Officially Unlocking iPhone 4?

Hello,
My brother gave me an iPhone 4 which he directly purchased from an Apple Store in the US and for which he paid full price. It was never activated or used in US. It is being used in Bahrain with Batelco, a seemingly authorized carrier. I want to update it to iOS 7 and want to make sure I can officially Unlock it. What should I do?
I know how to use other methods but I am not interested.
Thank you - Maki

Contact the carrier it's locked to and find out what their policy on unlocking is. Just because he paid full price doesn't mean he purchased an unlocked iPhone. Look at the original receipt. It should specify what carrier it's locked to. If it says it's supposed to be unlocked, contact Apple Care.

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Can I use officially unlocked iPhone in different countries?

I'm moving to Rome with my job for eight months, then on to Chicago for four months, then back to London. I'm trying to find out if I buy an unlocked Pay as You Go iPhone in one of the various EU countries selling manufacturer unlocked units (France, Germany, Italy, etc) , will it work in each country if I switch to that country's telecom's Sim cards.
The blogs and iPhone dedicated websites are full of opinions but no one seems to have definitive experience doing this. Some users say it should work, others say the EU iPhones are unlocked for the specific country of purchase but will not work with another country's telecom's Sim cards. The Apple Stores will not confirm any usage outside their own country. Similar response from the relevant telecoms. The Apple Support pages do not make any reference to cross country usage beyond roaming.
A privately unlocked iPhone is an option but I prefer an official unlock so there are no hassles. Not looking for opinions here - can find more than enough on the internet. I'm looking for actual first hand experience using these officially unlocked iPhones between countries.

Thanks for the correction on the relevant carriers. Looking at the European options: Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, and Czech Republic should work based on details from Apple's carrier list.
Before I buy I would like to confirm someone has actually purchased an unlocked iPhone in either Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg or Czech Republic and used it with Sim cards from another country.

Officially Unlocked iPhone 4 from UK does not activate

Hi,
I have purchased an officially unlocked iPhone 4 from the UK checked the model number it is MC605B/A which is an unlocked model.
However when I insert the sim and connect it to iTunes it says that the sim is not accepted and is asking me to get a sim from a carrier which supports the iPhone
I don't understand ? I tried the same sim on another unlocked iPhone 4 and it works fine.
Please help

The way Apple post the information on their website it appears customers must order the unlocked iPhone online through Apple, not by going into the Apple store. Here in Canada the Apple stores can activate locked iPhones in the store for a specific carrier and the customer is directed online to buy the unlocked one at full price.
From Apple UK website:
"Your new iPhone. Direct from Apple and ready to use.
When you purchase your iPhone from the Apple Online Store, you’ll get it SIM-free. So you can sign up for service with the carrier of your choice and change your carrier at any time. Questions? Call our iPhone experts at 0800 048 0408.
Get iPhone at a lower price with a contract.
iPhone may also be available at a reduced price with a contract at an Apple Retail Store or from your wireless carrier."

Hesitating to upgrade-3.0 officially unlocked iPhone 3g with tmobile

Please help... I purchased my iphone3G 3 months ago. I'm thinking of upgrading to 3.0 few days from now. But,I have noticed there are people who have problems with the 3.0 upgrade. I'm going to wait a few days before upgrading to 3.0 until I'm more aware what's going on and if there are any solutions from Apple.
Anyway, I purchased my iphone3g on ebay (3 months ago) brand new officially unlocked under Apple warranty and running version 2.2.1 under US tmobile service.
If I upgrade to OS 3.0 and run into a problem that cannot be resolve except exchanging a new one. Would Apple replace it with officially unlocked iphone 3g? or the locked version of iphone 3g that's locked to ATT? Could someone out here please answer...
Also, someone tells me that since the phone was originally from Italy, if something happens with my phone I need to have to ship it back to the Italy? Will Apple warranty still covers my phone because I did purchased my phone in the US on ebay.

Do not upgrade to 3.0 yet - too many problems reported, from missing wireless to excessive battery drain.
Warranty in Europe is a real pain. You have to return it to Italy! There is no other way. And then you will wait for 4 weeks for the replacement unit. If you power adapter is dead too, then you can't claim it at the same time - you can come back in 4 weeks and then hand in the power adapter too - and of course wait another 4 weeks for it.

Applecare replacement for officially unlocked iPhone 3G concern

I've got an officially unlocked O2 iPhone with current Applecare warranty and a cracked case.
I'm concerned as I now have an Orange SIM in the phone and no longer have an O2 account/SIM.
Assuming Apple will replace the phone under warranty at a Genius Bar; will they provide me with already unlocked replacement?

Quick update for those searching a similar issue...
Both AppleCare and the Genius Bar will only replace my officially unlocked iPhone with a LOCKED phone. As I'm now out of contract with O2 I will not ever be able to get the phone unlocked legally!
Sorry state of affairs; Apple really needs to accommodate this scenario effectively. Hopefully I can persuade them to give me a locked phone on Orange..otherwise I'm stuck with a SIM and iPhone that will no longer work together.

Official Unlocked iPhones - Not Cracked

I believe apple is selling official unlocked iPhones in France. Will this unlocked iphone work in other countries? For example if I purchase unlocked iPhone in France, will it work in Australia?

There is another post on here from a person who lives in Belgium and works 10 miles away in France. The iPhone works fine with the French Network SIM card installed, but not when they change the SIM to a Belgian network SIM.
There is another post from a person who purchased the officially unlocked iPhone in Germany to use in Holland (Netherlands). They are experiencing exactly the same problem. With a country specific SIM installed in Germany, their iPhone works flawlessly, yet when the Dutch network SIM is installed, iPhone does not function correctly.
Ergo, my guess is the official unlocked iPhone requires a country specific network SIM for activation and use.
This situation is no different to any other mobile phone SIM. I can't take my O2 or 3 SIM card out of my phone and install it into a phone I bought in South Africa and expect it to log into the O2 or 3 network in the U.K. The IMEI of the phone in use would have to be registered to the SIM you are proposing to use on the O2 or 3 network in the U.K. For use abroad, International Roaming would have to be activated on your account in the country of the network providing the SIM card.
You would therefor have to contact the network in the country the SIM was issued on, register your IMEI of the new handset and activate International Roaming on your account. You would then be able to use the new mobile overseas, piggybacking onto whichever network provides International Roaming support for your originating network, whilst incurring international call rates.
If I didn't want to incur international call rates, I would have to buy a SIM card from a network in the country I was in and use it in either the new handset or my existing SIM FREE handset.
Buying an unlocked (are unlocked and SIM FREE the same thing? This could be argued.) handset does not guarantee use anywhere in the world. Whilst most SIM FREE mobile phones can be used with any SIM, it could be argued that releasing an official unlocked phone in one particular country, based on the laws of that specific country, is intended for use exclusively in the country whose laws stipulate unlocking of mobile phones.
Could I get full functionality and support on say a Treo 750 on a network which doesn't support that particular device? I would say not, hence Network operators/providers run tests on any mobile device they plan to launch to check functionality. Any upgrades to their system are carried out prior to launch of that particular model, to ensure full functionality of the device. Thus some networks offer certain mobile phones, whilst other networks don't.
This is my understanding of the situation:
The SIM card, read the small print, is the property of the providing network. If the network you plan to use iPhone on offers iPhone or an iPhone SIM, then it will work.
iPhone will work properly in a country it has officially been launched in with either, in the case of the locked iPhone, a dedicated network SIM pre-installed and activated with a price plan or in the case of the officially unlocked iPhone, a SIM from a network within the country the unlocked iPhone was sold in.
In theory, I could go and buy an unlocked iPhone in France. I could use that iPhone in the U.K, however, only on O2 with a price plan (after obtaining an O2 iPhone SIM card) or I could use the iPhone with International Roaming active with any network SIM from a Mobile provider in France, but I would incur International Call Rates.
What you are trying to do is to get round being charged International Roaming Call Rates. This is only possible if iPhone is used with a SIM card from a mobile operator in a country iPhone has been officially released in.

Officially Unlocked iPhone 3g extremely importan question

I am going to buy an officially unlocked iPhone 3g, and I need to clear up one main point of issue.
Will I be able to update to 2.0.2 and future firmwares without any problems(ie. having to reunlock it)? Since Apple won't be releasing the iPhone in Bahrain, all the shops are bringing officially unlocked ones from abroad, and I just want to know if I can update it or not without having to reunlock it.

If you mean buying an unlocked phone like Apple themselves are selling via Apple Store's in Hong Kong, I think that still might be a bit of a guessing game. Maybe iTunes will still lock it to the first carrier SIM you put in when you activate it?
I think in some European countries, where it's also sold in various states of carrier-unlock, it still may only activate within the known carriers in that region, but until more people start trying them out in more countries, there won't be a lot of hard data.
I bet the Apple Store in Hong Kong will have a hard time keeping those unlocked babies in stock!

Officially Unlocked iPhone

I bought 2 officially unlocked iPhones, one for me and one for my girl. But they came with version 2.1
My question is: if I update them to 2.2, will iPhones be locked after update?

I have no clue why you have to post your question in a US form, where most of the people have the impression of unlocked iPhone 3G are mostly illegal. And the use of converted SIM card they are misinformed. Hong Kong, Germany and other parts of Europe sell OFFICIALLY UNLOCKED iPhone 3G that works for ALL CARRIERS in the world that supports GSM/HSDPA/WCDMA or whatever the iPhone 3G's wireless band has listed.
If my assumption is correct, the Hong Kong iPhone version will definitely won't be locked if you update with the correct firmware according to where you have purchased. But I have also heard about other people updating their Firmware with other country's firmware without any problem. I strongly suggest you should consult the Hong Kong Apple today and ask about the details. Then report your result to all of us in the North America. Because I really want to know the answer as this may determine if I should buy an iPhone 3G from Hong Kong too!
Added: insert your still active Hong Kong SIM card inside the iPhone 3G and update the firmware, you should not encountered any phone SIM Lock.
Thanks!
Message was edited by: squarejp

Officially unlocked iPhone on other carriers

Hello,
as I understand iPhones purchased in Italy are officially unlocked. As all iPhones have to be activated, is it possible to activate an unlocked iPhone with a carrier which is not listed on the Apple carrier website ( http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937 )? Furthermore, if the phone can be activated, are the MMS and tethering functions available in the phone's menu when connected to such a carrier?
Thanks for your help...

Thank you for your quick replies...
Well, I don't really care about MMS and voicemail(visual voicemail is almost certainly not supported because it's an iphone specific feature), but tethering is really crucial to me as I travel allot and need an internet connection on my laptop. My carrier supports tethering, currently I tether my e71 without any problems. The only question is will I have a menu option in settings on the iPhone to set the tethering and data connection options? I know those options are hidden if you buy a locked one, since they're already set up with the specifications for the carrier the phone is locked to.

What is the deal with "Apple official unlocked" iPhones on eBay?

Does anyone know what this means? The eBay sellers say that you can use these phones on any network (like T-Mobile)...but what is the catch? is there some sort of hidden cost or issue with the phones? and why do they say it's officially unlocked by apple, (not jailbroken)...curious as to why/how Apple would do this? Also, does anyone know if/when Apple will make the iPhone available on any other network other than AT&T?
thanks

Yes, they are officially unlocked by Apple. Yes they will work on T-Mo but not completely. T-Mobile 3G WILL NOT function on the iPhone 3G due to different frequencies. If you have trouble believing this saying that there isn't one unlocked to test on T-Mo then look at the G1 Android phone from T-Mobile, it WILL NOT work on AT&T 3G, and it can be unlocked.

Officially unlocked iPhone locked by O2

Hi,
I bought iPhone 4, officially unlocked from Apple store in UK, and it was Sim-free, but after installing O2 sim card in O2 store the guy their manage to lock my phone, now my phone is locked to O2 network and I can't be used in any other carrier
how it can be locked like this, is it possible to lock unlocked iPhones? and how to unlocked it?
Please help

Solarya,
If you bought an unlocked iPhone 4 from the Apple Canada store online, not an authorized reseller then the iPhone should remain unlocked no matter which carrier (Rogers, Fido, Bell, Telus, etc) MicroSIM you use. If it is locking it to the carrier and not allowing swapping of MicrSIM for another carrier then call the number below. Please post your outcome after calling Apple. Per the Apple Canada website:
"Your new iPhone. Direct from Apple and ready to use.
When you purchase your iPhone from the Apple Online Store, you’ll get it commitment-free. So you can sign up for service with the carrier of your choice and change your carrier at any time. Questions? Call our iPhone experts at 1-800-MY-APPLE."

Officially unlocked iPhone not anymore

Hello all to who can help me I bought an iPhone when travelling in Australia and the phone was officially unlocked as i was using an o2 sim back home in the uk this phone has never been messed with in anyway it was bought from apple and I explained my situation to a lovely lady there who assured me It would work fine which it has for several months but during a recent restore it is now not working thanks to anyone that can help

The way Apple post the information on their website it appears customers must order the unlocked iPhone online through Apple, not by going into the Apple store. Here in Canada the Apple stores can activate locked iPhones in the store for a specific carrier and the customer is directed online to buy the unlocked one at full price.
From Apple UK website:
"Your new iPhone. Direct from Apple and ready to use.
When you purchase your iPhone from the Apple Online Store, you’ll get it SIM-free. So you can sign up for service with the carrier of your choice and change your carrier at any time. Questions? Call our iPhone experts at 0800 048 0408.
Get iPhone at a lower price with a contract.
iPhone may also be available at a reduced price with a contract at an Apple Retail Store or from your wireless carrier."

Officially unlocked iphone, now sim locked again !

Some time ago I bought a officially unlocked G3 iPhone on eBay,
I know that it was officially unlocked because since then I have updated the software, as well as using the "restore" feature as soon as I bought the phone.
Now with the latest update (3.1.3) that I just used, my iPhone is now sim locked to t-mobile here in Germany !
I have also inserted an T-Mobile sim card and restored it with my last backup. The phone is still locked to T-Mobile only !
Does Apple or the carrier actually unlock the phone, whats the procedure that they use ?
If I took the phone to telecom (T-Mobile) without a receipt and they refuse to unlock it, can I still somehow get apple to unlock it.
Thanks for your help

That is why I am reluctant to buy mobile phones from Ebay. There will always be complications down the road, since you are not the original purchaser. Most companies state in their contract, that certain rights & privileges extend only to the original purchaser, and not third parties. When comes to buying phones, I always buy them myself. I end up paying a bit more, but I always have piece of mind.

Returning broken officially unlocked iphone

I had my iphone officially unlocked by the carrier in the UK recently, and a thought just occurred to me. Will the Apple Store I bought it from give me an officially unlocked phone in event of mine breaking under warranty, or will I end up locked again and have to go through the rigmarole of another carrier unlock request?

What a nightmare. That would mean no phone for weeks until that got sorted - assuming they agreed to unlock it. I'm wrapping mine in bubble wrap...

No push-notifications after officially unlocking iphone 3gs

Hey there!
A few days ago I officially unlocked my T-Mobile Germany iPhone 3GS.
After this, push notifications aren't working. It keeps me telling "Connect to Itunes to use push-notifications".
And it doesn't matter whether I try WhatsApp or Facebook.
I tried a restore and a reset of the network settings.
Anyone experiencing the same issues?
Thanks in advance,
Julian

I recently updated my iPhone 3GS with IOS 5. Since then I've found my phone is very slow, but also that What's App Messenger or Facebook does not give me push notifications. Everytime I open the app, it tells me to connect with iTunes to use push notifications. I've done this a few times, but it makes no difference. I don't know if I'm suppose to change any settings on iTunes, but cant find anything to change. All my Whatsapp notification settings are on. I also dont want to uninstall WhatsApp because I'm scared I will lose all my messages.
Please help

Officially Unlocking iPhone 4?

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