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Google Fi bricked my iPhone 11 Pro Max (2020)

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Re: Google Fi bricked my iPhone 11 Pro Max (2020)

#61
This is due to buying the phone from Best Buy. Best Buy's new Apple phones (even if claimed to be "unlocked") are configured to automatically carrier lock to the first SIM inserted. Fi's primary network is T-Mobile, so they lock to T-Mobile.

See the many complaints in these search results: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=best+buy+lock+to+first+SIM&...

Re: Google Fi bricked my iPhone 11 Pro Max (2020)

#62
post #5

> I learned that Google Fi exclusively uses the T-Mobile network for iPhone customers, and activating a Google Fi SIM with an iPhone causes T-Mobile to lock the phone to the T-Mobile network (which is illegal, since the user hasn’t entered into any service agreement with T-Mobile). Wow, carriers can just remotely lock an unlocked phone? How does this even work? Is this some kind of command that the SIM card sends the…

An unlocked mobile device cannot be locked to a carrier because the SIM lock mechanism is disabled, which basically tells me he got a phone that he thought was unlocked but was actually locked to T-Mobile.

Re: Google Fi bricked my iPhone 11 Pro Max (2020)

#63
post #5

> I learned that Google Fi exclusively uses the T-Mobile network for iPhone customers, and activating a Google Fi SIM with an iPhone causes T-Mobile to lock the phone to the T-Mobile network (which is illegal, since the user hasn’t entered into any service agreement with T-Mobile). Wow, carriers can just remotely lock an unlocked phone? How does this even work? Is this some kind of command that the SIM card sends the…

The phone wasn't remotely locked; Best Buy's entire new iPhone stock uses "flex activation" which will automatically lock the phone to the first SIM card that's inserted. Fi's primary network is T-Mobile, so for a Fi SIM, this means T-Mobile.

The blame here lies on Best Buy (for not making it clear that this occurs) and Apple (for designing and supporting "flex activation" -- which will still carrier-lock the phone even if a MVNO SIM, such as a Fi SIM, is inserted).

Re: Google Fi bricked my iPhone 11 Pro Max (2020)

#64

> causes T-Mobile to lock the phone to the T-Mobile network (which is illegal, since the user hasn’t entered into any service agreement with T-Mobile I'd check the fine-print on your Google contract. It's probably spelled out in there. Say what you will about Google, their legal team usually covers all the bases.

Neither Google nor T-Mobile locked the phone.

_Apple_ programmed it to lock _itself_ to the first carrier with which it was used.

Re: Google Fi bricked my iPhone 11 Pro Max (2020)

#65
post #38

No carrier should be able to brick a phone without it being locked to the network. I did some research online, and it seems that the culprit here is actually Best Buy (and Apple) for selling phones as unlocked although they actually aren't: Apple sells iPhones to third parties under a 'US Reseller Flex Policy' [1], which means that they are automatically locked to the first carrier they are activated on. Nothing on t…

If this was the case, then it is actually Apple to blame. Hard to believe there was such incessive practices. Under such scheme, the operator the device was locked(you will never know which as myself have multiple services and sometimes switch SIMs between devices, I assume I'm not alone) to might completely have no idea what was happening and I don't see a way that they can help the user easily.

Re: Google Fi bricked my iPhone 11 Pro Max (2020)

#66
post #63
post #5

> I learned that Google Fi exclusively uses the T-Mobile network for iPhone customers, and activating a Google Fi SIM with an iPhone causes T-Mobile to lock the phone to the T-Mobile network (which is illegal, since the user hasn’t entered into any service agreement with T-Mobile). Wow, carriers can just remotely lock an unlocked phone? How does this even work? Is this some kind of command that the SIM card sends the…

The phone wasn't remotely locked; Best Buy's entire new iPhone stock uses "flex activation" which will automatically lock the phone to the first SIM card that's inserted. Fi's primary network is T-Mobile, so for a Fi SIM, this means T-Mobile. The blame here lies on Best Buy (for not making it clear that this occurs) and Apple (for designing and supporting "flex activation" -- which will still carrier-lock the phone e…

Agree. Such practice was dumb and incessive. If it was made clear, why would someone buy it in the first place?

Re: Google Fi bricked my iPhone 11 Pro Max (2020)

#68
post #63
post #5

> I learned that Google Fi exclusively uses the T-Mobile network for iPhone customers, and activating a Google Fi SIM with an iPhone causes T-Mobile to lock the phone to the T-Mobile network (which is illegal, since the user hasn’t entered into any service agreement with T-Mobile). Wow, carriers can just remotely lock an unlocked phone? How does this even work? Is this some kind of command that the SIM card sends the…

The phone wasn't remotely locked; Best Buy's entire new iPhone stock uses "flex activation" which will automatically lock the phone to the first SIM card that's inserted. Fi's primary network is T-Mobile, so for a Fi SIM, this means T-Mobile. The blame here lies on Best Buy (for not making it clear that this occurs) and Apple (for designing and supporting "flex activation" -- which will still carrier-lock the phone e…

Ah I see, thanks for the explanation.

Re: Google Fi bricked my iPhone 11 Pro Max (2020)

#69

> causes T-Mobile to lock the phone to the T-Mobile network (which is illegal, since the user hasn’t entered into any service agreement with T-Mobile I'd check the fine-print on your Google contract. It's probably spelled out in there. Say what you will about Google, their legal team usually covers all the bases.

Neither Google nor T-Mobile locked the phone. _Apple_ programmed it to lock _itself_ to the first carrier with which it was used.

This is 100% the correct answer! The user can also log into his Apple account and unlock the phone. The reason T-Mobile customer service won't do it is because without a service plan they can't verify ownership.

Re: Google Fi bricked my iPhone 11 Pro Max (2020)

#70
post #7

Google Fi (originally Project Fi) was amazing when it first came out, but at some point they switched to contracted support with no ability to resolve issues (it's not even the support people's fault, as they literally don't have the power to do anything). For awhile Google people used to hang out in the Google Fi subreddit but they seem to have mostly moved on to other projects or companies. Besides locking phones l…

Google lost it's way as a company long ago. They used to be the ones defining what it meant to be in a progressive workplace, eschewing the corporate workplace. Now they are that corporate workplace, getting passed up by all the startups. All their products are half-baked, where it's painfully obvious no thought was put in to making a product that was intended to last.

I met some amazing Google engineers - network and SRE peope - early in my career and idolised them for a long time. Recently I got to work with Google on the commercial side and I was shocked by the incompetence, apathy and fear. No idea what’s going on in engineering but rarely have I worked with commercial folks who were so under-qualified and disempowered.
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