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Some legally unlocked iPhones re-locked by iPhone 1.1.3; potential fix

Some legally unlocked iPhones re-locked by iPhone 1.1.3; potential fix

Ben Wilson

Several users are reporting that iPhone software/firmware 1.1.3 re-locks iPhones that were sold as legally, officially unlocked in France and Germany. In other words, the previously unlocked phones can only be used on the carrier through which they were sold (T-Mobile, Orange) and not any other carriers, even intra-country. This is likely not intended behavior.

As previously reported, iPhones that are sold as "unlocked" through Orange of France (the iPhone's official provider there) are crippled on various wireless carriers outside of France, failing to make phone calls, send SMS messages and perform other critical functions. Many users hoped that this update would resolve the issues. Instead, for some users, the update works in the opposite direction, reducing functionality and restricting operability to official carriers only.

UPDATE: If you're experiencing this problem, try this: Turn off your iPhone and put in the original SIM with which it shipped. Restore your iPhone in iTunes, and allow it to re-activate. Put in the SIM card from a different carrier and re-attempt normal use.

We've now received reports indicating that this update does indeed fix the previously noted issues where legally unlocked iPhones fail to make phone calls and send/receive SMS messages on certain carriers.

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