SIM Swap, Protect Root - Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4

I will be visiting England in 2 weeks and I'm planning to try using my Verizon Galaxy S4 in England with an EE SIM card.
I did some research and it seems the phone is carrier unlocked.
I have a couple concerns:
Will the new SIM reset my phone?
Will I have to turn off the phone for the new SIM? I am on NC5 because when I got the phone and updated, I got the random reset problem (and I use google maps to drive an ambulance). I'd like to update the phone since I've read they fixed that issue but I've read that you can't root above NC5. Last time I turned the phone off, it auto updated when I turned it on.
This is the first time I've tried doing the SIM swap, when I went to Japan I just rented a smart phone.
Thank you for any help.

As an example based on my experience...
When i switched my Rooted Galaxy S4 from Verizon to NET10, all that was performed was to change the MicroSIM to the NET10 and the phone grabs all the service information from the MicroSIM.
From what i understand, as long as you have a SIM card that is compatible with the carrier of the phone (like Verizon), and the carrier is compatible with your model (IE... NET10 is new to Verizon phones and only accepts Verizon LTE phones), your all set.
The new SIM you have will not hurt your phone, only change the carrier information within the phone as well as update the PRL based on that carrier.
It never affected my phone's Root but, as i always say, there are no guarantees when it comes to any of the phones.

Ibuprophen said:
As an example based on my experience...
When i switched my Rooted Galaxy S4 from Verizon to NET10, all that was performed was to change the MicroSIM to the NET10 and the phone grabs all the service information from the MicroSIM.
From what i understand, as long as you have a SIM card that is compatible with the carrier of the phone (like Verizon), and the carrier is compatible with your model (IE... NET10 is new to Verizon phones and only accepts Verizon LTE phones), your all set.
The new SIM you have will not hurt your phone, only change the carrier information within the phone as well as update the PRL based on that carrier.
It never affected my phone's Root but, as i always say, there are no guarantees when it comes to any of the phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you able to hot swap or do you have to turn the phone off? That's what got me last time, I turned the phone off, then when i turned it back on, it auto-updated and broke the root.
I was concerned the new SIM might force a factory reset.

I can't say 100% that your root will not be affected but, i had performed SIM card changes on 2 phones (Galaxy S3 & S4) and i never had my Root nor my Bootloader affected. I don't believe anyone can say 100% for certain. As i always say (and i am sure any other intelligent individual who ventures down these road's will also state), When you either unlock a Bootloader and/or Root a phone, do it AT YOUR OWN RISK! For example... If you had 2 exact Galaxy S4's with the same carrier running the same Firmware, Rooted, etc... and have the exact SIM card's for them both to change over, one may loose root and the other may not (or anything can happen in any different order)... Altering a phone's Bootloader and/or the Root is not exact (Over the phone, I have had Samsung's Techies boggled over issues)... If it were me, i personally would try performing the SIM change, as a test, before leaving to see how the phone would take to it. The SIM could possible be a bad one, good one, rooting may or may not be affected, etc... I really wish you luck!

Ibuprophen said:
I can't say 100% that your root will not be affected but, i had performed SIM card changes on 2 phones (Galaxy S3 & S4) and i never had my Root nor my Bootloader affected. I don't believe anyone can say 100% for certain. As i always say (and i am sure any other intelligent individual who ventures down these road's will also state), When you either unlock a Bootloader and/or Root a phone, do it AT YOUR OWN RISK! For example... If you had 2 exact Galaxy S4's with the same carrier running the same Firmware, Rooted, etc... and have the exact SIM card's for them both to change over, one may loose root and the other may not (or anything can happen in any different order)... Altering a phone's Bootloader and/or the Root is not exact (Over the phone, I have had Samsung's Techies boggled over issues)... If it were me, i personally would try performing the SIM change, as a test, before leaving to see how the phone would take to it. The SIM could possible be a bad one, good one, rooting may or may not be affected, etc... I really wish you luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I actually did buy a sim on ebay so I could test beforehand.

Related

T-MOBILE is BLOCKING my P769 sim from the network. Fix?

Hi!
Rooted with cmahendra's offline Lelus method (and to anyone who's done that, my hat is off to you).
**SHORT VERSION**
Sim goes into the L9. I get bars that show network availability, however I am not able to connect/make/receive phone calls.
**DETAILED VERSION**
Starts like this: I have my CM rooted Aria that works a-ok as far as the network. Phone message memory getting full all the time and incoming texts bounce back, with no way of knowing who sent them. Can't have that, so I buy a stock L9.
Sim works. I want to have Wi-Fi calling, which is the *only* reason I bought the L9. Wi-fi calling is not working: call up T-Mo and they say I need to give a 911 address and all will be well. Ok, done.
Sim works. But no Wi-Fi calling still. Call up T-Mo and they say "Ohhh! you need a "3G-B" (I don't think that stands for gigabyte) sim card" Ohhh and what's your phone model etc etc. I tell them "it's a no-brand phone I got overseas," they don't need to know the model: they didn't with the CM Aria. They're clicking settings on their screen other side of the phone while we're talking: I can feel it.
Sim *stops* working. Need a working phone, so let L9 aside and get a stock T-mo S2. Same issue, cell network not connecting.
Let me show THEM! Ha! I'll unlock it. Unlocked the S2.
Sim still doesn't work.
Put the Sim back in the rooted/unlocked Aria? Network works.
What settings do they have in their stock phones that disallow network connectivity, because in the CyanogenMod Aria I have the phone fully works, GPS, tether, etc etc. In their stock-from-T-Mobile phones, network = nada.
Thank you for reading.
imadiamond said:
Hi!
Rooted with cmahendra's offline Lelus method (and to anyone who's done that, my hat is off to you).
**SHORT VERSION**
Sim goes into the L9. I get bars that show network availability, however I am not able to connect/make/receive phone calls.
**DETAILED VERSION**
Starts like this: I have my CM rooted Aria that works a-ok as far as the network. Phone message memory getting full all the time and incoming texts bounce back, with no way of knowing who sent them. Can't have that, so I buy a stock L9.
Sim works. I want to have Wi-Fi calling, which is the *only* reason I bought the L9. Wi-fi calling is not working: call up T-Mo and they say I need to give a 911 address and all will be well. Ok, done.
Sim works. But no Wi-Fi calling still. Call up T-Mo and they say "Ohhh! you need a "3G-B" (I don't think that stands for gigabyte) sim card" Ohhh and what's your phone model etc etc. I tell them "it's a no-brand phone I got overseas," they don't need to know the model: they didn't with the CM Aria. They're clicking settings on their screen other side of the phone while we're talking: I can feel it.
Sim *stops* working. Need a working phone, so let L9 aside and get a stock T-mo S2. Same issue, cell network not connecting.
Let me show THEM! Ha! I'll unlock it. Unlocked the S2.
Sim still doesn't work.
Put the Sim back in the rooted/unlocked Aria? Network works.
What settings do they have in their stock phones that disallow network connectivity, because in the CyanogenMod Aria I have the phone fully works, GPS, tether, etc etc. In their stock-from-T-Mobile phones, network = nada.
Thank you for reading.
Sim goes into the L9. I get bars that show network availability, however I am not able to connect/make/recieve phone calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What the heck are you asking? I don't see any understandable questions in your message. I see you blowing off steam.
It does look like T-Mobile cooked your sim. You may need a new one.
Call them again and ask for "Customer Retention" through the automated system. Those people are more knowledgeable. A new sim should be free if they killed it.
Also, a data plan is not required for wifi-calling.
T-Mobile will give you a SIM regardless. They are always free.
I'm not sure as I am unrooted, but most carriers block network access via files in the EFS folder. This folder is VERY delicate. Anything improperly changed here can render a phone useless. If the SIM works in another device, it's not the SIM. Have you tried a different SIM in your phone?
Also, if you're blocked from network access, when you make a call, you should be prompted with, "We're sorry, but this device has been blocked from network access." If you do not get that prompt, then there is something wrong with the phone itself, be it software or hardware.
Looks like the L9 isn't registering in their system. Where did you buy the phone, blacklisted perhaps?
As for fried your sim, why does it still work in the Aria.
As for 3G-B, you probably need a newer sim, others call it a 4G sim... They should send you one free or pick one up free at a local tmo..
Thanks so far folks...
clockcycle said:
Looks like the L9 isn't registering in their system. Where did you buy the phone, blacklisted perhaps?
As for fried your sim, why does it still work in the Aria.
As for 3G-B, you probably need a newer sim, others call it a 4G sim... They should send you one free or pick one up free at a local tmo..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You hit the nail on the head exactly clockcycle, it's not registering. Something *in* the phone is not letting it connect, because my sim works successfully in any and every other unlocked phone I have, blackberrys, GMS world phones, the rooted Aria, but in the two "newer-released phones-- the L9 and the S2-- it doesn't work.
Phones are legit. Craigslist and brand new. Worked perfectly until calling T-Mobile for "support". The sim is fine and the goal is to keep it and not get a new one. It works.
My strong guess is that if I put a different rom that is *not* stock, the phone will work fine. It worked fine in the beginning, until I called them to address the wi-fi calling issue and they started poking around in my account, asking questions and clicking on things. I didn't want to address the wifi-calling issue too much because we could go off on a tangent.
You're right kevev, it didn't look like there was a 100% clear question. A lot of story though, to make sure there aren't 50 posts of did you do this and id you do that. A full story gives everyone the most info they need to understand the situation instead of "yo! my phone is not connecting!" which we see sometimes .
So the more clear question is:
"I am experiencing carrier settings *in* my L9 that are blocking me from connecting fully to the network on a perfectly fine sim card, how can I get around these settings and what/where are they."
I think tribalartgod understands what I'm getting at most completely. The inside-the-phone-settings. When the sim is in the phone I have bars, but when going to make a call the screen message is "emegency only". Can't try different sims in the L9 because of the need to cut the sim down. Also the L9 is not unlocked, just rooted. My guess is a de-bloatwared rom is the fix. Looking for answers from people more knowledgeable than me which is most likely all of you. Thanks again!
Craigslist, new, boxed, doesn't gurranty they aren't blacklisted.
BUT, the Aria uses a miniSim, the L9 uses a microSim. Did you cut your Sim yourself? It might be misaligned, cut wrong.
It's less than $2 to get it unlocked..
It sounds like its IMEI blocked dude. This can happen with various insurance or installment plan scams, even to brand new devices. There are options to still use the phone, but you are hosed on T-mobile. I have a blacklisted L9 because the previous owner quit paying his EIP, but it's unlocked so I used it on an AT&T MVNO connected to an AT&T MicroCell (I wanted WiFi calling too, but that won't happen with a blacklisted IMEI). Until you've gone to T-Mobile's chat support and ask the if the IMEI is clean, writing long posts in this thread is futile, and it is pretty clear everybody in this thread THINKS they know what they are talking about, but nobody has simply asked T-Mobile about the status of the IMEI, which takes two seconds.

[Q] Unlock Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4

Is it possible to unlock the Verizon version of the S4? I'm deploying in 4 weeks and would like to use my phone with international carriers. I have an SCH-I545 build and I'm still running on stock. Thanks
I think ATT has begun to unlock phones internationally when asked.
Verizon? Not sure... one think to check is if the Verizon GS4 supports a carrier in the country you travel to.
Take a look at Leo Laporte's Tech Guy show... he has callers ask this quetion on average every other week... I think he has show notes on his site now days... techguylabs.com
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
PetrichorXFi said:
I think ATT has begun to unlock phones internationally when asked.
Verizon? Not sure... one think to check is if the Verizon GS4 supports a carrier in the country you travel to.
Take a look at Leo Laporte's Tech Guy show... he has callers ask this quetion on average every other week... I think he has show notes on his site now days... techguylabs.com
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon phones are unlocked out of the box, but you have to make sure that the country you are going to has a GSM network.
After a lot of searching, I decided to ask this here:
I have a Verizon S4, but I was wondering if it was actually unlocked out-of-box or if there is something I have to do in order to use it with, for instance, Cricket, or U.S. Cellular. I have done lots of rooting/developing for Android, but have never tried to use an Android phone with a differing carrier. Can anyone help or point me to a thread that helps? (Again, did lots of Googling and XDA-searching)
furballbeethoven said:
After a lot of searching, I decided to ask this here:
I have a Verizon S4, but I was wondering if it was actually unlocked out-of-box or if there is something I have to do in order to use it with, for instance, Cricket, or U.S. Cellular. I have done lots of rooting/developing for Android, but have never tried to use an Android phone with a differing carrier. Can anyone help or point me to a thread that helps? (Again, did lots of Googling and XDA-searching)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is GSM-unlocked. This means that you buy a SIM, plug it in, then add the proper APN to enable data. (Settings, Connections, More networks, Mobile networks, Access Point Names). The "+" (Add APN) button is disabled if you have a VZ SIM installed but will be enabled if you insert a non-VZ SIM.
Whoever you get the SIM from will tell you what to enter for the APN.
Whether or not it'll work and how fast a network you'll get depends on the bands that the local carrier uses.
k1mu said:
The phone is GSM-unlocked. This means that you buy a SIM, plug it in, then add the proper APN to enable data. (Settings, Connections, More networks, Mobile networks, Access Point Names). The "+" (Add APN) button is disabled if you have a VZ SIM installed but will be enabled if you insert a non-VZ SIM.
Whoever you get the SIM from will tell you what to enter for the APN.
Whether or not it'll work and how fast a network you'll get depends on the bands that the local carrier uses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI k1mu,
So do you mean to say if I purchase this device with full price from VZW ~$400 (month to month plan),
the next thing I can do is take off VZW SIM and would it work on my AT&T GSM SIM in US?
malhotra.aakash said:
HI k1mu,
So do you mean to say if I purchase this device with full price from VZW ~$400 (month to month plan),
the next thing I can do is take off VZW SIM and would it work on my AT&T GSM SIM in US?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe. While the VZW version is GSM-unlocked for international use, it is unclear how well it works with US GSM carriers. Some people say they can get it to work, some say they can't. Theoretically, it should only take you putting in an AT&T SIM then plugging in the APN data for it to work, but some people still say it won't.
So, you should be able to, but going by the accounts of XDA members, it doesn't always work, which may or may not come down to user error.
joshm.1219 said:
Maybe. While the VZW version is GSM-unlocked for international use, it is unclear how well it works with US GSM carriers. Some people say they can get it to work, some say they can't. Theoretically, it should only take you putting in an AT&T SIM then plugging in the APN data for it to work, but some people still say it won't.
So, you should be able to, but going by the accounts of XDA members, it doesn't always work, which may or may not come down to user error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks joshm.1219,
It still leaves me in a dilemma.. I do really want to get a "S4 mini" model but don't want to stuck up with CDMA providers to be true. Might want to use with ATT or Tmobile or H2O.. I visited the VZW store and the model has option under networks as
1. Global
2. LTE/CDMA
3. GSM/UTMS
Now the Qs are,
1. If this model does have a SIM card slot, how at the first point VZW has lock on it
2. When i asked the VZW associate, he was not sure whether they ever do unlock the device or not
3. If I am ready to pay off complete price of the device which is ~400, what else I would need from them to really 'UNLOCK' it?
4. Is there any means by root/flashing to make such model work for US GSM carriers like H2O or even T-mobile.
Sorry to be so annoying but m new to all these things and quite confused :crying:
many Thx in advance..
malhotra.aakash said:
Thanks joshm.1219,
It still leaves me in a dilemma.. I do really want to get a "S4 mini" model but don't want to stuck up with CDMA providers to be true. Might want to use with ATT or Tmobile or H2O.. I visited the VZW store and the model has option under networks as
1. Global
2. LTE/CDMA
3. GSM/UTMS
Now the Qs are,
1. If this model does have a SIM card slot, how at the first point VZW has lock on it
2. When i asked the VZW associate, he was not sure whether they ever do unlock the device or not
3. If I am ready to pay off complete price of the device which is ~400, what else I would need from them to really 'UNLOCK' it?
4. Is there any means by root/flashing to make such model work for US GSM carriers like H2O or even T-mobile.
Sorry to be so annoying but m new to all these things and quite confused :crying:
many Thx in advance..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I can't be of more help, I've been on Verizon for 10 years now, but it is by all intents & purposes, fully SIM-unlocked. It's simply unclear as to why some people report problems of using Verizon phones on US GSM carriers. If you really don't want to worry about it & are willing to pay full price, purchase a device through the carrier you want to use it on.
here is the code to choose network
you might need to change the network frequency to gsm if you wanna use it on att or tmobile and when you wanna switch back to verizon choose wcdma try dialing *#*#4636#*#*:good:
joshm.1219 said:
Sorry I can't be of more help, I've been on Verizon for 10 years now, but it is by all intents & purposes, fully SIM-unlocked. It's simply unclear as to why some people report problems of using Verizon phones on US GSM carriers. If you really don't want to worry about it & are willing to pay full price, purchase a device through the carrier you want to use it on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had people argue with me over this, but the fact is that NO Verizon LTE phone is SIM-locked. None. Nada.
People who claim differently are simply misinformed. (My I545 comes up on AT&T when I plug in my UK SIM and switch to GSM.)
Not to say that all VZ phones are unlocked - my Inc2 had to be unlocked before it would work with that same SIM. If I remember right, it wouldn't connect in the US, either, even after being unlocked. Not so for the GS4.
I appreciate the posts here from people who know. As for me, I am switching to tmobile and will attempt to use this there. If it doesnt work out, I will sell it on swappa and get a nexus 5!
Hi,
Verizon S4 with 4.3 is international unlocked by default.
You just need to select network mode 'GLOBAL'. Then add the right APN.
I am using Indian GSM SIM with the GLOBAL mode selected. All is well for me.
I can provide screenshots if anybody wanna see.
Verizon phones are unlocked out of the box and they DO work fine on US carriers I'm running my Verizon S4 right now on AT&T and I also ran it on tmobile for short time,
even works with Walmart straight talk and Net10 as those are just subsidies of T Mobile and AT&T anyway.
so don't sweat it if you have a verizon phone that uses a sim card, you can run it on any network that uses a SIM card US or international.
baseband issue
Doesn't the MK2 baseband with jb 4.3 block US Sim cards?
Or do I just have a weird s4?
kendonsh said:
Doesn't the MK2 baseband with jb 4.3 block US Sim cards?
Or do I just have a weird s4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine dont? Im on mk2,
soon as I got my verizon s4 replacement from a damaged model that I turned in,
I threw a net10/att sim card in it.
completely stock phone not even rooted nothin, and it works fine, I did get a popup that said non Verizon SIM card but it works fine
calls in and out MMS works fine
---------- Post added at 01:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:53 PM ----------
CafeAdrutico said:
The S4 is supposed to work globally right out of the box, as long as you've called Verizon to enable International roaming on your account. But, used that way, you'll be paying Verizon for International roaming and it's bloody expensive.
The question is, can you remove the SIM and put in a SIM for a local carrier in the foreign country where you are and use the phone on that carrier? That is what being unlocked would allow you to do. Past Verizon phones have not been unlocked to allow this. But, if you called Tech Support and told them you were going to, for example, Europe and wanted to use a local SIM, they would walk you through unlocking (at no charge).
I read a report that the S4 is not locked and that you can use a SIM for a local carrier in Europe, as it comes out of the box. But, I would not trust that. I would call VZW Tech Support and tell them exactly what you want to do - i.e. don't say "can I use my phone in Europe?" The answer to that is yes, you can, at about $1/minute. What you should ask them is, "can I travel to Europe and purchase a SIM from a local carrier and use that in my phone?" If not, they should be able to walk you through unlocking the phone, so you can do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to answer your question simply yes.
let's say I take my phone to Spain are somewhere in the UK, I'll go to store buy a SIM card for local network and BAM local phone number in Europe making phone calls, you can even get Data to work if you have that local carrier's APN settings
no unlocking is required because it is not locked.
other companies AT&T, Sprint, t-mobile, yes you have to get The phone sim unlocked.
k1mu said:
I've had people argue with me over this, but the fact is that NO Verizon LTE phone is SIM-locked. None. Nada.
People who claim differently are simply misinformed. (My I545 comes up on AT&T when I plug in my UK SIM and switch to GSM.)
Not to say that all VZ phones are unlocked - my Inc2 had to be unlocked before it would work with that same SIM. If I remember right, it wouldn't connect in the US, either, even after being unlocked. Not so for the GS4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is 100% correct. NO LTE phones on verizon are sim locked. They are REQUIRED to keep them unlocked because of their agreement with the FCC for their use of the spectrum they lease. NO OTHER CARRIER must abide by these rules. Only VZW. Sprint I've heard will unlock ANY phone that is capable if you ask them too, and AT&T will NOT unlock any of their phones unless it 2 years old and out of contract (which makes no sense if you have to pay them while under contract anyway). There was a big deal about the Iphone 5 when it came out with LTE for verizon. If you bought a Verizon Iphone, you could put an ATT sim in it and it works, but not an ATT on VZW because ATT keeps them locked.
The Dinc 2 above was NOT an LTE device. Therefore no sim card....and it wouldn't work on most overseas networks anyway as it was a CDMA only phone. I believe VZW tested the limits of the "unlocked" SIM with their first few LTE phones. My Rezound worked with a GSM network sim....but voice and SMS only. It took some unlocking of the bootloader and rooting to run a special Rom to get Data to work on it.
I am heading to the Caribbean in a few weeks, and I will be using a rented SIM card to be able to message back and forth with my wife (with a data based messenger service as data rates are far cheaper than SMS rate there)
318sugarhill said:
This is 100% correct. NO LTE phones on verizon are sim locked. They are REQUIRED to keep them unlocked because of their agreement with the FCC for their use of the spectrum they lease. NO OTHER CARRIER must abide by these rules. Only VZW. Sprint I've heard will unlock ANY phone that is capable if you ask them too, and AT&T will NOT unlock any of their phones unless it 2 years old and out of contract (which makes no sense if you have to pay them while under contract anyway). There was a big deal about the Iphone 5 when it came out with LTE for verizon. If you bought a Verizon Iphone, you could put an ATT sim in it and it works, but not an ATT on VZW because ATT keeps them locked.
The Dinc 2 above was NOT an LTE device. Therefore no sim card....and it wouldn't work on most overseas networks anyway as it was a CDMA only phone. I believe VZW tested the limits of the "unlocked" SIM with their first few LTE phones. My Rezound worked with a GSM network sim....but voice and SMS only. It took some unlocking of the bootloader and rooting to run a special Rom to get Data to work on it.
I am heading to the Caribbean in a few weeks, and I will be using a rented SIM card to be able to message back and forth with my wife (with a data based messenger service as data rates are far cheaper than SMS rate there)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just spent a week in the UK with an ekit.com SIM in my Verizon GS4 - no problem with getting service, no Verizon charge (even though I was on the Vodaphone network for at least some times.)
And the dinc 2, while not LTE, was CDMA/GSM - not just CDMA (yes, the dinc was CDMA-only), so it did accept a SIM card. I'm using that in the GS4 now that it's cut down to micro SIM.
That phone WAS SIM-locked, but VZ happily unlocked it. For the GS4, I didn't have to do anything with VZ to use it off their network.
bickin said:
Is it possible to unlock the Verizon version of the S4? I'm deploying in 4 weeks and would like to use my phone with international carriers. I have an SCH-I545 build and I'm still running on stock. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO
UNLFOK s4 UK VERSION sorry I'm new to the website
furballbeethoven said:
After a lot of searching, I decided to ask this here:
I have a Verizon S4, but I was wondering if it was actually unlocked out-of-box or if there is something I have to do in order to use it with, for instance, Cricket, or U.S. Cellular. I have done lots of rooting/developing for Android, but have never tried to use an Android phone with a differing carrier. Can anyone help or point me to a thread that helps? (Again, did lots of Googling and XDA-searching)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is already unlocked for SIM and other carriers, all you need is the correct APN for the carrier. I currently have T-Mobile on my i545 and everything works on it.

[Q] Trying to use as a tracfone.

I called tracfone to activate a Verizon galaxy s4 I got from a friend who switched att and iphone 5. When tech support tried to activate it they said the phone was locked and I needed to have Verizon unlock the phone.
I cannot get a hold of my friend as he's on a business trip for a week. Is there a way to unlock this myself? or can I only have Verizon do this. And if I can do this myself, will I have quirky setup and need workarounds for use?
My galaxy has a verizon sim card and a 32gb data card. My phone model number is i545 if iirc.
Thanks for any advice.
-=Mark=
rmjohnson144 said:
I called tracfone to activate a Verizon galaxy s4 I got from a friend who switched att and iphone 5. When tech support tried to activate it they said the phone was locked and I needed to have Verizon unlock the phone.
I cannot get a hold of my friend as he's on a business trip for a week. Is there a way to unlock this myself? or can I only have Verizon do this. And if I can do this myself, will I have quirky setup and need workarounds for use?
My galaxy has a verizon sim card and a 32gb data card. My phone model number is i545 if iirc.
Thanks for any advice.
-=Mark=
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To help you get started with replies quicker I'll say that it is mostly dependant on which firmware you have and also if you have root.
those two factors will allow you to know if you can use any of the unlocking apps by chainVire if they are still around. someone will point it out to you I hope. On the go, can't show you myself. Best of everything in your efforts but read around. I'm sure someone has done it before. Welcome to XDA. I seen that was your 1st Post. Awesome!
That app is for unlocking the sim card. My track phone doesn't need a sim card.
Can I maybe just remove the sim card and have it work? Or do I need the sim card for the s4 to work at all?
Idk why they told you it is locked, all Verizon phones legally have to be carrier unlocked because of their deal with the FCC.
Translated from Calligraphy
Okay, I also remember they asking for an MEID off my S4 and this one only has an IMEI number.
Will this make it not compatible? I don't want to pay to unlock this thing if it won't work with Tracfone afterwards.

Verizon S9+ sim locked?

Does anyone know if verizon S9+s are sim locked?
I am planning on travelling europe/asia for the next month or so and wanted to buy some local SIM cards... will that be a problem?
Can't say for sure because I went with the unlocked version, but that was due to Verizon indicating that their LTE phones would no longer be unlocked. They decided to flip the FCC the bird and start locking phones because they knew that weasel Ajit Pai wouldn't try and enforce the deal Verizon made to get some of their LTE spectrum. Unless someone has actually tested this, I don't know if there will be a definitive answer out of Verizon.
It's funny how Verizon does this. Phones are unlocked. If upon first boot, no Verizon Sim is detected the phone will remain unlocked. If a Verizon SIM is detected they will lock the phone and you need to request a unlocking code from them. Their policy is to not provide a unlocking code until the phone is paid off but I heard of them giving that code out for long time customers.
I tested this theory on a friend's phone. Booted the first time without Sim and the phone is unlocked now.
le0.br4zuc4 said:
Phones are unlocked. If upon first boot, no Verizon Sim is detected the phone will remain unlocked. If a Verizon SIM is detected they will lock the phone and you need to request a unlocking code from them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never heard of this. I tested many Verizon phones, all unlocked. Recently it was announced that they'll be locking phones, I am curious if the S9 was plagued by this BS. Before they announced they'd lock the phones, there wasn't any issues with using it on a different carrier, unless it was a prepaid Verizon phone.
Just check it now by inserting another sim card in your phone to see if it will pick up the signal or if it's locked.
Any sim will do because if your S9+ can't recognize another US sim card will not recognize either a foreign one.

S21 Unlocked but showing Sprint as network operator on Verizon network

I just bought a lightly used so-called "factory unlocked" S21. Everything seems to work just fine (Email, Texts, Phone calls, Internet). But it's exhibiting one weird issue I've noticed. When notifications are all clear it displays "Sprint" in the upper left corner as the network. In addition to that if I go into Settings in various areas I see "Sprint". CSC codes are showing as SPR/SPR/TMB which is Sprint and T-mobile. I'll post all the screen captures.
Just as some background info, after a Safeswitch transfer, all I did was swap out the sim from an old locked S7 Verizon phone to the newer unlocked S21. I don't think using the old SIM has anything to do with displaying Sprint since it's Verizon sim. My theory is that the vendor unlocked it but didn't flash the firmware to the generic unlocked version. It still has the Sprint firmware. Verizon is sending me a new SIM which I can try but I'm not optimistic that it's a SIM issue. I have not done a factory reset because I thought the vendor sent it already reset. I'm not optimistic this would reset the "Sprint" issue either. My question is should I keep the phone or return it? It was only $299 and works perfectly. I just get a little annoyed that they sold it as "factory unlocked" but is shows "Sprint" on the home screen and it appears all over the phones Settings menus. There was a theory that Android 10 had a bug in it that caused this but I'm not sure this is the cause.
Below is a related thread and how I found out about this forum.
Verizon phone shows "Sprint" as provider?
Hi, I have Verizon and after updating to Android 10 today (official Verizon OTA update), when I check the SIM status it will sometimes say "Sprint". It'll also sometimes say "Sprint" when I swipe down from top and look in upper right hand corner...
forum.xda-developers.com
Your phone is originally T-Mobile based on the sales code you provided. You can change it to either Verizon CSC or U1 Firmware. Meaning, you would need to flash the phone, or get access to certain tools that let you simply change the CSC. If flashed to U1, the device would restart based on the inserted SIM and load all necessary firmware for proper connection, but no bloatware.
What is your desired goal? Verizon firmware, or Samsung unlocked firmware?
Thanks for the reply. I really learned a lot buying this phone and did tons of research on it. What I ended up deciding was to just keep the firmware as Sprint/T-Mobile. It does everything so well and the only sign of Sprint is the network name at the top right notification area. It doesn't bother me anymore. I had a bit of an issue with the eBay vendor saying it was factory unlocked when it doesn't have the Samsung factory firmware on it, showing Sprint whenever I have a connection to Verizon's network. But the price was really good and the phone is so nice, battery life is great. Since the phone is all setup and working great I'm just going to leave it. I did quite a bit of customization on the phone already and I'd lose some of that if I loaded new firmware.
It seems like a symptom of the Sprint/T-Mobile firmware is the eSim is not available. That was a nice surprise. This whole purchasing an unlocked phone thing has been quite the enigma. This is why I hate switching phones and I consider myself pretty tech savvy. What a mess. Then Verizon screwed up the new sim so the phone wouldn't call or text. All so they could force me into a newer more expensive plan. Crooks. So I tried to change over to Mint Mobil using the eSim option. The eSim was likely disabled in the firmware so that was impossible. Also Verizon wouldn't let them port my number without a special pin. Which I couldn't receive because Verizon botched my sim and I couldn't get the text from Verizon with the new pin. Disaster.

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