I bought iPhone 6s without the contract. When I tried to activate it, I cannot, because "The SIM is not supported...". Apple support denies to help me even to say what company locked my new legally purchsed iPhone. What to do? I

To start with, Target in the US does not sell unlocked phones, they never have. You purchased a device locked to a US carrier, that is why your SIM will not work. Apple does not unlock phones, they cannot help you. You will need to check that Target receipt to find out who that device is locked to. Your other issue is the fact that your device's warranty is only valid in the US. Not a very good idea to purchase an iPhone in a country you do not intend to use the device in.

As far as your statement regarding Apple monitoring the community and helping, that isn't going to happen either. This is a user to user support forum, and Apple does not participate here. Only the carrier your device is locked to can unlock the device, Apple does not unlock phones. The only place right now that can help you is the Target where you purchased the device and tell you what carrier it is locked to. From there, you will need to contact that carrier and see if they provide unlocking services. If they do, ask if you qualify for an unlocked. If you do, then follow their instructions. If you do not, then you are out of luck.

agershun wrote:

The phone was purchased at full cost ($799), so it was not subsidized. And it was sold by official dealer and purchased by me as "no contract" phone especially to prevent this locking situation.

Unfortunately, there is no information about the such important difference between Apple Stores and their (even major) dealers.

BTW "iPhone warranty is not international" - I am not sure, but I will check,,, At least for this phone the technical support is international (according Apples databases).

Anyway, thank you again for advices. I will continue to fight 🙂

That is fine that you purchased it at full cost, however as I stated earlier, full cost does not guarantee unlocked phone. And, Target does not sell unlocked phones. No contract means just that, no contract, it does not mean unlocked. I'm thinking that your receipt from Target will show a carrier, but I cannot be sure of that, since I haven't purchased a phone from Target. Big box electronic stores are not considered a major Apple dealer, at least not in the sense I believe you are referring to. They are an authorized reseller, but that is all.

You can check all you want, the iPhone warranty is not international. You will not be able to receive warranty service on that device anywhere except in the US. Technical phone support is not warranty. You can receive phone support, but not warranty support for mail-in or walk-in service at an Apple store.

Fight as you wish, but the fact is, the device is locked, and the only way to get it unlocked is to find out who it is locked to and contact them about unlocking. Only the carrier the device is locked to can authorize the unlock. I'm a little confused by the statement you made where you said that Apple could not tell you who the device was locked to. It has always been the case where people can contact Apple Support and they will be able to advise them what carrier a device is locked to. I would contact Apple again to discover who the carrier is and that is where you need to focus this "fight".

salavatkh wrote:

"No one but you is responsible for your current predicament, having purchased a dubious phone from a dubious source it is now yours."

I think OP said he has bought iPhone from Target. If that is a dubious source, then only Apple Store is a legitimate one. Apple should stop selling from dubious source to maintain quality of customer service.

"Locking/unlocking is not an Apple decision. "

I cannot agree with this statement. It is Apple who enables or disables locking of the phone through centralized database (like stolen ones cannot be activated at all). Carrier only decides whether to sell locked or unlocked phones and orders appropriate ones from Apple.

I think you brought important point though in your post - "Many pay full price for a locked iPhone, it is simply not bound to a contract or the buyer is not eligible for a subsidy from the carrier." - it appears that iPhone is CONTRACT FREE, but not SIM FREE, which means it is still LOCKED to a first used carrier.

Well again - this conclusion is not valid either - how to predict which carrier customer is going to use then? Logically, it sounds like it is contract free, but lockable iPhone, locking to the first carrier. But again - why so much mess with different locking options while selling iPhone at full price (I mean full - you can buy truly unlocked iPhone for very much the same amount around the globe)?

I think it is a mess. And probably Apple who should clean it a bit for the sake of customer satisfaction, as it always thought to serve.

Target is a legitimate reseller, however, they do not sell unlocked phones. Paying full price for a phone in the US does not guarantee that it is unlocked, it just means that it is not subsidized. Many of the US carriers still have locked phones, despite the person paying full price. Phones in the US also do not lock to the first carrier used. Phones are locked, despite the SIM used. They are locked to a specific carrier, and if you try to activate it with another carrier, the first, second or thirtieth time, it will still give you the same error your friend has received, unsupported SIM. The fact that the device was contract free means just that, it is contract free, but it is locked to a carrier. I can go anywhere tomorrow and purchase an AT&T phone, contract free, pay full price for the phone, but that does not make it unlocked. It is still locked to AT&T. That is what you really need to understand. If I took that phone and put a T-Mobile SIM in it, it would not work, and I would get an unsupported SIM error, because the device is locked to AT&T. That is what needs to be understood. To purchase an unlocked phone in the US, for the most part needs to be done at the Apple Store.

While Apple holds the database for locked phones, when they sell stock to carriers and resellers, they are all indicated as to what they are. Carrier get phones locked to their network. Resellers, in the US, like Target, Best Buy, Walmart, get devices locked to the carriers they are authorized to sell for. The biggest issue here is the fact that someone purchased a phone they were unaware of what the rules are here in the US, then took it to another country to use. The device is regional for North America, is locked to a carrier, and the warranty is only valid in the US. While it may be difficult to purchase a device in your home country, and it may be expensive, when you purchase a device from another country, you are accepting the risk of not all things working like they would with a phone sold for your particular location. The other thing is understanding the terminology used when describing devices in the US differs from how people describe them in other countries, as well as the fact that in many countries all phones are unlocked. That is not the case in the US.

Here's the rub. If you bought a T-Mobile iPhone from Target, but did not activate it on T-Mobile, they will not have a record of it. In order to get it unlocked by T-Mobile in the US, you will have to sign up for service, activate the phone on their network, and pay for at least 40 days of service. Only then will they consider, unlocking it.

Go to the place where you have purchased this phone and ask for a refund.

What does it say when you look at Settings>General>About>Carrier?

You may have to scroll to see the entry for Carrier.

agershun wrote:

Unfortunately, I am now in the opposite side of the Earth now, and I realized that this is a problem only here (I successfully used T-Mobile prepaid while I was in US). Anyway, Of course, I will try to send the phone back and ask friends to solve this problem, but this is a big HEADACHE boucht for big money,

Thank you!

PS. I think this is sole Apple company responsibility to solve this questions, because they have database of all devices and contracts, and the telephone covered with warranty.

You have been sold a locked phone by Target, complain to them, they took your money after all.

I think everyone understands and is at least a little sympathetic. The issue is where the OP points the blame. Locking/unlocking is not an Apple decision. It is 100% the decision of the carrier. Whether the OP purchased a locked or unlocked iPhone is on the Store from which he purchased, not the manufacturer.

1,2 &3) If he bought it at Target, then it is not unlocked, as they do not sell unlocked iPhones, as far as I know. Paying full price is certainly not mean that it is unlocked. Many pay full price for a locked iPhone, it is simply not bound to a contract or the buyer is not eligible for a subsidy from the carrier.

4) In the U.S, an unlocked iPhone is unlocked. It does not become locked to a carrier once it is unlocked.

Apple does NOT make the decision on locking and unlocking. The carrier make this decision. The issue is not with the phone or the manufacturer, it is with Target and/or the carrier.

Call Apple again. Ask for a Senior Advisor. Explain the issue to them and that all you are asking is who is the current carrier of the device in question. I do not believe that is prohibited or private information.

Apple protects customer information very closely. But the carrier to which a device is locked isn't private customer information, IMHO.

"No one but you is responsible for your current predicament, having purchased a dubious phone from a dubious source it is now yours."

I think OP said he has bought iPhone from Target. If that is a dubious source, then only Apple Store is a legitimate one. Apple should stop selling from dubious source to maintain quality of customer service.

"Locking/unlocking is not an Apple decision. "

I cannot agree with this statement. It is Apple who enables or disables locking of the phone through centralized database (like stolen ones cannot be activated at all). Carrier only decides whether to sell locked or unlocked phones and orders appropriate ones from Apple.

I think you brought important point though in your post - "Many pay full price for a locked iPhone, it is simply not bound to a contract or the buyer is not eligible for a subsidy from the carrier." - it appears that iPhone is CONTRACT FREE, but not SIM FREE, which means it is still LOCKED to a first used carrier.

Well again - this conclusion is not valid either - how to predict which carrier customer is going to use then? Logically, it sounds like it is contract free, but lockable iPhone, locking to the first carrier. But again - why so much mess with different locking options while selling iPhone at full price (I mean full - you can buy truly unlocked iPhone for very much the same amount around the globe)?

I think it is a mess. And probably Apple who should clean it a bit for the sake of customer satisfaction, as it always thought to serve.

agershun wrote:

1. The phone is locked by Virgin. I do not know how...

An interesting turn of events. Unfortunately for you, at this time, it seems your gripe is now with Target, as to how you ended up with a Virgin Mobile Phone. Let them explain that.

Considering what you would have to do to get through all of that, you may be better of trying to sell that device via eBay or something like that to someone in the US that could use it, and then use the proceeds of your sale to purchase an unlocked phone much closer to where you currently reside, if you cannot purchase one in your home country. At least that way, the warranty work is much closer, and regionally, it should support the LTE bands where you live.

Hello,

I read the discussion. Disclaimer - I am long time friend of the topic starter.

It looks like he is alone here and probably another point of view is needed.

I have experience with iPhones (as well as TS) from the very first one, where we had to unlock them in order to use in Russia, where they were not sold till iPhone 3g (or was it 3?) as I remember. In another words - we have some experience using locked and unlocked iPhones.

Warranty is country specific - that is fine,since iPhone is working. The problem that TS is trying to elevate is that Apple has full control of the iPhones, particularly carrier/country restrictions, LTE capability. If you do a recover procedure, you can see iTunes contacting that central database.

When it comes to this purchase - I think it is chain of questions, where topic starter is trying get through:

1) this is unlocked iPhone. Price supports that statement, Apple probably (or must?) confirm that. It could be that locked iPhone was bought.

2) iPhone model (e.g. unlocked) could have been misplaced - they sold locked iPhone instead of unlocked. Target (the seller) should clarify that, but at the end - Apple should clarify that purchased iPhone was sim free.

3) UNLOCKED meaning. In the rest of the world (outside of US) this means only that you could use iPhone with any operator in the world. In US this could easily mean that you still could use with ANY operator, but ONLY IN US. That how marketing in US could be working, presuming US customers does not need anything, since they have everything in US. Apple could/must clarify that.

5) Now T mobile sim was used on the phone. Can sim lock iPhone? Yes it can, if manufacturer provided that functionality. Probably only Apple can clarify, T Mobile can also clarify. T mobile said they do not do that, prepaid cards probably should not lock the phones, because of the nature of prepaid cards use.

Apple has full control of iPhone and its functionality as I see.

I think in real life you never have to structure a problem into detailed puzzles with right questions and appropriate angles if there is a customer service, which solves all this for you, provided you are a legitimate customer (by using this I mean you paid the full price through legitimate trade channel). Apple probably can solve the mess of the different issues, which I described the above, piling up the chain. But Apple does not. That is the only question - why?