How to Fix a Bad ESN or Blacklisted IMEI on Samsung Galaxy
– How to Fix a Bad ESN –
How to Fix a Bad ESN: A bad ESN isn’t an issue with a telephone, it is a problem with the cellular carrier. ESN is brief for Electronic Serial Number, the individual positive identification that identifies CDMA phones to the cellular network.
The initial account holder will contact the carrier and clear up any remaining balance before the new owner can activate it. Activate the phone on another carrier’s network.
The ESN is merely bad for the carrier the phone was originally activated on. There are several CDMA carriers that will accept phones from other networks.
If you go this route, you may just have the phone flashed. Flashing deletes the initial carrier’s settings and substitutes the settings for the new carrier.
Carriers that accept flashed phones usually have stores that may flash the phones for you for a fee.
How to Fix Bad ESN or Blacklisted IMEI on Samsung Galaxy S10
What is Bad IMEI?
Bad ESN (also known as bad IMEI) is a phone that cannot be activated on the carrier that the phone was manufactured due to various reasons.
One of the reasons is when the phone was reported stolen, lost or if the phone was used to carry on faulty transactions. The phone can as well be blacklisted if the initial owner didn’t clear all his dues.
Prior to 2012, phone theft was also growing at an alarming rate around the world because stolen smartphones can be re-used again simply by changing the SIM card.
Thieves were able to get away with it and constantly making money by stealing and reselling these devices.
However, that was addressed in a way that carriers now can block devices that are reported lost or stolen from connecting to the network.
IMEI Blocked is a method to block the use of a mobile handset that has been reported as lost or stolen by its owner. An IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number is a unique code assigned to your mobile handset.
This is typically what happens after you’ve purchased a used smartphone, used it for a while and then suddenly you’re getting a “no service” message on the phone.
Smartphones don’t only get lost & stolen, but some people take advantage by filing insurance claims. All of these contribute to smartphones being blacklisted.
That’s why just because a phone is blacklisted, on a lost or stolen status, or has a blocked IMEI, it doesn’t mean that the phone was stolen or that it’s illegal to buy it back from someone.
How Do I Know If My IMEI is Clean?
Most carriers will never tell you if the phone was reported as stolen or not. They will just go silent on it and hence you are left to use other mechanisms to know if the phone was reported stolen or lost.
For this reason, most sellers out there do not intentionally cell phones which have been reported as stolen or lost because you cannot determine what it is.
The good thing is that we are here to help in this case. All you need is the ESN which you can get from the back cover of the phone. Or you can simply do this: Open the Phone Dial, dial *#06# to see the IMEI number on the screen.
How to check if your AT&T Samsung Galaxy has a clean ESN/IMEI
‣ Select your device type and type in your IMEI number
Wait for the next page to load–it will tell you if your device is compatible.
How to check if a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy has a clean ESN/IMEI
‣ Type your IMEI number into where it says “IMEI status check”
‣ Wait for the next page to load–it will tell you if your device is compatible.
How to check if a Sprint Samsung Galaxy has a clean ESN/IMEI
‣ Type your IMEI number into where it says “Enter your phone IMEI number”
‣ Wait for the next page to load – it will tell you if your device is compatible.
NOTE: Ting is a phone carrier that is powered by the Sprint network. The reason it is best to check the IMEI on their website is that Sprint does not offer its own online IMEI checking service.
How to check if a Verizon Samsung Galaxy has a clean ESN/IMEI
- Go to this site
- Select I’m not with Verizon.
- Select Device Type – Phone and choose “Android” and press Next
- Type in your IMEI number where it says “Device ID”.
- Wait for the next page to load – it will tell you if your device is compatible.
If your device is not used on any of these carriers, or you don’t know what’s the original carrier of the device, the best resource to use for checking your IMEI number is Swappa.com.
How to check Samsung Galaxy ESN/IMEI on Swappa
- Go to this site
- Type your IMEI number into where it says “ESN/IMEI/MEID”
- Click on “Blacklist Check?”
- Press CHeck ESN and wait for the next page to load – it will tell you if your device is compatible.
Can a blacklisted phone be used again?
A blacklisted phone will still work with Wi-Fi, but cannot make calls, send texts, or use mobile data. Only the person who reported a phone stolen can have it removed from the blacklist.
Depending on what you need the phone for, you can still use the phone as a gaming device. Samsung Galaxy S10 is an outstanding device with a heavy benchmark and crystal clear OLED display, and you can enjoy the whole VR experience.
How about using it as a reminder? Or an alarm when you wake up? Maybe you probably just want to watch some Youtube videos or Netflix shows on Wi-Fi.
Samsung galaxy still has a headphone jack! With its build-in capacity, you can use it as a music player and bring it with you anywhere.
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What You Can do if You Have a Samsung Galaxy With Bad ESN?
If you bought the device with the bad ESN newly from a retailer or online shop, you might be in luck as they can provide you with a refund or at least a replacement, depending on their policy.
For example, Amazon has refund policies. Unfortunately, if you got the phone from someone you found on the street, or from a seller over sources like Craigslist or eBay, this might not be possible. Here are some ideas you can do with your Samsung Galaxy.
Get it Unlocked
If you managed to confirm that the ESN is bad, then consider getting it unlocked. Normally, if the Samsung Galaxy has a bad ESN, blocked or blacklisted due to unpaid bills, unlocking it still allows you to use the phone outside of the USA or internationally.
Get the bad ESN Fixed or Cleared
This is one of the most interesting and unique solutions available for your blacklisted Samsung Galaxy. Another term used for this service is unbarring. Some people refer it to ESN cleaning service or IMEI Repair Service.
Did you know that it’s possible to get the ESN fixed or cleared remotely? It’s done by removing the blacklist remotely on the actual carrier database through a third-party service.
Can I unlock the phone myself?
If you are reading through this, you must have tried to find some solution to unblock/repair the IMEI by yourself. There are so many articles out there that show you how to do but be honest, none of them is working.
You might take the risk of downloading some claimed “free IMEI repair software” and turned out you downloaded some malware or virus to your computer.
Why You Should use IMEI Repair Service instead?
With the IMEI repair service, you have a permanent solution for your phone. The process only required you to have a stable Internet, and a Windows PC to connect the phone remotely.
Since the solution changes the system files, it is 100% permanent. You will get new IMEI numbers for your phone in just a small amount of time – without waiting forever!
Due to the complicated process of repairing IMEI, your Samsung Galaxy devices also get Free unlocked during the process. After the service, you will not only have a working phone with a clean IMEI but also unlocked for you to use with any carrier of your choice.
Compared to the IMEI cleaning service, there are no limitations on what IMEI repair service can support.
How to Fix Bad IMEI on your Samsung Galaxy
- Go to miliunlocks.com and select your model number
- Read carefully all the requirements before making a purchase
- Once purchases completed, contact the agent directly via LIVE CHAT to get instant support.
- During the connection, the agent will troubleshoot the device.
- When it’s done, the agent will give you the new IMEI numbers as a reference and you can check if matched by pressing *#06#.
- Simply insert your SIM card in and use the phone right away.
The advice above applies to all Samsung models. There are several other things you can do with your smartphone but the above are among the best and the most actionable methods of getting rid of it.
Decide and decide on what you think you can do with this device. Wait no more, get your Samsung Galaxy fixed now!
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