# Phone with greyed out APN settings



## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

I had been watching for an upgrade phone as 3G fades off in sunset. Got an ATT Sonim XP5 off ebay. Clean, etc. Got it today and not only clean, this bugger is brand new. Not bad for $24.

Ok, so I popped the SIM out of my old 3G over into it. Its Red Pocket reseller but SIM is for ATT network. I can make voice calls, but cant use data. Remembered that I had to change APN like back when I got the used 3G phone. It too was a ATT phone, just lot older. But settings greyed out. Doesnt even show the ATT APN, just gives option to reset APN to original default, which of course is ATT. Buggers, why would they lock down APN settings. You either are on ATT network direct from ATT or one of the ATT resellers. Either way ATT benefits. You arent going to set it to Verizon or something.

There is an ATT website where even non-customers can ask to have phone unlocked. But busy time day, try again tomorrow morning.

There are oodles of third party offers to unlock phones but they sound pretty scammy. Want between $5 and $25. I am guessing few if any are legit. Anybody here have any luck with them?


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Spent a whole lot of time. Phone still locked to ATT but got it to allow me to add Red Pocket APN. That is a story in itself. I found a post of some guy using an unregistered SIM in phone and this made the phone show the ATT APN. Then replace it with the registered Red Pocket SIM and go to APN, still shows ATT APN, but now push the menu key and voila, there is option to manually add new APN. Well I had an unregistered Red Pocket SIM they sent me last time I bought their 360 day plan. Didnt use it, just added plan to current SIM account. Well it forced phone to show the ATT APN just like guy said. Replaced it with registered Red Pocket SIM and voila...

Now once that was done, I can MMS text and I can use browser built into the phone. Only a true masochist would use that browser, but it does work. Remember this is not a touch screen. Great, I can access my Red Pocket data. Now I try to tether, which is what I mostly use cell phone for. Just pops up message to call ATT. Try to create hotspot... yep, call ATT. Despite me not having ATT service directly, I am using a reseller of ATT network.

Now this phone uses a minimalist version of Android 4.4. There is no Google store link or anything, its not designed to add apps, just update factory apps. Though did read somebody that figured a way to sideload some apps. No touch screen so lot apps wouldnt work anyway. But if it could accept apps, there are third party tethering apps that do end run around any hardwired tethering block on an Android phone.

NOw here is kicker. I was reading some reviews on "unlocked" version of this ATT phone on Amazon. One reviewer said even unlocked, he still couldnt tether, got that message to call ATT. Its just hardwired into the ATT version of this phone. No idea if you do have ATT service and call them, how they make tethering possible from their end. You can use it unlocked on any GSM phone service, but you cant tether. You would apparently have to root the phone. Lovely.

So looking lot like I may need a real Android phone just so I can run third party tethering app. And yea Red Pocket says up front, tethering on their ATT network is fine, they just dont offer technical support, if you can figure it out on your own, you have their blessing. They say upfront you wont be able to tether with an Apple phone due to some legalities involved.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Yea it kinda looks like any phone that originally came with tethering locked down wont suddenly be able to tether if its "network unlocked". It has to be rooted. Now today found possible shortcut to installing android apps on the Sonim. So maybe EasyTether.... And apparently you can root it, some guy claims he rooted his XP5, mentions the software he used. I will try installing EasyTether first. Cause not lot details on rooting it. Just that one brief mention on one thread when I googled. It might be enough info, but rather have somebody go through it step by step. I think nobody much uses the Sonims to tether. They are a "rugged" phone meant for basic use in harsh conditions. Which begs the question why ATT felt need to lock down tethering on all their network locked Sonim XP5. The ATT Sonim XP5 is by far the most common and cheapest version on used market. Finding an unlocked international GSM version is difficult and would be expensive to buy.

Also have bid in on cheapest older Samsung I could find that supports 4G LTE. I am only bidder. Its a Galaxy 3 I think though outward appearance looks for world like my 3G only Samsung Eternity. Anyway its network unlocked. And has cracked screen though they say touch screen function part of it works ok despite cracks. I did some research, costs about $10 in parts and takes about 20 minutes to replace the cracked glass. Do need a heat gun as glass is glued to frame. Its also super easy to root if necessary. Just use it cracked long as possible if I win it. 

One big upside to rooting a phone is that you can then remove all the fluff bloat apps installed by the provider. The ones you can only hide, not delete, if you dont root the phone. If you can remove them, then can pretty much make a smart phone into a basic dumb phone only doing what you need it to do and freeing up lot of space. Maybe best way to go due to lack of availability of good dumb 4G phones.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Well, found an English version of KingRoot and it saw the phone and rooted it or at least claims success. Phone screen was showing KingRoot emblem so suspect it did.

Still have to move SIM to Sonim to see if I can tether. May not be finished, seems I may have to install an editor to the phone and edit build.prop file. Author of that post suggested one called jrummy. That would be easiest way since I now apparently have it rooted. But also could install EasyTether or some other end run type tethering app. The tricky part is figuring how to sideload an app of any kind on this phone. No access to Google Play and no touch screen.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Okie dokie. I figured out how to sideload apk apps to the Sonim. Installed build file editor (not recommended one that seems to have disappeared). And the crippled version of EasyTether to see if it works.

The editor claims my phone is indeed not rooted so refuses to open. EasyTether works. It does an end run and doesnt care if phone rooted or not. I had to go download software for windows and linux computers. EasyTether requires the Android app and corresponding software on the computer you are tethering. Then ran the wizard on the phone side. Bingo, I am connected. But this is crippled in that it cant surf to any https: site, only old http sites. Puppy forum is still http and I could go there just fine. So I can indeed tether to the Sonim XP5. Just have to pay the man $10.  

I am curious however whether I am actually rooted and its just that build editor that is faulty. Think there are more of them from other vendors so... And there might be some free apps similar to EasyTether. But is it worth the time to find out.... $10 is reasonable and I have used EasyTether on cheap BoostMobile android phone some years back. its dead on reliable once you have it installed. You do have to have their software installed on any computer you want to tether though. Once you pay them you can use it forever with free updates. Alas I dont have the unlock code I paid for those several years ago.

Now to move on to the Asus Zenfone3 MAX. See if I can install a custom ROM and get it working as a phone again.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

I ran across an old tethering app called AziLink that is open source and was mainly used for tethering Android phone to linux computer, though vague mention that at one time people used it with winXP and MAC ten to fifteen years ago. Last update and mention is ten years ago. Its a way to do end run around tether block on Android phone much like EasyTether. Or on real early Android phone that didnt have native way to tether. Its just open source and thus free. Not nearly as polished. 

Its a frustrating hair puller for sure since no search did I find anybody still using it, it had its moment ten years ago and things change in ten years. I would get tethered for like two minute then it would start connecting/disconnecting in continuous loop. Have to shut off phone and computer and reboot both and start over. 

Usually doing same thing over and over expecting different results is mark of insanity, but thats what I did, looking for some trivial difference. This last time Puppy stayed tethered over half hour now and counting. Frustrating thing now, I dont know why. What exactly did I do differently if anything. Oh well keep using it and see if keeps working.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

AziLink pretty reliable. Once in a while it will go into that connect-disconnect continuous loop while trying to tether. But reboot both phone and computer and it then works. Once it is tethered, it remains tethered. On both Puppy and a Lubuntu computer made a small script to run necessary commands, just push button on desktop. Thats lot more pleasant than typing commands in terminal to connect. 

The Sonim XP5 maybe best tethering phone ever (well would be if native Android tethering wasnt blocked) as it just goes to sleep while letting my tether connection continue. Remains cool as a cucumber. I got a voicemail today, but when I listened to it, was for the guy that had this phone number two or three years ago. Apparently he didnt update any of his contacts with new number and this person looking for money. Unfortunately showed weak side of the phone. Its loud but kinda muddy quality speaker. 

I read and people said the speaker phone (for multiple people to hear at same time) on it was better than regular speaker you put to your ear. I dont even remember which was button for that. It does have a headset jack, had to use that on old Boost Mobile phone I had few years ago, only way I could tell what person on other end of line was saying. I would think designers of cell phones would first and foremost want to make speaker and mic work very well.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Hey I was playing with sonim XP5 and I can text to another phone number, but unlike my old phone, cant text to email which is annoying. Did cell companies discontinue that or is it just quirk in this phone? I havent been curious enough to put SIM back in old 3G phone and try. I also tried sending text from email to the phone. Also worked on old phone, but not this one. 

I swear this phone has fought me every step of way using it on MVNO reselling GSMA (ATT network). Its ATT locked phone so... But then so was my old one, but it was OLD and apparently not with all the gotchas built in that ATT had phone manufacturer put into later smart phones they sold. Even if you network unlock the phone, you still have the ATT ROM with its snitch app and other restrictions built in.

I didnt want to spend much, and have made this do what I want for most part, but would advise anybody going the MVNO route to make sure not only network is unlocked but so is tethering/hotspot functions. If you dont want to fight with it or root it, find a new factory unlocked or international version phone. One without all the gotchas from phone companies. I looked around but cheapest new factory unlocked seems around $80 which little excessive for my needs. People that spend hundreds on new phone every couple years are nuts IMHO, but then no doubt they have different needs and wants than me.


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