Iphone 4 simlock

Jasoneke · ‎12-02-2011

Hello, im from belgium and i buyed a iphone 4 from somone else, but when i updated the software to 5.0.1 it said it was locked because i need the correct sim to unlock it for all networks. I know that this iphone is from north america because of the IMEI code, can you guys of at&t help me or explain it ? Thnks for reading, Jason

coolrhyme · ‎09-20-2011

As far as i know, apple just started selling unlock iPhones and att doesnt unlock any iphones. if the sim is lock there is no way to unlock it. sorry..

dwill05 · ‎04-06-2005

You don't have a factory unlocked phone. You bought a phone that someone else unlocked on their own using third-party software. Unfortunately updating the software on phones that were unlocked like this will relock them back to AT&T. There is nothing officially that can be done at this point. Neither Apple or AT&T will unlock a US iPhone that was originally sold as locked. Unless you can find a third party solution that unlocks an iOS 5.0.1 phone, you now have a phone that will only work with a valid US AT&T SIM card.

johninsj · ‎07-07-2010

Jasoneke wrote:
Hello, im from belgium and i buyed a iphone 4 from somone else, but when i updated the software to 5.0.1 it said it was locked because i need the correct sim to unlock it for all networks. I know that this iphone is from north america because of the IMEI code, can you guys of at&t help me or explain it ? Thnks for reading, Jason

Find the someone else, hand them back their phone, and get your money back.

You can buy the iPhone 4s unlocked, from Apple only. AT&T will never unlock a phone that was sold locked to AT&T.

Rukia2005 · ‎12-03-2011

johninsj wrote:
Jasoneke wrote:
Hello, im from belgium and i buyed a iphone 4 from somone else, but when i updated the software to 5.0.1 it said it was locked because i need the correct sim to unlock it for all networks. I know that this iphone is from north america because of the IMEI code, can you guys of at&t help me or explain it ? Thnks for reading, Jason
Find the someone else, hand them back their phone, and get your money back.

You can buy the iPhone 4s unlocked, from Apple only. AT&T will never unlock a phone that was sold locked to AT&T.

Even if the contract is over, they won't unlock the iPhone? If that's the case then what should we do with the iPhone after the contract expired?

dwill05 · ‎04-06-2005

No, they won't unlock a locked phone, even after the contract is over. Plenty of threads about that here. What do you do after the contract is over? Well, you can keep using it, unlock it yourself, trade it in on a new phone from some place that takes trades, give it to a charity that collect used cell phones for people in need, or give or sell it to someone else and let them either use it with AT&T or unlock it themselves. Plenty of options for a used phone.

coolrhyme · ‎09-20-2011

The best solution is give it to me

. hehehe

johninsj · ‎07-07-2010

Rukia2005 wrote:

Even if the contract is over, they won't unlock the iPhone? If that's the case then what should we do with the iPhone after the contract expired?

This has been covered and covered and covered here in this forum, and in the news.

There are two types of iPhone sold in the US (other countries may vary)

1) AT&T locked phones (with or without a plan, doesn't matter) are ALWAYS and FOREVER locked to AT&T. Apple nor AT&T will ever unlock these phones. Every phone before the iPhone 4s was sold this way in the US, so NEVER buy a US "unlocked" phone unless it is an iPhone 4s. INSIST on seeing the box the phone shipped in. On the back it will NOT say "REQUIRES Service with AT&T"

2) iPhone 4s phones sold ONLY from Apple, unlocked, at full price. Note, still check the box to make sure the back does not have the "requres AT&T service" notice on it.

After your contract is up, for a simlocked phone, you are free to continue using the phone on AT&T, or give the phone to someone else to use on AT&T, or sell the phone to someone else to use on AT&T. No matter what, the common element is always "to use on AT&T".

Or, you can jailbreak the phone, and in some cases unlock the baseband, and then sell the phone to someone in another country, misrepresenting it as an unlocked phone. Then, the next time they update the OS, they will find out they were sold a locked device (since it with relock, or worse will brick), and they'll be stuck with your phone.

dwill05 · ‎04-06-2005

johninsj wrote:
Rukia2005 wrote:

Even if the contract is over, they won't unlock the iPhone? If that's the case then what should we do with the iPhone after the contract expired?

1) AT&T locked phones (with or without a plan, doesn't matter) are ALWAYS and FOREVER locked to AT&T. Apple nor AT&T will ever unlock these phones. Every phone before the iPhone 4s was sold this way in the US, so NEVER buy a US "unlocked" phone unless it is an iPhone 4s. INSIST on seeing the box the phone shipped in. On the back it will NOT say "REQUIRES Service with AT&T"

2) iPhone 4s phones sold ONLY from Apple, unlocked, at full price. Note, still check the box to make sure the back does not have the "requres AT&T service" notice on it.

The iPhone 4S boxes do not say anything about AT&T on them, locked or not. I have a 4S that I bought from AT&T which I'm very sure is locked, and the rear of the box has no mention of AT&T whatsoever either by name or logo. The iPhone 4 boxes did specifically mention AT&T as well as have their logo, but the 4S boxes do not, so you need to stop telling people this.

johninsj · ‎07-07-2010

Can you post a photo of the back of the box? Because specifically the legal reason they are able to NOT unlock phones is because they are marked on the box as locked.

wingrider01 · ‎05-26-2008

johninsj wrote:

Can you post a photo of the back of the box? Because specifically the legal reason they are able to NOT unlock phones is because they are marked on the box as locked.

there is NO legal reason - unlocking is not mandated by any law in the US ergo what is printed on the box has no bearing, unless you can point out the law that staed phones must be unlocked

kdfederer · ‎07-20-2008

Number 1 on the back of my 4S box.
"This iPhone is subject to your wireless service provider's policy, which may include restrictions on switching service providers and roaming, even after conclusion of any required minimum service contract."
Pretty much says phone is locked to AT&T.

johninsj · ‎07-07-2010

kdfederer wrote:
Number 1 on the back of my 4S box.
"This iPhone is subject to your wireless service provider's policy, which may include restrictions on switching service providers and roaming, even after conclusion of any required minimum service contract."
Pretty much says phone is locked to AT&T.

THANK YOU. They changed the wording to be more broad, since other carriers may carry the iPhone4s now. But indeed it does say the same thing.

Now, if someone has a carrier unlocked 4s, it would, to make things totally clear, be fun to see if that clause isn't present.

Mods: please note, this is on topic, since the topic concerns how to purchase an iPhone 4s and be sure you have a carrier unlocked version.

smalcom · ‎09-22-2010

johninsj wrote:
Rukia2005 wrote:

Even if the contract is over, they won't unlock the iPhone? If that's the case then what should we do with the iPhone after the contract expired?

This has been covered and covered and covered here in this forum, and in the news.

There are two types of iPhone sold in the US (other countries may vary)

1) AT&T locked phones (with or without a plan, doesn't matter) are ALWAYS and FOREVER locked to AT&T. Apple nor AT&T will ever unlock these phones. Every phone before the iPhone 4s was sold this way in the US, so NEVER buy a US "unlocked" phone unless it is an iPhone 4s. INSIST on seeing the box the phone shipped in. On the back it will NOT say "REQUIRES Service with AT&T"

2) iPhone 4s phones sold ONLY from Apple, unlocked, at full price. Note, still check the box to make sure the back does not have the "requres AT&T service" notice on it.

After your contract is up, for a simlocked phone, you are free to continue using the phone on AT&T, or give the phone to someone else to use on AT&T, or sell the phone to someone else to use on AT&T. No matter what, the common element is always "to use on AT&T".

Or, you can jailbreak the phone, and in some cases unlock the baseband, and then sell the phone to someone in another country, misrepresenting it as an unlocked phone. Then, the next time they update the OS, they will find out they were sold a locked device (since it with relock, or worse will brick), and they'll be stuck with your phone.

The iPhone 4 was also sold unlocked by Apple. Started, I think, sometime in 3rd quarter. Again only sold unlocked by Apple at an Apple store, so there could be a legally unlocked USA iPhone 4.

johninsj · ‎07-07-2010

Yes, it can be.

The phone can be used by anyone, on AT&T.

Loginname0101 · ‎12-29-2011

Johninsj ! {please keep it courteous}

i am a victim of this {word filter evasion} i bought an 'unlocked' phone from a reseller in the US only to have is relock to ATT!

how dare you promote this!

dwill05 · ‎04-06-2005

Real factory unlocked phones don't lock to AT&T. People who buy "unlocked" phones off of eBay or from some "reseller" in the US are usually buying hacked phones that will relock if you try and update the software. That's not the responsibility of AT&T or Apple, it's the responsibility of the person buying the phone to know what they are buying.

Only Apple sells factory unlocked iPhones in the US. If you buy an "unlocked" iPhone from any other source in the US, you should view it with suspicion unless the seller can provide sufficient proof that it is a real factory unlocked phone that was originally sold by Apple as unlocked.

wingrider01 · ‎05-26-2008

Loginname0101 wrote:

Johninsj ! {please keep it courteous}

i am a victim of this {word filter evasion} i bought an 'unlocked' phone from a reseller in the US only to have is relock to ATT!

how dare you promote this!

If the phone was not purcahsed directly from Apple for full retail cost chances are you bought a hacked phone from the reseller, when you upgraded the IOS the hack was removed and the phone was relocked to the carrier. The reseller was the on promoting this not the carrier or apple. Apple unlocked phone do not relock to att when you upgrade them, only hacked ones do

MacFadyin · ‎03-14-2012

I am in the Netherlands and have thejchance tojbuy a phone cheaply.Not an exUS phone and the seller says thec ontract is shortly expired and it can then be unlocked.Is this the cas?

dwill05 · ‎04-06-2005

A locked US iPhone will not be unlocked, even after the contract is expired. Other countries iPhones, I don't know.

MacFadyin · ‎03-14-2012

Thanks,I understand that,but it's NOT a US phone

dwill05 · ‎04-06-2005

Well, this is a forum for US iphones, so maybe this isn't the best place to ask about non-US iphones and the unlocking policies of companies other than US AT&T.

johninsj · ‎07-07-2010

MacFadyin wrote:

I am in the Netherlands and have thejchance tojbuy a phone cheaply.Not an exUS phone and the seller says thec ontract is shortly expired and it can then be unlocked.Is this the cas?

So, yes, this is an form for the US AT&T iPhone. We're all US people, with US phones, here in the US. I don't know much about carriers in other countries, but here's what I would suggest

Have the seller unlock the phone.

Verify the phone is unlocked before you buy it, by personally seeing it work with the sim of your choice. If you can't verify beforehand, don't buy it.

That would be safe in any country, for any iPhone

MacFadyin · ‎03-14-2012

My apologies for intruding. I didn't see anything in the name about this being a site solely for UIS citizens

wingrider01 · ‎05-26-2008

MacFadyin wrote:

My apologies for intruding. I didn't see anything in the name about this being a site solely for UIS citizens

It is not, but it does not change the simple fact that no Iphone from att will be unlocked. The only avaialable GSM Ihpne is available only from apple and it is sold at full retail price, no subsidy.

for now and the forseeable future the att iphone is locked to a single carrier - att

If you phone is setup to work on any other carrier you need to contact that carrier, att cannot help.

dwill05 · ‎04-06-2005

MacFadyin wrote:
My apologies for intruding. I didn't see anything in the name about this being a site solely for UIS citizens

It isn't. However, all you say is that it's not a US iPhone and you jumped into a thread that deals with unlocking US iPhones. The majority of people here are only familiar with US iPhones and AT&T and Apple's policies in the US. And for those who might be familiar with outside US iPhones and might be able to answer your question, you don't mention the carrier or country (other than where you are, but is that where you are getting the phone from?) so I'm not sure you're going to get much help with such a vague question. I'm just saying.....

youngjm · ‎05-02-2003

MacFadyin wrote:

I am in the Netherlands and have thejchance tojbuy a phone cheaply.Not an exUS phone and the seller says thec ontract is shortly expired and it can then be unlocked.Is this the cas?

I would direct your question to a board that is related to the country of orignin for your iPhone. All we would know if what we would look up for that country.

ATT is one of the US carriers selling iPHones.

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