Buying iPhone from Apple.com- unlocked or not?

madra31 wrote:

If you must buy a carrier-branded version, you might want to consider the Verizon model as all Verizon LTE devices are unlocked.

In addition, the Verizon model supports CDMA.

Though this is true, you will not be able to use a Verizon phone on a GSM carrier until after you have activated it on Verizon.

Hi

Iphone will be unlocked if it,s from Apple Store.

The problem is the Warranty will only be valid in country of purchase if you have a problem you will need to return iPhone to that country?

Cheers

Brian 🇬-1F1E7;

I wonder if you could clarify my understanding of purchases in the US other than at the Apple Store.

This is what I have been told:

If an iPhone is purchased, except at the Apple Store, it will be subject to the US Resellers Flex Policy.

This means that the iPhone will have the activation policy associated with the first sim with which it is activated.

Thus a Verizon-branded model if first activated with a Verizon sim will remain unlocked. However, if it is first activated with a Sprint sim it will be locked to Sprint.

Thanks.

madra31 wrote:

I wonder if you could clarify my understanding of purchases in the US other than at the Apple Store.

This is what I have been told:

If an iPhone is purchased, except at the Apple Store, it will be subject to the US Resellers Flex Policy.

This means that the iPhone will have the activation policy associated with the first sim with which it is activated.

Thus a Verizon-branded model if first activated with a Verizon sim will remain unlocked. However, if it is first activated with a Sprint sim it will be locked to Sprint.

Thanks.

You understand it correctly, however... activating the device with Verizon is not as simple as putting a Verizon SIM in and going through the activation screens. Verizon is a CDMA carrier. It must be activated by them. Meaning, you will have to sign up for service with Verizon in order to activate it on their network, after which it will be unlocked.

KiltedTim wrote:

Though this is true, you will not be able to use a Verizon phone on a GSM carrier until after you have activated it on Verizon.

That was not my experience. We were able to put other SIMs in never before activated Verizon phones and they worked. What I do know from my experience is that Verizon will not sell you a phone unless you activate it. But that's just company policy, not a technical limitation.

That is also my experience.

However it can be possible to buy an unactivated Verizon phone from big box retailers without having it activated on a Verizon account.

If a Verizon sim from a different phone that is on Verizon is used to activate the purchased device, then the purchased device will remain unlocked from that point on.

I am familiar with one such case where the purchaser used a Sprint sim to activate the phone for the first time. Subsequently, the purchaser wished to switch the service to Verizon and was unable to do so even though it was a Verizon phone.

Apple declined to modify the activation policy and indicated, quite properly, that it was a carrier issue.

However, since it was on a Sprint MVNO with a BYOD only system, that MVNO was unable to unlock it and Sprint declined to do so.

In other similar cases where a Verizon sim (from a family member or friend) was used initially and the phone was then placed in service on that Sprint MNVO encountered no issues and remained unlocked.

We will have to wait until it is released. In any case, it is not a good idea to buy a phone outside the country where you intend to use it as the warranty is not international.

I think we have to wait until the release date of the sim free version which I am trying to find out. I am in the same boat!

If you must buy a carrier-branded version, you might want to consider the Verizon model as all Verizon LTE devices are unlocked.

In addition, the Verizon model supports CDMA.

Did you purchase it directly from Apple, or from another retailer such as Best Buy? The two are treated differently. The phones Apple sells directly are not subject to the same reseller flex policy.

Buying phones from certain big box retailers has another set of difficulties. The phones from, I believe Best Buy, will lock to whatever carrier they are first used with.