Question about Sprint iPhones

[karan.k]

Hello all - I intend to buy the iPhone 6 or maybe the upcoming Iphone 6s at full price from the Apple Store with Sprint as the carrier. Will this be factory unlocked ? Or would I have to call the guys at sprint and get it unlocked.
I plan to buy Sprint as its compatible with the network providers in my country.

Please let me know if anyone has information on this.

 

[willmtaylor]

Last I read, getting Sprint to unlock a phone bought from them is very difficult, but you can buy a full retail price Speint phone from Apple and use it internationally without any problem.

I should say, though, that I haven't read up about this in a while, and I'm not a Sprint customer.

 

[eyoungren]

When you pay full price you are purchasing the SIM free version. Tell them that is what you want. It will come without a SIM and will be fully unlocked. The IMEI will be whitelisted on all four carriers.

Just insert your Sprint SIM and you'll be good (it won't lock to Sprint).

The irony is that the only difference between the SIM free iPhone and the locked carrier Sprint iPhone is the simple fact that one is fully unlocked (SIM free) and the other is not.

 

[eyoungren]

Last I read, getting Sprint to unlock a phone bought from them is very difficult, but you can buy a full retail price Speint phone from Apple and use it internationally without any problem.

I should say, though, that I haven't read up about this in a while, and I'm not a Sprint customer.

Everything changed in February. If you've met all financial obligations to Sprint you will get an automatic DSU (Domestic SIM unlock) sent to the phone.

For all iPhone models above the iPhone 5 that means your phone is completely unlocked. For the 4s and the 5, which have different SIM cards than the newer models there is no DSU. A workaround is possible, but the success rate is hit or miss and at least with the 4s it will result in not ever being able to use the 4s on Sprint ever again.

There is zero chance of any domestic unlock with a Sprint iPhone 4 as it has no SIM card slot.

However, the SIM free version of the iPhone comes fully unlocked (because you pay full price). It just happens to be the same model that Sprint uses.

 

[karan.k]

Actually I plan to buy the iPhone 6s and and the sim free version will not show she atleast until January 2016. The model of only the Sprint iPhone is compatible with my country's network providers. Has anyone recently bought a Sprint iPhone 6 from the apple spare at the full price and tried to use and other sim in it - domestic or international ?

 

[eyoungren]

Actually I plan to buy the iPhone 6s and and the sim free version will not show she atleast until January 2016. The model of only the Sprint iPhone is compatible with my country's network providers. Has anyone recently bought a Sprint iPhone 6 from the apple spare at the full price and tried to use and other sim in it - domestic or international ?

I'm not sure you will have the option then of paying full price up front. If you do not, you'll have to wait until Sprint lets you pay the phone off (perhaps EasyPay?) and then they will give you a DSU.

If Sprint/Apple does allow you to pay full price then I imagine the phone will be unlocked from the beginning. But I wouldn't know how that process would work as I figure you'd be getting a carrier locked phone that would then have to be unlocked (because you paid full price) and Sprint is the only one that can submit the unlock.

 

[karan.k]

Has anyone tried buying a Sprint iPhone at full price post February 2015, if so can you please check if it is compatible with other carriers - domestic or international

 

[rigormortis]

Has anyone tried buying a Sprint iPhone at full price post February 2015, if so can you please check if it is compatible with other carriers - domestic or international

if you buy a full price sprint phone from a sprint store , or if you buy a full price t-mobile phone from a t-mobile store or AT&T etc etc it will be locked. and you will have to submit an unlock request and then wait for sprint to approve it.

if you want to buy a spint phone unlocked, go to the apple store or apple.com and buy the sim free unit.

there is no reason to check if its compatible. it will work, because its the same phone every other carrier sells, except the sprint one has 4 extra spark channels and a happy serial number that sprint likes


its not the iPhones fault, it won't work on a certain carrier, its the carriers fault for not allowing it ( saying its electronic serial number is not approved for their network )

the only real issue i see with the iPhone 6 and 6 plus here is t-mobile band 12. the iPhone lacks it. if you live in an rural t-mobile area that has band 12, your iPhone won't connect to it. if band 12 is not avilalbvle, then it will try a different channel which maybe be slower then native band 12 devices

 

[karan.k]

Simple question: is the iPhone 6 from Sprint, when bought at full price at the Apple Store, unlocked ? The sim-free unit is not available at launch day. Please stick to the question.