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Carrier Sprint Users! READ! New Automatic Domestic Unlock Policy Change!

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beergirl

macrumors newbie
Dec 16, 2014
3
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Thanks

Thank you both for the quick replies. I guess she will be getting a pic of the phone for Xmas, until it is restocked, unless anyone has another suggestion? Really don't want to switch carriers, but will if I have to, but do not want another contract. Her IPhone 4 is still in good condition, but it was my idea to upgrade her.
 
eyoungren

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
Aug 31, 2011
28,794
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beergirl said:
Thank you both for the quick replies. I guess she will be getting a pic of the phone for Xmas, until it is restocked, unless anyone has another suggestion? Really don't want to switch carriers, but will if I have to, but do not want another contract. Her IPhone 4 is still in good condition, but it was my idea to upgrade her.
Click to expand...
Virgin Mobile is an MVNO of Sprint. Meaning that VM uses Sprint's network. If you've been ok with the network you might consider Sprint itself.

Normally, I would not bring it up or advocate for Sprint (I'm actually leaving Sprint early next year) but there's a confirmed rumor that Sprint will be matching T-Mobile's $100 family plan today (if not already).

Unlimited data for 2 lines, $40 each additional line. Don't know what you're paying for VM, but there you go.
EDIT: The rumor, while true ended with no official action by Sprint. The rumored plan is not being offered by Sprint.
 
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HarrisonTaylor

HarrisonTaylor

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2012
131
10
beergirl said:
Thank you both for the quick replies. I guess she will be getting a pic of the phone for Xmas, until it is restocked, unless anyone has another suggestion? Really don't want to switch carriers, but will if I have to, but do not want another contract. Her IPhone 4 is still in good condition, but it was my idea to upgrade her.
Click to expand...
Virgin iPhone's aren't that expensive on Ebay, but I'd personally recommend a Verizon iPhone 5(Comes SIM unlocked out of the box for CDMA AND GSM) with T-Mobile's unlimited plan. You won't get LTE but you can get HSPA+(A faster version of 3G). You won't have any luck bringing it over to Virgin though, the Verizon iPhone 5 doesn't have the Virgin PRL(The file responsible for finding cell towers)programmed into it as well as the fact the MEID isn't loaded in their database.
 
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beergirl

macrumors newbie
Dec 16, 2014
3
0
So, if I purchase the Verizon iPhone, I can take it to tmobIle? That sounds pretty good to me. I used to have contract with T-Mobile, won't make that mistake again.
 
A

adrian.parsons

macrumors newbie
Jun 23, 2010
9
0
Big thanks to eyoungren for this thread, which helped me to divulge the mysteries of Sprints archaic and dictatorial carrier agreement with Apple.

Thought I'd add my experience here, because I think I've found something of interest.

My story began with a A1524 iPhone 6 Plus that was locked to a MVNO of Sprint, nTelos. Clean EMEI and no iCloud activation lock. I'd intended to use it on Verizon, and my lack of research combined with my blind faith in a craigslist seller's affirmation that he had purchased a domestic unlock for the phone, led me to buy the phone in late November. Of course, that domestic unlock doesn't exist.

An earlier edit to this thread (October 21st) suggested that new and replacement iPhone 6's directly from Apple stores may come internationally unlocked or even could be domestically unlocked with a StraightTalk SIM or Appalachian Wireless SIM. Because the iPhone 6 Plus I'd purchased had a small scratch on the screen (and it's been a reported issue that Apple may replace phones for) I took it to the Apple Store just to see if they might replace the unit.

Surprisingly, they did. I was interested to see what restrictions were on the unit--I knew it was probably not locked to nTelos. First, I half-heartedly tried my T-Mobile sim. No way. I placed it on Craigslist and hoped to make close to the cost. I had an alright offer, and went for it. But I had forgotten about a Swisscom NATEL SIM I'd used in Switzerland. 15 minutes before meeting the seller, I cut the sim down to nano size and threw it in. For my second surprise in this episode, the phone activated! For the first time I was able to get service, which--third surprise--connected to AT&T. I didn't have enough credit on the SIM to test much else and I was running to meet the buyer, so the phone left my hands only to live on in this thread.

I'm not sure what to conclude, but at the very least, it seems Apple-replaced Sprint iPhone 6's can be activated by international sims for international use. And -- at great cost, of course -- used in the US.
 
eyoungren

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
Aug 31, 2011
28,794
26,884
adrian.parsons said:
Big thanks to eyoungren for this thread, which helped me to divulge the mysteries of Sprints archaic and dictatorial carrier agreement with Apple.

Thought I'd add my experience here, because I think I've found something of interest.

My story began with a A1524 iPhone 6 Plus that was locked to a MVNO of Sprint, nTelos. Clean EMEI and no iCloud activation lock. I'd intended to use it on Verizon, and my lack of research combined with my blind faith in a craigslist seller's affirmation that he had purchased a domestic unlock for the phone, led me to buy the phone in late November. Of course, that domestic unlock doesn't exist.

An earlier edit to this thread (October 21st) suggested that new and replacement iPhone 6's directly from Apple stores may come internationally unlocked or even could be domestically unlocked with a StraightTalk SIM or Appalachian Wireless SIM. Because the iPhone 6 Plus I'd purchased had a small scratch on the screen (and it's been a reported issue that Apple may replace phones for) I took it to the Apple Store just to see if they might replace the unit.

Surprisingly, they did. I was interested to see what restrictions were on the unit--I knew it was probably not locked to nTelos. First, I half-heartedly tried my T-Mobile sim. No way. I placed it on Craigslist and hoped to make close to the cost. I had an alright offer, and went for it. But I had forgotten about a Swisscom NATEL SIM I'd used in Switzerland. 15 minutes before meeting the seller, I cut the sim down to nano size and threw it in. For my second surprise in this episode, the phone activated! For the first time I was able to get service, which--third surprise--connected to AT&T. I didn't have enough credit on the SIM to test much else and I was running to meet the buyer, so the phone left my hands only to live on in this thread.

I'm not sure what to conclude, but at the very least, it seems Apple-replaced Sprint iPhone 6's can be activated by international sims for international use. And -- at great cost, of course -- used in the US.
Click to expand...
I'm glad that this thread helped in any way. That was the original intent (beyond trying to put a stop to the rash of "Help me unlock my Sprint iPhone" threads at the time).

I am a firm believer that understanding the WHY of something is a big help. Sprint only tells you garbage about the policy. Whether it's because the reps are uniformed or lying it doesn't matter. Rather than admit the truth that the policy was simply an act of loss prevention Sprint gives you every other excuse it can find.

On top of that, MacRumors is beyond the reach of overzealous Sprint BAW forum mods who have a very nasty habit of deleting content they feel does not present Sprint in a positive light.
 
KUguardgrl13

KUguardgrl13

macrumors 68020
May 16, 2013
2,492
125
Kansas, USA
HarrisonTaylor said:
Virgin iPhone's aren't that expensive on Ebay, but I'd personally recommend a Verizon iPhone 5(Comes SIM unlocked out of the box for CDMA AND GSM) with T-Mobile's unlimited plan. You won't get LTE but you can get HSPA+(A faster version of 3G). You won't have any luck bringing it over to Virgin though, the Verizon iPhone 5 doesn't have the Virgin PRL(The file responsible for finding cell towers)programmed into it as well as the fact the MEID isn't loaded in their database.
Click to expand...

beergirl said:
So, if I purchase the Verizon iPhone, I can take it to tmobIle? That sounds pretty good to me. I used to have contract with T-Mobile, won't make that mistake again.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, the CDMA portion of the Verizon iPhone 5 is still locked. Only the GSM side is unlocked. So yes it will work on T-Mobile but not Virgin for several reasons.

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HarrisonTaylor said:
Verizon 3G world phones could only be unlocked for international use including the 4s. The SIM wasn't needed because the phone was using it's NV partition to access the network but all Verizon 4G LTE devices require an active SIM to be installed to use CDMA AND LTE.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah Verizon really pushed (and still does) purchasing an international roaming plan rather than unlocking and switching the SIM. And the need for the SIM now makes sense with LTE being a GSM technology. I believe Sprint LTE phones also need the SIM installed?

I can't really remember what my point was with that post... I just thought it was funny back in the day that I had a SIM for my BlackBerry Storm2 that I could take out and still use the phone domestically. There was a rumor going around at the time that Verizon world BBs would work better without the SIM, but I never saw a difference.
 
HarrisonTaylor

HarrisonTaylor

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2012
131
10
KUguardgrl13 said:
Just to clarify, the CDMA portion of the Verizon iPhone 5 is still locked. Only the GSM side is unlocked. So yes it will work on T-Mobile but not Virgin for several reasons.

----------



Oh yeah Verizon really pushed (and still does) purchasing an international roaming plan rather than unlocking and switching the SIM. And the need for the SIM now makes sense with LTE being a GSM technology. I believe Sprint LTE phones also need the SIM installed?

I can't really remember what my point was with that post... I just thought it was funny back in the day that I had a SIM for my BlackBerry Storm2 that I could take out and still use the phone domestically. There was a rumor going around at the time that Verizon world BBs would work better without the SIM, but I never saw a difference.
Click to expand...

CDMA side IS unlocked too, my au/KDDI CDMA SIM works perfectly in my Verizon iPhone 5. This has been confirmed countless times, it IS capable of working on Virgin and is not locked by Verizon, but Virgin is using a MEID whitelist system so it won't be accepted but the Verizon iPhone 5/5c/5s/6/6+ are very popular in China and India where CDMA is the norm.

Sprint LTE phones only require the SIM for LTE service. Removing the SIM will not affect CDMA unless you are using an iPhone which has CDMA AND LTE provisioned to the card.

The international roaming SIM has nothing to do with a phone's domestic cellular signal, it's inactive while inside the U.S. thus makes absolutely no sense at all.

----------
adrian.parsons said:
Big thanks to eyoungren for this thread, which helped me to divulge the mysteries of Sprints archaic and dictatorial carrier agreement with Apple.

Thought I'd add my experience here, because I think I've found something of interest.

My story began with a A1524 iPhone 6 Plus that was locked to a MVNO of Sprint, nTelos. Clean EMEI and no iCloud activation lock. I'd intended to use it on Verizon, and my lack of research combined with my blind faith in a craigslist seller's affirmation that he had purchased a domestic unlock for the phone, led me to buy the phone in late November. Of course, that domestic unlock doesn't exist.

An earlier edit to this thread (October 21st) suggested that new and replacement iPhone 6's directly from Apple stores may come internationally unlocked or even could be domestically unlocked with a StraightTalk SIM or Appalachian Wireless SIM. Because the iPhone 6 Plus I'd purchased had a small scratch on the screen (and it's been a reported issue that Apple may replace phones for) I took it to the Apple Store just to see if they might replace the unit.

Surprisingly, they did. I was interested to see what restrictions were on the unit--I knew it was probably not locked to nTelos. First, I half-heartedly tried my T-Mobile sim. No way. I placed it on Craigslist and hoped to make close to the cost. I had an alright offer, and went for it. But I had forgotten about a Swisscom NATEL SIM I'd used in Switzerland. 15 minutes before meeting the seller, I cut the sim down to nano size and threw it in. For my second surprise in this episode, the phone activated! For the first time I was able to get service, which--third surprise--connected to AT&T. I didn't have enough credit on the SIM to test much else and I was running to meet the buyer, so the phone left my hands only to live on in this thread.

I'm not sure what to conclude, but at the very least, it seems Apple-replaced Sprint iPhone 6's can be activated by international sims for international use. And -- at great cost, of course -- used in the US.
Click to expand...
You need to make sure not to allow the Genius to insert your nTelos SIM, when being serviced don't bring a SIM, otherwise they will lock it to the SIM card's operator. It doesn't matter what SIM you have inserted after you leave the Apple Store, just make sure the Genius doesn't do it otherwise it will provision itself to nTelos. By leaving the Apple Store without the SIM, you'll get a menu on the iPhone asking which carrier to select, again, the SIM doesn't matter, the list populates with all US operators that use A1586/A1524. That's the part where you choose Appalachian or Straight Talk. nTelos is a regional operator that's independent of Sprint, btw
 
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KUguardgrl13

KUguardgrl13

macrumors 68020
May 16, 2013
2,492
125
Kansas, USA
HarrisonTaylor said:
CDMA side IS unlocked too, my au/KDDI CDMA SIM works perfectly in my Verizon iPhone 5. This has been confirmed countless times, it IS capable of working on Virgin and is not locked by Verizon, but Virgin is using a MEID whitelist system so it won't be accepted but the Verizon iPhone 5/5c/5s/6/6+ are very popular in China and India where CDMA is the norm.

Sprint LTE phones only require the SIM for LTE service. Removing the SIM will not affect CDMA unless you are using an iPhone which has CDMA AND LTE provisioned to the card.

The international roaming SIM has nothing to do with a phone's domestic cellular signal, it's inactive while inside the U.S. thus makes absolutely no sense at all.
Click to expand...

That's interesting. I had heard the CDMA side was locked. Might as well be if you never plan on traveling to Asia since no other CDMA carried in the US will activate it.
 
HarrisonTaylor

HarrisonTaylor

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2012
131
10
KUguardgrl13 said:
That's interesting. I had heard the CDMA side was locked. Might as well be if you never plan on traveling to Asia since no other CDMA carried in the US will activate it.
Click to expand...

I believe some regional carriers will activate Verizon iPhones, but not national carriers like Sprint or Virgin. The reason it's unlocked is because the FCC mandated that EVERY possible radio be unlocked for another carrier. The FCC 700 MHz C block rules don't just enforce unlocking for GSM, they enforce it for every cellular technology capable on the phone, so CDMA2000 services must be unlocked too as per FCC regulations. Even though CDMA is unlocked, most CDMA carriers in the U.S. bar phones from being activated that don't originate from them. So yea, the unlocked CDMA is pointless here in the U.S, but China Telecom and Reliance are pretty big CDMA carriers that accept foreign phones which is why Verizon phones are pretty popular over in China and India. I've even seen local sellers in India sell Verizon CDMA iPhone 4 "flashed" to Reliance CDMA jailbroken and all, LOL!
 
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T

titans1127

macrumors 65816
Mar 10, 2009
1,179
414
eyoungren

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
Aug 31, 2011
28,794
26,884
eyoungren

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
Aug 31, 2011
28,794
26,884
titans1127 said:
It looks to be true. A friend who I used to work with at Sprint posted on her FB that its now possible. Why anyone would want to subject their phone to such poor service baffles me lmao. ;)
Click to expand...
Don't assume that because Sprint is bad in one spot, or even in many spots, that Sprint is bad in all spots.

While it's true that I am leaving Sprint in the new year, had there been more of this (screenshot attached) a year ago, I wouldn't even be thinking about it.
 

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A

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
solodogg said:
weird! I've gotten numerous replacement 5's, a 5s, and now a 6 from Apple, and none of them have ever asked.
Click to expand...
Apple (either the Genius helping you in-store, or whoever mails the phone to you) is supposed to make the choice before giving you the phone.

When I got a warranty replacement for my Verizon iPhone 5 at the Apple Store I used to work at, they handed it to me like below and asked if I didn't mind finishing it because they were busy:

attachment.php
 
Sulten

Sulten

macrumors regular
Oct 24, 2011
127
0
eyoungren you still in az? I live in AZ neighbor LOL


how do you know if you have a " highlighted in Red "
The Sprint iPhone 5 SIM(SIMGLW406R) is NOT compatible with 5c/5s/6/6+ and will result in both an invalid SIM card error and no service. The Sprint iPhone 5c/5s/6/6+ SIM(SIMGLW416C)
 
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KUguardgrl13

KUguardgrl13

macrumors 68020
May 16, 2013
2,492
125
Kansas, USA
Eyoungren, I don't know how you do it. Long story short, facebook groups where people buy and sell used items have gotten pretty popular in my area as an alternative to Craigslist. The other day someone posted looking for an iPhone 5 unlocked for T-Mobile. Several users including me commented about getting and AT&T 5 unlocked or buying a Verizon 5 already unlocked. Of course someone came along with a Sprint 5 to which several of us replied that her claims that it could be unlocked were false. There was a bit of back and forth where she said she has called corporate and the CSR said it could be unlocked. Of course a few hours later the original person posted that she was sill looking because the Sprint 5 couldn't be unlocked. LOL.

That's not the first of those I've seen, nor will it be the last for a while. If I feel like they're not believing me, I post the link to this thread sometimes. I even occasionally so it for android phones, although some claim those aren't affected like iPhones.
 
eyoungren

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
Aug 31, 2011
28,794
26,884
Sulten said:
eyoungren you still in az? I live in AZ neighbor LOL


how do you know if you have a " highlighted in Red "
The Sprint iPhone 5 SIM(SIMGLW406R) is NOT compatible with 5c/5s/6/6+ and will result in both an invalid SIM card error and no service. The Sprint iPhone 5c/5s/6/6+ SIM(SIMGLW416C)
Click to expand...
I don't know. Harrison Taylor might be able to better answer that. Despite this thread, I've never had a need to unlock my own Sprint iPhone so I've never pulled the SIM out or anything along those lines.

----------
KUguardgrl13 said:
Eyoungren, I don't know how you do it. Long story short, facebook groups where people buy and sell used items have gotten pretty popular in my area as an alternative to Craigslist. The other day someone posted looking for an iPhone 5 unlocked for T-Mobile. Several users including me commented about getting and AT&T 5 unlocked or buying a Verizon 5 already unlocked. Of course someone came along with a Sprint 5 to which several of us replied that her claims that it could be unlocked were false. There was a bit of back and forth where she said she has called corporate and the CSR said it could be unlocked. Of course a few hours later the original person posted that she was sill looking because the Sprint 5 couldn't be unlocked. LOL.

That's not the first of those I've seen, nor will it be the last for a while. If I feel like they're not believing me, I post the link to this thread sometimes. I even occasionally so it for android phones, although some claim those aren't affected like iPhones.
Click to expand...
Well, as I've mentioned, I just wanted to stop the flood of requests here for Sprint unlocks by being able to present information that showed people WHY they could not unlock.

Even if you don't like it, don't agree, or just plain hate Sprint for that, understanding the details always makes things easier.

That said things seem to be changing. The new unlock agreement, BYOD to Sprint (if the rumor is true) and my own leaving to T-Mobile is going to render this thread less and less important. Not to mention the fact that it seems as time progresses I can no longer edit older posts.

I would have updated Post #1 with some of the new info already, but I can't get to it.

But the objective was achieved and if this information is being used beyond MR then that is just icing on the cake.

As for my own travails with Sprint…well I have maybe a month or so to go so time is getting very short for Sprint and me. :D
 
HarrisonTaylor

HarrisonTaylor

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2012
131
10
Sulten said:
eyoungren you still in az? I live in AZ neighbor LOL


how do you know if you have a " highlighted in Red "
The Sprint iPhone 5 SIM(SIMGLW406R) is NOT compatible with 5c/5s/6/6+ and will result in both an invalid SIM card error and no service. The Sprint iPhone 5c/5s/6/6+ SIM(SIMGLW416C)
Click to expand...

Personal experience. The iPhone 5 will only work with SIMGLW406R, any other SIM will cause a conflict between the subscriber information in NV and on the SIM itself and will result in no service.

The activation policy of the 5c and 5s does not support SIMGLW406R, so you'll be greeted with an invalid SIM card error.

The only way to tell other than looking out for these two errors is to look on the credit card sized holder that the SIM was popped out of.

----------
KPOM said:
According to someone on HoFo, Sprint will start to allow unlocked iPhones purchased from Apple onto their network. http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1853289-Sprint-will-allow-unlocked-iphones-on-their-network
Click to expand...

You'd need a Verizon iPhone if you want to use Sprint, the only AT&T and T-Mobile iPhones that support CDMA are the 6 and 6 Plus.

Keep in mind that the Verizon 5c/5s doesn't support 850 MHz ECLR or TD-LTE, only 1900 MHz, so your coverage is pretty limited. The AT&T/Verizon/T-Mobile 6/6+ support Sprint's CDMA network and two of their LTE bands, 1900 MHz and 850 MHz.

The Japanese Apple Store sells Sprint variants as fully unlocked but I doubt it's worth going to another country to purchase a phone just to be able to use an extra band of LTE.
 
E

Electroni

macrumors member
Dec 12, 2014
44
15
FYI: Beginning today the Sprint 6 and 6+ models are available for purchase fully unlocked from the Apple Store (as long as you pay full price for it). It can be activated on any of the four major wireless carriers.
 
eyoungren

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
Aug 31, 2011
28,794
26,884
Electroni said:
FYI: Beginning today the Sprint 6 and 6+ models are available for purchase fully unlocked from the Apple Store (as long as you pay full price for it). It can be activated on any of the four major wireless carriers.
Click to expand...

I think it might be better to restate this.

Beginning today the SIM FREE versions of the 6 and 6+ are available for purchase fully unlocked from the Apple Store (as long as you pay full price for it). It can be activated on any of the four major wireless carriers.

The SIM FREE models just happen to be the same as the Sprint model.
 
HarrisonTaylor

HarrisonTaylor

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2012
131
10
eyoungren said:
I think it might be better to restate this.

Beginning today the SIM FREE versions of the 6 and 6+ are available for purchase fully unlocked from the Apple Store (as long as you pay full price for it). It can be activated on any of the four major wireless carriers.

The SIM FREE models just happen to be the same as the Sprint model.
Click to expand...
Ye, while it has all the bands and the same part # as the Sprint phone it isn't sold advertised as a Sprint phone. The sold-as-advertised Sprint iPhone 6/6+ likely still be locked(I could be wrong about this). The fact that Apple is selling domestically unlocked A1586/A1524 models invalidates the excuse(that was already invalid anyway) that they physically are not compatible with other domestic U.S. carriers, as the Apple Store variant with the same SKU works perfectly on domestic carriers. It will be interesting to see how Sprint reacts to this. Maybe they'll push a OTA domestic unlock to people like me who have had their Sprint iPhone 6 internationally unlocked? Only time will tell.
 
eyoungren

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
Aug 31, 2011
28,794
26,884
HarrisonTaylor said:
Just a heads up, my internationally unlocked Sprint iPhone 6 is still rejecting U.S. SIM cards.
Click to expand...
Yeah, this is what I thought.

So, it seems that to get a fully unlocked iPhone 6/6+ on Sprint you MUST buy the Apple SIM free model. Simply buying a Sprint model iPhone 6/6+ at full price is not enough as it will still be locked domestically.

It is speculated that the new SIM free Apple models are whitelisted, which if true would be the reason for this situation.
 
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