Being on a US carrier has quite a few downsides, from high data costs to exclusive Lumia phones, it can be a drudgery. We can add a new one to the mix today too: carrier-branded apps that are outdated.
This morning I wrote about the new Slacker Radio 2.0 update, which brings a new UI and improvements to the app for the first time since 2013. But if you’re on Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint or AT&T, searching for Slacker Radio brings you to their old, outdated branded version. Lame. Luckily, I’ve managed to get the apps to download and install, bypassing the carrier blockage.
Here’s how.
The problem
Searching for Slacker Radio brings up the old carrier-branded version, not the new 2.0 one with a new UI. Clicking the Store link for the new 2.0 version brings up an ‘Item not available’ error message.
The solution
Perhaps surprisingly, removing your carrier SIM and rebooting the phone on just Wi-Fi won’t bypass the Store restrictions. But at least for myself, this little trick did get it to work:
- Open the Slacker Radio 2.0 link found here and get the error message
- With your Windows Phone on and connected to Wi-Fi, remove the SIM, do not reboot
- Refresh the Store link and download
- (Remember to reboot phone to get your cellular signal back)
It sounds weird but in doing so I was able to view the Slacker Radio 2.0 in the Store, bypassing the ‘Item not available’ message and subsequently download the app. I’ve done this for Verizon and AT&T with no issues. Perhaps many of you know you can do this already, but for myself, it was new.
So give it a go and let us know if you’re able to 2.0 of Slacker Radio on your carrier-branded Windows Phone! (Have an easier way? Having problems? Let us know below)
