Can I use a Verizon iPhone 5c on Virgin Mobile?

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rasmith1959 Author

Level 1

53 points

Can I use a Verizon iPhone 5c on Virgin Mobile?

I just got a notification from Verizon that I'm now eligible for an updgrade, so I plan to get a new phone Friday. Instead of trading in my old iPhone 5c, I'm going to keep it and let one of my kids use it on their Virgin Mobile account. I know at one point Virgin Mobile offered iPhones on their website, so would it be possible to use a Verizon iPhone 5c on VM? Would I have to get Verizon to unlock the 5c to be able to do this or not?

iPhone 5c, iOS 9.1

Posted on Dec 2, 2015 10:31 AM

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Answer 1

raymond73

Level 4

1,843 points

Dec 2, 2015 12:00 PM in response to rasmith1959

The GSM slot is unlocked on Verizon iPhones. Your kid should be able to use the phone without issue if Virgin Mobile supports GSM. Just go to Virgin Mobile and get a SIM card (nano) and have it activated.

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Answer 2

Dec 2, 2015 12:50 PM in response to rasmith1959

I believe that Virgin Mobile is a Sprint MVNO, which means they use Sprints CDMA/LTE network. CDMA carriers are very fussy about what phones they allow on their network. You should call Virgin's customer service and ask them.

All Verizon iPhones are unlocked. However, locked/unlocked isn't really relevant to CDMA.

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