Unlocking iphone Locked On O2 Network,Shall I or Not?

j3251

Hi

My mother got an iphone 5S on a O2 Contract,she has a Samsung S4 which she purchased outright a while back,prefers to use Samsung.

She has given me the iphone 5S as a gift(Before people start,yes I fully appreciate handset is O2s property until contract is fully paid off)

There is a unlocking phone shop which has quoted me £95 to get the phone unlocked as I'm on Virgin network.
I've rang Apple customer services who advised they are unable to unlock as its from O2.
O2 have advised if the handset price was paid for in full it would be possible for them to do it.

At first I was dubious about unlocking shop however a friend used them to unlock another hand set,assures me it was a proper unlock ie he's able to do a factory reset,update phone without affecting unlock etc

Other thing I'm concerned about is another mobile repair shop advised they don't do it however it can be done.Unsure if the guy meant its illegal to do but can be done?

wiogs

Interesting on the o2 webiste

"If you're a Pay Monthly customer, then you can unlock your iPhone (except the 5c & 5S which can't be unlocked), at anytime for free. " (their bold.

From here

http://service.o2.co.uk/IQ/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=Companion,question%3Dref%28User%29:str%28Mobile%29,CASE%3D17424

j3251

Unlocking shop my friend used can unlock the 5S,with a fee attached

grumbler

j3251 wrote: »

...(Before people start,yes I fully appreciate handset is O2s property until contract is fully paid off)

This is incorrect.

There is a unlocking phone shop which has quoted me £95 to get the phone unlocked as I'm on Virgin network.

Unless it's different for 5S, I think you can do this for ~£15 via ebay, although it's worth doing research first. Search this board for, say, "iphone o2 unlock"

Unsure if the guy meant its illegal to do but can be done?

Generally, unlocking is legal, but unlocking iPhones always requires 'cooperation' with some unscrupulous people working for networks and abusing their position by accessing Apple database for personal gain.

P.S. If you mother was on a sim-only contract it's highly unlikely that she was given a 'free' 5s for extending the same contract.

SteveHenshaw

The best way to unlock an iPhone is via the network and then when you next plug it into Itunes with a different SIM card inserted it unlocks.

Not sure how these ebay / dodgy shops do it, but probably works too. May void warranty?

gjchester

SteveHenshaw wrote: »

Not sure how these ebay / dodgy shops do it, but probably works too. May void warranty?

Iphones are locked/unlocked by a different mechanism that most other phones.

Most phones just need code to be entered and it unlocks in the hansdset forever. iPhones check back with Apples database everytime they are activated (ie if you change to a new SIM).

As Grumbler mentioned the only way to change the data in Apples database is to get someone who works at the network to do it on the side. You cannot change Apples database by plugging anythng into the phone, and iPhones dont unlock by you entering a code.

It used to be possible to unlock them in the handset, but not currently, and even if it was the next update or SIM change could well see the phone reverting to the prior lock status.

If it's unlocked by anyone using the backdoor to the network method it won't void any warranty, but if the network ever audits their work (lets say because they did too many and got caught) then it could be re-locked without notice at any time.

j3251

My mum doesn't have sim only,she got the iphone 5S on contract along with sim,unsure if its possible to lock as cheap as £15/ebay?

So would it be fair to say the guy in the shop knows someone who has links within Apple?Reason why I ask this is if that's the case I guess I would take a chance if not I'd be a little dubious in case once unlocked if you factory reset the phone or update software it might pick up?Or is this always going to be the risk?Or only if apple do an audit??

grumbler

j3251 wrote: »

My mum doesn't have sim only,she got the iphone 5S on contract along with sim,

It was a very expensive gift then as most likely she keeps paying through the nose for it. Most likely it was cheaper to buy it directly from Apple not locked to any network.

unsure if its possible to lock as cheap as £15/ebay?

Neither am I. Do your research and ask the seller how exactly they do unlocking.

So would it be fair to say the guy in the shop knows someone who has links within Apple?

This is the only way to do this properly, although it's someone who has access to Apple's database (O2 employee), not "has links with apple".

Any other ways of unlocking are not permanent.

Alternatively you can consider changing the network to O2/Tesco/Giffgaff if you aren't tied into a long contract.

d123

j3251 wrote: »

My mum doesn't have sim only,she got the iphone 5S on contract along with sim,unsure if its possible to lock as cheap as £15/ebay?

So would it be fair to say the guy in the shop knows someone who has links within Apple?Reason why I ask this is if that's the case I guess I would take a chance if not I'd be a little dubious in case once unlocked if you factory reset the phone or update software it might pick up?Or is this always going to be the risk?Or only if apple do an audit??

I haven't seen any unlocks that I would trust on eBay for £15, I would suggest someone like this one for £25.

Deleted link

EDIT:
Forget that, just noticed they say "No 5s"

£75 for iPhone 5s :eek:

I've actually used this seller for unlocking a cellular iPad that was locked to Vodafone, so he is definitely legit.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNLOCK-IPHONE-5C-5S-on-O2-02-or-TESCOS-INCLUDES-PREMIUM-BLOCKED-BARRED-1-2-DAYS-/201033456071?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2ece8719c7

gjchester

d123 wrote: »

I've actually used this seller for unlocking a cellular iPad that was locked to Vodafone, so he is definitely legit.

There's a reason they can only do set networks, and that's because that's where they have someone inside who's willing to put IMEI's through on the side. The seller may be reputable but the process is still subject to having someone inside, and that person not getting caught.


Chances of being them being caught and audited are low, but that does not make the process legit.

j3251

Hi thanks for the link,advice etc

Yes,mother wanted to switch handsets,then decided to stick with S4,I had always wanted to purchase an iphone 5S but was unable to buy outright due to financial difficulty therefore suited me to pay in monthly instalments for handset to mum.

Arranged to hand in phone on Monday shall let everyone know of the outcome.