Any in-person stores not open iPhone to activate?

[powerbook911]

I was curious, if you order an iPhone on contract online, they keep the phone sealed and ship it out to you.

Do any physical stores do this, or do they all open the phone and activate it if you're doing an on contract upgrade?

Anybody different? Best Buy, Target, Wal Mart, Anywhere?

Thanks!!!

 

[wannabepcuser]

I bought my 5s at an Apple store last year and told them not to activate it, which they didn't.

However, I bought mine for full price.

 

[wongster]

pretty sure you can request to not have it opened and state that you want to activate it yourself at home. when i picked mine up on launch day, i had them open it and turn it on to make sure it was good and doesn't have any defects. then i told them that i wanted to activate it at home.

 

[nburwell]

pretty sure you can request to not have it opened and state that you want to activate it yourself at home. when i picked mine up on launch day, i had them open it and turn it on to make sure it was good and doesn't have any defects. then i told them that i wanted to activate it at home.

When I purchased an unlocked 5s, I just picked it up from the Apple Store and they didn't both asking me if I wanted to activate it. When I got my 6, they had to open and activate it since I was getting it on NEXT program.

I know when I went with a friend of mine to get her a 5c at Wal-Mart, since she was renewing her contract they had to open, turn on and activate the phone in the store before she left.

 

[T5BRICK]

On both my AT&T 5s last year and Verizon 6+ this year the folks at the Apple Store gave me the choice to activate at home. I purchased both at full price.

 

[lordofthereef]

You can ask for a delayed activation through best Buy. "Delayed activation" essentially means they sell you the phone (be that on a contract or on Next/Edge) and they don;t open the box or activate the sim.

 

[newellj]

I bought my 5s at an Apple store last year and told them not to activate it, which they didn't.

However, I bought mine for full price.

I bought two this fall, one full price and one on a contract renewal. The Apple store told me they had to activate the renewal phone, but not the full price phone.

 

[Shadowbech]

I was curious, if you order an iPhone on contract online, they keep the phone sealed and ship it out to you.

Do any physical stores do this, or do they all open the phone and activate it if you're doing an on contract upgrade?

Anybody different? Best Buy, Target, Wal Mart, Anywhere?

Thanks!!!

When I bought mine on launch day at the Apple store using AT&T Next and simply they asked me if I was going to set it up. I told the rep that I am going to set it up when I get home. So I took it home still wrapped. However, the phone was activated even though it was sealed and my Galaxy S5 instantly became unusable, meaning I could not make calls or text.

I'm not sure if what other place does. I only buy apple products at the Apple store.

 

[newellj]

Yeah, my upgrade 6 came out of the sealed box already activated on that line, and my 5, which was in my pocket, had gotten knocked off the air.

 

[CEmajr]

Just upgraded to a 6 on one of my lines today at the Apple Store and they didn't open the box.

 

[decafjava]

Pre-ordered my iPhone 6 from a Swiss department store (http://www.manor.ch/) and took possession of the box when they called me it was in. Activated it myself at home.

 

[Cfyre0815]

I got my 6 plus a few weeks ago from a local Apple Store. They never had to break the seal on the box, open it. They activated and everything right from an iPhone pos unit they were using.I also upgraded using Next. Also from what I saw everyone else who was getting iPhones they also did not need to have the boxes open in store to activate their phones.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I think ATT has it set up where she you turn on your sealed contract iPhone it activates. To avoid that simply remove the included SIM card and put the one of your choice in it. I did that with a renewal using another line on my account. If you do not pull the sim on a ATT contract phone it will deactivate The phone number used for the upgrade when you turn it on. If you bought it outright, none of the above is required.

 

[mtneer]

I purchased a pair of 5s' at the Apple store a few months ago on 2 year UDP contracts with AT&T. The sales rep offered to open and activate the phones, but I turned it down since I wanted the recipients to open it up at home. Sales rep did not contest that choice.

 

[lordofthereef]

I think ATT has it set up where she you turn on your sealed contract iPhone it activates. To avoid that simply remove the included SIM card and put the one of your choice in it. I did that with a renewal using another line on my account. If you do not pull the sim on a ATT contract phone it will deactivate The phone number used for the upgrade when you turn it on. If you bought it outright, none of the above is required.

I'm having trouble understanding what the point of going through all of that is. Is this just to avoid the phone "registering" on your number? That happens pretty quick anyway after swapping sims. Or are we worrying about another sim deactivating?

 

[Newtons Apple]

I'm having trouble understanding what the point of going through all of that is. Is this just to avoid the phone "registering" on your number? That happens pretty quick anyway after swapping sims. Or are we worrying about another sim deactivating?

I have eight lines on my account. Most do not activate each year. So I do a "cross upgrade" using one of the other line upgrades for myself. When the phone arrives, I remove the SIM prior to turning the phone on and insert my SIM. If not when you turn the phone on it will deactivate that person's SIM and move their service to the new phone.

Maybe there is a more easy way to do this but this is what I have done many times before.