In October 2012, the Librarian of Congress, who determines exemptions to a strict anti-hacking law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), decided that unlocking mobile phones would no longer be allowed. But the librarian provided a 90-day window during which people could still buy a phone and unlock it. That window closes on January 26.
Unlocking a phone frees it from restrictions that keep the device from working on more than one carrier's network, allowing it run on other networks that use the same wireless standard. This can be useful to international travellers who need their phones to work on different networks. Other people just like the freedom of being able to switch carriers as they please.
http://www.livescience.com/26541-unlocking-cellphones-becomes-illegal.html
Maybe this might wake some people up since it is tyranny that directly effects you .
Bad news for some countries....
But not a problem in mine.
Sent from Hubble Telescope
chepoz said:
Bad news for some countries....
But not a problem in mine.
Sent from Hubble Telescope
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here
Also it just refers to SIM carrier unlock...
Not applicable on bootloaders
PREDATOR95 said:
Same here
Also it just refers to SIM carrier unlock...
Not applicable on bootloaders
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, in my country some network provider made simlock just for chinese phone. But no one made for android. Good guy network provider....
Sent from Hubble Telescope
Hmmmm......Just one sentence comes in my mind.... " MARKETING STRATEGY "...............
Honestly it really is impressive to see how in some countries the governemental institutions can only act as businesses little *****es.
In my country, carriers are entitled by law to provide you with a way to unlock your phone 6 month after you signed the contract, on demand.
Thank god in Indonesia there is no Restriction for this... And i already Unlocks mine so it doesnt affect me
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Singgih4050 said:
Thank god in Indonesia there is no Restriction for this... And i already Unlocks mine so it doesnt affect me
Sent from my ST15i using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In India too there's no such thing as simlock except some of the phones that are provided for business purposes by the company where we work...so no worry for me..
Regards,
AJ
Well,in Croatia,we have simlocks all over the place
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shadik555 said:
Well,in Croatia,we have simlocks all over the place
Sent from my ST15i using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bad luck buddy....
Regards,
AJ
in germany it is like this: when u buy a phone with ur contract that lasts at least 2 years (the contract) u get a simlock free phone on nearly all carriers, or you can buy it for the real price (like around 500 euros depending on the phone)
then we have these so called prepaid things, where have no contract in the classic way, and with these u only get simlocked phones, but the carriers have to provide the sim unlock code after 2 years
Yeah it really is different from country to country.
In France, where i'm from, you either buy a full-price phone, either the same phone at a cheaper price but simlocked. But 6 month or 1 year after the signing (depending on the contract), your operator HAVE TO give you the unlock method and the code if you ask.
In Japan, where i live, phones are created by constructor, but sold to operators, wich means each phone model is actually branded. Not only it is sim locked, it is completely hardware locked - for example, the Xperia Ray is only available at Docomo and will not work on the Softbank network. Once your contract is over, well, you either sign again with the same operator or buy a new phone from another ...
chepoz said:
Yep, in my country some network provider made simlock just for chinese phone. But no one made for android. Good guy network provider....
Sent from Hubble Telescope
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heeey what about "TemanPintar" it isn't lock???:thumbup::thumbup::thumbdown:
Sent from my Xperia Live with Walkman using xda app-developers app
eswawan said:
Heeey what about "TemanPintar" it isn't lock???:thumbup::thumbup::thumbdown:
Sent from my Xperia Live with Walkman using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only for their own made phone, If you only use their SIM Card on other phone it wont be a SIM Locked Phone
Sent from my ST15i using xda premium
Related
i got an samsung galaxy s2 and it is blocked by the IMEI because i didnt pay the bill! It is there anyway to get over this issue so i can use my phone ?!
Thank you very much and im waiting for ur answers.
P.S. The phone is blocked on the satellite just in one country and in the others is working !
Maybe pay the bill?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Or maybe not and maybe something else?
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App
aliniulian23 said:
Or maybe not and maybe something else?
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why wouldn't you pay the bill?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
IMEI block + "not paid" = .... (go figure)
There is only one reason phones gets lockedout by IMEI, if it's just the bill for the contract that isn't paid they block outgoing (and eventually incomming) calls and all.
Hi
The only way a phone will get blocked is if the owner reports it being stolen/lost and not for unpaid bill.
You could be a victim of crime if bought on second hand market as the owner is probably doing insurance scam.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
stoney73 said:
Why wouldn't you pay the bill?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because i didnt have with what to pay and now i will not ! simple !
HellcatDroid said:
IMEI block + "not paid" = .... (go figure)
There is only one reason phones gets lockedout by IMEI, if it's just the bill for the contract that isn't paid they block outgoing (and eventually incomming) calls and all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first was this and after a few weeks the phone also !
a5ian300zx said:
Hi
The only way a phone will get blocked is if the owner reports it being stolen/lost and not for unpaid bill.
You could be a victim of crime if bought on second hand market as the owner is probably doing insurance scam.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO! The phone is brand new and it was buyed from a dealer of a network (doesnt matter)
aliniulian23 said:
i got an samsung galaxy s2 and it is blocked by the IMEI because i didnt pay the bill! It is there anyway to get over this issue so i can use my phone ?!
Thank you very much and im waiting for ur answers.
P.S. The phone is blocked on the satellite just in one country and in the others is working !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think anyone here is going to help you unlock your stolen phone, no matter what kind of excuses you come up with. Perhaps you should have the decency of returning it to its rightful owner, the one that actually did pay for this phone.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
This smells fishy to me too. They dont block the imei...they block the service
Strappin on my LOLLERSKATES
The only reason an IMEI will be blocked is because you stole the phone from someone else. Or you reported it stolen. Full stop, nothing else to say about this, at all, ever.
It is called Blacklisting.
Therefore, if you come here to this very resourceful community who operates within the bounds of legal framework that we live in, looking for a way to change the IMEI, which is considered a Federal Offense in the USA, and in the United Kingdom, under the Mobile Telephones (Re-programming) Act, changing the IMEI of a phone, or possessing equipment that can change it, is considered an offence, you will be dissapointed.
I would recommend you either contact your telecom company and explain you found your lost phone, or you return it to the rightful owner, or you use it as a wifi only device and feel guilty for robbing someone of their galaxy S2.
Ahaaaah u just dont get it a? Are u sure about what are u saying? U know that when u say something about someone it is good to be right because can go very bad for you with the law.
The phone is mine i got bills from this phone and i know what i am saying but i am not sure about YOU...and if u going to say something more about this ...not good.
So...anybody knows something helpfull?
thank you
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App
nickbarbs said:
The only reason an IMEI will be blocked is because you stole the phone from someone else. Or you reported it stolen. Full stop, nothing else to say about this, at all, ever.
It is called Blacklisting.
Therefore, if you come here to this very resourceful community who operates within the bounds of legal framework that we live in, looking for a way to change the IMEI, which is considered a Federal Offense in the USA, and in the United Kingdom, under the Mobile Telephones (Re-programming) Act, changing the IMEI of a phone, or possessing equipment that can change it, is considered an offence, you will be dissapointed.
I would recommend you either contact your telecom company and explain you found your lost phone, or you return it to the rightful owner, or you use it as a wifi only device and feel guilty for robbing someone of their galaxy S2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn it ! Just because i didnt pay the bill and they blocked the phone by imei and i come here doesnt say that i have stole the phone from somebody else!
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I have never ever heard of any mobile operator blocking the IMEI of someones phone because they have not paid the bill it simply does not happen period, therefore it had to have been blocked another way.
jonny68 said:
I have never ever heard of any mobile operator blocking the IMEI of someones phone because they have not paid the bill it simply does not happen period, therefore it had to have been blocked another way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i just asked because it just happened and this is a new law for the phones that they bills havend been paid
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I would also urge people to excercise extreme caution when buying mobile phones (or indeed anything) on the Gumtree website,a scammers / crooks haven, a common theme is for someone to advertise a high end phone like the GS2 for slightly below the going rate, usually the seller will call you from another number other than their own,they will say the phone is unlocked,brand new,etc,etc it is only when you ask them to present a receipt they will try and fob you off with excuses like "i need this receipt for my records" basically what they do is, person buys the phone, it is a real phone and everything works, a week or so later they report the phone stolen and put in a claim for another one, meanwhile your left with a phone which doesn't work as the IMEI has been blocked and you've no comeback, you try and contact the seller but find the number is turned off so basically your fu***d.
aliniulian23 said:
Well i just asked because it just happened and this is a new law for the phones that they bills havend been paid
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't happen, nowhere in the world phones are imei locked for not paying bills. That happens in some countries when owner of the phone reports it lost or stolen. By your username i assume you are romanian and just for the record phone providers in Romania don't use/need phones' imei , hence they can't lock it. So you might as well post what country and provider did that, but i guess if you do that everyone else will find out you lied, not that we wouldn't know that already
Quite easy actually.
Step 1: Buy the phone.
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Sp1tfire said:
Can't happen, nowhere in the world phones are imei locked for not paying bills. That happens in some countries when owner of the phone reports it lost or stolen. By your username i assume you are romanian and just for the record phone providers in Romania don't use/need phones' imei , hence they can't lock it. So you might as well post what country and provider did that, but i guess if you do that everyone else will find out you lied, not that we already know that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am from RO but im in another country now and in RO i didnt hear nothing about this at all. Even if u dont pay the bill there is nothing to do with the phone but in other countrys like ES people say that this happend and ...what can i do? Again : i didnt stole nobodys phone and i didnt buy from no one!
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Hi,
I'm thinking of buying a Xperia U but I know I will eventually want to put CyanogenMod on it. It seems some phones have an non-unlockable bootloader, but why?
Are the phones that are bought through a carrier the non-unlockable ones, but the ones bought full price from a store unlockable?
Just when u are picking up a handset
Type *#*#7378423#*#*
Go to service info and configuration
If bootloader unlock allowed is yes
Then purchase it
Or else say u dun like that color
Some carriers or brands lock their changed firmwares. That is why !
StratOS_HTC said:
Some carriers or brands lock their changed firmwares. That is why !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My carrier dont use their own custom firmware, jus stock Sony but I still have bl unlock = no
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corsav6 said:
My carrier dont use their own custom firmware, jus stock Sony but I still have bl unlock = no
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is something the carriers have asked Sony to do. Sony have done it themselves but requested by the networks. An agreement they have. Sony can unlock it at a service centre but won't because of the agreement.
Annoying really.
Advantages of paying more for a phone upfront instead of getting a contract phone.
Cheers,
Lunar.
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app
What exactly does this mean for us and rooting? The law seems extremely vague. Any answer would be greatly appreciated
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
enik_fox said:
What exactly does this mean for us and rooting? The law seems extremely vague. Any answer would be greatly appreciated
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your post is extremely vague also. I have no idea what you're even asking
Pretty sure he is talking about unlocking cell phones becoming illegal on Saturday.
Means nothing to us tablet users. Our tablets aren't phones. From my understanding its more to prevent people from using phones on networks they aren't meant for.
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styckx said:
Your post is extremely vague also. I have no idea what you're even asking
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read some news. Its all over everything unless you happen to know of another law kicking into gear on the 26th.
duarian said:
Pretty sure he is talking about unlocking cell phones becoming illegal on Saturday.
Means nothing to us tablet users. Our tablets aren't phones. From my understanding its more to prevent people from using phones on networks they aren't meant for.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. The wording is just so... Special its hard to make heads or tails of it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
duarian said:
Pretty sure he is talking about unlocking cell phones becoming illegal on Saturday.
Means nothing to us tablet users. Our tablets aren't phones. From my understanding its more to prevent people from using phones on networks they aren't meant for.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please elaborate, what the **** is wrong with those bastards? I bought my device and I do whatever I want with it.
Fidelator said:
Please elaborate, what the **** is wrong with those bastards? I bought my device and I do whatever I want with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And you still can but what this prevents you from doing is unlocking your phone and walking over to competing mobile provider B. and activating a phone with them that was originally only meant to work on mobile provider A. This is actually a good thing for Google.
styckx said:
And you still can but what this prevents you from doing is unlocking your phone and walking over to competing mobile provider B. and activating a phone with them that was originally only meant to work on mobile provider A. This is actually a good thing for Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually this is just made to screw us customers and to help huge corporations in their never ending quest to get more money off us.
If someone buys a phone with a provider and switches it's because said provider didn't fit the needs of the customer needs, having choices is not bad at all.
The damn government is full of selfish bastards that just care about filling their pockets with bribes, this clearly doesn't help anyone.
Big Brother is not going to beat your door down because you unlocked your phone. Sorry if I ruin anyones day by posting that but unless you run a business doing that I wouldn't even sweat over it
NeoMagus said:
Big Brother is not going to beat your door down because you unlocked your phone. Sorry if I ruin anyones day by posting that but unless you run a business doing that I wouldn't even sweat over it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Galaxy unlock apps from the store might be banned and if we aren't lucky all of the *unlock your device* threads here in XDA will be gone too.
Here is an article and snippet that mentions tablets:
"Digital Millennium Copyright Act will make it illegal to jailbreak and unlock phones. According to the act, it is illegal to unlock both tablets and phones without permission from your wireless provider. ... Unfortunately, that window closes on Saturday, January 26th."
http://www.tmonews.com/2013/01/dmca-law-to-make-unlocking-phones-illegal-after-january-26th/
Of course any tablet without cell network connectivity or purchased from a cell provider is exempt.
so does this leave cyanogen mod in a tight spot? or can we still swap roms and stick with the current carrier?
I don't live in the US but it infuriates me when the government screws the people it's supposed to protect.
I sure hope none of you guys votes for the fags who passed this.
I agree it's a crock. Do we purchase the phone/tablet or rent it? If we are truly purchasing the phone then all they SHOULD be able to do is void our warranty.
This has nothing to do with rooting your phone or switching roms. The interpretation of the law is saying that you cannot take (for example) an AT&T phone that you bought on contract and unlock it to run on T-mobile without AT&T's permission. If you cancel your contract or it is up, AT&T says they will give you the unlock then.
HillsRider said:
This has nothing to do with rooting your phone or switching roms. The interpretation of the law is saying that you cannot take (for example) an AT&T phone that you bought on contract and unlock it to run on T-mobile without AT&T's permission. If you cancel your contract or it is up, AT&T says they will give you the unlock then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly.. It's not unfair, the `man' isn't holding you down and it's definitely not aliens..
styckx said:
Exactly.. It's not unfair, the `man' isn't holding you down and it's definitely not aliens..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wasn't really worried about them holding me down... was more of a question of what is allowed and isn't... damn wording is so vague... i prefer the cyanogen roms... typically run much better than stock.
As long as i can still do that... i am happy.
Never know an alien could have provided blueprints for your phone
Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk 2
Dont think it'll be enforced
I honestly dont think this law will be enforced.
Here in South Africa its illegal for the cellphone providers to lock the phones to the network. I guess lucky us.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
The provider sates "purchasing" the phone, and we all sign contracts with stated penalties for early termination. So basically they were able to convince the gov't to make a law to change the contract we already had with the provider.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
This isnt talking about rooting your phone, it is about unlocking which network it can be connected to. There are probably less than 1% of people in the US who ever unlock their phone to move them to a different carrier. Everyone in the US buys a new phone with a new contract, and most of the pay as you go stuff is unlocked anyway since you have to enter the APN info yourself or have a service rep do it.
The law itself is retarded and unneeded, and also shouldnt be within the realm of what government is allowed to say you can or cant do. But really it makes not one bit of different to just about anyone.
This should be pinned to every general section in this on this site.
Sign this petition to keep unlocking legal. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cell-phones-legal/1g9KhZG7
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414699,00.asp
Starting Saturday, it will be illegal for you to unlock your phone without permission from your wireless carrier.
The rule change dates back to an October decision from the Library of Congress's Copyright Office, which gave consumers a 90-day window to unlock their phones without carrier permission. That 90-day period, however, ends this weekend.
The Copyright Office reviews the rules on unlocking (and jailbreaking) every three years, as required by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). This time around, regulators found that "there are ample alternatives to circumvention. That is, the marketplace has evolved such that there is now a wide array of unlocked phone options available to consumers."
Some groups, however, had requested an exemption that would allow people to unlock their phones at will "because some devices sold by carriers are permanently locked and because unlocking policies contain restrictions and may not apply to all of a carrier's devices."
The Copyright Office, however, determined that "with respect to newly purchased phones, proponents had not satisfied their burden of showing adverse effects related to a technological protection measure."
That's likely because there are currently a variety of options when it comes to unlocking your phone. Verizon CDMA phones, for example, have unlocked SIM card slots. The 4G LTE Verizon iPhone 5 also includes an unlocked SIM. Last year, AT&T started allowing non-contract iPhone users to unlock their devices for use on other GSM networks. You can also opt to buy unlocked phones for a higher price.
Still, the Copyright Office recognized that it's not as easy to unlock an older phone as it is a newer one - "in part because an older or expired contract might not require the carrier to cooperate."
As a result, regulators gave consumers that 90-day window, starting Oct. 28, to unlock their phone without carrier permission. The move "is both warranted and unlikely to harm the market," the office concluded.
The unlocking issue differs from jailbreaking. In its same October ruling, regulators upheld rules that allow for jailbreaking, which allows you to run unapproved applications. Jailbreaking is most often mentioned in conjunction with the iPhone because Apple has strict control over which apps it allows into its App Store. If you jailbreak your device, you could run an app not available in the App Store on your iPhone, but the very act of jailbreaking voids your warranty, so you better know what you're doing.
The Copyright Office, however, declined to extend its jailbreaking rules to tablets because it found that the proposed definition of the device was too broad.
Wow. What has this world come to. That's a communist way of looking at electronics. I wish we knew more about what will happen if you have your carriers permission to unlock.
On a second reading, it looks like this only applies to unlocking the sim. It doesn't say bootloader...
Maybe we'll still be able to dev for these amazing devices
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yeah its sim unlock only, so you cant run it on another network, which is still absolute BS.
Signed. Freedom after purchase is a very big part of living in a free society. If you can't do what you want with your property what's the point in calling it yours
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
This is the Rezound forum. The Rezound is only sold through Verizon Wireless. VZW has never locked their phones to work only on their network.
mike.s said:
This is the Rezound forum. The Rezound is only sold through Verizon Wireless. VZW has never locked their phones to work only on their network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone obviously missed the point...
Edit: signed
this does not matter just purchase an unlocked phone like i did the htc rezound and besides all lte phone must be unlocked according to fcc rules. for the rules.
rezoundness said:
this does not matter just purchase an unlocked phone like i did the htc rezound and besides all lte phone must be unlocked according to fcc rules. for the rules.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bootloader must be unlockable yes, but sim cards no. They will have control over your ability to use a phone on a network of your choosing
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As if this will stop anyone. Just like how gun laws prevent shootings...
socal87 said:
As if this will stop anyone. Just like how gun laws prevent shootings...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may own the phone, but your service provider can cut you off it you violate their rules. They'll tell you too bad.. Go try the next provider your just a number
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But wait a sec,
If you buy the phone on contract for the lowered price then technically you don't own the phone right? So the carrier would decide?
Don't forget to sign the death star petition as well. If ur not familiar with that petition then shame on u.
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saintsfan09 said:
Don't forget to sign the death star petition as well. If ur not familiar with that petition then shame on u.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't that one end? They responded to it and it was amazing...let me see if I can find it
edit: here https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/isnt-petition-response-youre-looking
heyis4horses said:
Didn't that one end? They responded to it and it was amazing...let me see if I can find it
edit: here https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/isnt-petition-response-youre-looking
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How sad. I didn't know it ended already. I really thought this petition would be successful. Shows u how messed up this countries priorities r when we can't even get the government to commit necessary resources to building a death star. My generation will get this done. Guaranteed. Clever response from the White House though. I will concede that much
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saintsfan09 said:
How sad. I didn't know it ended already. I really thought this petition would be successful. Shows u how messed up this countries priorities r when we can't even get the government to commit necessary resources to building a death star. My generation will get this done. Guaranteed. Clever response from the White House though. I will concede that much
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could not be happier with their response unless it was a picture of a death star in construction
When I'm President, my first move in office will to order funds for R&D into the creation of a Deathstar. I hope to vaporize those damn Martians by my 2nd term...
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Your info isn't entirely true. This law only pertains to phones purchased when the law goes in to effect. Any phones purchased before the law going in to effect is exempted.
Personally I would just buy a nexus 4 if I was going to carrier hop and know everything will work right. I do agree its stupid as if you own your phone outright you should be able to use it as you see fit. After all you can modify your car any way you want so why cant phpnes be the same way?
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 09:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 AM ----------
heyis4horses said:
Didn't that one end? They responded to it and it was amazing...let me see if I can find it
edit: here https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/isnt-petition-response-youre-looking
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are the government as they don't know a parsec is a measurement in distance and not time lol.
I really thought they would go for the ideal of building a death star. I mean come on it wastes money like the government seems to love to do. Plus all Americans could move in to it and then they could blow the earth up and take care of that pesky illegal immigration problem in one shot. Then we could be the ultimate power in the universe lol.
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So, I've been doing some research on this, and there are a lot of misconceptions about this that need to be cleared up.
First, this seems to only apply to new phones sold after the effective date. Second, this by itself does not make unlocking a phone illegal. This decision simply states that the DMCA doesn't grant an automatic exemption to unlocking according to the interpretation of the Library of Congress, not that it's illegal. That means that the carriers can sue people for unlocking if they choose to do so, and it would then be up to the court to decide whether or not it's legal.
What would happen if it did go to court? The EFF would likely step forward to help the defense of the first defendant. Possibly other groups as well. The carriers and their industry groups would fund the prosecution. In the current legal landscape, it would likely be decided favor of the carriers, however, despite what you're reading, that hasn't actually been decided yet.
https://www.eff.org/is-it-illegal-to-unlock-a-phone
Yes Verizon has had phones that only work on their network... My HTC Eris didn't have a removable sim card.
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justjayhere said:
Yes Verizon has had phones that only work on their network... My HTC Eris didn't have a removable sim card.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it's a CDMA phone, they don't use sim cards.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA Premium.
Searching for Vodafone Smart mini unlock codes or a way to crack it on my own.
stedapa pears
Is it allowed to bump thread on xda? :cyclops:
bumping threads is usually seen as offensive around these corners.
qwertzlcoatl said:
My little brother bought a Vodafone Smart Mini while he was on vacation in Portugal. It's his first Smartphone. The catch is, the vodafone lady told him he needs to unlock it before being able to use it. The way the lady suggested it, it should be really easy to do. The problem is that I've been googling my ass off and just don't find anything worthwhile. There are "unlock codes" that I simply need to type in with the SIM card I want to use, but these codes are all behind some kind of weird paywall. So right now, he can't use his german SIM card in his new smartphone.
Does anybody have any experience with this? Me and my brother would be really grateful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure your phone is compatible with the carrier you want to be with, if not you'll be better keeping your money in your wallet
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Kelevra_96 said:
Make sure your phone is compatible with the carrier you want to be with, if not you'll be better keeping your money in your wallet
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a "Vodafone Smart mini" and my carrier is Vodafone.
qwertzlcoatl said:
It's a "Vodafone Smart mini" and my carrier is Vodafone. The smartphone was bought in portugal but my carrier is in germany. In theory this should be rather easy.
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Maybe I was not that clear, doesn't matter the phone name IF the phone does work on the same frequency and does not use the same technology (gsm, cdma, lte, etc) as your carrier it simply won't work even if you buy and apply it a network unlock code.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
For anybody stumbling across this thread in the future:
I bought for 1 Euro a Unlock Code on eBay. 10 Minutes later I got the code and everything works fine now. I'll suggest you do the same if you have a buck to spare.