Carrier Unlock - Do I need ex owners iTunes?

There is no need to connect it to a specific computer to unlock an iPhone. You technically don't even need to plug it into a computer at all. What happens is that when the iPhone attempts to activate (over wifi, cellular or iTunes), your iPhone checks for any potential carrier updates your carrier may have. This is the point at which O2 sends the updated "unlock" information to your iPhone, and BOOM, you're good to go 🙂

You need to restore using iTunes after the carrier has submitted unlock to Apple.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3198

Xissaxbellax wrote:

What happens is that when the iPhone attempts to activate (over wifi, cellular or iTunes), your iPhone checks for any potential carrier updates your carrier may have. This is the point at which O2 sends the updated "unlock" information to your iPhone, and BOOM, you're good to go 🙂

That is incorrect. Unlocking an iPhone from a carrier requires that the iPhone be restored, and that requires iTunes on a computer. The produre is documented in the article to which you yourself refer.

No, this is correct. You only need to restore for specific error codes, as described in the article I referred to

Xissaxbellax,

You need to re-read the sources that you're referring to. You are indeed incorrect. Unlocking an iPhone has ALWAYS required a restore from iTunes on a computer.

Xissaxbellax wrote:

No, this is correct. You only need to restore for specific error codes, as described in the article I referred to

You are completely wrong. Restoring is required to unlock an iPhone. Here the steps in the article you yourself are referring to (emphasis mine):

Follow these instructions to unlock your iPhone:

Check if your carrier offers unlocking. Only your carrier can unlock your iPhone.

Contact your carrier and request an unlock. You may need to meet certain requirements to qualify for unlocking. This may take up to seven days.

Once you receive confirmation that your iPhone unlock has been processed, back up your iPhone.

Erase the contents of your iPhone.

Complete the setup assistant and restore your backup.

Apparently you are misunderstanding what you are reading.

AdWright82 wrote:

What I need to know is whether the phone will need to be backed up and restored from the itunes it was originally registered on (i.e. my friends itunes)

No.

if I could do it on my own itunes, once the carrier tells me or my friend the phone has been unlocked.

Yes.

Please help

I bought an Iphone 3GS off my partners uncle, he then contacted his network supplier(orange) and requeste and paid for the unlocking. After waiting weeks iv finally got an email through explaining how to unlock the phone. It goes like this :

1)Insert a non-Orange 3G SIM card. This must be a network provider who also supplies the iphone/ipad.

2)Switch ON the handset.

3)Connect to iTunes using USB cable

4)Use the “restore” option within iTunes (located at the bottom of iTunes not the top)

5)The handset may then display: USB cable and iTunes icon.

6)Disconnect from USB then re-connect

7)Synchronise device with iTunes

8)Once synchronised a message will appear on iTunes stating “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked” If using IOS5 this message will not show

9)Follow on screen set up instructions to enable new carrier settings

Your handset should now be successfully unlocked

Sounds simple enough aye.problem is I get step 7 and the phone won't synchonise i get this message:

The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported.

The SIM card that you currently have installed in this iPhone is from a carrier that is not supported under the activation policy that is currently assigned by the activation server. This is not a hardware issue with the iPhone. Please insert another SIM card from a supported carrier or request that this iPhone be unlocked by your carrier. Please contact Apple for more information.

How do I get round this problem? the unlock has been paid for and when we initially enquired about the unlock we staded that my current sim is T mobile, no issuse was given with it being a T mobile sim. I would of thought it would be pretty straight forward with Orange and T mobile now being join under EE.

Please help with this fustration I would not want the money my friend has paid to be in vain.

When Step 4 completed, you should have gotten a message in iTunes to the effect of "Congratulations, your iPhone is unlocked". If you did not, the unlock process is not complete.

Only Orange can do anything about it. Have the original owner contact them.

Hi I'm sort of int the same situation I have how got my email about the unlock but the person I spoke to said that I should not put my old sim in again as it will lock the phone back yo my old carrier? Is this really the case?

No, that it not the case. Once officially unlocked, the iPhone will remain unlocked and you can use it with any carrier including the one to which the iPhone was originally locked.

Regards.

no once genuinely unlocked it is just that not locked to a carrier will work with "any"

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5014