Please help with activating iphone 4s!

[stonefox]

Hey guys,

I really need ur help.

I bought a locked ATT iphone 4s... the guy who sold it to me took out his sim card. When I try to activate it with a prepaid ATT sim card inside, it tells me to put in the billing zipcode and last 4 of the social of the person who sold me the phone. Is there a way to even activate the phone without this info? Does anyone know? (

Thanks,

Janna.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1252861/

 

[stonefox]

thanks for the link, but i just called the guy up, he told me that if i enter his zip code and social, then he cant use the phone number anymore. then he also told me that he will call up att and get a different sim card... im confused :/ how does this work exactly? I don't live in the states.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

It won't let you move past that until you put in the proper last-4 and ZIP code. This is a security feature that Apple has had since the iPhone 4 on all subsidized phones that are shipped to the customer. I'd guess it is intended to prevent a phone that's stolen off a porch from being used.

I suppose it might shut off his existing phone, I don't know the answer to that. If it does, he'll need to get a new SIM for his phone to correct that. But I don't see any alternative.

 

[Applejuiced]

thanks for the link, but i just called the guy up, he told me that if i enter his zip code and social, then he cant use the phone number anymore. then he also told me that he will call up att and get a different sim card... im confused :/ how does this work exactly? I don't live in the states.

Tell him you will need to meet up with him.
He has to put his sim inside and enter his billing zip and last 4 of social.
Then the phone will activate and will never ask you for that again. Its just the initial first activation.
He can then take out his sim and use the same sim with the same phone number.
It will only take a minute, he should have activated it before he sold it to you.
Without that you wont be able to get far, so explain to him calmly so you dont get stuck not be able to use it.