unlocking iPhone for foreign local sims

[cisco the kid]

I would like to buy an iPhone but circumstances necessitate that I be able to use it in Southeast Asia on local sims.

I don't want to do anything illegal but I would like to be able to use the Iphone without having to have A T & T roaming services. I would still have an A T & T account active in the USA. I'm out of contract with A T & T but I don't want to have a new one. I have rollover minutes coming out my ears.....LOL


I want to be able to use iTunes and take advantage of Apple Care which I would also buy.


Is there a way for me to unlock the iPhone for use on local foreign sims and not mess up anything with Apple, Apple Care, or Itunes or my warranty?

Many thanks.

 

[goosnarrggh]

I would like to buy an iPhone but circumstances necessitate that I be able to use it in Southeast Asia on local sims.

I don't want to do anything illegal but I would like to be able to use the Iphone without having to have A T & T roaming services. I would still have an A T & T account active in the USA. I'm out of contract with A T & T but I don't want to have a new one. I have rollover minutes coming out my ears.....LOL


I want to be able to use iTunes and take advantage of Apple Care which I would also buy.


Is there a way for me to unlock the iPhone for use on local foreign sims and not mess up anything with Apple, Apple Care, or Itunes or my warranty?

Many thanks.

Sort of.

It is not illegal in the USA (at least until October when the DMCA exception expires) to unlock your iPhone yourself via unofficially modified software (ie hacks) without obtaining Apple (or AT&T's) permission. However, your warranty will be void and you will be totally dependent on future 3rd party hacks to keep you up to date when any future firmware updates are released.

You can buy or import an iPhone from a foreign country where they are available unlocked directly from the factory, or where the carrier will allow you to officially unlock it, with Apple's cooperation, some time after you've taken possession of it. The list of countries where the iPhone is unlocked direct from the factory, or where the iPhone can be officially unlocked through the carrier after purchase, is provided at this Apple support website. All future firmware updates will be safe to use on such iPhones. However, Apple's basic warranty service for the iPhone only applies in the country where the iPhone was originally sold - For example, if the iPhone comes from France, then Apple will only honour the basic warranty if you take it back to them in France.

The premium Apple Care extended warranty might apply when you take the iPhone outside the country of original purchase, or it might not - that point is not entirely clear to me. Most likely, though, any replacement iPhone you receive through an Apple Care plan while you're in the United States will be a US-based model, and therefore it will be locked to AT&T with no official means to re-unlock it.