Carrier Sprint Users! READ! New Automatic Domestic Unlock Policy Change!

[Zzznorch]

Well... I have a 4S at the office that was deactivated earlier this year as it was upgraded to a 6. I called the international support line but got routed through to domestic support after punching number after number into the menu system. I explained what I wanted and was told they would give me the MSL. I explained that was not correct and that it was an iPhone which does not use MSL's. Then I was asked for the MEID and, after thinking about it, they were not sure what to do. I explained that Multi-Mode Unlock policy 2303 needed to be applied in order for it to be used with AT&T and T-Mobile SIM cards. They asked me to hold one while they contacted their Apple support people to find out what to do. After 15 or so minutes on hold, I was finally told that whatever carrier I took the phone to would have to request it be unlocked with Apple. Obviously that was not correct either so as I stand now, the iPhone 4S is still locked.

Is there a menu sequence on the International support line you need to enter to get the correct representative? My firm has a total of three 4S's that will eventually need to be unlocked. This is a trial run with the first of them.

 

[eyoungren]

Well... I have a 4S at the office that was deactivated earlier this year as it was upgraded to a 6. I called the international support line but got routed through to domestic support after punching number after number into the menu system. I explained what I wanted and was told they would give me the MSL. I explained that was not correct and that it was an iPhone which does not use MSL's. Then I was asked for the MEID and, after thinking about it, they were not sure what to do. I explained that Multi-Mode Unlock policy 2303 needed to be applied in order for it to be used with AT&T and T-Mobile SIM cards. They asked me to hold one while they contacted their Apple support people to find out what to do. After 15 or so minutes on hold, I was finally told that whatever carrier I took the phone to would have to request it be unlocked with Apple. Obviously that was not correct either so as I stand now, the iPhone 4S is still locked.

Is there a menu sequence on the International support line you need to enter to get the correct representative? My firm has a total of three 4S's that will eventually need to be unlocked. This is a trial run with the first of them.

You called 888-226-7212?

 

[Zzznorch]

You called 888-226-7212?

Yes. Got into the menu and answered every question with an answer that seemed correct. No option for "unlock phone" or similar. In the end, I appear to have wound up on domestic support even though I called the International number above. Maybe I should have kept pressing zero until I got a human?

 

[eyoungren]

Maybe I should have kept pressing zero until I got a human?

Yes. I do not recall what I pushed to get there but I was never expecting an actual 'unlock' option to be there. As soon as it presented itself I pressed the option for an international rep.

So, try and get a live person. Tell them you want an international unlock. They may ask you where you are going and when. Make something up. I have friends in the UK (I've never met in person) so I told them London and gave them a date a few weeks in the future.

The domestic side can't process an international unlock.

 

[Zzznorch]

On a side note, I upgraded my sisters Verizon iPhone 4S yesterday to iOS 8.3. Due to being out of space (16GB phone), I had to back it up and do a restore. In the process, iTunes congratulated me that the phone was now unlocked. Just for fun, I decided to test deactivated AT&T and T-Mobile SIM's in the phone. They are now accepted by the phone. So now her iPhone 4S is usable on Verizon CDMA, AT&T and T-Mobile. Meanwhile, those of us with Sprint iPhone 4S's lose the Sprint CDMA service if we somehow manage to get it unlocked.

Tell me again why it was a good idea to buy an iPhone from Sprint...

 

[bmwfreak]

I requested international unlock for 4s using the International Chat link posted on the Sprint Unlocking page

http://www.sprint.com/legal/unlocking_policy.html

The rep stated they needed to escalate the request to their manager because the iphone is inactive. She stated it could take up to 10 business days to submit the request to unlock. I haven't tried restoring the phone yet. I'll wait a little longer. Not sure if I will get an email from sprint confirming the unlock request or not.

Regarding the Verizon 4s, I've read that Verizon AUTOMATICALLY unlocked the phones. Interesting that an unlocked 4s still maintains the Verizon CDMA software, where as Sprint wipes it.

 

[Zzznorch]

Regarding the Verizon 4s, I've read that Verizon AUTOMATICALLY unlocked the phones. Interesting that an unlocked 4s still maintains the Verizon CDMA software, where as Sprint wipes it.

I had heard they did unlock all of them which seemed kind of an odd thing to do if it was going to disable all the 4S's still in service. But it behaves exactly as it did when it only supported foreign SIM's; switches to GSM/UMTS when an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM is installed and jumps back to Verizon CDMA when the SIM is removed. Why Sprint has to wipe the CDMA service is beyond me. Personally I think it is just Sprint's way of saying F U for even thinking of using your device with someone other than Sprint. The Verizon and Sprint iPhone's should be identical in functionality and the Sprint iPhone should be able to remain in service with Sprint while fully unlocked (just like the Verizon iPhone). If I ever get this out-of-service 4S unlocked, I will do some testing. At the moment, it can still call Sprint support as it registers on the CDMA network.

I find it rather annoying that the carriers lied to us for years (and my knowing they were lying at the time added to the frustration) that the Verizon and Sprint 4S's were "special" and could never be unlocked for domestic SIM's. Especially since people were taking them to cell phone stores and having them unlocked through jail break methods and they still worked.

 

[maflynn]

Please go to the continuation of this discussion here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/sprint-automatic-domestic-sim-unlock-wiki.1891960/