Knowing whether or not your Samsung phone is network locked can come handy in certain situations. One such situations can be the time when you’re trying to buy a preowned phone. Learn what network unlocked means and other things related to it.
Please note: unlocking issues can sometimes be solved with a soft reset. To perform a soft reset, press and hold down the power and volume down keys until the screen turn black and the Samsung logo appears. Your phone will restart and you can try unlocking it again. That means you can only switch CDMA phones with your carrier’s permission. What really matters is the type of network prior to the merge. If the network infrastructure was CDMA from the very beginning, so it will be after the business merge, because of its initial infrastructure. Note: we do not unlock CDMA phones.
What does network unlocked mean?
Samsung devices are usually made-to-order by carriers. This means that Samsung build their devices according to specifications of carriers that buy them. In some cases, “global” or “universal” or “international” Samsung devices may be built for those wanting to have a generally “generic” device. Carrier-branded devices show the logo of the carrier and is generally custom made for its services. Thus, you’ll see that Verizon Samsung devices have the Verizon logo on them as well as Verizon proprietary apps installed. A modified Android firmware by Verizon is also installed on the device, which is also tailored for Verizon specifications. Such specifications include Verizon-specific network configuration too. This means that the phone may not work with other networks. This is what network locked means. Fortunately, most Verizon devices are network unlocked these days so they may work right off the bat if you use them in compatible network.
How to check if your Samsung phone is network locked
There are two ways to check if your Samsung device is network locked or not.
Method 1: Insert a different SIM from another carrier
This is the easiest way to know if your Samsung device is network locked or not. SIM card is carrier-specific so if another one is inserted to your phone and shows one of the messages below, it’s not unlocked at all. Your Samsung phone is network locked if it shows these messages:
- SIM Network Unlock PIN
- Enter Network Lock Control Key
- Network Locked
In some cases, “Emergency calls only” will be shown on the status bar to indicate the same situation.
Once you inserted a valid SIM card to the phone, try to place a call and see what happens. Make sure to take note of the error if you get one. You can then use Google to search for the meaning of the said error. Normally, if the SIM card works and your phone has been unlocked properly, your first call should go through without a problem.
Method 2: Use the Phone dialer
For some select Samsung devices, dialing this code will show you if it’s network locked or not: *#7465625#
If your phone shows an a screen with these three items, check out the explanations below to know what each of them means:
[ ] Network lock
[ ] Subset lock
[ ] SP lock
How To Unlock Samsung Cdma Phone Samsung
If all three items are indicated as OFF, then your Samsung phone must be network unlocked.
If Network lock says ON, then your Samsung device is network locked.
If Subset lock is ON, then your Samsung device has to be unlocked and requires a code from the original carrier.
If SP lock is ON, then your Samsung device has to be unlocked and requires a code from the service provider. Some third party retail shops can provide you this code.
If nothing happens when you dial *#7465625# you can assume that your phone’s firmware does not allow the code, or its service menu has been disabled.
What network unlocked is NOT
Having a network unlocked device does not mean it’s fully compatible with any other networks out there. Network unlock is only a modification at the software level to allow the device to use another network. If your Samsung device is network unlocked but its hardware is not compatible with the network you’re trying to connect to, it will not work. Any Samsung device has a specific radio frequency so if the other network has a different frequency band, your phone won’t be able to “talk” to the tower at all.
A network unlocked Samsung phone also does not mean that all features in the device can work normally. For example, a lot of Verizon devices may not allow MMS or has trouble with mobile data when used outside Verizon networks. This is because Verizon’s software is coded differently and sometimes, there’s no way to modify them effectively.
Other reasons why a phone may be network locked
Aside from the fact that carriers may not voluntarily unlock their device, other factors may come at play.
Unsettled bills. This is a common reason for many network locked phones sold online. Some people may want to get rid of their phones and sell them online to ignorant users. The thing is, many of phones being sold online are carrier-branded with unpaid bills associated with them. In other words, the original owner may have intentionally tried to sell their phones despite the fact that they haven’t fully paid their subscription yet. If that’s the case, an unwitting buyer may find out too late that their purchased device may not be used in their own network because it still needs to be unlocked by the original carrier.
Blacklisted. In some cases, phones may be reported as stolen or lost by their original owner. This will prompt the carrier to blacklist the said device. If a device is blacklisted, it can no longer use any cellular services like texts, calls, or mobile data. Before you buy any preowned Samsung device, be sure to check if its IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number or ESN (Electronic Serial number) is blacklisted. You can either use a website to check it, or contact the original carrier.
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One of the biggest problems faced by Samsung phone users is finding their SIM locked to a specific network. This is something that is beneficial for individual networks as it permits them to provide subsidized commercial services to their customers. On the other hand, it tends to be a bad news for the users, as they cannot get any assurance whether a new SIM card will work on their phone or not. In most of the cases, the phone is locked if you bought it from wireless network provider, such as Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint.
To unlock a Samsung Galaxy phone, you have to provide the correct unlock code once you inserted new SIM card. In this article, I will introduce 3 different ways to get the phone unlocked.
Part 1: How to Unlock Samsung Phone SIM Card for Free
To get the maximum benefit from its paying customer, each network operator tries its best to utilize the most sophisticated encryption technology to protect the phone being used with other service providers. To unlock a phone from a specific carrier, the most secure way is to submit a support ticket asking for a unlock pin. If you are qualified to such a request, then they will send the code to you within 4 business days. If you got the code from them, it is a legit code for 100% sure. Here are the unlokcing policy for Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, please check it accordingly.
The fact is that it will be very hard to receive unlocking code from the carrier because they have very strict policy towards such behavior. So if the carrier refused to offer the code, then keep reading and follow the suggestions in below.
Part 2: How to SIM Unlock Samsung Phone from Online Website
When you enter the keyword in search engines, you will find a lot of online websites offering SIM unlocking services. Unlike the method mentioned above, which knows how to generate the right code for each phone, those services are using computer programs to guess out the right code.
The whole process is like this: you have to select the phone mode and wireless carrier first. Then input IMEI number of the phone. The website will lead you to a new page, which tells you the phone can be unlocked or not. If the answer is Yes, you have to pay around 30 USD to get the unlock code. You can’ tell the code is correct or not. So I did a test with 3 websites and all of the codes failed to work on my Galaxy S6. You should be very careful if you chose to purchase such a service.
Part 3: How to SIM Unlock Samsung Phone with Unlocking Software
The third way is using SIM unlocking software. This is much secure and the whole process is under your control. One of the most effective software is called Android SIM Unlock, which comes with some attractive features like simple unlocking process with permanent results. It supports more than 400 Samsung devices and possibility operates in more than 60 countries. In addition, there is no damage to the data stored on your phone. With this desktop software, you can simply unlock your Samsung phone just within 10 minutes. Here is the step-by-step guide on how to unlock Samsung phone sim card with this software.
Step 1 Download and Install Android SIM Unlock
Initially, you will have to download the desktop software to a Windows computer. The Mac version is still under development. Then, install the program on the computer and open it. Click 'More Tools' on left sidebar and select 'Android SIM Unlock'.
Step 2 Connect Samsung Galaxy Phone to Computer
Once the installation is completed, you will have to connect Samsung phone to the computer through USB. In here, you should make sure USB Debugging is enabled. It is better to check the battery is more than 20% before clicking the 'Unlock' button to allow the software analyzing the phone.
Step 3 Follow On-screen Instructions to Unlock Samsung Galaxy Phone
For Samsung Galaxy S3 to S7, you have to root the phone first due to the new technology restrictions, which will dramatically increase the success rate. Once the phone was recognized by the program, click 'Unlock' button to start the unlocking process. The Samsung Galaxy phone will be unlocked in a few minutes.
For other Samsung devices, there is no need to root the phone. Once the phone being detected, click 'Next' button. Then there are detailed instructions on the screen telling you how to do next.
Now, open the dial app on the phone and type *#0808# or ##3424# or #9090#. One of them should work for the phone. The phone will be prompted to new screen after inputting the code. The option is different for different modes. Please choose DM + MODEM + ADB or UART[*] or CDMA MODEM on the phone. Finally, click on 'Unlock' button to begin the unlocking service.
This desktop software works by analyzing the locking methodology on the SIM Card and will select the suitable method to unlock Android phone or tablet after analyzing the device. Just wait for some time for the software to complete the unlocking process successfully. If you wish to check whether the unlocking has been successfully completed, you can do this by inserting a SIM from a different carrier to find whether the phone accepts the new SIM.
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