The Samsung Galaxy S24
Maintainin's profile

Tutor

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10 Messages

Saturday, September 16th, 2017 12:13 AM

Question on unlocking ATT Galaxy S8+

Hi, I just unlocked my Galaxy S8+ thru ATT. I have never done this before and am a little confused on how this works when selling the phone to someone else. I plan on selling the phone on swappa. So I went thru the unlock procedure. ATT sent me an email saying they accepted my unlock request and the email contained an unlock code. When is this code used? Is it used when a different sim is installed in the phone? If so wouldn’t the person I sold the phone to need this code for when they install their sim? Thanks

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

ACE - Expert

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6.6K Messages

7 years ago

You should use this code to unlock the phone yourself. Simplest way is to borrow a T-Mobile SIM card and enter the code when prompted. AT&T has given out wrong codes on more that one occasion, so you definitely want to make sure your code is correct before selling our phone as unlocked, otherwise there may be some embarrassment. Once the phone is unlocked it should stay unlocked.

Tutor

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10 Messages

7 years ago

I don’t know anyone on t mobile.

ACE - Expert

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6.6K Messages

7 years ago

I don't know if all stores are the same, but when I was unlocking my wife's first iPhone a few years ago I just went into a local T-Mobile store, explained my situation and asked to borrow their demo SIM for a minute. 

Tutor

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10 Messages

7 years ago

Great idea. I may also just stop by ATT store and see what they can do. At the very least maybe they got a t mobile sim or something I can use. Thanks for your help!

Contributor

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2 Messages

6 years ago

The AT&T rep at the store told me to go to the AT&T device unlock portal and I did, but when I filled out the request...putting in the IMEI, it asked me to pay the phone off in total.  I did not want to do that.  I simply have not used the phone for a couple of weeks forgot the security code I used to lock the phone.

Tutor

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1 Message

6 years ago

 pinckbel2, 

 

I'm making an accont here JUST to reply to your comment haha 🙂 

Unlocking a phone from a carrier's network

and Unlocking a phone using a passcode/PINcode like you're metioning are two different things. 

This is something people often seem to get confused, but there are many different ways a phone can be locked: 

 

>>Network Locked as in ony allowed to be used on one mobile network carrier (e.g. AT&T) -  By law, all phones are legally allowed to be unlocked by the owner once they actually own the phone (i.e. no longer making payments towards phone balance, met prepaid phones' stupilations, etc)

 

>>Password Locked - Locked by Password, Pincode, Swipe Patten, Knock, Picture, Iris Scan, Finger Scan etc. so that someone without the method of identifying as the phone owner cant' acess the owner's info - or oftentimes the network will have the account holder pick a passcode or password, so that an unauthorized whoever can't access the customer's account 

 

>> Google Locked / FRP Locked - with newer versino of Android OS, when a phone is reset without logging out of the Accounts logger into to (most oftentimes happens when stolen phone is hard reset in an attempt to wipe the data), the Factory Reset Protection (or similar) will kick in, which requires the user to input their Google, Samsung or other credentials to prove they had authorizatoin to wipe that phone (like Apple iCloud/Activation Lock) . 

 

When you requested to Carrier-Unlock your phone, you were probably asked to pay off your total balance because you do not legally own the phone yet.

 

It's like making payments towards a car-note. Until the balance is paid off and the title is transferred to you, the financor (bank? Autoloan company? the car dealer?) technically owns the car. Right now you are asking Toyota give you the green light to get Honda double-wishbone suspension installed in your... Corolla... Well you can probably get away with this in cars, but you get the idea. 

Another issue is that oftentimes now phone carriers offer what's essentially a Lease, or Lease-to-own on the phone, with a contractual fixed buyout price already established. Now, most of have heard the leasing a car is a ripoff. But when you talk to a autodealer's rep (or a phone store's rep), it will make a lot of sense to lease it instead of buying it. Esp the option of that fixed buyout cost - that you can sell it for more than you will anywhere else at that time as a consumer... But keep in mind that typically a lease will not really work in your favor. Nor will that fixed price later. Because the amount a car or phone will depreciate is very predictable, and this contractually allows the company to actually buy used car/phone from you in great shape (because you had to keep it in certain condition according to the contract or you pay for it) for a lot less than they could buy a similar car/phone of that condition in that future market! 

Esp cheap phones, really doesn't make any sense to fiance / make payment towards, even with technically no interest. 

The only time it's worth leasing a car or phone IMO is when you really want an expensive model (so you can STUNT) and are okay of the fact that it's not a monetary investment, but only an investment in yourself and in how you feel (FLY), and are OKAY with paying for it, as long as it's not as much as you COULD pay for it. Oftentimes luxury cars depreciate so quickly in value, that it can make sense to "let the bank take the deprecation" during the lease term.  

Again, knowing that a car or a phone by itself will almost never be a (good) investment. But as long as you justify the cost, then all is good. 

I tangented.... Hope that helps with... Anything. 

Contributor

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2 Messages

6 years ago

Oneseatleboy,

By far, that was the most comprehensive explanations I have ever received. I get it. I understand it. Thank you for taking the time to break it down. I read some of the previous responses and didn’t see a solution to my problem, felt I was wasting my time, but I probably didn’t explain it well enough. Thanks for giving me a much needed, clearer understanding. I now know exactly what to.
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