Question regarding unlocking My att note 3 being on kitkat. Region only unlock???

[ahfu25]

So I've made the jump to tmobile and I have a brand new unactivated Note 3 but the att version and the box says it's on kit Kat. From what I understand if it's been unactivated and I try to unlock it it will only be region unlocked. I don't really understand this if some of you guys can chime in and explain to me in further detail what this means I would be thankful.

 

[440bro]

So I've made the jump to tmobile and I have a brand new unactivated Note 3 but the att version and the box says it's on kit Kat. From what I understand if it's been unactivated and I try to unlock it it will only be region unlocked. I don't really understand this if some of you guys can chime in and explain to me in further detail what this means I would be thankful.

When you buy a phone it is locked in more than 1 way.

First of all it is region locked. This means that the phone must be used for 5 to 15 minutes on the carrier it is intended for, in it's intended location. For example. An At&t phone must be used in the United states, on At&t's network for 5 to 15 minutes before it can be used outside the U.S. or on a different carrier like T-mobile.

Second of all the phone is SIM locked. This means that the phone can only be used with it's branded carriers SIM card installed. SIM unlock codes can be obtained from the phones branded carrier, or a 3rd party source. In order for an At&t phone to work on T-mobile you must unlock the SIM.

If you have an At&t Note 3 with firmware ending in MI9, there's an app called region lockaway that can unlock both the SIM and region locks. This exploit was fixed before kit kat was released. So if your build ends with NC2, MLG, NB4, or MJ5 you have to purchase a SIM unlock code, or call the branded carrier.

Phones also has a bootloader which loads the devices software. The At&t Note 3 has a locked bootloader. This prevents the installation of a custom recovery. Custom recoveries give us access to cool AOSP roms and one click system restores. Exploits like safestrap let us tweak stock software for a custom feel. But it's just not the same.

Finally all devices have a root directory. Some phones can allow root access. This allows us to perform exploits like safestrap, and tweak system files.

I know you didn't ask for all that info, but I included it for some other curious unknowing readers. I hope I answered your question.