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iPhone 4 - Regional unlock

  • 30-03-2012 2:44pm
    #1
    Stinicker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,102 ✭✭✭


    Some of you may have seen my thread about my dealings with Three. Anyway I ended up getting a new iPhone from Apple and I thought it was Sim-Free and unlocked until today that is!

    I tested the phone back in December with a Meteor sim-card and it worked convincing me it was totally unlocked especially with it coming from Apple and not Three.

    I am currently in Malaysia and travelling through S.E.A for the next month and didn't want to rack up huge roaming bills so today went and purchased a local Malaysian Maxis Sim-Card and I am getting the sim-invalid message. I spent like €7 skyping both Three and Apple to see what the story is and Apple says it is unlocked only to back it up and reset it. Three said the same but being the cretins they are also said it is regionally unlocked to only European carriers.

    I only have my netbook which is not the iPhone's home pc and don't want to reset it as I know it will wipe everything off the phone leaving me critically without my music, I could restore everything else just not the music as I have wifi in my hotel and today upgraded the phone to the latest version of iOS using the phones own updater and now for some reason the phone won't connect to the Hotel wifi at all.

    I really want to get the phone working and this is a real pain!

    any ideas?


Comments

  • #2
    aidan_walsh
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,208 ✭✭✭✭aidan_walsh


    If the unlock profile is set to EU carriers only, a restore using an unsupported SIM won't do anything for you. Your only options would be to get back onto Three or Apple and ask them for the full, non-restricted unlock or jailbreak.


  • #3
    biko
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 81,220 ✭✭✭✭biko


    News to me, so a phone that in unlocked might not be unlocked to any carrier worldwide?


  • #4
    aidan_walsh
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,208 ✭✭✭✭aidan_walsh


    Its an option available to the carriers, but again the carriers have to request it at the time they are processing the customer's unlock for them.


  • #5
    Stinicker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,102 ✭✭✭Stinicker


    aidan_walsh wrote: »
    Its an option available to the carriers, but again the carriers have to request it at the time they are processing the customer's unlock for them.

    I never requested an unlock rather the phone came direct from Apple and I assumed it was unlocked and when I tested it with a Meteor sim it worked and I have tested it with Meteor and am using it normally with Three. I was almost 100% sure until today as I always thought unlocked meant unlocked and never heard of European, American unlocking etc. until today.


  • #6
    aidan_walsh
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,208 ✭✭✭✭aidan_walsh


    Ah, now thats a different story. Phones shipped from the Apple Online Store should be completely non-restricted.


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  • #7
    bkehoe
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,154 ✭✭✭bkehoe


    aidan_walsh wrote: »
    Ah, now thats a different story. Phones shipped from the Apple Online Store should be completely non-restricted.

    It sounds like the OP got a replacement iPhone from Apple that replaced a 3 Ireland handset.

    In this case the iPhone will revert to the simlock status of the unit that was returned to Apple.

    Apples simlock status for all iPhones in existence is stored on their servers. When an iPhone is purchased or powered on for the first time it will be unlocked but the first chance it gets to communicate with Apple it will transmit its IMEI while waiting for activation and when activated it will either lock itself to the network it's supposed to be or remain unlocked.

    This is how Apple can have one common stock of iPhones in their stores as they only get sim locked when the customer pays for them.


  • #8
    aidan_walsh
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,208 ✭✭✭✭aidan_walsh


    Phones sent as replacements should inherit the unlock settings of the original phone.


  • #9
    Stinicker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,102 ✭✭✭Stinicker


    I am currently in Thailand now and today I backed up and reset the phone and tried with the Malaysian sim and a different Thai one and it is locked, I don't have a non-Three Irish sim to test it with but it is totally locked for an Asian sims anyway.

    I'll have to buy a cheap mobile here now for to use, I swear to god Three are a total disease of a company to ever have dealings with.


  • #10
    johnnys107
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1 ✭johnnys107


    I'm having similar problems with three now. I feel your pain. Can't wait to get away from them and would recommend everyone to stay away from them.


  • #11
    Stinicker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,102 ✭✭✭Stinicker


    Three eventually unlocked it for me a few days after making that post back in April.


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