I've got a G5 that was supposed to be unlocked, but it actually wasn't because the Orange shop had a clueless clerk.
I put in it a new nanoSIM an it asked for a code. I input the PIN of the SIM and it wasn't the right thing, then, after about 6 or 7 retries I stopped and called Vodafone, my carrier, to see if the new nanoSIM is activated or what's going on? They said it's all right if I block the SIM, they can unblock it, no problem, go on.
Except that the phone wasn't asking for the SIM PIN, but for the network unlock code.
I don't know why I didn't understand that. It's because I wasn't expecting anything of the sort. I just thought that newer phones have a different word for PIN, whatever. I had a coworker with me when doing this, we both had a brain malfunction.
The fact is I used up all the 10 retries.
Then I went to Orange service and they informed me that the baseboard is locked and cannot be reflashed, but instead it must be replaced and it costs $200.
Is that true? Perfectly working hardware has to be replaced because of a human error while inputting data in a field? No reflash possible, no reset? What kind of colossal paranoid made this design decision? Is it because of the carrier (Orange) or because of LG?
Please enlighten me, mobile gurus.
I had confirmation from another LG Service that this is indeed the case. The only option available is replacing the logic board. Hard to believe, but true. Throwing away perfectly good hardware because some moron thought it's a good idea to lock it without any way to recover, apparently. I would still like to know if it was an LG moron or an Orange moron. Who made this awful design decision? What's the mechanism involved? How does the board become locked? What kind of locking is it? Does the service actually put it in the trash, or does it take it to an LG factory and they hook it to a machine and reprogram it?
After reading some more, it seems there is a way to brute force the network unlock even after the 10 retries were used up. But it has to be with Android 6, and I upgraded to 7, because I'm restless. I'll downgrade it now.
Can someone tell me what's the name of the tool that does the brute forcing?
Downgraded to Android 6.0.1 (kdz 10i)
I downgraded the phone from Android 7 to 6, 20a to 10i (H85010i_00_OPEN_EU_OP_0923.kdz). 10c didn't work, probably too old.
I did it with Uppercut 1.0.0 and LGUP 1.14.3.
First, hard reset (with buttons, volume down and power)
Then Uppercut + LGUP, flash 10i
After that, it gave a lot of errors from applications, hard-reset again
Done
Now I need to know the name of the brute force application that can unlock it. Someone please help me, send me PM with the name.
It displays "This phone is permanently locked and can not be unlocked".
Finally, happy end.
The phone can be unlocked, even if it says "this phone is permanently locked and can not be unlocked".
Some information for whoever uses Google and finds this thread:
There is about a dozen programs that can do this, Octoplus Octopus etc. They cost about $80-$150 so it's not worth buying them to unlock just one phone. These programs run only if they detect some type of hardware dongle or smartcard. But there are people on ebay that do remote unlocking, through Teamviewer.
I had to downgrade from 10i to an even older image, 10d. The good news is that it's possible to downgrade from Android 7 to 6. I used Uppercut 1.0.0 and LGUP 1.14.3. Also after downgrade I performed a hard-reset ("refurbish") with the hardware buttons, search google for LG G5 hard-reset. As a matter of fact, I did this after every reflash, to have a clean OS.
So asadnow2k unlocked it for $15, but after unlock the IMEI was reset to 0 and had to put my IMEI back too. Also, arm yourself with the patience of a saint because asadnow2k takes ages between replies on skype. He did unlock my phone eventually, but it took two days. You might be better off taking the phone to a local repair shop. But not to the official LG repair or carrier Service.
unlocking
so what was the process of unlocking ?
Related
I took my Dell Venue to an ATT agent to unlock it. That dumb agent tried more than 10 different codes and now I have my Dell Venue displaying that my device has been network SIM locked and asking me to take it to the carrier to be unlocked but none (ATT and Dell agent) can fix the issue. My Dell is no longer prompting a request to enter a code. Anyone has any idea how to fix this issue?
I'd imagine you complained to at&t after fumblefingers took 10 tries?
For featurephones the normal course is to call the maufacturer and tell them this, they'll tell you to mail it back or something and they'll unlock it with special tools. I'd imagine it's the same with smartphones.
I have had AT&T unlock my phones for me over the phone without any problems. If you are paid up and have been a customer for more than 3 months (or something like that) they should do it for you.
Call 611, tell them you are going on vacation to Europe, and that you would like your phone unlocked. They require you to add at least basic international roaming (which should be free) to your account also.
AT&T was able to unlock two Blackberry's and another older phone for me using this method.
Normally calling and getting the code is what you do, he took it to an at&t shop (i think) and got it in person, but the guy managed to get it wrong 10 times which in most devices (including this one) renders it unlockable by the user.
You need to get the manufacturer to apply special tools to it to either: reset the lock count or unlock it anyway.
So I've been reading forums like every day since the 12th(launch in Canada), when I got my phone. So it's not like I came right on to ask questions without reading anything.
2 questions.
First is:
About half a week ago-a week ago I was reading about someone having frequent crashes and didn't really think much of it because my phone was working fine. People suggested backup and restore with pc companion, as well as taking it back to the dealer for replacement ect ect. Moral of the story is mine is now randomly giving me errors asking me to force-quit. like maybe 3-5 times a day? Is this common for an android device? Should I even be worried at all?(Not really sure what I should be expecting in reference to what other people are experiencing.)
Secondly:
So I've read a bit about debranding, would that be an option with a locked bootloader, and would that remove all of the bloatware shoved down my throat by my carrier? If so, which debranding pack(not sure on the terminology here=/) would be best to use if wanting to be as light as possible. Would a factory reset afterwards remove the debranding?
Extra Info: Unfortunately because Rogers in Canada owns the rights to selling Sony Ericsson's even purchasing the XpS directly from the Sony store(which I did)($500 Cad. +12% sales tax) limits you to a carrier lock via Rogers. (and a locked bootloader) Unit comes stock with .73.
Thanks in advance.
For second question answear is that you can debrand with locked bootloader with no problem (you just can not instal custom roms).
So far lightest would be Nordic software and personally I like to use UK generic where all unnessary apps can be deleted .
Factory reset would not remove debranding ( just resets settings and all of your customizations).
If you want to sim unlock your phone it is not difficult just order unlock code. I got mine for $5 from ebay, received code in one hour, now using it with fido.
Hmm you're with fido now? Wouldn't the unlock code be the be the same? Care to share?
Thanks for the information on debranding.
Sent from my LT26i using XDA
Unlock code depends on imei number of your phone.
I can share mine but it will not be accepted by your phone since unlock code is unique to each phone. Once you try to insert anything other then rogers sim card your phone will ask for unlock code, you have only 10 tries, after that phone will be permanently locked to rogers, so make sure you submit your imei correctly in order to receive correct unlock code.
In ebay just type unlock code rogers sony ericsson , the seller i used was freedommobile they charged me $5.49+taxx, see no point paying more then that.
Wow yeah.. I had no idea you only had like 10 tries. Can that be reset that counter via custom ROMing? I understand that custom ROMing sometimes unlocks, I was more or less asking out of curiosity.
Also.. If doing a factory reset wouldn't re-brand, Would doing a backup and restore via PC companion rebrand my unit? Or would that just restore back to the back to the base of what ever I used to debrand it with?
Uk Generic eh? Sounds like it would also be my cup of tea. I'm sure it's posted here, I'll use the search feature when I get home.
Thank you so much for your imput and follow up my friend.
If you ever want advice about digital cameras (professional/consumer) let me know, I'm a hobbist and sell them for a living. =]
Sent from my LT26i using XDA
I've looked everywhere and all over the place and even asked a few people on just about 10 forums, and nobody, not even me can find this factory stock firmware (KOT49I.LS660ZV4) I tried various so called 'custom' LS660 roms using TWRP, and they turned out to completely change the device IMEI and ESN, and made it so that PRL updates and service connections caused an authentication error and locked the SIM card, and the only course was to throw the phone in the closet (after talking to Virgin mobile about it, by saying one of my relatives got hold of the phone and did something to it that I didn't know about), and all they said was they can only do something if I reported it stolen and they would block the phone completely.
It seems that carriers do not and will NOT release their firmware because of supposed "security risks", so now I'm letting people know if you root your phone, even if any OTA updates are for security patches for Android vulnerabilities, the only conclusion is just allow your phone to be exploited, which is one of the benefits of rooting.
I made that mistake and have now thrown my LG Tribute in the closet until (maybe in another 15-20 years) an original, off the production line factory firmware is made available on the net, which, by that time, the phone would be obsolete.
I was lucky enough to win a new LG G5 when Wind Mobile launched it. I asked if I had to have a Wind account to use the phone and was told no. Mistake #1 - I should have clarified to find out if the phone was unlocked, but I didn't and just assumed it was. I have an active account with Rogers and tried using my SIM card from my current phone on the G5 and of course it asked for the code to use the SIM card. Mistake #2 - I contacted Rogers and they told me to just use random #'s until it asks for a PUK code which they could then give me. When I reached the max # of failed attempts the phone indicated that it's now permanently locked and cannot be locked! After a long back & forth with the 2 carriers, they suggested I contact LG customer service - very long and painful experience! After what seemed like forever dealing with them, they finally told me that the phone is now permanently locked to the original carrier I got it from (Wind Mobile) and not even LG can unlock it - apparently a security feature of the phone. So, after this long winded sob story, has anyone else had this experience and is the phone really unlockable now and I'm doomed to either stay with Wind if I want to use it, or am I stuck with a very expensive paper weight? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot in advance!
A-Gunn11 said:
I was lucky enough to win a new LG G5 when Wind Mobile launched it. I asked if I had to have a Wind account to use the phone and was told no. Mistake #1 - I should have clarified to find out if the phone was unlocked, but I didn't and just assumed it was. I have an active account with Rogers and tried using my SIM card from my current phone on the G5 and of course it asked for the code to use the SIM card. Mistake #2 - I contacted Rogers and they told me to just use random #'s until it asks for a PUK code which they could then give me. When I reached the max # of failed attempts the phone indicated that it's now permanently locked and cannot be locked! After a long back & forth with the 2 carriers, they suggested I contact LG customer service - very long and painful experience! After what seemed like forever dealing with them, they finally told me that the phone is now permanently locked to the original carrier I got it from (Wind Mobile) and not even LG can unlock it - apparently a security feature of the phone. So, after this long winded sob story, has anyone else had this experience and is the phone really unlockable now and I'm doomed to either stay with Wind if I want to use it, or am I stuck with a very expensive paper weight? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got this email from Crackerz so looks like there is still hope of getting the phone unlocked:
"I just updated my unlock software and the G5 appears to be in the list, I should be able to perform a brute force unlock on it. Bring all of the cables that came with the phone.. especially the usb-c to USB cable."
Anyone else out there with similar experience or dealt with Crackerz?
A-Gunn11 said:
Just got this email from Crackerz so looks like there is still hope of getting the phone unlocked:
"I just updated my unlock software and the G5 appears to be in the list, I should be able to perform a brute force unlock on it. Bring all of the cables that came with the phone.. especially the usb-c to USB cable."
Anyone else out there with similar experience or dealt with Crackerz?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got a call from Crackerz and apparently they've unlocked the phone! Will pick it up tomorrow and see for myself if it worked - fingers crossed!
A-Gunn11 said:
Got a call from Crackerz and apparently they've unlocked the phone! Will pick it up tomorrow and see for myself if it worked - fingers crossed!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Success! Unlocked!
What is "Crackerz"?
I have a G5 that I locked by mistake exactly the way you did.
What app do they use to "brute force unlock"?
silviumc said:
What is "Crackerz"?
I have a G5 that I locked by mistake exactly the way you did.
What app do they use to "brute force unlock"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Crackerz sell, repair and unlock cell phones here in Langley, BC. I don't know what software they used to unlock my phone but whatever it was, it worked fine for me. They charged me about $30.
tl;dr: H962 thinks it's a H961N and doesn't want to update. How to fix?
A couple of months ago my V10 bootlooped. It was a H962 purchased from a grey reseller meaning LG in Australia (where I am) and LG in Taiwan (where the phone was from) both vehemently refused to service the phone. All this was within 6 months of purchasing the phone. This wasn't too surprising, however strangely enough, the grey seller agreed to fix the phone (after constant harassment on my behalf). As the phone was dead, I figured it was worth risking money on postage so I sent it off and after several months (and after more harassment by me) I finally got it back, fixed.
A few months passed and I noticed it wasn't receiving any updates so I dived into the settings and realised that something fishy was going on - the phone reported it was now a H961N - keep in mind I purchased a H962 to begin with.
The software thinks it's H961N however all the branding on the back of the phone says H962. I'd assume they took the guts of a H961N and stuck it into my phone but LG Bridge reports it as a H962 when I try to update (although it fails).
Updating using the update centre does nothing.
Updating using LG Bridge comes up with errors.
Updating using LGUP comes up with errors.
I've tried various versions of KDZ & TOT for both models using various methods and they all spit out errors.
Attempted on both a Windows 10 machine and a macOS machine.
All the latest drivers and software downloaded from LG.
I've tried yelling at the computer, phone and neighbour's cat and nothing works.
(Oh, the reseller refuses to answer any of my emails. Legally they don't need to and they didn't even have to fix the phone to begin with.)
Android security patch level is June 2016 which has me paranoid. Is Russia now watching me eat pizza in bed in my underwear? Are they recording my every move? Does the Kremlin judge my choice of pineapple on aforementioned pizza? I'd like to update to the lastest version possible to help stop all of this... but how?
Unrelated note, thanks to this phone I am no longer a fan of LG. This is the second boot-looped phone I've had and I've had to replace the rear lens cover for getting scratched so easily, replace the speakers for blowing up after a drop from a table onto wood floor (aren't these supposed to be tough) and the phone stopped vibrating (easy fix but I can't be bothered buying the parts as they aren't locally available). I should retire the phone however it's still a tough little beast so I'll keep on going until it refuses to stay alive.
Your phone is refurbished my friend.... Any wrong update and you will get into a bootloop
Problem fixed after some more lengthy digging.
I refused to accept the unhelpful "it's refurbished so it can't be done" answer as it made no sense given the fact that it wasn't on original firmware, suggesting an upgrade was performed prior to it being returned.
For those people in the future wondering, evidently there are 3 versions of H961N (I was under the impression there were 2). The phone wasn't returning the proper version code. Updated with the proper kdz and everything is fine. It still reports it is both H962 and H961N and likely won't ever auto-update.
thatgrumguy said:
Problem fixed after some more lengthy digging.
I refused to accept the unhelpful "it's refurbished so it can't be done" answer as it made no sense given the fact that it wasn't on original firmware, suggesting an upgrade was performed prior to it being returned.
For those people in the future wondering, evidently there are 3 versions of H961N (I was under the impression there were 2). The phone wasn't returning the proper version code. Updated with the proper kdz and everything is fine. It still reports it is both H962 and H961N and likely won't ever auto-update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please provide the link of kdz you downloaded.
jd.21 said:
please provide the link of kdz you downloaded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-v10/general/kdz-download-lollipop-kdz-10c-lg-servers-t3332348