Chances of AT&T being carrier unlockable 100%?

[spincel]

This is my last reply...I won't use a valuable thread to argue:

- I posted my confirmation so others knew not to waste their time right now with the very few who claim to be able to Unlock the L920.

- I knew ATT wouldn't give me an unlock code or unlocked phone, I had HOPED they would do the right thing for full-retail customers. I'm not complaining...I'm trying to find a solution so I can help others who don't know as much how they can get theirs unlocked. I'm not naive...but that doesn't change the fact that ATT selling a full retail phone without giving you an unlock code is still wrong...and no I didn't expect them to do the right thing...they're a US carrier!!

- I do know the carriers...and you absolutely can put a non-Sprint and/or non-Verizon phone or device on their network. I have taken a Sprint MIFI device, registered it and used it on my Verizon data service. My close friend works for VZ wireless as an device SE and he confirms they do this all the time, they just don't market it nor do they want the 80% to know you can do this so they lie and tell you you can't. I've had friends do the same with a smartphone they purchased from Verizon and moved over to Sprint...same process. Push them hard enough, they'll add the other device to their network as long as it's CDMA.

- I'm here to help others find the "Gevey Unlock" equivalent for the L920...not debate the debacle of US carriers Let's refocus to finding a workaround/hack/something to help get the L920's that are locked or crippled working better for the users of the forums

<end of thread...back to the Unlock or No-Unlock/Help-Find-a-Solution thread>

There is no gevey unlock like iphone because each phone has different software to unlock. Right now either International version, which is unlocked by default or Roger version, which is 50/50 to be unlocked, but it is easy than AT&T.

About AT&T, we probably won't see any unlocked AT&T 920 at least by the end of this year. Nokia manufactures these phone, so they know how to unlock it. However, because of the exclusive crap thing with AT&T, they cannot provide any unlock code for AT&T model. The same goes with AT&T. They won't do that because they want us to stay with their network for at least some time to get more profit. Take a look at the price. They subsidize the phone at $99, a very tempting price for a high-end phone, to get more customer. So to get the profit and the money back, they need to enforce some restrictions.

 

[beebop483]

Honestly I'm not really minding that the phone is locked to 'AT&T' since I can still use it with Straight Talk and/or Net10, both of which cost about 45 bucks a month for unlimited everything, AND I can still use 4g networks with Straight Talk. I just got my SIM card in last night and had it activated, working, and my number ported within a half hour.

 

[AnyMal]

If you read my post, I paid $500 retail for my phone...I did NOT get a subsidized phone. I understand if AT&T had said "get it for $99, no unlock...buy it for $500...get it unlocked." Instead, they said, buy it for $500 like the rest of the world...still get screwed. Big difference! I am from Africa...born and raised...traveled to 37 countries so I know all about Subsidy vs Retail pricing. It's the pay-full-price-and-still-get-screwed mentality of AT&T that bothers me.

(And before someone says, then why didn't you buy it from Rogers unlocked instead of AT&T...I'll respond...this is my 3rd phone - Galaxy Note, L920 and iPhone - and I love hacking with phones and figuring them out so I bought this on my friends ATT account for retail since I wanted the white and at the time no one online including Rogers had the white one available).

Let's get something straight. You purchased AT&T Nokia Lumia 920, not the international version that costs almost twice as much, and yet you're complaining that AT&T is "screwing" you? You got EXACTLY what you paid for, but you failed to do the homework and in the end screwed yourself.

 

[Pem3108]

Let's get something straight. You purchased AT&T Nokia Lumia 920, not the international version that costs almost twice as much, and yet you're complaining that AT&T is "screwing" you? You got EXACTLY what you paid for, but you failed to do the homework and in the end screwed yourself.

Well let's not completely exaggerate here...it's about $200 cheaper than the international, not $500. But yes I can see why they won't unlock it right away even though you paid retail like with the S3...They just wanna hold on to their exclusively as long as possible.

 

[AnyMal]

Well let's not completely exaggerate here...it's about $200 cheaper than the international, not $500. But yes I can see why they won't unlock it right away even though you paid retail like with the S3...They just wanna hold on to their exclusively as long as possible.

Well, I did say "almost" What many people fail to understand is that AT&T (as well as Sprint, VZW, T-Mo) is NOT in the business of selling phones, they sell services. Which is why their phones are sold at cost and tied to their network. We went over this hundreds of times with L900 yet people still making same silly mistakes by acting on assumptions, then come here and complain how they're getting "screwed."

 

[baliles]

(Background Info Only) If //Build devices=Unlocked...it's possible!!!!

This is Common Sense 101...Reason & Logic works this way.

1) Developers at //Build received a SIM-UNLOCKED (aka Radio-Unlocked) L920. It was also Developer Unlocked (aka OS-unlocked) (which you can get from MS or Nokia for $99 a year even for a SIM-LOCKED ATT phone)
- Kudos to Microsoft (and others) who allow Dev/OS unlocking for a fee instead of forcing you to do what the iPhone dev community has had to do!!
2) Rogers and others are selling SIM-UNLOCKED L920s (they simply paid Nokia enough to provide them a database of Unlock Codes. Rogers philosophically believes that a Retail L920 = a Sim-Unlocked Retail L920 and thus, they want to be that "good carrier"
3) ATT is selling a SIM-LOCKED L920 (they simply paid Nokia enough to NOT provide anyone else (in the US market) a database of Unlock codes. ATT philosophically believes that a Retail L920 does NOT = a Sim-Unlocked Retail L920.I am NOT talking about a subsidized $99 or $199 L920 so don't hit reply and mention subsidized L920s again
5) ATT therefore wants to be the "good carrier" for the 'addicted customers' (aka the ones who love Subsidies...not realizing they are paying 3x the phone's price in their overpriced monthly contracts) and the "we don't care what you think carrier" for the people paying them Retail.

This is Business Sense 101...Greed/Capitalism works this way:

1) If there is demand, the Applenberry's of the world will produce a Gevey SIM or some other paid hack for the device. IF the ATT Sim-Locked L920 sells insanely well, the hackers & overseas peeps MIGHT do a Gevey/hack for it to make some $$ themselves of the L920's success. Of COURSE there isn't a Gevey for the L920 right now Do I think the L920 will sell enough to warrant them making one...not a chance!!!
2) If however, ATT doesn't sell enough L920s to either (a) meet any legal obligations they might have had with Nokia/MSFT to give them the 6-month deal (and trust me, there are numbers between those two companies in the legal paperwork to warrant exclusivity...or ATT has to pay up) and/or (b) the ATT customers who DID PAY FULL RETAIL scream loudly enough to Microsoft/Nokia...those two entities might work with/force ATT to provide FULL RETAIL L920 owners an unlock code. ATT did concede and do this on the iPhone after quite some time of not allowing it...and that was without even the Full Retail as a factor...so it is possible. Do I think enough will sell at Retail price and those people will scream loud enough to make MSFT/Nokia force ATT to respond...not in a million years!
3) However, unlike Apple who is the equivalent of both MSFT+Nokia in this scenario...when you add Microsoft subsidizing Nokia and ATT subsidizing Nokia to get a 6-month exclusivity in US into the mix, the developer community in the US that Microsoft & Nokia so desperately need & want around the L920 might add enough influence that either of them might subsidize or "urge financially" the unlock codes through ATT, in which case ATT would suddenly, magically, have a different attitude.
4) In America (speaking specifically about wireless carriers) it's all about money-via-contracts, not philosophy of doing the "right thing" or money-per-device (which is one-time). Most of the time, the consumer complaining doesn't change the business' greed for $$. Occasionally, the need to satisfy customers and get more of them (ie MSFT needing more people to use a WP device vs. an unlocked iPhone 5) MIGHT influence ATT and/or Nokia indirectly.

I'm not gonna say it again...ATT selling a device for $500 WITHOUT A CONTRACT EXTENSION eliminates the justifications for both the subsidy and the "they want you to stay with them for 2 years so that's why they aren't letting you unlock your phone" argument. If you're selling a full retail priced phone WITHOUT requiring ANY contract extension, then to not give the Unlock code is purely bad customer service.

ATT is betting that the avg American will buy more crack (called subsidy by extending their contract) and thus, profits from the unknowing 80% who don't know and don't care...justifies their 6-month Exclusivity of not providing unlock codes. Basically, they're saying screw the Full-Retail customer...we only love our Subsidy customers.

Oh wait, that sounds awfully similar to the US political climate only wanting to punish/tax the non-subsidy citizen (full retail paying) even more while the other 80% are fooled into thinking subsidy-via-election-extension route really is less-expensive and awesome! Cheaper Now, More Expensive over the long-run vs. More Expensive Now, Less over the long-run. A very 1st World vs. 2nd/3rd World philosophy (but I digress)

The goal of the thread is to discuss progress/confirmations/workarounds..anything that gets us closer to an unlock. I'm not gonna post anything else until I have some progress to share.

 

[psalmu]

What many people fail to understand is that AT&T (as well as Sprint, VZW, T-Mo) is NOT in the business of selling phones, they sell services.

What's most tragic is that the managers of Nokia fail to understand that.

 

[baliles]

I'm not saying I'm personally getting or have been screwed...I knew it going in, I know it now; that's why I have 3 phones...2 SIM Unlocked on Tmobile, now my L920 to do WP7 dev on while I enjoy my Straight-Talk 2nd number...I'm happy with 4G on all phones.

Others who don't know any better, are being told by many of the ATT store reps that the Full Retail L920 is Unlocked, which is what they told me as well. What they mean is, you're not locked into your Contract. Big difference!! The fact I have other phones and have an ATT/L920 compatible SIM doesn't change the fact ATT's policy in this case is shady at best.

My responses were to the people saying that I paid $99 and therefore shouldn't expect ATT to give an unlock code. I paid ATT's retail...I'd have paid $600 like what Negri and others are selling the Unlocked phone for if ATT had priced it at that. I wanted the white one and none of the outsiders had it or expected it for awhile when I bought mine. ATT happens to have priced it lower than overseas, maybe to justify the no-unlock...I have no problem with that. I paid $500 to them knowing it was locked but hoping what the reps told me was true...that it was unlocked vs. more for the unlocked guaranteed/different color version from overseas. I'm still looking forward to doing dev on it until such a time as I can unlock it via ATT, another service or a Gevey-esque addon.

My comments don't change the "If you charge Retail without a Contract Extension (ie Subsidy)...at whatever price you choose..either be upfront and say it's Locked, even if you pay Retail... or charge higher Retail and sell it Unlocked." Don't pull a bait-and-switch on your customer.

 

[AnyMal]

What's most tragic is that the managers of Nokia fail to understand that.

I think they understand it really well which is why they have been virtually absent from US market for the last several years before L900 and L710 launched. There is simply no money to be made in the market where consumers are conditioned to buy subsidized / at cost devices. I am betting that the only reason they are back in US is because MS provides them with financial incentives on back-end. Historically US has never been a "Nokia country", unlike Europe and Asia.

I'm not gonna say it again...ATT selling a device for $500 WITHOUT A CONTRACT EXTENSION eliminates the justifications for both the subsidy and the "they want you to stay with them for 2 years so that's why they aren't letting you unlock your phone" argument. If you're selling a full retail priced phone WITHOUT requiring ANY contract extension, then to not give the Unlock code is purely bad customer service.

I sympathize with your frustrations, but your assertion of how mobile providers operate in US is completely wrong.

---------- Post added at 02:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:16 PM ----------

Others who don't know any better, are being told by many of the ATT store reps that the Full Retail L920 is Unlocked, which is what they told me as well. What they mean is, you're not locked into your Contract. Big difference!! The fact I have other phones and have an ATT/L920 compatible SIM doesn't change the fact ATT's policy in this case is shady at best.

If that is true then what's stopping you from marching back to the store and demanding your money back? That's what I would do.

 

[foxbat121]

This is Common Sense 101...Reason & Logic works this way.

1) Developers at //Build received a SIM-UNLOCKED (aka Radio-Unlocked) L920. It was also Developer Unlocked (aka OS-unlocked) (which you can get from MS or Nokia for $99 a year even for a SIM-LOCKED ATT phone)

As someone who receiced this phone from BUILD event, the L920 is NOT dev unlocked. I have to pay MS $99/year to open a dev account to unlock it.

All phones sold by AT&T are SIM locked. In the past, you can easily ask AT&T for unlock code if you have it for over 90 days or purchased full price. However, this changed one or two years ago and AT&T started NOT offering any unlock code even for full retail price within exclusive period. Sometimes, you can get lucky by talking to some CSR who unknowingly give out a unlock code like I did with my Samsung GS2 purchased at full price a year ago. But in general, you should expect that you will not receive such favor within first 6-month period.

As for your Verizon /Sprint BS, yes, if you know someone at the network, they can manually put your phone's ESN in and it will work. But how many of us actual know someone like that? They won't let you do it just like AT&T won't let you get unlock code. There are exceptions but that is not normal practice.

 

[baliles]

To be fair

I sympathize with your frustrations, but your assertion of how mobile providers operate in US is completely wrong.

To TRULY be 100% apples to apples (and thus win my argument )...if I had paid ATT the full $699 (instead of $500), which is the price Negri and others will sell me the white, Unlocked L920 for...then ATT would be disgraceful. Since I only paid $500, I'll let their $200 discount be my compensation for being lied to by the store reps and the time it's taken for me to explain to my "what? they said I could use it on holiday in Europe" friends who bought one on their ATT account for their wife on Tmobile to use

 

[psalmu]

There is simply no money to be made in the market where consumers are conditioned to buy subsidized / at cost devices.

Maybe if they got smart instead of stupid and went to the one carrier trying to deprogram consumers:

http://www.tmonews.com/2012/11/t-mo...p-migrate-customers-over-to-value-rate-plans/

 

[baliles]

If that is true then what's stopping you from marching back to the store and demanding your money back? That's what I would do.

Because it works great on my 2nd line (Straight Talk aka ATT) and I have another phone for my Tmobile. Besides, it's only a matter of time before a Subsidy-Weary ATT customer offers to buy mine from me instead of renewing their contract because they hate ATT

---------- Post added at 02:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:31 PM ----------

Maybe if they got smart instead of stupid and went to the one carrier trying to deprogram consumers:

http://www.tmonews.com/2012/11/t-mo...p-migrate-customers-over-to-value-rate-plans/

TMO is basically a European carrier fighting a US mentality...hence they're not "re-elected" like ATT/VZ. I am 100% TMO and if I didn't have a grandfathered Loyalty plan of $45 a month (same as the Value Plans) I'd be only on either theirs or Straight Talk's Pre-Paid. They have slowly but surely, especially after the continued iPhone exclusions, said screw it, let's cram the way the rest of the world does it down ATT/VZ and see if it works. I will say Kudos to Sprint for at least sticking with their "all-in-wonder" plan instead of the way ATT/VZ just stick it to you unashamedly!

Sadly, logic, reason & long-term cost savings aren't what the society over here seems to be focused on that often

 

[AnyMal]

To TRULY be 100% apples to apples (and thus win my argument )...if I had paid ATT the full $699 (instead of $500), which is the price Negri and others will sell me the white, Unlocked L920 for...then ATT would be disgraceful. Since I only paid $500, I'll let their $200 discount be my compensation for being lied to by the store reps and the time it's taken for me to explain to my "what? they said I could use it on holiday in Europe" friends who bought one on their ATT account for their wife on Tmobile to use

Well, you are not doing apples-to-apples comparison here since Negri sells the international version, not AT&T unlocked version.

Because it works great on my 2nd line (Straight Talk aka ATT) and I have another phone for my Tmobile. Besides, it's only a matter of time before a Subsidy-Weary ATT customer offers to buy mine from me instead of renewing their contract because they hate ATT

I may be interested, for the right price of course. How much do you want for it?

 

[baliles]

Confirmed it works on Straight Talk with 4G

I am running this phone from ATT, purchased for their Retail price (no contract extension) and it runs using my Straight Talk SIM without problems, and does have full 4G.

Since Straight Talk's SIMs are registered on ATTs network, an IMEI spoof (ie what Gevey SIM is doing with their physical SIM-chip) will allow this to branch across the wireless carriers. Sadly, Gevey has no incentive, nor do others at that level, to produce one for the L920. iPhone yes, L920, not a chance.

So your locked phone can at least be put to use on Straight Talk if you're in the US and want a locked phone you bought to at least work!

 

[AnyMal]

I am running this phone from ATT, purchased for their Retail price (no contract extension) and it runs using my Straight Talk SIM without problems, and does have full 4G.

Since Straight Talk's SIMs are registered on ATTs network, an IMEI spoof (ie what Gevey SIM is doing with their physical SIM-chip) will allow this to branch across the wireless carriers. Sadly, Gevey has no incentive, nor do others at that level, to produce one for the L920. iPhone yes, L920, not a chance.

So your locked phone can at least be put to use on Straight Talk if you're in the US and want a locked phone you bought to at least work!

I am using L900 on Straight Talk without any issues, the only thing I had to do was add a custom APN to get MMS to work. I am definitely buying L920 when I come across a reasonable price.

 

[McHale]

I am using L900 on Straight Talk without any issues, the only thing I had to do was add a custom APN to get MMS to work. I am definitely buying L920 when I come across a reasonable price.

What are your MMS APN settings? MMS isn't working on mine and I've tried everything I'm aware of.

Thanks!

-Mc

 

[TooSlo]

What are your MMS APN settings? MMS isn't working on mine and I've tried everything I'm aware of.

Thanks!

-Mc

Same - I'm quite curious what MMS APN settings you've used. This is the ONE thing that's been frustrating since I picked up my 920 on Saturday.

 

[nMIK-3]

mod plz delete this post

 

[AnyMal]

Same - I'm quite curious what MMS APN settings you've used. This is the ONE thing that's been frustrating since I picked up my 920 on Saturday.

What are your MMS APN settings? MMS isn't working on mine and I've tried everything I'm aware of.

Thanks!

-Mc

Assuming you installed Network Setup app from the Market, open it and press "+" to create a new APN. Assign a name to it, I went with "Straight Talk" There are two parts to it.

Internet APN, there is only one field you'll need to fill in, leave others blank.

Access point name: att.mvno

MMS APN. Fill in the following fields, leaving others blank.

MMS access point name: att.mvno

Proxy address: 66.209.11.33

Proxy port: 80

MMSC address: http://mmsc.cingular.com

Don't forget to press "save" and reboot your phone for good measure. Enjoy