LiterallyUnlimited - I have the very same issue with a Sprint phone that was active under FreedomPop and then Tello.
To be clear, any MVNO like Tello or FreedomPop would be OK with that flag but if someone were to buy my phone and want to use it at Sprint it would be necessary to submit that flag change to SPCS? If so, what is the best course (e.g. request this here or contact a specific group within Sprint)? I just want to avoid a negative experience for someone purchasing the phone. Thanks for your help and the details you have shared on this thread.
In a perfect world, the Sprint BYOD checker would detect a compatible phone and flip the ownership flag silently.
As that's not the case, your first route of recourse should be through the MVNO -- in this case Tello. They do actually have the tools to fix the database flag, even if their front-end phone agents don't. Flipping it from SPCS to PLBL is step 1 in making a phone compatible with an MVNO.
If pressing the MVNO doesn't work, then Sprint tech support should also have access to this. 888.211.4727
If the phone has ever been on Ting or RingPlus, or if you have ever been a RingPlus or Ting customer (a stupidly low bar), I'm happy to help you if you DM me here, on Reddit or via mitch@ting.com. It takes me only a few minutes to flip the ownership flag.
I used to help all MVNO customers, but I would come in to like 10 requests a day from Tello customers wanting to go to Sprint -- something Ting doesn't pay me for. It started to affect my actual job, so I stopped taking unsolicited requests.
Merry Christmas, LiterallyUnlimited! When you return from Christmas break, could you explain a little about the Sprint SKU system vs the SPCS/PLBL database system? It seems like in some instances they serve similar purposes and operate in tandem, and sometimes operate independently. Why, for example, would Virgin re-SKU a non-Virgin phone to check eligibility with Virgin?
If after reading that you have additional questions, I'm happy to field.
As to re-SKU on Virgin, there are specific services (like WiFi calling and VoLTE) that Sprint restricts based on SKU alone, and if they're not offering those features to low-margin users (Boost and Virgin), that's how they do it. Why it doesn't get re-SKUed if you don't sign up is probably just a coding oversight.
Thank you much for your responses and information! I have leaned a great lot from you! I certainly can imagine how this can impact your job and time. For now, I will sell the phone with that expectation on eBay (flag in place of PLBL). This way, no one has surprises, there is no need to involved anyone for now, and it is clear that this phone is set to be used with an MVNO. In the worst case the person wants to use it with Sprint directly, I can reach out to Tello (the last company the phone was with) to have them flip that. On an unrelated note, prior to that, the phone was in fact with RingPlus. Thanks again and merry Christmas to all!
Realistically, if you can, set the phone back to SPCS before selling on eBay. It opens up your audience to all of Sprint customers, and all MVNOs will automatically flip it back to PLBL if it's necessary to bring it to their network. All the BYOD checkers do it.
If you can't get Tello to flip it, please let me know. As the phone was previously with RingPlus, you fall under my stupidly low umbrella of scope of support. Flipping an ownership flag takes me all of a few seconds, and that way you know it's ready to go on Sprint and all its MVNOs.
