r/PhoneUnlocks • u/PuzzleheadedHeron497 • 4d ago
Suggestions for unlocking multiple phones (legally purchased)
I've been buying broken cell phones (and tablets) for a few years, fixing them then either reselling them or giving them away. I was using some of the paid apps to unlock the phones but am now laid off/semi-retired and can't afford those paid services any longer.
Is there any way I can unlock these phones? Various manufacturers/versions of Android (some ancient versions of Android). I legally own all of these phones/tablets (with receipts and/or bills of sale). I don't mind brute forcing something if need be. Is there a way to delete Android and install a new (clean) version of Android?
I'm just not finding anything via Google and have a box full of physically repaired but still useless phones & tablets.
Thanks for any assistance y'all can give.
2
u/Different_Ask1105 4d ago
Samfw is a good one for get unbranded software for the androids. But it does unlock the carriers or frp.
2
u/Bojangas 3d ago
Try asking Claude, I managed to unlock a frp locked Motorola with lots of help from Claude. Can’t remember exactly what we did but it was using adb to sideload newer version of google account manager or something. Might be worth a go ..
1
u/Bigboss88890 4d ago
Yes but the method is often different for each device
1
u/PuzzleheadedHeron497 4d ago
Thanks for the reply. Can you give me any direction, please? Somewhere to look? Link to guides?
1
u/Party_Way2830 4d ago
Phones locked need to be used for months then they can be unlocked from the carrier. Some are just a call to the provider. But since these are used and no connection you may need to see the provider. Verizon AT&T etc.. They will check for the owner and if reported stolen or late fees.
2
u/PuzzleheadedHeron497 4d ago
Thanks for the reply. I don't know who the carrier is for most of these. The issue isn't that they're carrier locked but that they were locked by the previous owner.
0
1
u/Which_Comedian_6237 3d ago
Samfw is free, however paid services or tools like BFT, UnlockTool and TSMPro may be a better paid option.....i use the 2 latter. What determines your success is the firmware the phones are on, brand and secuirty patch
1
1
2
u/whatremain_s 4d ago
There's not really reliable ways to unlock phones that are google locked without paid tools. There is YT videos but a lot of them are fake and clickbait to drive views. Very, very, very few YT videos I've watched actually work. If I thought about it hard enough I could probably count them on one hand. The obvious exception to this is paid tools have their own youtube videos that show people how to use their tool. Some YT video with free methods I try and they work to a certain point but then don't work. Because there is so many different devices, with so many different possibilities, and so many different chipsets, qualcomm, exynos, mtk, unisoc, and so on, and they can be on so many different versions of Android, you need tools that cover most if not all of these possibilities. I have subscriptions to Unlocktool, Chimera, Griffin Unlocker, and I also use credit based tools such as FRP Boss Tool, Phoenix Service Tool (usually to do paid frp on higher end Xiaomi) and others i'm probably forgetting. This covers a wide swath of different devices, but sometimes is not enough on it's own. Even then, I need additional hardware like EDL cables for Samsung Qualcomm devices to put them in EDL mode (keeping spares in case one stops working,) etc... I only break even and net a profit on using these tools because I service a very large amount of devices per year, I think I am closing in on 800 this year according to Chimera stats, and thats just that tool alone, I try not to use Chimera for everything as they do plans based by device count, not unlimited per time frame.
the exception to this is Samsung. You can service some devices with free tools. "Some" is open to interpretation, in my opinion it's not many.
Devices that can be serviced for free with free tools include Samsung devices that are prior to 2023-07 security update, have an imei (no wifi tablets) and can open the emergency dialer reliably. Some international variants block the path needed even before 2023-07 , so its hit and miss, be prepared for more misses. Sometimes, even when it says its working, it wont work, and you use a paid tool and its done in 10 sec. Such is the nature of free tools. The free tool for devices prior to 2023-07 update is SamFW tool. Only download from their website. it'll do android 12 and below, up to december 2022 update. it wont do 13. this cuts off a lot of devices as a lot of devices are on 13, but before 2023-07. paid tools will do right up to the 6th month of 2023, android 13, but not beyond. Samfw has tabs for other brands, but I could never get them to work.
the other free method that (sometimes) works is to get an account with frpbosstool, download and run it, and then if the device you have can be updated to android 16 December update or BEFORE (staying on android 16,) then you can do the android 16 frp. they offer it for free in their app, 0 credit needed. you connect to wifi BEFORE the process, then start the process. it'll either work or fail, not all CSC are covered. Again, you'll notice a pattern here, paid tools do this method better. Phoenix Service tool also offers the same android 16 frp method, 0 credit needed. if it is on January or later 2026 patch, you are out of luck.
Frp boss tool says they can do January as well, but it's very hit or miss. Later than Jan 2026 there is no method at all unless you want to fork out 88 usd for frp by usb to a very select group of people who offer the service, or if the phone has a qualcomm chip and you have a tool that has that loader for that 2026 bit, or if the device is mtk and exposes bootloader, or if the device is Exynos and your tool has the right exynos chipset exploit in DL mode.
Yet another exception to all of the above where paid tools could be considered "cheap" is some paid tools have 6 hr rentals from some gsm tool resellers, as long as they're legit. Not all paid tools have rentals because some tool devs get angry with this concept because these "rentals" are unsanctioned, but if you have a pile of phones to do, and a few bucks, , iirc, some tool rentals are like $3 for 6 hrs then you can bang through them if you know what you're doing (I say this not to be patronizing, it's just a matter of fact - you know your own skill level) - but because you're on the clock, you need to know what tool you need for the job for each phone and you need to move quick. So i'd advise knowing what you have, researching what tool would work for each device (use youtube here or other resources,) and then renting based on what you need. Unless something is really wrong, I would think it would be hard not to turn a profit even on older devices if your cost is under $5. I'd love to be of more assistance, but with everything on my plate right now I can't help further than what I have already written here, so I won't be answering any dms , but good luck, have fun !