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Contract expired, but who unlocks?

WhatAmI

WhatAmI

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 2, 2009
924
10
For us who've bought 2nd hand iPhones is there any way to be 100% certain what provider the iPhone was originally locked to?

For instance, my iPhone reports model number MB500KN and if I google that I get various reference pages but in my case the model number matches like 3 different service providers in various Nordic countries (Nordic, you know - polar bears in the streets and nude blonde women throwing themselves at ya)

As Apple reports my iPhone as no longer being eligeble for free service or repair I figure any contract period must have expired as well and have therefore emailed my IMEI number to these 3 providers asking for an unlock code. If they deny my request I need to know which of them I should be extra persistent with :D

I thought the Sysinfo app and wandering around the file system using SSH would give me gthe answer but no...

Any help is appreciated
 
WhatAmI said:
For us who've bought 2nd hand iPhones is there any way to be 100% certain what provider the iPhone was originally locked to?

For instance, my iPhone reports model number MB500KN and if I google that I get various reference pages but in my case the model number matches like 3 different service providers in various Nordic countries (Nordic, you know - polar bears in the streets and nude blonde women throwing themselves at ya)

As Apple reports my iPhone as no longer being eligeble for free service or repair I figure any contract period must have expired as well and have therefore emailed my IMEI number to these 3 providers asking for an unlock code. If they deny my request I need to know which of them I should be extra persistent with :D

I thought the Sysinfo app and wandering around the file system using SSH would give me gthe answer but no...

Any help is appreciated
Click to expand...


the ISP's will never reply. They have no obligations with you.
I'd contact the seller and ask them directly but chances are that it won't be unlocked.
 
When the contact with carriers in the US expires or is paid off early e.g. when upgrading from 3G to 3GS, are the carriers or Apple obliged to unlock them?
I'm thinking of buying the 3G of a friend which was originally bought on a US contract, and he's selling it because he upgraded to the 3GS.
Do you think he could get it officially unlocked for me? If so how?
Thanks...
 
i-smartphone-unlock-clip-20090921-002828.jpg

Why not grab yourself a i-SmartPhone 3G unlock clip? Doesn't need any network unlocking or firmware hacking. Just install it together with your simcard and use any network.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Unlock-iPhone...ries?hash=item3ca59860d9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
 
If your iPhone is from the U.S or the U.K, then there is no official way to unlock the phone (the phone will be lock with the carrier for the rest of your life ;)). If your phone is from France or Finland then yes, you can ask for official unlock code, but i think it is for small fee.
 
So basically if you buy an on-contract iPhone in the US Apple expects you to either:

1. Stay with that carrier for life.
2. Use the iPhone as a paperweight.

That's insane..... I thought there was some way in the U.S. to have it unlocked if you'd fulfilled the 2-year or whetevr term it is contract, or paid the penalty.
 
Because of the exclusivity agreement, Apple won't provide unlock codes. The iPhone is sold with the knowledge that it is to be used exclusively on ATT so they have no obligation to do it. Very few other phones have that type of agreement so it's not something that's typically a problem.

The only solution is the crack and hack pathways or other unofficial means...

Here's hoping the exclusivity ends soon!
 
ok, I've spoken with three service providers now and here's an update for you all. To unlock your iPhone once contract has expired, the servide provider either needs the original telephone number the iPhone was sold with or social security number (or equivalent) of the person who bought it.

I am pretty sure this rule set applies to every service provider out there, this means I'm f***ed and so are a ton of my fellow iPhone owners :eek:
 
WhatAmI said:
ok, I've spoken with three service providers now and here's an update for you all. To unlock your iPhone once contract has expired, the servide provider either needs the original telephone number the iPhone was sold with or social security number (or equivalent) of the person who bought it.

I am pretty sure this rule set applies to every service provider out there, this means I'm f***ed and so are a ton of my fellow iPhone owners :eek:
Click to expand...

Is there anyway of getting ahold of the person you bought it from?
 
WhatAmI said:
ok, I've spoken with three service providers now and here's an update for you all. To unlock your iPhone once contract has expired, the servide provider either needs the original telephone number the iPhone was sold with or social security number (or equivalent) of the person who bought it.

I am pretty sure this rule set applies to every service provider out there, this means I'm f***ed and so are a ton of my fellow iPhone owners :eek:
Click to expand...

Which service providers did you speak to who said they would unlock it if you had that information? Thanks...
 
occamsrazor said:
Which service providers did you speak to who said they would unlock it if you had that information? Thanks...
Click to expand...

NetCom in Norway and Telia in Denmark. I'm back at the negotiation table with the third service provider again so we'll see where this ends up. Anyway, only one of them could have sold this phone originally so not sure whom I should push over the cliff for refusing to cooperate =)

trainguy77 said:
Is there anyway of getting ahold of the person you bought it from?
Click to expand...

I bought two locked iPhones off ebay, seller is most likely not the original buyer...
 
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