eh1110

Q: Is There Anything I Can Do About Bad ESN?

Hi everyone,

 

Knowingly, I recently purchased an iPhone with bad ESN off of eBay. The seller and I talked about it, and she told me I should be able to just use it as an iPod (which I was planning on doing). When I got the phone, though, it would not let me avtivate it because there wasn't a SIM card in it. I use T-Mobile, so I decided to get a T-Mobile SIM card for it to plan ahead in case I ever do want to activate it. But when I finally got the SIM card, it said "SIM card is invalid". I talked to the T-Mobile support team, and they said I had to put it on service for 7 days in order to activate it with T-Mobile. So I added the phone to my plan, but it never showed up with having service and NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

 

I think this is because of the bad ESN or that the phone is wired for Sprint. How can I change this? Is there anything I can do about it, anything AT ALL? I'm desperate here. All I need to do is set up the iPhone, becuase I want to just use it as an iPod... I've been through the communities in Apple and T-Mobile, plus searched the Internet. Should I flash the phone? I'm going to a T-Mobile store today to see if I can get it fixed. Please don't say it's hopeless, I've also contacted the seller, hoping she can help me, becuase I feel sort of cheated as she told me I should be able to use it as an iPod with no problem whatsoever. And now I can't even get into the phone

 

Thank you for any help you can give.

iPhone 5c, Bad ESN with Sprint

Posted on Jun 14, 2014 3:15 PM

Close

Q: Is There Anything I Can Do About Bad ESN?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Page 1 Next
  • by eh1110,

    eh1110 eh1110 Jun 14, 2014 3:41 PM in response to eh1110
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 14, 2014 3:41 PM in response to eh1110

    Also, I did not think it was lost or stolen when I bought it. The seller had good reviews. I only paid 130 for it, because I'm not willing to pay anything more than 150 at the moment, but I wanted something new. I THINK THIS PHONE WAS STOLEN. T-Mobile didn't say anything when I gave them the IMEI number and "activated" the phone with service, yet I know it has bad ESN.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Jun 14, 2014 5:54 PM in response to eh1110
    Level 8 (37,992 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 14, 2014 5:54 PM in response to eh1110

    Bad ESN usually means it has been reported stolen. And Sprint does not unlock phones for use in the US. You should return it.

  • by diesel vdub,

    diesel vdub diesel vdub Jun 14, 2014 7:34 PM in response to eh1110
    Level 7 (22,030 points)
    Jun 14, 2014 7:34 PM in response to eh1110

    So for what reason did you purchase a TMO SIM, contact TMO, or even purchase a bad ESN device to begin with?

     

    The device is useless... either it was reported stolen or it has a hardware issue.

     

    Return it to the seller for a full refund or accept it as an expensive lesson.

  • by eh1110,

    eh1110 eh1110 Jun 15, 2014 9:39 AM in response to diesel vdub
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 15, 2014 9:39 AM in response to diesel vdub

    Would flashing it do anything for the ESN?

     

    I bought it because the buyer told me that if I just switched providers that it wouldn't matter- the bad ESN would only be for Sprint. When I checked on the Internet about bad ESN, it seemed like that was true. Apparently not

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Jun 15, 2014 10:31 AM in response to eh1110
    Level 8 (37,992 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 15, 2014 10:31 AM in response to eh1110

    No. The whole point of a blacklist is to block the phone from all carriers. Sprint shares with all of the US carriers. In addition, phones locked to Sprint can never be unlocked for any US carrier; Sprint will only unlock for carriers outside of North America.

     

    Return the phone.

  • by eh1110,

    eh1110 eh1110 Jun 15, 2014 11:22 AM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 15, 2014 11:22 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Hmmm. The people at T-Mobile told me that, yes, it was blocked, and that I'd need to get it flashed from Sprint to T-Mobile, and then it would work. I found a few websites that said that flashing would erase it from the blacklist, too. The seller didn't offer returns (I'm trying to contact her/him though), but it would still be cheaper for me to flash the phone than to sell it and get a new one that has a clean ESN for 500 bucks.

  • by eh1110,

    eh1110 eh1110 Jun 15, 2014 11:25 AM in response to eh1110
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 15, 2014 11:25 AM in response to eh1110

    I understand that there's a risk of bricking the phone, too, but it's useless anyway... I'd rather take a chance.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Jun 15, 2014 11:26 AM in response to eh1110
    Level 8 (37,992 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 15, 2014 11:26 AM in response to eh1110

    There is no way to "flash" an iPhone.

  • by eh1110,

    eh1110 eh1110 Jun 15, 2014 11:27 AM in response to eh1110
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 15, 2014 11:27 AM in response to eh1110

    BTW, remember I really DONT want to activate it with any kind of service unlessI have to... I just need to get past the factory settings where it tells me "SIM is not valid".

  • by eh1110,

    eh1110 eh1110 Jun 15, 2014 11:28 AM in response to eh1110
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 15, 2014 11:28 AM in response to eh1110

    Yes there is.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Jun 15, 2014 11:40 AM in response to eh1110
    Level 8 (37,992 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 15, 2014 11:40 AM in response to eh1110

    Since you think you know more than I do, why are you bothering to ask? Note that the article you linked to is a generic article for all cell phones. It is clearly wrong for iPhones because they have no ROM to flash. The ESN and IMEI is wired into hardware. Everything else (iOS settings, content, baseband) is in RAM. In any case, it is hacking the phone, and, as the article says, it may bring undesired attention to you if the phone actually is stolen.

  • by eh1110,

    eh1110 eh1110 Jun 15, 2014 11:56 AM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 15, 2014 11:56 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Well, obviously I don't know you so how would I know if I know more than you? I have found stores that will flash my iPhone plus the T-MOBILE guy told me to flash my phone (so obviously I can!). I wish you guys would just answer my question instead of giving me advice- How do I use this phone as an iPod? Do I need to activate it, or flash it, or what do I need to do? I don't think it's completely useless, if I flash it.

  • by Lawrence Finch,Solvedanswer

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Jun 15, 2014 12:26 PM in response to eh1110
    Level 8 (37,992 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 15, 2014 12:26 PM in response to eh1110

    The T-Mobile guy didn't know what he or she was talking about. Rewriting the ESN or IMEI is illegal, as in go to jail illegal if caught. And how would you know what to rewrite it to? There are lots of services on the Internet that claim they can do this. Most are outright scams; they will take your money and you will still have a useless phone afterwards. And it can't be done remotely; they must actually have possession of the phone.

     

    What you CAN do is get a used and disabled Sprint SIM; you should then be able to activate the phone as an iPod. Apple does not enforce Sprint's blacklist; it's only if you try to activate it with a live Sprint SIM that you won't be able to do it.

  • by eh1110,

    eh1110 eh1110 Jun 15, 2014 5:20 PM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 15, 2014 5:20 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

    See- This is what I was asking. Thank you XD

Page 1 Next