HT201328 what is unlocking the iPhone?

What exactly is done during unlocking of the phone?
Why does the iphone need to be unlocked?
Why does one need to unlock it multiple times?
Any help is appreciated.

You phone company/carrier contact Apple to put the model number of your phone on a database to show that it is unlocked and can be used with any carrier and not just your original carrier.
An iPhone does not need to be unlocked if you are happy with your current phone comapny/carrier - I have had all my iPhones on o2 since it first came out and o2 was the only carrier - now the market is open and I am still with o2 and am quite happy with them and my phone is still locked to o2 and I see no need to have it unlocked.
You would only consider getting your phone unlocked if you do a lot of travelling and want to insert local sim cards into your phone when you travel to keep your costs down, as the international roaming feature costs a lot more that inserting local sim cards into your phone. By getting your phone unlocked, this is a way to do this.
You should not need to get your phone unlocked multiple times - once your phone has been officially unlocked by your phone comapny and entered onto the Apple database and shown as unlcoked, then it should remain unlocked and you don't need to get it unocked again - you should then be able to use any sim card in the phone that you want to.

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What can i unlock the iPhone 5c or 5s in spain?

What can i unlock the iPhone 5c or 5s in spain?

That's the US Apple Store, not very useful for someone in Spain.
Regards.

HT201328 i buy an loked iphone 5 on t-mobile from ebay, how i well unlock the iphone ?

i buy an loked iphone 5 on t-mobile from ebay, how i well unlock the iphone ?

Only the carrier it's locked to can unlock it. many will not do so unless you are the original owner of the phone.
Don't do it. Buy a phone from a legitimate source.

HT201328 Why we can't unlock iPhone ? Why we have hard time to unlock the iPhone ?

Me & my family we gat 8 iPhone & we can't factory unlocked we start gevup on iPhone + iPhone it's only 1 model a yer can any 1 let me EZ way to factory unlock the iPhone ?

Carriers lock iPhones (NOT APPLE ) because they subsidise the purchase price
of the iPhone when new
They therefore have complete control over the release of that lock to protect their revenue
The simple solution is to buy direct from Apple paying the FULL price when new
and that iPhone will not be locked and free to use on any compatible network

Will Verizon Be Unlocking the iPhone 5 for International Use with local carriers abroad like they do with the 4S?

Here is my situation. I am leaving the country on business in a month. Since it is pretty doubtful that an unlocked iPhone 5 will be available for pre-order tomorrow, I'll be buying one at full price under my verizon account (not due for an upgrade yet). Verizon currently SIM Unlocks the iPhone 4S if you meet certain requirements (account in good standing, active 60 days, phone activated on account, etc.) so you can use your iPhone abroad with a local carrier there for cheaper rates. Does anyone think Verizon will do this same procedure for the new iPhone 5? I understand that my new iPhone may not have 4G LTE capability abroad due to hardware limitations on different carrier models, however all new iPhone 5 models have quad band GSM/EDGE and 3G. Would I be able to use this feature if Verizon unlocked my iPhone? It should be noted I am not trying to unlock to use my phone on Tmobile or another US carrier, as with the 4S carriers put a block on this even for unlocked Verizon models. I am looking at this from the standpoint of a traveling business user (and I think there are a lot out there wondering the same thing). Nonetheless I will be preordering the iPhone 5 from Verizon and on release day I will call them and ask if they will unlock it. If they don't I will return it. I'll update my findings here for anyone else curious about this as well.

Egilbbys21... I am curious how things worked out with getting a nano SIM and your iPhone 5. Our family will be visiting Manila this summer, and I would like to hear a first-hand account about your phone experiences. Do you purchase minutes for call/texting? What about data? Any feedback you can give from your trip regarding your iPhone usage would be helpful. Thanks!

Unlocking the iPhone 4S - Please, a REAL answer from someone official?

I've searched everywhere for this; I've read the other posts with the link to the "unlock confirmation" that's really from the "Droid" page; I've contacted customer service three times . . . each time as I was about to pull the trigger on purchasing a new phone.
I don't know how monitored this community might be but PLEASE, if someone from Verizon's reading this, we need something in writing.
I was about to order the 32GB Black iPhone 4S but suddenly got concerned that I couldn't find ANY official information about unlocking the SIM for travel. I had seen the "unlock after 60 days" quotes in ALL the magazines and online sites, but found nothing on verizon.
So, I contacted customer service, via chat, where I was told that:
Karen: Verizon does not unlock the sim.
Karen: No you cannot swap out the sim.
Karen: I was told Verizon does not unlock no phones/
followed by
Karen: Would you mind holding for a moment while I check that information?
stu: Again, just to clarify, 'cause it's sort of a strange policy, Verizon will never unlock an iPhone?
Karen: No they told me no.
That seemed to end Verizon for me as an option. I'm heading for a month in Europe in June and on a month long trip, with the need/desire for lots of local calls, it's not economically feasible to use the roaming plans.
Then I searched for the press quote again . .finding:
“It is our standard unlock policy for all Global Phones. You have to have been a customer for 60 days and in good standing (meaning your bill is current) and the phone you want to unlock must be on our network at the time of the request. You call Verizon Wireless before you leave the country and we unlock the SIM. We will honor one unlock every 10 months.” — Brenda Raney, Verizon Wireless Public Relations
So, I thought I'd go back to customer service where this time . . .
Michael: Yes you can get it unlocked just as the message you sent me said.
Michael: The bill would have to current for at least the 60 days before we could unlock it though.
stu: Really? You sure? I keep getting conflicting answers. That would be great!
Michael: I am positive.
All right! Goodbye ATT . . hello Verizon.
So, a little later in the evening, I'm filling up the shopping cart with the phone and the calling plan and the data plan and . . .wait a minute . . pit of my stomach time. I STILL haven't seen anything official about this policy. Nothing in writing . . anywhere. The first rep could be right . . . leaving the cart behind, I decide to check one more time:
Josh B: The 4S is global capable.
Josh B: You will have to pay the global roaming rates however.
stu: Right, but the quote above says that, if I keep my account in good standing for more than 60 days, I can get the SIM unlocked.
Josh B: No, it won't be unlocked.
He then sent me to the customer agreement, which has nothing about this. A little bit further down . .
Josh B: Anything that involves unlocking and/or rooting, is a violation of contract and can be penalized with an Early Termination fee.
stu: Right, if the customer does it. However, what I was told earlier today, and it's the same thing that the Verizon Wireless Public Relations person said to the press a few weeks ago, was that VERIZON would unlock the SIM after 60 days, as long as the account was in good standing. Is this not true?
Josh B: It was in a magazine correct?
stu: It was in Macworld and PCMag and everywhere else on the web. The quote was:
stu: “It is our standard unlock policy for all Global Phones. You have to have been a customer for 60 days and in good standing (meaning your bill is current) and the phone you want to unlock must be on our network at the time of the request. You call Verizon Wireless before you leave the country and we unlock the SIM. We will honor one unlock every 10 months.” — Brenda Raney, Verizon Wireless Public Relations
Josh B: So how can you be sure that it was actually one of our PR's? Don't trust anything that isn't on our direct website, or directly at a store location or coming from a Customer Service rep over the phone.
So, now what do I do?
I would like to buy an iPhone. Verizon is the only one with a policy, at least in press-release form, of unlocking the iPhone eventually. However, I keep getting different answers and I don't want to be locked into a 2 year contract without getting some sort of official confirmation that the policy is 60 days.
Can anyone actually show something, in an official Verizon location, that clearly states the policy?
stu
Note: I edited this because of some different information about ATT. A couple of reps said that ATT would unlock the phone. One said after 4-6 months, the other said after 90 days. When I asked if the policy was written down, she sent me a link which she was then surprised to see contained the following:
http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB82027#fbid=5OBPuSVI7XK
What is the unlock code for my iPhone?
iPhone cannot be unlocked, even if you are out of contract. If you are traveling internationally, iPhone is a quad-band phone and will work in many countries across the globe. Stay connected while traveling to over 215 countries, plus get discounted rates in over 80 of those countries when you sign up for AT&T World Traveler
And this:
http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=55002#fbid=5OBPuSVI7XK
What is the unlock code for my phone?
Note: If your phone is an iPhone, the following information does not apply. Please see What is the unlock code for my iPhone? for more information.
Wireless phones purchased from AT&T generally come with locked SIMs, which potentially makes them incompatible with wireless service from non-AT&T providers.
To use an AT&T phone on another wireless network, you must unlock its SIM using an Unlock Code.
AT&T will provide the Unlock Code for phones on wireless plans if:
Your wireless service has been active for 90 days or longer
Your account is current and in good standing
Your phone is not sold exclusively by us
Your phone's Unlock Code is available from the Manufacturer
AT&T will provide the Unlock Code for AT&T branded phones on Prepaid plans to customers who have either been on AT&T service for 6 months or longer, or provide a receipt or other proof of purchase.
AT&T cannot provide Unlock Codes for iPhones and other non-eligible devices.

So, I'm sitting in the office and my boss forwards me an email. (I've been doing research on the iPhone for both of us.) It seems that last night he wrote to Brenda Raney, the Executive Director of Corporate Communications, to ask her about her quote and the iPhone. She just replied to his email, which is really amazing. She's already getting one new customer, he's on the site right now buying his first iPhone, and I plan on getting one later tonight. (I do have to actually do some work around here. I put that in 'cause I know he's going to read this.)
Here's her letter followed by the reference quote:
I apologize for the inconvenience and the misinformation you received. I have forwarded your email for training purposes so the next time you or anyone else calls, they get better information about our Global SIM unlock policy. The quote you included in your email from me is accurate; we will unlock the SIM for global use as long as the criteria are met. The policy isn’t on our website primarily because CDMA technology doesn’t typically use SIM cards and with the introduction of 4G LTE devices which do use SIM cards (that can’t be unlocked), we felt we would confuse customers.
When you travel internationally, you need to call Verizon Wireless before you leave the country and request to have international calling added to your account profile and if you want the SIM unlocked, you can request that option at the same time. Even if you choose to not unlock the SIM, you need to call before you leave the country and add the international calling feature to your phone (there is no charge because this just provides the capability, not a plan). For global data, you will need to add a data plan. Keep in mind, that if you choose to purchase a local SIM while out of the country, the SIM brings with it a different phone number so those using your Verizon Wireless number will not be able to reach you directly unless you give them the new phone number.
Here is the link to our Global Services: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/explore/?page=why-verizon&section=international-services#international-services
Again, please my apologies for the confusion.
Brenda Boyd Raney
Verizon Wireless
Executive Director
Corporate Communications
“It is our standard unlock policy for all Global Phones. You have to have been a customer for 60 days and in good standing (meaning your bill is current) and the phone you want to unlock must be on our network at the time of the request. You call Verizon Wireless before you leave the country and we unlock the SIM. We will honor one unlock every 10 months.”
— Brenda Raney, Verizon Wireless Public Relations

Will updating my iphone 5s from 7.1.2 to 8.2 lock it. my phone was initially locked.my friend brought it from usa.i gave a computer vendor rs 5000 and he said he will factory unlock the iphone.so it was unlocked in this way.its not softwared unlocked

will updating my iphone 5s from 7.1.2 to 8.2 lock it. my phone was initially locked.my friend brought it from usa.i gave a computer vendor rs 5000 and he said he will factory unlock the iphone.so it was unlocked in this way.its not software unlocked nor it is jailbraked.that vendor said that he will factory unlock it.wat i know is that there are some online sites which take some amount (equal to what i paid 50$ )and officially and factory unlock it
so can u plz help me regarding this issue
its working absolutely fine on 7.1.2

i am from pakistan
my friend got it unlocked from hyderabad ,there the mobile guy assured us that he will factory unlock it for rs 5000.. he just took the imei number and in 3 days iphone 5s was unlocked. he didnt take the phone so i knew he didnt jailbreak it or did some hacking stuff .. i have the box with me too with all accessories.but my friend doesnt know which carrier to it was locked....as his friend gave it to him from usa
on reading problems on net i just stopped the update via wi fi.fearing it will be locked again :/
but i think its orignal carrieer was At&T

Hello, how to unlock the iphone 4.

my friend have bought a iphone 4 in LA, BestBuy, when he came to UK, he switch the carrier into the Vodafone, the phone can't read it, what wrong?

The iPhone is probably locked to a US carrier .Only that carrier can unlock the iPhone before it will work with another carrier
Locking is a Carrier thing ,nothing to do with Apple

I got a Iphone 4S internet like free(UNLOCK) but is not... This Iphone is lock with Orange (SPAIN) How can I unlock the Iphone now¿?

I got a Iphone 4S internet like free(UNLOCK) but is not... This Iphone is lock with Orange (SPAIN) How can I unlock the Iphone now¿?

"Ok, but Whats happen if the carrier said that I need the first contract personal information.."
Then you need the first contract personal information.
" I Know that all the companys have to unlock de phone... ¿?¿?"
Not true.
"Apple could help me then¿?¿? unlocking the Iphone beacuse Apple always have the last word...
No. Apple has no part in the decision ot lock or unlock at all. Lock/unlock is 100% the decision of the carrier. Apple has nothing to do with this decision.

Is it a must to unlock the iphone 3gs?

i just bought an iphone 3Gs. it seems that some applications are not functioning. do i need to buy the unlock sofware and unlock the iphone?. what are the functions of unlucking the iphone.

In the US it is a breach of the contract and warranty as the option to unlock the iPhone is not offered.
In all cases where unlocking is offered, you have to go through your provided (in the UK example here, O2) to unlock it, it is not directly done by Apple and they will not "publish" any method to do so.
You are correct, if someone has a legally unlocked iPhone they can get an AT&T SIM and use it here then move on to another location/country and change to that SIM. So if someone here was to go to Italy and purchase an unlocked iPhone they could bring it back here and use it on T-Mobile, with some technical limitations. Besides that downside the other downside is if you see a small crack developing around the headphone jack, or any other manufacturing defect, you are going to have to book a flight and hotel stay in Italy to get it serviced.

I'm going to another country for a year and I would like to unlock my phone to take another sim other than my carrier. My contract with my present carrier is finished yet they still wouldnt unlock the iphone 4 for me. How can I be able to unlock it?t

I'm going to another country for a year and I would like to unlock my phone to take another sim other than my carrier. My contract with my present carrier is finished yet they still wouldnt unlock the iphone 4 for me. How can I be able to unlock it?t

Only the carrier to whom the device is locked can unlock it.
If you do not meet their requirements or they do not offer unlocking there is no official way to unlock the device.
Who is your carrier?

I have an iphone 3gs, i bought it with the carrier Orange in Mauritius and i would like to know if it is possible to unlock the iphone so that i can use another carrier.

i have an iphone 3gs, i bought it with the carrier Orange in Mauritius and i would like to know if it is possible to unlock the iphone so that i can use another carrier. thanks

Only the carrier can authorise unlocking. You need to contact them.

What are the NEW features what comes with the iPhone 6, what does not come with any other iphone?

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Click here for information.
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While unlocking the iphone 4, got message in itunes "Welcome to your new iphone"

While unlocking the iphone 4, got message in itunes "Welcome to your new iphone".
Should I now Set up as new iphone or restore from an earlier backup?
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When you saw this screen (except with "iPhone" and not "iPod"), you clicked "Set Up as New," correct?

What time will the iPhone 5 be available to pre-order in Alabama

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HT201328 what is unlocking the iPhone?

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