Unlocking iPhone 7

[RR99]

I just switched from O2 to EE. My contract with O2 was deactivates within 3 days. I put in the EE SIM card and it didn't work since the phone is locked. No-one told me that the iPhone needs to be unlocked. Called O2 Customer Service who explained that I have to wait up to 72 hours to receive notice that the iPhone is unblocked. It's 60 hours already without SIM card. I am worried I will wait 72 hours only to find that nothing has happened. Reading similar posts makes me quite angry already. Why in 2018 does somehting so simple take 3 days (at least) causing unnecesary pain for customers? What is the reason for O2 to do this? I have fully paid the phone so it is my property, how come O2 can still control it and why didn't they tell me when I ended the contract and paid for the phone? Very disappointing.

Is there any way to unlock the phone now?

[jonsie · Accepted solution]

iPhones normally are normally unlocked within hours not days as it's done on the Apple servers. Something is badly wrong with unlocking all phones at the moment on O2 and suspicions are that phones are now being sold unlocked. O2 have probably got a mountain of phones to unlock, both stock and suppliers. I believe @Marjo and @EmilieT are waiting for news updates from O2.

[MI5]

How it should work here https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/How-to-Guides/Unlocking-an-O2-phone-to-use-a-different-SIM-card/ba-p/1... but as jonsie says, we've had many such posts in the last week so it's something that O2 have, yet again, screwed up!

[RR99]

Basically, you need to get help from Emilie, who knows some ot the O2 gurus. The gurus have access to the unlocking tool. Once you have a guru on the phone the problem is solved within seconds ... Many thanks to Emilie and the guru. 

Best 

Roland