Who should I trust here - sickw or Tracfone?

[sillyette]

So this is what sickw tells me about an iPhone XR that I used rewards points to buy recently. It's a birthday present for someone who categorically doesn't use refurbished phones, so I bought a brand new XR.

But sickw says that the phone is already out of warranty.

How is that possible? The phone came shrink-wrapped, with the usual TF sim stuck outside. Does TF shrink-wrap opened/returned phones and sell them as new phones?

I don't know whom to distrust / trust - TF or sickw?
Thanks for any help or info anyone can share about this!

[static25]

A data point to compare...

I have 2 brand new Tracfone iPhone XR in unopened boxes. To get them unlocked I tried activating them by transferring lines from older phones, but still unopened. After a few days I checked Sickw option "FREE - APPLE ACTIVATION STATUS" and they both still show:

Valid Purchase Date: No
Activation Status: Not Activated
Registration Status: Not Registered
Warranty Status: Out Of Warranty

And for what looks like the option you posted from "FREE - IPHONE CARRIER SIMPLE", my 2 iPhones look similar with Estimated Purchase Dates of September 29, 2021 and the other October 22, 2021. But I just bought them both in October 2022 using rewards point coupons, shrink wrapped just like yours.

If I open them and power-on to connect with Tracfone, then maybe the system information will update ?

I forget who mentioned it, but I remember reading these forums about someone who activated and unlocked iPhones without opening this way.

Quick edit: Forgot to mention... Since these phone lines were transfers from older phone devices with Tracfone login accounts already setup, I logged in and verified they do show as active lines. And on My Account, under the Devices - Transactions page it does show an Activation activity.

[NanaC]

I'm new to iPhone, just been using mine for a few months. Could it be the warranty doesn't start until the phone is activated and thats the reason its showing Out Of Warranty?

When I got my refurbished iPhone XR it still had some warranty left on it.

[hpham]

Could it be the warranty doesn't start until the phone is activated and thats the reason its showing Out Of Warranty?

That makes sense.

[IsLand_BoY]

Apple usually starts the warranty from the day you activate, so.. I don’t think a third party can have an accurate picture if the warranty especially if it hasn’t been activated. I wouldn’t worry about it. Apple can fix it anyway as long as you have a receipt.

I bought a new XR from TracFone about a year ago and had no issues with the warranty showing up correctly. Old stock I’m sure, but no problems.


Sent from my iPhone using HoFo

[jet1000]

So this is what sickw tells me about an iPhone XR that I used rewards points to buy recently. It's a birthday present for someone who categorically doesn't use refurbished phones, so I bought a brand new XR.

But sickw says that the phone is already out of warranty.

How is that possible? The phone came shrink-wrapped, with the usual TF sim stuck outside. Does TF shrink-wrap opened/returned phones and sell them as new phones?

A few things here. One it does say Estimated Purchase Date in your screenshot. Two, the XR was sold from Sept 2018 and discontinued being sold by Apple in Sept 2021. (Which happens to be the date that is being used for the estimate.) So perhaps that's why that is the estimated purchase date.

Three, here's the official Apple site to check warranty:

https://checkcoverage.apple.com/

It would be interesting to find what you see there.

Also you may check the status on sickw again except using the FREE - APPLE ACTIVATION STATUS option as static25 mentioned to see what the activation related info is.

[sillyette]

T

Thank you to everyone for the responses!

Three, here's the official Apple site to check warranty:
https://checkcoverage.apple.com/
It would be interesting to find what you see there.

Thanks for the Apple site. It shows Not Activated, and Out of Warranty.

Also you may check the status on sickw again except using the FREE - APPLE ACTIVATION STATUS option as static25 mentioned to see what the activation related info is.

The sickw checker says Not Activated, Not Registered, Not Replaced, Not AppleCare Eligible, No valid purchase date, Out of Warranty.

So I'm still kinda

[sillyette]

I forget who mentioned it, but I remember reading these forums about someone who activated and unlocked iPhones without opening this way.

Yes, I remember reading about this too. I wonder how you'd confirm unlocking - without opening the packaging, though.
How will sickw or Apple know that the phone is unlocked if you don't actually "activate" it on Tracfone by opening the package? I think "activation" needs the phone to be on wi-fi, and needs to connect to Apple's servers.

[jet1000]

Thanks for the Apple site. It shows Not Activated, and Out of Warranty.

The sickw checker says Not Activated, Not Registered, Not Replaced, Not AppleCare Eligible, No valid purchase date, Out of Warranty.

Well it looks like it's not a refurbished device so that takes care of that concern.

In regards to it being out of warranty, it looks like Apple starts the warranty when the device is sold--either by them or an authorized retailer. Apple, however, does have a way to correct misinformation:

"If the estimated expiration date of your Telephone Technical Support, Limited Warranty, or AppleCare agreement for your serial number is incorrect, please contact us. You will need to send the original sales receipt of your product to Apple so that we can update your purchase date. A sales receipt with the receipt number, product description, original date of purchase, price, and reseller details constitutes a valid proof of purchase."

And then it provides a link to send your proof of purchase which in this case would be what Tracfone gave you.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202696

That way the one year warranty would start from that date.

[hpham]

How will sickw or Apple know that the phone is unlocked if you don't actually "activate" it on Tracfone by opening the package? I think "activation" needs the phone to be on wi-fi, and needs to connect to Apple's servers.

I've activated a bunch of TF-sold iPhones on TF without using WiFi. You only need to connect to Apple's server if you want to put an iPhone into your Apple account.

[sillyette]

I've activated a bunch of TF-sold iPhones on TF without using WiFi. You only need to connect to Apple's server if you want to put an iPhone into your Apple account.

Thanks, that makes sense.
As you can tell, I don't know much about iPhones!
Androids all the way for me!

[IsLand_BoY]

Yes, I remember reading about this too. I wonder how you'd confirm unlocking - without opening the packaging, though.
How will sickw or Apple know that the phone is unlocked if you don't actually "activate" it on Tracfone by opening the package? I think "activation" needs the phone to be on wi-fi, and needs to connect to Apple's servers.

You can buy a GSX report on eBay (usually $1) and it'll tell you what the initial, current, and next activation policy is. That will tell you if it'll be unlocked the next time the phone connects to Apple's servers. So, it won't be unlocked without opening it but when you turn it on and it attempts to activate, it'll download the most current activation policy assigned and be unlocked at that point, if you've already requested the unlock.