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Just ordered Contract Free T-Mobile - Hope you guys are right about this!

I've read reports that the 6 will be locked even if you buy it outright for T-Mobile. You have to have an account active for x number of days before you can unlock it.

*IF* this is true, I suppose it's just a way for Apple to try to allocate phones to different markets / keep, say, AT&T users from cannibalizing stock designated for T-Mobile customers, etc.

I guess we'll see. I bought a T-Mobile iPhone 5s directly from Apple last year (bought it outright, no financing, etc.)-- I need to call them to see if it's actually unlocked-- I always assumed it was.
 
mgb1120 said:
Does the t mobile full price direct from apple.com have NFC?
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I don't think they would promote Apple Pay and NFC being on their devices but not include it on one model, especially when they're working with T-Mobile for WiFi Calling and VoLTE.

So basically, yes.

Update: http://www.apple.com/iphone-6/specs/ Scroll to Cellular and Wireless Section. Under all models it lists NFC so yes again.
 
If you ordered the T-mobile contract-free phone from Apple, it will be.....GSM Unlocked. I guarantee it and I won't be the next 1080p. :cool: I've verified this with a number of Apple reps. Some were just misinformed but have been given an update by management. So rest easy and enjoy your unlocked phone.
 
techspin said:
If you ordered the T-mobile contract-free phone from Apple, it will be.....GSM Unlocked. I guarantee it and I won't be the next 1080p. :cool: I've verified this with a number of Apple reps. Some were just misinformed but have been given an update by management. So rest easy and enjoy your unlocked phone.
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We'll see.

I just called T-Mobile and my 5s-- that I bought directly from Apple (Apple.com, not in store) and paid for in full--- is carrier locked. I'm free to unlock it, but it shipped to me locked. I will be surprised if the 6 / 6+ is any different.

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CEmajr said:
It is. I bought my 5S this way last year.
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When did you buy it? At launch, or a couple months later?

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kalebnate said:
Everyone who bought the 5S this way last year says so ... I will post back here to confirm the result in a few weeks (I hope it is unlocked really).
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Asked T-Mobile to verify my device (5s ordered directly from Apple), they say it's locked. Granted, I have *not* tried to put another carrier's SIM card in my device to verify this. But they've submitted an unlock code request from Apple for me.

Regardless-- I hope things work out for you-- keep us posted!
 
It will be carrier locked if you purchase through T-Mobile on EIP. It's free to request unlock after some time.

If you buy through Apple store and pay in full, it will be unlocked according to Apple instructions.

This was the case with my gf's iphone 5. Maybe they changed, but I doubt.

Anyways, it doesn't really matter. If you are buying a TM version, you obviously going to use with the carrier and not the ATT.
 
BlockEight88 said:
They can't charge full price and have it locked to a carrier. T-Mobile ONLY locks its iPhones if you get one on an EIP plan.
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Not necessarily true. If you bought it paid in full up front from T-Mobile STORE (at least with the 5S) it was locked. They will unlock it after 1 month service. From the APPLE STORE (again, with the 5S) it was not locked.

We are all ASSuming it is the same for the 6 and it probably will be but NO ONE knows for sure despite what is written anywhere until you get it in your hands. Past performance doesn't always reflect current performance.
 
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rumz said:
We'll see.

I just called T-Mobile and my 5s-- that I bought directly from Apple (Apple.com, not in store) and paid for in full--- is carrier locked. I'm free to unlock it, but it shipped to me locked. I will be surprised if the 6 / 6+ is any different.

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When did you buy it? At launch, or a couple months later?

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Asked T-Mobile to verify my device (5s ordered directly from Apple), they say it's locked. Granted, I have *not* tried to put another carrier's SIM card in my device to verify this. But they've submitted an unlock code request from Apple for me.

Regardless-- I hope things work out for you-- keep us posted!
Click to expand...

free to unlock it by what mechanism? through t-mobile?

what model number is the unlocked t-mobile version? I thought it was CDMA compatible?

Also might be interesting to see if it's VoLTE compatible with Verizon once they roll that out. You could skip legacy voice and go right to VoLTE, potentially.
 
cipsaz07 said:
It will be carrier locked if you purchase through T-Mobile on EIP. It's free to request unlock after some time.

If you buy through Apple store and pay in full, it will be unlocked according to Apple instructions.

This was the case with my gf's iphone 5. Maybe they changed, but I doubt.

Anyways, it doesn't really matter. If you are buying a TM version, you obviously going to use with the carrier and not the ATT.
Click to expand...

I assumed my 5s was unlocked-- I called to check after it occurred to me it might not be. Again, I did buy it directly from Apple, paid in full. Ordered it the day they became available.

I've seen others suggest that there's a certain window of delay at launch where phones are uocked (makes sense if they want to assure a carrier there will be a certain supply of phones for their network at launch). After the initial rush I would imagine the contract-free GSM phone would be unlocked.

Back in 2011 it was a good solid 2 months after the initial release of the iPhone 4S before apple offered a "factory unlocked" phone. There was no other way for me to get a GSM phone from Apple without having a line of service with AT&T.

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icanhazapple said:
free to unlock it by what mechanism? through t-mobile?

what model number is the unlocked t-mobile version? I thought it was CDMA compatible?

Also might be interesting to see if it's VoLTE compatible with Verizon once they roll that out. You could skip legacy voice and go right to VoLTE, potentially.
Click to expand...

What I meant was that there's no reason I can't have my phone unlocked if it's paid for in full. Of course you always have to take anything a CS rep tells you with a grain of salt (be it Apple or a carrier's), but what I was told today was that I cannot have my phone unlocked directly by Apple, that T-Mobile has to initiate the request.

(I'm not sure I believe this-- I'm thinking that might be the case for phones purchased through T-Mobile since there'd have to be a line of service involved, and this person probably had no idea whether I had done so or not.)

But according to her, the process is that they submit the request and that Apple then provides the unlock code to me and T-Mobile. Seems like a really weird system.
 
Update

So, I called Apple's iPhone line and they are telling me that my iPhone 5s is not carrier locked-- so maybe I'm wrong. (Guy wasn't the sharpest, but when I asked him to check the IMEI about the status of a carrier lock he said it did in fact say it was unlocked... go figure).

2 observations: Currently if you go to buy a 5s on store.apple.com, you're presented with 2 sets of options.

Set 1: 2-year contract:
- AT&T
- Sprint
- Verizon

Set 2: Unlocked and Contract Free:
- T-Mobile: ships with a T-Mobile SIM
- SIM-free: Requires a GSM-compatible SIM

alternatively, on the iPhone 6 preorder page, these are your options:

Set 1: 2-year contract or carrier financing:
- AT&T
- Sprint
- Verizon

Set 2: Contract-free (note it doesn't say "unlocked"-- maybe it's unofficially unlocked?)

- T-Mobile

And that's it. No SIM-free option for the 6, which I assume will be added later as supply catches up with demand.

Anyways, sorry for the rant. Just find this really interesting (and I'm mostly concerned about having my 5s unlocked for selling, which is why I'm chasing the whole 5s angle).
 
Well if anything, there are many indications that it should be unlocked, and I'll take that !!
 
I'm pretty sure Apple has been downplaying the fact that the devices paid in full are factory unlocked because of the price discrimination and availability between markets.

For example, if Apple made the no-SIM, unlocked version available right off the bat, it would get bought up like crazy in the US and shipped overseas to countries where the base cost is substantially higher, undercutting their revenue there. Or it would all get shipped to China where there is no launch date yet and dampen their eventual launch there (at much higher prices).
 
jtp098 said:
Definitly let us know!
Click to expand...

Well mine got cancelled because I was trying to ship it to an address that forwards shipments overseas, which apparently is not allowed. So we have to check with the others if their orders are unlocked or not.
 
MatiasAR said:
Please do keep us posted. I too bought the tmobile contract free version to use it in Argentina and I won't be able to test it until October 19th when I get back from my trip - yeah, one month after...I will probably die meanwhile.

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wait, if I pop in my argentinian sim card while in the US, will that tell me anything whether it is unlocked or not?
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Yes, you go ahead and insert any non-US nanoSIM card into the phone; if you do get any type of roaming (probably, AT&T, as they are the preferred for Claro/Movistar/Personal), you've got yourself a nice, shiny unlocked iPhone 6.
 
So it seems this is true if buying from the Apple Store. What about buying from Radio Shack at full price?

It appears as though the Sprint phone has more LTE bands (especially those used in Asia), so I want that one at full price...
 
Now that the iPhones are out there, can anyone confirm that it is indeed unlocked ?
 
bmms8 said:
I think you want to see with Tmo US versions, which aren't for sale yet. Wait 3 hours and you'll get an answer.
Click to expand...

I'm interested in the T-Mobile preordered phones from the Apple Store, not the shop itself
 
kalebnate said:
I'm interested in the T-Mobile preordered phones from the Apple Store, not the shop itself
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Right. The USA Apple store sales started at 8 am EST, not at 530 EST like your post. And for deliveries, you need to wait until people get them....
 
mine should be delivered anytime now. Tmobile ordered from Apple. I'll let you all know as soon as I can unless someone confirms first.
 
it has been confirmed in another post that the tmobile phone from apple is unlocked, it worked with att sim card right away.
 
will it work with a Verizon sim? I thought that they only worked with GSM and not CDMA? Confused here.
 
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