From Verizon to TMobile - This sim card is from an unknown source

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xrbbaker

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Hello -

Apologies in that I'm not a phonophile. Silly me. Thought it would be easy to move my Droid Razr Maxx from Verizon to TMobile. When I got the TM sim card and inserted into my Razr and booted up it states: This sim card is from an unknown source. Then the fun began...

The TM people told me I have to get Verizon to unlock it. Verizon says it is unlocked. TM says no it is not. I then go to the TM store. They say adamantly it is locked. ...and so on... TM people say what I want is the PUK code. Ultimately I talk to VZ tech support and she says, "Oh. If PUK codes is what you want I have that right here." She then gives me an 8 digit # with a 4 digit pin. She also give me a back up 8 digit # with a 4 digit pin. I think I'm home free.

Now what do I do with this PUK? I find the below instructions and give it a try.

PUK code unlock: Motorola Moto X | T-Mobile Support
  1. Tap the Phone icon to open the dialer.
  2. Note: If your phone is not yet PUK locked, touch Emergency Call on the screen where you enter the PIN code.
  3. Enter **05*[PUK]*[New PIN]*[New PIN]#
    Note:     If this does not work, enter only the PUK code, then the new PIN if prompted.
  4. When the phone displays 'Unblocking PIN: Registration was successful' tap OK.

After that fails I get the following message: The PUK you typed isn't correct. You have 9 remaining attempts before SIM is locked..

So I try it again with the other number the VZ lady gave me and I get the following message: The PUK you typed isn't correct. You have 8 remaining attempts before SIM is locked.

Does anybody REALLY know what the heck is going on? I don't believe either the TM or VZ people. They lie and or don't know shite. I could really use some help here. -Thank you
 
Welcome to the forum. I would be really shocked and surprised if a Droid branded phone would work on the T-mobile network. The Droid line is a Verizon exclusive and I highly doubt it was built with the radios needed to pickup the T-mobile signals. Sprint and Verizon use CDMA technology, while AT&T and T-mobile use GSM tech. The two are not compatible.

I could be wrong, but that's what my gut is telling me. Maybe someone else will have more insight on the matter and will come along shortly...
 
Interesting. I do, however see examples of people who have moved their RAZR over to TMobile, for example here Verizon's Droid Maxx work on TMobile? | T-Mobile Support. It looks like one has to manually enter the APN information? My GOD why must I go through this hell? I've been trying to get this to work for 7 hours and the worst part of it is that the VZ and TM people don't know squat? Why do companies stock their employee base with people who know nothing about their own products. Sorry. I rant.
 
xrbbaker said:
Interesting. I do, however see examples of people who have moved their RAZR over to TMobile, for example here Verizon's Droid Maxx work on TMobile? | T-Mobile Support. It looks like one has to manually enter the APN information? My GOD why must I go through this hell? I've been trying to get this to work for 7 hours and the worst part of it is that the VZ and TM people don't know squat? Why do companies stock their employee base with people who know nothing about their own products. Sorry. I rant.
Click to expand...
which model do you have?
xt926?
it should be one back cover and in system version
settings>about phone>system version

Sent from my KFFOWI using Tapatalk
 
All -

I gave up. After spending 8 hours trying to get this to work out, I came to the conclusion that nobody at T Mobile knows their arse from a hole in the ground. The last person I spoke with was one of their senior tech support people who stated that my phone wouldn't work on their network. Two reasons I left them (after 4 days.) One: If it's true that my phone won't work on their network then I'm leaving because every person I spoke with, starting from the original sales guy, should have told me this. They should know this. If they don't then it's not the kind of company I want to work with. If they DO know this and didn't tell me to get me to join T Mobile then it's not the company I want to work with. Two: If my phone actually can work on their network then clearly it is beyond their small minds that this is possible and I don't have the days and days it would take to figure out how to make it happen. I need my phone to work! Thus unfortunately I had to go back to Verizon and THEIR silliness.

I'm dejected, but at least my phone works again. Thanks very much for the thoughts.

Cheers
 
Btw, my phone version appears to be XT926. Thanks
 
Themib -

Seems like you know this space very well. Just for a bit more edification on my part...

1) Is it true that it was a total red herring when everybody at TM told me the problem was that Verizon had the phone locked? (I think people have many interpretations of what locked means.)
2) Was TM totally wrong by saying "I needed to get the PUK code." (Which I got, tried, and didn't work.)
3) If the problem was that the xt926 is bandlocked is that the reason that I got the message "This sim card is from an unknown source?" If not, do you know why I got that message?

Thanks very much
 
xrbbaker said:
Themib -

Seems like you know this space very well. Just for a bit more edification on my part...

1) Is it true that it was a total red herring when everybody at TM told me the problem was that Verizon had the phone locked? (I think people have many interpretations of what locked means.)
Click to expand...
there 3 different locking terms
bootloader: which doesn't really matter for this
sim: which should have been already unlock, be default on the xt926, but on older droids requires a unlock code to use sims, and if you insert a non verizon sim, device would ask for unlock code.
band: droids (phones made for verizon) have been bandlock for several years, some times they can be hacked, depends on model.
2) Was TM totally wrong by saying "I needed to get the PUK code." (Which I got, tried, and didn't work.)
Click to expand...
unlock code shouldn't be need with xt912.
3) If the problem was that the xt926 is bandlocked is that the reason that I got the message "This sim card is from an unknown source?" If not, do you know why I got that message?

Thanks very much
Click to expand...
yes, band lock is the reason, sim card was unknown



Sent from my KFFOWI using Tapatalk
 
I confess to being a complete non-expert on these matters, but I did take my phone, a Gen 1 MotoX, out of the country and successfully swapped out ny VZW SIM for a Norwegian version, and vice versa.

I realize that this is consistent with one of the scenarios apparently allowed, but I was confronted with a SIM recognition fail when I first booted it with a SIM swap, both going from and coming back to the USA. The thing that cleared it up for me on both occasions was to boot to recovery and clear the cache.

It cannot hurt for the OP to give simple step this a try before heading off to more complicated solutions...

Good luck!

cheers,
john
 
jrredho said:
I confess to being a complete non-expert on these matters, but I did take my phone, a Gen 1 MotoX, out of the country and successfully swapped out ny VZW SIM for a Norwegian version, and vice versa.

I realize that this is consistent with one of the scenarios apparently allowed, but I was confronted with a SIM recognition fail when I first booted it with a SIM swap, both going from and coming back to the USA. The thing that cleared it up for me on both occasions was to boot to recovery and clear the cache.

It cannot hurt for the OP to give simple step this a try before heading off to more complicated solutions...

Good luck!

cheers,
john
Click to expand...
no I wrote "it should work on most non USA gsm carriers."
 
that means it should work fine on GSM outside the USA
 
Great information. I do really wish I had the time to explore this and learn it more. Alas, I need my phone more than I need to play. It does piss me off beyond words that the phone company people don't know how their own products work and I'm forced to figure it out on my own, with help from good people like you. Crappy way to run a business. Thanks again!
 
Motorola Droid Maxx. I tried my T-Mobile sim... Same result. Any help?

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk
 
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