Android Samsung region locking their smartphones from july 2013

[Raghav_K]

Samsung has been region locking their smartphones from july 2013... This applies for galaxy s3 and s4,note 2 and 3 produced after July 2013.

The locking is different from carrier sim lock and is based on CSC.. So finding a way around it without voiding warranty would be very tricky..

So the effect is phones region locked to americas and activated there cannot be used in European networks, and vice versa...

Not sure about asian markets situation... Recent galaxy buyers, please confirm if u saw any such sticker on the box, region locking the phone to Asia Pacific....

Seems like a move to push more users to void their warranty..


Edit:

More info here:

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/0...gions-putting-the-squeeze-on-phone-importers/

 

[raksrules]

Read about it. Seems stupid move.

 

[toxicdrift]

really stupid move, what about someone on business, working in different continents. they r screwed. pay 50k for a phone only to work in one country.. samsung's epic fail right here.

 

[blr_p]

so the anything-but- i-device meme is going to encompass the anything-but-samsung meme from now on.

 

[axeman]

under the US DMCA Act unlocking such a phone will be an offence. Just FYI.

 

[paraman]

It is not as bad as it seems...

According to a report in All About Samsung, the region-locks are only valid for the first-time activation of the smartphone. So, you are planning to get an American Galaxy Note 3, you will have to activate it using a SIM card valid in Americas region and after the activation, you can pop in any SIM card to use it. The same has been tried and tested and works fine.

http://www.androidos.in/2013/09/samsung-smartphone-region-locks/

 

[Raghav_K]

^ Yes, but you cannot use any sim card outside of the Americas... That was clarified later, read d link i posted...

 

[raksrules]

I believe it works like this...

Say a note 3 purchased unlocked in USA which was for the Americas region and then activated with American Sim will work only in that continent (probably means north America, south America) but one cannot bring that supposedly "unlocked" phone to India and pop in an Indian sim and expect it to work.
Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Raghav_K]

Yes... But you bought it in US and never put a sim there and used it, it can be activated in one other region with samsung service center help, then it's locked to that region..

And americas region fr samsung, includes north and south America, Canada and carribean... It can be used in those regions once activated...

 

[deepakvrao]

So, again, if I buy and activate a phone here, I can't use it for travel abroad?

 

[Raghav_K]

So, again, if I buy and activate a phone here, I can't use it for travel abroad?

Not sure about the situation in asian markets... If region locking applies for us too, then you can use ur fone when roaming in asia Pacific... Not europe/americas...