How can shops unlock iPhones?

Hoins

There is a few phone repair shops in Dublin that unlock iPhones to any carrier, some can still do it when the phone is blacklisted as lost or stolen.
They do it through iTunes as a factory unlock and takes a couple of days they say, all you have to do is provide you imei and what network in what contry.

How is this possible on newer models like iPhone 5's? Especially if the phone is black listed.

I remember it used to be possible to do it through AppTapp with Unlock.app, lockdownd, and Cyberduck. And also Cydia. But this is obiously different the fact it's done through iTunes.

Is this something phone carriers are getting there fingers dirty in for a few extra bob?

guil

I think at first it was some places had a contact in a network who processed the unlock through iTunes but not sure how its done now because there is a lot more websites and shops offering it.

seamus

Carriers can make the request directly to Apple. It's possible some of the carriers in more "unsavoury" countries are offering this. I don't know if the unlock has to come from the carrier the phone is locked to.

guil

All the networks here suggest that only the original network can request the unlock so who knows

biko

It's possible the unlock request is sent to a 3rd party in another country who then applies for the unlock from Apple.
Sounds shady either way.

dingding

They would need to change the imei to stop it being blacklisted. Perhaps they change the imei to match a legitimate phone on another network which is carrier umlocked. Plugging the phone into iTunes shows an imei which has been approved for an unlock and the phone is unlocked.

endacl

seamus wrote: »

Carriers can make the request directly to Apple. It's possible some of the carriers in more "unsavoury" countries are offering this. I don't know if the unlock has to come from the carrier the phone is locked to.

Surely its the carriers, and not the countries, that should be referred to as 'unsavoury'...?