I spent the better part of the last 3 hours scouring the web for a way to unlock the Seimens A56 model cell phone I got for free from a friend.
Turns out, the only viable solution is to buy an unlocked phone off ebay or craigslist.org (or one that was previously on the same network as my current provider – ie: Cingular or AT&T, etc.), or simply sign up a new plan and get a free phone (but then that would be giving in to these greedy bastard cell phone companies, who lock the cell phones in the first place to keep us from switching phones easily, without buying a new plan).
Well, all is not totally lost, although for this model it seems to be a waste of time, trust me, I searched everywhere. I found two plausable solutions for unlocking the Seimens A56:
1) buy a data cable (worth more than the free phone I got), and “flash/upgrade” to the C56 using software from seimens.com, then use some “remote unlocking” service. (see below for another thread about using free software).
2) buy a used phone that was previously used with the same provider you’re on now, or find a used phone that is “unlocked”, which can be used anywhere in the world, with any provider (** best solution **)
Other models:
3) If you’re lucky enough to have a cell phone that supports “remote unlocking”, you can try this site: http://www.westerna.org (see bottom left of site for manufacturers) or http://key.westerna.org (click on phone manufacturer). These guys cost money too, I think it’s $12. They will email you the unlock code. They seem to be the most legitimate, and can unlock the widest range of models.
If you have a Nokia phone, you should be able to unlock it free, online. Kodos to Nokia for not being “cellular nazis” with their customers: http://unlock.nokiafree.org/
To find out if your cell phone is currently locked (at least with the seimens A56), you can take out the sim card, and then type: *#0606#, you’ll get some crap, then hit the “Info” button, on mine the 2nd line says: “multiple lock”, the rest say “Unbarred”. This means that Cingular (the previous provider used with the phone), has locked the phone, so you can’t use it with any other provider, except – you guessed it! – Cingular (not even AT&T, even though they merged recently).
For the online “remote unlocking”, you have to get the IMEI phone identifier number, which can be found by re-inserting the sim card, and typing *#06#. You can also press the “Info” button and see some more info about your phone.
Some cool phone phreaking forums I came across are:
http://www.howardforums.com (Excellent source)
http://forum.westerna.org/index.php (Ok, kind of dead at least in helpful responses)
http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/archive/index.php/t-119476 (the most detailed thread I could find about unlocking the Seimens A56 model, with a data cable and free software).
olalekan
April 27, 2005 at 11:09 am
hi i have panasonic GD50 phone and how can i unlock it to my country network my mail is aaolalekan@yahoo.com i will be expecting your mail
Richard
May 25, 2005 at 10:33 pm
Good blog, expescially as I have A56, did the info and it turns out im unblocked, so I’ll try a different sim sometime, thanks!
Stephanie
June 15, 2005 at 1:31 am
Chovy, thanks very much for your clear explanation “How to unlock your cell phone”..I found you by doing a Google search on finding an unblocked Nokia phone. I am so upset by ATT being swallowed up by Cingular. I have a great Nokia phone, the 6820, with full QWERTY keyboard, and signed up with ATT for a replacement contract in case the phone was damaged. Now my phone has taken some lumps (whoops) and I want to get a replacement, but no dice! The charming Cingular people will make me sign a new, more expensive contract, and they do not offer the 6820 phone at all! Since I have 2 kids on a family plan, I don’t want to get 3 new phones. I have tried and failed twice to buy a used 6820 in EBay auctions. Should I just buy a new 6820 directly from Nokia and attempt to unlock it? ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Stephanie in Palo Alto
Anthony
June 15, 2005 at 10:53 am
I personally would not switch to Cingular, if you can’t manage to unlock your new phone, then you’ll have to.
Are you sure there aren’t any unlocked phones on eBay? try searching “AT&T 6820″.
http://tinyurl.com/ddn2h
Anonymous
September 13, 2005 at 8:09 pm
i have an att phone that broke an was told that i had to get a new cingular contract. not true a family member of mine has a cingular phone an i was able to put sims card in there phone an there was all of my info. try this beforen signing a new contract with cingular. k
Anthony
September 14, 2005 at 11:34 am
Yes, you don’t technically have to use a “Cingular” phone. They just tell you that so you sign another contract.
However, I did get a letter from them saying that existing AT&T customers have to either switch to a GSM enabled phone, or be converted to Cingular.
I have switched to Verizon for their “IN” calling, and love it.
Anonymous
September 26, 2005 at 9:42 am
Thank you soo much my mom dropped her phone and we had an old one and we cant afford a new phone so thanks a million for your tips-Jackie
Chovy’s Blog » W3C: Voice Over XML
January 4, 2006 at 4:21 pm
[...] Nokia also looks attractive, after having been to India and Europe, and noticing everything is Nokia, and nokia even allows you to unlock your phone easily (see:Unlocking Your Cell Phone). [...]
bombastinator
February 18, 2006 at 7:13 pm
I found some free software that claims to unlock a bunch of stuff at http://simlock.techgsm.com/simlock/u/ The file is gigantic. Have you tried this at all? Is it worth anything?
There is also http://simlock.techgsm.com/simlock/u/ which claims to have software to unlock a variety of phones (none of mine)
jean celestin
April 3, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Chovy, very informational stuff.
I just bought a Razor v3, i want to unlock it so i can use it with Cingular, Would you help, please?
I would really appreciate it
Thanks!
Luis
April 9, 2006 at 8:34 pm
How do I unlock my audiovox???
Please help.
Jared
November 7, 2006 at 1:39 pm
i have bought an unlocked motorola ming an i was wondering is there any way to set it so i can use the internet…send mms messages things like that ..b/c the phone is unlocked it will not connect to the internet
chovy
November 24, 2006 at 1:34 pm
it your phone was from a different carrier, you won’t be able to surf the web or SMS (if I recall correctly).
I guess that portion of the phone is proprietary or disabled in order to discourage phone re-use.
John D Hanna
December 2, 2006 at 3:18 pm
T-Mobile sent me the unlock coded for my RAZR V3 but made me wait three months into the contract before they would do it. I guess that is their break even point..
nanovation
December 11, 2006 at 12:51 pm
I just bought an LG VX4400 for Verizon Wireless on eBay and called up the Verizon 1-800 number to find out how to unlock the phone. They asked me to remove the battery and read the EXN number to them. With this ESN number they were able to verify that it was unlocked and cleared.
Soooo, before you buy a used Verizon Cell Phone off eBay, ask the seller for the ESN number so you can verify with Verizon that it is unlocked and cleared.
XStaySea
July 29, 2007 at 9:18 am
Does anyone have the unlock code for Nokia 6820?
Are all the unlock codes the same for this phone or does it depend on the IMEI number?
megan
August 17, 2007 at 12:21 pm
anyone know where to get a code for an att samsung SGH-X426? i have a cingular card and it’s not working. there used to be a great site from the uk that i have used to unlock phones before and it was great. can’t find it now….can’t find anything.
iraqman
September 13, 2007 at 4:48 pm
i have a motorlla i415 from boostmoblie i want to unlock it, when i put a kuwait sim card in it ays need specail code, i need help someone help me get ths together navybehn@yahoo.com
Commercial Appraisers
October 18, 2007 at 10:25 pm
As per the previous post…
“Does anyone have the unlock code for Nokia 6820?
Are all the unlock codes the same for this phone or does it depend on the IMEI number?”
The codes for the Nokia 68XX family of phones should all be the same. What is your IMEI number though? I’ll punch it into our systems here and let you know if that changes anything.
Stan
December 26, 2007 at 10:37 pm
I have two motorola phones for cingular the one is the v3 and the other is a v3xx and I was wondering if I could unlock them for use with verizon. Please get back at me because i need to know.
Miranda
May 14, 2008 at 9:21 pm
I locked my phone so my boyfriend couldnt read my texts but he figured the password out and changed it..so now i cant unlock my phone and he wont tell me what he set it as..What can I do??
Ryan.
May 18, 2008 at 2:52 pm
heyyy yeahh i found a t-mobile sidekick but im an at&t holder and i whenever i put my at*t simcard into the sidekick, it tells me to put some special code. do you know how to solve this problem? im guessing this is one of those simlock shit right??
please help.
thanks. –ryan.
email: ryancalm23@yahoo.com
GSMarena reviewer
August 14, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Hi guys,
To solve most of your problems,
Try http://www.FreeYourCellphone.com to Unlock your cellphone online.
There unlocking prices are way cheaper than cellphone stores, They are very FAST and I found them to have great customer service.
I’ve Unlocked about 20 phones through them in total now
Hope this info helps you guys out!
david d
October 5, 2008 at 1:56 am
urgent metropcs is very very very rude & there claims department asurion …i have a metropcs cell phone its a huawei m318 here is my esn#01807188604 562-219-8921 it is unlegaly block no incomeing phone calls /no out going phone calls/also a lcd phone screen i have a crack on phone with a black spot its been 5months 5 days already no fix no repair no replacement phone ….yes metropcs is bad someone needs to really crack down on theys 2 companys metropcs &asurion claims depart they refuse and abuse operators and supervisers are very rude and mean ..have fun trying my phone out
jamal
February 18, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I got a g1 from this site, ive unlock mine and my girlfirends. chubbycutegirl.com , they did the fist one on a day and the second one came pretty fast within an hour… lol i dunno
laura84
January 14, 2010 at 3:42 pm
I unlocked my 3 phones from http://www.globalunlockcodes.com/
2 lg shine and one blackberry 8320
just $1.99 each
and they guys are fastest – i guess they have automated machine or somthing. i got my unlock code within an hour.
Mike
February 11, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I’ve stumbled across another free cell phone unlocking site, http://free-cell-phone-unlock.com works great for me with the guides on how to unlock different phones with software.
aika
March 12, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Hi guys, it’s much easier to unlock a phone! I am an international student and it was always a pain to switch from one phone to another, all those plans, rates, …
I found a solution to get rid of this headache–www.cellfree.us!
Great service, very quick and easy! the people working there must be professionals because I was helped right away! I checked a lot of unlocking sites and http://www.cellfree.us has relatively lower rates!
I don’t regret using their services! check it out!
computer technologies
May 10, 2010 at 12:15 pm
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Santo Perkerson
June 6, 2010 at 12:28 am
Thanks for the info on cell phone unlocking. I love cell phones and work at a little cell phone shop where we unlock phones and mod them for people. Add http://free-cell-phone-unlock.com to your list of free cell phone unlock sites, I use the downloads there a lot to help me unlock phones for customers, don’t be mad but hey I have to make a living some kinda way!! lol.
Anyways, I figured you could use that in your bag of tricks too :-)
Major Tish
June 6, 2010 at 12:28 am
Great info on cell phone unlocking. I love cell phones and work at a little cell phone shop where we unlock phones and mod them for people. Add http://free-cell-phone-unlock.com to your list of free cell phone unlock sites, I use the downloads there a lot to help me unlock phones for customers, don’t be mad but hey I have to make a living some kinda way!! lol.
Anyways, I figured you could use that in your bag of tricks too :-)
Lance Rich
June 7, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Dont mess with anyone else. These guys are the best. Quick reply and the codes work the first time!
Adam
June 18, 2010 at 5:25 am
the site http://www.freeunlocks.com can unlock almost any phone for free, i believe that includes the Seimens A56 model you were referring to. pretty much you complete one advertising offer in exchange for an unlock code… pretty easy too :). i used them for my phone, no problems.
chovy
July 23, 2010 at 9:23 am
Unlock an iPad or iPhone here: http://iosvideo.com/tags/jailbreak