Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

a Question about my AT&T iPhone 4.

B

BlindSoul

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 30, 2010
466
0
Israel
Hello.

I've bought an iPhone 4 on the Apple Store in America about 3 months ago, and I'm already 3 months without a cell phone, ( Because there's no unlock for BB 02.10.04 yet, and seems like it never will ).
Anyways, Back to my story... About a week after i got my iPhone i went to my carrier at Israel: Orange. and I've asked them if they can unlock my iPhone 4. At first they said yeah, that it's possible and there's no problem. But when i mentioned It's from AT&T in America they said it's against their interest with AT&T and they can't unlock it.
Now i was wondering if i go now and tell them I found the iPhone and haven't bought it in America will they be available to see somehow it's from AT&T?
by the Serial number or anything?
Is it even possible for them to do such a thing or am I wasting my time?
What also i should be aware of that they won't suspect?

Thank you very much! :)
 
They cannot unlock those phones (unless they are doing it illegally suing stolen codes which I doubt), When a Phone get locked to a carrier only (I repeat....ONLY) that carrier can generate unlocking codes (no even Apple get those codes, they way they do it is accessing remotely the carriers servers). Whoever told you that information it is just misinformed.

Unless they are using "unofficial" tool to unlock phones, which while possible, very unlikely.
 
What i know they do is that they giving you a USIM and then you insert a code and it's unlocked...
 
maturola said:
Yes, that code is generate by AT&T and AT&T only, no carrier on Israel or anywhere else can generate those codes.
Click to expand...

It makes no difference to the original poster but you are wrong in your perception of how official unlocking works. Neither att or any other carrier generates any codes to unlock an iphone. Only apple can generate the codes and the phone is unlocked through itunes.

All that the carrier does is to connect to apple servers and log the details of the phone as eligible for an unlock. Everything else is done by apple.

A carrier can only log an iphone as eligible for an unlock that has been sold through that carrier. Hence only ATT can arrange through apple to unlock an ATT phone.
 
Oh well, On another thread one guy said he went to his Carrier in the Netherlands ( T-Mobile ) and they unlocked it for him with no issue...
 
BlindSoul said:
Oh well, On another thread one guy said he went to his Carrier in the Netherlands ( T-Mobile ) and they unlocked it for him with no issue...
Click to expand...

This is not an issue. You have to arrange the unlock through the carrier. The way it typically works is you make the request to the carrier providing all the details of your phone. They log the request and tell you that you will receive an SMS message when the job is complete. Within ten days you receive an SMS message saying your phone is unlocked and you need to connect it to itunes.

You then put a non official carrier SIM in the phone connect to itunes and a message pops up saying "Congratulations your phone is now unlocked"

The codes are sent by apple through itunes.
 
nebo1ss said:
It makes no difference to the original poster but you are wrong in your perception of how official unlocking works. Neither att or any other carrier generates any codes to unlock an iphone. Only apple can generate the codes and the phone is unlocked through itunes.
.
Click to expand...

Well... suit yourself, but you are wrong, only carrier can generate those code, no even Apple. It is not required that you believe me, @OP good luck having another carrier unlocking "officially" a At&T locked phone.
 
maturola said:
Well... suit yourself, but you are wrong, only carrier can generate those code, no even Apple. It is not required that you believe me, @OP good luck having another carrier unlocking "officially" a At&T locked phone.
Click to expand...

Read my message carefully I never said anything about ATT phones being unlocked by another carrier. They cannot arrange it. What I said is that only apple unlocks the phone and this is based on the database that the carrier creates on the apple server.

Perhaps you would like to explain how the carrier sends the unlock codes through itunes?
 
Apple does not use unlocking codes for the iPhone. I believe the carrier puts your iPhone's IMEI on Apple's unlocked list. You then connect the iPhone with iTunes and it will detect that the device has been unlocked. It will then download and install new carrier settings. That's it.

T-Mobile NL has lost it's exclusivity. KPN and Vodafone are now also selling iPhones with accompanying plans. However those two have been selling unlocked iPhones. That made T-Mobile NL decide to do the same starting from 12-01-2011. People who already bought the iPhone 4 also got the unlock, you simply had to connect the iPhone to iTunes since T-Mobile NL put every iPhone 4 they sold on the unlock list. Older iPhones are not on this list since this isn't necessary. The Dutch carriers have made an agreement that whoever sticks to a carrier for more than 1 year will have the possibility to unlock for free (before that you can unlock but you have to pay for it). You simply contact the carrier and tell them you want to unlock the phone. You'll then receive an unlock code you need to enter on the phone but that's where the iPhones deviate (see first paragraph).
 
dyn said:
Apple does not use unlocking codes for the iPhone. I believe the carrier puts your iPhone's IMEI on Apple's unlocked list. You then connect the iPhone with iTunes and it will detect that the device has been unlocked. It will then download and install new carrier settings. That's it.

T-Mobile NL has lost it's exclusivity. KPN and Vodafone are now also selling iPhones with accompanying plans. However those two have been selling unlocked iPhones. That made T-Mobile NL decide to do the same starting from 12-01-2011. People who already bought the iPhone 4 also got the unlock, you simply had to connect the iPhone to iTunes since T-Mobile NL put every iPhone 4 they sold on the unlock list. Older iPhones are not on this list since this isn't necessary. The Dutch carriers have made an agreement that whoever sticks to a carrier for more than 1 year will have the possibility to unlock for free (before that you can unlock but you have to pay for it). You simply contact the carrier and tell them you want to unlock the phone. You'll then receive an unlock code you need to enter on the phone but that's where the iPhones deviate (see first paragraph).
Click to expand...

I believe we are saying the same thing, except for the fact that apple does a bit more when you connect to itunes than change a carrier setting.
 
We do but I specified it to the Dutch T-Mobile since the TS was referring to them.
 
If you bought an unlocked iPhone in Canada and you have a problem... when you get a replacement in the US (locked iPhone), the new iPhone wiill be unlocked.

They DO NOT USE unlock codes, every iPhone have a profile, if you get a replacement, they will transfer the unlocked profile.
 
BlindSoul said:
In the bottom line... Should i go tomorrow and try? or will it be a 100% a waste of time?
Click to expand...

100 percent waste of time. Next time buy one in the apple store in Canada or London they come factory unlocked. Only apple US store sells locked phones.
 
Federico said:
If you bought an unlocked iPhone in Canada and you have a problem... when you get a replacement in the US (locked iPhone), the new iPhone wiill be unlocked.

They DO NOT USE unlock codes, every iPhone have a profile, if you get a replacement, they will transfer the unlocked profile.
Click to expand...

Everything you say is true except for the fact that the new phone will not be unlocked until you connect it to itunes and the unlock code to open up the sec zone on the baseband is transferred to the phone. The unlock profile is transferred to the apple servers for the new phone, this is what authorizes itunes to open up the baseband for other sims.
 
nebo1ss said:
Everything you say is true except for the fact that the new phone will not be unlocked until you connect it to itunes and the unlock code to open up the sec zone on the baseband is transferred to the phone. The unlock profile is transferred to the apple servers for the new phone, this is what authorizes itunes to open up the baseband for other sims.
Click to expand...

When you load a new firmware or restore/reset an iPhone, you have to use iTunes in order to process the activation, every time that you do that, iTunes check if the emei/SN is in the "white list" (unlocked profile).

The only thing that I'm not sure... if every time that you update the firmware (baseband change) the iPhone get locked, I will try that next time when I update my Canadian's iPhone to 4.3, and then I will process the activation with the jailbreak and see if the unlock remains ;)


Mnnn did the 4.3 come with a new baseband? :rolleyes:
 
Its not going to happen.
Another carrier cannot officially unlock an iphone not sold thru them or in their system.
Try it anyway if you dont believe and see how far you get.

Federico said:
If you bought an unlocked iPhone in Canada and you have a problem... when you get a replacement in the US (locked iPhone), the new iPhone wiill be unlocked.

They DO NOT USE unlock codes, every iPhone have a profile, if you get a replacement, they will transfer the unlocked profile.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
The replacement/refurb will have the same properties as the one you handed in to be exchanged.
 
Okay if you guys say so. But seriously.
In Israel if i would go buy an iPhone on one carrier and i would go to another carrier they'd glad to unlock it for me for only $20 USD. So yeah... Heard that from many people where I live.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

^1+ if it's that easy you could already be unlocked. Do it today with out delay. Good luck OP if you were so positive from the start. Then I don't understand why you started this thread.
 
labman said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

^1+ if it's that easy you could already be unlocked. Do it today with out delay. Good luck OP if you were so positive from the start. Then I don't understand why you started this thread.
Click to expand...

I never said anything you guys said is wrong i'm just asking how is it possible... There wasn't even a little disrespect in the things you've said.
 
People keep saying you can't! You keep saying but others are doing it. So just go try then we will all know. Maybe things are different in Israel.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back