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Right now the only way to buy a Verizon phone (or any other phone) device only is in an Apple Store. Apple.com and carrier stores will sell phones only with contracts or upgrades.
I am at the Verizon website and talking to a sales rep, and it has a "Month-to-Month" option, where it is the retail price. Wouldn't that be that version we're looking for?
 
I am at the Verizon website and talking to a sales rep, and it has a "Month-to-Month" option, where it is the retail price. Wouldn't that be that version we're looking for?

That looks like it might work. Are you stuck paying for a month of service?
 
It should work, then.

Nevermind, just so happens the billing address must match the shipping address for phone purchases, what won't ever work with me, since my card is from Brazil, and the billing adress definitely can't be Brazillian. I really don't know what else I can do now.
 
Not to upset the more experienced and true believers, but here is another confirmation.

Purchased an AT&T "device only" from the local Apple Store last night. I removed it from the box and removed the sim card it came with. I then put in the sim from my iPhone 5, also an AT&T sim. I then plugged into my Mac with iTunes opened and I immediately got the message that my phone was unlocked. I did not restore to see the message.
 
I called AT&T cause mine was locked to them and they told me to restore the iPhone. I didn't think it would have anything to do with it. So I put it in DFU and restored through iTunes it said your phone has been unlocked and now my tmobile sim works where before only AT&T sim would work.
 
Thanks for the input guys. Do i have to put the iphone in DFU mode or I just have to click on the "restore" button in itunes to reset to factory settings and wait for the unlock message?
 
For some reason I am not getting the unlocked message after restoring the phone.

I did try the T-Mobile sim card that came with the phone and my own AT&T sim card. Both worked.

But - what did I do wrong or missing for not getting the unlocked message in iTunes?
 
I am going thursday to a Verizon Store then. So if I manage to get the Device Only, it will be the same as we've been discussing right?
 
I'm not sure if this question has been answered yet but since I'm seeing a lot of mentions of people restoring through iTunes to get the unlocked message, I thought I'd ask.

I have a 4S through AT&T (so micro sim). I'll be picking up my unlocked T-Mobile 5s from UPS this afternoon. The AT&T store is right around the corner from there and I'll go there to pick up the nano sim. Will I need to go home and restore through iTunes first to get the unlocked message, or will the new AT&T nano sim work right out of the box?
 
I have a 4S through AT&T (so micro sim). I'll be picking up my unlocked T-Mobile 5s from UPS this afternoon. The AT&T store is right around the corner from there and I'll go there to pick up the nano sim. Will I need to go home and restore through iTunes first to get the unlocked message, or will the new AT&T nano sim work right out of the box?

It should work right out of the box. Unlocked is unlocked. All I did on my Verizon iPhone 5s was take it out of the box, remove the Verizon SIM, put in my AT&T, and then start it up. It detected my wi-fi network, activated, and I was on my way.
 
I should clarify by stating that I received yesterday the T-Mobile unlocked version order from Apple Store online last Friday.

I took it out of the box, took out the T-Mobile sim card, inserted the AT&T sim card, and then did the restore. I did not see any activation screen or message of any sort. There was no unlocked message either. The phone works on AT&T network (tried texting and calling).

I then did the same with the T-Mobile sim card and the AT&T sim card a few times. No unlocked message from iTunes but the phone still works on AT&T's network. There was no activation screen or message when I had the T-Mobile sim card in the phone either.

Therefore, yes the phone is unlocked regardless if you see the unlocked message in iTunes or not. It works "right out of box".
 
What if I restore my AT&T device only phone thru iTunes using the pre-installed AT&T sim? Should work, right?

Ugh, can't get ahold of a nano sim other than the AT&T sim that came with the box.
 
I should clarify by stating that I received yesterday the T-Mobile unlocked version order from Apple Store online last Friday.

I took it out of the box, took out the T-Mobile sim card, inserted the AT&T sim card, and then did the restore. I did not see any activation screen or message of any sort. There was no unlocked message either. The phone works on AT&T network (tried texting and calling).

I then did the same with the T-Mobile sim card and the AT&T sim card a few times. No unlocked message from iTunes but the phone still works on AT&T's network. There was no activation screen or message when I had the T-Mobile sim card in the phone either.

Therefore, yes the phone is unlocked regardless if you see the unlocked message in iTunes or not. It works "right out of box".

So what about outside of US?
Does it work out of the box when I get it from US, and open in Asia?
 
Went into Apple store in Aventura, Florida the other day. Ordered a phone from the store computers inside while hundreds waited outside for "a chance" to buy the phone. I used the pick up at store option. I could only order an ATT phone that was an upgrade. They didn't allow for unlocked versions via the website.

When I met with the store rep to deliver my phone I told him to return it and allow me to pay full price for the unlocked out of contract phone. Here is a pic of the receipt. I also was returning a "loaner" phone from apple since I had sold my previous iphone 5 the week before and need a phone until I got the 5S. I love that apple has the 30 day return policy.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
 
So what about outside of US?
Does it work out of the box when I get it from US, and open in Asia?

I bought a T-mobile iPhone to use on T-mobile but wanted to ensure it was unlocked. I didn't have an ATT sim to try but had SIMs from both Mexico and Switzerland. Both of them activated fine and the phone "roamed" on ATT. Then I switched to my T-mobile SIM and it worked on T-mobile. And I did all of this without connecting to iTunes. So I don't think you'll have any issue taking a T-mobile phone to Asia and activating it there. For peace of mind you may want to try to get it to connect to another carrier here by borrowing a non T-mobile SIM card from someone, but I don't think that's at all necessary. It would just give you the opportunity to return the phone if by some minute chance there was a problem.

----------

Went into Apple store in Aventura, Florida the other day. Ordered a phone from the store computers inside while hundreds waited outside for "a chance" to buy the phone. I used the pick up at store option. I could only order an ATT phone that was an upgrade. They didn't allow for unlocked versions via the website.

When I met with the store rep to deliver my phone I told him to return it and allow me to pay full price for the unlocked out of contract phone. Here is a pic of the receipt. I also was returning a "loaner" phone from apple since I had sold my previous iphone 5 the week before and need a phone until I got the 5S. I love that apple has the 30 day return policy.

[url=http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/9855/ms26.png]Image[/URL]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I wondered about doing this....so you were able to cancel the first sale before it activated the phone account? I was wondering if I could have acted like I was signing up for an account at Verizon, and then changed to "device only" without the Verizon account ever becoming active and being on the hook for an activation fee and partial month service.
 
I bought a T-mobile iPhone to use on T-mobile but wanted to ensure it was unlocked. I didn't have an ATT sim to try but had SIMs from both Mexico and Switzerland. Both of them activated fine and the phone "roamed" on ATT. Then I switched to my T-mobile SIM and it worked on T-mobile. And I did all of this without connecting to iTunes. So I don't think you'll have any issue taking a T-mobile phone to Asia and activating it there. For peace of mind you may want to try to get it to connect to another carrier here by borrowing a non T-mobile SIM card from someone, but I don't think that's at all necessary. It would just give you the opportunity to return the phone if by some minute chance there was a problem.
Thank you so much for your reply.
 
The Apple stores here said they never had an unlocked t-mobile...

where do you guys have bought your 5s?

I need a unlocked 5s till tomorrow noon :(
 
The Apple stores here said they never had an unlocked t-mobile...

where do you guys have bought your 5s?

I need a unlocked 5s till tomorrow noon :(

you can buy an AT&T Full Retail price, it is unlocked, even if the employees tell you its not, it does not need to be a T-Mobile
 
The Apple stores here said they never had an unlocked t-mobile...

where do you guys have bought your 5s?

I need a unlocked 5s till tomorrow noon :(

Apple doesn't advertise them as unlocked. You'll have to ask for a full-price "device only" iPhone 5S at the Apple Store, that's how the people on this thread have been doing it.
 
Thank you so much for your reply.

No problem...also to be clear as the other posters have stated here, you can also buy a "device only" ATT or Verizon phone as well. It doesn't have to be the T-mobile one. I bought a second 5S yesterday and did the exact same process as I described in my original post. The first one I bought was T-mobile "device only" and the second was ATT "device only". All reports say the same is true with Verizon devices...in fact they are required to be unlocked by law. And all 3 support the same GSM/LTE bands around the world.
 
so basically there is no difference between the full paid at&t, verizon and tmobile?

Because it should work in germany :)
1800MHZ is the frequence I think
 
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