yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy Note 3 General] midnite_blue:
...and why, within Samsung, will some places not sell codes to customers, while others sell them readily?

Is it because managers, in the midst of all this confusion, are afraid they'll get in trouble if they do?

A bigger question is... why doesn't Samsung provide these codes to rightful owners of phones free of charge? This is just wrong... no less wrong than if a car salesman in Athens told you your new vehicle can't run on anything less than jet fuel if you cross into Turkey... though with a few numbers typed into the car's computer he can fix that, if you slip him 500 euros.

It's amazing... Samsung is willing to put its customers in a bind to make a ton of money, then charge them for loosening the knots!
[Galaxy Note 3 General] jonmorris:
If Samsung has done this to control stock movement around the world, I heard last Friday that at least one UK distributor was allowed to ship unsold stock abroad to meet monthly targets.

Presumably also allowing Samsung UK to be able to claim large sales figures, even if some kit is actually not sold here.

I wonder how the new system will affect that?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] DeviantSun:
I bought two (one for me, one for a friend) unlocked N9005 from Saturn shop in Germany. Used it without any problems in Germany using a prepaid card. When I returned to Turkey, the "SIM network unlock PIN" screen popped up as soon as I tried using a Turkish GSM card. Tried to contact the Samsung Service Center in here but they are basically clueless. It was the first time they even heard "Region Lock". They told us that they will contact Samsung Center in Europe but it had been a week and still we heard nothing from them.

To unlock my device, I contacted smsmts(puman.ru) but they replied that they cannot unlock my device. I also contacted the ebay seller but did not hear from him yet (he is away till 10/30).

Currently, I am stuck with 2 unusable devices. Noone knows what we should do, and news outlets don't seem to care about this draconian policy. There is no pressure on Samsung right now.

I would be very very grateful if anyone can help me to unlock my phones, I am ready to pay, etc. Just want to use the phone I paid and bought legally from one of the biggest chain stores in Germany.

AP: N9005XXUBMJ3

CP: N9005XXUBMJ2

CSC: N9005VFGBMJ3
[Galaxy Note 3 General] midnite_blue:
Sad story... sorry to hear this, DeviantSun. :(

Have you thought about calling Saturn to see if you could ship the phones back for a refund, maybe buy a different brand in Turkey?

We were hoping it was more than just an expeditious dodge when Samsung Germany promised on the 17th that all problems would be solved with a call to a service center. But nothing in a week? Vapor service.

Thanks for including the build number. It's a help in the debunking one of the latest 'Its fixed!' rumors.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] midnite_blue:
country or region?

That's a good question, dajumper. Unfortunately, there's no answer that can provide you 100% assurance that first time use with your Belgian sim will work the same as if you'd used a German sim. I'm assuming that you're interested in finding out two things: will you be able to use your phone at all and will you be able to use your phone with a local sim if you travel outside Europe, right?

I think it's safe to say that if you do use your Belgian sim for the first use of a phone meant for Germany, the phone will start up and you'll be able to begin normal use of it in Belgium without being required to enter a code. After that, things get foggy.

That's because customer service representatives from Samsung are saying different things:

1. Some say you have to first use a sim from within the phone's region (Europe) to release the region lock.

2. Some say you have to first use a sim from within the phone's country (Germany) to release the region lock.

3. Some are still saying that you can't use the phone outside your region without roaming, regardless, though I think those employees probably aren't following these developments as closely as we are, and that they would be corrected by higher ups within Samsung.

4. Some are saying if you use an in-region sim first, you're guaranteed to be able to use other sims from within the region. I think they're dodging the question of out-of-region sims because, although they know the official position is that such sims should work, they simply can't explain why sometimes they don't.

My belief is that #2 is not the actual protocol Samsung has set up, but, rather, that certain reps, while trying to answer some questions, are creating further questions due to their imprecise language. I can't imagine they really meant to say 'country' ...but maybe they did because that's all they know for sure, since Note 3s are being released with such a variety of sales codes.

My bet is that #1 is the actual official position of Samsung. This means that if you first use your Belgian sim in your German phone, you'll be joining the ranks of everyone else who can't be certain they've released the region lock until they actually try an out-of-region sim. Even if such a sim doesn't initially work in your phone, it might work later due to the resolution of some undisclosed process causing a delay.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] DeviantSun:
Yes, I am planning to return them to Saturn but I don't even know if they will accept the return or not. Two reasons, first, I gave the receipt to the customs for VAT refund and forgot to take a copy, so currently I don't have the receipt. Second, I'll be returning to Germany in 3 weeks, it may be too late for refund.

If I cannot return the phones, I am contemplating to try Chainfire's region unlocker by flashing a previous modem/rom/etc. I am really out of options here.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Weird Jo:
In case you have access to German SIMs, try to operate them for two weeks even in Turkey. Maybe place a brief call and update a small app using the Play Store; set up a Samsung account on the phone if you have not done so already. It may do the trick after all. If not, and you can't return them, try the same approach when you are back in Germany.

My N9005 (AP: N9005XXUBMJ3, CP: N9005XXUBMJ2, CSC: N9005DBTBMJ3), which I started up on 30 September using Wi-Fi (replacement SIM hadn’t arrived yet) and on 4 October with a German SIM (in Germany) asked for an unlock code on 13 October when I tried an out-of-region SIM from a country on the netlock list. Earlier this week it no longer asked for such a code when I tried another SIM from another country on the netlock list. It has therefore apparently unlocked itself. I will test that with several SIMs of other countries on the netlock list within the next two to three weeks.

I do however not know if the unlocking is in any way related to the second firmware update of 18 October, as the first SIM I tried became inactive on 15 October, and I then had no immediate access to another relevant out-of-region SIM. A lady of the Samsung Germany customer service strongly suggested to me on 17 October, before the update was out, that the firmware update would address the issue. If that was indeed intended, it still does not work as people expect it to: as many reports suggest, the unlocking still does not happen immediately once that update is installed.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] ekocann:
region lock

Hi there,

I bought note 3 from Carrefour Zaragoza Spain. I tried the phone with local sim card (Orange Espana). It worked fine. When i came back to Turkey i inserted the Turkish sim card and boom "Invalid Sim Card". I contacted to Samsung UK and they told me it is a "feature" but if you first inserted local sim card it should not asks for a code. But i still couldn't use it. They also told me that i should contact to Samsung Turkey customer care, but they don't know anything about the issue. They think that it may be locked to a gsm network but i paid 750€ for it. I also asked the girl in Carrefour and she told me you can use it in Turkey, no restrictions.

After all these conversations with Samsung, i thought that i can pay and get the unlock code from "unlockers" i found one but it didn't worked. First they told me that Samsung Servers are down till Monday (they refunded the money 9.90 GBP), today they tried with secondary server (i have no idea about it) but it failed again.

I tried to use region lock away, it also didn't worked for me.

What should i do? Is there another "unlocker" should i trust and pay?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] avenging:
hi i was under the impression you should use your original sim a lot more for it to be unlocked not sure though

some resellers here are selling the 4G phones locked, only 3G models are all unlocked here
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
I went into three different Carphone Warehouse stores yesterday and was told that the Note 3 was being sold with regional lock and that would prevent it being used with SIMs from outside EU. The Carphone Warehouse employees also pointed out that this regional lock would apply to all other high end Samsung phones which they sell in future - CRAZY. There is no ability for Carphone Warehouse to unlock the regional lock.

I have now seen the UK Vodaphone CSC (VOD) and it has a single NetworkLock with no regional lock - thanks bubblesmoney for PM. This is consistent with earlier theory that CSC contains either carrier lock or regional lock or none at all. It would also explain why Vodaphone is definitely able (for £20 and Vodaphone contract) to unlock the device successfully as it only has to release the carrier network lock.

Carphone Warehouse are selling completely unlocked Nexus 5 today. Indeed, I can get two completely

un

locked 16 GB Nexus 5s and still have £40 left over for accessories for the same price as one regionally locked Note 3. Given Nexus 5 is less than half the price, free delivery Monday, Kitkat 4.4 and crucially for me completely unlocked, I am going to give it a go and get one.

Hopefully Samsung can get their act together soon as removable batteries are a real benefit for me. As a long-standing Samsung customer, I held off buying a new phone for the Note 3. It is perhaps obvious but I am upset and feel let down that they are hobbling their new phones with toxic, customer-unfriendly "features" like the regional lock.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] midnite_blue:
Congrats on your decision, dxzh... the N5 looks like a sweet phone. I bet you'll like getting the latest versions of Android right away. Maybe Google will get its act together and give us removable batteries someday.

Sorry about your troubles, ekocann. Which unlocking service did you try?

I'm surprised to hear about RegionLock Away not working for you. Is your phone a N9005 and is it rooted?

I wonder if you could check your Consumer Software Customization consumer.xml file just to double check on the type of lock you have. Or you could try using a different European sim, if you have access to one. It should work if you're region locked.

It sounds like you got a message on your screen that said (perhaps not in English), "Invalid Sim Card." Did the message ask you to enter a number, like a 'control key' or a 'personal identification number' (PIN)?

Here's a pic of the screen r_ween got when he discovered he was region locked.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bubblesmoney:
If you are getting the Nexus 5 then you can get it faster in store. Plus don't forget cash back and experience voucher plus free nexus 7 2012 for 1st 1000 customers on this deal. Be quick to get this deal or you wont get the free nexus 7 2012 http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobiles/phones/nexus-5?intcmp=HP_HERO_1
[Galaxy Note 3 General] yoedba:
Hi Guys, I have started a bounty thread, if you guys are interested please check it out:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2507161
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
It was easier for me to put in order by telephone to Carphone Warehouse - the advantage for me is I can pick it up at store on Monday 4th and, as it is a telephone sale, I have 14 days to return it (which I can do even after opening it up and turning it on). As I want to buy SIM-free and without a contract, the free Nexus 7 offer does not apply to me. However, £295 Carphone Warehouse price for unlocked Nexus 5 compared to £629.99 for regionally locked Note 3 still seems good value to me.

That a Nexus 5 will work with SIMs from providers from any country worldwide without any Samsung regional lock nonsense shows just how daft Samsung's regional lock feature is. If Samsung continue to maintain the regional lock is to enhance its customers' experience, then it is surely deluded. I suppose with their dominant market share though, Samsung just feel they are in a position to bully their way through this, whatever damage it does to their brand.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] midnite_blue:
greedy illusion...

Why would a consumer want to buy and own a phone that could be covertly and significantly modified years after the sale, from a manufacturer with a track record of covertly and retroactively modifying the phone?

Why would a consumer want to buy and own a phone that could suddenly and surprisingly degrade in its usefulness and resale value?

Why would consumers want to buy and own phones that force them to choose between either staying current with a developing operating system or protecting the functionality and value of their phone?

Samsung is a divided company.

On one side you have finance analysts and senior decision makers who've found a way to make extra cash by trying to keep control of the phones they sell after they've sold them.

On the other side you have design teams and marketing visionaries who get it... who realize that the reason we buy mobile communications products is to have more control over our lives, not to have,

at the center of our everyday lives

, a device whose manufacturer tries to tell us where we can buy it, where we can use it and what we can and cannot do with it once we own it.

Samsung has really stumbled this time, treating its customers as if we're so many... widgets. In their effort to manipulate global pricing by falsely representing their product and abusing the airwaves and communications technology (read: OTA updates), they may not only have broken the law, they've revealed a deep misconception of this market.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] foxmeister:
Looks like this deal only applies to contract deals?

IMO getting an N4 or N5 on contract is madness. Better to get something else (e.g. Note 3) which you can then sell as new (boxed and unopened) for a significant profit and then use the cash to buy a Nexus.

Regards,

Dave
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bubblesmoney:
just mentioned the contract deal as some might prefer lower monthly outlays than a lumpsome payment. I bought the N3 on contract as it was cheaper than (no region lock from vodafone uk but network loc is removed for £20 at vodafone shop) sim only, even after paying for full 1y contract and unlocking charge. so if you look around and especially cashback deals sometimes come out significantly cheaper and last year a t mobile deal infact came out free with cash back, of course it was pulled quickly but it was honoured for some as far as i can tell from other forum posts.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dionysos77:
Has anyone heard that new firmware update removes region lock
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
Sadly not yet. The regional NetworkLocks appear to be in the MJ3 iteration of the system/csc/customer.xml files of the afflicted CSCs (e.g.: NEE, DBT, BTU, ITU, XEF, XEU) of Note 3s, as well as new S4s. Any evidence to the contrary of the contents of system/csc/customer.xml files would be welcome.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] carlitos66:
Can somebody confirm to me this scenario:

If you buy unlocked N9005 from Amazon.de, probably with DBT firmware, insert German sim card ( prepaid service), use it in Europe for 10 days,and than import the phone to USA and use it on AT&T network, am I going to have deal with regional lock nonsense or is USA operators not on the black list?

Thankq
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
Sales code DBT has regional NetworkLock list in CSC but USA MCCs are not on any such list (to date) so doubt that you should have problem from regional lock.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] midnite_blue:
Fortunately for your scenario, carlitos66, Samsung currently endorses NATO and could continue to, at least as long as it'd take to ship a phone to the US. If their geo-political strategy on the North Atlantic does shift, however, don't expect a heads-up nor a fair-thee-well when they change your lockdown list.

I think it's interesting that mathieulh's warning came on the third day of this thread. I'm sure a lot of people at that time hoped Samsung would never do such a thing to their phones... but within a month some found the region-lock blacklist had, unannounced, been slipped OTA into the phones they'd bought months earlier. Some of those phones were built well before the July cut-off Samsung Germany promised on Oct. 17th.

''You pays your money, you takes your chances,'' as the shell game artist says.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Ahmads001:
So, now can ANYONE please help; I have a Saudi Arabian bought GN3 which plagued my dreams with this network sim lock code. I have spared no effort trying to purchase the unlock code from several online merchants, only to get refund messages from these sites, 4 of them now have said, "SORRY, WE ARE UNABLE TO GET THE UNLOCK CODE YOU REQUESTED".

GUYS, PLEASE HELP OUT!
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Ahmads001:
if anything, its Samsung that is trying to re-'ethnicise' the telecoms world by seeking to compartmentalise its people. the ideals of the modern world tries to unite everyone, and empower them with freedom. it actually becomes an insult from Samsung if you consider that people have actually PAID for these devices that Samsung intends to continue perpetual control over! Sim lock code today, who knows what next they will embed tomorrow, probably a peg on who you can call, or even a self destruct clockwork for how long you are allowed to use their phones once purchased.

Reconsider this scenario:

Samsung organised an elaborate global ceremony to unveil the product, then annouced the 'versions', and regions that have the Samsung privilege to obtain them

1. Samsung says 'no problem you can buy anywhere you are, just make sure you first 'activate' with a sim card from the region of purchase

2. I spent my hard-earned money to purchase a device for nearly a thousand USD, carried it about for close of 2 weeks unable to use it once i left the country in which i purchased it

3. I approached local samsung offices, who treat me with disdain and avoidance (no thanks "..or get it unlocked at a local Samsung office..")

4. now I try to buy the unlock code from free merchants, the reply i get after several attempts are refund messages, with "sorry we are unable to obtain the unlock code requested"

5. I still have a thousand usd worth of a worthless device I can not use. Isnt there some law to challenge these kinds of practices?

6. why make certain versions available in some regions, and some other 'inferior' versions for others?

7. ...and, I still have a thousand usd worth of a worthless device I can not use, with no solution in sight, ecxept, may be to count my losses and wish samsung goes the Nokia way soon

8. Who appointed Samsung the global telecoms 'IMMIGRATION OFFICER'?

9. In how many countries is the so-called 'GREY IMPORTING' officially pronounced a CRIME? or does Samsung now make its own set of global tele-laws?

I STILL ASK THAT ANYONE HELPS WITH ANY WAY TO UNLOCK MY DREAM-TURNED NIGHTMARE N9005

Thanks all, in advance
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
If you cannot go back to your retailer and Samsung are unwilling to assist you sort it out (which would seem to be par for the course), then you have probably just learnt an expensive lesson as a consumer about selecting a brand which you can trust from a retailer you can trust.

It seems there is no unlock code available so that, in practice, you may either:

- chalk this up to experience, cut your losses and sell the phone at a discount - the regionally locked Note 3 should still have significant value given that you have hardly used it, and that it is likely to work in Europe, US and many other countries given the relatively limited number of countries on the CSC blocklist; OR

- remove the regional lock by flashing a modified CSC to remove the regional lock - you might lose warranty and trigger Knox flag but from what has happened so far: Samsung's "warranty" is utterly useless; and, you have no effective recouse against your Saudi retailer anyway. This modification route though would require you to sit down, make yourself a mug of tea, grab a chocolate biscuit, take a deep breath, read carefully the various relevant xda threads and then execute the instructions in them. If this is likely to be too much for you in practice, then you might find a local phoneshop willing to do it for you for a price ... failing which I would again suggest you may be best served simply selling it.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bubblesmoney:
can you try using dual sim adapters and https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.qianqin.multisim&hl=en and see if it works.

try keeping your saudi sim in it with mobile data off and wifi on as much as you can when you sleep etc and dont need to use the phone and rest of the time try to see if using the dual sim adapter works.

or try using root de la vega method for rooting without tripping knox and using chainfire app for region lock away.

once rooted you could try flashing a EU unlocked rom.

please note I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WHETHER MY SUGGESTIONS WOULD WORK AND JUST AN EDUCATED GUESS. hope one of these methods works for you. Its a brick already unless you can sell it in saudi, so you havent got much to lose.

Have you tried buying an IMEI based unlock code from a saudi network or samsung center in saudi (if there is one).

Last but not the least tell every one you know and relatives etc about this issue, word of mouth is bound to hurt slowly but surely. Althogh i have bought the phone based on my requirements and since got an unlocked device (after paying unlocking fee) but i have left my poor rating on amazon and discourage every one considering samsung and warn them about region lock issues.

For my next phone, when a wacom digitiser based competitor comes from another brand and if it is good then it will be bye bye samsung for me. Hope Sony or LG come up with such a device soon. Wish google launches a wacom based productivity tablet and that would pull the rug from under samsung for sure.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Huxflux:
So last week i decidecd to give note 3 another try since samsung service center here in sweden could unlock the phone if it didn't work by it self.

Bought the phone, started it with a swedish sim in it, logged in in my samsung and google account, got 2 updates in a row, set everything up and used the phone "normally" for 5 days, had about 20 calls and textmessages.

Today I put my thai simcard in the phone and started it... and it worked !!! :) I have no idea when or what made the simlock go away.

I even made a factory reset, started the phone with the swedish card (didn't dare to try to start with the thaicard), shut the phone down and switched to the thaicard, and it still worked, so for now i'm happy, and it's a great phone, but i will always have a little nagging feeling that samsung will f..k it up somehowe... But i hope for the best.