So, an iPhone bought in Canada will WORK on any US Carrier? Thanks for any confirmation.
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iPhone 7 Models From AT&T and T-Mobile Do Not Support CDMA Networks
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So, an iPhone bought in Canada will WORK on any US Carrier? Thanks for any confirmation.
Did you order via Apple upgrade program
I was told mine was 1784 and I ordered full price fully paid on no upgrade program via Apple.com website. I tried to get the Verizon model but no account NO GO. In fact the CSR on chat felt is was my fault that I was pissed to get a crippled phone.
He even said he was sorry I felt tricked...his words. I was dumbfounded.
I am buying the phone outright and my only option is try a store to get it switched to verizon model.
I still do not comprehend why if I pay full up front price I am not getting A1661. Just because I am current AT&T customer should have no baring. I really feel screwed!
Yes, I ordered by enrolling in the iPhone Upgrade Program and selecting AT&T as my carrier, since there was no way to choose Verizon without already having an account with them.
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I've been trying to Chat with Apple for days now.... No love.
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Yes. This is what I was wondering. I enrolled in the Apple iPhone Upgrade Program and was forced to put AT&T as my carrier. I do not yet know if I'm going to get the model A1660 which I prefer or the inferior A1778. I plan to confront the issue at the Apple Store on pickup day and see what they can do for me. Might be the A1660 anyway.
I suppose a backup plan could be to open a new Verizon Wireless account - I would have 14 days to cancel it according to the policy on their web site. https://www.verizonwireless.com/landingpages/return-policy/ No penalty since I will not have obtained any "discounted device" through the Verizon account.
Thoughts?
The reason for this step backwards is that they changed vendors for their "radio" chipsets in the phone. Apparently making a multi-band modem is still super expensive/inefficient and Intel didn't have enough supply to make for all of them. I agree though; this "different phone for different carriers" crap needs to stop.
The problem is its limits the customer's ability to move to another carrier. If I get the wrong model, my options are limited to AT&T and T-Mobile. I don't see myself changing this year but in the future it might be likely and who wants a crippled phone that I paid $900 and connected to a carrier that I don't want to be with. They are not subsidizing the expense.
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Hmm so the question is...create the account and order the iPhone 7 and pay full price. Cancel before you recieve the phone as it will would not be delivered for several weeks. Can you do that?
Will they let you setup an account and not get a device at the same time? or setup the account and go to Apple.com and order the phone.
[doublepost=1473771492][/doublepost]Hi everyone,
I think we do not have the correct spec list for GSM and CDMA models. Apple did that last year with iPhone 6s.
If you really pay attention how come Canadian cdma providers are listed on GSM version of iPhone 7 (model a1778). Please pay attention to that.
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You either got very lucky or they changed their policy for the iPhone 7. I called the corporate Verizon store in Clackamas and they told me they will not sell an iPhone 7 outright. They said they will not sell it for prepaid and they won't activate one on prepaid. They said it was a corporate decision. They will only sell one as an upgrade or with new post-paid service. I called a 3rd party Verizon retailer and they told me the same thing. So the only option is to wait in line at an Apple Store.
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That's a good point. And we know Apple employees are giving out wrong information over chat and telephone. I was told both by an Apple Store online rep and an AppleCare rep this morning that the phones are all locked to their specific carrier and cannot be used on another carrier. The store rep told me the only model you can use on prepaid or different carriers is the SIM-free version and that it's not available yet. When I purchased the T-Mobile phone though it clearly said unlocked. The AppleCare rep also couldn't tell me which model it was even based on the serial number on my support profile that is now listed. So perhaps we should wait to see what model we actually receive and enter the imei on a CDMA carrier's site to check compatibility.
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Do NOT do that unless you want your credit score to take a hit from a hard inquiry. It'll stay on there hurting your credit rating for 2 years.
I've been "lucky" several times, and I doubt they've changed their policies. Like I wrote elsewhere, they're sales people - they want your money, that's it. Don't waste your time talking to any one of them over the phone - I never do, just walk in like I've done...
More on this bit, referenced on BGR a few days ago:
http://bgr.com/2016/09/12/iphone-7-plus-jet-black-how-to-find-iphone-7/
https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/529q7k/psa_how_to_get_an_iphone_7_on_launch_day_without/
They're sales people. You have money. QED. Why is this still a thing?
Well I am not personally going to try going to a carrier store in the hopes that a salesperson will break company policy for me. That article says "your carrier." It doesn't infer that someone can do what you've suggested. When the iPhone 5S came out I tried to purchase a second one because I had an upgrade with AT&T to use. The only places nearby that had stock was Best Buy so I went there. The salesperson became suspicious when they saw I already had an iPhone 5S and they asked me to hold tight because they needed to talk to their manager. Then the manager came come over to talk to me and he said they couldn't sell me the phone and I needed to leave the store and if I wouldn't he'd call security. I've never experienced anything like that before. I submitted a complaint with their corporate office and they sent me a $50 gift card. After that I went to another Best Buy and I didn't have a problem. So situations like that are ones I'd like to avoid.
Meh, I don't know why people always bring this up. Unless one has very bad credit or is in a special situation like needs to apply for a mortgage or a car loan soon, who cares about the "hard hit"?
Suit yourself. I've never had an issue, not even a second glance. More for the rest of us. Mine will be the matte black Plus...
Same thing happened with me. I'm hoping all is well also. The iPhone Upgrade concierge that helped me even said it's fine, but reading alot of info that says otherwise.
Got my brand new shiny Verizon iPhone 7 Plus from UPS this morning. Immediately tossed out the Verizon SIM and put in my ATT SIM, fired it up, and then...
Although the phone was purchased outright there's still an association with Verizon. I used a friend's account to get past the Verizon 'purchase wall' to order the phone. Now the initial setup process 'knows' the phone number used to purchase the phone and won't allow you to proceed with 'activation' of the phone without the account details used at time of purchase.
Worse, the account association between the new phone and my friends Verizon account is done through Apple servers and not locally on the device. I confirmed the association wasn't on the phone itself by doing a DFU restore, no joy same thing. I could just plug in my friend's account info again, but I'm hesitant to actually 'activate' the phone in iTunes using their account since at that point it may have some actual effect on their service.
After calling Apple, the first line support was completely confused by the issue and told me I had a locked phone. I responded that the phone wasn't locked, it actually had 3 'dots' of AT&T service as we were speaking but wouldn't let me enter the correct phone number for initial activation. Eventually, I was able to get through to a senior support rep, who had a better grasp on things. Confirmed that the serial number is associated on Apple servers with the Verizon account used for purchase. This would require an 'engineering ticket' to address, which she put in for me. She said the wait would be between 30 minutes to 4 hours for a call back. So I'll post an update once I hear back.
Again, disappointed in Apple for making inferior versions of the iPhone 7 and creating this situation in the first place...
Although the phone was purchased outright there's still an association with Verizon. I used a friend's account to get past the Verizon 'purchase wall' to order the phone. Now the initial setup process 'knows' the phone number used to purchase the phone and won't allow you to proceed with 'activation' of the phone without the account details used at time of purchase.
Worse, the account association between the new phone and my friends Verizon account is done through Apple servers and not locally on the device. I confirmed the association wasn't on the phone itself by doing a DFU restore, no joy same thing. I could just plug in my friend's account info again, but I'm hesitant to actually 'activate' the phone in iTunes using their account since at that point it may have some actual effect on their service.
After calling Apple, the first line support was completely confused by the issue and told me I had a locked phone. I responded that the phone wasn't locked, it actually had 3 'dots' of AT&T service as we were speaking but wouldn't let me enter the correct phone number for initial activation. Eventually, I was able to get through to a senior support rep, who had a better grasp on things. Confirmed that the serial number is associated on Apple servers with the Verizon account used for purchase. This would require an 'engineering ticket' to address, which she put in for me. She said the wait would be between 30 minutes to 4 hours for a call back. So I'll post an update once I hear back.
Again, disappointed in Apple for making inferior versions of the iPhone 7 and creating this situation in the first place...
That is just absolutely up sir. What the hell is wrong with Apple regarding this issue.
Jeez. Very sad
I hope you're able to get it sorted quickly and easily
You don't mention contacting AT&T at all. Did you do that? Maybe to Activate you need to have AT&T give you a new SIM (I know that the SIMs can be limited to certain phone models... at least that was the explanation given once to me by AT&T when they had to mail me a new SIM to solve an Activation problem on a previously used iPhone..)
Apple needs to be careful with this nonsense or they will be subject to another class action suit (already one over the Upgrade Program) for misrepresenting product as "Unlocked" when it's not.
Which makes sense, from the standpoint of preventing a thief from intercepting someone else's delivery and using a stolen phone.
I agree though, that there should've been another way to buy an unlocked phone with full capabilities.
While other issues may still be out there (like WiFi calling and Voice Over LTE), I'm inclined to say this issue isn't SIM related since the new iPhone is able to use my AT&T LTE data connection to attempt to activate itself on a Verizon account.
The whole things seems pretty absurd.
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No account info required to purchase a T-mobile iPhone from the Apple store. Also, SIM free phones purchased from apple don't require account info. This 'feature' definitely isn't about preventing theft.
The idea of 2 different models is pure crap. Apple is limiting consumers options.
The day of subsidies are over. If you pay full price the phone should not be crippled if I end up with a crippled phone as suggested I will go to an Apple Store to try and get a " Verizon" model or I will return it.
If I'm paying full price I want a fully capable phone period
The day of subsidies are over. If you pay full price the phone should not be crippled if I end up with a crippled phone as suggested I will go to an Apple Store to try and get a " Verizon" model or I will return it.
If I'm paying full price I want a fully capable phone period
It's not any better, and often worse, with other OEMs. I believe Samsung makes different versions for each carrier that don't support all the LTE bands. Heck, they put different CPUs into the S7 sold in the rest of the world vs. the US.
Couldn't agree more. Although it was pretty much assumed to be the case, the various teardowns confirm that the CDMA phones use the Qualcomm X12 modem (assuming the Japanese A1785 that iFixit tore down is the same as US CDMA models), while the A1778 AT&T / T-mobile version uses Intel’s Baseband Processor (Modem) PMB9943, which is probably the Intel XMM7360 (per chipworks).
As has been stated earlier in this thread, the Qualcomm X12 is, spec wise, vastly superior to Intel's offering. To me, this is a MUCH bigger deal than sourcing the processor from two different vendors as apple has done in the past. In that case, the specs were the same and the differences came down to yield and manufacturing process in a way that could not be distinguished during real world use. In this case, capability is clearly limited on the inferior (Intel) version.
If Apple wanted to save money this way, they should have created a 3rd variant - the iPhone 7 Minus.
I'm calling this one Modemgate...
Once people start getting their new phones from the various channels after launch day, would you mind posting which model you receive? Just check the label on the outside of the packaging box.
A1660 (7) / A1661 (7+) are GSM/CDMA models with Qualcomm modem (marketed for Verizon/Sprint)
vs
A1778 (7) / A1784 (7+) are GSM-only models with Intel modem (marketed for AT&T/T-Mobile)
We'd like to know if any AT&T/T-Mobile users actually got the (unlocked!) Qualcomm version via:
- Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program
- Apple.com online order
- Apple Store walk-in purchase of "device only" without account verification
- Verizon/Sprint store purchase without service (corporate or authorized retailer)
- AT&T/T-Mobile store stocking any Qualcomm version
- Any prepaid or MVNO store stocking any Qualcomm version
A1660 (7) / A1661 (7+) are GSM/CDMA models with Qualcomm modem (marketed for Verizon/Sprint)
vs
A1778 (7) / A1784 (7+) are GSM-only models with Intel modem (marketed for AT&T/T-Mobile)
We'd like to know if any AT&T/T-Mobile users actually got the (unlocked!) Qualcomm version via:
- Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program
- Apple.com online order
- Apple Store walk-in purchase of "device only" without account verification
- Verizon/Sprint store purchase without service (corporate or authorized retailer)
- AT&T/T-Mobile store stocking any Qualcomm version
- Any prepaid or MVNO store stocking any Qualcomm version
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My beef was they did not state out in the open that there were 2 different models. Not until you looked at specs was this clear
Also at the pre-order sept 9 there was no screen that popped that said my full price AT & T phone was crippled. Apple wants a sim free phone yet they build a model that won't work on all carriers.
This is a huge deal in my humble opinion
Also at the pre-order sept 9 there was no screen that popped that said my full price AT & T phone was crippled. Apple wants a sim free phone yet they build a model that won't work on all carriers.
This is a huge deal in my humble opinion