Sim free always unlocked?

An Iphone 3gs 32gb bought from the Apple store (UK) can any sim be used in the device, or once one sim is used is it locked to that network? For example if bought and used on Vodafone could I then use an 02 sim after. Thanks.

<http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone?mco=OTY2ODA2OQ# faqs>
"Buying a SIM-free iPhone from the Apple Online Store allows you choose your own carrier and change carriers at any time."

Similar Messages

  • Sim free or unlocked difference

    I have heard that if I buy a iPhone from the apple shop it comes unlocked but the first time I put a SIM card in it will automatically lock to that service provider and I won't be able to change the provider, ie when I go abroad I need to buy a local sim to use but if the phone locks to my uk provider then this won't be possible ?

    Thanks very much for help, so if I buy online (apple) and then say I get a sim only contract from t-mobile  to use here in uk and then when I go abroad for holidays I can buy a PAYG  local SIM card and that would work ok?
    Cheers

  • Hello! The question is this. In London, took the Iphone 5 as sim free, flew to Moscow put Simcoe, and he writes me that is locked to the operator O2. Can anyone encountered this problem? What to do? How to remove the Unlock?

    Hello! The question is this. In London, took the Iphone 5 as sim free, flew to Moscow put Simcoe, and he writes me that is locked to the operator O2. Can anyone encountered this problem? What to do? How to remove the Unlock?
    <Edited by Host>

    Look at your receipt. Does it say unlocked? It is possible to purchase both locked "sim free" and unlocked iPhones from Apple.
    ONLY the carrier an iPhone is locked to can legitimately unlock it.
    IF your receipt says that it was supposed to be unlocked, and it is not, call AppleCare. They should be able to straighten it out.

  • Confirmation on the term "SIM free"

    I have been planning to buy an iPhone 6 Plus while in Japan next month as for the first time, Apple stores in Tokyo are selling SIM free iPhones in-store. I have been reading contradicting articles/forums on the terms "SIM-Free" and "unlocked". Can someone please confirm this for me...it just doesn't seem right for a SIM-free phone to be at the price it is if it will only be locked down to one carrier.

    maybe things have changed as according to Apple Online Store Japan (with the help of google translate) it states:
    "All the features of the iPhone is equipped with the iPhone SIM Free, but there is no wireless contractual obligations. You can select your favorite businesses from telecom operators of wireless network corresponding NTT DoCoMo, KDDI, such as Softbank, and use it to activate the iPhone. For more information about SIM SIM and whether it is available, please contact your wireless service provider to use. The 6 Plus iPhone and iPhone 6 of SIM free, there are times when it does not correspond to the 4G LTE network in some countries. Please contact your wireless service provider for details.
    If you do not want the service signed multi-year agreements, if you want to use the communication operators of local overseas, it is recommended that you choose the iPhone SIM Free. Since the nano-SIM card is not included with the 6 Plus iPhone and iPhone 6 of SIM free, please obtain a card from the telecom operators of the corresponding countries. Is inserted into the slot of the iPhone this card, if you turn on the power, please set according to the display on the screen. You can start using the iPhone in this."
    i am not too worried about warranty as my brother in law lives there and i can always send it over if there are issues. Most of the iPhones here in the Philippines are carrier locked or imported anyway. i would just like to triple check so i don't get hyped up for nothing

  • Buying an iPhone 5S or 5C from online store completely Sim-Free?

    Hello, is buying a iPhone 5S or 5C from the Australian Apple Online store completely sim-free and unlocked?

    No. Sim Free usually refers to a phone that has no Sim card inside.
    Most of the time Unlocked Phones are sim free. As in: they do not come with a sim card.
    However there are exceptions, a good example is the Unlocked T-Mobile version in the U.S. online store. They are unlocked but are not sim-free because they come packaged with a T-Mobile sim card that can be removed.
    Any sim card from any carrier,  can then be placed inside the phone and it will work.

  • SIM free phone = Pre-paid phone, is this correct??

    I'm currently looking for a new iphone and am quite sure that iPhone 5s would be the one.
    Also, this time I am interested in buying a SIM free 5s and will remain with my current provider, AT&T.
    However, one of my friends said that SIM free phone is a basically pre-paid phone.
    Personally I believe this is so untrue but still not quite sure about it.
    So I want to know if my friend is right or not and also, if he isn't, I'd like to know
    what SIM free 5s mobile plan would be and how it works or if it is basically
    same with other 2-year plans.

    No. One does not equate to the other. Also, keep in mind that there is a difference between "SIM free" and "unlocked".
    Service for an "unlocked" or SIM free phone will cost whatever the plan you choose from your carrier charges. Ask them what your options are.

  • Sim free  is locked!

    Hello everybody
    I have 4S 64GB iphone sim free and unlocked, ones i upgraded to version 6 the sim free option is locked! I can't use it.
    I am located in Israel and the device cant recognize the SIM
    I will be grateful with any help..
    Uri

    Well, according to this support document http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937 all of the wireless carriers in Australia offer unlock services. You would need to contact the carrier the phone is locked to for an unlock request. Like I said earlier, only the carrier can authorize the unlock.
    Also, you are not addressing Apple here, we are users just like you that try to help other users. Besides, Apple cannot solve it since the carrier is the only one that can authorize the unlock.

  • IPhone sim free (SIMフリー) in Japanese

    I have a business trip in Japan, so I really want to buy a iPhone at http://store.apple.com/jp/buy-iphone/iphone5s and ship it to Japan address.
    Can I use it with Vietnam SIM when I back to Vietnam? And how about warranty at Vietnam?
    Thanks in advance.

    NO.  If you buy the phone in Japan, then all Japanese iPhones are carrier locked and the Japanese carriers will not unlock the phones, so no, you will not be able to use the phone with a Vietnam SIM card when you get back.
    The warranty will not be valid for Vietnam either - iPhones are country specific, so if you buy the phone in Japan the warranty is only valid for Japan and nowhere else, so if you have a problem with the phone, you will need to get on a plane and take it back to Japan - no sending via mail is accepted.  iPhone warranty IS NOT international, but country specific.  This is due to the differing models in different countries.
    Try and source an unlocked iPhone from Vietnam and if you can buy an unlocked phone there, then you can take it to Japan and use it there but not vice versa, because the Japanese carriers will not unlock the phones so you are then stuck with a phone that you can't use with another SIM card and no warranty.
    Also be aware that sim free and unlocked are not the same thing.  Unlocked means that it is unlocked and will remain so.  SIM free means that the phone will lock to the first sim card that you put in it and if it is a Japanese sim card, say from Softbank, then they will not unlock the phone.
    There have been others on this forum asking the same question about Japanese unlocking with no joy, so don't do it - it is not worth it and you will have wasted good money on a phone that you possibly will not be able to use outside Japan.

  • ?Bought iphone in a shop sim free, send abroad like a present write all the time incorrect network, what the problem

    Bought iphone in a shop sim free, send abroad like a present write all the time incorrect network, what the problem?

    What "shop" did you buy this in, and in what country? What country did you send it to as a present? And, as KiltedTim stated, there is a BIG difference between SIM free and unlocked.

  • Why is the price of an unlocked iPhone 4 is the same as sim-free?

    In September 2010 I purchased all'Apple Store in San Francisco one iPhone4 sim-free, before I asked the seller if you could use it in Italy and he answered yes, but does not work with the Italian telephone operators GSM.
    I only found out after my phone only works with operator AT&T.
    Why is the price of an iPhone 4 unlocked is the same as Iphone 4 sim-free?
    I would be unlocked for free from Apple, I have paid to have a iPhone4 unusable in Italy, thanks
    Bye

    The U.S. Apple store publicized as the type of Sim-free iPhone, and not as a contract-free.
    Now in the Apple store site, including the FAQ for purchasing iPhone4 unloked, is written:
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC603LL/A?mco=MjI4NTM2NTM
    "Why does the price of the unlocked iPhone differ from the price of a contract-based iPhone?
    Carriers typically subsidize the purchase price of the phone when purchased with a service contract. By purchasing your iPhone unlocked, you are not committing to a service contract up front, so you can use any micro-SIM card from a supported GSM carrier, including your current one"
    I wonder why I pay the same price as a phone but an identical unlocked, it is a fraud

  • Hello Can I use Unlocked IPhone 5 S (sim free) in south America?(country : Ecuador)

    Hello , the thing is that I want to use it in Ecuador located in South America, so I was looking the page and I read that there where Iphone5 S unlocked sim free! But I'm not sure if it works in other country (not in United States only)

    The unlocked iPhone 5S sold in the U.S. is model A1533 GSM.
    This link includes info on which countries the various models work.
    http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/
    The A1533 model may work in Ecudaor but not with any LTE networks.
    Support and warranty covered if needed will be honored in the U.S. only with an iPhone purchased in the U.S.

  • I have iPhone 3GS, no sim-free, and it locked (tried to update to 6.0). How can I unlock it?

    I have iPhone 3GS, no sim-free, and it locked (tried to update to virsion 6.0). How can I unlock it?

    What do you mean how can you unlock it? If it was truly "sim-free" it would not have locked when you updated.
    ONLY the carreir the phone is locked to can authorize unlocking it. Contact them if you haven't managed to brick it entirely now.

  • How to unlock iphone5 sim free, but locked by applestore

    Can not to activate two i phone5 sim free, it locked in apple store

    So why are you telling us?  We can't help you.  Contact the wireless provider to whom phone is locked..only they can unlock it.

  • I am from Nepal and want to buy unlocked sim free iphone 5s from USA. So will it work in Nepal?

    I want to buy sim free iphone 5s from USA. So can I be able to use it here in Nepal with either of NCELL or NTC network?

    Any unlocked iPhone should work as a GSM phone anywhere in the world. However, iPhones have additional features that will not work on networks that are not partners with Apple. The features that may not work  include:
    iTunes store and App Store
    Visual Voicemail (almost certainly will not work)
    LTE networks
    3G networks
    iMessage
    FaceTime
    MMS
    GameCenter
    Your Apple warranty will not be honored outside of the country of purchase. You may or may not be able to get services to fix it for a fee; I don't know if independent repair shops in Nepal can handle the iPhone. I do know that they cannot get official Apple replacement parts, so any parts that are needed will be gray market.
    You might be be better off getting a phone in India; at least getting repairs and warranty service won't require traveling back to the US.

  • Unlocked sim-free Iphone 5S in retail store

    Can I buy an unlocked sim-free Iphone 5S in any Apple retail store? I cannot buy it online as I'm abroad but coming to US next month.

    Buy the AT&T version of the phone from the Apple store. Do not activate the phone with the AT&T sim and instead use the sim from the provider that you are going to use.
    You also may not have 4G/LTE data when you get back to your home country. You will also have no warranty on the phone outside of the US. If you have a problem with the phone you will have to return (or just the phone) to the US. You cannot ship to Apple for repairs either. Is that risk worth saving some money? Only you can decide.

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