Dear K
Thanks for your reply.
Perhaps I am a little too cautious, but I don't know what the unlock codes look like, and I don't want to be a fool and brick the phone by doing something obviously stupid.
You are one of the few who have actually unlocked a dumb phone in real time.
Could I be so bold as to ask if you would be willing to find some unlock codes for a Samsung GT-E3210 dumb phone made about 2013, that YOU would be willing to use if it was YOUR phone ?
I would be very grateful to have the opinion of someone with success in this area.
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Thanks S.
I understand.
In my case, I got the phone new in one country, where I used the 1st SIM card I put into it. I wasn't aware of any requirement to use any particular SIM card, or to use it for any particular time.
Some time later I was in another country. I wanted to put my 2nd SIM card in, but the phone wouldn't accept it.
I took it to a phone shop and had it unlocked.
I have been using this 2nd SIM card for years. This SIM card is in no way connected to the phone seller or phone maker, and it is from a different country.
BUT now I find that this 2nd SIM card is the ONLY SIM card the phone will accept.
How do you interpret this data ?
How would this lock be activated on an unlocked phone ?
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Thanks H.
So, it was vodafone's website that you put your data into, to immediately free your more than 4 year old phone.
Am I correct in understanding that vodafone was both the phone seller and the SIM card provider ?
What data did you put into the website please ?
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Dear I
Thanks for your reply.
Did you ever go ahead and unlock your dumb phone ?
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Dear A
Thanks for your reply. That is very helpful.
I didn't realize that about the UK.
If you were me, and you had a Samsung GT-E3210 dumb phone (keypad phone) made about 2013, that would only accept your current SIM card (the 2nd SIM card you've used with this phone) how would you go about unlocking it please ?
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Thanks H.
I appreciate that it has been a long time.
If I understand correctly, your phone was locked to Vodafone Germany from the very start. Then, some time later you registered your phone on a website, and this action alone freed your phone.
One question : whose website did you register your phone on ?
eg. Phone maker ? Phone seller ? Provider of the SIM card ? other ?
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Dear S
I think I have 2 problems.
-
I don't know who put the lock there - phone maker ? phone seller ? provider of 1st SIM card ? provider of 2nd SIM card ? other ? I just know that ONLY my current SIM card (the 2nd) works in my phone. No other SIM card will work in it.
-
I don't know the correct procedure to remove the lock without bricking the phone. Or, how to unbrick it, if I do.
Perhaps I am being too cautious, but some of what I have seen online seems a little dubious, and I'm not sure I can trust myself to distinguish between good info and bad.
You are one of the few who have actually unlocked a dumb phone in real time.
Could I be so bold as to ask if you would be willing to give some of your time to find a good tutorial with unlock codes for a Samsung GT-E3210 dumb phone made about 2013 ?
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
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
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
Dear S
Thanks for your reply.
Thanks for the tip re the pawn shop.
Did you ever go ahead and succeed in unlocking a dumb phone ?
Yours sincerely
ROMMMELLL
Dear C
Thanks for your reply.
Do you remember the model ?
How exactly did you unlock it please ?
Yours sincerely
ROMMMELLL
Dear K
Thanks for your reply.
Do you remember the model ?
How exactly did you unlock it please ?
Yours sincerely
ROMMMELLL
Dear H
Thanks for your reply. That is very interesting.
How did your phone become locked to vodafone germany ?
Could you talk me through the complete process, each step, that resulted in success please ?
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Dear Technology
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
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
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
Dear Right to Repair
I have a Samsung GT-E3210 (semi-dumb phone) made about 2013.
I have had the phone since new.
It has a lock on it. I don't know how it got there. I don't even know what it is. I would like to remove it.
SUMMARY
-
My SIM card works in other phones without a PIN.
-
My phone works, with this SIM card, without a PIN.
-
My phone will not accept another SIM card (even if the correct SIM PIN for that new SIM card is entered).
-
When a new SIM card is inserted the phone says SIM LOCK and asks for a PASSWORD.
-
With my usual SIM card inserted, SETTINGS shows SIM LOCK ON. If I select it, it asks for a SIM PASSWORD.
-
With no SIM card in the phone, SETTINGS says SIM LOCK ON. If I select it, it asks me to INSERT SIM CARD.
ELABORATION
My GT-E3210 has worked for many years with the same old BIG SIM card in it.
I have never programmed a PIN into this old BIG SIM card. I have never used a PIN in connection with this old BIG SIM card.
The phone does not require a PIN when I turn it on each day, or when I re-insert this old BIG SIM card. I have never programmed any kind of security into the phone.
If any other SIM card is placed in it, however, it will not function.
When I tried a new SIM card, the following words filled the screen,
SIM LOCK
(a padlock symbol)
PASSWORD
(a space to enter password)
(and 2 options above the soft keys : CONFIRM and EMERGENCY)
When I entered the verified SIM PIN for this new SIM card it said,
INCORRECT PASSWORD
When I go to SETTINGS > SECURITY I see that one of the four LOCK's is on : SIM LOCK ON.
When I highlight SIM LOCK ON and press the centre button (with my usual old BIG SIM card in the phone) the following words fill the bottom half of the screen
SIM PASSWORD
8 DIGITS
PASSWORD
(a space to enter password)
(and 2 options above the soft keys : OK and CANCEL)
BUT, if there is no SIM card in the phone, when I highlight SIM LOCK ON and press the centre button, it says only
INSERT SIM CARD
TWO QUESTIONS please.
Q1. What is this SIM LOCK ?
Q2. What are my options to turn it off or remove it ?
I would be grateful for any help you could give me.
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Dear Samsung
I have a Samsung GT-E3210 (semi-dumb phone) made about 2013.
I have had the phone since new.
It has a lock on it. I don't know how it got there. I don't even know what it is. I would like to remove it.
SUMMARY
-
My SIM card works in other phones without a PIN.
-
My phone works, with this SIM card, without a PIN.
-
My phone will not accept another SIM card (even if the correct SIM PIN for that new SIM card is entered).
-
When a new SIM card is inserted the phone says SIM LOCK and asks for a PASSWORD.
-
With my usual SIM card inserted, SETTINGS shows SIM LOCK ON. If I select it, it asks for a SIM PASSWORD.
-
With no SIM card in the phone, SETTINGS says SIM LOCK ON. If I select it, it asks me to INSERT SIM CARD.
ELABORATION
My GT-E3210 has worked for many years with the same old BIG SIM card in it.
I have never programmed a PIN into this old BIG SIM card. I have never used a PIN in connection with this old BIG SIM card.
The phone does not require a PIN when I turn it on each day, or when I re-insert this old BIG SIM card. I have never programmed any kind of security into the phone.
If any other SIM card is placed in it, however, it will not function.
When I tried a new SIM card, the following words filled the screen,
SIM LOCK
(a padlock symbol)
PASSWORD
(a space to enter password)
(and 2 options above the soft keys : CONFIRM and EMERGENCY)
When I entered the verified SIM PIN for this new SIM card it said,
INCORRECT PASSWORD
When I go to SETTINGS > SECURITY I see that one of the four LOCK's is on : SIM LOCK ON.
When I highlight SIM LOCK ON and press the centre button (with my usual old BIG SIM card in the phone) the following words fill the bottom half of the screen
SIM PASSWORD
8 DIGITS
PASSWORD
(a space to enter password)
(and 2 options above the soft keys : OK and CANCEL)
BUT, if there is no SIM card in the phone, when I highlight SIM LOCK ON and press the centre button, it says only
INSERT SIM CARD
TWO QUESTIONS please.
Q1. What is this SIM LOCK ?
Q2. What are my options to turn it off or remove it ?
I would be grateful for any help you could give me.
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Dear MicroG
I have installed LOS4MG (18.1) on my S4.
I followed the LOS instructions here. https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/jfltexx/install
And the microG page here. https://lineage.microg.org/
Thus far everything seems good.
I clicked on F-Droid and downloaded the Aurora Store app onto my S4.
I note that this Aurora Store is v 4.2.3 but GitLab seems to indicate that v 4.2.5 has been released. https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS/AuroraStore/-/releases
v 4.2.5 does not seem to be available on F-Droid.
Since downloading Aurora Store v 4.2.3 several days ago I have tried about a dozen times on different days to use it to install the Firefox app on my S4 without success.
I can't get the Aurora Store app to work.
I would be grateful for any help you could give me.
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Dear MicroG
The instructions https://lineage.microg.org/ say
Before installing the ZIP you should check that it has the correct signature. You have to use a Python script to verify the signature, available here. Install Python 3 (if not already done) and the required packages (as explained in the README), then run:
python3 update_verifier.py lineageos4microg_pubkey lineage-microG.zip
I have no experience of verifying signatures.
I have no experience of python.
I think I have downloaded and installed Python 3 correctly.
I have downloaded the microG zip.
Could you talk me through the steps to check the signature please ?
In case it's important - I am using macOS 10.13
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL
Dear MicroG
I want to install LineageOS for microG.
I have read the instructions very carefully.
They say I only need 2 files.
BUT the download page https://download.lineage.microg.org/jfltexx/ lists 8 files (NOT 2).
Is there anyone reading this who has actually installed " LineageOS for microG " on a smartphone who could help me with ONE QUESTION please ?
Q1. Which 2 of these 8 files do I need to use to successfully install LineageOS for microG on my phone ?
In case it's important -
phone is Samsung Galaxy S4 GT - I9505 jfltexx,
with the latest stock Android 5.0.1
I am using a Mac with Mac os (not windows) and Heimdall (not Odin).
Yours sincerely ROMMMELLL