Call *2 (or e-mail Sprint's customer care) and ask to be flagged for a PRL update. If the rep replies with anything other than OK (or equivalent) try calling/e-mailing again. Some reps seem to be clueless about the subject but most will gladly do it for you.
Once you've been flagged, call *2 again and pay attention during the PRL update process. Look for the following signs that your PRL is being updated:
1. Yellow "updating" text appears on your phone pad screen
2. After the PRL is downloaded you will hear an extremely loud beep (don't hold the phone next to your ear during this process!)
3. The phone will soft reset after the beep.
Once the phone resets you should be able to go to Start->Settings->System (tab)->Device Information and look at your PRL version, which should read 20218. If it doesn't say 20218 then call *2 and try again.
This PRL Update process never works for me. I dial *2 talk to CS and they say they've flagged it. I dial back in and I get the message press 1 or english. I press one, and it starts giving me all of the options... billing, technical support...
I call back and I speak to the guy and he says take it to the store. I tell him to describe the process to me. He says dial *2, press 1 for english and then state, "PRL update". I do this, and it doesn't work either.
Is there some trick to getting the update started?
This PRL Update process never works for me. I dial *2 talk to CS and they say they've flagged it. I dial back in and I get the message press 1 or english. I press one, and it starts giving me all of the options... billing, technical support...
I call back and I speak to the guy and he says take it to the store. I tell him to describe the process to me. He says dial *2, press 1 for english and then state, "PRL update". I do this, and it doesn't work either.
Is there some trick to getting the update started?
I dont know who trains these people. Tell the rep that this does not work and that the account has to be flagged by a csr and this has worked in the past. keep calling or talk to their manager... i usually berate their lack of training for a couple minutes... and magically the account gets flagged by someone who knows what they are doing.
If, when you call *2 you get the list of options (Billing, etc.) your account has NOT been flagged (depite what anyone at Sprint may tell you). Just press zero when you hear the options, wait on hold for a rep and say politely "I just need to be flagged for a PRL update on this phone". The rep will usually confirm your phone number, hit a key or two on their computer, and tell you that you are flagged. Sometimes they then launch into an explanation of how to get the update. You can either stop them or listen to the spiel. Then call *2, press 1 for english, and you should hear the "At Sprint, we have recognized that a free update... yada yada yada" message. When you hear that message, you know you've been flagged.
even after mine was flagged id dial *2 and get the update message and it would say it was finished like 2 min later but then nothing would happen. only on like the tenth time did it really do the update. anyone have a similar experience .
I've never had to manually do one of these, but I just called Sprint and the guy told me he went ahead and flagged it for me. How long til I should dial*2? I waited about 2 mins and I just get the "welcome to sprint" message. Is this right or do I need to wait a while?
even after mine was flagged id dial *2 and get the update message and it would say it was finished like 2 min later but then nothing would happen. only on like the tenth time did it really do the update. anyone have a similar experience .
btw what all does the update do ?
the first time i did an update (20216) it took like 10 tries. 20217 took 2 times, 20218 took on the first try...
PRL updates the towers in your area that are considered sprint or roaming... i believe it also give you access to more EVDO towers in your area as they become available. Thats why the EVDO phone PRL (20218 currently) have a different number then the regular sprint network PRL (10030 currently).
Actually, the PRL for non-EV phones are in IS-683A format and the PRL for EV phones are in IS-683C format. The two are not compatible with each other and flashing your phone with the incorrect format will render it a brick until reflashed with the proper format.
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AT&T iPhone 8GB, Belkin leather case
Actually, the PRL for non-EV phones are in IS-683A format and the PRL for EV phones are in IS-683C format. The two are not compatible with each other and flashing your phone with the incorrect format will render it a brick until reflashed with the proper format.
Warning: OT
Since you seem to be quite knowledgeable I was wondering if you know the current PRL for EV-DO data cards (and if there's a way to force an update).
You could use the search button and find it fairly quickly, or I could be nice and tell you that it's a file in the phone that tells it what channels and towers it's allowed to use. It's used primarily for defining roaming contracts, but now also for EV-DO connectivity.
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AT&T iPhone 8GB, Belkin leather case
Since you seem to be quite knowledgeable I was wondering if you know the current PRL for EV-DO data cards (and if there's a way to force an update).
TIA,
Todd/Indy
I've never used a data card, but I have seen the internals of the data card PRLs before. They're far more simple than the ones in phones, since they only need to define data connectivity. You could always call Sprint from another phone and have them flag your EV-DO card's number for a PRL update, then use a modem app such as Hyperterminal to manually dial *2 and see if it updates that way. There may not even be an update if you already have an EV-DO PRL in the card already. Best bet: call Sprint and inquire.
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AT&T iPhone 8GB, Belkin leather case
I called in and the dude that answered set the flag for me no problem. I tried dialing *2 and it gave me the message about needed the update but never got the yellow updating message. I tried it about 12 times and I never got the update and the phone never did a reset or show a message. On that most recent try, it no longer said that I needed an update and just went to the list of choices for customer service. I decided to soft recent my phone to see what would happen and when it came back up I checked the PRL version in the Device Information screen and it had changed from the 20216 that I was on to 20218. I am not sure why I did not see any messages and why the phone didn't do the soft reset on its own as it has for others here. I thought I would pass this on to anyone else having trouble.
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