topic Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?) in Get Support

Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

Sadhappygambler — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 08:28:20 GMT

Hi!

I bought a iPhone 6s+ in 2015 directly from the Apple store online and as such it was unlocked from day one. It worked fine as an unlocked phone and I used it on numerous carriers including public mobile often swapping cards when I roamed to other countries.

Last month it had warranty issues so I exchanged it with Apple and they provided me with a new identical replacement. I put my public mobile SIM card into it and it worked fine.

However now I'm roaming in the US on holiday in Vegas and as usual I swapped my SIM to my roammobility card which has worked fine in the past. This time though it tells me "SIM not supported" as if the phone is locked. I further tested my wife's roammobility card in my phone (same problem) and my roammobility card in her unlocked phone (works fine). So clearly my direct from Apple BYOD phone is strangely locked.

I contacted Apple to ask how my phone could be locked since it was a direct from Apple device not purchased through a carrier. They told me:

"It appears that when this device was reactivated with your carrier they locked it into the network. In order for you to be able to use it for different carriers you will need to contact them and have them unlock it from their system."

When I asked how it was possible a carrier could just lock an unlocked BYOD phone they told me:

"It's most likely unintentional"

And when I asked if Apple could just override the errant lock they said:

"Unfortunately we are unable to do that. The lock process is actually something that is initiated by the carrier once you have the device on their network.

I do hope that you are able to resolve this without too much hassle"

I do understand that for public mobile to unlock my phone it needs my IMEI but I am unsure if it's safe to put it on a public forum... if it is safe to do so I don't mind sharing it.

Obviously I'd really like to be able to use my phone in Vega so if there's tips on speeding up resolution I'd appreciate it!

Thanks all!

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

Wonder_why — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 17:46:23 GMT

Really strange to hear, once the phone is unlocked,the phone provider can't locked it

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

X-Files — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 17:46:59 GMT

You can go to this free online iPhone IMEI checker website , find out if your phone is locked to the carrier or not, Good Luck !

http://www.iphoneox.com/

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

mimmo — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 17:50:04 GMT

you will need to send your imei to teh moderators as well as teh rest of yoru info to see what can be done.

Contact the Moderator_Team by clicking here.

In your message include:
- account email address
- PM phone number
- explanation of what is happening or a link to this thread

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

xCameron94x — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 17:57:47 GMT

@Wonder_why wrote:
Really strange to hear, once the phone is unlocked,the phone provider can't locked it

samsung does the same with new/unlocked phones. Once a sim is inserted for the first time, it locks to the carrier, but samsung provides an unlock code in the box

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

Sadhappygambler — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 18:43:23 GMT

Thanks all. I tried iphoneox and it correctly identified my device (gave me my own serial) but it says "Sim lock status: unknown".

I'll try writing the moderators!

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

Andy1000 — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 18:45:40 GMT

The replacement phone you got from is not factory unlocked. The gave you the one that lockes to the first sim used so you need to contact Apple to unlock it for you.

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

Sadhappygambler — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 19:13:05 GMT

@Andy1000 wrote:
The replacement phone you got from is not factory unlocked. The gave you the one that lockes to the first sim used so you need to contact Apple to unlock it for you.

Thanks Andy1000. However I started by contacting Apple (see my OP) and they said the opposite : that they couldn't help at all and I should contact my carrier that locked it.

Given Apple's high standards of customer service could they really send me a not factory unlocked phone under their applecare plus program by mistake? I guess anything is possible but the phone was brand new (not even refurbished according to Apple).

Your theory does make more sense though than what Apple told me. I find it unbelievable that a carrier could lock a completely unlocked phone at their complete discretion which is what Apple is telling me.

I'll see what the PM mods discover before seeing if I need to go back to Apple for round 2.

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

ShawnC13 — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 19:35:22 GMT

@Sadhappygambler, if your Roam sim worked in your old iPhone after being with PM why wouldn't this one. I don't PM can lock a phone to their network. As stated some phones lock to the first sim that is placed in that but that is by manufacturer design. I think this issue is with Apple.

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

imm1304 — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 19:41:51 GMT

Hi @Sadhappygambler!

Private messaging the mods is the way to provide personal info to PM.

In my 2+ years with PM, I have not heard of PM ever locking anyone's unlocked phones.. including 3 of my personal phones. I am also leaning towards the explanation that Apple gave you the phone that locks to the first sim inserted, by mistake of course. Don't be too trusting of all employees at Apple, they're known to be a mix of good and bad and are trained to send you away as quickly as possible.

Anyways, I hope you are able to get the matter resolved promptly so you can go back to enjoying yourself in Vegas.

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

srlawren — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 20:18:32 GMT

@xCameron94x wrote:
@Wonder_why wrote:
Really strange to hear, once the phone is unlocked,the phone provider can't locked it
samsung does the same with new/unlocked phones. Once a sim is inserted for the first time, it locks to the carrier, but samsung provides an unlock code in the box

@xCameron94x the other big difference is that Samsung (and Android phones in general) don't need to be updated in the manufacturer's database to actually unlock.

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

Stormy — Sat, 28 Oct 2017 11:36:13 GMT

@Sadhappygambler wrote:
@Andy1000 wrote:
The replacement phone you got from is not factory unlocked. The gave you the one that lockes to the first sim used so you need to contact Apple to unlock it for you.
Thanks Andy1000. However I started by contacting Apple (see my OP) and they said the opposite : that they couldn't help at all and I should contact my carrier that locked it.

Given Apple's high standards of customer service could they really send me a not factory unlocked phone under their applecare plus program by mistake? I guess anything is possible but the phone was brand new (not even refurbished according to Apple).

Your theory does make more sense though than what Apple told me. I find it unbelievable that a carrier could lock a completely unlocked phone at their complete discretion which is what Apple is telling me.

I'll see what the PM mods discover before seeing if I need to go back to Apple for round 2.

If you do a search on Red Flag Deals you will find that that is inded the case.I have seen numerous threads there about people getting warranty replacements from Apple for unlocked phones and the replacement locked itself to their carrier upon putting in the SIM. The only way they resolved it was by calling Apple or going directly to an Apple store and getting the replacement replaced with an actual unlocked phone.

Both Apple and Samsung (and any other phone manufacturer) really should stop calling the phones that lock to the carrier on SIM insertion unlocked phones.

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

computergeek541 — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 05:01:51 GMT

This issue has nothing to do with Public Mobile and while Public likely could get the phone unlocked you through normal channels, it would cost the company the applicable fees to Apple and they would want to charge you the current advertised fee. Public Mobile/Telus did not and cannot lock your phone on you. Your issue is 100% with the Apple store.

The actual locking an unlocking of iPhone devices is controlled by Apple via a database of IMEI numbers. The IMEI of a phone needs to be on a whitelist of unlocked IMEI numbers. Since you purchased this phone directly from Apple, Apple is the only entity that can fix this for you. When Apple exchanged your phone, they did not give you a factory unlocked device. Apple needs to add your IMEI as being unlocked or exhcnage your device again for one that is already properly unlocked. The response you got from Apple customer service was an example of poor service, and the person likely not understanding your product issue.

Long story short: This is Apple's mess up and Apple is the one who needs to fix this for you.

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

denkom — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 07:19:48 GMT

Wow I’ve never heard of this happening before. Hopefully you can get it resolved soon. Definitely sounds like the issue came from Apple.

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

Michael77 — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 13:48:54 GMT

I would agree. This is an Apple issue. Good luck and please let us know the resolution. Thanks.

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

photosbydan — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 16:26:41 GMT

Interesting situation, I hope Apple can solve it for you, and please let us know what you figure out!

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

sharmaa — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 02:03:53 GMT

This is quite strange. As pointed by many others, it is most likely from Apple's end but contacting the moderators would confirm that I guess. Also, once you have that information and you share it with apple, having the track record they have when it comes to customer service they will probably just send you a new phone. Goodluck and hopefully you can get this resolved ASAP.

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

Sadhappygambler — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 20:54:27 GMT

Hi!

The moderators here at PM solved it - they were able to confirm it was locked and then unlock it.

I'm already back in Canada, so to test it I placed the offending sim card in the phone. Previously the phone would lock out until I removed the sim card, now after going through an appleID login, it let me back into my phone with the offending sim card still in it.

I still am unclear on the original cause of the problem (I'm not disagreeing with those of you who seem confident the fault lies with Apple - I've just not been told officially either way). I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news but coincidentally I need to warranty exchange my phone again with Apple soon, so perhaps there's going to be another opportunity to investigate further... I'll report anything new I learn here.

Thanks all!

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

Wonder_why — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 23:36:56 GMT

Awesome news , good works PM

Re: Public Mobile Locked my Unlocked BYOD phone(?)

denkom — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 22:09:46 GMT

Nice, glad the moderators were able to help you out.