updated 6/26/23
Answers to FAQ:
1. Summary: This is prepaid. No need to cancel. Just stop paying. Most will pay the forced first monthly fee (that comes with initial order) and then simply stop paying. best to use a virtual credit card like from citi for example or a privacy virtual card. initial order cost will be ~10 phone +~40 plan+ tax= ~$53. create account on boost or get the app. make sure auto pay is off.
2. Phones are locked. However this Boost variant can be easily unlocked via ebay code for ~ $1.75. must provide the seller imei of your phone. send the imei in "message for seller" when u pay. after u pay, u should get the code back pretty quick. as soon as ~10 minutes.
Then put in a non boost sim. phone will ask for code. enter code u bought from ebay seller. u will be unlocked. No need to ever put in boost sim. infact, if u have no intention of using boost, it is probably a good idea not to insert the boost sim ever. do not sell the boost sim. it has your information on it.
search for this seller: dr.unlock : you can find many for $1.75​. once unlocked, should remain unlocked, even if u run updates, factory restore, etc
2a. . Phone is locked to Boost. Need to pay ~$2 via Ebay seller Dr. Unlock to unlock the phone. [posting direct link violates sd term. dont be lazy. search] Phone has the bands to communicate with AT&T, T Mobile, and Verizon in the US. Your carrier may need to add the phone's IMEI number to their database before it can interface with the mobile towers.
3. This boost variant has only 4gb memory. metro variant is identical but has 6gb. issue with metro variant is it cannot be unlocked via ebay code for cheap (cost of code is ~$45). have to wait 6 m to unlock the metro variant. the boost variant can be unlocked for cheap (cost of code is ~$1.75) day 1.
4. There was a trick to get $15 plan. instead of the $40 plan. that loop hole has been closed.
5. after u place the order. in 2 days, the sim card will auto activate. while in transit to you. many folks are upset because this makes u loose 2-3 days while the phone comes to you. shipping time varies. some in ca take 1 week from order date to receive day. in east coast it may be as short as 1 day.
6. Boost, Ting, and Dish TV are now one company. so do not need to unlock if using them
7. only 1 order per email address. if u want more. need new account w new email addy
8. after unlocking. confirmed to work on ATT, Tmobile, mint and Visible including text and pic messaging (verified by DealMasterRocky)
x. TBD
other notes:
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1 persons observations (edited): My observations so far:
1. Turned the phone on with NO sim inserted. I used my wifi to test it.
4. Used wifi to run Android updates (~55 of them) + two security updates.
5. I didn't detect any junk apps being installed in the background. I didn't see any "mobile installer" or "mobile services" app installed.
6. RAM boost to 5 GB was already turned on.
8. Bought unlock code from eBay (from the above already mentioned seller) at around 6 p.m. I gave the seller my IMEI.
9. Received the unlock code 20 mins later.
11. I found a Boost One app installed in Apps, but I uninstalled it.
12.The phone seems pretty snappy to me. Not sure why some people complained about the phone being slow and laggy.
13. I'm most definitely buying a case for this phone. It feels "slippery when wet.
_________________________________________________________________
if having trouble with T mobile::
here is a post from e4300 from older boost moto thread:
1. Insert T Mo Sim and enter *#*#4636#*#* to access debugging. Allow Location. Disable Airplane mode.
2. Go to Setting\Network & Internet\Internet T Mobile\Gear icon to the right of T Mobile.
3. Enable Mobile Data and Roaming. Disable allow 2G and 5G.
4. Reboot. Phone should lock into LTE mode.
updated with
1. Make sure you are using a T Mo R15 SIM for 5G speed. You can get a free R15 SIM at any T Mo corporate store.
2. Reboot phone. Turn OFF airplane. Turn ON mobile data.
3. T Mo may send a text message to install the appropriate mobile settings. Approve this request.
4. Look for 5GUC (if supported) at the upper right of screen. If no signal, reboot the phone after 3-5 min.
5. Run speedtest.net. Should hit +250 Mbps with a decent connection. Nominal speed for 4G LTE is 25-95 Mbps, depending on location and load at the T Mo tower.
_____________________________________________________
good summary by user wacky:
When ordering from Boost, the choices are getting a new number or keep old number. Should you choose getting a new number, Boost will ship the sim and phone pre-activated meaning you will lose service days when the item is in transit. So for people who want to get a full month of service, they will select keep old number but then go through setup for activation. During this setup, the user can choose either a new number or keep old number.
In order to transfer your At&t number to Boost, you would have to give Boost your At&t phone number, account number, and pin number. If you did that, then the process of number transfer has started. If you did not give that information to Boost, it would be impossible to have your number ported.
Even if you selected keep old number during the order process and chose not to activate the sim, Boost will likely activate the sim eventually. If you selected the keep number option at ordering and have no intention of activating the sim, it might be a good idea to keep monitoring the status of the sim in case it gets activated.
Also be aware that by default Boost enables autopay. Metro for instance has autopay disabled by default.
Activating the sim + disabling autopay is what I would suggest rather than just discarding the sim or trying to cancel the service.
Autopay status is seen in 2 places. One is on the boostmobile.com site. Other is in the Boost One app. Make sure both say disabled. If for some reason one or both cannot be set to disable, then you would need to login to the website and use the chat feature to talk to tech support. The rep will ask for your Boost phone number and pin. If you did not create a pin, they will instead ask for your phone's IMEI number and your ICCID (sim card) number.
Be aware that should you disable autopay and then decide to replace the payment method with a different card (like one with a low balance), Boost will re-enable autopay. Whenever there is a change in payment method, autopay will be re-enabled
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Previous post of this deal with questions answered:
https://slickdeals.net/f/16402432-boost-mobile-moto-g-stylus-5g-2022-10
Item 1 of 1
expiredmojameslittle posted Mar 30, 2023 10:47 PM
Moto G Stylus 5G 2022 (Steel Blue, 128 GB) $10 + $40 service plan - Boost Mobile Locked $9.99
$9.99
$260
96% off
Boost Mobile
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Can confirm that once this phone is unlocked, it's capable of working on Metro By T-Mobile (formerly MetroPCS), but it requires the IMEI # of the phone to be updated in one's Metro account. There may be a fee involved in this process ($25 + tax)!!!
Long version:
I'm not a Metro customer so wasn't previously aware that they lock their SIM cards to a specific IMEI # (a policy which makes absolutely no technical sense but clearly has a financial benefit to them -- read on to see how).
I recently assisted a friend to move their Metro service over to this Boost phone (Moto G Stylus 5G 2022), where it kept failing to get cell signal (even though genuine T-Mobile service worked perfectly on the unlocked Boost phone). After struggling for many hours (updating APN settings, resetting the phone numerous times, etc.), and due to time constraints, called up a local Metro store, where I thought the phone might need a new SIM Card. The store rep advised that if we needed a new SIM card, to get to the store at least 30 minutes before closing (it was closing in about an hour, and it was a 20 minute drive, so we left immediately).
Upon arrival at the Metro store, once the rep understood what we were trying to accomplish, he advised that my friend's Metro account needed to be updated with the IMEI # of the new phone, something Metro charges $25 + tax (so about $27)!!! I was shocked by this extortion-like fee, but we were low on time, so my friend proceeded to pay up.
We brought with us the retail box the Moto phone came in (which has its IMEI # listed in barcode form), so the rep was able to scan the barcode when switching the IMEI # on the account. He then asked us to come around the counter so that we could see his computer screen. At the bottom of the screen was a green checkmark advising that the phone & IMEI were compatible; however, at the top of the screen was an error message in red indicating that the IMEI # was improper, invalid, or otherwise incompatible (don't recall the exact verbiage). I then asked the rep if he could nonetheless switch the account over to the Boost Moto phone's IMEI. He advised yes and was in fact successfully able to update the account. Thereafter, upon re-inserting my friend's existing Metro SIM card back into the Boost Moto phone, it immediately worked on Metro, and no manual APN settings (which I had attempted numerous times) needed to be used.
During the switchover process, my friend needed to provide the PIN # for his Metro account (something he had no clue what it was). The store rep was able to get the PIN txt'd to my friend's existing Metro phone # (on his old phone), but the rep had to enter my friend's DOB first. Also, when the store rep initially accessed my friend's Metro account, a txt msg was sent to my friend's phone # (on his old phone) w/ a 2FA code (which I think was 6 digits). That was a different (and earlier) txt msg than the account PIN # (which I think was 8 digits).
I've since read on-line that apparently a Metro account's phone can be switched over for free via self-service using the Metro APP; however, I don't know if that would have worked w/ the phone's IMEI generating conflicting validity messages in-store. If the self-service method fails, I read that you can call up Metro customer service, explain the issue, and they may switch the phone for you, waiving the fee (YMMV). No idea if that's true, nor do I know if a phone based CSR would even be willing to switch to the Boost phone due to the conflicting IMEI validity messages.
Once the IMEI # of the Boost phone is populated in the Metro account though, so long as the Boost phone is UNLOCKED, it works properly on Metro.
Can confirm that once this phone is unlocked, it's capable of working on Metro By T-Mobile (formerly MetroPCS), but it requires the IMEI # of the phone to be updated in one's Metro account. There may be a fee involved in this process ($25 + tax)!!!
Long version:
I'm not a Metro customer so wasn't previously aware that they lock their SIM cards to a specific IMEI # (a policy which makes absolutely no technical sense but clearly has a financial benefit to them -- read on to see how).
I recently assisted a friend to move their Metro service over to this Boost phone (Moto G Stylus 5G 2022), where it kept failing to get cell signal (even though genuine T-Mobile service worked perfectly on the unlocked Boost phone). After struggling for many hours (updating APN settings, resetting the phone numerous times, etc.), and due to time constraints, called up a local Metro store, where I thought the phone might need a new SIM Card. The store rep advised that if we needed a new SIM card, to get to the store at least 30 minutes before closing (it was closing in about an hour, and it was a 20 minute drive, so we left immediately).
Upon arrival at the Metro store, once the rep understood what we were trying to accomplish, he advised that my friend's Metro account needed to be updated with the IMEI # of the new phone, something Metro charges $25 + tax (so about $27)!!! I was shocked by this extortion-like fee, but we were low on time, so my friend proceeded to pay up.
We brought with us the retail box the Moto phone came in (which has its IMEI # listed in barcode form), so the rep was able to scan the barcode when switching the IMEI # on the account. He then asked us to come around the counter so that we could see his computer screen. At the bottom of the screen was a green checkmark advising that the phone & IMEI were compatible; however, at the top of the screen was an error message in red indicating that the IMEI # was improper, invalid, or otherwise incompatible (don't recall the exact verbiage). I then asked the rep if he could nonetheless switch the account over to the Boost Moto phone's IMEI. He advised yes and was in fact successfully able to update the account. Thereafter, upon re-inserting my friend's existing Metro SIM card back into the Boost Moto phone, it immediately worked on Metro, and no manual APN settings (which I had attempted numerous times) needed to be used.
During the switchover process, my friend needed to provide the PIN # for his Metro account (something he had no clue what it was). The store rep was able to get the PIN txt'd to my friend's existing Metro phone # (on his old phone), but the rep had to enter my friend's DOB first. Also, when the store rep initially accessed my friend's Metro account, a txt msg was sent to my friend's phone # (on his old phone) w/ a 2FA code (which I think was 6 digits). That was a different (and earlier) txt msg than the account PIN # (which I think was 8 digits).
I've since read on-line that apparently a Metro account's phone can be switched over for free via self-service using the Metro APP; however, I don't know if that would have worked w/ the phone's IMEI generating conflicting validity messages in-store. If the self-service method fails, I read that you can call up Metro customer service, explain the issue, and they may switch the phone for you, waiving the fee (YMMV). No idea if that's true, nor do I know if a phone based CSR would even be willing to switch to the Boost phone due to the conflicting IMEI validity messages.
Once the IMEI # of the Boost phone is populated in the Metro account though, so long as the Boost phone is UNLOCKED, it works properly on Metro.
As I wrote in my lengthy post, a T-Mobile sim worked w/o issue in the unlocked Boost phone (i.e. the Boost phone's IMEI did not have to be added to the T-Mobile DB). I expected the Metro sim to thus work the way. It was a painful lesson for me (in time spent trying to get the phone operable) and a costly lesson for my friend (who had to pay the Metro $25 + tax extortion charge to get the phone added to their database, all for the privilege of retaining his Metro service). Hopefully my experience will help others avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered.
P.S. Do you know whether Mint Mobile (which is either already owned by T-Mobile, or in the process of being acquired) locks their SIM cards to an IMEI?
As I wrote in my lengthy post, a T-Mobile sim worked w/o issue in the unlocked Boost phone (i.e. the Boost phone's IMEI did not have to be added to the T-Mobile DB). I expected the Metro sim to thus work the way. It was a painful lesson for me (in time spent trying to get the phone operable) and a costly lesson for my friend (who had to pay the Metro $25 + tax extortion charge to get the phone added to their database, all for the privilege of retaining his Metro service). Hopefully my experience will help others avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered.
P.S. Do you know whether Mint Mobile (which is either already owned by T-Mobile, or in the process of being acquired) locks their SIM cards to an IMEI?
if the goal is to use on metro.
suggest to simply buy from metro.
plenty of deals to be had directly form metro.
+ added guarantee the phone will work on their network
if the goal is to use on metro.
suggest to simply buy from metro.
plenty of deals to be had directly form metro.
+ added guarantee the phone will work on their network
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, his phone was running out of space, some of his regularly used apps were starting to fail, and installing a MicroSD card (as external storage) wasn't guaranteed to solve his issues (many of his apps wouldn't necessarily store their data on external storage). Then it was a mad rush to get a replacement phone. A Metro reseller "friend" of his was offering him a new low-end Samsung Galaxy A series 4G phone (w/ 64GB of storage and 2GB or 3GB of RAM) for $200. I had the unlocked Boost Moto G Stylus 5G 2022 (from this thread) ready-to-go, which as we know supports 5G, has 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM (probably a much more powerful CPU as well), not to mention the built in stylus and huge screen. Even w/ the $25 + tax Metro device switch (extortion) fee, my friend got this Boost phone for way less than what he was about to spend from his Metro reseller "friend."
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fixed dialing number
turn on video calling
call forwarding
additional setting
fixed dialing number
turn on video calling
call forwarding
additional setting
allow 2g,
allow 5g
carrier video calling
allow 2g,
allow 5g
carrier video calling
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