giffgaff on iPhone from Talk Talk

whitepanda

Just activated giffgaff SIM and tried to set up on an old iPhone, but it will not join WiFi and when setup with Mac it gives the error "The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported". Seems the iPhone was locked to Talk Talk (probably bought through car phone warehouse) originally - any ideas how I can make this work on giffgaff now that Talk Talk mobile does not exist?

Talk Talk appears to have been a MVNO - do I need to get another PAYG SIM for the parent network to be able to setup the phone then try to get it unlocked by them?

Already hated Talk Talk, hate them a little bit more after an hour messing with this tonight!

benjamin567

whitepanda This is a weird one.

It seems like TalkTalk was a part of Vodafone and then O2 shortly before it shut down.

It sounds like it is locked to Vodafone, so I would contact them and ask for a Network Unlock Code for your device.

i_am_sy

whitepanda

TalkTalk Mobile used to run on Vodafone until the service was withdrawn, and TalkTalk themselves didn't lock phones however they would work fine on a locked Vodafone device.

Therefore your phone must be locked to Vodafone so you would need to contact them to have it unlocked, or purchase an unlocking code online.

whitepanda

benjamin567 Thanks, I have just been on the Vodafone website, they explicitly state they do not support unlocking carphone warehouse purchased phones - seem's like a common question for them then!

So a Vodafone SIM would work in theory? Sounds like I need a big song and dance to get this handset onto giffgaff with PAYG Vodafone sim then asking them to unlock it after 30 days?

whitepanda

i_am_sy See above reply, Vodafone specifically call out they won't unlock phones from carphone warehouse? https://www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/forms/unlock-code-request/

i_am_sy

whitepanda

Vodafone will unlock any phone locked to their network.

https://selfhelp.carphonewarehouse.com/SelfHelp/request.do?view()=c%7B298975a0-1faa-11df-4872-f20203001e3d%7D

whitepanda

i_am_sy Carphone warehouse says they won't unlock phones themselves:

How do I get my device unlocked?
To get your device unlocked, get in touch with the network your device is locked to. They'll be able to unlock your device for you, though they may ask you to pay a fee before they do so.
We don't unlock devices or recommend getting your device unlocked in any other way because this can invalidate your device's warranty.

Will ask Vodafone, pretty sure they are not going to help, their form asks for the Vodafone mobile number - but the phone doesn't have one.

i_am_sy

whitepanda

Exactly my point, Vodafone are responsible as it is them who have locked the device, regardless of the retailer that sold it, it is for Vodafone to unlock.

You need to call them and speak to them, and ask for it to be unlocked, they may ask for a fee to do so.