Talk with the person you purchased the phone from. Perhaps they are not aware the ESN is bad, or that they had a remaining balance on the account. The original account holder will need to contact the carrier and clear up any remaining balance before the new owner can activate it.

Can you clean a blacklisted phone?

A phone is put on the Blacklist when it is reported to the carrier as lost or stolen by the original owner. In order to remove it from this blacklist, the original owner has to call the carrier, prove ownership and then request for it to be removed from the blacklist. This process usually takes 3 days.

What does ESN clean mean?

A clean/clear ESN means that that the device can be activated with the proper provider. A device with a bad ESN phone cannot since it has been flagged as stolen, payment due, lost, or for a variety of other reasons. Those phones may be good to get for parts since they are usually cheaper.

Can IMEI be removed from blacklist?

You can still have your phone’s IMEI unblocked or removed from the carrier’s block list. The easiest way to unlock blacklisted iPhone devices is to contact the previous owner and ask for their help.

Can you still use a phone with a bad ESN?

A bad ESN means you can’t activate an iPhone on your current carrier. For example, if you purchase an iPhone with a bad ESN from someone who used it on Verizon, then you won’t be able to activate that phone on Verizon.

How do I make sure my IMEI is clean?

Attract more buyers – generate a report.

  1. Dial *#06# to see the IMEI number on the screen. IMEI is a unique number assigned to your phone.
  2. Enter IMEI to the field above. Do not forget to pass a captcha test.
  3. Verify that the IMEI is CLEAN and the phone is not blacklisted. Now you can be sure whether the ESN is bad or clean.

How do I know if my phone has a bad ESN?

If the ESN is good, you’ll see a green message saying it’s clean. If the ESN is bad, you’ll see a red message saying so. It’s pretty straightforward. That’s all there is to check a phone’s ESN status online.

Does a clean IMEI mean the phone is paid off?

When a device has a clean ESN, it means it is 100% ready to activate with its intended carrier. It must not have outstanding payments due or any sort of balance on the carrier contract relating it and must NOT be reported as lost or stolen. In either of these cases, the device will be considered to have a bad ESN.

Is it illegal to sell a blacklisted phone?

You can sell your blacklisted phone if it has a bad ESN/IMEI. Some online buyback stores will buy financed phones you still owe money on, for example, and local repair stores might buy it for parts.

How to clean bad ESN on iPhone?

Many carriers offer services to clean bad ESN iPhone. You can ask your network carrier for help. Alternatively, there are other companies that offer ESN cleaning services as well. You can take advantage of those. Both options will cost you of course.

Can I get a refund for a bad ESN number?

If you bought the device with the bad ESN newly from a retailer or online shop, you might be in luck as they can provide you with a refund or at least a replacement, depending on their policy. For example, Amazon and eBay have refund policies.

What can I do with a Samsung Galaxy with a bad ESN?

Here are some ideas you can do with your Samsung Galaxy. If you managed to confirm that the ESN is bad, then consider getting it unlocked. Normally, if the Samsung Galaxy has a bad ESN, blocked or blacklisted due to unpaid bills, unlocking it still allows you to use the phone outside of USA or internationally.

What is blacklisted IMEI and bad ESN?

Blacklisted IMEI is basically the same thing as Bad ESN but for devices that work on CDMA networks, like Verizon or Sprint. In short, the main reason that a device has a Blacklisted IMEI is so that you as the owner or someone else cannot activate the device on any carrier, not even the original one, thus avoiding selling or stealing the phone.