How to unlock your iPhone from O2, Orange, Three, T-Mobile or Vodafone
September 12th, 2011
By unlocking your iPhone, you can save at home with cheaper SIM-only tariffs and abroad with a local SIM card. In this guide, we outline how to unlock your iPhone from all of the UK’s major networks.
When you buy an iPhone, it’ll typically be locked to a mobile network. This means it’ll only work with SIM cards from that network (e.g. an iPhone locked to O2 won’t accept a SIM card from any other network). Most iPhones are sold locked: the exception is if you’ve purchased your iPhone directly from Apple without an airtime contract. In order to use your iPhone on another network, you’ll need to unlock it.
Unlocking your iPhone gives several benefits:
- You can save about £180/year by switching to a SIM-only contract. For example, iPhone 3G S users could switch to Three’s £15/month SIM Only deal which comes with 600 minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB internet. You’ll probably be paying around £35/month on a standard iPhone tariff for the same deal so Three’s deal saves you £240/year. You’ll get 1GB internet included too – double the 500MB offered on standard tariffs. iPhone 4 users could switch to the £15/month micro-SIM deal which offers 300 minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB internet on a 1 month rolling contract.
- You can use a local SIM card when travelling abroad. When using your UK SIM card internationally (roaming), you could often be paying up to £1.50/minute for phone calls, 50p per text message and £6/MB for internet when using your iPhone abroad. Whilst there are ways to cut your roaming bill, the cheapest option is to buy a SIM card locally in your country of travel. This will allow you to use the full feature set of your iPhone, including internet access, without having to worry about roaming bills. You’ll need an unlocked iPhone to use a local SIM card.
- You can pass on your old iPhone to a family member, friend or colleague. If you’re upgrading to a newer smartphone, you should unlock your old iPhone before passing it onto friends or family members. This will allow them to use it on the network of their choice and to benefit from the wide variety of SIM Only deals currently available.
Is it legal to unlock an iPhone?
Yes, it is perfectly legal to unlock a phone.
Unlocking your iPhone can open up a world of cheaper tariffs at home and abroad.
Mobile networks will often “lock” your mobile phone because they subsidise them. Because you can purchase a new iPhone at reduced price with a contract (subsidised by the network), they don’t want you to take their subsidised phone and to use it straight away on a different network. You can usually ask your network to unlock your phone so you can use it on other networks. Although they are under no obligation to unlock your phone, most networks will happily unlock it providing you pay an unlocking fee (usually no more than £20).
In this guide, I only discuss the official methods of unlocking your iPhone. You may find other unofficial methods of unlocking an iPhone on the internet. These methods might offer to unlock your iPhone by offering you a code or software. There is no guarantee that these methods will work: some of them are scams and some of them could render your phone unusable. Others will successfully unlock your phone but only temporarily: regular software updates from Apple often fix these loopholes and will return your iPhone to the locked state. At the very least, your warranty would probably be invalidated by unlocking your iPhone in an unauthorised manner. Please do your research very carefully and make sure you understand what you’re doing if you choose to unlock your phone another way.
How much money could I save with an unlocked iPhone?
Providing you’re no longer locked into a contract, you can usually save between £180/year and £240/year by unlocking your iPhone and switching to a SIM-only contract. The iPhone can be used on any SIM-only tariff with an inclusive data allowance.
The best deals are generally found on Three:
- £15/month for 600 minutes, 3000 texts, 1GB internet
Available for iPhone 3G S only (12 month contract) - £15/month for 300 minutes, 3000 texts, 1GB internet
Available for either iPhone 3G S or iPhone 4 (1 month rolling contract) - £25/month for 2000 minutes, 5000 Three-to-Three minutes, 5000 texts, all-you-can-eat data and free tethering
Free mobile broadband service included when you use the iPhone’s tethering functionality (requires iPhone 4 and iOS 4.3 or later).
Available for either iPhone 3G S or iPhone 4 (1 month rolling contract)
You can unlock savings of around £180/year by switching to a SIM-only tariff.
Aside from Three, other major networks including O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone also offer SIM-only tariffs which are suitable for use with an iPhone. However, they tend to be pricier than Three’s offerings.
When selecting a SIM-only tariff, make sure you choose a tariff with an inclusive data allowance. iPhone 4 users will need to make sure they receive a micro-SIM card rather than a standard sized SIM card.
If you’re changing network, you can keep your existing phone number by requesting a PAC Code.
How do I find the IMEI number on my iPhone?
During the unlocking process, your mobile operator will ask for the IMEI number of your iPhone. The IMEI is a serial number which is unique to every mobile device. You’ll need to provide the IMEI so that your mobile operator can unlock the correct device.
There are three ways of finding the IMEI number of your iPhone:
- Go to your iPhone keypad and enter *#06# (star hash 06 hash). Your iPhone’s IMEI number should appear on the screen.
- In the iPhone menu, go to Settings > General > About. The IMEI number should be listed.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes. On the iPhone information page, click on your phone number. This will cycle through several pieces of information about your iPhone of which the IMEI number will be one of them.
iPhone 4S. No download limits. No worries.
2000 minutes, 5000 texts & all-you-can-eat data from £31/month.
With the new iPhone 4S on Three’s “One Plan”, there are no download limits. That means you can do all your phone is meant to do without having to worry about download limits. You can even tether, free of charge.
8GB iPhone 4 (£49 & £30/month)
How do I unlock an iPhone from O2?
Pay Monthly: Your iPhone can be unlocked free of charge at any time but you’ll have to honour the entirety of your contract (you aren’t able to cancel your contract early).
Pay As You Go: It costs £15 to unlock your iPhone. This comes from your Pay As You Go balance so you should top-up by £15 or more prior to requesting an unlock. If you unlock your iPhone within the first 12 months of ownership, you’ll lose the free Web & Wifi bolt-on that O2 gives you.
It takes up to 14 days to unlock an iPhone from O2. For more details and to begin the unlock process, see the O2 website.
How do I unlock an iPhone from Orange?
Orange will unlock your iPhone for a fee of £20 providing you’ve had it for at least 3 months. The unlocking process takes between 7-10 days to complete. According to Orange:
If it’s a pay monthly phone you’ll need to call 150 free from your handset, or 07973 100 150 from a landline (call charges may vary).
If it’s a pay as you go phone you’ll need to call 450 from your handset, or 07973 100 450 from a landline (call charges may vary).
Many readers have experienced difficulties in unlocking an iPhone from Orange (see comments below) although there are some success stories too. Please do share your experiences in the comments below too!
How do I unlock an iPhone from Three?
It’s been difficult to obtain any official information on how to unlock your iPhone from Three, but various reports across the internet have suggested it costs £15.32 to unlock your iPhone from Three. You can contact Three customer services on 333 to request an unlock.
If you’ve had any experiences unlocking an iPhone from Three (successful or not!), please drop us a comment below and share your experiences!
How do I unlock an iPhone from T-Mobile?
According to the T-Mobile forum moderator, T-Mobile charge £15.32 to unlock your iPhone. You must have held your iPhone for at least 30 days on Pay Monthly or 90 days on Pay As You Go. You should contact T-Mobile customer services by dialling 150 from your T-Mobile phone.
If you’ve managed to unlock an iPhone from T-Mobile, please drop us a comment below and share your experiences!
How do I unlock an iPhone from Vodafone?
Vodafone will unlock your iPhone for a fee of £15.32 on Pay Monthly or £19.99 on Pay As You Go. For Pay As You Go customers, the £19.99 charge is taken from your Pay As You Go credit so you should top up by at least £20 prior to unlocking your iPhone. It should take no more than 72 hours to unlock your iPhone. Requests should be made through Vodafone’s online form.
See the FAQ on the Vodafone website for more information.
I’ve made a request to unlock my iPhone. What’s next?
Once you’ve informed your mobile operator you want to unlock your iPhone and made the necessary payments, your mobile operator will inform Apple. Apple maintain a central list of unlocked iPhone devices and it can take up to 14 days for your iPhone to be added to this list. Once your device is on the list, you’ll need to connect it to iTunes to complete the unlocking process.
How can I check to see whether my iPhone has been unlocked?
The easiest way to test whether your iPhone has been successfully unlocked is to insert a SIM card from a different network. All of the UK’s major mobile networks offer free Pay As You Go SIM cards.
What about stores which offer to unlock your iPhone?
Some newsagents and shops may offer to unlock your iPhone. They will usually do this by “jailbreaking” your device. This is not the recommended method of unlocking as it isn’t a permanent unlock: you’ll need to jailbreak the phone every single time Apple releases a new software update. The only official way to unlock your iPhone is through your mobile network operator and the methods listed on this page.
| About Ken | |
 | My mission is to demystify the world of mobile technology for general audiences and to communicate how mobile technology can enhance every aspect of our daily lives. I've been maintaining the Ken's Tech Tips website since 2004. I have experience communicating mobile technology and presenting new mobile products both online and offline, including at various trade shows and events. You can check out my profile or drop me an e-mail. |
I have an Orange SIM only contract. I tried to get an iPhone on the 18 or 24 months contract on Orange, on condition that the iPhone is unlocked. I extensively tried with both Orange directly, by contacting the 150 customer service number, and the Apple Store. Eventually, I complained in writing to Orange about their obscure policies on unlocking iPhones. This their written answer:
“If you purchase an iPhone from an Apple Store and the carrier is Orange, to get the iPhone unlocked, you would have to register an Orange Pay As You Go (PAYG) SIM card against the iPhone. This is because we do not unlock phones on SIM only accounts. Once the PAYG SIM has been registered, you will then have to wait 3 months before the iPhone can be unlocked. This is as per our normal business rules regarding the unlocking of phones”
Unlocking a phone with Orange costs £20.00
I am still unsure of whether Orange allows unlocking an iPhone on a 18 or 24 months contract. Clearly the payments for the duration of the contract must be fulfilled.
the easiest way to unlock is by the rebel sim and it dosent validate your warranty,btw im not a salesmen for rebel sim just really like the product
Just had Orange unlock my iPhone in preparation for a trip to the States. I am 4 months into an 18 month contract. Customer Service at '150' completed it with no problems. The charge was £20.
Yup … it’s confirmed. Minimum 3 months into your contract and you can request an official unlock from Orange/Apple … Cost £20.00. Unlock via iTunes within 7 days.
Couldn’t be arsed waiting for the 3.1.3 jailbreak/unlock … could be 3-5 months from now (original date of post – April 2010)
How much did it take to unlock in your case? Does it take a week, or it may likely be unlocked earlier?
hi, does orange text or send you a letter prior to unlcoking your phone? i requested to get my girlfriends iphone unlocked and its been a couple of days and i heard nothing from them yet. o2 unlocked my iphone in 3 days txting me to plug in the iphone to itunes few seconds later it was unlocked.
"Unlock via iTunes within (upto) 7 days"
Hi.
I may get an iphone on orange if it is possible to unlock.
I am on voda and have htc desire.
The thing is this.
I am thinking of swapping desire for iphone and we are on different networks.
If I have warranty and proof of purchasing the phone, do you think I can unlock it from orange. I am asking the person and he says it is my business to unlock it.
I do not want jailbreak or illegal unlocking.
What do you think?
thanks.
Orange will only unlock non business iphones !!!
this is official !
On Orange PAYG had phone for 3 months contacted orange on 450 four days later Orange unlocked my phone via itunes
Had my iPhone unlocked by O2 a few days ago, no problems at all. You fill in a web form, and within 7 days it was done. You need acces to the customers-only part of their website, so do it before your contract terminates. The contract carries on as normal afterwards.
Hey There. How long does the unlocking process by o2 takes?? i Plugged into Itunes and it seems to take ages to process the unlocking or does it depend on the speed of the internet?? Im using the slow plug and play modem.
hi there…. i bought a second hand i phone from orang and i dont have any idea about the duration of using and i dont know the number that was used for registering the phone, now i want to unlock it but i have no idea how to do so
Full disclosure: Post updated on 8th June 2010. Removed information about T-Mobile’s redundant PAYG tariff; replaced with information about new O2 Simplicity PAYG tariffs.
hello guys
have got orange
so now to unlock iphone do i have to go to apples office or there is like call and then kinda distance unlocking (via itunes)? please reply asap
Hi guys,
Am very disappointed. Basically, I bought a 3gS iPhone and have been using it on an Orange pay-as-you go contract (£25 monthly SIM contract for iPhone) for 3-months. I called orange Customer service (150) to request the unlocking of my phone and after being on hold for 30-minutes, I was told that since I registered my SIM only with orange, they have no record of my iPhone. In fact, their record show that I am using an unknown iPhone!
I was told to re-register the other SIM I was given with my iPhone(i had to pay £10 for it along with my iPhone) and then wait another 3-months!! In spite of me reasoning that my bill shows- I bought an iPhone from an Orange store and orange has records of my Bills- iPhone £25 SIM only monthly contract, it is baffling how Orange claims that I have an unregistered phone or that can’t see I have been with them for 3-months !
This is highway robbery…Short term Orange might be the winner, but am sure never-ever going to have an Orange deal again!
i was honestly suprised at how fast itunes unlocks the phone, it doesnt take 5 minutes to tell you that its unlocked. but one question? ive unlocked the phone, but when i updated it to 4.0, will it go back to orange
How did u get itunes to unlock your phone ?
hi all.
i have 3gs pay-as-u-go on o2.
i will be going abroad for 2 years – work.
i had update the IOS.
Can i still unlock the iphone with O2 AFTER i had did the update?
Hi there,
I have a iPHone 3Gs on a 24 month contract with Orange. I have just spoken to them on 150 and as I have had the contract for 3 months they will unlock for £20, which will be billed to my account. I gave the IMEI number and my email address and was advised that I would receive an email with instructions in 7 – 14 days. They have also told me that the unlock is permanent and won't be affected by restoring or upgrading the firmware. Hope this helps
it needs to be 3 months that ur iphone was sold from orange then u can put any pay as you go sim and they will unlocked it for £20, thats how i done mine just a week ago.
when i spoke to orange about unlocking mine they said i need to provide details of the original owner, i dont know who this is so how can i get round it?
Can somebody please tell me whether it is possible to unlock french iphones 4 from orange. How long does it take and how expenisve is it?
I sort of had the same problem, Orange said my phone was registered to someone else, I asked them how that was possible when I had bought a PAYG phone from them and this is the number assigned. The fella from orange changed the owners details on his systems and then put the request for the unlock through. £20.00 – and it takes 7-14 days (ish)
well i am with orange for past 3 years , i bought pay as you go 3gs and rung straight way to orange and played a trick , and they unlocked my handset within 24 hours its really great to have unlock iphone so that i can use any sim anytime,
loving it
iPhone 3GS on Orange pay monthly. I requested by unlock code on 9th July. They said they would post it and it would be with me within 10-14 working days. I called them on Thursday 29th July as I still hadn't received it: "oh", the guy said "they usually take between 20 and 21 actual days, please wait another day". Phoned again on Tuesday 3rd August, said I'd been waiting almost a month and why were they deliberately delaying sending my unlock code. They said they would email me by 6pm the following day (Wedmesday 4th). "If", she said "you haven't received it by 6pm, please call us back". It is now 3.53pm and I've had nothing from Orange.____Orange = a total waste of space.
Hi – I have the same problem with Orange I have iphone 3gs and having it unlocked as finding Orange pants, my friend has hers with Vodafone and her signal is excellent and bloody quick. I have taken my phone into phone specialist and cost me £85.00 to have it unlocked, (as my friend owns it) he requested unlock and been advised that most of Orange customers are having their iphones unlocked and there are a backlog of customers waiting for the codes to come through. Its has been nearly 3 weeks now, But what annoys me once they have the code its 3 min job. Never known anything take so long. Would never recommend Orange.
Rang 450(pay as you go #)
Very helpful guy @ Orange said no problem unlocking I-phone as I had been registered for over 3 months. The fee would be £20 to be deducted from my phone credit.
The unlock would take about a week as Orange had to first inform Apple what my phone I.D. was after which the unlocking process will take place via I-tunes on my pc.
I have just bought a phone from Ebay which I have found is locked to 02. I want to use a vodafone sim in it. Can I go to 02 and have it unlocked?
I had it jailbraked at a shop however when I uploaded the new software it reverted to it's original settings. I don't want this happening every time there are software updates. Can anyone suggest something??
Very useful article Ken thank you. Have contacted Orange today to request an unlock code. £20 charge and told I should receive the code in 7 to 10 days by email. Looking good so far.
I have a contract on orange, i am interested in buying an iphone 3g that is on 02, will it be possible to unlock it so it works on orange?
I have just spoken to orange, im off round the world for 6 months and i am 7 months into an 18month i phone contract, they have said that they would unlock my phone for £20 and my contract could be put on hold for 6 months while I am away but will resume when I return. sweet
Great to hear that Orange are happy for you to take a payment holiday!
I bought an iPhone 3g from a seller on Amazon who didn't get the phone unlocked before selling it. It has been a huge nightmare wasting hours of time speaking to 02. The seller is doing her best to help but gets conflicting information. She complete a form on line as instructed to unlock the phone and was told to expect confirmation by email within 24 hours. Nearly 3 days later she received an email saying they couldn't unlock the phone but when she rang them they claimed they had unlocked it and all that was needed now was for me to log into iTunes with my own SIM card and all would be fine. Well it's not FINE at all. I will never buy a second hand phone again. Meanwhile I have sold my Blackberry on ebay (having made sure it was unlocked and working) so now have no phone until I can sort the problem aaaaahhhhhh…..
@Annette Gillibrand
If you’re on O2 pay monthly contract, you can get your iphone unlocked free of charge as of November 2009. All you have to do is visit the link below and they’ll do it for you:
https://www.o2.co.uk/apps/help/help?qid=1&q1=…
I requested a couple of hours ago and mine is now unlocked! Rather than waste money and time by going to “experts” contacting the network is the best option.
I requested for an unlocking code for my iPhone from Orange in May, bought the phone in January and until today 2 November, 2010 I have not been provided with an unlocking code. Have made over 100 phone calls which Orange customer service can see on my profile but according to them no request has been made. I have never in my life experiences so unprofessional employees as in Orange. Orange Shop assistants giving me an oral agreement of me being able to open my iPhone and Orange customer service lying to me on each occasion I call.
HI, please can u explain to me how did u unlock your iphone via itunes? Thank you
I purchased my iphone from Apple over a year ago with an orange SIM. My contract is complete with orange so I called them to unlock my phone and I was told the cost would be £20 but to my surprise the agen handeling my call told me that they are unable to unlock my phone as I did not purchase the phone from them. I was advised to contact Apple and so I did. Apple advised me that they do not unlock phones and its up to the carrier to unlock the phone which is what I understood too. I then called Orrange again and a different agent advised me that I am better off going to High Street shop to get it unlocked (yes I know that I didn't need Orange to tell me that). I am now very annoyed with Orange for not being helpfull and I will never go back to them. I am sharing my pain and the address for Orange Customer Complaints Department.
I will be writing to Customer Complaints Department at the following address:
Correspondences Department
PO BOX 10
Patchway
Bristal
BS32 4BQ
Just got off the phone from Orange, £20 charge still applies to get the phone unlocked. Been an Orange customer for a number of years now, took an iPhone 3GS as soon as Orange were made a network partner in the UK, have had no end of problems with unhelpful customer service due to unbelievably rigid internal process and decision
I wanted an iPhone 4 on release, and expressed interest with Orange when Apple announced in, so early did I call Orange infact, they weren't aware of the iPhone 4! Happy to pay the full retail cost of the handset, I never got one…the reason…Orange didn't know how to 'upgrade' me from my 3GS to a 4…so I got left behind.
And again today, Orange prove themselves to be quite honestly the worst telephony company I've ever had the misfortune to deal with
Over £400 to cancel my contract – so I'm stuck, for now.
send by recorded delivery to get looked at quicker.
Just had my Orange UK iPhone 4 unlocked. Rang them up when I had it for exactly 3-months (27/11) and asked them to unlock it and simply had to register the SIM card, give them the IMEI number and top up by £20. Today (01/12) they took the £20 from my balance and unlocked my iPhone. Didn't receive any emails or unlock codes, just had to plug into iTunes and got a message on-screen saying iPhone is now unlocked. Very easy process, could not be happier! Just a shame you have to wait 3-months to have it done but at least they stick to there word.
There seems to be a common problem here – appalling customer experience for those who try to get their phones unlocked by Orange. I've been trying since October 9th. I've made countless calls and every time I call it's like Groundhog Day. No one seems willing to take responsibility and to be pro-active. If you ask to talk to a supervisor, you invariably get through to a condescending person who assures you they will look into your case personally and call you back. They never do. I am totally exasperated and frustrated by the experience. I am wanting to move from Orange because the reception is bad in my home. They have already taken £20 from my pay as you go account for the privilige of unlocking.. I am reluctant to get it unlocked unofficially. Why then do they leave me in this limbo land. Once I am free, I will never have anything to do with Orange again.
Hi,
Thanks for this post.
….
I have an Orange locked iPhone and a PAYG card. I called Orange to register the IMEI of the phone to the PAYG.
They told me I can call next month to unlock the phone.
Now to find a UK voucher here in NL
I called to orange to unlock my iphone4. They took 20 pounds to top up. I did not use more than 10 pounds in last 3 months since i bought iphone payg. Will they unlock for me? How much did you top up b4 u request unlock code?? thanks
Thats pretty much what i have been told over an over again! I bought the phone 1 week before xmas hoping o ghet it unlocked for xmas for my g/f! i bought the phone off ebay only to find it was bought originally in august 2010 so luckily it reaches its 3 months period.I rang up on the 22nd but got told i wasnt the original owner so i had to register it (even tho i am an orange customer) so then the code got processed,i rang again on the 27th bear in mind i was on the phone 1 hour! to be told they couldnt do it because the phone hasnt been registered in my name for 3 months! I was going mad seriously! I then rang up on the 29th and this guy said its being dealt with,soon as we have the code you will have an email telling you to ring up and to pay the £20 fee before we release the email with the code so i thought cool.I rang up today 31st only to be told the code hasnt been requested because i havnt paid the £20 fee and they wont send for it until i pay it! i hung up as im sinck of going round in circles! i havnt used my sim so im not putting 20 on my sim only for them to say i cant get the code,cos then ill have £20 sat on a sim card im not using!! ARRRGGGHHH!
I tried to unlock my iphone 4 PAYG. Spent about 20mins with their Indian call centre. Initially said it wasn;t possible then said ok when I challenged on the 3month unlock agreement in T&C and said will go ahead and unlock. now it's been almost 2months and nothing has happened… speaking to their call centre is like drawing blood from stone… either no idea or fob you off. And everytime they end the call with "Is there anything else I can help you with?" … as if they helped me in the first place! if you're deciding to ultimately get the iphone unlocked then either go O2 which did it all online (unlocked my old iphone 3G completely online.. no useless call centres) or just buy it Sim Free from Apple (works out much cheaper esp with a seperate sim only deal like Tescos etc)
yes time and time again Orange customer service is appalling and the call centre staff have no idea and waste endless time trying sort anything out! my HTC Desire had real issues and it took 4 weeks of backwards and forwards and things only happened when I told them I logged everyone of the staffs names and call times and will file a complaint.
i have just emailed orange to see if they can unlock my iphone 3gs which is on orange. ill let you know how i get on…
Hi, I have just part-ex a Nokia 6303c for a Samsung Tocco Ultra GT-S3800 on Orange but has no sim in, the samsung was on a contract to the previous owner and I’m not sure if I will be able to get the phone unlocked if the contract has not expired, and I am not the original buyer?. Have I made a mistake buying the Samsung or will I just be able to take it to a shop or send of for a code to get it unlocked?. Also I sent off for an unlock code that cost me £3.99 and was through paypal, the money was taken out right away, not sure if I have been ripped off yet as the price seems to cheap to me?, I guess I will have to wait and see!. The code was from unlockingdirect.net, has anybody used this company?. Any advice/help much appreciated, many thanks.
06/12/2010 Rang and asked for my iPhone 3GS to be unlocked. Gave my IMEI, was advised of £20 charge and told I would receive an email within 3 working days.
13/12/2010 Nothing, still locked, confirmed this by ringing Apple, who told me all the provider has to do is record on their system that this is unlocked.
22/12/2010 Initially said no details available, then said they were on a different section because the request had been sent.
This time told it could be 7-14 working days (so, the following day) and that a letter with a code will have been posted "and with the adverse weather conditions…"
28/01/2011 (Today) My records show only the 22/12 as date I requested, but told no record of request actually being sent!
This person – Anne (patient and helpful) – said she was pulling up the unlock request tool, filled out the details to send to the "security handset unlocking department", then said I would first get an email confirmation from orange that a request has been sent, then a second email from apple that would describe the unlocking steps.
Am I confident? No. Not at all.
I asked whom to speak to to register a formal complain, was told her supervisor was unavailable, but will ring back within 30 minutes.
Again, I'm not brimming with confidence on that one, especially as have been waiting over 45 minutes for the call back.
I had 8 years of good service with Orange, this has utterly undone all of that. I can tolerate bureaucracy, long hold times, suspect charges, but I not being lied to and Orange have repeatedly lied to me.
Oh, did I mention the £1700 roaming charge I've incurred in a single month in Australia as a result of not being able to put the £20 local sim in? (Caveat Emptor there – I knew it would be expensive, but £8 per MB… ouch!
*)
Wow, Orange are completely useless.
So I bought my iPhone 4 from my local Orange shop – paid the full £500 retail for the 16 gig handset.
Originally I wanted a PAYG agreement, so I wasn't able to spend more than I was willing. The sales rep explained (rather rudely, I might add) that there was no PAYG sim for the iPhone 4 – the cheapest option was a £25 sim only rolling contract. Was not too pleased with that, but agreed nonetheless.
So I had 4 months or so of the contract, then was hit with a £100 bill for using extra minutes (but definately not £75 worth).
Needless to say, I was no longer interested in Orange – and wanted to move to O2. I bought a PAYG sim from O2, not realizing I had to unlock my iPhone. I figured that if I had paid the full retail price then I would own the phone outright. I was immensely angered by this, but set out to unlocking it with a patient, open mind.
My first phone call resulted in the asian call centre person telling me I would recieve an email explaining how to unlock within 7-14 days.
Never happened.
Rang up after 17 days (today) explaining the situation.
Was on hold initially for 20 minutes, then was put on hold again several times during the call. They told me they would send me another code. I told them no, I was not happy. It was at that moment she suddenly realized they (Orange) could not unlock the phone – I would have to go directly to Apple. I had my doubts about this, after reading about other people's dealings with Apple. I explained these doubts, but she tried to reassure me. She then gave me Apple's customer service number, which I contacted. As I expected, he politely told me that Apple could not help with my situation, it was entirely done by Orange.
I believe the problem to be that I no longer have an active account with Orange (like it matters, I've been with them for a few years on pay monthly contracts) – and will now have to get ANOTHER contract with them for 3 months and try to unlock during the time my account is active.
I'll never go with Orange again for anything, and will advise others against it too.
If anyone else has the same problem, you may wish to contact the customer complaints. If enough of us do it, it may save countless other people the same problem we had.
Contact them at the below address:
Correspondences Department
PO BOX 10
Patchway
Bristal
BS32 4BQ
Orange customer services are absolutely disgraceful.
I have had my contract for about 4 years, had an Iphone 3gs then got an Iphone 4 in July. I am currently in the US for a year on business, so i called Orange on the 4th January to request an unlock code (well over my 3 months and still an active contrcat). Getting through to an asian call centre, it took me 20 minutes (and a £30 phone call from the states) to get across i just wanted an unlock code and didnt want any of the packages they were intent on selling me. They told me it would arrive in 7 – 14 days.
Now, nearly a month later i have still not had an unlock code, i have sent numerous emails to complain, only to be told i have to call (which i obviously don't want to do due to the cost from abroad), eventually got a response in writing saying they would apply a credit to my acocunt but alas still no unlock code!
Great customer services orange….can't wait till i'm out of my contract!
1700?? you could have bought a cheap smartphone on a different network and put you sim in surely?
HI,
How does that work, Orange have been giving me the run around for 2 weeks..
Hi – Had a look at their site but no mention of an iPhone 4 unlock tool. Did I miss it? Regards, MW
Got my iPhone 4 about 2 weeks ago on PAYG as i still have a sim only contract with 4 months remaining and i decided i wanted to get it unlocked in case i ever needed a sim swap if i went abroad. When i purchased the phone the guy said i would have to pay £15 fee as i am purchasing the iPhone as PAYG even though they know i have a contract with them. Anyways, 2 weeks later, i got bored and decided to call them and get my iPhone unlocked and surprisingly the man on the phone said i could do it for free, he filled out the forms for me and sent a request stating that it can take upto 14 days to get a reply, within 2 days i got a reply by text telling me to put another sim and sync with iTunes and now i have a permanently unlocked iPhone 4 =D. I've been with O2 for about 2.5 years and only had one minor problem regarding maintenance on telephone mast meaning i had no signal in my house for 2 days but apart from that theyve been fab! cant see myself moving from them. I have wanted to go to 3 but as they have amazingly cheap sim free contracts but their signal issues in urban areas is appalling which makes it out of the question, but O2 for me has been 8.5/10 =]
Yes, 02 are brilliiant at unlocking iPhones – very easy, very straightforward. I complete the form and 48 hours later I got a text message. I too have an Orange iPhone been given Orange's Asian runaround – and then some. One person even told me she didn't know what I was talking about when I said I wanted my handset unlocked!! I am still waiting for Orange to unlock my phone – three weeks and counting…. That doesn't include all the rubbish I had to listen to three months ago. Just as if anyone would want to stay with a company who is so totally useless!!
Dan, I´d like to know whom/how you contacted O2 as I also have an Iphone (3GS) pAYG which i´d like to have unlocked.
I´m living abroad and my I own this Iphone already 12+ months
Hi everyone-
Can someone tell me if I can switch to an Orange PAYG sim as my monthly contract has been cut off by Orange?
(Backstory- I bought a new phone for my son for his 13th birthday and added it to my account. Guess I didn't read the fine print as when he soared over his minutes in the first 3 months and I couldn't pay the whole bill off at once, they shut off BOTH our phones. They only gave me three months to pay the whole amount in installments and when I couldn't, they removed me from the network, or whatever they call it. I only have a little left to pay but I can't imagine they'll turn my service back on afterwards, so I'm trying to figure out how to get the phone back on. Can I just put a Orange PAYG sim in and use that? Or is the phone blacklisted from the network completely? I'm not trying to get out of paying,just want to get my phone back on, as well. Maybe I should just call Orange, but I'm really not up to their bullshit. (I was checking my sons minutes like a hawk, and everything was fine, then I got the bill and freaked, called them and they said it had happened a month before. Why the F**k wasnt it on the damn website when I checked his minutes then?!)
Anyway, if anyone knows, I'd be grateful. I've been with Orange for over five years, and I agree they are absolutely useless.
Hi,
Thanks for your comment and sorry to hear about your situation. I'm afraid I can't say much on your situation apart from to wish you the best of luck sorting things out with Orange – contacting them really is the best way to resolve this issue. Make sure you take down details of everybody you speak to on the phone!
With regards to your question, it should be possible to use an Orange PAYG sim in the phone. If it's an iPhone/smartphone, make sure you choose a tariff with an inclusive internet allowance.
Ken
Sharing my experience: My cousin bought an iphone 4 on contract in november..sold it to me a bit cheap in december..was unused and sealed. he never used it on his contract sim ever..i bought a PAYG sim in december and started using since then (24/12/2010). I called Orange in Jan to unlock phone..they said wait for 3 months before unlocking can be done.I said ok, fair enough. I call 25 March..to unlock it …they said top-up by 20quid..nothing happened after i topped up….i got busy last 2 weeks…So i called Orange today again to check what happened…Today i get told that my IMEI number isnt registered with orange..and that he did it over the phone now but cannot unlock as i will have to wait another 3 months since the IMEI is registered on the network..really pissed at this..as im leaving to NZ in May.. Didnt want to leave without getting this unlocked..
dint want to risk it doing in a shop to void warranty and ive heard if its jailbroken the update on the firmware causes issues..
Also the orange rep told me that one of his customer said they unlocked it at the apple store for 5 quid..what a moron.. as if a customer would specially ring them to give them that good news. Orange screw you !
So please make sure you register your IMEI with Orange before requesting unlocking.
Thomas:
Orange PAYG sims come with the iPhone 4 when you buy it. You should go back to the shop to complain as well. Plus you can actually buy a PAYG sim for the iPhone 4 from Orange Retail stores for £15 plus a £5 top up. Therefore the assistant was just plain lying. Have you managed to get it unlocked as yet?
Orange couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery even if they tried. I'm glad to hear that it's not just me that's been experiencing such problems in getting my iphone unlocked. My tale of woe started last week when I rang orange on my 3 month 'anniversary' of having to have the phone on the orange network when I asked for an unlock code and said it would arrive in 7-14 days. Guy in India said they'd do it, £20 charge and so on, i was happy to leave… coverage isn't great, and the customer service (haha!!!!) centre abroad is appalling.
(Cont'd)
Cont'd
I'd be ashamed if I was the MD and the customer service was this shoddy.Fast forward to today and I ring up and ask about my unlock code to see how they're progressing with it, as I'd heard nothing since then and it turns out it's not been requested and that there's no record of my phonecall last week. I'm promised that it will be escalated etc, and I receive a text saying that the process has been processed, with the same 7-14 unlocking day wait for a code to be sent to my email.
Whether it arrives in the next 7-14 days, we'll see. But i really am not holding out much hope.
Orange is like the Hotel California … you can never f**king leave …
Thought I'd update all of you. To my surprise, yesterday I received my unlock instructions from Orange's handset unlocking department. 5 minute job, and my iphone was unlocked, and so ending weeks/months or so of hassle to unlock the phone.
If you are trying to unlock the iphone with Orange then the sim card will need to have been active in the phone and registered to your account for a min. of 3 months. They're very strict on this, be warned.
Hello, I purchased an iphone 3GS from Orange about 18 months ago, paid the full price and used an orange sim I had. I ported my number over to 3 yesterday but the new sim will not work as my phone is locked to orange even though I had assumed that as I purchased the handset originally without any kind of contract that I would not have a locked phone. Anyway, have called Orange who have told me that I have to port my number back to them and wait 3 months for an unlock code. However, I am now tied into a 3 contract! Not really sure what to do now, can anyone help? Thank you
Thought I'd share my (very short) experience with Orange.
I picked up a new iPhone 4 on Orange (it was on PAYG). Phoned customer services to unlock it, and they said that you have to be registered with Orange for 3 months first before they can unlock it. This confirms the quote in this article that you need to be registered with them for 3 months.
Incidentally, one interesting thing that came out of it was that if you are on contract, apparently the phone has to have been purchased with Orange for it to be unlocked. If you acquired the phone from elsewhere, then apparently they won't unlock it.
Rebel sim card is a fraud. I'm currently claiming a refund from paypal for the micro-sim card.
Orange unlocked my business iphone. Official!
I phoned the other day to get my unlock code, I bought my iphone on the 28th of febuary 2010, on orange. I got sick of their crappy customer services and so went and got a 12 month sim only from vodafone. I then rung orange to ask them to unlock my phone (this was yesterday 15 since I bought my phone) and their reply was, you only bought your phone in febuary, you have to wait three months. Fuming.
I have bought a iphone from a friend and he advised that he phoned Orange three days ago and asked them to unlock it. I have put an O2 micro sim in it but it says it does not suppoert it. Does the original Orane sim card need to be in the phone to recieve instrutions to unlock the phone or will it simply start working eventually?
Hi Tony,
I believe the unlock is received through iTunes.
Ken
Orange really are hopeless. Phoned on 30th April to cancel my account and asked to have my iphone unlocked, was told I would receive an email within 14 days with unlock instructions. 14 days passed, no email received, rang them up and was told that it's '14 working days'. Waited until the 14 working days were up, rang again as there was still no email. The guy started the unlock process again and told me it would only take 48 hours after they request it from Apple (why then is it 14 days in the first place?). Nothing after 48 hours, another phone call, they send the info off to Apple again and someone from Orange will ring me the next day, needless to say they didn't and no email came through. Eventually discovered they had taken down the wrong email address so they changed that and sent it off again. After 48 hours still nothing, rang them again, they hadn't changed the bloody email address!!!.
They have sent it off again but as of yesterday my contract with them expired and I have no phone, they did offer to knock a tenner off the unlock price but I don't think they'll ever get it unlocked. They really are the worst customer service team I've ever dealt with, you feel like you can't trust a word any of them say.
My phone unlocked through itunes and syncronised today when I connected and I now have an active O2 sim card and delighted with my iphone. It appears it will now take any micro sim.
I have been waiting over a month for Orange to unlock my iphone 3gs. I cancelled my contract on the same day as asking for the unlock, now my 30 days notice is up, my contract has expired and they have left me with no usable phone. Had to jailbreak and unlock the phone to get another sim to work in it as I phoned Orange last night and they said it was going to take another 14 days!! They also said I could get it unlocked at an Apple Store which doesn't sound right to me, I thought only the carrier could do it.
i got a iphone an when i try 2 call any1 its just sayin call failed how do i unblock it
T Williams.
same old story put in request for an unlocking code £20 cost they said 7-14 days this was on 21 may 2011 8 phonecalls later still no joy they said to-day they have had no responce from unlocking team in Manila and have up to date put in 8 requests promised to look into it wont hold my breath bought my iphone 3gs on pay as you go in dec10 orange customer service must be worst in the world got a 3 sim on 12 month contract and cant use the bloody thing.
I'm sorry to see I'm not the only one having problems. I have now been waiting two months for Orange to unlock my iphone 3GS, my contract expired a month ago, after my last conversation with them three weeks ago they were supposed to send the unlocking information in the post rather than through email. Turns out the idiots have still been trying to email me and have been trying to ring my mobile and send me sms messages on the number that expired a month ago. Up until leaving them I had no issues with Orange but I'll never be back after this. It's just so frustrating, I had to jailbreak my phone to get another sim working in it and now the gps doesn't work, I'll be sending Orange the bill for a new handset.
I was bought a sim-free iPhone 3GS locked to Orange from the Carphone Warehouse. Will it still work if I register a PAYG sim with Orange and wait the 3 months and pay £20 or am I gonna have trouble getting it unlocked?
I have had a similar situation with Orange. It's extremely annoying that after fulfilling an expensive 18 month contract, you are beholden to this terrible company. They have messed me around again and again. I am paying a sim only contract with another company and am not able to use my phone and on top of that, I am having to use a Pay As You Go phone with the extra costs that that incurrs. I am so angry. ANYONE THINKING OF GOING WITH ORANGE…….DON'T.
i guess you have to be on a contract if you want to get your iphone unlocked with orange.
Good website
Im having so much hassle with these clowns paid 40 quid to get my iphone and a old mobile phone (Sony errircson w580i) unlocked still waiting with the same (it will be sent withinn 7 days rubbish) desperate to get them unlocked to move onto vodafone
Aviod ORANGE worst companies ever
3 1/2 months on they still haven't managed to unlock my iphone. Wish I could speak to someone at Orange who was a native English speaker. Anyone know an another number to contact them on?
Requested unlock friday. Thursday today still no unlock. Told me 7 days. Phoned again to ensure unlock requested, they then told me up to 30 days?? What are chances of unlock coming in?
Orange cs are bad
Spoke to Orange customer services on 4th August. Asked for my (contract, pay monthly) iPhone 3GS to be unlocked. Appeared to not be a problem, the bloke stated a £20 fee and a 15 day wait. Supplied my email address to which they said they would send unlocking instructions.
Unfortunately, the 16 years I have spent with Orange has taught me one thing — they are incompetent in every regard.
So, predictably enough, the stated 15 day period has elapsed. No email with unlocking instructions. Phone still locked. I am yet to determine whether they have charged me the £20.
Useless, lying idiots.
I am currently about 5 days into the 30 day wait that Orange have advised it takes to unlock my 3GS (which shouldn't have been locked in the first place – but that's a separate issue with Apple). I have no confidence that they will ever unlock my phone. If you are reading this, do the following:
1. Never, ever use Orange again.
2. Complain to every possible contact that you have within Orange. If they write or email you, complain about their lock/unlock policy.
3. Complain to Apple and make it clear that Orange have f***** you up a treat. That way, they might pull their fat greedy corporate finger out and start addressing a huge PR disaster wrt Orange and Apple.
4. If all else fails, you will have to jailbreak it and then never take your phone within 50 metres of a live itunes console ever again.
Update…
27 days after my unlocking request to Orange (who had a stated "15 day waiting period"), nothing had happened. My iPhone 3GS is still locked, no email received, no £20 unlocking fee charged.
I phoned back today (15 minutes on hold) and asked for an explanation. The Orange C.S. lady stated that there was no record of my conversation on 4th August, or the unlocking request that I made. Despite this error (which she apologised for), I would have to resubmit my request, and wait another "7-14 working days" (interestingly, a different waiting period this time).
There seemed little alternative, so I asked her to put the unlocking request through (again). To her credit, she seemed more engaged and competent than the previous bloke I spoke to, and she made a point of assuring me that my request would go through this time.
So, we'll see. I hold out little hope, if I'm honest. Who wants to bet that I'll be phoning up Orange again on the 21st September?
Orange are bloody ridiculous!!! Im still waiting on a bloody unlock from them for my iphone4. Rang up on the 8th July asking for unlock, went through their full process and advised me 14 working days for unlock, 15 working days later i ring up and they say i have nothing in my notes to say that an unlock request has been sent, MANOJ the adviser who talked to me said will put it through for me and get a team leader to ring me about the complaint i want to make. and guess what, no phone call for complaint escalation and still no f**king unlock code!!!
then i decide to email and the only reply i get is they can not deal with my query via email, i have to ring 150.
Bloody retards they are!
if you ever talk to a Manoj, first of all dont listen to his lies as he dont know what the f**k he's doing, secondly when you ring the customer service on orange, make sure you get their name and make sure you record the call and tell them that you are recording the call and if the query is not dealt with, i believe you can email their HR and complain and also tell them that your threatening to put the recorded call on youtube and all over facebook to ruin their reputation and dont forget to mention it to offcom.
I had to buy a new unlocked iphone4 to use in canada with a canadian sim only cuz some prick cant to the job right after 3 phone calls and an email. A lesson for everyone, if you ever thinking of unlocking a handset make sure you buy it sim free and not locked. Im already slowly saving up for iphone5 release for next year, im gonna buy it straight from apple!
I've been wanting to unlock my iphone from Orange since I bought it. I spoke to 'customer services' at Orange about it, told them I'd bought it second hand. They gave me the load of rubbish of 'be with us for 3 months, then we'll unlock it' blah blah blah, so I did. Only problem is, when I called them 3 months later and asked about getting it unlocked, they told me I couldn't because I wasn't the original purchaser. Doesn't matter that I told them in the original conversation that it was second hand. As far as I see it, they strung me along to keep me as an Orange customer, knowing full well I wasn't going to be able to unlock with them.
They promised to have a supervisor call me back to discuss it. That was over a month ago. I phoned them a few times since, and each time I have to go through the whole scenerio as no one has logged the issue. And everytime I'm asked why I don't want to remain with Orange lol.
How about because of rubbish service such as this? I miss O2 :'(
how did u do this i bought my i phone of my cousin and she sent me the email to un lock it but im not understanding the instructions?
Well it looks as if Orange *might* have delivered, in my case.
Several days after my second request for my iPhone 3GS to be unlocked, I finally received the promised email. It read:
"Please find the process for unlocking your Apple handset:-
****Please note there is no code required to unlock your iphone/ipad****
1) Insert a non-Orange UK 3G SIM card.
2) Switch ON the handset.
3) The handset should display: USB cable and iTunes icon.
4) Synchronise device with iTunes
5) Once synchronised a message will appear on iTunes stating “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked”
6) Follow on screen set up instructions to enable new carrier settings
Your handset should now be successfully unlocked.
Should this not show, please keep other network 3G sim in the iphone and restore the iphone via iTunes making sure all data is backed up first."
I followed the instructions (using a free Vodafone PAYG SIM), but no matter how many power cycles, iTunes syncs or restores I performed, I received no “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked” message.
However, I do receive a Vodafone 3G signal on my iPhone when using this new SIM, and I do seem to be able to receive calls on it. (I can't make calls as I haven't added any credit to it.)
So, despite the lack of unlocking message from iTunes, it doesn look as if my iPhone is probably unlocked now. Either that, or it was never locked in the first place and I've wasted £20 and a load of time!
Final update from me (hopefully), in case this is useful for anyone…
After posting my last comment, I *did* finally manage to get the elusive "Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked" message from iTunes. The key seemed to be to do a *full factory restore* using iTunes (i.e. the big 'Restore' button, not the 'Restore from a previous backup' menu option). This seemed to completely replace the firmware and all settings on my iPhone 3GS to its factory state, before iTunes spotted that a new operator's SIM was in the phone, and gave me the unlocking message. (iTunes then gave the option to revert to a recent backup, so I didn't lose anything.)
It's a lengthy procedure, but it does seem to work.
Hi , I want to unlock my iphone 3gs from orange on payg sim, so, taking advise, I phoned orange C.S and was put through to their Indian office and spoke to a bloke there and after putting me on hold for quit a while, he told me that due to technical problems that I should call back in 48hrs. Seemed very strange. Now having read all the posts about orange, it was probably a delaying tactic, although I might have put him off his stroke as I did say I was " seriously" considering moving to orange for my broadband.. a bit of bull on my part but never mind…let all know in 48hrs
Touch wood this process will go smoothly for me too. I must admit I was a little worried after I had finished my conversation with the customer adviser, as to if I would ever see any email at all. Your experiance gives me a little glimmer of hope!
Got through again to orange C.S and was told by fella called Atik that unlocking request was no problem he said he had to fill a form in and asked for all my details, he then said I had to put £20 on my iphone within 4 hours and that my phone will be unlocked in 7 to 14 days, and that I should phone him back as soon as I put the £20 on, shops near by, so within 20 mins I was back on the phone to him, woman answered, told me Atik was on a break but she could handle it from now on. She asked me to confirm my imei number, and then told me the unlock would take 14 days, I told her that I was informed 7 to 14 days but she was positive it was 14. We`ll have to wait and see, at present orange have not taken the £20…Been there since tues.
Three weeks on and I am getting one hell of a run-a-round by Orange asian call center, they still hav`nt taken the £20 off my credit, phone still locked and no email. the lies I`ve been told is quite unbelievable, twice I`ve been told that the supervisor will phone me back, more lies, no phone call. The best one of all, a twerp calling himself Vic, told me that owing to the massive backlog of people wanting their phones unlocked, Apple have enforced a 30 day wait, total B.S. I belong to the Apple forum, and when I put this up, the guys burst out laughing. still waiting.
I phoned last evening and was told they were looking into it and would phone me back (very sure) needless to say, they did`nt. I just phoned now (5.30pm) , a woman supervisor informed me that because I only made the unlocking request last evening that I would have to wait at least 14 days, on telling her that I made the request on the 12th sept, my words fell on deaf ears, she practically ignored what I had just told her, I am not going to give up, but am very angry. Some one mentioned the "California Hotel" that just about sums it up. What a crappy Company is orange.
I use my phone rarely and still have an EQ Virgin tariff from 9 years ago which direct debits for any calls I do make and is great for me but my ageing phone needs replacing. If I buy a sim free unlocked phone and put in my Orange sim card from my ancient Nokia 3330 will it work at the same tariff on the new phone?
I have been trying to get an unlock code since 05 August. I have phoned them 4 times and been told different things each time. I was told it would take 14 days, then it would take 14 working days, then no-one had processed request ,then another 14 working days
I was also told I would get a code in an email, and then that I didn`t need a code I should just put non orange sim in and connect to itunes – guess what it didn`t work
I still haven`t had the code
I must say the girl i spoke to from orange a few days ago was very very helpful as i bought the iphone 3gs off a guy on gumtree she had to get me to give her his no as the phone was still in his name so i asked her to call back in half an hour so i could call the guy and explain the situation to him.she did call back and was on phone to both of us at same time as i obviously had to pay the£20.42 (42p made me laugh a bit)after this was all sorted she said it could take 30 days to receive the unlock code which i would receive through e-mail.Howerer i would never ever consider using orange as a service provider as the signal is total terribe and as nice as this girl was i spoke to two others first,one had no idea what i was talking about then after being on hold for five minutes(supposidly asking supervisor about it)just cut me off and the other could hardly speak english at all!just hope i never ever have to call this joke of a company again!!!just a waiting game now.
Just a question: I have Iphone 3G on O2 network, with an O2 monthly contract. After I have unlocked my Iphone, Can I use the same SIM (or mobile number) to unlock another O2 locked Iphone, because it is free of charge? Can you unlock multiple O2 Iphones using the same O2 SIM card? Thanks.
Hi Will,
No – you'll need to unlock each iPhone individually and pay a fee for each one. The phone itself is locked rather than the SIM card.
Hope this answers your question!
Ken
The issue with the GPS will be resolved if you update to IOS 5 on its release, albeit at the cost of your unofficial unlock. (IOS 5 contains a baseband with a higher version number than the iPad one you installed to unlock)
I waited 3 months to have my phone unlocked officially and legally by Orange, Yep, I waited from July 2011 until October 2011, they emailed an unlock code… I tried it and It DID NOT WORK, so much for waiting for 3 months what a waste of time…. I am now the owner of a phone who transferred from one company to another & I do not have an operable phone. Result is I am paying my new suppler for a service I am unable to use…. Yes my legal and legitimate phone is still locked. Going to send Orange some more emails who know I may at some point in the next 10 years get a working code.
can u swop different network sims back and for, or does it lock to the different network sim each time
Hi Jon,
If your phone is unlocked then you can swap SIMs to your heart's content
Ken
I just sweet talked Orange into waiving the £20 unlocking fee. I recently upgraded from a 3gs on Orange to a 4s on orange so kept moaning about the unlocking charge until they gave in.
Ooooo what did you say to them? I've also just upgraded from 3gs to 4s….want to unlock 3gs to give to my Dad (on Vodafone)….waiving the fee would be great!
Exactly the same here Lin – just so you know, I spoke to Apple Support and they said there is NO WAY that just connecting to iTunes could ever work (their words) – to unlock a phone.
Awesome Orange, eh?
After several phone calls and finally told to visit an Orange shop and produce my brothers death certificate to get his Iphone4 unlocked from Orange so I can use it with another provider, it cost £20 and will take 45 days, yes 45 days, abysmal service from Orange and would never recommend them to anybody.
Just upgraded Iphone with Orange and wanted to give phone to my daughter. Called to ask Orange to unlock Sim and they told me that the phone was too old now for them to do so would have to go to a high street shop. I called one of the shops who told me it was no problem but would cost £55!!! I called Orange back and asked them to explain again why they could not unlock the phone, this time I was told that it was never an Orange iphone!!! I was told that as I signed up for 24 month contract on line the phone was not anything to do with Orange!! I asked the operator why this was the case when he could see all the bills for the past 24 months and also see when and where the phone was sent to…….he hung up!!!!!! I called back and got a very helpful girl who put in request to unlock with no problems…I was feeling quite smug until I have read all the other posts and now dont believe I will get the code within the promised 7 days!!!
You don't get a code from any of the phone companies to unlock an iPhone. They take you IMEI number and give it to apple (or a central server) and within a few days (on O2 it was 2 days) you connect you iphone to iTunes and it tells you that it's unlocked.
If a customer service rep at Orange or any other company tells you to wait for a code to be sent to you, tell them they are wrong!
Just got off the phone from Orange, who said that I would still receive a code via email (up to a month to unlock, used to be 2 weeks but they're very busy) The code isn't necessarily something you use, just follow the instructions in iTunes. I'll keep you posted.
my girlfriend has had the same problem and we are still waiting for orange to fullfil this, and her contract n number run out in a few days and we need to send her pac code off!
Hi Ken, Can you help me. I have just bought on ebay a second hand Apple iphone 3gs, which the owner had on an 18month contract with 02, (now expired). I am with a sim only contract with tmobile. How do I unlock the iphone? Kind regards, Richard.
Requested orange to unlock my iphone 3gs on orange on 4th nov they said they will pass the request on so im just waiting, did ring back to make sure request was made and it had been. They say they will email me once its confirmed and deduct £20 from my credit
Orange will unlock business Iphones once the user is out of contract.
P.S- 7 days today I requested my iphone on Orange to be unlocked. Request put in, still waiting for email
i am on vodafone, my old phone has broken and i have been given an old iphone 3 but its locked to o2 do i need to give vodafone my imei number and they will unlock this for me? thanks
Some promising Orange news.
My mum upgraded to a 4s, and gave me her 3GS on Orange(I’m on O2). Two days after she asked for the unlock code I got the email telling me to plug into iTunes.
Great to hear that the unlocking process on Orange worked so smoothly for you!
Ken
I went into orange today to get in unlocked and they told me that only apple stores can unlock phones and no other shops can! and i have no apple store near me? so confussed as everyone on here is saying you can why did orange lie to me?
i am in the exact same situation except I am in Australia.. Numerous phonecalls and emails and still no code!! They are a disgrace!!
Hi Damian,
The best thing to do would be to contact Orange and to enquire as to the status of your unlocking. I'm sorry I can't be any more helpful!
Ken
I had a similar issue. I had an iPhone 4 from Apple (unlocked), it became faulty and so got it replaced by Apple but they replaced it with a phone locked to O2. I called O2 and they unlocked it.
Hi, would like to know if I can pass on my iphone (once it's unlocked) to my sister in Germany for her to use permantly over there? Thanks!
Hi Scoprio11,
Yep, you can do! Germany uses the same GSM mobile technology here as in the UK so an unlocked iPhone purchased in the UK will work in Germany too!
Ken
i got the same issue… orange sucks!
My Orange contract ends soon. Just called them and put through a request, been told that it takes 2-4 weeks. Cost £20, hope it all goes well.
As someone above has mentioned I plan to move across to GiffGaff.
4 weeks and 4 phone calls to Orange no money taken yet! Getting pissed off with this unlock process…
Hi. Just bought iPhone 4 on eBay but locked to O2. Is it possible to use my friends O2 contract sim and put it in my phone then contact 02 to unlock for free (maybe best for my friend to ring them) . Would this work?
Hi Colin,
Unfortunately you'll need to sync your iPhone to your iTunes account – so you'll need a a computer with iTunes and the iPhone USB cable.
Ken
If you buy an unlocked iPhone straight from apple retail store it remains unlocked no matter which sim you put in it.
I have unlocked my iphone from three by calling 333 and talking to the operator. I paid 15 quid something which was added to my next monthly bill. It was unlocked immediately
hey there, i purchased an iPhone 4S sim free from carphone warehouse but somehow it has become locked to the 1st sim card that i inserted…which is O2…anyone has any idea what i should do now ?? i want to switch my network
unlocked my iphone 3gs which was with o2 and now want to use with a three monthly contract but it will not connect to the three network. does anyone have any experience of this or advice to get working with three mobile, any help would be greatly appreciated. e33
I’m wondering if you can help I do have IPhone 4 and is Locked to AT&T Us
Very helpful information thank you
Asked for 3GS to be unlocked on 15th got an email on 22nd saying to do the iTunes thing. Got a congratulations it’s unlocked but still won’t work. Phoned today and orange says it now takes 7 to 14 days for security checks. Is this right????
I did try calling Tmobile and I was told that tmobile only unlocks their phones no iPhone but I’m glad I gave it a try thank you Happy Holidays!
Hi, did your iphone 4s on t-mobile seriously only take one day to unlock, have been waiting for mine for over 10days. How does it work, they give you a unlocking code or something?!
Hi Chigga,
Your iPhone 4S will be unlocked through iTunes once you've requested T-Mobile unlock it.
Hope this helps!
Ken
Did you get the unlock? Cheers
i have an Iphone 3gs from o2.
i file the form on the o2 website to unlock it.
5 days later i got a text message that i have to connect my phone to the itunes whit the other sim.
sync and done.
and it was free.
I like o2.
I have had the email from Orange but even after following their instructions it does not recognise that there is a sim included, its annoying the hell out of me!
dont do it, orange suck… i cant express how much they suck…. they have the WORST customer services ever…. I just sold my iphone 4 to cancel my contract with them….. O2 on the other hand were fantastic…. cant rate them enough!
Hi Kerry,
Orange should unlock their iPhones – see the heading under Orange for details of how to do it
Ken
Hi, I have recently been given an iphone 4 which was contracted to orange. How do I get it unlocked from orange without a sim card being in the phone?
thank you sir, you just saved me a packet!!
yes you can solve problem now.
Hello together,
I bought an used iPhone 4 from a guy.
Iam from Germany and the iPhone is SimLocked
by orange UK. How can i unlock it?
Any idea?
Thanks a Lot
i have an iphone 4 on three and it cost £15.32 to get it unlocked ive had the phone on contract for 14 months it took two days for it to be unlocked on iso 5.01 was jailbrocken before the unlock and is sill jailbroken now.
Help please!!
So I have got an email from Orange to say the phone is unlocked and I have the new SIM card, I now need to use the restore option within itunes, is this itunes on my pc or on the iphone? Sorry I am not a bit techie
Yes my husband was on the same tariff and he bought sim free unlocked phones and the sim continued to work. We even asked orange for a replacement sim when it got water damaged and they gladly sent it to him on the same tariff
iPone 4s on Vodafone Pay Montly unlocked for free in 4 days!
Hi Ian,
If it's been unlocked through the official method, you should just have to put in a O2 SIM card and then plug your iPhone into iTunes. This should cause it to unlock the phone again.
Ken
Just a quick note to those who are buying second hand iPhones buy them on vodafone if you can once the phone is 12 months old they will do it for free so all 3G and 3GS will be done. Takes about 5 days. £20 if not 12 months old.
Have you tried any other sims, so that it is unlocked no matter what or does the lock simply move to t-mobile?
On your itunes, you click the iphone. then click the summary tab scroll down and its the buttom under search for updates .. hope this helps
i just phoned 3 yesterday to have it unlocked. only spoke to 1 operator was asked for the imei and after 30 hours i received the text ‘it has been processed’. only had the iphone 4s for 3 months im travelling to asia in 6 weeks. gotta love 3.
£20 – upto 30 days to unlock for ORANGE. No problems.
Orange will lie to yo and say they will unlick your phone, it will never happen. You will be frustrated by endless phone calls to them and promises they will phone you back , uncok it next day , etc. Honestly if they say 30 days then it won't happen, we hve been told that 3 times.
Got my new iphone 4s this morning from 3 and started the unlock process this afternoon. Really easy, charged £15.32 to my next bill.
AT&T do not unlock there phones at all.any phone on a usa network provider do not unlock there phones ever.
WRONG! there is no law in the UK that states that orange or anyother network provider HAVE to unlock your phone,that is the discretion of the service provider.even out of contract.
I have recently bought an iphone 4s but it is locked to tmobile does anyone know how to unlock it? as i do not have the original tmobile sim card just the phone.
thanks
I got iphone 4s with o2 and sent the request unlock form online! 3 days later, i received text to said that my iphone was unlock. And it was for free!!! I love o2 !!!!
Why do all of the people on here complaining about ORANGE not send your emails to WATCHDOG and get Anne Robinson to sort it out then Orange will lose customers?
pamela
Ive just spoken to T-Mobile and they said they can unlock iPhones for 15£ but it would up to 28days because they have to send it off to apple to be done. i will try it within the next few weeks.
It was good reading your advice. I live in Nigeria. A friend bought me an iphone 3G (used) from London that is locked to a network i do not know. The question is how do i know the network so i can pay to unlock because i do not want to jail break. Thanks
how do you unlock via itunes? And can it work for an orange locked phone?
Unlocked my 3 network 3GS without any issues, £15.32 taken as up front payment by the rubbish call centre which was frankly the best and easiest experience I’ve had with them!
It is something like SAM unlock which has been recently released by unknown Chinese hacker
I'm a little confused. I have got my sister's old iPhone after she upgraded and I need to unlock it, do we contact orange (who she is with) or O2 (who I am with)? Thanks
Thank you!
5 weeks and same story as others on here that ill call you back ect ect just spoke to superviser and told them i want my money back been told i can have my money back and they will have it unlocked in 48 hrs
we will see
I have a new iphone that i think is registered to vodaphone, i bought it pivately, i want to use it on tesco mobile, how will I go about getting it unlocked, if i contact vodaphone will they unlock it for fee ?
Hi John,
You'll need to ask the original owner of the phone to contact Vodafone and to ask them to unlock it.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Hi
I have bought the 3gs from someone private and asked three to unlock it, they said they needed the original persons permission, i can no longer get hold of him and i cant use the phone how can i get round this? i need to use the phone on orange but its locked to three