Third party retailers like Best Buy/Target/Walmart carry just one universal model of the iPhone that will lock onto whatever SIM card it activates with. Up until recently, people were able to use a Verizon SIM card, even if it did not have service, to activate any of these iPhone and thus turn them into "Verizon" iPhone that were essentially "SIM-free" because the FCC prohibited Verizon from sim-locking their LTE phones. Once activated with Verizon, you could then pop in any other other SIM card just like with a SIM-free iPhone from apple.
However, Verizon has recently started SIM locking all their phones to Verizon for 60 days after activation to "prevent theft" (because Verizon wants all the thieves to use their network?), so the Verizon SIM card activation is no longer an option to unlock any of these phones.
I know the best option for a "SIM-Free" unlocked phone is to purchase directly from apple, but some people might still purchase from a third-party retailer because store promotions/credit/gift cards/etc and need an unlocked phone.
Activating an iPhone on different network than your primary for the unlock doesn't seem like an option due to ridiculous number of days required:
14 days of service to unlock on AT&T.
40 days of service to unlock on T-Mobile.
50 days of service to unlock on Sprint.
60 days of service to unlock on Verizon.
What's the best option to activate and unlock a "universal" iPhone purchased from a third-party retailer?
However, Verizon has recently started SIM locking all their phones to Verizon for 60 days after activation to "prevent theft" (because Verizon wants all the thieves to use their network?), so the Verizon SIM card activation is no longer an option to unlock any of these phones.
I know the best option for a "SIM-Free" unlocked phone is to purchase directly from apple, but some people might still purchase from a third-party retailer because store promotions/credit/gift cards/etc and need an unlocked phone.
Activating an iPhone on different network than your primary for the unlock doesn't seem like an option due to ridiculous number of days required:
14 days of service to unlock on AT&T.
40 days of service to unlock on T-Mobile.
50 days of service to unlock on Sprint.
60 days of service to unlock on Verizon.
What's the best option to activate and unlock a "universal" iPhone purchased from a third-party retailer?
- Is there still some SIM card out there that we can use to activate instead of Verizon?
- Activate iPhone with one of the SIMs and pay for a cheap unlock on eBay?
- Another option..?
