Unlocking iPhone 6: Solutions to use your phone with any SIM

An ultimate solution for decoding iPhone 6 does not exist, but few can try to “unlock ” the phone from oppression by the operator.

For several years, it was easy to unlock your iPhone and use it with any SIM, regardless of the operator from whom it was purchased. Until the iPhone 4, it was enough to perform a jailbreak, alone or calling a friend, and within minutes the problem was solved. There were many issues to be considered, including iOS or modem firmware version. Meanwhile, the people at Apple have become more effective when it comes to decoding your iPhone, which caused the unlocking prices to go up.

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Altogether, if you purchased your phone from a carrier, there is no free decoding method for iPhone 6. If however, you want to pay a sum of money you have quite a few options. You only need to inform yourself about the circumstances of acquisition of your smartphone and be careful where you pay the cost of a common decoding/unlock. Also, if you haven’t already bought an iPhone 6, depending on the costs which I will detail below, you can make a more inspired decision when you decide to make the leap.

Unlocking iPhone 6: What you should know

Most mobile operators prefer to offer a subsidized phone to a generous subscription hoping to keep you in their client portfolio. With the same purpose, almost every time, with few exceptions, the devices that you purchase are locked in that network.

Although unlocking costs charged by operators from us are the same regardless of phone model, in this particular case I will detail only the idea of decoding iPhone 6. Regarding Apple phones worth to note a very important detail. Firstly, mobile operators are free to set their decoding prices arbitrarily. Secondly, an iPhone bought an operator can be decoded only by that company. For example, you can not buy an iPhone on Carrier X and go to Carrier Y to decode it/unlock.

The same applies if you buy an iPhone 6 on T- Mobile Germany and want to decode at T-Mobile UK. It is not possible. All operators acting opposite in many countries around the world with the same name. For example purchasing a phone from Vodafone Italy will not work in Vodafone Romania and vice versa.

Unlocking iPhone 6: Operator prices

To unlock a locked phone at O2 or Vodafone, the costs are different. The decoding can be done at any operator dealership and although it would be preferable to have a proof of purchase with you, you may not be required. Also, because the decoding process for the iPhone 6 is performed online, it is likely you will not be asked to give them the device, just the amount of money they charge and you will be informed when the process is completed. There is another step you need to perform, with or without a computer, in order to complete the unlocking process after receiving a letter or email from the operator, but this one I will detail below.

Unlocking an iPhone at Orange costs 100 euros including VAT. This price is practiced if you want the unlock while you have an active subscription. Completing the contract period will not cause the price to suddenly drop to zero. Instead, it sticks to about 10 euro. If you purchased an extraordinary unsubsidized iPhone from Orange, most likely that it is blocked on the network. Fortunately, in these extraordinary circumstances, decoding will be free, just go to an Orange shop and explain your situation.

At Vodafone, prices are lower. To Unlock iPhone 6 during contract price is 52.08 euros, VAT included. On the expiry of 12 or 24 months, depending on your subscription, the price drops to 10 euros, VAT included. The same price of about 10 euros is used for terminals purchased with a prepaid card too. Like Orange, if you decide to buy an unsubsidized phone from Vodafone, its decoding is performed free of charge.

Unlocking iPhone 6: Foreign operators prices

My suggestion is to not buy an iPhone from abroad without being unlocked. To avoid any inconvenience, would be preferable to target an official Apple store if you are in Germany, Italy, England or any other country. That being said, if you’re stuck with a locked iPhone 6 on a network from another country, there are a few solutions you can try.

If the phone was encoded by mistake, the first suggestion would be to contact a friend or relative of that country to travel to an office of the operator to which is encoded and explain your situation. You could also call yourself at O2 UK, France Bouygues, AT&T USA or any other global operator to ask for decoding your smartphone. They will be very helpful.

If it happens to have an iPhone locked on a network from a different country and you don’t know what the carrier is, there is an online service for it. On imei.info you can enter your phone’s IMEI and pay three euros and it will tell you on which carrier is locked and many other info. The fastest way to find your IMEI is to dial *#06#. Also, the IMEI can be found on the SIM tray of the original box or tap on “i” letter on the screen under emergency call. Also, if you purchased a stolen phone and it was declared as stolen at the operator who originally sold it will appear on a blacklist. In this particular situation, decoding is a lottery. It may cost more, may take longer or be impossible.

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To Unlock an iPhone 6 that is stuck on an operator from a different country, prices will vary greatly. There are various websites that offer such services, but it is hard to find a good and cheap. Usually decoding will not last more than 3-4 days or a week maximum. The site operators have a very good service support in place and the prices are clearly highlighted. If you do not see a decoding price for a certain type of iPhone to a particular operator on this page, it is likely that the operator in question may not offer the service.

To give you an idea of prices, an iPhone 6 on locked on T-Mobile UK can be decoded with 90 pounds, decoding an iPhone on O2 Germany is 50 pounds. Only five pounds cost the same procedure for a coded iPhone Movistar Spain. Like I said above, the decoding will be done online and you will be just notified that the process was successful and that you can activate the phone any SIM card.

Unlocking iPhone 6: Final details and tips

Never buy an iPhone where you can not access the menu, which can not initiate a phone call or you can not take a picture or a play a movie. Also, avoid iPhones that have a username and password entered in Settings / Settings – iCloud. Such devices could make problems because you will not be able to use in the future or will require additional costs.

If you use one of the decoding solutions described above, you have two options to activate the phone with a new SIM. One of them involves connecting the phone with a new SIM internet computer running iTunes. The second is to connect the phone to a wireless network for it to take new information about unlocking Apple ‘s servers. If everything is fine, shortly a message will appear on your screen: “Your iPhone has been successfully unlocked”.