Philips 535 Sim blocked

[whytekj]

Could someone please advise me as my son has gone and blocked the sim on his philips 535.

He has phoned up O2 and got an unblocking code (8 digits), but when I go into the security settings to put the code in the only icon there is "keypad lock".

Does anybody have any suggestion, or is it got to be a new phone?

[nick]

The code O2 gave you is the PUK code.

I think you need to turn the phone off then on and when it asks you for a code, you enter the code they gave you.

[whytekj]

Nick thanks for replying. When I turn the phone on it just comes up with sim blocked. Thats it, nothing will let me enter the puk code. I thought that I would have to go to the security settings but my son has deleted ( some how) the rest of the security icons. I think this is where the problems lie.

[nick]

Have a look in the manual. See if there is a way to do a master reset of the phone. This might put the phone back to the way it was at the start.

And tie your sons hands together..... :rolleyes:

[whytekj]

I have read the manual from back to front, & it does not mention a master reset or return to factory defaults. I have even taken the Sim & bty out for an hour hoping that this will clear it. Running out of things to try!

[krug3r]

Can you turn on without a sim or try another sim ?

[whytekj]

I can turn on without a sim and it still comes up with sim blocked on the front screen. When I put my vodafone sim in it asks for a NKR and wont let me go any further. I feel that the sim on my sons phone is the issue & to unbock it I need the icons back in the security settings which have gone.

[nick]

I would love to know how he managed to delete the icons on it, must have been doing some serious fiddling with it.

Maybe an independent phone shop can help you with this one, they have all sorts of boxes of tricks and might be able to do something using one of them to reset it.

Or you could return it to the shop you bought it from and tell them that when you turned the phone on the sim blocked message came up. They might not believe you but its worth a try. It may be that it is the phone at fault and not your son....

I will have a nose around and see if I can find out more for you about how to sort it.

Nick

[Daedalus]

Just to check, when you put his existing O2 sim card in there, have you tried just entering the code while its displaying 'Sim Blocked' even if there does'nt appear to be anywhere to enter it, or even if it does'nt come up on the screen? If you have'nt, just enter the entire code that O2 gave you regardless of wether or not it comes up on the screen.

As for the 'deleting icons' thing, the SIM Block and PUK code is not something that can be accessed or changed from the phones own menu, its a security override feature on the SIM card itself that kicks in when the SIM's pin number is entered wrongly three times. So he could'nt of 'deleted' any of the parts of the menu anyway, apart from the fact that doing that is completely technically impossible.

Worst comes to the worst, take it back to where you bought it and explain to them everything clearly and give them the PUK code that O2 gave you.

Your Vodafone sim would'nt work in it anyway, its locked to O2 so it will only accept O2 sim cards.

But the bit that really confuses me is, when you turn it on without a sim card in its still saying SIM blocked? Does'nt make any sense.

And when you keep saying 'I go into the menu but the icons have disapeared'? How are you getting in the phones menu if you can't access any other part of the phone while its displaying SIM Blocked? Have you been putting another O2 sim card in it? Thats the only possible way to get to the phones menu without using the existing blocked O2 sim card.

[whytekj]

Hi all and thanks again for replying. You are right, the phone does not say sim blocked when I have taken the sim out. (sorry long day) it asks for the sim. As for deleted icons I can go into any directory and sub directories whilst the sim blocked message greets me as the phone is turned on. I have tried just putting the code from o2 straight in but it is trying to treat it as im placeing a call, and says that the call failed. The icon I can only guess have gone. My son can not remeber so I have looked in the user man and this shows in the sub dir of security the following: keypad lock, Public names, Call baring, Change codes, & Pin protection. The only icon in the security is keypad lock which only sets the dely times for the locking. I know that some of these would be SP specific but the change codes & pin protection I thought would be standard.
This is a very strange one. I think it is going to be back to the shop.

[Daedalus]

I have a feeling that if the SIM card is blocked yet its letting you into the phone's menu's, it may only be allowing you access a restricted version of it or a 'safe mode' of the menu. The idea being that if someone was to steal the phone and enter the pin number wrongly three times, which would lock the sim card, then it will allow them to use a few of the phones features but it seems its locked out the ones you need to unblock the sim card intentioanlly as a safety feature (meaning the thief couldn't unblock it themselves).

The other alternative could be that O2 have cut him off meaning that the sim card has be turned off but will still allow access to the phone (I've seen this before in many Philips phones), so a quick call to O2 to ask them if the account is still active or activated might help somewhat. But only after you've taken it back to the shop, thats the best way of doing it.

And like Nick said, tie your sons hands together, as someone who works in a mobile phone shop theres nothing more frustrating than kids who meddle with either their own phone or their parents/relatives phones and alter settings that they know nothing about. So please, talk to him and make sure he never fiddles with anything on there he does'nt know 100% about again, it makes our life so much easier (by our I mean phone shop salesman etc, not nessecarily the people on this board, although I'm sure they'd appricate a break too :) ).

[whytekj]

Guys thanks for all your wisdom on this. I have just come off the phone talking to an o2 advisor who has said that my son must have entered the PUK code wrong more than 10 times. It looks like he is going to have to buy a new sim. If he has to put his hand in his own pockect, then maybe he will think twice next time before playing around with his mobile. Once again, many thanks.

[nick]

Best thing to do with your son when he gets the new sim is NOT TO USE THE PIN NUMBER :big grin: