AT&T Community Forums

Enable Mobile Hotspot for Europe on Unlocked ATT Phone

We just upgraded our phone and unlocked the old unused phone, because we want to use it on a European Trip. I've read that people have been successfully taking unlocked android phones, buying a European SIM and using the phone both for calls and as a hot spot while in Europe.

The phone that we unlocked is an ATT Galaxy Note 2. It has the ATT hotspot software on it. I don't have a European sim to try at the moment. However, I'm worried that the ATT software won't allow the hotspot to be turned on once we get there. It wants to check the account to verify that using the phone as a hot spot is on the account.

I'd really like to get this all set now before we leave. Please help me to know what needs to be done so that we can use our old phone as we need to for our trip.

Responses

artbytes

Mentor

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57 Messages

9 years ago

That's great to know. Are you able to tether?

After all my work prepping my phone, I didn't get to use it in Italy. The plan for visitors allowed for phone calls and 2 GB of data but not for tethering. Or, you could get 5 GB of data for a mobile hotspot. I ended up using the 2nd option with an unlocked mobile hotspot device. It worked well and was easy to carry around with me so that my phone got data from the hotspot.

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mendoS5

Tutor

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4 Messages

9 years ago

no tether, no hotspot, no update with Kies 3 to android 5

If i put AT&T SIM, will update work in germany with W-Lan?

Is in Android 5 the Hotspot-Problem solved?

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artbytes

Mentor

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57 Messages

9 years ago

I would think it would be worth it to try updating by using the ATT SIM and Kies. Just be sure that you are on wifi.

I doubt that the updated operating system will help with enabling tethering, though, if the ATT software that checks on the plan to see if it allows tethering is still present and the mobile plan does not allow it. I don't think it would hurt to try, though. You'll probably update anyway.

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FreeIndependent

Contributor

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3 Messages

9 years ago

The AT&T employee who replied and marked the topic as "SOLVED" has no idea about AT&T software restrictions on the devices. Even if you unlock an AT&T phone you still cannot use the phone's mobile hotspot feature. I'm having the very same problem for 2 months, abroad now.
I have 2, fully paid, and unlocked AT&T phones, and I am using them in Europe with a local SIM card, however, the old AT&T settings, and restrictions still do not allow me to use the devices' mobile hotspot feature. I downloaded an app to override AT&T settings, it worked on Galaxy Note 1 but did not help with Galasxy S3. I still don't know how to solve this issue.

QUOTE:
"

Hi there @artbytes

I’d be happy to help with your international device usage!

The AT&T Mobile Hotspot software/feature can only be used on the AT&T network. In order to use a device as a personal hotspot outside the AT&T network, the device’s own hotspot features, if available, must be used.

I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Thanks,

Charise"
END OF QUOTE

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artbytes

Mentor

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57 Messages

9 years ago

Hi FreeIndependent,

Yes, even though you have unlocked the phone and are using SIM from a foreign carrier that allows use of the mobile hotspot, the software on the phone wants to connect to ATT to check the type of account you have. You have to get rid of that software. What I finally did was to totally redo all of the software on the phone. I had to root the phone, and then install a new ROM. I found the instructions on line. It went very smoothly.

I used Saferoot to Root the phone. Loaded from my computer onto the phone. I needed the Samsung drivers for that.

Then got TWRP Manager from the Play Store. It made backups and then could clean the caches, restore to factory and install new ROM's and apps.

After you clean the phone, you can load the files for the new ROM and the Google apps on to the phone. Then, you install them from TWRP manager.

There are some videos on Rooting and then Using TWRP and Installing a new ROM on YouTube. There're really good and easy to follow. See the links below.

One thing you have to be careful of is not to go backwards in Operating systems, and to be sure and use a ROM meant for your exact phone model. Otherwise, you can brick your phone.

After I got all of that done, I could turn on my mobile wifi, and even connect to it with my computer. I never could before.

YouTube videos that I used:

Hope this helps.

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artbytes

Mentor

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57 Messages

9 years ago

I just went back and reread some of the old posts. I realized that I was talking about 2 different phones without explaining. I was first trying to use my husbands old Galaxy Note 2. When that didn't work, I went to my old Galaxy S3. The phone that I did get to work, finally, was the Galaxy S3.

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