Sprint iPhone 5s on AT&T

[NttDocomo]

Hi Everyone, I looked into the spec of the Sprint 5s and it seems to contain all bands that an AT&T 5s contains. Does it mean that I can use the Sprint 5s with the AT&T network.

My company only uses Sprint so I may have to buy the Sprint 5s but wonder if one day I port out the line to AT&T, can I still use the Sprint 5s on AT&T.

Thanks in advance for any help and comment. Have a great weekend

Btw similarly, can a Verizon 5s be used on AT&T since it also contains all the bands and it also has a SIM slot? Thanks again.

 

[AFDoc]

I believe sprint phones can't be used on ATT but someone should jump in and verify that. I believe it would have to be unlocked for you to be able to use it on ATT. I believe the Vrz phones are universal but I think that's the only one.

Any one else jump in with better info?

 

[Applejuiced]

A Verizon 5S yes you can.
A sprint you cannot use it on AT&T or any other US carrier.

 

[NttDocomo]

A Verizon 5S yes you can.
A sprint you cannot use it on AT&T or any other US carrier.

Thanks AFDoc and Applejuiced for your response. Just curious why Sprint can't be used with AT&T. Is it because it's locked or some other reason?

For Verizon, does it need to be unlocked or work out of box with AT&T? Will it be limited in speed or it can leverage the full LTE network of AT&T?

I also may travel out of country and wonder if either Sprint or Verizon may work with other SIM network out of US?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to make sure I get the right device for the next few years and thanks very much again for all your time and help

 

[Applejuiced]

Sprint iphones are locked to them and they will not unlock them for any US carrier.
If they do agree to unlock their iphones only to a valid sprint customer that fulfills many of their requirements its only for international GSM use so unlocked Sprint iphones will not work on any US carrier besides Sprint.
Verizon iphone 5S are fully unlocked out of the box for any GSM carrier even domestic US networks and international.
The Verizon 5S will work with all AT&T bands in the US including LTE and HSPA+
So that would be your best bet is to get a Verizon 5S.

 

[cnotes2019]

Thanks AFDoc and Applejuiced for your response. Just curious why Sprint can't be used with AT&T. Is it because it's locked or some other reason?

For Verizon, does it need to be unlocked or work out of box with AT&T? Will it be limited in speed or it can leverage the full LTE network of AT&T?

I also may travel out of country and wonder if either Sprint or Verizon may work with other SIM network out of US?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to make sure I get the right device for the next few years and thanks very much again for all your time and help

Sprints iphone 5s is locked and can't be used on any domestic carriers but can be unlocked for international carriers. Verizon's iPhone 5s is unlocked out of the box and can be used on many domestic and select countries outside of the US depending on the lte bands.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

[eyoungren]

Just one note here to add to this.

The SIM in a Sprint iPhone is a UICC SIM. The acronym is not important, but what it does is. The SIM is paired with the iPhone and only Sprint or Apple can program that. To get LTE on Sprint the SIM phones home and the network verifys the pairing with that phone. The SIM is encrypted and you cannot put your contacts, phonebook or any other data on it.

You also cannot put a different Sprint SIM in the slot. It has to be the one that was paired with the phone.

 

[NttDocomo]

Interesting, thanks for everyone's insight. I know there's service to unlock AT&T iPhone for $30 to $40 and I heard that it works on my friends device. Just curious if there's also such service available for Sprint device, a full unlock that will allow the Sprint device to be used with any US carrier?

In that case it seems Verizon has the most robust device as it can be used with both CDMA and GSM network! So that led to another question, can I buy a Verizon phone at full price (without signing up for Verizon service)? It seems a better idea to get a Verizon phone than the unlocked T-Mobile phone. With Verizon's phone, I have the choice to go with any carrier (well except Sprint).

 

[NttDocomo]

Interesting, thanks for everyone's insight. I know there's service to unlock AT&T iPhone for $30 to $40 and I heard that it works on my friends device. Just curious if there's also such service available for Sprint device, a full unlock that will allow the Sprint device to be used with any US carrier?

In that case it seems Verizon has the most robust device as it can be used with both CDMA and GSM network! So that led to another question, can I buy a Verizon phone at full price (without signing up for Verizon service)? It seems a better idea to get a Verizon phone than the unlocked T-Mobile phone. With Verizon's phone, I have the choice to go with any carrier (well except Sprint).

Hi everyone, thanks very much again for your input. Such curious if there's comment or help on the above questions. Now I am contemplating whether to buy the T-Mobile unlocked or a Verizon unsubsidized 5s. Thanks very much again for all the help. Have a wonderful Sunday

 

[Applejuiced]

Interesting, thanks for everyone's insight. I know there's service to unlock AT&T iPhone for $30 to $40 and I heard that it works on my friends device. Just curious if there's also such service available for Sprint device, a full unlock that will allow the Sprint device to be used with any US carrier?

In that case it seems Verizon has the most robust device as it can be used with both CDMA and GSM network! So that led to another question, can I buy a Verizon phone at full price (without signing up for Verizon service)? It seems a better idea to get a Verizon phone than the unlocked T-Mobile phone. With Verizon's phone, I have the choice to go with any carrier (well except Sprint).

No such service for sprint iPhones.
Like we told you many times above.
If you unlock a sprint iPhone is only for international gsm use.
And yes you can buy a full price verizon 5S.

 

[eyoungren]

Hi everyone, thanks very much again for your input. Such curious if there's comment or help on the above questions. Now I am contemplating whether to buy the T-Mobile unlocked or a Verizon unsubsidized 5s. Thanks very much again for all the help. Have a wonderful Sunday

As Applejuiced says, there is no such unlock service.

The reason for this is that when Sprint buys it's iPhones from Apple it gets the IMEIs. All of those IMEIs are locked out from the domestic unlock database. There is no way that any third party service could submit your IMEI to be unlocked because it's automatically barred from being entered. It's impossible to do this. Many people think that Sprint is just holding out and that there has to be a way around this. There's not.

Anyone claiming to be able to do this is ripping you off.

 

[NttDocomo]

As Applejuiced says, there is no such unlock service.

The reason for this is that when Sprint buys it's iPhones from Apple it gets the IMEIs. All of those IMEIs are locked out from the domestic unlock database. There is no way that any third party service could submit your IMEI to be unlocked because it's automatically barred from being entered. It's impossible to do this. Many people think that Sprint is just holding out and that there has to be a way around this. There's not.

Anyone claiming to be able to do this is ripping you off.

Thank you very much again for Applejuiced and eyoungren, this is excellent info and insight on Sprint Apple devices.

I guess I will look into getting a Verizon 5s. Just curious then if people are more informed, then it became obvious to pick up the Verizon 5s instead of the unlocked T-Mobile 5s advertised on the Apple site. Am I missing something, why would someone buy a T-Mobile unlocked 5s then since Verizon 5s offers the same and much more!

 

[NttDocomo]

Thank you very much again for Applejuiced and eyoungren, this is excellent info and insight on Sprint Apple devices.

I guess I will look into getting a Verizon 5s. Just curious then if people are more informed, then it became obvious to pick up the Verizon 5s instead of the unlocked T-Mobile 5s advertised on the Apple site. Am I missing something, why would someone buy a T-Mobile unlocked 5s then since Verizon 5s offers the same and much more!

Hi Everyone, thanks again for your time to help me on this and sorry to bring this up again. I am about to place an order for the Verizon 5s, just want to confirm that Verizon 5s will work well with AT&T SIM, I heard that it won't get LTE though is that right? Also is it true that when on Verizon LTE, I can't talk and browse web at the same time?

My question still remains, if Verizon 5s can do all of above, why would someone buy a T-Mobile unlock since Verizon 5s can do all or even more than the T-Mobile Unlocked 5s.

Thanks again for all the time and help. This will answer all my questions before placing order. It's an important decision for me and I don't plan to switch phone soon so thanks very much again for all your input. Have a great evening.

 

[eyoungren]

This is my understanding of this…

…just want to confirm that Verizon 5s will work well with AT&T SIM,

Verizon iPhone 5, 5c and 5s are unlocked. Period. That means you can put any SIM in it that the radios can support.

I heard that it won't get LTE though is that right?

No idea where you got that info, but I don't think it's true.

Also is it true that when on Verizon LTE, I can't talk and browse web at the same time?

That's true. Verizon is CDMA. CDMA requires a separate antenna for data and voice to both work simulatenously.

My question still remains, if Verizon 5s can do all of above, why would someone buy a T-Mobile unlock since Verizon 5s can do all or even more than the T-Mobile Unlocked 5s.

I've heard that the T-Mobile phones are also completely unlocked, but Apple tells you that they aren't.

 

[alphaod]

My question still remains, if Verizon 5s can do all of above, why would someone buy a T-Mobile unlock since Verizon 5s can do all or even more than the T-Mobile Unlocked 5s.

Because some of us don't really care if it works on Verizon or not. Otherwise it's the same phone.

 

[locoboi187]

Can you put Sprint on a Verizon 5S? It seems pretty disadvantageous that I paid full price for my iPhone 5s since I have Sprint.

 

[DcGamer05]

Can you put Sprint on a Verizon 5S? It seems pretty disadvantageous that I paid full price for my iPhone 5s since I have Sprint.

Only phones sold by sprint for sprint work on sprints network. It kinda sucks

 

[locoboi187]

Only phones sold by sprint for sprint work on sprints network. It kinda sucks

You are right this does suck. Sprint iPhone 5s will undoubtably have the worst resale value a year from now.

 

[aneftp]

Thank you very much again for Applejuiced and eyoungren, this is excellent info and insight on Sprint Apple devices.

I guess I will look into getting a Verizon 5s. Just curious then if people are more informed, then it became obvious to pick up the Verizon 5s instead of the unlocked T-Mobile 5s advertised on the Apple site. Am I missing something, why would someone buy a T-Mobile unlocked 5s then since Verizon 5s offers the same and much more!

Sometimes the retail store manager has authority to sell Verizon iPhone 5S as a first priority to Verizon customers especially those who are signing up for 2 year contracts first.

Tmobile retail stores sell iPhone 5S under different payment plans and some people don't have the $650 cash up front.

That's why people buy tmobile $650 iPhones at apple retail store vs verizon iPhone 5s.

 

[DcGamer05]

You are right this does suck. Sprint iPhone 5s will undoubtably have the worst resale value a year from now.

Unfortunately so true sometimes you can get as much as 100 less per handset simply because it's sprint only #

 

[eyoungren]

You are right this does suck. Sprint iPhone 5s will undoubtably have the worst resale value a year from now.

I am reading your statement as if you believe that this is some new thing.

Sprint iPhones have always been locked to Sprint's network. You can get an international unlock from Sprint, but that's it. Provided you meet their requirements.

Lately, it seems, Apple has been forcing Sprint to activate non-Sprint iPhones that are unlocked. Thus Sprint cannot prevent this. But, if you get a Sprint iPhone you are locked domestically - period.

This has resulted in lots of people dumping Sprint iPhones on unsuspecting buyers who did not do their homework and assumed they were getting a phone they could unlock domestically. Some poor international souls have been even more screwed because they can't be a Sprint customer to get their iPhone unlocked internationally.

It's also driven down the resale price since Sprint first got the iPhone.

So…this is nothing new. If you want an unlocked iPhone for domestic use do not buy a Sprint iPhone. Simple as that.

 

[locoboi187]

I am reading your statement as if you believe that this is some new thing.

Sprint iPhones have always been locked to Sprint's network. You can get an international unlock from Sprint, but that's it. Provided you meet their requirements.

Lately, it seems, Apple has been forcing Sprint to activate non-Sprint iPhones that are unlocked. Thus Sprint cannot prevent this. But, if you get a Sprint iPhone you are locked domestically - period.

This has resulted in lots of people dumping Sprint iPhones on unsuspecting buyers who did not do their homework and assumed they were getting a phone they could unlock domestically. Some poor international souls have been even more screwed because they can't be a Sprint customer to get their iPhone unlocked internationally.

It's also driven down the resale price since Sprint first got the iPhone.

So…this is nothing new. If you want an unlocked iPhone for domestic use do not buy a Sprint iPhone. Simple as that.

Wait so you're saying Sprint is activating unlocked iPhone 5s? I might as well just return this iPhone 5s and get the unlocked version if this is true. If it's slightly possible I will give it a shot. What do you think?

 

[eyoungren]

Wait so you're saying Sprint is activating unlocked iPhone 5s? I might as well just return this iPhone 5s and get the unlocked version if this is true. If it's slightly possible I will give it a shot. What do you think?

You have no shot, unless it's Apple doing it. You can't go buy say a Verizon iPhone and ask Apple to force Sprint to activate it.

What's happening is that a Sprint customer goes in to an Apple store and tells Apple that they want a Sprint iPhone X (X being whatever model) and they will pay full price for it. Apple looks around in the back and says, we're sorry, but we do not have a Sprint iPhone in that model that you want. But let us see if we can make this right for you.

So, Apple goes and gets an unlocked iPhone X (but not a Sprint model, because they just told the customer they don't have one since they don't) and activates it on Sprint for the customer.

Sprint is bound by Apple's iPhone terms. So, Sprint has to activate it. Since it's already in the unlock database, it's unlocked.

HOWEVER! If a customer goes in to Apple and asks for a Sprint iPhone X (X being whatever model) and Apple looks around in the back and HAS one, then the customer is out of luck.

It's all about Apple trying to make it right for the customer. But Apple is not going to take an unlocked iPhone and activate it on Sprint just because you ask them to do so.

This is also NOT going to work at a Sprint store because all the phones Sprint will have will be locked.

 

[locoboi187]

You have no shot, unless it's Apple doing it. You can't go buy say a Verizon iPhone and ask Apple to force Sprint to activate it.

What's happening is that a Sprint customer goes in to an Apple store and tells Apple that they want a Sprint iPhone X (X being whatever model) and they will pay full price for it. Apple looks around in the back and says, we're sorry, but we do not have a Sprint iPhone in that model that you want. But let us see if we can make this right for you.

So, Apple goes and gets an unlocked iPhone X (but not a Sprint model, because they just told the customer they don't have one since they don't) and activates it on Sprint for the customer.

Sprint is bound by Apple's iPhone terms. So, Sprint has to activate it. Since it's already in the unlock database, it's unlocked.

HOWEVER! If a customer goes in to Apple and asks for a Sprint iPhone X (X being whatever model) and Apple looks around in the back and HAS one, then the customer is out of luck.

It's all about Apple trying to make it right for the customer. But Apple is not doing to take an unlocked iPhone and activate it on Sprint just because you ask them to do so.

This is also NOT going to work at a Sprint store because all the phones Sprint will have will be locked.

What if I go order the unlocked version online to pick up at the store? They won't have any Sprint models since the gold ones are rare and took me a while to get in my area. So then I can be like this is all you guys had and maybe they can try to activate it for me? I know it's a long stretch but maybe, just maybe?

 

[Carlanga]

You have no shot, unless it's Apple doing it. You can't go buy say a Verizon iPhone and ask Apple to force Sprint to activate it.

What's happening is that a Sprint customer goes in to an Apple store and tells Apple that they want a Sprint iPhone X (X being whatever model) and they will pay full price for it. Apple looks around in the back and says, we're sorry, but we do not have a Sprint iPhone in that model that you want. But let us see if we can make this right for you.

So, Apple goes and gets an unlocked iPhone X (but not a Sprint model, because they just told the customer they don't have one since they don't) and activates it on Sprint for the customer.

Sprint is bound by Apple's iPhone terms. So, Sprint has to activate it. Since it's already in the unlock database, it's unlocked.

HOWEVER! If a customer goes in to Apple and asks for a Sprint iPhone X (X being whatever model) and Apple looks around in the back and HAS one, then the customer is out of luck.

It's all about Apple trying to make it right for the customer. But Apple is not doing to take an unlocked iPhone and activate it on Sprint just because you ask them to do so.

This is also NOT going to work at a Sprint store because all the phones Sprint will have will be locked.

Interesting theory, is it tested?