Iphone unlocking policies

boliston

I'm trying to find out what the unlocking policy is for the different UK networks for the iPhone.

What I have found is that there seems to be a huge amount of confusion on this matter even by the networks own staff!

The only network with a clear policy seems to be orange, who will unlock a handset after 3 months which costs £20.

As I regularly travel abroad I cannot afford the extortionate roaming charges which are usually a MINIMUM of £3 per MB, so I much prefer to use a local 3g sim.

First of all I tried quizzing the local three store about their unlocking policy. At first the staff member said that they can't unlock an iphone as it will void the warranty. I told him that orange manage it after 3 months without voiding the warranty so he spoke to someone at his head office to check. He then said they can unlock with no wait for a 3gs but he did not know about the ip4.

Next I tried vodafone who simply said they cannot lock at all as it would void the warranty. I explained that iphones are unlocked via itunes/apple so how can they void their own warranty??!!

Next stop phones4u - they guy in there at first seemed totally confused, but the basic answer he gave me was that unlocking will void the warranty on any network. I asked him why orange would void their own warranty by unlocking after 3 months!!

02 had a long queue for service so did not bother, same for carphone warehouse.

The network's own websites do not even give straight answers to this very basic question which has a huge impact on the cost of using your handset overseas.

justjohn

vodaphone used to unlock for free after 1 year

Oscar_The_Grouch

Most of the networks provide details of their unlocking policy on their websites. O2 will unlock the iPhone, for free, at the end of your contract period. If you have a PAYG iPhone, they charge you £10.

waynehayes

Someone asked the same question on the three blog and the moderator said they will unlock it straight away for £15.

boliston

Oscar_The_Grouch wrote: »

Most of the networks provide details of their unlocking policy on their websites. O2 will unlock the iPhone, for free, at the end of your contract period. If you have a PAYG iPhone, they charge you £10.

Looks like o2 will unlock at any time:

"Can I 'unlock' my iPhone and use it on another network?

Yes. If you're a Pay Monthly customer, then your iPhone can be unlocked at any point for free.

Don't forget that you will still need to honour the remainder of the minimum term of your contract.
Please note, iPhone 4 cannot be unlocked."


This next answer seems to be at odds with the first....

"Can I use a foreign SIM card in my iPhone?

No, if you attempt to unlock iPhone and use on another network SIM card, it may become permanently unusable.


Making unauthorised modifications to the software on your iPhone violates the iPhone software license agreement, and the inability to use your iPhone due to unauthorized software modifications is not covered under your iPhone's warranty."

Not sure why the ip4 cannot be unlocked on o2 as it would make it a very bad deal for anyone who goes abroad and wants to save money with a local sim.