Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is my replacement iPhone Unlocked?

S

sbddude

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 27, 2010
894
4
Nor Cal, USA
I got a replacement iphone from the Apple store on monday (MC319LL). I tried a non-AT&T sim that I use at work for testing and it did not say "invalid SIM".

When I put the same test SIM in a AT&T Q9h, I get a screen that says "unlock code required". Therefore I am fairly confidant that the test SIM is non-AT&T.

From this, can I deduce that my replacement iPhone is unlocked? Is there any other way to tell?
 
Iphone replacements are like for like
If it was locked before it will be locked on the new iPhone.
 
Replacements from Apple tend to be refurbished models of the same variety in which you bought in the first place. In extremely rare instances, they will replace you current one with higher memory(say they are regionally out of stock of your particular iPhone), but otherwise exactly the same one(Color, generation, and up-to-date iOS).
 
Applejuiced said:
I know, but that doesn't mean they will take a locked iPhone and replace it with an unlocked one.
Just saying.
Click to expand...
But they are available here, so its possible whether via mistake, shortage of locked variety, dumb employee, etc.
 
Ok, I don't care how it happened. I am trying to figure out if it happened.

What normally happens when a non-AT&T sim is inserted in a locked iPhone?
 
It'll read something like no carrier or no signal where the antenna should be.
If you really want to test, borrow a friend's t-mobile sim. If it's unlocked, you'll see signal bars.
There's no way apple could've accidentally given you an unlocked phone. They copy the carrier lock of your old phone and transfer it to the new one. Unless someone screwed up big time, don't get your hopes up.
sbddude said:
What normally happens when a non-AT&T sim is inserted in a locked iPhone?
Click to expand...
 
pyro008 said:
But they are available here, so its possible whether via mistake, shortage of locked variety, dumb employee, etc.
Click to expand...

in Canada.. Apple sells the iPhone on 5 different carriers. they sell ONE TYPE of phone and then lock the phone to whatever carrier you buy your phone with (if subsidized). if not subsidized, then the phone will remain unlocked.

i'm sure it's the same case in the U.S. they don't have "locked" and "unlocked" stock. it's just iPhone stock that is either locked or unlocked during the replacement.
 
acfusion29 said:
in Canada.. Apple sells the iPhone on 5 different carriers. they sell ONE TYPE of phone and then lock the phone to whatever carrier you buy your phone with (if subsidized). if not subsidized, then the phone will remain unlocked.

i'm sure it's the same case in the U.S. they don't have "locked" and "unlocked" stock. it's just iPhone stock that is either locked or unlocked during the replacement.
Click to expand...

This is correct.

An iPhone is only locked when it is activated in iTunes. The network that the lock is applied to (e.g. AT&T) is determined using a database maintained by Apple.

When you take in an iPhone, Apple will know which network your device is locked to and they will be able to put the replacement in the database with the same network.
 
put the SIM from the other carrier and make a call; if it goes through w/ both the other carrier sim and yours and you can talk then is unlocked... :eek: :cool:
 
My brother got an AppleCare replacement on his iPhone 3G a year and a 1/2 or so ago. The replacement was unlocked (iTunes would tell you it was unlocking the phone at the end of a restore)
 
Polymira said:
My brother got an AppleCare replacement on his iPhone 3G a year and a 1/2 or so ago. The replacement was unlocked (iTunes would tell you it was unlocking the phone at the end of a restore)
Click to expand...

Your brother got really lucky then if he handed in a carrier locked iphone and got an unlocked unit in return.
That's the exception and not the rule.
 
Polymira said:
My brother got an AppleCare replacement on his iPhone 3G a year and a 1/2 or so ago. The replacement was unlocked (iTunes would tell you it was unlocking the phone at the end of a restore)
Click to expand...

i think at first the genius' were typing in the information by themselves.

now i believe all they do is put your serial # in, and the rest is done by the system. once the genius scans your replacement, the computer knows how much warranty it should have, whether it's unlocked.. and all that stuff.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back