Other iOS Version on New iPhone

[windmill83]

Do stores (Apple, Verizon, etc.) update the iOS version of their iPhone stock? I'm asking about new, unopened iPhones still in the original box. I’m just wondering if there is special process to do that, or do new iPhones always come with the iOS version that was installed in the factory?

 

[Lekro]

So do you think they go ahead and open every iPhone box, hook it up to iTunes and do an update, then reseal and restock with every iOS update?

The phone comes with the software installed at the factory. The reason it varies, is because of manufacturing date.

 

[Shadowbech]

Yes they do sometimes. I recently picked up an iPad Pro 11 and was made in June 2019 and it already had iPadOS 13 installed out of the box. They essentially resealed it and the pull tab.
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[ericwn]

Yes they do sometimes. I recently picked up an iPad Pro 11 and was made in June 2019 and it already had iPadOS 13 installed out of the box. They essentially resealed it and the pull tab.
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This sounds unlikely. A device that was taken out of the box, updated, then factory restored and repackaged cannot legally be sold as new in a lot of countries I think. Refurbished products, maybe.

Where did you buy this from and in what country?

 

[oVerboost]

So do you think they go ahead and open every iPhone box, hook it up to iTunes and do an update, then reseal and restock with every iOS update?

The phone comes with the software installed at the factory. The reason it varies, is because of manufacturing date.

This

 

[Shadowbech]

This sounds unlikely. A device that was taken out of the box, updated, then factory restored and repackaged cannot legally be sold as new in a lot of countries I think. Refurbished products, maybe.

Where did you buy this from and in what country?

Well it was at the Apple Store in the U.S. I opened it up, looked up the serial number, was build in June of 2019 and did had iOS 13 pre-installed. It's brand new.

I've had quite a few apple devices that was like this as well, purchased at the same Apple Store, I've also had it happen even ordering it via apple.com as well.

 

[Lekro]

Now I of course don’t know the details of the production line, but a wild guess would be that they keep a stock of manufactured but not sealed phones.

So the iOS installation and boxing is a separate process to the actual assembly. The date is the assembly date.

Again, I’m not sure about this but I still find it highly unlikely that they do the effort of unboxing a factory sealed product at the store to just update.

It would take massive amounts of work to organise the stock, open, update, reseal, restock. All this when the end user can do the update themselves anyway.

I think they are not even allowed to open boxes at the store if it’s not during a sale.

 

[JPack]

Well it was at the Apple Store in the U.S. I opened it up, looked up the serial number, was build in June of 2019 and did had iOS 13 pre-installed. It's brand new.

I've had quite a few apple devices that was like this as well, purchased at the same Apple Store, I've also had it happen even ordering it via apple.com as well.

I'd question the build week info based on the serial number. Are you sure the date codes were deciphered properly?

 

[Lekro]

Here's a reliable tool: http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

 

[Shadowbech]

I'd question the build week info based on the serial number. Are you sure the date codes were deciphered properly?

Yes they were, and I can even decipher the code properly even without needing to enter the build number on a website.

Usually the 4th digit in the serial Number indicates a year, typically there are 2 in 1 year. Y is the first half (January through June 30th, 2019), while Z is the 2nd half (July through December 31, 2019). So when I looked at my seriel number clearly was a Y. The 5th digit in the serial number indicates the week. So it definitely was built in the first half of 2019.

If you don't know, 1st half of 2020 (1/2020 through 6/30/2020) starts with C.

 

[rui no onna]

Now I of course don’t know the details of the production line, but a wild guess would be that they keep a stock of manufactured but not sealed phones.

So the iOS installation and boxing is a separate process to the actual assembly. The date is the assembly date.

Again, I’m not sure about this but I still find it highly unlikely that they do the effort of unboxing a factory sealed product at the store to just update.

It would take massive amounts of work to organise the stock, open, update, reseal, restock. All this when the end user can do the update themselves anyway.

I think they are not even allowed to open boxes at the store if it’s not during a sale.

Especially so if this is for the iPhone 11 series (initial firmware iOS 13). Initial demand is usually highest so they're gonna want millions of those manufactured in time for release even if iOS 13 hasn't reached GM status yet.