Well, it has to be rooted and with the newer basebands/firmware it seems not to work - from MJ3 and up.
SIM restrictions on unlocked European Note3
- Thread starter htc6500uk
- Start date
Well, it has to be rooted and with the newer basebands/firmware it seems not to work - from MJ3 and up.
I have tried contacting the Samsung România through chat and they said that in order to be unlocked it has to be taken into a service center. She did not even give an aproximative price. Duh.
Thing is I don't know if I can tell them they "have to". Like, where is it written? They will ask.
How do you suggest I do that? Write to whom? Email?
Samsung's website should have an email address for customer support. Try writing to them as they have given codes to some people here.
If you go to the service center you must demand the phone to be unlocked. It is you who paid for the phone and ultimately you should be able to use it anywhere in the world without a hitch. Tell them you cannot get rid of the lock by calling someone and you have to travel out of country soon, they should give you the code or unlock it for you. Good Luck.
Thank you. I will try writing to their service center. Going wo a service center is not really an option right now.
I am pleased to have been directed to this thread before I made the mistake of buying a European-locked Note 3. It seems as though the best thing to do to avoid this, is to buy one from Hong Kong where the region lock does not apply. Is there a reason I have missed why more people don't do this?
Of course,
1. Here we buy a note 3 for around €500
2. THE region lock diasappears in most cases.when using with THE correct sim.
Buying from Hong Kong or any other country without region lock is not the solution if you live or travel to a region with region lock phones. If you get software upgrade while in another region then phone will get region locked. Please see post by someone affected like this who bought unlocked phone which got subsequently locked when they were travelling in Europe.
If you want the phone then better option is to buy a network locked phone and then buy unlock code from the network. Three network UK for example gives unlock codes for free now but many other networks charge a fee. As far as I am aware network lock and region lock don't coexist and network lock can be unlocked with code from network.
Also this affects all samsung phones now.
Last edited:
Could you show me the post where someone says that he bought a region free and after upgrading got region locked?
THX
See http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=47664261&postcount=1380 abs also few posts from number 1377 onwards in this thread
This just gets more confusing because my partner is taking a job in Qatar, but will be coming home to the UK every sixth week. He was going to get a Note 3 & SIM there, but then on the basis of what you say this won't work when he's back here. He doesn't want to get one before he goes in case he is given a work phone.
I even searched the thread before posting, but the amount of posts here is testament to how confusing this issue is and how much Samsung have messed up.
I even searched the thread before posting, but the amount of posts here is testament to how confusing this issue is and how much Samsung have messed up.
If he buys sim free Phone then will be Region locked. Hopely will get unlocked after using it few days like Samsung claims. If it does not get unlocked as claimed then tough luck. I wouldn't recommend that option.
But If you still want the phone then you can buy network locked phone like me on the condition that the network unlocks the phone (for a fee or free ) and then you will get an unlocked phone. But if I was buying now then will look at newer phones from other manufacturers like the Sony z2 which doesn't have region locking issues.
Last edited:
this is crazy. can't stand network bloated phones, so Sony it is. Thanks for your help, I wonder if Samsung have any idea of the effect of their actions.
But for the stylus, I would choose another phone.
Still, the stylus is a really great thing. I am a student and now I am not taking any paper/notebooks at univer. All goes in my phone. Pretty cool.
Samsung have region locked the S5 too 
http://www.sammobile.com/2014/04/11/galaxy-s5-region-lock-worse-than-the-galaxy-note-3s/
http://www.sammobile.com/2014/04/11/galaxy-s5-region-lock-worse-than-the-galaxy-note-3s/
Samsung have region locked the S5 too
http://www.sammobile.com/2014/04/11/galaxy-s5-region-lock-worse-than-the-galaxy-note-3s/
This is actually good news for us Note 3 owners, because maybe there will be developed new unlock solution, for the 4.4.2 also.
Hopefully these solutions will work with the Note as well.
Similar threads
Top Liked Posts
-
There are no posts matching your filters.
-
21
The reason people are nervous is straightforward:
1) The phones claim to be "Unlocked' - they are not.
2) There is no evidence that traditional unlock methods will work -
a) I have discussed this with my source for unlocking phones by code - he unlocks about 100,000 phones a year, and has access to all the databases. He has never heard of such a thing, and is not confident that codes will be available.
b) Software solutions may or may not be available. Even so, not everybody is technical enough (or wants) to start butchering their phones. Further, we have customers who need these phones unlocked for network-testing purposes. They are aware of the software-unlock methods and do not want that as they claim it messes with the phone's firmware.
3) No one was informed of this before they purchased the device. Even the largest distributors (10s of thousands of phones - not retailers) only found out about it today.and have no answers
This is totally different than just purchasing an AT&T phone from the USA and getting it unlocked in Israel. Everybody knows how to do it and where to get it done. However, nobody knows how to do this phone, or if it even can be unlocked as this is a new type of lock that nobody yet understands or has successfully unlocked.
We also have these phone on our website, and we had to call each one of our customers that pre-ordered and explain the situation. Some didn't mind, and some were really pissed off and cancelled the orders.
I hope you are correct, and we can all pay our $20.00 and get the code. However, that remains to be seen.
And, on an OEM, carrier-unbranded device that can cost $900, and claims to be "factory unlocked" but is not, it is just bad business IMHO.
Dovid Feldman
On The Go Solutions, Inc15There'll be an app release soon enough.
If you don't want root for other reasons, it is indeed unfortunate you currently need it for this. Rooting (via CF-Auto-Root) does void KNOX warranty (irreversable), however, if you use the unroot option in SuperSU, and flash back a stock kernel and recovery, OTAs will work again. Note that it is possible to root without tripping KNOX warranty using a customized system partition, I'm sure someone has made or will make one sooner or later.
It is theoretically feasable to do this without root, but a lot tougher to make and maintain, with the information I currently have. I'm certain there is a way to improve this, I just haven't found it yet - and as I'm a full on root user, I doubt I will spend more time looking for it.14Latest News - Oct 9th 2013 - Clove, who specialise in sim-free/unlocked phones have suggested
that the Russian unlocking service at:
http://puman.ru/?selectlanguage=English
may be a solution for those concerned about the regional lock.
More info in the Clove blog at:
http://blog.clove.co.uk/2013/09/25/samsung-galaxy-note-3-sim-limitations/
Whether or not the Note 3 Verizon (US) "Developer Edition" will be regionally locked remains to be seen,
At least the bootloader will, according to reports, be unlocked.
More skimpy details at the Samsung/Verizon page at: http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SM-N900VMKEVZW
More Recent News - Oct 6th 2013 - Chainfire appears to have created an app to
get round region locking for the Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9005 (MI7 firmware) and rooted
You can buy Chainfire a beer (£1.99) by downloading the app from the Play Store at:
http://pkg.to/eu.chainfire.regionlockaway
There is also a thread started by Chainfire at: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=46187852 where meanies(!) can download it free.
Recent News (01:30 Oct 3rd 2013)
Android Authority: Galaxy Note 3 region lock is an issue after all, Android 4.4 update may lock older Galaxy handsets http://goo.gl/KjgVwc
Previous news (1st Oct 2013)
A significant number of users still claim they can't use "out of region" sims despite having first used a sim for the region the Note 3 was intended for which is the way Samsung have said is the way to 'unlock' the regional sim lock.
A number of users in this thread who found their Note3 was still region locked despite following the Samsung advice have successfully unlocked their Note3 regional lock using a Russian unlocking web site at http://puman.ru/ Although I am the OP of this thread, I do not have an out of region Sim to test this out myself - so no guarantees but read the posts!
Pics say it all. The Note 3 "unlocked" models are still locked to regions like DVD's and thus not very attractive to globetrotters or international purchasers who are being asked to pay £600 or so for a crippled device.
13Health warning: the message below is worrying.
I spoke yet again to the Samsung UK customer service team (+44 330 726 7864) this afternoon (at 5:40pm GMT) as I had not received the email I had been promised this morning with a statement on the region lock. A different rep spoke to me and had the following news to report to me:
- the Samsung UK telephone staff have had problems sending out emails today and therefore have not sent out the statement to me - which was fine by me as these things happen.
- the SIM limitation sticker really is meant to mean what it says - the N9005 is not meant to be compatible with SIMs issued by operators outside the European region - I believe at least some owners are using the Note 3 with SIMs issued by operators outside the EU but the rep was adamant that the Note 3 was not intended by Samsung to be used with SIMs issued by operators outside of the European region, even following first activation.
- the European region Note 3s are only meant to be compatible with SIMs issued by operators from the European region, and this applies equally after activation - I asked repeatedly her to confirm this which she did each time. I tried practical examples too and it got worse: So if I go to Australia I must use a European region SIM in my Note 3 even if I buy the Note 3 SIM-free for £620? Yes according to the rep. So I asked if I go to Florida on vacation, I have no choice but to use a European region SIM in my Note 3? Yes again according to rep.
- it makes no difference if here in the UK I buy the Note 3 from Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4U, EE or Clove.
- I could buy another phone if I wanted to use a SIM from an operator outside the EU in my mobile - the rep volunteered this to me as it never occurred to me that they might seriously suggest such a policy.
- the rollout of Kitkat is to extend the regional lock to existing SGS3s and Note 2s - I asked if my existing unlocked SGS3 bought unlocked over a year ago is to be subject to the same regional lock if I upgrade. Yes according to rep. So I would not be able to use a SIM from outside the European region in it when travelling? Yes according to the rep.
- no statement can be sent in an email to me by the Samsung UK telephone team to confirm this in writing.
- I can email uk.help@samsung.com with any questions but it might take up to 24 hours to respond. When I pointed out to the rep that I had already done just this, emailing uk.help@samsung.com on Friday evening (27th) and not had a response in over 50 hours (including after checking my spam folder), I was told that sometimes the email team are very busy and she could not say for sure when I would receive a response to any question.
I have asked to get a call back from the Tier 2 rep who I spoke to on Friday (27th) but in the meanwhile I can only stand gobsmacked by the apparent madness of this corporate policy. For example:
- Samsung cannot even implement a draconian region lock policy (if that is what they really intend) properly and consistently - given that some European Note 3s with the European regional lock sticker are reported to be being activated and then successfully used outside the home region with SIMs issued by operators outside the home region - while others are able to activate with home region SIM but not then able to use out of region SIMs when travelling.
- Samsung (whether through its local offices, PR companies or employees) can brief against itself so that some Samsung offices will say one thing and others possibly within the same office, something completely different, on the same day, and day after day.
- the utter, utter lack of leadership from Samsung Global (Electronics) to coordinate and communicate their own policy (whether that policy is good or bad is almost irrelevant) clearly, consistently and transparently - or to communicate it at all.
- complete confusion among retailers, and among Samsung reps talking to retailers, here in the UK as to Samsung's region lock policy, to the extent they are even aware in the first place of the region lock policy and how it operates - which, from first hand exerience, I can say many are not.
