US Flex Policy

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Level 1

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US Flex Policy

I was gifted an Iphone XR from China last year and at the end of this year when i was changing around my carriers the sim card said not supported and in an attempt to repair it i restarted it, which caused an ever bigger issue and is not allowing any sim cards to work, not the old one that i used to use it with nor the new one i want to use it with. For your information I live in Australia however after taking it to a repair shop for them to run a dignositics they found that it had been locked under the US Reseller Flex Policy, does anyone know how to repair this issue?

iPhone XR

Posted on Mar 28, 2020 6:11 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Lawrence Finch

Community+ 2026

Level 10

230,364 points

Mar 30, 2020 5:36 PM in response to ATakas

OK, so you got a grey market phone intended for sale in the USA, originally purchased from a non-Apple retailer in the USA then resold in China. These phones will lock to the first US carrier they are used with. Then it was hacked to bypass SIM lock. When you then reset it for a new SIM that undid the hack. As it was probably never activated in the US it is pretty much useless until it is first used with a US carrier, then you can ask that carrier to unlock it. You can try contacting Apple Support using the Contact Support link at the top of this page; they may be able to tell you if it has ever been used with a US carrier, and which one so you can contact them.

As confirmation, what is the model number?

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Answer 2

chuck_3rd

Community Specialist

Mar 30, 2020 5:05 PM in response to ATakas

Hi, ATakas,

Thanks for visiting the Apple Support Communities. I understand your iPhone is not recognizing your SIM card any longer. I'm happy to help!

From what you describe, it sounds like the iPhone is locked to a specific carrier (likely the carrier it was originally activated to, or at least the carrier that the phone was sold to be used on). To unlock the iPhone, you must get in contact with that original carrier and ask them if they will do so: How to unlock your iPhone for use with a different carrier - Apple Support.

Best!

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US Flex Policy

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