[Moto G6 Play Questions & Answers] impy2101:
Years ago, I had a Note 3, and a few China brand tablets. I learned to root them. For the tablets, I was interested in learning how to make them the most compatible for Deaf - understand this was years and years ago. (My parents are Deaf). So I have some understanding - but it's been awhile.

I've been buying a few used android phones in the interest of having loaners and was toying with the idea of repairing phones as a hobby/pin money kinda thing. I'm a veteran and now living on my disability retirement. I've been working in technology - most notably repairing PCs - software and hardware but I've had a few years here and there, networks, databases, security, etc. My resume is wide but shallow. :)

One of the phones I bought was a Verizon Moto G6Play (obviously I'm here). And I've come to the conclusion I'm an idiot for not researching it closer. My current provider is Verizon and I just naively thought if I put my daughter's verizon sim in it - it would work. I paid no attention to the warning on the back of the box about purchasing up to 50.00 of prepaid in order for Verizon to recoup their money invested in the cheap prices offered for the phones. To be honest, I bought this phone off of "shopgoodwill.com" auction for 6.95. I don't have a lot of money invested in and not sure I even know how much it goes for right now. I don't honestly care. When I put the verizon sim in it - at first it showed 1X - I rebooted and was looking at rooting options but had not gotten real far. I also forgot to pay my bill like always - and got online and caught it up. When I did that - it looked like the sim card updated to 4G and texting was working. But I wrongly assumed calling was not working because I had wrongly assumed in the first place it was not dialing out because I thought I let my bill lapse. (I do this all the time. I'm an idiot).

So, long story, short - I called Verizon and asked why my phone was working but hers wasn't - we got into the discussion of prepaid, etc. The help person said, I wasn't going to get around the prepaid prerequisite - but I might get away with 30.00 instead of 50.00. Ok. Fine - I give. My daughter was willing to pay 30.00+ for a new screen for the other Motorola she had wrecked (E3). I was just trying to get her out of my hair. She is very OCD/Annoying while at the same time always breaking her phones. I told her the skinny on the phone. I told her to take it to Verizon store - tell them you want to go pre-paid cheapest plan - 30.00 and bring it back home. I removed the TWRP and Terminal Emu from the phone and she took it there with her instructions - but somehow muffed it all up. The salesperson claimed it was already activated to our account. In retrospect, I thought I had seen the G6 Play as the model for her phone line. But I told her that was not possible since it didn't work. Right? So a manager came over - and told her the phone was phu(ked I do believe she told my daughter "bricked" and that she'd have to buy a new one. Needless to say I told my daughter to get out of there - they were not interested in helping - they just wanted her to buy a phone. Prior to sending her to the store - I had run through the steps here or where-ever I was - and found the codes needed to determine if I could unlock this phone and was told, nope, nope, nope.

I reset the phone completely from the Fastboot Flash Mode (sorry, if I'm not using the right term - I always want to call it bios, :D ). As far as I know, it was successful...

So here is the thing. Looks like I'm stuck with it - and I'd like to try my hardest to crack it anyway. I don't care if I brick it or not. I'm looking at practice here. Do I absolutely need the unlock code to get started? Can I just jump over that step and flash a new OS to the phone? Bearing in mind that I might brick it?

Thanks,

Wynne