iPhone Unlock in UK - 10th November

[210]

Hey All,

I have had my iPhone 3G for nearly 2 months now but another family member of mine used to own the phone before me and they gave me the phone when they finished there 12 month contract on O2, and obviously it is locked to O2. Would I be able to fill out the online form to request the unlock myself or will I have to get my other family member who was the original owner of the phone to fill it out instead because his name was on the original O2 contract?

I only need it unlocking so I can use it with my Orange pay monthly sim card and I tried the method posted on here where you hook it up into iTunes, sync with the iPhone and iTunes downloads the new Orange Carrier settings which allows for an Orange sim card, but for me it did not work & never received the carrier settings through iTunes I tried it loads of times!

Thanks - Liam

There's no harm in filling out the form and see what happens

 

[cap'njack]

Have just requested that O2 unlock my iPhone See what happens now!

 

[cal6n]

That's debatable - in my case the O2 store manager said because I had a monthly contract already I could put my SIM in the 3GS and therefore not pay the otherwise mandatory £10 to top up the PAYG SIM. So as far as the O2 shop were concerned at the time of sale, it was not sold for PAYG use, but for use with an existing contract SIM.

It's similar for me, now that I think about it.

I received the PAYG SIM from O2 still sealed and passed it on to the new owner of my old iPhone 3G. I believe that the mandatory £10 top-up was included. However, my 3GS was never activated as a PAYG. It's always been under contract.

 

[Liam.]

There's no harm in filling out the form and see what happens

Thanks, just filled out the form just now and see what happens. I thought I might as well give it a go as the iPhone is out of contract now as it ended 2 months ago hence why I have the iPhone on my possesion now, I bet I get refused for the unlock though.

Liam

 

[arkitect]

I thought I might as well give it a go as the iPhone is out of contract now as it ended 2 months ago hence why I have the iPhone on my possesion now, I bet I get refused for the unlock though.

Liam

Why would you bet on getting refused an unlock?
You are already out of contract, so that works to your advantage.

 

[Liam.]

Why would you bet on getting refused an unlock?
You are already out of contract, so that works to your advantage.

Yes - but what if the information I provided does not match the information linked the the iPhone's IMEI linked to the original O2 pay monthly account? I know that the contract is now ended but what are the chances of O2 matching the IMEI with the account? Or when they look up the IMEI will there computer just tell them I am eligible for the unlock because my iPhone is no longer tied to a contract?

Liam

 

[daneoni]

Just got a voicemail from O2's executive relations team.

As it stands currently;

The phone is bound via IMEI number to the terms of the tariff it was purchased with. It doesn't matter if you switched sim cards and activated it with your granny's decade old contract SIM

Apples legislation and nothing O2 can do.

 

[Interpolation]

Yes - but what if the information I provided does not match the information linked the the iPhone's IMEI linked to the original O2 pay monthly account? I know that the contract is now ended but what are the chances of O2 matching the IMEI with the account? Or when they look up the IMEI will there computer just tell them I am eligible for the unlock because my iPhone is no longer tied to a contract?

Liam

Currently they link the IMEI to the contract. But I think you will be ok if it was a contract. If you were on pay&go you are stuffed until they sort it out.

 

[Liam.]

Just got a voicemail from O2's executive relations team.

As it stands currently;

The phone is bound via IMEI number to the terms of the tariff it was purchased with. It doesn't matter if you switched sim cards and activated it with your granny's decade old contract SIM

Apples legislation and nothing O2 can do.

So basically your saying there is nothing stopping me from getting this Unlock from O2? As long as my iPhone was took out on a contract to start with (which is was)

Liam

 

[daneoni]

As long as the actual phone you want to unlock was bought with a contract...

 

[nomad01]

The phone is bound via IMEI number to the terms of the tariff it was purchased with. It doesn't matter if you switched sim cards and activated it with your granny's decade old contract SIM

Apples legislation and nothing O2 can do.

Great... so by the time I can get this one unlocked I'll probably be looking to purchase the NEXT iPhone anyway! sigh.

 

[OllyW]

Great... so by the time I can get this one unlocked I'll probably be looking to purchase the NEXT iPhone anyway! sigh.

At least you'll be able to sell it as officially unlocked.

 

[nomad01]

At least you'll be able to sell it as officially unlocked.

Yeah true. Probably end up having another on O2 contract anyway and at least unlocking the contract one will mean I can use it with a foreign sim when abroad.

 

[instaxgirl]

Just got a voicemail from O2's executive relations team.

As it stands currently;

The phone is bound via IMEI number to the terms of the tariff it was purchased with. It doesn't matter if you switched sim cards and activated it with your granny's decade old contract SIM

Apples legislation and nothing O2 can do.

This is why the unlocking form annoys me. I should just be able to put in my iPhone's IMEI and have it unlocked without needing to be on O2 and put in a number etc. It could have been sitting in a drawer since it's contract was paid off in January for all they know.

 

[Liam.]

Brilliant, fingers crossed they will honour my request for the unlock. Filled the form out earlier on, no text back from them yet.

Liam

 

[daneoni]

This is why the unlocking form annoys me. I should just be able to put in my iPhone's IMEI and have it unlocked without needing to be on O2 and put in a number etc. It could have been sitting in a drawer since it's contract was paid off in January for all they know.

You can still give it a go by calling them up. The 2G is old enough so it should technically not matter

 

[instaxgirl]

You can still give it a go by calling them up. The 2G is old enough so it should technically not matter

I know, I'm not in the UK though. I'll have to risk emailing them then waiting forever for a reply. I have bad luck with CS people emailing me back I'll get it unlocked eventually though, might have to wait till I'm back in the UK.

 

[cal6n]

Yes. That's right.

I've dashed off a terse email requesting their reason for denying the unlock to a Pay-Monthly customer...

*snip*

Just a quick update. I've received a rather pleasant reply to my email, informing me that my 16 GB iPhone 3G will soon be unlocked.

hmm...

I've replied, letting them know, as politely as possible, that I'm sure its new owner will be very pleased, once I break the news to them, but that I, however, would like my 32 GB iPhone 3GS unlocked, if you please!

More as it happens...

 

[alexph]

Just a quick update. I've received a rather pleasant reply to my email, informing me that my 16 GB iPhone 3G will soon be unlocked.

hmm...

I've replied, letting them know, as politely as possible, that I'm sure its new owner will be very pleased, once I break the news to them, but that I, however, would like my 32 GB iPhone 3GS unlocked, if you please!

More as it happens...

Ha, at least you got an email saying that they were going to unlock a phone. i filled in the form on the evening on the 9th, when it became available, had an email from them later that night saying that they needed more information to trace my account. then on Tuesday morning, i received an email from their customer care team saying that iPhone couldn't be unlocked and were tied to the O2 network. After I suggested in no uncertain terms that perhaps they might like to take at look at their own website, they came back the the usual, 'no-one told us' and yes my iPhone was eligable for an unlock. Since then nothing, but I guess the next will be a text message sometime in the next 12 days.

Unbelievable.

Alex

 

[Liam.]

Sent off the request for my unlock yesterday at 2pm, still no reply via email or text yet.

Liam

 

[andyjsi]

Sent off the request for my unlock yesterday at 2pm, still no reply via email or text yet.

Liam

I've been waiting since 9am on the 10th and still heard nothing. Tried syncing with another sim last night and I just got a message saying invalid sim detected

 

[Moi un Mouton]

Woo-hoo !!

Just got my text confirmation.

And it's a 2 month old PAYG 3GS running on my 18 month old Simplicity contract, so it would seem the rules are flexible!

Haven't been able to test it yet, will have to restore as I'm currently unlocked with Blacksn0w.

 

[arkitect]

Sent off the request for my unlock yesterday at 2pm, still no reply via email or text yet.

Liam

I've been waiting since 9am on the 10th and still heard nothing. Tried syncing with another sim last night and I just got a message saying invalid sim detected

When I filled out the form they did say it takes up to 14 days…
So a little patience might be rewarded.
Of course that's not to say they haven't screwed up.

Just got my text confirmation.

Great news. Did you apply on the 10th?

 

[Interpolation]

Just got my text confirmation.

And it's a 2 month old PAYG 3GS running on my 18 month old Simplicity contract, so it would seem the rules are flexible!

Haven't been able to test it yet, will have to restore as I'm currently unlocked with Blacksn0w.

Which number did you put in in the unlock form, you simplicity number by any chance...???

 

[Dee2001]

Just got my text confirmation.

And it's a 2 month old PAYG 3GS running on my 18 month old Simplicity contract, so it would seem the rules are flexible!

Haven't been able to test it yet, will have to restore as I'm currently unlocked with Blacksn0w.

I got my text at 10.15 this morning. Woo!