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jessetrippe

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 9, 2015
9
0
After reading MacRumors' article on the 7/+ GSM and GSM/CDMA modems (specifically the fact that an AT&T/T-Mobile phone will not be accessible on Verizon or Sprint) I got a little worried. I planned on switching carriers once my contract was up. An Apple rep told me that phones being sold through Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program will have modems that support both networks. Can anyone who's received their iPhone 7/+ today through the IUP confirm this?

https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/08/att-and-tmobile-iphone-7-models-lack-cdma/
 
Last edited:
I haven't gotten mine yet but if you get the AT&T or T-Mobile version and switch later, you will need to get a deferent phone. Now if you are able to get the Verizon or Sprint version, it WILL work with AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card inserted. It has the needed bands to support it.
 
I haven't gotten mine yet but if you get the AT&T or T-Mobile version and switch later, you will need to get a deferent phone. Now if you are able to get the Verizon or Sprint version, it WILL work with AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card inserted. It has the needed bands to support it.
Once you get yours, do you mind checking? Like I said, I read the article, but the Apple Rep insisted the IUP phone feature the dual Qualcomm modem.
 
Once you get yours, do you mind checking? Like I said, I read the article, but the Apple Rep insisted the IUP phone feature the dual Qualcomm modem.

I suppose I can but you can get the information from http://www.apple.com/iphone-7/specs/

"
Cellular and Wireless
Model A1660*
Model A1661*
FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41)
TD-SCDMA 1900 (F), 2000 (A)
CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900, 2100 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Model A1778*
Model A1784*
Models A1778 and A1784 do not support CDMA networks, such as those used by Verizon and Sprint.

FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41)
UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
All models
802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi‑Fi with MIMO
Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology
NFC"

Does that give you the info you need/want?
 
I am going to pick up my Upgrade Program ATT phone later. I'll let you know if it has CDMA on it.
Great! Thank you!
[doublepost=1474047485][/doublepost]
How do I check on my Sprint 7+
Not entirely sure. Did they remove the model number from the back of the phone? Maybe it's on the box? If you can find the model number you tell if it's CDMA/GSM or GSM.

iPhone 7:
A1660, A1778 (GSM Only)

iPhone 7 Plus:
A1661, A1784 (GSM Only)
 
Great! Thank you!
[doublepost=1474047485][/doublepost]
Not entirely sure. Did they remove the model number from the back of the phone? Maybe it's on the box? If you can find the model number you tell if it's CDMA/GSM or GSM.

iPhone 7:
A1660, A1778 (GSM Only)

iPhone 7 Plus:
A1661, A1784 (GSM Only)


The back of the box says "Supports: CDMA, GSM, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, and LTE (FDD and TD)
 
I think the iUP stock is the same as the regular stock. The carrier SKUs have carrier SIMs in them already. Once Apple starts selling the SIM-free version, that will support CDMA.
[doublepost=1474048323][/doublepost]
The back of the box says "Supports: CDMA, GSM, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, and LTE (FDD and TD)
Which makes sense since Sprint's 3G fallback network is CDMA.
 
I think the iUP stock is the same as the regular stock. The carrier SKUs have carrier SIMs in them already. Once Apple starts selling the SIM-free version, that will support CDMA.
[doublepost=1474048323][/doublepost]
Which makes sense since Sprint's 3G fallback network is CDMA.
 
I think they are just unlocked, not SIM free. If you get the ATT or T-Mobile phone they are going to be GSM only. At least that is what I think.
 
I received my IUP iPhone 7+ this morning. It does not support GSM and CDMA. According to Apple and the MR article, and as mentioned, the modems are dual sourced and the phone will contain one or the other.
Apple is offering four models of the iPhone 7. Model 1661 is the only one that has multi-network support.
Standby for ModemGate! As we all know, an unlocked, multi-network capable iPhone was one of the major selling points of the IUP. I'm guessing it will be a few hours before the next class action is filed;)
 
I received my IUP iPhone 7+ this morning. It does not support GSM and CDMA. According to Apple and the MR article, and as mentioned, the modems are dual sourced and the phone will contain one or the other.
Standby for ModemGate! As we all know, an unlocked, multi-carrier capable iPhone was one of the major selling points of the IUP. I'm guessing it will be a few hours before the next class action is filed;)

IIRC, you are right. Last year it was advertised as a phone that was unlocked and would work on any carrier
 
Here is the updated information from Apple....which was conveniently changed without proper notification to program subscribers:

When I buy with the iPhone Upgrade Program, is my iPhone “unlocked”?
Yes. You can select a new wireless carrier or stick with the one you have. We’ll activate your iPhone on your choice of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon. Once your new iPhone is activated, it remains unlocked.

Are there differences between an iPhone for AT&T or T-Mobile and an iPhone for Sprint or Verizon Wireless?
iPhone offers the same innovative features regardless of the wireless carrier you choose. If you choose AT&T or T-Mobile as your wireless carrier, your iPhone will use 3G cellular technology for voice services and either 3G or 4G LTE cellular technology for data services. iPhone can roam internationally on many GSM carriers around the world. If you buy iPhone with AT&T or T-Mobile, it will not work on Sprint or Verizon Wireless.

If you choose Sprint or Verizon Wireless as your wireless carrier, your iPhone will use CDMA cellular technology for voice and data services. If you buy an unlocked iPhone with Verizon or Sprint, it will work on AT&T or T-Mobile. An iPhone activated on Sprint or Verizon Wireless also has the ability to roam internationally on GSM networks. For details on LTE network support, please see www.apple.com/iphone/LTE.
 
A GSM only phone can actually be used on Verizon if it supports VoLTE.

No one is going to advertise this because if you're not in LTE range the phone is effectively a brick and can't make emergency calls on the Verizon network.
 
I think he was more so confirming they are not SIM free like last year.


This is the biggest failure of this program. I have T-Mobile and reserved both a Verizon and T-Mobile 7 for pick up today. The Verizon was matte black and the T-Mobile was gold (only options available to choose from). I requested the black one Verizon to use with T-Mobile, since I read that the T-Mobile and Att were GSM. Since I am not a current Verizon customer, I was not able to get a fully unlocked phone that would work on both T-Mobile and Verizon.

This is the biggest let down ever. In order to get a truly unlocked phone, I had to sign up for a Verizon account, have the phone first activated with a Verizon sim, and then swap my T-Mobile sim in. Even talking with the Manager and showing him the website that shows "unlocked iPhone", did nothing to get around having to sign up for Verizon to get a phone that wasn't limited to certain networks.

I am beyond disappointed in apple and will be writing to complain. There was no other way to find this out other than going to the store and attempting to get a Verizon phone without a Verizon account.
 
This is the biggest failure of this program. I have T-Mobile and reserved both a Verizon and T-Mobile 7 for pick up today. The Verizon was matte black and the T-Mobile was gold (only options available to choose from). I requested the black one Verizon to use with T-Mobile, since I read that the T-Mobile and Att were GSM. Since I am not a current Verizon customer, I was not able to get a fully unlocked phone that would work on both T-Mobile and Verizon.

This is the biggest let down ever. In order to get a truly unlocked phone, I had to sign up for a Verizon account, have the phone first activated with a Verizon sim, and then swap my T-Mobile sim in. Even talking with the Manager and showing him the website that shows "unlocked iPhone", did nothing to get around having to sign up for Verizon to get a phone that wasn't limited to certain networks.

I am beyond disappointed in apple and will be writing to complain. There was no other way to find this out other than going to the store and attempting to get a Verizon phone without a Verizon account.

Unlocked doesn't mean SIM free. It just means it is not locked to a single carrier.

It is crap though. Last year they were SIM free.
 
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