What are the steps to changing phones?

[baldybill]

Ok, never changed phones with Verizon before. I am hoping to get the Gnex. What are the steps to change over from the OG Droid to the Gnex?

Sent from my OG Droid

 

[johnnycool001]

Walk into store, When the salesman asks if he can help you say just looking, proceed to look at phones, wait till the hot large chested sales person gets free, and approch her. When she asks if she can help you say "yes" Tell her what phone you want, then she will ask you to come with her over to the computer, she will ask you for you account information, you will might stumble over some of the questions, but you will get through, then she will tell you that yes you can have an upgrade. then she will leave and go to the back to get a phone. you will stand there akowardly, alone while she is gone, for a long time. She retures you hand her you OG, and for a moment you fill bad, like you are cheating on your lover, she powers off you OG. She unboxes your new phone. and pulls off the stickers, then types on the computer. more waiting, she enters you gmail into the new phone, types on computer, has problem, gets someone to help her, that person leaves, she types some more, then she flicks back her hair, says all set. She then tries to sell you a screen protector, case, bluetooth, car charger and dock. You get the spill about how you get 30% off for buying five things, so you take them all, and she gives you a big smile. she types on the computer some more, and you sign a new contract, dying just a little bit on the inside. Then the total comes up on the little screen, you slide you card, for a total amount that is almost a two week pay check. you swallow hard and punch in your pin. She puts all you new stuff and your og in a verzion bag. You big farwell. You drive home. you feel remorse, pain, sadness, then joy, excitment, love? you go home, plug in your new toy to charge. you wait and stare at the bag for what seems like an entertity, then you will get hungy, have a sandwhich, then wait some more, finnlly the time is here you can upplug and play. You contacts will be in the phone, but you will be spending the next 6-8 hours redownloading your APPS, exploring menus, adjusting setting and building home screens.

 

[baldybill]

What about switchin to a used phone?

Ok, I see that.

But what if we were to buy a used phone, like a Bionic off ebay?
How do you switch to it? Surely not through the store

 

[johnnycool001]

I belive you just power off your old phone, and you do the activiton on the new phone, when you put in your information on the new phone it will d activate the old one. This is what I did, the 3 times my wife got a referb. You can also do it through your account online, or call the number and they can do it over the phone.

 

[LadyDJ]

How to understand "Activation" properly?

I belive you just power off your old phone, and you do the activiton on the new phone, when you put in your information on the new phone it will d activate the old one. This is what I did, the 3 times my wife got a referb. You can also do it through your account online, or call the number and they can do it over the phone.

Hi, I'm new to my Droid and smartphones in general.. so please excuse my struggle to grasp some basic ideas that everyone else must know already.

What does it mean to 'activate' a phone exactly? (Or to de-activate a phone for that matter.) -- From what i've read on a number or posts this obviously this is a necessary thing, but I can't quite figure out what it means in a precisely specific kind of way. I probably have a confused perception of how the Google/Android OS/Marketplace is all synchronized or tied together. Is activation something that happens with a phone service provider? It seems to me that what it probably means really. But I've also read stuff where it also seems maybe like it means something that is more akin to somehow registering or 'linking' your Android OS/phone to your Google stuff like a Gmail account with one's Gmail/youtube/facebook/app-market accounts etc.

The reason it's unclear is because I have a new Droid X2 (well not really new) phone I got from an relative last week and he said it was activated. But he doesn't know anything about smartphones and couldn't figure out how to use it so he went back and got a regular phone that he knows how to use better. So they switched him to the new phone and he kept the Droid to give to me. It's a Verizon Droid x2 and it doesn't make calls now... but it does go to the web and i can download apps and also i was able to add my gmail address identity. I'm thinking that my phone is somehow able for doing some things cuz it can surf the web...but not other things cuz it's not 'activated' anymore. Is that right? - But I don't understand how how a phone can work sort of well enough to use wireless internet connections (like a data plan?) but then still not make phone calls because Verizon has switched over his voice service to his new phone.?? And even though I've now got my Gmail account on the droid it always wants to use my uncle's gmail identity as a primary identity, so that's why it still seems 'activated' (i guess..?) --- Could it be that the data part is still 'active' on my droid? -- I guess I just am confused.

Sorry if my question is convoluted.... I'm usually good at technical things mostly... but no one really talks about (i haven't seen) the basic ideas spelled out in a very precise way for someone like me who is really brand new to a Droid smartphone. I'm learning though!

Thank you all for any help.
didi

 

[LadyDJ]

Oh my! -- what a klutz i am! :frown: I didn't mean for my post to be a reply to this thread. I thought i was asking my questions in a 'new' thread. -- :-(

 

[Einsteindks]

As long as you have a data plan (mandatory for smart phones) with your Verizon account, simply dial *226 from new phone, option1, enter your current phone number from soon-to-be-old phone (when asked), account PIN/password (when asked). Being 'activated' means registered to use the network and/or linking the phone to the account. Out-of-the-box-phones require other inputs to validate activation authenticity. The system knows the difference by what the phone sends when it calls up. You can use this anytime on your own to trade up to any phone, trade sideways within the class of phone, even trade down -- with one exception. You can't go from 4g back down; no SIM card in 'lower' phones.

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