It's impossible to unlock a phone for free

AZgl1500 · Nov 14, 2015

Hadron said:
It's increasingly less of a problem but always worth checking, and will depend on which network too (e.g. T-Mobile certainly used to use an odd 3G setup that wasn't supported by most handsets, and the CDMA carriers present their own challenges). We still see people who import phones and the find they have no LTE connection, for example.

I have decided that it just isn't worth the effort to try and unlock a VZW phone, it would still be CDMA and of limited use outside the Verizon networks ( Sprint, etc )

One day, I will get a phone unbranded that has all of the radios in it, so I can experiment around a bit.

.

Crashdamage · Nov 15, 2015

AZgl1500 said:
One day, I will get a phone unbranded that has all of the radios in it, so I can experiment around a bit.

Just get a Nexus.

Gmash · Nov 15, 2015

AZgl1500 said:
I have decided that it just isn't worth the effort to try and unlock a VZW phone, it would still be CDMA and of limited use outside the Verizon networks ( Sprint, etc )

One day, I will get a phone unbranded that has all of the radios in it, so I can experiment around a bit.

.

Actually, I think the Samsung Galaxy S5 should have the GSM bands built in, and I think Verizon leaves them unlocked by default. Many people have used Verizon phones on Cricket.

AZgl1500 · Nov 15, 2015

yes, it does have GSM capabilities. I have looked at the frequency bands to see where else it might work.

Didn't realize that there was quite a bit of use with the VZW phones on the Cricket network. That would have helped me out a bit last month when I landed up in a small town in Missouri and VZW did not have a presence there. I was shocked, in 25 years never was in a town w/o at least the ability to go roaming... but not in Windsor, MO.

was there to attend a friend's funeral and for 24 hours was "out of service".
a discomforting feeling in this day of "instant access" from almost anywhere.

I had a friend with me with a Note 4 on Cricket and his phone was doing "just fine"... he razzed me a lot

kate · Nov 15, 2015

Most Verizon LTE phones are GSM unlocked and able to be used on AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, etc. Not all have all the compatible 3G/4G/LTE bands though so it's worth it to check the specs first. :thumbsupdroid:

AZgl1500 · Nov 15, 2015

kate said:
Most Verizon LTE phones are GSM unlocked and able to be used on AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, etc. Not all have all the compatible 3G/4G/LTE bands though so it's worth it to check the specs first.

yes, compatible with, but a Verizon phone will NOT roam onto an AT&T cell site.
I was stranded in a very small town last month w/o any phone access period for almost 24 hours...

and I have all Roaming options turned on.

kate · Nov 16, 2015

AZgl1500 said:
yes, compatible with, but a Verizon phone will NOT roam onto an AT&T cell site.

That's because of how roaming works on the CDMA carriers (Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular). CDMA service only roams on CDMA.

GSM carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T) roam on each others towers. Assuming your Verizon phone would work with a T-Mobile SIM you should be able to roam on AT&T... assuming again 1)the phone has AT&T bands, and 2)your T-Mobile plan includes roaming.

AZgl1500 · Nov 16, 2015

I had given some thought to having a backup account on Cricket for situations where a CDMA tower does not exist.
but, when looking at how often that would be, it just isn't cost effective for me.

I was just a bit pissed at VZW for letting me down... 1st time in 25 years I booked a hotel and no service on the phone.

Now, after the fact, I suppose I should get a WiFi type phone number to use as a backup.

svim · Nov 16, 2015

I just use Google Hangouts for WiFi phone calls and so far that's worked out well. I have a friend who uses Viber and she loves it. I find that I'm actually making phone calls less and less these days, hopefully others will have better and more elaborate suggestions. There are lot of other WiFi phone/text apps out there.

IRULUTechnology · Nov 18, 2015

So better buy an unlock phone if budget is enough

aysiu · Nov 18, 2015

IRULUTechnology said:
So better buy an unlock phone if budget is enough

The Nexus 5x and the Moto X Pure/Style are both cheaper than a lot of carrier-locked phones, and they're both carrier-unlocked.

Curtis1973 · Nov 19, 2015

kate said:
Most carriers will unlock phones for free, sometimes after a certain time period or after the phone is paid off.

AT&T phone unlock:
https://www.att.com/deviceunlock

T-Mobile unlocking policy:
https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1588

Verizon doesn't lock GSM on most of their recent phones, here is their unlocking policy:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/aboutus/commitment/safety-security/device-unlocking-policy.html

US Cellular unlock policy:
http://www.uscellular.com/site/legal/mobile-wireless-device-unlocking.html

Sprint unlocking policy:
http://www.sprint.com/legal/unlocking_policy.html

Cricket will unlock a phone after 6 months of service:
https://www.cricketwireless.com/support/apps-and-services/device-unlock/customer/device-unlock.html

MetroPCS will unlock a phone after 90 days of service:
https://www.metropcs.com/terms-conditions/phone-unlock-policy.html

Boost Mobile unlocking policy (after 12 months):
http://www.boostmobile.com/unlock

Virgin Mobile unlocking policy (after 12 months):
http://www.virginmobileusa.com/unlock/

LOL @ Virgin Mobile.. "Please don't leave....Sprint has all but ruined us as a brand...if you leave we might fold up shop tomorrow!" 12 months for phones....ummm you can't take to other carriers and do squat with....except maybe two out of their whole line up.

It's impossible to unlock a phone for free

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