This seems accurate to me. I have Verizon and will be Paying full retail for the Verizon iPhone, therefore it will be unlocked. It must depend on how you finance the iPhone.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 7 Models From AT&T and T-Mobile Do Not Support CDMA Networks
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
This seems accurate to me. I have Verizon and will be Paying full retail for the Verizon iPhone, therefore it will be unlocked. It must depend on how you finance the iPhone.
Yes, it will be unlocked depending on your plan. I am on an AT&T GoPhone plan and replacing my current phone shows that I will have an unlocked iPhone 7 working on the AT&T.
If you're on VZ or Sprint, and buy tomorrow via AUP, it's going to be carrier locked. Same with AT&T. Takes a few months before Apple starts selling unlocked versions. And even then, your only choice will be to pay outright, for an unlocked phone. Or do the 12 months free financing via Barclaycard.
I plan on staying with AT&T for quite some time... But the resale value for the AT&T iPhone 7 does not look good. By going either the AT&T Next or the Apple Upgrade Program thru AT&T... the main issue would be choosing AT&T.
WHAT? The iPhone is one size fits all (not like all this gibberish about which iPhone for which carrier that US consumers are facing) - we have 3 major carriers and a slew of minors in Canada - you get to choose which carrier OR buy it outright from Apple.
You need a Verizon account if you want to order online. Otherwise, you can walk into an Apple Store and buy one "device only".
Negative. Not until Apple starts selling the unlocked version. Or you convince VZW to unlock it for you.
I'd wager the reason that Apple is listing a bunch of the AT&T and T-Mobile MVNOs like Cricket and MetroPCS in with the Verizon/Sprint phones is because those customers buying them are more likely to want to switch carriers, specifically to Sprint and Boost/Virgin Mobile. Apple doesn't want to deal with the anger that results when someone finds the $700 iPhone they bought (or, worse, had to chunk buy out from failure to understand how this whole money lending system works) won't work on the cheap carrier they've now picked thanks to failure to pay bills and targeting advertising. They're already on a low-cost carrier, and more likely to run into a StraightTalk or Walmart-like MVNO using any number of the Big 4, including using CDMA. I'm giving Apple the benefit of the doubt here: I think it likely they really ARE thinking of their customers here, being pro-consumer.
Long and short: don't buy a Sprint iPhone. Buy the Verizon model if you're playing this game, the FCC mandated their "unlock". Sprint is a terrible company, and if you get a locked iPhone good luck on getting them to unlock it. Truly, a place in Dante's Hell for the people who run that company. Also, good luck taking a CDMA phone TO Sprint, invariably they'll tell you that they can't register it, even if it is clean. They want to lock you in by selling you a locked phone. See prior point. (Verizon has come far on this issue, surprisingly.) Really, just don't use Sprint. Just don't. Their network sucks and their plans are that cheap because they're desperate and they're hoping you're stupid. Seriously. I can't stress this enough, DO NOT BE A SPRINT CUSTOMER.
(For the record, I'm NOT a Sprint customer. I had been a very happy Sprint customer, however, about 20 years ago when they first rolled out digital service. I was never personally unhappy with them. I despiiiiiise AT&T. LOATHE THEM. But I've watched how the modern Sprint treats its customers and how it advertises; at least AT&T is willing to SHOW YOU WITH THEIR LOGO that they're Darth Vader. Sprint is just shady, definitely Emperor Palpatine, Darth Sidious. And though I despise AT&T, I'm on their network. Because it mostly works, has significantly better coverage in my area than T-Mobile, and the price is much more reasonable than Verizon. I'll side with Vader over Sidious any day. "The enemy you know." Oh, and perhaps ironically, resale value of locked Sprint phones is crap at the trade-in services, but surprisingly high on Craigslist. Who'da'thunkit?)
Long and short: don't buy a Sprint iPhone. Buy the Verizon model if you're playing this game, the FCC mandated their "unlock". Sprint is a terrible company, and if you get a locked iPhone good luck on getting them to unlock it. Truly, a place in Dante's Hell for the people who run that company. Also, good luck taking a CDMA phone TO Sprint, invariably they'll tell you that they can't register it, even if it is clean. They want to lock you in by selling you a locked phone. See prior point. (Verizon has come far on this issue, surprisingly.) Really, just don't use Sprint. Just don't. Their network sucks and their plans are that cheap because they're desperate and they're hoping you're stupid. Seriously. I can't stress this enough, DO NOT BE A SPRINT CUSTOMER.
(For the record, I'm NOT a Sprint customer. I had been a very happy Sprint customer, however, about 20 years ago when they first rolled out digital service. I was never personally unhappy with them. I despiiiiiise AT&T. LOATHE THEM. But I've watched how the modern Sprint treats its customers and how it advertises; at least AT&T is willing to SHOW YOU WITH THEIR LOGO that they're Darth Vader. Sprint is just shady, definitely Emperor Palpatine, Darth Sidious. And though I despise AT&T, I'm on their network. Because it mostly works, has significantly better coverage in my area than T-Mobile, and the price is much more reasonable than Verizon. I'll side with Vader over Sidious any day. "The enemy you know." Oh, and perhaps ironically, resale value of locked Sprint phones is crap at the trade-in services, but surprisingly high on Craigslist. Who'da'thunkit?)
Last edited:
Would the Qualcomm modem support T-Mobiles new 4x4 MIMO? https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/news-and-blogs/lte-advanced.htm
I may hold off preordering until I find this out, as I read the Intel modem does not.
I may hold off preordering until I find this out, as I read the Intel modem does not.
I have a feeling the article's advice...
"Ultimately, the most obvious choice should be to purchase a Verizon or Sprint model, even if you are an AT&T or T-Mobile customer"
is going to cause people to be in for a rude awakening when they try to activate a phone requiring a Verizon account when all they have is an ATT/Tmobile SIM. Of course I'd love to be wrong on this (since of course it is only natural to want the device that provides more network options), but I'm not seeing any proof otherwise, only speculation.
"Ultimately, the most obvious choice should be to purchase a Verizon or Sprint model, even if you are an AT&T or T-Mobile customer"
is going to cause people to be in for a rude awakening when they try to activate a phone requiring a Verizon account when all they have is an ATT/Tmobile SIM. Of course I'd love to be wrong on this (since of course it is only natural to want the device that provides more network options), but I'm not seeing any proof otherwise, only speculation.
Verizon phones are sold unlocked in the US.
Negative. You are confusing unlocked with SIM-free, the latter of which will not come out for a few weeks. Any phone purchased from Apple at full price automatically unlocks as soon as you activate it on the network.
Just got off the phone with Apple if you buy during the pre order specifically the AT&T or TMobile versions you will not get the version that works with Verizon or Sprint. BUT if you buy under the Apple upgrade program you are technically buying an unlocked phone. So all you would need to do is use your Apple Care (which must be purchased as part of the program) and identify your desire to use the CDMA function and they would give the correct model for that feature to be accessible. Otherwise, you would need to wait a couple weeks for the unlocked phone to show up as an option on Apple's online store. Hope that makes sense.
If I am Verizon Customer and pay for the Verzon unlocked iPhone in full on the Apple Store online, it will work on their network, correct?
Edit:See @whyamihere post above. They are correct.
I'm probably going to get Captain Obvious'd for this but I don't have the time to sift through the rest of the thread...
I'm planning to order tonight during pre-order, I'm on T-Mobile but want to have a CDMA compatible iPhone. So do I just order a Sprint or Verizon iPhone that's paid in full so it comes unlocked and pop my T-Mobile SIM when I get it next week?
My iPhone 5 was purchased on contract through AT&T when I originally bought it in 2012 and I had to call AT&T for an unlock when I ditched them for T-Mobile two years ago. I won't have to do that again with a Sprint or Verizon iPhone if I order tonight through Apple will I?
I'm planning to order tonight during pre-order, I'm on T-Mobile but want to have a CDMA compatible iPhone. So do I just order a Sprint or Verizon iPhone that's paid in full so it comes unlocked and pop my T-Mobile SIM when I get it next week?
My iPhone 5 was purchased on contract through AT&T when I originally bought it in 2012 and I had to call AT&T for an unlock when I ditched them for T-Mobile two years ago. I won't have to do that again with a Sprint or Verizon iPhone if I order tonight through Apple will I?
Im ordering my phone tonight. heres my dilema... im going to SOUTH korea in november for a month and was planing on getting a pre paid sim for the phone. heres my problem SK is one of the few countries that uses CDMA. I have AT&T and was gonna just order through the next program because I love the simplicity of the upgrade process. anyways. what do I do now?
From what I've gathered, that won't be possible because in order to order the Verizon phone online, you will need to already have a Verizon account (that you will need to enter during the order process). I hope I am wrong, but that's what I understand.
They don't sell a specific phone through the annual upgrade program. They sell a Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint phone to you that has been unlocked. Which one depends on which carrier you have, as you have to activate the phone in-store upon purchase.
If you don't have Verizon, I don't think you can select Verizon and complete the checkout process (even if you are paying the full amount). The reason is they ship the phone with a sim card with the phone number so it's going to ask for a Verizon account. I think it's going to take a couple of months before you'll be able to order the 7 without the sim card. This has nothing with the phone being unlocked or not.
Unless you're traveling to a cow pasture in the middle of Montana where Verizon only has CDMA coverage, it should still work on their LTE network.
Well that's a bummer. I plan on using the AUP. I guess it really doesn't matter though. I'm not looking to change carriers anytime soon and also if you are on the AUP, you can't sell your phone, so it doesn't matter about resale value.
How do you get the Verizon phone? I've read you need to have a Verizon account just to buy the Verizon iPhone from Apple even if you're buying it outright.
You do not have to activate the phone in store, according to an Apple customer service rep I spoke with this morning.