Got "new" phone, how to ensure it's new? - Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

Got a S6 Edge off eBay, it is sold as "new" open box but never used.
Is there a way to check if it is actually being used before? I remember old phones were displaying how many minutes they were in use since they're produced, is there such a menu/code that will tell me this on this phone?
Thanks in advance.

If it was factory reset, you won't be able to tell. As long as the phone has no scratches, it's safe to assume new. Most people are flipping their phone after renewing their contract. They only open the phone to remove the pre-installed SIM card that's linked to their account.

Related

Problems with Unlocked Kaiser on AT&T

I've had my unlocked HTC Kaiser for 2 months now on the AT&T Network no problems. On Thanksgiving Day, my phone decided not to turn on after I left the phone to charge overnight. I figured it did not get a good charge so I tried recharging it. It was flashing red lights near the the top of the phone. So I go into AT&T on Friday to see if its the battery or the european charger that may be at fault. I played around a few combinations in the store and it suddenly/magically turned on. (I decided to buy the charger and extra battery anyways). The employee decides that for some reason or another, the phone needs a SIM Card. Well here is where everything went downhill.
After the new SIM card, I was unable to make or receive any calls, and no access to my data plan. Sometimes, I would have full signal bars but still was unable to make/receive phone calls. I've been able to make calls on very rare occasions; especially in this room in our school. What to give? So I went into another AT&T store and noticed that they had the incorrect IMEI number down in their system,. I asked for them to fix it but they said they couldn't change it for some reason and that the IMEI wouldn't be causing the problems I'm experiencing. So I finally called Customer Service Support on the phone and supposedly they were able to change it to the correct IMEI #. But still the same issues. I've done soft, hard, master resets, take out the battery + SIM card, you name it and still the same problem! When I took the SIM Card out of my phone and put it in a Blackberry, it did work! But when I took the Blackberry SIM Card into my phone, it did not. The support team told me that indicates that it is my phone; but I clearly told them that it could also be due to the fact that the towers just aren't recognizing my device no longer.
So I spoke to HTC about this and they said its the SIM card and they wanted me to go in and get another SIM card. So I went into AT&T today and got a new SIM card but same problem. Again, same issue. So I called AT&T Customer Support today and asked them to bump me up to Level II or III support. She says she cannot do that because my phone is unlocked (from HTC) and no support for that. I gave her the rundown on how my phone was working for 2 months until they put in the new SIM card and my cell phone activity clearly show that. Then she goes on to mention that other technical service reps that have helped me in the past few days clearly have pointed the culprit to be my device and not AT&T as they have exhausted all tests. And I told her, it's like taking a brand new car to a mechanic and then get the car back not running. If you ask the mechanic what did you do to my car, he's not going to admit to anything. She says that my device isn't being recognized by the towers. So then I brought up the point of "So is it my tower or is it really my phone?". I told her it's no problem getting a new phone but if I get a new phone, will it be unrecognized by the towers again. She said yes because it is unlocked. I said what about the thousands of other people who use unlocked Kaisers or any phone for that matter as they seem to have NO problems. They basically want you to buy the phone directly from them.
In all, I've spent nearly 10 hours on trying to get this thing to rework and be able to place/receive phone calls. Whether this is due to the events which ensued after the red light indicator on Thanksgiving Day OR the fact that AT&T switched my SIM Card and caused my device to be undetected by towers (whether it was due to the fact they put in the wrong IMEI in the first place or any adjustment they made to my account) remains to be determined.
The only options that remain is: 1) Go to TMobile and try out their SIM card on my phone and see if it works. I highly doubt they too will let me do that as they consider phone unlocked and don't want to help 2) Get a new phone through HTC and hope it'll work on AT&T again.
Any ideas or support??? heheh. your help is truly appreciated
I feel you pain Brother.......
I don't have a clue how IMEI and towers can just not register your device...though....but anyhow, did you check if you have the Phone in the Dialing screen-Menu-Options, then the tab BAND on the bottom and both of them selected as AUTO? if not, then try changing bands.......
If you know that then, I'm thinking only of AT&T could have blacklisted you or some sort.......but that is highly unlikely......
I had some problem like that when i'm out of the country using Foreign Chips, and it seems the Kaiser needs a bit of time to adjust to new sims, and that can take minutes, hours...or even days......who knows what is happening as the phone is "learning"....... hope this helped you a bit....
I've been using my Kaiser for several months now and I did not register my IMEI, I just popped the sim out of my 8525 and took off running. It sounds to me like your phone has failed in some way, especially if your new sim works fine in another phone. The question now really is, where can you get a Kaiser fixed in the US? I spoke with HTC on another subject and I get the feeling that it may be difficult. I got mine from a shop in Canada, guess I'd have to go thru them.
In any case, good luck, it will be interesting to see what it turns out to be.
I second RemE -- like him, I bought a Tytn II & plugged in the SIM from an older phone (in my case a Qtek 9100 not bought through AT&T/Cingular), and have had no problems.
i had a similar problem with my 8525. I bought a Tilt to replace it, and about a week later I gave the 8525 to my son to use. neither his SIM card or mine would work in the 8525, but they worked in other phones. I brought the phone to the AT&T store and the guy there did something on his computer, then the phone was able to work. I'm not saying that AT&T blacklisted it, because I don't really know. But it took a change by the AT&T rep at the store to get the phone working again.
I have been using Kaiser with ATT for three months now with no problem. I just used the sim card from my Blackberry and so far, no problems.

New AT&T Note user...what to do before putting SIM in for first time?

Well, I sold my Glalaxy Nexus to finance a new Galaxy Note N7000. I have read many stories of AT&T being jerks about this phone (not tablet, BTW) classifying it as a tablet and forcing users to a tablet only (non-voice) plan. Mine gets here this Monday and I paid dearly for it, so I want to ensure I set it up properly to avoid the unethical pressure AT&T will place on me if I set it up out of the box without making any changes. Here are my questions:
Should I immediately root and delete the EFS folder (after backing up) so AT&T doesn't flag it as a tablet?
Should I set up APN settings and use as normal, hoping they don't spaz and flag as a tablet?
Should I just put my SIM in and go, praying I don't get illegally harassed for having a tablet (when it's simply a phone with a large screen)?
It seems AT&T has their head up their asses and execs are calling this phone a tablet, making them even more money-hungry. I have a grandfathered unlimited data plan and use like 2 gigs a month. It's not like I got the Note with the intention of consolidating my entire gadget lineup and use it as a tablet, consuming terabytes of data. It just has a pen and large screen and well under the typical tablet size of 7". It's a large pocketable cellphone and I want to use it as such, just as I have with tons of other imported GSM phones.
So, what's the 100% reliable method to avoid the shady accusations AT&T will inevitably place on me if I just put my SIM in and use it with the expensive service I already have.
It really is a shame they are being assholes about this device.
Is "pray" a choice?
Sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously, what I was planning to do (I almost did this last night but I've chickened out) was:
1. Buy AT&T service with another device - I was looking at the captivate glide, as a backup device in case the Note gets stolen, dies, or AT&T renders it useless. I always "self-insure" with a backup phone on any carrier, and this way I get a 4G SIM card and bona-fide service for 30 days to try out.
2. Obtain the Note from Amazon, Newegg, etc., root the device, mv /efs to /efs_old or something like that. Reboot, whatever is needed for that to take effect. Also copy /efs_old somewhere else safe.
3. Set APN according to various posts here and at Amazon, etc.
4. Insert SIM, hope for the best.
That was my plan, anyway. I think doing that, the major risk is that the generic IMEI is flagged as bogus.
Thanks. So it sounds like it's still a craps shoot as to whether AT&T will tackle you accusing you of using a tablet.
Shame, really. Wish me luck.
I put my sim into the phone, changed my apn settings, and called att to confirm that no changes were made to my plan. Everything works fine getting HSDPA data connection.
niv24 said:
I put my sim into the phone, changed my apn settings, and called att to confirm that no changes were made to my plan. Everything works fine getting HSDPA data connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long have you been using it? I'd bet there is a threatening text is queued up for you to go out any time now...
I got my Note tuesday i changed the APN settings put in my sim, haven't heard a word out of AT&T on the phone I just looked at my account online and I still have my unlimited data, nothing has changed. I'll update if they contact me.
stealth110 said:
I got my Note tuesday i changed the APN settings put in my sim, haven't heard a word out of AT&T on the phone I just looked at my account online and I still have my unlimited data, nothing has changed. I'll update if they contact me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats what I did and it lasted a month before they sent me a text.
900SS said:
Thats what I did and it lasted a month before they sent me a text.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you got the text, what did you do?
I don't see why AT&T should care, other than being a better device this is the same thing as the Dell Streak.
ericshmerick said:
After you got the text, what did you do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I called and told them what the phone was and they said ok and all was good untill the 14 days laster they shut my data off.
After 3 hours on the phone with them 6 reps/ managers they asked for my IMEI number then told me that it did not show up so they could not turn my data back on. Finally they just entered a fake IMEI number on my acount and turned my data back on. Will see how long that works.
stealth110 said:
I don't see why AT&T should care, other than being a better device this is the same thing as the Dell Streak.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But they clearly do care, and that's the problem.
Right after I got the phone, I rooted it and deleted some files from the efs folder (see my old post), entered 4g APNs, rebooted
No text. It's been 5 days tho.
I have 4g Unlimited grandfathered to my Infuse 4g.
If I am on a tiered plan with AT&T, do I still need to root or can I just install my sim and it will just work like it did on my iphone?

Just got T-Mo G4 (H811), want to restore app data from Samsung T699?

Hi all, I just bought the G4 from T-Mobile yesterday. (It was discounted to $350, which put me over the edge.) My Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G (SGH-T699) is 3+ years old, so was time to replace it. It was getting really sluggish, apps were crashing I think due to running out of memory, it would often thermal shutdown (and always when using maps to navigate while driving), etc.
I had been looking at the Blu Pure XL for a few months, but was waiting on the development community to put a 3rd-party ROM on it. Well if you look in the Pure XL forums, you'll see how well (or not!) that has gone.
So now I have the G4, and would like to restore app data, messaging and call history, etc. from my SGH-T699. My Galaxy is rooted with Cyanogenmod 11 and Titanium Backup Pro. The LG G4 is NOT rooted, and I would prefer to wait to do that until the warranty expires.
How would I restore those things with something like adb backup and restore, or with Helium? (I know Titanium doesn't work on a non-rooted device.) Or is there a better/easier/safer way to do it?
Btw, last time I tried setting up Helium with my Relay 4G several months ago, my computer (Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, i7-4790K, ASRock Z97 Extreme6, 32GB G.Skill DDR3-1600 RAM, 12+ TB HDD space (4x HGST 7200rpm NAS), etc) unable to connect with it that way. I was able to use ADB backup/restore to do a nandroid backup on that phone, and also Titanium (once it was rooted) has helped me keep apps backed up.
I'm guessing that doing a full adb backup from the Relay 4G and adb restore that backup to the G4 wouldn't work, right?
I did do the OTA update to Marshmallow on the G4. (Only mentioning that cause of the other posts that mention hard-bricking when downgrading, but I don't know if that applies to me at this time since I'm not putting a custom ROM on it yet.)
Again, I do NOT want to root the G4 before the warranty is expired, UNLESS it won't void the warranty. (Same goes for installing a custom ROM, or anything that would void the warranty.) I have enabled developer options in the G4 (tapping build number 7 times), but I haven't used the unlock app provided by T-Mo (which I think is a SIM or carrier unlock, not bootloader unlock anyway) yet. (Edit: I did do the carrier unlock, but made the mistake of making it a temporary and not permanent unlock. Do I need to wait the 30 days or can I perm-unlock immediately? Edit 2: turns out it gave me the option, but said it's ineligible. I did pay for the device in full, but I guess I still have to wait a month?)
I don't know how, but I do have a quick question! What are the first three digits of your serial #? Because I also just bought the G4 from T-Mobile, it's arriving in a couple days, but 505-509 serial numbers are seemingly affected by the dreaded bootloop issues. Do you which batch T-Mobile has in their stock right now? If it's 512/601/602 it should be fine.
(this post is assuming you bought the phone online, but even if you bought it in-store I would still like to know. )
junglescope said:
I don't know how, but I do have a quick question! What are the first three digits of your serial #? Because I also just bought the G4 from T-Mobile, it's arriving in a couple days, but 505-509 serial numbers are seemingly affected by the dreaded bootloop issues. Do you which batch T-Mobile has in their stock right now? If it's 512/601/602 it should be fine.
(this post is assuming you bought the phone online, but even if you bought it in-store I would still like to know. )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought my phone in store, specifically Parkway Plaza in El Cajon, CA. Upon inspection, it does look like I have the dreaded 509(KP...) number. I just bought it yesterday so maybe I should take it back and see if I can get it exchanged for one with a different serial? (Maybe at a different T-Mobile location?)
Well $*!*!! I was typing a reply, and my internet connection went down when I went to submit it!
Anyway, the T-Mo store told me to basically keep my G4 until / unless it exhibits the problem. Also, is there a way to find out if my phone would exhibit that issue? Mine's serial starts with 509KPZK... Is there a way I can test for the issue myself before I do anything more with the phone?
I can't get adb *or* Helium working - my computer can't see my phone, other than opening it in the file explorer. In Linux, the adb shell script won't run cause it says the adb file (which is right in that folder!) doesn't exist. In Windows, "adb devices" comes up empty, and Helium can't see the phone no matter what mode or USB port I try, and yes, USB debugging is enabled.
I really need to do a full backup of the current phone, then restore my app *data*, SMS, call history, saved games, etc. from my Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G SGH-T699 to my LG G4 H811.
Since I can't get any of the above things to work, what else can I do, *WITHOUT* rooting the G4?? I am *NOT* going to root it before the warranty (I think 1 year) expires, *UNLESS* I can do a FULL backup, then restore that full backup and turn off root access to be able to return the phone for warranty service if I get that issue.
Also the T699 is frequently stopping recognizing my SD card. That issue started happening right after I changed my service over to the G4's sim (which is a different size sim so I don't think I can just pull it out of one phone and put it in the other.)
As for the G4, did I get the wrong phone? (warranty void if rooted, can't connect to PC, etc.) I'm still within the 14-day window. If so, what other phone has the same or better features (1440p screen, 3GB RAM, Snapdragon 808 or better CPU, removable battery+SD, etc) for the same price ($350) without buying a used one on ebay or buying on Amazon from a 3rd-party seller (unless it's a known established retailer), that is more dev friendly? (The Blu Pure XL which I had considered seems to be quite dev UNfriendly, the Moto X Pure and Nexus devices either lack removable batteries or SD cards and are too expensive, the Note 4 hasn't been dropped in price like the G4 has, etc.)

Locked Out After Reset and FRP Wont Recognize Previous Accounts Synced to Device

I hate posting in forums, so please understand that this posting comes after many many hours of researching and attempting different fixes. Can someone please help me sort this out and get me up and running again. I will be brief and direct hopefully including all necessary info for you.
Device is N920A, AT&T
Was in the process of transferring my data on a 32GB to my wife's phone, a 64GB..
Ran the reset it came back up, used it for a few minutes, it ran update and locked me out.
THE PROBLEM
When googles wonderful FRP wants to verify the accounts, it will not accept and of the old accounts of neither my wife's or mine.
I was able to pull it up on one of my accounts Device Manager. When I lock it with new passcode and message,
It displays the message on the screen but wont unlock.
Tried again and noticed in Device Manager it said no new passcode was needed because previous lock PIN still existed.
Reset AGAIN... No longer finds phone attached to any google account.
EVEN BIGGER PROBLEM
Just got the phone back from repair shop where they swapped motherboards with my phone and my wife's phone.
Reason for this? Originally 64gb device had cracked screen Insurance would not replace with 64gb because it was discontinued. Cracked screen was $300 to replace, swapping motherboards only cost me $80. I haven't even swapped the IMEI numbers with AT&T, but phones did work upon getting home and resetting .
PLEASE let me know what I can do. Need this phone for work ASAP.

Likelihood of Warranty Exchange

Hi all,
Have a question for you. Bought a used S8 off of a guy on the internet awhile back. Phone worked fine for a few weeks, but now has developed a problem where it claims no service and as such there is no data/calling/texting. Factory resets sometimes do or don't fix this issue. If it is fixed with a reset, it reoccurs within some hours. I have sent this in five times to Samsung. It has been out of my possession for weeks and weeks with the constant shipping back and forth. It is currently being shipped back to me. I assume in a not-fixed state. The service center people can't replicate the issue because it magically doesn't occur when they run their suite of tests on the device. As a result, they literally do nothing to the phone and also won't replace it. What is the chance I could go into a T-Mobile store and have it replaced? Thanks for your time.
Deepcoiler said:
Hi all,
Have a question for you. Bought a used S8 off of a guy on the internet awhile back. Phone worked fine for a few weeks, but now has developed a problem where it claims no service and as such there is no data/calling/texting. Factory resets sometimes do or don't fix this issue. If it is fixed with a reset, it reoccurs within some hours. I have sent this in five times to Samsung. It has been out of my possession for weeks and weeks with the constant shipping back and forth. It is currently being shipped back to me. I assume in a not-fixed state. The service center people can't replicate the issue because it magically doesn't occur when they run their suite of tests on the device. As a result, they literally do nothing to the phone and also won't replace it. What is the chance I could go into a T-Mobile store and have it replaced? Thanks for your time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Normally in order for T-Mobile to exchange the unit, they would need to access the original buyer's account and see the warranty status. I first thought your phone's IMEI could have been blocked by T-Mobile, but you mention that after factory reset it works sometimes. Use T-Mobile's IMEI checker website and see what it shows you. https://www.t-mobile.com/verifyIMEI.aspx If you phone is unlocked, try another sim card, from another provider such as AT&T.
Charkatak said:
Normally in order for T-Mobile to exchange the unit, they would need to access the original buyer's account and see the warranty status. I first thought your phone's IMEI could have been blocked by T-Mobile, but you mention that after factory reset it works sometimes. Use T-Mobile's IMEI checker website and see what it shows you. [SNIP, can't even quote links, apparently] If you phone is unlocked, try another sim card, from another provider such as AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was just assuming it wasn't blocked since it works on and off, but yeah, that site is telling me it is blocked on their network. Thanks. Guess this was a complete waste of money.
Deepcoiler said:
I was just assuming it wasn't blocked since it works on and off, but yeah, that site is telling me it is blocked on their network. Thanks. Guess this was a complete waste of money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe there is a chance that T-Mobile might unblock it depending on why it was blocked in the first place.

Categories

Resources