I know how to unlock my AT&T iPhone 6 Plus but I don't know if there are any compatible carriers. I don't want to be forced to go with a Xiaomi phone but I'm not sure there are any compatible carriers with my specific iPhone. Any help? Thanks!
iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 8.1.2, AT&T
You went to a lot of trouble to post about LTE then.
Yes, Unicom is your best bet as they are an approved iPhone carrier and I believe they use the same frequencies as AT&T for 3G (I don't know if their 2G network is still running). It should be fairly easy for you to check the 3G frequency for Unicom and compare it to the specs for the AT&T 6 Plus, the information is available.
Forgive me, but why would one purchase a phone in the US, locked to a US carrier to use in China? The warranty is only good in the US, and it will require interaction with a US carrier to unlock the device. This is not logical.
I wrote about LTE to clarify your incorrect statements about LTE in these devices. No worries!
Essentially, I need to confirm that:
a) The AT&T iPhone is fully capable of being used on China Unicom's 3G network
b) China Unicom is the only carrier to provide this level of service for the iPhone
ChrisJ4203 wrote:
Forgive me, but why would one purchase a phone in the US, locked to a US carrier to use in China? The warranty is only good in the US, and it will require interaction with a US carrier to unlock the device. This is not logical.
The OP is going to be doing a year abroad. I imagine they plan on using it in the U.S. before leaving and after returning. Make far more sense than the folks who purchased TMobile phones for use on Verizon.
Because I purchased the device before I was lucky enough to be accepted into the most selective program at one of the most prestigious institutions in the world! This is certainly a pleasant problem to have! Thank you for your interest in me, Chrisj4203!
Thank you. I did not read that in the thread here.
To the OP, it is best to understand how the devices are regionally set, which is why the warranty is not international. A GSM phone sold for a carrier in the US operates on different bands than a GSM phone sold for Europe. Other countries differ as well. This, and carrier restrictions were why phones sold in the US would not work on other domestic US carriers. This was until the LTE agreement that Verizon had to make with the FCC regarding the licensing of additional LTE bands. Enjoy your program.
I'm certainly not going to service you. You can doubt my word all you want but I did not say anything that was incorrect. But you don't have to take my word for it. Go to Apple or AT&T's site and get the information on the frequencies the 6 Plus uses. Go to Unicom's site and check the frequencies they use for their 3G network. If they are the same the phone will work. Do the same for all other networks in China but do keep in mind that some networks there use W-CDMA similar to, but not exactly like, Japan and others use odd frequencies for their networks that are not used anywhere else in the world.
Yeah I remembering reading about the LTE standards. However, I'm specifically curious about how I can maximize my usage of my iPhone while I am in China. Using an American iPhone in China is definitely not the optimal situation but it is the situation I am presented with. I primarily use my phone to check Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. Since those are not available at all in China (without a VPN), I don't feel hard pressed to buy a new phone just to have LTE in China. Rather, I would merely like the fastest speeds available for my device. I'm looking for the best Chinese carrier to go to for this situation. Thanks for your input, though!
According to this link that you just posted, the AT&T iPhone 5S is not compatible with China Unicom's LTE service. Again, I am already well aware that my phones will not work with LTE in China so I would like to steer the conversation towards last-gen networks!
To reiterate: I know my phone will not work with LTE in China. I would like to find out what the highest level of network support my AT&T iPhone can provide me!
Hopefully I am able to successfully communicate this message to you as you seem to be going back to LTE frequently, despite my pleas to focus elsewhere. If there is anything in my posts that are unclear to you, please feel free to ask me for a clarification. I will not hesitate to simplify things for you! Thanks for your service!
No, I never said your iPhone will work on all 3G networks. I said in most parts of the world 3G works but China is one of a few countries where that might not be the case. I saw nothing in the spec sheet that says it will work or not with China Unicom. The article I just posted shows which models of the 5 series works with China Unicom and which don't. I said I did not find a similar file for the 6 Plus but I didn't look that hard. I repeat that your best bet is to talk to a rep at a corporate AT&T store it probably will not be the first time they received this question. If your AT&T iPhone is not unlocked I can guarantee it won't work. Did you pay full price and go non-contract?
You can also contact China Unicom and ask them.
Well, you actually did say that it would work with "all 3G networks". It's a post on the first page but that doesn't really matter. 🙂
I see that you were unable to find where that link suggested an incompatibility between my iPhone and China Unicom's 3G network.
Well according to Apple, my iPhone supports these radios:
UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29)
According to China Unicom's site (http://eng.chinaunicom.com/international_roaming/roaming_faqs/) their 3G network is a WCDMA network. That doesn't seem to be listed above.
And, as I have stated multiple times before, I have already gone through the proper procedures to request an unlock from AT&T. It was purchased off contract and I paid the full retail price.
As I have stated, I understand how to unlock my iPhone 6 Plus. I already submitted the request to AT&T and since my device was purchased off-contract, I am confident they will permit it.
Note the mention of China at the end of the article.
ChrisJ4203 wrote:
Thank you. I did not read that in the thread here.
If everything that had been posted in this thread was still here, it would be up to about 6 pages.
Using an AT&T iPhone 6 Plus in China?
