Official iPhone unlock - Confirmed and Live

[porsch1909]

MOD EDITED by RobM83:

O2 have no launched the unlock option for PAYG and Pay Monthly customers.

http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/unlockmyiphone.html

FREE for Pay Monthly customers at any time
£15 for PAYG customers

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This news makes me so happy I think it deserves a thread of its own even though I posted it in the other thread too :D

Q: Is there any truth in the rumour that after Orange and Vodafone are able to sell the iPhone you will not allow people to unlock their iPhone, even if they are out of their contract period? If so, how can you justify this action if the customers have paid for the phone over the life of their contract and you will not be the sole carrier? Do you not think this would possibly be illegal under EU law?

Andy McConn, Glasgow

Andy,

There is absolutely no truth in that rumour. Once the iPhone becomes available on other UK networks, we will allow O2 customers to unlock their iPhones, although of course they will still need to honour any outstanding contract period they have. At the end of their contract period, they are entirely free to move to another operator — though naturally we hope they won’t want to!

[porsch1909]

Ask the Boss: Matthew Key, head of O2, answers your questions - Times Online

With link sorry.

I sure as hell hope he includes PAYG with this. There is no contract there so I don't see why not

[RobM83]

And I've deleted it from the other thread as cross posting is against forum rules.

This thread will remain though as it's not related to the same methods discussed in the other unlocking thread.

What will be very interesting is to see whether O2 will allow the unlock for people who are not in an O2 contract. So PAYG users, where there is no precedent set for unlocked phones on any network, will end up with a locked phone still. But contract customers who still have their iPhone will be able to unlock.

Like it or not, PAYG phones are always locked to the network, if bought from the network and this is unlikely to change for the iPhone.

[porsch1909]

I really hope that you are wrong!

But vodafone do unlock PAYG phone and if it's less than 12 months they charge a fee

How can I get the network unlock code for my Vodafone pay as you go phone? - Help - Vodafone

But it may be a case of if you hassle O2 enough and give them enough grief they may, for a fee, unlock the iPhone instead of the case that is just now 'No we can't unlock them it's impossible and will never happen'

[porsch1909]

Help - O2

I found this on the o2 site as well.

For O2 mobiles, we can provide the unlatching code at a charge as long as your mobile has been active on our network for 12 months.

Then later on it says:

Subject to acceptance you should have your unlatching code within 28 days. Payment will be deducted from your Pay & Go™ balance, or show on your next bill if you are a Pay Monthly customer. You can also pay with credit/debit card.

So PAYG is mentioned there as well. But of course the 12 months use on our network is as well. Which I think is unfair. I bought an iPhone from the apple store and it just so happens that O2 where the only ones that I could use that iPhone with at the time. I think it may come down to a case of who you get on the phone though. So fingers crossed that everyone can unlock their iPhones.

I really hope they don't screw around with this.

[ekinlock]

Another twist.

I have a iphone 3g contract with o2 for more than a year now, i gave away the original iphone 3g and now have a used 3gs that i purchased recently, i wonder what my options would be in this situation as any official unlocking would probably be via the imei.


Whatever the situation this is an extremely positive development and will surely result in cheaper iphones...

[chris.chris]

Originally Posted by ekinlock

Another twist.

I have a iphone 3g contract with o2 for more than a year now, i gave away the original iphone 3g and now have a used 3gs that i purchased recently, i wonder what my options would be in this situation as any official unlocking would probably be via the imei.


Whatever the situation this is an extremely positive development and will surely result in cheaper iphones...

I think that only the original owner can unlock a phone officially. So you need to contact the person who sold the 3GS to you, and he has to contact O2!

[chelsea.tone]

I think that as o2 virtually encouraged original 3G owners (contract) to sell the 3G and buy a PAYG 3GS that they will unlock for you. No reason not to now. And i honestly think that Apple will sell factory unlocked instead of all varities, too much hassle for them.

[Matt_C]

So when they say "official unlock" are we talking a 3G phone could be unlocked and run on a T-Mobile sim without having to jailbreak etc as we have done in the past? How does this work if you buy a second hand 3G for example?

[chelsea.tone]

Yes it would be unlocked. As regards to the other bit

[Matt_C]

So this carrier unlock, would it have to be done through O2, Orange, or Vodafone, or could it be done through iTunes?

[chelsea.tone]

By the carrier, o2.

[Matt_C]

This is what worries me. Not having an O2 contract (I'm with T-Mob) I'd be wanting a second hand 3G and then having it unlocked. I guess I'd have to take it to O2?

[porsch1909]

Originally Posted by Matt_C

So this carrier unlock, would it have to be done through O2, Orange, or Vodafone, or could it be done through iTunes?

It would involve you calling up and giving whichever carrier you bought the phone from your IMEI number. They'd punch it into a computer which will generate an unlock code from apple.

Then the next time you sync up with itunes the phone will come up with an 'this iphone is now unlocked' type screen.

The biggest problem with the iPhone being officially unlocked is that the unlock codes are randomly generated in relation to the IMEI number. So there really is no way of generating it yourself, there is just a database with random codes in it at apple...

I know for one that orange in Switzerland will unlock your payg iphone as soon as you've bought it.

Andreas Fink's blog: Officially Unlocked iPhone 3GS in Switzerland

So that is a precedent for Orange at least to unlock the iphone which is PAYG

[spaceman763]

I wonder if Apple themselves would unlock PAYG phones bought directly from an Apple Store? Or would O2 object to this?