UK iPhone will brick itself if any other sim is inserted!

[00hkelly]

Went into CPW today, its a smallish store, the guy told me they are going to be getting 200 in and all the usual stuff. Then he dropped a bombshell - if you try to put another sim in the phone it will be locked!
I asked him to explain and went over it a few times, from what he was saying he seemed to think that if you tried to put a different sim in the iphone, the iphone would be rendered useless, i asked him loads of questions like if it was software.etc. but all he said is that that is what they had been told.

Im not sure ie believe this, i expect he has gotten confused, but he definitely seemed to believe that something else would happen above and beyond the phone being locked to the network and no other sims working in it.


on a side note, anybody going to the grafton centre in cambridge to get their iphone. I was going to the O2 shop but they knew sweet FA so im going to the CPW store i just talked about.

 

[Jarcrew]

They can't brick the phone because you put another SIM in it, it just won't work.

 

[draperm25]

I popped into my 1 of 3 local CPW stores to buy my son his first mobile phone, and i seen the table with the iPhone cover over it.

So i said to the "Assistant Manager" "oh are you opening at 6pm aswell then on launch day", (just a bit of confosation whilst the girl got my sons phone) and he replied in a really sarcastic voice, "NO we will be opening at 6.02pm actually" whilst the girl threw the phone at me, so i plucked up my courage (as i had my sons phone in my hand by then) and said "Oh well with that attitude you have just LOST a £269 sale cos i was coming here to buy it, but i wont be now, BYE!" (not that i was going there anyway or that he gives a toss as he prob will have 100's of people there already) but i think he dont like the fact that hes going to work late, lol.

This store has been open for about 3 months, and its always dead in there and its located on a Retail Outlet, where all the other stores close at 5pm, so it will only be them open. You would have thought that they were glad of the custom. Im just sorry i bought my sons phone there now, i should have gone to one of the other stores.

 

[Jarcrew]

You sure got the best of that situation. Rather than, say, reporting them.

 

[funkyshaker]

Went into CPW today, its a smallish store, the guy told me they are going to be getting 200 in and all the usual stuff. Then he dropped a bombshell - if you try to put another sim in the phone it will be locked!
I asked him to explain and went over it a few times, from what he was saying he seemed to think that if you tried to put a different sim in the iphone, the iphone would be rendered useless, i asked him loads of questions like if it was software.etc. but all he said is that that is what they had been told.

Im not sure ie believe this, i expect he has gotten confused, but he definitely seemed to believe that something else would happen above and beyond the phone being locked to the network and no other sims working in it.


on a side note, anybody going to the grafton centre in cambridge to get their iphone. I was going to the O2 shop but they knew sweet FA so im going to the CPW store i just talked about.

Before my unlocked iPhone I had a SE K800i on the Orange network. A friend of mine (also on Orange) wanted to put her sim into my phone to check her messages - her phone had given up on her that day.

Putting her sim in my phone actually bricked it! I had to return it to Orange (I lied about why it had gone wrong) and they sent me a replacement.

So, those who think that the OP is wrong , think again. It can happen!

 

[00hkelly]

it certainly makes sense, steve jobs said himself its cat and mouse. From their point of view no other sim should go in. so if any other one is inserted, the software is just told to brick the phone there and then rather than wait for an update. Their is probably a code that can be inserted to tell the phone to accept the next sim that is put in it or something (ie.each phone tied to one sim) so if your sim breaks a new one can be given.

 

[BuxtonUK]

Before my unlocked iPhone I had a SE K800i on the Orange network. A friend of mine (also on Orange) wanted to put her sim into my phone to check her messages - her phone had given up on her that day.

Putting her sim in my phone actually bricked it! I had to return it to Orange (I lied about why it had gone wrong) and they sent me a replacement.

Highly highly doubt it, I work for Vodafone Tech and there's nothing to implement software destruct if you insert and power the phone with a wrong SIM, you get the 'Incorrect SIM' message but it won't destroy your phone.

As for your circumstance, it could have been anything that screwed with your phone, if you were both on Orange then there's Zero reason why that would have happened.

Whilst we do attach SIMs to an owners IMEI (that's your activation and registering process when you first have to call your SP) we don't stop SIMs from being put into other devices, classic example of this is if your phone's gone on the fritz and it's sent away for repair you keep your SIM and if you need a replacement handset you get a Vodafone locked one which you pop straight in and away you go.

So in conclusion, no, putting another SIM in won't brick your handset, it'll just say Wrong SIM Inserted.

 

[Kardashian]

I've never come across anything like this, and I'm on phone 80-something.

You can set up some phones to only work with one specific sim card - inserting the incorrect sim card won't ''brick'' the phone - it will simply ask you to ender the PIN code, Security code, or worst of all - the PUK code, which you get by ringing you Network.

It's just to stop thieving. It never 'bricks' it.

 

[DogcowUK]

REMEMBER... sales staff in all mobile phone stores (infact all electronic stores bar Sony Style/Apple Stores) know absolutely anything about the actual products in their stores. All they know is which tarriff/product/warranty will net them the biggest bonus, everything else is a side issue.

I demo'ed iMac's for Apple in Dixons through 2000-2002, the only thing these guys care about is sales targets believe me.

 

[funkyshaker]

Highly highly doubt it, I work for Vodafone Tech and there's nothing to implement software destruct if you insert and power the phone with a wrong SIM, you get the 'Incorrect SIM' message but it won't destroy your phone.

As for your circumstance, it could have been anything that screwed with your phone, if you were both on Orange then there's Zero reason why that would have happened.

Whilst we do attach SIMs to an owners IMEI (that's your activation and registering process when you first have to call your SP) we don't stop SIMs from being put into other devices, classic example of this is if your phone's gone on the fritz and it's sent away for repair you keep your SIM and if you need a replacement handset you get a Vodafone locked one which you pop straight in and away you go.

So in conclusion, no, putting another SIM in won't brick your handset, it'll just say Wrong SIM Inserted.

It was my phone that it happened to. I was there!

It didn't state that the wrong sim was inserted. It got bricked and Orange confirmed it. They even asked whether another sim had been inserted.

It cracks me up when people accuse others of lying because they had never heard of it before. I am not saying that the iPhone WILL do this, just that it HAS happened to me.

 

[Kardashian]

It was my phone that it happened to. I was there!

It didn't state that the wrong sim was inserted. It got bricked and Orange confirmed it. They even asked whether another sim had been inserted.

It cracks me up when people accuse others of lying because they had never heard of it before. I am not saying that the iPhone WILL do this, just that it HAS happened to me.

Orange are known for putting their own software on phones - flashing them with their own tainted firmware, filled with bulky apps and bugs most of the time, which gets rid of the 'vanilla' factory firmware.

I bet the Orange firmware installed on the highly-customised Orange version of the K800i applied the 'Sim Block' - and that's why it bricked it.

The iPhone isn't having any additional O2-branded software installed - just a standard, albeit difficult to crack, phone lock.

If Apple were to intentionally break a phone that had already been paid for outright they would be breaking somekind of law or ethics, somewhere.

People would be absolutely raging - and the press would slaughter them - especially in the PC-dominated UK.

It. Just. Wouldn't. Happen.

 

[00hkelly]

Orange are known for putting their own software on phones - flashing them with their own tainted firmware, filled with bulky apps and bugs most of the time, which gets rid of the 'vanilla' factory firmware.

I bet the Orange firmware installed on the highly-customised Orange version of the K800i applied the 'Sim Block' - and that's why it bricked it.

The iPhone isn't having any additional O2-branded software installed - just a standard, albeit difficult to crack, phone lock.

If Apple were to intentionally break a phone that had already been paid for outright they would be breaking somekind of law or ethics, somewhere.

People would be absolutely raging - and the press would slaughter them - especially in the PC-dominated UK.

It. Just. Wouldn't. Happen.

ok, we dont know if it is true or not, and we wont untill friday. I myself hope not. BUT you just said yourself that it is possible. They bricked the iphones that were unlocked before.

Looking from apples POV, there is no reason for you to put another sim in the iphone. Im sure it wouldnt be too hard for apple to make new firmware (ie. 1.1.2) to say 'not o2 simcard>BRICK IPHONE.

Apple has clearly stated that they are going to play this game of 'cat and mouse'. I'd hope that they are more relaxed about it as they usually are with their products.

It doesn't matter if its not normal and hasnt been seen much before, it is possible, it can be done, and that guy in CPW clearly had some understanding that there was more to it than the iPhone just being locked to o2.

as for breaking law or ethics, a person inserting a non approved sim would be the one breaking anything, and apple would be well within the rights to brick their iphone if they stated this was a consequence on the packaging.

 

[Macron]

I popped into my 1 of 3 local CPW stores to buy my son his first mobile phone, and i seen the table with the iPhone cover over it.

So i said to the "Assistant Manager" "oh are you opening at 6pm aswell then on launch day", (just a bit of confosation whilst the girl got my sons phone) and he replied in a really sarcastic voice, "NO we will be opening at 6.02pm actually" whilst the girl threw the phone at me, so i plucked up my courage (as i had my sons phone in my hand by then) and said "Oh well with that attitude you have just LOST a £269 sale cos i was coming here to buy it, but i wont be now, BYE!" (not that i was going there anyway or that he gives a toss as he prob will have 100's of people there already) but i think he dont like the fact that hes going to work late, lol.

This store has been open for about 3 months, and its always dead in there and its located on a Retail Outlet, where all the other stores close at 5pm, so it will only be them open. You would have thought that they were glad of the custom. Im just sorry i bought my sons phone there now, i should have gone to one of the other stores.

I dont think he was being 'off' with you, more likely with Apple. They sent out a press release today stating that exact time of 6:02 PM.

"iPhone will go on sale this Friday, November 9 at 6:02 p.m. at Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail and online stores," the company said. "iPhones will be available at more than 1,300 Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail locations across the UK, giving customers their first chance to get their hands on this revolutionary new product."

As part of the release, O2's sales director Mark Stansfeld also confirmed the retail staff expansion reported Monday night.

"O2 stores are fully geared up for what will be the year’s biggest product launch," he said. "We’ve hired and trained hundreds of new iPhone specialists who will be in all 450 O2 stores giving live demos and showing customers how to get the most out of their iPhone."

 

[bumfilter]

I stuck a 3 SIM in my o2 K800 and when I switched it on, it appeared to be downloading data. I assumed it was some sort of software update so wasn't pleased. Anyway, when it had done downloading, I switched it off and it was bricked. The IR light flashed 5 times when pressing the power button which meant it was some sort of firmware problem I believe.

I brought it to CPW who were able to fix it by flashing the firmware. Maybe something similar happened to you?