Is my iPhone 5 locked? What does 'locked' even mean, anyway?

[Alphathree33]

TL;DR:

- I bought an iPhone 5 from the Apple Store at full price.
- I activated it with Verizon.
- I'm going to China.

QUESTIONS:
- If I get a SIM card in China, can I put it in my phone and have it work?
- Is my iPhone 5 "locked"?
- Does it being locked (or not locked) have any bearing on my ability to swap in new sim cards?

 

[ViRGE]

If it works with Verizon then it's not unlocked. The unlocked iPhones that Apple sells only work on GSM carriers. Which means you would have purchased a locked and presumably subsidized Verizon iPhone.

http://store.apple.com/us/iphone/about-unlocked

 

[dlock13]

If it works with Verizon then it's not unlocked. The unlocked iPhones that Apple sells only work on GSM carriers. Which means you would have purchased a locked and presumably subsidized Verizon iPhone.

http://store.apple.com/us/iphone/about-unlocked

That doesn't make sense to me. When you buy a phone from Verizon, they are required by the FCC to leave them unlocked if they have LTE. Meaning, if you bought an iPhone 5 directly from Verizon, that phone is unlocked. I can only assume the same holds true for the iPhone 5 that you would buy directly from Apple.

EDIT:

As long as it was activated with VZW, then that phone should work in China. I see absolutely no reason why it wouldn't.

 

[Alphathree33]

I bought a FULL PRICE phone directly from an Apple Store. There was no subsidy. I then subsequently walked into a Verizon store, showed them the phone and said, "I want to use this phone on your network".

 

[Alphathree33]

Further, I know the phone will "work" in China with the existing SIM card.

What I want to know is if I buy a local chinese SIM card (e.g. from China Mobile) and put it in the phone, will that work?

 

[Necrolezbeast]

I'm with dlock13. It should be unlocked since the whole LTE deal. I asked the same'ish question on here about my mom's droid blah blah something when she came to visit me in China. As was suggested then, just pop in a sim and it'll do it's thing.

Good luck.

 

[bearxor]

All LTE Verizon devices are unlocked and support inserting SIM cards from other carriers.

The catch is whether or not the radio hardware supports the frequencies you need. The iPhone 5 supports HSPA+ 850/900/1900/2100, EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 13 and 25.

I am unsure of the state of mobile networks in China. I'd presume you wouldn't get LTE, but you will more than likely get HSPA+ (2100mhz, maybe).

If it works with Verizon then it's not unlocked. The unlocked iPhones that Apple sells only work on GSM carriers. Which means you would have purchased a locked and presumably subsidized Verizon iPhone.

http://store.apple.com/us/iphone/about-unlocked

This is correct, when you buy an unlocked device direct from Apple. Apple does not provision the CDMA modems on the unlocked devices (or the GSM devices) so voice is not going to happen. You should be able to pop a VZW SIM in to a AT&T or unlocked iPhone (5C or 5S, not 5) and get LTE data, however.

 

[paperwastage]

You should be able to pop a VZW SIM in to a AT&T or unlocked iPhone (5C or 5S, not 5) and get LTE data, however.

probably not

http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...ces-between-iphone-5c-iphone-5s-iphone-5.html

even though the model number is the same, there are (hardware/software/modem) differences between a Verizon iPhone 5S and an AT&T/T-mobile iPhone 5S . the cdma portion is not available on the AT&T/T-mobile version, and Verizon won't activate the phone

time will tell if Verizon will allow any LTE-only phones on their network (see Nexus 7 LTE debacle)

 

[bearxor]

probably not

http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...ces-between-iphone-5c-iphone-5s-iphone-5.html

even though the model number is the same, there are (hardware/software/modem) differences between a Verizon iPhone 5S and an AT&T/T-mobile iPhone 5S . the cdma portion is not available on the AT&T/T-mobile version, and Verizon won't activate the phone

time will tell if Verizon will allow any LTE-only phones on their network (see Nexus 7 LTE debacle)

As I said, the CDMA radio isn't provisioned in the GSM versions. And you're correct that Verizon will not activate it. Just like they will not activate a "non-verizon" iPad Air or Mini Retina. But, if you have a VZW SIM card already active, it will work but, again, only for LTE data. I believe there are a few older threads on HoFo to this effect. And, again, I'm speaking of strictly the 5C or 5S. Not the 5.

But we are SO CLOSE to Verizon's CDMA network not mattering anymore. COME ON VoLTE!!!

 

[cronos]

All kinds of confusing answers here.

For the OP, the answers to your questions:

1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes

Whether or not you'll get LTE is another matter, but it's not part of your question so it's irrelevant. The phone will work with any SIM cards.

 

[pm]

All kinds of confusing answers here.

For the OP, the answers to your questions:

1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes

Whether or not you'll get LTE is another matter, but it's not part of your question so it's irrelevant. The phone will work with any SIM cards.

I agree with this.

I actually agree with what everyone else said too - except that it wasn't as clear and concise as Chronos's reply.

 

[Alphathree33]

Thanks guys. I think I can safely call this "answered"... I'll let you know if it actually really really works when I get to China ;-)

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Remember, China is mostly TD-SCDMA or whatever it is, so its incompatible with your phone. They do have some 3G 2100 MHz built up but its spotty as hell. Believe me, I've tried. A lot of places, your phone will just struggle to acquire the right network, but I believe the right one you want to choose is China Unicom.

Roaming in China is not like roaming Hong Kong or Singapore where they have excellent 3G coverage.

Source: I took my Verizon iPhone 5 to China 3 times now.

 

[Stable]

Is there a way to unlock an ATT iPhone 5s without carrier consent? Or android phone like a samsung galaxy S4? Slightly off topic but I was under the impression it wasn't possible.

 

[dlock13]

Is there a way to unlock an ATT iPhone 5s without carrier consent? Or android phone like a samsung galaxy S4? Slightly off topic but I was under the impression it wasn't possible.

Yes, you can without the carrier, but you would have to rely on a third party company getting you the unlock code for a ridiculous amount of money. >_<