how do i unlock an iphone 4s locked to sprint

Only the carrier (Sprint, in your case) can unlock the phone. They locked it in the first place.

In addition, Sprint will ONLY unlock the phone for international use, not domestic. If you want to use the phone with a US carrier, you need to purchase a new phone.

Call sprint again and tell them that your contract has ended and you want your phone factory unlocked because your not on a contract with sprint if they still keep telling you know tell them you would like to speak with manager because I was clearly told you can once your contract ends but earlier I was told I can unlock my iphone I just had to wait 90 days so as long as you have your phone off contract they should unlock your iphone

Call Sprint. They will only unlock the phone for use with Non US carriers, and only for current customers in good standing.

If you are not a Sprint customer, they will not unlock it. That phone can never be used with any US carrier other than Sprint.

That's false because I called sprint several times and spoke with 4 reps who also spoke with their manager and they told me ones the phone is off contract it can be unlocked to be used on AT&T or tmobile network she clearly told me the phones where able to be used on AT&Ts network after the unlock

You were misinformed. The Sprint iPhone 4S and 5 can not be used on any US carrier other than Sprint. This has not changed since the introduction of the iPhone 4S on Sprint.

The only CDMA iPhone that can be used on a US carrier other than the one it was originally sold for is the Verizon iPhone 5. The SIM slot is unlocked for use on any carrier in the Verizon iPhone 5 due to FCC regulations imposed specifically on Verizon in exchange for winning a spectrum auction in the US.

I was told the their policy has changed so I'm going with what they have told me which I believe to be true because they all spoke with their managers and they said once your iphone is out of contract it can be unlocked and they told me to call them whenever I want my iphone to be unlocked but once my contract ends. I should say she didn't say international unlock she said general unlock including all the other 4 reps i spoke with and she clearly told me once I unlock my iphone it could work on att and any other carrier on the us but they said the only issue I would have is that LTE won't be able to be connected with the iphone only 3G or 4G.

albertofromnewhall wrote:

You can call sprint yourself and ask for an unlock and they will tell you to either wait till the contract ends or you could pay the ETF so you know I'm not lying.

None of us care. It's not our issue.

Why? I'm not a Sprint customer. They have quite possibly the worst coverage in the country. Why would I bother with them. And again, until they publish something indicating the policy has changed, it hasn't changed. NO ONE other than you has reported that this has changed.

Given that they unlock the phone, it should work on other GSM networks, according to the article below.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1162960/how_international_is_the_iphone_4s_world _phone_.html

Also, note that there weren't seperate GSM and CDMA models for iPhone 4S.

So what. It's capable of being used on any compatible GSM network OUTSIDE of the US IF Sprint unlocks it.

World phone does not mean automatically unlocked, nor does it mean that Sprint has any legal obligation to unlock it for use on any other US carriers.

I have a free and clear Ip4s from Sprint and have called them they instead gave me what they call a unlock code but there is no instructions on how to ulock this device they stated that it will have to be unlocked by the provider I will go to but I have not find any provider that will do this, is it true that the phone need to be connected to the sprint network to be abble to be unlocked? or to have them send a request to apple to have it unlocked?

I was given an iPhone 4s, by my friend who upgraded through Sprint. My android of 3 years had died and she thought it would be nice. It has been hellish for both of us.

First the iPhone 4s IS compatible with GSM, there is nothing in the hardware that "blocks" the signal. Apple and Sprint have a software block on the phone. Sprint needs to release your IMEI number to Apple, then when you connect to Itunes, it updates and removes the blocking software. It is that simple. NOW to get Apple or Sprint to do this is another thing.

They gave my friend an unlock code which is useless, there is no way to get to those settings in an iPhone.

Your new provider can NOT remove the software that Sprint and Apple put on your phone ONLY Sprint and Apple can do this. Use the FCC site and information to know your rights when talking to Sprint.

I don't know if links are allowed so if you want details go to the FCC site and unlocking FAQ's

Quoting from the FCC

"In many instances, devices are sold with subsidies (or discounts) in exchange for a required service plan agreement, often months or years in length, or subject to a device installment plan. Most service plan agreements have an early termination clause that includes a penalty to be paid to end the agreement ahead of schedule. Locking software is meant to ensure that devices will be active for a certain period of time or amount of usage on the network of the provider that sold that device with a subsidy (or discount) or with a device installment plan."

READ THIS:

"Under the new standards, participating providers have agreed to unlock eligible devices, provide you with unlocking instructions, or initiate an unlocking request to the device manufacturer – or provide an easily understood explanation of denial – within two business days of receiving an unlock request."

I will be contacting the FCC, please do the same.

I was quite impressed with Apple products when they first came out, I had the first Apple computer. But as technology progressed Apple did not, you have no customization options and the software and hardware is nothing but a brick if not used through Apple exclusively.

Even with that I would have given them a chance thinking they want high quality. After seeing the rude, flippant answers from Apple all over this forum, I would want nothing to do with Apple products. If you are not going to let the consumer modify the software and hardware they paid a fortune for, at least go out of your way to help them. But they say contact Apple, which costs an exorbitant amount of money.

The electronic waste produced by these policies is staggering. I will get this iPhone to work and then give it some homeless person. God forbid an Apple product be used by someone who can't afford a 700 phone and Apple support fee contracts.

Do not give up on this, Sprint is REQUIRED to do this. Your new provider can NOT remove the software that Sprint and Apple put on your phone ONLY Sprint and Apple can do this. Use the FCC site and information to know your rights when talking to Sprint.

Apple just lost a potential customer in me with this mess. They will say it is Sprint, but it is both of them. It is a contract between the two of them that was in effect before the CTIA (CTIA's Consumer Code for Wireless Service) code activated Feb. 11, 2015 became law.

Obviously it is not hurting Apple or Sprints bottom line or they would NOT be doing this to consumers. Stop using Sprint and Apple products if you want this behavior to stop.

Steve Jobs would be sad.

SteveJobswouldbesad wrote:

Do not give up on this,

Well, the person to whom you're replying last posted almost two years ago. If they haven't gotten it unlocked by now and they're still trying, they are demonstrating remarkable persistence.

I posted the response here because when you google the issue this forum and post is the first to pop up. I have posted this information on every forum that pops up in the search so people can understand the problem.

They are mislead into believing it isn't possible to unlock the iPhone 4s to GSM carriers by Sprint. This is an absolute lie and many people don't understand CDMA and GSM. They don't know what an MSL code is, and how useless it is with an iPhone. I am glad to revive this thread.

SteveJobswouldbesad wrote:

They are mislead into believing it isn't possible to unlock the iPhone 4s to GSM carriers by Sprint. This is an absolute lie and many people don't understand CDMA and GSM. They don't know what an MSL code is, and how useless it is with an iPhone. I am glad to revive this thread.

I'm not sure who you think is posting that information. No one in this thread said that. What has been said, repeatedly, is that only the carrier, in this case, Sprint, can unlock the phone. You may be confused by the fact that, until fairly recently, Sprint would not unlock the phone for use on GSM carriers in the U.S. but only for international roaming. I believe they have changed that policy since it was mentioned in this thread about three years ago. That's the problem with dredging up old threads.