If I pull the sim from a full price AT&T iPhone is it then Sim-Free?

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Level 1

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If I pull the sim from a full price AT&T iPhone is it then Sim-Free?

I want to buy a sim-free iPhone SE, but Apple won't have any to ship for several weeks. The nearest Apple Store doesn’t have any for local pick-up either. The store does, however have an AT&T version. If I order an AT&T iPhone SE on the Apple website, pay full price, pick it up at the local Apple Store, remove the AT&T sim card, will I then have an unlocked sim-free iPhone? I want to use it with Straight Talk. (There's no iPhone SE category for this question so I've selected 6.)

Posted on May 21, 2016 3:59 PM

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Answer 1

ChrisJ4203

Level 10

236,309 points

May 21, 2016 4:06 PM in response to SydS

You will have a SIM-free phone, but not an unlocked phone. There is a difference. A SIM-free phone is one shipped without a SIM, an unlocked phone is one that is able to use any SIM card. If you purchase the AT&T device, you would have to request that AT&T unlock the device. Devices designated for specific carriers are locked to those carriers.

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Answer 2

SydS Author

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May 21, 2016 4:22 PM in response to ChrisJ4203

When I bought my current iPhone 6, it was a T-Mobile version (they didn't offer sim-free then) that I paid full price for from Apple. When it arrived, I pulled the T-Mobile sim before I turned it on, installed the Straight Talk sim, then turned it on and it worked fine. Just wanted to know if Apple is doing things differently now by "locking" them to a carrier. If what you say is true, then they are. Bad for me since they don't have sim-free phones to ship. Thanks for your answer.

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Answer 3

Csound1

Level 9

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May 21, 2016 4:31 PM in response to SydS

T-Mobiles are unlocked.

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Answer 4

SydS Author

Level 1

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May 21, 2016 4:35 PM in response to Csound1

Maybe that's why Apple doesn't have any of them either, nor does my nearest Apple store.

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Answer 5

Csound1

Level 9

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May 21, 2016 4:36 PM in response to SydS

No, it's by order of the FCC

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Answer 6

ChrisJ4203

Level 10

236,309 points

May 22, 2016 7:02 AM in response to SydS

The way T-Mobile phones are handled are different. There were two different versions of the T-Mobile phone in the beginning, one that was locked to T-Mobile and the other was an unlocked version that came with a T-Mobile SIM that could be removed. That was in the time period between the initial release of phone versions and the release of the actual unlocked version. But there is a definition difference between SIM-free and unlocked, especially here in the US.

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