The only reason I could think for unlocking your phone is to get newer 
versions of Android that wouldn't be available otherwise. I think I've 
seen some references to Lollipop-based ROMs for the SII.

On Sun, 8 Feb 2015, Chuck Cole wrote:

> Thanks..   Has WiFi hardware, but the Android upgrade locked out 3rd party
> WiFi apps that had worked well.  No significant benefit for me to "upgrade"
> the phone, except an extra bluetooth protocol and feature.  Sprint terms and
> fees aren't as good, and my spare batteries, etc don't fit newer ones (I
> just swap batteries instead of using a car charger, etc).  Getting the WiFi
> hotspot to work in the phone is do-able, but it's likely detectable with
> phone and Sprint IDs.  Possible that my infrequent usage might not be seen
> as seems the case for my occasional use of tethered PDAnet.
>
> Chuck
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: tclug-list-bounces at mn-linux.org
>> [mailto:tclug-list-bounces at mn-linux.org] On Behalf Of Clug
>> Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2015 1:14 AM
>> To: TCLUG
>> Subject: Re: [tclug-list] Questions
>>
>> On Sun, 8 Feb 2015, Chuck Cole wrote:
>>
>>> Can I get free and unlimited WiFi hotspot operation by
>> unblocking that in my
>>> Sprint Galaxy SII?
>>
>> The Galaxy SII is a fairly old phone, so I'm not sure how
>> easy it is to
>> unlock and root (I know the SIII is a bit complex... because my mom
>> unlocked and rooted hers).
>>
>> I don't know that the official Android versions available for
>> he SII have
>> a WiFi hotspot feature, but I do think custom ROMs like
>> CyanogenMod from
>> that era had it built-in. If you unlock the phone you can
>> probably get
>> CyanogenMod on there.
>>
>> However, mobile carriers have lately become pretty smart
>> about detecting
>> when you're using your mobile as a wifi hotspot and have
>> started blocking
>> it. I know T-Mobile does, and I can't find a way to work around it
>> (supposedly changing your browser's useragent helps, but it
>> doesn't seem
>> to work for me, plus I use other protocols). So your mileage
>> WILL vary.
>>
>> --
>> _______________________________________________
>> TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
>> tclug-list at mn-linux.org
>> http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list
>>
>
>
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>