Verizon iPhone 4S SIM UNLOCK Tutorial

[spaceduckie]

And to add to it silver said, you would activate that sim card in the

country you're going to

[silver6056]

spaceduckie wrote:

If you have a Vodafone SIM card, you would be using their number. As for

receiving text messages free of charge, that would strictly depend on the

carrier that you went with, and what their rates are

I have been a little loose with terminology here, so let me be clearer.   The earlier (non-LTE) global phones usually came with a SIM that had your Verizon number.  These were provided by Vodafone (usually Vodafone NL), the co-owner (with Verizon Communications) of Verizon Wireless, so this is what I have been calling the Vodafone SIM.

However, Vodafone, being a huge mobile provider, also sell their own SIMs in many countries.  If you buy one of these, it will be just like any other local SIM, with, as spaceduckie says, its own number and rate.

So to keep your US number, you need a  (Vodafone!) SIM from Verizon, which is why your mother would need to contact them.

[spaceduckie]

Thank you for the clarification, and you are exactly right. If your mom

calls Verizon, ask her for a global kit or global sim pak for your device.

Retail stores do not carry global Sims for iPhone 4 S, or LTE SIM for

iPhone 5

[fern88]

Hi All,

I'm currently a Verizon customer and I am thinking of getting an iPhone 4s for one of my existing lines , try to get it unlocked, then take it to Argentina for my cousin to use via GSM there.  I would then go back to my Nexus Galaxy I have been using for the past year.  Is there any reason this would not work in Argentina on an unlocked Verizon 4s?  Will Verizon unlock it or are there other requirements I would need?   thanks

[droidadikt]

Guys, ive just purchased a Verizon iPhone 4S from the states. Verizon says its unlocked for international GSM use, but guess what, I cannot use my foreign SIM to activate the device! the reason according to me? the device was factory reset/restored before it was shipped out to me. So unlike a factory unlocked device, you cannot use a foreign sim to activate a RESTORED Verizon iPhone 4S as much as it has been unlocked, and you need the device to be activated in order for the foreign SIM to work. So currently my device is stuck on the activation/SIM not valid screen BUT as much as i'm stuck on the activation screen, the 4S successfully searches and obtains 3G signal. Question is, is this sufficient proof that the device is unlocked?

[ghx123]

i have a question that my iphone4S has replaced from apple store due to hardware problem,and the IMEI no.is changed and cannot been found the information from Verizon website ,how can i unlock my iphone?thanks!

[gwynvt]

Sorry wasn't exactly sure who to "reply" to since this is an extension of this topic and questions.... My son has traveled to Europe with his IPhone 4s which Verizon "unlocked" for me before he left. I have a local(Europe)  SIM card on it's way to him that is actually from Vodafone. It's a pay as you go program. My question is about what he has to do exactly when he gets it. I know the process for physically removing the current card and putting the new one in but I'm not clear about what if any changes need to be made in the phone set up. I do have the APN number that looks like it should be entered somewhere but is that just for the pricing plan? Are there other steps for getting it to work or should simply changing the cards and rebooting the phone do it? Also I don't know if his phone actually has a SIM card currently, it never occurred to me it might no till reading here but if it does I assume he will need it to go back to his Verizon number. If not? When he comes home what other than removing the Europe SIM card and putting the US back in (if he has one) does he need to do? He will need to switch back as he leaves Europe in a couple months so he can use the phone during his trip home. Thanks appreciate the help and this forum.

[gwynvt]

Hope you can answer this. I have already done all of that and was told my sons iPhone is unlocked. The local SIM card on it's way to him (in Europe) is a prepay deal and the directions are to set a particular APN. Will that option be available on his Iphone 4s? I have seen differing information. Also will he need to do anything special other than put the new SIM in the phone? Does he need to have a wifi connection when he does it? Some directions say to have the phone powered off while switching cards, others say on connected to wifi... He is currently in Europe so doing it all there. I had it unlocked before he left. Thanks

[vballlady]

Can I unlock the phone without inserting a SIM card? I don't have one at hand and I want to unlock the phone before I travel.

[gwynvt]

You don't actually do the "unlocking" Verizon does. The way it worked for us was I called and asked for it to be unlocked and Verizon took care of that, though we weren't able to check or do anything to verify that either before my son left. I ordered a European SIM card from a company over there (very helpful and easy to deal with) who send it to him at his first stop in Austria. All he had to do was put the new SIM card in the phone and it worked. As far as I know he didn't have to fool with settings or anything else. It was very easy. He has a 4s and while the card is from a company that specializes in SIM cards only it is a Vodafone network card so I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the ease of using it. Hope this helps.