241–250 of 286 posts
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Would you be accepting any phone(s) if shipped to you or do you have a group you would recommend that accepts shipments of phones? Thank you!
I’m in desperate need of a phone. My current phone has a very cracked screen and I can’t afford a replacement.
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That is a weird take which is not informed by an understanding of how business operates. It is 100% an _exclusive dealing_ mechanism. (This is a term of art for a business strategy which may not be legal in the current context, by the way.) It was undoubtedly implemented because it's a way to make more money. Businesses love imposing exclusive dealing. It can reduce their competition and increase their margins. We ha…
This is incorrect. You can pay off a phone early and simply ask that it be unlocked - the carrier will happily comply because you are no longer a credit risk. You can also just purchase phones unlocked by paying cash upfront. You don’t need to be a genius to deduce how this works. The imei blacklists for theft were created much later and aren’t honored globally
iPhones are effectively rendered useless even with IMEI blacklisting due to the iCloud tie-in. When stolen phones end up there, the receivers on the Asian end try and guilt/shame/social engineer the original owner to unlock from iCloud - but there's basically no technical solution.
For those that claim 'oh but the OEM parts resale value only' need to keep up with the news:
https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/iphones/ios-18-activation-l...
Just adding a little bit of context about AT&T: I collect used cell phones, erase them, unlock when possible, and distribute them to unhoused people through several local food shelves, which allows those people to access benefits, housing, health care, jobs, etc which would otherwise be out of reach. With AT&T I can go to their website and unlock an old phone in minutes, allowing them to use a no-cost carrier like QL…
Slightly OT, but as someone who escaped poverty this is the type of volunteering that is super helpful and makes a huge difference. A quick Google search doesn't turn up anything like this in my local area, do you have any pointers on starting/finding a program like this to contribute to? I really what you are doing, I have been looking for a way to give back now that I am in a financially secure position and that so…
I'm always mildly annoyed that "Unlocked" can mean three different things with phones: * Able to be used on any carrier (i.e. no SIM lock) * Able to be rooted/jailbroken (i.e. no bootloader root of trust lock) * Able to be accessed (i.e. no screen lock) This article is talking about the first one. There isn't much confusion possible in the title, especially with the dissenting carrier names highlighted.
I've never heard of this disambiguation. An unlocked cellphone has always meant (1). A rooted or jailbroken phone means (2). For three, why would it make sense for manufactures to advertise a phone with/without a lock screen? It doesn't make sense.
fastboot flashing unlock_critical
Also I wasn't as clear as I intended to be with sense 3 above - it might also mean temporarily screen-unlocked, as in "can you please unlock your phone so I can enter my number?".
And yes it with two slots for eSIM and SIM it makes less sense to have the same carrier inside.
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Slightly OT, but as someone who escaped poverty this is the type of volunteering that is super helpful and makes a huge difference. A quick Google search doesn't turn up anything like this in my local area, do you have any pointers on starting/finding a program like this to contribute to? I really what you are doing, I have been looking for a way to give back now that I am in a financially secure position and that so…
Many charities are very happy with money btw, our local food bank prefers it and cites a 3x factor in “value” compared to food donations due to discount s they get when buying bulk. Just saying, don’t feel bad for “just” giving money.
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No. An unlocked phone is indistinguishable from a locked phone until you attempt to sign it up for another network. That distinction isn’t made until the phone is already stolen. If I’m a thief, I steal the phone either way. Sometimes I get a carrier locked phone and only make $10 (realistically more. Carrier locked phones sell at a discount around 20-50%), or I get an unlocked phone and make $400. Your argument is t…
If the average selling price of a stolen phone drops, the incentive to steal phones does so too. > Your argument is the same that carrying less cash would make you less of a target for pickpockets. It won’t. They will steal a wallet with no cash as fast as a wallet stuffed with hundreds. People don't tend to carry cash any more. And you know what has stopped happening as often as a result?
The carrier lock mostly just affects the owner of the phone, and the resale value when they are done with it. In completely unshocking news, TMobile also has a program to buy back t-mobile phones, unlock them, and sell them on.
Stealing a $400 phone vs stealing a $525 phone is irrelevant to the thief.
What DOES stop thieves is activation and firmware locks. Phone theft is way down since Apple effectively made it impossible to use a phone that hasn't been logged out of. Those phones are only worth what their unlocked parts are worth, which is not that much.
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Many charities are very happy with money btw, our local food bank prefers it and cites a 3x factor in “value” compared to food donations due to discount s they get when buying bulk. Just saying, don’t feel bad for “just” giving money.
If I donate time or things I’m more sure it will be used as I intended.
Regarding monetary donations, if you believe institutional misuse outweighs efficiency gain, then your area food banks are in a much worse shape than my local area, which I hazard to guess is merely average.
Food banks can do so much more with cash, such as buy fresh produce from local farmers, than they can with your unwanted groceries, usually canned goods. Or if you're buying food specifically intending to donate it, do you really think the average person reading this (and 50% of you reading this are below average) is a better shopper with their $100 than the food bank is with $10,000+? Instead of shopping, spend that time with them, and still donate the same amount you would have spent.
I was surprised when I spent my own time and found out how much further they can stretch each dollar, and often provide healthier food.
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"unlocking" in this context means sim locking (ie. making the phone only work with SIM cards from a particular network), not bootloader or any other sort of locking.