Can an iPhone purchased in UK be used in NZ? also anyone know if its cheaper to buy in NZ?
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iPhone UK -v- NZ
Can an iPhone purchased in UK be used in NZ? also anyone know if its cheaper to buy in NZ?
Senior Member
you can unlock them but be careful. mine was unlocked twice by me and when it recently threw a wobbly i had to update it. this of course uploaded the new apple update 3.1.3 but more importantly baseband 05.12.01. this currently has no fix as the dev team are waiting for apple to release version 4 before releasing their fix.
all this gobbledy gook means my iphone doesnt currently work as a phone but does everything else!
oh! and make sure you bring your uk sim even if deactivated as you may need to insert it as part of the process.
Senior Member
No warranty service in NZ if it's UK bought.
Mine was replaced during the warranty so worth thinking about.
Senior Member
My US iPhone also threw a "wobbly" with an update and has been stuck in a loop ever since. Oh well.
Got a NZ Blackberry now and I think I honestly like it better. I HATED typing on the iPhone. I hate that jumping letter thing.
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While unofficial jailbreaks and unlocks exist, the best way is to pay the charge to have it unlocked in the UK by the carrier. That way all the updates and everything will work just fine.
I would also consider selling the UK phone and getting an NZ phone. Apple has yet to learn that mobile phones are meant to be moved from country to country.
I purchased my iPhone 3GS while on an assignment in Italy, officially unlocked and contract free. Now back in Finland and Apple doesn't provide any service and TeliaSonera doesn't touch any other but iPhone's they've sold. Apple's act is against the EU laws but they are arguing that "Vodafone iPhone" is not the same as "TeliaSonera iPhone".
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O2 etc will unlock the phone if you've had it for a certain amount of time. i got one on O2 prepay/PAYG in jan 2009 so _just_ qualified for unlocking (on PAYG you need to have had it for 1 year). the actual process was a right pain for me as i hardly ever make phone calls and they wanted me to tell them the 3 numbers i called the most.. took several tries and about a week of back and forth emails with their customer support before they unlocked it. make sure you check the conditions.
here in NZ i'm on vodafone prepay.. everything seems to work fine. the only thing i've noticed is that it doesn't display my current balance after sending a text message.. bit annoying, but not a biggie.
Senior Member
text "BAL" to 777 for a free txt back telling you your balanceOriginally Posted by nifta
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UK iPhone unlocked fine here and is now on Vodaphone PAYG (with BBLite for $10/month and my husband as my Best Mate for $6/month, pretty much all I spend on it).
It was far cheaper in the UK but we got ours more cheaply as we were tied in to 18 month contracts with them. Here they are still very expensive by comparison - I'm not sure if you can get them without the contract tie-in in the UK yet.
I did contact O2 when we were leaving to ask if they would unlock them to work in NZ and was told that it was policy not to unlock the iPhone regardless of reason. As the reason was to use them abroad, it was suggested that I turn international roaming on. I am not a millionaire and haven't won the lottery, so I decided against that one.
Senior Member
be careful katieben that you dont do the new apple update as your unlock will relock!
Member
i heard phones where very expencive over in nz! at the moment i am with o2 in ireland, bill paying! i have had my phone for around 3 years and its in bits! so i wanted to get a new one before i headed to nz in june! i wanted to get a blackberry, but i am not sure if i should buy it hear or nz! buyin it here i would have to pay full amount as i wouldnt be signing a contract! so would i be better to buy in nz and sign a contract? whats a good mobile service over there?
thanks guys
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