Carrier Understanding AT&T IMEI blocking.

[ratbrain]

IMEI gets blocked by AT&T and T-Mobile. All GSM carriers in the US. It will stay at "No Service" ; the iPhone becomes an iPod only unless you use it overseas.

from personal experience, thats exactly what happens.

if you use a stolen phone and the original owner reports it stolen, the phone will eventually stop working with a message saying device is blocked from this network or something. (for ATT and tmo)

and if you have an ATT sim your account also gets locked out.

 

[617aircav]

I think that you should only be able to report your phone stolen if it has active on your account recently. This will prevent someone from selling their phone and then next week report it stolen to get another one.

 

[Applejuiced]

I have a friend in the UK so he is going to get it.

I hear you, that's a better option.

 

[617aircav]

I hear you, that's a better option.

Yep and he is paying $500 for it so I'm not at a loss.

 

[GeorgieAcevedo]

Just a quick update.

So I blocked the IMEI. I got an email yesterday from AT&T saying someone was trying to activate the iPhone I blocked and the person was in Boston. (200 miles away from me) I live in manhattan. I just had an awesome laugh that the stolen iPhone cannot be used.

 

[617aircav]

Just a quick update.

So I blocked the IMEI. I got an email yesterday from AT&T saying someone was trying to activate the iPhone I blocked and the person was in Boston. (200 miles away from me) I live in manhattan. I just had an awesome laugh that the stolen iPhone cannot be used.

can't be used in the united states but will work in other countries when unlocked.

 

[GeorgieAcevedo]

can't be used in the united states but will work in other countries when unlocked.

That's good enough.

 

[thecellphoneguy]

can't be used in the united states but will work in other countries when unlocked.

What if the phone was unlocked first, then months later it was reported stolen. Can the phone be used on Tmobile in the USA?

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Old IMEI status follows to new IMEI with replacement at least for locks/unlocks. Not sure if stolen IMEI info shared between carriers and Apple.

What if the phone was unlocked first while on AT&T, then months later it was reported stolen. Can the phone be used on Tmobile in the USA?

 

[617aircav]

What if the phone was unlocked first, then months later it was reported stolen. Can the phone be used on Tmobile in the USA?

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What if the phone was unlocked first while on AT&T, then months later it was reported stolen. Can the phone be used on Tmobile in the USA?

Once blocked it won't work on any US carrier.

 

[Satnam1989]

That's good enough.

He's going to ship it over seas and make a fortune...I bet it sells for almost double in countries like Africa, Mexico, Middle East-Asia

 

[Zazachokeli]

Or you use it in the us with an international sim. My Vodafone UK sim works in an att blacklisted iphone 5 showing the att network logo. This will be expensive though.

Hi. Are you sure lost/stolen blacklisted by AT&T iphone, can work in UK with Vodafone or O2 network? If its been blacklisted by AT&T, how its can be used with UK sim card in USA? Or did you mean its will work only inside UK with Vodafone simcard?

 

[HEK]

deleted

 

[convergent]

We tracked it with find my iPhone, it lead to a specific address. It was stolen at her school, the phone was shut off after it was at that location. I sent my little sister to school to find out which student lives in or around there. There's only one student that lives in that address & it's a girl and she's latina. She denies she took it of course but out of 500 students she's the only one that lives there and around that specific area. There's not much we can do besides block the IMEI.

My daughters phone was stolen and we called the police while tracking it with Find My iPhone. They went to the location where it stopped moving and found the guy that had it and got it back. You might try that if it happens again.

Can't you report it stolen to Apple? I thought there was a way to do that.

 

[bcave098]

Or since its an iphone 5 and still under warranty the thief can make up an excuse to get the phone replace by applecare and then receive a whitelisted iphone 5 that can be used with no probs.

Apple won't replace the device if you can't turn off Find My iPhone.

 

[Applejuiced]

Apple won't replace the device if you can't turn off Find My iPhone.

Correct.
But Find my iPhone activation lock and carrier imei blacklisting are 2 different things.
This discussion is not about find my iPhone activation lock.