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UK iPhone 5s and 5c Thread

roblawton said:
Sim free!

Still seems to be plenty of Space Grey left...

£40-50 premium to get it by Monday at least a week before apple will ship... Kinda worth it.
Click to expand...

All the people buying from CarphoneWarehouse must remember that it isn't sim free in the proper sense. They just mean no SIM card is included.

The handset will be locked (to the network of the first UK simcard inserted).

In past years people have been caught out testing PAYG sims from alternative networks, make sure the first sim inserted is the network you wish to use.
 
d123 said:
All the people buying from CarphoneWarehouse must remember that it isn't sim free in the proper sense. They just mean no SIM card is included.

The handset will be locked (to the network of the first UK simcard inserted).

In past years people have been caught out testing PAYG sims from alternative networks, make sure the first sim inserted is the network you wish to use.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this, worthwhile post.

Had read it earlier in this thread but I was previously unaware prior to today.
 
yegon said:
Thanks for this, worthwhile post.

Had read it earlier in this thread but I was previously unaware prior to today.
Click to expand...

Aye mentions it on their website on the product info page but I wasn't sure if I was understanding it properly.
They confirmed it in their spiel on the phone too once I'd placed my order. Will lock to the network of the first sim that's inserted..
I think it's just because they're usually for upgrades, rather than new contracts?
 
d123 said:
All the people buying from CarphoneWarehouse must remember that it isn't sim free in the proper sense. They just mean no SIM card is included.

The handset will be locked (to the network of the first UK simcard inserted).

In past years people have been caught out testing PAYG sims from alternative networks, make sure the first sim inserted is the network you wish to use.
Click to expand...

What if the first SIM card inserted is not a UK SIM card? Will the iPhone work and just be locked to that foreign network?

Cheers!
 
gdourado said:
What if the first SIM card inserted is not a UK SIM card? Will the iPhone work and just be locked to that foreign network?

Cheers!
Click to expand...

From previous stories I've read where people have bought and sent abroad, the phone won't work at all. I seem to remember 2 instances, Nigeria and India and the phones had to be returned to the UK and activated (which then locked them to the activation sim).


Just found one of the posts from last year:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/iphone-5/1693985-overseas-client-misled-unlocked-iphone5.html
 
At this point I'm guessing it's hardly worth ordering online.

I reckon even if Apple stock runs out, through the reservation system most people can get their handsets within a week.

64GB Space Greys aren't completely gone yet on some networks either.
 
d123 said:
From previous stories I've read where people have bought and sent abroad, the phone won't work at all. I seem to remember 2 instances, Nigeria and India and the phones had to be returned to the UK and activated (which then locked them to the activation sim).


Just found one of the posts from last year:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/iphone-5/1693985-overseas-client-misled-unlocked-iphone5.html
Click to expand...

I would not go to such extreme cases like Nigeria or India. I am thinking about Vodafone Portugal or spain for example.

Cheers!
 
Holte139 said:
So just to be clear, the SIM-free iPhones from Carphone aren't really SIM-free but the ones you buy direct from Apple are?
Click to expand...

Yes, Apple simfree is in the traditional sense, it is unlocked and can be used with any sim worldwide, and the sim can be changed as often as you wish.

CarphoneWarehouse will sell you an iphone at full price without a simcard included, this can only be used with a UK simcard and will be locked to the UK network if that original simcard inserted.

----------
gdourado said:
I would not go to such extreme cases like Nigeria or India. I am thinking about Vodafone Portugal or spain for example.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

You need to buy from Apple then, one from CarphoneWarehouse will not work.
 
d123 said:
Yes, Apple simfree is in the traditional sense, it is unlocked and can be used with any sim worldwide, and the sim can be changed as often as you wish.

CarphoneWarehouse will sell you an iphone at full price without a simcard included, this can only be used with a UK simcard and will be locked to the UK network if that original simcard inserted.

----------



You need to buy from Apple then, one from CarphoneWarehouse will not work.
Click to expand...

Got it. Thanks :)
 
So anyone know any places selling locked to first network / PAYG with delivery with sometime next week?
 
Bazooka-joe said:
Got my 64gb Iphone 5s in silver from the Bath store today. I was second in line so got the usual Apple camaraderie fun fanfare.
Click to expand...

I was about 20th at my Apple Store and they seemed to get even more frenetic and loud as they got towards me :eek:.

I actually struggled to hear the sales guy as he processed the sale they were whooping and high fiving so loudly in the background.

----------
kiish said:
So anyone know any places selling locked to first network / PAYG with delivery with sometime next week?
Click to expand...

Only CarphoneWarehouse sell using this model.

Apple = unlocked

CPW = locked to first network.

Network stores = locked and only on contract at present.
 
Mercenary said:
To stop scalpers it's a case of no cash and proof of id so the name on the card matches the owner. Will stop them passing cards around or using stolen ones.

Good news is, there not getting the crazy prices on ebay. Been watching a few and they arnt going for over £100 more than the asking price. Hardly seems worth the effort and expense they have gone through. The benefit of being so many scalpers is the market is now flooded and the prices arnt what they hoped for.
Click to expand...

Good. With the way ebay's fee structure and percentages go, ebay resellers will barely be breaking even. That's one warm fuzzy from the day at least.

Have to say that I'm amazed at the credits cards being passed back and forth up the lines - surely this must be triggering fraud/misuse alarms at the card issuing banks and firms, if not Apple themselves? A dozen people or more all having the PIN to use a single, named card and then £5-£6k of transactions being racked up in the space of minutes has got to have been noticed?

I'm assuming many of these bulk purchased are going straight out of the country eastwards rather than hitting ebay UK?

Elsewhere Carphone Warehouse seem to identify cards and transactions as fraudulent by people merely getting their cards out of their wallets.
 
d123 said:
Only CarphoneWarehouse sell using this model.

Apple = unlocked

CPW = locked to first network.

Network stores = locked and only on contract at present.
Click to expand...

What's the easiest network that people suggest to lock onto and then unlock? As I know some providers may be pain in the ass to get it unlocked
 
b1982 said:
Is it possible to get it unlocked at a later stage and how can it be done?

Do you need to contact the carrier or Carphone Warehouse?
Click to expand...

kiish said:
What's the easiest network that people suggest to lock onto and then unlock? As I know some providers may be pain in the ass to get it unlocked
Click to expand...

It's done via the carrier.

O2 and Three are both an online form to be filled in, but have to be using the phone on their network for a certain amount of time I think (so it "registers" in their systems). That was the case with O2, but I'm not sure with Three.
I think both also have about a £15 charge too (free on O2 contract, but noth PAYG).

Not sure about the other networks, as I've never used them. I can only refer to a friend's experience with Vodafone 1-2 year ago, got really sent round the houses trying to get them to unlock her iPhone.

Three is £15.32

O2 is free on contract, £15 on PAYG. I remember being told you have to have made at least one phone call on O2 PAYG before they'll do it, you as the initiator (can't just receive a call) which means you'll need to top up..

Vodafone is £19.99. Free for contracts older than a year.

EE is £20.32 and will only do it for customers who have had an account for at least 6 months (and a paid-up-to-date account)

Tesco ("How do I unlock my Tesco Mobile phone to use on another network?" down the page) - Free if you've been on PAYG for at least 12 months, won't unlock PAYG of less than 12 months. Contract is free at the end of the contract, but £20 before that.
 
Last edited:
Right, I've taken the plunge with CPW before the 5pm deadline. I'll give them a bell in a bit to get a tracking number if it doesn't come through
 
b1982 said:
Is it possible to get it unlocked at a later stage and how can it be done?

Do you need to contact the carrier or Carphone Warehouse?
Click to expand...

It's the carrier who has to process the unlock.

kiish said:
What's the easiest network that people suggest to lock onto and then unlock? As I know some providers may be pain in the ass to get it unlocked
Click to expand...

If you are a customer (so preferably using a contract sim) then Vodafone. They seem to be the most relaxed at arranging the request. O2 seem ok, but will often not process requests for a certain time after a launch.

Steer clear of the EE group, the customer services are poor at sorting it, and their rules stupid and inflexible. You have to use the phone on their network for a minimum of 6 months, they will then charge £20.42 (and don't ever seem to waive it) and even after the 6 months is up they will take 28 days to process the request (people have waited over 45 days in the past). So you could wait 6-8 months before it's unlocked.
 
Anyone that has ordered via CPWH.

I called them and my credit card had been declined for fraud. They didn't send out an email, just 'waiting for payment' on their system. Call them if you don't get a confirmation email with delivery. :)
 
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