Unlocking iPhone 4S from overseas?

[john-in-bolivia]

My name is John and I've been reading quite a few posts about unlocking an iPhone 4S and I think it's worth the shot asking again. Well, my case is similar to one of the above. A friend of mine actually gave me her phone as a gift because she just upgraded to the iPhone 5S. I know there's this thing that one customer can have their old iPhone unlocked once they do the upgrade and therefore, get another 2-year contract. With this in mind I asked my friend to tell you guys (Verizon) to unlock the GSM part of her iPhone 4S so it can be used with other SIM cards outside the US. She did call customer service and one of your representatives told her that couldn't be done and here I am, using a nice iPhone 4S just as an iPod touch because it wasn't unlocked.

I'm currently in South America and I would like to know if there's a slight possibility to still unlock the phone, given that the person who gave it to me is still an active Verizon customer. I can give you her name privately and the iPhone's IMEI if you like so you can contact her and double check what I'm saying. She will tell you that the phone is now mine and that she agrees on having the GSM part of the phone unlocked.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[Ann154]

john-in-bolivia wrote:

My name is John and I've been reading quite a few posts about unlocking an iPhone 4S and I think it's worth the shot asking again. Well, my case is similar to one of the above. A friend of mine actually gave me her phone as a gift because she just upgraded to the iPhone 5S. I know there's this thing that one customer can have their old iPhone unlocked once they do the upgrade and therefore, get another 2-year contract. With this in mind I asked my friend to tell you guys (Verizon) to unlock the GSM part of her iPhone 4S so it can be used with other SIM cards outside the US. She did call customer service and one of your representatives told her that couldn't be done and here I am, using a nice iPhone 4S just as an iPod touch because it wasn't unlocked.

I'm currently in South America and I would like to know if there's a slight possibility to still unlock the phone, given that the person who gave it to me is still an active Verizon customer. I can give you her name privately and the iPhone's IMEI if you like so you can contact her and double check what I'm saying. She will tell you that the phone is now mine and that she agrees on having the GSM part of the phone unlocked.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

You would have to send the phone back to your friend. Your friend would have to activate the phone on their line with Verizon Wireless. Your friend would to call VZW global support and request the SIM unlock. Your friend completes the SIM unlock with iTunes, I believe. Once the unlock is complete, they can reactivate their normal phone which deactivates the iPhone 4S. Your friend can now ship the phone back to you.

[johnwiltfongjr]

I called the Global Support line and asked for a SIM unlock on my iPhone 4S.  They applied the unlock to my phone while I was on the phone with them.  I installed a third party SIM (ROSHAN) and it required activation.  I connected my phone to iTunes and the activation failed and iTunes indicated the SIM was not valid.  I called Verizon and verified the unlock was applied.  I also have noticed that I get a "No Service" indication but can make calls to/from my iPhone.  I am becoming a little frustrated.  Any suggestions would be great.  Thanks in advance.

[vzw_customer_support]

Hi johnwiltfongjr - We want you to be able to get the most out of your device at all times! While we are able to provide the unlock instructions we are unable to support the device once a 3rd party SIM is in the device as we do not have control their network. I can advise you to ensure Global Roaming is active by going to Settings>Cellular>Roaming.

Thank you,

YaleK_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWsupport

[safiregiirl]

Hi,

Like everyone else, I am having issues with my phone overseas. I am currently in Scotland, and my new SIM card from a different carrier will not work with my iPhone 4s. Last week, I called Verizon and had my SIM card unlocked (and even received a confirmation letter and email). I am confused and a little frustrated that my phone will not work. I also tried suspending my Verizon account, to see if it made any difference, but it did not.

How can I be sure that my phone is unlocked and ready to work with GSM? I cannot call Verizon (no service) and the live support system is not working.

Thanks in advance,

Camille

[nick240]

Hello

I got iphone4s as a gift from one of  client when he was here in India after few days i noticed that its locked and i am not able to use with anyone network provider here . I look forward for your support in order to use it with international sim. Its really frustrating. Appreciate if you allow me to use and unlock it.

[ttipgem]

Nick240, are you a Verizon customer?  If not, then you will need to seek a third party unlocking provider in order to get the phone unlocked for international use.

[vzw_customer_support]

nick240,

Congratulations on the wonderful gift you received! I understand you're excited about it. The iPhone 4S you mentioned is designed to work only with our network and it's not eligible to be unlocked for service with different company. I apologize for the inconvenience.

AdaS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter at @VZWSupport