Can someone explain unlocked phones to me?

[LisaR]

I am technically challenged! I am looking at cell phone reviews on Amazon and so many say to buy the unlocked version of the phone. I don't have a clue what that means. Do you buy your cell phone from the carrier or do you buy it elsewhere? If you buy it somewhere else, do you get to use the carrier of your choice for service? I don't get it.

 

[dcentity2000]

It means the phone is not tied down to any particular network and will accept any network's SIM card. Locked phones will only connect to a particular network and are typically cheaper, as well as more restricting.



Rich::

 

[LisaR]

It means the phone is not tied down to any particular network and will accept any network's SIM card. Locked phones will only connect to a particular network and are typically cheaper, as well as more restricting.



Rich::

Thanks! So I could buy any unlocked phone, put in the correct SIM card based on the carrier and use that phone, right? I would still need a contract with a carrier though, correct?

 

[dcentity2000]

Thanks! So I could buy any unlocked phone, put in the correct SIM card based on the carrier and use that phone, right? I would still need a contract with a carrier though, correct?

Bingo. As long as you have a functioning SIM card for ANY network, no matter what the payment plan, an unlocked phone will work



Rich::

 

[Christine]

Thanks! So I could buy any unlocked phone, put in the correct SIM card based on the carrier and use that phone, right? I would still need a contract with a carrier though, correct?

Yes.

Many years ago my daughter wanted some stupid purple phone that you could only purchased "unlocked." She had already had a phone line through are carrier. So she got the unlocked phone and slipped her SIM card in. Worked fine.

 

[LisaR]

Great! Thanks for the info. I feel a little less technically challenged. Well, not really.

 

[hellokitty86]

I was wondering about this, too. I really want an iphone but we have tmobile. Somebody recently told me to buy an unlocked phone and it should work fine. I currently have an unlimited internet plan, so if I got the iphone their internet would work with tmobiles internet plan? For some reason this confuses me. Would I be able to purchase and use all the apps too?

 

[mickilee]

I was wondering about this, too. I really want an iphone but we have tmobile. Somebody recently told me to buy an unlocked phone and it should work fine. I currently have an unlimited internet plan, so if I got the iphone their internet would work with tmobiles internet plan? For some reason this confuses me. Would I be able to purchase and use all the apps too?

yes you will be able to purchase and use all apps, even the free ones on itunes.

 

[Best Aunt]

I was wondering about this, too. I really want an iphone but we have tmobile. Somebody recently told me to buy an unlocked phone and it should work fine. I currently have an unlimited internet plan, so if I got the iphone their internet would work with tmobiles internet plan? For some reason this confuses me. Would I be able to purchase and use all the apps too?

Wait a sec. I think iphones are different. The iphones current sold are designed to run on 3G technology, which AT&T uses. Verizon, Sprint and others use CDMA technology rather than 3G. Current iphones won't run on those networks unless a hacker was smart enough to figure out how to change them. That was the big thing when iphones first came out - the hackers were trying to see how fast they could figure out how to get the iphones to run on networks other than AT&T.

Is that what you guys mean by "unlocked"?

Or do you just mean that a CDMA phone could be used on any CDMA network (instead of having to buy a phone from Verizon to use on the Verizon network)?

 

[dcentity2000]

Wait a sec. I think iphones are different. The iphones current sold are designed to run on 3G technology, which AT&T uses. Verizon, Sprint and others use CDMA technology rather than 3G. Current iphones won't run on those networks unless a hacker was smart enough to figure out how to change them. That was the big thing when iphones first came out - the hackers were trying to see how fast they could figure out how to get the iphones to run on networks other than AT&T.

Is that what you guys mean by "unlocked"?

Or do you just mean that a CDMA phone could be used on any CDMA network (instead of having to buy a phone from Verizon to use on the Verizon network)?

iPhones are tricky things thanks to Apple's efforts. They can be unlocked by a method known as "jail-breaking" but this can cause problems down the line when you try to update the software it runs on.



Rich::

 

[DarthKTrava]

Wait a sec. I think iphones are different. The iphones current sold are designed to run on 3G technology, which AT&T uses. Verizon, Sprint and others use CDMA technology rather than 3G. Current iphones won't run on those networks unless a hacker was smart enough to figure out how to change them. That was the big thing when iphones first came out - the hackers were trying to see how fast they could figure out how to get the iphones to run on networks other than AT&T.

Is that what you guys mean by "unlocked"?

Or do you just mean that a CDMA phone could be used on any CDMA network (instead of having to buy a phone from Verizon to use on the Verizon network)?

My Droid runs on Verizon's 3G network. And, later this year, Apple is supposed to release the iPhone for Verizon and T-Mobile customers. But it won't be the new iPhone that AT&T customers will still have exclusive access to.