SIM Locked and also Unlocked

[B12]

I don't know what to title this...

I'm mostly putting this here for awareness. I see not resolution.

Couple days ago, might have even been a week ago, I changed the PIN on my phone and then upon re-entering the PIN my phone told me I was wrong. So I tried the numbers in a different order and I had X amount of attempts to guess my own PIN right. I lost and my phone locked itself down and told me to contact my carrier... Public, in this case.

I do that and they give me PUK codes. Now every time my phone turns off and back on I'm greeted by this screen and it is extremely annoying. Never in my life have I had to enter a PIN into my phone to "unlock" my SIM card. I can also see doing this maybe once a year BUT all the time? 🙄 I don't know exactly what I did to have a half-locked, half-unlocked SIM but holy mother is it infuriating.

[B12]

@gpixel 

I didn't set up anything on my lonesome.

[B12]

@Korth I was able to disable the SIM lock at boot through settings. To my dismay, I had to put the SIM PIN in just to do that. 😂

I like to point out what I think are flaws because they are cons to the system of which someone operates. I don't really point out pros because they ought to speak for their selves.

[gpixel]

@B12 sorry, which part of my post are you replying too?

* sorry, read it wrong. yeah, you're right. your custom ROM probably has it baked in as a security feature.

I changed the PIN on my phone and then upon re-entering the PIN my phone told me I was wrong. So I tried the numbers in a different order and I had X amount of attempts to guess my own PIN right. 

what is the pin you were talking about?

[B12]

@gpixel  You are wrong when it comes to my phone, at least. I never had a SIM PIN set up nor did my phone ask for such a thing until the day came where I forgot the personal PIN I had set for my flip phone. That's where it all began. I have since switched to a smartphone I have and I've used said smartphone in the past (with this very service) with no issue.

[Korth]

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@B12 wrote:

I have LineageOS running on my phone so that's probably the "problem" in the eyes of normal people. 🤣😁

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If the lock itself is such an ugly, clumsy, awkward thing then I would have little faith in it having clever, elegant, robust code for the internal workings. Good locks are good locks because they've been given a lot of attention, analyzed and tested and refined. Ugly locks might be ugly because they've never been given any attention by the lockmakers, although the attentions of lockbreakers will be sure to find all the flaws and vulnerabilities.

If this is indeed a feature of LineageOS (and not something baked into the phone firmcode) then I'd personally be unimpressed enough to avoid using it.

[gpixel]

@B12 

because you set up the phone to have a sim pin. after you've entered the correct PUK code. the phone is still wanting the sim pin. 

the default sim pin is 1234

the good thing is, the PUK code will never change. even if you were to keep entering the wrong sim pin. you have the PUK code to force it back to the sim pin.

people used to lock their sim cards because back in the day, that's where all your phone book entries, text messages etc. would be stored. I used to use the sim pin method and have run into the PUK problem a lot

[B12]

@Korth I have LineageOS running on my phone so that's probably the "problem" in the eyes of normal people. 🤣😁

[B12]

I am a so-called "paranoid" person and I say locking a SIM card is stupid... then again, so's paying $10 for the SIM itself. 🤔😂🙄 Boy, they must laugh a lot.

[Korth]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@B12 wrote:

Why is locking SIM cards even a thing? 😂

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For some extra paranoid people it would help protect against unauthorized device use. So ya wanna use this phone do ya? What's the password then?

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The "screenlock" prevents people from using the phone.

The "SIMlock" prevents people from using the phone service. Otherwise they could use the SIM card (along with phone service and phone number) from a stolen/locked phone in another phone.

Some people (or apps) also store passwords, contact lists, important messages, etc on the SIM card. You could plug someone else's SIM card into your phone and find all sorts of important tidbits or secrets on it, or find it automatically syncing (logging into and copying over) all their cloud and social media.

"Paranoid" people will lock their SIM cards to prevent this nonsense. The security layer is already built-in, if you want to use it.

But this "infuriating" unlock prompt is not typical. It normally bugs you only when SIM card has changed or will be changed. This "annoying" example must be badly designed phone software or badly (mis)configured phone settings.

[Anonymous]

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@B12 wrote:

Why is locking SIM cards even a thing? 😂

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For some extra paranoid people it would help protect against unauthorized device use. So ya wanna use this phone do ya? What's the password then?

[B12]

Why is locking SIM cards even a thing? 😂

[will13am · Accepted solution]

@B12 , you should disable SIM PIN lock on your phone.  For android devices, go to settings, security, SIM card lock to disable.  For iPhones, settings, cellular, SIM PIN.  BTW, screen lock is more functional than SIM PIN lock.  

[Dunkman]

@B12 

Which model phone?  

Your phone is asking for the SIM lock code, not Public mobile.  Somewhere in your phone settings, you should be able to turn it off somehow. 

It is not necessary to have SIM lock code.  I don't have it set up on any of my phones.