[iMore Question]

I live abroad and use a carrier based in my country. Cell phones are really expensive here so I want to pick one up when I am visiting the US. A lot of them for sale are carrier-locked, I am wondering if I could use one of these in the country I reside.

Thanks in advance.

[Tartarus]

I live abroad and use a carrier based in my country. Cell phones are really expensive here so I want to pick one up when I am visiting the US. A lot of them for sale are carrier-locked, I am wondering if I could use one of these in the country I reside.

Thanks in advance.

If it is not a carrier-locked device and supports the radios that are used by your carrier, then yes, you can use US phones in your own country.

[Mr.Willie]

Nope. A carrier locked phone will not work with another telcos SIM card. You need to make sure it’s unlocked first.

If you buy the carrier unlocked or Verizon model from the Apple store and pay in full it will be unlocked. If you buy from
Best Buy and pay full, it will still be carrier locked, even though they will tell you it isn’t. (Learned that one the hard way).

Apple doesn’t make you activate the device when paying in full, you can walk out with the box still shrink wrapped. When
I bought a 6+ from Best Buy they activated it in the store, of course that was the last time I bought my phone from them, I only go to the Apple store now.