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StarMenace
Android Enthusiast
As far as I know all the Nexus phones are unlocked but the NS can only use the T-Mobile 3G network but only 2G on others (until they release an AT&T version of the NS).
I can only tell you my experience. I purchased a new Nexus S from bestbuy in Michigan out right. Brought it back to Canada and put in a Rogers Sim card. The phone would not accept it. At that time when I booted it up I got the Google logo, and there is a little lock at the bottom of the screen. The lock was closed. (locked)
After searching online for a few hours, I found a quick simple way to unlock it. After I had all the proper software installed and the right instructions, it only took a few minutes to unlock. Soon as the phone was unlocked the logo on boot up shows the lock opened (unlocked) and my Rogers Sim Card instantly worked.
My point is, this phone was sold to me locked to T-mobile Sim cards. I specifically asked the Manager @ bestbuy if it was locked and he said no. He was wrong.
After searching online for a few hours, I found a quick simple way to unlock it. After I had all the proper software installed and the right instructions, it only took a few minutes to unlock. Soon as the phone was unlocked the logo on boot up shows the lock opened (unlocked) and my Rogers Sim Card instantly worked.
My point is, this phone was sold to me locked to T-mobile Sim cards. I specifically asked the Manager @ bestbuy if it was locked and he said no. He was wrong.
B2L
Android Expert
That just means the bootloader is unlocked. That has nothing to do with it being locked to a carrier. It's a completely unlocked phone.
I'm sorry I'm confused. The first post asked if it was locked to a carrier. My phone was locked to Tmobile. It came with a Tmobile Sim card. I put the Tmobile sim in and bigno. The Tmobile came up. Any other carrier sim card I tried did not work in the phone until i manually unlocked. And yes I believe it was the bootloader that required unlocking. After I did, everything sim worked that I tried. So how was this not locking it to a carrier?
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure your probably right, I'm very new to the android scene, and require much education.
The only thing the bootloader is really use for is development. The phone is sold UNLOCKED. It's been said a million times over and over and over again. Just because it has T-Mobile stuff in it means nothing. The phone was optimized for T-Mobile's network in the U.S., that's all. SIM cards were inside for the store employees. If someone is going to sign a new contract, they would use the sim card inside the box to open a new line. From my experience, in T-Mobile stores the employees will take out the unused sim cards if the customer isn't signing up for a new line. I guess Best Buy Mobile doesn't require that.
Why your phone didn't work when you put another sim card in there? I have no idea and from your explanation, it sounded like you were trying to root it.
shrivelfig
Member
This is complete BS. The lock is never shown closed. When the bootloader is locked, only the Google logo is shown. When the bootloader is unlocked, the open lock is shown under the Google logo.
That lock symbol has absolutely nothing to do with a sim lock.
My phone also came from Best Buy with a T-Mobile sim. I just ignored it. The phone accepted my norwegian Telenor sim right out of the box.
2FR35H
Android Expert
Best Buy employee's are still convinced that the ones sold on contract are locked to T-Mobile. smh... they need to learn that all Nexus S's are unlocked.
StarMenace
Android Enthusiast
You would think they would know since that is their jobs.
I've never met a phone store worker who knows more about a phone than myself. And I don't know a lot!!!
VIO
Android Enthusiast
you would think, but then again Verizon employees are still installing task killers on their Android phones, despite Google itself saying it's a bad idea. So i wouldn't necessarily trust they have the correct info.
The phone is definitely unlocked carrier-wise, don't confuse that with the bootloader which is locked (tho it can be unlocked via a simple adb/fastboot command)
The tmo sim cards are due to the fact that best buy also sells the phones on contract with tmo subsidized (I bought mine that way)
That being said, certain networks may or may not work (and to varying degrees of "work") depending on the frequency bands the carriers operate over. like it's been said it works for tmo on everything (minus hspa+ tmo's weak ass "4G") on At&t you get no 3g (honestly was the use of a smartphone that gets no 3g At&t probably even forces a dataplan anyway)