A while back one of my customers found a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S2 at a bus stop which she handed in at the local police station. Last week she went back to see if it had been claimed and it had not so the police released the phone to my customer to keep as her own property.
She was aware that it was blocked but wanted to give it to her child to use as an android game device but when she told me about it I said I would have a look at it for her to check it was defiantly blocked.
On trying all network SIM cards I could only get the 'Emergency calls Only' notice. I did a Checkmend report and the device was still listed as stolen and blocked (the police have given her entitlement paperwork for the phone which I have seen) so I guessed it would be out of the question ever being able to use it as a phone again.
I decided to root the phone anyway and install a CM stock ROM. I then also installed the 'Galaxy S Unlock' APK and zero'd out the lock codes. I then tried all the SIM cards again with the same results as before.
After some browsing on the internet I download an APK called 'HC-kTool' and installed it. I then backed up my kernel and EFS folder to my SD card before hitting the advanced key and deleting my current installed EFS folder.
I turned off the phone, wrote down my IMEI number from behind the battery and inserted a Vodafone SIM card.
When the phone rebooted I got a full Vodafone signal and rang my home number, and it rang!
I then dialled *#06# and noticed my IMEI number has changed to something entirely different.
The phone has been connected over an hour now, I have not tried any other SIM as yet but I don't doubt it is unlocked and working on all networks now.
I read something briefly about T-mobile using a non-standard (I think) network system and deleting the EFS folder has the Samsung software revert it back to a non-T-mobile modified one. this could be totally wrong though...
Can anyone throw some light on this?
Is the imei 04999010....?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Most likely a silly network that doesn't block the dummy Samsung "default" IMEI...
MemoryController said:
Is the imei 04999010....?
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Click to collapse
Indeed it is. I thought that IMEI wasn't supposed to work to make calls?
Odder n odder!
Yeah had the dummy imei too and didnt notice until 2 weeks or so had passed, thankfully i had a backup from a year or so
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
MemoryController said:
Yeah had the dummy imei too and didnt notice until 2 weeks or so had passed, thankfully i had a backup from a year or so
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Click to collapse
So are there any negatives to using the dummy IMEI then? Also, if I edit the hex of the nv_data_bin files from the backup of the original IMEI can I change it to anything I please?
I dont think you can do that as it would be stupid from samny's side but try(after taking an efs backup). AFAIK no negatives except that some providers will block this IMEI
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
MemoryController said:
I dont think you can do that as it would be stupid from samny's side but try(after taking an efs backup). AFAIK no negatives except that some providers will block this IMEI
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I have dumped the efs of the default Samsung and will compare the hex in hex workshop against the original dump. I'm guessing the main file here being the nv_data_bin.
While it is good news for my customer that this ex-stolen phone now works on Vodafone I don't think it is very responsible of Vodafone to allow default IMEI numbers to connect to their network. If I had my phone stolen I wouldn't like to think that the thief could potentially use it again.
Yes mine too was allowed on Vodafone after getting the dummy IMEI
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
I remember reading some time ago that although illegal in allot of country's if you were able to change a phones IMEI number so as to connect to a network it would still not be a worthwhile effort as if the fake IMEI was the same as that on another phone you would get the other phones text messages and calls mixed up with yours.
I always had doubts about that as it made more sense that calls and texts would be sent to the phone broadcasting the correct SIM number ID. But I was assured by people much more experienced in this stuff than I that the IMEI was a more secure method of ID'ing the correct device to send secure DATA to.
So if this is true, surely that would mean I am the only person on the planet using the default Samsung IMEI number as I have had no odd text messages or phone calls since I got this phone. (I am now the owner as I swapped it for an 8GB iPod Touch!)
Anyone can un-confuse me here!
imei change
hi im a noob did u yave any luck with the chang of inei? i have a phone that i thot i lost over 2 years ago but its been blocked i tried all the things u said the imei changed but still wont let the o2 card register on the network any more help you could offer? its a samsung galaxy s2 it is locked to the 3 network i have rooted it
sparkyuiop said:
A while back one of my customers found a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S2 at a bus stop which she handed in at the local police station. Last week she went back to see if it had been claimed and it had not so the police released the phone to my customer to keep as her own property.
She was aware that it was blocked but wanted to give it to her child to use as an android game device but when she told me about it I said I would have a look at it for her to check it was defiantly blocked.
On trying all network SIM cards I could only get the 'Emergency calls Only' notice. I did a Checkmend report and the device was still listed as stolen and blocked (the police have given her entitlement paperwork for the phone which I have seen) so I guessed it would be out of the question ever being able to use it as a phone again.
I decided to root the phone anyway and install a CM stock ROM. I then also installed the 'Galaxy S Unlock' APK and zero'd out the lock codes. I then tried all the SIM cards again with the same results as before.
After some browsing on the internet I download an APK called 'HC-kTool' and installed it. I then backed up my kernel and EFS folder to my SD card before hitting the advanced key and deleting my current installed EFS folder.
I turned off the phone, wrote down my IMEI number from behind the battery and inserted a Vodafone SIM card.
When the phone rebooted I got a full Vodafone signal and rang my home number, and it rang!
I then dialled *#06# and noticed my IMEI number has changed to something entirely different.
The phone has been connected over an hour now, I have not tried any other SIM as yet but I don't doubt it is unlocked and working on all networks now.
I read something briefly about T-mobile using a non-standard (I think) network system and deleting the EFS folder has the Samsung software revert it back to a non-T-mobile modified one. this could be totally wrong though...
Can anyone throw some light on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the donkey said:
hi im a noob did u yave any luck with the chang of inei..:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know the default Samsung IMEI number will only work on the Vodafone network. If you have rooted your S2 then there is an app in the Google Play store that will unlock your phone to all networks. Search for 'Samsung Unlock' and you will find it. If not there are plenty of ways to unlock it for free that you can find here on XDA.
I'm pretty sure you won't get it working on any other network without changing the IMEI which is incredibly difficult, not worth the cost of the equipment you would need and of course illegal in most country's carrying a very real prison sentence. XDA and other cell phone development communities will rightly not tolerate IMEI changing discussions and almost always permanently ban members should they attempt it so that is as much as I will discuss that!
Another thing I found recently was a company offering to 'De-Blacklist' phones to certain networks that were on the UK blacklist. At first I thought this must be illegal as if it wasn't it would make a mockery of the entire blacklisting principle, i.e prevention of crime. However more and more companies are offering this service and nothing seems to be preventing any of them from doing so. There are two UK based phone unlocking / modding businesses with a huge reputation online that are also doing it now too.
If anyone knows what that is about please enlighten me. No amount of probing I did had any of the companies reveal any of the methods to me!
I had an iPhone 4 that was IMEI blocked (found in a skip by a charity shop - checkmend reported not stolen) de-barred to 'EE / Orange' 5 days after paying about £50 to http://www.beijingiphonerepair.com/store/#!/~/category/id=4425106&offset=0&sort=normal
IMEI
If you were not cautious enough and you did not saved your efs directory before you made changes or ROM updates to your phone, then its possible that your phone "forget" your IMEI. So if you need to re-write your ORIGINAL IMEI back to that phone that its belong to, then its not a crime!!! There is an online program that can do that for around 4 EUR, 5-6 USD. If you are a half experienced browser user, you can find it by searching the keywords.
Although there is an easier way that you go to your provider and ask them to restore your phone IMEI, they can do that for you. If your wise enough, you put back your Original ROM, and zero the counter of ROM changes. As here in XDA you can find these methodes I wont give you any links, you can find it by yourself.
So, changing the IMEI is illegal in many countries but put back the original IMEI to the phone where it belongs is not!
UFF
To the OP.
Did you experience loss of functionality at all?
Someone i know followed what you did on a barred s2.
It now connects to virgins network but she can no longer switch on Bluetooth.
It tries to start then Bluetooth flicks over to off again.
Looking in phone details reveal that Bluetooth address is listed as unavailable.
Everything else seems to work fine.
sheffieldlad said:
To the OP.
Did you experience loss of functionality at all?
Someone i know followed what you did on a barred s2.
It now connects to virgins network but she can no longer switch on Bluetooth.
It tries to start then Bluetooth flicks over to off again.
Looking in phone details reveal that Bluetooth address is listed as unavailable.
Everything else seems to work fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick update, my friend tells me virgin seems to have blocked the imei now.
hi, I bought a used phone (galaxy note n7000)
The phone has a problem does not read any sim, sim reader but I changed anything, but sometimes reading quietly. I also noticed that when the law can not display the IMEI, and if the law comes out also his imei ...
What can I do?
I've already restored, led to stock ...
I'm having problem with connecting my phone new phone (nexus 5 from some shop in China) to 3G. only the 2G is working.
I tried almost anything but still couldn't find the problem that cause it.
I suspect that my IMEI was repaired (I have 2 different IMEI numbers in the back of the case and inside of the back case)
I found that after repairing the IMEI with Octoplus they say that "3G network will become unavailable", How can I check that this is really the problem? And does it can be repaired?
Thank you!
Hi.
I have another problem with my Samsung galaxy s3
The back of the battery has an IMEI of ******03*******
While the *#06# says a different IMEI, which is ******05*******
Which one is real?
The second one is that currently assigned to your hardware, have you had a motherboard change.
Hi,
Three months after getting this OX+ I get round to using it and put a new sim in it only to find there is no signal and the IMEI number will not display, it is "unknown".
I have just paid for an IMEI report which shows it`s identity and history is legit and the numbers tie-up with packaging and sim card tray and phone serial number. The report also says the phone has not been modified/rooted. The boot loader is locked. Is this a dead duck or are there measures I can take to restore the original IMEI by rooting/clearing cache etc?