Nexus 5 and Blacklisting

[Erick Newman]

So my girlfriend dropped her Nexus 5 a couple days ago and shattered the screen, and she wanted me to find her a new one. So i got one off craigslist it's in brand new physical condition however we went to the T-mobile store and they told us it was blacklisted. Is there anything she can do with it? Could she take it to AT&T and get it activated or we dealing with an electronic paperweight? Any tips would really be appreciated.

 

[rrballer11]

So my girlfriend dropped her Nexus 5 a couple days ago and shattered the screen, and she wanted me to find her a new one. So i got one off craigslist it's in brand new physical condition however we went to the T-mobile store and they told us it was blacklisted. Is there anything she can do with it? Could she take it to AT&T and get it activated or we dealing with an electronic paperweight? Any tips would really be appreciated.

Sounds like paperweight. Unless someone's knows some sort of trick to fix that.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[wizzrah]

Hi there. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do for a blacklisted phone. It usually means that the phone was reported lost or stolen, or that somewhere along the line someone forgot to pay the bill. The carrier blacklist is not meant to be circumvented. Also, I believe AT&T and T-Mobile share their databases for blacklisted phones, so both networks will not work. Unless you get the previous owner to go to the store with you and prove that it was his phone (so he can get it off the blacklist), there is not much you can do.

Is the Nexus 5 the international version? If so, I read that this might work. Since the phone has GSM/CDMA bands, it could work with Sprint or Verizon since they are CDMA carriers. T-Mobile and AT&T are GSM carriers.

I read it here.
http://harvestcellular.net/unlock-a-bad-imei-phone-thats-blacklisted-blocked-or-stolen/

One last thing. Do not try to mess with your IMEI as it is illegal to change it.

-Wizzrah, Android Central Ambassador | Sent from my AT&T HTC One X running CodefireX 4.4.2

 

[Erick Newman]

Sounds like paperweight. Unless someone's knows some sort of trick to fix that.

Posted via Android Central App

Thanks man she's going to kill me if I can't get it to work on any carrier!

 

[wizzrah]

Thanks man she's going to kill me if I can't get it to work on any carrier!

Read my post above good sir. I added more info that might be of some use to you. Best of luck.

-Wizzrah, Android Central Ambassador | Sent from my AT&T HTC One X running CodefireX 4.4.2

 

[wizzrah]

Thanks man she's going to kill me if I can't get it to work on any carrier!

Also, if you ever decide to try and buy another phone, you should try Swappa or EBay. If you get into something like this, you are still protected by Paypal so you have something to fall back on.

-Wizzrah, Android Central Ambassador | Sent from my AT&T HTC One X running CodefireX 4.4.2

 

[Shilohcane]

Well since Nexus 5 are not locked by networks it is a stolen phone if it was on a blacklist. Ebay has this info.

If you phone is lost or stolen you can report the International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI) to your carrier. They will broadcast that number throughout their network and make it impossible for the phone to connect to make a call. This known as blacklisting the phone. This is sometimes called a barred or banned device. In some areas the various carriers share the IMEI numbers of lost and stolen devices making it impossible to use the device on any carrier. In some countries this sharing is a requirement of law.

A blacklisted phone should be returned to the owner. This can be done by dropping it off to the carrier branded on the phone. Then it is up to them to return it to the subscriber. You can check with your carrier prior to purchase to see if a phone will activate on that carrier. You will need the IMEI from the seller, then you are a phone call away from knowing if you are about to buy a lost or stolen lightweight desk ornament.

Locked, Blocked, Black Listed Cell Phones | eBay

 

[Erick Newman]

Also, if you ever decide to try and buy another phone, you should try Swappa or EBay. If you get into something like this, you are still protected by Paypal so you have something to fall back on.

-Wizzrah, Android Central Ambassador | Sent from my AT&T HTC One X running CodefireX 4.4.2

Thank you I checked out the link and she decided that she is going to go to the Sprint store tomorrow after work and see if they can/will activate it. If not I'll have to buy one from Google, thanks for everything

 

[wizzrah]

Thank you I checked out the link and she decided that she is going to go to the Sprint store tomorrow after work and see if they can/will activate it. If not I'll have to buy one from Google, thanks for everything

Alright, best of luck. Keep us updated to see how it went!

-Wizzrah, Android Central Ambassador | Sent from my AT&T HTC One X running CodefireX 4.4.2

 

[rhea]

Good luck to her. If she can't, maybe you can use the screen and digitizer from the new phone to repair old one. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQS618ayL5w
You might take a look at this phone http://bgr.com/2014/04/23/oneplus-one-specs-features-release-date/
Not sure about connectivity although you can check it out.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Shilohcane]

Thank you I checked out the link and she decided that she is going to go to the Sprint store tomorrow after work and see if they can/will activate it. If not I'll have to buy one from Google, thanks for everything

As Rhea said above. Just take the broken Nexus 5 to a place that will use the screen from the Nexus 5 that can't be activated. In Florida we have places called uBreakiFix that replace screens all the time and claims they do it in under a hour. Just goggle "Fix my cell phone screen" to see where you can find a shop in your area if you don't think you can replace it yourself from the videos.

 

[trekk]

I once bought a blackberry for my GF in Canada and it turned out to be blacklisted. I unlocked the phone and it worked. I think if you use the phone on a different carrier you should not have a problem. I don't know how Sprint works, but I would suggest just getting a Sim card from them and insert it in your phone without having them activate it.

 

[Roefastford]

Your wrong it is not illegal to repair an imei, as your bringing it back to its original carrier. Perfectly legal !!!!

 

[Roefastford]

Hi there. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do for a blacklisted phone. It usually means that the phone was reported lost or stolen, or that somewhere along the line someone forgot to pay the bill. The carrier blacklist is not meant to be circumvented. Also, I believe AT&T and T-Mobile share their databases for blacklisted phones, so both networks will not work. Unless you get the previous owner to go to the store with you and prove that it was his phone (so he can get it off the blacklist), there is not much you can do.
Is the Nexus 5 the international version? If so, I read that this might work. Since the phone has GSM/CDMA bands, it could work with Sprint or Verizon since they are CDMA carriers. T-Mobile and AT&T are GSM carriers.

I read it here.
Unlock a Bad IMEI Phone that's Blacklisted, Blocked or Stolen

-Wizzrah, Android Central Ambassador | Sent from my AT&T HTC One X running CodefireX 4.4.2

Your wrong it is not illegal to repair an imei, as your bringing it back to its original carrier. Perfectly legal !!!!

 

[wizzrah]

Your wrong it is not illegal to repair an imei, as your bringing it back to its original carrier. Perfectly legal !!!!

It is illegal to completely change an IMEI in the US.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.3186.IS:

Wizzrah, Android Central Ambassador | Sent from my AT&T One XL running Karbon Kat. \(^~^)/

 

[boltthrower56]

Buy a cheap dummy phone "with 4G and 3G capability" (This is a must). It can be broken , useless , an old phone you got laying around (with 4G and 3G) , but must not be blacklisted. Use the guides throughout the internet , clone the dummy phone's imei to your phone.

Imei cloning illegal ? **** , that's like saying , it's illegal to have mustard on your sandwich. They can catch you eating that sandwich you know , there are cameras and ****.

Just do it man , that illegal bull**** is just there to scare people.

Beware though , Nexus devices cannot be carrier locked so it's most likely either stolen or lost. If you can live with yourself with this information , nothing's ever gonna happen to you.

 

[jj14x]

Wow - this is a zombie thread

Is the Nexus 5 the international version? If so, I read that this might work. Since the phone has GSM/CDMA bands, it could work with Sprint or Verizon since they are CDMA carriers. T-Mobile and AT&T are GSM carriers.

This is not true. Never has been. As of today, Verizon has never permitted a Nexus 5 on their network. Period. Sprint does, but only the domestic one (D820), and that too, if the ESN exists in their database. I know they initially didn't have the ESNs for devices that were purchased from T-mo (they did have the ones for devices sold in play store and from Sprint directly), but from what I hear, they have addressed that issue now. But the international ones (D821) are not expected to work with Sprint. Not because of hardware issues, but because of Sprint's "closed" network provisioning system