Database Develop

[Q] How to unlock phone to use abroad?

Hi.
I'm going abroad on Jan 1 for 12 months and want to get the GSM version Moto X to bring it with me, but I don't know if this can be done.
The options are AT&T and T-Mobile. AT&T requires 6 months usage before they unlock, and T-Mobile requires 40 days, of which the last 7 must be in the US. So these are not options.
I then read about various "unlock" services online, but don't know how reliable these are. What are the odds they can unlock my phone, either AT&T or T-Mobile? This link: http: //www .technobuffalo.com/2013/11/14/att-unlock-changes-putting-resellers-out-of-business/ for example claims that there was a change just 1-2 months ago so that it's virtually impossible to unlock AT&T for 3rd parties now. If I buy this phone, I need to be almost 100% certain it's possible to unlock it, or it's not worth taking the risk.
Finally, would it be possible to unlock the phone by rooting it? I understand the bootloader for the T-Mobile version can be unlocked, but have no idea if, and if so how, this helps me.
Thanks in advance.

mxx2 said:
Hi.
I'm going abroad on Jan 1 for 12 months and want to get the GSM version Moto X to bring it with me, but I don't know if this can be done.
The options are AT&T and T-Mobile. AT&T requires 6 months usage before they unlock, and T-Mobile requires 40 days, of which the last 7 must be in the US. So these are not options.
I then read about various "unlock" services online, but don't know how reliable these are. What are the odds they can unlock my phone, either AT&T or T-Mobile? This link: http: //www .technobuffalo.com/2013/11/14/att-unlock-changes-putting-resellers-out-of-business/ for example claims that there was a change just 1-2 months ago so that it's virtually impossible to unlock AT&T for 3rd parties now. If I buy this phone, I need to be almost 100% certain it's possible to unlock it, or it's not worth taking the risk.
Finally, would it be possible to unlock the phone by rooting it? I understand the bootloader for the T-Mobile version can be unlocked, but have no idea if, and if so how, this helps me.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many including me have unlocked their phones. I myself had the AT&T model. Sites such as cellunlocker, unlockcode247 get you the code within a couple of days 99% of the time. The 6 months/ 40 days usage only applies if you talk to the carrier CS for the code.
If you dont want to go that route, you could always get the T-Mobile version. Comes SIM unlocked OOTB. So does the DEV Ed.
Rooting does not unlock your phone. Unlocking the BL comes handy if you do a lot of flashing.

I know this doesn't answer your question (since the post above mine does) but the Nexus 5 and Moto G are two nice smartphones that come unlocked. N5 will run you 349, Moto G 179. No contract, unlocked. I prefer the Moto X, but if you want a 100% guarantee, buy an unlocked phone.

anirudh412 said:
Many including me have unlocked their phones. I myself had the AT&T model. Sites such as cellunlocker, unlockcode247 get you the code within a couple of days 99% of the time. The 6 months/ 40 days usage only applies if you talk to the carrier CS for the code.
If you dont want to go that route, you could always get the T-Mobile version. Comes SIM unlocked OOTB. So does the DEV Ed.
Rooting does not unlock your phone. Unlocking the BL comes handy if you do a lot of flashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks anirudh!
Are you saying that the T-Mobile Moto X without contract is NOT SIM locked to T-Mobile? It would be fantastic if that's the case. Is there an official source? I checked with Motorola a few days ago, and they told me that whatever phone I buy will be SIM locked to the operator, but they might be incorrect?
(Also, when did you unlock your AT&T phone? The article I linked says it became considerably more difficult/impossible just last month, which made me worried.)

BaconDrips said:
the Nexus 5 and Moto G are two nice smartphones that come unlocked. N5 will run you 349, Moto G 179. No contract, unlocked. I prefer the Moto X, but if you want a 100% guarantee, buy an unlocked phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Bacon. Yeah, I'll fall back to the Nexus 5 if the Moto X doesn't work out.

mxx2 said:
Thanks anirudh!
Are you saying that the T-Mobile Moto X without contract is NOT SIM locked to T-Mobile? It would be fantastic if that's the case. Is there an official source? I checked with Motorola a few days ago, and they told me that whatever phone I buy will be SIM locked to the operator, but they might be incorrect?
(Also, when did you unlock your AT&T phone? The article I linked says it became considerably more difficult/impossible just last month, which made me worried.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mxx2 said:
Thanks Bacon. Yeah, I'll fall back to the Nexus 5 if the Moto X doesn't work out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moto X WILL work out. Even though the N5 is a great phone, I hate the 'bigger is better' race we have going on today. Phones like watches are tools. They go everywhere you do. The X is so much more handy than the N5. Removing the Nav Bar and using LMT makes it even better. This is EXACTLY the phone I was looking to get for so many years.
As for unlocking, I got mine unlocked a week ago. So did plenty of others. There are several threads in the Q&A/ General section on this. If however, you dont want to go that route, get the Dev Edition which comes unlocked. Also the T-Mobile edition. And dont base your decision based on what the CS says. There dont know squat about the X. They told me theres no way T-Mobile BL can be unlocked.

mxx2 said:
Thanks anirudh!
Are you saying that the T-Mobile Moto X without contract is NOT SIM locked to T-Mobile? It would be fantastic if that's the case. Is there an official source? I checked with Motorola a few days ago, and they told me that whatever phone I buy will be SIM locked to the operator, but they might be incorrect?
(Also, when did you unlock your AT&T phone? The article I linked says it became considerably more difficult/impossible just last month, which made me worried.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK, the Verizon and T-Mobile versions are SIM unlocked. The system version for the T-Mobile version is ghost_row.retail (not ghost_att.ATT or ghost_verizon.Verizon), so there's actually no carrier in the the system version. So, the T-Mobile variant is just a retail version of the phone that has all of the available US GSM bands unlocked. Obviously, some carrier specific LTE bands may not be available, like Verizon's upper 700MHz band 13. It does support AT&T's lower 700MHz band 17 LTE, and of course T-Mobile, Verizon's AWS band 4 LTE though.

Change Carriers with replacement device

I need to contact Motorola to file a claim for my Moto X. Coincidentally, I am thinking of switching carriers from Verizon to T-Mobile. It's my understanding that with a customized device they just give you a code, so could I use that code to get a pure edition or does it have to be a verizon one? If I wanted the 64gb (currently have a 32) could I just pay the extra $100 at checkout?

ILowry282 said:
I need to contact Motorola to file a claim for my Moto X. Coincidentally, I am thinking of switching carriers from Verizon to T-Mobile. It's my understanding that with a customized device they just give you a code, so could I use that code to get a pure edition or does it have to be a verizon one? If I wanted the 64gb (currently have a 32) could I just pay the extra $100 at checkout?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is an interesting idea. you could prob just chat with moto and find out. Not sure about paying the diff for additional storage but i think changing carriers might be a possibility. Let me know what kind of luck you have bc i am thinking of switching to tmo from verizon as well.

[Q] Should I buy an XT1095 "Pure" or XT1097 ?

I'm shopping for an unlocked Moto X (2nd gen) and it seems to have several models which might meet my needs. I'm currently on AT&T in the U.S., so the phone needs to work on their LTE network for now. However, I might be interested in moving to T-Mobile at a later date (or to Ting, a T-Mobile MVNO).
I'm leaning toward the XT1095 "Pure" edition. Is there any reason this model would give me issues on AT&T ? (from looking thru the postings, it appears there were some issues in the past, but most of those seem to be older than 6 months ago) I'm also leaning towards buying this directly from Motorola on their website, since it looks like folks buying them on Amazon aren't always getting the model they think they are. Any buying advice in that regard ?

I'm typing this from my pure on AT&T right now. If you value rooting your phone now or ever in the future then you will purchase the XT1095.
I would buy through Motorola for the least amount of hassle. Also, the motocare insurance is pretty cheap.

And so I can make sure I get an XT1095 on the Motomaker website, after clicking "Buy," I select "Unlocked SIM or no-contract options" and then "Moto X Pure Edition", yes ? (i.e. not the "contract" or "Net10" options)
Yeah, I know...looks pretty obvious, but I don't wanna screw it up

dphuff said:
And so I can make sure I get an XT1095 on the Motomaker website, after clicking "Buy," I select "Unlocked SIM or no-contract options" and then "Moto X Pure Edition", yes ? (i.e. not the "contract" or "Net10" options)
Yeah, I know...looks pretty obvious, but I don't wanna screw it up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Choose the unlocked Sim or no-contract options option. Then pick Moto X Pure Edition.

XT1254 in Europe

Hey,
I'm planning on getting an XT1254 Turbo. I'm coming from a Moto X 2014. Reasons are mostly battery life.
I've only found the XT1254 and XT1250 that are still selling online. I would prefer to get the .54 as I'd like the extra storage. As far as I read over here, the XT1254 is the Verizon version, XT1250 the Verizon Unlocked GSM version, and then there's the XT1225 that's the International version Moto Maxx/Moto Droid Turbo.
There are absolutely no more XT1225 online to buy as far as I searched, so I'm kinda set with the XT1254 which would be the Verizon version.
My carrier is Vodafone, in Europe.
Would I encounter any particular problems as far as carrier compatibility, GSM/LTE bands and such? Will it work on LTE on either of the available bands?
Would I be better off using the XT1250?
Thanks!
LE: All's good. See thread and last post.

inkmars said:
Hey,
I'm planning on getting an XT1254 Turbo. I'm coming from a Moto X 2014. Reasons are mostly battery life.
I've only found the XT1254 and XT1250 that are still selling online. I would prefer to get the .54 as I'd like the extra storage. As far as I read over here, the XT1254 is the Verizon version, XT1250 the Verizon Unlocked GSM version, and then there's the XT1225 that's the International version Moto Maxx/Moto Droid Turbo.
There are absolutely no more XT1225 online to buy as far as I searched, so I'm kinda set with the XT1254 which would be the Verizon version.
My carrier is Vodafone, in Europe.
Would I encounter any particular problems as far as carrier compatibility, GSM/LTE bands and such? Will it work on LTE on either of the available bands?
Would I be better off using the XT1250?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XT1254 = XT1250. They have identical hardware. The only difference is software. The XT1250 is not a Verizon phone.
XT1254: Officially locked bootloader (unlockable via Sunshine for a fee), unlocked SIM, CDMA and GSM capable.
XT1250: Officially unlockable bootloader, unlocked SIM, CDMA and GSM capable.
As for band compatibility, your best bet would be to look up the bands your carrier uses and the bands that the phone you're considering is capable of receiving. However, just for some anecdotal evidence, I took my XT1254 to Germany, Sweden and Czechia using a German SIM card that I bought, and the phone worked perfectly in all of those places.

TheSt33v said:
XT1254 = XT1250. They have identical hardware. The only difference is software. The XT1250 is not a Verizon phone.
XT1254: Officially locked bootloader (unlockable via Sunshine for a fee), unlocked SIM, CDMA and GSM capable.
XT1250: Officially unlockable bootloader, unlocked SIM, CDMA and GSM capable.
As for band compatibility, your best bet would be to look up the bands your carrier uses and the bands that the phone you're considering is capable of receiving. However, just for some anecdotal evidence, I took my XT1254 to Germany, Sweden and Czechia using a German SIM card that I bought, and the phone worked perfectly in all of those places.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also for the op...
The XT1254 and XT1250 bands are the same. I've posted them many times. LTE bands 2,3,4,7,13. Plus some HSPA (not as many as the XT1225), and CDMA.
XT1250 is 32GB only.
XT1254 is 32GB and some 64GB.
XT1225 is 64GB only.
If you're getting the XT1254 for additional storage, double check it's a 64GB model. Most are not.

Really appreciate it. Thanks for the info.
On a side note, does anyone know any other way of getting an XT1225 apart from ebay/amazon? I've also tried google searches; ended up on other selling platform sites but still nothing. Not even in used state.

Also, if it helps, I have a 64 GB XT1254. On the phone it says model: XT1254, type: M0DFE. That type number might help you distinguish between the 32 and 64GB models, but I don't know that for sure.

inkmars said:
Really appreciate it. Thanks for the info.
On a side note, does anyone know any other way of getting an XT1225 apart from ebay/amazon? I've also tried google searches; ended up on other selling platform sites but still nothing. Not even in used state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://swappa.com/buy/moto-maxx-unlocked
There's a few used ones on here.
Never mind. I misread the site.

TheSt33v said:
https://swappa.com/buy/moto-maxx-unlocked
There's a few used ones on here.
Never mind. I misread the site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish. But I appreciate it

Just out of curiosity, why are you set on the Turbo/Maxx? There are plenty of better options out there.

PMed as to not clutter the thread

Found an XT1254 in great condition but the seller states it's carrier locked in Verizon. There's no way past that and make it work in Europe with other carriers, right?

inkmars said:
Found an XT1254 in great condition but the seller states it's carrier locked in Verizon. There's no way past that and make it work in Europe with other carriers, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's wrong. No Verizon postpaid LTE phones have been carrier locked since 2012 FCC agreement.
I can show you YouTube videos and an XDA thread from November 2014 (just after release) showing Droid Turbo running on AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint. The Droid Turbo is not and has never been carrier locked.
No Verizon postpaid LTE phones are carrier locked (since 2012), or Verizon would have to pay hefty fines.
There's a lot of ignorance about carrier locked and bootloader lock. Many people don't know the difference. Plus Verizon infamously used to carrier lock their contract/postpaid phones (but haven't for about 5 years).
And yes, if you search the internet you will find a lot of those ignorant comments. Even here on XDA we had to educate people.

ChazzMatt said:
he's wrong. No Verizon postpaid LTE phones have been carrier locked since 2012 FCC agreement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting.
Well, he doesn't seem sure if it's locked or not. I asked him to head over to Verizon and see if it's locked and, if that's the case, to tell me the unlock-fee. He just said that he's not familiar with the process and that he won't do it. As for me, I probably won't be able to do anything with the unlocking process since I'm in Europe. He's in the US.
I'm committed to buying it but If all fails and it's indeed locked, are my hands tied or am I able to do something from my end when it arrives?
Thanks again.

inkmars said:
Interesting.
Well, he doesn't seem sure if it's locked or not. I asked him to head over to Verizon and see if it's locked and, if that's the case, to tell me the unlock-fee. He just said that he's not familiar with the process and that he won't do it. As for me, I probably won't be able to do anything with the unlocking process since I'm in Europe. He's in the US.
I'm committed to buying it but If all fails and it's indeed locked, are my hands tied or am I able to do something from my end when it arrives?
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My comments stand. Search here on XDA for Droid Turbo on other carriers. I'll try to find a post.
---------- Post added at 08:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 AM ----------
Here you go:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/droid-turbo/help/psa-droid-turbo-att-network-t3448833/page1
I know that post talks about AT&T a lot, but the point is the Droid Turbo has NEVER been carrier locked. But a lot of people think Verizon still does that. They're not allowed to, as a specific condition for having access to more LTE spectrum.

I didn't even think it was possible, so it didn't cross my mind to search for it. My bad!
Thanks for all the info!

inkmars said:
Found an XT1254 in great condition but the seller states it's carrier locked in Verizon. There's no way past that and make it work in Europe with other carriers, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no such thing as a carrier locked XT1254. Verizon is legally required to keep them carrier unlocked per an agreement they have with the FCC, and I'm pretty sure that asshole who runs the FCC hasn't gotten around to dismantling that requirement yet.
EDIT: Oops, missed a whole page of discussion. Ignore me.

Just bought the XT1254 that I mentioned earlier. Will do a follow-up when it's here and all's good. Thank you everyone.

inkmars said:
then there's the XT1225 that's the International version Moto Maxx/Moto Droid Turbo.
There are absolutely no more XT1225 online to buy as far as I searched
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was why I bought my third XT1225 new in the box back in early 2016 -- as a backup phone, just so something like this wouldn't happen. I bought it while there was still a little supply available on eBay.
My wife and I have the other two as daily phones.
That third phone still new in the box. Whenever I decide to sell it, someone will be very lucky.

ChazzMatt said:
This was why I bought my third XT1225 new in the box back in early 2016 -- as a backup phone, just so something like this wouldn't happen. I bought it while there was still a little supply available on eBay.
My wife and I have the other two as daily phones.
That third phone still new in the box. Whenever I decide to sell it, someone will be very lucky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I realized I woke up too late to get a .25 or even .54s that are new in the box. Got the 2014 X back in 2015...time flew fast.
I would I'm planning on getting a 2nd one at some point soon...and the xt1225 would be better Promise I'd take care of it as if it was my baby.

Updating
1st XT1254 arrived yesterday with 5.1 official. Will probably settle in a few days, then take the OTA to MM since I heard there are some battery improvements there too so it won't hurt. Soon after I'll Sunshine it and move on to cr most probably.
Factory reset it and popped in my Vodafone SIM from my Moto X2 and after a few seconds I got 4G without any settings changes on my end. 'Global' was already set by default so that was probably why it worked straight away.
Googled beforehand that Vodafone uses Band 3 and 20 here. Out of the ones that the XT1254 supports, only Band 3 is a match. So far I can't seem to notice any drawbacks from having only one out of two available 4G Bands, so all's good.
I ordered a 2nd XT1254 soon after the first one as I found even a better price and at 64GB instead of 32GB. This one will arrive this Tuesday and I'm optimistic it will be smooth sailing regarding Carrier/4G compatibility like with the 1st Droid.
Just out of curiosity I went into SIM Status to check the signal strength and compare it to my Moto X2 which has an amazing coverage. They're both sitting at -96.
So for anyone having doubts about Verizon Droid Turbo XT1254 working to its fullest in Europe or anywhere else besides The U.S, just check your Carrier's supported 3G/4G bands and see if you have any match.
Any SIM card other than Verizon will work just as well as with a Verizon one. Only thing that you'll get is a notification every time you reboot the phone stating that the inserted SIM is not from Verizon. Dismiss and get going.
One other thing you'll want to check if you have issues calling someone is to head over in to the Dialer Settings and search for that one thing that will add prefix to the phone number (I forgot its name, but you'll find it easily). Even if you set the correct country you're in, you still might have issues calling. Just disable it so that it won't add any prefixes and you're good to go.
Thanks a lot @ChazzMatt and @TheSt33v for all the help.

inkmars said:
I ordered a 2nd XT1254 soon after the first one as I found even a better price and at 64GB instead of 32GB. This one will arrive this Tuesday and I'm optimistic it will be smooth sailing regarding Carrier/4G compatibility like with the 1st Droid.
Any SIM card other than Verizon will work just as well as with a Verizon one. Only thing that you'll get is a notification every time you reboot the phone stating that the inserted SIM is not from Verizon. Dismiss and get going.
Soon after I'll Sunshine it and move on to cr most probably.
Thanks a lot @ChazzMatt and @TheSt33v for all the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to be of help!
You'll like 64GB much better. Besides extra storage, all the 64GB Quarks have ballistic nylon + kevlar underneath, not just the kevlar backing.
I'm pretty sure installing custom ROM will take care of the Verizon annoyance SIM card notification.

Any Development For Straight Talk Variant Of Moto G6?

Hello, i just got this phone (Moto G6) and it is straight talk branded. Does anyone know if there is any available TWRP, root, or anything like that possible for this model (XT1925DL)?

hydroman202 said:
Hello, i just got this phone (Moto G6) and it is straight talk branded. Does anyone know if there is any available TWRP, root, or anything like that possible for this model (XT1925DL)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I can gather it is the same as a regular G6, but don't hold me to it. I believe there is root, but no TWRP, there are no Roms(although GSI's will work to some extent or another), and probably will never be any real development for this phone.

I'm gonna bump this because I'm thinking about one of these from Walmart. Any more thoughts/updatez on root?
Thanks,
Rich

I would just go to Best buy and buy a retail unlocked. I'm not sure the bootloader is unlockable on the DL. It'll work just fine on any of the straight talk networks.

I have the Total Wireless version of the DL, which I assume is the same as Straight Talk, since they're both Tracfone CDMA services. I can confirm that the bootloader cannot be unlocked on this model - they won't give you a code on the Motorola bootloader unlocking website. On the bright side, I paid only $108 after applying a 40% discount code from Groupon to the $179 that TW charges for the G6, and TW is offering a $35/mo 7.5 GB plan if you port a number. So far, pretty nice phone for the $ and TW service beats the hell out of the AT&T service I moved from, at least in my area. Also, mobile hotspot is enabled, contrary to some reports I had read online.

Thanks for the info. I got one from Walmart and of course it went on sale after I bought it. Rules of the game... anyway, I didn't even care about the carrier as I just wanna use it as a nice capable wi-fi mini-tablet, as it were, since 7 inch tabs now are junk. So I put it in airplane and turn wifi on.
Anyways, with all my apps loaded and using Adguard, it works fine with no lagging and most bloatware is disableable via settings so no complaints here.
Rich