Sprint can't unlock my S20 due to IMEI error? - Samsung Galaxy S20 / S20+ / S20 Ultra Questions &

So on Feb 14th I began the process to move from sprint to another carrier, but have gotten nowhere.
My phone meets all unlock requirements: bill is paid off, phone is paid off, phone had been on sprint for over a year. I purchased the phone new from TMobile January 2021.
When speaking to customer service they tell me that they unlocked the phone on their end, but when I try on my end it will say error code 129.
Sprint now claims that they can not unlock the phone due to an IMEI error. I am giving them the correct IMEI number though.
I have no idea what to do now. I live in California and I'm pretty sure legally they have to unlock my phone for me if it's paid off? Should I go all Karen and ask for compensation if they can't unlock it? I really don't want to have another phone payment when I just put a bunch of money down to pay off this phone early...

Related

[Q] SIM Unlock

I basically got this phone because it is GSM and I plan on doing more traveling outside of the country. Its not worth getting the TP2 or BB Bold instead of my EVO, so I went with this instead. I wont be leaving again until January 1st, but I need to get this thing SIM unlocked asap. Anyone have one unlocked? How did you get it unlocked and what will it cost me.
Shoot me a PM. I can get you unlocked.
You know... it's cool that you developed a way to unlock phones and want to get paid for it, but you could at least lay out the other option: calling T-mo and getting the unlock code FOR FREE.
If you are a post-paid TMO customer in good standing, you can get one phone unlocked per line every 90 days for free. Call TMO customer care.
Yes after 90 days.
If you choose to wait. IF you want it now. me
It's not after 90 days. He should call them first and then come back to you if he doesn't want to wait (if he even has to wait). I believe the T Mo rep said you had to either paid the phone in full or be a customer for 40 days when I called.
I paid full and tmobile provided me the unlock codes 1 week after I got the phone. My G2 is unlocked.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
rhcp0112345 said:
Yes after 90 days.
If you choose to wait. IF you want it now. me
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I called TMO the day I got my G2. I had the unlock code the next day before lunch.
I called today and put my request in the the unlock code. The only reason I had to wait is I haven't paid in full for the phone yet. She said it would take about 24 hours. RHCP, I've seen you in so many threads pimping your ability to unlock people for $$$... pretty despicable if you ask me especially when it's easy to just call and get it for free.
I am not sure I would characterize offering an unlock code for a fee as despicable. He's not forcing you to use his service, just offering it. I chose to call T-Mobile and request it for free, but that being said, I have certainly paid for unlocking in the past.
My (unrequested two cents), call TMO and get the code emailed to you. If you are not eligible, playing someone to do it is also an option. There have been reports of the phone not connecting to any networks after unlocking. If you get the code from TMO, at least, you might have some recourse if you have to return the phone.
Understood, just the way he's doing it. If he said "Call T-mo, but if it's a long wait then I can do it.", then I would view it in a more positive light. Right now, it looks like he's hoping for some sap that doesn't know they can call T-mobile to get it will pay him for something they can get for free.
I'm guessing T-Mobile would just ignore my request as I'm not a customer...
I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think that's true. You should definitely call them.

IMEI Blocking

Recently I've been seeing a lot of T-Mobile USA & AT&T phones on eBay and such that have their IMEI blocked by the provider they are made for. I was thinking if there's a way to prevent getting scammed and buying one of these used phones where the IMEI ends up getting blocked (perhaps months later) because the original owner didn't make a phone or service payment & I was wondering if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would ever block the IMEI of a Galaxy Nexus GSM Unlocked Phone?
It obviously has an IMEI but does anyone know if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would block the IMEI of a phone like the Nexus that they don't sell themselves if someone reported it stolen, didn't make a bill payment of some kind, etc.?
LS1_01 said:
Recently I've been seeing a lot of T-Mobile USA & AT&T phones on eBay and such that have their IMEI blocked by the provider they are made for. I was thinking if there's a way to prevent getting scammed and buying one of these used phones where the IMEI ends up getting blocked (perhaps months later) because the original owner didn't make a phone or service payment & I was wondering if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would ever block the IMEI of a Galaxy Nexus GSM Unlocked Phone?
It obviously has an IMEI but does anyone know if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would block the IMEI of a phone like the Nexus that they don't sell themselves if someone reported it stolen, didn't make a bill payment of some kind, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not for missing a bill payment. The phone isn't sold or subsidized by them so they would have no right to block it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
I was wondering the same thing too. If I buy a used international Galaxy S3 i9300 would they block the imei if the previous owner report it stolen a short while after selling it? Also will the phone be block if the insurance is from third party?
These new imei blocking idea seems to create a whole new set of problems (for us consumers at least). The big carriers would probably benefit from sales of new device as people are too afraid to buy devices that can be blacklisted whenever.
whatsitsnamenow said:
I was wondering the same thing too. If I buy a used international Galaxy S3 i9300 would they block the imei if the previous owner report it stolen a short while after selling it? Also will the phone be block if the insurance is from third party?
These new imei blocking idea seems to create a whole new set of problems (for us consumers at least). The big carriers would probably benefit from sales of new device as people are too afraid to buy devices that can be blacklisted whenever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't blame the carriers . Blame criminals who benefit by reselling stolen phones on the used market. The theft of smartphones is huge right now as this is so easy and profits are huge. Anything that can slow this down is worth doing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
whatsitsnamenow said:
I was wondering the same thing too. If I buy a used international Galaxy S3 i9300 would they block the imei if the previous owner report it stolen a short while after selling it? Also will the phone be block if the insurance is from third party?
These new imei blocking idea seems to create a whole new set of problems (for us consumers at least). The big carriers would probably benefit from sales of new device as people are too afraid to buy devices that can be blacklisted whenever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never thought about the insurance aspect but when I called T-Mobile they said that any phone could be blocked if reported stolen including something like a Nexus...but who knows if it ever happens.
Its not about blaming who. I just think this is not very thought out solution. It puts a dent on phones that are actually stolen but does nothing to stop fraud. Example
I buy new Galaxy S3 from Att
I buy insurance for phone
I sell phone for $450 (good imei standing currently) on Craigslist or on Marketplace
One week later I report my phone stolen and pay my $100 deductible
Phone gets blocked and buyer gets screwed.
I receive new Samsung Galaxy S3
Next week I sell my new Galaxy S3 for $450 and start the whole process over again.
In this scenario there is no way to check for IMEI clean or not because at the time of sale the IMEI is clean.
Also CDMA phones are better protected against this scenario as the CDMA phone's ESN is link to the account holder.
whatsitsnamenow said:
Its not about blaming who. I just think this is not very thought out solution. It puts a dent on phones that are actually stolen but does nothing to stop fraud. Example
I buy new Galaxy S3 from Att
I buy insurance for phone
I sell phone for $450 (good imei standing currently) on Craigslist or on Marketplace
One week later I report my phone stolen and pay my $100 deductible
Phone gets blocked and buyer gets screwed.
I receive new Samsung Galaxy S3
Next week I sell my new Galaxy S3 for $450 and start the whole process over again.
In this scenario there is no way to check for IMEI clean or not because at the time of sale the IMEI is clean.
Also CDMA phones are better protected against this scenario as the CDMA phone's ESN is link to the account holder.
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Click to collapse
I bought a G1 from eBay when they were first released (listed as new in box) and it was blocked after a month.
It took me 4 months to get my money back from the seller and I only succeeded because I got the police involved. Personally I just wouldn't buy a phone again from a private seller.
In the UK at least there is no process to appeal an IMEI block.
That said, I still think its a good way of reducing phone theft - they just really need some kind of escrow / transfer service for IMEIs
Blacklisting a Phone that's not lost or stolen
LS1_01 said:
Recently I've been seeing a lot of T-Mobile USA & AT&T phones on eBay and such that have their IMEI blocked by the provider they are made for. I was thinking if there's a way to prevent getting scammed and buying one of these used phones where the IMEI ends up getting blocked (perhaps months later) because the original owner didn't make a phone or service payment & I was wondering if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would ever block the IMEI of a Galaxy Nexus GSM Unlocked Phone?
It obviously has an IMEI but does anyone know if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would block the IMEI of a phone like the Nexus that they don't sell themselves if someone reported it stolen, didn't make a bill payment of some kind, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought an HTC One X on ebay that the seller said was a return by someone who decided on a different phone. I can confirm that the device was unlocked because it worked for a day on Straight Talk before the phone was blacklisted with the message "This device has been blocked for network use". I contacted the ebay seller to let them know what the situation was and I called AT&T to see if I could figure out why the device was blocked, thinking that maybe it could be unblocked or returned to the original purchaser in case it had been lost or stolen.
When I talked to the AT&T rep they said that the phone was not lost or stolen, just that it wasn't eligible to be unlocked until November - but the device itself was unlocked. I suspected that the phone had been blocked for being unlocked and told them that I thought that that was unethical and maybe even ilegal. They refused to give me more information and I left a different, working phone number for my girlfriend for the original owner to contact just in case the phone was lost or stolen (they wouldn't confirm whether it was or not despite assuring me it wasn't before I talked with a manager).
Today, I just got this message back from the ebay seller "we received the phone , i tried getting another out to you but att will not unlock it unless its under contarct , its some new policy."
So, apparently if the phone isn't unlocked by the person with the contract AT&T will blacklist it even though the device is unlocked and they are abusing the "lost or stolen" blacklist to carry this out. This is nothing short of an attempt to kill off the market for used phones under the guise of protecting consumers from theft or lost phones. I can't believe this isn't ilegal and I can barely believe that AT&T is cynical enough to do this.
For the time being, be warned that in the US, a used phone now must be physically unlocked as well as blessed by the carrier to not be blacklisted. It seems like a fairly risky proposal to do something as straight forward as buying a used phone.
akr884 said:
I just bought an HTC One X on ebay that the seller said was a return by someone who decided on a different phone. I can confirm that the device was unlocked because it worked for a day on Straight Talk before the phone was blacklisted with the message "This device has been blocked for network use". I contacted the ebay seller to let them know what the situation was and I called AT&T to see if I could figure out why the device was blocked, thinking that maybe it could be unblocked or returned to the original purchaser in case it had been lost or stolen.
When I talked to the AT&T rep they said that the phone was not lost or stolen, just that it wasn't eligible to be unlocked until November - but the device itself was unlocked. I suspected that the phone had been blocked for being unlocked and told them that I thought that that was unethical and maybe even ilegal. They refused to give me more information and I left a different, working phone number for my girlfriend for the original owner to contact just in case the phone was lost or stolen (they wouldn't confirm whether it was or not despite assuring me it wasn't before I talked with a manager).
Today, I just got this message back from the ebay seller "we received the phone , i tried getting another out to you but att will not unlock it unless its under contarct , its some new policy."
So, apparently if the phone isn't unlocked by the person with the contract AT&T will blacklist it even though the device is unlocked and they are abusing the "lost or stolen" blacklist to carry this out. This is nothing short of an attempt to kill off the market for used phones under the guise of protecting consumers from theft or lost phones. I can't believe this isn't ilegal and I can barely believe that AT&T is cynical enough to do this.
For the time being, be warned that in the US, a used phone now must be physically unlocked as well as blessed by the carrier to not be blacklisted. It seems like a fairly risky proposal to do something as straight forward as buying a used phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is unacceptable and illegal.
You should ask them to show proof of documentation......
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
akr884 said:
I just bought an HTC One X on ebay that the seller said was a return by someone who decided on a different phone. I can confirm that the device was unlocked because it worked for a day on Straight Talk before the phone was blacklisted with the message "This device has been blocked for network use". I contacted the ebay seller to let them know what the situation was and I called AT&T to see if I could figure out why the device was blocked, thinking that maybe it could be unblocked or returned to the original purchaser in case it had been lost or stolen.
When I talked to the AT&T rep they said that the phone was not lost or stolen, just that it wasn't eligible to be unlocked until November - but the device itself was unlocked. I suspected that the phone had been blocked for being unlocked and told them that I thought that that was unethical and maybe even ilegal. They refused to give me more information and I left a different, working phone number for my girlfriend for the original owner to contact just in case the phone was lost or stolen (they wouldn't confirm whether it was or not despite assuring me it wasn't before I talked with a manager).
Today, I just got this message back from the ebay seller "we received the phone , i tried getting another out to you but att will not unlock it unless its under contarct , its some new policy."
So, apparently if the phone isn't unlocked by the person with the contract AT&T will blacklist it even though the device is unlocked and they are abusing the "lost or stolen" blacklist to carry this out. This is nothing short of an attempt to kill off the market for used phones under the guise of protecting consumers from theft or lost phones. I can't believe this isn't ilegal and I can barely believe that AT&T is cynical enough to do this.
For the time being, be warned that in the US, a used phone now must be physically unlocked as well as blessed by the carrier to not be blacklisted. It seems like a fairly risky proposal to do something as straight forward as buying a used phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure the phone is unlocked? Were you using a Straight Talk AT&T Compatible SIM or a Straight Talk T-Mobile Compatible SIM? If the AT&T one that will work on all AT&T phones even if it is not unlocked but if you put a ST T-Mobile SIM into an AT&T phone like AT&T's version of the HTC One X then it needs to be unlocked...
LS1_01 said:
Recently I've been seeing a lot of T-Mobile USA & AT&T phones on eBay and such that have their IMEI blocked by the provider they are made for. I was thinking if there's a way to prevent getting scammed and buying one of these used phones where the IMEI ends up getting blocked (perhaps months later) because the original owner didn't make a phone or service payment & I was wondering if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would ever block the IMEI of a Galaxy Nexus GSM Unlocked Phone?
It obviously has an IMEI but does anyone know if T-Mobile USA or AT&T would block the IMEI of a phone like the Nexus that they don't sell themselves if someone reported it stolen, didn't make a bill payment of some kind, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I highly doubt T-mobile/ATT would block it because it's not sold, or covered by them.
Imei blocking
My phone was stolen 2 days ago, i then called att and have them block the imei but i would like to know if the phone still can be unlocked to work on another network abroad lets say in the Caribbean??? the phone in question is the samsung s 3 i747........please can someone verify if it is possible to work on a foreign network even though att has blacklisted the imei????
Fedz7 said:
My phone was stolen 2 days ago, i then called att and have them block the imei but i would like to know if the phone still can be unlocked to work on another network abroad lets say in the Caribbean??? the phone in question is the samsung s 3 i747........please can someone verify if it is possible to work on a foreign network even though att has blacklisted the imei????
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Click to collapse
Funny story.
I bought my gf an unlocked iPhone 3GS from gamestop as a refurbished unit a few months ago. Traded some games and got a good discount. Anyway I tried to unlock it through AT&T and was told it had a stolen IMEI.... although she was using it for like 6 months.
I called Gamestop corporate and they issued me a full refund of $185, after 6 months of use. I only spent like $60 on it after one of their 20-30-40-50% trade in bonus and 10% gamers club.
So you can use stolen IMEI phones on the carrier but probably not with new service. She used her existing service. Had she tried to activate it in a store it woulda been different. The phone still worked... they just wouldn't unlock it.
I turned around and bought a 4S from a buddy for $150 and profit!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
player911 said:
Funny story.
I bought my gf an unlocked iPhone 3GS from gamestop as a refurbished unit a few months ago. Traded some games and got a good discount. Anyway I tried to unlock it through AT&T and was told it had a stolen IMEI.... although she was using it for like 6 months.
I called Gamestop corporate and they issued me a full refund of $185, 6 months later. I only spent like $60 on it after one of their 20-30-40-50% trade in bonus and 10% gamers club.
So you can use stolen IMEI phones on the carrier but probably not with new service. She used her existing service. Had she tried to activate it in a store it woulda been different. The phone still worked... they just wouldn't unlock it.
I turned around and bought a 4S from a buddy for $150 and profit!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
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Ok thanks for that bit of info...
Fedz7 said:
Ok thanks for that bit of info...
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Click to collapse
I would be very upset if I spent a few hundred on a phone and had it shut down or repossessed.
I've had my Nexus 7 stolen out of my car recently so it goes both ways. The only people getting hurt are the good guys who actually purchase things.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Fedz7 said:
My phone was stolen 2 days ago, i then called att and have them block the imei but i would like to know if the phone still can be unlocked to work on another network abroad lets say in the Caribbean??? the phone in question is the samsung s 3 i747........please can someone verify if it is possible to work on a foreign network even though att has blacklisted the imei????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As someone who lives in the Caribbean and works at a cell phone repair shop. I can say yes it will work over here but extremely limited. I live in Puerto Rico, technically we're US but you'd be surprised what flies around here. We have all the major carriers except for Verizon, and if att blacklisted your imei then it won't work on att or any of their prepaid companies who run on the same network (net10, straight talk, tracfone) but it will work on another carrier such as tmobile or a company we have over here called claro. A lot of people over here go crazy for iphones and when they buy a used one they're almost always stolen, then when they try and take it to our shop cause its not working or cause they want to unlock it, they're hit with a blacklist. Most of these people switch to claro, its not an American based company and they're aren't blacklisting phones. And then they end up with a perfectly good working stolen phone having effectively found a way around the original blacklist.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
oby2 said:
As someone who lives in the Caribbean and works at a cell phone repair shop. I can say yes it will work over here but extremely limited. I live in Puerto Rico, technically we're US but you'd be surprised what flies around here. We have all the major carriers except for Verizon, and if att blacklisted your imei then it won't work on att or any of their prepaid companies who run on the same network (net10, straight talk, tracfone) but it will work on another carrier such as tmobile or a company we have over here called claro. A lot of people over here go crazy for iphones and when they buy a used one they're almost always stolen, then when they try and take it to our shop cause its not working or cause they want to unlock it, they're hit with a blacklist. Most of these people switch to claro, its not an American based company and they're aren't blacklisting phones. And then they end up with a perfectly good working stolen phone having effectively found a way around the original blacklist.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can it be unlocked outside the US via imei unlock code even though its blacklisted?
akr884 said:
I just bought an HTC One X on ebay that the seller said was a return by someone who decided on a different phone. I can confirm that the device was unlocked because it worked for a day on Straight Talk before the phone was blacklisted with the message "This device has been blocked for network use". I contacted the ebay seller to let them know what the situation was and I called AT&T to see if I could figure out why the device was blocked, thinking that maybe it could be unblocked or returned to the original purchaser in case it had been lost or stolen.
When I talked to the AT&T rep they said that the phone was not lost or stolen, just that it wasn't eligible to be unlocked until November - but the device itself was unlocked. I suspected that the phone had been blocked for being unlocked and told them that I thought that that was unethical and maybe even ilegal. They refused to give me more information and I left a different, working phone number for my girlfriend for the original owner to contact just in case the phone was lost or stolen (they wouldn't confirm whether it was or not despite assuring me it wasn't before I talked with a manager).
Today, I just got this message back from the ebay seller "we received the phone , i tried getting another out to you but att will not unlock it unless its under contarct , its some new policy."
So, apparently if the phone isn't unlocked by the person with the contract AT&T will blacklist it even though the device is unlocked and they are abusing the "lost or stolen" blacklist to carry this out. This is nothing short of an attempt to kill off the market for used phones under the guise of protecting consumers from theft or lost phones. I can't believe this isn't ilegal and I can barely believe that AT&T is cynical enough to do this.
For the time being, be warned that in the US, a used phone now must be physically unlocked as well as blessed by the carrier to not be blacklisted. It seems like a fairly risky proposal to do something as straight forward as buying a used phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the htc one x att ? if so your phone does not have to be unlocked cuz st8 talk is att. Did you use a sim from an origanal st8 talk phone? some work but eventualy get kicked off the network.

Cheapest unlock code!?

Hey guys, i might be buying a note 2 very soon .. I was just wondering if any of u got it unlocked? If yes then HOW MUCH DID YOU SPEND ..
Cellunlock.net offers it for 25$. Looking for some cheap alternatives !!
Call T-Mobile, and ask to have the phone unlocked. I had to fax them a receipt (a t-mobile one, which made no sense to me), along with my remedy trouble ticket number, and imei. They later sent me the unlock code. Free.
My store said they would do it for free after 30 days.
I paid the $25 because I didn't want to wait and I wanted to try it out on ATT.
i was thinking to buy a tmobile one and use it at my local network .. for that I need the unlock code .. 25$ is not what I am looking to spend ..
Again, it's free if you buy a t-mobile one and call their customer service to get the unlock code.
mdt73 said:
Again, it's free if you buy a t-mobile one and call their customer service to get the unlock code.
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Click to collapse
If they give you static, just tell them you plan to go overseas and need it unlocked for that.
I dont think they will give the code to a new contract !!
Tell them you are going out of the country, and if they won't budge contact me and I can get it unlocked for about $15.
Guys, chill out. There is really no need to be so concerned about unlock codes. I work for T-Mobile, and I want to offer some advice. Completely on my personal accord, not as part of my job with T-Mobile of course. Mind you, I will not do anything that violates any NDA or other agreement, contract, association that I have with T-Mobile, but I can offer the policy information, since it is not anything I wouldn't tell any other customer I talked to as part of the job.
Basically, if you buy a phone from T-Mobile you can get it unlocked, so long as you are at least 40 days into your account. Not contract, not tenure, but account. The account you are using the phone on has to have been open at least 40 days. You also have to have used the phone on that a line on that account. Meaning you made at least 1-2 minutes worth of phone calls.
Otherwise, assuming you bought it and do not want to use it on your account, you can send in proof of purchase that you bought it at full cost, or they can see on your account that you bought it. Phone purchases in store, just to address one earlier comment, do not always show the full receipt information (device, etc) and that is why a fax is required. Purchases made through customer care, online, or through telesales, are viewable through the proper phone team.
If you buy a phone at full cost and DO NOT have a T-Mobile account, you can get it unlocked by calling in and providing the imei number and they will submit the request. No faxing or any other hassle. Many agents are not aware of this exception in the policy because it does not come up all that often. So you may get someone on the line who is unaware and will swear up and down that it is not part of policy. I, personally, have had to spend time talking to managers who did not even know this part of policy. However, it is a part of a policy, and therefore is the easiest way to unlock the device.
There are other little minor things in policy, but most of what I have said is for the average buyer. Also, note that 'going overseas' is not any sort of exception to policy. If you do not meet the normal policy requirements, you could be going to the moon for all it matters and it would not be any reason to go outside of policy. The requests are completed by an offline team, and they are strict to policy. I have seen many customers get angry because "the store told me I could just call in and unlock it" or "I am going overseas in two days and that is why I bought the phone in the first place." If you say you are going overseas, then you will just be offered international roaming information for using T-Mobile overseas, or be told about cancelling your contract, paying any applicable ETF, and then getting the unlock request submitted in as part of the cancelled account part of the policy (which has its own set of requirements).
As a disclaimer I will say that while I work for T-Mobile, I am not writing this as part of any association with T-Mobile, and I do not condone any abuse of policy or misrepresentation in order to circumvent or manipulate policy. I also will not do anything outside of policy for anyone. I am unable to submit any unlock requests for anyone or call in for anyone or do anything of the such.
However, I do hope my advice helps.
The only real time to pay to get the device unlocked is if you just bought the phone at a discount, started a brand new T-Mobile account, and are under 40 days since activating your account.
phoenixbennu said:
Guys, chill out.[...]
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just to back phoenix up (thanks for the writeup btw) i've done this twice on Tmo
- 30+ days into my value plan and I requested the code for my s3, had it the next day in my email.
- paid full price for another s3, same thing, didn't have to wait at all, just called and requested the same day.
easy as pie.
Thanx phoenix... N other guys .. I will try to get it done from t mobile only ..
I purchased the phone outright from T-Mobile, did the fax thing the next day, and proceeded to wait about a week for the unlock team to get me my code. Glad I didn't need to have it with Solavei. Of course I found that out after the fact, lol!
mdt73 said:
I purchased the phone outright from T-Mobile, did the fax thing the next day, and proceeded to wait about a week for the unlock team to get me my code. Glad I didn't need to have it with Solavei. Of course I found that out after the fact, lol!
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Click to collapse
All carriers are required to unlock phones at the customers request, it was put into law a year ago or so. Same law that said jailbreaking/rooting is legal and cannot void a warranty. No one knows about it yet because it loses money for telecoms, but they can't refuse to unlock your phone because it is illegal to do so.
You do know there's a write up to unlock this phone for free right ?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium HD app

m9 uh-oh replacement still under contract

Well, I had to make a claim with HTC Uh-Oh for my m9. I got it today and went to the ATT Unlock portal to request an unlock code.
After entering the IMEI, etc. the message that came back says:
"This device isn’t eligible to be unlocked now because all of the installment payments have not been paid.
Log in to your account to check your payoff information and pay the installments online.
You can submit a new request 24 hours after you make the payment."
WTH? HTC told me that the replacement device would not be under any contractual obligation, but clearly it still is.
I chatted with them this morning and they confirmed that the device was refurbished and previously owned (although it looks 100% brand new). They told me to send my broken one back in per the Uh-Oh process, and once it arrives back to them to contact them and they will have supposedly 'escalated' my issue.
Obviously, I want a device that is fully paid off (like my original device was). I don't want to worry about the device being blacklisted if the original owner decides to default on their payments.
Has anyone else had this issue with an Uh-Oh replacement device? It can be hard to tell if the device is still under contract with a basic IMEI check; they won't tell you if the device is financed, only if it isn't [currently] blacklisted. Requesting an unlock from ATT or the Verizon Recycling program will tell you if the device is financed, however.

Question T-mobile unlock?

I am considering a T-mobile version of the Op9 pro because it would be substantially cheaper for me, but I like to have my phone rooted. How difficult would it be to unlock and root the tmob version of the phone?
I went through this exact questioning process when I bought my OP7Pro from T-Mobile 2 years ago. I did that because it was cheaper, but the only way to root is to first get T-Mobile to unlock the device, which they will not do if you're making payments on the phone. Luckily there was someone here at XDA who had a connection at T-Mobile and was able to have them unlock it for me.
So the choices seem to be:
1) Pay off the phone and then T-Mobile will unlock it.
2) Have a connection at T-Mobile (or good persuasion skills) and get them to unlock it against policy.
3) Buy from the manufacturer or another vendor so it's already unlocked.
This time I went with Option 3, even though it will cost me a bit more.
terlynn4 said:
I went through this exact questioning process when I bought my OP7Pro from T-Mobile 2 years ago. I did that because it was cheaper, but the only way to root is to first get T-Mobile to unlock the device, which they will not do if you're making payments on the phone. Luckily there was someone here at XDA who had a connection at T-Mobile and was able to have them unlock it for me.
So the choices seem to be:
1) Pay off the phone and then T-Mobile will unlock it.
2) Have a connection at T-Mobile (or good persuasion skills) and get them to unlock it against policy.
3) Buy from the manufacturer or another vendor so it's already unlocked.
This time I went with Option 3, even though it will cost me a bit more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha! Same exact position I was in with my OP7Pro. Hated myself for going the T-Mo purchase route as it took a long time to unlock and then eventually flash the International ROM to get rid of the T-Mo one it shipped with.
For those getting it from T-Mobile in installments (like I did with my OP7Pro), what worked for me was reaching out to T-Mo support on Twitter (@TMobileHelp). DM them and tell them you're traveling and need the phone unlocked before you travel. Took a couple of tries to get a nice enough rep to unlock it for me. YMMV.
Can't wait til I get my OP9Pro!
eddy g said:
Ha! Same exact position I was in with my OP7Pro. Hated myself for going the T-Mo purchase route as it took a long time to unlock and then eventually flash the International ROM to get rid of the T-Mo one it shipped with.
For those getting it from T-Mobile in installments (like I did with my OP7Pro), what worked for me was reaching out to T-Mo support on Twitter (@TMobileHelp). DM them and tell them you're traveling and need the phone unlocked before you travel. Took a couple of tries to get a nice enough rep to unlock it for me. YMMV.
Can't wait til I get my OP9Pro!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, I'm surprised that worked. I do travel to a place without T-Mobile service to visit family once in awhile, and they only did a temporary unlock for me in the past (10-day? 30-day? I don't remember). I never tried telling them I was going on a longer trip. Good to know in case there's a next time!
T-Mobile, even when paying full price up front, will not unlock the phone for 40 days. The only advantages to buying the phone directly from T-Mobile is carrier bill financing (though their trade in offer is disappointing), and roaming on US Cellular/Nex-Tech (IMEI whitelist bull involved...).
If those aren't needed, then buying direct from OnePlus or a retailer like Best Buy (they are doing preorders now) is a better option.
I've done this on the three oneplus devices I bought from T-Mo; Got on twitter (at least one business day after purchase so the device is updated in their system) and tell them I need it unlocked so my company can install their security software. This time I went with a direct-buy from Oneplus for the 9 Pro though - just me not wanting to have to deal with that again. Of note, my account with T-Mobile has been active and in good standing for over 10 years, which may have affected their willingness to unlock so quickly while device was still on EIP. It may not work for you if you have a new account or have late/missed payments.
After 4 days all devices can be unlocked even if on a JOD or EIP
It's all about how nice & patient your willing to be towards the rep......

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