T-mobile Iphone is LOCKED and Contract Free.

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Level 1

8 points

T-mobile Iphone is LOCKED and Contract Free.

I am looking at buying an iphone online from apple for my wife but there is a lot of confusion on the Communities as to whether the Iphone with a Tmobile SIM is unlocked or not. I spoke with Customer service and they informed me that the Iphone with a T-mobile SIM is "unlocked in that it is contract free" I asked her point blank if the Tmobile Iphone could be used with a SIM card from another carrier and she said it could not. She did tell me that I could use the unlocked Iphone on Tmobiles network I would just have to purchase a T-mobile SIM to use with it. This means that the Iphone which ships with a T-mobile SIM is Contract Free and LOCKED to T-mobile. I would recommend that Apple change the wording on their website and sell the T-mobile Iphone for what it really is: Locked and Contract free. A truly unlocked phone is not tied to one network.

iPhone 5s

Posted on Jan 3, 2014 10:49 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 3, 2014 2:42 PM in response to ijm123

I just got my wife a 5s, unlocked, with a T-Mobile SIM from Apple. When it arrived, I activated it on T-Mobile ($50/month plan, no contract) and it worked fine. Yesterday I went to the AT&T store and got a free AT&T SIM, removed the T-Mobile SIM, and activated it on AT&T ($60/month plan)(month-to-month, no contract). I want to compare coverage and reception. It works fine on AT&T, so I can tell you for 100% certain that the iPhone I bought was not locked on T-Mobile. I have no reason to believe that when I put the T-Mobile SIM back in that it won't work just fine on T-Mobile.

I did a lot of research before buying and without exception, everyone told me that if I got it from Apple, unlocked, with a T-Mobile SIM, that it would work fine with other carriers. It does!

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Answer 2

ijm123 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 3, 2014 5:46 PM in response to varjak paw

I agree with you. My nexus 4 is unlocked and contract free. My opinion is that that is the only way to go. My main purpose at posting this is to express my aggregation on the misinformation. Customer service told me it wouldn't work and People say it does. I would probably suggest it shouldn't work but has.

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Answer 3

ijm123 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 3, 2014 5:55 PM in response to ijm123

I would also like to post a clarification to what contract free and unlocked really mean.

Contract free means you pay the whole cost of the phone up front.

Contract means you pay part of the cost up front and the rest with your contract. It's part of your monthly fee.

Locked means the phone is usable only with a specific carrier.

Unlocked means you can use it on different carriers. It's not tied to just one carrier.

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Answer 4

Jan 3, 2014 6:34 PM in response to ijm123

Yes, and the 5s I just bought with a T-Mobile SIM is both unlocked and contract-free. I think the confusion has arisen because soon after the 5s was released (Sept/Oct 2013 time frame), the T-Mobile phone was sold by Apple as contract-free, but was locked to T-Mobile. Some time in November (as I've read on this site in other people's posts), Apple changed and started shipping T-Mobile phones which were both contract-free and unlocked, which is their current policy.

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