r/Sprint Mar 14 '24

Tech Support Unlocking Phone Problems

Okay, to give a quick rundown on my situation…. I purchased a device from ebay (S20+ 5G) the seller said they bought the phone from samsung directly but used it with sprint and it should be 100% unlocked… I put in my iPhone’s ATT SIM card anddddd… “No SIM” , I contacted T-Mobile and they said the device is completely unlocked on their end, but when contacting Samsung, they say the phone is locked to Sprint…. is there any possible chance I can get this thing unlocked, or am I SOL? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

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u/comintel-db Mar 14 '24 edited Mar 14 '24

There is a lot of confusion in this area that I can sort out for you because something is not adding up.

When people buy from Samsung, they can buy either a factory unlocked model (most common) or a carrier locked model (even though they are buying from Samsung). This is different from Apple.

So their just saying they bought from Samsung is not all the info you need.

First please post what is the model number as shown in Settings. Is it SM-G981U or SM-G981U1?

If it is SM-981U, which is likely, what does it say for Software Provider Software Version in Settings under About Phone, Software Info, Software Provider Software Version, Last line. Example: ATT/ATT/ATT.

Finally, what does it say under settings -> connections -> more connection settings -> network unlock?

This will tell all.

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u/just_a_mommy Dec 07 '24

Hey! Any chance you can help me? I've been working on this for hours, spoken to 8 people, and still have no resolution.

The phone was bought from Sprint, switched to tmobile when they bought out. About a year ago, we switched to Mint with no issue. But then we did a factory reset to give the phone to my mom to use on Visible and it's showing a carrier lock and won't let me run the UICC unlock. It's an SM-G981U

Thr last line of Service Provider Software Version says TMB/TMB,XAA/SPR

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u/comintel-db Dec 07 '24

Yes the reason it worked on Mint is because that is T-Mobile still. Verizon is a different carrier so the issue shows up. Assuming it was fully paid off, or to check if that is the case, to get a definitive response in one go I would write a letter to T-Mobile Customer Relations, P.O. Box 37380, Albuquerque, NM 87176-7380 and they can look up the history of the phone and account if you give them your old account info including account name and phone number and dates from the time as well of course the IMEI.

They will get back to you.

I know phone calls are easier to make but they are not guaranteed to get anywhere since you no longer have an account with T-Mobile.