i tried putting in T-Mobile SIM just for purposes of getting APN Access in Data page, and it worked, but then, I put my ST Sim back in, and i lost it again.
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"Off Contract" AT&T iPhone 4Ss Already Come Unlocked
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It doesn't matter that H2O Wireless operates on AT&T's network. An H2O Wireless SIM won't work on a locked AT&T iPhone since it still recognizes it as a "foreign" SIM. H2O Wireless theoretically could strike a deal with T-Mobile tomorrow to roam on its network. It's a separate carrier as far as SIM IDs are concerned.
I've been lurking this thread for awhile, and I've come up with a few theories. With the help of the community, I was hoping we might be able to prove/disprove some.
Theory 1: Every phone is exactly the same.
Point 1a: The guts in the 4S support both GSM and CDMA. This is unlike the previous model where you had a separate GSM and CDMA model. If an Apple store wanted to sell an unlocked iPhone 4 and were out of stock, they could sell an AT&T model instead and ring it up as 'device only'. This makes sense that they were instructed to use the AT&T model because it was the only GSM model at the the time. Now with the iPhone 4S, both CDMA and GSM both work in the same device.
Point 1b: Can you imagine the logistical nightmare it would be for Apple to have different hardware models? If the phone hardware supports the frequency of all the networks they will run on, then it would be far cheaper to manufacture a single hardware platform and tie it to one of the respective carriers at the point of sale (POS).
Point 1c: There is only 1 IPSW file to restore the device. It does not matter what carrier you are on, or if your device is CDMA or GSM. The same firmware is going on the phone.
Point 1d: What I think happens is at the POS, the device information is sent to each respective carrier if it's sold as a subsidized device. In the case of AT&T, the IMEI gets added to the Apple lock database and your phone can only be used with AT&T. If sold as a Verizon/Sprint phone, the IMEI is registered to the respective CDMA network as an authorized device. However, the SIM can still work in the CDMA models for international use.
Theory 2: You should be able to buy ANY phone and it will be an unlocked GSM phone and long as it's sold as 'device only'.
Point 2a: If theory 1 proves correct, and all the phones have identical hardware, then it should not matter what "network" it is going to operate on prior to the sale. For GSM phones, you need the SIM to authorize the device to the network. With CDMA, it's a manual authorization. You just tell the CMDA provider the ID for your device and if it's in their database as an authorized device, you are in. If the hardware is the same prior to the purchase/activation, then it would make sense to me that an AT&T and Verizon model are identical while they sit on the shelf. Only during the sale does it become an AT&T phone. My point is, while the phone is on the shelf, it's an CDMA/GSM phone that is unlocked. Only after the sale does it become a "Sprint" phone.
Theory 3: The different part numbers are only used for inventory tracking.
Point 3a. Again, if all the hardware is the same, then Apple would need a separate part number for each so they could track what networks people are using for their products.
In every other country it's sold as only size/color and there are only 6 part numbers. For the US there are 18 part numbers. This is probably because Apple allows you to sign up for service with a carrier at the time of purchase. In other countries, you cannot. If you want a subsidized price you must go to that carrier directly. Since Apple knows it shipped the units directly to that carrier, they already have that inventory tracked, so there would be no need for a separate part number. If sold on Apple.com, they need to know what carrier it is going to be used on, so they need a separate part number.
***
So with a little help, I was hoping we could do a little homework. I looked up the part numbers from the Apple.com in Canada and collected the following part numbers. Can you please post the part number as seen from the Settings -> General -> About menu of you phone and post your part number? I would be interested to see if all the phones, regardless of the carrier it was sold to you as, have the same part number.
MD234 iPhone 4S Black 16GB
MD241 iPhone 4S Black 32GB
MD257 iPhone 4S Black 64GB
MD237 iPhone 4S White 16GB
MD244 iPhone 4S White 32GB
MD260 iPhone 4S White 64GB
Sorry this is so verbose. Thanks for the help!
Theory 1: Every phone is exactly the same.
Point 1a: The guts in the 4S support both GSM and CDMA. This is unlike the previous model where you had a separate GSM and CDMA model. If an Apple store wanted to sell an unlocked iPhone 4 and were out of stock, they could sell an AT&T model instead and ring it up as 'device only'. This makes sense that they were instructed to use the AT&T model because it was the only GSM model at the the time. Now with the iPhone 4S, both CDMA and GSM both work in the same device.
Point 1b: Can you imagine the logistical nightmare it would be for Apple to have different hardware models? If the phone hardware supports the frequency of all the networks they will run on, then it would be far cheaper to manufacture a single hardware platform and tie it to one of the respective carriers at the point of sale (POS).
Point 1c: There is only 1 IPSW file to restore the device. It does not matter what carrier you are on, or if your device is CDMA or GSM. The same firmware is going on the phone.
Point 1d: What I think happens is at the POS, the device information is sent to each respective carrier if it's sold as a subsidized device. In the case of AT&T, the IMEI gets added to the Apple lock database and your phone can only be used with AT&T. If sold as a Verizon/Sprint phone, the IMEI is registered to the respective CDMA network as an authorized device. However, the SIM can still work in the CDMA models for international use.
Theory 2: You should be able to buy ANY phone and it will be an unlocked GSM phone and long as it's sold as 'device only'.
Point 2a: If theory 1 proves correct, and all the phones have identical hardware, then it should not matter what "network" it is going to operate on prior to the sale. For GSM phones, you need the SIM to authorize the device to the network. With CDMA, it's a manual authorization. You just tell the CMDA provider the ID for your device and if it's in their database as an authorized device, you are in. If the hardware is the same prior to the purchase/activation, then it would make sense to me that an AT&T and Verizon model are identical while they sit on the shelf. Only during the sale does it become an AT&T phone. My point is, while the phone is on the shelf, it's an CDMA/GSM phone that is unlocked. Only after the sale does it become a "Sprint" phone.
Theory 3: The different part numbers are only used for inventory tracking.
Point 3a. Again, if all the hardware is the same, then Apple would need a separate part number for each so they could track what networks people are using for their products.
In every other country it's sold as only size/color and there are only 6 part numbers. For the US there are 18 part numbers. This is probably because Apple allows you to sign up for service with a carrier at the time of purchase. In other countries, you cannot. If you want a subsidized price you must go to that carrier directly. Since Apple knows it shipped the units directly to that carrier, they already have that inventory tracked, so there would be no need for a separate part number. If sold on Apple.com, they need to know what carrier it is going to be used on, so they need a separate part number.
***
So with a little help, I was hoping we could do a little homework. I looked up the part numbers from the Apple.com in Canada and collected the following part numbers. Can you please post the part number as seen from the Settings -> General -> About menu of you phone and post your part number? I would be interested to see if all the phones, regardless of the carrier it was sold to you as, have the same part number.
MD234 iPhone 4S Black 16GB
MD241 iPhone 4S Black 32GB
MD257 iPhone 4S Black 64GB
MD237 iPhone 4S White 16GB
MD244 iPhone 4S White 32GB
MD260 iPhone 4S White 64GB
Sorry this is so verbose. Thanks for the help!
Actually I can. Because that's exactly what they did in January when the Verizon iPhone 4 came out.
Maybe by buying this? http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phone/T-Mobile-Prepaid-SIM-Activation-Kit and choose, let's say, the $1/day prepaid plan?
Verizon version
Has anyone picked up a 4S at 'device only' and it be a Verizon version? I think I got screwed, mine has a Verizon microSIM in it, and I'm not getting an unlocked message in iTunes - rather, 'Setup as a new phone". I didn't sign a contract in the store and paid full price. Any thoughts?
Has anyone picked up a 4S at 'device only' and it be a Verizon version? I think I got screwed, mine has a Verizon microSIM in it, and I'm not getting an unlocked message in iTunes - rather, 'Setup as a new phone". I didn't sign a contract in the store and paid full price. Any thoughts?
It brings up an interesting point then? The Apple Stores are in fact carrying different phones for different carriers, not just assigning a "universal" one a carrier at checkout. This one I got had a Verizon SIM in it, the sales person had to know that. Nuts.
At POS, you need to sign not a contract, but an AT&T Terms and Conditions. Can you remember if ou signed it? Also, on our receipt it sould say AT&T ......this is required when you buy an off contract att 4s.
Yeah, there wasn't a specific AT&T T&C screen, just some generic iPhone agreement. My receipt has Verizon junk on it "ThisiPhone modelisconfiguredtoworkonlywiththewirelessservicesofVerizonWireless".
In my excitement that they actually HAD a phone available, I apparently stopped thinking. Oh well, it's going back.
I purchased my iPhone 4S off-contract from Best Buy, I don't think it is unlocked though. Would calling AT&T or Apple help in getting it unlocked or did it have to be purchased out of contract directly from Apple to be unlocked?
I too have noticed this, it takes a very long time to connect sometimes it doesn't connect at all (even to ATT itself) and I get 'No Service' which kind of freaks me out a bit so I have to turn airplane mode on/off and then it will connect at the second try.... I was wondering if this was happening to all as well
It's been said severally on this blog that in order to have it unlocked, you must buy from Apple as device only. I also think you should make out time to read the blog, it's very interesting.
Well, there is a 30-day return period, so there's a chance to correct this. Even those who bought them on the launch day are still good to take theirs back.
I've never had it fail to connect at all. I have even swapped T-Mobile and AT&T SIM's without shutting the phone off and it was able to connect at all times.
AT&T (or any other carrier) cannot lock your phone. Apple controls the locked/unlocked DB as well as the update process, only they can lock you if they wish to do so.
The jury is still out on whether Apple will choose to do so, but the most probable answer is that the off-contract AT&T phones remain unlocked. Not sure what will happen to the currently unlocked Sprint phones, I somehow think that this genie was accidentally let out of the bottle and will never be put back in. I guess time will tell. iOS 5.0.1 is currently being beta tested, it will be a nice test when it comes out officially.
information i got from Apple store rep is that the phone will never be locked so far as they are bought for full price. Remember the same thing happened for iphone 4. But just to be doubly sure u may return the phone before the expiration of 30 days (the officially unlocked should have been released) and buy the officially unlocked. Or better still if an official statement comes out from apple as to the status of the AT&T off contract.
That's the impression that I get as well. As far as iPhone 4 goes, when they started selling them unlocked, they did supposedly have separate inventory of unlocked ones, but if they ran out they would yank AT&T ones and unlock them during sale (I think I read a leaked memo sometime around then). I think back then it worked the exact same way: ring up the phone as Device Only, customer pays full unsubsidized price and walks away with unlocked iPhone.
I don't think that we will ever see any official statements, IMO if Apple admits that they are selling unlocked phones before they officially said that they would, it makes them look bad and could piss AT&T off. Not sure if this "loophole" is accidental or intentional, but if it is the former and Apple does in fact decide to close it, they will do so quietly. With the amount of denial they did on "antennagate", do you honestly think they will admit to that?
I think several people in this thread have mentioned that they showed these off-contract AT&T phones to the reps at Genius Bar, who in turn looked up the IMEI and confirmed that they had authorized Apple unlock.
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music to my ears, moreso as Apple has refused to set a definitive date for d sale of the officially unlocked on 11/8
Hey guys, I really need your help/advice here...
I bought my girlfriend a Device-Only iPhone 4S this past weekend. Right after we got home, I plugged the iPhone into the wall charger and it turned on. After it got fully charged, we connected it to iTunes and it said "Congratz, unlocked". During this process we didn't take the AT&T micro SIM that was originally inside the iPhone. After syncing with iTunes, iPhone 4S said "No service", so we called AT&T and gave them the IMEI/ICCID numbers to get it activated on AT&T's network.
Today, I went to Apple Store for another device-only iPhone 4S, for myself. But the employee told me secretly that, if I want to get it unlocked for good, I should not turn it on before I put a microSIM from other carriers in (e.g. T-mobile). When I asked him whether I can turn it on while the AT&T card is still inside. He shook his head and implied that it would be locked to AT&T for good or in the future.
What to do now?
Do I have to return my girlfriend's iPhone 4S? Is the current still going to be unlocked, or we have get a new one and activate it with T-mobile micro SIM? If yes, then why iTune said "Congratz, unlocked"?
This is mighty confusing. Thanks for any input. I appreciate your understanding and please forgive my newbie-ness.
Hey guys, I really need your help/advice here...
I bought my girlfriend a Device-Only iPhone 4S this past weekend. Right after we got home, I plugged the iPhone into the wall charger and it turned on. After it got fully charged, we connected it to iTunes and it said "Congratz, unlocked". During this process we didn't take the AT&T micro SIM that was originally inside the iPhone. After syncing with iTunes, iPhone 4S said "No service", so we called AT&T and gave them the IMEI/ICCID numbers to get it activated on AT&T's network.
Today, I went to Apple Store for another device-only iPhone 4S, for myself. But the employee told me secretly that, if I want to get it unlocked for good, I should not turn it on before I put a microSIM from other carriers in (e.g. T-mobile). When I asked him whether I can turn it on while the AT&T card is still inside. He shook his head and implied that it would be locked to AT&T for good or in the future.
What to do now?
Do I have to return my girlfriend's iPhone 4S? Is the current still going to be unlocked, or we have get a new one and activate it with T-mobile micro SIM? If yes, then why iTune said "Congratz, unlocked"?
This is mighty confusing. Thanks for any input. I appreciate your understanding and please forgive my newbie-ness.
Did your girlfriend buy her 4S from an Apple store or AT&T store? I've heard that off-contract 4Ss from AT&T are still locked to AT&T while ones from Apple stores are truly unlocked.
After I purchased my off-contract 4S from the Apple store, I turned it on and activated it with the AT&T microsim still inside; I'd forgotten to take it out. However, iTunes showed that the phone was unlocked, and I haven't had any problems for a few weeks with my T-Mobile USA microsim in the 4S
Apple store all the way.
But the question is: is it true, according to the Apple store employee, that we have to turn on the cellphone with non-AT&T microSIM for the first time, or it will be locked to AT&T for good/in the future???
And btw, the return period is just 14 days so I really need to make a call if I need to go through the trouble of exchanging iPhone and buying a T-mobile microSIM.
Thanks!!!