Unlocking my old iPhone 5S...

[CrippsCorner]

If I get this unlocked from EE, so that any SIM card works, will it then lock to the new network? I'm selling it to my mate on O2 and he wants to know if he'll have to do the same when he comes to selling it one day!

 

[MarkX]

once it's unlocked it's a sim free phone so you can swap providers without doing it again

 

[CrippsCorner]

That's brilliant, thanks

 

[Alan]

once it's unlocked it's a sim free phone so you can swap providers without doing it again

Nope.

An iPhone locks to the carrier as soon as the sim is inserted.

 

[dk]

Nope.

An iPhone locks to the carrier as soon as the sim is inserted.

No it doesn't, as said, when it's unlocked, it's unlocked.

if you buy one from ee then it will be locked to ee, but if you request they unlock it then it will work on O2, and then if you move to Vodafone it will work with that too.

If what you say is true, then my unlocked 6 from apple would now be locked to O2 since I inserted my O2 sim, but that's not the case, it's still unlocked and will work with any carrier.

 

[Alan]

No it doesn't, as said, when it's unlocked, it's unlocked.

if you buy one from ee then it will be locked to ee, but if you request they unlock it then it will work on O2, and then if you move to Vodafone it will work with that too.

If what you say is true, then my unlocked 6 from apple would now be locked to O2 since I inserted my O2 sim, but that's not the case, it's still unlocked and will work with any carrier.

Well why was the replacement iPhone 5 i got from Apple last month locked to Vodafone ? When i sold it to a lad from the gym yesterday he tried his Orange sim in it, and it came up 'insert a valid sim'

iPhone will lock itself to the network of the first SIM card that is used in the phone. Subsequently attempting to use it on any other network, for example by replacing the SIM card, may mean it becomes permanently unusable. SIM free iPhones can only be used with a UK-network SIM card, and will not accept foreign SIM cards.

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/apple/iphone-6

Scroll to the bottom of the page.

 

[DrR]

My 4s was used on 02, giff gaff, safaricom, Vodafone.de and 02.de no problems?

 

[dk]

Well why was the replacement iPhone 5 i got from Apple last month locked to Vodafone ? When i sold it to a lad from the gym yesterday he tried his Orange sim in it, and it came up 'insert a valid sim'

iPhone will lock itself to the network of the first SIM card that is used in the phone. Subsequently attempting to use it on any other network, for example by replacing the SIM card, may mean it becomes permanently unusable. SIM free iPhones can only be used with a UK-network SIM card, and will not accept foreign SIM cards.

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/apple/iphone-6

Scroll to the bottom of the page.

I believe that's just phones purchased from carphone, as they just stock phones for any network, and then when they sell one with an ee contract it will lock to the ee sim when it's inserted, if it was an O2 one it would have locked to that.

sim free means just that, sim free, they are only available directly from apple. And the part about international sims not working is also b****cks.

i used my iPhone in Thailand, Hong Kong and Shanghai this year and purchased a SIM card at the airport when entering each country to give me data and local calls while I was there with mates and every one worked with no issues.

Regarding your vodafone one, I presume you had a locked voda phone when you went in, hence they replaced it for the same thing.

 

[Alan]

I believe that's just phones purchased from carphone, as they just stock phones for any network, and then when they sell one with an ee contract it will lock to the ee sim when it's inserted, if it was an O2 one it would have locked to that.

sim free means just that, sim free, they are only available directly from apple. And the part about international sims not working is also b****cks.

i used my iPhone in Thailand, Hong Kong and Shanghai this year and purchased a SIM card at the airport when entering each country to give me data and local calls while I was there with mates and every one worked with no issues.

Regarding your vodafone one, I presume you had a locked voda phone when you went in, hence they replaced it for the same thing.

I thought the majority of manufacturers would supply their handsets unlocked to the likes of CPWH ?

The original handset i was sent two years ago was from Vodafone yes, although the replacement handset was just taken out a drawer, the guy took my sim out the defective handset, sim into the new handset, now surely Apple just have a supply of unlocked handsets, not network specific.

 

[Alan]

Purchase Method	Network Subsidy	Locked?
SIM-free	Direct Purchased From Apple	Unsubsidised	Unlocked
Third-Party Retailer e.g. CPW	Unsubsidised	Will Lock to First Network Operator*
Pay Monthly	Via Network Operator	Subsidised	Locked to Network Operator
Pay As You Go	Via Network Operator	Subsidised	Locked to Network Operator

 

[dk]

Purchase Method	Network Subsidy	Locked?
SIM-free	Direct Purchased From Apple	Unsubsidised	Unlocked
Third-Party Retailer e.g. CPW	Unsubsidised	Will Lock to First Network Operator*
Pay Monthly	Via Network Operator	Subsidised	Locked to Network Operator
Pay As You Go	Via Network Operator	Subsidised	Locked to Network Operator

Exactly, guess it just must have been lucky that he had a Vodafone one in his drawer, or they have two types, unlocked ones and ones like carphone where it locks to the first network, and they can tell from the emei or serial what type it is when you book it in witt the genius? They are geniuses of course.....

 

[Alan]

Exactly, guess it just must have been lucky that he had a Vodafone one in his drawer, or they have two types, unlocked ones and ones like carphone where it locks to the first network, and they can tell from the emei or serial what type it is when you book it in witt the genius? They are geniuses of course.....

Genius - the guy was really nice, although his colleague was a gormless prick, deliberately not helping this properly tidy lass with her iPad Air.. I ended up chatting to her while her 'genius' was talking to a manager.

 

[dk]

I've never met a genius, I've had apple stuff for about 6 or 7 years with 3x iphones, 1 iPod touch, 1 MacBook pro, 1 MacBook air, 3 iPads and touch wood, I have never had an issue with any of them.

 

[McGherkin]

When you buy the phone, it will lock to the first network it's hooked up with. If it is then subsequently unlocked (whitelisted with apple), then it will be unlocked full stop.

 

[Alan]

I've never met a genius, I've had apple stuff for about 6 or 7 years with 3x iphones, 1 iPod touch, 1 MacBook pro, 1 MacBook air, 3 iPads and touch wood, I have never had an issue with any of them.

It's not a bad service in theory, but if you get a 'company man' it can be difficult if the particular genius is having a bad day or the likes, it can mean the difference of you walking out the store happy or unhappy, granted the most bother i've had out of my MBP, 6 iPhones, iPad mini, iPad air and AppleTV has been within the last 18 months with the iPhone 5, i've had circa 8 replacement handsets for various issues, overheating, defective batteries, knackered cameras to name a few.

 

[DannyR]

When you buy the phone, it will lock to the first network it's hooked up with. If it is then subsequently unlocked (whitelisted with apple), then it will be unlocked full stop.

Not if you buy from Apple direct.

 

[Alan]

When you buy the phone, it will lock to the first network it's hooked up with. If it is then subsequently unlocked (whitelisted with apple), then it will be unlocked full stop.

Keep up, Callum..

 

[Gally]

Will vodafone unlock my phone for free at the end of my contract? I'll be upgrading.

 

[CrippsCorner]

Seems a bit up in the air then! I've gone ahead with the process online so we will see, hope so as my mate uses a different network when he goes abroad...
gally not sure, EE charge £20, Three do it for free... don't know Vodafone's policy! Probably on their website somewhere?

 

[DannyR]

Will vodafone unlock my phone for free at the end of my contract? I'll be upgrading.

They should unlock for free at the beginning.

When we upgraded my missus to a 4S for me, we rang up straight away and had it unlocked for free

 

[Gally]

It maybe is unlocked. I've no idea!

 

[DannyR]

It maybe is unlocked. I've no idea!

If you bought it from them it won't be unlocked, but you can ring them at anytime and get it unlocked.