Using Verizon Moto X on other network - factory unlocked?

[James Changstein]

I am contemplating on replacing my S3 with the Moto X to use primarily on the Verizon network.. But when I travel overseas, my S3 works with SIM cards on other network in Asia.

Can I do the same with the current Moto X (off contract, directly from Motorola)? I mean, is it unlocked by either Verizon or Motorola when it arrives at my door? I am assuming the Developer's edition will be "unlocked' but they are sold out - I am looking at the off-contract Verizon version at Moto X

Any input is appreciated.

cheers,

 

[grooks]

It will come SIM locked to the Verizon network. You will either have to ask Verizon to unlock it or use a 3rd party service to unlock it.

Also, check if the bands listed for the Verizon Moto X will work in other countries.

 

[tgp]

Yes the Moto X will be the same as your S3 in that regard. Carry on!

It will come SIM locked to the Verizon network. You will either have to ask Verizon to unlock it or use a 3rd party service to unlock it.

Also, check if the bands listed for the Verizon Moto X will work in other countries.

Verizon LTE devices are SIM unlocked. You can't use them with another CDMA carrier, but you can insert any GSM SIM card and you're good to go; voice, SMS, and data. You may not get LTE data though.

 

[JRDroid]

It will come SIM locked to the Verizon network. You will either have to ask Verizon to unlock it or use a 3rd party service to unlock it.

Also, check if the bands listed for the Verizon Moto X will work in other countries.

I think you are incorrect. I know that when the Droid Maxx/Ultra were launched, they were so unlocked that you could use them on AT&T (albeit without LTE as Verizon requires all smartphones be World Phones, they had the AT&T HSPA+ bands). I believe that all of Verizon's smartphones are SIM unlocked for overseas, but most are locked out of using T-Mobile or AT&T SIMs. I was on Verizon when they very first instituted this policy (Motorola Droid 2 World Edition) and I remember that it was a complex policy. It is possible that it has changed since then, but a phone call to Verizon should resolve it. However, Verizon users in this thread said that as recently as September of this year all Verizon World Phones were SIM unlocked and that the Moto X is listed as a World Phone on Verizon's website.

 

[tyd450]

I don't have a moto x but with my Maxx I am able to pop in the T mobile sim and get full 4g LTE. Pretty sure it is just totally unlocked for any GSM. I would assume it is the same with the moto x.

 

[grooks]

Verizon LTE devices are SIM unlocked. You can't use them with another CDMA carrier, but you can insert any GSM SIM card and you're good to go; voice, SMS, and data. You may not get LTE data though.

I think you are incorrect. I know that when the Droid Maxx/Ultra were launched, they were so unlocked that you could use them on AT&T (albeit without LTE as Verizon requires all smartphones be World Phones, they had the AT&T HSPA+ bands). I believe that all of Verizon's smartphones are SIM unlocked for overseas, but most are locked out of using T-Mobile or AT&T SIMs. I was on Verizon when they very first instituted this policy (Motorola Droid 2 World Edition) and I remember that it was a complex policy. It is possible that it has changed since then, but a phone call to Verizon should resolve it. However, Verizon users in this thread said that as recently as September of this year all Verizon World Phones were SIM unlocked and that the Moto X is listed as a World Phone on Verizon's website.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[James Changstein]

Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts... it was my similar experiences with Verizon LTE devices used overseas as well... I simply pop the SIM card in my Samsung S3 and the voice works just fine on other network in Asia but the data bit won't work, probably because most of the carriers use GSM to carry data as well.. Verizon service is great domestically unless you want to travel overseas...

 

[KWKSLVR]

I've been wondering this stuff as well. I'll be going to Mexico next year and I'm under the impression I can buy a prepaid SIM down there and it will work. I get some weird impressions sometimes though.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[tgp]

Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts... it was my similar experiences with Verizon LTE devices used overseas as well... I simply pop the SIM card in my Samsung S3 and the voice works just fine on other network in Asia but the data bit won't work, probably because most of the carriers use GSM to carry data as well.. Verizon service is great domestically unless you want to travel overseas...

You should get data too. Are you sure that the plan on your Asian SIM card included data? Or maybe you need to manually set the APN.

 

[techitrucker]

The problem in Asia is you need to specify that you want a sim that will access data. Had to go back to the store three times in Manilla because first just voice, then just data then finally one with both. Bayantel... China is weird because they are sometimes mixed gsm/cdma. Its possible thats why you didn't get data? Or your phones data was just on the wrong band for the carrier you chose. I usually have them preship me sims these days because then I can tell them which phone I'm bringing and they can tell me if its compatible on their network and voila instant phone off the plane.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[James Changstein]

My SIM came with data connections and the same SIM worked on my Nexus 7 but there is no options for APN setting on the S3..

You should get data too. Are you sure that the plan on your Asian SIM card included data? Or maybe you need to manually set the APN.

 

[James Changstein]

The network I used had different bands than my VZW.. The SIM card worked with data on the Nexus 7 but not on the phone.. CDMA network isn't very popular there.

The problem in Asia is you need to specify that you want a sim that will access data. Had to go back to the store three times in Manilla because first just voice, then just data then finally one with both. Bayantel... China is weird because they are sometimes mixed gsm/cdma. Its possible thats why you didn't get data? Or your phones data was just on the wrong band for the carrier you chose. I usually have them preship me sims these days because then I can tell them which phone I'm bringing and they can tell me if its compatible on their network and voila instant phone off the plane.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[James Changstein]

In my experiences overseas, it's safest to have an unlocked phone compatible with AT&T or other compatible GSM network.... Others with GSM phones worked flawlessly next to my CDMA Galaxy S3... In fact, Verizon offered me a loaner for the country I was travelling to, citing that my phone wouldn't work there..

I've been wondering this stuff as well. I'll be going to Mexico next year and I'm under the impression I can buy a prepaid SIM down there and it will work. I get some weird impressions sometimes though.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[elwinc]

Voice AND data (and SMS) work fine on European networks.

I took a stock Verizon Moto X to Rome, Italy. No unlocking, no rooting, no special side-loaded apps; just a plain vanilla Moto X. I pulled out the Verizon nano SIM and plugged in a T.I.M. (Telecom Italia Mobile or something close to that) nano SIM. It just worked! (Note: you'll need a paper clip or earring stud or something to pop the tiny SIM tray.)

When I boot the phone with the foreign SIM card, it first asks for a 4-digit SIM PIN. This number is printed on one of the cards from T.I.M. Then the phone puts up an annoying message: "Sorry, this SIM card is from an unknown source". Then it goes to the home screen, and all is good. Two small annoyances: you have to enter the 4-digit SIM PIN every time the phone boots (you get 3 tries at the PIN - after that I don't know what happens); and it seems to want a reboot about every 2 or 3 days - the symptom is data seems very slow or gone, but a reboot (with 4-digit SIM PIN) makes it all good again.

In the place along the top notification bar where the phone would (in the USA) display the "4G LTE" logo, in Rome it would often display "H+", presumably indicating some kind of HPSA+ connection. I know nothing about European signaling standards, but presumably H+ is good.

We used voice and maps pretty heavily, for example, speak the command "navigate to the Borghese Gallery," choose walking, and you're on your way. Mostly it could understand my english names for places: the Pantheon, the Vatican Museum, the Trevi Fountain, etc. If I had an Italian street name or piazza name, I'd have to type that in (for example, it never understood the voice command "nearby gelato" or "nearby gelateria."). On the other hand, commands like "find nearby ATM" or "find nearby artist supply store" worked pretty well. Plus we were always using voice commands to ask google random questions like "list of the Caesar emperors," "when was the Pantheon built," "when did Bernini carve Apollo and Daphne" and they all worked fine. Finally, it is useful to have a local phone number when you are making restaurant reservations or scheduling your line-skipping tickets to the Vatican Museum or your special guided tour to the underground and 3rd ring levels of the Colosseum. So a local SIM card has real advantages.

Oh, I almost forgot, data usage: under 220MB over 8 days. We usually did email over the hotel wifi network, but most of the maps/guidance and random questions were on the T.I.M. data plan. So for our purposes, a 1GB data plan was more than enough. Obviously your mileage may vary.

Happy travels!
- elwinc