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Cellular Phone Forum / Providers / T-Mobile / January 2006What to say to get T-Mobile to unlock my phone?
Hi, My contract is nearing its end. I'm told that I should have the phone unlocked so I can sell it or take it to another carrier. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'll have more options with an unlock phone. What do I say when I call in? What will they give me? A code to enter into the phone? How do I know if the phone is unlocked or locked? Thanks, John I believe the term is "SIM Subsidy Unlock" or something similar. Basically, just ask customer care to have the phone unlocked. They'll know what you mean. If they ask why, just say that you'll be going overseas and would like to be able to use a local SIM when you get there. They will e-mail instructions to you as to how to unlock the phone. It will contain an unlock code unique to your phone. As far as increasing the phone's value for resale, that is doubtful. I've met numerous people that bought "unlocked" phones on e-bay. Few were actually unlocked. I don't think too many people actually believe that line anymore (except in New Jersey, arm pit of the nation). Storm > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanks, > John > I believe the term is "SIM Subsidy Unlock" or something similar. > Basically, just ask customer care to have the phone unlocked. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > They will e-mail instructions to you as to how to unlock the phone. > It will contain an unlock code unique to your phone. Well, I requested an unlock for my V330 and I recieved a canned reply telling me what condition I have to meet (all of which I have met) and asking for certain info, such as the IMEI number, etc., that can identify me as the real owner of that phone. I emailed that info over a week ago and I still haven't heard from them. That would be that famous customer service they like to brag about in their ads? Rudy > Well, I requested an unlock for my V330 and I recieved a canned > reply telling me what condition I have to meet (all of which I have > met) and asking for certain info, such as the IMEI number, etc., that > can identify me as the real owner of that phone. More likely as current t-mobile customer. And other info is to identify the phone itself, so that they can generate an unlock code for you (usually you need phone model, IMEI and name of carrier to which it's locked just to get the code right, not to identify the owner). When I once requested the code from t-mobile it was not even for a phone I owned (did it for friend who just signed up and had to go overseas). They didn't care, I just told them I borrowed this phone for a 2 week trip. > I emailed that info over a > week ago and I still haven't heard from them. That would be that > famous customer service they like to brag about in their ads? This is rather an exception from the rule. All cases I heard of (including personal experience) the reply came within a few days. Where exactly did you e-mail the info - did t-mobile ask you to e-mail it? AFAIK they no longer accept e-mail requests for unlocking. You have to give them info over the phone with your e-mail address, and they'll e-mail you the code... LEM (remove all digits from address for direct reply) >AFAIK they no longer accept e-mail requests for unlocking. Direct email no. But if you go to the T-Mobile web site and go to the comments/questions page you can ask for the unlock code there. They will get back to you and ask you some questions (such as IMEI, reason for unlock etc.) and when you provide the information they will email you back with the relevant information. - - > Direct email no. But if you go to the T-Mobile web site and go to the > comments/questions page you can ask for the unlock code there. They > will get back to you and ask you some questions (such as IMEI, reason > for unlock etc.) and when you provide the information they will email > you back with the relevant information. That's exactly how I requested it and I received then an email reply from somebody named Carla, requesting all that additional info which I then provided in the return email. R. P. Ask Cingular the same thing and see what kind of customer service they give you. If you don't want to wait for T-Mobile to give you the information, there are plenty of other sources to get your phone unlocked. The only difference is you have to pay for it from other sources. Just be patient, or pay for it. >> I believe the term is "SIM Subsidy Unlock" or something similar. >> Basically, just ask customer care to have the phone unlocked. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >Rudy >As far as increasing the phone's value for resale, that is doubtful. Hardly. If a phone only works on T-Mobile it's not as valuable as a phone that can work on any GSM network. Having it locked to T-Mobile will mean that you will have only interest from someone who needs a T-Mobile compatible phone. If it's compatible with any network you'll have a much larger pool of people who may be interested. - - Once it's unlocked will he be able to use the phone on the Cingular network? >>As far as increasing the phone's value for resale, that is doubtful. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > - - >Once it's unlocked will he be able to use the phone on the Cingular network? Once a GSM phone is unlocked, it will not be restricted to any particular carrier. All you need is a SIM from a GSM provider, and as long as the phone can receive the frequency that the GSM provider operates on, it will work. >>>As far as increasing the phone's value for resale, that is doubtful. >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> >> - - Thanks for the quick reply. >>Once it's unlocked will he be able to use the phone on the Cingular >>network? [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >>> >>> - - Not much, if the phone is 1900 MHz only, as most of T-Mo's phones are.  SignatureJohn Richards > Once it's unlocked will he be able to use the phone on the Cingular network? > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> T-Mobile compatible phone. If it's compatible with any network you'll >> have a much larger pool of people who may be interested. > Not much, if the phone is 1900 MHz only, as most of T-Mo's phones are. Cingular is also using 64K SIM cards now which are much larger. Not sure if they are still offering the old ones. >> Not much, if the phone is 1900 MHz only, as most of T-Mo's phones are. >> >Cingular is also using 64K SIM cards now which are much larger. Not sure >if they are still offering the old ones. And this affects unlocking phones just how? - - >Not much, if the phone is 1900 MHz only, as most of T-Mo's phones are. That's actually changing. T-Mobile offers several quad-band world phones now, but if it's an old phone, it will have very limited use on Cingular's network. The phone in question is a Samsung e-315. >>Not much, if the phone is 1900 MHz only, as most of T-Mo's phones are. > > That's actually changing. T-Mobile offers several quad-band world > phones now, but if it's an old phone, it will have very limited use on > Cingular's network. The Samsung e-315 is a relatively new phone which covers GSM 900 as well as GSM 1900. However, GSM 900 is not used in the US. SignatureJohn Richards > The phone in question is a Samsung e-315. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> phones now, but if it's an old phone, it will have very limited use on >> Cingular's network. >Not much, if the phone is 1900 MHz only, as most of T-Mo's phones are. That may have been true in the past, but it's not true at all now. - - >>Not much, if the phone is 1900 MHz only, as most of T-Mo's phones are. > > That may have been true in the past, but it's not true at all now. You're probably referring to new phones being offered for sale now. My take is that the overwhelming majority of in-use T-Mo phones are 1900 MHz only. SignatureJohn Richards >>>Not much, if the phone is 1900 MHz only, as most of T-Mo's phones are. >> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >My take is that the overwhelming majority of in-use T-Mo phones >are 1900 MHz only. You can twist it any way you like. The point is that current phones sold by T-Mobile generally are 850 capable. If you ever wanted to switch to cingular or another GSM provider having your phone unlocked would be beneficial to you. Even if a phone has data settings hard coded into the firmware the settings can very often be sent from a carrier's or manufacturer's site. T-Mobile has a configurator and Nokia, S-E and Siemens among others can send data settings to your phone. - - >Once it's unlocked will he be able to use the phone on the Cingular network? As is referenced in a previous answer. Any network (which if cingular is one that one too!) >>>As far as increasing the phone's value for resale, that is doubtful. >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> >> - - - - >As is referenced in a previous answer. Any network (which if cingular >is one that one too!) Just to clarify - Any GSM Network. SignatureTo reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address. tell them u want to unlock it. thats it. when i called, they gave me a code. > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanks, > John > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanks, > John I would think that a generic Tmobile phone, unlocked, would still be less desirable than an unlocked phone from some other vendor, because traditionally most Tmobile phones were only 1900 in the US. Meaning that, for customers with other phone companies like Cingular, it still may not work well in their areas. I've noticed that some TMobile phones are now becoming available with 850 too, probably to better support roaming in areas without 1900 service. > I would think that a generic Tmobile phone, unlocked, would still be > less desirable than an unlocked phone from some other vendor, because > traditionally most Tmobile phones were only 1900 in the US. Meaning > that, for customers with other phone companies like Cingular, it still > may not work well in their areas. That's changing. My Motorola V188 is a quad-band, 800/900/1800/1900, and it's not the only multi-band phone T-Mo sells (although not all are quad-band). SignatureSteve Sobol, Professional Geek 888-480-4638 PGP: 0xE3AE35ED Company website: http://JustThe.net/ Personal blog, resume, portfolio: http://SteveSobol.com/ E: sjsobol@JustThe.net Snail: 22674 Motnocab Road, Apple Valley, CA 92307 > > I would think that a generic Tmobile phone, unlocked, would still be > > less desirable than an unlocked phone from some other vendor, because [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > My Motorola V188 is a quad-band, 800/900/1800/1900, and it's not the only > multi-band phone T-Mo sells (although not all are quad-band). You notice that the very next paragraph mentioned that TMobile had started selling some phones supporting 850? :) Chances are, though, that most of the unlocked TMobile phones being sold on Ebay aren't 850 compatible yet. If TMobile converts to only selling phones that can support 850 and 1900 (or quad bands), then in a few years most of the phones available will work with Cingular once unlocked. >My contract is nearing its end. I'm told that I should have the phone >unlocked so I can sell it or take it to another carrier. I don't know >what I'm going to do, but I'll have more options with an unlock phone. > >What do I say when I call in? What will they give me? A code to enter >into the phone? How do I know if the phone is unlocked or locked? You shouldn't really need to say anything. However, if you want an excuse tell them that you may be going to Canada/Mexico and you wish to use a local prepaid there rather than use your T-Mobile service. When you call in make sure they understand that you want the SIM unlocking code and *not* the PUK code for when your SIM PIN has been punched too many times with the wrong code. They should be able to obtain the unlock code in a couple days. If it's a Nokia phone you can even get the unlock code yourself through an unlocking ap that you can download or even from some places that will do it right there for you while you're on line. All you'll need is your IMEI (key *#06#) and knowing which network your phone is locked to (assuming it's T-Mobile you will use the T-Mobile network with MCC/MNC of 310-20.) The unlock sequence will be shown to you it's basically #pw+[code]# p being generated by pressing * three times rapidly and pressing * four times rapidly to generate the w character. As to how you know if your phone is locked or unlocked? If you got your phone from T-Mobile there's almost a 100% likelihood that your phone is locked. The sure way to tell is put a non-T-Mobile SIM in the phone. If it gets rejected your phone is locked. - - > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanks, > John I just called last night, went through CS, and told them I needed to have my phone unlocked. Was on the line about ten minutes, no problems, they'd send the e-mail within 24 hours... Got the e-mail this morning, and it told me that the account has to have been active for 90 days before they'll unlock it for you. > I just called last night, went through CS, and told them I needed to > have my phone unlocked. Was on the line about ten minutes, no > problems, they'd send the e-mail within 24 hours... Got the e-mail > this morning, and it told me that the account has to have been active > for 90 days before they'll unlock it for you. I presume you are a new customer with t-mobile? If this is the case, and you can't wait for 90 days (e.g. traveling abroad soon) it may be worth to give them another call, and try again. I think it's up to the rep who takes your request and then to the rep who fulfills it to decide. You can't really complain now, since 90 days is the rule, but I know they sometimes break it. I personally know somebody who got their unlock code less then a month into being t-mobile customer (called them, explained that she travels abroad in a week, got code in e-mail). On the other hand, if your phone is Nokia, you can unlock it yourself. There are plenty of free unlock code generators and help sites on the net. Try unlockme.co.uk for one. LEM (remove all digis from address for direct reply) > I personally know somebody who got their unlock code less then a month > into being t-mobile customer (called them, explained that she travels > abroad in a week, got code in e-mail). I finally received the unlock instructions from T-Mobile. However, the following part disappointed me: "Before you start you must have a foreign (non-T Mobile) SIM card entered into the handset." I assumed that I can do that unlock now, before my overseas trip, so I don't have to bother with it then and don't risk leaving those instructions at home. Who has those foreign SIM cards here before they even take off? To me this requirement is not very customer-friendly. R. P. For the love of god, quit your bitching. Just e-mail the damned instructions to yourself. >> I personally know somebody who got their unlock code less then a month >> into being t-mobile customer (called them, explained that she travels [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > R. P. > For the love of god, quit your bitching. Just e-mail the damned > instructions to yourself. Who the hell made you the moderator of this news group? R. P. >> I personally know somebody who got their unlock code less then a month >> into being t-mobile customer (called them, explained that she travels [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >SIM cards here before they even take off? To me this requirement is not >very customer-friendly. A SIM card from any carrier that is "foreign" to your phone will work. It does not have to be from another country. You can get AT&T, T-Mobile, or tons of other SIM cards from eBay dealers, among other places. > "Before you start you must have a foreign (non-T Mobile) SIM card > entered into the handset." AFAIK this is not necessary. This is what T-mobile tells you, but you should be able to unlock many phones without foreign card. The way T- mobile's instructions are - you insert the foreign SIM, and it then asks for the code. But there may be another way to start unlock process. Just google for instructions of how to enter the code into your particular phone model. Or borrow somebody's cingular SIM for 1 minute. Insert it, enter unlock code and give it back to the owner. You only need to do this once. Keep in mind, that you have only a few tries before the phone locks up. Make sure you enter the code exactly as it appears! > AFAIK this is not necessary. This is what T-mobile tells you, but you > should be able to unlock many phones without foreign card. The way T- [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > locks > up. Make sure you enter the code exactly as it appears! Thanks. I'll check it out. My initial search on Google only turned up sites that seem to do unlocking as a business. If all else fails I try to talk some Cingular owner to help me out though that might be a tough proposition. I don't think I would like to lend my SIM to somebody else, either. :-( Rudy Loaning the SIM to you for the one minute that it takes to do the unlock shouldn't bother anybody (or you) as no calls are being made. The phone just has to detect a non-TMo SIM to ask you for the code. Enter the code correctly and you are done. You hand the SIM back to whoever loaned it to you right then and there. There is no data on the SIM that stays with the phone in this case. >> AFAIK this is not necessary. This is what T-mobile tells you, but you >> should be able to unlock many phones without foreign card. The way T- [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Rudy > Loaning the SIM to you for the one minute that it takes to do the > unlock shouldn't bother anybody (or you) as no calls are being made. > The phone just has to detect a non-TMo SIM to ask you for the code. > Enter the code correctly and you are done. You hand the SIM back to > whoever loaned it to you right then and there. There is no data on the > SIM that stays with the phone in this case. I suspect though that most people I could loan a SIM from don't know that and would shy away from it. Now that you told me, I would not. ;-) Thanks, Rudy > "Before you start you must have a foreign (non-T Mobile) SIM card > entered into the handset." Usually a few sentences down it tells you something to enter into the phone to pull up the "enter security code" screen in case you don't have access to a "foreign" SIM. > Usually a few sentences down it tells you something to enter into the > phone to pull up the "enter security code" screen in case you don't > have access to a "foreign" SIM. Well, I also thought part of the instruction to ambiguous but did not deduce from it that I would not have to have a "foreign" SIM. Here is the instruction with the actual codes replaced with xxxxxx: --------------- Before you start you must have a foreign (non-T Mobile) SIM card entered into the handset. If the display reads "Enter Special Code", enter the unlock code and press "OK". If the display does not ask for Special code, please enter the instructions below. 1.Press the Menu key on the keypad, and then quickly press xxxxxx*. You should see the Enter Security Code screen. 2.Enter xxxxxx and select OK. 3.Scroll to Unlock SIM select it. 4.Enter the SIM unlock code and select OK. 5.Press the End key to return to the main screen. ------------- The ambiguous part for me was the 3rd sentence above, and what followed. Is that what you referred to? R. P. > Usually a few sentences down it tells you something to enter into the > phone to pull up the "enter security code" screen in case you don't > have access to a "foreign" SIM. As a followup to this one month old thread, I finally got my phone unlocked by walking into one of the nearby T-Mobile stores at the chance that they might have some "foreign" SIM card for just such occasions. Sure enough they did and after I produced them the email I got from their Customer Service that contained the unlocking code, they unlocked my phone in no time. Apparently they are doing it quite often for their customers. So all is well now. Rudy > I just called last night, went through CS, and told them I needed to > have my phone unlocked. Was on the line about ten minutes, no > problems, they'd send the e-mail within 24 hours... Got the e-mail > this morning, and it told me that the account has to have been active > for 90 days before they'll unlock it for you. You probably got the same form letter I got and to which I replied with all the info they requested. Never got a reply to that one. Then, thinking that maybe I should not have sent that info in a reply mail but rather through their |"Contact us" link on their Web site from which I had sent my initial inquiry, I did go through that route again giving them all the info, including the IMEI number, etc., and mentioning that this is my second request after being ignored first time, I am still waiting for a reply to that one after 3 days. I've been with them now for 4 months which is way more than the 90 days minimum that's required for the unlock. I guess next time I also call them on the phone. Rudy > You probably got the same form letter I got and to which I replied with > all the info they requested. Never got a reply to that one. Then, thinking [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Rudy Form letter, yes, but it had this little note at the bottom "Please Do Not Respond To This Message As It Was Sent From An Automated Server Process". Give CS a call and see what they can do for ya. > Form letter, yes, but it had this little note at the bottom "Please Do > Not Respond To This Message As It Was Sent From An Automated Server > Process". Give CS a call and see what they can do for ya. No, it was not one of those automated responses as you are thinking of. It was from address customercare@t-mobilesupport.com and here is a copy of it: --------------------------- Thank you for taking the time to contact T-Mobile. At this time, all phones sold by T-Mobile are locked for use by T-Mobile SIM cards only. To unlock your handset, you must meet the following criteria and these conditions: -You must currently have an active account or an account that has been cancelled less than 90 days ago. -You must have at least 90 days of continuous active monthly service. -The account must not be delinquent or in Write Off with an outstanding balance. -Only one SIM Unlock code per active line of service. -The name on the request must be listed on the account as the billed party name, authorized user, or contact name. The only exception to these requirements is if you paid full price for the handset, however, handsets not obtained directly from T-Mobile i.e. eBay, pawnshops, friends, family, etc. must meet all of the above outlined requirements to receive unlock code as a full purchase receipt will not override the requirements. Upon meeting these conditions, please provide us with the following and we can make a request for this code. -Account holders name (required) -T-Mobile phone number (required) -T-Mobile account number (required) -IMEI number, press *#06# on handset to get the IMEI (required) -Account Password or last four of the account holders social security number (required) -Customers contact number or email address -Make and model of the phone -Carriers name if the phone is from another carrier -A brief reason for the request If you have any further comments, questions, or concerns feel free to contact us at anytime. Thank you for choosing T-Mobile. Sincerely, Carla Customer Care Specialist T-Mobile USA -------------------------------------- The above reply was dated Oct. 26 and I replied to it the next day, answering all the points mentioned in Carla's email. I received no reply to that one. Then I sent the requested info again a week ago through the T-Mobile Web page's "Contact us" link. The only reply I got to that one was the following automated reply (with the dentifying info taken out, of course:) ----------------------------------------------------- Thank you for submitting your question via T-Mobile.com. You should receive a response within 48 hours. Please reference case number 77XXXX in the event you need to update your request. Sincerely, T-Mobile Web Correspondence 07-11-2005 -------------------------------------- Since then a week passed, not just 48 hours, without any reply. At noon today then I called them up and when I finally got a live rep on the line and started telling him my story, the call was suddenly terminated. So I called again, this time I got another guy on the line who at least stayed on the line and after a few questions he said the unlock was completed and I should be getting an email in a day with all the unlocking info in it. Well, I believe it when I see it but it looks like trying to get an unlock through email is a waste of time. Rudy Good luck I couldn't get t-mobile to do anything leydenscellular@qwest.net >> Form letter, yes, but it had this little note at the bottom "Please Do >> Not Respond To This Message As It Was Sent From An Automated Server [quoted text clipped - 74 lines] > > Rudy Why not? They do it for anyone who asks. Just tell them you're planning a vacation overseas and they'll get it for you in about a week. If they say no, hang up and call back to get a different agent. From:me leydenscellular@qwest.net > Good luck I couldn't get t-mobile to do anything > [quoted text clipped - 80 lines] > in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server > Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
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