Database Develop

[Q] Why Do I Have 2 Different IMEI Numbers?

While a new member, I've been following the community a bit and have flashed my Captivate successfully several times.
It started acting weird earlier this week (lagging and shutting itself off) so I decided to re-flash it and re-apply SRE with all the goodies it brings.
Since my last flash, the phone works fine (calls, messaging, and Internet) except for one problem - the Android Market.
I can access the market but am unable to download anything. I've tried many different solutions, ROM's (JF2, JH2, and JH3), 3G/WiFi, internal settings, clearing the Market cache, Dalvik cache, etc., using Market Access and going outside of AT&T's allowed applications, all to no avail. It's the same whether I attempt to download after a fresh flash or after applying SRE. I've also tried Unleash the Beast.
Finally I decided to call AT&T to find out if there was a problem somewhere on their end.
Here's the weird thing:
The IMEI I have on the sticker under my battery is that of a Captivate and matches what they have on record. The representative I spoke to told me that the IMEI I have in my phone's menu is an iPhone IMEI.
With all that being said, I have two questions:
1) How did this happen?
2) How can I fix it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

FrstdOne said:
While a new member, I've been following the community a bit and have flashed my Captivate successfully several times.
It started acting weird earlier this week (lagging and shutting itself off) so I decided to re-flash it and re-apply SRE with all the goodies it brings.
Since my last flash, the phone works fine (calls, messaging, and Internet) except for one problem - the Android Market.
I can access the market but am unable to download anything. I've tried many different solutions, ROM's (JF2, JH2, and JH3), 3G/WiFi, internal settings, clearing the Market cache, Dalvik cache, etc., using Market Access and going outside of AT&T's allowed applications, all to no avail. It's the same whether I attempt to download after a fresh flash or after applying SRE. I've also tried Unleash the Beast.
Finally I decided to call AT&T to find out if there was a problem somewhere on their end.
Here's the weird thing:
The IMEI I have on the sticker under my battery is that of a Captivate and matches what they have on record. The representative I spoke to told me that the IMEI I have in my phone's menu is an iPhone IMEI.
With all that being said, I have two questions:
1) How did this happen?
2) How can I fix it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does your imei start with?

madjsp said:
What does your imei start with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one in the software starts with 004999
The one on the sticker starts with 351863

Iphone imei starts with 011. That rep doesnt know what hes doingp

did you ask them to update youe imei number? would likly fix it, could have just been an accident, from what i have read about 10% of imei number are not unique so somehting could have gotten messed up server side

vinunleaded182 said:
Iphone imei starts with 011. That rep doesnt know what hes doingp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
also a quick google of the 0049 imei shows that there are several iphones with that imei

The rep who I've been working with is off today but she said she'd call me tomorrow. I'll ask her to update the number and hopefully she can.
Unfortunately, while I'm pretty much a noob to all this, I've found that I still know more than most of the people on the AT&T side and the rep I've been working with is the most knowledgeable of the group.

Did you go from an iphone to the samsung if so, it could be a translation issue on atts side which means the billing system never updated the imei to the switch because it errored out on the billing side happend all the time when i use to be a switch tech for att simple to fix just need to file a ticket with a certain department but can be a pain if the rep is new.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I thought the phone read its IMEI number from its own hardware. This thread implies that something on the network is telling the phone what its IMEI Number should be.
I know there are a lot of Ebay phones with bogus stickers - the stickers have one SN/EMEI number, but the phone internally says another.
Where did you get your phone?

I've never owned an iPhone and I purchased the Captivate from a corporate store, not from an authorized reseller or ebay.

wait cant this be useful if we can change the imei to a vibrant one we can get money off of data or would most of you feel bad for doing that (one good thing about that though for 10 dollars we get unlimited data)

labbu63 said:
wait cant this be useful if we can change the imei to a vibrant one we can get money off of data or would most of you feel bad for doing that (one good thing about that though for 10 dollars we get unlimited data)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You gotta pay to play. If you don't want to pay smartphone fees, don't get a smartphone. I'm sure we'd all like a break on price, but when it comes down to it, we can't get one, so we make do.
And unless the modmyi forum was wrong, that's illegal.

yeah i know but im just saying if someone isnt scared to go to jail

If the IMEI shows as 004999010640000, you might check out this thread. Good luck.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=777288
PS: you might want to look at this specific post in that thread.....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8060884&postcount=33

BigJayDogg3 said:
You gotta pay to play. If you don't want to pay smartphone fees, don't get a smartphone. I'm sure we'd all like a break on price, but when it comes down to it, we can't get one, so we make do.
And unless the modmyi forum was wrong, that's illegal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually i was just looking at the library of congress's recent ruling on the DMCA and their new excemptions and read this
"
(3) Computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, that enable used wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when circumvention is initiated by the owner of the copy of the computer program solely in order to connect to a wireless telecommunications network and access to the network is authorized by the operator of the network.
"
sounds like to me that changing the imei is legal as long as the only reason you are doing it is to connect to a network that you are already authorized to use

xatrekak said:
actually i was just looking at the library of congress's recent ruling on the DMCA and their new excemptions and read this
"
(3) Computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, that enable used wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when circumvention is initiated by the owner of the copy of the computer program solely in order to connect to a wireless telecommunications network and access to the network is authorized by the operator of the network.
"
sounds like to me that changing the imei is legal as long as the only reason you are doing it is to connect to a network that you are already authorized to use
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Changing The imei is illegal and has nothing to do with the DMCA. changing The imei is fraud like changing a car's vin number.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

alphadog00 i was wondering that, you wouldn't happen to be able to point out to me which law that is contained in, i have heard it was illegal like a million times but havn't seen the law yet. but i have always liked reading the actual laws that make the things i want to illegal

how do you know its illegal the DMCA was changed and said it was legal so until you find something that says its illegal we will never know

labbu63 said:
how do you know its illegal the DMCA was changed and said it was legal so until you find something that says its illegal we will never know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are confusing unlocking with changing your IMEI. It is legal to unlock and hack, it is not legal to change the phone's network id.

xatrekak said:
alphadog00 i was wondering that, you wouldn't happen to be able to point out to me which law that is contained in, i have heard it was illegal like a million times but havn't seen the law yet. but i have always liked reading the actual laws that make the things i want to illegal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't point to you an exact law, but cloning phones has been considered fraudulent for years and people have been prosecuted. In changing the IMEI number, you are in essence cloning a phone - it may not exist yet, but it could. So once a new phone is made with the new EMEI number you created, you have created fraud.
After doing some research - this is the section of federal code that is used to prosecute cell phone cloners:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00001029----000-.html
U.S. Code: TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 47 > § 1029
§ 1029. Fraud and related activity in connection with access *devices
You may not get arrested for changing your IMEI (not one person anyway) but at some point the carrier will probably just black list your device or your account.
Changing the IMEI or ESN basically makes your device a counterfeit access device. Some debate that if they own 3 phones they should be able to let them all share one IMEI if only one is active at a time.
Personally, I can see no valid reason to change your IMEI - swapping sim cards is easy enough.

root a unclaimed phone

I work at a bar people leave lose misplace phones regularly, I have a galaxy s been sitting there for months, can you root a phone and port a new number to it if it has been locked by the carrier putting aside the stolen or not crap, cause its besides the point, cause I throw away phones on a regular basis and im just looking for an answer not a lecture as I received a fee already in other forums

IMEI locked phones are not unlockable by a finder. The purpose is to prevent theft etc, and would be pretty pointless if a thief could get around the lock with some technical know-how.
I believe it's blocked by the network across all carriers - The true owner can contact their ISP to unlock it when they recover it, so don't throw them away. I'm sure there's some space at your bar to keep a few phones for a month or so.

Normally when I unlock a phone by IMEI from an internet site I use they ask for the IMEI number,carrier,make,model and an e-mail address to send the info to.So if you know the carrier I dont think it would be that hard to do.Ive unlocked phones for my mates using the site I go to and all they do is give me the phone and tell me what carrier it belongs to.I use my e-mail address and all works fine.All you need is the phone,carrier and IMEI number.Its not that hard otherwise you wouldnt be able to unlock a phone that you bought from some else would you.

The OP asked for carrier Blocked situation, not carrier Locked.
Sent from my GT-I9000

it's completely possible, as you can spoof a new IMEI, and I believe ICSSGS is doing that by default. Simply open up ODIN and throw the rom onto it.

[Q] Sent phone back for warranty, T-Mobile didn't reset it

Long story short, my first HTC One had dead pixels so I warranty exchanged it. Stupidly, I assumed T-Mobile would factory reset my phone before selling it as a refurb, but no. A few days ago, I started getting random instant uploads on my Google+. Then, my Facebook was locked due to account activity in MEXICO (also where the photos were located), and now, I checked my Gmail, and there are sent messages to random people I do not know. I have changed my passwords, but what I'm wondering is, can T-Mobile really get away with this? They took a phone they knowingly know was defective, did not even turn it on to look at it or reset it, and sold it (or gave it) to some guy in Mexico.
What can I do? Who knows what sensitive information that person took? Obviously, since they've been using my account, they couldn't possibly think they were using their own account. T-Mobile is not open for customer support until the morning, but I'm FREAKING OUT and absolutely furious that something like this was allowed to happen.

first of all that really sucks that that happened. i cant imagine what that other person in "mexico" could have taken from your personal info wise....
i would call them and see what happened. make sure to also monitor your credit. you never know what they could have taken.
that is a pretty ridiculous breach of private info if you ask me

I feel bad for you that this happened. But really you should have done the factory reset before you sent it back. There is no way I would send my phone without doing this
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Obviously, to all those detractors, I normally reset my phone before sending it in for repairs/exchange. It slipped my mind this time; screw me for assuming the big phone company would handle things correctly, huh?
In any case, the instant upload photos have EXIF and location data pinpointing the exact location of the photos. It'd be hard for them to argue that it's not coming from my previous phone when:
1. I have emails being sent from my account to people I have never spoken to
2. I'm not in Mexico; I'm in Virginia
3. My Facebook was also locked due to being accessed... from Mexico
I'm about to call T-Mobile (after eating breakfast). Wish me luck.

aznxk3vi17 said:
Obviously, to all those detractors, I normally reset my phone before sending it in for repairs/exchange. It slipped my mind this time; screw me for assuming the big phone company would handle things correctly, huh?
In any case, the instant upload photos have EXIF and location data pinpointing the exact location of the photos. It'd be hard for them to argue that it's not coming from my previous phone when:
1. I have emails being sent from my account to people I have never spoken to
2. I'm not in Mexico; I'm in Virginia
3. My Facebook was also locked due to being accessed... from Mexico
I'm about to call T-Mobile (after eating breakfast). Wish me luck. And thanks, everyone, for calling me stupid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for it and let us know what happens. Expect to speak with a supervisor, because a normal employee most likely legitimately won't be able to help your situation. Know what you're going to ask them for (compensation or whatever it is you're looking for).
I know that at AT&T, they reset your device when you exchange it.

Thread cleaned
No reason for calling anybody stupid. It might have not been the best idea, but still we can keep a civilized tone here.
cheers

So I just had a conversation with a T-Mobile representative. He claims to have spoken with T-Mobile engineers and HTC representatives, and they all told him that there was nothing they could do. The T-Mobile guy pinned the blame on HTC, saying it's their responsibility to wipe phones before sending them back to T-Mobile for selling. Either way, I also discovered the IMEI for my old phone was still linked to my account, even though I've since received a replacement device with a new IMEI. Apparently, there was nothing he could do with that information either.
So, he just says they'll "keep an eye out" on my account looking for suspicious activity. I think I'll call back later and explicitly ask for a manager (this time I figured he could do something with the IMEI). I would have asked for the manager, but I have work to do, after all.
Is there anything they should be able to do with the IMEI? They said they can't wipe the phone anymore without the actual device, and they have NO IDEA who the phone belongs to now. You'd think they keep track of that sort of thing.

That really stinks that they would resell without resetting the phone. I have Cerberus installed as a hidden system app on all our phones, can remotely lock, locate, and factory reset if need be. Well worth it.

aznxk3vi17 said:
So I just had a conversation with a T-Mobile representative. He claims to have spoken with T-Mobile engineers and HTC representatives, and they all told him that there was nothing they could do. The T-Mobile guy pinned the blame on HTC, saying it's their responsibility to wipe phones before sending them back to T-Mobile for selling. Either way, I also discovered the IMEI for my old phone was still linked to my account, even though I've since received a replacement device with a new IMEI. Apparently, there was nothing he could do with that information either.
So, he just says they'll "keep an eye out" on my account looking for suspicious activity. I think I'll call back later and explicitly ask for a manager (this time I figured he could do something with the IMEI). I would have asked for the manager, but I have work to do, after all.
Is there anything they should be able to do with the IMEI? They said they can't wipe the phone anymore without the actual device, and they have NO IDEA who the phone belongs to now. You'd think they keep track of that sort of thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're just playing the blame game. I'd believe them when they say it's HTC's responsibility (sounds reasonable), but HTC might say the reverse, that it's T-Mobile's responsibility. Like I said, unless you have some sort of compensation in mind, they're probably not going to offer you anything. Checking for "suspicious activity" on your T-Mobile account is useless since it's not even on your account anymore. The IMEI number might be able to be blacklisted so it can't be used on T-Mobile (and soon in the US altogether), but that's about it really.
There are a few apps that let you track down a phone after it's lost, but here's one that actually lets you WIPE it afterwards. Provided the guy still has your Google account on the phone, you should be able to install this via Google Play on your computer (the phone should still be associated on your account) and then wipe it. It'll say the name of the carrier it's on in Mexico followed by "HTC One."
http://lifehacker.com/android-lost-controls-your-stolen-phone-even-after-you-511903024
Don't change your Google passwords yet because it needs your Google account to work. Afterwards, you can change all your passwords.

cschmitt said:
That really stinks that they would resell without resetting the phone. I have Cerberus installed as a hidden system app on all our phones, can remotely lock, locate, and factory reset if need be. Well worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I had already installed Cerberus. Problem is, I removed the phone from my Cerberus account because I wrongly assumed I wouldn't need it anymore. If I had kept it installed and on my account for just a few days longer, I'd be able to lock the phone, but alas.
Product F(RED) said:
They're just playing the blame game. I'd believe them when they say it's HTC's responsibility (sounds reasonable), but HTC might say the reverse, that it's T-Mobile's responsibility. Like I said, unless you have some sort of compensation in mind, they're probably not going to offer you anything. Checking for "suspicious activity" on your T-Mobile account is useless since it's not even on your account anymore. The IMEI number might be able to be blacklisted so it can't be used on T-Mobile (and soon in the US altogether), but that's about it really.
There are a few apps that let you track down a phone after it's lost, but here's one that actually lets you WIPE it afterwards. Provided the guy still has your Google account on the phone, you should be able to install this via Google Play on your computer (the phone should still be associated on your account) and then wipe it. It'll say the name of the carrier it's on in Mexico followed by "HTC One."
http://lifehacker.com/android-lost-controls-your-stolen-phone-even-after-you-511903024
Don't change your Google passwords yet because it needs your Google account to work. Afterwards, you can change all your passwords.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already changed my passwords. I assume changing my password back to my original wouldn't work, since it would still require the person with my phone to log on with it? Also, the SIM was of course removed, so I can't use that app, since I don't know the phone number of the person now carrying the old phone.

aznxk3vi17 said:
Yeah, I had already installed Cerberus. Problem is, I removed the phone from my Cerberus account because I wrongly assumed I wouldn't need it anymore. If I had kept it installed and on my account for just a few days longer, I'd be able to lock the phone, but alas.
I've already changed my passwords. I assume changing my password back to my original wouldn't work, since it would still require the person with my phone to log on with it? Also, the SIM was of course removed, so I can't use that app, since I don't know the phone number of the person now carrying the old phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think changing your password back would work. You don't need a SIM card in the phone for it to work. It needs any data connection (e.g. Wifi).

Found a Lumia 635 (rm-975 model) on street NEED PASSCODE HELP TO RETURN TO OWNER

hello ALL!
i am an AVID android user, and have been using xda for YEARS, even contributed many things to this site, in way of help, mods, and other things, never built roms but worked closely as a tester with some big developers.
recently while riding my bike home from work, i saw a phone scattered in pieces down the street. i picked up all pieces and put back together when i got home, and surprisingly it turned on with no issue, didn't even need to charge battery.
so now, i cannot access it because it has a pin passcode(ive tried all your "run of the mill ones" Plus after a few guesses and then battery dying, , it is NOW telling me I HAVE to WAIT 2680 MINUTES until next attempt....seriously?!?! 2680 MINUTES?!?! THATS NEARLY TWO DAYS!!!!!!
anyways
i need someones help here, i am TRYING to return this device to it's owner, but without a valid passcode to enter, i cannot get into their contacts and try to call anyone they might know in order to return the device.
so if ANYONE knows of a toolkit, or command line thing i can do/use in order to remove/change this pin lock, i would be very grateful.
i DONT want to wipe the device and end up without ANY info on the owner or even anything that might help me return it.
ANY IDEAS ???
I HAD SEEN MENTION OF WINDOWS PHONE RECOVERY KIT
would THAT be useful in this situation?
or basically am i stuck with resetting the phone and HOPING something is left on sdcard that will have info as to the owner of device???

ashclepdia said:
hello ALL!
i am an AVID android user, and have been using xda for YEARS, even contributed many things to this site, in way of help, mods, and other things, never built roms but worked closely as a tester with some big developers.
recently while riding my bike home from work, i saw a phone scattered in pieces down the street. i picked up all pieces and put back together when i got home, and surprisingly it turned on with no issue, didn't even need to charge battery.
so now, i cannot access it because it has a pin passcode(ive tried all your "run of the mill ones" Plus after a few guesses and then battery dying, , it is NOW telling me I HAVE to WAIT 2680 MINUTES until next attempt....seriously?!?! 2680 MINUTES?!?! THATS NEARLY TWO DAYS!!!!!!
anyways
i need someones help here, i am TRYING to return this device to it's owner, but without a valid passcode to enter, i cannot get into their contacts and try to call anyone they might know in order to return the device.
so if ANYONE knows of a toolkit, or command line thing i can do/use in order to remove/change this pin lock, i would be very grateful.
i DONT want to wipe the device and end up without ANY info on the owner or even anything that might help me return it.
ANY IDEAS ???
I HAD SEEN MENTION OF WINDOWS PHONE RECOVERY KIT
would THAT be useful in this situation?
or basically am i stuck with resetting the phone and HOPING something is left on sdcard that will have info as to the owner of device???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could try to put the SIM in an other phone, he might have contacts stored on his SIM.
Also same thing with the SD Card but doubt there'll be anything helpful in there.
On WP unfortunately there is no way to remove the lock without doing a hard reset which will wipe everything except the SD Card and contacts on the SIM so it's the same as inserting the SD and SIM in an other phone, better not hard reset it so the owner doesn't loose all he has on there.

I like how you use the word "unfortunately" about there being no way to bypass the one crucial security feature of the phone... The lock screen is there for a reason! If you'd tried messing with my phone that way, it would already have wiped itself.
To the OP, leave it powered on and connected to the Internet, and the owner will be able to find it eventually. The "my Windows Phone" (or whatever it's called now) website allows the owner to get the phone's GPS location, and also to display a message (such as "please email me at <this address> if you found my phone!") on the screen. If they never come for it, then... free phone, I guess? I'm not usually a fan of "finders keepers" but there's no excuse for a WP owner not even trying the existing tools to get the phone back, if they want it back at all.
If you really want to go above and beyond the call of duty, I suppose you could check the SIM from the phone and see what carrier it's for, then call the carrier and see if they have any way to get in touch with the phone's owner...

This has likely long been resolved, but here's what I would do.
Take the SIM, put it in another phone. Check "about" to see what the phone number is. Call that number.
If you get an answer, there's your missing phone's owner with a new phone and SIM card. Let them know you found their phone. No answer, leave voicemail.

PepperdotNet said:
This has likely long been resolved, but here's what I would do.
Take the SIM, put it in another phone. Check "about" to see what the phone number is. Call that number.
If you get an answer, there's your missing phone's owner with a new phone and SIM card. Let them know you found their phone. No answer, leave voicemail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are correct, has been resolved, good tip though thank you, found owner and was told to keep device, they had gotten new one, they don't know how it ended up on side of street, but I ended up giving to someone I had worked with who was in need of an at&t device.
Thank you, and all others, for all assistance.
Ended up that the owner actually knew someone that I was working with at the time, small world huh, funny how it all worked out, was just happy to help everyone out in the end. Was just a funny circle of events that led to the device getting to who has it now.

Got MSL Code, What I Use It For..?

Sprint Note 5 - Got the MSL code from Sprint CS (2 conversations)... Rooted phone from a thread on the forums...
You would think it I was pulling teeth out with how hard it was to get that dang MSL code from those tech guys... but I finally got it.
What can I do with the MSL code now that I have it..?
Why are there a lot of threads saying that I can SIM unlock my N5 with the code..? How is that done..?
-----
If you came here for how I got the MSL code... what did I tell Sprint CS tech guys... well, I'll tell you...
I called Sprint tech support and I told the guy on the other end that my mother was having trouble with the GPS staying locked onto her destination... Then I told him that no matter what we tried, the GPS would always change destination about a quarter ways into the trip...
He asked me a few questions... blah blah blah... I then told him that I tried downloading a few different GPS apps on my mothers phone to see if maybe it was the app that was messed up... and of course I told him these "other gps apps" were doing the same thing...
** The apps I said I "installed" were: Telenav, Waze, Scout, Google Maps **
I then said that I have updated every app on the phone... I even went so far as to go into the "Location" settings on the phone and toggle through them... he then asked me to download another GPS app to which I waited a minute and came back to him with... I don't want to try "another" gps app... I talked to another tech support guy the other day and we spent an hour trying to figure this out and then he told me... let's just reset the entire GPS programming on the device, go to your dialpad and dial this in: ##4772579# and it will ask you for a code, enter this code in: tell him you don't remember the code cause you didn't write it down... say the tech guy said it was some sort of "Master Sensor Locator" code (MSL - see the trick there?)...
Tell him that the guy was going to give you more codes to try, but you had to leave to go to work so you had to get off the phone and call back today and talk to someone else who could give you more codes to try...
Now, it seems simple, but you have to "sound" convincing and just take your time and at the end just tell the tech guy... come on, the other tech guy was helping me good the other day and was just trying to give me a few "Master Sensor Locator" codes to reset the GPS sensor or something in the phone, I don't see why you can't do this for me right now so we don't waste more time trying things that won't work, and so I don't have to drive all the way to a Sprint store in hopes of exchanging my device for another one, I really don't have the time or gas to be that, just help me with some "Master Sensor Locator" codes while we are on the phone taking care of this issue right now...
** I know it's called "Master Subsidy Lock" code... I was playing dumb like I had no clue what it was really called **
-----
Back to my main questions...
What can I do with the MSL code now that I have it..?
Why are there a lot of threads saying that I can SIM unlock my N5 with the code..? How is that done..?