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Carrier Nightmare Trying to get 5s Unlocked

bkends35

bkends35

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 24, 2013
941
422
USA
I switched carriers to ATT a few weeks ago. I have a 5s but it's locked. I want to use it until my 6s comes because my 4s is brutally slow.

Edit: It finally got unlocked a few weeks ago. I guess they hadn't gotten the ETF yet.
 
Last edited:
It is Apple that unlocks it. Once the carrier tells Apple that it's ok to unlock, they flag it in their database. Then next time to sync to iTunes, your phone will be unlocked.
 
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markb1 said:
It is Apple that unlocks it. Once the carrier tells Apple that it's ok to unlock, they flag it in their database. Then next time to sync to iTunes, your phone will be unlocked.
Click to expand...


Interesting, why would you need to sync to iTunes though?
 
Have you tried syncing your 5S with iTunes? That's how I unlocked my 5S after the request.

unlocked-jpg.582440
 

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bkends35 said:
I switched carriers to ATT a few weeks ago. I have a 5s but it's locked. I want to use it until my 6s comes because my 4s is brutally slow.

I've called a requested an unlock from my carrier twice now and it's still not unlocked, both times they've said it'll be unlocked within 2 business days, but nothing has happened. It's so annoying because I can't do anything other than request an unlock.

They told me apple is the one who actually unlocks it but I really don't think that's true, I always thought it was up to the carriers.

Anyone have experience with this? My old carrier was us cellular.
Click to expand...


What Carrier do you have?
 
I once wanted my AT&T phone unlocked and got tired of begging them so I used an unlock service. Still took a couple days but got it done.

Edit:

I'm not see a unlock service for us cellular.
 
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Is US Cellular CDMA? I know the iPhone 5S (ATT/Tmobile/Verizon) all are the same. But maybe the iPhone 5S with US cellular is like Sprint iPhone 5S where Sprint locks down the phone like crazy domestically?

aka, iphone 5S have both GSM/CDMA/LTE bands. But Sprint locks down the phone domestically (but Sprint relaxed their policy earlier this year).

So not sure how US Cellular approaches their unlocked policy.
 
Had my iPhone 6 unlocked by AT&T when I requested it. I put in a request online and it was done in 10 minutes. Sent me instructions that I had to restore my phone and after I hooked it back up to iTunes it would say "unlocked".
 
From US Cellular website (they are CDMA):

"What is the procedure for unlocking my device?
1X and 3G eligible devices may be unlocked at company owned or agent operated stores or by calling us at 888-944-9400. Because of the difficulty in unlocking some of our 4G devices you must bring these devices to a company owned store and we will either unlock the device for you or send it to a vendor who will perform the task and then have the device returned to the store. We hope to expand the capabilities of unlocking 4G devices to other distribution locations in the near future. You can call us at 888-944-9400 or your local U.S. Cellular store to determine the closest location to you that can handle your unlocking request. Your device may already be unlocked so be sure to check the unlocking status for your device listed above or by giving us a call. There is no charge for unlocking an individual device but U.S Cellular does reserve the right to charge non-customers a reasonable fee for any bulk requests for unlocking eligible devices.

How long will it take to have my eligible device unlocked?
Most devices can be unlocked on the spot but some 4G devices will need to be sent to an outside vendor to have the task performed. If the device needs to be sent to an outside vendor we will have the request processed as soon as is practical but you should plan on at least 3 or 4 days before the device can be unlocked and returned to the company owned store that processed your request."

This indicates you have to bring in a 4G device?
 
mb2008 said:
From US Cellular website (they are CDMA):

"What is the procedure for unlocking my device?
1X and 3G eligible devices may be unlocked at company owned or agent operated stores or by calling us at 888-944-9400. Because of the difficulty in unlocking some of our 4G devices you must bring these devices to a company owned store and we will either unlock the device for you or send it to a vendor who will perform the task and then have the device returned to the store. We hope to expand the capabilities of unlocking 4G devices to other distribution locations in the near future. You can call us at 888-944-9400 or your local U.S. Cellular store to determine the closest location to you that can handle your unlocking request. Your device may already be unlocked so be sure to check the unlocking status for your device listed above or by giving us a call. There is no charge for unlocking an individual device but U.S Cellular does reserve the right to charge non-customers a reasonable fee for any bulk requests for unlocking eligible devices.

How long will it take to have my eligible device unlocked?
Most devices can be unlocked on the spot but some 4G devices will need to be sent to an outside vendor to have the task performed. If the device needs to be sent to an outside vendor we will have the request processed as soon as is practical but you should plan on at least 3 or 4 days before the device can be unlocked and returned to the company owned store that processed your request."

This indicates you have to bring in a 4G device?
Click to expand...

Honestly US cell customer service sucks. I went into the store and they said there was nothing they could do so I should go to apple. I went to apple and they told me to go to us cell. I called us cell tech support and they can supposedly send in a request, which is what I've done, twice now.

I know us cell is CDMA and normally their phones won't work with GSM networks, but the A1453 model 5s I have is the GSM model, it also has CDMA radios. It is internationally unlocked, I've used it on EE and 3, both GSM european carries without a problem. The device is locked domestically though.
 
aneftp said:
Is US Cellular CDMA? I know the iPhone 5S (ATT/Tmobile/Verizon) all are the same. But maybe the iPhone 5S with US cellular is like Sprint iPhone 5S where Sprint locks down the phone like crazy domestically?

aka, iphone 5S have both GSM/CDMA/LTE bands. But Sprint locks down the phone domestically (but Sprint relaxed their policy earlier this year).

So not sure how US Cellular approaches their unlocked policy.
Click to expand...
It A1453, so it works on GSM networks, I've used on european GSM carrier EE and 3 without issue. Att even confirmed it works on their network.

The phone is unlocked internationally but locked domestically.
 
Instead of syncing with iTunes, you can also reset the network settings. This won't delete anything, so don't worry about that.
 
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