Will I receive an unlocked iPhone 5S if my locked iPhone 5S ever needs replacing?

[iMore Question]

I am planning on buying a locked iPhone 5s I'm getting it at a bargain and i will get it unlocked independently from a website. My issue however though is what happens when and if i ever need to bring it to the Apple store to get a replacement will i receive an unlocked phone?

 

[iEd]

iPhone 5s

I would think that if you buy a locked phone from Apple or the carriers a replacement would be what you bought. When you say you are getting it at a bargain do you mean on contract

 

[taz323]

I would think it be locked.

 

[Chrisy]

I thought all 5's were unlocked? No?

 

[Spencerdl]

I thought all 5's were unlocked? No?

I thought the same thing, except Sprint's version of the 5s

 

[rayz336]

I thought all 5's were unlocked? No?

I think only Verizon's is unlocked out of the box

 

[rayz336]

Verizon is unlocked for gsm and LTE. The CDMA portion is locked to Verizon so you couldn't take it to sprint and get voice there.

Definitely meant to put the Verizon sim slot

 

[Jaguarr40]

You are going to get from Apple what you bought because they know by the IMEI and serial number if it was locked or not wherever purchased. You will then have to unlock it again. Don't be premature though thinking something will happen if you take care of it.

 

[anon(4698833)]

If your phone was locked from your carrier when you bought it, regardless of when you get the replacement, the phone you receive will also be locked. If you are outside of your contract period, you have to contact the carrier to have the device unlocked after receiving the replacement.

 

[anon(4698833)]

Not necessarily true. Last year with my 5 when unlocking was cheap, I used one of the unlocking services. A few months later I dropped the phone and the home button stopped working. When I took it to the Apple store because I had AppleCare+, I told the Genius that it was unlocked and he checked something on his end and said it was and provided me with another unlocked phone. (Bonus Apple service goodness-he said because I was honest about how the home button was damaged he was not going to charge me the then$50 deductible under AppleCare+ and I would still have two damage claims left. )

I'm guessing that is very much the exception vs. the norm. Also, having used the unlocking service on your device, it kind of removes it from the normal procedure as well, since it would in fact appear unlocked when checked.

I was reflecting the normal operation for a person looking to replace their device.

 

[anon(4698833)]

I guess the best way for me to rephrase my original comment then is to preface it with "Under normal circumstances"...

 

[sting7k]

I am planning on buying a locked iPhone 5s I'm getting it at a bargain and i will get it unlocked independently from a website. My issue however though is what happens when and if i ever need to bring it to the Apple store to get a replacement will i receive an unlocked phone?

You will only get another unlocked iPhone if you buy an unlocked iPhone from Apple. If you unlock through an unofficial channel such as "a website" after buying a locked phone Apple will know by the IMEI that should have been locked from the factory and give you another locked one.

 

[bobbob1016]

I am planning on buying a locked iPhone 5s I'm getting it at a bargain and i will get it unlocked independently from a website. My issue however though is what happens when and if i ever need to bring it to the Apple store to get a replacement will i receive an unlocked phone?

Call Apple, and ask if it's unlocked. If it shows unlocked in their system, it's unlocked. If it doesn't show unlocked in their system, you won't get one back unlocked.

 

[avmsam]

Will I receive an unlocked iPhone 5S if my locked iPhone 5S ever needs replac...

Apple's standard policy is to transfer the lock and warranty status to any replacement device. In fact it's automatic and based on the imei. So if your device is unlocked, then the replacement device will be unlocked. You can verify this with any worker at the apple store.

It doesn't matter if you got the unlock done via your carrier or a 3rd party or If it was a factory unlocked device. Those 3rd party sites get the unlock done the same way. It's all registered in apple's database. This is actually kind of a benefit of having an iPhone vs other gsm phones. Usually unlocking on gsm phones is device based, you have to enter the unlock code into the device. So if you changed device you'd have to pay to unlock the new one again. Apple has a database that's based on imei and there's no code involved. The only exception is they Gevey sim stuff.

There are lots of free sites to verify your unlock status but the best way is always to check with one of the apple store reps or itunes. If you do a restore on iTunes it will always give you the "congratulations, your phone is unlocked" screen for an unlocked phone. You can also do a check with your carrier over the phone.

Sent from my iPhone using iMore Forums app

 

[Ipheuria]

I'm not sure if there is a difference between Canada and the US. But I saw just this scenario over the weekend at a Genius Bar here in Canada. The Apple policy is to provide whatever phone was purchased. Unless you can provide proof it was unlocked by the carrier. So if the phone bought at Apple was locked they will replace the defective one with a locked phone otherwise. So keep your receipt or any proof that it was unlocked.


Sent from my Space Grey iPhone 5s

 

[avmsam]

receipt should not be necessary but i'm sure it couldn't hurt. the system already knows when you device was bought and the lock status of it. it's the same reason you don't need a receipt for a warranty claim because apple already knows purchase date and end of warranty. it should be same in Canada and USA. i've had genius bar appointments in Canada and USA. Also, the transferring of status from original device to swapped device is not really up to the rep, it's automatically done by the system.

you could also go on ebay or to one of those unlocking sites and do a status check. they usually charge around a dollar or two. they run it through apple's servers to get your status.

there's also a free option which is reliable 9/10 times. once in a while it comes back with "info not availabe". give it a shot: iPhoneIMEI.info :: Free iPhone Unlock Checker