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really? I would be more likely to believe the carrier. If they say they will not activate the phone, there is nothing Apple can do....

Do you think Apples legal team would let them post false information that could potentially get them into trouble on their website?

For what it's worth, I partially ran my device through the Verizon activation process on their website for "bring your own device" plans. It didn't tell me that my phone wasn't supported after I submitted my MEID, but the next step was asking for a Verizon SIM, which I don't have.
 
Do you think Apples legal team would let them post false information that could potentially get them into trouble on their website?

For what it's worth, I partially ran my device through the Verizon activation process on their website for "bring your own device" plans. It didn't tell me that my phone wasn't supported after I submitted my MEID, but the next step was asking for a Verizon SIM, which I don't have.

wording is a tricky thing. You can technically activate it...if you already have a verizon account.
 
really? I would be more likely to believe the carrier. If they say they will not activate the phone, there is nothing Apple can do....
The thing is Verizon only knows which phones/IMEI to activate based on info that Apple gives them. Also, Verizon customer service reps aren't the most knowledgeable of folks and they're not exactly encouraging BYOD regardless of the lack of technological barriers.

As long as the IMEI/MEID for the unlocked A1586 is recognized here: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/nso/enterDeviceId.do
it should be fine. Given the A1586 model has slightly wider LTE support due to the addition of TD-LTE bands (China, India, etc), I'd buy that one from Apple to check Verizon activation whitelisting first. If it can't be activated, then just return it during the 14-day window.
 
The thing is Verizon only knows which phones/IMEI to activate based on info that Apple gives them. Also, Verizon customer service reps aren't the most knowledgeable of folks and they're not exactly encouraging BYOD regardless of the lack of technological barriers.

As long as the IMEI/MEID for the unlocked A1586 is recognized here: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/nso/enterDeviceId.do
it should be fine.

When I run my MEID through the check, I'm given an option to move forward and enter my SIM information or order a new SIM.

It appears that it should work.
 
When I run my MEID through the check, I'm given an option to move forward and enter my SIM information or order a new SIM.

It appears that it should work.
Is this for the new unlocked iPhones? If so, that's good news. For sure, next time, that's the one I'll be buying (even if I had to wait a couple of months). Only reason I jumped early on the iPhone 6/6 Plus bandwagon is to get out of my 2-year contract without paying ETF by going Next.
 
Is this for the new unlocked iPhones? If so, that's good news. For sure, next time, that's the one I'll be buying (even if I had to wait a couple of months). Only reason I jumped early on the iPhone 6/6 Plus bandwagon is to get out of my 2-year contract without paying ETF by going Next.

Yeah, I had originally purchased a Verizon 6+ in early December. I went this route partially because I knew it was unlocked and partially because it was compatible with 3/4 of the major carriers in the US. When I heard that the SIM-free model was actually the world phone and compatible with all four carriers(as opposed to GSM only like the previous sim free models), I looked into the return policy and realized I was still covered under the extended holiday return period. It was a pretty easy swap at the Apple Store.
 
I did purchase my Sim-Free here in the USA (Southern California) at Apple. I have an ATT sim in it now. And on Sunday, I'm switching over to T-Mobile. Strange that you stated, the Sim-Free is an unlocked Sprint phone, but yet it's capable of GSM. I'm confused.

Sprint iPhones are very well capable of Using GSM networks plus use full 4G+LTE on AT&T and T-Mobile but it's the way sprint has them locked from factory...there is no way to unlock them for domestic use...despite sprint claiming to change their policy this year, let's see. They have already made clear that any phone purchased before the date of the new policy coming into affect will NOT be unlocked, even then their unlock policy is going to be soo ridiculous that even loyal customers will have issues getting them unlocked for domestic use. Remember this will only apply to phones purchased after their to be determined certain date.

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You sure about that? Apple states on their website that the sim free models can be activated on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/overlay/iphone/about_unlocked

That statement created confusion last year as well, the key is "supported", if you have a the A1586 or A1524 iPhone 6 then try your IMEI or MEID with Verizon or sprint and I bet they won't pick it up.

The two carriers only allow service esp 3G/CDMA on devices that have the IMEI / MEID in their database. Yes he SIM Free iPhone 6/6+ are fully capable of All 4 carriers, but we all know Verizon and Sprint never play nice in the group and like things to be their way, AT&T and T-Mobile don't have a choice due to the way their network is = GSM.

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Yeah, I had originally purchased a Verizon 6+ in early December. I went this route partially because I knew it was unlocked and partially because it was compatible with 3/4 of the major carriers in the US. When I heard that the SIM-free model was actually the world phone and compatible with all four carriers(as opposed to GSM only like the previous sim free models), I looked into the return policy and realized I was still covered under the extended holiday return period. It was a pretty easy swap at the Apple Store.

Are you using it on Verizon? And are you getting 3G CDMA access? And are you able to make calls on 3G by turning off LTE
 
really? I would be more likely to believe the carrier. If they say they will not activate the phone, there is nothing Apple can do....



What did verizon tell you? I think everyone would like to know that :)

As someone who upgrades yearly, I want the best resell value. If verizon would activate the SIM free version that would be the one to get. If verizon stick by their currently policy and will only activate a new account with a verizon phone, the verizon model is the one to get in the US.

I called a local Verizon store & the rep said that it had to be a Verizon branded phone in order for them to activate it. Since the iPhones bought at the Apple store aren't "branded", I think what she meant was that it had to be the Verizon version of the iPhone 6 (A1549).

I bought the Verizon iPhone 6 and even though I didn't activate it, it came with a Verizon sim card inside. The sim card has an ICCID number on it, which is the same ICCID number that is on the box. My guess is that the ICCID number is somehow associated with the IMEI number of the phone, and therefore shows up on Verizon's whitelist.

My fear is that if I swap it out for the sim free version, Verizon won't have it on their whitelist & might give me a problem if I want them to activate it.

While it would be nice to have the extra LTE bands, I don't plan on traveling to China, India, etc. anytime soon, so I think the Verizon version is probably the best option for me.
 
That statement created confusion last year as well, the key is "supported", if you have a the A1586 or A1524 iPhone 6 then try your IMEI or MEID with Verizon or sprint and I bet they won't pick it up.

When I checked my MEID here with Verizon, it seems to accept it. Unfortunately I don't have a Verizon SIM card to go any further with the activation.

Sprint doesn't seem to have a place where I can check IMEI or MEID compatibility.

Are you using it on Verizon? And are you getting 3G CDMA access? And are you able to make calls on 3G by turning off LTE

I don't have a Verizon account, but I see no reason that it wouldn't work. I know that you can use an unlocked AT&T or T-Mobile iPhone 6/6+ on Verizon as long as you already have an activated SIM.
 
I don't have a Verizon account, but I see no reason that it wouldn't work. I know that you can use an unlocked AT&T or T-Mobile iPhone 6/6+ on Verizon as long as you already have an activated SIM.

The key is "as long as you already have an activated SIM."

My hunch is if you walk in to a Verizon store with the SIM free iPhone, they won't activate it with a new Verizon SIM.
 
The two carriers only allow service esp 3G/CDMA on devices that have the IMEI / MEID in their database. Yes he SIM Free iPhone 6/6+ are fully capable of All 4 carriers, but we all know Verizon and Sprint never play nice in the group and like things to be their way, AT&T and T-Mobile don't have a choice due to the way their network is = GSM.

Are you using it on Verizon? And are you getting 3G CDMA access? And are you able to make calls on 3G by turning off LTE
Even AT&T and T-Mobile iPhone 6/6+ now work with Verizon 3G (after unlocking). Previous GSM iPhones either didn't have CDMA hardware or had the CDMA radio disabled so you couldn't use them on Verizon. That seems to have changed with the 6/6+. The only issue with AT&T and T-Mobile iPhones is the IMEI is not in Verizon's database so they register as unknown devices and could not be used for activating new SIM card/service.

I called a local Verizon store & the rep said that it had to be a Verizon branded phone in order for them to activate it. Since the iPhones bought at the Apple store aren't "branded", I think what she meant was that it had to be the Verizon version of the iPhone 6 (A1549).

I bought the Verizon iPhone 6 and even though I didn't activate it, it came with a Verizon sim card inside. The sim card has an ICCID number on it, which is the same ICCID number that is on the box. My guess is that the ICCID number is somehow associated with the IMEI number of the phone, and therefore shows up on Verizon's whitelist.

My fear is that if I swap it out for the sim free version, Verizon won't have it on their whitelist & might give me a problem if I want them to activate it.

The key is "as long as you already have an activated SIM."

My hunch is if you walk in to a Verizon store with the SIM free iPhone, they won't activate it with a new Verizon SIM.
Take out the SIM card from the Verizon iPhone, buy the unlocked iPhone and try activating service on the device here: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/nso/enterDeviceId.do

As long as the MEID check recognizes what device you have, then you're good to go. Non-whitelisted devices show up as unknown and Verizon won't activate service on them.

If you don't want to deal with the hassle of returning, then by all means keep your Verizon iPhone.
 
My hunch is if you walk in to a Verizon store with the SIM free iPhone, they won't activate it with a new Verizon SIM.

The fact that I can enter my MEID into their website and order a sim without any issues tells me that it will activate just fine. An AT&T, Sprint or T-Mobile MEID/ESN gives an error.

Unfortunately I don't have a Verizon store anywhere near me, so I can't confirm this. Luckily, if you were to buy a sim free iPhone and take it to a Verizon store and they actually did refuse to activate it, you could always return the sim free phone and buy the Verizon model.
 
When I checked my MEID here with Verizon, it seems to accept it. Unfortunately I don't have a Verizon SIM card to go any further with the activation.

Sprint doesn't seem to have a place where I can check IMEI or MEID compatibility.



I don't have a Verizon account, but I see no reason that it wouldn't work. I know that you can use an unlocked AT&T or T-Mobile iPhone 6/6+ on Verizon as long as you already have an activated SIM.

Verizon's accepts your IMEI / MEID here?:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/nso/enterDeviceId.do

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Even AT&T and T-Mobile iPhone 6/6+ now work with Verizon 3G (after unlocking). Previous GSM iPhones either didn't have CDMA hardware or had the CDMA radio disabled so you couldn't use them on Verizon. That seems to have changed with the 6/6+. The only issue with AT&T and T-Mobile iPhones is the IMEI is not in Verizon's database so they register as unknown devices and could not be used for activating new SIM card/service.

As far as I know the 3G only works if you have a SIM activated on another phone already and you cannot go on and activate that OTHER phone with a NEW SIM because the MEID is assigned to the original SIM and will deactivate the original SIM if a new SIM is activated on the "Dumb" phone.

Unlike GSM networks, CDMA networks do not auto update their end with the IMEI on file as they refer to a pre-loaded list of IMEI/MEID's.
 
I hate going to the Apple Store and setting up my phone again, but this is rather tempting. Perhaps I might also get an MLC unit, too.

Bonus. ;)

It takes about "2 minutes" to restore your iPhone configuration and data if you backup to the iCloud. I did this with my Touch, iPhone 5S and now iPhone 5C.

Nothing is out of place at all!
 
I have a iphone 6 already but today walked into the apple store and picked up the Sim Free iPhone A1586. workes on everything. popped all my friends sim cards in and get LTE and 4g and everything. couldn't be happier.
 
Funny, I was just looking at this this morning as I too have an A1549 model.

It will work internationally, but not nearly in as many places as the A1586, at least for LTE. Looks like T-mobile/ATT/Verizon customers get the A1549 and Sprint of all crappy networks gets the better A1586 model. I was disappointed to find out mine will not work with LTE in Japan.

That said, this chart is LTE only and I have no idea if our phones have a different list of countries they will work in with 4G or some other non-LTE service. Maybe the A1549 works in a lot more places, just on 4G instead of LTE, but I'm not sure.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

This list needs some editing. I have an A1549 iPhone and it works with a Qatar (ooredoo) sim supports all of those bands but it is not on the list. Many other countries support those bands as well.
 
Correct. It works there.

Oh jesus, now i feel shortchanged by Apple lol.

I got my iPhone at launch and its factory unlocked but oh well, I wouldn't use Sprint anyway but definitely increases resale value 3 major carrier compatibility vs 4.

I don't get why Apple then is wasting time making 2 different models. Why not just make ONE 6/6Plus....and sell that which = A1586 / A1524, I'm sure they are not saving anything.

Lets see, maybe next year with the 6S / 6S Plus there will be only 1 model so we early adopters don't feel shortchanged by Apple.
 
It takes about "2 minutes" to restore your iPhone configuration and data if you backup to the iCloud. I did this with my Touch, iPhone 5S and now iPhone 5C.

Nothing is out of place at all!

Not when you have as much stuff stored on there as I do. LOL.

Trust me. My initial configuration takes about 5-10 minutes in store. My full restore takes overnight, most of the time.

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Oh jesus, now i feel shortchanged by Apple lol.

I got my iPhone at launch and its factory unlocked but oh well, I wouldn't use Sprint anyway but definitely increases resale value 3 major carrier compatibility vs 4.

I don't get why Apple then is wasting time making 2 different models. Why not just make ONE 6/6Plus....and sell that which = A1586 / A1524, I'm sure they are not saving anything.

Lets see, maybe next year with the 6S / 6S Plus there will be only 1 model so we early adopters don't feel shortchanged by Apple.

Carriers in the US. That is why.
 
This has been very helpful everyone. Thank you for sharing. Has anyone used the A1856 or A1524 on AT&T. Can you confirm that LTE works? I know that it should but I just want to make sure!

Thank you!
 
Thanks for this link. I was amazed at how many countries weren't compatible with the A1549 model! All switched over now, thanks for the info :)

According to that list, my AT&T iPhone 6 doesn't work with any European carriers' LTE, but I most definitely had LTE coverage when roaming in Germany a few months ago.

Edit: I don't think that list is complete. According to Wikipedia, the German carriers use bands 3, 7 and 20 for LTE - all of which are supported by A1549.

That wasn't a full list of all the carriers that are compatible with each model. It's just a list of what phone you would get if you purchased it from that carrier. The A1549 will work with any carrier that uses the bands that those carriers use, even if that carrier gets allocated the A1586.

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Not when you have as much stuff stored on there as I do. LOL.

Trust me. My initial configuration takes about 5-10 minutes in store. My full restore takes overnight, most of the time.

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Carriers in the US. That is why.

True, but which carriers? AT&T and Verizon don't use compatible LTE bands, but they get iPhones that are compatible with both carriers. Was it Sprint who didn't want AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to get an iPhone that was compatible with the 4 extra LTE bands, or did those carriers not want those bands in their phones? I can't see why it makes any difference to them? After all, Verizon uses 3 LTE bands in the US, but get an iPhone compatible with over 20.

My guess the timing has something to do with the February 11, 2015 implementation date of the voluntary carrier agreement with the FCC. After that date, all new phones developed will need to be unlockable.

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The key is "as long as you already have an activated SIM."

My hunch is if you walk in to a Verizon store with the SIM free iPhone, they won't activate it with a new Verizon SIM.

The latter was true with the AT&T and T-Mobile versions, but Apple says that the SIM-free iPhone 6 will work with Verizon and Sprint. That means that those carriers have whitelisted them. Why people don't trust what Apple puts on its own website amazes me. They wouldn't say it works with Verizon and Sprint if it didn't.

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wording is a tricky thing. You can technically activate it...if you already have a verizon account.

No, that's not the case here. Apple does NOT advertise that the T-Mobile and AT&T iPhone 6 works with Verizon, even though it technically does, if you already have a Verizon account. They DO advertise that the SIM-free version does. This version is whitelisted for Verizon and Sprint. It's the first time that they have gotten all 4 carriers to buy off on it (though there was nothing that AT&T or T-Mobile could do since they are full GSM carriers). Verizon starting next year will sell phones that support LTE only (i.e. they will lack CDMA radios), and so at that point they will essentially be a full GSM carrier that happens to have a legacy CDMA network.
 
The latter was true with the AT&T and T-Mobile versions, but Apple says that the SIM-free iPhone 6 will work with Verizon and Sprint. That means that those carriers have whitelisted them. Why people don't trust what Apple puts on its own website amazes me. They wouldn't say it works with Verizon and Sprint if it didn't.

I called Verizon again & spoke with a customer service rep. She told me that Verizon will NOT activate unlocked phones. I informed her that all Verizon iPhones were unlocked out of the box. She didn't seem aware of that. I asked again about activating the SIM free version and she repeated that they wouldn't activate unlocked phones. She also wasn't aware of what the term "whitelisted" was all about...

So, I guess we'll know for sure when someone posts that they walked into a Verizon store with a SIM free A1586 or A1524 and actually gets Verizon to activate it with new service.
 
I called Verizon again & spoke with a customer service rep. She told me that Verizon will NOT activate unlocked phones. I informed her that all Verizon iPhones were unlocked out of the box. She didn't seem aware of that. I asked again about activating the SIM free version and she repeated that they wouldn't activate unlocked phones. She also wasn't aware of what the term "whitelisted" was all about...

So, I guess we'll know for sure when someone posts that they walked into a Verizon store with a SIM free A1586 or A1524 and actually gets Verizon to activate it with new service.

Just because the rep doesn't know about the term "whitelisted" doesn't mean that Verizon's IT systems haven't been updated with the IMEIs of the SIM-free phones. Right now, this is the only phone in sale in the US that is whitelisted on both Sprint and Verizon, and of course works on all the GSM networks. So it's understandable if the reps don't know it yet. When they type in the IMEI into the system, it will work. The fact that she didn't know that Verizon phones are all unlocked (which has been the case for years now) tells you all you need to know.
 
SIM free A1586 or A1524

I'm pretty sure the sim free one all you do is buy a sim with a Number and POP it in and it should work. you shouldn't need them to activate anything.
 
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