yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bubblesmoney:
samsung uk twitter says sims from outside region will not work

i had asked samsung uk on twitter ( twitter name bubblesmoney ) on the 25th and they replied on the 26 and told me non EU sims will not work due to bands and frequencies being different!! see link https://twitter.com/SamsungMobileUK/status/383173182561452032

Guess its time to lock my wallet to Samsung and move on to other manufacturers. Just like i moved on from HTC getting pissed off with them. Only a matter of time before samsung goes HTCs way since they seem to be following in their footsteps pissing off customers who pay full price for their phones unlike carrier subsidised versions.

Too much of a risk buying this spending upwards of 600£ and getting sim locked when I travel abroad. There are better ways to spend my money than give it to some di**** company that takes their customers for a ride after selling the device and not mentioning the region locking in any advertising or press releases or launch event.

anyway i told them i am locking my wallet too :) https://twitter.com/bubblesmoney/status/383785159356469248
[Galaxy Note 3 General] maidangisme:
hopelly Note 3 not another falling like Tab 3, very disappointed on Tab 3.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] BarryH_GEG:
Oh well, you've still got Sony, LG, Motorola, and the Chinese. ;)

You guys are so funny. Do you know how big Samsung is? Their market capitilization is $174B (HTC's is $4B) and they have $36B of cash on hand (Google has $50B). Samsung Mobile alone generated $5B in

profit

in Q2 2013 (HTC generated $4B in total

revenue

).

You can hate them, boycott them, petition them, social-spam them, or ignore them but they aren't going anywhere in our lifetime. Even if their CEO set fire to an orphanage and it was captured on video. ;)
[Galaxy Note 3 General] waleed-:
I am waiting the activation code. I will let you know once I try it.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] lucfeenstra:
The second one definitely works.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] betoNL:
Sorry, I am on the road and can keep track...

Did you test it in China already?

Can you PM me when you do?

I will be exploring NY for around 2 weeks (almost at the airport) and won't have much time to hang on forums and stuff..

Bedankt ;)
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Tubgirl:
Please explain these posts then. To me it still looks like carriers are a big part of this... they're winners since you can't avoid big roaming charges...

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=45965455&postcount=354

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=45968231&postcount=376
[Galaxy Note 3 General] ccampbell1:
Thanks for sharing! I live in the US but go home to the UK a couple of times a year. I've preordered the US T-Mobile version, for primary and initial use in the USA with T-Mobile. Of course since its a carrier version, I'll have to get the carrier Sim unlock code from them, but I will be requiring and expecting that when I next go to the UK that it will work with the 3 Sim I have for use there.

Its possible there is no region lock on the carrier branded versions, just the regular network Sim lock. I don't think that's clear at all yet.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] betoNL:
That's what they said about many other (powerful) companies before....

Let's see if your Crystal ball is more efficient...

And I don't care how much they can abuse their financial power..

I just know that suddenly I want to hang on my GNote2 a little longer.

And already advising all my friends to buy the much cheaper GNote2 instead of the Gnote3....

Not only less money, but also less hassle and still an amazing (and proven) phone.

For the rest, I don't care how or till when Samsung will get away with its bad policies...

.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] M_M_F:
i found this one yesterday also:

http://gsmunlocklabs.com/samsung-unlock-code/
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bubblesmoney:
I know how big samsung is. There are many of us here that dont use iphones as we prefer android being not as limited in features and consequently apples market share has come down. Same way people like me will not buy a Samsung gimped phone. Others like you might buy them, thats your choice, I find that funny! Just like you find my choices funny. Thats life. Deal with it. This is a forum for airing problems with our gadgets and this thread is about one such problem. As with any forum, there will always be wise cracks by some. I can ignore it.

Many buyers arent aware but I will discourage anyone asking me whether to buy this phone because of this region locking. Hence posted amazon review http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-rev...iewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending so that any prospective buyer thinking of buying this is aware of this issue and makes an informed choice. If people buy this even after knowing about this issue then its their choice. But many others might not want to buy because of this issue. Cant you see it bothers many on XDA hence this massive thread here.

Everyone that is bothered by this region locking, please take a few minutes of your time and post a short review alerting prospective buyers about this problem with links to this thread on any website selling this product. Consumers can affect decisions by big businesses abusing their market share to restrict consumer rights. I feel any advertising by samsung of this phone and all product descriptions on amazon etc should highlight this region locking. But thats just me.

tweeted samsung about their 'lovely' amazon reviews for region locking so that it goes on their wall https://twitter.com/bubblesmoney/status/383920500130316289
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
Hi (sorry for my English)

I buy the note 3 from studenmobile . nl it is Netherland webshop for phone

I use the Dutch sim card (Vadafone, Tele2, T-mobile) for calling chatting internet.

As i read a lot of news about this. I should can now just put Thai sim card in it already. But it not working it still ned a clod for unlock the sim.

I try all the Thai Sim card i have.... AIS, True Companay, DTAC. None of it working.

I also call to Samsung support in Netherland. Samsung Service - en Informatielijn

Tel: 0900-SAMSUNG (0900-7267864) (10 c/m)

I get 3 different answer.

First one She only say just follow what the box say if you have problem with it just change the phone within 7 day.

Second one say.. I just go to the any simlock free shop for ask for helping. But the phone will only working a about 14 Day in Thailand if i make it a simlock free and use Thai Simcard. Or if i want to use longer i have to ask from Thai provider.

Third one. She not even know what I'm talking about. I mean she not know about this model. When i say Galaxy note 3,she not know., SN-N9005 she not know. I have to told her the serial number and many thing before she know that this model is available.

From the all answer I get. It seem like they not aware this problem yet in Nederland. Or they not being train yet what they have to do. Or they being trail only say do what the box say if you do not want it just return and buy something else.

I also go to Samsung Service Center (Maastricht) that in the Vadafone shop . First thing i feel is they not welcome me as I am a customer because I did not but the phone from them. What they only say just try to call to where i buy this phone. So what the point to be a Samsung Service Center if you not help costumer who buy the Samsung phone.

Now i think i have to wait till this thing be aware in Nederland.

If someone also from NL whom have this phone. Do you have a same problem ?

thank you for reading
[Galaxy Note 3 General] sohebq:
http://www.sammobile.com/2013/09/27...cking-works-and-its-not-as-bad-as-we-thought/

How about this?

Sent from the New S Pen
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bubblesmoney:
yikes even with unlocking, is it only for 14 days and you go on the merry go round again
[Galaxy Note 3 General] mathieulh:
I have an error 500 when I try to add funds on puman.ru

---------- Post added at 01:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 PM ----------

Unlockunit doesn't work, just wasted 19.9 USD in there.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] DEPUIS 60:
It may be course they from Russia. I received unlock code from them already. And before payment:good: Then I'll try to pay by PayPal and sow quest to pay in russ rubl. M.b this is problem? And now I'll in rubl. I have't unlock for my N3 till now course it wil arrive 5-th Okt. from Italy. Price there in Mondadori shop = 699 €, and in France = 749 €.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bubblesmoney:
let us know if the unlock still works after 14 days as on the other post a few posts above samsung seems to have told that unlock will work only for 14days!
[Galaxy Note 3 General] lucfeenstra:
Hey everyone, here the update as promised.

Unfortunately there seems to be an issue with the Asian (Chinese) simcards even after activating in EU region.

Am expecting IMEI unlock code in 6-12 hours..
[Galaxy Note 3 General] mathieulh:
I just called the Samsung technical support in France, they told me there is no way to unlock the phone and that I should use my French SIM in it while abroad.

I told them what they are doing is illegal (which it is, as devices have to be sold unlocked in France when not tied to a subscription) but they won't budge. I guess this will be the last phone I buy from them, period.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] medohussein544:
if you unlock it once

and do hard reset

do you need to unlock it again ?

or once you have unlocked it

it will unlock forever even with hard reset????????
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Tubgirl:
LOL... I was only waiting for my local shop to get the Note3 in stock. I've checked the store several times this week eager to spend my money. Now I couldn't care less. I'm hanging on to my old phone until Samsung change their mind. (just like Microsoft did with their new Xbox that originally wouldn't let you lend/borrow/sell games).

GT-N7100 via Tapatalk 2
[Galaxy Note 3 General] BarryH_GEG:
Does everyone here know what a "pile on" is? It's where an issue or problem is so obvious that people, to get their 15 minutes of fame or make themselves seem important, "pile on" repeating what those before them have said over and over. It happens in business and politics a lot.

It's happened here too. The problem is the "issue" that started this thread (the N3 appeared to no longer allow the use of SIMs from outside a specified region) now no longer applies to the people "piling on." If you buy a N3 and first use it with a SIM from the region it's sold in, most likely where you live,

nothing

in this thread applies to you. If you were buying a N3 grey market (outside the region it’s supposed to be sold in) you'd have to make sure it was activated with a SIM from the phone's assigned region before using other SIMs you may have. If you're a grey market shopper and now don't buy the N3 who cares? You're the ones that Samsung instituted this policy for in the first place.

So by all means those of you piling on do carry on. It's entertaining and for those of us this policy won't affect is nothing more than theatre. And despite all the bluster in this thread I'd bet anyone here the N3 will easily outsell the N1 and N2 that preceded it. It's gotten great previews/reviews, generated a lot of interest (and not because of region lock ;) ), and is a device people are excited about. And this thread won't change that now that the original issue it called out is mute.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Netskyliner:
Called Samsung store In Paris this morning. They saw the sticker but pretend there is no simlocking. They even told me that I could put a overseas sim first time. You know then that Samsung employees do not even know what they are talking about. Pffff
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bubblesmoney:
please report them to the relavant authorities if they have broken french laws and regulations govering devices sold in france.

I have also posted my review on amazon for the black version http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00F0FVKRM/ref=cm_cr_thx_view everyone pissed off please write on the amzon reviews as well so that others are aware and force samsung to sort this issue out ASAP. Almost ordered this phone earlier before reading about this issue from clove and so glad i didnt order now.

if you write on amazon please post your comments and reviews on both the listings for the white and black one so that anyone watching any of the listings is aware

black version listing is http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00F0FVKRM/ref=cm_cr_thx_view

white version listing is http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-Free-Smartphone/dp/B00F0FVKN6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
[Galaxy Note 3 General] medohussein544:
what about this unlocking solution ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxj56PNTgSI
[Galaxy Note 3 General] flygaren:
Ok, So here is my story.

I am currently in Sweden work but in Thailand. So this would be a definite deal breaker for me when i heard about it.

Either way I tried "activating" it with a swedish sim before popping in the Thai Sim. Didn't work.

Then I read somewhere that the phone needed to be used with at least three different base stations with the swedish sim before accepting the thai one. OK said and done, I took the car for a long drive and made numerous phone calls before trying the sim card again, still didn't work.

Tried the russian site, got a code. Entered the code and presto. It accepted the sim without fuss. Tried a hard reset and its still ok. Admittedly I haven't tried to make any phone calls with the thai sim yet as I am not in Thailand. But I will report back once I do on tuesday.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] BarryH_GEG:
What region was the phone from? Was it in Thailand or Sweden when you first put a SIM in it? Was the first SIM you put in it from Thailand or Sweden?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] flygaren:
The Phone is from Sweden, The first sim was Swedish, location was in Sweden.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Tubgirl:
You haven't read the thread, have you? There are numerous reports of people activating their EU phones in EU using their local EU card and when they later try their asian cards they wont work.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] BarryH_GEG:
Then your issue, whatever caused it, isn't related to region locking. Your phone, SIM, carrier, and physical location wouldn't/shouldn't have tripped the region lock. Had the phone's box been opened? Maybe someone before you tried a non-EU SIM in it and returned it.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] flygaren:
It was new in box, the stickers was not tampered with.

So I am inclined to believe that an activation with correct sim in correct region is not always enough.

Edit: The region lock was not triggered until after i had removed the swedish sim and inserted a Thai sim. Maybe that wasn't clear in my original post.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Oria1199:
Hi,

I'm from Israel and the price for the note 3 here is about 1300 US dollars :eek:

Because of the insane price I wanted to buy it from Europe (unlocked mobiles),will it work if I first activate with a european sim?

Thanks!
[Galaxy Note 3 General] wfire:
Unlocking services, US Note 3?

I've had no luck trying to buy codes from puman.ru - I, too, get server errors. Has anyone in the US had any luck?

In the past, I've used cellunlocker.net with great success. However, being in the US, I'm not sure if I can still use them? Does anyone have any knowledge about this?

Finally, has anyone actually seen a US-issued version of the Note3 yet? Any store employees here? Can anyone confirm that this region lock sticker is or is not on US-carrier-based Note 3s?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] flygaren:
I got the same error, contact them by email or skype. I did, paid by paypal and had the code 1 hour later
[Galaxy Note 3 General] mingkee:
I'd like to hear does the hidden menu SIM unlock trick work.

Region lock should be like a carrier locked phone allows carriers within the region.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
Sorry to ask agian. Wich website you use for ?

And I'm in NL. and i buy the phone without the contact. So how i select in that website. Thank you for answering.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] wfire:
Negative review posted

I have just added a short bit of commentary to both devices on the UK Amazon site as well.

Sadly, this device doesn't even appear on the US Amazon site yet, but I will be watching for it.

It's really heartbreaking to see Samsung doing something like this. I've loved them for so long, and feel as though I've been gut-punched.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Gurdien:
It's high time for Samsung Global to ACT

No one clarify this better than an official Samsung statement published on official Samsung Websites. Indeed don't Samsung even remotely feel the responsibility to their customers to do so, or is there more behind this that you and I are not seeing? With so many opinions floating around and with conflicting test results by members/senior members and independent sites on the field at actual outlets, who is one to believe?

So Samsung please:

1. If there really is a simple procedure and the solution is as simple as portrayed by some, in that the phone needs to be activated in the region intended to be purchased and thereafter ALL locks are removed, why not make this an official statement? Then everyone would know that the problem, if one can indeed call it so, is miniscule.

2. Please change that bl@@dy incorrect wording on the sticker if point 1 is true.

3. Help us – your devoted loyal customers, to re-sell our mobiles when the time comes to move to a newer version, with an official statement on your site explaining the I”regional lock” properly and keep it in your News section archive and not let us try to convince a prospective buyer of our second hand phone, that the issue is not really an issue, with the consequence of having to let go of our phone cheaper that its second hand value should be.

4. Employ proper English writers who know how to express reality and still pass their statements through a QA check to make sure the understanding is what it should be. The check the physical printed output (do I really have to go so far to explain this to Samsung?)

5. Do not let your loyal followers sweat it out trying to cover for your problems whilst you keep mum about it or hide behind some sporadic unofficial unnamed "Samsung spokesmen". Don't be cowards and speak up in proper understandable simple English if there is a problem. Promise to fix it retroactively for all phones since the problem started and you will be more respected for it. Where are your official PR people in all the widely spoken languages, and can we have a consistent message from one source?

6. Do all the above NOW. If anything, for your own sake.

Gurdien.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
Seem like he not even read this thread or even the page before the page that hispost. :eek:

I buy the phone without contact. I live in the Nederland. But it from Nederland shop.

I'm the one who open the new box. Seal box with the Sticker around. And I put vadafone sim card, tele 2 sim card. T-mobile simcard. I use it for calling. Answer the call. Chating. Check the email, Please the internet. and i do everything without wifi conect

I do that for 1 day already.

But i still can not put any Thai sim card in. I have 3 thai Simcard. AIS, DTAC, True Move. prepaid sim card or contact-sim-card. None is working.

sorry again for my English
[Galaxy Note 3 General] wfire:
+1000000000

I just wish we had some way to actually send that post to Samsung - to someone there who would get it, read it, understand it, and act on it.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] BarryH_GEG:
Here's an attempt at explaining region locking...

What is region lock?

Samsung introduced a function on the Note 3 that performs a region check to ensure that the SIM used to initialize the phone is from a region that the device is intended to be sold in. So far region lock applies to the EU and the America’s only.

EU is comprised of: EU/EEA, Switzerland, Albania, Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, FYROM, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia, and Vatican City.

America’s is comprised of: North, South, Central America and the Caribbean.

Why did Samsung do this?

Samsung’s always been against the grey market sales (selling products in one region intended for another) of their products and has historically voided warranties of products not purchased in their correct regions or from authorized Samsung resellers. Region lock is meant to ensure that phones are sold and used in the regions Samsung’s defined.

What’s the benefit?

There is no consumer benefit. This is purely to benefit Samsung in their quest to prevent grey market sales of their products.

How does it work?

When the device is first activated it validates that the SIM being used in it is present in a table Samsung’s installed on the phone of what SIM codes are valid based on that phone’s specific region. If the SIM used is correct and on that table the phone is then globally unlocked and can be used with any carrier’s SIM worldwide. The process doesn’t need to be repeated if the phone’s hard reset. If the SIM used is from outside the phone’s region or not in the table for that phone’s region the phone will lock itself and need to be unlocked by Samsung or one of their service centers.

Who does it affect?

If people buy a phone in a region they live in or activate it the first time with a SIM from the region applicable to that particular device there is no affect. If people buy a phone and plan to use it outside its region of intended sale they need to activate it with a SIM from the phone’s selling region first (EG: a UK phone being used primarily in HK would need to be activated with a UK/EU SIM first).

Should I be pissed at Samsung?

Personal choice. They’ve introduced something that has no consumer benefit but, like all functions, may cause problems or issues for people it shouldn’t even when following the “rules.” 95% of people buying a region locked device would be unaffected by Samsung’s policy. It is however a very self-serving policy and could be seen as an encroachment of customer freedom which, at the N3’s prices, shouldn’t exist. If you’re a grey market buyer Samsung’s always hated you so feel perfectly content to hate them back.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] wfire:
Agreed. There can sometimes be a culture of superiority on XDA. I hope it does not persist.

No need to apologize for that! You are quite understandable. More importantly, you are posting very useful informational points that are helping all of us to understand the extent of the problem, and, hopefully, to resolve it.

Your situation proves that the statements people claim Samsung has been posting are in fact incorrect. You did everything right, according to the current interpretation of the statements, and yet you are still encountering SIM locks.

Please do continue to post as the situation develops and let us know how things work out!
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
If you have time to be in Thailand more than 14 days. Please test that the phone still keep unlock. Because one of customer support that i talking too in NL. She say it will only working for 14 days. then it would be lock again. Then you have to go to provider in Thailand to ask for unlock it.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] wfire:
Maybe...

This is a very well-written post. I'm curious as to the source of this information? I ask because this part:

seems to be incorrect based on what others are personally experiencing and posting on this thread.

I'm big on defending Samsung too, but, really, I think that their statements on that label are being refuted by the experiences of those in this thread.

I'm starting to wonder if the following hypothesis might be more accurate?

"If the SIM used is correct then the phone will remain unlocked and can be used by other SIMs in the region. However, this is not a global unlock, and will not enable all SIMs globally. The use of SIMs from some parts of the world will still be prevented unless the phone is unlocked using an unlock code."

Thoughts?