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Understanding the iPhone 5C/5S All-In-One AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon Model
- Thread starter Satnam1989
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Understanding the iPhone 5C/5S All-In-One AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon Model
Yes the apple store. Just tell them you want to get a Verizon iPhone full priced and it will be unlocked already (device only). Don't have to ask them if its unlocked because they may be clueless on that.
Or order it online via apple site.
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Yes the apple store. Just tell them you want to get a Verizon iPhone full priced and it will be unlocked already (device only). Don't have to ask them if its unlocked because they may be clueless on that.
Or order it online via apple site.
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It doesn't matter if its on contract or off it will still be unlocked out the box
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Reason it wouldn't work is because you didn't read the OP properly - its clearly stated "why"
Just cause a Carrier uses SIM card doesnt automatically mean its for GSM.
Verizon and Sprint use SIM for LTE ONLY - Voice, Text etc happens via CDMA
Read the OP again and u will understand
Understanding the iPhone 5C/5S All-In-One AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon Model
Is a sprint iPhone 5/5s sim removable ?
Nvm I believe it is.
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Is a sprint iPhone 5/5s sim removable ?
Nvm I believe it is.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
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How do you order full price from the apple site. When you goto verizon you only get the options to strata. Plan with them?
You can order full price from both sites Verizon's and apple's (Verizon choose month to month and apple just choose color than storage then carrier then full price)
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
How does verizon's month to month work? How do i order from their website if I just want the phone no contract? Thanks a lot
Also T-mobile stores are saying that you cannot buy any phones off contract, they will activate it and can only be unlocked 40 days later, anyone know if this is true?
The month to month price is the no contract price. That's why it's month to month. So you choose that option. As far as tmobile if you want a contract free tmobile iPhone get it at apple and not tmobile or they will insist you meet those requirements first (ie 40 days of service etc).
Understanding the iPhone 5C/5S All-In-One AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon Model
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
Actually, I completely understand how SIM authentication happens on Verizon, and you're wrong. Verizon does NOT use the SIM for LTE only. The Verizon LTE SIM contains CSIM (CDMA) and USIM (UMTS/LTE) applications and is used for all network authentication, thus why SIMs are freely swappable on Verizon phones.
Now, WTH Sprint is doing, that's another question. Maybe Sprint is doing some weird, bizarre, pointless hack like that. Which is my question.
Can't be too difficult. Videos on YouTube claim to have unlocked the sprint iPhone 5 for domestic use. Anyone seen those or done it themselves ? I believe some services (mms) maybe be affected though.
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Its possible with what you said, but what you have to say about Verizon LTE SIM working in a AT&T iPhone 5S/5C? They lack CDMA Support fully....
It won't work, because as you said it lacks CDMA. Verizon LTE phones need to connect to both, if they can only connect to LTE they're data only devices. My unlocked one shows Verizon in a manual network scan, but even with a Verizon SIM would only ever get data. This is not because the SIM doesn't support CDMA, but because the phone doesn't.
Verizon LTE SIM cards support CDMA. A bit of Google searching got me my answer - Sprint iPhone 5 LTE SIM cards DO NOT support CDMA. Additionally, they don't even support LTE in another phone because they're married to the phone's IMEI. Sprint is freaking insane, but that's my answer. So the OP was correct about how Sprint works. It's insane, but correct.
Verizon, on the other hand, does things right. Sadly you still need to use Verizon phones because no unlocked phones on the market support both LTE band 13 and CDMA. Unlocked SIM-based CDMA phones ARE possible to get from China, and they do have a market for Verizon LTE phones there.
Also, even if it did, Verizon wouldn't sell you a SIM if they knew you were going to use it in a non-Verizon sold device. Look at the Nexus 7 debacle. Totally supports Verizon's LTE network (all it needs as a data-only device) but VERY few people have managed to get Verizon to sell them SIM-only service
Here's my story......
Went to Best Buy and they had a 32GB Verizon phone, wanted to put it on a month to month and I told them I wanted to purchase it out right and no contract. So they sold it outright and told me to go to Verizon and they would handle activating it. They probably weren't suppose to do that.
Instead I took it to AT&T and told them I wanted to port my old number to this new phone, which was Verizon and I owned outright. They told me it wouldn't work, either facetime, imessages,or LTE would act up and I wouldn't get all the features of the phone. I asked them to do it anyway, which they did and guess what? It works perfectly. I get LTE and had speeds up to 33 mb and actually have LTE at home.
So bottom line you can do this!!!! Thanks to the OP for sharing this!
Went to Best Buy and they had a 32GB Verizon phone, wanted to put it on a month to month and I told them I wanted to purchase it out right and no contract. So they sold it outright and told me to go to Verizon and they would handle activating it. They probably weren't suppose to do that.
Instead I took it to AT&T and told them I wanted to port my old number to this new phone, which was Verizon and I owned outright. They told me it wouldn't work, either facetime, imessages,or LTE would act up and I wouldn't get all the features of the phone. I asked them to do it anyway, which they did and guess what? It works perfectly. I get LTE and had speeds up to 33 mb and actually have LTE at home.
So bottom line you can do this!!!! Thanks to the OP for sharing this!
ALL Verizon iPhone 5s are unlocked?!
Wait... Now I am a confused!
The sentence I highlighted in bold red above is confusing me... Satnam1989, I think you didn't mean that ALL Verizon iPhone 5s are unlocked, just the ones at full retail price...
So, could you please make this crystal clear for me?
If I buy a Verizon iPhone 5s subsidized (eg. 64gb $399) I WON'T be able to use an AT&T SIM on it, right?
but
If I buy a Verizon iPhone 5s at full retail price (eg. 64gb $849*) I WILL be able to use an AT&T on it, right?
The phone will be UNLOCKED only if I buy it at FULL RETAIL PRICE, correct?
*Another thing... Currently I can just buy a Verizon iPhone 5s at full retail price at places like bestbuy, verizon store but NOT on Apple website, right? So, it's gonna cost me a bit more than those $849 for a 64gb model as these shops are gonna charge me a higer price than Apple website because currently we can just buy full purchase price from T-Mobile on Apple website, right?
Thanks!
Wait... Now I am a confused!
The sentence I highlighted in bold red above is confusing me... Satnam1989, I think you didn't mean that ALL Verizon iPhone 5s are unlocked, just the ones at full retail price...
So, could you please make this crystal clear for me?
If I buy a Verizon iPhone 5s subsidized (eg. 64gb $399) I WON'T be able to use an AT&T SIM on it, right?
but
If I buy a Verizon iPhone 5s at full retail price (eg. 64gb $849*) I WILL be able to use an AT&T on it, right?
The phone will be UNLOCKED only if I buy it at FULL RETAIL PRICE, correct?
*Another thing... Currently I can just buy a Verizon iPhone 5s at full retail price at places like bestbuy, verizon store but NOT on Apple website, right? So, it's gonna cost me a bit more than those $849 for a 64gb model as these shops are gonna charge me a higer price than Apple website because currently we can just buy full purchase price from T-Mobile on Apple website, right?
Thanks!
CRYSTAL CLEAR ANSWER: ALL VERIZON iPHONE 5s ARE FACTORY SIM UNLOCKED- CONTRACT OR NO CONTRACT.
- this is an FCC requirement for all LTE phones sold by Verizon. So even if you buy an iPhone 5S at $200 from verizon, it will be sim unlocked. about 10,000 videos on youtube demonstrating this with the iphone 5.
The only time you need to pay full price to get an unlocked phone is with AT&T and Tmobile "models" from the apple store.
- this is an FCC requirement for all LTE phones sold by Verizon. So even if you buy an iPhone 5S at $200 from verizon, it will be sim unlocked. about 10,000 videos on youtube demonstrating this with the iphone 5.
The only time you need to pay full price to get an unlocked phone is with AT&T and Tmobile "models" from the apple store.
Where to buy 5s/64GB Verizon - device only?
I just want the Verizon version of the iPhone 5s (64GB, color does not matter) - the device only. I do not wish to have an account with Verizon.
Possible options I explored:
Any ideas? My current "strategy" is just to wait a while (a month?) and see if anything has changed...
I just want the Verizon version of the iPhone 5s (64GB, color does not matter) - the device only. I do not wish to have an account with Verizon.
Possible options I explored:
- Verizon store: Obviously this is out (both online and in person at the store).
- Best Buy. My local store will not sell me a 5S at without putting it on an account with Verizon. Online they do mention the 5S as "phone only" (at a +$50 premium), as "In Stores Only", but even showing a printout of that in the store did not change their minds about selling "just the phone".
- "Low end" (?) retailers (Walmart/Target/Radio Shack): They only carry the 16GB 5S models (and it is not clear if they would sell "device only" anyway). I do not see any of them offering the 5S online (e.g. "site-to-store").
- Apple: Online they only sell the T-Mobile version for the full price. For all others it looks like you can only order with the "subsidized" price. The closest apple store is ~200 miles from me. I can call them and see if they have the phone in stock, but (a) it is not clear that they will have by the time I get there (b) I got conflicting responses when I talked to them about allowing "device only" sales. Quite a drive just to find out...
Any ideas? My current "strategy" is just to wait a while (a month?) and see if anything has changed...
