Does Factory unlocked mean you can use any nano sim? (including Toggle)

Lolita · Aug 29, 2013

I bought a second hand factory unlocked iPhone 5 at the weekend. Being keen to use it I bought a payg O2 sim (as my sim would not fit, and the new nano sim had to be sent via post.)
I restored the phone to factory settings, popped the sim in and have used it for the last three days on O2, but this morning my Toggle nano sim arrived. Popped it into the phone and I got a message 'carrier not supported'
I do not know why.
Is it because the phone was not unlocked? or because I have locked it to O2 by using an O2 sim?
or is the Toggle network not supported at all / is not useable in iPhones?
I wonder if anyone can help or advise me? (or maybe tell me where I should look next?)
Thanks guys.

Pinkpoison · Aug 29, 2013

putting in your 02 sim would not lock your phone to 02, i haven't heard of Toggle but i would have thought that you should be able to use the the Toggle sim, you can check if the phone is unlocked by giving Apple a ring with the EMEI number.

Pinkpoison · Aug 29, 2013

there are sites too that allow you to check if your phone is locked, you can google for this info, you can find your EMEI in Settings-About-EMEI.

amanda30 · Aug 29, 2013

Yes as poison ivy said above there are sites which can check if your phone is locked or not imei is one such site here is another method I found on a site see if it works for you

The easiest way is to get a spare SIM card, from a different network to your current provider, and try it in your phone. A few minutes after changing the SIM cards you should reboot your iPhone to be sure you will see the new network name in the status bar if your phone is unlocked. If your phone is locked, youll get a pop-up error asking you to insert a valid SIM card.You should do this sooner rather than later if you will be travelling. You dont want to be stuck in a foreign country and not be able to buy phone service!

Lolita · Aug 29, 2013

Thanks to Poisonivy & Amanda30.
PI good to know I couldn't lock it by putting in a sim of one type

Amanda - I had already tried the sim card method and I got 'sim card inserted is from a carrier that is not supported under the activation policy that is currently assigned by the activation server. This is not a hardware issue with the iPhone. Please insert another sim card from a supported carrier or request that this iPhone be unlocked by your carrier. Please contact Apple for more information.' (That's a long winded way of saying gimme a valid sim!)

PI - I didn't call apple, but tried several Emei services, some are better than others, but eventually I found iphoneox.com. This told me all about the phone, when bought, when the gttee is up, and that it is under contract for a further 18 months.

Well - I should have bought a new one from the Apple store. But I didn't! So what now? Seems I have bought a phone that is currently locked to carrier, and under contract. I want to use several phone co's as I travel and need to watch my spending. Do I have it unlocked? And what is the consequence of it being 'under contract'?

Pinkpoison · Aug 29, 2013

Lolita said:
Thanks to Poisonivy & Amanda30.
PI good to know I couldn't lock it by putting in a sim of one type

Amanda - I had already tried the sim card method and I got 'sim card inserted is from a carrier that is not supported under the activation policy that is currently assigned by the activation server. This is not a hardware issue with the iPhone. Please insert another sim card from a supported carrier or request that this iPhone be unlocked by your carrier. Please contact Apple for more information.' (That's a long winded way of saying gimme a valid sim!)

PI - I didn't call apple, but tried several Emei services, some are better than others, but eventually I found iphoneox.com. This told me all about the phone, when bought, when the gttee is up, and that it is under contract for a further 18 months.

Well - I should have bought a new one from the Apple store. But I didn't! So what now? Seems I have bought a phone that is currently locked to carrier, and under contract. I want to use several phone co's as I travel and need to watch my spending. Do I have it unlocked? And what is the consequence of it being 'under contract'?

I'm really sorry to hear that, i'm not too sure what you can do about it but stay with this thread as someone else may be able to advise you better than i can, i don't have any experience of contract phones.

Pinkpoison · Aug 29, 2013

By the way how did you buy your phone? if it was ebay or similar you will be covered by their buyers guarantee.

Lolita · Aug 29, 2013

Poisonivy said:
By the way how did you buy your phone? if it was ebay or similar you will be covered by their buyers guarantee.

Thanks. That's a really helpful point.
(But isn't it a shame when you have to go that route? It would be great if everything was straightforward, honest and just as people tell you.)

Pinkpoison · Aug 29, 2013

Lolita said:
Thanks. That's a really helpful point.
(But isn't it a shame when you have to go that route? It would be great if everything was straightforward, honest and just as people tell you.)

Yes it certainly would, I would now contact the seller and ask for a full refund, once you have your refund have a look on Apples website at refurbished phones if you're not think of a brand new one, the refurbs are sold with warranty and from what i have heard it's very hard to tell them from a brand new one.

willerz2 · Aug 29, 2013

Poisonivy said:
Yes it certainly would, I would now contact the seller and ask for a full refund, once you have your refund have a look on Apples website at refurbished phones if you're not think of a brand new one, the refurbs are sold with warranty and from what i have heard it's very hard to tell them from a brand new one.

I don't think many Apple stores sells them refurbished, even more so for factory unlocked devices (might be a US only thing since unlocked devices are more common overseas). If you're looking to get the device unlocked, check out your local carrier and compare prices. Then depending on which carrier, you can possibly unlock it for a fairly low cost compared to other carriers or buying a brand new device.

Pinkpoison · Aug 30, 2013

Do let us know how it goes please.

Lolita · Aug 31, 2013

willerz2 said:
I don't think many Apple stores sells them refurbished, even more so for factory unlocked devices (might be a US only thing since unlocked devices are more common overseas). If you're looking to get the device unlocked, check out your local carrier and compare prices. Then depending on which carrier, you can possibly unlock it for a fairly low cost compared to other carriers or buying a brand new device.

Thanks willerz.

I am in the UK but travel regularly. I really need a phone that will work anywhere with any sim.

It's true, refurbished iphones seem to be a rarity on the UK Apple site. So much so, that when they appear there is a massive feeding frenzy and they have gone.

So, my budget does not run to new, and I have to think what next. Seems the phone was bought on UK contract.

What's the difference between jail - broken and factory unlocked? (Yes - I really don't know!) Is jail breaking a dangerous thing to do?

Do you think - if my phone is under contract for a further 18 months, could the person who took out the contract pay to have it factory unlocked?

Again thanks very much for all the help guys!

Lolita · Aug 31, 2013

Poisonivy said:
Do let us know how it goes please.

Nothing has happened yet P.i. - real life intervened, but I will be getting in tough with the seller and seeing what we can work out. It would be good to come to a sensible and amicable fix. Fingers crossed.
& of course I will let you know what the upshoot is!