“If you ask most cell phone users what they understand the term ‘unlocked phone’ to mean, they will likely tell you that it is exactly what it says: that you can use the phone on any cell carrier anywhere,” Marc Weber Tobias reports for Forbes. “Well, this is not exactly true with the iPhone 4S.”
“Last month I purchased an iPhone 4S from Best Buy Mobile for use on my Verizon account. I paid full retail so there would be no restrictions from Verizon with regard to unlocking the handset,” Tobias reports. “I contacted technical support before leaving for Europe to have the phone unlocked. Verizon stated that I would have to meet certain conditions in order to unlock the phone.”
Tobias reports, “It is somewhat perplexing that this particular carrier seems to think they can regulate the use of your phone on foreign carriers that are not allied with Verizon, especially where prepaid SIM cards are used. I especially find this condition, below, rather perplexing because it indicates that Verizon maintains control over your phone and usage even if you are not using their network… What consumers need to understand is that there are actually four different versions of the iPhone 4S: Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and Apple. Only the Apple phone, available from their stores or on-line, is fully unlocked and can be used on any carrier.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Arline M.” and “Ellis D.” for the heads up.]
Well, return the Verzion iPhone 4S and buy an Apple retail store model. Simple solution. Then tell Verzion were to put the phone..,
Apple model will only work on GSM carriers. CDMA phones have to be purchased specifically for that network.
Not with the 4S
Yes, with the 4S. Straight from Apple’s site:
“The unlocked iPhone works only on supported GSM networks, such as AT&T in the U.S. When you travel internationally, you can also use a micro-SIM card from a local GSM carrier. The unlocked iPhone will not work with CDMA carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.”
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone/iphone4s
Yes and no. Technically it could but Verizon will not allow it on their network they only allow phones purchased through them. Since CDMA doesn’t use a SIM you have to get Verizon to activate it on their end so the control everything.
If you pay the full amount for an AT&T 4S it gets unlocked when you plug it up to iTunes when your setting it up. A message pops up on iTunes that says “congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked” the same way when you you set up an unlocked 4S in iTunes. I know this cause I’ve done this with both unlocked and at&t contract free 4S’s. Sprint contract free phones were also unlocked until nov 10, after that if you payed in full for a sprint phone it wasnt unlocked ( they even announced this). This ad is kind of misleading but I think it’s because apple and the carriers misled everyone the most.
The points of the article are very valid. However, the chance of any of the consumer protection legislation outlined in the article being passed is nil. The Republicons would block any regulation that would possibly adversely affect the profits of big telecom.
And above, ladies and gentlemen, you see a classic example of homo liberalus kneejerkus.
And please tell us all in detail where I am wrong? Have not the Republicons, in the last decade at least, blocked every pieces of legislation that in any way, shape or form provided protection to consumers? Details please if I am wrong.
I suspect that both parties would be reluctant to tackle such a bill. The wireless industry wields substantial influence.
Regardless of the derogatory tone of jimg’s post (i.e., Republicons), history supports his assertion. The Republican party has generally been very reluctant to support pro-consumer legislation. Such legislation is invariably opposed by big business, and the GOP is tightly allied with big business leaders, corporate lobbyists, and large campaign contributions. The Democrats have also been known to backtrack on pro-consumer legislation when the big business guns start firing, but not as consistently.
substantial influence – read that as munificent campaign contributions
We really do have the best government that money can buy.
I’ve never seen an industry so ripe for regulation. This coming from a staunch conservative, just one bright enough to know that regulation is not a four-letter word.
The unlocked phone from Apple only works on GSM networks and will never work on a CDMA carrier. Read the description on the Apple Store page, it is very clear. “The unlocked iPhone works only on supported GSM networks, such as AT&T in the U.S. When you travel internationally, you can also use a micro-SIM card from a local GSM carrier. The unlocked iPhone will not work with CDMA carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.”
If you want Verizon as your carrier, you have to buy the Verizon version. You can call them up and have them unlock GSM after 60 days of being in good standing (i.e. paying your bill).
I know, because I just did that last week and used my iPhone on a trip to Europe in the last 5 days where I used a local SIM card without a hitch.
It’s kind of silly to have to wait, but it is not particularly onerous.
So you are OK with those terms? You don’t feel as if Verizon and the other carriers are flipping you over and violating you with an alien probe?
On the other hand, Apple takes a similar approach to iTunes. Perhaps the key difference is that I despise the cable and telephone industries and I love Apple. I will have to think about this some more…
Any Unlocked phone from Apple is already Unlocked and can be identified by its unique IMEI number on file and record with Apple. There is no need to get any carrier’s unlocking or approval for its use as such. Just pop in any minisimm card ( pay as you go) you purchase from any carrier along your travels for it to work.
Micro SIMM
Yes, but this is specifically about the Verizon iPhone. Verizon is CMDA and as mentioned by others, CDMA must be bought from the carrier directly.
Paying full retail for a Verizon “unlocked” iPhone sounds like a complete rip-off unless you do a LOT of traveling.
Unlocked 4S is both GSM and CDMA
No it is not.
The other half is if activated for use on a CDMA network
Erroneous.
Wrong.
From Apple’s site:
” The unlocked iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S will not work with CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.”
This article states, “if you purchase your phone directly from Apple, it is truly a universal device and will allow you to change carriers without the penalty of making the phone worthless.”
Does this only apply to the full retail version from Apple (Web or Storefront) and not the carrier subsidized versions at the Apple Store? Can I “unlock” my AT&T subsidized 4s purchased via the Apple Store?
This article states, “if you purchase your phone directly from Apple, it is truly a universal device and will allow you to change carriers without the penalty of making the phone worthless.”
I read that, but call me skeptical. I would think that there is a difference between the full retail version and a subsidized version purchased via Apple. I can’t help help but think that my subsidized version is locked to AT&T and I want to know what the implications for that is. Why would anyone buy a full retail version from Apple if they want an “unlocked” phone, when they can buy a subsidized version from Apple and still unlock it?
When you buy Unlocked from Apple you pay the piper and the piper has a stellar record of standing behind it’s products and customers.
This si one of those confusing technical situations a lot of people do not get.
There is CDMA and there is GSM connectivity in the cell phone world.
The iPhone 4S can handle either GSM or CDMA connectivity- regardless of initial carrier. The hardware can handle either. This is the first iPhone capable of doing so. The iPhone 4 hardware could only do one or the other type of network. A CDMA 4 could only ever do CDMA. Same for a GSM 4.
If you purchase an iPhone without a subsidy in the form of a (typical) 2 year contract, it is considered unlocked. Thus- buying an unsubsidized iPhone 4S from verizon, or AT&T means that you should be able to take the phone to europe (GSM) or china (mostly CDMA) and use your iPhone 4S with impunity.
Verizon should have zero right to stop you by locking your phone purchase without of contract. They shouldn’t be able to even if you do have a contract (but that’s another story).
The biggest problem here is that even if you do buy a no-contract, no-subsidy, full price iPhone directly from an American carrier (Verizon, Sprint or AT&T), they will still give you a locked SIM slot. This is just wrong; the SIM card that Verizon and Sprint put in this slot is essentially useless in America, since the phone will use the carrier’s own CDMA network for domestic connectivity. In other words, Verizon and Sprint will provide iPhone 4S users with a locked SIM card that will ONLY be used if the user travels overseas and is roaming on GSM networks.
To make the lock go away, the user must call the carrier and ask them for the unlocking instructions. Apparently, though, these aren’t automatically given; you must be a “good customer” before they let you unlock the phone that you paid for up-front. This is absolutely preposterous, but they continue to get away with it.
These carriers are something else.
Don’t get me started on how many people they have fooled into thinking bandwidth works in their self serving woe-is-me-power-users-are-ruining-it-for-everyone bullshit way.
It’s obviously very easy to dupe the general populace with technology misrepresentation, and you have technically ignorant people lapping it up.
A lot of confusion here.
The 4S phone is definitely LOCKED if you don’t pay $650 or more for the unsubsidised device (no contract). Unlike almost any other phone out there, neither Apple, nor the carrier in the US will give you instructions to unlock it, even if you completed your contract.
There are two ways to get an unlocked iPhone in America:
1. Buy an unlocked device directly from Apple; it comes with an AT&T SIM card, which you can remove and put T-Mobile, or any other foreign card;
2. Buy an unsubsidised (full-price) device from AT&T; it will come with the same AT&T SIM card, and once activated, it would become locked to AT&T (regardless of the price and no-contract status).
In order to get this second option unlocked, there is a very specific procedure which apparently works consistently and reliably:
1. Remove AT&T SIM card;
2. Insert another carrier SIM card;
3. Connect USB cable to your Mac (or PC);
4. Follow iTunes instructions to set up the iPhone.
If all went correctly, you’ll get a message, inside iTunes, in your local language, that your iPhone is now unlocked.
Obviously, regardless of which unlocked iPhone you buy, you won’t be able to activate it on a CDMA carrier (in America, that’s Verizon and Sprint). However, while I hadn’t found any evidence that this has been tested, it is likely that the same procedure above would work if you were to buy an unsubsidised (no-contract) iPhone directly from Verizon (or Sprint) and try to activate it with some foreign SIM card in it.
A minor update do that unlocking procedure above; the procedure only works if the phone is new, out of the box, never activated and never turned on before.
We *really* need legislation to prevent the locking of phones. It creates headache, confusion, and waste. Ultimately, it’s not good for the industry as a whole, however, as long as carriers are allowed to do it, it’s in every carrier’s interest to do so if others are.
Contracts and subsidies are how carriers should “lock in” customers… God knows they can’t do it with superior service and better pricing.
If you pay the full amount for an AT&T 4S it gets unlocked when you plug it up to iTunes when your setting it up. A message pops up on iTunes that says “congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked” the same way when you you set up an unlocked 4S in iTunes. I know this cause I’ve done this with both unlocked and at&t contract free 4S’s. Sprint contract free phones were also unlocked until nov 10, after that if you payed in full for a sprint phone it wasnt unlocked ( they even announced this). This ad is kind of misleading but I think it’s because apple and the carriers misled everyone the most.
What gets me is that even if you pay full price you still have to buy a $30 data plan even if you don’t want it.
Yea.. that’s called an iPod touch.
Why in the holy hell would anyone want an iPhone w/o a data plan?
because the iPhone has wifi and some people don’t need the use of data over 3G/Edge. Some people have wifi at home and the office and when driving don’t need data.
Who that is, I have no idea, but I know my mother would jump on such a deal. She loves my iPhone but wouldn’t want the data plan. She can wait until she is In wifi range. So I guess I do know one person that would want that. Haha
There is even the option to turn off cellular data do it makes sense to allow it.
Interesting take considering AT&T doesn’t even offer a $30 data plan for anyone not grandfathered on the unlimited plan.