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buying an iPhone in the US

buying an iPhone in the US

Old May 13th 2012, 12:10 am
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by Kar98
Bollocks.
Mine and all the ones owned by people I know are...
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Old May 13th 2012, 12:14 am
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by helpmeplease123
Mine and all the ones owned by people I know are...
AT&T, T-Mobile and a bunch of the smaller mom n pop providers that are GSM all use SIM cards. You can also use SIM cards in many of the newer Verizon phones, but only for international, i.e. outside the US, use.
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Old May 13th 2012, 12:20 am
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by helpmeplease123
Not an IPhone.. the ones in the US are sim card-less, so with a foreign IPhone you wouldn't be able to get a US IPhone package sim on its own...although I suppose you could just get a plan that includes internet but for an android. I don't think there are m(any) plans with unlimited internet as of recently either, as a lot of people were using it for tethering. I think it's gone on Verizon at least.
Yeah, what Kar just said. They've got sims in them these days, that's how people are able to get other networks such as the pay as you go sim cards to work on the things.

There are plenty of unlimited data plans on PAYG for Android phones, they tend to be 4G for x number of MB's a month though, say 200-500, but then drop the speed way down after that.
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Old May 13th 2012, 12:26 am
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by Bob
Yeah, what Kar just said. They've got sims in them these days, that's how people are able to get other networks such as the pay as you go sim cards to work on the things.

There are plenty of unlimited data plans on PAYG for Android phones, they tend to be 4G for x number of MB's a month though, say 200-500, but then drop the speed way down after that.
Well then, i'm off to Verizon to complain! The guy who sold me my phone explicitly said no sim cards in any IPhone 4S as I wanted to use it with foreign sims... so I bought a new English phone rather than just a sim card when I came back. They also told me they had recently scrapped all of their unlimited data plans and everyone else was too because of all the tethering I have no idea about other networks though, which is why I only mentioned Verizon
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Old May 13th 2012, 12:34 am
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by helpmeplease123
Well then, i'm off to Verizon to complain! The guy who sold me my phone explicitly said no sim cards in any IPhone 4S as I wanted to use it with foreign sims... so I bought a new English phone rather than just a sim card when I came back.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/12/s...ck-for-intern/

"The iPhone 4S works like all of our global phones. The phone comes in box with a SIM locked to our network and the network of our roaming partners including Vodafone, one of our parent companies. Customers sign up for a Verizon Wireless voice plan (beginning at $39.99 for 450 min.) and a data plan beginning at 2GB for $30. When they choose to go out of the country, they should call Verizon Wireless and sign up for a global plan. The customer can also request to have the SIM unlocked if they want to use a local service while out of the country. The request needs to be made prior to leaving the country, their bill must be current and the phone must be active on the account for 60 days before we will unlock the SIM."
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Old May 13th 2012, 12:35 am
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by helpmeplease123
Well then, i'm off to Verizon to complain! The guy who sold me my phone explicitly said no sim cards in any IPhone 4S as I wanted to use it with foreign sims... so I bought a new English phone rather than just a sim card when I came back. They also told me they had recently scrapped all of their unlimited data plans and everyone else was too because of all the tethering I have no idea about other networks though, which is why I only mentioned Verizon
Verizon don't use sim's because their network is different.

The phone still has a sim socket in it.

You'd need to unlock and jailbreak it to use a sim from else where to work on the phone.

You'd need to jailbreak the phone to tether it anyway because all the networks disabled that feature on the phone for the iPhone.

The unlimited data plans with uncapped speeds has pretty much come to the end, but there are unlimited data plans around which cap the amount of data you can use at maximum speed.
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Old May 13th 2012, 4:48 am
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by sawdustanddiamonds
Thanks everyone for your replies. I had no idea about the credit system in the US. I am so used to my iPhone but all I really need is unlimited texts and around 300 minutes but I would really need 3G, wifi as I use google maps and check emails on the go a lot.
Would it be worth buying a phone in the UK first, getting it unlocked and only Then finding a network when I arrive? (I am in need of an upgrade anyway)
"but all I really need is unlimited texts and around 300 minutes but I would really need 3G"

Will that be 300 British minutes?
Because here in good ole USA, you would need more then double that. We pay for incoming calls and all calls are rounded off, to nearest minute. 1min 1sec minutes.

Reg. Frank R.
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Old May 13th 2012, 1:03 pm
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Verizon does not use Sim cards - in fact, if I remember right, Apple had to virtually make a whole new iPhone just for the Verizon network because we don't have sim cards on our phones.
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Old May 13th 2012, 1:19 pm
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by optomisticgirl
Verizon does not use Sim cards - in fact, if I remember right, Apple had to virtually make a whole new iPhone just for the Verizon network because we don't have sim cards on our phones.
The latest ones, maybe even the the 4, have Unlocked Sim Card slot for "Out of USA", use. As do the IPAD.

Reg. Frank R.
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Old May 13th 2012, 1:24 pm
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by frrussre
"but all I really need is unlimited texts and around 300 minutes but I would really need 3G"

Will that be 300 British minutes?
Because here in good ole USA, you would need more then double that. We pay for incoming calls and all calls are rounded off, to nearest minute. 1min 1sec minutes.

Reg. Frank R.
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Old May 13th 2012, 1:38 pm
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by frrussre
"but all I really need is unlimited texts and around 300 minutes but I would really need 3G"

Will that be 300 British minutes?
Because here in good ole USA, you would need more then double that. We pay for incoming calls and all calls are rounded off, to nearest minute. 1min 1sec minutes.

Reg. Frank R.
Should have read: All calls are rounded up one minute one second = 2 minutes.

Reg. Frank R.
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Old May 13th 2012, 5:40 pm
  #27  
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by sawdustanddiamonds
Hello!

I am new and this is my first post! As far as I am aware no one has posted about iPhones specifically in the U.S so I'm just going to go ahead and post.

I am moving to the U.S in August from London to study. While living in London over the past 4 years I have relied on having an iPhone and I would really like to continue using an iPhone when I move. My phone is pretty old now and I would like to purchase a new one as soon as I arrive, does anyone know of any networks to go with ? I have so far only come across AT&T and their cheapest 'package' is $199 + $79.99 per month which seems absurd! - I am currently paying £20 a month here in the UK for unlimited texts/500 minutes etc.

If anyone has any information to share I would really appreciate it
Just unlock your current phone, and get a PayGo sim in the US. The iPhone takes a micro sim (unlike many other phones) - but you can cut a 'regular' sim card down to size (there are many guides online).
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Old May 13th 2012, 6:12 pm
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by frrussre
The latest ones, maybe even the the 4, have Unlocked Sim Card slot for "Out of USA", use. As do the IPAD.

Reg. Frank R.
I have a 4 and I don't have a Sim Card slot.
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Old May 13th 2012, 6:41 pm
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by optomisticgirl
I have a 4 and I don't have a Sim Card slot.
Are you sure?

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Old May 13th 2012, 6:45 pm
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Default Re: buying an iPhone in the US

Originally Posted by cluedweasel
Positive
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