Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Carrier Sprint Users! READ! New Automatic Domestic Unlock Policy Change!
- Thread starter eyoungren
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
- Status
Some extra information, CDMA provisioning information is stored on SIMGLW416C(The SIM for the 5c, 5s, 6, 6+) so you cannot operate any cellular functions at all without a SIM card. However, Samsung and HTC devices will continue to operate in CDMA EVDO even when the SIM has been removed as the CDMA subscriber information is stored in the NV_RAM section of the phone. Your phone number IS technically stored on your SIM for your 5c/5s/6/6+, as those phones require CSIM to run directly off the SIM. Apple does not allow carriers to directly provision CDMA services to the phone's NV_RAM(with the exception of the 4s, as you could operate it without a SIM).
Now, is Sprint lying about their phones not being able to be unlocked for domestic networks? Yes and no, the iPhone 5c and 5s model that they sell(A1453/A1456) is actually the model number of the unlocked 5c/5s sold in Japan. The Japanese variant can be used on any CDMA AND GSM network including Verizon except Sprint(Sprint will reject any non-Sprint phone even if you insert a SIM, believe me, I've already tried). They aren't lying in the sense that Sprint service reps literally DO NOT have the ability to unlock phones for domestic use. When Sprint was licensed to sell the iPhone, they set up an unlock agreement with Apple that would restrict domestic carriers from being used even after being unlocked. All the international reps see on their end is a button that says unlock, they do not control what carriers it's unlocked for. That is purely based on the agreement between Sprint and Apple. HOWEVER, Sprint can contact Apple at ANY time to request a policy change, since the SIM lock function of the phone is handled server-side any devices already unlocked would be domestic unlocked too as Apple would be updating the UICC configuration profile to include support for domestic SIMs.
Now, is Sprint lying about their phones not being able to be unlocked for domestic networks? Yes and no, the iPhone 5c and 5s model that they sell(A1453/A1456) is actually the model number of the unlocked 5c/5s sold in Japan. The Japanese variant can be used on any CDMA AND GSM network including Verizon except Sprint(Sprint will reject any non-Sprint phone even if you insert a SIM, believe me, I've already tried). They aren't lying in the sense that Sprint service reps literally DO NOT have the ability to unlock phones for domestic use. When Sprint was licensed to sell the iPhone, they set up an unlock agreement with Apple that would restrict domestic carriers from being used even after being unlocked. All the international reps see on their end is a button that says unlock, they do not control what carriers it's unlocked for. That is purely based on the agreement between Sprint and Apple. HOWEVER, Sprint can contact Apple at ANY time to request a policy change, since the SIM lock function of the phone is handled server-side any devices already unlocked would be domestic unlocked too as Apple would be updating the UICC configuration profile to include support for domestic SIMs.
Can you explain why Apple would ask this of Sprint (restricting domestic carriers)?
I would have thought that would be the other way around. Or did you mean that in setting up that agreement with Apple it was Sprint that asked this of Apple?
That to me would seem the logical thing instead of Apple asking Sprint.
That's what I meant. Every single iPhone has an activation policy applied to it based on what the carrier agreed on with Apple. So basically as part of their agreement with Apple, Sprint can request to block other carriers from working on devices associated with their activation policy. Apple couldn't care less about what carriers Sprint does or doesn't want to make the device usable on after being unlocked. The actual unlocking process is done through Apple, but the Apple employees can only apply a certain activation policy to a phone. For instance, Verizon iPhones are set up to be completely SIM unlocked for any GSM network or CDMA network that uses a CSIM/UICC(as long as that CDMA carrier accepts BYOD, such as KDDI or China Telecom). The reason for this is because the device IMEI is associated with the activation policy that enables a complete SIM unlocked state. But back on topic, when Apple receives a request from Sprint to unlock a iPhone, the only activation policy they can apply to the device is one that allows international SIMs(Not sure if Sprint allows international CDMA carriers to be used like Verizon does). It is literally impossible for them to unlock it for domestic carriers as there is no policy for the Sprint iPhone 4s/5/5c/5s/6/6+ that allows the usage of domestic carriers. A Sprint activation policy looks like this:
US Sprint/Virgin/Boost N51/N48 CSIM iPhone Locked policy
The Sprint iPhone 5 is provisioned to the network differently then the other iPhones and requires a different SIM card.(SIMGLW406R).
Another thing to, 3rd party unlocking services like ChronicUnlocks use their access to Apple's activation server to simply apply what is considered the "unlocked" activation policy to the device.
Cool! Thanks for the clarification. Just confirms what I thought and have endlessly repeated to people asking. And it also backs me up on the Sprint BAW forums when the Sprint reps their spew their BS.
Thanks again!
Another thing I'd like to add, Sprint isn't the only carrier on the globe that restricts domestic use. Japanese carrier KDDI doesn't even offer unlocking but for those who have been able to get their IMEI added to the unlock database have noticed that Softbank and NTT Docomo still do not work after being unlocked. China Mobile also prohibit their iPhones from accessing 3G and 4G on competing networks in China.
----------
Don't worry about it dude. Sprint always has the power to change these polices though. If Apple were to remove the domestic lock from internationally unlocked Sprint devices without explicit permission from Sprint it would be a breach of contract and Sprint could sue Apple. I know there is pretty much nothing Sprint can do to domestic unlock android devices as those are locked client-side and have encrypted modems(No one has even figured out how to unlock the S5 yet for international use without Sprint authorization). Maybe they just want to be fair and keep us all locked down until February 2015. No idea.
----------
Don't worry about it dude. Sprint always has the power to change these polices though. If Apple were to remove the domestic lock from internationally unlocked Sprint devices without explicit permission from Sprint it would be a breach of contract and Sprint could sue Apple. I know there is pretty much nothing Sprint can do to domestic unlock android devices as those are locked client-side and have encrypted modems(No one has even figured out how to unlock the S5 yet for international use without Sprint authorization). Maybe they just want to be fair and keep us all locked down until February 2015. No idea.
Last edited:
One last thing, to back up what you said earlier about device only Sprint iPhones coming unlocked for international use, I've heard of instances where people have bought Sprint iPhones full price from the Apple Store, realized they were locked and complained to Apple, if the phone was sold as device only, it will still be locked, but for those who have complained to Apple some have had their SIM slot unlocked for international use ONLY. The device only Sprint iPhone is still locked, but since it was bought off contract Apple has the right to force Sprint to unlock it for international use(Domestic use is currently not possible with the current agreement between Apple and Sprint, see my earlier post).
I'm assured that you are right in this instance, but my thing is... I bought a Sprint iPhone 6 for full price from Apple and mine is UNLOCKED... I never complained to Apple about it being locked or anything like that. It came out of the box unlocked for INTERNATIONAL use ONLY!!! I tried an AT&T sim it DID NOT work. However pretty much any kind of international SIM will work.
I'm not saying you're wrong I was just using my experience as a point. I'm sure 95% of them are locked out of the box
Again, it's completely possible for it to come internationally unlocked out of the box as evidenced by the OP. But I have seen cases of device only Sprint iPhone's from the Apple Store coming locked, for those that complained, Apple forced Sprint to unlock it for international use as it was an off-contract phone. A good thing to do is when buying a device only Sprint iPhone is to take an international SIM with you into the Apple Store and have them insert it into the phone before activating it for the first time and make sure it works before leaving.
Exactly and that's why I said that I'm sure that you are correct, but there has been instances where Apple has given Sprint customers unlocked iPhones just so the customer can get the phone they want in the variation they want. However it is a pain when Apple calls Sprint to activate the phone because the IMEI or MEID is not in there system .... But Sprint finally complies and does activate it, but it is a bit of a hassle. This happened to me last year with the 5c/5s ....
Do you still have your 5c/5s? Can you check the model number for me? If it is A1453 or A1456. It is NOT unlocked, there is no factory unlocked version of A1453/A1456 available for sale in the U.S. The only factory unlocked model that would work on Sprint is A1532/A1533(Verizon CDMA model only), but those do not support Sprint's full LTE. I have never to date seen either a domestically unlocked A1453/A1456 for Sprint neither a Non-Sprint phone on Sprint. It cannot be done, if you could find out the model number of your 5s or 5c that would be extremely helpful for me as it would be amazing if Sprint was able to activate a factory unlocked phone. I inserted a Sprint SIM card into a Verizon iPhone 5s(Model A1533/CDMA) it briefly got service for 30 seconds and changed over in the settings to Sprint 16.0, but then it went to no service.
Tthomas612, is it possible that based on last years nightmare experience that Apple simply unlocked your iPhone 6 internationally when you bought it? I would see that as something Apple would do because of that experience. Only, because it's an actual Sprint iPhone this time around (and referencing this conversation), the best they could do for you would have just been the international unlock.
Just guessing here.
----------
He went to Apple last year and bought two iPhone 5cs. One for his girlfriend and one for himself. Sprint had the model his girlfriend wanted, but not the model he wanted.
To make the customer happy, Apple gave him an unlocked iPhone and forced Sprint to activate it. How that jives with the narrative here, IDK, but that's what happened. It's been verified that his 5c is unlocked and working on the Sprint network.
He had issues eventually with the 5c that got management at Apple involved because of multiple replacements (all unlocked). Apple eventually replaced his 5c with a 5s. It too was unlocked.
No idea how Apple was able to do this, but they did it.
I am also aware of another customer who purchased a 4s when Sprint was announcing that they would all come unlocked. She successfully avoided Sprint's attempts to lock those unlocked 4s iPhones back to the network (after Sprint changed it's mind) and to this day her Sprint 4s is unlocked.
There are exceptions as I've noted, but these are some really extreme cases.
Did you read this thread thoroughly?
I ask because if you had you would find that this thread isn't for us!
This thread is for the average Sprint customer who wanders on to MacRumors and asks "Can I unlock my Sprint iPhone?"
We know the answer already, hence this thread is information for the Sprint customer who does NOT know the answer - or why.
Well I guess it could be based on last years experience as it is well documented at Apple. Everytine I go in they'll ask me how my iPhone is doing. So they do go out of the way to make sure I'm happy. I also receive phone calls from Apple periodically asking me if everything is ok. Even after I bought the iPhone 6. So I guess what I am saying is it is VERY POSSIBLE that this could be the reason.
----------
The model in which they gave me for the 5s was A1533. I will say that at times I had issues with lte but I did get lte. When I received the 5s and the 5c it was a pain in the butt to get Sprint to activate it even through the Apple Store with Apple Store employees calling them. It did take time as I was at the Apple Store for a few hours both times, but eventually they did and it was fully unlocked.
The iPhone 6 is a different story. It's just unlocked internationally and it came that way out of the box.
That's incredibly strange, but it also makes perfect sense. The only thing that sucks is the A1533 lacks some extra bands compared to the A1453 so you wouldn't be able to take full advantage of Sprint's network. I also have some new information on Sprint and their prepaid subsidiaries(Boost, Virgin). Starting with the 5c and 5s, Sprint has started to use a CSIM, which is a SIM card that contains information for both CDMA and LTE, as well as your phone number. I have heard of instances of people moving a 5s between Virgin and Sprint, but got issues when doing it with a 5. The reason for this is the iPhone 5 uses a completely different SIM part number, and CDMA services are directly provisioned to the 5's NV_RAM, where on the 5c/5s have all service information provisioned into the SIM. The SIM card on the Sprint iPhone 5 I believe is only used for LTE access and GSM roaming.(I don't believe the 5 will work without a SIM though, even though your subscriber information resides on the phone itself, not the SIM). I am not sure if Sprint is enforcing a parity system on their CSIM cards like they did with their other phones. Only time will tell, but it seems if you can move on Sprint 5s to Boost successfully just by changing the SIM, they might not be enforcing parity anymore(I could be wrong about this).
Well I have seen instances of this as well. My fiancée's sister was with Sprint and either left or didn't pay the bill or something... She also had an iPhone 5c. Anyway she had asked me about getting it unlocked and all. I told her that it was so near impossible that you might as well consider it impossible. So she wanted to know about Boost or Virgin and I told her I had no clue. So she went to Boost with her iPhone 5c.
The truth is that we all know Sprint is very very strict when it comes to any kind of unlocking and stuff like that, but there are loopholes in the process. Just not a whole lot of people know what to do or say. So while it's possible to get an unlocked Sprint iPhone for domestic use or international use... It's also very much impossible if that even makes sense lol
I believe this is partly due to the fact that all Boost, Sprint, and Virgin iPhone 5c/5s/6/6+ have the same activation policy applied, which allows interchangeability from the 3 carriers since that activation policy allows the use of Boost, Sprint, and Virgin. But out of curiosity, what steps did your fiancee's sister go through to get it activated? I tried activating a Sprint iPhone 5c by using boostmobile.com/activate but the MEID was rejected, did she just insert an already active Boost sim into her phone? Boost, Virgin, and Sprint all use the exact same SIM.
She went into the Boost Store that we have where I live and told them she had a Sprint iPhone that she wanted to get activated. They told her they didn't know if ironworks work but it may. Got a Boost SIM and put it in and it worked. Weird I know but it does work on occasion I guess??
I think it's just due to the fact that all the MVNOs are running on Sprint's network, so essentially it's still Sprint, but the billing system is different.
Ting, which is also a Sprint MVNO, has been able to move over the iPhone 5 for quite some time and just recently announced they could move over the 5c and the 5s.
Ting, which is also a Sprint MVNO, has been able to move over the iPhone 5 for quite some time and just recently announced they could move over the 5c and the 5s.
So that would mean Sprint is no longer pairing the MEID to the ICCID like they used to for phones that use a CSIM. Thank you so much! This is really enlightening lol.
Anything to help. I feel as though we've been getting screwed by sprint long enough lol.
Therefore if I can find a loophole in the system I find it then tell whoever I can...
----------
I heard or read that Ting actually wasn't so bad as long as you were in a area with good service (such as Sprint).
Ting is what Sprint could be. Affordable, good customer service and fast (in the areas where the Sprint network is good). You pay for what you use and that's pretty much the end of it.
Personally, having dropped in on Ting's forums a few times I find their management friendly, responsive and efficient. If we could replace Sprint management with Ting's management I think things would really turn around.
Alas, I don't think that's going to happen.
Yeah and I honestly don't see things turning around at Sprint for a long while. I understand the new CEO is trying but so far from what I've seen hasn't done much good..... They come out with all these gimmicky plans...
Kinda like the Pizza Hut of the Cell phone Carriers... They just do much and more gimmicks
Here's how I look at that.
Masayoshi Son pays billions for Sprint. He ups his ownership to 80%. On top of that he slides over $5 billion to Sprint for network improvements in 2013 and 2014.
Son is in up to his eyeball with Sprint and he's going to want a profitable return on his investment. Dan Hesse is not making that happen, despite the advantages Son brought. So, in comes Marcelo Claure.
The misconception here that I see is that everyone expects Claure to be turning around Sprint. Make it good again, great for the customers, etc.
But that isn't, IMO, why Son brought Claure in. I believe that Claure is there so get Son his return on investment. Claure is going to do everything he can to have Sprint make money for Son. It does not automatically follow that what is good for Son and Sprint and the investors is good for the customer!
We are going to see a new and profitable Sprint at some point. But as I have said in other places, I do not believe it's going to look very much like the Sprint we know today.
Yes I definitely see where you're coming from on that.
The truth is when we see a new and profitable Sprint it will look and feel COMPLETELY different. Nothing will be the same. And while the network has improved (at least for me). It could definitely be better. Do I think it will? Yes! Do I know it will take time? Yes. But also at this point u have so much invested in Sprint that it's hard to leave. I've thought about it numerous times, but everytine I decide to stay. Take yourself for example. You personally don't like the 6 or the 6 Plus, but love your iPhone 5 because it's comple black. You can't take that phone to any network besides Sprint so in order for you to leave you have to get rid of the phone you love and get something different that you may not like as much. None of these newer iPhones come in black...
- Status