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If you buy Verizon 5s as device only or under contract in both cases it is factory unlocked and has all GSM and LTE bands that T mobile and ATT versions have.
 
my phone is locked according to one of those free check sites.

how reliable is this "40 days call for unlock" tipoff? is it just a macrumors noob spreading garbage or can i really call and they'll do it. i have no plans on leaving tmobile, i love the service, it's just unlocked is always better for resell or if i want to tog abroad.

oh and this is 5c for anyone who is curious. my tmobile $528 5c came locked so heads up
 
my phone is locked according to one of those free check sites.

how reliable is this "40 days call for unlock" tipoff? is it just a macrumors noob spreading garbage or can i really call and they'll do it. i have no plans on leaving tmobile, i love the service, it's just unlocked is always better for resell or if i want to tog abroad.

oh and this is 5c for anyone who is curious. my tmobile $528 5c came locked so heads up
Where did you buy it? If it is locked it was not purchased from Apple.
 
Where did you buy it? If it is locked it was not purchased from Apple.


Ya i got it at tmobile store.
I set a reminder on my phone to call on the 40th day. No problems for me waiting till then since I like tmobile. I just want my phone unlocked ;)

Here are requirments to unlock iphone Tmobile


You have purchased your device from T-Mobile or an authorized T-Mobile dealer and activated it on T-Mobile service;
You have requested no more than 2 SIM unlock codes per line of service in the last 12 months.
You paid for your device in full;
Your account is in good standing;
Your device has been active on the T-Mobile network for 40 days;
If you are under a service contract, you have made monthly payments for at least 18 consecutive months on your plan, or have paid a migration fee for the device; certain exceptions may apply please call Customer Care for details;
If you are on a Prepaid plan, you have had more than $50 in total refills on the device;
If you are a former customer, your account balance is zero and you did not port out a line associated with the device during the buyer’s remorse period;
You provide proof of purchase if T-Mobile is unable to verify purchase.

http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1588
 
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Question.

I have a question.
People have confirmed that the iphone 5s T-Mobile contract free is unlocked.

If i get the T-Mobile contract free from apple store, do i need their sim (t-mobile sim) to activate the phone?

Thanks.
 
I have a question.
People have confirmed that the iphone 5s T-Mobile contract free is unlocked.

If i get the T-Mobile contract free from apple store, do i need their sim (t-mobile sim) to activate the phone?

Thanks.

No, the T-Mo sim is just included as a convenience for those intending to use T-mo.
 
It's not us, it´s Apple

Just to make the skeptics go away here's a copy/paste from the Apple Store where it clearly says the iPhone 5s (T-Mobile contract-free) is unlocked:

"If you buy iPhone for T-Mobile, it will arrive with a nano-SIM card already installed that you can activate by visiting an Apple Retail Store or a T-Mobile store or by calling T-Mobile. When you travel internationally, you can use a nano-SIM card for iPhone 5s from a local GSM carrier. For details on LTE support, see www.apple.com/iphone/LTE."

...and everyone knows you can't just use any SIM card when you have a locked iPhone. So there it is
 
omg... this thread is still going on??? the ops already get banned for whatever reasons.

I have bought 2 tmobile phones, full price from Apple, and I am using it on AT&T now with LTE....i don't know what is the purpose for the people here keep saying that it's locked to tmobile.

However, if you order the phone from t-mobile's website. It will be Locked.


p.S. If you want to confirm, buy it from apple, if it doesn't work, return it... but I highly highly doubt that you'll have any issues as I tried it and worked. Also, Don't waste your time asking Apple staffs about unlock devices. They are well trained by not telling you the truth of unlocked device

People, don't be fooled by the scammers that just registered their ID recently!!!
 
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I purchased 2 Unlocked Space grey phone's over the weekend. I checked both IMEIs and both were unlocked.

Whoever posted that they were locked is sadly mistaken. The Unlocked/T-Mobile versions available for in store pickup are unlocked. I have purchased 4 total, all 4 were unlocked
 
If you can find one at an Apple Store, the Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile versions purchased "device only" will be unlocked. Use the words "device only." Don't say "unlocked" as that will just confuse the sales associates and they'll tell you they don't have any.

I thank the people that have clarified this finally. I had seen the initial pages and chose not to buy the T-mobile earlier but sounds like I should be able to buy it and use it abroad.

One quick question, kinda dumb but just to make sure, if I order on Apple.com (for pick up in-store) it'll be the same as buying directly from the Apple retail store and will be the unlocked phone, correct?
 
I thank the people that have clarified this finally. I had seen the initial pages and chose not to buy the T-mobile earlier but sounds like I should be able to buy it and use it abroad.

One quick question, kinda dumb but just to make sure, if I order on Apple.com (for pick up in-store) it'll be the same as buying directly from the Apple retail store and will be the unlocked phone, correct?

Yes it's the same as long as you buy for it at full retail price it will be unlocked (does not apply to Sprint models).
 
I thank the people that have clarified this finally. I had seen the initial pages and chose not to buy the T-mobile earlier but sounds like I should be able to buy it and use it abroad.

One quick question, kinda dumb but just to make sure, if I order on Apple.com (for pick up in-store) it'll be the same as buying directly from the Apple retail store and will be the unlocked phone, correct?

Not quite. You can't do a "device only" purchase online for in-store pickup. It asks you for your account information. The best bets are to see if any are in stock in the store for walk-ins, or to order the T-Mobile one from Apple.com for delivery to your house.
 
Not quite. You can't do a "device only" purchase online for in-store pickup. It asks you for your account information. The best bets are to see if any are in stock in the store for walk-ins, or to order the T-Mobile one from Apple.com for delivery to your house.

I just saw one available and was able to almost (became unavailable for in-store pickup by the time I got to confirm) order it without using any account information (when selecting T-mobile, full price) on Apple's website. I just had to use my Apple ID to login and pay for it for an in-store pick up.
 
Wait - a store that sells phones that can be locked/unlocked would have people not trained to know what locked/unlocked even means?
 
iPhone 5S T Mobile is Unlocked

Got my iPhone 5S Gold yesterday, bought on apple.com and went to apple store 5th ave yesterday, they checked with serial number and confirmed that my iPhone is factory unlocked.
 
Got my iPhone 5S Gold yesterday, bought on apple.com and went to apple store 5th ave yesterday, they checked with serial number and confirmed that my iPhone is factory unlocked.

You bought the T-Mobile version online or when you arrived at the store you asked for device only?
 
You bought the T-Mobile version online or when you arrived at the store you asked for device only?

I ordered it online at apple.com on 21st September, got it yesterday (after a month wait time) Went to apple store today and they checked my phone with serial number in their system and confirmed me it is unlocked.
 
This version is unlocked

Just tested it, placed an AT&T sim card and it worked just fine (LTE, Voice, SMS) these iPhones are unlocked from factory. But apple decided to place a T-Mobile sim to it. Apple doesn't sell full retail iPhones or iPads locked unless we are talking about a Sprint iPhone, those are locked and there's no way to unlock unless it is an international unlock.
 
Order- Delivery time

As most of people said on this forum, Iphone 5S T-mobile contract free version from apple store is definitely unlock. My question is that I will buy an Iphone 5S 32GB Silver, can I directly go to Apple store and get one immediately? Or, should I order it from apple.com for in store pickup or to my home? Could you tell how many days it will take to arrive to my hand?
 
As most of people said on this forum, Iphone 5S T-mobile contract free version from apple store is definitely unlock. My question is that I will buy an Iphone 5S 32GB Silver, can I directly go to Apple store and get one immediately? Or, should I order it from apple.com for in store pickup or to my home? Could you tell how many days it will take to arrive to my hand?

Yes you can get one directly at the Apple store. Get to the store and get in line 2-3 hours before they open. When they address the line tell them you want a 32GB silver AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile. When you are in store to pay, tell them you want to buy the iPhone device only.

All "device only" iPhone purchases from the apple store are unlocked. So you can get any of the 3 carriers I listed above and it will be GSM unlocked.

If you order the T-Mobile unlocked version from the Apple website it will take 2-3 weeks to arrive at your home.
 
5s space grey 32gb unlocked A1533?

I'm going on holydays to NYC from Barcelona next week.
I'd like to buy an iphone 5s "space grey" 32gb. obviously unlocked...so.. what should I ask for? "Device only"? T-mobile contract free? the unlocked model they sell is A1533 GSM, right?

and once I get the phone i can activate it on my own, not having the need to be in an apple store?
 
I'm going on holydays to NYC from Barcelona next week.
I'd like to buy an iphone 5s "space grey" 32gb. obviously unlocked...so.. what should I ask for? "Device only"? T-mobile contract free? the unlocked model they sell is A1533 GSM, right?

and once I get the phone i can activate it on my own, not having the need to be in an apple store?

Ask for any model but Sprint device only. It will be GSM unlocked. You can activate it yourself with your own SIM.
 
Hi, I'm from the Netherlands and I purchased two iPhone 5S (32GB & 64GB) from Apple US stores in Space Grey, model T-mobile or A1533. I signed up here just to post this message.

Phone works perfectly, is indeed unlocked! Just ask for T-mobile model in store and mention device only.

I bought each phone in different stores. The first store I actually had an employee confirming that they are factory unlocked if paid full price. He even told a friend of his did this because he was planning to move abroad. The second store employee claimed it was nonsense I heard online and it was absolutely not possible to use a T-mobile model in combination with for example ATT. I also tested with local ATT card and also no problem is encountered.

People claiming they aren't unlocked, are either puzzled or spreading false information. It may even be that Apple is spreading this, to limit the amount of sales to people from abroad.

I had 0 trouble activitating my Sim here. Everything works fine, also 4G. Here in the Netherlands the A1533 is just not capable of band 7, which local operator Tele2 uses but I don't plan to join them, so it's fine for me.

Again: A1533 device only is unlocked. Just make sure to purchase from an Apple store and not a carrier store.
 
Buy it from Apple Store Retail

Hi everyone, next week I will go to Columbus Ohio, I will only stay for 3 days, I want to buy an iPhone 5S 16gb Gold. Do I get in line to buy it or just enter to the store and pay it? I am a little worry about it because I do not have much time to be in lines!

Thank you in advance.
 
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