t-mobile unlocking in the uk for iphone

December 23, 2012 11:36 AM

How can I unlock an iphone tied to t-mobile in the UK? I have received as a Christmas present an iphone which is locked to t-mobile. I am currently on an 02 contract that ties me for a further 6 months. Clearly, I would like to use my 02 sim with this iphone, however, when I went to a shop who specialised in phone unlocking, to get it unlocked, I was told that he could not unlock it and that it would take atleast a month to get t-mobile to unlock it. It was also mentioned that the merger of t-mobile in to the new company everything everywhere will probably delay the unlocking further. I am getting the impression that I will be forced to take out a t-mobile contract as it stands. Anyone out there have any recent knowledge about t-mobile unlocking. Many thanks!
posted by conrad101 to technology (7 answers total)

Which iphone do you have? The unlocking process all depends on the model and firmware (4, 4S, 5 etc..) It can all be done at home with simple free tools, you have to jailbreak your phone first though (also free).

I would link you to the information but it depends on your model/firmware..
posted by camerasforeyes at 11:56 AM on December 23, 2012

Did he say why it would take a month?! According to the t-mobile website:

Yes, you can use another UK or international network's SIM card, but first you'll need a subsidy PIN to unlock your T-Mobile phone so that other SIMs will work in it. If you don't have a subsidy PIN then SIM cards from other networks won't work in your phone.

To get a subsidy PIN, or if you already have one but have entered it incorrectly, please call us on 0845 412 5000.

Sounds like they should give you the number right away.
posted by Carravanquelo at 11:58 AM on December 23, 2012

Thanks for the replies! The model is an iphone 4. As the phone is unactivated, itunes will not tell me the firmware version.
posted by conrad101 at 1:13 PM on December 23, 2012

The ultimate unlocking place is this
posted by DreamerFi at 1:41 PM on December 23, 2012

From looking elsewhere on the internet and weighing up what seems to be reliable, and what seems not to be, I'd say this advice looks the most reasonable: i.e. you don't need the subsidy PIN, but need to get T-Mobile to unlock it (maybe paying them a £15.32 admin fee) and then you sync with iTunes with the O₂ SIM in.
posted by ambrosen at 2:14 PM on December 23, 2012

Ambrosen is right, I had this issue a few months ago, and T-Mobile are the only ones able to do it, for a fee.
posted by ellieBOA at 4:22 PM on December 23, 2012

I have no experience with and not even sure if they work, but maybe you can try one of those gevey unlock SIMs? A small wireless shop may carry them and you may able to try it out to see if it works.
posted by wongcorgi at 4:38 PM on December 23, 2012