If you are out of contract yes - in contract unlikely![]()
Surely not?
You're not tied into any contract with O2, they merely supply a SIM card you top up as and when you please.
I bought my iPhone 3G from Apple at full price, my outlay was with them, and I have zero commitment or contract with O2.
According to the O2 bloke in the Times interview he says customers will need to honour their existing contract ... PAYG customers have no contract.
So hopefully this means we too can move freely.
O2 said:We can only give you the code if you've been on our network for at least a year. That's because we covered part of the price of your phone when you bought it, to make it cheaper for you.
Surely not?
You're not tied into any contract with O2, they merely supply a SIM card you top up as and when you please.
I bought my iPhone 3G from Apple at full price, my outlay was with them, and I have zero commitment or contract with O2.
So what happens when, like me, you bought a 3G on contract and then upgraded to a PAYGO 3GS.....
My wife now has my 3G (with her SIMplicity account) and I the 3GS (with my 3G SIM and contract).... which one will they unlock and when?
How do they know how long my wife has been with O2 as she kept her original O2 SIMplicity SIM when she starting using the 3G.......
Confusion!!
So what happens when, like me, you bought a 3G on contract and then upgraded to a PAYGO 3GS.....
My wife now has my 3G (with her SIMplicity account) and I the 3GS (with my 3G SIM and contract).... which one will they unlock and when?
How do they know how long my wife has been with O2 as she kept her original O2 SIMplicity SIM when she starting using the 3G.......
Confusion!!
I presume it will just use the IMEI of the iPhone that was originally activated when you signed up for your contract. You'll probably have to put your SIM into your wife's phone for a while before it's unlocked.
As i have never used anything but my 3G contract sim in the 3GS then how do you suppose they will know how long i have had it... obviously the most would be from when it was released til now!
"To unlock an iPhone you need the NCK which is a unique 15 digit key. Those keys for unlocking are sitting on Apples servers and send to the iPhone via iTunes while the iPhone is connected to the Mac/PC.
Each iPhone has a unique HWID, NORID, CHIPID, (id's embedded in the iPhone hardware/chips and unique to each phone), the NCK is only working with the one iPhone where the above are matching. The NCK does not unlock any other iPhone.
Trying to bruteforce the NCK would take years even on high-end computers (NCK Brute Force - The iPhone Wiki).
Trying to guess the NCK is limited as well, After 5 or so unsuccessful attempts, the iPhone becomes permanently locked to the carrier - unless you're feeling really, really lucky, I wouldn't try it.
Apple has HWID, NORID, CHIPID... of all iPhones sold in countries, where the iPhone has to be sold unlocked. So once a phone of those is connected via iTunes, the apple servers check HWID, NORID, CHIPID and compare it to their database. If the matching iPhone is marked "factory unlocked" the Apple servers send the unique NCK for this iPhone."
So what happens when, like me, you bought a 3G on contract and then upgraded to a PAYGO 3GS.....
My wife now has my 3G (with her SIMplicity account) and I the 3GS (with my 3G SIM and contract).... which one will they unlock and when?
In fact you do have a contract with O2 - there are terms and conditions on their web site for P&G. However having skimmed through them, the good news is that there are no terms which require you to remain with them for any period of time.
i haven't seem the terms and conditions that would be applicable when you bought the kit from Apple, but given that at the time they had an exclusive with O2, it probably says that you have to use O2. However once that exclusivity expires on 10/11, then that will probably be out the window.
You could always email them and ask
If I was a betting man, I would probably say that P&G will be able to unlock.
Alex
I bought my iPhone 3G from Apple at full price
Yes like any contract, you can buy it out (I was quoted £100-something to cover the last three months till Jan), but that's for when you want to switch NOW; i.e. a PAC code.From the conversations i have exchanged with O2, the unlocks will be available for all people who are currently with o2 and who are out of contract. Whether they will allow you to pay off your contract and then unlock you - I cant see that they would worry as they would be getting money for nothing.