LG p500h Optimus One smartphone, circa 2010, unlocked from Koodo for use on the Bell network, Canada.
Somehow I have an LG p500h smartphone, which was locked to Koodo. As Canadian law has changed, forcing mobile service providers to unlock phones free of charge, I went on Koodo’s Facebook page and requested an unlock code. They gave it to me and I was able to unlock the phone. I put my Bell sim card in and it worked! Yay, I have a 2011 phone, but it works!
The LG Optimus One p500h smartphone, even when it came out 2010 July was not a startling revelation of technology. It was one of those phones that Koodo and Bell gave away for free. At 3.2″ it is small and fits into my hand easily, so I like its size. Functionality is pretty limited, I admit, with 500M ram and a small screen. Typing is difficult as they keys are so small. The touch screen is somewhat insensitive. While I can add apps to this phone, it is Android 2.3.3 so nothing new ill run. It does function as a phone with text, and some small apps. This phone is near identical to my LG p699 Optimus Net, July 2011, with identical specs.
I first went to DeviceCheck.ca to ensure it was not on a blacklist. Any blacklisted phone will not work on another provider.
Next was Koodo. They have a Facebook page where you can send them a message, detailing your unlock request and your IMEI, your phone’s unique identifier. After a half a day they sent me a message and unlock code:
Hey there, all done! Your unlock code is: 929*950*475*9789. You will be prompted for this code once you insert another carriers SIM Card into the phone. Please let us know if you run into any issues 🙂
The “*” in the unlock code were actual digits but I am obscuring them, possibly for security purposes.
Anyway, I put my Bell sim card into the phone and walla, nothing happened. Yes, the instructions are wrong. I searched and found these instructions from HowToUnlock.ca, which were partially correct.
- Insert a non-accepted simcard.
- Turn the phone on.
- Type 2945#*500#
- yadda yadda, the rest of the instructions were incorrect
A box appeared and after a couple of tries I was able to get the numeric keyboard, enter my number and hit the “unlock” button. Then nothing happened. I checked my phone and it would not connect to the Bell network. I tried the unlock sequence again, and the unlock screen would not appear. After a couple of minutes I recheck and I was on the Bell network and was able to make a phone call out. Success. Unlocked, functional phone, 2010.
To check if your phone is unlocked you need a sim card inserted. Go to options, about phone, and look at the network. The network should be your mobile provider.
So now I have a spare phone, thanks to the Canadian government, which forced mobile providers to unlock all phones, for Koodo for following the law and making it easy to get an unlock code, and for the internet for providing info on how to unlock the phone. This phone will be my backup phone and will not go to the landfill for quite a while.
