Got an iPhone 5S, got 5 months left on contract.

Phone seems to be broken, it just continually says "searching". Have tried the factory reset, the iTunes reset, both several times, to no avail.

What options are available now?

1. Get phone repaired -> does this guarantee the repair will work (if carried out by reputable organisation), how much does it cost, and does that permanently fix the issue?

2. Get temporary phone for 5 months - I don't want to upgrade with current network as currently on Vodafone and their reception in the area we stay is crap (slightly better with 4G but still crap). So, what options (make/model/cost)? Would need to be an iPhone and just something to tide me over until the contract runs out and I can get the new iPhone 6S (or whatever incarnation/name that takes). Would there be any issue swapping the sim over so I can retain my existing number?

3. Last option but get a new iPhone. When do the new iPhones come out?

4 - Get to an Apple store and get them to do diagnostics. If they decide the phone is broken they will offer you a service exchange for around £180 if you have no insurance or warranty etc.

But I can get an old iPhone 4 used for c. £90 - half the price. No way would I do a service exchange for £180 for just 5 months - if this was month 13 and there was still 11 months left then I think I'd consider it ...

I'm interested in the issue, if you do a manual network scan by going to Settings, Network, and switch automatic to off then does it pick up any networks there?

Deleted. Suggested same thing as previous post!

Yeah I've tried all the suggestions that are available online and none are working.

Really just looking for the cheapest stop gap until my existing contract expires - whether that be a 2nd hand phone or a repair or something else, just the cheapest solution.

Only real requirement is that the phone must be an iphone and I can keep my existing number.

Keeping your number is easy enough. Why do you you need to keep to iphone - you can buy second hand androids fo as low as £25 ?

You can get a refurbished, with warranty, iPhone 4s (which will support iOS9), unlocked to all networks from eBay circa £110.

Your sim in the iPhone 5s is nano - the iPhone 4/4s will need a micro-sim - so you'll need a nano to micro-sim adapter, again, eBay, 99p.

Alternatively, should you not wish to faff with adapters (very easy and will take less than 3 minutes however) you could just call Vodafone and have them send you a replacement SIM card, stating you require a Micro Sim (they may offer a choice of Combi or Nano - in which case request a Combi) - they may charge you up to £15 for this.

Your number is "attached" to your SIM card, so whatever device you place your SIM card in, will have your mobile number.

Hope that is of some help.

If you go for iPhone 4 even for a while don't forget some updates have stopped also mine the battery don't leak and check screen before you buy as if it has even a slight showing of white on the screen it means your battery is leaking and being as they are built in there is nothing anyone can do without paying out a load of money, my gf iPhone 4 did that last week the day after I brought her an iPhone 5

It's fairly easy and cheap to change (or get a shop to change) the battery in an iPhone 4.

Is it, my mates own mobile shops and if you can get a battery from apple (genuine) that is it takes a week to come through then you have to strip phone right down and resolder the leads to new battery, it is £30-40 to just strip it and do the battery apple advice getting a new phone as it works out cheaper.
Genuine battery is £150
non genuine is 30 and lasts about 6 mths and they the shop wont warrenty it if it goes wrong.

http://www.phoneshopbysainsburys.co.....html?SRC=Menu

Take your pic. The £20 Vodafone network locked deals are fine as an interim though it is the £20 phones that vanish fastest.

Why isn't this covered by a guarantee? The phone is less than 2 years old and as it is a contract phone there should be no problem with proof of purchace. I know that companies like HTC will repair phones beyond two years with no proof of purchace.

Is this possible? Who would provide the guarantee - apple or the network?

I thought that the phones have a one year guarantee and after that you're on your own unless you take insurance?

This is covered by law, rather than by what the shops say. It gets complex after the first year, but yes, under EU directives (and UK Sale of Goods Act) if a fault occurs that can be due to the "merchantable quality" of the device at the point of sale - it should be covered.

IE if you buy a £10 mop and it fails after a year, that can be said to be its expected life, but a £700 phone (you bought via contract so didn't see this price, you pay in installments) should easily last 2 years, some would say 5+.

Apple make it clear here (they were forced to by the EU recently!):
http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/

If you bought from a network store, you need to take it up with them, not Apple sadly. However it can be a tough argument with the network stores - most of whom have no idea what the law actually says.

Citizens Advice can also help.

Don't know what iPhone 4 you were looking at, but there is no soldering involved, there are 3 screws to remove, 2 holding the back on and 1 holding the battery connector secure, the battery clips to the board and even has a little plastic tag to help lifting the battery out.

http://s19.postimg.org/73ce65fmb/image.jpg
http://s19.postimg.org/847ky5qab/image.jpg
http://s19.postimg.org/3wcspeour/image.jpg


I've also no idea where you get your pricing or battery ideas from, suffice to say, they are strange. Just to start, Apple won't supply any spares to normal repair shops and iPhone 4 batteries are a lot less than £30 these days.

OP, just take the phone back to where you got it from and politely explain the problem. Also let them know that you have never misused the phone, only used the supplied charger and cable and have done nothing different with this iPhone compared to your previous iPhones. Just stand your ground and explain that they must repair it under EU law. Just remember that honey catches more flies than vinegar.

The U.K. Government never enacted EU Directive 1999/44/EC as they felt the SoGA was stronger than the EU Directive, there is no "EU law" covering warranty in the UK, and it isn't as simple as "stand your ground" if a retailer disputes the cause of the fault after 6 months it becomes the buyers responsibility to prove the fault was inherent, this can only be done via an independent expert's report and that has to be undertaken at the buyers expense which can only be recouped by taking the retailer to the court.

Taking action under SoGA with an uncooperative retailer can be a long and (initially) expensive process and compensation and recouping of costs only happens after winning in court.

Some further reading:
http://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/20...ule-is-a-myth/

Yes, the onus is on the buyer to prove fault is inherent. Apples total silence policy makes anything near impossible to prove.

There is also Apple Care which you can purchase for discounted repairs in the 2nd year of ownership.

If you have AppleCare warranty repairs are free for 24 months, are you confusing AppleCare and accidental damage cover in AppleCare+?

Take it back to apple. They will deal with it either through good will or under the SoGA.

You are right, seems its £55 if they class it as accidental damage. Accidental damage would include the volume keys sticking due to invisible bends.

Strangely they word Appecare a bit ambiguously. It is certainly a free repair for non accidental.

They won't if they weren't the retailer, they only offer warranty service in the second year for products they sold, not handsets sold by network shops etc. They will refer the person to the retailer and tell them to take it up with their retailer.

You are correct, and I mislead there. I've only ever bough my Apple stuff from a Apple Store and had recent experience (last 6 months) of having a problem with my iPad mini.

It was way out of warranty, but with a little discussion, they repaired for free.

Apple are very good with the stuff directly sold, I've had an 18 month old 5s and a 22 month old 5 replaced without any discussion or argument at the Genius Bar. They were dealt with exactly as if they were still under the normal 12 month warranty.