Unlocking Replacement iPhone

iniall

So this is an interesting one: my iPhone 5s was replaced by Apple about six months ago and last night I went to O2.ie to request an unlock. Today I got a text (and an email) saying the phone's IMEI is unknown on the O2 network. Don't really know how that could be, given that the phone is registered with Bitbuzz, but anyway...

I'm wondering if Apple might have (inadvertently or not) given me a network-unlocked phone when they replaced my original 5s. Anyone have any experience or knowledge of this?

bluemachaveli

iniall wrote: »

So this is an interesting one: my iPhone 5s was replaced by Apple about six months ago and last night I went to O2.ie to request an unlock. Today I got a text (and an email) saying the phone's IMEI is unknown on the O2 network. Don't really know how that could be, given that the phone is registered with Bitbuzz, but anyway...

I'm wondering if Apple might have (inadvertently or not) given me a network-unlocked phone when they replaced my original 5s. Anyone have any experience or knowledge of this?

Most likely Apple supplied you with a phone with a new IMEI number. O2 have a record of the one they sold you. Contact Apple and they will supply you with a letter advising that they replaced the phone.

You just need to pass this onto O2 and they will submit the unlock.

iniall

bluemachaveli wrote: »

Most likely Apple supplied you with a phone with a new IMEI number. O2 have a record of the one they sold you. Contact Apple and they will supply you with a letter advising that they replaced the phone.

You just need to pass this onto O2 and they will submit the unlock.

Well sure the replacement phone has a different IMEI to the original phone, but I would have thought that Apple would inform O2, or O2 would have noticed, especially, as I mentioned, I registered the replacement phone with Bitbuzz through O2.

I guess my question is, can the phone be locked to the O2 network, if O2 have no record of it? It seems unlikely, surely?

guil

Apple will replace the phone with the same lock status as the one they received for repair. Do as advised above. I had to do it twice with eMobile and there wasn't a problem either time.

As far as O2 are concerned that imei isn't belonging to their network.

iniall

guil wrote: »

Apple will replace the phone with the same lock status as the one they received for repair. Do as advised above. I had to do it twice with eMobile and there wasn't a problem either time.

As far as O2 are concerned that imei isn't belonging to their network.

But how can the phone be locked to O2, if O2 have no record of it?

guil

Apple know whether it was locked or not. If it's locked, they lock the replacement to that network.

dodzy

iniall wrote: »

But how can the phone be locked to O2, if O2 have no record of it?

I'm sure guil is correct and all you have to do is ring O2 cust. service and explain that your phone was swapped out, giving them the new IMEI. they will then arrange the unlock. O2 are the most efficient in this respect. That said, I'd pop a non-O2 micro sim in..........on the off chance that you were provided with a network free unit. Stranger things have happened.

flyguy

Guil is right. Had 2 iPhones replaced both were a little more tricky to get unlocked. In both cases apple sent me an email when the phone was replaced stating the old and replacement imei. This is all O2 should need, you might want to go trough your old emails...

jamesd

When my last replacement phone came from apple it was unlocked to VF and O2 but not to 48, I made contact with apple using the same reference number for the replacement and told them my last phone was unlocked to all networks and they sorted it.