Setting up unlocked iPhone 6 Plus for the first time. Can it lock?

[hokiemas]

I live in Mexico, but I am from Virginia. I'm headed back in July, and I've already purchased an unlocked, contract free, sim-free iPhone 6 Plus from the Apple Store to use while I'm there and bring back here to use as my full time phone. When I activate it for the first time, if I use a T-Mobile sim to set the phone up, will it lock to T-Mobile? Will I be able to switch out that sim for my Mexican sim when I get back to Mexico? I'm just worried it will lock to T-Mobile if that's the first sim I use.

My understanding is that with the unlocked sim-free phone purchased from Apple, I should be able to switch out sims as I please regardless of what sim I use to set it up. Is that right? I ask about T-Mobile specifically because so far, they have the best pay as you go International call plan sim that I've found for use in the States. It just makes the most sense to use that sim while I'm there. I normally just pick one up at Walmart when I get there.

 

[eyoungren]

I live in Mexico, but I am from Virginia. I'm headed back in July, and I've already purchased an unlocked, contract free, sim-free iPhone 6 Plus from the Apple Store to use while I'm there and bring back here to use as my full time phone. When I activate it for the first time, if I use a T-Mobile sim to set the phone up, will it lock to T-Mobile? Will I be able to switch out that sim for my Mexican sim when I get back to Mexico? I'm just worried it will lock to T-Mobile if that's the first sim I use.

My understanding is that with the unlocked sim-free phone purchased from Apple, I should be able to switch out sims as I please regardless of what sim I use to set it up. Is that right? I ask about T-Mobile specifically because so far, they have the best pay as you go International call plan sim that I've found for use in the States. It just makes the most sense to use that sim while I'm there. I normally just pick one up at Walmart when I get there.

Don't worry.

Apple controls the whitelisted unlock database of IMEIs. If your IMEI is in that database (and any IMEI from a SIM free model iPhone would be) there is NOTHING any carrier could EVER do to remove you from the database.

When your phone is activated, it may be through the carrier, but the phone checks Apple's iTunes servers for the actual activation policy which tells the phone if it's locked to a carrier or not. In your case, because your IMEI is in the unlock database the activation policy your phone will receive when it checks will not allow T-Mobile or any other carrier to lock your phone to their network.

None of the carriers control that and none of them can change it if your IMEI is in the unlock database.

It's that simple.

 

[hokiemas]

That makes sense. I guess I just want to make sure I don't get back to Mexico with a 950 dollar paperweight. I guess I could insert the Mexican sim when I set it up in the US, but I'm worried that it might encounter some type of error and get stuck in the setup process. I'll probably set up with the T-Mobile sim since it shouldn't lock given the model I purchased from Apple. I can always try putting my Mexican sim in it after I set it up to see if it lets me dial out. The Mexican sim will work in the States. It always latches onto an AT&T or T-Mobile network depending on where I'm at. It just costs an arm and a leg to make calls with it. If there was an issue with it accepting the sim, it would tell me that the sim was invalid. Thanks again for the reply.