https://archive.is/ucvkn
https://web.archive.org/web/20230.../KM1262649
Code:
https://archive.is/ucvkn https://web.archive.org/web/20230223144317/https://www.att.com/support/article/wireless/KM1262649
Loved the fold3 but build quality is terrible. Never dropped the phone and after 15 months, there's a black stripe down the middle and the right screen becomes unresponsive to touch. The black stripe became larger and larger. It costs $550 to repair. Many other people reported same issues. Beware.
T-Mobile more expensive and oos already Frown missed it
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Let me save y'all about 4 hours, which is how long it took me to finally get to the right people to make this happen. Here is how I got this handled
I ordered a $5 Tello number, selected e-sim, received number within a few minutes. Make sure to register the pin they give you in the email, it gives you all the port out info access. Theres a code there that is needed to enter in Best Buy portal when you port it over to ATT.
Ported that number in to ATT via Best Buy portal
Picked up phone
Powered on Phone with ATT sim
Finished ALL account creation, including pin number creation etc via ATT email
Spent 3 hours getting tossed around 10 different reps and departments and supervisors via online chat, disconnected multiple times, told no multiple times, etc etc etc.
Don't bother submitting request online for unlock, it will be denied.
Just call technical support, JUST CALL!!! 1800-288-2020. Call from a phone other that the Z Fold 3. Reason you call from other phone is you will want to pop your sim in from other provider to get to the sim unlock prompt while you are on the phone with them. Tell them you need technical support, you may get tossed around one more time, but you WILL get someone that can help you.
Have your link ready that states phones paid in full at purchase can be unlocked without waiting 60 days. I had to legit provide not just the wording, but the exact link. The rep will literally navigate to it and will be super surprised and state that this is the first they've ever heard of this policy and that they always get hassled by the unlock team and ultimately never get the unlock code for the customer.
Have your receipt from Best Buy ready ready to go (I had to legit take pics with my phone and text them to a number they gave me).
After about 10 minutes with the rep, they provided the unlock code.
Make sure to input the unlock code prior to getting transferred over to cancellation department.
Get sent over to cancellation department and submit for cancellation under buyer's remorse policy.
Done and done. Save yourself a lot of time and just call them. I paid $299 plus tax and have a fully unlocked phone on T-mobile with no issues at all. ATT service is shut down, I didn't care about the Tello number, much easier to pay the $5 for a Tello than mess with a number you actually care about keeping. Just cancel the service and it is over and done with.
I obviously can't promise this is gonna work for every single person. I suppose a non-cooperative rep might not wanna go the extra mile for you, but my telephone rep was super helpful and patient. She admitted I had done my diligence with researching the terms and pushed the "unlock team" to help her with the code. YMMV of course, but this worked for me. Just be patient and courteous to the rep. I was frustrated with how long it was taking but you need to acknowledge that each new person you talk to, it is their first interaction with you, they have no idea how long you've been dealing with people. You can avoid a lot of frustration by just calling to start out instead of trying to manage the situation via online chat.
Questions, feel free to ask, perhaps I wasn't completely thorough, but that was basically what I went through. Good luck all.
Port out the line to cancel. Line automatically cancels as soon as the number it ported out (5-10 mins). You can port to Tello for $2.50.
https://slickdeals.net/f/16531969-tello-50-off-selected-plans
These phones are subsidized by the carriers and hoping people would switch or add more lines and stay with them, etc; therefore different carrier may offer different prices.
You can request unlock right away because it's paid in full with no money owed; i.e., no monthly installment,
Yes.
Port out the number to cancel right away (5-10 min, as soon as the number is ported) so that you don't have to deal with rep that doesn't allow you to cancel. You can port to Tello for $2.50.
https://slickdeals.net/f/16531969-tello-50-off-selected-plans
Yes, but you can cancel right away.
I picked up my Fold 3 this morning from bestbuy. ATT variant.
Ordered online with the porting in option as it wouldn't let me order otherwise. Used a random boost mobile number I had and have no intention of porting in a number.
BB didn't ask for anything in store, just gave me the phone and i walked out.
Received att emails after pickup, created account, created ATT PIN, jotted down account number, and saw $60 plan but $0 due.
unboxed and booted with t-mobile sim card, asked for unlock code.
tried to unlock from my att portal, but denied.
tried to unlock using the request unlock website for non att members, but denied via email
Started a chat with att to cancel service and request unlock.
I mentioned having bad service reception in my area and wanted to cancel and wanted to unlock phone to use it for work which was a different provider.
They wanted me to reset the network, but i said not interested just want to cancel.
They also mentioned that i lose my port in number if i cancelled. which was wierd since i never actually ported in the number yet.
Eventually, they said, "Since the total due balance if $0.00 there will be no charges now. Your services with AT&T will be completely shut off."
Then i asked about the network unlock, which they said they sent directly to my phone. Didn't work even though she said it was unlocked on their system. Eventually they provided the unlock code which worked.
Now my fold 3 is cancelled with att service with 0 payments or fees and unlocked so i can use my Tmobile sim.
hope that helps some of ya.
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Let me share my story.
I purchase it with a number transfer from Google Voice. I couldn't receive an incoming call from non-ATT.
Called the Port Activation Center (PAC) to resolve my issue. It was resolved.
I took out the ATT sim card from Fold3 and put it in my unlocked Iphone. And check the Att website. No luck.
I tried it the following day in the morning. It was changed to Iphone!
Right after that, I requested the unlock code through the ATT website. A few minutes later, ATT gave me my unlock code through email.
Using the code, I unlocked the Fold3. Put the Att Sim card in.
But still, I couldn't see the Sim Manager. Spent some hours on the research. I downloaded the Rom to flash and prepare for it. But I didn't do it.
Today, I found the software update available. I updated 4-5 files. Finally, Sim card manager showed up! and it was updated to Android 13.
For the test run, I activated my Google fi Esim. it works!
Good luck all!
- received the device after a day's delay today
- set the fold3 up w/ included at&t sim card
- made a call, saw the fold3 on the online account pages
- put the sim into my unlocked fold4, made another call
- couple of minutes later, fold4 shows up on att online account
- opened an incognito tab after logging out of the att portal
- used the unlock portal with a different email address + my tmo phone number
- recd an email asking me to confirm the unlock code
- followed instructions
- received another email pretty much instantaneously with the unlock code
- put my tmo sim in the fold3, typed in the unlock code and made sure it works
- yep, all good. fold3 unlocked as designed
- next up, cancel att service because it truly is horrendous in my basement
all the best to y'all that are attempting this. it's truly a simple process and has been hyped up beyond understanding. at&t has also been screwing most of their "new" customers over and aren't making it easy.
someone here wanted a pattern. here you go, the beginnings of a template, unless you've already got one.
Here is what I did.
I received the phone this morning (new line, no port)
Inserted the SIM that came with the phone into the fold 3 let it register on the att network
Switched the sim to an unlocked phone and entered the folds IMEI in the unlock portal along with my contact info and submitted
Didn't get an email until about 6 hours later asking me to confirm, I did and a couple minutes later they sent me the unlock code.
So the unlock portal trick works, just make sure the other phone (not the fold) shows up on your account before attempting it
if you don't see it there, I would recommend doing a call and rebooting the phone to check.
Anyways question: I actually got denied once already due to trying without sim + suspended account no port. Factory reset, account not suspended anymore, have to wait the 24-hr.
1. What does switching the att phone to an unlocked phone do?
2. by diff email and phone do you mean you did it using IMEI? I was already denied that for 24-hr so I think they have that on file, I'm a bit worried they would see it as some kind of scam/fraud if I tried another email and tmo phone.
Anyways update in general: Just got off like 2hr call with them they definitely are aware this policy is super new and I went up 2 levels of supervisors, claimed "no one else going up" but the system is supposedly set to there is no override and they will not honor the old policy. I put in an FCC complaint, doesn't make sense as a consumer you get no warning of change and no agreement to sign / method of dispute. At time of purchase this was not the policy and you purchase well aware of the current policy. All of a sudden its updated and thats that.
(1. my account wasnt setup with pin and passcode, 2. it was suspended for not having active port, 3. did the port; but all of it was stalled because they wouldnt let me update my passcode cause it was suspended and they wouldnt move forward with junk without a passcode makes no sense; at least the other departments couldnt --anyways PAC (Port Activation Center) is 866-895-1097).
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if you don't see it there, I would recommend doing a call and rebooting the phone to check.
Anyways question: I actually got denied once already due to trying without sim + suspended account no port. Factory reset, account not suspended anymore, have to wait the 24-hr.
1. What does switching the att phone to an unlocked phone do?
2. by diff email and phone do you mean you did it using IMEI? I was already denied that for 24-hr so I think they have that on file, I'm a bit worried they would see it as some kind of scam/fraud if I tried another email and tmo phone.
Anyways update in general: Just got off like 2hr call with them they definitely are aware this policy is super new and I went up 2 levels of supervisors, claimed "no one else going up" but the system is supposedly set to there is no override and they will not honor the old policy. I put in an FCC complaint, doesn't make sense as a consumer you get no warning of change and no agreement to sign / method of dispute. At time of purchase this was not the policy and you purchase well aware of the current policy. All of a sudden its updated and thats that.
(1. my account wasnt setup with pin and passcode, 2. it was suspended for not having active port, 3. did the port; but all of it was stalled because they wouldnt let me update my passcode cause it was suspended and they wouldnt move forward with junk without a passcode makes no sense; at least the other departments couldnt --anyways PAC (Port Activation Center) is 866-895-1097).
2.Yes use IMEI. If 1 is satisfied hopefully it will go through this time.
The SIM card taped outside the box should be the one to use, but it's a freaking standard SIM. Not sure why they can still find a standard SIM nowadays and mess it up.
"36 payments of $52.78 left"
Got any update from ATT after submitting receipt and IMEI through FCC route?
The chat representative said it's billing glitch/mistake, and he will open an urgent case to be fixed, they are so annoying!!!! Let's see how long it's going to take them to fix this issue!
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