Can Verizon Unlock iPhones?
brittanyisms
Enthusiast - Level 1

I have a Sprint iPhone 5 and was wondering if I could take it to Verizon and have them unlock it and switch it to their service. Is this possible?

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Re: Can Verizon Unlock iPhones?
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

No.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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Re: Can Verizon Unlock iPhones?
budone
Legend

Nope. ESN is not in the VZW database. Plus I believe they each may run on different frequencies

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Re: Can Verizon Unlock iPhones?
4burkes
Newbie

According to Apple all iphone 5's are unlocked no matter the provider.

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Re: Can Verizon Unlock iPhones?
debuskjt
Enthusiast - Level 2

This is untrue. Only VZW iPhone 5 is unlocked. If you buy an AT&T phone with a contract it comes locked, as does Sprint IIRC. (T-mobile I think no longer offers contract pricing so all of their phones are unlocked.)

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Re: Can Verizon Unlock iPhones?
livinloud7
Newbie

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1937

This link shows per Apple that Verizon can unlock phones, however, it is up to Verizon to do so and they will have certain criteria you must meet for them to do so.

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Re: Can Verizon Unlock iPhones?
Frankgold
Newbie

Where does one find the criteria Verizon uses for unlocking an iPhone 5s?

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Re: Can Verizon Unlock iPhones?
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Frankgold,
No need to look any further all the information is right here. We can unlock your phone if you are looking to use it internationally. You may have the account for more than 90 days and have no interuption of service. If you are going to be traveling we encourage you to reach out to our Global Support team where they can advise of the charges http://vz.to/17KseUf

RobinD_VZW
VZW Support

Follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

Re: Can Verizon Unlock iPhones?
ttipgem
Master - Level 1

The Verizon iPhone 5s is already unlocked.  No 'criteria' are necessary.

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Re: Can Verizon Unlock iPhones?
Orafo
Enthusiast - Level 2

Well, Verizon needs to do a better job of educating its sales and technical personnel, then.  Today I talked to three different employees in two stores, plus the e-mail contact with Verizon support above in this thread, and I got conflicting answers.  I was told that (1) Verizon will not unlock phones, (2) Verizon will permit a foreign SIM card only for a limited time, (3) the employee had no idea of the answer, and (4) the message from Verizon support above, which states that Verizon will unlock the phone if you are traveling internationally (which implies that the phone is not "already unlocked").  However, the Verizon Global Support FAQ page does state that at least some 4G phones are unlocked.  See this excerpt from the page:

**************

Can I unlock my Global Ready™ device while traveling overseas to use local service?

Yes, you can unlock your device to use local service. The steps required to unlock your device vary by the type of device you have:

  • 4G Global Ready devices - 4G Global Ready devices are unlocked by default. You don't need to do anything to unlock it.

***************

I assume the iPhone 5s is a "4G global ready device" (it has both GSM and CDMA antennas, from what I understand), although the FAQ page does not state which devices it means.

So, how does one know what to believe, with so much conflicting information from Verizon?  I will probably call the Global Support number, 800-711-8300, for an answer, because I do not want any unexpected surprises when I arrive in Spain and try to insert and use a SIM card bought from Vodaphone, Orange, Movistar, or some other Spanish provider.