Found a "broken" G2 in the ads today, I might go check it out tomorrow. The seller is selling it for a very low price (somewhere around 150 USD) because the phone can't register to a network. Using my previous knowledge of other Android phones and the knowledge I acquired during my time with my own G2, I've deduced the following (ordered from least likely to most likely):
- the phone was dropped and the radio cable got detached (fairly easy fix, take the phone apart and reattach everything, the physical state of the phone can't be deduced from a single photo that's put online)
- the SIM tray is faulty because at the photo I got, a no SIM icon is visible (though that could've been taken without a SIM in the phone)
- something or someone messed up the EFS partition (I plan on checking whether the phone's bootloader root checker has been tripped, if the IMEI is okay, if it has a custom recovery, etc). The phone seems to have a stock ROM which I suspect someone flashed, or tried to factory reset the phone (which raised a suspicion described below).
But the most likely situation is that the phone was stolen. Why? Well:
- if the phone can't register to a network, its IMEI may be blacklisted
- the phone is being sold without any equipment, not even its box. The guy says it was sold to him like that, which makes me even more suspicious. I have some friends working in certain operators here, I'll snoop around once I get a hold of the phone's IMEI. If I can't get a straight story out of him, I'll try some intimidation or to knock down the price to oblivion, being that the phone might be stolen, and use it for parts, if my ways of finding its owner turn up dry.
Do you guys have any additional tips on what to check? I plan on putting my own SIM card in and trying to run some diagnostics from the hidden menus to see what's what.
robogo1982 said:
Found a "broken" G2 in the ads today, I might go check it out tomorrow. The seller is selling it for a very low price (somewhere around 150 USD) because the phone can't register to a network. Using my previous knowledge of other Android phones and the knowledge I acquired during my time with my own G2, I've deduced the following (ordered from least likely to most likely):
- the phone was dropped and the radio cable got detached (fairly easy fix, take the phone apart and reattach everything, the physical state of the phone can't be deduced from a single photo that's put online)
- the SIM tray is faulty because at the photo I got, a no SIM icon is visible (though that could've been taken without a SIM in the phone)
- something or someone messed up the EFS partition (I plan on checking whether the phone's bootloader root checker has been tripped, if the IMEI is okay, if it has a custom recovery, etc). The phone seems to have a stock ROM which I suspect someone flashed, or tried to factory reset the phone (which raised a suspicion described below).
But the most likely situation is that the phone was stolen. Why? Well:
- if the phone can't register to a network, its IMEI may be blacklisted
- the phone is being sold without any equipment, not even its box. The guy says it was sold to him like that, which makes me even more suspicious. I have some friends working in certain operators here, I'll snoop around once I get a hold of the phone's IMEI. If I can't get a straight story out of him, I'll try some intimidation or to knock down the price to oblivion, being that the phone might be stolen, and use it for parts, if my ways of finding its owner turn up dry.
Do you guys have any additional tips on what to check? I plan on putting my own SIM card in and trying to run some diagnostics from the hidden menus to see what's what.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems like you got it all covered! Best of luck.
Hello, even if you have a friend inside, It would do you well to use one of those online IMEI Blacklist checkers, if the phone is from a US carrier and it happens to be stolen/blacklisted theres a good chance that it will appear.
Anywho, so how will you do it? Will the seller lend you the phone for a couple of hours for you to check all these things? Or Will you be gambling for it?
Best of luck, the G2 is freaking awesome! I'm having a blast!
Definitely worth it. I bought a sprint lg g2 that was "bricked" in TWRP after they tried to OTA. Lmao got it for $40! Unlocked and am using now
Bought one recently (advertised as faulty antenna) but it had a messed up EFS. IMEI was null. Checked IMEI and it was fine. Restored IMEI and phone is flying fine.. Good luck on purchase.
Related
I originally had trouble with GPS working intermittently and found the thread about bending the pins slightly and it worked. Now I have wonderful GPS signal but can't send or receive calls or messages.
WiFi works, GPS works, I have 5 full bars but I can't place or receive calls.
I suspect that opening the phone resulted in damaging something, but what? If the antenna is damaged than why would I have 5 bars?
I googled everything I could think of and couldn't come up with any clue, anything new to try would be helpful.
I was running Cyanogenmod 9 and ended up flashing the stock ROM but *NOTHING* helps.
Thanks,
Tim
Have you checked your APN settings?
reply:
uwannabananababy said:
Have you checked your APN settings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I verified the APN settings. Even tried various other APN options that were recommended on other threads. Still nothing.
It's really weird, the signal displays sometimes 3, 4, or 5 bars and my other ATT phone works fine using the same SIM card.
Completely out in left field, but perhaps food for thought? http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=lyuGT3atgc8&desktop_uri=/watch?v=lyuGT3atgc8
BLACKSTAR X-SGH-I717 xda-developers app
Fixed - sent back to Samsung
I sent it back to Samsung for diagnostics. They said "Liquid damaged on PBA components" - which means the phone board assembly (main board).
Now I know for sure that I didn't get any liquid on any part of the phone what-so-ever, but since the repair was free, I'm not going to complain.
A suspicion is that the technicians are only given a few category codes to document the failure mode for the phone, and this seemed to be the closest one to the technician who looked at it.
What really happened is a mystery that may last for all time...
I can't wait to get the phone back so I can go rooted again!
-Tim
The water damage indicators are in the screws you remove to get inside.
rangercaptain said:
The water damage indicators are in the screws you remove to get inside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh - how do they know that? There wasn't any obvious way to know I tampered with it...
-Tim
twelc said:
Huh - how do they know that? There wasn't any obvious way to know I tampered with it...
-Tim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe they watched you do the repair.
Bah
I have 2 Notes purchased second hand which exhibit the same symptoms. I tried everything, changing ROMs (including stock), modems, carrier unlocking, different SIM cards, restoring IMEIs, changed the power connecter board where I believe the cell ANT is, always got the 'Not Registered on Network' when trying to make a call. I could deactivate HSDPA and LTE in the service menu and still connect on the EDGE network.
There are a few threads on this subject, but the only way I've seen it resolved is sending the phone in for a replacement mainboard. Unfortunately that wasn't an option for me. Buyer Beware.
Well, I thought Samsung was going to repair it but they sent the phone back saying it was unrepairable.
They slapped a red dot behind where the battery sits and there's some kind of red plastic behind the antenna for the phone. So I know they took the back apart.
I called them and they said it's unrepairable, and I asked how can it be unrepairable - can't you repair the phone you invented? Anyway it's hard to get anywhere with them.
It's kind of weird though, everything works but no network lock.
Well, I guess I'll chock it up to experience and sell it on ebay and buy a used one.
Tim
Samsung refused to repair the unit under warranty - which is fine because I am responsible for breaking it and I don't expect them to pay for my mistake. However, I asked them to fix it and bill me for the damages and they said they couldn't repair it.
Huh, so I asked them how they can build such a nice and complex phone but can't figure out how to repair it?
They flat out refused so I asked to have it escalated.
The put me in contact with another customer service number and the first thing he asked was would I be willing to pay for the repair - of course! That's all I wanted in the first place.
Anyway, I paid $200 and this is the response concerning the problem and resolution. I should get the phone back by tomorrow in like new condition!
Original Problem:
TECHNICAL INQUIRY - LCD / TOUCH PANEL / LED - TOUCH SCREEN CRACKED - STD/LCD FEE
Problem found:
BAD BGA COMPONENT - LCD DAMAGED - ABUSE - REAR COVER - COSMETICS
Solution:
REPLACED LCD - REPLACED COSMETIC - REPLACED COMPONENT - REPLACED PBA
Sorry to hear you're still not back with us yet. Having an awful go of it. Surely they'll have you going soon.
BLACKSTAR XI -SGH-I717 xda-developers app SAMSUNG done right
What's up fellers! Been gone a long time and know I am back. I got a deal on a I527 and found out the guy used a Metro-PCS sim. I didn't realize this until after I put my SIM in and saw ATT. I didn't see that when he had his SIM in there.
I read the 5 or 6 posts on not being able to make or take a call from a TMOBILE setup but since this may be a little different I thought I would post and give it a shot.
My symptoms are no calls (does nothing then emits a single beep then hangs up). Does the same when dialing out. 4G and everything else works 100% Phone is fast boots quick charges fast no complaints anywhere except the stinking call issue.
I used KIES to reload the stock ROM. Took about 20 minutes and completed. Still no calls. Here are the details
Phone has the ATT logo on back, says SGH-i527, has I527UCUAMK2 all 3 places. I talked to ATT customer service and they said the IMEI points to a SGHNM819N. But nothing on the phone indicate metro PCS.
I use to hack back in the ATT Tilt days. Not anymore. I had a small stroke and can't do all this complex stuff anymore. If someone points me in the right direction I can follow instructions but it seems to have gotten a lot more cumbersome to do these days.
All I am looking for is bone stock reset where everything works. I can wait for KitKat to come out so I would like a clean fix.
My sim is a ATT. The service agent online assured me the SIM was fine. My old phone was a Skyrocket that got wet. So the MEGA needed a smaller SIM. I picked it up today and swapped phones.
Thanks for any help and I am willing to pay for someone's quick help. I use the phone for work and right now I am pinched.
SD
I had a similar experience when I bought a used mega, picked up full signal, eveything worked except that I couldn't make or receive calls, I just got a single beep. I even went to an at&t store and got a new sim card, still didn't work.
The guy who helped me at the store said the sim tray was bad, made it sound like it was a common. Issue. gave me the number to the warranty dept, said they might cover it. I called them told them what happened and what the rep told me at the store.
They sent me a replacement at no charge.
my phone done that when my imei was replaced with a galaxy s4's imei. I finially found a guy that put the imei from another i527 into my phone, he also replaced that sticker behind the battery from the mega he used to fix mine so everything matches
banks2878 said:
my phone done that when my imei was replaced with a galaxy s4's imei. I finially found a guy that put the imei from another i527 into my phone, he also replaced that sticker behind the battery from the mega he used to fix mine so everything matches
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took a look and sure enough the IMEI on the phone is different than the sticker in the back. I googled about 6 different IMEI sites US and EU based and checked out both numbers. Every single site says both comeback good. Nothing stolen or odd. A couple of site said not locked. I would like to have matching IMEI numbers. I would like the one used on the label. How hard is it to get rid of the one on the phone and make it match the label.
I don't think ATT will let me swap this out for a new one. I am not the original owner and there is no insurance on it.
Thanks
SD
I sent you a private message so you can have it taken care of the right way and don't get messed around like I did my first time around
SMACk-DAB said:
I took a look and sure enough the IMEI on the phone is different than the sticker in the back. I googled about 6 different IMEI sites US and EU based and checked out both numbers. Every single site says both comeback good. Nothing stolen or odd. A couple of site said not locked. I would like to have matching IMEI numbers. I would like the one used on the label. How hard is it to get rid of the one on the phone and make it match the label.
I don't think ATT will let me swap this out for a new one. I am not the original owner and there is no insurance on it.
Thanks
SD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't the original owner and didn't have insurance, just had service with at&t. The phone hasn't been out for a year, so it's under warranty unless something shady was done to it. In my case the numbers all matched.
banks2878 said:
I sent you a private message so you can have it taken care of the right way and don't get messed around like I did my first time around
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I don't see the PM yet. Let me know what I need to do.
Thank you,
John
Hi. I had this issue for a long time now, I tried a lot of things but I stuck and I don't know what to do. I bought a Lenovo P780 in February, ROW version (if I remember ROW123 4GB), imei starts with 860. I installed a custom rom (I checked and it is for this ROW) and it worked fine. One day in May I noticed that I got no signal. Then it came back. Than it went away. It is still the problem of course.
I never dropped nor flooded the phone. I tried installing other GSM modems as people on forums suggested, I tried a lot but none of them worked. I was angry so I took it apart, and saw that the outer shell of the antenna cable was damaged, so I ordered a new one, but it didn't help. I checked the whole PCB under a magnifying glass so maybe I would find any sign of damage so then I can replace the faulty component (I have access to do that), but I found nothing.
I tried it with different SIM cards. Then I found out, that in the Settings menu in the about phone section you can see the exact signal strength (it usually says 0dBm 99 asu which is absurd). You can only access it when you have a SIM card in the device but when you are in, you can take it out and you can still see the signal strength. It sometimes finds signal, but it is very rare.
What should I do? I have no money to replace the motherboard, and of course I have no warranty. Is there a chance that my problem is software-based, or it is surely hardware stuff? What can I do?
Buy a different brand phone
My suggestion is to get rid off that phone as it is and change towards buying anything but Lenovo, sell this one and buy any other brand.
If you stick to chinese buy Huawei or One Plus One etc.
Good luck1
nandude said:
Hi. I had this issue for a long time now, I tried a lot of things but I stuck and I don't know what to do. I bought a Lenovo P780 in February, ROW version (if I remember ROW123 4GB), imei starts with 860. I installed a custom rom (I checked and it is for this ROW) and it worked fine. One day in May I noticed that I got no signal. Then it came back. Than it went away. It is still the problem of course.
I never dropped nor flooded the phone. I tried installing other GSM modems as people on forums suggested, I tried a lot but none of them worked. I was angry so I took it apart, and saw that the outer shell of the antenna cable was damaged, so I ordered a new one, but it didn't help. I checked the whole PCB under a magnifying glass so maybe I would find any sign of damage so then I can replace the faulty component (I have access to do that), but I found nothing.
I tried it with different SIM cards. Then I found out, that in the Settings menu in the about phone section you can see the exact signal strength (it usually says 0dBm 99 asu which is absurd). You can only access it when you have a SIM card in the device but when you are in, you can take it out and you can still see the signal strength. It sometimes finds signal, but it is very rare.
What should I do? I have no money to replace the motherboard, and of course I have no warranty. Is there a chance that my problem is software-based, or it is surely hardware stuff? What can I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kozav100 said:
My suggestion is to get rid off that phone as it is and change towards buying anything but Lenovo, sell this one and buy any other brand.
If you stick to chinese buy Huawei or One Plus One etc.
Good luck1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did that. I discovered that the CPU's soldering was faulty. I guess the BGA couldn't stand the heat. I sold the parts and bought a Huawei.
This probably isn't the best place for this, but I don't really know where else to ask about it.
A few months ago I was on a trip and I found a MetroPCS phone that was locked. There was very little I could do about figuring out who the owner was (it wasn't anyone's in the group I was in) or trying to unlock the phone (no way!). When I got home, I called up MetroPCS and explained my predicament, but they were surprisingly unhelpful and basically told me I had to take it to the store, and even then they likely couldn't do anything for me or the owner. After a bit of arguing about how ridiculous that is, the support guy ended up essentially telling me to throw out/recycle the phone. Obviously there's a whole other issue here with their support on this issue, but I won't touch that at the moment.
Well, the nearest store is really far from me (over an hour away) and its out of the way from any normal driving I do, so I ended up just throwing the phone in a drawer for a while. I was cleaning up yesterday and I found it again, so I decided to look into this once more. Today I learned about ESN and IMEI blacklisting, and I looked the phone up to see and of course it is blacklisted because it was reported lost.
Is there anything I can do with this thing? I guess I could sell it for parts on eBay or something like that, but I feel weird selling a phone that a lot of potential buyers would yell "stolen!" at.
Ductapemaster said:
This probably isn't the best place for this, but I don't really know where else to ask about it.
A few months ago I was on a trip and I found a MetroPCS phone that was locked. There was very little I could do about figuring out who the owner was (it wasn't anyone's in the group I was in) or trying to unlock the phone (no way!). When I got home, I called up MetroPCS and explained my predicament, but they were surprisingly unhelpful and basically told me I had to take it to the store, and even then they likely couldn't do anything for me or the owner. After a bit of arguing about how ridiculous that is, the support guy ended up essentially telling me to throw out/recycle the phone. Obviously there's a whole other issue here with their support on this issue, but I won't touch that at the moment.
Well, the nearest store is really far from me (over an hour away) and its out of the way from any normal driving I do, so I ended up just throwing the phone in a drawer for a while. I was cleaning up yesterday and I found it again, so I decided to look into this once more. Today I learned about ESN and IMEI blacklisting, and I looked the phone up to see and of course it is blacklisted because it was reported lost.
Is there anything I can do with this thing? I guess I could sell it for parts on eBay or something like that, but I feel weird selling a phone that a lot of potential buyers would yell "stolen!" at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wifi toy for the kids / nieces / nephews / friend ...?
Obviously the phone is a lost cause at this stage, despite your best efforts. Typically there is a way to use a button combo to get into recovery to wipe the phone so the previous user's data and passwords will be removed. How to do so, or if it is possible, depends on the model.
Ductapemaster said:
Today I learned about ESN and IMEI blacklisting, and I looked the phone up to see and of course it is blacklisted because it was reported lost.
Is there anything I can do with this thing? I guess I could sell it for parts on eBay or something like that, but I feel weird selling a phone that a lot of potential buyers would yell "stolen!" at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can sell it, just list it as having a bad ESN/IMEI and "for parts".
If there's a SIM card, you could pop it in a MetroPCS or unlocked GSM phone and it should have the phone number (Settings -> About device -> Status). Call/text the number (from another phone, obviously).
Hello XDA,
I am in a bit of a sticky position. I have a Sony Xperia Z2 D6503. I purchased the phone from a 3rd party seller on Amazon. The purchase was made around 3 months ago. With the £350 purchase i got standard earphones, charger and original box with the phone. The best thing the phone came with and i assume came with every Sony smartphone is a 2 year warranty.
This warranty entitles me to give the phone back and they repair the problem. Problems only being something i could not have caused, like overheating motherboard.. Or whatever.
The problem i have is my phone wont allow me to use any SIM card. It did when i first got it then after a couple of weeks the phone stopped sending or receiving phone calls and text messages . The weird thing is the 3G internet still works when i have my SIM inserted in the phone.
I obviously got worried and started searching why it happened & how can i possibly fix this. The research i done gave me the conclusion of my phones IMEI is blocked. So straight away i contacted Amazon and they gave the money back and i still have the phone (strangely)
I am now wondering weather i can use my Sony warranty and see if they will repair the phone even though it may be blocked. I have found out that i will not get in trouble as i have legit receipts that show i bought this phone before it was blocked and i have a reasonable reason why i have it.
Would Sony repair or replace my phone even if the IMEI is blocked? Considering the phone is in warranty and i have receipts to prove the purchase.
Please can you give me other possible solutions to this annoying problem.
Kind Regards,
HaroonZ2
I don't see why you shouldn't go for it, the alternative is to end up with an expensive media player.
But hasn't the seller contacted you yet? I find this pretty strange, but there's no reason to have any legal troubles if the third party didn't do anything about it.
catalin.v said:
I don't see why you shouldn't go for it, the alternative is to end up with an expensive media player.
But hasn't the seller contacted you yet? I find this pretty strange, but there's no reason to have any legal troubles if the third party didn't do anything about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The people I bought the phone from stopped replying over Amazon. So as policy amazon had to repay the money. However, they don't care what I do with the phone.
That's what I had in mind. I have a great media player. And £350. But imagine if I had a working sony Z2 and £350. You can't blame me for trying..
Cheers
Go to Sony and tell them about your problem, you've got nothing to lose.
Your point is valid, you've done nothing wrong, and even if they refuse to repair it on warranty, you get to keep the phone.
catalin.v said:
Go to Sony and tell them about your problem, you've got nothing to lose.
Your point is valid, you've done nothing wrong, and even if they refuse to repair it on warranty, you get to keep the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I guess.
Cheers
Have you tried going to Settings> Wireless & Networks > More...> Internet settings (Download settings for internet and MMS). Also SIM cards do fail from time to time. I would get another from your carrier and then check that your APN settings are correct.
TailsNeon556 said:
Have you tried going to Settings> Wireless & Networks > More...> Internet settings (Download settings for internet and MMS). Also SIM cards do fail from time to time. I would get another from your carrier and then check that your APN settings are correct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this was one of the many things I have tried. Ive even considered changing the IMEI.. But I won't.
I have ran in to a dead end with this problem.. It seems like there is not much more I can do apart from taking a risk and giving it too Sony.
Cheers,
Haroon
I have a warranty concern as well, though it isn't an issue with a blocked IMEI.
I tried to pull out the sim tray today and it got stuck and in my frustration (and having no other solution) I used tweezers to pull it forcefully out. Pretty sure it got stuck on the contacts of the MB and bent them, since the tray won't go back in now. Now I can see this as kind of my fault, but not really right? I didn't do anything to make it get stuck and I'm not sure how else I'd have been able to access the sim slot. I obviously won't tell them I forced it out, but any chance they'd fix it on warranty?
hanano17 said:
I have a warranty concern as well, though it isn't an issue with a blocked IMEI.
I tried to pull out the sim tray today and it got stuck and in my frustration (and having no other solution) I used tweezers to pull it forcefully out. Pretty sure it got stuck on the contacts of the MB and bent them, since the tray won't go back in now. Now I can see this as kind of my fault, but not really right? I didn't do anything to make it get stuck and I'm not sure how else I'd have been able to access the sim slot. I obviously won't tell them I forced it out, but any chance they'd fix it on warranty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure they'll charge you for that.
They consider these type of fault, as user misuse.
mariosraptor said:
I'm sure they'll charge you for that.
They consider these type of fault, as user misuse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that is something you will have to pay for. Like I said, Sons free warranty deal is only applied when the phone has an internal or external fault cased by the phone itself. Something a consumer damaged breaches the Sony warranty. Therefore you would have to pay some fee.
I don't know what you would pay; it may be something like a charge for sony looking at the phone then extra charge for it to be repaired.