Phone needs to be unlocked

Hello,
I have the following problem:
This year in April, my boyfriend and I went to the US. In the Apple store in New York we bought and iphone 5. It came with Verizon as provider, but in the store they directly unlocked it for us. We never inserted a Verizon simcard in it, used it in the US only with wifi and when we came back to the Netherlands, we used a Dutch sim card and everything worked fine.
Some weeks ago there was a problem with the phone. We went to the Apple store in Amsterdam and because it was within the warranty period, we got a new iphone. But it had to be exactly the same that we got in the US. But apparently the phone was registered in the system as 'locked', so now we got a phone that is sim locked. We don't have any sim card from Verizon and of course want to use our own card.
So we went back to the Apple store, but they could not help us. They said that the store in New York should have registered it as 'unlocked' and that they cannot do anything about it. They recommended us to either call with Verizon or contact an Apple store in the US.
I really had hoped that they could do more for me, but that's the way it is...
I already found out that Verizon only unlocks phones if you are a customer for at least 6 months and always paid your bills on time. We have never been a Verizon customer, so that is not an option.
I also read that the iphones 5 by Verizon should always come unlocked, but apparently this is not true, because mine is still locked... What can I do so that I can use my phone in the Netherlands?

"but in the store they directly unlocked it for us."
The Apple store does not unlock iphones at all.  The carrier does this.
"We went to the Apple store in Amsterdam and because it was within the warranty period, we got a new iphone."
You were very fortunate as the waranty is not international.  It is only good in the country of original purchase.
Contact the Apple Store where you bought it and ask them as none of your story sounds right.

Similar Messages

  • Whether NO Contract phone needs to be unlocked?

    Hi Friends,
    One of my friend is travelling from US to INDIA,so i have pre booked NOKIA LUMIA 1520 NO CONTRACT AT&T mobile phone on nov 21st for ~550$ via microsoftstore,now the shipment is in progress.My friend will receive it in couple of days.
    My questions are:
    Since i have ordered a NO contract phone,whether i can use it in INDIA with any GSM provider straight away or i need to unlock it?
    If suppose i need to unlock it means,whether i can do it here(INDIA) or i need to ask my friend in US to unlock & bring it here?
    what is the difference between contract, No contract & unlocked phones?

    Hi sudhakar1512,
    Welcome to the Nokia Support Discussions!
    Let's start with differentiating these terms: 'contract', 'no contract' and 'unlocked phone'. When we say Contract phones, these are the phones that you can get by availing your provider's services within a certain period of time, depending on the contract that you've agreed upon. These phones are usually locked and their software has been customized by your operator. Usually, you can see your operator's logo or themes on the phone. 
    No contract phones are the prepaid phones that you usually purchase from your operator. The phone can either be locked or unlocked. Unlocked phones are the generic phones. They are not factory locked and can be used with another SIM card from another operator. 
    To answer your questions:
    1. Since i have ordered a NO contract phone,whether i can use it in INDIA with any GSM provider straight away or i need to unlock it? - There's no guarantee that the phone is unlocked. One way to find out is to insert a SIM card from another provider. If it prompts for a restriction code, you'll know that it is locked.
    2. If suppose i need to unlock it means,whether i can do it here(INDIA) or i need to ask my friend in US to unlock & bring it here? - The restriction code is only provided by the operator to whom the device is tied up with. In case that it is locked, you can ask your friend to coordinate with AT&T for the restriction code.
    Additional information that you may like to consider is the supported frequency bands of the device and the country where you intend to use it:
    Lumia 1520 RM-940
    GSM 850/900/1800/1900
    WCDMA 850 900 1900 2100
    LTE bands 2, (1900), 4(1700/2100), 5 (850), 7 (2600), 17 (700)
    INDIA
    GSM 900, GSM 1800
    UMTS 2100
    LTE 2300
    Given this information, you have to verify carefully with your Indian operator if they support the frequency bands of your device. Furthermore, LTE connectivity will not be available. Hope this helps.

  • My iphone says disabled and connect to itunes but when i get on itunes it says the phone needs to be unlocked or it to work

    my iphone says its disabled and to connect to itunes but when i do it says the passcode needs to be typed in and i cant type it because my phone is disabled

    Type "unable to restore" into the search bar at the top of this page and read the resulting help article.

  • TS4036 my phone needs to be unlocked

    My phone is locked due to wrong password n I want to reset it

    Locked Out, Forgot Lock or Restrictions Passcode, or Need to Restore Your Device: Several Alternative Solutions
    A
    1. iOS- Forgotten passcode or device disabled after entering wrong passcode
    2. iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Wrong passcode results in red disabled screen
    3. Restoring iPod touch after forgotten passcode
    4. What to Do If You've Forgotten Your iPhone's Passcode
    5. iOS- Understanding passcodes
    6. iTunes 10 for Mac- Update and restore software on iPod, iPhone, or iPad
    7. iOS - Unable to update or restore
    Forgotten Restrictions Passcode Help
                iPad,iPod,iPod Touch Recovery Mode
    You will need to restore your device as New to remove a Restrictions passcode. Go through the normal process to restore your device, but when you see the options to restore as New or from a backup, be sure to choose New.
    You can restore from a backup if you have one from BEFORE you set the restrictions passcode.
    Also, see iTunes- Restoring iOS software.

  • Does a previously unlocked phone need to be unlocked again?

    I had my Sumsung Note unlocked two years ago and the process worked smoothly. Im going abroad again and want to know if i have go through the process again.  Ive used it on the att net since using it abroad. Now i want to use it overseas again. 

    Hello
    Thank you for reach out to our Community Forum!  Once a device is unlocked, the device will be forever unlocked. 
    You will be able to use your Samsung Note with an international carrier while traveling abroad.
    Have a safe trip!
    Charise

  • I bought an iPhone 4S at a supplier who uses Talkmobile. When I called to port my number to GiffGaff they said the phone did not need to be unlocked even though the guy who sold my husband the phone at the Warehouse place said you did. Now I have an ac

    I bought an iPhone 4S at a supplier who uses Talkmobile. When I switched to GiffGaff and asked the Talkmobile people to port my number and the code which they gave me, they told me my iPhone was never locked and did not need to be unlocked. Now my GiffGaff seems to be up and running and my husband can even leave new voicemail messages but I cannot access my phone. Everytime I put the SIM in it says it's not a valid SIM and that I need a supported carrier SIM. To me that sounds like the phone is locked.

    My husband (who set this up) is going over to Carphone Warehouse right now. He seemed to think that it was locked. But when we asked the carrier we picked, they said it was not locked so they could not unlock it. 
    Are all of you answering these questions familiar with the UK carriers? I am from the US but this was bought and serviced in the UK--nothing to do with the US.
    Maybe the vendor who sold the phone can/will unlock it for us no problem. I guess I will know in the next 5-6 hours. I have just been without a phone for almost an entire day now and it's very frustrating and I thought someone might have had this exact problem and could answer the question for me outright.
    Thanks for everyone's help. Sorry to take up your time.

  • I am traveling in Chile, South America. I purchased an Entel sym card and I can make and receive phone calls, but the internet only works on WiFi. Do I need to region unlock or what? I willl only be here for A month and a half so I don't want to buy a pho

    I am traveling in Chile, South America. I purchased an Entel sym card and I can make and receive phone calls, but the internet only works on WiFi. Do I need to region unlock or what? I willl only be here for A month and a half so I don't want to buy a phone. Any suggestions?

    Most of the current Apple Intel based computers are comparable in CPU speed. I don't think it is so much the model of laptop as it is the memory, and storage capacity of the machine. If you are going to use FCP on a regular basis, perhaps as a professional or semi-professional, then you should think about the maximum memory and a very large capacity internal disk drive. For instance, one hour of finished compressed video will take up about 1.5 to 2Gbytes of disk space. If you add up the raw footage and still imagery and audio, you'll use up your disk drive capacity real quick. So a hard disk on the order of 750Gbytes @ 7200rpms might be good for video editing. 5400RPMs might be slow to rendering times. Rendering a video might take up a lot of memory so more memory is better e.g. 8Gbytes.
    As a rule of thumb, once you get to about 80% of your disk drive or memory you'll see degradation of performance.
    You can check out macsales.com. THey have a menu system that will allow you to pick and choose from various alternatives. BTW, it's been said that although Macs are typically spec'd at a certain memory size, macsales.com found that Apple computers will actually support higher memory levels. That is, if 4Gbytes are spec'd, some machines support 6Gbytes. macsales.com will provide the guidance for you.
    You might also consider buying an external disk e.g. 500Gbytes to carry around with you for back-up or transport to another machine.

  • Hello, i bought my i phone 6 months ago during my visit to canada. uptil now i couldnt use it cz it needs to be unlocked. i am located in lebanon, how can i unlock it???????????????

    Hello, i bought my i phone 6 months ago during my visit to canada. uptil now i couldnt use it cz it needs to be unlocked. i am located in lebanon, how can i unlock it???????????????

    http://www.fido.ca/web/page/portal/Fido/GCT_ContactUs
    https://www.rogers.com/web/content/contactus
    If your carrier agrees to unlock your iPhone, it will be done by restoring the iPhone in iTunes (the carrier sends an unlock command through Apple). Sending the iPhone to Canada will not be necessary.
    Regards.

  • Iphone 5-updated to ios 7.0.2 keeps freezing in lock screen.I always need to restart or should wait till a phone call come to unlock the screen. Does any body have the same issue??

    Iphone 5-updated to ios 7.0.2 keeps freezing in lock screen.I always need to restart or should wait till a phone call come to unlock the screen. Does any body have the same issue??

    I do have the same issue with my 4s after updating.tried with restoring several times,but the problem still persists.....

  • HT4108 I have an iPhone4, used and locked to the UK network. I need to pay for the phone to be officially Unlocked. In the meantime we used it as a device to check emails and games etc.. We put a pass lock and after many failed attempts we forgot what it

    I have an iPhone4, used and locked to the UK network. I need to pay for the phone to be officially unlocked.
    In the meantime we used it as a device to check emails and games etc.. We put a pass lock and after many failed attempts we forgot what it is. Now the phone is Disabled and iTunes can not fix it since it can not update the Software without the phone being officially unlocked..
    any idea how to do this?
    Please advice

    gencml wrote:
    We put a pass lock and after many failed attempts we forgot what it is. Now the phone is Disabled and iTunes can not fix it since it can not update the Software without the phone being officially unlocked..
    any idea how to do this?
    Please advice
    You need to visit Apple Store, and show ownership proof in case of forgotton pass code.

  • HT4993 hi ihave the sprint iphone i bought it on ebay but i will use it at turkey i need the unlocked phone how can i unlocked this phone i am not living in usa please i need help

    hi ihave the sprint iphone i bought it on ebay but i will use it at turkey i need the unlocked phone how can i unlocked this phone i am not living in usa

    Return the phone to the seller for a refund and buy a phone that is already unlocked or will work in Turkey

  • Can i use my iphone 3 in new zealand with a nz sim card without it needing to be unlocked?

    can i use my iphone 3 in new zealand with a nz sim card in it without it needing to be unlocked?

    That depends... its is ALREADY unlocked? If so, then you should be fine.  If the phone is carrier locked, then no, obviously you can't use it with a SIM from another carrier without getting it unlocked first.

  • I need help in unlocking my iphone 4 vodaphone u.k

    I just got an iphone 4..its not sprint or at&t but its original though ...i just need help to unlock it..thanks

    You need to call vodaphone, they are the only ones who can unlock your phone if they offer that services and you qualify.

  • HT204053 Should a family share an apple id, or does each phone need its own apple id?

    Should a family share an apple id, or does each phone need its own apple id?

    Hello coachscott,
    Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
    For more information on this, take a look at:
    Frequently asked questions about Apple ID
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5622?viewlocale=en_US
    Can I share my Apple ID with someone else?
    You shouldn't share your Apple ID account information with other people. Each person should have their own Apple ID.
    Best of luck,
    Mario

  • When I try to download the latest version of itunes to my i phone, I get a message saying songs I have purchased on the phone need to be moved from "purchased" to a Library before continuing with the download.  How do I do this?

    When I try to download the latest version of itunes on my computer, which is tethered to my iphone, I get a message saying the music on my phone needs to be moved from "purchased" to a Library.  I search and can't find instructions on how to do this.  Please help!

    Transfer Purchases  = iTunes > File > Transfer Purchases
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848

Maybe you are looking for