A51 Regional locking

[rbaxter691]

I purchased a Samsung A51 on the 08/08/2020 at the Dubai int airport while in transit yo the UK. When i purchased it i specifically asked if the phone would work in the UK and was assured by the sales person it would. I am having issues downloading an app specific to the UK.
The phone was never used in Dubai, i only installed sim cards when i got to the UK.
I have heard the a firmware re-flash might be required.

[BandOfBrothers]

@rbaxter691 

May I ask what the app is ?

In regards to Region Lock.

"All current Samsung phones come with an active regional lock when first bought. Assuming it's not also locked to a specific network, using a SIM from the same regional origin as the phone for at least 5 minutes of total talktime will disable the regional lock and allow you to use a SIM from any other region from then on."

Does the phone accept a Uk sim card and can be used on the Uk Network to make calls , send texts and use Internet etc ?

If so there is no region lock.

What you may need to check is if the region is set to the United Kingdom in your Playstore.

Can you download the phoneinfo app from the Playstore and then check what the csc is as this will help to show what firmware it has on it.

BTU is a phone supplied by Samsung directly.

XEU is a phone supplied by a reseller.

Any other you'll need to Google Search it.

Custom Roms can help but they need to be applied carefully as going wrong can cause stability issues and because the phone has been imported Samsung Uk may not be able to offer support.

Xdadevelopers is a good site to visit.

Disclaimer 》
Using a Custom Rom can bring about an unstable phone or it may not work properly if the process glitches or the wrong Rom is used.
A person takes full responsibility if they perform this process and do so at their own informed decision. Samsung would levy a charge to put this right if they'doffer support to an importedphone.

I wish you all the best with this situation.