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How to tell if iPhone is unlocked
- Thread starter bhigh8
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This is why we have search buttons:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-tell-if-an-iphone-is-unlocked.1925741/#post-22030254
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-tell-if-iphone-is-unlocked.991353/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-tell-if-iphone-is-factory-unlocked.903040/
tl;dr - plug into iTunes, backup data, restore iPhone via iTunes, see Congrats sign. OR put in new SIM card from another provider. See if works.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-tell-if-an-iphone-is-unlocked.1925741/#post-22030254
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-tell-if-iphone-is-unlocked.991353/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-tell-if-iphone-is-factory-unlocked.903040/
tl;dr - plug into iTunes, backup data, restore iPhone via iTunes, see Congrats sign. OR put in new SIM card from another provider. See if works.
I purchased my iPhone 6s Plus and payed full price at the Apple Store. I asked them at the time of purchased if it's unlocked. He said YES and I said do I have to do anything specific he said NO just activate on the carrier of your choice. He did say though your particular one has an AT&T sim. So, I activated it with the AT&T sim while I was traveling (via customer service 611) and it worked without issue. This past weekend I took the sim out of a Verizon phone and inserted it into my 6s Plus and it worked without issue. I've also tried a T-Moble sim and it too worked. So, as far as I can tell it was indeed unlocked and I didn't have to go through this plugging it into iTunes business at all.
I take it you didn't read the tl;dr portion of my post ... or even see the post below the first one I posted. Not that hard. Plug it in to your computer, restore your iphone through iTunes, and you should see a sign that states your phone is unlocked. If no other words, then its still locked.
Yeah and if you don't have access to another sim from a different carrier, then the iTunes restore is the only other way to find out, which sucks. Who want to do a restore on a perfectly working phone?
To the thread starter you don't know anyone with an iPhone with another carrier that would let you test out using their sim?
Yeah. I can ask around and see who has ATT. Didn't think of using someone else's sim.
Where did you buy it? Did you pay full price? I know if you purchased directly form Apple and paid full price it's unlocked. If you got it from a carrier and you paid full price you can usually go to a web site and submit a request. This too would require that you do the iTunes restore thing and/or use a different sim. But you would then know for sure.
I really don't know much about Verizon. However, you can contact there CS and ask them about it. General consensus is that if you are still under contact they won't unlock it. All you can do is ask!
But isn't it only unlocked for GSM use internationally? Since it's CDMA it can't be used on at&ts network can it?
I believe you are right, a cdma iPhone 5 only worked on cdma networks in the US and would work on GSM outside the US, but could only be used with either sprint or verizon, not t-mobile, or at&t. But I am not 100% sure but that's what my one friend told me who actually tried to buy an unlocked verizon iphone 5 to use with at&t and it didn't work.
Yes it may be unlocked. But since its a Verizon iPhone 5 and it being cdma I think it is only GSM unlocked for international use. It will not work with GSM carriers in the United States I believe.
Because CDMA. When the iPhone 6 was released is when the Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T were all same model so if the phone was unlocked it could work on all 3 carriers.