Unlocking iPhone help :(

Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2012
Posts
19,203
Hi,

So I bought a second hand iPhone 5c for the wife for Christmas.... I thought she was on EE.... She's on Vodafone. The phone is locked to EE.... How would I go about getting this unlocked or is it impossible??

Thanks.
 
Hi,

So I bought a second hand iPhone 5c for the wife for Christmas.... I thought she was on EE.... She's on Vodafone. The phone is locked to EE.... How would I go about getting this unlocked or is it impossible??

Thanks.

Try getting in contact with EE, if I remember rightly they will more than likely charge you for the privelege of unlocking said phone about £25-30.

Alternatively this site https://www.officialiphoneunlock.co.uk/ will do it for £20, accepts paypal so that's always a bonus if they fob you around.
At least you bought it with find my iphone off!
 
Find my what now? You can probably tell I don't use apple products lol. That website looks legit so I'll give him a go... I'd rather not pay the £20 but the phone was cheap so can't complain.
 
You'd be better off going through the network as they will be the only official way to get an iPhone unlocked, but you'll have to get an EE SIM card and put into the phone before they'll even bother dealing with an unlock request.

That site that was linked to by jambutty isn't an official source (meaning that it isn't officially endorsed by apple who control the network locking) for iPhone unlocks and I have heard that some have been asked for more money to complete the unlock.
 
Try getting in contact with EE, if I remember rightly they will more than likely charge you for the privelege of unlocking said phone about £25-30.

Alternatively this site https://www.officialiphoneunlock.co.uk/ will do it for £20, accepts paypal so that's always a bonus if they fob you around.
At least you bought it with find my iphone off!

Don't use www.officialiphoneunlock.co.uk - if you actually read the website the £20 is basically a non-refundable deposit. They actually charge around £79-£149 for EE unlocking. They do officially unlock handsets but they basically pay someone on the inside to sneak and unlock request through.

The only official, permanent way to unlock your iPhone is through EE for £20.42. Read their website for guidance:
http://ee.co.uk/help/getting-started/joining-ee/unlocking-your-phone
 
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I think you need to be an EE customer for atleast 6 months before they'll unlock an iPhone, that's what I was told.
 
I think you need to be an EE customer for atleast 6 months before they'll unlock an iPhone, that's what I was told.

That's my understanding too. However their website has recently been updated and highlights the following:

Pay monthly:
EE Site said:
Your device must have been purchased when joining your contract or upgrading and actively used with your pay monthly SIM for a minimum of six months. You can only unlock a replacement device if it was received directly from the manufacturer, or as a result of an insurance claim. Proof of exchange must be provided.

Second-hand devices
As a pay monthly customer, if you've purchased a second-hand device, you will not be able to unlock the device using our online form.

If you select Pay&Go it does not mention any 6 month minimum term or about second hand devices. So if your wife is on Pay&go she's free to unlock unless the website is incredibly missleading?
 
I'm sure it's the same for pay as you go as you could easily stick a free sim in the phone and get it unlocked, only one way to find out! :)
 
Decided not to take any risks in the end. I sold it for £220 on ebay, making a profit :| and re bought it in near perfect condition on Vodafone.

Only way to be 100 % sure :).

Thanks for the help guys.

x
 
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