It looks like I will be happily staying in Thailand longer than originally planned. As a result I will be cancelling my AT&T account back in the US. Before I do, I would like to buy an iPhone4. It will be locked to AT&T and most likely have the latest firmware on it, 4.2 or 4.3. Does anyone know if by subscribing to True's monthly iPhone package, that they will be able to do an official unlock (IMEI unlock) on the phone to use here in Thailand? Anyone have experience with having True unlock an iPhone? Will they be willing to do so?

Official NO

Unofficial YES

But not through TRUE

Edited March 31, 201115 yr by H2oDunc

Official NO

Unofficial YES

But not through TRUE

Unofficially using ultrasw0w?? I'm looking for a more permanent and reliable IMEI unlock where this IMEI number is submitted to Apple's database to permanently allow the phone to be used with any carrier. Thus I would be able to update my software without worrying about losing the unlock or bricking the phone From reading on the internets, it seems that carriers in other countries can provide an IMEI unlock on iphones to their customers. Can I reliably get this type of unlock here? Please do share the info. Thank you.

I doubt very much whether any carrier apart from AT&T would unlock the phone, there would be no point in locking it if the new carrier could unlock it for you, the whole idea of locking in the first place is so you dont go to another carrier

I'm sure the many of the phone kiosks at MBK or Pantip (if you're in Bangkok) or Tukcom (in Pattaya) or in other tech malls throughout Thailand will do it for a modest fee.

The guys in the True office can't do it as official True employees, but I bet you could find one able to do it "on the side" for you.

Forgot to add, in Canada iPhones are sold unlocked, so if you live near the border, or can arrange a quick stop in Canada on your return journey to Thailand, that is an other option.

Forgot to add, in Canada iPhones are sold unlocked, so if you live near the border, or can arrange a quick stop in Canada on your return journey to Thailand, that is an other option.

Are they unlocked when you get them from the carrier aswell as part of a package?

I bought a Hong Kong (Officially Unlocked) IPhone at MBK and have True's 599baht/month plan - Unlimited G3

Works Perfect!

Forgot to add, in Canada iPhones are sold unlocked, so if you live near the border, or can arrange a quick stop in Canada on your return journey to Thailand, that is an other option.

Are they unlocked when you get them from the carrier aswell as part of a package?

Sorry, not sure about that. I just know that I had a friend from Vancouver buy me an iPhone4 and bring it with him, and it's factory unlocked.

Apple's policy regarding the officla factory locked or unlocked status of an iPhone depends on the carrier who sold it. Apple can put an IMEI in a special database and the next time the phone connects to iTunes, iTunes performs a carrier update and permanently unlocks the phone. Some phones, such as all sold by carriers in Thailand, are sold unlocked so the first time the phone is connected to iTunes for activation it loads the carrier update that tells the phone it is unlocked. iPhones sold in Canada are all carrier locked. Fido, Telus and Rogers will unlock them. If your friend paid full price then the store probably submitted the IMEI to Apple for unlocking. AT&T USA's policy is that an iPhone sold locked to them will never be unlocked. In Europe when a contract is over the carrier must unlock the phone. Many carriers in Europe have an unlock request on their website and sometimes there is a small fee. They can only submit an IMEI to Apple for unlocking if the phone was originally sold locked to that particular carrier.

Here is a list from Apple Support showing all countries the iPhone is legally sold in and by which carriers. It also shows if the phone is sold locked or unlocked, and whether the carrier will unlock the phone.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937

Edited April 20, 201115 yr by jackbox

iPhones sold in Canada are all carrier locked. Fido, Telus and Rogers will unlock them. If your friend paid full price then the store probably submitted the IMEI to Apple for unlocking.

Thanks for that info.

iPhones sold in Canada are all carrier locked. Fido, Telus and Rogers will unlock them. If your friend paid full price then the store probably submitted the IMEI to Apple for unlocking. AT&T USA's policy is that an iPhone sold locked to them will never be unlocked.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937

Not correct.

Anyone can go to an Apple store in Canada and buy a fully unlocked iPhone that is not locked to a Carrier. There is no subsidized pricing provided and you are not tied into a contract with a carrier.

AT&T cannot prevent their phones from being IMEI unlocked. They do not do it but there are some 3rd parties that will enter the IMEI into the Apple database for a fee. (I do not know if any of these 3rd parties are available in Thailand but if anyone knows one I would be interested to know also)

The only reason the original poster would want to get the AT&T phone unlocked in Thailand is because he can buy the phone in the USA for the much lower subsidized price then if he bought a IMEI unlocked phone from Canada or in Thailand.

Edited April 30, 201115 yr by JKaterenchuk

I brought 2 iphone 4's to trip on this trip (the spouse's and mine) both where jail broken but where unlocked and unfortunately both where unusable!.

Found that in deed it was an imei restriction downloaded Zipphone (OSX but Win available) ... and waiting to try it out with True once I get a micro SIM card or whatever the smaller SIM cards are called. The only thing is there a block assignment of IMEI that I have to assign into or can I use, clone any existing un-blocked IMEI here with impunity?

Forgot to add, in Canada iPhones are sold unlocked, so if you live near the border, or can arrange a quick stop in Canada on your return journey to Thailand, that is an other option.

Apple's policy regarding the officla factory locked or unlocked status of an iPhone depends on the carrier who sold it. Apple can put an IMEI in a special database and the next time the phone connects to iTunes, iTunes performs a carrier update and permanently unlocks the phone. Some phones, such as all sold by carriers in Thailand, are sold unlocked so the first time the phone is connected to iTunes for activation it loads the carrier update that tells the phone it is unlocked. iPhones sold in Canada are all carrier locked. Fido, Telus and Rogers will unlock them. If your friend paid full price then the store probably submitted the IMEI to Apple for unlocking. AT&T USA's policy is that an iPhone sold locked to them will never be unlocked. In Europe when a contract is over the carrier must unlock the phone. Many carriers in Europe have an unlock request on their website and sometimes there is a small fee. They can only submit an IMEI to Apple for unlocking if the phone was originally sold locked to that particular carrier.

Here is a list from Apple Support showing all countries the iPhone is legally sold in and by which carriers. It also shows if the phone is sold locked or unlocked, and whether the carrier will unlock the phone.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937

Thanks for the Link.