iPhone 5s T-Mobile contract free version from Apple Store: LOCKED or UNLOCKED?

Hello

I have yet not received my shipment. Its showing 20 Nov and i leave on 22, so fingers crossed. I just put this post since i may have no time to review it. also if it works in india i am planning to gift it to my sister. I think the solutions provided above will work. Only thing is not to insert the tmobile card inside and activate it. I spoke with apple representative and he told me that you can straight away go to india and never use tmobile at all, only certain LTE bands may not be available and warranty may ot be claimed. Iphone 5s is also launched in india on nov1 and its unlocked , but almost 150-175$ more, though if i knew that i would have purchased it there as it gives the freedom. However with the less dollars here I am just taking a chance and seeing if it works, it should. Rest about warranty and lte I am not concerned as in india even 3g speeds suffer so LTE would not be a factor till 2-3 years. Also the gold color was an big thng for me as here it is almost sold out.
I hope someone who has got the tmobile iphone and travelled may shed some light but like me many are still awaiting preorder shipment.

THE CONTACT FREE T-MOBILE IPHONE 5S FROM APPLE ONLINE STORE WORKS FINE HERE IN INDIA... USING IT ON VODAFONE NETWORK... WORKS SUPER...

HOPE THIS HELPS...

Hey SMALIK1982,

Im from India and someone from USA has bought my iphone 5s t-mobile unlocked. howvever when she took the phone to t-mobile just to get it checked they told her it was locked and they would only unlock it after being used for 40 days on tmobile.

please reply asap as I would need to return the phone to apple otherwise.

That's what happens when you buy the phone from T-Mobile. The ONLY source for unlocked iPhones in the US is Apple. If you can't meet T-Mobile's conditions for unlocking, then it can not be unlocked. Send it back.

I bought it from the apple online store, but tmobile insists its locked and will be unlocked after 40 days of use only.

And have you actually tried using another SIM in it? Or calling AppleCare and giving them the serial number to find out what the actual state of it is? I suspect you spoke to a T-Mobile employee who simply quoted their policy to you.

I would have to agree with Tim. T-Mobile Phones purchased from an Apple Store directly are unlocked, and there are many people in these forums and also people I know that have the T-Mobile iPhone form the Apple store and it works just fine on other carriers.

Asking a T-Mobile employee will inevitably result in them quoting policy, and phones sold by them are unlocked, so that is the first thing they will tell you.

HI, Just wanted to know if you have been able to confirm if the phone works with an international sim? Thanks.

HI Shilajit,

Waiting for you to confirm this, My decicion rests soleley on this 🙂

If you read the other messages in the thread you will find the answer.

Yes I know, but just one recent confirmation to seal the deal 😉

Hello

I have received the phone but can only confirm earliest by 23rd as i travel on 21st. But i think you can go ahead and buy it from Apple . Do not buy from tmobile store. Also do not insert the nano sim that apple provides and start the phone or connect to iTunes. Straight away insert your international nano sim and you should be good to go.

I think one of our friends in previous threads has already confirmed that he is using the tmobile contract free phone bought from apple store with vodafone in india without problem

I also had word with both apple customer care and also tmobile and they said it will work out of the box

The tmobile lady also told me off records that contract free phones from apple store are basically unlocked . Only certain lte bands may not function. But in india lte is not an option right now .

In india the unlocked apple 16 gb phone is priced at 53500 and the tmobile phone from apple with taxes comes to around 43500 inr.

In india gold option is not available as of now as its out of stock.

I feel still if gold is not your color and you want peace of mind with warranty etc than you can buy from india. I would gave done it myself but i had already bought it here so decided to stick with it. If u buy from usa the warranty is not applicable in india, so it is as good as Grey market piece.

Think abt all this options and then go ahead

53500 may seem a lot but compared to 44000 its just 150 $ more but you get warranty and piece of mind out of the box

Else you can peacefully go for tmobile phone but BUY IT FROM APPLE STORE ONLY :)

I will inform you by 23 rd abt the status

Best regards

Hi I am naveen from India I am eagerly waiting for your reply if it works i will get my iPhone 5s from USA. Thankyou

been using the iphone 5s gold 16gb contract free t-mobile bought from apple online store since last 2 weeks works perfect in delhi india on vodafone network...

I was told that I should just remove the tmibile sim they send and then switch the phone on and the phone would be unlocked

Can anyone confirm this?

Do I have to activate the phone before going to india ??