Straight Talk AT&T SIM on unlocked Verizon Galaxy Note 3

[Jaquellyne]

I'm not sure if this kind of question has been answered before, but I'm hoping that I can find help.

I recently bought an unlocked Verizon Galaxy Note 3. After much irritation and fighting with the device, we managed to get it working on Straight Talk's service through the AT&T SIM card. I received H and H+ speeds, which I was fine with. What I wasn't fine with was that I lost data coverage at some of the places I needed it (grandparent's house, school).

After dealing with it for some time, I got fed up and decided to try to TMobile SIM card from Straight Talk because I have read a lot that most people with Verizon phones have an easier time receiving service with those card. I switched my service from the AT&T SIM to the TMobile SIM and couldn't receive more than E service with maybe a bar or two, and even that was spotty at home. (I was receiving H and H+ on the AT&T SIM before). I tried every kind of APN setting I could find for AT&T and TMobile. Nothing worked.

I went to transfer my service back to the AT&T Card. Straight Talk gave me issues with this because it showed all of my devices on my home page, however when I went to transfer the service back to the AT&T SIM card, it kept showing an [error] in front of the nickname on the transfer page (It showed no error on the lookup page). When I manually entered the SIM number, it had me do this several more times before telling me the transaction could not be completed at this time and to contact customer care. I did so, they switched my service back to my AT&T SIM card. The representative did not say anything about the error on the card.

However, I cannot receive service at all now. I have tried multiple APN settings, and so far I can't even get a single bar of service or make calls. The only thing I did different was try the Straight Talk Mobile Data Settings app for the TMobile card, and when I switched back to the AT&T card. (It worked fine and gave me the APN settings for the TMobile Card, but says that my device is incompatible with the AT&T card. I deleted the app).

I know that Verizon phones are not made to work on Straight Talk service. I have tried to receive a CDMA code from Straight Talk. When I enter the IMEI and my zip code it says that my phone is eligible, however, when I go to actually register for it it keeps telling me that they do not provide coverage in my area for the CDMA code and would not let me purchase one.

My question is: What am I doing wrong now that I went back to the old AT&T SIM card? It worked perfectly fine before, but now it isn't working at all.
I have deliberated purchasing a new AT&T SIM for this phone, but I don't know if that would solve my problem. (Note: The phone is reading the SIM card, it just gives me an error that it is from an unknown source, which it did when I had service the first time).

 

[srkmagnus]

I suspect an issue with the sim. Try getting a replacement and let us know how that goes.

 

[Rukbat]

I recently bought an unlocked Verizon Galaxy Note 3. After much irritation and fighting with the device, we managed to get it working on Straight Talk's service through the AT&T SIM card. I received H and H+ speeds, which I was fine with. What I wasn't fine with was that I lost data coverage at some of the places I needed it (grandparent's house, school).

Quite likely because AT&T has no coverage in those places.

After dealing with it for some time, I got fed up and decided to try to TMobile SIM card from Straight Talk because I have read a lot that most people with Verizon phones have an easier time receiving service with those card. I switched my service from the AT&T SIM to the TMobile SIM and couldn't receive more than E service with maybe a bar or two, and even that was spotty at home.

Probably the same problem - TMobile probably has worse coverage at your home than AT&T does.

I went to transfer my service back to the AT&T Card. Straight Talk gave me issues with this because it showed all of my devices on my home page, however when I went to transfer the service back to the AT&T SIM card, it kept showing an [error] in front of the nickname on the transfer page (It showed no error on the lookup page). When I manually entered the SIM number, it had me do this several more times before telling me the transaction could not be completed at this time and to contact customer care. I did so, they switched my service back to my AT&T SIM card. The representative did not say anything about the error on the card.

Go to Straight Talk's Facebook page and ask for help switching. (That's where their best techs [not that "best" is very good with ST] are. The ones on the phone are more useless than corpses.)

However, I cannot receive service at all now. I have tried multiple APN settings

The APN is for internet connection. Your 2G (talk and text) connection depends on the SIM, and on how your account is set up.

and so far I can't even get a single bar of service or make calls. The only thing I did different was try the Straight Talk Mobile Data Settings app for the TMobile card, and when I switched back to the AT&T card. (It worked fine and gave me the APN settings for the TMobile Card, but says that my device is incompatible with the AT&T card. I deleted the app).

You can't use TMobile's APN if you're connecting to AT&T towers (IOW using an AT&T card).

I know that Verizon phones are not made to work on Straight Talk service. I have tried to receive a CDMA code from Straight Talk. When I enter the IMEI and my zip code it says that my phone is eligible, however, when I go to actually register for it it keeps telling me that they do not provide coverage in my area for the CDMA code and would not let me purchase one.

Because Verizon has no coverage in your area.

My question is: What am I doing wrong now that I went back to the old AT&T SIM card? It worked perfectly fine before, but now it isn't working at all.
I have deliberated purchasing a new AT&T SIM for this phone, but I don't know if that would solve my problem. (Note: The phone is reading the SIM card, it just gives me an error that it is from an unknown source, which it did when I had service the first time).

Contact ST on Facebook. They actually help people with problems like yours. (And make sure that you're using the APN that came with the AT&T SIM card.)

 

[Jaquellyne]

When I was trying to transfer my service back to my AT&T SIM card on my own, I noticed that my card popped up in the list of devices with that weird [error] before the nickname part. None of my other devices have this issue. It is not visible on the device view when I am in my account information, only when I try to transfer my services. This leads me to wonder if the issue I am having with no service on the SIM that I received service on before transferring from and back to is because of the SIM card itself.
They have transferred service back to the AT&T SIM card, however, I am not receiving any service at all. My phone says it will make emergency calls only. This doesn't make any sense, because the card I am using is in service and should be receiving.

I contacted Straight Talk with their live online customer help to switch back to the original AT&T BYOP SIM that I was getting service on before. They were able to successfully switch me back. The problem I am having is that I no longer am getting service on this SIM card (even though this is the exact same SIM I was originally using and got decent coverage with before). I am going to contact them as soon as their Customer Support is back up. However, since my original post, I did check the status of my phone. It is showing that my Service State is "out of service" and my Mobile Network State is "disconnected". Forgive me if I sound stupid, but doesn't that mean that my SIM card is not receiving any service? (I configured the APN for the AT&T SIM as provided on the Straight Talk website).
When I check my account on Straight Talk, it shows that I am receiving service on the correct SIM card I have in my phone. I double-triple checked the numbers on the SIM to make sure I did not mistype them.

I did a quick check with Verizon's website to see if they provided coverage for my area. Their coverage map shows that they provide 4G/LTE for my area (despite me only receiving 3G on my previously bought Samsung Galaxy S3 from Straight Talk for the same area). Does this mean that their coverage map is exaggerated? Or something else?

Either way, if talking to Customer Service again yields no help, I might just try buying a new SIM card and starting over fresh. The AT&T SIM card worked fine in my phone the first time I used it, just not the second after I had disconnected service from it, and then reconnected when they switched me back over. I have tried turning my phone off and back on several times to no avail.

I really appreciate the help, and I will post whatever solution I come to for this problem. I always hate it when people have problems and then just post that they fixed it with no explanation.

 

[Jaquellyne]

I spoke with a representative. They are sending a replacement SIM card. Apparently, once you deactivate a SIM card it is no longer usable. (I wish the first representative would have said something when I asked them to transfer it back).

Sybil: It would depend. What happened was your SIM card has been deactivated. The SIM card can no longer be used since the SIM card is already expired. You will receive the same SIM card with the one that you are trying to activate. Please allow me a few minutes as I work on your account.

Also, about not being able to use CDMA:

Sybil: Your phone cannot be activated through the CDMA network since your phone is 4G LTE capable. Your phone is not compatible.

Sybil: Your phone is from a CDMA carrier. Activating the phone using a SIM card will only give you slow or no data service at all. It would be best to activate your phone through the CDMA network since your phone is from a CDMA carrier. However, your phone is not compatible with the BYOP CDMA program since your phone is 4G LTE capable.

 

[Rukbat]

I spoke with a representative.

You're lucky - most of their phone representatives are about as useful as feathers on a fish. Their representatives on their Facebook page are usually better.

They are sending a replacement SIM card. Apparently, once you deactivate a SIM card it is no longer usable.

It is - it's just like an SD card. The "once it's deactivated, it can't be used again" is a Straight Talk rule, not a technical limitation. (BTW, the account is registered for a particular SIM. You can't use an old SIM once you get a new one on any carrier. They can reprogram the old SIM for a different account or reset your account to use the old SIM card, but AT&T will give you a new SIM if yours goes bad for nothing. I think TMobile still does. Only the MVNOs charge for SIMS - and it's a terrific overcharge, since they're only worth a few cents wholesale.)

Sybil: Your phone cannot be activated through the CDMA network since your phone is 4G LTE capable. Your phone is not compatible.

Straight Talk's agreement with Verizon is for talk, text and 3G data. You can't use 4G phones on the Verizon network on Straight Talk for contractual reasons. Verizon itself has 4GLTE service (but for a lot more than a Straight Talk account).

 

[tdbone1]

you most DEFINITELY CAN use a 4G LTE BYOP phone on ST CDMA network
i put my brother Verizon LG G2 Contract phone on ST and had to order their SPECIAL Verizon CDMA SIM
it is NOT in the ST Activation KIT you get anywhere
the sim is ONLY available through their CS
he gets 4g lte all day long

my question is this
the connection is not that great though
i was thinking about using their ATT sim instead
i dont think i can use the tmobile version as im not in a tmobile coverage area

what kind of speeds can i get
can we use the cdma sim card (special order again) and then use their network unlock code (just like i did my brothers) and then switch back to ATT sim and get 4g lte or w/e the att equivalent is?

 

[skylicker77]

You're correct. I'm living in the southwest area of America and bought a Galaxy Note 3 off eBay. It turned out to be an old Verizon phone but all I had to do was buy the sim activation kit I did end up having to call customer service as the automated setups for their byob program didn't want to work for me. The dude got it all hooked up in ten mins or less after giving him all the separate serial numbers and codes.
I am getting 4G LTE but recently it's been lagging when it says great service. I've been tweeking some settings (not rooted) and it seems like it helped

 

[Reva Smith]

I'm not sure if this kind of question has been answered before, but I'm hoping that I can find help.

I recently bought an unlocked Verizon Galaxy Note 3. After much irritation and fighting with the device, we managed to get it working on Straight Talk's service through the AT&T SIM card. I received H and H+ speeds, which I was fine with. What I wasn't fine with was that I lost data coverage at some of the places I needed it (grandparent's house, school).

After dealing with it for some time, I got fed up and decided to try to TMobile SIM card from Straight Talk because I have read a lot that most people with Verizon phones have an easier time receiving service with those card. I switched my service from the AT&T SIM to the TMobile SIM and couldn't receive more than E service with maybe a bar or two, and even that was spotty at home. (I was receiving H and H+ on the AT&T SIM before). I tried every kind of APN setting I could find for AT&T and TMobile. Nothing worked.

I went to transfer my service back to the AT&T Card. Straight Talk gave me issues with this because it showed all of my devices on my home page, however when I went to transfer the service back to the AT&T SIM card, it kept showing an [error] in front of the nickname on the transfer page (It showed no error on the lookup page). When I manually entered the SIM number, it had me do this several more times before telling me the transaction could not be completed at this time and to contact customer care. I did so, they switched my service back to my AT&T SIM card. The representative did not say anything about the error on the card.

However, I cannot receive service at all now. I have tried multiple APN settings, and so far I can't even get a single bar of service or make calls. The only thing I did different was try the Straight Talk Mobile Data Settings app for the TMobile card, and when I switched back to the AT&T card. (It worked fine and gave me the APN settings for the TMobile Card, but says that my device is incompatible with the AT&T card. I deleted the app).

I know that Verizon phones are not made to work on Straight Talk service. I have tried to receive a CDMA code from Straight Talk. When I enter the IMEI and my zip code it says that my phone is eligible, however, when I go to actually register for it it keeps telling me that they do not provide coverage in my area for the CDMA code and would not let me purchase one.

My question is: What am I doing wrong now that I went back to the old AT&T SIM card? It worked perfectly fine before, but now it isn't working at all.
I have deliberated purchasing a new AT&T SIM for this phone, but I don't know if that would solve my problem. (Note: The phone is reading the SIM card, it just gives me an error that it is from an unknown source, which it did when I had service the first time).

 

[Rusty Hicks1]

View attachment 140046
When I was trying to transfer my service back to my AT&T SIM card on my own, I noticed that my card popped up in the list of devices with that weird [error] before the nickname part. None of my other devices have this issue. It is not visible on the device view when I am in my account information, only when I try to transfer my services. This leads me to wonder if the issue I am having with no service on the SIM that I received service on before transferring from and back to is because of the SIM card itself.
They have transferred service back to the AT&T SIM card, however, I am not receiving any service at all. My phone says it will make emergency calls only. This doesn't make any sense, because the card I am using is in service and should be receiving.

I contacted Straight Talk with their live online customer help to switch back to the original AT&T BYOP SIM that I was getting service on before. They were able to successfully switch me back. The problem I am having is that I no longer am getting service on this SIM card (even though this is the exact same SIM I was originally using and got decent coverage with before). I am going to contact them as soon as their Customer Support is back up. However, since my original post, I did check the status of my phone. It is showing that my Service State is "out of service" and my Mobile Network State is "disconnected". Forgive me if I sound stupid, but doesn't that mean that my SIM card is not receiving any service? (I configured the APN for the AT&T SIM as provided on the Straight Talk website).
When I check my account on Straight Talk, it shows that I am receiving service on the correct SIM card I have in my phone. I double-triple checked the numbers on the SIM to make sure I did not mistype them.

I did a quick check with Verizon's website to see if they provided coverage for my area. Their coverage map shows that they provide 4G/LTE for my area (despite me only receiving 3G on my previously bought Samsung Galaxy S3 from Straight Talk for the same area). Does this mean that their coverage map is exaggerated? Or something else?

Either way, if talking to Customer Service again yields no help, I might just try buying a new SIM card and starting over fresh. The AT&T SIM card worked fine in my phone the first time I used it, just not the second after I had disconnected service from it, and then reconnected when they switched me back over. I have tried turning my phone off and back on several times to no avail.

I really appreciate the help, and I will post whatever solution I come to for this problem. I always hate it when people have problems and then just post that they fixed it with no explanation.

 

[Rusty Hicks1]

The way to fix this is go to the dialer and type in *#0011# then once it pulls up service mode press the soft menu key then select back then soft menu key again and press key input then enter 1Q0000 into that text line and press ok. Now wait 10-20 seconds and main menu should appear now press protocol and settings then settings then nas and then select reset nv and finally select all at the bottom it should give you a message to reboot right then without leaving the menu long press power until restart option appears select it and confirm it then once it reboots enter the correct apn for your sim and it should work fine. Good luck and I hope this helps