unlocking phone

[tarsh1984]

Can my old phone, the galaxy s5 be unlocked to use with another carrier?

[vzw_customer_support]

@tarsh1984

I would love to assist you with your Samsung Galaxy S 5 device.  However, I am a little concerned about you looking to switch this device to a different carrier.  Are you experiencing any problems with your device or service that has you thinking of leaving us?  If so, please let me know so that I can turn this experience around for you.

In the meantime, our 4G LTE devices are not locked.  Although they are not locked, we cannot guarantee that it will work on another carrier's network.  View our Device Unlocking Policy here: http://vz.to/1EAfdfr.

AnthonyTa_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

If my response answered your question please click the "Correct Answer" button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[tarsh1984]

I acutally upgraded my line to the Note 5 now. My brother needs a new phone and doesn't have the money to buy one at this time so I was hoping to give him my old phone which was the Galaxy S5 device I used prior but he has TMobile as his carrier.

[Snn5]

Compare the specs of the Verizon phone to T-Mobile's bands/freq.

[tarsh1984]

This is like in another language to me. I don't understand what that would mean with the bands/freq.

[Snn5]

No, you cannot use a Verizon phone on T-mobile.

[vzw_customer_support]

@tarsh1984

Thanks for clarifying!  As mentioned in the graph provided by Snn5, network technologies are different between carriers.  Although we cannot guarantee the device will or will not work on another carrier's network, it is not locked preventing it from being used on another carrier's network.  Your brother would need to reach out to his carrier to see if they can activate the device for him.

AnthonyTa_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

If my response answered your question please click the "Correct Answer" button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[KeyWestReactor]

Snn5 said:

> No, you cannot use a Verizon phone on T-mobile.

That's not necessarily true.  Some phones include all of the radios for all of the different bands so that they can work on different carriers.  Once a SIM card for a particular carrier is added the phone can be activated on that carrier.  Depends on the phone, though.  I know that the Google Nexus phones will do this, not sure about the Samsung S5 being referenced here, though.....

[Snn5]

KeyWestReactor We were speaking of the Samsung Galaxy S5.  It will not work on Verizon.  While phones may be unlocked for use on other carriers, if that other carrier's bands and frequencies do not match , then the phone cannot be used.  Please refer to the chart above and the specifications of the phone in question.

[KeyWestReactor]

Actually the question was the other way around: Can the Verizon S5 work on T-Mobile. It is my understanding that a Verizon S5 has unlocked GSM radios required by T-Mobile.  (That chart only describes which bands are normally used on each of the services, not which radios are within the phones.)

Indeed I found this statement in another forum referencing the exact question:

> Yes. You can use a Verizon Galaxy S5 on T-mobile. All Verizon 4G LTE devices
> come GSM SIM unlocked from Verizon as far as I can tell.

Of course this should be verified officially.....