iPhone 4 factory unlocked ?

Not necessarily. It could also be jailbroken. If it is jailbroken and you update it you could lock it to some carrier. Try contacting Apple and asking if it is unlocked.

Not necessarily.

The iPhone may have been sold as carrier locked when new and was hacked to be unlocked by the seller.

If hacked to be unlocked by the seller, installing a firmware update or restoring the iPhone with iTunes will re-lock the iPhone to the carrier the iPhone was sold as carrier locked with when new.

Hi

I need some help and please excuse my profound ignorance

1) my iPhone was purchased from the apple store to replace the previos one. Is it " factory unlocked?"

2) Is unlocked synonimous of jailbroken?

Thanks

if you original phone was locked to a carrier such as AT&t, Verizon or sprint then the replacement phone will also be lcoked to that carrier. Even if it was replaced by apple.

and unlocked does not mean jailbroken. Unlocked mean you can take your phone to any carrier of you choice that supports iphones to get a data plan.. jailbroken is a procedure that is done that allows you to download all apps for free even if they have a price. That procedure does void your warrenty and apple will not service your device if they recieve it and it has been jailbroken. And yes they can tell if it has been jailbroken

Legitimately unlocked means you purchased the original phone from an Apple store and the receipt says "unlocked", or you had it unlocked by the carrier it was locked to. Jailbroken means that it was hacked to unlock it. (technically, it is possible to hack a phone to unlock it without jailbreaking it, but for all practical purposes "jailbroken" means illegally unlocking the phone).

If the phone was hacked to unlock it the phone will become locked if it is replaced or if it is updated. If the original phone was purchased as unlocked the replacement will be unlocked.

If the phone was hacked to unlock it you can't get help for it here.

Thank you that is crystal clear.

Can somebody jailbreak my phone without me noticing it?

Can somebody download spyware without me noticimg it?

Thanks a lot

not necessarily if you purchase your phone unlock then it is ulcoked for time being but the moment you go to a carrier such as AT&T, sprint, or verizon or any other carrier (in the US that does no have sim cards) it is then locked. When you get your replacement it will also be lcoked to that carrier. And only the carrier can unlock it. Unless your using sim cards thsn yea it will still be unlocked.

No one can install spyware or jaibreak your iPhone unless you

give then physical access to the iPhone - it cannot be done over

the air or via infected email.

Wrong. If purchased as unlocked it is unlocked forever, including its replacements.

ok if you say so like i said in other countries your correct, but aprint, at&t and verizon (which i know for a fact) is lockecd until the carrier unlock it thank you have a nice day... Dont believe me contact apple support.

Thank you Lawrence

my phone was purchased as unlocked- legitimate unlocked- as I just placed the old sim card from the UK carrrier and it works.

Somebody did/does get access to my phone on a regualr basis. Can a spyware be installed on my legittimately unlocked phone when connected with a PC for recharging?

and is possible that I will not see it any different?

Also how do I mark your answers?

Gratefully

All Sprint and Verizon phones are locked, because they are CDMA phones. My AT&T phone is unlocked, even though I activated it on AT&T.