Movistar: Apple will not allow us to unlock your iPhone
I’ve been fighting with Movistar over the last couple of weeks over the iPhone‘s simlock that keeps it tied to their network, as I want to be able to use other SIM cards when I’m travelling. I don’t want to break my contract with them, but even so I offered to pay the cancellation fee in order for them to unlock my iPhone. In the contract that I signed, the cancellation fee applies to the service, not the terminal, meaning that if I cancel the service before the 24 month commitment, I have to pay a penalty. Nowhere does it say that the terminal needs to be locked to Movistar for the commitment to remain. In other words, they care about the monthly fee that offsets the lowered terminal price, they could care less about the phone itself.
So far, events have gone like this:
Day 1: Called 609, the Movistar customer service line, and asked about unlocking my iPhone. I proposed to pay the cancellation fee even though I was actually keeping my contract. The reply was that I needed to go through 12 billing cycles (eg 12 months) before they could unlock my iPhone.
Day 2: After rechecking my contract over and over, I found no clause stating the 12 billing cycle requirement. Second call, I am told the same, that there is no way to unlock the phone before 12 months have passed.
Day 3: I call them again, this time threatening to cancel my contract, in which case I would still be paying the penalty I was offering to voluntarily pay, but they would be left without the 21 months of commitment I had left, never mind the 9 months that supposedly had to pass before they could consider unlocking my iPhone. The maths are so obvious that it’s hard to see why they resist: I offer to pay around 350€ and keep my contract which runs at a monthly minimum of 60€, giving them a total in 12 months of 500€. Otherwise, I pay 350€ and they lose the extra 150€.
Day 4: I get a call back from customer service, telling them that they cannot unlock the iPhone 3G. I ask them to repeat that. “We do not have any means to unlock your iPhone even if we wanted to, Apple will not allow us to request unlock codes, as this terminal was released exclusively with Movistar“. WTF? In other countries you can unlock your iPhone through iTunes, after the operator gives you an unlock code, and they also have the device on exclusive country-wide deals with Apple – what gives?
Next step will be to contact Apple tomorrow and see if this is actually true. If it is, next step will be to start a formal procedure with the goverment department that deals with consumer issues.
Troll comments deleted.
movistar are a nightmare to deal with seems that the right hand don’t know what the left is doing!
I had the same problems with my 3g phone, I resolved this by ordering a “turbosim” from eBay for around 10 euros. I am now litteraly making this post on my iPhone running a vodafone sim!
Hope this helps!
As for unlocking, your best bet is waiting for the software unlock that the Dev Team is coming out with very soon. DO NOT update to 2.2, if you do hope for that software unlock in the future, as it contains a baseband update.
I don’t believe Spain has any law that makes it illegal for a company such as Telefonica to provide a locked phone, just like the US. From what I understand, Orange in France can unlock the phone (for lots of money) As far as I know, they’re one of very few countries. Otherwise, Apple calls all the shots with their phone.
Once the dev team comes out with the unlock, you can keep your contract and not pay an extra penny to unlock. Hope this was helpful.
Rob,
Thanks for the tip – I think eventually I will grab a factory-unlocked version, which now go for around 600€ (16GB). I updated to 2.2 as I do development work with it, so I guess it will have to wait a little longer for Dev Team
Did you get any other answer from Apple? I am living in Spain myself and about to buy an iPhone via Movistar but need to be able to use it with my Icelandic sim card (I am from there and go quite regularly).
Tobbi G.
Mike, where did you find the option to of buying a factory-unlocked version of the phone? Was that through Telefonica? I’d love to purchase a phone that way. Especially if it meant I didn’t have to deal with Telefonica.
Samuel,
There are some shops in Spain offering them, but my guess is they bring them from abroad. In Italy you can buy them unlocked at the store, while in France they will sell them unlocked but only with a contract you have to keep for 6 months. If I remember right, the going price for 16Gb was 650€. Good luck!
Apple say Movistar Spain should unlock it. Doesn’t say, when, but clearly in the table here it says that “Carrier offers
authorized unlocking”…
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937
I have an iPhone 3G on18 month contract with Movistar Spain.I was told both by the shop and “customer services” that I can have it unlocked legally by them after one year has expired. Although I am happy to stay with Movistar when I am in Spain I would like to be able to use a UK SIM when I am in the UK.
Today is the one anniversary and, surprise, surprise, Movistar have changed the rules for iPhones and I now have to be with them for two years before they will unlock it. Has anyone else had this problem or is this incorrect information? Seems that there is now only one route to go…!
James,
Tell them there is a ruling by the CMT that forces them to unlock your phone once they have recovered the subsidy, which is usually around 12 months. Also, tell them many people are having theirs unlocked after 12 months (which is true!), and ask for a claims form.
The key seems to insist as much as possible, eventually they will give in.