Understanding network unlocking - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Why does each of us have to pay to unlock their phone model from a network when only one of us could unlock and then help others ?
Thats why I think we need to understand how phone unlocking works. I've searched and could not find any tutorial. I suggest this to be general advice and not any specific device.
So questions:
When I insert the unlock code into an android device, what files or partitions are modified ? Then could we not clone that and share the image with other users ?

It doesn't work like that. Each IMEI gets its own code by the carriers. It's not even an Android thing as all software come to the carrier unlocked and the carrier then adds in its own stuff excluding then lock codes.

We all know that each phone has its own IMEI. But to be more clear in byte-code language, we need to understand, how does the phone itself know "am I a locked phone or an unlocked one ?" Or in other words, do those who own websites to unlock code break the algorithm themselves or do they buy it from producers ?
Actually some have discovered that it's mmcblk0p6 in their case that changes when applying the unlock code, and using tools such as "string -n 8" to read that partition. But we need to uncover more than that, we don't know the partition name that need to be changed in other cases.

Related

[Q] How to find unlock code after root?

Hi,
I read in SuperOneClick thread that we can extract unlock code after root but it doesn't explain how.
Phone locked to Telus.
Please and thanks!
I don't think so, that it is possible, because this code (operator lock) is independent on system itself. It is most probably stored in GSM module of phone device and its unreachable by standard way.
I'm not sure with this, but code, which you mentioned is probably some kind of code for unlock device for firmware update/upload for some devices.

[Q] Sim Unlock Codes - How?

Let me just start off by saying I have tried everything (free) under the sun to unlock my S3 (I9300). I have learnt more in the last 2 days about my phone than I have in the past 2 years of owning it. From rooting and trying unlock apps to downgrading and trying the service mode glitch, I've tried it. It is more of a quest at this point. I would have paid to unlock it by now if it wasn't for my stubbornness.
From what I understand, since I am on version 4.3 and have EFS v2 (with no EFS v1 backup), there is no way to network unlock my phone without getting an unlock code from my network or a website, both of which require payment.
I can understand how the network is able to get an unlock code but what I don't understand is how various websites can 'calculate' unlock codes for my device, especially without the device at hand.
In theory, why can't I calculate the unlock codes myself? If I can, how?
No, codes aren't calculated -they come from a database that you can't access. Give up and buy a code.
BPate said:
I can understand how the network is able to get an unlock code but what I don't understand is how various websites can 'calculate' unlock codes for my device, especially without the device at hand.
In theory, why can't I calculate the unlock codes myself? If I can, how?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually have the codes that Vodafone provides free of charge with it's Network unlocking tool, unfortunately these codes don't work and they have yet to give me a reason why. The only thing I can hope for is a way to flash back to efs v1 but so far as I know it's impossible.

Is there a way to unlock the Galaxy Light to use on another Carrier manualy?

I bought a sgh-t399n at a garage sale recently and quickly rooted the phone and installed TWRP Recovery and CM12 on it. I called Metro and T-Mobile ( After flashing their firmware) for the unlock code but of course they refused to give it to me. So i tried 2 or 3 different unlock by IMEI websites as well as every single unlock app and software I could find while running logcat. The best lead I've gotten was the S.G.S. Unlock Tool app. It says it found the code but the results are null. In the logcat the system denies permission saying that the app was sending request as -2 when it was 0 and that it needed "android.permission.INTERACT_ACROSS_USERS_FULL" to accsess the info. Now I'm not a Dev by any definition of the term, nor am I any kind of hacker but I have learned a good bit from these forums over the last couple of years and my gut tells me this can be done with a little patients and some help from the good folks at XDA. Any imput on the subject is greatly appreciated.
You won't be able to unlock on CM12, have to have the stock firmware and OS installed.
yeah install stock system and any code should work without issue
If you unlock on stock system and then flash cyanogen, will it be fine?
-Tofu- said:
If you unlock on stock system and then flash cyanogen, will it be fine?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
es0tericcha0s said:
Yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The unlock code must be hidden on one of the partitions of the device it's self though right? Possibly in the EFS partion? Also how would i change thepermissions of an app to allow in to interact acroo all users?
Whether or not the code is in EFS, you still can't unlock on CM.
No I understand that. It is currently on the T-Mobile stock T399 firmware flashed with odin but still could not get an unlock code . Also i would like to learn to unlock these phones for future devices.
So it is not requesting an unlock code when you have a non T-Mobile SIM card installed? How odd... It should. If not, either it's already unlocked, or something else is going on. Have you tried both the Metro and Tmo firmware? Only the newest T-Mobile and Metro phones are not supported by unlocking via code as they use the Unlock app. As far as unlocking yourself, your best bet would be to get an unlock box like z3x or Octopus if you plan on doing a lot of them. If it's just 1 every year or 2, then it wouldn't make sense. Some phones have ways to unlock via root and hacks, but not all and it is becoming less common now as more manufacturers are making the ways to unlock more difficult either via encryption or other means.
The unlock companies I tried were unable to get a code by imei. Therefore I was never able to put in a real code. I've looked in to the z3x but it is way outta my price range as I am only a novice tinker. I just figured since the code must be in the programing of the phone somewhere then it was just a matter of locating the partition and file in which it was hidden and then decoding it. Is it possible to change an apps or users permissions? If so how?
rkey1000 said:
The unlock companies I tried were unable to get a code by imei. Therefore I was never able to put in a real code. I've looked in to the z3x but it is way outta my price range as I am only a novice tinker. I just figured since the code must be in the programing of the phone somewhere then it was just a matter of locating the partition and file in which it was hidden and then decoding it. Is it possible to change an apps or users permissions? If so how?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the app Root explorer allows you to change permissions on items.
It does, but nothing Root Explorer can do will help you find an unlock code, unfortunately. If the phone does not ask for a code when inserting another carrier's SIM, then that's the issue that would need to be resolved before anything else.
Sorry if I've been unclear. The phone dose ask for a code when a sim from a different carrier is put in but after trying 3 unlock by IMEI companies none of them were able to generate a code by IMEI. As for the permissions issue, I have an app that claims to find the codes but only says "null" in the results column. After going through the log cat it says the app is running as user 0 but is requesting info as user -2 and that it needs the permission " INTERACT_ACROSS_USERS_FULL" to show the info. So i was hoping to learn how i grant said app that permission and see if it would show the code?
solidus636 said:
yeah install stock system and any code should work without issue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you paste a link to the stock system?
Could anyone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me a working unlock code for my metro pcs phone email me [email protected] or [email protected] thank you.
Running into the same problem only im on a non rooted system. I need a solution to get the codes needed to unlock it from T-mobile and need them without running hardware as all i have is hardware from the old days. Software would be a choice if anyone knows of anything reliable. Services I am also willing to pay for if cheap and working.

[ANE-LX1] OEM Unlocking

I bought ANE-LX1 (P20 Lite) on June 2018 and immediately unlocked the OEM from the developer options (automatic factory reset was done then), but i never rooted or installed custom rom, recovery...etc.
All updates was normally arriving and i was updating my phone regularly (current build is: ANE-LX1 8.0.0.170(C185)).
I decided to root my device using fastboot, but when the device is in recovery mode i can see:
Code:
Phone Locked -- (in green font color)
FRP Unlock -- (in red font color)
When i try to flash using fastboot i got:
Code:
FAILED (remote: Command not allowed)
While searching online i found that Huawei decided to lock bootloader for all users (so we buy their hardware which contains an opensource software and then they lock it... PERFECT!), and it seems that the only way now is to get the unlock code by contacting third-party codes providers, pay money and they guarantee to provide the correct unlock code (pay and pray) + I will have to expose my device information.
My questions are:
-How can i see in the developer options that my OEM is already unlocked, while the recovery is not convinced?
-Do i really have to unlock it again with the code "after purchasing it ofcourse -- which i will never do" (e.g. using fastboot)?
-Is there any solution from xda experts for my case rather than buying codes and exposing my device information or stay with a Locked bootloader?
(attached evidence images for a clearer view)
drive.google.com/open?id=1e9CepsHp2O541ZKGS0E6uqS2hBwp8ry1
drive.google.com/open?id=119eCoO4Z0TvydupLIsEv-r5lsGHOD4o0
drive.google.com/open?id=1IBA1nYnw_PU25VLPTzqSLswTpGMQxuXP
Thanks in advance for your kind support.
and Thanks Huawei for putting us as a development community in this situation, where we have to pay for the black markets to unlock our own phones in an unofficial way.
Yes please, shoot some answers!
alimerdan said:
I will have to expose my device information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you expose?
bouncingsoul said:
Yes please, shoot some answers!
What do you expose?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMEI, product S/N (if i correctly understood the process, i have to provide my device info so they can extract the bootloader unlock key)
According to the information that's available, the code used to unlock the bootloader is unlocked in a very complicated way and it's basically unique for everyone. Now, I don't know how much this is true and how and why these people got their hands on the "method" of creating the code, but no one has been able to find a way that's guaranteed to work or even work at all, except for, of course, these sites that make you pay for it. I hope I'm not mistaken and forgive me if I am, but I don't think there is any way to obtain the bootloader code manually or without exposing your information to random strangers on the internet.
Need to unlock bootloader with dc unlocker to get unique unlock code. Look guide bootloader unlocking

Huawei P20 Lite ANE-LX1 bootloader (yes, another one of those thread. Sorry !)

Hello everyone,
I am wondering if there are any ways to know if the Huawei P20 Lite has its bootloader unlocked or not without erasing all of its datas. I am looking for a way to root it without paying for its bootloader code, as I am unsure if these are scams or if my phone is already unlocked.
I bought it on amazon, it's not affiliated to any mobile company, so I thought maybe it's unlocked... Or are the mobile company lock different from the bootloader lock ? It's also from EU (France); ANE-LX1 (C109) model.
I am a complete neophyte into this, as the only other phone I ever root was a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which was a very easy task.
I saw guides on how to root it without its bootloader code but I have no idea which to trust. I don't ask for you to search for me; I have tabs and tabs opened but I am also anxious by the idea of trying anything that could lock it and force me to pay for its bootloader.
Thanks for your answers ! Have a good day ! (6:25 am when I'm writing this here ^^)
EDIT : Well the more I read about rooting it the more I'm thinking it's not for newcomers.. Any tips/easy guides ? Because I feel like every guides I found are assuming that you already know things.. Which I don't :c
Ysull said:
Hello everyone,
I am wondering if there are any ways to know if the Huawei P20 Lite has its bootloader unlocked or not without erasing all of its datas. I am looking for a way to root it without paying for its bootloader code, as I am unsure if these are scams or if my phone is already unlocked.
I bought it on amazon, it's not affiliated to any mobile company, so I thought maybe it's unlocked... Or are the mobile company lock different from the bootloader lock ? It's also from EU (France); ANE-LX1 (C109) model.
I am a complete neophyte into this, as the only other phone I ever root was a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which was a very easy task.
I saw guides on how to root it without its bootloader code but I have no idea which to trust. I don't ask for you to search for me; I have tabs and tabs opened but I am also anxious by the idea of trying anything that could lock it and force me to pay for its bootloader.
Thanks for your answers ! Have a good day ! (6:25 am when I'm writing this here ^^)
EDIT : Well the more I read about rooting it the more I'm thinking it's not for newcomers.. Any tips/easy guides ? Because I feel like every guides I found are assuming that you already know things.. Which I don't :c
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
- "I am wondering if there are any ways to know if the Huawei P20 Lite has its bootloader unlocked or not" -
everytime the phone starts up, it goes to a screen saying: "Your device has been unlocked and can't be trusted..." (the most reliable method)
- "Or are the mobile company lock different from the bootloader lock ?" - yes, you can check SIM-lock status in "Project menu" - dial *#*#2846579#*#* from the phone dialer, select Network Information Query > SIM Lock Info
- "how to root it without its bootloader code but I have no idea which to trust." - best way to brick your phone
If you intend to unlock your bootloader , you have to downgrade to Oreo - EMUI 8.0 via HiSuite , then you must downgrade to lower build number with Google patch 04.2018-06.2018 . Now you can get bootloader unlock code for 4euros - DC-Unlocker.com or hcu-client.com.
Each bootloader code is permanent, it wont expire, you can use the same bootloader code to unlock if your bootloader will be lock again for some reason.
For further explanations try asking here.
Edit: you can use also paid service :
https://ministryofsolutions.com/huawei-bootloader-unlock-paid-service-html

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