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Old 12-04-2015, 07:12
bampsam
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My granddaughter purchased a iPhone 6 Plus from O2 a couple of months ago on PAYG. It now runs on her O2 sim only contract which expires next weekend. Would like to move to Three,as their sim only deals are a lot cheaper than O2. What are my options for getting the phone unlocked,and are O2 obliged to do this if I ask. Any help would be appreciated.
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Old 12-04-2015, 07:48
dpwykes
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My granddaughter purchased a iPhone 6 Plus from O2 a couple of months ago on PAYG. It now runs on her O2 sim only contract which expires next weekend. Would like to move to Three,as their sim only deals are a lot cheaper than O2. What are my options for getting the phone unlocked,and are O2 obliged to do this if I ask. Any help would be appreciated.
Pay & Go customers

If you're a Pay & Go customer, your O2 mobile can be unlocked 12 months after purchase for a one-off £15 fee which we'll deduct from your airtime balance. This policy may vary according to the handset you have purchased.

Once you have a balance of £15.00 or more on your phone, just fill out this unlocking form and we'll look after the rest.

We'll send you an unlocking code and instructions within 3 working days of receiving your form.

We'll text you to let you know when your phone's been unlocked. You can then put a non-O2 sim into the iPhone and connect it to iTunes.
From: http://www.o2.co.uk/help/phones-and-...nother-network
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Old 12-04-2015, 09:50
davethorp
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O2 don't currently unlock the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 plus. The policy has been the same for the last several years. They will not unlock iPhones during the initial launch period in order to "prioritise stock for customers who want to use the phone on the O2 network". Course the phone was released 7 months ago and we are far from the initial launch period now but try telling O2 that.

PAYG customers can only unlock phones after being with O2 for 12 months. Contract customers can at any time except for the iPhone 6 (plus). The only exception is if the phone is purchased on O2 refresh and the phone plan is paid off

http://www.o2.co.uk/help/phones-and-...her-network#qs
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Old 12-04-2015, 12:11
bampsam
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Thanks to both posters for their help,but is there any other way I can get it reliably unlocked?
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Old 12-04-2015, 12:23
Mark C
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Thanks to both posters for their help,but is there any other way I can get it reliably unlocked?
No. 'Proper' unlocking can only be performed by Apple, under instruction from the network that it's locked to. Some places on the web will offer to 'jailbreak' the phone, which might or might not work, and even if it does, upgrading to the next OS update often resets this, and of course you might end up 'bricking' the phone.

Quite honestly, often the better option these days is to buy a new unlocked phone, and use a SIM Only contract. Do the sums and often it's certainly no worse financially than a full contract over 24 months.
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Old 12-04-2015, 13:02
DevonBloke
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Yeah, then possibly keep the current iPhone stored away in good condition and when it gets to the 12 months, get it unlocked and sell it.
Oh and Mark, I think I'm right in saying it's not actually possible to brick an iPhone despite that term being used all the time.
Doesn't matter what you do to them, they can always be restored.
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Old 12-04-2015, 13:06
Mark C
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Oh and Mark, I think I'm right in saying it's not actually possible to brick an iPhone despite that term being used all the time.
Doesn't matter what you do to them, they can always be restored.
Ha, fair enough. I managed to brick the truly awful Sony Xperia X10 running an official
Android update on it. Fortunately it was a company phone, and they simply gave me a slightly less awful Mk16i to replace it.
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Old 12-04-2015, 14:37
enapace
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In fairness I've never understand why people buy high end phones on Pay as You Go you never save any money and they have less resell value.

There is some websites which will "Officially" unlock iPhones but they aren't exactly the cheapest probably looking at £50-70.

Hope you can get the solution resolve O2 have an awful unlock policy.
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Old 12-04-2015, 16:21
Lyceum
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No. 'Proper' unlocking can only be performed by Apple, under instruction from the network that it's locked to. Some places on the web will offer to 'jailbreak' the phone, which might or might not work, and even if it does, upgrading to the next OS update often resets this, and of course you might end up 'bricking' the phone.

Quite honestly, often the better option these days is to buy a new unlocked phone, and use a SIM Only contract. Do the sums and often it's certainly no worse financially than a full contract over 24 months.
Just to be clear. There's been no method of unlocked a phone via Jailbreak for a long time. So if any site says JB will unlock the phone it's 100% false.

Also if she's on either anything besides 8.1.2 or below there is currently no jailbreak available at all.

And any third party website that claims it can 'officially' unlock a IPhone is a scam. Plain and simply.

OP have you called O2 and asked what their procedure is?
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Old 12-04-2015, 16:24
moox
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And any third party website that claims it can 'officially' unlock a phone is a scam. Plain and simply.
Could another network operator submit an unlock request to Apple for a phone they didn't sell? Obviously normally they won't even try, but let's say the unofficial unlock companies have a rogue employee in a mobile network somewhere.
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Old 12-04-2015, 16:29
Theporter
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Fill the unlock form in give it a whirl if not £43 on eBay
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Old 12-04-2015, 16:29
Lyceum
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Could another network operator submit an unlock request to Apple for a phone they didn't sell? Obviously normally they won't even try, but let's say the unofficial unlock companies have a rogue employee in a mobile network somewhere.
I wouldn't imagine so. Else companies would use it as an advertising tactic. 'We can unlock your phone so you can move to our network'.

Only O2 can unlock the phone. OP if you haven't why not give them a call and ask. I was with O2 for years and never had any issues getting my iPhone's unlocked.
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Old 12-04-2015, 16:35
moox
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Well, it would be part of Apple's sales agreement for them not to advertise that presumably - but as I said, these firms might have rogue employees in the networks. They might even have people within Apple. All this is speculation of course

Calling O2 may not work, as the published O2 policy is that they won't unlock the 6 or 6+ right now.

You'd probably be better off selling the phone (iPhones have great resale value) and buying an unlocked one
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Old 12-04-2015, 16:36
Gigabit
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Only the company the phone is locked to can request that it be unlocked. There is a huge Apple database with all the unlocked phones in it: requesting an unlock adds your phone's serial number (I think?) added to this database.

Although I believe if you have an iPhone unlocked and then have it replaced with an identical model, the new model will be unlocked when the SIM is inserted.
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Old 12-04-2015, 16:36
bampsam
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Thanks for all the replies. Looks like we will be at the mercy of O2. Will try in store to get the phone unlocked. Not holding much hope for any success though.
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Old 12-04-2015, 16:41
moox
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Only the company the phone is locked to can request that it be unlocked. There is a huge Apple database with all the unlocked phones in it: requesting an unlock adds your phone's serial number (I think?) added to this database.

Although I believe if you have an iPhone unlocked and then have it replaced with an identical model, the new model will be unlocked when the SIM is inserted.
I believe every phone is "unlocked" up until activation, in the process of contacting Apple it is told whether it should be unlocked or what it should lock itself to. It's not like other phones where the state is stored in memory forever until the correct code is entered. It also means that Apple and generic retailers like CPW don't have to keep network specific phones - they only need one stock and they can change its lock state during the exchange or sale

I know that officially a network isn't able to unlock someone else's phone, I'm just speculating that Apple doesn't necesarily check since only trusted people in theory can submit requests, or there's an Apple employee getting a good second income to do it for these unlocking companies
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Old 12-04-2015, 16:47
Lyceum
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Thanks for all the replies. Looks like we will be at the mercy of O2. Will try in store to get the phone unlocked. Not holding much hope for any success though.
Save yourself a trip and just call O2. They're the only ones who can tell you 100% if they can unlock it or not.

The O2 forum has a few people who have had there's unlocked. Have a Google.
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Old 12-04-2015, 16:57
jchamier
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Only the company the phone is locked to can request that it be unlocked. There is a huge Apple database with all the unlocked phones in it: requesting an unlock adds your phone's serial number (I think?) added to this database.
The database is of ALL iPhone's sold worldwide. The Apple Care team (and store genius bar staff) can see the status of any phone you bring in, and they can tell you if its locked and to which network, or if unlocked.

Although I believe if you have an iPhone unlocked and then have it replaced with an identical model, the new model will be unlocked when the SIM is inserted.
When I had an iPhone 5 replaced under warranty the Apple Genius was able to show me the paperwork that said "Lock Status: Unlocked" and he said the replacement will copy the profile. The handset had been bought from Vodafone and they'd unlocked it about 4 months before.
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Old 12-04-2015, 17:29
Everything Goes
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I believe every phone is "unlocked" up until activation, in the process of contacting Apple it is told whether it should be unlocked or what it should lock itself to. It's not like other phones where the state is stored in memory forever until the correct code is entered. It also means that Apple and generic retailers like CPW don't have to keep network specific phones - they only need one stock and they can change its lock state during the exchange or sale

I know that officially a network isn't able to unlock someone else's phone, I'm just speculating that Apple doesn't necesarily check since only trusted people in theory can submit requests, or there's an Apple employee getting a good second income to do it for these unlocking companies
Yes the iPhone will automatically lock to the first Sim that's put in it. You can even get an iPhone and put the wrong network Sim in it when you first get it and it will auto lock to that network instead.

Other iPhones are completely unlocked from when you buy it. These can be sourced from Apple themselves or a few third parties.
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Old 12-04-2015, 17:36
Gigabit
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The database is of ALL iPhone's sold worldwide. The Apple Care team (and store genius bar staff) can see the status of any phone you bring in, and they can tell you if its locked and to which network, or if unlocked.
Yes you are right, I wasn't clear there

jchamier: saving Gigabit since 2014.
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Old 12-04-2015, 17:38
Gigabit
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Yes the iPhone will automatically lock to the first Sim that's put in it. You can even get an iPhone and put the wrong network Sim in it when you first get it and it will auto lock to that network instead.
That's only true for CPW, other resellers, phones. Phones direct from Apple are unlocked forever.
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Old 12-04-2015, 17:40
d123
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That's only true for CPW, other resellers, phones. Phones direct from Apple are unlocked forever.
As of course, are phones from Giffgaff and Three.
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Old 12-04-2015, 18:05
Everything Goes
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That's only true for CPW, other resellers, phones. Phones direct from Apple are unlocked forever.
No Apple do stock iPhones that will Auto Lock. My other half had a faulty iPhone a few years ago so they gave her a replacement and it locked itself to Three. I tried another Sim in it to test it and it was locked right enough.
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Old 12-04-2015, 18:20
moox
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Where did the original iPhone come from?

That sounds more like a badly handled exchange, like they didn't make sure the new one was definitely unlocked

My Apple-bought 4S is definitely unlocked, as you would expect for a SIM-free phone
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Old 12-04-2015, 21:25
Everything Goes
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Where did the original iPhone come from?

That sounds more like a badly handled exchange, like they didn't make sure the new one was definitely unlocked

My Apple-bought 4S is definitely unlocked, as you would expect for a SIM-free phone
The iPhone was originally bought from Three and was locked. She took it to the Apple store to deal with the fault and the gave her a new one. Tired my O2 Sim in it but it was locked to Three.
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