you sure ... that means they wont have a different model number for unlocked iphones ? thats cant be ..else it will be confusing for when exchanging your iphone for warranty
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"Congratulations your iPhone has been unlocked"
- Thread starter BFW122083
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you sure ... that means they wont have a different model number for unlocked iphones ? thats cant be ..else it will be confusing for when exchanging your iphone for warranty
They have different serial numbers. It's not like you can bring in a 16g and say you had a 64g and exchange it under warranty.
Model number doesn't have much to do with the unlock - it has more to do with which country the phone was sold in, and what the phone comes with in the package. Lock status is more of a coincidence.
Warranty service isn't really an issue either. The activation status is transferred to the new phone once the Apple tech inputs your old serial number and scans the new one. This is why in other countries you can get a carrier unlocked phone serviced without worrying about losing the unlock. There were some issues with that in the early days, but it's all seamless these days.
Read this: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1177926/
That same policy appears to apply to the 4S.
Have you had a chance to do the restore after getting AT&T to update the IMEI on file? Is your phone still unlocked?
- Jason
I know this probably sounds stupid to even question, but...
Has anyone tried activating a sim from a different GSM carrier from a pre-ordered subsidized phone?
I only ask this since the GSM phones are all the same. I assume it won't work at all, but thought I'd ask if anyone has at least tried their initial power on after unboxing with a different carriers sim in it.
Has anyone tried activating a sim from a different GSM carrier from a pre-ordered subsidized phone?
I only ask this since the GSM phones are all the same. I assume it won't work at all, but thought I'd ask if anyone has at least tried their initial power on after unboxing with a different carriers sim in it.
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Unless your phone has been white listed in apples databases i.e unlocked there is not much hope your phone will activate with a carrer other than the one you chose with your subsidized phone
skywest153 said:
Unless your phone has been white listed in apples databases i.e unlocked there is not much hope your phone will activate with a carrer other than the one you chose with your subsidized phone
Actually I did. Twice. When I activated the 32G with ThreeHK Sim card which roam on AT&T initally, i got the congratulation screen on itunes. I have the option to roam with Tmobile after activation.
When I activated my 16G 4S with Tmobile card, I got no congratulation screen on itunes, but it can load on Tmobile networks. I assumed it's unlocked. I also tried w/ the same ThreeHK Sim card, it works on it fine.
Anybody managed to successfully activate a non-contract AT&T iPhone with a foreign sim card, outside of the US?
I take it you bought it at an apple store and they selected "device only" when ringing it up? Those two parts seem to be essential. It certainly should work if thats the case.
Another "Me, too!" here.
I put in a reserve online at the Apple website Monday night after 9:00pm. Then I went to the Apple Store in Towson, MD Tuesday at about 5:15pm. There was a line outside for iPhone 4s purchases, and I ended up waiting for almost an hour. When I finally saw a sales rep I said I had a 64GB black on reserve, but he was confused. Anyway, I specified that I wanted to get the AT&T, off-contract. Because of that, I was in and out of the store pretty quickly. My receipt did NOT say, "Device Only"; however, it did say that the phone was NOT activated at the store.
I went home, removed the micro SIM card that came with it, and attempted to plug into iTunes. I got a "please plug in with a SIM card" message. I was paranoid at that point, and I didn't want to. Then I remembered that I still have an old SIM card from a T-Mobile phone, which I no longer use. Of course, it was the wrong-sized SIM card, so I had to cut it down to the micro size. I plugged that SIM card in, fired up iTunes, and a message window popped up saying some error about the SIM card (no surprise, since it was inactive), but I did get the coveted "Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked" message in the main iTunes window.
Yesterday (Wednesday), I bought a pre-paid T-Mobile micro SIM card (I do have an AT&T account, but I haven't gotten around to taking the SIM out of my old phone, cut it, and put into the iPhone yet), put it in the iPhone, and I was able to make a call from the iPhone. Yesterday evening, I restored the phone to see if I would get the "Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked" message again, and yes, the message appeared again. So it looks like all is good.
I put in a reserve online at the Apple website Monday night after 9:00pm. Then I went to the Apple Store in Towson, MD Tuesday at about 5:15pm. There was a line outside for iPhone 4s purchases, and I ended up waiting for almost an hour. When I finally saw a sales rep I said I had a 64GB black on reserve, but he was confused. Anyway, I specified that I wanted to get the AT&T, off-contract. Because of that, I was in and out of the store pretty quickly. My receipt did NOT say, "Device Only"; however, it did say that the phone was NOT activated at the store.
I went home, removed the micro SIM card that came with it, and attempted to plug into iTunes. I got a "please plug in with a SIM card" message. I was paranoid at that point, and I didn't want to. Then I remembered that I still have an old SIM card from a T-Mobile phone, which I no longer use. Of course, it was the wrong-sized SIM card, so I had to cut it down to the micro size. I plugged that SIM card in, fired up iTunes, and a message window popped up saying some error about the SIM card (no surprise, since it was inactive), but I did get the coveted "Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked" message in the main iTunes window.
Yesterday (Wednesday), I bought a pre-paid T-Mobile micro SIM card (I do have an AT&T account, but I haven't gotten around to taking the SIM out of my old phone, cut it, and put into the iPhone yet), put it in the iPhone, and I was able to make a call from the iPhone. Yesterday evening, I restored the phone to see if I would get the "Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked" message again, and yes, the message appeared again. So it looks like all is good.
hi everyone,
I want to know if I go to the apple store and renew my AT&T for 2yrs. Will that phone also be unlocked because I get it in apple store?
(i will be very happy that i pay $200 for an unlocked iphone w/AT&T)
or only no contract iphone 4s are unlocked?
thanks!
I want to know if I go to the apple store and renew my AT&T for 2yrs. Will that phone also be unlocked because I get it in apple store?
(i will be very happy that i pay $200 for an unlocked iphone w/AT&T)
or only no contract iphone 4s are unlocked?
thanks!
I didnt mean anything by that comment. Sorry for any confusion. I paid the $803 at the Apple Store, came home, and got the message, Congratulations you iphone is unlocked.
Unless you pay full retail price ($649, $749, $849 for 16, 32, or 64 GB respectively), it will not be unlocked.
I just called the Apple Store and asked a genius
"Are you guys selling the iPhone 4S off-contract?"
He said:
"Yes, we are selling them off-contract but they will be locked."
WHAT.
EDIT: Went anyway and bought it. Got in my car, tethered from my iPhone to laptop to restore the iPhone 4S full price in iTunes. Got the Congrats and unlocked message. It was just an ******* stupid Apple rep saying what he was supposed to say. Tested it with friends' Tmobile cut SIM. Worked.
"Are you guys selling the iPhone 4S off-contract?"
He said:
"Yes, we are selling them off-contract but they will be locked."
WHAT.
EDIT: Went anyway and bought it. Got in my car, tethered from my iPhone to laptop to restore the iPhone 4S full price in iTunes. Got the Congrats and unlocked message. It was just an ******* stupid Apple rep saying what he was supposed to say. Tested it with friends' Tmobile cut SIM. Worked.
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It indicates that one of your iPhones is not unlocked.
You might try a restore of the firmware on the phone that does not like you T-Mobile SIM?
Did the employee at any time as for your AT&T phone number and do the receipts look the same except for the S/N and IMEI?
Dave
Not sure how you accomplished this. I went down to T-Mobile and got a micro sim to give it a shot. The phone needs to be activated when powered on and refuses to work without a sim matching the number I purchased with for subsidy. Only if I put in my ATT sim does it allow me to successfully activate, and after activation, if I put the TMobile sim card in the phone flashes back to activation status and wants to go through all the paces again.
You're saying you were truly able to do your activation on a subsidized phone? How did you get around the SSN and zip code portion of the activation?
I reserved a 64 GB white AT&T 4S last night and picked it up at the Apple Store this afternoon. It was rung up as "Device Only". Got home just now, plugged it into iTunes, told it to set it up as a new iPhone. It went through the sync process and finished. That was it. No "Congratulations" message... I haven't yet put in a different SIM than the one that it came with. The only SIM cards I have are AT&T SIMs anyway.
Any ideas?
EDIT: Got it! I told iTunes to restore the phone then just let it sit and didn't touch anything. It restored then rebooted. Let it sit for about 30 more seconds and eventually the "Congratulations" screen appeared.
Any ideas?
EDIT: Got it! I told iTunes to restore the phone then just let it sit and didn't touch anything. It restored then rebooted. Let it sit for about 30 more seconds and eventually the "Congratulations" screen appeared.
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Congratulations, I went thru the same thing, I had to do a restore b/f I got the message. At first I tought I had gotten a locked one until after I did the restore when I got mine.
If you check my comments on this thread you'll see I went thru the same thing you went thru.
If you check my comments on this thread you'll see I went thru the same thing you went thru.