Any luck Unlocking Sprint iPhone 5?

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A440
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Any luck Unlocking Sprint iPhone 5?

Post by A440 »

I'm having a difficult time getting Sprint to unlock an old iPhone 5 that was purchased through them. The contract has been fulfilled. I have read that Sprint will not (can not?) unlock older iPhones for use with another carrier (called a domestic unlock), but only for international use with another carrier's SIM card.
I called several times for an unlock, but the SIM card I inserted from another carrier was not supported. I tried connecting to iTunes route, but still no luck.

Anyone have luck with Sprint unlocking their older (before 2015) iPhones?
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lazydavid
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Re: Any luck Unlocking Sprint iPhone 5?

Post by lazydavid »

This may be a fool's errand. What carrier are you trying to use it with? Unless the answer is Verizon, it doesn't matter if they unlock it for you. Your device will only function on two domestic carriers, and you're already using one of them.
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A440
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Re: Any luck Unlocking Sprint iPhone 5?

Post by A440 »

I was trying to use it on T-Mobile.
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niceguy7376
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Re: Any luck Unlocking Sprint iPhone 5?

Post by niceguy7376 »

If the phone was an older version (iphone 5), it might only work on the CDMA frequency and Tmobile is on GSM level.
Thus it MIGHT not work on other networks except maybe verizon (since verizon and sprint use CDMA).
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MossySF
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Re: Any luck Unlocking Sprint iPhone 5?

Post by MossySF »

https://qz.com/506976/how-to-unlock-iphone-5s/
The iPhone 5S and 5C are the first iPhones that Sprint is able to unlock.
Sprint has no ability to unlock an iPhone 5. Way in the past, iPhones were split into GSM (AT&T, T-Mobile) versus CDMA (Sprint, Verizon) models with no ability to move between the 2 camps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_5# ... patibility
SlowMovingInvestor
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Re: Any luck Unlocking Sprint iPhone 5?

Post by SlowMovingInvestor »

The terminology here is a little confusing. Unlocking is something that Sprint should be able to do/has likely already done.

But phones, especially older phones like the iPhone 5 aren't always compatible with each other's network. They may not use the same network protocols, or may not support the same frequency bands. That is not something that can be fixed.

Look at this web site to see if your phone will work with a carrier.

https://willmyphonework.net/
lazydavid
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Re: Any luck Unlocking Sprint iPhone 5?

Post by lazydavid »

A440 wrote: Tue Jul 17, 2018 6:06 am I was trying to use it on T-Mobile.
Yup, won't work. You have a CDMA phone, and T-Mobile uses GSM.
TropikThunder
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Re: Any luck Unlocking Sprint iPhone 5?

Post by TropikThunder »

lazydavid wrote: Tue Jul 17, 2018 9:20 am
A440 wrote: Tue Jul 17, 2018 6:06 am I was trying to use it on T-Mobile.
Yup, won't work. You have a CDMA phone, and T-Mobile uses GSM.
Lazydavid is right. I just want to add that the Sprint iPhone's do have a GSM radio, but that radio does not function in the US (it's why you can use a European carrier's SIM card in Europe with a Sprint iPhone).
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