Help me help you: RE Phone Unlocking FAQ !

Columba Rad

I'm in the middle of doing up a F.A.Q on mobile phone unlocking for the FAQ thread.

Could people please post up some questions that may be asked?

TIA

Rsaeire

Columba Rad wrote: »

I'm in the middle of doing up a F.A.Q on mobile phone unlocking for the FAQ thread.

Could people please post up some questions that may be asked?

TIA

1. How do I unlock my handset?

2. Can I unlock my handset myself?

3. Do I have to pay to unlock my handset and if so, how much is it?

4. I bought a handset from the UK and it is locked, how do I go about unlocking it?

5. Once a handset is unlocked, can it be locked again?

Tom Dunne

I think it should direct all iPhone unlock queries to the Apple Media Devices forum.

Can't be having such a discussion tarnishing such a quality FAQ.

long_b

I bought a phone in UK/US/on the moon - will it work with X network ?

pirelli

Where is the lock on the mobile phone?
Where can you get keys cut in case you lose the key?

kathor

can I use a NAC code from a different network in Ireland (eg. Vodafone) then the one that the phone is locked to (eg. 3) to unlock it?

Columba Rad

Thanks guys, I'll get working on those

Columba Rad

Guys/gals if you've unlocked your phone yourself using software you bought online or sites you used to get codes from etc please post them here.

Columba Rad

Ok, what you think so far? Did I miss anything? All comments are welcome.

Mobile Phone Unlocking F.A.Q

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Q: What is phone unlocking?

A: Phone unlocking is the process of removing the lock placed on your phone by your network provider (O2, Vodafone, 3 etc). This can be done by unlock codes or by cable, software & an unlocking box or with an X-Sim, Rebel Sim, Turbo Sim, Universal Sim etc.

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Q: How do I tell if a phone is locked?

A: Put a sim card from another network in your phone, if you get the following message, your phone is locked;

• Sony Ericsson phones say Insert correct sim card.
• Nokia Symbian S60 phones say Invalid Sim.
• Nokia S40 phones say Enter Restriction code.
• Motorola phones say Enter subsidy code.
• iPhones will say Invalid Sim.
• Phones on the 3 network will often say Insert USIM.
• Other phones like NEC & Alcatel will ask you for a NCK code.

If you're having a problem and the phone doesn't give that message, the problem isn't the phone being locked.

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Q: Why is my phone locked?

A: Networks place this lock on your phone because they've subsidised the price of the phone, for example you could buy a phone sim free (not tied to a network) for say €350, but you could buy it for €250 on a particular network. But this cheaper price comes with its down sides, for example you won't be able to use another network sim card in the phone & the phone most likely will be branded with their network software.

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Q: How can I unlock my phone?


A: There are many ways to unlock your phone;

1. The simplest way is to call the network the phone is locked too and ask them for the unlocking code, for them to give you the unlock code you must have an account with them, and usually you must also have spent €120+ on the account since you got the phone. The best thing is to ring them, as they have given unlock codes to customers for a lot less, it all really depends on the network. And the 3 network have an extra fee of about €27, to cover administration fees.
2. Phone unlocking shops, there are many of them in Ireland. They charge a variety of prices depending on the make & model of the phone that needs to be unlocked. It's usually cheaper to get a phone unlocked in a phone unlocking shop than paying €120+ to get your unlock code from the network. Phone unlocking shops use a variety of unlocking equipment to unlock phones including unlocking boxes, these connect to a PC and from the box a cable connects to your phone, like this. These unlocking boxes range from €200 up-wards, so it's not really economic to purchase one just to unlock one or two phones. The cost of unlocking a phone in an unlocking shop depends on the phone and the shop of course.
3. X-Sim, Rebel Sim, Turbo Sim, Universal Sim etc. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo_SIM & http://www.universal-sim.org/.
4. For iPhone unlocking, please visit the Apple Media Devices forum.

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Q: Can I unlock my phone myself?

A: It depends on the make and model of your phone. It's a lot more difficult nowadays to get free unlocking codes, these days you can usually only get the unlock code from the network themselves. There are online sites who offer unlocking codes at a price, but be very wary of these, most of them will not be able to provide you with your unlock code at all and may not offer you a refund. Phone unlocking shops are usually the cheapest & fasted option.


Here is a list of sites you may find useful;

• GsmEvolution.com: Free Nokia Unlock Code Generator - WorldUnlock v4.4 : Warning, this Free Nokia code generator is for old Nokia phones, ie phones 3/4 years old. You only get 3 chances to input the correct code, if you use up the 3 chances you may need to send it back to the manufacturer or a phone unlocking shop will be able to sort it for you.
• DaVinci Team : Sony Ericsson Unlocking - http://davinciteam.eu/index.html
• MotoUnlockNow.com : Motorola Unlocking Codes - http://www.motounlocknow.com/imeiunlock.htm
• Mobile phone unlocking shops, (Google search in Ireland).
• More will be added

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Q: Once a phone is unlocked, can it be locked again?

A: Yes, it is possible. If you've unlocked your phone via an unlock code, keep this unlocking code written down somewhere safe as you may need it again. Your phone can re-lock if you start messing with it, ie flashing it with firmware/software, if you happen to re-lock your phone the original unlock code should save you. If you got your phone unlocked in a phone unlocking shop, you should ask them if your particular phone could re-lock and what not to do to re-lock it. Also ask them to make a back-up of the unlock file they have done, this will save you paying the full price again if you re-lock the phone, but a lot of unlocking shops will not offer this or even know they can do this, the back-up mostly concerns Nokia BB5+ phones.

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Q: I want to buy a phone that's on X network in Y country, will it work here in Ireland on the Z network?

A: 99% of the time no, every network in every country has its own lock, ie a Vodafone Ireland sim will not work in a Vodafone UK phone. The phone would need to be unlocked for the Vodafone Ireland sim card to work in the Vodafone UK phone.

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Q: I have some NAC codes left to use from Vodafone Ireland - will I be able to use them to unlock a phone from a different network?

A: You can only use your Vodafone Ireland NAC codes to unlock Vodafone Ireland phones, and usually you'd have to spend €120+ on the account first.



More to come.....

Sam Vimes

How to tell if your phone is locked. Put a sim card from another network in and:

Sony Ericsson phones say Insert correct sim card

Nokia Symbian S60 phones say Invalid Sim

Nokia S40 phones say Enter Restriction code

Motorola phones say Enter subsidy code

If you're having a problem and the phone doesn't give that message, the problem isn't the phone being locked

mk6705

It may be worth mentioning some phones also have USIM locks, which can make the process trickier.

Columba Rad

Thanks Vimes, I've entered those in above.

Adro947, I don't think that's a major problem with unlocking phones, for example the 3 network use USIMs only, meaning their sim cards are 3G only, if a phone make & model is unlockable, the network it's on doesn't really come into it.

Soundman

If you have bought a phone on Vodafone and it is BillPay, you can go and log in to your My Vodafone page and get your NAC code from there to unlock it. I don't think you need to have spent any money since getting the phone as I did it with my new SE C902 within an hour after purchasing it.

keyboardcook

This is a superb thread. Wll done.

Another good FAQ:

Is the unlock code for a particular model of handset the same for all of those handsets attached to the Network? (EG: Is the unlock code for my Nokia E51 on Vodafone, the same as all E51's on Vodafone?)

I actually don't know the answer!!:D

grey squirrel

Q Will debranding my phone for example by replacing existing operator firmware with the manufacturer generic firware unlock my phone?

Q What is the difference between a PUK and NAC and under what circumstances would I use either one?

Q Does every locked phone have a different unlocking code and would an unlocking code I got for one phone unlock another?

Q I've come across unlock code generating software on the internet eg Crux calculator. If I enter the IMEI and network / country of my Nokia N96, will the codes work? If not why not?

Mimikyu

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Mimikyu

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Mimikyu

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Tom Dunne

Great feedback, guys, thanks.

I'll add this to the FAQ, em, at some stage today. Maybe when the sun goes in.

Henne220

Columba Rad wrote: »

Adro947, I don't think that's a major problem with unlocking phones, for example the 3 network use USIMs only, meaning their sim cards are 3G only, if a phone make & model is unlockable, the network it's on doesn't really come into it.

Hi Columba, their actually are some '3 network' lg phones ,for example U890, that even if unlocked with a code will not work with meteor or older sim cards. They need to be flashed with generic firmware to be able to read non 3g sims. AKA 64k sims.

Regards.