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I called AT&T to do my part in the campaign to unlock the bootloader of the Vivid. The CSA seemed to understand our issue (wanting root/not wanting CIQ). I told her that these were the issues that needed to be resolved before I would upgrade when I am due late 2012. She (out of nowhere) asked if there were any other devices that I was interested in that were capable of root and didn't have CIQ. When I mentioned that my wife had an Inspire, she quickly asked if I was interested in an upgrade today. (I am using a rooted Aria). I told her that I didn't want to pay the higher price for a device since I am not due for an upgrade for several months. She offered to send me an Inspire, to arrive in 2 weeks if I want. Renew the contract for 2 years and it's mine. "Free"
Wow...
Nice try...if I do this, I am going to miss out on great pricing for some of the better Android devices yet to come. Or is this my last chance to get an HTC device with an unlocked bootloader? Should I bite?
No way, wait for the G Nex to hit AT&T
Sent from my ICS Splashed MT4GS using xda premium
duckredbeard said:
I called AT&T to do my part in the campaign to unlock the bootloader of the Vivid. The CSA seemed to understand our issue (wanting root/not wanting CIQ). I told her that these were the issues that needed to be resolved before I would upgrade when I am due late 2012. She (out of nowhere) asked if there were any other devices that I was interested in that were capable of root and didn't have CIQ. When I mentioned that my wife had an Inspire, she quickly asked if I was interested in an upgrade today. (I am using a rooted Aria). I told her that I didn't want to pay the higher price for a device since I am not due for an upgrade for several months. She offered to send me an Inspire, to arrive in 2 weeks if I want. Renew the contract for 2 years and it's mine. "Free"
Wow...
Nice try...if I do this, I am going to miss out on great pricing for some of the better Android devices yet to come. Or is this my last chance to get an HTC device with an unlocked bootloader? Should I bite?
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Not a chance.... you have been able to get the inspire almost free on contract forever. Wait for something better.
gtkansan said:
Not a chance.... you have been able to get the inspire almost free on contract forever. Wait for something better.
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I got my son's Inspire for Free at Target 6 weeks ago.
Important to point out that I am in the middle of a 2 year contract. An upgrade so far from my contract end date typically makes one ineligible for discounts on new equipment, right?
Also...are we sure that the G Nex will have an unlocked bootloader and no CIQ?
duckredbeard said:
Important to point out that I am in the middle of a 2 year contract. An upgrade so far from my contract end date typically makes one ineligible for discounts on new equipment, right?
Also...are we sure that the G Nex will have an unlocked bootloader and no CIQ?
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nexus phones are specifically made with bootloaders you can unlock easily. since the verizon one comes with bloat we can assume, if at&t subsidizes it in their store, not through the nexus website, that it will have some at&T specific apps also.
but the phone will allow u to disable them just like u can on verizon
If they said that they'd send you an Inspire with no contractual obligation, I'd have been thinking "Wow, great!". Add the two-year wrinkle to it, and you are swiftly drop-kicked back to the reality that AT&T sucks.
bigballa said:
nexus phones are specifically made with bootloaders you can unlock easily. since the verizon one comes with bloat we can assume, if at&t subsidizes it in their store, not through the nexus website, that it will have some at&T specific apps also.
but the phone will allow u to disable them just like u can on verizon
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We can also argue now that the latest Google phone isn't a nexus anymore. Carriers like Verizon are ruining products.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
Inspire is a great device. Loved it, but I'd hold out.
Having been an AT&T customer for over 10 years now, I wanted to take my recently purchased Galaxy Note 3 on a trip to Europe, therefore, I wanted to unlock it. I called AT&T and was told (basically) that my phone can't be unlocked except after the 2 year contract period expires. Oh yeah! Forget AT&T...I'm on my own. Anyone have ideas on how to do an unlock on an AT&T Note 3 reliably?
You can try region lock away by chainfire. You have to be rooted for it to work. Good luck.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
I agree with the OP. I do not believe that carriers should have any influence or say so when it comes to phones. Why do they need to control them? Like with updates for example. What a nightmare. Why does phone phone have to be locked to them. I'm paying them for service only. UGH.
Chainfire's unlock works on M19 build and baseband. If you are on MJ5, you need to restore with a M19 build / MJ5 baseband and then root, then apply the unlock.
If you don't want to root, the only option is to purchase unlock code.
MattMJB0188 said:
I agree with the OP. I do not believe that carriers should have any influence or say so when it comes to phones. Why do they need to control them? Like with updates for example. What a nightmare. Why does phone phone have to be locked to them. I'm paying them for service only. UGH.
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Your not paying just for just service. When you get the phone on 2 year plan every month you paying a payment on that phone every month. That's why your bill so high. People don't realize it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
If you don't want to have to worry about any of that then buy the phone out right and don't do a 2 year contract it like buy a car on credit you don't fully own it till you pay it off. On top of that if you don't like waiting for updates and stuff buy an unlocked Un carrier branded phone and get the update when they come out.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Maybe try this path?
https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
I unlocked mine via a website. Cost me $30 but worked just fine. I am in the UK right now and using my note 3 with a pay as you go sim. I tried the region lock away here on xda but the sim was still locked.
Like you I was so mad when AT&T told me they no longer provide unlock codes. Once my contract expires I am done with them.
Hope this helps. Cheers.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
Just pay one of the many websites out there $30ish to get an unlock code based on the IMEI number. I did it with my AT&T N3 within a week of buying it and it works great Internationally.
I understand it costs money and people assume it should be free but it's a minimal amount of money not to have to deal with AT&T's bone head customer service.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
All carriers are like this from my experience. Keeping the phone locked is the only form of inconvenience they can put on people who do not want to honor their contracts and steal the phone. I called AT&T 2 months after I got my Note 3 on contract to unlock and they told me the buy-out price was 198.00.
I'll have to admit, I'm sort of a Samsung fanboy. Ever since I had my first Galaxy S that replaced my iPhone I've never looked back. All of them have been rooted, custom recoveries, and custom OS's. I like being able to do what i want with my own phone.....
Then I got a 920A.... I own this phone out right and I should be able to do that I want with it. Locked bootloader. Thanks AT&T.
I'm rooted and on AOE2, but I really want to go for 5.1, but since there's no root for it yet I'm stuck like everyone else. I go to this section of the forum everyday hoping for a root method. I notice posts are so few and far between in this section I'm loosing hope.
So this rant brings me to my question..
I want to get an S6 that works on all AT&T bands, but has an unlocked bootloader, and can install TWRP if I want to. What should I get?
Thanks in advance!
g920f or g920i would be good ones. even the g920t would be alright. Heck as long as it is not at&t or verizon and works within the LTE frequency range in your country your good to go. Its only Big Red and Big Blue that love to lock us out of our own phone. Good luck getting rid of the g920a its not very desireable because of the locked bootloader and will sell for a quarter of what you paid if your lucky
AT&T will unlock your phone for free if it meets their requirements:
(as of 2015.11.13) Devices may qualify for unlocking if they meet the following requirements:
The device must be designed for use on, and locked to, the AT&T wireless network. For help see Device Unlock Support.
It must not be reported lost or stolen.
It's not associated with fraudulent activity.
All the device's service commitments and installment plans are completed, and all early termination fees are paid in full.
The device is not currently active on a different AT&T customer's account.
If you performed an early upgrade, you must wait the 14-day buyer's remorse period before you can request to unlock your previous device.
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I'd post a direct link to the ATT page if I could, but google "unlock ATT phone" and the first result should get you there.
I've unlocked a few ATT phones this way. FYI: it does require a "non-att" sim card to complete the unlock service.
demidude said:
AT&T will unlock your phone for free if it meets their requirements:
I'd post a direct link to the ATT page if I could, but google "unlock ATT phone" and the first result should get you there.
I've unlocked a few ATT phones this way. FYI: it does require a "non-att" sim card to complete the unlock service.
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Thanks for the info, but the sim lock is not really what I was referring to, I was referring to the bootloader lock.
custommx3 said:
Thanks for the info, but the sim lock is not really what I was referring to, I was referring to the bootloader lock.
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D'oh...thanks for the clarification.
Just admit we got the short end of the stick this time. Look at the galaxy s5 and how they are doing on bootloader bypassing, which is nothing. The best they have is what we have safe starp and a selection of sub par roms, not putting any developer down because I know its a limited environment when you can't touch the kernel for all that juicy goodness. I was in your same position a week ago and eventually took the 5.1.1 update for the Samsung pay which awesome if your bank or credit provider supports. It friggen emulates a card so dope but besides the point, the security on its kernel is supposedly heavy which makes sense because you are storing card info on your phone now. I even went above and beyond and whole disc encrypted it just in case it gets stolen, glhf getting into it. So yeah you can wait around on 5.02 and not enjoy the performance enhancements and cool card features or realize AT&T finally found a good enough encryption scheme to shore things up . Your next purchase may have to be a different phone, admittedly I rarely stray far from Samsung. I leave you with a bit of hope you honestly don't need root as it is. I was just once a flashaholic on s3 and s4 but that was all to tether and have better control of my cpu stepping. Now I have a tether app, you have to pay but its five bucks. I don't remember the subs rule on ads but it its reads like Firefox but is spelled foxify or something like that . Also, I rum a VPN on the phone so that ATT dosent know I'm tethering, gets me through any of their packet snorting and threatening texts of we will take your grandfather data away if you don't stop. So in the end it's all up to you kind XDA'er best of luck on your decision process.
My FoxiFi isn't working
New member here popping my post cherry.
So A friend of mine found a very nice galaxy S6 active on the side of the road. It was in an otter box so it's in pristine condition and he of course wants to use it on another network - Cricket. It's locked to ATT. I'm a bit of a nerd so I've been trying to see what I can do to get this unlocked, without having to pay for it. ATT's website says it is not eligible to be unlocked because all of the installment payments have not been made on it. OK, so someone lost it and deactivated the line and they were still paying for the phone. Got it. Kudos to them for losing such an expensive piece of technology lol oops, glad it wasn't me.
My questions are, for 1: If this device is able to be rooted, are there any methods using root to carrier unlock it? Maybe a different ROM or something? Yes I am experienced with installing that stuff on Android without bricking it haha.
2: Is there a way to obtain an unlock code for free
3: If he does have to end up paying for it, what is a legit and inexpensive site that we could use that will provide a permanent unlock code, reliably?
Any insight an suggestions would be helpful. Thanks everyone!
jdlockhart said:
New member here popping my post cherry.
So A friend of mine found a very nice galaxy S6 active on the side of the road. It was in an otter box so it's in pristine condition and he of course wants to use it on another network - Cricket. It's locked to ATT. I'm a bit of a nerd so I've been trying to see what I can do to get this unlocked, without having to pay for it. ATT's website says it is not eligible to be unlocked because all of the installment payments have not been made on it. OK, so someone lost it and deactivated the line and they were still paying for the phone. Got it. Kudos to them for losing such an expensive piece of technology lol oops, glad it wasn't me.
My questions are, for 1: If this device is able to be rooted, are there any methods using root to carrier unlock it? Maybe a different ROM or something? Yes I am experienced with installing that stuff on Android without bricking it haha.
2: Is there a way to obtain an unlock code for free
3: If he does have to end up paying for it, what is a legit and inexpensive site that we could use that will provide a permanent unlock code, reliably?
Any insight an suggestions would be helpful. Thanks everyone!
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Click to collapse
Return the phone to an AT&T store, there's no root for most AT&T phones. Most if not all the new Samsungs have reactivation lock aswell. Since the S4 days there are no free ways to "unlock" ...There were, but all patched with updates.
Lastly... Cricket is AT&T there should be no need for unlocking.
"ATT's website says it is not eligible to be unlocked because all of the installment payments have not been made on it."
This means that most likely the device is black listed, so unlocking is not even an option...X2
Should be able to find an unlock code on eBay or other service. I always think those service has somebody work in att.
The phone has been blacklisted, i.e. reported lost or stolen.
Unlocking it isn't going to help, the imei will be refused connection by the cell network.
AoN
I have successfully unlocked blacklisted (for using outside US ) ATT S6 Active for US $10.40.
I have to root my phones (not wanting to pay $30 for Verizon tether), is anyone aware if the Pixel 4 XL from Verizon will have the bootloader locked, and unable to be rooted? In addition to that, would we see a root for the unlocked version? Thanks
Pretty sure most carrier devices are going to remain locked until you pay it off. At least, that's the logical rationale. I can't imagine they want people unlocking devices they haven't paid for. As far as root, that should be a simple process of just patching the boot.img
ZeroKool76 said:
Pretty sure most carrier devices are going to remain locked until you pay it off. At least, that's the logical rationale. I can't imagine they want people unlocking devices they haven't paid for. As far as root, that should be a simple process of just patching the boot.img
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the lock not something they ever lift? My current 2 XL was paid retail but they never allowed me to unlock the bootloader. They do allow for any carrier SIM to be used in it.
psone said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the lock not something they ever lift? My current 2 XL was paid retail but they never allowed me to unlock the bootloader. They do allow for any carrier SIM to be used in it.
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If you bought the Verizon Pixel 2 XL it had a locked bootloader. Since it was exclusive to Verizon. The unlocked version directly from Google did not have a locked bootloader. That was the same for the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. I am not sure about the Pixel 3a and 3a XL since it was not exclusive to Verizon.
Does anyone know if the Pixel 3a or 3a XL came with a locked bootloader?
EDIT: There's a thread over on the Pixel 3a XL where a bunch of carrier and non-carrier devices had locked bootloaders. I would be careful which device you buy going forward until you hear others chime in on the greyed out unlocked button.
When in doubt, buy directly from Google.
psone said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the lock not something they ever lift? My current 2 XL was paid retail but they never allowed me to unlock the bootloader. They do allow for any carrier SIM to be used in it.
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This is correct. Verizon is a mofo. Doesn't make much sense. I mean, you paid for the device, you should be able to do what you want with it
ZeroKool76 said:
This is correct. Verizon is a mofo. Doesn't make much sense. I mean, you paid for the device, you should be able to do what you want with it
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This right here has been the case with Verizon going ALL the way back to the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. **** Verizon!
Yep, never buy the carrier modesl unless you have absolutely no other option. In the case of Tmo with OnePlus and similar phones you could get an unlock (both carrier and bootloader) after the device was paid off. You still have to deal with a little bloat and later updates along with lesser issues. AT&T will have this one and their policies are similar to Verizon so I wouldn't go that way unless you hate yourself. No idea on Sprint, that have nothing in my area so I haven't paid attention. The previous posters were 100 prevent though, buying unlocked is the way. Tmo if you must to get a deal but only after verifying the bootloader can be unlocked.
krabman said:
Yep, never buy the carrier modesl unless you have absolutely no other option. In the case of Tmo with OnePlus and similar phones you could get an unlock (both carrier and bootloader) after the device was paid off. You still have to deal with a little bloat and later updates along with lesser issues. AT&T will have this one and their policies are similar to Verizon so I wouldn't go that way unless you hate yourself. No idea on Sprint, that have nothing in my area so I haven't paid attention. The previous posters were 100 prevent though, buying unlocked is the way. Tmo if you must to get a deal but only after verifying the bootloader can be unlocked.
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I currently have a one plus 7pro from T-Mobile that is still financed. The bootloader was locked until you paid off your device and waited the mandatory 45 days. Some were able to talk to T-force and got their devices unlocked early whether they financed or not. I was one of the unlucky ones that could not negotiate with T-force to unlock my device. Luckily there was a nice person that worked for TMobile that was in the forums and was able to unlock my phone. We will see what happens when we get the devices and start working on them. I will be financing my phone with them again next Thursday.
I purchased the Unlocked model. I currently have Pixel 2XL Verizon (Bootloader Locked), not a huge issue. But there are times where I wish I had a rooted phone. Not making that mistake again.
cronojay said:
I currently have a one plus 7pro from T-Mobile that is still financed. The bootloader was locked until you paid off your device and waited the mandatory 45 days. Some were able to talk to T-force and got their devices unlocked early whether they financed or not. I was one of the unlucky ones that could not negotiate with T-force to unlock my device. Luckily there was a nice person that worked for TMobile that was in the forums and was able to unlock my phone. We will see what happens when we get the devices and start working on them. I will be financing my phone with them again next Thursday.
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Did you try calling in multiple times? That often works although some people can't seem to catch a break on it. I've been on a number of OP devices and I'm familiar with what you're talking about; Saw it most recently on the 6T but it goes back further. I had them unlock a SGS6 the day I bought it, I paid cash but still the word was it couldn't be done without a dwell period, I remember it being 30 days at that time but maybe it was 45, been a while. In any event the very next year was the one were it turned out Tmo couldn't unlock your bootloader, came from Samsung they said. I remember there being an exploit coming out for that but I had already given away my S7 and moved on to the next thing before they figured that out. Not much over a year later Samsung started the BS with bootloaders on their international unlocked phones and I didn't keep the Note 8 long either. IMO if root is a must it's a good idea to let someone else be the guinea pig and profit from that information unless you've got enough ching to walk away without worrying about it.
I'm pretty sure this phone will also be exactly as you describe on Tmo and I agree with you BTW, just saying the smart money if a man needs to be careful is to wait for the first phones to meet their owners a few of who will unlock and root or attempt to do it. Or as I said in my first post, buy unlocked direct from Goog or Fi if possible.
There is not likely to be any bootloader unlock for the P4 and P4XL for carrier versions unless an exploit is found (which doesn't seem likely anymore). Google does not provide carriers an interface to change the device type, nor do they provide that interface to their own customer service and support teams. It's not a matter of hounding customer service or posting on the right forum because they can't help you. It's an obligation that Google has to meet if they want to keep their big carrier contracts in the United States.
The only unlocking requirement for carrier specific versions is having the ability to SIM unlock the device for portability between networks. Most carriers will do this upon request if you have international travel plans or have completed a certain percentage of your device financing.
navalynt said:
There is not likely to be any bootloader unlock for the P4 and P4XL for carrier versions unless an exploit is found (which doesn't seem likely anymore). Google does not provide carriers an interface to change the device type, nor do they provide that interface to their own customer service and support teams. It's not a matter of hounding customer service or posting on the right forum because they can't help you. It's an obligation that Google has to meet if they want to keep their big carrier contracts in the United States.
The only unlocking requirement for carrier specific versions is having the ability to SIM unlock the device for portability between networks. Most carriers will do this upon request if you have international travel plans or have completed a certain percentage of your device financing.
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So, the devices are shipped to the carriers already locked? Interesting. for some reason I always thought it was the individual carriers that lock them down and then would unlock it when you fully paid off the device. So you're saying, even if you fully pay off the device, you will never be able to unlock a carrier pixel 4/XL? Wow, that's a bummer.
ZeroKool76 said:
So, the devices are shipped to the carriers already locked? Interesting. for some reason I always thought it was the individual carriers that lock them down and then would unlock it when you fully paid off the device. So you're saying, even if you fully pay off the device, you will never be able to unlock a carrier pixel 4/XL? Wow, that's a bummer.
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Correct. Enthusiasts have a channel to bootloader unlock, which is buying directly from Google where Google provides it's own support.
Carriers are only looking to sell you a device that's stable to work on their own networks. What do the carriers have to gain at all from controlling the bootloader unlock? They have nothing to gain from it except a support migraine.
navalynt said:
Correct. Enthusiasts have a channel to bootloader unlock, which is buying directly from Google where Google provides it's own support.
Carriers are only looking to sell you a device that's stable to work on their own networks. What do the carriers have to gain at all from controlling the bootloader unlock? They have nothing to gain from it except a support migraine.
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Yeah, that makes sense when you put it that way. Just took me by surprise when OP and it's carrier phones pretty much allow you to do whatever you want to the device, once it's paid off. Still can't stand OP, but I have to admit, that's a check mark in their corner
Keep in mind Google does not require it like Samsung does so it's left up to the carrier. Tmo has been unlocking similar devices and there is little reason to think it wont happen here. In the opposing camp you have Verizon which demands a locked bootloader and few exploits have been found to circumvent it on recent devices. Meanwhile something to consider is that even the unlocked straight from google device is not really unlocked in the way some people think: Before you can unlock the bootloader it absolutely must phone home. Don't give the phone that connection and you cannot unlock it. Samsung does the same thing. We are not in control of our devices anymore, they can pull the plug on unlocking any time they want simply by denying it via that same connection even if you have already unlocked it. Samsung did this a few years ago in just that way and to this date no one has found a way around it that doesn't cause real pain with the wait a week and all that BS.
I called several times and got on with T-force sever times and no luck. I got lucky when the post I described about unlocking and got mine done. I always device finance because of the 0% apr and jump on demand so all I need to is bring my phone, get my new phone and profit.
ZeroKool76 said:
Pretty sure most carrier devices are going to remain locked until you pay it off. At least, that's the logical rationale. I can't imagine they want people unlocking devices they haven't paid for. As far as root, that should be a simple process of just patching the boot.img
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"simple process" "just patch the boot img" come on man.. Ask the people that own a pixel 3 from Verizon. Please don't spread wrong info
bigmatt503 said:
"simple process" "just patch the boot img" come on man.. Ask the people that own a pixel 3 from Verizon. Please don't spread wrong info
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You mean, ask the people who were dumb enough to buy a locked down device? I'll pass. People that have purchased Verizon's in the past, as you have stated, would obviously know this doesn't apply to them. I was more referring to, since we don't have recovery yet, you would have to patch the boot img manually.
Honestly, I ALMOST got me and my wife's from Verizon (she definitely jumped on the pixel bandwagon). They have a buy one, get one free. Sooo, I kept thinking about root, but ultimately decided I'd rather save $900. Evidently, there's some caveats. One, the get one is for a new line. No biggie, I'll just cancel the one number and add a new one (her phone is paid off, I don't think there's a termination fee after two years). Two, you have to sign up for an unlimited plan. That piece completely wiped the price difference and then some for me. Sooo, I smiled a bit and bought them unlocked from Google. The only reason I would buy directly is for a huge price savings.
Another thing I thought of too, there is an early upgrade fee with V if I were to decide to upgrade to the 5xl next year. So, that's another caveat. I'm glad I just went with unlocked. Hoping it doesn't take long to root.
This time around I placed a pre-order with Google Fi.
All their Pixels are both SIM & Bootloader Unlocked even on
financing, same as Google Store.