Sprint → Unlock iPhone 4S after paying ETF

Will Sprint unlock an iphone if asked if ETF has been paid?

Sprint operates a locked CDMA network... the network is locked to only allowed certain CDMA serial numbers.

Sprint iphone 4S is not a locked device... it's the network that is locked.

Perhaps someday sprint,verizon and other cdma providers will be forced to let any device on their network... but at this point they are not.

I have found in the past that Criket and metroPCS will allow foreign (aka serial numbers they didnt sell) on their networks, so you could try to use it with them.

One bright side is that iphones hold their value pretty well... if you move to another carrier you can re-sell your iphone for only slightly less than you paid.

EDIT: ok it seems the Sprint-CDMA-4S does have a GSM radio active on it (I must have been thinking of the 4)! I will update if I find anything.

So they should be able to go right to T-Mo?

Maybee? I must have been thinking of the 4, it seems the 4S does have an active GSM radio. Will update when I get more info.

Sprint official policy:I would think they would fall under the requirement to unlock once contract obligations are met (which would include paying an ETF in my mind) but I am wondering if they can get around it since their main network is CDMA? They might be able to slip around the ruling for gsm providers?

Hi Folks! I'd like to start by thanking Cheese for starting this discussion. I'm a friend of his and he has been very kind to ask about this for me.

I have an iPhone 4S through Sprint (as you can all obviously guess by the title of this thread) and, to my knowledge, at least all U.S. domestically-sold units are combo CDMA/GSM, so-called "world phones".

Dib22, I take your point about Sprint (and Verizon) operating locked CDMA networks. I gather one can jailbreak my model of iPhone and make it switch over to GSM. However, this is non-permanent and requires the iPhone to remain forever jail broken.

I have also heard of something called "factory unlocking" but, while the cost to have this done for AT&T is a nominal $5-$10, it's well over $100 for Sprint iPhones. As it is my intention to ditch this phone ASAP, I really don't want to screw around when someone else will be eventually buying this phone off of me for (hopefully) between $375 and $400.

I'd really love to hear you folks' feedback on all of this, and get some more good input and education.

Thanks so much!

SfS

OK I had no idea the CMDA-4S had a gsm chipset (seems its a combo set) so my prior posts were only applicable to sprint-cdma-iphone 4.. sorry about that!

After reading around and not finding one person who has gotten sprint to unlock it domestically (it appears they will unlock for international sims) I would guess it's not possible to get sprint to do the right thing and unlock it properly (via apple) like att does.

You might consider emailing apple about it (as that is what it took to get att to unlock their iphones, yes a customer complaint to apple fixed att's policy ).

In theory yes you should be able to unlock the sim slot with it being jailbroken BUT if you are just getting rid of it check the prices... a clean and clear sprint-iphone4s might get you more money than a pre-jailbroken one.

Many shy away from pre-jailbroken devices because you have no idea what the seller may have pre-installed on your iphone before you got it Everytime I get a cheap pre-jailbroken iphone I always restore it to factory and then re-jailbreak it if needed.

The one thing you need to keep in mind is that you need to make sure they clear your ESN/MEID (serial number) after you pay the etf before you list it. The problem some have run into in the past (with non iphones) is that even after they paid their final bill and ETF's sprint never bothered to update the ESN/MEID database... so make sure it's clean and clear.

And just to clarify att doesn't charge for factory unlock. Once your contract is met you just request it and eventually (anywhere from a few days to a few weeks) it just unlocks when you sync it with itunes.

Hope this helps

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Hey dib22!

I totally agree with you: I have no desire to sell a jailbroken iPhone.

It's actually kind of a shame that Apple has become the company it has. To be fair, iOS is a nice OS with a lot of potential, but Apple's draconian business policies have absolutely soured me on their products. It hurts a lot because, to use the common expression, "I was a Mac user before it was cool".

So, I'm going to inquire of my local Sprint store (company store, not a 3rd party) about doing an unlock on the GSM side. If basically they "refuse" then yes, I will fire off an email to Apple, just to see what happens. And thanks for mentioning about making sure Sprint clears the IMEI for activation by someone else!

Max Signal: Yes, it does. Thanks!

Report back what happens!

Looks like Tim Cook is the one to email at apple