Nov 13, 2026, 6:08 PMOkay, gonna do the thing today. Not looking forward to wasting probably upwards of an hour at a carrier kiosk, but I gotta get it done sooner or later.
Gonna make another stop on the way home to get the carrier unlock code for an old phone I've had laying around, locked to a network I haven't been with for probably ten years.
Nov 13, 2026, 6:11 PMI'd have happily paid $5 to some unlock code service to get the unlock code for said phone without having to go to a physical store, but it seems there are no trustworthy or cheap services out there anymore. :neofox_woozy:
Nov 13, 2026, 8:25 PMGetting the eSIM issue resolved took all of 10 minutes or less at the carrier kiosk, though they ‘had’ to charge me $10 for the privilege because they’re not a corporate store, and yet another reseller that the carrier doesn’t differentiate in any meaningful way on their locator, fantastic.
Got the eSIM changed over to physical SIM finally, now that I’m able to receive texts on that number again.
It’s actually taking longer to deal with the unlock code for the 10 year old phone. That carrier has a wait on walk-ins. :neofox_woozy:
I’m waiting in my car listening to some tunes while I wait for them to text or call me to let me know I’m up next.
Nov 13, 2026, 8:33 PMIt’s really stupid how Canadian carriers don’t offer a self-serve network unlock tool, especially considering network SIM locks have been illegal here since ~2017.
They’d really just need to make an exception for blocklisted IMEIs. I don’t believe that Telus or Bell’s use of temporary locking for ‘fraud prevention’ is at all in good faith, so I don’t believe there should be an exception for that shit. They just love to push the CRTC’s buttons until they grow the spine to say something about it.
Nov 13, 2026, 9:13 PMAaaaahhhh, thankfully it all worked out - I entered the provided unlock code while I was in the store, and it worked!
Now I can put a custom ROM on this sad old S6 and give it a bit more life without worrying about the original stock ROM or having to remember which carrier it was originally with.
carriers in this country suck.
Nov 13, 2026, 8:38 PM@maya_b@hachyderm.io They’re all bastards.
i remember telus customer service asking "so who you going to switch to though?" as a dare.
i will never use them, or any of their vnmo offerings again.
Nov 13, 2026, 9:12 PM@maya_b@hachyderm.io Koodo cancelled their device insurance on me after I expressed my displeasure with the service I received. I didn't explicitly say I wanted to cancel, and I only found out they had done this after I tried to make a claim after the screen on an expensive device was broken again.
Nov 13, 2026, 10:21 PM@maddy finally! glad to hear the mess got resolved for you! 💜
Nov 13, 2026, 10:24 PM@anyia@lgbtqia.space Yeah, no kidding! I'm glad that I can just switch to whatever device with nothing else but a SIM popper or paperclip now. :neofox_thumbsup:
Nov 13, 2026, 10:28 PM@maddy I'm still clinging to physical SINs for the same reason. While convenient, eSIM feels like such a great way to get into strife if your phone dies
Nov 13, 2026, 10:29 PM@anyia@lgbtqia.space Yeah, half the problem I was having was that due to a failed eSIM transfer, my number was in limbo, and I couldn't receive a verification number in a text message to convert to the physical SIM I had purchased.
I'm hanging onto physical SIM as long as I possibly can.