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Will the US iPhone work in the UK?

W

wasimyaqoob

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 23, 2005
577
1
London, England.
Hey guys,

All you lot in America are VERY lucky - I'm so upset it's not out in the UK.

If I buy an iPhone from US eBay - Will it work over here on my network and in the UK?

Thanks!
 
wasimyaqoob said:
Hey guys,

All you lot in America are VERY lucky - I'm so upset it's not out in the UK.

If I buy an iPhone from US eBay - Will it work over here on my network and in the UK?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

It would not work if it was unregistered.

You would need to get the phone registered in the USA first at a USA address with someone in the USA paying the bills. Basically it needs to be set up in USA as a fully working phone. You would also need to get International Roaming activated.

Then you can bring it to the UK and use it on a UK network using the AT&T international roaming service. This would be expensive though as I suspect the free minutes would not apply and you would be paying for all the calls. Data would also be charged by the local carrier and some services would not work (like Visual Voice mail) as they would not be provided by the networks in the UK.

You would basically get an expensive phone / internet service, that you still need to get paid by someone in the USA.

Not worth it - wait until we get the full service / phone later in the year.

Ian
 
Parky said:
It would not work if it was unregistered.

You would need to get the phone registered in the USA first at a USA address with someone in the USA paying the bills. Basically it needs to be set up in USA as a fully working phone. You would also need to get International Roaming activated.

Then you can bring it to the UK and use it on a UK network using the AT&T international roaming service. This would be expensive though as I suspect the free minutes would not apply and you would be paying for all the calls. Data would also be charged by the local carrier and some services would not work (like Visual Voice mail) as they would not be provided by the networks in the UK.

You would basically get an expensive phone / internet service, that you still need to get paid by someone in the USA.

Not worth it - wait until we get the full service / phone later in the year.

Ian
Click to expand...

Yes that would be non-worthwhile!

Are there any "hacks" to make the phone work on any network? So in theory "unlocking" the phone so we can use here without being tied to the US networks?

Thanks
 
dance said:
Yes that would be non-worthwhile!

Are there any "hacks" to make the phone work on any network? So in theory "unlocking" the phone so we can use here without being tied to the US networks?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The cell provider needs to be able to fully support the iPhone. There may be some kind of hack that would enable the phone for alternate providers, but functionality would be decreased. You'd also have to use an EDGE provider, which limits your selection as well. When I think down this line, it gets very messy.
 
When the iPhone is unlocked (if it is, chances are likely), don't expect Visual Voicemail and other things to work that are ATT specific. Otherwise, yeah, it would work okay.
 
brasscat said:
The cell provider needs to be able to fully support the iPhone. There may be some kind of hack that would enable the phone for alternate providers, but functionality would be decreased. You'd also have to use an EDGE provider, which limits your selection as well. When I think down this line, it gets very messy.
Click to expand...

Interesting...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRAND-NEW-APP...49QQihZ001QQcategoryZ3312QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

So it just looks like the phones need to be "unlocked" now for calls. :)
 
Not meaning to hijack, but in a similar vain to the original question .... assuming that the UK DOESN'T get a 3G iPhone, is the hardware in the US version compatible with the UK networks ?

Yes, I know it's quadband, but I'm thinking the use of EDGE in the US .... (you'll notice I don't know much on the telecomms front!)

Would the US iPhone work for data on European networks?

(Here's where I'm coming from .... I live in the US now but will be moving back to the UK in May next year ... I'm hoping a change of SIM and re-activation in the UK with the relevant Apple chosen carrier will allow me to use the current iPhone in the UK)
 
Users are already reporting that there are existing working 2G networks in the UK.. just look for posts in this forum.
 
Iphone

Could I buy an iPhone for $99 in the us and put an 02 PAYG Sim in the phone and would it work in the uk
 
Mitzgr8 said:
Could I buy an iPhone for $99 in the us and put an 02 PAYG Sim in the phone and would it work in the uk
Click to expand...
Wow, a really old thread.

Yes, but you will have to pay, activation fee of $36, the $175 Early Termination Fee and you will have to unlock the iPhone to use anything but an AT&T SIM. The US iPhones are all locked to AT&T.

Also note that this $99 requires a contract, that's why you have to pay the $175 ETF. Not sure it is such a good deal.

Dave
 
Heya

hi im new to this website and was just wondering I live in the UK and would love to buy an unlocked phone from the USA would it work on any UK networks??

thank you
 
please help i asking everyone

similar to some others but i have been travelling to us and really need mps, camara etc so i was hoping to get i phone a- not sure if 4g or 3gs and the difference between 4g and 4?
also i live in england so if i buy an unlocked i phone from ebay and put my simm in uk in it will it work?
also lastly sorry whats diff between unlocked and jailbroken?
thanks
 
tara ashbaugh said:
similar to some others but i have been travelling to us and really need mps, camara etc so i was hoping to get i phone a- not sure if 4g or 3gs and the difference between 4g and 4?
also i live in england so if i buy an unlocked i phone from ebay and put my simm in uk in it will it work?
also lastly sorry whats diff between unlocked and jailbroken?
thanks
Click to expand...

there is no such thing as a 4G, there is the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4, currently you can buy either the iPhone 3GS, or the iPhone 4.

Unlocked means the phone is not tied to any one network carrier, meaning any sim card can be used in it, but if you buy a phone on contract it will be locked to the network you got it from, and only a sim card from them will work in it.

Jailbraking is in a sense, hacking into the Operating System to open up extra features of the phone, using Apps that can alter the appearance and many other aspects of the Phone, you can unlock the iPhone by Jailbraking it, but you cannot Jailbrake the iPhone, by unlocking it.

if you buy an iPhone 3GS on ebay, then it would need to be unlocked, or locked to the same network as your current sim card, to be able to use it.

the iPhone 4 would be the same, apart from the fact that the iPhone 4 uses a micro sim card, which is smaller than a standard sim card, so you would need to find out from your network if they can change your sim to a microsim, but the iPhone 4 would still need to be either unlocked or locked to the same network as your sim.

lastly, depending on how old your sim is, you require a Data plan on your sim to use the features like maps than you mentioned, and also to use the iPhone in the US with a UK sim in will cost you a fortune!
 
Last edited:
tara ashbaugh said:
similar to some others but i have been travelling to us and really need mps, camara etc so i was hoping to get i phone a- not sure if 4g or 3gs and the difference between 4g and 4?
also i live in england so if i buy an unlocked i phone from ebay and put my simm in uk in it will it work?
also lastly sorry whats diff between unlocked and jailbroken?
thanks
Click to expand...

thread_necromancer.png
 
wasimyaqoob said:
Hey guys,

All you lot in America are VERY lucky - I'm so upset it's not out in the UK.

If I buy an iPhone from US eBay - Will it work over here on my network and in the UK?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


___________
hey, i just got the iphone 4s from the usa to the uk, but most people tell me that i won't work even if it unlocks.. why is that? the whole thing with the iphones is so complex... since when a phone works only in one country? i havent unlock it yet and i am thinking to sale it in the usa where i got it from as used even though it is brand new!
 
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