The iphone 5s unlock A1533

Ok to all tell me only this i have buy iphone 5s recently direct from apple store with full price at&t but without contract and they written on bill

At&t account information

No wireless service activation during iphone sale

What does it really mean is it unlockedor not ?

It's unlocked. All the legalese means is that they didn't sell you a contract. If for any reason it happens to be locked (which it shouldn't be) because you paid full price AT&T will unlock it for you upon request using a form from their website.

Yes u r right and i says if u buy full price from apple even at&t or verizon or any other it is unlocked thks for grt help

The AT&T iPhone from the Apple Store, even full price, is locked.

No it isn't. I've done it 3 times in the past (a 4s and two iPhone 5).

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You got lucky then.

deggie wrote:

You got lucky then.

Uh, no. It's widely known that "device-only" purchases from Apple Retail stores for AT&T and T-Mobile iPhones are unlocked. All Verizon iPhone 5 and 5s (and any LTE phone for that matter) are also unlocked, whether or not bought on contract. Legalese aside, none of these phones is ever entered on Apple's database as locked.

Of the 4 major carriers, only Sprint phones and AT&T and T-Mobile phones bought on contract from Apple are truly locked. That may be 95%+ of iPhones sold, but nonetheless, the rest are unlocked.

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Uh, no, that is not widely know. How much did you pay for your iPhone 4S and iPhone 5?

When the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 were launched there were no unlocked ones available. You could pay (at the initial release) for a $699 no contract AT&T iPhone but it would still be locked.

Approximately 30 days later Apple offered an unlocked GSM iPhone for $50 more. This one was unlocked and and did not come with a SIM.

If the ones you purchased did not come with a SIM then they were an unlocked model not tied to any carrier.

Obviously if you buy the subsidized phone it will be locked. It is widely known.

akuska wrote:

All Verizon iPhone 5 and 5s (and any LTE phone for that matter) are also unlocked, whether or not bought on contract. Legalese aside, none of these phones is ever entered on Apple's database as locked.

Only the Verizon iPhone 5 is unlocked. The iPhone 5S and the 5C are not.

Meg St._Clair wrote:

akuska wrote:

All Verizon iPhone 5 and 5s (and any LTE phone for that matter) are also unlocked, whether or not bought on contract. Legalese aside, none of these phones is ever entered on Apple's database as locked.

Only the Verizon iPhone 5 is unlocked. The iPhone 5S and the 5C are not.

So I guess I "got lucky" that my device-only Verizon iPhone works with my AT&T and T-Mobile SIMs? I don't even have, and have never had a Verizon account.

What's with all the misinformation on this thread? NO Verizon LTE phone is locked, contract or non-contract, Apple, Samsung, HTC, or anyone else. It's part of Verizon's agreement with the FCC when it acquired one of its licenses for the 700MHz band.

You, akuska, keep making statements that are factually inaccurate and that can potentially cost people $700 or more, and that will be money thrown away. If people take your advice and buy phone that YOU SAY will be unlocked, but neither Apple nor the carrier nor experienced forum regulars say it will be unlocked, they are taking a huge chance, especially if they take it back to India or wherever and doesn't work.

So readers of this thread, if you are willing to risk a lot of money betting that akuska is right, go ahead.

There's no point in arguing any further. If akuska is right, you win a small amount; the total cost difference (including US sales tax and any duties you may have to pay in your home country) betwen a US phone and a phone purchased in your home country. Adding the fact that you will have no warranty, no way to get official service, and it won't work in your local LTE networks. If he's wrong, you lose big time. It's your choice. There's nothing more that I, Meg, deggie or any of the other regulars who know a lot about iPhones and how they are sold can say. Your choice. I have no idea why akuska is pushing this agenda. Is it schadenfreude?

deggie wrote:

Uh, no, that is not widely know. How much did you pay for your iPhone 4S and iPhone 5?

When the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 were launched there were no unlocked ones available. You could pay (at the initial release) for a $699 no contract AT&T iPhone but it would still be locked.

Approximately 30 days later Apple offered an unlocked GSM iPhone for $50 more. This one was unlocked and and did not come with a SIM.

If the ones you purchased did not come with a SIM then they were an unlocked model not tied to any carrier.

Obviously if you buy the subsidized phone it will be locked. It is widely known.

It's widely known among people looking for unlocked phones. Despite what Apple Store sales associates will say, the Device-Only AT&T and Verizon purchases were NOT locked. Technically, they weren't sold under the unlocked SKU, but they most certainly were unlocked. ALL Apple iPhones are unlocked until Apple actively places them in the database as locked. They do that for any subsidized phone (apart from Verizon LTE devices which CAN'T be locked - otherwise Verizon would be in violation of their LTE license), and for the phones they send to carriers other than Verizon. But if you buy a phone device-only, there's a special screen that comes up in checkout to sell the phone without any association with a carrier. The AT&T and T-Mobile phones sold at Apple Retail stores are UNLOCKED. No, the receipt won't say "unlocked," but you can put in any GSM SIM and it will work.

Lawrence Finch wrote:

You, akuska, keep making statements that are factually inaccurate and that can potentially cost people $700 or more, and that will be money thrown away. If people take your advice and buy phone that YOU SAY will be unlocked, but neither Apple nor the carrier nor experienced forum regulars say it will be unlocked, they are taking a huge chance, especially if they take it back to India or wherever and doesn't work.

So readers of this thread, if you are willing to risk a lot of money betting that akuska is right, go ahead.

There's no point in arguing any further. If akuska is right, you win a small amount; the total cost difference (including US sales tax and any duties you may have to pay in your home country) betwen a US phone and a phone purchased in your home country. Adding the fact that you will have no warranty, no way to get official service, and it won't work in your local LTE networks. If he's wrong, you lose big time. It's your choice. There's nothing more that I, Meg, deggie or any of the other regulars who know a lot about iPhones and how they are sold can say. Your choice. I have no idea why akuska is pushing this agenda. Is it schadenfreude?

You, Meg, Deggie and the others are the ones making factually inaccurate statements. I don't know why you are pushing your agenda. Do you work for carriers?

I'm posting this information because there are people, like me, who as a matter of principle or to use local SIMs when traveling buy only unlocked phones. I don't want them walking out of Apple Retail Stores empty-handed because they are given an "official line" that is inaccurate. Apple doesn't sell the "official" unlocked iPhone in the US historically until a few weeks after the launch once supply has caught up with demand. Apart from the T-Mobile version (which sold out quickly), you can't order it online directly, either, and when the in-store reservation system is up it is also difficult to find them in retail stores. However, I can tell from personal experience (4s, 5, replacement 5, 5s) that it can be done in a retail store. You need to "get lucky" and find an Apple Store that has a Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile model in stock. Ask to buy the phone "device only, non contract" and it will be unlocked. Don't get a Sprint phone because those are locked. Sprint will partially unlock them for customers after 60 days, but you won't be able to use an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM on them, or take it to Verizon (for the record, you can't take the "unlocked" iPhone to Verizon, either).

Per AT&T's own policies, even if the phone you purchase is locked, if you paid full price, or are at the end of your contract, you can go to this site https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/ to request an unlock. It usually takes less than a week.

I do recommend that anyone buying a phone wanting it to be unlocked check with their SIMs during the return period. However, there's no reason to think that it won't work. There are multi-page threads on Mac discussion forums (which I won't link to here since they often post rumors about new products that Apple frowns upon, but they are easily found on the web) of others who have done this as well.