Moving to USA with factory unlocked iPhone purchased in Europe

I live in Russia but I'm moving to the US for school. I have an iPhone 3gs which I purchased here (factory unlocked). Do I still need to sign a 2 year contract with AT&T to use my phone in the States? I'll be coming back to Russia every summer, so I don't really want to be paying for 3 months a year that I won't use.

Not true. I bought an unlocked 3GS overseas and signed up for month-to-month here in the US. It's possible. The only reason carriers make you sign contracts to begin with is because they subsidize the phones. If you bring your own equipment, they can't force you to sign a contract.

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No Service with factory unlocked iPhone 4S

I bought a factory unlocked iPhone 4S in Canada – it worked perfectly with the different Canadian carriers (Rogers and Telus).
I moved to Denmark to study and have recieved a SIM card from Oister (uses 3's network).
When I put the SIM card in it recognizes the SIM card and asks for a PIN code, which I enter. After that I get a carrier update. However after that it sits on Searching... for a bit before going to No Service. A look in the "About" section shows "3" as the operator however under Network it says "SIM not provisioned".
I've tried to do a simple restore and update to 6.1.3 with no success. I've even done a DFU restore with no success.
The strange thing is that I'm not getting any "Your iPhone has been unlocked screen" or anything like that when using iTunes. For example, I restore my iPhone, then the activation screen comes on the iPhone, I go through the whole process and get to the homescreen after which iTunes asks me if I want to restore my iPhone from an old backup. No errors or messages telling me my phone is unlocked/not unlocked.
I know the phone is unlocked for sure, I even gave Apple a call and they checked and their systems indicate that my phone is unlocked.
Any ideas?

Iit sounds like your account is not properly provisioned by your carrier. Contact them and have them check the provisioning on the account.

Problems with Factory Unlocked iPhone (iMessage)

Hey guys,
I have this iPhone 3GS that was previous hacktivated using SAM and unlocked via ultrasn0w for T-Mobile. Everything worked great, I was able to use iMessage and send photos. But I realized I got tired of having to re-unlock everytime an update comes out so I went ahead and got the phone factory unlocked, so I restored it and installed iOS6.
It booted up for the first time and instantly connected to T-Mobile so I knew the factory unlock was working fine. Push notifications functioned great with no further steps from me. And I really didn't set up iMessage because it was always my assumption that it got enabled by default as long as your Apple ID was entered during the setup.
So I texted texting via iMessage and it works great, only today I tried to send a message via iMessage and the sending bar gets stuck at the 95% mark and never completes. I can receive pictures via iMessage as my friends sent me one and I got it, and I can even send picture messages over MMS if I do the iBackupBot trick. But I CANT send pics over iMessage and this baffles me.
I checked Settings > Messages and it says "waiting on activation". Its just been stuck on that (mind you I can still send iMessage texts while it says that) but I can't send pictures.
And the kicker is, if I attempt to send a picture, it will get stuck, and if I cancel sending that message and try to send a text message after, it will get stuck in the same spot.
I'm restoring again, and iTunes says "Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked" as usual.
Restored from a backup, and its still waiting on activation. Can't send pics via iMessage but I recieve them....

Step for step, what I did was Turn off iMessage, then I added $10 to my account (since thats the minimum they allow you to add) then I went ahead and restarted my phone and turned iMessage back on. It said waiting for activation and after about three minutes it activated.
As for my issue, the actual problem is I'm unable to send MMS over iMessage WHILE im connected to wifi. If I turn wifi off, that disables iMessage and I can send MMS normally over my network
However I learned just a few moments ago that my iMessage was working 100% while I was on my uni's wifi. The moment I left the campus, and went back to my own wifi at my house, it doesn't work, so I'm assuming its maybe a port forwarding issue?

HT201328 Help to unlock a factory-unlocked Iphone 4

More than a year ago, I purchased in the USA a factory-unlocked Iphone 4 for use in Brazil. Recently it was updated the to v5.0.1, and now the unlock is gone. I've tried everything - backing up and restoring, reactivating, all - and nothing works. It is not a jailbroken device, and there is no AT&T here in Brazil.
Also, I do not own the receipt anymore and american AT&T asks me that to confirm the unlock. What should I do?
Thanks!

Actually, I paid the full factory-unlock price at the purchase (US$ ~600 + tax) on a BestBuy store. It was either NY or Orlando, I can't really remember which city I was at the time. So it was unlocked and worked for a while, until it was updated a couple months ago.
I'm thinking of taking it back with me to the US on my next trip there by the end of the year and going to an AT&T store, but until then it seems there is nothing I can do to make it work!
Anyway, I checked another thread (https://discussions.apple.com/message/15915713#15915713) and it looks like the same situation. I think I'll give it one more try to unlock it on Itunes, but if that doesn't work I'm out of ideas.
Tks for the reply!

I had already update mi new factory unlocked iPhone 4S to iOS 5.1.1 and I still having problems with "invalid sim". I'm from Argentina and here we don't have official service. PLEASE HELP ME, WHAT CAN I DO??? In Argentina is too expensive an iPhone 4S.

I had already update mi new factory unlocked iPhone 4S to iOS 5.1.1 and I still having problems with "invalid sim". I'm from Argentina and here we don't have official service. PLEASE HELP ME, WHAT CAN I DO??? In Argentina is too expensive an iPhone 4S. Please I need help to continue believing in Apple. Thanks a lot. If anybody speak spanish better.

Was it purchased from an official Apple Store, not a reseller? Only Apple Stores sell official factory unlocked phones. The others sell hacked to unlock phones, and the unlocking is unstable.
Try these steps, as needed:
1. Reset phone - press both home and on/off buttons for at least 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears.
2. Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
3. Replace SIM card (and reset network settings again)
4. Restore Phone in iTunes using a backup
5. Restore in iTunes as new, without using a backup

T-Mobile SIM card won't work with my replacement factory unlocked iPhone 5

On Saturday, my rear camera on my factory unlocked iPhone 5 stopped focusing. I took it in to my nearest Apple store and they replaced it. Problem is, now I can't get my T-Mobile SIM card to work with the replacement phone. The guys at the genius bar sent me to T-Mobile to see if a new SIM card would fix the problem, but I'm still getting an "Unsupported SIM" error when I try to activate the phone. Any insights?

Do you have information about the model no. of original purchase that is printed on the back cover ?
What is model no. of the replacement iPhone 5 ?
If T-mobile SIM worked on the original purchase and does not work on the replacement iPhone 5, they gave you a wrong model.

How to activate factory unlocked iphone 3gs with os 4.0

i have bought a factory unlocked iphone 3gs loaded with latest os 4.0 in usa for $850 , but i am unable to activate it over itunes.
I want to activate it without at&t sim as its factory unloacked.
Can anybody give me the process or any reference links on how to activate it.
Thanks in advance,
Pavan Raj.

pavanraj wrote:
iphone 3gs loaded with latest os 4.0
If the iPhone had the 4.0 Beta loaded on it, the iPhone needs to be registered with a developer for the iPhone to even function. If it's not registered and the beta is installed then it is a brick. Regardless of if it is registered or not, as Tamara said the iPhone 4.0 Beta has no support. The Beta is a beta and is for developers who are developing apps. That way they can release apps as soon as the OS 4.0 is released sometime this summer. You should get an error message saying something along the lines of this phone is not registered with a developer, if the iPhone is not registered.
pavanraj wrote:
I want to activate it without at&t sim as its factory unloacked.
If it is unlocked by the carrier then you just need to plug it into iTunes with a SIM card from a compatible carrier. If you get a message saying that the SIM is not from an authorized carrier, well then the iPhone is not unlocked, sorry.
If the iPhone is not unlocked you are really out of luck. While there are ways to hack an iPhone to unlock it, there are no methods for the 4.0 Beta to unlock the iPhone, and even if there is a way to hack it to unlock the iPhone 3GS on the 4.0 OS, it won't come for a long time.

Can you service a factory unlocked iphone in the USA?

Can i service a factory unlocked Iphone in the USA? I just serviced it in canada, and it came back unlocked, but the home button is hard to use (its a refurb). i travel between canada and usa and now i would like to service it here in the US.

maconomics wrote:
Can i service a factory unlocked Iphone in the USA? I just serviced it in canada, and it came back unlocked, but the home button is hard to use (its a refurb). i travel between canada and usa and now i would like to service it here in the US.
I wouldn't even take a chance at getting it serviced in the US.
If you did happen to find a store willing to service it under warranty, they would most likely replace the device. That means you would end up with a US iPhone locked to AT&T.
Do you really want to run that risk?
Take the device to the country of origin and have it serviced there.

HT4061 Can I use and factory unlocked iphone 4s with verizon

I purchased a factory unlocked Iphone 4s and would like to use it with Verizon is this possible?

Unlocked iphones are GSM network version. Verizon use CDMA network. You will only be able to use an unlocked phone with AT&T properly or T-Mobile with reduced functionality.

Need help with using Factory Unlocked iPhone 4 (GSM) in US

Hi all I have an factory unlocked iPhone 4 (GSM) which is bought overseas. I will come to the US soon but I don't know how can I continue using with the US carriers.
Any solution?

If it is truly unlocked, just sign up for a plan with AT&T when you get to the US and insert the MicroSIM. AT&T will not permit pre-paid plans on iPhones. T-Mobile will, but they are not a supported carrier and you will not get 3G data speeds, only Edge. Other features may not work correctly such as MMS messaging, FaceTime, etc.

My factory unlocked iphone 4s mms is not working with tmobile, please help...

my factory unlocked iphone 4s mms is not working with tmobile, please help...

Check out this link. It should fix the problem
http://support.t-mobile.com/thread/17918?tstart=0

Good morning friends, I have a problem with my iphone 4s since I get a screen that just light it says "Activation Required" restored it and not corrected, I bought my factory unlocked iphone, how I can fix this, I had installed the version 6.0 as develope

Good morning friends, I have a problem with my iphone 4s since I get a screen that just light it says "Activation Required" restored it and not corrected, I bought my factory unlocked iphone, how I can fix this, I had installed the version 6.0 as developer to

If you have a beta copy of iOS6
1. You are a developer and will know how to transition from beta
to release version and to use the Develpoer forum
2. You have a pirate copy of the beta and no-one on this Apple hosted Forum can help you
try Google

Will a factory unlocked iphone 4s from the apple retail store come with a simcard.

Will a factory unlocked iphone 4s from the apple retail store come with a simcard.Furthermore will my new phone need to be activated in store or can i do it myself

No. You'll need to get a SIM from your carrier. Since you won't have a SIM, there will be no way to activate the iPhone at the store, so you'll have to do it yourself.
Regards.

I have a factory unlock iphone 5 with the lasted version. Since yesterday my sim card stopped working and now says `No Sim`, was working fine and stopped working now, other sim works but just not mine. ¿What can be happening?

I have a factory unlock iphone 5 with the lasted version. Since yesterday my sim card stopped working and now says `No Sim`, was working fine and stopped working now, other sim works but just not mine. ¿What can be happening?

I thought that, but I put the sim card in another device that is not Apple and works. Definitely the sim card work, but no longer in my iPhone 5 or maybe in any other Apple device, i dont know why!! But i gonna get a replacement to see what happen

HT1937 Will a factory unlocked iPhone 5 A1429-GSM work in S Korea & USA?

According to Apple, the model A1429 (GSM) is the one for South Korea- LTE bands 1 (2100 MHz), 3 (1800 MHz) and 5 (850 MHz).
When I return to the US in 2014 will I be able to use it on Verizon and sprint's network? I noticed that the LTE band 1, 3 and 5 are also supported by those two US carriers. However, those two carriers use a different platform/technology (CDMA).
I am positive that the A1429 GSM will use a nano sim card. What about the CDMA? Please clarify.
I am contract free as of yesterday and able to go with either of the carriers and be able to factory unlock it before my departure in January 2013. However, the hardware must work in Korea and in the US.
Another option that I am considering is a factory unlocked iPhone 4S, but I cant find a 32GB. I am very reluctant with this option as I am afraid that when I return to the US (Jan 2014) things will drastically change and I wont be able to enjoy the new advancements in the mobile tech world because I have a hardware that wont handle them.
Thank you.

Apple does sell the A1429 GSM in Europe
This may help
http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

Moving to USA with factory unlocked iPhone purchased in Europe

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