Hi everybody,
I'm going to be visiting Switzerland in a couple of weeks. T-Mobile's roaming rate on voice calls alone is crazy (I have no idea what they'd charge for data usage, and I'm afraid to look!) Because of this, I don't intend to use my T-Mobile SIM card while I'm there.
Does anybody have any experience with unlocking the Vibrant and using it in Switzerland, or some other European country? Are there pre-paid SIM cards that will also allow me to use data services? Are they pretty expensive, or inexpensive?
If anybody could recommend a specific pre-paid SIM carrier or has done this before, I'd really appreciate your insights.
phydoux said:
Hi everybody,
I'm going to be visiting Switzerland in a couple of weeks. T-Mobile's roaming rate on voice calls alone is crazy (I have no idea what they'd charge for data usage, and I'm afraid to look!) Because of this, I don't intend to use my T-Mobile SIM card while I'm there.
Does anybody have any experience with unlocking the Vibrant and using it in Switzerland, or some other European country? Are there pre-paid SIM cards that will also allow me to use data services? Are they pretty expensive, or inexpensive?
If anybody could recommend a specific pre-paid SIM carrier or has done this before, I'd really appreciate your insights.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have any answers to your questions, but have you checked whether T-Mo will charge for incoming calls when roaming? I haven't done it in years, but when I was roaming in Asia a few years back the incoming calls weren't billed at all, so i just texted my wife to call me and all was good.
I saw an app on here and it's in the marketplace for sim unlocking on the phone without having to request the code from tmo..think it was simply called unlock vibrant. it's a 4 step process and worked for me no problems.
Moved of: Samsung Vibrant > Vibrant General
To: Samsung Vibrant > Vibrant Q&A
Please put your questions to: Vibrant Q&A
It worked great!
Thanks to mmelo76 for moving my question - sorry for not getting it in the right place to begin with.
I wanted to follow up here and say that I went ahead and got my Vibrant unlocked via the market application "Galaxy_S Unlock" by Helroz.
I tested with an AT&T SIM from a friend's phone and verified that the unlock worked.
Then when I got to Switzerland (the Zurich airport), I found a Swisscom store in the adjacent train station shopping area. I bought an "Easy BeFree" SIM (http://www.swisscom.com/res/mobile/tarife/flat/easy-befree/index.htm) for 20 CHF, which also included 20 CHF of credit... so the SIM was basically free.
Popped it in to my phone and started it up and it worked immediately from the start. The only thing I had to do was re-enter my Google account password. I think the password might be encrypted against something in the SIM, so swapping the SIM forces you to re-enter it.
Anyway, I ran around Switzerland for a week and had data and voice coverage. If I were to go again, that's definitely the way to go.
Related
I've been making a few searches in hopes of finding a solution to this, but came out empty handed. I'm using a Photon 4G (stuck on Electrify 2.3.5) on GSM mode in Argentina. I'm unable to receive data no matter what settings i tinker with. I also tried setting up APNs to no avail.
Anyone has ideas on why this may be happening? Doesn't the Photon support 3G data over GSM worldwide?
Thanks
Anyone ?
Try GSM roms
Sent from my MB855 using XDA
I think you officially have to call Sprint, ask them to remove your phone's SIM lock so you can use other SIM cards overseas, politely sit through their sermon about the dangers of using foreign SIM cards, repeat your request, and call back if necessary to get a more cooperative customer service representative.
From what I've read, all Photons are SIM-locked by default, but Sprint doesn't really fight if you ask them to unlock it for you. However, they MIGHT refuse to remove the SIM lock unless you either purchased the phone without a contract, purchased it used without an ESN-block, or purchased it with a contract 30+ days ago and have already paid your first bill post-purchase. I believe the FCC or FTC made it a law, but left them enough of a loophole so that you couldn't buy a subsidized Sprint phone on contract with a prepaid credit card, then leave the country and cancel the card.
I'm guessing that the inability to use data is because Sprint's SIM has data disabled while roaming by default, so they can make you sit through ANOTHER sermon listening to horror stories about Americans who used their phones in Canada and got hit with $1,000+ bills for a few hours of data use.
You can't totally blame sprint for the default Data block while roaming on their SIM... Android phones use lots of data in the background that most Americans never even notice (because we generally have unlimited data). Using the same phone with charges like 10c/kilobyte can get insanely expensive within just a few minutes.
Or, you could check out the GSM unlock thread somewhere around here. If you're already back in Argentina, it's probably easier. ;-)
Be VERY careful about reflashing a "GSM ROM", and MAKE SURE you've seen confirmation from at least one other user that it has been successfully flashed to a PHOTON -- not an Atrix, Atrix2, or Electrify. Flashing "alien" ROMs is playing with fire, and you can EASILY brick (soft or otherwise) your phone by blindly experimenting.
bitbang3r said:
I think you officially have to call Sprint, ask them to remove your phone's SIM lock so you can use other SIM cards overseas, politely sit through their sermon about the dangers of using foreign SIM cards, repeat your request, and call back if necessary to get a more cooperative customer service representative.
From what I've read, all Photons are SIM-locked by default, but Sprint doesn't really fight if you ask them to unlock it for you. However, they MIGHT refuse to remove the SIM lock unless you either purchased the phone without a contract, purchased it used without an ESN-block, or purchased it with a contract 30+ days ago and have already paid your first bill post-purchase. I believe the FCC or FTC made it a law, but left them enough of a loophole so that you couldn't buy a subsidized Sprint phone on contract with a prepaid credit card, then leave the country and cancel the card.
I'm guessing that the inability to use data is because Sprint's SIM has data disabled while roaming by default, so they can make you sit through ANOTHER sermon listening to horror stories about Americans who used their phones in Canada and got hit with $1,000+ bills for a few hours of data use.
You can't totally blame sprint for the default Data block while roaming on their SIM... Android phones use lots of data in the background that most Americans never even notice (because we generally have unlimited data). Using the same phone with charges like 10c/kilobyte can get insanely expensive within just a few minutes.
Or, you could check out the GSM unlock thread somewhere around here. If you're already back in Argentina, it's probably easier. ;-)
Be VERY careful about reflashing a "GSM ROM", and MAKE SURE you've seen confirmation from at least one other user that it has been successfully flashed to a PHOTON -- not an Atrix, Atrix2, or Electrify. Flashing "alien" ROMs is playing with fire, and you can EASILY brick (soft or otherwise) your phone by blindly experimenting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not the correct statement. I owned Photon and recently travel to Asia 2 times. The Photon work fine when I pop the prepaid SIM card in. The Photon came with Global GSM unlock. It's only lock the GSM on US Carriers. It's best to contact the provider of the GSM carrier he is using and ask to see if there are certain settings that need to be done.
Can you make voice call and SMS ? ( I see that you are on a Electrify 2.3.5.. don't know if that is an issue)
I just checked Argentina network. They do have 3G supporting 850 and 1900 frequency band. I advise to take the phone to the provider and ask them for help to set up the 3G network parameters if you do have voice and sms.
Try this link and look for the network provider that you are using in Argentina: They showed most of the settings for 2G/3G: http://nxwiki.blogspot.com/2011/08/movistar-gprs-mms-wap-settings-apn.html
roadster92 said:
That's not the correct statement. I owned Photon and recently travel to Asia 2 times. The Photon work fine when I pop the prepaid SIM card in. The Photon came with Global GSM unlock. It's only lock the GSM on US Carriers. It's best to contact the provider of the GSM carrier he is using and ask to see if there are certain settings that need to be done.
Can you make voice call and SMS ? ( I see that you are on a Electrify 2.3.5.. don't know if that is an issue)
I just checked Argentina network. They do have 3G supporting 850 and 1900 frequency band. I advise to take the phone to the provider and ask them for help to set up the 3G network parameters if you do have voice and sms.
Try this link and look for the network provider that you are using in Argentina: They showed most of the settings for 2G/3G: http://nxwiki.blogspot.com/2011/08/movistar-gprs-mms-wap-settings-apn.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your response. Yes, other than not receiving data, the phone works pretty much flawlessly: SMS and voice work just fine (wifi is a bit moody since it won't connect unless you go to the wi-fi settings and let it look at all your available networks, but I blame this issue on the ROM I'm sitting on).
I'll try APN settings again and see how it fairs. Thanks a bunch for your input guys.
Oh, and BTW, I bought my Photon through Ebay (my girlfriend brought it from New York where she was doing her MA), so I'm not expecting any kind of support from Sprint. Do they actually provide customer service to not-on contract phones?
Thanks again!
firtermish said:
Thanks for your response. Yes, other than not receiving data, the phone works pretty much flawlessly: SMS and voice work just fine (wifi is a bit moody since it won't connect unless you go to the wi-fi settings and let it look at all your available networks, but I blame this issue on the ROM I'm sitting on).
I'll try APN settings again and see how it fairs. Thanks a bunch for your input guys.
Oh, and BTW, I bought my Photon through Ebay (my girlfriend brought it from New York where she was doing her MA), so I'm not expecting any kind of support from Sprint. Do they actually provide customer service to not-on contract phones?
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even if you call Sprint. I do not think they will be able to help you. The phone is unlock and work with voice call. It's the network provision that's not allow you to connect with Argentina carriers. The best way is contact the Argentina carrier that you are using and ask them to provide or help to provision that for you. I was having difficulty connect to 3g in Vietnam when I was there (I was doing APN on my own and did not work) I have to contact the Vietnam carrier and they show me how to connect to 3g by using text message send to their server to initiate the automatic provisioning. I recommend that you do the same.
Success!
My stupid fault! I was entering outdated settings on the APN section, which is why it wasn't working before. I have now tried several settings and finally made 3G work! Thanks a million to everyone who contributed, especially roadster92.
For future reference (Claro 3G Argentina users), the configuration I used was the following one:
Connection Name: Claro 3G AR
Authentication: CHAP and PAP
Access Point (APN): gprs.claro.com.ar
UserName: hsdpa
Password: hsdpa
Cheers.
Hello, I recently visited the USA (Las Vegas) and discovered that my UK bought (UNLOCKED) Samsung Galaxy S3 could not make nor receive calls in the USA. Roaming WAS enabled and I had an R symbol over the signal strength indicator. I have a Vodafone pay as you go sim card which I have used (as my main sim) over numerous years now. I have used it in other phones previously (HTC, Samsung, LG, etc.) over the years and they have all made and received calls in the USA (roaming) no problem. I did get a text message (eventually) when I was in the USA saying welcome to USA and calls cost £1.50, etc, etc. Yet when I tried making a call, I had an automated voice message asking me to contact my operator for some reason (can't remember the specifics). I've never had a problem using my Vodafone sim roaming in the USA and with previous phones, always made and received calls without any hassle (i.e. found a network automatically, e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). Also, I visited Las Vegas last year with the same sim card but a different phone (HTC Desire HD) and was able to make and receive calls. I recall my brother saying that he had read something on the internet about the UK spec. S3 having hardware differences with the rest of the world versions, including not being able to work in the USA for calls. However, he could not find the site again. Has anybody else had this problem or know about it?
Yee1 said:
Hello, I recently visited the USA (Las Vegas) and discovered that my UK bought (UNLOCKED) Samsung Galaxy S3 could not make nor receive calls in the USA. Roaming WAS enabled and I had an R symbol over the signal strength indicator. I have a Vodafone pay as you go sim card which I have used (as my main sim) over numerous years now. I have used it in other phones previously (HTC, Samsung, LG, etc.) over the years and they have all made and received calls in the USA (roaming) no problem. I did get a text message (eventually) when I was in the USA saying welcome to USA and calls cost £1.50, etc, etc. Yet when I tried making a call, I had an automated voice message asking me to contact my operator for some reason (can't remember the specifics). I've never had a problem using my Vodafone sim roaming in the USA and with previous phones, always made and received calls without any hassle (i.e. found a network automatically, e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). Also, I visited Las Vegas last year with the same sim card but a different phone (HTC Desire HD) and was able to make and receive calls. I recall my brother saying that he had read something on the internet about the UK spec. S3 having hardware differences with the rest of the world versions, including not being able to work in the USA for calls. However, he could not find the site again. Has anybody else had this problem or know about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea about roaming in the USA...
However, I do know that the phone works on AT&Ts network, because I live in the USA & use the I9300 on AT&Ts network. The I9300 will not work on T-Mobile's data network, but should work on T-Mo's voice network.
That probably wasn't much help to you. I just wanted to confirm for you that the phone does work on AT&Ts network here.
brkshr said:
I have no idea about roaming in the USA...
However, I do know that the phone works on AT&Ts network, because I live in the USA & use the I9300 on AT&Ts network. The I9300 will not work on T-Mobile's data network, but should work on T-Mo's voice network.
That probably wasn't much help to you. I just wanted to confirm for you that the phone does work on AT&Ts network here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks brkshr, that was helpful. Good to know that a GT-I9300 does work in the USA.
I thought the USA had different models (SGH-T999 and SGH-I747). What made you decide to get a GT-I9300?
I may try again (next time I go back to USA) and if still the same, will try an AT&T sim. I must admit, I don't know anything about the different networks in the USA. Can I get a pay as you go sim for free? In England, you can get sim cards for different networks free and then obviously pay to top up.
Yee1 said:
Thanks brkshr, that was helpful. Good to know that a GT-I9300 does work in the USA.
I thought the USA had different models (SGH-T999 and SGH-I747). What made you decide to get a GT-I9300?
I may try again (next time I go back to USA) and if still the same, will try an AT&T sim. I must admit, I don't know anything about the different networks in the USA. Can I get a pay as you go sim for free? In England, you can get sim cards for different networks free and then obviously pay to top up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct. The U.S. does have it's own variations. I decided to buy the I9300 for the quad-core & I was hoping that Samsung would be more likely to release sources for it & update it faster. They do update the I9300 faster, but I prefer AOSP (Google's stock Android) over Samsungs TouchWiz & that's where sources come in to play. So now I wish I would have gone with a U.S. variant, because sources for the US variant are released. Oh well! (Sorry for the rant)
Unfortunately, we don't get free SIM cards here. The best thing to do is buy an AT&T SIM card online ahead of time. Then activate it on a prepaid plan when you get here. You need a Micro SIM card. They should cost anywhere from $5 to $15. Otherwise, you have to go into an AT&T store & buy their 'SIM Starter Kit' for $25... Complete BS.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=at&t+sim+card
Thanks again, the link (to Amazon) is very useful. I think I will get an AT&T pre-paid sim card as suggested. At least that way I can use mobile data (when wi-fi is not available) and not have to pay extortionate data roaming charges. Especially useful for mobile data assisted GPS.
One last question though. In the UK, you can keep your number even if you don't top up for ages. In the US, can you buy a pre-paid sim card, use it once, not top up for say a year and still be able to use the sim again, i.e. it won't be deactivated will it? That way I can have it as a holiday sim (I visit the US every year).
Yee1 said:
Thanks again, the link (to Amazon) is very useful. I think I will get an AT&T pre-paid sim card as suggested. At least that way I can use mobile data (when wi-fi is not available) and not have to pay extortionate data roaming charges. Especially useful for mobile data assisted GPS.
One last question though. In the UK, you can keep your number even if you don't top up for ages. In the US, can you buy a pre-paid sim card, use it once, not top up for say a year and still be able to use the sim again, i.e. it won't be deactivated will it? That way I can have it as a holiday sim (I visit the US every year).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know the answer to that question. Sorry.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Question!!
I bought an unlocked i9300 the quad core international galaxy s3.. i'm using Simple Mobile micro simcard.. i wanted to use AT&T prepaid simcard the one amazon sell.. i 'm asking if anyone used the AT&T with this phone and make it work.. i went to AT&T store and they told me the simcard will never work on my phone so don't buy it..i live in Texas USA.
PS: i'm sorry if this question been asked before and thank you all for your time and help
Have you seen this thread?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1696025
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
From the states. I have an att atrix out of contract that I will be carrier unlocking once I get a new sim. I got the unlock code from att but I have to put in the new sim before I unlock it. I found some of my answers by searching here and google but I have not found all of them. Some of the following questions might pertain to apps only, like google voice, or gmail.
Here goes; I heard there's a place in the Punta Cana airport to buy a sim card for the phone, I do not have a stock radio or rom. Using cm7.2 and the 37p radio. Will I be able to just pop in a DR sim card and be ok? Or should I get a flashable radio for the area as well, and if so, which one?
Second question, anyone know if the sim I buy will include data? How much of an issue will it be to change my google voice number to forward to my new sim? And then back to my real number once I get home?
And then two factor authentication for google, if I print out the codes from google foe 2factor, will that be all I need or should I just shut it off while im gone?
Last time I went I took my old iphone and was not concerned about losing and i had it airplane mode all the time. But now I have a note 2 and I don't want to risk losing it or roaming data fees. That is why I'm taking my old atrix. Plus the note2 has a micro sim card so I cant just pop it out and put it into my atrix.
Any suggestions, answers, or comments are all welcome.
I am dominican and i use the 37p radio (stock for att v. (like the one i got)) so there, is no problem I dont know about data, but you can ask for the service when you buy the sim...
Sent from my MB860
TL/DR
Can I get data working on my T-mobile sim for straight talk?
Hey guys, I was on the phone with straight talk and I got someone who could finally get an issue fixed, Well kinda.
Let me give you some background, I bought an ATT SIM off ebay for $50(Well so I thought) and it turned out to be a T-Mobile sim.
My phone itself works I can make calls and send texts but my reception is not so great. I had no data or MMS for the past month (Since I got the phone.)
I've called straight talk a few times with no luck But I was able to talk to someone that knew something. Turnes out I have a T-moble sim and my phone can't get data, It will just redirect to androidapi.t-mobile.com/apppack/mvno.html .
He asked me what color my sim was and I thought it was kinda weird but my sim was pink, He said thats a t-mobile sim and the ATT sims are blue, He also told me that stuff like this happens all the time and I would have to re-buy an ATT sim.
I opened a dispute on ebay for my money back but no response yet.
With this being said can I get data working on my T-mobile sim for straight talk or am I ****ed?
Thanks.
Google "straight talk T-Mobile APN settings"
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Sims are only $15 for straight talk. Hope you got minutes with it. Since it is T-mobile you will have to sim unlock your phone. Either call ATT and get the unlock code, pay a third party, or root your phone and follow crixley's guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2124544 to unlock your phone for free. After the phone is unlocked you may need to enter your APN info and/or install another modem to get full data speed on the T-mobile network.
So i just picked up a used photon to use in Europe but have been reading some disturbing info. Some of it is rather old so just wanted to get updated info.
1. I want to use a local foreign sim. Can i just put one in and use it?
2. Do i need to call sprint to unlock it? I did put in an old Wind sim from italy while I am still here in the U.S. and it asked for a PIN. Is that a PIN I get from Wind or sprint?
3. I read somewhere about renaming two files to bypass the Sprint activation screen. Is that still recommended even though this phone is activated and i using it as my normal cellphone in the US? Pros and cons of doing this?
4. I read somewhere that I will not be able to use foreign sim data/internet? Is this still true. Is there any workaround for this?
Any recent real world experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks!!
superflysocal said:
So i just picked up a used photon to use in Europe but have been reading some disturbing info. Some of it is rather old so just wanted to get updated info.
1. I want to use a local foreign sim. Can i just put one in and use it?
2. Do i need to call sprint to unlock it? I did put in an old Wind sim from italy while I am still here in the U.S. and it asked for a PIN. Is that a PIN I get from Wind or sprint?
3. I read somewhere about renaming two files to bypass the Sprint activation screen. Is that still recommended even though this phone is activated and i using it as my normal cellphone in the US? Pros and cons of doing this?
4. I read somewhere that I will not be able to use foreign sim data/internet? Is this still true. Is there any workaround for this?
Any recent real world experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just pop in a foreign sim and you should be ready to go
superflysocal said:
So i just picked up a used photon to use in Europe but have been reading some disturbing info. Some of it is rather old so just wanted to get updated info.
1. I want to use a local foreign sim. Can i just put one in and use it?
2. Do i need to call sprint to unlock it? I did put in an old Wind sim from italy while I am still here in the U.S. and it asked for a PIN. Is that a PIN I get from Wind or sprint?
3. I read somewhere about renaming two files to bypass the Sprint activation screen. Is that still recommended even though this phone is activated and i using it as my normal cellphone in the US? Pros and cons of doing this?
4. I read somewhere that I will not be able to use foreign sim data/internet? Is this still true. Is there any workaround for this?
Any recent real world experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Yes. Depending on the carrier you may need to configure the APN's for data / internet. Orange UK was just plug and go for me. Vodafone Romania and Tigo Colombia needed APN's configured. If you buy the SIM at the office of the carrier they will help you configure it at that time. If you buy the Sim online, Tweakker or APN Global can help. Both are available on Google Play, or you could always go to the carrier's office.
2) No need to unlock. The PIN would be from the operator (Wind in your case). Normally the PIN is on the little card that the SIM card pops out of of.
3) I never did this. I think that was just for people who were not going to be able to activate the phone in the US. Since yours is already activated I would not worry about it.
4) You can use 3G data assuming APN's and your Sim / plan are current.
I had a few annoyances trying to get prepaid sim cards to work for both voice and data in Iceland and Germany, but I was eventually able to get them to work.