Quick question about using unlocked phone with official iphone carrier

[IKas]

If I buy a new iphone3G that is unlocked and I used an unlocked iphone 3G it with an official Carrier of the Iphone (Rogers) will i still have to download the dev team's updates and avoid the apple ones?


This is the American equivalent of buying an unlocked phone and using an AT&T sim.

And how is the answer different if the phone is factory unlocked or just unlocked?

Thanks.

 

[goosnarrggh]

If I buy a new iphone3G that is unlocked and I used an unlocked iphone 3G it with an official Carrier of the Iphone (Rogers) will i still have to download the dev team's updates and avoid the apple ones?


This is the American equivalent of buying an unlocked phone and using an AT&T sim.

And how is the answer different if the phone is factory unlocked or just unlocked?

Thanks.

It depends. If the iPhone was originally sold in the USA for use with AT&T, and was subsequently unlocked, then Apple's updates may restore its original lock to AT&T, rendering it useless with Rogers.

Similarly, if the iPhone was originally sold in Canada for use with Fido, then Apple's updates may restore its original lock to Fido, rendering it useless with Rogers.

Alternatively, if the iPhone was originally sold in Canada for use with Rogers, then Apple's updates may restore its original lock to Rogers, and it will still work with your Rogers account.

Then again, Apple's updates have also been known to occasionally have the effect of bricking any unauthorized unlocked phones no matter where they are.

As for manufacturer-authorized unlocked phones, there's been some disagreement. Some people claim that if you perform the upgrade while you are physically outside the country in which the phone was legitimately unlocked, then the upgrade will re-lock the phone. Others claim that they can perform the upgrade anywhere, and the legitimate unlock will remain in place. (Pure conjecture on my part: It may have to do with using an iTunes account that is registered in the iPhone's legitimate country of origin.)

 

[Hutch1]

It depends. If the iPhone was originally sold in the USA for use with AT&T, and was subsequently unlocked, then Apple's updates may restore its original lock to AT&T, rendering it useless with Rogers.

Similarly, if the iPhone was originally sold in Canada for use with Fido, then Apple's updates may restore its original lock to Fido, rendering it useless with Rogers.

Alternatively, if the iPhone was originally sold in Canada for use with Rogers, then Apple's updates may restore its original lock to Rogers, and it will still work with your Rogers account.

Then again, Apple's updates have also been known to occasionally have the effect of bricking any unauthorized unlocked phones no matter where they are.

As for manufacturer-authorized unlocked phones, there's been some disagreement. Some people claim that if you perform the upgrade while you are physically outside the country in which the phone was legitimately unlocked, then the upgrade will re-lock the phone. Others claim that they can perform the upgrade anywhere, and the legitimate unlock will remain in place. (Pure conjecture on my part: It may have to do with using an iTunes account that is registered in the iPhone's legitimate country of origin.)

Just FYI Rogers=Fido in Canada, it's the same network.

 

[goosnarrggh]

Just FYI Rogers=Fido in Canada, it's the same network.

Certainly it is the same owner, and they currently share each others' physical infrastructure.

However, in the past (I haven't checked recently) Fido SIM cards had a different mobile network code (MNC) embedded in them than Rogers SIM cards. Simlocks generally work by means of inspecting MNCs (as well as country codes, MCCs), so phones locked to one MNC will not accept SIM cards bearing any other MNC.

Last I checked, Fido uses MNC 370, whereas Rogers uses MNC 720.

 

[IKas]

It depends. If the iPhone was originally sold in the USA for use with AT&T, and was subsequently unlocked, then Apple's updates may restore its original lock to AT&T, rendering it useless with Rogers.

Similarly, if the iPhone was originally sold in Canada for use with Fido, then Apple's updates may restore its original lock to Fido, rendering it useless with Rogers.

Alternatively, if the iPhone was originally sold in Canada for use with Rogers, then Apple's updates may restore its original lock to Rogers, and it will still work with your Rogers account.

Then again, Apple's updates have also been known to occasionally have the effect of bricking any unauthorized unlocked phones no matter where they are.

As for manufacturer-authorized unlocked phones, there's been some disagreement. Some people claim that if you perform the upgrade while you are physically outside the country in which the phone was legitimately unlocked, then the upgrade will re-lock the phone. Others claim that they can perform the upgrade anywhere, and the legitimate unlock will remain in place. (Pure conjecture on my part: It may have to do with using an iTunes account that is registered in the iPhone's legitimate country of origin.)

Damn, so what should I do, who should I believe?

Also what does bricking mean?

 

[goosnarrggh]

Damn, so what should I do, who should I believe?

Again, it depends. Do you know the history of the phone you're considering buying? (Where it's from, how was it unlocked? etc...)

Also what does bricking mean?

Bricking means that the phone becomes totally unusable, and will not work with any SIM card, no matter whether it comes from an authorized carrier or not. The term "brick" is an analogy to the fact that the device doesn't actually do anything anymore except take up space. Equivalent terms include "expensive paperweight".

 

[IKas]

Damn, so what should I do, who should I believe?

Also what does bricking mean?

Again, it depends. Do you know the history of the phone you're considering buying? (Where it's from, how was it unlocked? etc...)


Bricking means that the phone becomes totally unusable, and will not work with any SIM card, no matter whether it comes from an authorized carrier or not. The term "brick" is an analogy to the fact that the device doesn't actually do anything anymore except take up space. Equivalent terms include "expensive paperweight".

Thanks for your help once again.

My iphone that I will be getting is factory unlocked.

 

[fireshot91]

If its factory unlocked, then you can update all you want w/o any problems.

 

[ppc750fx]

Then again, Apple's updates have also been known to occasionally have the effect of bricking any unauthorized unlocked phones no matter where they are.

Uh... that was true for the very, very, very early software unlocks, and hasn't been true since. You should immediately be suspicious of anyone who makes such claims, as they're either over a year behind on their news or have an axe to grind.

 

[goosnarrggh]

Uh... that was true for the very, very, very early software unlocks, and hasn't been true since. You should immediately be suspicious of anyone who makes such claims, as they're either over a year behind on their news or have an axe to grind.

Honestly, I wasn't even originally going to mention it.

I added it as an afterthought, simply because it had happened in the past and I wouldn't want to be caught with egg on my face if I was going around making unqualified statements to the contrary and it ever happened again.

 

[jw12345678]

factory unlocked iphone

My factory unlocked iphone has had its software upgraded several times in various places-linked to itunes accounts in different countries to origin and sim- and has always remained unlocked.

 

[ppc750fx]

I added it as an afterthought, simply because it had happened in the past and I wouldn't want to be caught with egg on my face if I was going around making unqualified statements to the contrary and it ever happened again.

Point taken. My post was more directed at folks like AT&T who try to scare customers away from unlocking by planting the FUD that there's a significant risk of Apple bricking your phone.