Will Sprint's iPhone 4S work with any SIM after unlocking?

zmerhi

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Hey,

I am thinking about pre-ordering my iPhone from Sprint, as I already have an account with them and can add another phone.

I travel back and forth to different countries that use the GSM network. If I unlock the phone, will it accept the other countries' native carrier sim card?

Thanks!
 

anon(4698833)

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No one really knows yet because there is not a jailbreak (or in that, details about a jailbroken unlock) to really know for sure. After the 4S hits the streets with iOS 5, and the crackers get ahold of it, i have no doubt you'll eventually be able to use it on any network with a JB'ed unlock, but who knows how long it'll take for that to happen...go back and read about the iPhone 4 and iOS 4 to see how it went after that was released...
 

zackawee27

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Hey,

I am thinking about pre-ordering my iPhone from Sprint, as I already have an account with them and can add another phone.

I travel back and forth to different countries that use the GSM network. If I unlock the phone, will it accept the other countries' native carrier sim card?

Thanks!

Nope, not yet atleast. The only way you could is through a jailbreak. Do Sprint iPhone's even have Micro Sim slots?
 

mab4285

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Sprint has typically released their world phones as unlocked for the SIM card, but who knows what will happen since this is the first Apple CDMA world phone, and the first Apple product Sprint has carried.
 

zmerhi

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According to all the research I did, a World phone does have a sim slot. Unlocking it should remove the defined carrier. However, I reckon I'm gone wait until someone has a 100% confirmed answer. Otherwise it will be safer to buy the unlocked one in november.
 

zackawee27

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As you see i clicked Internation(world phone) on Sprint and it showed up as a world phone!

Just look up it says "iOS"
i could squeeze the picture in
 

DrewBear

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When I placed my order for the Verizon version (also CDMA), I was asked if I wanted the phone unlocked for international use. If I said "yes", I would have to sign up for one of their global plans. I will eventually jailbreak the phone for mobile hotspot access and to unlock.
 

MustangLife

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Apples website says the unlocked Iphone4S's won't be released til November. To me that means these phones are still locked to which carrier but can be unlocked by jailbreak and than used with Sprint,AT&T or Verizon. Even can be used on at&t go phone plan as long as you get a sim card cutter but thats another topic.
 

mike5

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On the Apple 4S video, about 2:25 in, they say all are world phones and both GSM & CDMA can roam GSM worldwide. On the Apple website, it says this:

Cellular and Wireless

World phone
UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz);
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz)4
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
 

French

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The unlocked phone you all are reading about is a GSM only phone. In other words, the AT&T phone.

The CDMA phones (at least Verizon for sure) will NOT be unlocked, but they WILL have global capability. You will be forced to use the SIM card Verizon provides and pay through the nose for data. So you can use the GSM radio in the Verizon iPhone but it is locked to Verizon's SIM card. You can't buy an inexpensive SIM card from the country you are traveling in and use it.

So yes, the iPhone on Verizon and Sprint is global, but you are locked to paying their extremely high fees for the access.
 

Timhewitt

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Remember world phone does not mean you get to put a SIM in it from any network in the world, only that it will roam on GSM networks as a CDMA phone... Buy unlocked, but if you are subscribed to a CDMA carrier, you may be forced to use their GSM SIM as well - from a partner if not their own network.

-t
 

MustangLife

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Remember world phone does not mean you get to put a SIM in it from any network in the world, only that it will roam on GSM networks as a CDMA phone... Buy unlocked, but if you are subscribed to a CDMA carrier, you may be forced to use their GSM SIM as well - from a partner if not their own network.

-t

+1

People are misunderstanding the difference between a world phone. A unlocked phone and a world phone thats locked, etc.

1. at&t phone locked to at&t
2. sprint phone locked to sprint
3. verizon phone locked to verizon
4. Phones are capable of using other networks in world phone use, like what Timhewitt said. You have a locked at&t phone you travel to russia or something, you can roam over to a cdma network.

Than there other unlocked Iphone4S being release in October that I'm assuming you can do whatever with.

To add since these phones are GSM/CDMA they can be jailbroken and than unlocked and capable of being used on any carrier.
 
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Conan Kudo

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Hey,

I am thinking about pre-ordering my iPhone from Sprint, as I already have an account with them and can add another phone.

I travel back and forth to different countries that use the GSM network. If I unlock the phone, will it accept the other countries' native carrier sim card?

Thanks!

Apple has already confirmed that the iPhones that are not the unlocked model will be locked to the carrier for all radios. That means that Sprint would have to offer a way to SIM unlock the iPhone 4S. They won't have that capability though, as iPhone unlocks require access to the Apple iPhone database, which only AT&T has, and they've been refusing to unlock iPhones.

In essence, you'll be required to use Sprint's international roaming options.
 
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noaim

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The real answer is this...


If the carrier will unlock the phone for you yes you can use any sim... or later on when a jailbreak comes out you can do that..


Apple does allow carriers to unlock phones but its up to the carrier not apple..

and as far as having a sim go's any phone with a gsm radio has a sim slot
 

Conan Kudo

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The real answer is this...


If the carrier will unlock the phone for you yes you can use any sim... or later on when a jailbreak comes out you can do that..


Apple does allow carriers to unlock phones but its up to the carrier not apple..

and as far as having a sim go's any phone with a gsm radio has a sim slot

Actually the second statement isn't true. You see, unlike most phones, iPhones are not unlocked with codes. The unlocked state is only possible by synchronizing with iTunes after getting the carrier to change a setting in the Apple iPhone database. Right now, Apple only permits AT&T access to the database in the United States, but AT&T has refused to use this access to unlock iPhones.
 
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noaim

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Actually the second statement isn't true. You see, unlike most phones, iPhones are not unlocked with codes. The unlocked state is only possible by synchronizing with iTunes after getting the carrier to change a setting in the Apple iPhone database. Right now, Apple only permits AT&T access to the database in the United States, but AT&T has refused to use this access to unlock iPhones.

its because noone else had a gsm enabled phone before.... im sure apple will allow the rest in now...
 

D0minoid

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i was wondering about this also. we are traveling to mexico this year and would like to take the phone. However, i dont want to come back with a $1000 phone bill from Sprint.
 

xlipstickandbruisesx

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