You may have heard that when buying a phone, it is worth choosing the neverlock iPhone. What is this? Let's understand the meaning of this term.
Why is it so important to pay attention to the status of the device before buying it? Why are neverlock models more expensive than those that are "locked"? Get answers to these and some other questions that will save you from unnecessary headaches and subsequent additional expenses.
What is a neverlock?
What does "neverlock" mean in an iPhone? The literal translation from English is never lock - “never blocked”. These words indicate to users that the phone will work without restrictions with any operators. After the purchase, you can insert your card into the device and use it without any additional settings or devices.
What seems like an obvious state of affairs to us is not so necessary for the US and some European countries. There, often the purchased device is tied to only one specific operator. And in order to use another card (which is especially important for phone owners in Russia, Ukraine), you have toadditional manipulations.
So if you want to avoid complications, buy only a neverlock iPhone. This is about the interpretation of the term. But why are phones blocked abroad and how are they circumventing this restriction when selling in our country?
Why are they releasing "locked" phones?
You may have heard that buying an iPhone in the US is much cheaper than in our country. But any outstanding discount has its price. In this case, we are not talking about the usual "neverlock" iPhone (they are sold on the shelves of all our stores with rare exceptions).
Abroad networks enter into agreements with mobile operators. They sell phones at a significantly reduced price. But such devices are already connected to this same operator on the basis of a contract (usually we are talking about several years). Since the user is forced to pay a fixed subscription fee, he buys his phone as if on credit. During the time that the blocking is in effect, the operator benefits in the form of regular payments. They cover the size of the discount and even allow you to get a plus. To prevent the user from violating the terms of the contract, such phones are "locked".
So if your favorite iPhone 4 is "neverlocked", then it has never been locked to a specific mobile operator. Other users are less fortunate. If they bought at a reduced cost (sometimes the discount reaches 1/3 of the total price), inserting a card of a familiar operator and using the phone just won’t work. To unlock your phone,it will have to be carried to a service center. But sometimes even there they can't help you.
How can I unlock my iPhone?
So what to do for those who have not chosen an iPhone "neverlock" (what is it, we have already found out)? Then the phone can be sent to the scrap or use the card of an American operator in our country? Of course, there are ways to bypass the blocking. But this is not always possible. Still, Apple is a company with a worldwide reputation, and it is careful about meeting its obligations.
You can try to bypass iPhone lock using the following methods:
- Use an additional device (Turbo SIM) that is inserted into the SIM card slot. With the help of such manipulation, a forgery is made. The device "thinks" that you are using the services of the desired operator. To do this, your card will have to be cut. And you need to do this very carefully, otherwise the tray may jam. Then you will have to spend money not only on the device, but also on fixing the slot.
- Sometimes unlocking through software intervention helps. The method can only be applied to older software versions. Careless actions with firmware modification lead to serious problems with the phone.
- The surest way is to order an unlock from the operator with whom the contract for the phone is concluded. This process is not only difficult, but also cost a pretty penny.
How to check iPhone status?
How to check iPhone: "neverlock" or "unlock"? This must be done ifyou don't want the added complexity.
- Inspect the SIM card slot. It should not contain any foreign devices. If you see something that looks like a card, you have an “unlock” device in front of you (that is, unlocked using this special device here).
- Why not buy an unlock phone? Because you will have to re-unlock after any reboot. In addition, firmware updates will be prohibited for you. And no service!
- To check the phone, insert your card and try to call. If it doesn't work, and some messages appear on the screen, the phone is locked.
- You can also check through the official website.
Don't save money by buying an iPhone with a lock. In the future, this will bring more anxiety and complexity than the pleasure of acquiring.
Now you know, iPhone "neverlock" - what does it mean.
