Skip to main content
6 votes
Accepted

How does carrier/network lock work? How is it implemented?

Carrier locks work at SoC/bootloader level. In simple terms the modem - which has its own Baseband Processor - is tuned to certain frequencies / bands or programmed to register with only one MCC/MNC ...
Irfan Latif's user avatar
  • 21.2k
4 votes

What are the various ways an Android phone can be locked?

Rooting is the process to modify core OS components so that apps/processes can be run with high privileges (UID 0). See details in How Magisk works? and How to manually root a phone? Rooting is not ...
Irfan Latif's user avatar
  • 21.2k
3 votes
Accepted

Is SIM network unlocking using app normal if phone simply expects a code?

Such unlock apps aren't official. They employ various methods of unlocking based on the information they gather from the app installed and querying from supposedly authentic database of unlock codes. ...
beeshyams's user avatar
  • 41.3k
2 votes
Accepted

Does putting an unlocked phone on a no-contract plan lock the phone in any way?

No one locks your phone when you haven't purchased it from them with a contract - your S5 will stay unlocked when you use it with Ting or anyone else. Of course, different carriers do need different ...
Alok's user avatar
  • 265
2 votes

How to prove that the bootloader of a device is unlockable when it currently shows as locked?

All Pixel's are bootloader locked by default, Google retail models can be unlocked easily while Verizon models cannot. In the comments, you said "The question is how to PROVE it is not a Verizon ...
acejavelin's user avatar
  • 6,217
1 vote

Need security pattern to unlock my new blu tablet

Return the tablet. It isn't new, if someone has put a lock pattern on it. This could be carelessness by the supplier, sending out a tablet that isn't new, or it could be fraud by one of their staff. ...
John Dallman's user avatar
  • 2,060
1 vote

Blocked SIM card and getting asked for PUK on Lineage OS 17.1

You have SIM password. You enter wrong password. Then it ask for PUK code. PUK code is link with sim card. Use sim on normal mobile. Is it ask PUK code. You can get PUK code from customer care. You ...
aliz lopaz's user avatar
1 vote

Will this "SIM Free" Android phone for sale near Osaka (Japan) work in Europe and North America?

This is the JP/TW variant of ZenFone 3 Max - detailed specs here. From the listed LTE bands, it's missing the crucial Band 20 (wide coverage) for European countries and main bands for major carriers ...
Andy Yan's user avatar
  • 9,617
1 vote

Will flashing a custom ROM relock me with SIM carrier?

I made it in 2 Samsung Galaxy S5 (Sprint) and it worked. They were unlocked and I flashed LineageOS. But keep in mind, if you want to do this, flash the appropriate ROM. In this case, I flashed the ...
RenierC's user avatar
  • 33
1 vote
Accepted

I'm with Virgin Mobile; should I buy Unlocked or Sprint-locked?

I'm just wondering which one, locked or unlocked, will provide me with the easiest process when setting up the S5- or whether there'll be a difference. If you're buying the phone from the same ...
Dan Hulme's user avatar
  • 35k
1 vote

Does rooting an android phone effectively also unlock it from network

Unfortunately not. Rooting gives you access, unlocking allows you to use a phone with other networks. http://www.howtogeek.com/135663/htg-explains-whats-the-difference-between-jailbreaking-rooting-...
Pie's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote

How can I check whether my phone is network locked (Samsung GALAXY S3)?

You can check easier just asking a friend to lend you their sim from another carrier for a minute, insert it and if it is locked the phone will ask you for a code.
arana's user avatar
  • 179

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible