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Unlocked IPhone 6 or 7 for camera use only

Hello, I am considering to buy on Amazon a refurbished (by Apple) unlocked IPhone 6 or 7 for camera use only. I plan to use it with the NightCap app for photography with a telescope. NightCap only works with Apple phones. I am not interested in using this IPhone to make calls or to sign up with a cellular carrier.

I have the following questions:

  • out of the box, will I be able to connect to my home network and to download the photo app that I am interested in?
  • will the camera and the photo app work if I leave the phone unlocked, without a SIM and without a cellular carrier? Will they continue to work over time if I leave the phone unlocked?
  • will the operating system periodically update when I connect to my home network?


Thank you in advance

iPhone 7

Posted on Dec 30, 2018 11:19 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 30, 2018 11:26 AM

There is no such thing as an Apple refurbished device on Amazon. The only source of Apple OEM refurbished products is from Apple itself, in the online Apple refurb Store.


Amazon sells Amazon refurbished devices. Whatever they mean by “refurbishment” will be defined by them. Whatever warranty those devices have is from Amazon, not Apple.


You cannot complete iPhone setup without a SIM present in the phone. That SIM need not be associated with any active cellular service account though. After being setup, an iPhone will work just fine as a WiFi only device (it’s effectively an iPod Touch then, or similar to a WiFi only iPad). Other than being needed for cellular telephone function and SMS/MMS texting, there is nothing about an iPhone nor iOS that requires a cellular telephone service account.

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 30, 2018 11:26 AM in response to DeeEmme

There is no such thing as an Apple refurbished device on Amazon. The only source of Apple OEM refurbished products is from Apple itself, in the online Apple refurb Store.


Amazon sells Amazon refurbished devices. Whatever they mean by “refurbishment” will be defined by them. Whatever warranty those devices have is from Amazon, not Apple.


You cannot complete iPhone setup without a SIM present in the phone. That SIM need not be associated with any active cellular service account though. After being setup, an iPhone will work just fine as a WiFi only device (it’s effectively an iPod Touch then, or similar to a WiFi only iPad). Other than being needed for cellular telephone function and SMS/MMS texting, there is nothing about an iPhone nor iOS that requires a cellular telephone service account.

Dec 30, 2018 11:51 AM in response to Michael Black

Thanks for the clear explanation.


I have a SIM card from an old Tracfone LG phone that was deactivated maybe two years ago. Would its SIM card allow me to complete the initial IPhone setup?


I checked Amazon and you are right, although the refurb Iphone is marked as by Apple, there is some fine print below that says it is not an Apple refurb.

Dec 30, 2018 12:07 PM in response to DeeEmme

You’ll need a nano-SIM for an iPhone 6 or 7 or newer. So if that older SIM is a nano-SIM it may work. If not, you can borrow a nano-SIM from someone for 2 minutes to complete setup - iPhone activation and setup does nothing to the SIM itself and has nothing to do with cellular service. It’s checking activation lock with Apple, and then enabling the device for use in the Apple iTunes and App stores.


Once you complete setup, you can take the SIM back out. You’d only ever need one again if you restore the device back to the initial setup state.

Unlocked IPhone 6 or 7 for camera use only

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