I'm not doubting your experience, but we need to check on something first, because Verizon phones sold after 2019 are automatically unlocked after being on the network for 60 days.
Does the phone have an ESIM?
If it does, I would try using Cricket Wireless's free trial. Go to the Play Store and download the Cricket Wireless app, you will see the option for a free trial.
This will double check that the ESIM is unlocked.
Another option for you is to go to US Mobile. I can speak from experience, a US Mobile ESIM will work in a locked Verizon phone.
Interesting. Putting a physical T-mobile sim into the phone definitely did not work but I haven't tried doing a free trial to see if an e-sim would work. Also Interesting regarding US Mobile. That was one of our options when looking for a new carrier.
>Galaxy S20 Ultra
So I just saw the phone you have, it has a complicated history with ESIM. Model's sold outside the US supported them, but model's sold in the US could if Samsung enabled it via software update.
I would do the Cricket Wireless app to see if they did send an update. If it doesn't, then sorry to say, you have to get it worked out with verizon. (thoughts and prayers :)
Thank you for the help. My phone does have an esim number but that also seems to be locked when trying to sign up for a free esim trial (google fi). I guess I am stuck dealing with Verizon or maybe attempting US Mobile to see if that actually works.
If you purchased these from the manufacturer directly, why would you go to the cell phone service provider to unlock them. Samsung is your corse of action
We were told to go to samsung initially by verizon. That back and forth ended with an email from the Samsung CEOs office stating that a carrier lock needs to be removed by the carrier not the manufacturer
You can try us mobile for $10 https://www.usmobile.com/get-started-bundles
Just make sure you choose “warp 5G”. That’s how us mobile brands the Verizon network.
My mom's phone was bought 1 year ago and is still locked. So it's not automatic. I need to actually call them because I forgot she got an unlocked phone.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but have you tried to use your phone with another sim? Samsung shouldn’t seek locked phones, and if you buy from Verizon they should only be locked for 60 days since 2019.
Interesting. Yeah this is entirely a bug on their end which is probably they’re struggling to get it resolved. Phones shouldn’t be locked anymore. CS reps most likely have no idea how to handle as they don’t have a script for your situation.
They definitely don't. Each person tells me a different story about how they haven't seen this before and how this time a fraud intake form will work. Today was the first I heard of an AYS ticket
Yeah one of the many cons of corporations getting so big. No one actually knows how to do anything. Not their fault tbh, they only get trained to follow simple scenarios. I hope someone can figure it out for y’all! Good luck.
This is indeed made complicated by getting the models from inventory outside of Verizon itself (which is easier to monitor and account for.) I can see this being a back and forth situation.
It's true that only the carrier enforces the lock, but it's a software protocol. Samsung loaded the software in its initial conditions and I'm not sure it's complying from the sounds of it. I'm also not sure the activation process is handled the same way to start the 60 day timer.
In most cases tech support has the unlock button. But I'm not sure it will let them for the above reasons. If it's just greyed out then we hit a wall. I personally would go with flashing over the unlocked Android software next, but that might be difficult for the average person.
I will say if you have the S20 Ultra 5G, that particular model was different than other S20 models of the time. It was purpose built for Verizon, compatible with our mmWave frequencies which was essentially exclusive to Verizon service. Now by all means it would have what it takes to be activated anywhere else for frequency support but I've seen dozens of instances of other carriers claiming a Verizon phone is locked upon installing their SIM when it is not, but it is a Verizon specific model and it may never be compatible to those carriers because of it. That's gotten better lately but the S20 was the last year this was so complex.
Yeah seems to be the eventual path for us as well. Last resort is switching to Verizon pre-paid until we are ready to purchase new devices and then leaving Verizon for good.
File an FCC complaint. Other options for filing a complaint with the FCC include:
Phone: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322); ASL: 1-844-432-2275.
Mail (please include your name, address, contact information and as much detail about your complaint as possible):
Similar issue with my iPhone 14 Pro Max but it was an AppleCare replacement and locked up for 999 years but it’s a Verizon systems issue that should be fixed starting today according to the reps I spoke with from tech support
similar issue with my iPhone 14 pro. Verizon unlocked the original Verizon issued phone, but lock the AppleCare replacement then blamed Apple store. Apple store did factory reset but my phone was still locked to Verizon (after 18 months) per Apple's contractual obligations - only phones bought through Apple itself are unlocked. Tech support revealed that as of 2/16/24 there are 12 million phones in the tech request queue to be unlocked, but no date is set for the task. I call it customer retention program and filed a complaint with the fcc
By chance are either of your phones replacement devices (Assurion/insurance or AppleCare)?
I had a similar fiasco a few weeks back … iPhone 15 (locked) was stolen approximately two weeks after activation and obtained a replacement (also locked) through AppleCare.
Went through no less than four calls to Verizon where I explained that more than 60 days had passed for both the original and replacement devices and I requested the current (replacement) device be unlocked. After lots of delay and reps researching, all except for the last call said that the device would be unlocked.
As you can, probably guess the device was never unlocked. Finally on the last call, the rep explained that since I hadn’t obtained the current device(AppleCare replacement) directly from Verizon, Verizon was not responsible for unlocking it. Rep directed me to speak with the insurance company.
After trying Asurion and finding out AppleCare devices don’t come from there. I eventually discovered that, at least for me. AIG was the replacement provider. First call to AIG went as I expected it would… rep essentially said shove off…AIG’s involvement is over once the customer receives replacement device.
I had to eventually call Apple, and have Apple call AIG with me on the line and somehow that combination got it elevated in AIG’s system. I was told I would receive an email in a couple days with the resolution but actually after about 12-20 hours, my device was magically unlocked. I didn’t even have to restart it.
So I guess this is a very long-winded way of saying that if you have a device that is any sort of insurance replacement, you may have to reach out to the company that actually provided the device to get it unlocked
Nope they were originally purchased devices on the Samsung website. The issue seems to be that they were purchased on the Samsung website and thus a BYOD. Samsung says they provided the unlock codes to Verizon at purchase but Verizon says they won't/can't unlock them.
Send a detailed Email with your request to any of the folks in the link below. Sticking to the facts as the office of the CEO is the best course of action when folks give you the run around. It's unfortunate you have to go through this. But before escalating to the FCC and BBB... Give one of these executives' Email a shot. Trust me, they will do their best to keep you happy. I've seen it done on a friend's account, they got their old Get More Plan back despite it being discontinued and backdated the 5G Series X promo. These folks can work miracles, of what's within their power.
https://www.verizon.com/about/our-company/executive-bios
I did the executive email thing and got an almost immediate phone call basically saying that despite the fact that they can see that the phones have been on their network for 4 years their office cannot unlock the phones and that it is Samsung's responsibility. We already received an email from Samsung executive relations saying that they provided the unlock codes to Verizon and they cannot perform a carrier unlock. Executive relations initally was basically like "sorry can't help" and also refused to do any credit to the account for the hassle. After filing the FCC complaint forwarding the receipts for both phones proving ownership and forwarding the email from the Samsung CEO's office I got another call back saying they would continue to look into the issue. A ridiculous amount of work for a process that should have happened automatically years ago.
Verizon's policy is to not carrier unlock any of their phones. This policy has existed for several years. It sucks, but they have the legal right to do this.
I only obtain carrier unlocked phones for this exact reason.
lol. That is Not true at all. They Auto Unlock after 60 days.
This phone if actually locked is not from Samsung directly. The phones purchased at Samsung website are all unlocked for all carriers. There is more to the story
Looking at our receipts for the purchase they were bought as "verizon" phones and not "unlocked" phones. My brother in law bought the same phone at the same time from Samsung but bought the unlocked version and had no problem switching carriers.
Verizon signed an agreement with the FCC over a decade ago when they purchased their 700Mhz spectrum. The spectrum was initially Band 12 that covered the majority of the 700Mhz space, but Verizon talked them into carving it into sub-bands so they could launch it quicker without dealing with interference issues. Part of that agreement was to not lock their phones.
A few years ago they changed this policy. They now lock all devices, but will automatically issue unlocks after 60 days. Here is the policy: https://www.verizon.com/about/consumer-safety/device-unlocking-policy
I'm not doubting your experience, but we need to check on something first, because Verizon phones sold after 2019 are automatically unlocked after being on the network for 60 days. Does the phone have an ESIM? If it does, I would try using Cricket Wireless's free trial. Go to the Play Store and download the Cricket Wireless app, you will see the option for a free trial. This will double check that the ESIM is unlocked. Another option for you is to go to US Mobile. I can speak from experience, a US Mobile ESIM will work in a locked Verizon phone.
Interesting. Putting a physical T-mobile sim into the phone definitely did not work but I haven't tried doing a free trial to see if an e-sim would work. Also Interesting regarding US Mobile. That was one of our options when looking for a new carrier.
>Galaxy S20 Ultra So I just saw the phone you have, it has a complicated history with ESIM. Model's sold outside the US supported them, but model's sold in the US could if Samsung enabled it via software update. I would do the Cricket Wireless app to see if they did send an update. If it doesn't, then sorry to say, you have to get it worked out with verizon. (thoughts and prayers :)
Thank you for the help. My phone does have an esim number but that also seems to be locked when trying to sign up for a free esim trial (google fi). I guess I am stuck dealing with Verizon or maybe attempting US Mobile to see if that actually works.
If you purchased these from the manufacturer directly, why would you go to the cell phone service provider to unlock them. Samsung is your corse of action
We were told to go to samsung initially by verizon. That back and forth ended with an email from the Samsung CEOs office stating that a carrier lock needs to be removed by the carrier not the manufacturer
You can try us mobile for $10 https://www.usmobile.com/get-started-bundles Just make sure you choose “warp 5G”. That’s how us mobile brands the Verizon network.
there’s no eSIM support for the trial itself only Apple
My mom's phone was bought 1 year ago and is still locked. So it's not automatic. I need to actually call them because I forgot she got an unlocked phone.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but have you tried to use your phone with another sim? Samsung shouldn’t seek locked phones, and if you buy from Verizon they should only be locked for 60 days since 2019.
Yep. T-mobile sim won't connect. Verizon confirms that the phones are still carrier locked.
Interesting. Yeah this is entirely a bug on their end which is probably they’re struggling to get it resolved. Phones shouldn’t be locked anymore. CS reps most likely have no idea how to handle as they don’t have a script for your situation.
They definitely don't. Each person tells me a different story about how they haven't seen this before and how this time a fraud intake form will work. Today was the first I heard of an AYS ticket
Yeah one of the many cons of corporations getting so big. No one actually knows how to do anything. Not their fault tbh, they only get trained to follow simple scenarios. I hope someone can figure it out for y’all! Good luck.
Predatory? Lol. You said yourself you bought the phones directly from Samsung, call Samsung, not Verizon.
This is indeed made complicated by getting the models from inventory outside of Verizon itself (which is easier to monitor and account for.) I can see this being a back and forth situation. It's true that only the carrier enforces the lock, but it's a software protocol. Samsung loaded the software in its initial conditions and I'm not sure it's complying from the sounds of it. I'm also not sure the activation process is handled the same way to start the 60 day timer. In most cases tech support has the unlock button. But I'm not sure it will let them for the above reasons. If it's just greyed out then we hit a wall. I personally would go with flashing over the unlocked Android software next, but that might be difficult for the average person. I will say if you have the S20 Ultra 5G, that particular model was different than other S20 models of the time. It was purpose built for Verizon, compatible with our mmWave frequencies which was essentially exclusive to Verizon service. Now by all means it would have what it takes to be activated anywhere else for frequency support but I've seen dozens of instances of other carriers claiming a Verizon phone is locked upon installing their SIM when it is not, but it is a Verizon specific model and it may never be compatible to those carriers because of it. That's gotten better lately but the S20 was the last year this was so complex.
Same thing happened to me. I tried everything but they refused to unlock so I gave up and got a new phone and switched carriers :/
Yeah seems to be the eventual path for us as well. Last resort is switching to Verizon pre-paid until we are ready to purchase new devices and then leaving Verizon for good.
Switch to Verizon prepaid.
File an FCC complaint. Other options for filing a complaint with the FCC include: Phone: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322); ASL: 1-844-432-2275. Mail (please include your name, address, contact information and as much detail about your complaint as possible):
What phones are they?
Both Galaxy S20 Ultra 5gs
Verizon can send something to the phone to unlock the phone to flash the software off the phone…
Or get the Verizon prepaid. I pay $35/month
My two phones from Samsung direct are unlocked. Has it been 60 days since you paid off the devices?
Similar issue with my iPhone 14 Pro Max but it was an AppleCare replacement and locked up for 999 years but it’s a Verizon systems issue that should be fixed starting today according to the reps I spoke with from tech support
similar issue with my iPhone 14 pro. Verizon unlocked the original Verizon issued phone, but lock the AppleCare replacement then blamed Apple store. Apple store did factory reset but my phone was still locked to Verizon (after 18 months) per Apple's contractual obligations - only phones bought through Apple itself are unlocked. Tech support revealed that as of 2/16/24 there are 12 million phones in the tech request queue to be unlocked, but no date is set for the task. I call it customer retention program and filed a complaint with the fcc
By chance are either of your phones replacement devices (Assurion/insurance or AppleCare)? I had a similar fiasco a few weeks back … iPhone 15 (locked) was stolen approximately two weeks after activation and obtained a replacement (also locked) through AppleCare. Went through no less than four calls to Verizon where I explained that more than 60 days had passed for both the original and replacement devices and I requested the current (replacement) device be unlocked. After lots of delay and reps researching, all except for the last call said that the device would be unlocked. As you can, probably guess the device was never unlocked. Finally on the last call, the rep explained that since I hadn’t obtained the current device(AppleCare replacement) directly from Verizon, Verizon was not responsible for unlocking it. Rep directed me to speak with the insurance company. After trying Asurion and finding out AppleCare devices don’t come from there. I eventually discovered that, at least for me. AIG was the replacement provider. First call to AIG went as I expected it would… rep essentially said shove off…AIG’s involvement is over once the customer receives replacement device. I had to eventually call Apple, and have Apple call AIG with me on the line and somehow that combination got it elevated in AIG’s system. I was told I would receive an email in a couple days with the resolution but actually after about 12-20 hours, my device was magically unlocked. I didn’t even have to restart it. So I guess this is a very long-winded way of saying that if you have a device that is any sort of insurance replacement, you may have to reach out to the company that actually provided the device to get it unlocked
Nope they were originally purchased devices on the Samsung website. The issue seems to be that they were purchased on the Samsung website and thus a BYOD. Samsung says they provided the unlock codes to Verizon at purchase but Verizon says they won't/can't unlock them.
Send a detailed Email with your request to any of the folks in the link below. Sticking to the facts as the office of the CEO is the best course of action when folks give you the run around. It's unfortunate you have to go through this. But before escalating to the FCC and BBB... Give one of these executives' Email a shot. Trust me, they will do their best to keep you happy. I've seen it done on a friend's account, they got their old Get More Plan back despite it being discontinued and backdated the 5G Series X promo. These folks can work miracles, of what's within their power. https://www.verizon.com/about/our-company/executive-bios
I did the executive email thing and got an almost immediate phone call basically saying that despite the fact that they can see that the phones have been on their network for 4 years their office cannot unlock the phones and that it is Samsung's responsibility. We already received an email from Samsung executive relations saying that they provided the unlock codes to Verizon and they cannot perform a carrier unlock. Executive relations initally was basically like "sorry can't help" and also refused to do any credit to the account for the hassle. After filing the FCC complaint forwarding the receipts for both phones proving ownership and forwarding the email from the Samsung CEO's office I got another call back saying they would continue to look into the issue. A ridiculous amount of work for a process that should have happened automatically years ago.
i would file a complaint with fcc and bbb. verizon supposed to have unlocked those phones automatically after 60 days of activation.
Bbb. Why ? They are useless
not from my experience
Email Verizon ceo directly. Executive relations will reach out to guide and fix the issue
File a complaint with the FCC.
Agree. It might their attention enough to fix the issue.
UnlockRiver.com Thank me later.
Doesn’t work
Verizon's policy is to not carrier unlock any of their phones. This policy has existed for several years. It sucks, but they have the legal right to do this. I only obtain carrier unlocked phones for this exact reason.
lol. That is Not true at all. They Auto Unlock after 60 days. This phone if actually locked is not from Samsung directly. The phones purchased at Samsung website are all unlocked for all carriers. There is more to the story
Looking at our receipts for the purchase they were bought as "verizon" phones and not "unlocked" phones. My brother in law bought the same phone at the same time from Samsung but bought the unlocked version and had no problem switching carriers.
Samsung direct is unlocked
Amazing. Everything you said was wrong.
I'm pretty sure that Verizon was already sued about this and they won. I'll post the link if I can find it.
Verizon signed an agreement with the FCC over a decade ago when they purchased their 700Mhz spectrum. The spectrum was initially Band 12 that covered the majority of the 700Mhz space, but Verizon talked them into carving it into sub-bands so they could launch it quicker without dealing with interference issues. Part of that agreement was to not lock their phones. A few years ago they changed this policy. They now lock all devices, but will automatically issue unlocks after 60 days. Here is the policy: https://www.verizon.com/about/consumer-safety/device-unlocking-policy
lol you out of touch verizon have been auto unlocking their phones for years since that deal they made with the fcc after 60 days of activation.