I'm picking up my phone at the apple store next week, do you guys know if the Apple store will make me activate it with T-mobile or require me to give them t-mobile info before picking up?
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Other iPhone 15 Preorder on Apple Card Monthly Installments (ACMI)
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Usually with a pick up all information is put in on the website to make pick up times shorter at the store. Once they hand the phone over to you and you've signed you're good to go and do with it as you please.
I swear I read this in the terms & conditions somewhere, but I went back to find it, but couldn't. I must not have imagined it, and I just decided to get a little more aggressive in my search and actually found it in an Apple Support Document. That document shows last updated on 8/15/2023, which is when Apple announced the new policy, so I wonder if it's a part of the policy - they just don't publicize it.
I placed an order for an iPhone 15 Pro Max this morning, selecting T-mobile as the carrier. It did not ask me to login to T-Mobile. I selected T-Mobile because Google Fi is a T-Mobile MVNO and that is what I've been using for years. About an hour later I decided to place an order for my mom for an iPhone 15, but this time I could not get past the carrier part. It required a T-Mobile login and pin.
I googled a bit and found the 9to5 article about Apple card financing fine print with carrier activation and alarm bells started to ring, so I gave support a call. They were adamant that I would not be able to activate the eSim unless I went though T-Mobile, because I selected T-Mobile and the eSim was preloaded with T-Mobile.
Probably a bunch of low level tech corporate talking points as the phones are not locked to one carrier (Unless At&T)...but I decided to cancel and wait things out as even if it will work, there might be many hoops to jump though.
If people get their phones and they can get around the fine print restrictions, I'll re-order. Otherwise I'll have to flip my current iPhone on ebay or gazelle and then buy a new one outright at some point down the line.
I googled a bit and found the 9to5 article about Apple card financing fine print with carrier activation and alarm bells started to ring, so I gave support a call. They were adamant that I would not be able to activate the eSim unless I went though T-Mobile, because I selected T-Mobile and the eSim was preloaded with T-Mobile.
Probably a bunch of low level tech corporate talking points as the phones are not locked to one carrier (Unless At&T)...but I decided to cancel and wait things out as even if it will work, there might be many hoops to jump though.
If people get their phones and they can get around the fine print restrictions, I'll re-order. Otherwise I'll have to flip my current iPhone on ebay or gazelle and then buy a new one outright at some point down the line.
I think since there was no information input at purchase everyone should be good. It also depends on the store you were in(discount, military, EPP) as those don’t offer ACMI and you would’ve had to select a different payment option.
Just confirming back: both of my iPhones have shipped! So ordering two worked with no issues. Seems as long as you don’t have to log in/put phone number you can order multiple even with the new requirement
The question will be if these phones will work without T-Mobile activation. Please let us know. If it works, T-Mobile expectation and allocation for their network will decline. I am wondering if T-Mobile will allow this and people misuse their assigned phones. However, good luck!
This did not work. The devices still need T-Mobile activation during setup. Even though it seemed to work there was a Transfer Your Phone Number prompt during setup for your phone number and last 4 of SSN.
Can't you just buy like a $10 prepaid ESIM from TMobile and activate it and then switch to the carrier you really want without having to return the phone? I think returning it Apple charges a big restocking fee.
Ok because it says they could here...but doens't mean they will I guess.
iPhone/iPad return policy
If you are not fully satisfied with your iPhone/iPad purchase, you can return your undamaged iPhone/iPad to the Apple Online Store within 14 calendar days from the time you receive your iPhone(s)/iPad(s) for a refund. A 25% open box fee will be assessed on any opened unit (per unit). A 15% restocking fee will be assessed on closed box returns (per unit). Please visit online Order Status or call 1800-MY-APPLE to request a return. The iPhone/iPad must be returned in the original packaging, including any accessories, manuals, and documentation.Well, that's a bummer. Thanks for being our test subject.
Has anyone tried the route of calling Goldman Sachs and asking them to convert it to monthly installments? It's listed as an option on this support document (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209225#monthlyinstallments), but it does say "eligible products". I'm wondering if GS has any way to verify you have a phone that's associated with a specific carrier, or if they won't do it for iPhones.
I know some people have chatted with GS support with varying answers, and supposedly someone knows a friend-of-a-friend who lives in the Niagara Falls area that has done it, but has anyone tried it firsthand and been successful?
I'm assuming this prompt is unskippable? Like we can't continue to setup the iPhone?
Could you expand more when you said "Even though it seemed to work"? In what way? Also was this just the regular 15 or the Pro?
Thanks in advance for any response.
The prompt is unskippable and stopped me from continuing with setup.
Originally it seemed to work when ordering online on pre-order day as it didn’t ask for any carrier information. This was the 15 Pro. I assume it is the same for all carriers.
Thank you for sharing. This quite a curious thing. Not sure legally how Apple can claim to sell an unlocked phone, but not allowing customers access to the phone without a carrier account or signing any contract upon purchase.
It is above my head. Thank you again for sharing!