Moto 7

**gmannix** · 01-21-2021, 05:37 PM

I got a great deal on a moto 7 but I have a question about activation on tracfone. I had a chat and one CSR told me AT&TT would have to unlock the phone and then I would have to use a verizon sim. That sounded fishy so I did another chat and he had me give him the IMEI and 89014 from a Keep your own sim kit (AT&T) and he said it was reay to activat with a minute card. Which one of these guys is correct?

**bobdevnul** · 01-21-2021, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by gmannix

I got a great deal on a moto 7 but I have a question about activation on tracfone. I had a chat and one CSR told me AT&TT would have to unlock the phone and then I would have to use a verizon sim. That sounded fishy so I did another chat and he had me give him the IMEI and 89014 from a Keep your own sim kit (AT&T) and he said it was reay to activat with a minute card. Which one of these guys is correct?

Is it a generic unlocked US model or one that came from Tracfone or other service provider?

The generic US model is carrier agnostic and can be used on any carrier or service provider.

**gmannix** · 01-21-2021, 06:09 PM

I assume it is generic, has a AT&T logo on the back. The owner told me it was unlocked but I'm not sure she was certain of that. I don't have it in my possesion,yet. I thought all later model moto phones were unlocked.

**bobdevnul** · 01-21-2021, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by gmannix

I assume it is generic, has a AT&T logo on the back. The owner told me it was unlocked but I'm not sure she was certain of that. I don't have it in my possesion,yet. I thought all later model moto phones were unlocked.

With an AT&T logo on it, it may be carrier locked to AT&T if the owner didn't get it unlocked. AT&T will let you use their locked phones on their MVNOs. That includes Tracfone.

Buy a Tracfone BYO kit for $1. That will have SIMs for all three carriers. Stick the Verizon one in. If it is carrier locked you will get an error message.

**hpham** · 01-21-2021, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by gmannix

I assume it is generic, has a AT&T logo on the back.

If it has an AT&T logo on the back, it's an AT&T-branded phone and might not have the freqs/bands to use with Verizon. I have several AT&T-branded phones (LG G6 and LG Q6), they only support GSM. If your phone was unlocked by AT&T, then it can be used with T-mo besides AT&T.

**Lisme** · 01-21-2021, 09:18 PM

I believe a USA Moto G7 is generally whitelisted with the big three. As long as carrier obligations have been satisfied and unlock is granted. I don't think Moto bothers with leaving out bands. You may have problems with certain carriers not accepting the IMEI because they want to trap you into buying from their whitelist.

I believe the carriers have to pay Motorola in order to be on a whitelist. It must happen at the factory.

**ST Dog** · 01-21-2021, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by hpham

If it has an AT&T logo on the back, it's an AT&T-branded phone and might not have the freqs/bands to use with Verizon.

Motorola hasn't been make different carrier models like that. So the hardware should be that same for all carrier models and the unlocked version. Only real issue to watch for is the non-US versions. They have different features (NFC, compass) and bands (and no CDMA).

But the phones can be carrier locked.

**ST Dog** · 01-21-2021, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by Lisme

I believe the carriers have to pay Motorola in order to be on a whitelist. It must happen at the factory.

Pretty sure it's the other way around. Lenovo pays the carriers to be whitelisted. That would include testing, either paying the carrier to test, or providing the results of their own/independent testing.

That was a big sticking point with Verizon for years. Only recently did they make it easier for OEMs to certify devices that Verizon wasn't going to sell.

**Lisme** · 01-21-2021, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by ST Dog

Pretty sure it's the other way around. Lenovo pays the carriers to be whitelisted. That would include testing, either paying the carrier to test, or providing the results of their own/independent testing.

That was a big sticking point with Verizon for years. Only recently did they make it easier for OEMs to certify devices that Verizon wasn't going to sell.

Hmmm, so if Lenovo paid AT&T something, and then you want to use their newly unlocked phone on T-Mobile, why should T-Mobile allow that if they didn't get money?

Oh well.

**rpz1** · 01-21-2021, 11:04 PM

Originally Posted by gmannix

I got a great deal on a moto 7 but I have a question about activation on tracfone. I had a chat and one CSR told me AT&TT would have to unlock the phone and then I would have to use a verizon sim. That sounded fishy so I did another chat and he had me give him the IMEI and 89014 from a Keep your own sim kit (AT&T) and he said it was reay to activat with a minute card. Which one of these guys is correct?

My votes that the second CSR is correct. If you want it on ATT the phone has an ATT logo so should have the bands. and based on the imei and att sim number you gave the second CSR they said it was good to activate. What am I missing ?

**brasscupcakes** · 01-21-2021, 11:13 PM

I just wanted to note here that a carrier's logo is no indication one way or the other of whether a phone is carrier unlocked -- it just means it was originally sold by the carrier.

**ST Dog** · 01-22-2021, 02:39 AM

Originally Posted by Lisme

Hmmm, so if Lenovo paid AT&T something, and then you want to use their newly unlocked phone on T-Mobile, why should T-Mobile allow that if they didn't get money?

Oh well.

Lenovo paid both already so the phone would be certified on both carriers (or 4 if you include VZW and Sprint). Same hardware & software certified.

Cheaper for them to do the same device for all 4 than 4 different devices (5 if you count the unbranded version that already needs certification). Easier production too. Just swap a backplate and flash a different firmware (for the carrier specific stuff, like boot screen and bundled apps). Do the same for the MVNOs too.

1 device to manufacturer with last minute differentiation for the different carriers.

**Lisme** · 01-22-2021, 08:10 AM

So Lenovo pays a bribe to the carriers so the carriers will accept the phone. I think that the manufacturer of a "product that needs to be perfect" in order to avoid chaos should pay for verification in order to avoid trouble.

Just within the last year, a number of Google Fi Motos (which are actually guaranteed to work on the big three, not just Fi) became inoperable on Verizon after the Android 10 update. Lenovo was well aware that they were the problem, but stonewalled and dragged things out for over a year. I had one of those phones, because I buy used and Fi phones go for cheaper because people don't know what they are. Lenovo finally released a patch after having to replace phones under warranty with non-Fi models. I was one of the voices on the Lenovo forums, and they actually replaced my phone with a new one even though out of warranty, totally for free. The new phone has native Android 10. I can tell it's slightly different from the updated one and it's US Retail (I have another one for comparison). They were doing that to be sure, and also testing them. It shouldn't take a year to make a patch for an APN (we think) issue. So the manufacturers should be responsible for their own testing since Lenovo got in trouble with their higher-end phones. Some people had purchased numbers of these phones for their employees and got burned. I think it also involved some Tracfone models and other non-Fi. Not a peep out of Verizon about this, not their problem I presume.

**ST Dog** · 01-22-2021, 08:57 AM

Not a bribe. No more than paying registration fee to the county is a bribe to drive your car.

Some one has to pay for the certification testing and pay to review the results.

And the market had changed. No longer are carriers driving/funding the development of new devices. So now the OEMs pay to have the devices they develop allowed by the carrier.

Google-Fi throws another wrench in the works. I don't know what stuff has to be modified to get a device to work there, but sounds like Lenovo screwed up an update and drug their feet fixing it. Not a surprise given their track record with the Motorola line.

I was pleasantly surprised to get the Dec 1 security patch yesterday (Jan 21), less than 2 months, on my G7 Power/optimo max). The Android 10 update was already out when I bought it, but I think it took nearly a year for them to release it. Took even longer for Android 8 on the G5 Plus.

The point being, Lenovo is not responsive to customer issues and really slow at releasing updates. The only fast one I remeber was some early problems with VoLTE on Verizon with the G7 Power, and they managed a fix in a few weeks. But that right after launch when it was a hot new device. A similar problem with the Android 10 update would have taken 3 times as long if they ever fixed it.

But in general the US versions are all the same hardware with minor software differences.

**gmannix** · 01-22-2021, 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by rpz1

My votes that the second CSR is correct. If you want it on ATT the phone has an ATT logo so should have the bands. and based on the imei and att sim number you gave the second CSR they said it was good to activate. What am I missing ?

Didn't have an AT&T logo, just a Motorola one on back, beneath the camera.