
Which is why I am bending towards the easy unlocking method.
So my next question really is since its (read: the phone) not a factory SIM-unlockedissue, can I find the original network provider to which this phone was locked to?
As in, is there any where on this device which can tell me that information?
Once again, I sincerely thank you for your support and assistance in my life a lot easier! :victory:
Regards,
Reena J

djjohnson said:
Thanks a lot for the quick reply.
Wow! You guys are fast!
Much appreciated.
Now I have a query. The option 1 which you have stated, is the one which I have looked at.
Even that requires me to root my phone.
Isn't it so?
Cause the OP in that thread specifically mentions the need to root the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are right it does require root. (I didn't realize that it was the link you had looked at and mentioned in your post.)
djjohnson said:
I have asked Expansys USA for that code, and since Saturday/Sunday is off for them, I am hoping to get a reply from them on Monday.
Like I said, my main concern is that I would like this process to be hassle free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably best to wait until Monday then, as that would certainly be the most hassle-free option.
djjohnson said:
You guys (no-offence intended for the male demographic) are quite capable of rooting the phone.
Unfortunately, I wish not to choose that route, unless no options are left available at my disposal.
Which is why I am bending towards the easy unlocking method.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe it or not, "rooting" a Nexus device is extremely easy, and should not take more than 5 minutes. The part the takes the most time is to make sure the drivers are set up properly on your PC... Once that is done, no more than a few minutes is all it takes.
djjohnson said:
So my next question really is since its (read: the phone) not a factory SIM-unlockedissue, can I find the original network provider to which this phone was locked to?
As in, is there any where on this device which can tell me that information?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, there is a way, although I believe you need root, although I could be wrong here. You need to post this file from your device: /factory/mps_code.dat and someone will be able to tell you. Or you can look in that file and compare the code in there to this list.
---------- Post added at 11:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:18 PM ----------
djjohnson said:
[snip]
Question 2: Can the phone be unlocked with online unlocking sites?
Question 3: If so, can someone provide me any good sites that can unlock the device.
Is this site any good? Link: http://www.unlockallcellular.com/samsung-galaxy-nexus-unlock-code-p-196144.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And yeah, you should be able to get it unlocked by one of those site, even the one you mentioned. But I can't vouch for it, nor can I recommend any site, as I have never used any.

Hey djjohnson
I've got the exact same problem, but bought my phone from a different seller.
Did you manage to get any information (or PIN) from expansys??

Thymine said:
Hey djjohnson
I've got the exact same problem, but bought my phone from a different seller.
Did you manage to get any information (or PIN) from expansys??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like OP disappeared after getting his issue solved. Expansys has great customer service and would have exchanged the phone with no problems. Which retailer did you get it from? There are unlocking sites out there but you have to know which network its locked to. Or root it and try the methods listed in this thread. GL

Cheers mate,
I bought mine from an ebay seller and have already sent them a message asking for either the PIN or the name of the original service provider.
If that falls through, I'll have no other option but to root....or just be the first of my friends to not have a phone number and live exclusively on the internet...
I'll probably root.

A delayed update ...
Techies folks!
This is just to update you guys on this issue and if in future any one else faces such similar issue just do this and get back your peace of mind.
First you need to root your phone as mentioned by Efrant and it is indeed a simple process once you have set up the required drivers.
Once again thanks a lot Efrant for your support and time in helping me out with this.
:good:
First you need to root your phone, period.
I tried all methods before diving into this method.
Rooting isn't complicated and all it takes is patience and the exact details to get this done.
What I am about to suggest is to be taken at the reader's risk and I am not responsible for any damage done to your phone.
That being said, I highly doubt that anything will go wrong unless you arent used to following instructions!
My Nexus was magically locked to an invisible network and you guys can find that out by going into fastboot mode.
What that means is to turn your device off and then press the buttons together (volume Up + volume Down + Power), you will get that info under the "baseband version" and "carrier info".
I could not resort to the online unlocking sites because ALL of them require the original network to unlock the phone.
I suggest that you root the phone and it is quite simple not taking you longer than 10-20 minutes.
1) First you will need to install the drivers onto your phone from your computer which you will need during the rooting process.
You can get that from here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20058157&postcount=1
It is called the Universal Naked Driver 0.7.
The download instructions are given in this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29044502&postcount=735
The OP was quite comprehensive in providing the exact details in what needed to be done. So once you have installed the necessary drivers proceed to the next step.
2) Download Wugfresh Toolkit which is the main tool needed to root your phone.
First you will need to unlock your phone and then root it.
The beauty of this software is that everything is on it. Just click on the Unlock button first and then you just have to sit back and wait for the magic to happen.
The instructions on the screen will tell you what its doing.
I would suggest reading through the entire process before going through with this.
http://www.wugfresh.com/dev/nexus-root-toolkit/
Extra material on this http://wugfresh.com/Help/
3) Once you have rooted your phone, the hardest bit is over. Then all you need to do is install this application on your device. And run it.
Simple.
You have yourself an unlocked phone!! :victory:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1548210
There will be questions as to if this will work in CDMA or GSM versions.
I got mine from Expansys and it was supposed to be an unlocked GSM model.
I hope that will help as it did with mine.
Actually I got my bf to do this for me as it is a tad bit complicated and it was a birthday gift from him.
mendezj666 said:
It looks like OP disappeared after getting his issue solved. Expansys has great customer service and would have exchanged the phone with no problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow!
I seriously didn't realize that I had a personal assistant or the CIA to track my moves!
I apologize if my bf didnt get back to you guys on this issue. I, on the other hand, have work which consumes 12hrs of my day.
So I really do not have the time to post a reply.
But hey! a simple 'I dont know where SHE is, but here's what I can do to help you out' would have sufficed.
I'm just saying. No offense intended mate.
By the way, I'm a girl, and in my opinion Expansys came highly recommended to me by all my co-workers.
But I had the most horrible customer support ever!
My personal opinion would be to NOT buy from there!
Get from Negri's or some place better.
God knows how many times I had tried calling them. Even tried sending them tons of emails and not even one peek into my issue.
Goes to show how "great" of a customer service they have!
Thymine said:
Hey djjohnson
I've got the exact same problem, but bought my phone from a different seller.
Did you manage to get any information (or PIN) from expansys??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope my post will help you also to resolve your issue.
Best way is to root your phone. But like I said earlier, do read everything, and download the drivers and the Wugfresh Toolkit before proceeding.
All the best.
Soon you'll be like me enjoying what can only be said as a beauty of a device.
A big thanks to Efrant for helping a gal out!
Cheers!
Regards,
Reena J

[Q] Same problem, solved, but now how can I network lock it again...
Hi All,
In short, same problem here, I used another unlock code(bought it) and now i want to network lock it again? How can I lock it?
I had very same problem of this thread, I bought phone as factory unlocked but was code unlocked(Vodafone Spain), later after updating to 4.0.4 and then to 4.1.1, it asked for the code again.
I raged with the problem and I rushed to buy a unlock code (8$), a bit shady, but it works fine.
Now I want to confront the shop who sold the phone lying about its lock state, and it would be convincing if i can send them the phone network locked as it was.
How can I network lock the phone again?
I have tryed inputing the code *7465625*638*# or *7465625# and similar combinations with no lock, I don't get a popup asking me for the carrier data to lock it.
I also tryed to downgrade the phone to 4.0.4, with no result and later to 4.1.1 and the same it is not asking for the unlock code...
Just an obvious clarification, I am talking about carrier network locking, not lock/unlock the bootloader.
Thanxs a lot in advance
djjohnson said:
Techies folks!
This is just to update you guys on this issue and if in future any one else faces such similar issue just do this and get back your peace of mind.
First you need to root your phone as mentioned by Efrant and it is indeed a simple process once you have set up the required drivers.
Once again thanks a lot Efrant for your support and time in helping me out with this.
:good:
First you need to root your phone, period.
I tried all methods before diving into this method.
Rooting isn't complicated and all it takes is patience and the exact details to get this done.
What I am about to suggest is to be taken at the reader's risk and I am not responsible for any damage done to your phone.
That being said, I highly doubt that anything will go wrong unless you arent used to following instructions!
My Nexus was magically locked to an invisible network and you guys can find that out by going into fastboot mode.
What that means is to turn your device off and then press the buttons together (volume Up + volume Down + Power), you will get that info under the "baseband version" and "carrier info".
I could not resort to the online unlocking sites because ALL of them require the original network to unlock the phone.
I suggest that you root the phone and it is quite simple not taking you longer than 10-20 minutes.
1) First you will need to install the drivers onto your phone from your computer which you will need during the rooting process.
You can get that from here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20058157&postcount=1
It is called the Universal Naked Driver 0.7.
The download instructions are given in this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29044502&postcount=735
The OP was quite comprehensive in providing the exact details in what needed to be done. So once you have installed the necessary drivers proceed to the next step.
2) Download Wugfresh Toolkit which is the main tool needed to root your phone.
First you will need to unlock your phone and then root it.
The beauty of this software is that everything is on it. Just click on the Unlock button first and then you just have to sit back and wait for the magic to happen.
The instructions on the screen will tell you what its doing.
I would suggest reading through the entire process before going through with this.
http://www.wugfresh.com/dev/nexus-root-toolkit/
Extra material on this http://wugfresh.com/Help/
3) Once you have rooted your phone, the hardest bit is over. Then all you need to do is install this application on your device. And run it.
Simple.
You have yourself an unlocked phone!! :victory:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1548210
There will be questions as to if this will work in CDMA or GSM versions.
I got mine from Expansys and it was supposed to be an unlocked GSM model.
I hope that will help as it did with mine.
Actually I got my bf to do this for me as it is a tad bit complicated and it was a birthday gift from him.
Wow!
I seriously didn't realize that I had a personal assistant or the CIA to track my moves!
I apologize if my bf didnt get back to you guys on this issue. I, on the other hand, have work which consumes 12hrs of my day.
So I really do not have the time to post a reply.
But hey! a simple 'I dont know where SHE is, but here's what I can do to help you out' would have sufficed.
I'm just saying. No offense intended mate.
By the way, I'm a girl, and in my opinion Expansys came highly recommended to me by all my co-workers.
But I had the most horrible customer support ever!
My personal opinion would be to NOT buy from there!
Get from Negri's or some place better.
God knows how many times I had tried calling them. Even tried sending them tons of emails and not even one peek into my issue.
Goes to show how "great" of a customer service they have!
I hope my post will help you also to resolve your issue.
Best way is to root your phone. But like I said earlier, do read everything, and download the drivers and the Wugfresh Toolkit before proceeding.
All the best.
Soon you'll be like me enjoying what can only be said as a beauty of a device.
A big thanks to Efrant for helping a gal out!
Cheers!
Regards,
Reena J
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Google is selling these phones for $350 ? Why would you pay more and not get it from the source, just curious. Not trying to be argumentative.

jawmail said:
Google is selling these phones for $350 ? Why would you pay more and not get it from the source, just curious. Not trying to be argumentative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe they're not in the US or purchased them more than 2-3 months ago.

The point is that google does not sell them worldwide, they don't sell them in my country (Spain), or at least not 3 months ago when I bought mine. And if they would sell them it would be more like 400€ minimum (equivalent to 500$ moreless)
But lets not lose the focus, of the question, any idea of how to network lock the phone again?
jawmail said:
Google is selling these phones for $350 ? Why would you pay more and not get it from the source, just curious. Not trying to be argumentative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I had let my nexus update to 4.1.1 before realising I had a sim unlock problem here, the guide above was spot on, if you are on 4.0.4. I just couldnt get the last bit done on JellyBean, so went back to google image 4.0.4 and it work flawlessly
Phone updated to JB an hour ago, and its still working sweet

What's going to be your next device?

My deepest apologies if this is in the wrong place, but I need to ask this question some place. If this has been asked before, the search did not return anything that caught my eye, please feel free to point me in the correct direction! Considering that I have Verizon as a carrier and live in the US, I thought I would ask this audience to see what device has caught your eye!
My upgrade date is drawing near and I need to decide on a device that I want to give a shot next, and I would like to avoid being disappointed in my next device.
What is your next device going to be, and why?
I have been keeping my eye on the newest Nexus (now the Pixel) phones, but I really can't see myself giving up my sd card slot. I am also kind of partial to the removable battery.
I really like this phone, but the development has been poor due to Verizon's locked bootloader. I have a feeling this will be the case with ALL Verizon phones, but I have unlocked bootloaders in the past (Even my Note 3 finally got a bootloader unlock!).
My real pull to the Nexus/Pixel was the fact that it's a Google phone, it gets the latest Operating System updates, and AFAIK they were able to unlock the bootloader in the past (please correct me if I am wrong, as I have not really ever owned a Nexus device).
I really enjoy the ability to install a custom Rom and modify the OS (I LOATHE the stock DPI on most devices!!!) and I can't exactly get tethering on my package (but there is usually an app for that ). I would like to find something powerful enough to keep me happy for the next few months, because lets face it, we all start to long for a new device.
Thank you for your time and consideration!

b3y0ndd34th said:
My deepest apologies if this is in the wrong place, but I need to ask this question some place. If this has been asked before, the search did not return anything that caught my eye, please feel free to point me in the correct direction! Considering that I have Verizon as a carrier and live in the US, I thought I would ask this audience to see what device has caught your eye!
My upgrade date is drawing near and I need to decide on a device that I want to give a shot next, and I would like to avoid being disappointed in my next device.
What is your next device going to be, and why?
I have been keeping my eye on the newest Nexus (now the Pixel) phones, but I really can't see myself giving up my sd card slot. I am also kind of partial to the removable battery.
I really like this phone, but the development has been poor due to Verizon's locked bootloader. I have a feeling this will be the case with ALL Verizon phones, but I have unlocked bootloaders in the past (Even my Note 3 finally got a bootloader unlock!).
My real pull to the Nexus/Pixel was the fact that it's a Google phone, it gets the latest Operating System updates, and AFAIK they were able to unlock the bootloader in the past (please correct me if I am wrong, as I have not really ever owned a Nexus device).
I really enjoy the ability to install a custom Rom and modify the OS (I LOATHE the stock DPI on most devices!!!) and I can't exactly get tethering on my package (but there is usually an app for that ). I would like to find something powerful enough to keep me happy for the next few months, because lets face it, we all start to long for a new device.
Thank you for your time and consideration!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the G4 for over a year and just upgraded to the HTC 10

pettigrew95 said:
I had the G4 for over a year and just upgraded to the HTC 10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you liking it? And how is the development?
Are you a heavy phone user? What is the battery life like?

b3y0ndd34th said:
How are you liking it? And how is the development?
Are you a heavy phone user? What is the battery life like?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone itself is awesome but I'm having some battery issues and trying to pinpoint what is causing the poor battery life. Development is fantastic since S-OFF and root were achieved via the Sunshine APK. There are tons of ROMs and kernels to flash. I miss having a removable battery but the HTC 10 does have a micro-SD slot.

I'm not in the market for a new phone to replace my G4 yet, but after getting a bootloop replacement with the first gen manufacturing date, I probably will be looking sooner rather than later. I get to stay on the unlimited data family share plan through a corporate discount, so I'm kind of curious if VZW still subsidizes new phones on those lines. If so, I'd miss out on the savings if I were to get a Pixel, which I presume will only be offered at full price. I've been out of the loop since MM came out and made it harder to mod Android, so it's good to see that at least there are some non-developer version phones out there still.

Bootloader Unlock for AT&T SM-G930A S7

As you all might know this by now, snapdragon models of galaxy phones (s7 in my case) come with locked bootloader which makes it almost immposible to get TWRP recovery installed. I contacted the samsung and they send me to att advanced technical team over live chat. After long period of chatting they called me and we spoke on the phone for at least half an hour. The customer agent was nice and we went through many things such as installing ADT and SDK on my pc with all s7 drivers, but then she told me chances of me messing up some setting and bricking the device were high. Technical team told me to visit my local best buy AT&T and that there is high probability they will be able to unlock my bootloader. This upcoming week I will be heading there and asking them to unlock it for me. I told them this phone is my project dummy phone and I take full responsibility for any crashes done to the firmware. Hopefully they will be able to unlock the damn thing. So my question is this. 'Will I be able to use regular methods meant for unlocked s7's to install TWRP and various roms for my boot-unlocked s7 running snapdragon? Or will it make no difference since there isn't any research out there about flashing custom recovery's and roms for 930a. Sorry, I am new to this forum and might have made mistakes along the lines of explaining. Any response would be thankful!

So how'd it go????!!!!!!!!?????!!!

naziz5884 said:
As you all might know this by now, snapdragon models of galaxy phones (s7 in my case) come with locked bootloader which makes it almost immposible to get TWRP recovery installed. I contacted the samsung and they send me to att advanced technical team over live chat. After long period of chatting they called me and we spoke on the phone for at least half an hour. The customer agent was nice and we went through many things such as installing ADT and SDK on my pc with all s7 drivers, but then she told me chances of me messing up some setting and bricking the device were high. Technical team told me to visit my local best buy AT&T and that there is high probability they will be able to unlock my bootloader. This upcoming week I will be heading there and asking them to unlock it for me. I told them this phone is my project dummy phone and I take full responsibility for any crashes done to the firmware. Hopefully they will be able to unlock the damn thing. So my question is this. 'Will I be able to use regular methods meant for unlocked s7's to install TWRP and various roms for my boot-unlocked s7 running snapdragon? Or will it make no difference since there isn't any research out there about flashing custom recovery's and roms for 930a. Sorry, I am new to this forum and might have made mistakes along the lines of explaining. Any response would be thankful!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any update?

vandelsand said:
Any update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, after I visited the specified best buy store they thought something was broken with the phone. After explaining what I needed them to do, they were clueless on how to do it before a technician with enough knowledge told they were unable to do so. They referred me back to the carrier (AT&T) which referred me to manufacturer (SAMSUNG) which referred back to carrier yatti yatti yatta. After finding no luck I just sold the phone for dirt cheap and settled with my new note 8 which doesnt even need root for almost majority of customizations thanks substrantum and various launchers. In conclusion what I learned is AT&T doesn't want its customers to have full control over devices. They like forcing their logos on their phone and fill them with their crap bloatware that nobody uses. For which they get super mad and try to get rid of net neutrality... I'm sorry I could not help anyone; wish yall the best of luck!:good::good:

I had a samsung s8, sm-g930a.
When I rooted that device in 2017 I never saw OEM unlock option.
But when I saw it yesterday oem unlock is visible.
Does any one know what it is ???
And can I unlock my device now???

Questions about bootloader unlocking before I make the purchase.

Hello all, I'm interested in purchasing the RN5 Pro, and I've seen a lot of bootloader unlocking related problems. I would like to flash Lineage OS on it. But, how long could this unlock process take? Could they deny me unlocking forever? I apologise for the ad nauseum, because I know that this question has been circling around quite a bit.
Thanks!

as i know, it takes 15 day to grant permission to unlock bootloader (now it's 2months, im not sure)
Then the unlock process just takes about under 15 mins
dont be worry too much about it, it's really simple and ez

I tried to unlock the phone yesterday and the unlock tool showed 720 hours waiting period, which is 30 days, and I retried today and it was still counting (708 hours or so)
I heard some people getting 1440 hours, but don't worry, once you unlock the bootloader everything becomes available, and by the way, you could like MIUI, it has most of the root functions without rooting (Restricting wifi/data from specific apps for example and many many customizations).
I would say get the phone, as soon as you get it apply for the unlock, and try MIUI until you can get to unlock the device.

Dr.TheMaster said:
I tried to unlock the phone yesterday and the unlock tool showed 720 hours waiting period, which is 30 days, and I retried today and it was still counting (708 hours or so)
I heard some people getting 1440 hours, but don't worry, once you unlock the bootloader everything becomes available, and by the way, you could like MIUI, it has most of the root functions without rooting (Restricting wifi/data from specific apps for example and many many customizations).
I would say get the phone, as soon as you get it apply for the unlock, and try MIUI until you can get to unlock the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info! Appreciated. As far as MiUI goes, I don't dislike the look and feel much, but there are advertisements and spammy notifications everywhere, and that to me is unacceptable. On top of that, I'm a privacy conscious guy, so I don't know the kind of background tracking. So I'll most likely switch to Lineage if I get the chance to.

That really depends if your account has authorizations previously. if you have got authorizations previously for any of device. you can unlock any device without any wait. some times device association can take a little time. only if said device was associated with any other account previously

sukhwant717 said:
That really depends if your account has authorizations previously. if you have got authorizations previously for any of device. you can unlock any device without any wait. some times device association can take a little time. only if said device was associated with any other account previously
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Never owned a Mi product personally before, I don't have an account. And will be buying a new device if I decide to do so.

sukhwant717 said:
That really depends if your account has authorizations previously. if you have got authorizations previously for any of device. you can unlock any device without any wait. some times device association can take a little time. only if said device was associated with any other account previously
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i already unlocked santoni using my account once but with same account i m still waiting for 5 days now

aFoxWhoIsNice said:
Hello all, I'm interested in purchasing the RN5 Pro, and I've seen a lot of bootloader unlocking related problems. I would like to flash Lineage OS on it. But, how long could this unlock process take? Could they deny me unlocking forever? I apologise for the ad nauseum, because I know that this question has been circling around quite a bit.
Thanks!
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Just 720 hours or say one complete month thanx to xiaomi

CHETAN9 said:
Just 720 hours or say one complete month thanx to xiaomi
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i have owned multiple xiaomi devices and i was easily able to unlock it without any delay. may be because i activated devices only with the same account is already authorized to unlock.

whatsapp Acts funny on all custom roms / AOSP, that seems like whatsapp has made sure to be this way!
of you wana enjoy AOSP roms, buy A2 6X
you can stimply root it and keep the rom for good!

Hey there! The general bootloader unlocking wait time is 30 or even 60 days since the 1. September. It can be shorter, or there is no wait time at all if you have used a Mi account to unlock other devices before. But it depends on their mysteriously mysterious system. From what I read, it can make a difference if a phone number is associated with the account. But I wouldn't count on it for new accounts. Better expect the full and brutal 30 days unlock period.
As you mentioned privacy, it needs to be said that MIUI - the stock ROM of nearly all Xiaomi devices - is quite talkative and sends back data to their servers. They hide it in their terms of services, except that you are prompted to accept these terms of services once you set up your device. If you don't mind it, it should be okay and you can use your device normally until you can unlock the bootloader. After all, Google is also there in form of their Play Services and watch your activity as well. Buuuut, if you truly want to preserve your privacy, it's best not to use the device normally until you get to unlock your bootloader. Personally that is what I did, but rather because I really need and like to have root access on phones I own. In my humble opinion, the increased bootloader unlock time is there to force users to use MIUI. Previously normal times were 3, 7 and 14 days. In conjunction with the ads they want to force onto their users, and the data they collect, this just makes sense if you ask me. Despite this, and to mention positive points again, their phones are still really great value for the money. The Redmi Note 5 has excellent battery life, good mid-range phone performance, takes nice pictures as well and is basically just a pleasant device. Though, if you plan to use LineageOS, you will need to install one of the Mi A2 camera or Google Camera ports if you want to use LineageOS without having to sacrifice camera quality. Actually, with the Google Camera port the pictures of this device get even prettier than they normally look like with the MIUI camera! Might be a matter of taste after all, but I tested it myself and can just confirm what others said about the awesome picture quality.
In case if you will need it for the future, here is a little link collection, all from XDA:
Bootloader unlocking process (slightly outdated since no application is necessary anymore, but still accurate enough): https://forum.xda-developers.com/re...ow-to-unlock-bootloader-redmi-note-5-t3757685
Recovery to replace the stock one: https://forum.xda-developers.com/re...t/recovery-red-wolf-recovery-project-t3766997
LineageOS 15.1: https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-5-pro/development/18-jul-lineageos-15-1-t3817814
Basically LineageOS, but even better: https://forum.xda-developers.com/re...ment/ota-resurrection-remix-os-6-0-0-t3777375
Mi A2 camera port: https://forum.xda-developers.com/re...miui-stock-camera-portrait-mode-dual-t3816069
Google Camera: https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-5-pro/themes/app-arnova8g2s-google-camera-port-t3784423
Oh, and another side note. Should you decide to get the device, disable system updates in MIUI. Because of this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-5-pro/how-to/faq-questions-answered-t3816185
Might look kinda scary to show you all of this, but I just want to let you know what you should know beforehand. Hope this helps you somehow! c:

Firmware advice - SM-N975U - Note 10+

Hi All,
Been a while on here - please be gentle!
I have spent the last 6 hours looking into updating my firmware from Android 10!
I have done this on previous phones, but my current phone is proving a little more difficult. For the life of me, I cannot find the correct ROM to flash. Whenever I come to something I think I have found I seem to have another issue.
I've tried using various tools (Bitfrost) but got errors.
I'm in the UK, and as far as I can tell, my phone is “XAA”, “USA unbranded (default)”. I'm not bothered about changing the region code (unless it can be done easily).
Details::
SW ver.: SAOMC_SM-N975U_OYN_XAA_PP_0001
XAA/XAA/ATT
I would really appreciate some help from you guys who are way more informed and cleverer than me!
Thanks guys and gals!
Simon
EDIT: I have found a bit more informstion - I think I would be ok using SM-N975U1 - is this correct?

That's the umlocked Snapdragon variant...
I have two N10+'s; N975U/Pie, N975U1/Android 10. I would stay on Android 10 unless you want cpu cycle sucking scoped storage in all its glory.
Personally I prefer Pie to 10, better functionality and usability. With 11 you lose even more and 12 is fubar... in my opinion.
The best way to trash a stock N10+ is to mess with its firmware.
Rule #1 if a OS is fulfilling its mission, let it be!
Upgrades/updates can and do break things.

blackhawk said:
That's the umlocked Snapdragon variant...
I have two N10+'s; N975U/Pie, N975U1/Android 10. I would stay on Android 10 unless you want cpu cycle sucking scoped storage in all its glory.
Personally I prefer Pie to 10, better functionality and usability. With 11 you lose even more and 12 is fubar... in my opinion.
The best way to trash a stock N10+ is to mess with its firmware.
Rule #1 if a OS is fulfilling its mission, let it be!
Upgrades/updates can and do break things.
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Thanks for that info ... I actually have no beef with A10 other than one issue which I thought maybe a firmware issue.
My NFC works (I can transfer files between phones) however, I cannot use Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. I have read somewhere that this was a firmware issue, hence my desire to update.
I have tried literally everything to get it working (cleared cache, re-booted). NFC Tools confirms it works, but it just does nothing at the checkout.
If I can fix this issue, I'll be happier!

Ratzz2 said:
Thanks for that info ... I actually have no beef with A10 other than one issue which I thought maybe a firmware issue.
My NFC works (I can transfer files between phones) however, I cannot use Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. I have read somewhere that this was a firmware issue, hence my desire to update.
I have tried literally everything to get it working (cleared cache, re-booted). NFC Tools confirms it works, but it just does nothing at the checkout.
If I can fix this issue, I'll be happier!
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You're welcome. It may be doing that because big sister Google thinks you need to upgrade to be secure. May have to do with the region you're using it in. I don't know. I never use those features and don't want them on the phone. Don't want anything to back door in using that route.
Depends how hell bent you are on having those features. You could easily lose more than you gain by upgrading, worse it may not resolve the issue. The N10+ is a valuable and reliable work horse that will run for years... just as it is. If it's running well otherwise I would try to find the root cause of this issue or simply use other workarounds rather than the shotgun approach.

Yeah, I was wondering about being in the UK with a phone registered in the US. But NFC doesn't read my credit card either. Would have thought that would be an option.
I'm not necessarily a huge NFC user, but the other day I forgot my wallet at the petrol station after filling my car. If I'd have had my NFC working, I'd have been able to fire it up and avoid the embarrassment!
Anyway, thanks for your help!

Be glad you have the Snapdragon variant. They are very reliable and run well stock when optimized. If you do upgrade to 11 a rollback to 10 isn't possible if you upgrade the boot loader.
There's always at least a small risk when flashing firmware which can trash the device. The only time I would flash a N10+ is if the rom was corrupted which barring a hardware failure is a very rare SUE, single upset event.
I never tried mine to see if Pay works nor have I ever set a screen lock. The fingerprint scanner could be dead for all I know.
The flip side to that is never being locked out* of my own device, no data lose, and double tap on/off. The device is glued to me as physical security is the only real security. I realize this may seem extreme to some, but it works well in the real world.
*a SEU or partial hardware can lock you out of your device. Had no lock been set, no lockout would have occurred. Got locked out of a PC bios like that. The password -was- correct
That caused a mountain of trouble...

Thank you my friend. Wise words indeed and duly noted...