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uniqs
1987

Brionge
Premium Member
join:2001-01-18
Ballwin, MO

Brionge

Premium Member

Is my iPhone 5s Unlocked?

Can anyone help me.. I was sold an iPhone 5s and the guy told me it was unlocked. I popped in my AT&T sim and it worked.. Now I'm going to sell it and wanted to make sure it was actually unlocked and not just on AT&T.. when I take out my sim and go into about.. it shows Carrier as AT&T 19.1 still..

I paid for an unlock test on »www.imei.info and I have some results if that helps..

Thinkdiff
MVM,
join:2001-08-07
Bronx, NY

1 recommendation

Thinkdiff

MVM,

Quickest ways:
- Call AT&T and ask. They'll tell you (if the phone was originally an AT&T phone)
- Call/Chat with Apple and ask. If it was sold unlocked by them, they can verify it by the serial number.
- Find a friend with a Verizon or T-mobile and put it in. The Verizon SIM might not work completely depending on your model of iPhone, but at the very least it won't complain about the phone being locked. The T-mobile SIM should work right off the bat.

Longer way:
- Do a full restore of your phone through iTunes. At the end of the process, it should say "Congratulations, your phone is unlocked". Like this:
»1.bp.blogspot.com/-HlI0d ··· imei.png

Brionge
Premium Member
join:2001-01-18
Ballwin, MO

Brionge

Premium Member

thx I'm doing a full restore now!

crazyk4952
Premium Member
join:2002-02-04
united state

crazyk4952 to Brionge

Premium Member

to Brionge
If the phone is the Verizon version of the iPhone 5s (Model A1533), it's already unlocked.

You can check the model number in Settings, General, About.

Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium Member
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30

Doctor Olds

Premium Member

said by crazyk4952:

If the phone is the Verizon version of the iPhone 5s (Model A1533), it's already unlocked.

I don't believe its remotely a Verizon phone.
said by Brionge:

it shows Carrier as AT&T 19.1 still..


koolman2
Premium Member
join:2002-10-01
Anchorage, AK

koolman2

Premium Member

The Carrier is simply the last carrier setting that was installed by iOS. It has nothing to do with which carrier the phone was sold for.

Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium Member
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30

Doctor Olds

Premium Member

Strange how my AT&T locked iPhone showed AT&T 11.6 under Carrier and only after unlocking it then installing a Consumer Cellular SIM now shows CC 16.0 under Carrier.

»support.apple.com/en-us/HT201270
quote:
Carrier settings updates are small files that can include updates from Apple and your carrier to carrier-related settings, such as network, calling, cellular data, messaging, personal hotspot, and voicemail settings. You may receive notifications from time to time to install new carrier-settings updates.

Thinkdiff
MVM,
join:2001-08-07
Bronx, NY

2 edits

1 recommendation

Thinkdiff

MVM,

As koolman2 See Profile said, if you put an AT&T SIM back into your iPhone, it'll show the current AT&T carrier setting version. When you put the CC SIM in, it'll switch again.

It has no relation with whether your iPhone is locked or unlocked. To illustrate this point, I just put a Verizon LTE SIM card in my locked T-Mobile iPhone 6.



With the T-Mobile SIM, it starts with T-Mobile 19.6 as the carrier profile.



After inserting the Verizon SIM, the phone reboots and attempts to retrieve activation, but fails (because it is locked).



After removing the Verizon SIM but before inserting the T-Mobile SIM, you can see the carrier settings updated to Verizon 19.6. Putting in the T-Mobile SIM switched it back a few seconds later.

Too long; didn't read: Regardless of who originally sold the phone, putting the AT&T SIM in would've loaded the AT&T 19.1 carrier settings, which then sticks around until you put another carrier's SIM in.

Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium Member
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30

Doctor Olds

Premium Member

Thanks on the clarification of how a unlocked iPhone works. I was sharing my experience from day one with a AT&T locked iPhone and how Carrier never changed until after unlocking my iPhone using AT&T procedures. That includes waiting until the AT&T contract expired after 2 Years of service.

Thinkdiff
MVM,
join:2001-08-07
Bronx, NY

Thinkdiff

MVM,

My phone is locked. The carrier profile can change if you insert another carrier's SIM card (why would it change if you didn't?), so it has no bearing on the lock/unlock status. That's the point I was trying to make.

Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium Member
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30

1 edit

Doctor Olds

Premium Member

Then I had something wrong with my iPhone as it would not change with the Consumer Cellular SIM installed and the AT&T specific menu section remained and the carrier never changed. I had to install a APN file from here ( hxxps://www.consumercellular.com/iphoneapn ) that only allowed partial service until I unlocked the iPhone.

Google Cache shows the file contents.


»www.consumercellular.com ··· refox-a" >webcache.googleuserconte ··· irefox-a
Snapped 2015-04-22 15:44:43

koolman2
Premium Member
join:2002-10-01
Anchorage, AK

koolman2

Premium Member

Sometimes the phone won't change the carrier file. If it absolutely refuses, a factory reset is in order.

If the SIM you enter doesn't have any settings available, the carrier should be listed as "Carrier xx.x".
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