Domestic Sim Unlock For T-Mobile/AT&T or MVNO's Solved (N900P)

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jejogo

Member
Oct 23, 2009
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Jan 1, 2014 at 11:27 AM
I finally cracked how to domestic unlock the N900P (Sprint Note 3) for use with T-Mobile/AT&T or any other U.S. GSM Carrier. Im writing up the tutorial now and finishing up the tools required to make it a little easier. However i spent over a month working on this and am asking for donations before i release the tutorial. As much as i hate to do it my car is on its last leg and i desperately need to find a new one. So please help me out as i hope getting this phone unlocked helps you all. I'm currently using mine on Straight Talk (can't beat $45/Mo using AT&T Towers). This is a fairly simple procedure it just has quite a few steps but if you follow every step to the letter it is cake. I am really trying to get to around $2000 just to find myself a little clunker so any donation is appreciated. I will post up a video for proof that i have accomplished this just so you all know this is not any kind of scam.

Disclaimer: YOU MUST HAVE YOUR DEVICE INTERNATIONALLY UNLOCKED FROM SPRINT FOR THIS TO WORK. I AM WORKING ON INTERNATIONALLY UNLOCKING WITHOUT SPRINT BUT IT IS REQUIRED IN THE MEANTIME. ALL OTHER TOOLS REQUIRED I WILL PROVIDE. YOU DO NOT NEED AN ACTIVE SIM CARD IT WILL SHOW BARS AND CARRIER INFO WITH INACTIVE CARD.

Disclaimer 2: ROOT IS REQUIRED FOR MULTIPLE STEPS AND THIS PROCESS WILL MORE THAN LIKELY TRIP KNOX. I AM WORKING ON A WAY AROUND THIS BUT IN THE MEANTIME THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY DOES TRIP KNOX. YOUR WARRANTY IS NOW VOID!

Disclaimer 3: IF YOU BREAK YOUR PHONE THEN YOU BROKE YOUR PHONE I AM IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE. (I BRICKED MY PHONE MANY TIMES TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THIS PROCESS A SIMPLE ODIN FLASH AND WAS GOOD TO GO.

MODERATOR EDIT - Comments removed

YOUTUBE VIDEO SHOWING SPRINT NOTE ON AT&T GO PHONE PLAN:http://youtu.be/LZowEnXHdFU
 
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jejogo

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Oct 23, 2009
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Jan 1, 2014 at 11:33 AM
Tutorial To Unlock Sprint Galaxy Note 3 For U.S. Sim

Tutorial to Unlock Sprint Galaxy Note 3 For T-Mobile/AT&T/MVNO's

Tools required:
Hidden Menu Enabled(modified for galaxy note 3): http://goo.gl/y4k2EG

MI3 modem (modified to be flashed via odin): http://goo.gl/W0f3Za

Odin 3.07 or 3.09 (google for it theres a million mirrors of it)

Device must already be internationally unlocked via sprint for this to work (must perform uicc unlock from system updates menu) im working on a way to do this without sprint but for now this is how it is)

Region Lock Away: (Free on chainfires thread or consider buying market donate version) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2470551

Device must be rooted: (rooting via this method will trip knox however the modem flash we have to do will likely trip it as well): http://download.chainfire.eu/362/CF-Root/CF-Auto-Root/CF-Auto-Root-hltespr-hltespr-smn900p.zip

Any root browers from play store

ServiceMode Shortcut: Grab from play store

prl helper or anything with an apn shortcut: Grab from play store

Step 1: We need to root the device so put device in download mode holding vol down+home+power while it is off. Flash cf auto root to obtain root (this will void knox).

Step 2: Grab a root browser, ServiceMode Shortcut, PRL Helper, and Region Lock Away and install your att/tmobile sim.

Step 3: Place device back into download mode. PAY ATTENTION HERE: you need to add the mi3 modem to pda and uncheck auto reboot. LEAVE ON F. RESET TIME CHECKED. After flash has completed remove battery from your phone place it back into download mode and flash mi3 modem again this time leaving auto reboot checked. When your device boots up to to settings->general->about device and check your baseband version to make sure it ends in mi3. if it does not redo step 3.

Step 4: Run regionlock away (not required for this all to work just for good measure), And switch your device into gsm/umts only mode in your settings menu.

Step 5: Plug your device in and enable usb debugging. run hidden menu enabler. open TestMode Menu. Follow these steps perfectly.

1. click ue setting and info
2. click setting
3. click protocol
4. click as- go to security control and make sure fake security is on, ciphering is off, and integrity is on. after you have seet these hit menu back twice to get back to ue setting and protocol menu.
5. open nas-go to network control go to band selection and pick number 5 wcdma/gsm mode only. after hit menu back.
6. Click pref mode set and choose number 2 gsm wcdma only. menu back once
7.hit aquision order and choose umts_gsm. hit menu back until youre back at ue setting menu.
8. open gcf and click number 1 and make sure it is on. hit menu back to ue settings.
9.go to sim and then sim class control. make sure umts on and gsm on both show. if not click to enable. hit menu back once
10.hit bip block control. hit number 3 bip block off. once complete go to bip block status to verify it is in fact off.
11. go all the way back to main menu. hit protocol state, sim information, check nv, and make sure it shows sim lock is disable, spr bip unblocked, and sha256 on or off shouldnt matter. ( i have had mine off and on and it seems to work either way)(mine is currently on)
12. power cycle device.
13. when it comes on device SHOULD show service it still may not.
14. get into your root browser, go system, and open your build.prop with a text editor
15. add these lines to the very bottom to enable apn editing. (credit to ingenium13)
ril.sales_code=LOL
ro.csc.sales_code=LOL

16. reboot device once more. now use prl helper or your apn shortcut and create a new apn for your carrier. delete all the sprint ones and make sure you highlight the circle next to your newly created apn. reboot once more.

17. device should come up with full service bars and data/mms active. (if you have an inactive sim card it does not always show service)(my inactive att card would show service my inactive tmobile would not)

18. Donations appreciated now you should be 100% unlocked. if you need to undo this for any reason see post 3 to get fully back on sprint.

19. Profit!
 
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nerys71

nerys71

Senior Member
May 13, 2008
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Jan 2, 2014 at 4:19 AM
There is no way to toggle it? Lije it does when you go overseas? Ie just insert the gsm sim card? Any chance of that in the future? Just curious. I am out of my scope of knowledge with this kind of stuff.
 
J

jejogo

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Oct 23, 2009
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Jan 2, 2014 at 4:28 AM
I'm working on a way to as I still have sprint myself as well as my straight talk. However at this point in time sprint needs to basically be disabled. If the phone detects sprint it won't pick up on gsm even in gsm/umts mode. In addition the phone needs to operate in wcdma preferred which is not currently an option available in the default Samsung menu. This menu in fact gets changed to only reflect gsm options and does not offer CDMA as a working option.

Sent from my SM-N900P using xda app-developers app
 
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leond

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Jul 15, 2008
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Jan 2, 2014 at 4:58 AM
jejogo said:
I'm working on a way to as I still have sprint myself as well as my straight talk. However at this point in time sprint needs to basically be disabled. If the phone detects sprint it won't pick up on gsm even in gsm/umts mode. In addition the phone needs to operate in wcdma preferred which is not currently an option available in the default Samsung menu. This menu in fact gets changed to only reflect gsm options and does not offer CDMA as a working option.

Sent from my SM-N900P using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Nice Work! Thank you!
 
A

ajourdan03

New member
Jan 2, 2014
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Jan 2, 2014 at 12:45 PM
4G LTE

Will 4G LTE work? I assuming not because the carriers work off different frequencies that the 4G radio that's in Sprint's version of the Note 3. Is this correct?
 
nerys71

nerys71

Senior Member
May 13, 2008
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Jan 2, 2014 at 3:01 PM
huh post is gone. the XDA app is not very reliable. anyway makes sense now sprint phones very aggressively revert to sprint towers so if it see's any it reverts.

I am assuming "getting" it to work was the hard part so easier methods of switching should be possible even a dual boot would be a nice clean solution :)

I bet a lot of people will appreciate being "able" to do this. one phone now works with everyone.
 
A

arbarof

Member
Nov 16, 2013
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Jan 2, 2014 at 10:36 PM
I got a little problem...

Hi everyone.

I did all the steps carefully but in the step 11. Mine says SIM LOCK ENABLED and SPR BIP Disabled. I bought my phone from Ebay as a BAD ESN PHONE, im from Dominican Republic so a BAD ESN Phone works without a problem when u unlocked it. The 1st i tried with my sim from CLARO DR it doesnt shows any sign to be blocked it didnt asked for a PIN to unlock. So i thought it was unlocked.

Sorry for my bad english. :p
 
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J

jejogo

Member
Oct 23, 2009
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Jan 3, 2014 at 12:41 AM
arbarof said:
Hi everyone.

I did all the steps carefully but in the step 11. Mine says SIM LOCK ENABLED and SPR BIP Disabled. I bought my phone from Ebay as a BAD ESN PHONE, im from Dominican Republic so a BAD ESN Phone works without a problem when u unlocked it. The 1st i tried with my sim from CLARO DR it doesnt shows any sign to be blocked it didnt asked for a PIN to unlock. So i thought it was unlocked.

Sorry for my bad english. :p
Click to expand...
Was it international unlocked from Sprint? That's step 1 the rest is to remove domestic block

Sent from my SM-N900P using xda app-developers app
 
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