EE locked my IPhone

[maiisiie_08]

Hi everyone,

I’m really quite annoyed!  I bought my iPhone from the Apple store in 2018 and I have a PAYG SIM with EE.  My phone number is being transferred today for my new 3 contract, I put my new 3 SIM in and low and behold - my phone is locked.

I manage to get through to EE and I’m quoted 2-10 days to unlock my iPhone!  Which I bought through Apple?  I’m asked for a contact number but as of tomorrow I won’t have a phone number as it’s being transferred to 3!  Not to mention that I need my phone as I’m working from home so that’s going to affect my income.

I am so annoyed, I’m paying for a contract I can’t use and EE have the cheek to tell me to buy another PAYG SIM and top that up while I wait.  Not good enough.  Is there anyway of getting my phone unlocked quickly (ideally tomorrow), so that I actually have a phone?  I have tried unlocking through my EE account but it says they can’t unlock my device.

Thank you

[Chris_B]

@maiisiie_08  if your device come from the Apple Store and was a unlocked device then EE can not lock it as EE do not control the locks/unlocks of iPhones.  

 If your device was a sim free device that can lock to the first network sim that’s placed in the device then the device will always lock to that network.   Yes Apple did sell such devices.   ( you got one of these ) 

EE have to make this request with Apple and once made it’s down to Apple to process this.   This usually take around 72 hours but I’ve had it done in less than 30mins. 

[maiisiie_08]

Thank you, I have never had this issue before and I’m so irritated, my phone number has ported today so I’m stuck until EE finally sort this out!

Did you get a message when the phone was unlocked?  I’ve just been restarting my phone throughout the day to see if I can finally put my new SIM in...

[Christopher_G]

Hi @maiisiie_08

Welcome to the community. 🙂

You should get an email message or a text message to let you know when it's unlocked, depending on what contact information you gave.

Have you tried putting another network's SIM card in it yet? 

Chris

[maiisiie_08]

@Christopher_G hi Chris, this is the problem my number ported today so I cannot get texts, take calls etc. while I wait for EE to unlock my phone - they’ve rendered me phoneless!  I’ve tried inserting my new SIM numerous times today and it is still locked.  It needs sorting ASAP, I am paying for a contract that I am unable to use as EE have locked my phone.

[Chris_B]

@maiisiie_08 EE didn’t lock your device, your device would of locked to 02 had you first put a 02 sim on the device.   The device you got was designed to do this as you didn’t purchase a unlocked device.  No point in blaming EE for something that was always going to happen.   Why you didn’t check this before changing network was up to you.  And if you go to Settings>General>About and scroll down to NETWORK PROVIDER LOCK it will say if it’s network locked or not.   If it’s network unlocked it’ll say NO SIM RESTRICTIONS 

[maiisiie_08]

I bought a brand new phone from the Apple store and when I arranged to change my network provider, I was told that my phone would be unlocked as I was on a PAYG SIM and I had purchased this from Apple, not from EE or another store like Carphone Warehouse.  Not everyone is a phone whizz and that’s why these companies are here to give advice and help people with a smooth transition.  I didn’t lock my phone and I was not informed prior to the switch that it was locked - I was told that it would all be fine!  Hence why I am so annoyed, when I find out after my mobile number has transferred that my device is locked

[Christopher_B]

Hi @maiisiie_08

I'm afraid we have no way of speeding this up, but we will get it sorted as fast as we can. 

Please keep turning the phone off and back on with the 3 SIM inside it. 

Thanks 

Chris

[maiisiie_08]

I have been and I continuously get this ‘SIM not supported’ message, which is really not helpful.  I don’t understand why it takes so long to unlock a phone - if I bought my phone outright and it was never owned by EE, I don’t see why it has to be locked to your service in the first place! 

[Chris_B]

@maiisiie_08  Apple control the state of locks/unlocks on iPhones not the networks that you use them on.     Your device wasn’t a unlocked device it was made to be locked to the first network that you used it with in this case EE.  

And that message clearly states that you put a Sim card in the device that is not supported with the iPhone what network Sim card have you put in the device ? 

if your device was a unlocked device it will never lock to a network ( ever )