Official iPhone unlock - Pricing table
A to Z of How to Unlock iPhone from any Carrier in US, UK, Canada, Australia
What is iPhone Unlocking, Is It Ethical to Unlock iPhone?
To unlock iPhone means to free the device from the carrier’s tether of exclusivity. iPhone is still one of the most widely used premium phones in today’s smartphone market. Unfortunately, the increase in Average Selling Price, or ASP, has been steady over the years. That’s why carriers stepped in to fill the gap. You pay the carrier a much smaller amount of money on a monthly basis over a pre-agreed term. This model operates pretty much throughout the world.
Subscribers are better for a carrier’s top line than pay-as-you-go customers because it’s predictable income - although the margins might more attractive with a PAYG model. So it’s in their best interest to lock you in with a plan that lasts for varied amounts of time, usually in multiples of 6 or 12 months. Essentially, it’s a contract you sign with the company for them to give you the device for whatever downpayment is required. It might even be free if you trade in an equally premium device, like your old iPhone, and the rest of the due is spread out over monthly installments for the agreed term duration.
The one big catch is that you’re committed to the entire period of the agreement unless you’re willing to prepay the entire amount and close the contract. There may be overages applied at that time as well. The actual catch is that you won’t be able to use that device with any other carrier’s SIM until the dues are all paid up and the carrier “releases” your phone from the SIM lock.
This cartel-style behavior can be seen clearly in how closely they price their plans against each other. And you’re almost dazzled with the number of freebies, benefits, perquisites and other goodies they offer you with every new contract. And they make it even sweeter if you take a second, new line along with your device upgrade. All this effort is to keep you on their subscription list.
But what if you need to unlock the iPhone by removing the SIM lock? A lot of people ask if it’s ethical to unlock your iDevice from the carrier. That’s a very good question, and you deserve the right answer, which is that your intent has everything to do with it.
To elaborate, if you want to unlock an iPhone because you’re travelling out of the country and don’t want to pay massive roaming bills when you get back, then you may not consider it unethical at all. On the other hand, if you try to do it so you won’t have to pay the carrier their due, then you’re in the wrong place. That’s highly unethical, not to mention potentially illegal if you don’t continue to pay the monthly bill until the end of the contract period.
The second aspect of whether or not it’s ethical or even a good idea to do it is the way you unlock an iPhone. There are three main iPhone unlock methods that have been popular over time. Two of those are now considered highly risky because they can brick your device - or worse. There’s only one legitimate way to unlock any iPhone or Android device locked to a carrier. Let’s take a brief overview of each type of iPhone unlock methods.
Unlock iPhone with Software
This type of unlocking uses purpose-built software for hacking into iOS devices. When the software is hacked, the lock can be removed. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work, in theory. But theory is never as easy as getting it done. There are several programs being hawked on the Internet boasting “unlock iPhone 100% working or money back guaranteed,” but the majority of them will do a little more than turn your iPhone into a lifeless brick, an expensive paper-weight.
To be clear, this is not the software you get to crack your iPhone passcode or unlock an iPhone that way. That’s a different type of unlocking, so it can get confusing. The iPhone unlock we’re talking about is the removal of the SIM lock as applied by the carrier and recorded on Apple’s device activation database. And you can’t do that using third-party software because it’s partially a manual process that requires access to Apple’s database servers.
You might find that some of these types of unlocking software work, but in reality, the moment you upgrade to a higher iOS version or make any major changes, it will be re-locked. And there’s no chance of getting your money back, obviously. So you’re basically out of pocket for a tidy sum, and your iPhone is still locked.
Is this similar to jailbreaking? In a way, yes, in that it seeks root access to the operating system and superuser permission for system configurations. But the main focus of an unlock is to untether the device from the SIM lock applied by the carrier.
Again, your intent is what makes it unethical or not. If you are genuinely trying to unlock your iPhone because of overseas travel or you just need a different SIM for the office or home because of better data speeds or lower cost or whatever, then you’ll find it completely ethical. Your argument might be, “Well, it’s my iPhone and I can do whatever you want with it.” That might be true, but if that slips into reneging on your contract, that’s unethical and illegal.
We recommend that you NOT use any software to unlock your iPhone yourself. This is not the time for a DIY project. Use a trusted vendor that knows what it’s doing, whether that’s imeidoctor.net or one of our very few, genuine competitors. Especially with newer iPhones on iOS 11 and iOS 12, be very wary of jailbreak-like programs that claim to “unlock an iPhone in seconds” with “just a few clicks.” You don’t want to end up bricking a thousand-dollar iPhone now, do you?
Hardware-Unlocking an iPhone
A hardware unlock is not as subtle as a software unlock, but it is equally - if not more - brutal on the device. It requires hardware modifications that are extremely tricky and never guaranteed to work. Also, it is only possible on very old models of iPhone, like the iPhone 5 and earlier models. You can’t do them on a new or recent model of iPhone.
Hardware unlocks were very popular at one point of time, but the method is now relegated to the “Museum of iPhone Hackery”, so to speak. Don’t even think about purchasing hardware for this purpose online. You’ll see several listings but they’re all for much older iPhone models, and they’re pretty dicey to use.
IMEI Whitelisting - The Only 100% Legit and Permanent iPhone Unlock Solution
When you unlock iPhone at imeidoctor.net, the unlock is permanent regardless of whether you upgrade your iOS or reset the phone to factory settings. It can be used with any compatible SIM from any carrier in the world.
How is this method of iPhone unlocking possible when software or hardware approaches don’t work?
iPhone IMEI whitelisting is an approved practice for removing a SIM lock. You can, of course, get in touch with your carrier directly for an unlock, but you’ll likely have to pay a hefty bill along with it. Besides, the process is excruciatingly slow, and even after weeks you’re still running around trying to figure out what they did with your money. Not all carriers are like that, of course, but remember that a lost subscriber is a loss of guaranteed revenue. Can you blame them for being so picky? Yes, you can even expect your application to be rejected after all the waiting.
The quicker way is to use an authentic service provider that knows how best to get it done, and trust them to do their job. We can’t guarantee to unlock every iPhone in the world, but we’re the closest thing! If your device is not eligible for some reason, we can’t unlock it. Sometimes, even when it clears through the IMEI Checker, it gets blocked at the carrier’s end or with Apple. In such cases, nothing can be done. Neither we nor anyone else will be able to unlock an iPhone in that situation.
How does the IMEI whitelisting process work?
Using our uniquely positioned business model, we leverage our privileges with your carrier and with Apple to help unlock your iPhone. Think of it as a fast-track to unlocking your iPhone with the blessings of Apple and your carrier, whether that’s vodafone in the UK, AT&T in the United States or any every major global carrier.
After you check your IMEI on our site and order an iPhone unlock, we will begin to process your order immediately. During the process, if an out-of-hand situation prevents us from unlocking your iDevice from its SIM lock, you will be notified of it, and we will show you how to get a quick, no-hassles refund.
If successful, your device’s IMEI will be whitelisted on your carrier’s database as well as Apple’s activation database. You will receive a code via email, and you can use iTunes to remove the SIM lock. On newer iPhones, all you need to do is connect to Wi-Fi and get an OTA (over-the-air) update that unlocks iOS your device.
Either way, the process is simple and painless. And it’s much quicker and cheaper than getting your carrier to do it. Your unlocked iPhone is now permanently untethered from the carrier network. You can still use the same SIM, obviously, but you can also use other carrier SIMs without a problem. If you upgrade your iOS version, re-install your OS or do a factory reset, the device will remain unlocked. This is the biggest reason to choose imeidoctor.net’s iPhone unlock services.
Of course, as long as you’re under contract with the carrier you still have to pay your monthly dues. This is not negotiable, and it’s your responsibility to ensure that payments don’t fall overdue or go unpaid. But for your iPhone unlock needs, there’s imeidoctor.net.
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