Question Is my second hand Realme C3 network locked and if it is how can i unlock it

[hughthenewb]

Hi, complete ludite here, hoping someone can help.....

My son bought a second hand Realme C3 of a dealer on ebay .
The add said it was unlocked.
When the phone arrived his sim wouldn't work so he got in touch with them and they sent an unlock code but it didn't work.

Forward two months and i said i'd have a look for him.
Phone wont work with my sim (says No SIM card).
I looked at the add and it is an 'overseas model' so it could be a telco anywhere

I paid Movical.com six bucks to search the network for me but it came back with nothing....

NOTA: Model: RMX2020
Model Name: RMX2020
Manufacturer: Realme Chongqing Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
IMEI Number: 86365104018****
Blacklist Status: Clean
Blacklist Records: 0

someone suggested a hard reboot so i did that and then it wanted to do some serious download/system update.

anyways, is there any way i can check if it is actually locked? (I have tried two sims from the same provider with no success)
If it is can i unlock it for him?

Thanks for any help

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Which carrier in which country are you trying to use? If this phone was intended for another part of the world, it may not support any of your carrier's network bands (and therefore the phone wouldn't be able to recognize the SIM).

You can see the 4G networks that the phone supports here: https://www.gsmarena.com/realme_c3-10056.php. Those aren't the typical bands that US providers use.

 

[hughthenewb]

Hi, I'm in australia, and we use 4G here.
The reason he bought the C3 is that he had one before and liked it.
Trying to use AldiMobile sims

link for the add on ebay if it helps...

Realme C3 [ 64GB / 4GB ] With 3 Cameras Fingerprint Phone Very Good - AU SELLER | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Realme C3 [ 64GB / 4GB ] With 3 Cameras Fingerprint Phone Very Good - AU SELLER at the best online prices at eBay!

www.ebay.com.au

 

[B. Diddy]

It's a little difficult to know for sure if it's a band support problem. The C3 supports 4G bands 1, 3, 5, 8, 38, 40, and 41. According to ALDImobile's site, they use "parts" of Telstra's network: https://www.aldimobile.com.au/pages/coverage. Telstra's 4G bands are 1, 3, 7, 8, 28: https://www.mobileciti.com.au/news/post/what-you-need-to-know-about-frequency-bands. You can see that there's some overlap in coverage, but not a complete match. So, for example, if ALDImobile primarily used bands 5, 38, 40, or 41 in your area, then the phone wouldn't pick up anything.

In the above situation, I'm not sure if the phone would say "No SIM", or if it would at least recognize the SIM card but give no bars. One other possibility is that the phone's SIM reader is dirty or faulty -- you could try blowing out the SIM slot with a can of compressed air.