Factory unlocked 4s Question

macdude · Jan 28, 2012

Hello everyone! I've lurked around this forum for a long time and haven't signed up or posted because I have always found my answers after a bit of searching. Also figured, why contribute my white noise when it was unnecessary. But this time I haven't managed to find the answer I've been searching, for which is if there would be any way to tell if the factory unlocked iPhone 4s I purchased at the Apple store has been locked by my jerk carrier Bell. (Canada) I don't have any friends with a 4 or 4S to be able to borrow a different carrier's SIM card.

Thanks in advance!

Thomasjtsi · Jan 28, 2012

From what I understand it isn't possible for a carrier to lock a Factory Unlocked iDevice. When it comes Factory Unlocked it's built into the hardware and cannot be changed.

thewitt · Jan 28, 2012

The GSMA IMEI database could be used to lock your phone to a carrier, however there is no way to tell without simply trying s SIM card from another carrier. This is the same place that a stolen phone can be disabled.

Why would your carrier have done that? Typically this is only done with subsidized phones where you pay little or nothing up front for the phone and are tied to a multi year contract until the phone is paid for.

elitegamer767 · Jan 28, 2012

Order a sim card online or pop into a different carriers store to buy one they're quite cheap anyway

Gregoris · Jan 28, 2012

micro sims are free now from most carriers but in countries that sell the iphone factory unlocked the apple store will sell them unlocked and not locked to any particular carrier... log onto your apple store for canada and hit the chat button and ask them to be 100% sure if you want

Apple (Canada)

Reserve iPhone 4S SIM-free now for in-store pickup tomorrow.

thats what it says when I go to buy one... so if you got it from the apple store then it is unlocked

and at that price >

From $649.00 for the 16GB model.

and if you select buy now it says on the left hand side "about the UNLOCKED iphone"

macdude · Jan 28, 2012

Thanks for that great information guys!

The reason I asked is because it happened to the girlfriend of one of my friends with an iPhone4. She bought it factory unlocked from the Apple store and inserted her SIM card. A week later she changed carriers. After she inserted the new SIM the phone didn't recognize it even though the carrier supports the iPhone. She had to got to Apple who explained sometimes carriers will lock the phones. She was able to exchange her phone for a new one, but was quite upset.

I did a bit of reading on the Apple website. It mentions to try restoring the phone to factory settings in iTunes if the phone doesn't recognize the new card. Maybe that's all she needed to do...

Gregoris · Jan 28, 2012

macdude said:
Thanks for that great information guys!

The reason I asked is because it happened to the girlfriend of one of my friends with an iPhone4. She bought it factory unlocked from the Apple store and inserted her SIM card. A week later she changed carriers. After she inserted the new SIM the phone didn't recognize it even though the carrier supports the iPhone. She had to got to Apple who explained sometimes carriers will lock the phones. She was able to exchange her phone for a new one, but was quite upset.

I did a bit of reading on the Apple website. It mentions to try restoring the phone to factory settings in iTunes if the phone doesn't recognize the new card. Maybe that's all she needed to do...

yeah I have heard that happen to a few factory unlocked devices where for some reason the imei code gets removed from the unlocked device list but if that happens then get in touch with apple and they will sort it

macdude · Jan 29, 2012

Unleashed said:
yeah I have heard that happen to a few factory unlocked devices where for some reason the imei code gets removed from the unlocked device list but if that happens then get in touch with apple and they will sort it

OK, thanks so much for the help. Now to work up my courage to JB it. Only done it to my iPad 2 and iPhone 4. Hopefully the 4s will be as smooth.

Gregoris · Jan 29, 2012

It wil be.. the 4S is very good

nikstar · Jan 29, 2012

Unleashed said:
It wil be.. the 4S is very good

Yes, it was super easy.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

elitegamer767 · Jan 29, 2012

Very easy to do ;-)

Sent from my 
iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

iHolophyte · Jan 29, 2012

thewitt said:
The GSMA IMEI database could be used to lock your phone to a carrier, however there is no way to tell without simply trying s SIM card from another carrier. This is the same place that a stolen phone can be disabled.

Why would your carrier have done that? Typically this is only done with subsidized phones where you pay little or nothing up front for the phone and are tied to a multi year contract until the phone is paid for.

Even after your multiple years contract has run out it doesn't then unlock itself, that is something you have to do yourself. So on that basis, you can unlock it half way through your contract if you so wished, but you'd still be under contract.

iHolophyte