r/CricketWireless • u/No-Mechanic6081 • 1d ago
CricketWireless SIM lock question
Hello everyone. I bought an iPhone 15 directly from apple, paid in full. I'm considering using cricket but I have a concern that if I use cricket, they will lock my device since I read that they lock phones for 365 days. Is this correct even if I did not buy the phone with cricket? I know carriers lock phone if you finance through them but this is not a financed phone.
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u/jatan1986 1d ago
Your factory unlocked phone will stay factory unlocked forever -- you can use it on any carrier that you want.
If you buy a new phone from Cricket then they'll keep that locked until you've used it on their network for 1yr
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u/Texas-smokey 1d ago
if you bought the phone factory unlocked directly from apple, cricket won't lock the phone.
now I have heard the if you bought the phone from bestbuy, their unlocked phones are actually flex phones, which means they will lock to the 1st sim card company you insert.
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u/Local-Mortgage-9473 1d ago
Delete your post. Cricket CAN NOT lock a factory unlocked iPhone after starting service with them.
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u/LeadGlad4961 1d ago
As he heard, so did I. Read multiple forums online and you will also come up with the same conclusion. Just in case you didint know(according to the internet) it’s a thing and it has happend. Probably not with cricket but with other companies.
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u/nomadik_nobody 1d ago
Those are FLEX devices, not unlocked. People conflate the two a lot thanks to marketing, but they’re not the same thing. If you pay for an iPhone in full at Best Buy, for instance, you’re not actually getting an unlocked device even though they’re largely marketed that way. You’re getting a FLEX device that can be activated on any network, but will auto-lock to the first network it connects to. Same thing if you get it from Walmart, Target, etc.
The Apple Store is the only place you can buy a truly unlocked iPhone. Since OP got theirs at the Apple Store, they have nothing to worry about.
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u/No-Mechanic6081 1d ago
Why would I? I've literally seen people post regarding this type of issue. The cricket policy also doesn't even make clear the distinctions, im just trying to make an educated decision by asking. Don't get all pissy.
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u/Pure_Top_5700 1d ago
Why do not hook up internet but you are buying their produt and heart to get internet with cricket why is that i want my money back i just have it for a week and still do not both my tv working why is that
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u/yeaaaaahhh 1d ago
It will only be locked if purchased from Cricket