Upgrading from iPhone 4 to used 5s questions

[adk]

Hello all, I apologize if this is a frequently asked question, but I couldn't find my answer through searching.

I'm finally upgrading my trusty iPhone 4 to a used 5s on AT&T. I understand I'll need to head to an AT&T store to exchange my sim card for a nano sim ... what comes next to get my new phone up and running?

Thanks in advance.

 

[rigormortis]

Hello all, I apologize if this is a frequently asked question, but I couldn't find my answer through searching.

I'm finally upgrading my trusty iPhone 4 to a used 5s on AT&T. I understand I'll need to head to an AT&T store to exchange my sim card for a nano sim ... what comes next to get my new phone up and running?

Thanks in advance.

back up your iPhone to iTunes. this will ensure everything is backed up. encrypt your backup. this will ensure that your secure keychain, the part of the iPhone that contains web passwords, app passwords and wifi network passwords get transferred to a new iPhone. without backup encryption only the secure keychain is restored to the same device

it should be relatively easy. you do not have to back up and retore your phone after you go to AT&T. you can do it before. once you are 100 % satisfied that your used 5s has all of the content that your 4 has, especially pictures and videos you recorded on the camera.. thats all you have to do. just go to the AT&T store and show up. you do not have to buy the phone, take it to AT&T and then use iTunes to move from one iPhone to the another iPhone. you can buy the phone, move to the new iPhone, and then take it to AT&T to get the sim card.


go to AT&T store. make sure you have your ID, a copy of your BILL and both phones. ask them to replace your sim card. once you have your sim card and your 5s iPhone is running, you can erase your old iPhone 4 and sell it or give it away

there is nothing else to do. except enjoy your new iPhone.

hopefully you bought your iPhone 5s from a reputable source and find my iPhone is deactivated and it was erased before you bought it. other then that. there is nothing else to do. maybe it would be worth it to bug the seller to make sure the phone you bought will work on AT&T ?? that would be something worth worrying about.
other then that, its a breeze


the following section applies if you have bought a iPhone that is locked to AT&T
------------

make sure you tell the AT&T cashier working at the AT&T store to assign your IPHONE 5s IMEI number to your account. they will look at you crazy. expect this. you need that IMEI # registered to your account so AT&T has a record of that device being used on the network. this will make you eligible for an unlock. i found out multiple times with AT&T that they wouldn't approve unlocking requests because they do not keep track of IMEI / Serial numbers. the AT&T person will insist that you do not have to do this, because if the IMEI was not on att's computer, your iPhone would not work. this is not true. be a jerk and make sure they assign the IMEI to you.
you can get the imei # from any phone by dialing *#06#

 

[rigormortis]

oh . yeah i almost forgot

go to att's website and submit an unlock request before selling or giving away your old iPhone 4. that way your iPhone 4 will be worth more to the next owner
when you get the unlocked approved, you will have to use iTunes to erase and restore the iPhone to complete the unlocking request.

you can submit a case at
https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/

 

[adk]

Rigormortis, thanks for your guidance. I just activated my new phone without too much trouble. In case anybody in the future finds this thread in a search, I found that the easiest way to activate was to call AT&T at 800.331.0500 from google voice. Calling from another phone line is important, because when you're changing your SIM card over they have to call your original line to verify.

 

[dotme]

Rigormortis, thanks for your guidance. I just activated my new phone without too much trouble. In case anybody in the future finds this thread in a search, I found that the easiest way to activate was to call AT&T at 800.331.0500 from google voice. Calling from another phone line is important, because when you're changing your SIM card over they have to call your original line to verify.

Glad it went well. I just helped a friend move from a 4 to a 5s as well. Only additional suggestion I have is to make sure AT&T provisioned you for LTE. Normally they do, but sometimes that part gets missed and you'll have slower data speeds. Easy to verify if you already see LTE on your 5s (assuming you live in an area with AT&T LTE) in which case you're all set there.