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Locked iPhone 7??

HeddleTown
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

So I got my daughter an iPhone 7 awhile back and she just used it for wifi around the house. Today I got a PM sim card and went to activate it and its saying not supported problem is I don't remeber who it was possibly locked too!? Any advice would be great!

Thanks.

7 REPLIES 7

Fair enough. 

 

Like I said, iDon't iPhone, so I don't keep myself updated on it. It might actually still be valid info and advice with older iPhones, though, and it doesn't take much time or effort to look for potential clues in such obvious and accessible locations. 

@KorthThe article you mentioned was several years old. It was not done for software fragmentation but it was done because US there are more variations of cell phone networks since there are still CDMA and PCS networks in operation. There are only so much space on the PCB for antennas.

 

Apple intentionally kept the OS software intact to reduce OS fragmentation issue like Android is facing.


@GinYVR wrote:

@KorthApple doesn't allow carriers to put on bloatware even when it is subsidised. That was one of the unique things that Apple managed to do with the introduction of iPhone.


True. But some carriers still sneak a little stuff under the radar out of the box and in their updates.  If nothing else, they usually declare themselves through "About... " text/version/build identifiers, default browser homepage/favorites, and preconfigured network settings.  I'm guessing Apple isn't quite as aggressive with Canadian carriers as it is with USA carriers.  Maybe the Big Three/Four have more clout because of their stranglehold on a market without free competition, maybe they give Apple more kickbacks, maybe (so far) the violations are trivial enough for Apple to ignore (whereas in the States they'd come down hard and fast to punish offenders and avoid dangerous de-facto precendents from becoming established in a lucrative market), I dunno. 

 

http://osxdaily.com/2015/02/08/check-what-cellular-carrier-iphone-uses/

@KorthApple doesn't allow carriers to put on bloatware even when it is subsidised. That was one of the unique things that Apple managed to do with the introduction of iPhone.

You can search through the online IMEI registries.  Sometimes they indicate who locked the device. Most times they do not, or they're inaccurate. But you might get lucky.

 

When a carrier locks a device it's because it's subsidized - meaning that they can save money and make money by mucking around with the OEM software or installing their own. Apple imposes a lot of restrictions but carriers still get away with as much as they can. 

So chances are good that if you do a factory reset on the device you'll find add-on bloatware apps, browser homepage, favorites, etc which are set to the carrier's preferences - and which reveal the "OEM" (carrier) by connecting directly to their "value added" sites and services.

 

There apparently is (or was) some kind of iTunes plugin which could let consumers check through all the boring system logs and stuff stored on device and click up juicy hidden technical details (like CK lock identifers) ... some sort of dev tool which worked on non-hacked non-rooted non-jailbroken iOS devices but I don't know what it was called or if it's legit because iDon't iTunes and iDon't iPhone. 

popping
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@HeddleTown wrote:

So I got my daughter an iPhone 7 awhile back and she just used it for wifi around the house. Today I got a PM sim card and went to activate it and its saying not supported problem is I don't remeber who it was possibly locked too!? Any advice would be great!

Thanks.


if your iPhone 7 is from a Canadian provider, you can call Apple store to get it unlocked or find out which provider sold you your iPhone 7 and contact your provider to get it unlocked.

Jb456
Mayor / Maire

Well if it was from Telus or Koodo chances are the sim would work as PM is owned by Telus.

 

It must be bell, Rogers, Virgin or Videotron? Or one of their 2nd tier companies?

 

You would actually have to figure out which provider it was from. Maybe check old emails, bill or bank/cc statement?

 

As you would need to contact that provider to request the unlock code.

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