Phone Unlocking Policy Discussion

[Vince]

Mines is currently in active but paid off and it was on my main line that is under contract but was told to take it off of there and to call back. I did that and then they said the phone couldn't be unlocked and then I got the request of going to apple but they are rejecting it probably because it's a replacement device and the device needs to be manually unlocked.

 

 

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Don't waste your time with Apple; they can't unlock your phone. All unlock requests have to be initiated by the carrier. If it's inactive, and you're a Sprint customer, your line can not have any installment billing or contract tied to it at all. Even if you paid full price for the iPhone, it does not matter. Your entire line needs to be clear of contracts and installments before they'll even take your request seriously.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

[GoWireless]

Don't waste your time with Apple; they can't unlock your phone. All unlock requests have to be initiated by the carrier. If it's inactive, and you're a Sprint customer, your line can not have any installment billing or contract tied to it at all. Even if you paid full price for the iPhone, it does not matter. Your entire line needs to be clear of contracts and installments before they'll even take your request seriously.

Sent from my iPhone 6+

Hmmm... what if he gives his phone to someone who isn't a Sprint customer?

[derrph]

Don't waste your time with Apple; they can't unlock your phone. All unlock requests have to be initiated by the carrier. If it's inactive, and you're a Sprint customer, your line can not have any installment billing or contract tied to it at all. Even if you paid full price for the iPhone, it does not matter. Your entire line needs to be clear of contracts and installments before they'll even take your request seriously.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

So what you're saying is even if my 6+ 's installment billing has been paid off and have since closed out that line, that Sprint will not unlock my 6+ because I still have a line on my account that is still currently under contract?

 

 

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[jalapeno]

I have been watching this thread for a while, hopefully those of you that have experience with the sprint unlocking process can shed some light. I currently have an active iphone 6 on contract that I would like to move to a GSM provider. I will do the port to the new provider using a temporary unlocked GSM device. Does anyone know how long after I port I will be able to have my current sprint iphone unlocked? I'm guessing I will have to pay my final bill with ETF, etc. I should be able to unlock soon after I pay my final bill, correct? As a sidenote, I currently have another line in in the same account, under contract, that will remain with sprint, hopefully this does not cause any problems.

[Vince]

So what you're saying is even if my 6+ 's installment billing has been paid off and have since closed out that line, that Sprint will not unlock my 6+ because I still have a line on my account that is still currently under contract?

 

 

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No. If your line was clear of installment before porting out, you're fine. Call Sprint. They'll ask for your number when you were a customer. You may have made a mistake by porting out before being unlocked. I think you'll need to be on the Sprint network for them to send the unlock code? This is just what I've read, even though the unlock gets sent to Apple, and is based on the IMEI number in their database.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

[Vince]

I have been watching this thread for a while, hopefully those of you that have experience with the sprint unlocking process can shed some light. I currently have an active iphone 6 on contract that I would like to move to a GSM provider. I will do the port to the new provider using a temporary unlocked GSM device. Does anyone know how long after I port I will be able to have my current sprint iphone unlocked? I'm guessing I will have to pay my final bill with ETF, etc. I should be able to unlock soon after I pay my final bill, correct? As a sidenote, I currently have another line in in the same account, under contract, that will remain with sprint, hopefully this does not cause any problems.

After your final bill + ETF are paid, you should become eligible. The other contracted line does not matter.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

[derrph]

After tweeting the ceo and the sprint care team helping me unlock my phone. They were able to do it and in sprint system is showing unlocked but the phone is not taking any SIM cards besides sprint ones. But in apples system it shows the phone as being locked. Who is right and who is wrong?

 

 

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[Vince]

After tweeting the ceo and the sprint care team helping me unlock my phone. They were able to do it and in sprint system is showing unlocked but the phone is not taking any SIM cards besides sprint ones. But in apples system it shows the phone as being locked. Who is right and who is wrong?

 

 

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Sprint is wrong. They didn't do it. Once Apple receives the whitelist request, it's done, and it's instant. Don't worry, you're not the first or last person to have Sprint say, "yeah, it's unlocked."

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

[derrph]

Sprint is wrong. They didn't do it. Once Apple receives the whitelist request, it's done, and it's instant. Don't worry, you're not the first or last person to have Sprint say, "yeah, it's unlocked."

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

Hmmm...I know the process is semi new but why lie. I hate calling about this over and over but I'm just going based on their policy. They even told me to deactivate the phone off my account and keep the phone shut off for 48 hour and everything should be working. What makes it worse is I paid off the phone on 2/25. Stuff like this is going to hurt Sprint.

 

 

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[WiWavelength]

Hmmm...I know the process is semi new but why lie.

 

Likely, customer service did not "lie."  Do not make that accusation without further evidence.  See Hanlon's razor:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor

 

You said yourself, the process is "semi new."  Unlike those nifty shit GSM operators, Sprint has not been unlocking devices for decades.  Give it some time to become commonplace practice.  Customer service reps are not rocket scientists.  Otherwise, we all would be paying far more for wireless service.

 

AJ

[derrph]

Likely, customer service did not "lie." Do not make that accusation without further evidence. See Hanlon's razor:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor

 

You said yourself, the process is "semi new." Unlike those nifty shit GSM operators, Sprint has not been unlocking devices for decades. Give it some time to become commonplace practice. Customer service reps are not rocket scientists. Otherwise, we all would be paying far more for wireless service.

 

AJ

And I understand that. They can only go by what they see and I can only go by the same and what I hear. If Sprint is telling me it's unlocked and to call Apple because there is nothing they can do, and I call Apple and they say the phone is still locked and to call sprint. All the back and forth is doing too much. It's obvious that the error is on sprints side and I get told that "the phone will not work elsewhere" why can't we open up a ticket to investigate deeper into why the request is not reaching Apple?

 

 

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[WiWavelength]

And I understand that. They can only go by what they see and I can only go by the same and what I hear. If Sprint is telling me it's unlocked and to call Apple because there is nothing they can do, and I call Apple and they say the phone is still locked and to call sprint. All the back and forth is doing too much. It's obvious that the error is on sprints side and I get told that "the phone will not work elsewhere" why can't we open up a ticket to investigate deeper into why the request is not reaching Apple?

 

Do you know the difference between an international unlock and a domestic unlock?  I suspect that you got the former but not the latter.  If so, technically, your handset is "unlocked."  And therein lies one of the complications.

 

AJ

[derrph]

Do you know the difference between an international unlock and a domestic unlock? I suspect that you got the former but not the latter. If so, technically, your handset is "unlocked." And therein lies one of the complications.

 

AJ

Yes I know the difference between domestic and international unlocking. I was told both were unlocked.

 

 

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[Vince]

With an iPhone, a domestic unlocks also works internationally, but an international unlock won't work domestically. My unlocking experience took 8 days, and at least 3 calls per day, with an occasional chat session until I worked my way up to some advanced tech support office in Atlanta. Once I had a supervisor's personal email and office phone number, I was unlocked 1 day after he got the case. Even though it's around 5 weeks old, it's still a new process, and every tech is working under a different process. Some know how, others put you on hold while they look it up. If they're submitting it, and it's not reaching Apple, then there's still a problem with their system. Be persistent. Try the international support chat and ask for a domestic unlock. If chatting, or calling from another phone, let them tell you it's unlocked, and tell them to hold on. Dial ##update#, and try a different sim. If you're asked for iCloud login, it worked. If you get "invalid sim," then obviously it didn't, and have them submit it again, and again.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

[anthony.spina97]

What makes it worse is I paid off the phone on 2/25.

 

 

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Ask them to make sure that your device upgrade eligibility has been reset. We had paid our phones off in December, and when I was trying to get my 5S unlocked in March, they couldn't unlock it because they don't automatically reset your upgrade eligibility when the device is paid off. They will have to open a ticket to have it be reset and it should take no more than 48 hours. After that, call back and try to get it unlocked. That is what I had to do.

 

-Anthony

[derrph]

Ask them to make sure that your device upgrade eligibility has been reset. We had paid our phones off in December, and when I was trying to get my 5S unlocked in March, they couldn't unlock it because they don't automatically reset your upgrade eligibility when the device is paid off. They will have to open a ticket to have it be reset and it should take no more than 48 hours. After that, call back and try to get it unlocked. That is what I had to do.

 

-Anthony

They had to do that for me also but there's a disconnect with sprint and Apple when unlocking my 6+

 

 

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[Vince]

They had to do that for me also but there's a disconnect with sprint and Apple when unlocking my 6+

 

 

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The disconnect is their system has checks in place. Your line needs to be 100% free of installments/contractual obligation, and be in good standing, otherwise the tech pushes it through, and it never goes all the way through to Apple.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

[derrph]

The disconnect is their system has checks in place. Your line needs to be 100% free of installments/contractual obligation, and be in good standing, otherwise the tech pushes it through, and it never goes all the way through to Apple.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

That line is free from everything. It's a hang up in Sprints system.

 

 

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[derrph]

This is strange...So after I was told to remove my 6 plus from my account and keep it turned off for 48 hours. I put on old iPhone 5s on that line. I just happen to put a SIM card into that 5s and it's unlocked.

[Vince]

This is strange...So after I was told to remove my 6 plus from my account and keep it turned off for 48 hours. I put on old iPhone 5s on that line. I just happen to put a SIM card into that 5s and it's unlocked.

Try and put your plus back on the line. Maybe your line is being recognized as clear, finally, and is pulling down your eligible unlocks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

[derrph]

Try and put your plus back on the line. Maybe your line is being recognized as clear, finally, and is pulling down your eligible unlocks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

I put it back on. I will try either calling sprint or speak with the international department tomorrow.

 

 

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[Vince]

I put it back on. I will try either calling sprint or speak with the international department tomorrow.

 

 

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Did you check if it was now unlocked?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6+

[derrph]

I threw it back on the line and it's still giving the same message. But I'll call tomorrow and see if a ticket or something can be opened

 

 

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[gusherb]

The absolute strangest thing has happened. So today I called in just inquiring about having my iPhone 6 unlocked and got the expected "contract needs to be satisfied" from them etc.

 

So later tonight, just for the hell of it I stuck a Verizon SIM card in and I got some kind of iTunes activation popup that made me log into my iTunes acct again. After that it started picking up Verizon signal, then I tried a dead att sim and same thing! So I pop a live T-Mo SIM in and now I'm using LTE, making calls over VoLTE and even the wifi calling is working!

 

IDK what kind of fluke this is but I still fully intend to pay off my ETF and check the unlock status of this phone (and/or get it unlocked if this is just a temp fluke)

 

I'm nearly jumping for joy right now, even if it is temporary.

[bucdenny]

Anyone successfully unlock a Samsung S6?  I have ticket opened with back office to have it unlocked.