Carrier Verizon iPhone 6 / 6 Plus - Some Locked against International Use

[mangywarez]

Guys, I'm experiencing this problem first hand while using this iphone in India.

I am travelling international and would be eventually returning to Detroit, however i'm presently stranded with a Verizon iphone 6 128gb saying "SIM Not Valid" when it should be accepting all international gsm sims.

When checked with Verizon they say its locked down with "US GSM/VZW N61/N56 Service Policy" and i cant do anything about it except use it with US operators only.

Need help from anyone who has found a solution.

 

[kupon7]

Since this thread is going nowhere I'll ask another question:


I'm moving to Pyeongtaek South Korea next month (from Santa Barbara, CA).

Any advice on good carriers that offer LTE?

I use SK Telecom (branded as T), which is the biggest carrier here and has the best coverage. You can kind of think of them as the Verizon of Korea. Next is KT (branded as olleh), which is second largest carrier, you can think of them as AT&T. They're decent. The last major carrier is, LG U+, is the one to avoid. The coverage is as great.

 

[Allthings-I]

Both my Verizon iPhone 6+ and my wife's Verizon iPhone 5s worked fine with a Telcel sim while I was in Tecate Mexico. As far as I'm concerned you're making stuff up and this isn't a real problem.

Thats great, means your not affected so move along, your a fool for thinking I have time in my day to be here and making nonsense up, so let me ask you this, did all the antenna gate, bendgate, etc etc affect you when it affected even 1% of other people?

I am sure the answer is: No, right? With that being said, it is completely possible that such problems can and do exist and be faced by very few % of people while majority experiences nothing.

I honestly don't even know why your wasting your and my time by making useless comments, if your not affected simply move along, keep in mind that a issue like this one exists and avoid it so next time you go buy a used iPhone 6/6+ for Verizon, keep in mind to check this along with all the other things you may check. Its simple.

I discovered a problem, doing my best to make aware those who are affected by it but have not realized yet.

----------

Guys, I'm experiencing this problem first hand while using this iphone in India.

I am travelling international and would be eventually returning to Detroit, however i'm presently stranded with a Verizon iphone 6 128gb saying "SIM Not Valid" when it should be accepting all international gsm sims.

When checked with Verizon they say its locked down with "US GSM/VZW N61/N56 Service Policy" and i cant do anything about it except use it with US operators only.

Need help from anyone who has found a solution.

Can you please make a video of this issue and post it here

 

[greatness]

Gents,

can't speak for the iPhone 6/6+, but having used the Verizon iPhone 5/5S, your phones come unlocked out of the box (per FCC agreement). However, if your international SIM doesn't work, try a restore (DFU mode) (remember to backup to iCloud or computer first) then connect to iTunes.

You should see a "congratulations, your iPhone is unlocked" message.

It should solve the problem. When I went through it it was a software glitch of some sort, but did not require any help from neither Apple nor Verizon. My Korean nano-SIM didn't work at first- following the restore, no problems.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

Thats great, means your not affected so move along, your a fool for thinking I have time in my day to be here and making nonsense up, so let me ask you this, did all the antenna gate, bendgate, etc etc affect you when it affected even 1% of other people?

I am sure the answer is: No, right? With that being said, it is completely possible that such problems can and do exist and be faced by very few % of people while majority experiences nothing.

I honestly don't even know why your wasting your and my time by making useless comments, if your not affected simply move along, keep in mind that a issue like this one exists and avoid it so next time you go buy a used iPhone 6/6+ for Verizon, keep in mind to check this along with all the other things you may check. Its simple.

I discovered a problem, doing my best to make aware those who are affected by it but have not realized yet.

You know, I don't think insulting someone is going to make them believe your claims, especially when you don't know how to use "your" properly.

Is this issue affecting you personally? If not, then why are you defending it so passionately? It seems to be affecting an incredibly low number of users. It would be more effective if those who are affected went to Verizon to get it corrected. If that doesn't work, the FCC might like to hear about it.

I'm also not sure why you brought this up on the Sprint unlock thread since that has nothing to do with them since you say that the domestic unlocks are unaffected.

 

[Allthings-I]

You know, I don't think insulting someone is going to make them believe your claims, especially when you don't know how to use "your" properly.

Is this issue affecting you personally? If not, then why are you defending it so passionately? It seems to be affecting an incredibly low number of users. It would be more effective if those who are affected went to Verizon to get it corrected. If that doesn't work, the FCC might like to hear about it.

I'm also not sure why you brought this up on the Sprint unlock thread since that has nothing to do with them since you say that the domestic unlocks are unaffected.

Sorry for my grammar lol...as for insulting Its not my intent but I have to say something rather than sitting silent, I think rather than recognizing the issue, people were/are quick to bash me for "false claims" or "making stuff up" etc. Rather than being helpful and trying to understand this issue they quickly made their claims because "everyone" knows that Verizon iPhones are factory unlocked.

Don't you think people should also respectively have an open mind as well that issues can exist?

As for it affecting me, NO it does not affect me, but recently I had looked into buying a used Verizon iPhone 6 and it had this issue, thats why I decided to start the thread so I can find out how many people are affected by it and perhaps find a solution to fix this problem. I posted a link in the OP from Apple forums where a user had this issue as well and didn't get it resolved from Verizon or Apple.

I have also been in touch with some of the unlock sites and couple of them have confirmed that the issue resides with certain Verizon units and further research on my own time confirmed that the INCORRECT next tether policy is what the issue is when I compared it to my personal iPhone 6+.

At the end of the day the iPhone 6 I saw on craigslist that someone was selling, wasn't worth my money just so I could come over to all the helpful people that have replied so far to tell me that I'm still wrong.

I think we are getting some response though so lets see, couple of those members did say they have the wrong policy, hopefully one or both of them makes a video showing it in action and then we can all accept that the problem exists.

Doing my best here to stay on topic and strictly surrounding the issue so I would appreciate it if everyone respected that.

 

[laura329]

Do you happen to have a International SIM that you can try and make a video for the rest of us? The SIM doesn't have to be active. If you do have it please do this:

Show us you ejecting the Verizon SIM and inserting a International SIM into the phone and waiting for "no service" to appear on top or Invalid SIM error. -- Does not have to be a long video

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Then your not affected. Your CLEAR of this situation and you can simply ignore it and move on.

I made a video, please see. And I asked forum to unlock it , tried ATT&Verizon, both feedback ' the carrier is wrong'
If anyone know how to unlock, please contact me. thx.


http://youtu.be/yBCZpKCkEys

 

[dictoresno]

Just checked my Verizon iPhone 6 with my Icelandic Siminn carrier SIM card. didn't get any error, just said "No Service" as expected. The about section properly noted the carrier as "Siminn". I find it hard to believe people are reporting their VZW phones as locked under some other policy. Sure sounds like a SIM error other than a locking issue.

 

[Fattytail]

Had this exact same issue happen to a buddy of mine. Thought his phone was unlocked because it was working fine on AT&T's network. Then took it overseas and got an invalid SIM issue. Not sure what he ended up doing, but he did speak to a senior technical advisor through the support line who resolved the issue. It took several days though. Sounds like they had to reset something or other on their activation servers.

 

[laura329]

Had this exact same issue happen to a buddy of mine. Thought his phone was unlocked because it was working fine on AT&T's network. Then took it overseas and got an invalid SIM issue. Not sure what he ended up doing, but he did speak to a senior technical advisor through the support line who resolved the issue. It took several days though. Sounds like they had to reset something or other on their activation servers.

Excuse me , ATT or Apple support line?

 

[I7guy]

I made a video, please see. And I asked forum to unlock it , tried ATT&Verizon, both feedback ' the carrier is wrong'
If anyone know how to unlock, please contact me. thx.


http://youtu.be/yBCZpKCkEys

As per the post above, did you try a dfu restore?

 

[acadiel]

We kind of covered this in this thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/20696646/

Sr. Apple engineers know about the issue. It's a sync issue between Verizon and Apple's database. Looks like they're trying to fix it. The phones are supposed to be domestically and internationally unlocked.

My own VZW 6 works great with an EE UICC (Orange) with no issues. Registers, and says "EE" in the top left. Locks onto either T-Mobile or AT&T here in the USA.

 

[laura329]

As per the post above, did you try a dfu restore?

Yes, I contacted apple care support and they asked me to restore.
I tried, but still can not activate with international sim card.

 

[Allthings-I]

Just checked my Verizon iPhone 6 with my Icelandic Siminn carrier SIM card. didn't get any error, just said "No Service" as expected. The about section properly noted the carrier as "Siminn". I find it hard to believe people are reporting their VZW phones as locked under some other policy. Sure sounds like a SIM error other than a locking issue.

Every iPhone you put a SIM in will change the carrier name in the "About" Screen be it locked or unlocked.

I dare you to get a locked iPhone and put in a SIM from another carrier, you'll get invalid SIM and then take that SIM out, go to about screen and watch it'll say the carrier's name (from which the "Invalid SIM" came from).

That doesn't answer any question or help anyone.

Its funny the user Laura posted a video and your still going on about what you believe lol....

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As per the post above, did you try a dfu restore?

DFU restore will NOT FIX this, It is a issue on the activation servers between Verizon / Apple which leads to the device being assigned this different policy AS mentioned in the original post.

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I made a video, please see. And I asked forum to unlock it , tried ATT&Verizon, both feedback ' the carrier is wrong'
If anyone know how to unlock, please contact me. thx.


http://youtu.be/yBCZpKCkEys

Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it, now all these people can stop bashing me about making stuff up.

As for fixing it, please contact Apple Senior advisors and ask them to look into the matter, bring it to their attention that the policy assigned is WRONG. I'm sure they will work with you to resolve the issue.

 

[Jtludwig]

Why are you so upset about this? You don't even have an Iphone 6 do you?

Every iPhone you put a SIM in will change the carrier name in the "About" Screen be it locked or unlocked.

I dare you to get a locked iPhone and put in a SIM from another carrier, you'll get invalid SIM and then take that SIM out, go to about screen and watch it'll say the carrier's name (from which the "Invalid SIM" came from).

That doesn't answer any question or help anyone.

Its funny the user Laura posted a video and your still going on about what you believe lol....

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DFU restore will NOT FIX this, It is a issue on the activation servers between Verizon / Apple which leads to the device being assigned this different policy AS mentioned in the original post.

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Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it, now all these people can stop bashing me about making stuff up.

As for fixing it, please contact Apple Senior advisors and ask them to look into the matter, bring it to their attention that the policy assigned is WRONG. I'm sure they will work with you to resolve the issue.

 

[dictoresno]

Every iPhone you put a SIM in will change the carrier name in the "About" Screen be it locked or unlocked.



I dare you to get a locked iPhone and put in a SIM from another carrier, you'll get invalid SIM and then take that SIM out, go to about screen and watch it'll say the carrier's name (from which the "Invalid SIM" came from).



That doesn't answer any question or help anyone.



Its funny the user Laura posted a video and your still going on about what you believe lol....

----------





DFU restore will NOT FIX this, It is a issue on the activation servers between Verizon / Apple which leads to the device being assigned this different policy AS mentioned in the original post.

----------





Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it, now all these people can stop bashing me about making stuff up.



As for fixing it, please contact Apple Senior advisors and ask them to look into the matter, bring it to their attention that the policy assigned is WRONG. I'm sure they will work with you to resolve the issue.

All I was saying was my phone isn't locked as you said some are. It accepted the international SIM card without issue. You seem to be all upset over nothing. I wasn't saying you're wrong, just saying I didn't have the issue.

 

[laura329]

Every iPhone you put a SIM in will change the carrier name in the "About" Screen be it locked or unlocked.

I dare you to get a locked iPhone and put in a SIM from another carrier, you'll get invalid SIM and then take that SIM out, go to about screen and watch it'll say the carrier's name (from which the "Invalid SIM" came from).

That doesn't answer any question or help anyone.

Its funny the user Laura posted a video and your still going on about what you believe lol....

----------



DFU restore will NOT FIX this, It is a issue on the activation servers between Verizon / Apple which leads to the device being assigned this different policy AS mentioned in the original post.

----------



Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it, now all these people can stop bashing me about making stuff up.

As for fixing it, please contact Apple Senior advisors and ask them to look into the matter, bring it to their attention that the policy assigned is WRONG. I'm sure they will work with you to resolve the issue.

I just contacted Apple senior advisors.They only asked me to contact verizon to unlock…

 

[Allthings-I]

Why are you so upset about this? You don't even have an Iphone 6 do you?

I'm not upset, you guys are just annoying with your nonsense about this being made up and not possible.

Anyway I'm done with this conversation with you and the others that have nothing better to do.

Will only now respond to people that are facing the issue instead and see if there's anyway to fix it.

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I just contacted Apple senior advisors.They only asked me to contact verizon to unlock…

Laura you have to tell the senior advisor that there is a issue with the policy and that Verizon already has said the devices are factory unlocked, much like the members on this forum, not ever Apple employee is aware of this issue and will at first hand think you are making it up or that you need to contact Verizon.

This issue can only be fixed from Apple's end, so you have to push them to their limits before they will take action, I have read that some other people have gotten he issue resolved.

 

[laura329]

I'm not upset, you guys are just annoying with your nonsense about this being made up and not possible.

Anyway I'm done with this conversation with you and the others that have nothing better to do.

Will only now respond to people that are facing the issue instead and see if there's anyway to fix it.

----------



Laura you have to tell the senior advisor that there is a issue with the policy and that Verizon already has said the devices are factory unlocked, much like the members on this forum, not ever Apple employee is aware of this issue and will at first hand think you are making it up or that you need to contact Verizon.

This issue can only be fixed from Apple's end, so you have to push them to their limits before they will take action, I have read that some other people have gotten he issue resolved.

Thank you. You mean some other people who had the same issue already pushed Apple to resolve？

 

[Allthings-I]

Thank you. You mean some other people who had the same issue already pushed Apple to resolve？

Some people are saying they were able to get Apple to resolve the issue after getting Verizon and Apple on the phone. AT the end of the day you need to raise it with the highest department in support (senior tech support) and they will dig further into this matter.

 

[Gizzmo91569]

I came to this thread looking for a solution but instead isee bashing and calling this guy a liar. I have a Verizon 64 gb and it does not work over seas. A check shows it not unlocked. The source I use is a source I have used many times In purchasing phones to verify carrier and in some cases to verify they are unlocked. The phone is Verizon but would not accept any other SIM card Att t mobile it would keep going to activation screen then followed by invalid SIM card. I did the DFu restore and ironically it activates with the Att but if I put in a different SIM card INCLUDING Verizon sim it says invalid and goes back to activation acreen

 

[kustomphonez]

BEFORE YOU START TELLING ME THEY ARE ALL UNLOCKED YES I AM VERY WELL AWARE THAT THEY ALL ARE ACCORDING TO THE VERIZON AGREEMENT WITH FCC OVER LTE BAND 13 = 700MHz. But there is a issue where the DOMESTIC ONLY POLICY gets assigned to certain models, WHY -- I DONT KNOW

BUT THESE UNITS DO NOT WORK ON INTERNATIONAL SIM's / WORK FINE WITH US SIM CARD's.

Incorrect Policy: Next Tether Policy Details: US GSM/VZW N61/N56 Service Policy = Domestic Unlock / International Lock

Correct Policy: Next Tether Policy Details: US Verizon LTE MM N61/N56/N51/N48/N42 = Fully Factory Unlocked for US + Worldwide usage. As you know the N51/N48/N42 = 5S / 5C / 5 respectively.

Apparently its an issue with Verizon / Apple server's Syncing but I think its more than that and so far the issue is only starting to gain momentum

Yes we already know LEGALLY Verizon cannot lock any phone / tablet that has access to BAND 13 LTE.


Proof the issue exists:

1) http://youtu.be/yBCZpKCkEys

2) Here is a thread on Apple forums but not very helpful: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6763925?start=15&tstart=0



TWO WAYS TO TEST TO SEE IF YOUR AFFECTED:

1) Buy a GSX IMEI Report (eBay or another website - about $1) = If you see the Correct Policy as mentioned above = Your device is fully factory unlocked

OR

2) Insert ANY international SIM into your Verizon iPhone 6 / 6 Plus and see if you get INVALID SIM error. (SIM DOESNT HAVE TO ACTIVE, IF YOUR AFFECTED THE DEVICE WILL DISPLAY THE INVALID SIM ERROR EVEN WITH A INACTIVE SIM) = If no issue = Correct Policy, IF Issue = Incorrect Policy

So before you travel or resell your Verizon iPhone be sure to test it so you or 2nd hand owner does not end up with a "defective" device.

I have called Apple personally to question after I found someone selling a iPhone 6 on craigslist with this issue -- but they did not provide any acceptable answer other than offer to trouble shoot it over the phone -- I did not buy the device from the craigslist seller because I know this issue exists and because that device had the INVALID SIM error upon inserting a international SIM, It wasn't worth my money.

Apple support will just tell you its Locked to Verizon and only top tier senior advisors will tell you that Verizon iPhones are factory unlocked for all GSM networks (this would apply to the correct policy assigned devices only)


Please do not waste this thread telling us things we already know, lets keep it technical and determine how many users are affected instead.

Glad we came across this thread. We can confirm 100% this glitch is happening on certain verizon iphones. Unlocked in USA, but failed to work in mexico and japan.

We have had 2 iphone 6 64gb sold internationally and both were only unlocked domestically. We even had one not being able to activate with a verizon sim card. We had to use a ATT sim card. Iphomeimeinfo, swappa, and checkesnfree as well as other sites confirmed verizon devices.

We can also confirm swapping the device at apple will only net you the same problem. We exchanged them and the refurbished ones came back with this issue.

Verizon stated it is their responsibility for the device to be unlocked for domestic use, but not for international. Even with a international plan the device will not unlock. Even with a clean IMEI they will only say it is unlocked for domestic use.

The only solution is to exchange the device with verizon and hope it is not under the same policy. (Good luck because this will not be done if this is the only issue). It is our belief this is being done only at apple stores where you purchase the device under contract, not fully paid. This is because only apple can lock the device. On the other hand, verizon gets their iphones from apple so they have to make sure they are all unlocked and instruct apple to do so. Verizon can not lock or unlock the iphones, only exchange them. Lastly, this might be a joint effort to thwart reselling of blacklisted verizon/USA phones internationally. (Forces every country to buy clean devices since the world wide imei blacklist sharing isnt working well. Plus apple makes more money because you have to buy from them now.)

We recommend until this issue gets resolved or to combat this, ensure the device is from verizon store or fully paid from apple. Two, if you have the device try to exchange with verizon, not apple because they will only give you a new brick.

 

[kustomphonez]

Ok this is further confirmation to what we are suggesting, verizon phones purchased on contract at apple will be domestically unlocked only. Not internationally. Below is posted a verizon iphone 6 purchased via verizon (unlocked) compared to another verizon iphone 6 plus purchased on contract at apple (not unlocked). The activation policies are different as their are more in the unlocked version. Also the place they got purchased, the unlocked at verizon and the locked phone at apple but via contract.

Its safe to assume, IF YOU PURCHASE A VERIZON IPHONE AT APPLE "UNDER CONTRACT OR FINANCED', going forward they will not be internationally unlocked but only unlocked for domestic use.




Model: IPHONE 6 SPACE GRAY 16GB VERIZON-USA
IMEI: 3520************
Serial Number: DNYNGDFF****
Version: 8.1.3
Warranty Status: Apple Limited Warranty
Warranty Days Remaining: 239
Estimated Purchase Date: 10/**/**
Registration Date: 10/**/**
ICCID: 891480000015********
Mac Address: 34A395D1****
Bluetooth Mac Address: 34A395D1****
Unbrick: True
First Unbrick Date: 10/18/**
Last Unbrick Date: 02/**/**
Activation Policy ID: 2023

********Activation Policy Details: US Verizon LTE MM
N61/N56/N51/N48/N42 Activation Policy**********************

Next Tether Policy ID: 2023
Next Tether Policy Details: US Verizon LTE MM N61/N56/N51/N48/N42 Activation Policy
Purchase Country: United States

********Sold To Name: VERIZON WIRELESS - D23*********

Carrier: US Verizon LTE MM N61/N56/N51/N48/N42 Activation Policy
Find My iPhone: OFF
Unlocked: True

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Model: SVC,IPHONE 6 PLUS,MM,64GB,GOLD,CI/AR
IMEI: 3558***********
Serial Number: DQGNT074****
Version: 8.1.3
Warranty Status: Apple Limited Warranty
Warranty Days Remaining: 305
Estimated Purchase Date: 12/**/**
Registration Date: 12/**/**
ICCID: 890141042554********
Mac Address: 549F13E2****
Bluetooth Mac Address: 549F13E2****
Unbrick: True
First Unbrick Date: 01/**/**
Last Unbrick Date: 02/**/**
Activation Policy ID: 2320

************************Activation Policy Details: US GSM/VZW N61/N56 Service Policy********************************************

Next Tether Policy ID: 2320
Next Tether Policy Details: US GSM/VZW N61/N56 Service Policy
Purchase Country: United States

********************Sold To Name: APPLE*************************

Carrier: US GSM/VZW N61/N56 Service Policy
Find My iPhone: OFF
Unlocked: False

 

[C DM]

A number of brand new users seem to be suddenly joining just to post about experiencing this problem. Perhaps it's nothing, perhaps not.

 

[acadiel]

Ok this is further confirmation to what we are suggesting, verizon phones purchased on contract at apple will be domestically unlocked only. Not internationally. Below is posted a verizon iphone 6 purchased via verizon (unlocked) compared to another verizon iphone 6 plus purchased on contract at apple (not unlocked). The activation policies are different as their are more in the unlocked version. Also the place they got purchased, the unlocked at verizon and the locked phone at apple but via contract.

False. At least in my case, it is. I think you are over generalizing here.

Bought my VZW 6 in November directly via Apple. It's under a 2 year agreement. Ends in November 2016. Model is MG612LL/A.

I can put an Orange (EE) SIM in it and it works fine. I get my UK phone number. No issues activating, no SIM lock screen shows up.

My wife's VZW 5S also works great with the same Orange (EE) SIM. She's in contract until late this year.

Attached are pics (deleted last part of phone number in second image).

Also, just for kicks and grins, I ran that $1.99 report on it.

I've removed my serial numbers.

Model: IPHONE 6 SILVER 128GB VERIZON-USA
IMEI: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Serial Number: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Version: 8.1.3
Warranty Status: Apple Limited Warranty
Warranty Days Remaining: 605
Estimated Purchase Date: 10/17/14
Registration Date: 12/24/14
ICCID: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mac Address: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Bluetooth Mac Address: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Unbrick: True
First Unbrick Date: 10/24/14
Last Unbrick Date: 10/24/14
Activation Policy ID: 2023
Activation Policy Details: US Verizon LTE MM N61/N56/N51/N48/N42 Activation Policy
Next Tether Policy ID: 2023
Next Tether Policy Details: US Verizon LTE MM N61/N56/N51/N48/N42 Activation Policy
Purchase Country: United States
Sold To Name: APPLE
Carrier: US Verizon LTE MM N61/N56/N51/N48/N42 Activation Policy
Find My iPhone: ON