Buying used iphone X, Questions about unlocked

Garz

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I also purchased the iPhone for full retail price and T-Mobile, like the jerks they are, still locked the device. It pissed me off, to be sure.

Yeah I found mine became locked when I sold it to brother n law. Luckily it was my brother n law and I took like a week but got T-Mobile to unlock it again. I was so glad he bought it and didn’t sell it on swappa and got stuck. Now I just finance my phones on T-Mobile so when and if I sell it, I can request an unlock after it’s paid off. Not worth buying unlocked phones if you use on their network. Plus you get free Apple Care with T-Mobile if you buy their $12 insurance. Saves me $199 up front from Apple. Only difference with that is it won’t transfer to new owner because if it get activated under a different account, it gets removed.
 

eyecrispy

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So the Verizon version will fully support all the AT&T features? Like VOLTE and WiFi calling? Using Swappa looks lie the Verizon one is an A1865,

Yes. I’m using a Verizon one on ATT right now. Ok fact, I’m pretty sure my last 2 were also Verizon variants. Be careful with the Best Buy ones. They are unlocked but I’ve read other threads here that say that once they’re activated, they lock down to that carrier.
 

Garz

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Yes. I’m using a Verizon one on ATT right now. Ok fact, I’m pretty sure my last 2 were also Verizon variants. Be careful with the Best Buy ones. They are unlocked but I’ve read other threads here that say that once they’re activated, they lock down to that carrier.

That’s what happened to both myself and Retinella. Bought Verizon unlocked at BB and as soon as we activated them on T-Mobile they were locked.
 

doogald

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What about a Sprint version? Since Verizon are both CDMA.

Unlike Verizon (at least historically), Sprint does SIM-lock their phones. The story about Verizon not locking is not something that they were doing out of generosity of spirit but because they won a government auction of the spectrum that became their first LTE band and one of the restrictions on the auctioned band is that customers could never be locked to the network if the phone used that band (which iPhones definitely still do.). It's pretty ballsy of Verizon to start SIM locking because of this. (They say it's to prevent people who steal phones from using them with another SIM.)
 

Garz

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Unlike Verizon (at least historically), Sprint does SIM-lock their phones. The story about Verizon not locking is not something that they were doing out of generosity of spirit but because they won a government auction of the spectrum that became their first LTE band and one of the restrictions on the auctioned band is that customers could never be locked to the network if the phone used that band (which iPhones definitely still do.). It's pretty ballsy of Verizon to start SIM locking because of this. (They say it's to prevent people who steal phones from using them with another SIM.)

Yeah it’s a BS excuse. They are losing customers left and right. It’s to not make it so easy for them to take their phone and leave. Now a days peoples phones are either password, Face, or fingerprint protected.
 

camaroz1985

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What about a Sprint version? Since Verizon are both CDMA.

If they are unlocked they would be the same as the Verizon model, but they are locked out of the box, and need to be active on a Sprint account for 60 days before they are unlocked, and must be unlocked by the person that used them (i.e. if the original owner used it for 5 months and sells it to you, you still can't unlock it unless you use it with Sprint for 60 days, at least that was my experience recently).

I prefer to buy Verizon or factory unlocked when I buy used. We are using Sprint now, so I don't mind the wait if I have to, but I know we will be switching in a few months so I got my wife's phone unlocked ASAP.
 

mogelijk

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Yeah it’s a BS excuse. They are losing customers left and right. It’s to not make it so easy for them to take their phone and leave. Now a days peoples phones are either password, Face, or fingerprint protected.

I'm pretty sure the former Verizon lawyer heading up the FCC makes them feel they can get away with breaking their agreement.
 

Rob Phillips

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I'm pretty sure the former Verizon lawyer heading up the FCC makes them feel they can get away with breaking their agreement.

What agreement are they breaking? The agreement is made at the time of purchase. Are they going back and retroactively locking phones that were previously purchased? I’m not saying I like what Verizon is doing but they’re only doing what their competitors have been doing for a long time.
As @Garz stated, their excuse is BS. Maybe they’re combating theft and fraud but that’s certainly not their only motivation. They’re not acting for the good of the people. A free and open internet is good for the people, not restricting a user’s carrier.
 

Garz

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What agreement are they breaking? The agreement is made at the time of purchase. Are they going back and retroactively locking phones that were previously purchased? I’m not saying I like what Verizon is doing but they’re only doing what their competitors have been doing for a long time.
As @Garz stated, their excuse is BS. Maybe they’re combating theft and fraud but that’s certainly not their only motivation. They’re not acting for the good of the people. A free and open internet is good for the people, not restricting a user’s carrier.

Exactly. All phones bought at other carrier phones are locked. You can request unlock if the phone is paid off. The carriers don’t sell their phones unlocked if paid outright like Apple. Verizon is just doing what the other carriers do.
 

doogald

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What agreement are they breaking? The agreement is made at the time of purchase.

https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/...t-sim-locking-phones-nothing-matters-anymore/

Per the restrictions imposed by the 700MHz Upper Block C spectrum auction it won in 2008, Verizon is expressly barred from locking down handsets on its network that utilize this spectrum. The plain text from the restrictions makes this absolutely clear.
(e)Handset locking prohibited. No licensee may disable features on handsets it provides to customers, to the extent such features are compliant with the licensee's standards pursuant to paragraph (b)of this section, nor configure handsets it provides to prohibit use of such handsets on other providers' networks. (Emphasis added)

 

Rob Phillips

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Okay, so Verizon agreed not to sell locked phones for ten years. Didn’t realize there was a time commitment on their end. That being said, it’s possible they aren’t actually breaching their agreement with the FCC. According to ZDNET...

“A Verizon spokesman also said the new phone locking policy "is not inconsistent with our obligations under the C Block" because the move is designed to deter theft, identity fraud and fraud.
The carrier says it will continue to unlock phones even if they're not paid off and will accept unlocked phones from other carriers. It plans to reveal more precise details about the policy before rolling it out.”

I really doubt the AndroidPolice writer consulted with an actual attorney before claiming that Verizon was in violation of their agreement. I don’t know a ton about business law but from the few business law courses I took in college I do know that those contracts are complex and the terms aren’t always as black and white as someone without experience in the field would think.
I’m not saying that what Verizon is doing doesn’t suck for those who buy their phones. I’m just saying that a tech blogger claiming they’re in breach of contract is like an electrician giving out medical advice.
 

doogald

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Okay, so Verizon agreed not to sell locked phones for ten years. Didn’t realize there was a time commitment on their end.
No, the requirements of the spectrum auction that they won ten years ago included that provision. There was no time limit on that; Verizon is committed to that requirement for all handsets that use that spectrum, and they continue to use the 700MHz band for LTE.

That being said, it’s possible they aren’t actually breaching their agreement with the FCC. According to ZDNET...

“A Verizon spokesman also said the new phone locking policy "is not inconsistent with our obligations under the C Block" because the move is designed to deter theft, identity fraud and fraud.
The carrier says it will continue to unlock phones even if they're not paid off and will accept unlocked phones from other carriers. It plans to reveal more precise details about the policy before rolling it out.”

Right, the AndroidPolice article was taking an extreme view, but it is one that Verizon also seemed to be taking for the last ten years. They were the only ones of the big four US carriers that have not SIM locked any of their phones since they started selling LTE phones with SIM cards (their previous CDMA/EVDO phones did not use SIMs), which I believe was in 2011. I just shared the article because it included the actual provision in the auction that Verizon won.

Also, there is a better CNET story that seems to say that Verizon is locking the phones before they are sold, so when they are in transit and in storage at carrier stores, and the phones get unlocked with a carrier update shortly after the customer activates the phone; also, unlocks will be provided even if the phone is not paid off, and if that's the case, I think I can live with this. I should also note that anybody who buys a SIM-free phone from Apple and activates on Verizon, as I just did, wouldn't have to deal with this - this is only for phones sold by Verizon, Apple, Best Buy, etc., that comes with a Verizon SIM. If you buy from Apple and are on Verizon, you can buy a Verizon SIM phone (and pay a Verizon upgrade fee) or a SIM-free phone and transfer the SIM from your existing phone (and avoid the upgrade fee).
 
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mogelijk

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No, the requirements of the spectrum auction that they won ten years ago included that provision. There was no time limit on that; Verizon is committed to that requirement for all handsets that use that spectrum, and they continue to use the 700MHz band for LTE.



Right, the AndroidPolice article was taking an extreme view, but it is one that Verizon also seemed to be taking for the last ten years. They were the only ones of the big four US carriers that have not SIM locked any of their phones since they started selling LTE phones with SIM cards (their previous CDMA/EVDO phones did not use SIMs), which I believe was in 2011. I just shared the article because it included the actual provision in the auction that Verizon won.

Also, there is a better CNET story that seems to say that Verizon is locking the phones before they are sold, so when they are in transit and in storage at carrier stores, and the phones get unlocked with a carrier update shortly after the customer activates the phone; also, unlocks will be provided even if the phone is not paid off, and if that's the case, I think I can live with this. I should also note that anybody who buys a SIM-free phone from Apple and activates on Verizon, as I just did, wouldn't have to deal with this - this is only for phones sold by Verizon, Apple, Best Buy, etc., that comes with a Verizon SIM. If you buy from Apple and are on Verizon, you can buy a Verizon SIM phone (and pay a Verizon upgrade fee) or a SIM-free phone and transfer the SIM from your existing phone (and avoid the upgrade fee).

That is interesting, it will be interesting to see how it will work out. I do suspect this is tied to Ajit Pai being the FCC head; they likely that he (at least as a Verizon lawyer) felt that this policy would be legal -- and the question is if they'll give anyone issues that wants to unlock their phones. I doubt Verizon would have attempted this if we still had a more "consumer friendly" FCC.
 

mrluky60

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As long as the iPhone X is GSM unlocked it will work and AT&T and T Mobile. A Verizon model will also work on GSM networks, but be careful because Verizon is now locking phones themselves.

Make sure before you buy any used iPhone that you check the IMEI number and make sure there are no bills owed on the device and it’s OK to use on your network before you buy it.

I have bought many used iPhones and never had any issues, but I make sure to do my homework first, better to be safe then sorry. Just my two cents worth.
I have note 8 and iPhone X. I will sell you my x if you want.
 

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