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Does ATT block AT&T simcards if put in a blacklisted iphone?

G

gd6

macrumors member
Original poster
May 9, 2012
85
0
Hi, I was having a hard time finding an answer to this. I purchase broken iphones and repair them for resale. I've had very good luck but just got a smashed iphone 4 that was reported lost/stolen. My Straight Talk sim card got blocked and it won't work anymore, and after talking to ATT and Straight Talk my only option was to get a new sim card and transfer my existing straight talk account to the new sim card (costed $15).

Someone told me that this wouldn't have happened if I was with ATT instead of straight talk...but I also read online that ATT would block ATT sims as well. Does anyone know for sure whether ATT is blocking ATT simcards if you put it in a lost/stolen phone? I would feel real stupid if I end up getting a contract with ATT and have my sim blocked cause I need to test phones that I fix.

Thanks for any help!
 
G

gd6

macrumors member
Original poster
May 9, 2012
85
0
blueprint1983 said:
Imei is blocked not sim....
Click to expand...

Yes, that IMEI was blocked, but it also blocked my straight talk sim from accessing the ATT network from ANY phone. I want to know if anyone knows if the same thing would happen with an active ATT sim as well.

btw, I called straight talk and they said that ATT blocked that sim card, and ATT said that they would not unblock it but I would have to get a replacement sim from Straight Talk.
 
Applejuiced

Applejuiced

macrumors Westmere
Apr 16, 2008
40,672
6,533
At the iPhone hacks section.
Yes, my uncle had a similar experience a few months ago.
He bought a used 4S on ebay. Worked fine for the first 2-3 days then I guess it was reported lost or stolen.
So iphone got blacklisted and also his AT&T sim that was used in that phone got disabled too.
He tried using it in another phone and still nothing. He had to call up AT&T to explain and they unlocked his account and activated his sim again.
So similar situation to yours I guess.
He didnt need to get a new sim though, they just enabled it again after he called and informed him he was using a blacklisted device. So he got his money back for that ebay purchase.
 
S

scyap

macrumors member
Dec 22, 2010
94
0
What actually happens when your IMEI is blocked?
iPhone completely disabled?
 
G

gd6

macrumors member
Original poster
May 9, 2012
85
0
scyap said:
What actually happens when your IMEI is blocked?
iPhone completely disabled?
Click to expand...

if the imei is blocked, I think it won't work with any GSM in the USA, even if you get the IMEI unlocked, or at least thats what they are planning. At the least it will not work with ATT or any other sim cards that use ATTs network (straight talk, H2O). The phone still works like an iPod touch, just won't let you connect to the network.

I was considering my options to avoid this hassle in the future, and I think I might just go to h2O. The plan isnt as good as straight talk, but I dont use much data, and it seems I can get H2O sims for dirt cheap and then just transfer my account to a new sim if my card ever gets blocked again. Just a little upset that straight talk wouldn't replace my sim and I had to pay $15 for it.
 
F

fatsniper

macrumors newbie
Jun 24, 2010
3
0
blocked sim

I buy, sell and repair iPhones. I frequently use a pre-paid card as a "tester"..and my sim card was deactivated after testing a iPhone, so it definitely happens. Had to go to ATT and get a new sim, however thats because I threw the old one away thinking it was not the right one since it stopped working. Its like ATT way of saying "screw you". Totally unessassary and pointless, but thats how they are. Just think, if you go to buy a phone off craiglsist, and you test it out with your sim card before buting it, and the phone does not work because it is blacklisted, now YOUR sim is disabled and you have to go through all that crap for nothing. Way to go ATT.

-Shannon Parker
spArk irepair specialist
 
dictoresno

dictoresno

macrumors 601
Apr 30, 2012
4,495
631
NJ
scyap said:
What actually happens when your IMEI is blocked?
iPhone completely disabled?
Click to expand...

when the IMEI is blocked, the SIM card wont be able to authenticate itself and the device on the carriers network. its kinda like trying to register a car with a bad or stolen VIN. they wont let it happen.

phones with blocked IMEI's can still be used "offline", such as for taking pictures, phonebook or as an ipod over wifi. however, SMS and telephone functions (anything that would require a SIM card) wont work.
 
R

r2ndp

macrumors newbie
May 18, 2016
1
0
gd6 said:
Hi, I was having a hard time finding an answer to this. I purchase broken iphones and repair them for resale. I've had very good luck but just got a smashed iphone 4 that was reported lost/stolen. My Straight Talk sim card got blocked and it won't work anymore, and after talking to ATT and Straight Talk my only option was to get a new sim card and transfer my existing straight talk account to the new sim card (costed $15).

Someone told me that this wouldn't have happened if I was with ATT instead of straight talk...but I also read online that ATT would block ATT sims as well. Does anyone know for sure whether ATT is blocking ATT simcards if you put it in a lost/stolen phone? I would feel real stupid if I end up getting a contract with ATT and have my sim blocked cause I need to test phones that I fix.

Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...

Yes, they'll block it. Learned the hard way.

What's worse is that I bought a new phone from at&t for my other line and then bought a phone that turned out to be stolen. sure, it worked well at the beginning, till it was reported. Once that happened, my sim got blocked. a store rep said that I needed a new sim AND a new phone. So, I sold it to a reseller for way less than I paid for it, only to eventually find out my phone was good after all. Screw at&t. I'm gonna buy out my contract with them asap.
 
D

Djfv82

macrumors newbie
Apr 7, 2019
1
0
gd6 said:
Yes, that IMEI was blocked, but it also blocked my straight talk sim from accessing the ATT network from ANY phone. I want to know if anyone knows if the same thing would happen with an active ATT sim as well.

btw, I called straight talk and they said that ATT blocked that sim card, and ATT said that they would not unblock it but I would have to get a replacement sim from Straight Talk.
Click to expand...
I

I too am having the same exact issue. If I use my blacklisted note 9 it also blocks the sim card. It's frustrating cuz I have 5 other devices that it affects it's like a virus. You put the sim card inside an infected phone it infects the sim card and then when you try and.call 611 if says "this device.has been blocked for network use please contact your network provider "
 
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