iPhone 6 unlock question

Flaccus

Hi,

Friend will be getting an iphone 6 from vodafone shortly (migrating from vf payg to billbay) but as he prefers Android am going to be swapping my newish unlocked note 4 for the 6.

i have a few questions though :

1. Is this unlock service reliable :
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/VODAFONE-IRELAND-IPHONE-6-6-UNLOCKING-SERVICE-/231347074994?pt=UK_Phones_Software_RL&hash=item35dd5c37b2

2. The 6 will be coming from the vodafone online store.
I assume I can just insert my note4 sim (once I cut it down to nano size) into the 6 and follow the instructions from the unlock service (basically plug phone into itunes on pc)

3. Will the 6 come with a nano sim installed from vf and will my friend need to insert it into the unlocked note4 (with adaptor) and ring vf to activate the sim. Or can he just take his current micro sim (payg) out of his old phone and insert it into my note 4 ? I assume the tariff is attached to the account and nothing to do with the sim.

Thanks

naasrd

Yes, it's very reliable. I bought my son a sealed VF upgrade on Adverts for Xmas and got my unlock off them on Xmas eve three days after I purchased. No sim will come with the phone so you'll need to activate it with a VF sim, then buy your unlock on eBay and wait till they message you which shouldn't take more than a few days and unlock as per their instructions.

Flaccus

Thanks. I am going to be using a meteor sim with this phone though, so I guess I will activate it with that sim.

dodzy

Flaccus wrote: »

Thanks. I am going to be using a meteor sim with this phone though, so I guess I will activate it with that sim.

i think you will need a VF sim for initial activation. Then you buy the unlock. And then you switch to your meteor sim.

Flaccus

Thanks. So I got a blank nano sim from vf shop this morn who said when I get the iphone I can activate the sim by ringing them up. This of course has nothing to do with activating the phone through itunes. And looking at the unlock instructions it says before connecting the iphone to insert an activated sim from a network which is locked out.

guil

Activating it with a sim is the same as activating it with iTunes. If you do put a sim in from a different network it will try activate but fail because it's locked.

flyguy

As guil said, you need a VF sim for the intial activation (VF tend to send a sim with all new phones). The sim doesn't need to be active though, a wifi connection or connected to iTunes will do so don't bother activating the sim. When you get it unlocked then proceed as you said. Used that eBay seller for an O2 locked iPhone, worked but had to wait the full 10 working days before it was done.

Flaccus

Thanks that makes it very clear.

By the way I actually have a ready to do vf nano sim in the house which has around 20 euro credit on it. I was thinking of using this for initial activation and it could tide me over till the unlock guys come through.

Incidentally does activating with a vf sim update the apple database so it shows your phone is registered against a vf network. And all the online service does is change that database entry to any network which updates your phones settings over itunes ?

guil

It's already locked to Vodafone.

Flaccus

I understand that. My point is, that apples database may not show it locked to vodafone until you activate it. I was looking at a thread on the AT&T website, and an agent there said that sometimes apple will block a phone from activating if you buy an unlock code and the phone has never been activated. You just get an 'phone cannot be activated at this time' error. Which is why they recommend you activate before you buy the unlock. Having said that, the ebay guy says it matters not whether the phone is activated or not prior to ordering the unlock code. In any case I think I will activate it using a payg vf sim.

BrendanD

You are right about the db.

This works by IMEI number being held on the apple database ,all iPhones sold are unlocked but when first activated phone checks apple db to see if that IMEI should be carrier locked then lock is applied.
It does not matters if there is a sim in it or not as lock is applied on inital activation.
If there is an unlock requested before initial activation db is updated and sim lock is never activated.

Flaccus

Thanks Brendan. The unlock guys are saying 1-3 days to unlock it, so I guess I may as well activate it with a vf sim to at least get some usage.

coolkidirish

Why didn't you just ask Vodafone to unlock it? They unlock contract phones for free no matter how long into the contract, they don't care as the contract holder is still locked into a contract no matter if they change networks or sell the phone, etc.

If you Google ''vodafone ireland iphone unlock'' the first link there walks you through how to request them to unlock it. Takes about 2 days

Flaccus

Didn't know that. Thanks.

whiterebel

coolkidirish wrote: »

Why didn't you just ask Vodafone to unlock it? They unlock contract phones for free no matter how long into the contract, they don't care as the contract holder is still locked into a contract no matter if they change networks or sell the phone, etc.

If you Google ''vodafone ireland iphone unlock'' the first link there walks you through how to request them to unlock it. Takes about 2 days

I thought VF had stopped unlocking contract phones a while back..

guil

They won't unlock it until €200 has been paid in bills or else 3 full billing cycles have passed. I got a phone in March and got I unlocked in October or November.

coolkidirish

guil wrote: »

They won't unlock it until €200 has been paid in bills or else 3 full billing cycles have passed. I got a phone in March and got I unlocked in October or November.

That is strange, they have always unlocked phones for me, I'd get my mother to upgrade as she doesn't want a new phone and I'd unlock her phone right away and use it myself with Three.

The trick is to tell them you are going to America or on holidays somewhere for a few weeks and need to use a sim card over there, they know you are coming back so have no problems unlocking then.

It probably is different if you are telling them you are leaving the network.

guil

It could be just with new accounts. I'll know in March when I get my upgrade.