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Sim locked but t mobile says fully unlocked

  • 10 February 2023
  • 28 replies
  • 6212 views
J
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I bought Iphone 14 pro in September and I moved to Indonesia. 
So I fully paid for my phone before I came here and when I was paying for the device, t mobile expert said that it has been fully unlocked. 

On my setting, it still says SIM Locked and it is not working here. 
I called T mobile more than 10 times, they say that it’s been fully unlocked but my phone says it is still locked! I even tried to scan a new esim on the phone it says I need to contact the original carrier to unlock the phone. 

Every time I called all they say is the device is fully unlocked. 
I was even connected to Apple experts but they could not help me with anything. Apple suggested me to reset the phone, which I have tried. 

 

Now I don’t know what to do. It’s been more than two weeks and I’m not able to use this phone that I’ve paid $1000 for. 

 

Please help!!!

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Best answer by gramps28 25 July 2023, 04:32

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28 replies

gramps28
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What type of plan did you have and did it meet the usage requirements?

tidbits
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Sounds like reseller flex policy device.  The device is not in T-Mobile’s system as they did not sell the device.  It was purchased from a third party which will lock itself to the first sim put into it.  BestBuy, Walmart, and Amazon for example of 3rd party vendors.  You will need your receipt(with IMEI) AND you need to talk to elevated T-Mobile support for them to put the device into the system to unlock it.  It will take time because they do have to verify with Apple to make sure everything checks out.

T

did u find a solution!? i'm experiencing this as well 

F
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did u find a solution!? i'm experiencing this as well 


if youre experiencing this as well keep in mind that even though you purchased it the device must be on the TMO network for a certain amount of days before it can be unlocked..along with a few other criteria that must be met in order to have it unlocked.

 

for exampl.e...are you a TMO customer? did you purchase the phone from TMO or through some other route? was the phone ever on TMOs network? and for how long?

 

Device eligibility is determined as follows:

  • The device must be sold by T-Mobile.
  • The device must not be reported as lost, stolen or blocked.
  • The account associated with the device must be in good standing.
  • The device must also satisfy all the Postpaid or Prepaid unlocking requirements outlined below.

Unlock eligibility for mobile devices on Postpaid plans

  • The device must have been active on the T‑Mobile network for at least 40 days on the requesting line.
  • If the device was financed or leased through T‑Mobile then all payments must be satisfied and the device must be paid in full.
  • If the device is associated with a canceled account, then the account balance must be zero.
  • T‑Mobile may request proof of purchase or additional information in its discretion and certain other exceptions may apply.

Unlock eligibility for mobile devices on Prepaid plans

  • At least  365 days  must have passed since the device was activated on the T Mobile network.
  • If the device was activated less than 365 days ago, then the   Prepaid account associated with the device must have had more than $100 in refills during that period for each line active on the account.  In   addition, more than 14 days must have passed since the device was purchased.
  • No more than 2 mobile device unlocks have been complete per line of service in the last 12 months.
  • T‑Mobile may request proof of purchase or additional information in its discretion and certain other exceptions may apply.

if all of the criteria has not been met for either Post paid or Prepaid then they will not unlock it.

 

also adding on..if you are not the original purchaser then they will need to be the one to contact TMO..not however ended up with it after the fact.

***I like many others come onto this site for assistance and to help others. Marking a reply as helpful or correct helps others with like issues when they try to search the site for assistance. I do not work for Tmobile and my suggestions and or opinions are my own**.~~~~ The site here is primarily peer to peer with some TMO moderation to keep the site in order..They do not have account access..The prefered method would be to contact TMO through either calling in (tier 1 support) or by contacting them through either Facebook/Twitter (tier 2 support)**~~~~
M

I am in the same boat.  I paid for it 3 years ago from Best Buy while I was with Sprint.  It wasn’t sim locked.  I tried to migrate to a business when t-mobile acquired Sprint and it got locked during that time, however the account was unable to be changed.  Now they are saying they’ve unlocked it and it should show as unlocked.  However it doesn’t show on my end.  Anyone ever get this fixed or did they turn my phone into a brick?

gramps28
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Userlevel 7
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Try contacting tmobile support using messenger on one of tmobile's social media platforms to like Facebook or the newly named X to see if they can help you they also are a higher tier of support and dealt with this issue.

J

Same here. The iPhone was connected to T-Mobile before my parents gave it to me because they upgraded. I called to verify that it was unlocked.

*After talking with Apple & T-Mobile I made an account to see for myself because it wasn’t letting me use another sim. I was able to activate a new T-Mobile account with this phone. ESim worked says unlocked on the app. I guess I have to cancel my other number & stay with T-Mobile if I want to use that IPhone.

 

[[Carrier Lock> Sim Locked> This device might be restricted to the original carrier and/or have certain capabilities limited. 
Contact your provider for more information.]]

 

-Insert cricket sim-

[[SIM Not Supported 

The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported.

The SIM card that you currently have installed in this iPhone 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.]]

 

•T-mobile Customer Service: “It’s unlocked but you just need to back up & reset it, it’s the last step you missed… You need to contact Apple because it’s fully unlocked on our side so it’s an issue at their end.”

•Apple Support: “In this case this is an issue that your carrier has to resolve, as you can see on the screenshot it was the carrier that restricted it, so, please contact them because we don't have the tools to resolve this issue.”

 

M

did u find a solution!? i'm experiencing this as well 


if youre experiencing this as well keep in mind that even though you purchased it the device must be on the TMO network for a certain amount of days before it can be unlocked..along with a few other criteria that must be met in order to have it unlocked.

 

for exampl.e...are you a TMO customer? did you purchase the phone from TMO or through some other route? was the phone ever on TMOs network? and for how long?

 

Device eligibility is determined as follows:

  • The device must be sold by T-Mobile.
  • The device must not be reported as lost, stolen or blocked.
  • The account associated with the device must be in good standing.
  • The device must also satisfy all the Postpaid or Prepaid unlocking requirements outlined below.

Unlock eligibility for mobile devices on Postpaid plans

  • The device must have been active on the T‑Mobile network for at least 40 days on the requesting line.
  • If the device was financed or leased through T‑Mobile then all payments must be satisfied and the device must be paid in full.
  • If the device is associated with a canceled account, then the account balance must be zero.
  • T‑Mobile may request proof of purchase or additional information in its discretion and certain other exceptions may apply.

Unlock eligibility for mobile devices on Prepaid plans

  • At least  365 days  must have passed since the device was activated on the T Mobile network.
  • If the device was activated less than 365 days ago, then the   Prepaid account associated with the device must have had more than $100 in refills during that period for each line active on the account.  In   addition, more than 14 days must have passed since the device was purchased.
  • No more than 2 mobile device unlocks have been complete per line of service in the last 12 months.
  • T‑Mobile may request proof of purchase or additional information in its discretion and certain other exceptions may apply.

if all of the criteria has not been met for either Post paid or Prepaid then they will not unlock it.

 

also adding on..if you are not the original purchaser then they will need to be the one to contact TMO..not however ended up with it after the fact.

I am in the same boat!! Bought my iPhone from T-Mobile store, paid it off and now I’m in Fiji, it says sim locked. Called Customer Care, the 3representatives told me the same thing. Phone is fully unlocked but they will need to email the upper management for authorization to release the locked sim. Time frame is 48hrs and still nothing. Why is t-mobile making it so difficult when the phones are fully paid. Also,  I pass the requirements for post-paid eligibility of unlocking phones. Now what do we do? 

M

Can a T-mobile representative from the “upper management” reply to our requests. I have provided all the information you need to the 3 people that I spoke to. What are we suppose to do now? I have been a loyal customer for 10yrs and have unlocked phones with you so many times before. Why is this different? 

M

I bought Iphone 14 pro in September and I moved to Indonesia. 
So I fully paid for my phone before I came here and when I was paying for the device, t mobile expert said that it has been fully unlocked. 

On my setting, it still says SIM Locked and it is not working here. 
I called T mobile more than 10 times, they say that it’s been fully unlocked but my phone says it is still locked! I even tried to scan a new esim on the phone it says I need to contact the original carrier to unlock the phone. 

Every time I called all they say is the device is fully unlocked. 
I was even connected to Apple experts but they could not help me with anything. Apple suggested me to reset the phone, which I have tried. 

 

Now I don’t know what to do. It’s been more than two weeks and I’m not able to use this phone that I’ve paid $1000 for. 

 

Please help!!!

You’re not alone. It’s happening to me where I bought phone from T-Mobile office, paid the phone fully and now I cannot use the phone in any network because it says sim locked. I’m sick of calling the customer service number because they tell me the same thing - phone is fully unlocked but they have to email the upper management to release the sim lock 🙄

F
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Can a T-mobile representative from the “upper management” reply to our requests. I have provided all the information you need to the 3 people that I spoke to. What are we suppose to do now? I have been a loyal customer for 10yrs and have unlocked phones with you so many times before. Why is this different? 

the site is primarily peer to peer assistance..

 

with that being said..even though you purchased it outright..did it meet the other requirements needed in order for them to unlock it?

 

you quoted my post with all the requirements on it..

***I like many others come onto this site for assistance and to help others. Marking a reply as helpful or correct helps others with like issues when they try to search the site for assistance. I do not work for Tmobile and my suggestions and or opinions are my own**.~~~~ The site here is primarily peer to peer with some TMO moderation to keep the site in order..They do not have account access..The prefered method would be to contact TMO through either calling in (tier 1 support) or by contacting them through either Facebook/Twitter (tier 2 support)**~~~~
M

Try contacting tmobile support using messenger on one of tmobile's social media platforms to like Facebook or the newly named X to see if they can help you they also are a higher tier of support and dealt with this issue.

Did this work?

gramps28
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

Try contacting tmobile support using messenger on one of tmobile's social media platforms to like Facebook or the newly named X to see if they can help you they also are a higher tier of support and dealt with this issue.

Did this work?

If the person fully meets the requirements it does.

M

I paid cash for my phone from Tmobile about a year ago, trying to switch providers, and no matter what I do and what TMobile support does it says ‘SIM Locked.’ It meets all requirements for unlocking and T-Mobile says “it’s unlocked on our end, talk to Apple”.

Apple Store couldn’t find anything wrong.

Are there any known issues? How can I start using my phone again? This is really disruptive and a huge PITA and not legal. 

M

Try contacting tmobile support using messenger on one of tmobile's social media platforms to like Facebook or the newly named X to see if they can help you they also are a higher tier of support and dealt with this issue.

Did this work?

If the person fully meets the requirements it does.

I for sure meet all conditions and T-mobile keeps saying “it’s unlocked on our end”…..I’m caught in a loop! T-Mobile-Apple-T-Mobile-Apple- no one with solutions. 

M

Hoping for some answers.

 

gramps28
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

I paid cash for my phone from Tmobile about a year ago, trying to switch providers, and no matter what I do and what TMobile support does it says ‘SIM Locked.’ It meets all requirements for unlocking and T-Mobile says “it’s unlocked on our end, talk to Apple”.

Apple Store couldn’t find anything wrong.

Are there any known issues? How can I start using my phone again? This is really disruptive and a huge PITA and not legal. 

Was there ever a warranty claim done on the phone? If so the new imei# may not be in the system.

M

I paid cash for my phone from Tmobile about a year ago, trying to switch providers, and no matter what I do and what TMobile support does it says ‘SIM Locked.’ It meets all requirements for unlocking and T-Mobile says “it’s unlocked on our end, talk to Apple”.

Apple Store couldn’t find anything wrong.

Are there any known issues? How can I start using my phone again? This is really disruptive and a huge PITA and not legal. 

Was there ever a warranty claim done on the phone? If so the new imei# may not be in the system.

 

 

Oh snap! Yes, well I had the battery replaced, and the screen. Apple’s fault- but it was  (supposedly?) the same phone.

gramps28
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

Check the imei#.

https://www.t-mobile.com/resources/bring-your-own-phone

 

C

I’m having the same problem.  This representative tried to help me and don’t even understands an iphone.  Has anyone found a solution for this problem yet?

I have been calling representatives for the last two weeks and no one seems to understand that the phone still “sim locked” 

Really frustraiting...

gramps28
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

I’m having the same problem.  This representative tried to help me and don’t even understands an iphone.  Has anyone found a solution for this problem yet?

I have been calling representatives for the last two weeks and no one seems to understand that the phone still “sim locked” 

Really frustraiting...

Where did you buy the iPhone?

C

I’m having the same problem.  This representative tried to help me and don’t even understands an iphone.  Has anyone found a solution for this problem yet?

I have been calling representatives for the last two weeks and no one seems to understand that the phone still “sim locked” 

Really frustraiting...

Where did you buy the iPhone?

I bought it at a T Mobile store...

gramps28
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

Was there ever a warranty claim? Try using messenger on one of Tmobile’s social media platforms like Facebook or X.

C

Was there ever a warranty claim? Try using messenger on one of Tmobile’s social media platforms like Facebook or X.

good news, I did use Facebook Messenger and Martin Covarrubias, T Mobile representative, was able to fully unlock the iphone.

M

Try contacting tmobile support using messenger on one of tmobile's social media platforms to like Facebook or the newly named X to see if they can help you they also are a higher tier of support and dealt with this issue.

THIS WORKED! I reached out on X/Twitter, and the problem was solved in less than 15 minutes. THANK YOU!!!!!!

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