topic Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account? in SIM cards & Porting

Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

treez — Sun, 04 May 2025 23:27:53 GMT

Hi,

I have an EE monthly account which pays for my useage of my dumphone, and for my mobile router.

Obviously i use the mobile router with my laptop. I never use the mobile router SIM card for phone calls ( i dont even know if i can). The mobile router has a 12V 2A socket which is powered from the mains via the mains power supply.

I also have a Samsung SM-J330FN Smartphone which i (possibly unwisely) bought with a 6 month pay-as-you-go in 2018. It was on pay as you go with O2. I have barely ever used the smartphone.

I barely ever used the smartphone as i always have my laptop with me. (i am just charging the smartphone up now and hope the batteries arent dead). However, i sometimes need to do Teams job interviews (with camera ON) when i'm on the road, so the smartphone would be good for that. (only say a few times a year for these interviews, but it would still be very handy for those few occasions). Incidentally i also have an Amazon Fire, which i never really use....but i sometimes use it with the mobile router though...i wonder if i could use that with my mobile router's SIM card for Teams Interviews when i am on the road?

I believe its not on a network now (?) and may not still be the same phone number i bought it with(?) The IMEI number is written on the back of the phone though.

Can i simply put my SIM card from my dumbphone into this Smartphone and use it?

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

XRaySpeX — Mon, 05 May 2025 00:13:42 GMT

@treez : I'm not clear whether you want to use the SIM from the dumbphone or the SIM from the mobile router in the Samsung Smartphone. In principle you should be able to use either in it for data, which is what Teams would use. If the SIM in the mobile router is on a normal contract you would even be able to make calls & texts from it w/out any extra charge.

1 thing to be aware of is the Samsung is so old that it might be locked to O2 & would need to be unlocked by O2 before an EE SIM can be used in it..

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

treez — Mon, 05 May 2025 01:02:35 GMT

Thanks, may i ask what you mean by a "normal" contract?

The router is called a " data SIM" contract, and the dumbphone is on a "Mobile SIM" contract.

I am worried because i have had bad experiences trying to get phones unlocked by o2 in the past......they tell you they will unlock it in 24 hrs...but just fail to do so....and keep failing to do so every time you ask them.

Is there a definitive way to unlock from o2?. For my dumbphone i literally had to buy a new dumbphone.

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

XRaySpeX — Mon, 05 May 2025 03:13:12 GMT

If you put a data SIM in a phone you'll have to pay for any calls and texts you make from it.

Only O2 can unlock an O2-locked device.

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

treez — Mon, 05 May 2025 08:55:21 GMT

Thanks,

@XRaySpeX wrote:
If you put a data SIM in a phone you'll have to pay for any calls and texts you make from it.
Only O2 can unlock an O2-locked device.

Thanks, but as you say, i can use the smartphone for a Teams call and it'll be just the usual charge?...ie, it would be as if i was using my mobile router? I can also use the smartphone to surf the internet with my mobile router's SIM in it?...and no extra charge than what i am already paying?

The o2 website offers a number 4445 to call to unlock from o2...but the number is "no longer in service". Do you know how to contact o2?.....you'd think there would be an unlock web page you can just fill in?

This website offers to unlock the smartphone for £10.....is it a dodgy site?..

https://www.officialsimunlock.com/checkout

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

XRaySpeX — Mon, 05 May 2025 09:11:20 GMT

Yes, you should be able to use mobile router's data SIM in the Samsung for Teams & other Internet use at no extra cost, just as if it was still in the router.

4445 is the shortcode for O2 CS but only from O2 mobiles. For others call 0344 8090222

I wouldn't touch any unlocking site other than the OEM.

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

treez — Mon, 05 May 2025 12:32:33 GMT

Thanks, i just phoned O2, and they said they cannot unlock it for me.

They say i must take the smartphone into an O2 shop and get it unlocked there. And that i must take identification docs with me.

They seemed to want my o2 password and everything, including details of my O2 account... but i dont have one...i just bought this phone from an o2 shop with an o2 pay-as-you-go deal back in 2018. The phone is not NOW "not registered with any network" because i havent used it for several years.

When i put my EE sim into it it says

“INVALID SIM CARD

NETWORK LOCKED SIM CARD INSERTED”

Is this correct that i have to go into an O2 shop to get my smartphone unlocked?

___ ___

The O2 forum are saying i need to buy a £10 o2 top up and then get it unlocked as follows...

QUOTE.....You will need to get an O2 PAYG sim, top up £10 and use it to make some calls

Then either:

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

bristolian — Mon, 05 May 2025 14:16:14 GMT

Those are classic symptoms of a SIM-locked phone being used with a SIM from a network other than the one it's locked to.

As to what O2's process is for unlocking - that's between you and them, nothing to do with EE. You may find a third party independent may also be able to unlock without regard for O2 - but again, that's upto you.

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

treez — Mon, 05 May 2025 15:44:43 GMT

Thanks, i bet if i take it to an O2 shop and ask them to unlock my smartphone from o2..they will take it round the back and damage it in some way. They really really hate unlocking from their own network.

I wonder if i buy the £10 o2 top up if there is some way like that i can unlock it now........maybe there is an app i could go to and be sure of unlocking it?

I still have the receipt that i bought it with so they should know i havent stolen it. In any case the IMEI number would be a known stolen one if it was stolen.

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

XRaySpeX — Mon, 05 May 2025 15:57:21 GMT

Sounds reasonable!

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

treez — Mon, 05 May 2025 22:32:32 GMT

Thanks, It does look as if its going to be impossible to unlock the smartphone, as O2 will insist on me giving them the "contract details", and there is no contract....as i bought it on PAYG 7 years ago but never really used it. And any contract has now expired....i dont have an "account number" so as far as they are concerned, this o2 locked smartphone does not exist...so why should they unlock it...even though i have the IMEI and the paper receipt with which i bought it....its just going to be impossible....on the phone to o2 they kept insisting on my "contract details" and "account number", but of course, i do not have that. Its unbelievable that even with the paper receipt with which i bought this phone i cannot proove i am the owner of it, and cannot get o2 to unlock it. (but that is of course nothing to do with EE)

so...i will need to buy a new smartphone...just a smartphone to do teams video calls with very occasionally.

Hi,
I never needed a smartphone, as i always use my laptop, but now i often need to do Teams video calls when i'm out on the road, so now need a smartphone.
Do you know the cheapest one that could do a Teams video call?
Also, when you look through a list of mobile phones for sale on the web, how do you know which are smartphones, and which are dumbphones? (i already have a dumbphone).
Also, is an "iphone" the same as a "smartphone"?

I have a mobile router with EE so will use the SIM (data SIM) out of that in the smartphone to do the teams video calls, so dont need any service with the phone so to speak....a lot of phones seem to only be purchasable if you also buy a contract with vodafone or whoever, i dont need that as i will use my EE data SIM in the smart phone.

Incidentally, could i actually use the SIM (mobile SIM) out of my dumbphone in the smartphone?

So anyway, i am with EE for both my dumbphone and my mobile router, but now need a smartphone as discussed.

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

Schockwave — Tue, 06 May 2025 10:55:41 GMT

. @treez , IPhones are smart phones, you can use Team, emails and plenty of other apps on them, but are expensive. There are plenty of cheap phones, maybe get a second hand ones, refurbished ones, which will be cheaper.

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

treez — Tue, 06 May 2025 16:25:41 GMT

Thanks, i just took my o2 smartphone (which i bought from o2 7 years ago) to an o2 shop and they refused to unlock it for me even though i had paper receipt proof of purchase and my ID.

The O2 forum says i have to buy a £10 o2 top up (and get an O2 PAYG SIM) , and then somehow go on the o2 website to get the phone unlocked...does this sound plausible?...i realise this is nothing to do with EE of course.

The O2 forum suggested there may be a website on the o2 website where i can get the phone unlocked. Also they suggested there may be an "app" where i can get it unlocked. But dont "apps" cost money?

The salesperson in the o2 shop told me to take it to a "Phone shop" and get it unlocked there. But if i give someone my phone and pay them...how do i know they have unlocked it?

Are there any bona fide websites where you can pay to get a phone unlocked?

Re: Can i use my Samsung Smartphone with my EE account?

Schockwave — Wed, 07 May 2025 12:50:21 GMT

@treez , sorry, I have no idea, as I have not had to unlock a phone, but if you go to a shop that unlocks a phone, I would have thought they would do it responsibly, just check them out, there are good phone shops around.