regarding a phone bought from Visible

[NickPaul]

Hello,

I bought a phone through Visible in the middle of November, and was on a phone plan for thirty days before ultimately deciding to cancel it. I understand that phones bought through Visible should unlock at 60 days from purchase provided that the phone was purchased legitimately; however, I made the mistake of attempting to set up a sim pin because my understanding was that I needed one to properly set up my voicemail. The phone asked me to enter a PUK code that could be found if I called the carrier, which is impossible given that Visible has no real customer service number. For this reason, as well as the need to have a provider that I could fully access as I have a disability, I switched phone plans.

All that said, I would like to make it possible for my Visible phone to accept another sim card. I understand that they automatically unlock after 60 days, but my concern is that the business with the PUK code has somehow led Visible to believe that the phone was not purchased legitimately or was somehow stolen, which is not the case. Furthermore, I don't know if I even have an account with Visible anymore, as my plan is canceled and I do not intend on buying another one at this point. Is there anything I need to do (i.e. somehow hunt down a PUK code) for my phone to accept another sim card from another carrier? Should I delete the current eSim before attempting to put another card in?

Any help on this matter would be appreciated. The phone I bought is an iPhone 14 pro in mint condition and, as such, should be used.

[Anonymous]

It is my understanding from what I have read the phone needs to be in service with Visible for 60 days, not 60 days from date of purchase. If you canceled Visible service after 30 days the phone will likely stay locked. You could see if customer service would unlock it but I doubt it.

You have 3 options to get a hold of customer service, chat, Twitter Messaging or Facebook messenger. The icons for the latter two can be found in the bottom righthand corner of this page. Chat will be at visible.com and click the little blue box in the bottom right corner of the page.

[NickPaul]

Ah, so there is a link to access them on Facebook? I use a screenreader and many of the links on this web site to get in contact with customer "care" are not labeled so that a screen reader would use them. Would you be able to give me more information other than "the little blue box"?

That said, I may have misread some subtext in the policy. I was made to understand that the phone would unlock after 60 days from purchase. This is unfortunate, as I currently have a $1100 iPhone 14 pro that is of no use to me, and even if I do get access to a PUK code I would not trust it to work correctly for another Visible user, given my less-than-ideal experience with them.

[Anonymous]

Visible Device Unlocking Policy

Why does Visible have an unlocking policy?

Visible wants to make sure that devices are available for members who want to activate and use Visible service, and keep devices out of the hands of people who want to obtain devices without paying for them or otherwise drive fraudulent activity. To minimize fraud, newly purchased devices will be "locked" to work exclusively on the Visible network for a limited period of time.

What is unlocking?

"Unlocking" a device refers only to disabling the software that prevents a member from attempting to activate a device designed for Visible’s network on another carrier's network. Once that software is disabled, you can try to activate your device with another carrier. Take note, however, that not all Visible devices will work or have full functionality with other carriers since each carrier uses different technologies on their networks.

What is Visible’s unlocking policy?

Smartphones that you purchase from Visible will be locked for 60 days after activation. After 60 days, we will automatically remove the lock unless we have determined or suspect that the device was lost, stolen, or purchased fraudulently.

Once the 60 day period following device activation expires, your phone will be unlocked.

How do I know if my device is locked?

Upon inserting a non-Visible SIM, an error message like "SIM Not Supported" will appear on the screen of locked devices. Each device manufacturer uses a different message, so you can check with a manufacturer to determine the exact language they use.

Does Visible have an unlocking Policy for deployed military personnel?

Yes we do! If you are a Visible customer in the military and receive relocation orders outside of Visible’s coverage area, we will unlock your device and suspend your service at your request, even during the 60-day-lock period following the activation of your device. Just contact Visible Care and we can walk through the process of reviewing and validating your request.