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Carrier Sprint Users! READ! New Automatic Domestic Unlock Policy Change!
- Thread starter eyoungren
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As Harrison said, I just need a SIM to test if my OWN iPhone is truly unlocked.
T-Mobile sending me a phone and then putting a hold on my bank account that I cannot afford to have, does not test my own iPhone 5.
eyoungren I also want to mention that even for Android devices the MSL code is still pretty much irrelevant to unlocking the device. It only allows part of the CDMA partition to be modified with a different .PRL file, it doesn't unlock for GSM at all.
Thanks Harrison. The last time I 'played' with MSL codes I was on an HTC Touch Pro with WinMo 6.1 Pro so it's been awhile.
-- Hypothetically --
If I purchase a new device -- let's pretend an iPhone 5 -- from a retail store, at full price -- no contract, unsubsidized, whatever you want to call it -- would I be able to get it unlocked without putting the phone on any of my lines?? What exactly are the technical aspects here?? Does it simply need to make contact with Sprint's network for them to recognize it and be able to unlock it?? Or does it have to actually be assigned a number?? Would just going through the initial iPhone set-up and getting a signal from Sprint be enough??
If I purchase a new device -- let's pretend an iPhone 5
-- from a retail store, at full price -- no contract, unsubsidized, whatever you want to call it -- would I be able to get it unlocked without putting the phone on any of my lines?? What exactly are the technical aspects here?? Does it simply need to make contact with Sprint's network for them to recognize it and be able to unlock it?? Or does it have to actually be assigned a number?? Would just going through the initial iPhone set-up and getting a signal from Sprint be enough??
My international unlock didn't work, tried and att and verizon sim and both did not work. I'll call again I guess
Go to the T-Mobile store and one of the employees will test it right in front of you no charge.
One of the users here on the forums sent me a few SIM cards that were not needed. So, I tested them last night, one of which is an active T-Mobile SIM.
None of them worked - my phone is still locked.
I find it interesting though that with the active T-Mobile SIM, on the lockscreen I can see 4G. But I'm not allowed to activate my SIM.
If I pull the SIM out I can get to the springboard and if I enter settings and then shove the SIM back in the Carrier setting will pop up in Settings and I can get as far as selecting T-Mobile before my phone resprings and I'm faced with activation again.
I don't know if that is normal or not, but my phone (and my wife's phone) are jailbroken. I also have TetherMe installed so maybe that has something to do with it, IDK.
In any case, I can't get past the invalid SIM error. I'm not sure if this is because Sprint hasn't pushed the unlock or if my luck is such that I"m one of those that truly got an international unlock, but nothing else. The only email I've received is from Sprint (nothing from Apple).
Was going to give it until Monday or possibly next weekend before I call Sprint up again. In the meantime is there anything else I should try?
None of them worked - my phone is still locked.
I find it interesting though that with the active T-Mobile SIM, on the lockscreen I can see 4G. But I'm not allowed to activate my SIM.
If I pull the SIM out I can get to the springboard and if I enter settings and then shove the SIM back in the Carrier setting will pop up in Settings and I can get as far as selecting T-Mobile before my phone resprings and I'm faced with activation again.
I don't know if that is normal or not, but my phone (and my wife's phone) are jailbroken. I also have TetherMe installed so maybe that has something to do with it, IDK.
In any case, I can't get past the invalid SIM error. I'm not sure if this is because Sprint hasn't pushed the unlock or if my luck is such that I"m one of those that truly got an international unlock, but nothing else. The only email I've received is from Sprint (nothing from Apple).
Was going to give it until Monday or possibly next weekend before I call Sprint up again. In the meantime is there anything else I should try?
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One of the actions that AT&T asked us to do after we unlocked my wife's phone was to backup and restore to complete the unlock. Have you done any of that?
No, I've been avoiding it. I've got an iPhone 5 with iOS 7.1.2 and a jailbreak and my wife's iPhone 5 with iOS 6.0.1 with a jailbreak. Backing up and then restoring means we both go to 8.1.3 and lose our jailbreaks.
If I have to do that, then I will. I'm willing to lose iOS 6 and 7 and my jailbreaks to get our phones unlocked, but only if a last resort. Quite a few people have reported that they were able to do this without having to restore.
What I don't want to do is try this and then find out my iPhone is still locked. Because then I've lost iOS 7 and my jailbreak and I'm still locked to Sprint.
Of course, it's what the Sprint rep suggested, but I'm not sure it's necessary based on what I've read here.
I've read that you can complete the unlock -- without losing your jailbreak -- by connecting and disconnecting from iTunes, then deleting the network settings, then reconnecting to iTunes. I think?? Can't remember the exact steps or where I read this, but I've seen that it's possible!!
eyoungren I have GSX access, if you feel comfortable sending me your IMEI I can check the activation policy currently applied to the device.
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I called sprint again today, she said it looked like my phone was already unlocked but something she had to enter in the system. Well I tried another att sim again today and still nothing. so i backed it up and reset my device, and did a restore. still nothing.
Any advice?
Any advice?
Maybe HarrisonTaylor Don.Draper requested iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s together for international unlock and Sprint inadvertently clicked both iPhones for DSU.
If this is true then Sprint can actually request apple to have iPhone 5 unlock for DSU too.
If this is true then Sprint can actually request apple to have iPhone 5 unlock for DSU too.
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That's normal, I had the same experience with my 5S before it was actually unlocked. 4G in the status bar, Tmobile carrier settings, before the phone recognized that it was still locked....then back to the sim lock screen.
A user posted in the slickdeals thread suggested that you could dial ##873283# from the dial screen to update the carrier settings and this *should* pull the new unlock policy to your iphone. I haven't had to do this, but seems like it should work...
https://slickdeals.net/deals/phone/
Never requested 5s for intl unlock.
It is impossible to have 2 separate unlock policies. There can only be 1, locked and unlocked. Sprint only sees a unlock button on their end, we've known this for a while now...
Sprint Users! READ! New Automatic Domestic Unlock Policy Change!
I did that on my internationally unlocked 4S (and even put an AT&T microsim in to see if it would activate), and yes, it told me my phone was now unlocked and it can now use AT&T and T-Mobile SIMs. However, as detailed in another thread on S4GRU, even if I restore it back with the Sprint SIM, it seems to not want to do hands free activation anymore, and ##update# throws an error, so this might be a one way street off of Sprint...
Here's what I put on S4GRU:
Haven't gotten any notification yet for my 4S, but I just did a complete reinstall of the OS and restore (with an AT&T SIM in), and it unlocked.
I wonder if Sprint changed the international locking policy for the 4S and 5 just to be 'fully unlocked'. Even after saying they weren't doing it.
Makes me want to go spend $1.99 on one of those reports to see what activation policy is applied to the 4S.
Edit: Here it is...
Report Type: Apple GSX IMEI Detailed Report
Product: iPhone 4S
Model: SVC,IPHONE 4S,MM,64GB,WHT,AE,RPLCMNT
IMEI: 99000xxxxxxxxxx
Serial Number: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Version: 8.1.3
Warranty Status: Out Of Warranty (No Coverage)
Warranty Days Remaining: 0
Estimated Purchase Date: 02/03/14
Registration Date: 02/03/14
ICCID: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mac Address: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Bluetooth Mac Address: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Unbrick: True
First Unbrick Date: 12/15/12
Last Unbrick Date: 02/28/15
Activation Policy ID: 2070
Activation Policy Details: US CDMA Service Picker policy - N94/N92 - 2011
Next Tether Policy ID: 2303
Next Tether Policy Details: Multi-Mode Unlock
Purchase Country: United States
Sold To Name: APPLE
Carrier: Multi-Mode Unlock
Find My iPhone: ON
I did that on my internationally unlocked 4S (and even put an AT&T microsim in to see if it would activate), and yes, it told me my phone was now unlocked and it can now use AT&T and T-Mobile SIMs. However, as detailed in another thread on S4GRU, even if I restore it back with the Sprint SIM, it seems to not want to do hands free activation anymore, and ##update# throws an error, so this might be a one way street off of Sprint...
Here's what I put on S4GRU:
Haven't gotten any notification yet for my 4S, but I just did a complete reinstall of the OS and restore (with an AT&T SIM in), and it unlocked.
I wonder if Sprint changed the international locking policy for the 4S and 5 just to be 'fully unlocked'. Even after saying they weren't doing it.
Makes me want to go spend $1.99 on one of those reports to see what activation policy is applied to the 4S.
Edit: Here it is...
Report Type: Apple GSX IMEI Detailed Report
Product: iPhone 4S
Model: SVC,IPHONE 4S,MM,64GB,WHT,AE,RPLCMNT
IMEI: 99000xxxxxxxxxx
Serial Number: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Version: 8.1.3
Warranty Status: Out Of Warranty (No Coverage)
Warranty Days Remaining: 0
Estimated Purchase Date: 02/03/14
Registration Date: 02/03/14
ICCID: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mac Address: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Bluetooth Mac Address: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Unbrick: True
First Unbrick Date: 12/15/12
Last Unbrick Date: 02/28/15
Activation Policy ID: 2070
Activation Policy Details: US CDMA Service Picker policy - N94/N92 - 2011
Next Tether Policy ID: 2303
Next Tether Policy Details: Multi-Mode Unlock
Purchase Country: United States
Sold To Name: APPLE
Carrier: Multi-Mode Unlock
Find My iPhone: ON
My Sprint 5 still works on Sprint and it's unlocked.
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eyoungren I replied to your PM but if you didn't get it Apple is saying your phone is unlocked and has the exact same policy applied as my domestically unlocked Sprint iPhone 5. You said it's jailbroken so your phone might have trouble pulling down the new activation policy so you may need to restore it in iTunes.
I PMed you back.
Looks (as I said in my PM) like my iPhone 5 is going to be the guinea pig.
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I've been following that thread (I lurk on s4gru). The fact that you had to restore gives me hope that it'll work for me.
If in fact it is a one-way street, I'm ok with that. Been with Sprint for 15.5 years and I'm ready to leave. If we stay (or ever come back) it'd be new phones anyway.
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Yeah, that's their OTHER draconian policy. Wasn't such a big deal in the past as most people were trying to LEAVE Sprint.
But, currently, they will not under any circumstances activate any phone not made to be used on their network (with or without Sprint branding). There are a few exceptions, the Google sold Nexus something which comes unlocked and the SIM Free iPhones which are unlocked and whitelisted on Sprint. But those are manufacturer kind of deals with Sprint.
There was some talk recently about allowing BYOD, but that's been put on hold indefinitely. Sprint's major stumbling blocks have always been their internal computer systems and programs. They are always designed to prevent the CSRs from doing something against policy. It makes them difficult to circumvent and costly to change when policy changes. That and the fact that Sprint cannot guarantee any specific level of service with non-Sprint phones is the major reason(s) I think BYOD was pushed aside for now.
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