While imei unlock is the safest and permanent unlock, where does one go to get their phones unlocked this way?
Apple constantly redirect customers to their carriers but carriers often claim unaware of such unlock and refers customers to local unlocking dealers which does not provide permanent unlock!
Rogers and Fido are the main 'culprits' of this referral.
Can anyone, especially Apple, provide any insight to how one can get their iphones unlocked PERMANENTLY?
Thanks
The only officially way is to have your carrier initiate the unlock - that's it. Either they will or they won't, but the single, sole way to officially unlock an iPhone is to have the carrier do it. Any iPhone officially unlocked by the original carrier it was locked to will be permanently unlocked.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937
According to Apple's information, both Fido and Rogers offer unlocking, so maybe you just need to insist to talk to someone higher up in the tech service chain of command?
Apple will not provide such confirmation to we users other than through this web page:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937
Carriers often profess ignorance of their own policies so as to keep people from easily switching carriers. Perhaps you could refer the Fido reps to their own web site:
http://forums.fido.ca/t5/forums/forumtopicpage/board-id/NonTechnical/thread-id/1 576/page/1
I can't find any such "official" statement from Rogers. There has been much discussion on Rogers' claims of ignorance; see:
http://jordan.schelew.com/2011/02/27/the-rogers-iphone-unlock-fiasco/
Sorry, you just need to continue to badger the carriers. Apple can't unlock an iPhone without carrier authorization, and will not contact the carriers on a user's behalf on the issue.
Regards.
"According to Apple's information, both Fido and Rogers offer unlocking, so maybe you just need to insist to talk to someone higher up in the tech service chain of command?"
First of all, there is no "someone higher" to talk to and both carrier consistently either claims no knowledge of such service or if you do get the ones who is aware of it, would refer customers to local unlockers their reason being that their unlocking service is exactly the same as those provided by local unlockers.
Can Apple at least confirm if these carriers have access to Apple database to provide the permanent imei unlock?
I need some proof to convince, if not 'direct' these carriers to the correct source!!
Thanks
In my experience, unless you are talking to the CEO or chairman of the board, there is ALWAYS someone higher up you can insist your inquiry be redirected to - a supervisor, manager, VP. Anyone you call on tech support or talk to in the store has a boss above them.
i found this on the Fido forum, second post is by a moderator:
http://forums.fido.ca/t5/forums/forumtopicpage/board-id/NonTechnical/thread-id/1 576/page/1
My understanding is that a carrier must submit the unlock request through proper channels to Apple (with all necessary information), and then Apple initiates the unlock. You plug your device into iTunes, the unlock goes through, and you should see confirmation of the fact in iTunes. So the actual unlock is handled by Apple through iTunes, but the request must come from the carrier. By everything I can find on the web, Fido offers to unlock all of their devices - if the people you are speaking to say otherwise, insist on talking to their supervisor or boss, or go to a corp. store and ask to speak to the store manager.
No second party unlocking service could even do it - they don't have access to the apporpriate databases and information. Any such "service' is hacking phones, not formally/officially unlocking them.
The method of unlocking that you have described is exactly what I have in mind and this definitely cannot be provided by any local unlockers.
I will definitely follow-up on the link you gave and maybe even quote your last paragraph
Thanks
There is no stopping carriers from giving their customers the runaround!
And I truly doubt if there is any real higher authority who will speak to customers and get their phones unlocked.
Badgering seems the only way to 'persuade' them.
It's unfortunate that Apple will not step in to assist customers. Customer may not neccessarily be asking Apple to unlock their phones (it's only as an ultimate resource), but if they can at least step in and warn carriers to provide the unlocking services and not lie about not being able to do it or it's the same as local unlockers or worse of all no knowledge of it!
Apple cannot step in. There is no requirement that a carrier provide unlocking services - many do not - and so it's completely up to the carrier. Apple has no say in the matter and hence there's nothing they can do. If the carrier's representatives lie or obscure the facts, contact your local/regional consumer protection office, attorney general, etc. and ask for their assistance. Those are the entities who have the power to make the carriers honor their policies.
Regards.
Rogers unlocked my iphone and there was no hassle from then when I requested it.
As long as you have completed your contract, or paid the ETF, are in good standing, and been on Rogers for at least 30 days they will unlock your iphone.
Try calling 866-931-3282. That was the number I used for Rogers.
Thanks for the info
btw did you get an imei unlock or software unlock?
With imei unlock you would have to give Rogers your imei # and when you synch it with itunes a message will appear saying that your phone is now unlock
It was an imei unlock. I didn't have to go anywhere to do the unlocking. I confirmed the imei with the rep. After the call to the number above, I restored my phone with an inactive AT&T sim that I have and at the end if the restore I got the pop up that my phone has been unlocked. I've put in Bell and Fido cards, from friends iphones to show off, with no problem. I've updated everytime with no issues.
haanny wrote:
Thanks for the info
btw did you get an imei unlock or software unlock?
With imei unlock you would have to give Rogers your imei # and when you synch it with itunes a message will appear saying that your phone is now unlock
GSM phones are locked in firmware using the IMEI number as the unique device identifier, but when you go the officially route through the carrier to which the device is initially unlocked, you always get what you are calling an IMEI unlock. In the context you are speaking of, a "software" unlock would be a hack, not a true unlock. No carrier is going to use a hack, instead they will authorize an official unlock, removing the frimware code that restricts or limits using another networks SIM card.
CDMA phones are a different matter as they really are not hardware locked like GSM phones. CDMA carriers just maintain a database of all serial numbers of all the devices they have sold for their network, and block any serial numbers not in their database.
Is there is a confirmation if your iphone is successfully unlock in the apple database?
Post was from 4 years ago....I'm guessing they got the issue resolved by now 🙂
Cheers,
GB
imei unlock
