I have a (i phone 4)Which is on a English network (orange).i want to join orange in france as we are now here. I have been quoted 150 euros to get it unlocked.this seems very high,does anyone know where i can get it done cheaper.
regards Bill
Yes, Elaine is quite right. I had iPhone 3 and upgraded to iPhone 4 in Ireland. My contract was with Vodafone, and just before leaving Ireland, I had both phones unlocked. Both work fine with Orange France sim cards.
Good luck!
French Orange sims don't work in UK Orange phones and vice versa (from a 15-year customer of Orange in both countries!)
It can also be done online for a cheaper price.
http://www.deblocage-facile.com/debloquer-Apple-iphone-4.php
Otherwise pop down your local market (in the UK) and get it done at one of those phone stalls for around twenty quid.
Hi Bill,
The following comment is based on my own recent experience -
Because its an iPhone 4, it's best to first try and get it unlocked form the network in the UK. Depending on the contract you had with them - billpay or speakeasy? If you are over the contract initial limit (normally 12 or 24 months) they have to provide the unlocking code - and will request the unlock from Apple.
I was able to do this recently with an irish O2 billpay that I was over the initial contract "tie-in" It worked perfectly,, and now I can use the Orange french SIM or the old Irish SIM.
First, contact Orange UK, and provide your IMEI code - (Your iPhone will be added to Apple’s official unlocked phones list, which means it will stay unlocked even if you upgrade iOS versions. To add the iPhone to the list, the company you are paying will need your phone’s IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) code, which is unique to your iPhone. ) dial *#06# to get it - they will tell you if you are entitled to an unlock or not. If you are, they request from Apple, and then message you that it's done. Then with your old SIM, do a back up on iTunes (only if you want to retain other info - contacts, calender etc).
You will then have to insert a different SIM (your new french one), and connect to iTunes again - can be a bit finnicky, but it should tell you that your new SIM is ok etc etc. if doesnt work immediately, turn off your phone and on again (I didn't need to restore factory settings or anything like that)
If Orange UK wont do it - you can use online facilities, but be aware there may be issues with future upgrades. And the is a big difference between unlocking and hacking an iPhone.
Good luck!! http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5014
Elaine
Years ago, I had a phone unlocked by a high-street store in Aberdeen. It was a five-minute process and the bill was about £10. I see from the net that even more companies now offer this service in the city (and presumably everywhere else). I'm sure similar firms exist in France. It was an independent mobile phone shop that specialised in repairs. Might be worth checking similar firms in your area. Failing that, I'm sure an outfit like THIS ONE could do the job with a pretty fast turnaround by post. Good luck.
Al
Al
Orange GB should be able to give you the unlocking code. Good luck with this as we have spent about 12 weeks trying to unlock a Nokia phone bought at Orange France with info. supplied by Orange France. They kept giving us a number that didn't work. In the end they agreed to pay for it to be unlocked by a specialist company to whom we had to send the phone. We finally got the phone unlocked & returned to us but by then had bought another!! As a matter of interest the code they gave us to unlock another phone worked fine.
Speaking to various engineers at Nokia it would appear that it is the initial contract provider (in this case orange)who lock the phone & apply the code, not the phone manufacturer, presumably to lock you into their contract. It would therefor seem like Orange GB should be your starting point.
Good luck. You will probably need it!!!
And if that fails try Google 'mobile phone unblock codes' When I switched my phone to Le Clerc PAYG they provided a free unblock code service. But you need the phone to be out of your contract period.
I would try it first, it may just work as it's an Orange sim card in an Orange phone. Call Orange and ask them, they will also be able to unlock it for you, that may depend on how long you have had it though.