New Device

[ljdemont]

I bought a new to me iphone 6s today. As soon as I opened it up I turned the device on, set it up and inserted the public mobile sim card from my old phone. I get an error message saying the Sim is not supported and something about being locked. I checked in the settings and it says the Carrier is Public Mobile (when there is no sim card in the device). I contacted another cell phone provider to ask them to check the IMEI and on their end it shows unlocked. Yet I still cannot get my public sim card to work. Do I need to purchase a new sim card for this new to me device? 

[LurganIeUk]

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@darlicious wrote:

@ljdemont  Connecting to iTunes and following the advice already supplied should confirm by Apple that your device is unlocked. If the problem persists use a SIM card from another provider such as bell. Allow it to set up and then insert the pm SIM card. It should the set up for public mobile.

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Just to add. iTunes will only give the “Congratulations........” message  “IF” the phone is unlocked. No message equals IS locked. 

[darlicious]

@CannonFodder  Thats not to say a phone can't still be locked. I can tell you right now that my flip phone that i bought outright in 2014 is still locked to telus. I never bothered to unlock it but will one of these days. You must make the request....and many a CS has made a big deal about why, how when whatever about unlocking it. And an outright no is common because most people dont know their rights....and unless they continued to refuse then you would not bring a case against them to the CCTS. @Jb456  as your friends discovered they took no as the answer and ended up paying to get it unlocked. Had they insisted and quoted the law they would soon have the unlock code for free as legislated.

[Jb456]

@CannonFodder  there use to be 36 month phone financing plans.

[Jb456]

@darlicious  addition to my other post.

I should say they didn't push for the unlock. So maybe it was the CS person just saying that and they only spoke to them once. They hung up and bought a code online...before I had a chance to tell them to just try Samsung Canada live chat to get it for free...

So maybe it was just a one time deal

[CannonFodder]

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@darlicious wrote:

@CannonFodder   Seeing as even if you were locked to a contract prior to December 2017 that contract would now be finished and the device paid for

So, there's no such thing as a phone "tab" being longer than 2 yrs.? While I HAVE seen 2 yrs. mentioned A LOT, I have zero idea if any of the providers have sold phones that took longer than that to pay for.

even so a carrier cannot refuse to unlock a device even if it isn't paid for. However if you skipped out on your contract they would still have to unlock it

Hmmm, didn't know that.... guess @Jb456  didn't either.... 🤔  LOL, and I got ninja'd EVEN in a thread like this! 🙄 

.....but it would be most likely have been blacklisted for that reason.

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Now THAT makes sense, and seems VERY likely!

[Jb456]

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@CannonFodder wrote:

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@darlicious wrote:

@CannonFodder  Regardless of an outstanding balance all phones are to be supplied are not to be locked to the carrier. Even if it was under contract ....more than two years have passed since the legislation has come into effect in December 2017. There is no legal scenario for a mobile provider not to unlock a phone....unless it's a old one that is blacklisted but even that if unblacklisted would have to be unlocked by the provider.

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Well sure, new phones are all supposed to be unlocked, but this thread hasn't made it clear how old that phone is, and it seems as though it was previously locked. So, are you saying that what @Jb456  and I were thinking is completely incorrect, i.e. if that phone was locked when originally sold, and there was still some unknown amount to be paid on the phone, the provider would have to provide an unlock code even if the phone itself hasn't been paid for?

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@darlicious  well I don't know if it's all providers. I know someone that recently got a galaxy s7 off Facebook marketplace for really cheap locked to Rogers since the phone came out in 2016. When they called Rogers to get phone unlocked they were told nope sorry the IMEI attached to the phone has a suspended account for non payment. When they went to contact the seller again the FB account was closed. At the end the phone is working now on PM as they bought an unlock code online for like $3.

[darlicious]

@CannonFodder   Seeing as even if you were locked to a contract prior to December 2017 that contract would now be finished and the device paid for even so a carrier cannot refuse to unlock a device even if it isn't paid for. However if you skipped out on your contract they would still have to unlock it.....but it would be most likely have been blacklisted for that reason.

[CannonFodder]

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@darlicious wrote:

@CannonFodder  Regardless of an outstanding balance all phones are to be supplied are not to be locked to the carrier. Even if it was under contract ....more than two years have passed since the legislation has come into effect in December 2017. There is no legal scenario for a mobile provider not to unlock a phone....unless it's a old one that is blacklisted but even that if unblacklisted would have to be unlocked by the provider.

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Well sure, new phones are all supposed to be unlocked, but this thread hasn't made it clear how old that phone is, and it seems as though it was previously locked. So, are you saying that what @Jb456  and I were thinking is completely incorrect, i.e. if that phone was locked when originally sold, and there was still some unknown amount to be paid on the phone, the provider would have to provide an unlock code even if the phone itself hasn't been paid for?

[darlicious]

@CannonFodder  Regardless of an outstanding balance all phones are to be supplied are not to be locked to the carrier. Even if it was under contract ....more than two years have passed since the legislation has come into effect in December 2017. There is no legal scenario for a mobile provider not to unlock a phone....unless it's a old one that is blacklisted but even that if unblacklisted would have to be unlocked by the provider.

[ljdemont]

A huge thanks to ALL who helped. The issue is now resolved.

[CannonFodder]

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@Jb456 wrote:

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@CannonFodder wrote:

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@Jb456 wrote:

If you bought it from a site like Kijiji off someone you would need them to contact their old company they had phone with to get the unlock code.

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Au contraire, the phone I'm currently using was bought from a Craigslist ad, and the previous owner wasn't sure if it was locked or not, but did tell me it was previously used on Koodo. It turned out to be locked, when I inserted my Lucky Mobile(at that time) SIM, so I called Koodo, and they gave me the unlock code, as they're required to do..... all that, to say that the previous owner of the phone DOESN'T have to be the one to contact the previous provider to get the unlock code. 👍 

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@CannonFodder 

Does same apply if seller of the phone has a outstanding balance with wtv provider? I've heard of a few instances recently (not on these forums)  that carrier would not provide unlock code until the person paid their outstanding bill....

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@Jb456  I honestly don't KNOW, but I suspect that in that scenario, the previous provider probably wouldn't provide an unlock code, UNLESS the phone was already completely paid for, and maybe not even then..... that'd be interesting to find out..... 🤔 

[Jb456]

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@CannonFodder wrote:

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@Jb456 wrote:

If you bought it from a site like Kijiji off someone you would need them to contact their old company they had phone with to get the unlock code.

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Au contraire, the phone I'm currently using was bought from a Craigslist ad, and the previous owner wasn't sure if it was locked or not, but did tell me it was previously used on Koodo. It turned out to be locked, when I inserted my Lucky Mobile(at that time) SIM, so I called Koodo, and they gave me the unlock code, as they're required to do..... all that, to say that the previous owner of the phone DOESN'T have to be the one to contact the previous provider to get the unlock code. 👍 

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@CannonFodder 

Does same apply if seller of the phone has a outstanding balance with wtv provider? I've heard of a few instances recently (not on these forums)  that carrier would not provide unlock code until the person paid their outstanding bill....

[CannonFodder]

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@Jb456 wrote:

If you bought it from a site like Kijiji off someone you would need them to contact their old company they had phone with to get the unlock code.

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Au contraire, the phone I'm currently using was bought from a Craigslist ad, and the previous owner wasn't sure if it was locked or not, but did tell me it was previously used on Koodo. It turned out to be locked, when I inserted my Lucky Mobile(at that time) SIM, so I called Koodo, and they gave me the unlock code, as they're required to do..... all that, to say that the previous owner of the phone DOESN'T have to be the one to contact the previous provider to get the unlock code. 👍 

[darlicious]

@ljdemont  Connecting to iTunes and following the advice already supplied should confirm by Apple that your device is unlocked. If the problem persists use a SIM card from another provider such as bell. Allow it to set up and then insert the pm SIM card. It should the set up for public mobile.

[LurganIeUk]

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@ljdemont wrote:

I bought a new to me iphone 6s today. As soon as I opened it up I turned the device on, set it up and inserted the public mobile sim card from my old phone. I get an error message saying the Sim is not supported and something about being locked. I checked in the settings and it says the Carrier is Public Mobile (when there is no sim card in the device). I contacted another cell phone provider to ask them to check the IMEI and on their end it shows unlocked. Yet I still cannot get my public sim card to work. Do I need to purchase a new sim card for this new to me device? 

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Reseat the SIM card then reboot phone with SIM installed. 

As mentioned hook up phone to a computer with iTunes installed. Do an iOS update and then do a full reset on iTunes. It will take a while and if your phone is carrier unlocked the last screen on the iTunes reset will say “CONGRATULATIONS YOUR IPHONE IS UNLOCKED”.

For a decent imei check. 

Check here decent imei check may say what carrier or is locked or unlocked.  

And check here too Canadian Blacklist/Stolen 

[Luddite · Accepted solution]

@ljdemont Another thought: to confirm an unlock sync to iTunes:

1. Insert new working SIM - do not turn phone on (if SIM is already in, turn off)

2. Connect to computer with USB cable

3. Start iTunes if it doesn't auto run

4. iPhone will switch on. Wait until iTunes registers it and checks for updates

5. Install the carrier profile update (if offered)

6. Disconnect and reboot

[Jb456]

Where did you buy it from?

Sounds like the phone is locked to the previous carrier that it came from. Bell, Rogers,etc.

You would have to contact that carrier for the unlock code.

If you bought it from a site like Kijiji off someone you would need them to contact their old company they had phone with to get the unlock code.

If other provider said it's unlocked by IMEI..plug it into iTunes. See if it pushes an update to the phone.

[Luddite]

What exactly is the message when you reboot the phone with the SIM installed?

Does that SIM connect properly when used in your old phone?