• Tech Help

  • Using TracFone on a not certified by Verizon phone

cross_stix Great Instructions BTW.

Hmm... But he is using an LG Classic Flip with the Sim Card stuck under the battery. So it wouldn't be possible to switch the sim card without power off.

      Biden2020prez Thanks, I try to make things as understandable/thorough as possible. And oh yeah, that's true.

      Camry If using the Classic Flip or a similar SIM card behind the battery phone, then I guess just make sure the phone is connected to the network but idle. Then pull the battery without turning the phone off via the PWR button. I've done this a few times on accident with the Classic Flip, didn't seem to hurt anything.

      *edited previous post*

          • FlippyLevel 6 - Platinum Elite Member

            • Post #10
            • Edited

            Its just something to do with TracFone and their heavy-handed control on what devices you're using (even before Verizon acquired them. They're really the solution for dummies including a phone in a box and all you need just to activate in one easy step, that's part of what they're selling point is- Supposedly to make sure you're getting a great experience but really just end up driving people crazy. To me it seems like so much of their systems are automated that they don't even give the representatives the ability to change them, so something like this may not even be able to be helped by getting on the phone with them.

            Biden2020prez It sounds a little jury-rigged, but maybe he can try connecting the battery with two wires to the terminals so that he will still be able to access the SIM underneath.

            And honestly, [Login to see the link], what is motivating you to stick with Tracfone at all?
            P.S. if you do need a verizon compatible IMEI I can provide one for you.

                Flippy

                Flippy It sounds a little jury-rigged, but maybe he can try connecting the battery with two wires to the terminals so that he will still be able to access the SIM underneath.

                I am not so good with hardware lol. but sometimes just plugging in the phone without a battery is enough to power it. not always

                    Flippy The only reason I am sticking to TracFone is because I have the ACP program and TracFone is the only one that has the best free plan that uses Verizon towers

                      cross_stix thank you for all your time and research. I've actually tried to switch the IMEI a while ago using that code. it only helps to enable SMS/MMS and in some cases to make the phone usable for phone calls however my data still does not work.

                          Camry You're welcome. So let me get this straight. Has voice been working at all since mid January this year? Does sms, mms, and voice require the faked IMEI to work or do they work without it?

                              cross_stix without the fake IMEI I can make a few phone calls and send SMS and MMS for a few minutes, and then they suddenly stop and on a call I get a message "we gave detected that this is not the same phone originally activated..."
                              When I use the fake IMEI, the calls and SMS/MMS work perfectly.
                              What I don't understand the most is while I cannot use any data, I can send any amount of MMS even though it uses data!

                                  Camry Yes, that seems odd. What about data with the original IMEI, does that work? Furthermore, what SIM are you trying to use in the phone? Is it a SIM that originally came in a TracFone branded phone, or a BYOP SIM? Try the opposite of whatever type of SIM you have.

                                  In addition, something I've heard with T-Mobile MVNOs is that old SIM cards will still let you connect to 2G, whereas newer ones will kick you off after a short period. Is this SIM card relatively new? I wonder if you sourced a new old stock SIM card, if that might help.

                                  Furthermore, regarding APNs. Have you tried the four listed here? (I know it's USMobile site, but try anyway): [Login to see the link]

                                  Lastly, maybe it's an IMS issue, assuming data is working with the original IMEI before getting kicked. What kind of phone is the cloned/fake IMEI from? If it's Qualcomm SoC or newer/older than Android 10-11 phone, try instead finding a certified phone that uses a MediaTek SoC and Android 10/11, like the Jelly 2.

                                  P.S. Have you tried a factory reset, especially via hidden menu or recovery mode, if the phone has that option?

                                    BH i finally got it to work!! Thank you to all that took the time to help.
                                    The way I got it to work was too switch both IMEI numbers (it's a dual sim) and the MEID, to the phone that the SIM card was originally activated in. Once TracFone had this device listed as the original device I was able to then change the APN settings and then the data started working.

                                      7 days later

                                      Camry Late reply, I should have mentioned the MEID change possibility being required in addition earlier, but I seem to have forgotten. Anyway, glad you figured it all out and got it working 🙂.