Can you swap a SIM out on Nexus 5 between T Mobile & Sprint?

[jj14x]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

That is strange. I have switched between my Sprint SIM and my T-Mo SIM at least 5 times in the past 2 weeks, and it has never given any issues. I did a network profile/PRL update just as a precaution, but even before I did that, my Sprint service was working fine (as soon as I popped the Sprint SIM back in). If I had to do a factory reset, that would suck.

Edit: I power the phone down, and then swap the SIM. Also, I keep it in Global mode for network

 

[glass330]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

GLOBAL Mode is the fix

 

[Chris GTO TT]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

I just picked up a T-Mobile Prepaid plan to test out their service in my area and I left my Nexus 5 in Global mode before ejecting the SIM and inserting the T-Mobile sim. When I switched back to the Sprint SIM it took about a minute for the phone to find service again but no issues with service. I'm looking forward to trying out a new network

 

[Jayq330]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

My initial impression is that because you are mixing CDMA and GSM carrier SIMs something is getting left over and mucking it up. If it were my phone I would just do a factory reset. I have never experienced this going from one GSM carrier to another.

Sprint uses a sun card called "icuu" it works in combination with the CDMA part and ICUU card which I'd only for lte data. So inserting the T-Mobile micro sim switched all the APN settings to the T-Mobile ones because it's programmed to do this. But sprints ICUU card is only for lte access three the card with with what CDMA phone it was connected to, but in your case the ICU card doesn't change the apn's back to sprint, this micro ICU card is only for network days access. Now to fix your problem just go to a corporate or call sprint & tell then you wanted to see if it was true & they'll reset everything from over the phone, talk you threw the settings or if you go to the store they'll set it up for you &you'll walk out with the phone working & maybe a new case if you want.

 

[Central n ohios best]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

He already found the fix bro.

Sent from my T-Mobile LG Escape running 4.1.2 using tapatalk 2 (Central n ohio Austin IL)

 

[patruns]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

Sprint uses a sun card called "icuu" it works in combination with the CDMA part and ICUU card which I'd only for lte data. So inserting the T-Mobile micro sim switched all the APN settings to the T-Mobile ones because it's programmed to do this. But sprints ICUU card is only for lte access three the card with with what CDMA phone it was connected to, but in your case the ICU card doesn't change the apn's back to sprint, this micro ICU card is only for network days access. Now to fix your problem just go to a corporate or call sprint & tell then you wanted to see if it was true & they'll reset everything from over the phone, talk you threw the settings or if you go to the store they'll set it up for you &you'll walk out with the phone working & maybe a new case if you want.

Just so we are clear, I wasn't the one with the issue.

 

[Vivek Singh 87]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

Even resetting the phone to factory settings I am unable to get my phone to detect the CDMA networks. It is working fine with any gsm network.
Phone type is aldo stuck at GSM mode.

 

[Emilio88]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

So I currently have Sprint with my Nexus 5 (that i got from a sprint store).. I do not have a contract with sprint, but i am paying for the phone over time. I am not interested in canceling sprint right now. I am thinking about getting t-mobile so i wanted to get a new number from t mobile and a sim and pop it in. I went to a t-mobile store and the sales person put their SIM in my phone to see if it would work. It got LTE data just fine. but i could not make any phone calls.

A few of things.

1. under Preferred netowrk type i changed it to global
2. when the t-mobile sim was in it. i could select T-mobile under carrier settings
3 when my sprint sim was in it those options are not there. under carrier settings only "update prl" and "update profile" are listed

So does any one know if i can do this or not. is there an issue because i got the phone from sprint instead of the gplay store?


edit : never mind apparently the phone is locked becuase techinically i have not paid it off

 

[jj14x]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

edit : never mind apparently the phone is locked becuase techinically i have not paid it off

I don't think there is a way for them to lock the Nexus 5 phone. There may be some other setting that you have to change, but the device (and software) is the same as what you would have gotten from the play store.

The converse, however, is true. If you buy a N5 from T-mo, you may not be able to activate it on Sprint because Sprint doesn't recognize that IMEI (and they won't allow unknown IMEIs on Sprint network). At least that it how it was till about a week or so ago. (not sure if something has changed since then)

 

[Emilio88]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

there is a carrier lock on it so it can only be used on sprint. i just got the unlock code from sprint as i just paid off the phone.

 

[srkmagnus]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

Of purchased on contract at a subsidized price, the carrier may be able to lock it. It's when you purchase without a contract at retail price that it's not locked.

 

[jj14x]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

there is a carrier lock on it so it can only be used on sprint. i just got the unlock code from sprint as i just paid off the phone.

Of purchased on contract at a subsidized price, the carrier may be able to lock it. It's when you purchase without a contract at retail price that it's not locked.

I may be mistaken, but I can't see how a carrier could lock a Nexus 5 device. While I bought my phone from Google Play Store, I know friends who wanted to try out T-mo, but had purchased a subsidized phone from Sprint - and were able to swap SIMs without any issues. Sprint doesn't load any software onto the Nexus 5 that they sell, and they can't modify the software either. So, unless something has changed in the past month or two, I don't see how they could lock the phone to Sprint only.

I suspect the unlock code they gave you was a PUK code to unlock the Sprint SIM (in case you lost it, and locked it up). But there should be nothing stopping you from loading a T-mo SIM onto your phone.

Worst case scenario (if Sprint did install some software to lock the device to Sprint only), it is not too hard to flash factory images onto the phone and get past it.

 

[Q-fugee]

Re: Swapping Nexus 5 SIM from Sprint to T-Mobile

This problem was posted to this forum a few weeks ago:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/google-nexus-5/426551-nexus-5-sprint-help-network.html

And the solution's in the google forum in the link above.

It's a bug in the CDMA radio stack of Android 4.4.4. It seems this scenario (SIM swap from CDMA to GSM back to CDMA) wasn't tested thoroughly enough before Google pushed 4.4.4 out. Unfortunately, the only solution is to flash back to 4.4.3 or 4.4.2 and then let the phone update itself up to 4.4.4 again. Even a factory reset doesn't help.

Since Sprint's the only CDMA carrier with the N5, the few poor Sprint customers who travel internationally with this device are the ones who see the problem. Since it's an unlocked, unsupported device, testing it is Google's problem, not Sprint's. There's nothing in their customer service database that can help when you call in with the problem.

The Samsung phones have a similar problem when swapping from CDMA to GSM back to CDMA, but the solution is merely an SCRTN reset (##SCRTN## or whatever the code is), not the full-blown factory wipe.

Hope this helps. The Nexus Root Toolkit actually makes this a pretty easy process, and you'll have a fully rooted phone with an unlocked boot loader to show for your troubles when you are done.

--Qfg

Edit: just noticed this thread has been running for a year Oh well, hope this helps somebody.