No Stupid Questions @lemmy.world ROMMMELLL @discuss.tchncs.de 1 yr. ago

Has anyone unlocked a dumb phone (keypad phone) ?

Dear Right to Repair

I have a 10 year old dumb phone (keypad phone).

Has anyone unlocked their dumb phone ?

If so, could you tell me how you did it please ?

Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL

11 comments

I used to sell used cell phones on eBay. Verizon, AT&T, and T-mobile (and perhaps others) phones could be unlocked by calling the original provider's customer service line to ask for the unlock codes and providing them the IMEI or ESN. Call from another phone because there's sometimes a need to cycle the device off and on. Keep in mind that if the phone was never paid off with its initial contract, customer service may be unable to provide you the unlock codes.

If you meant breaking a PIN, search for instructions on how to do a hard reset and be prepared to lose everything on the device.

Good luck!
- Hi A
  
  Are you still there ?
- Dear A
  
  Thanks for your reply. That is very helpful.
  
  I am new to the terminology.
  
  Does 'original provider' refer to the phone maker, or the phone seller, or the provider of the first SIM card, or someone else ?
  
  If the phone was NOT locked by the original provider, how else could it be locked ?
  
  And how would you decide what sort of lock you were dealing with ?
  
  Yours sincerely
  
  ROMMMELLL
Unlocking older cell phones used to requiring taking them into the phone store. Very few had a way of doing it on your own in my experience.
- There were plenty of ways to unlock phones; I used to work in a store that did it and lots just used software and a cable.
  
  Yeah, I was going to say that I paid somebody on CL $10 each to unlock Ericsson phones. They were great as computer remotes when paired up to Romeo.app
  
  Dear A
  
  Thanks for your reply.
  
  Did you ever go ahead and unlock a dumb phone when you were working in the store ?
  
  Yours sincerely
  
  ROMMMELLL
- Thanks K

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