What does flashing your mobile phone do?
Written on 5/10/2008 05:31:00 PM by poison_ivy
Mobile Phone Flashing is a process wherein a mobile phone's firmware (or program inside your phone's memory) is updated or re-programmed. Like computers, some mobile phones which are sold have some minor software glitches. Things like your phone restarting, hanging, no signal, etc, are signs that there are problems with your phone's firmware.
To resolve this issues, mobile phone manufacturers usually come up with software updates for mobile phones and the process wherein these updates are incorporated into your mobile phone is referred to as "flashing".
Flashing does not unlock your phone or remove operator restrictions. Unlocking your mobile phone is a completely different process but some unlocking procedures usually involve flashing a phone's firmware so many people have the misconception that flashing your mobile phone will unlock it.
Flashing your mobile phone is pretty straightforward. If you follow the instructions well, you won't encounter problems. There are some people, however, who are not comfortable flashing their mobile phones since they're afraid that they would "brick" their mobile phone (a bricked mobile phone is when your phone does not power up anymore) so they let professionals or service centers handle it.
If you're comfortable with technology, instructions for flashing your mobile phone can usually be found on mobile phone forums. Google it and you'll find a lot of mobile phone resources talking about flashing.
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Hello. I have a quick question for you. Is it possible to flash a cricket phone? And then activate it as a metro pcs?
I think that you need to contact metro pcs directly to activate your phone on their network.
soo, if i got my cingular phone flashed, would it work with my new t mobile sim card?
It depends on what kind of phone you have. Some mobile phones cannot be unlocked by flashing. Sometimes flashing your phone will only upgrade the firmware. Search Google for a more specific way to unlock your phone. Use the keyword: Unlock "Mobile Phone Model" add in the word "forums" so you can get a more specific answer and not some spammy sites that offers to unlock your mobile phone for a fee.
Another thing is that even if you have unlocked your Cingular phone, you can't use your T-Mobile simcard unless both networks operate on the same GSM frequency.
can i get a phone thats been flashed and use it for metro pcs..... ive seen other phones that can be used for metro those phones were voyagers, samsung upstage, and samsung instinct
also most of the phones were from sprint and verizon
Yes you can (according to some forums and websites I've visited). You can ask Metro to do it for you but there's a fee and there's a list of compatible handsets on their website. Also, some handset features might be disabled if you flash to another carrier.
i have a sprint contract. i saw a newer style sprint phone on sale at a cricket retailer...can it be flashed back to sprint?
If its originally a Sprint Phone then there's a good chance that it can be flashed back to sprint.
So if go and get a t mobile phone unlocked and put my att sim card in , the cell phone place said the internet probably wouldnt work, he said flashing it or flexing it may fix this problem? Anyone know?
Can a Blackberry or a Palm Treo be flashed to Metro PCS with internet and all functionality? MetroFlash only allwos for talk and text messaging.
does the sony ericsson costumer centre can deal with this sort of technical glitches? such as my problem, i can only use 1 of my sim card because of the phone lock code i had forgotten hehehe..
or it is better to ask phone shops.
from eddy
I have a question about phone flashing.
i have a password on my memory card which i cannot remember. is it possible that flashing can get rid of the password ?
if not,what other alternative can i resort to ?
thank you.
Hi...thanks for your site.Does flashing change or tamper with the phone's IMEI.Is flashing legal in countries that have laws against re-programming mobile phones? ..Fred
No, flashing your mobile phone to a firmware that's issued by the mobile phone manufacturer is perfectly legal and doesn't tamper with the IMEI. I think you need a specialized software plus hardware for that.
Reprogramming mobile phones is only illegal if you attempt to change the identity of your mobile phone like when you change the IMEI number. This is what is being deterred by laws disallowing reprogramming of mobile phones.
Flashing your mobile phone to unlock it and make it work with any simcard is perfectly legal, and in fact, some wireless carriers can unlock your phone for you--for a fee.
Flashing your mobile phone so that you can improve some of the software inside it (like improving camera or speed), is also legal so long as your IMEI is retained.
i have a nokia phone it's coming on but sticks on nokia do i need a phone flash and if yes i do i go about do that thanks
hi! i flashed my motorola phone and it worked for about 2 months. now wen i on it ir says insert sim although the sim card is perfectly good.it doesnt recongnize anny sim card.why did this happen?
Hi, my friend just purchased an old LG enV off of Craigslist to trade phones with me. Only when we dialed the number to transfer my account to that phone did we run into a problem. It appears the person who sold us the phone had flashed it to U.S. Cellular. Is it possible to flash it back to Verizon? If so, where could I get this done?
If you have the cell phone "dead"
like it canot power on does flashing repair it??
it is a good idea to make use of consumer-friendly mobile technology
thanks a lot by ntjayappa from bangalore- karnataka-india
I want to flash a Motorola Hint issued by Alltel and be able to use it with Cricket. Cricket sells the same phone but tells me that probably most of the special features of that high-end phone won't work if I do that. True or are they just wanting me to buy a new one through them?
If I have a phone issued by Verizon flashed to Cricket and then want to use it at Verizon (who says they do not do flashing) does it mean they won't accept a phone that has been flashed?
Hi, I have a quick question. I have an LG shine that otherwise works fine, but freezes when i try to open MMS picture messages. There is a picture in particular of a deceased family member that was sent to me that i am desperately trying to access.
The standard LG suite software will only allow access to text messages and the phonebook etc, so other than just opening the message on the phone Is there any other way I can access/copy it to my computer??. I Wondered if there was a way of copying/accessing the phones operating system/Firmware directly to retrieve it? or any other ideas you may hae would be more than welcome.
Thank you for your help.
i have a question. ok i want to get a enV touch from verizon but i have metro pcs. now i heard from flashing a phone to metro pcs some stuff doesn't work . what doesnt work?
I have just bought a flashed HTC PRO for cricket,and i was told every thing work's , Do any one know how to activate it with out dialing x228 on cricket PLEASE VERY URGENT.
Thanks
hello,my LG KF510's touch pad is failing to respond at times.can flashing help and how can i do it without risking my phone? nselemas@yahoo.com
Can i get a Android google phone flashed to Metro PCS? IS this legal? How well will the internet work if i flash it over?
does flashing your phone get rid of your pictures that you have saved on it?
i unknowingly unistalled a pre-installed application on my samsung wave 2("samsung apps" app) and i cannot download it from anywhere.So will flashing my phone bring the application back or not?
the problem is how to flash your mobile phone. Is there a software to this end??!!
can you legally flash phones in the UK ??
Can the Nokia lumia 900 be flashed onto cricket