Customers are unable to activate US iPhone 14 on Brazilian carriers – APK Games

Many people buy the iPhone abroad to pay cheaper and receive the device without having to wait for the launch in Brazil. For some people, though, this seems to be becoming a headache. owners of iPhones 14 bought in USA say they are having difficulties activating their devices around here, and some even say that the IMEI was blocked.

The reports were first noticed by the iPhone Blog, on Monday (19). The publication noted reports of iPhone 14 buyers in the US who, upon arriving in Brazil, were no longer able to use the devices or activate them on carriers. The issue appears to be restricted, or at the very least more common, on the iPhone 14 Pro.

To journalist Filipe Espósito, from the website 9to5MacApple says it is investigating the problem.

Anatel denies blocking IMEI

One of the information is that, when consulting the IMEI of the iPhone 14 purchased in the USA in the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) system, the phone appears as blocked.

O technoblog looked for Anatel. The agency stated that the blocking information appeared on the website due to an error. The entity also said that ABRT, the portal’s manager, is already aware of the situation and has corrected the problem.

In another answer, Anatel says that it does not directly block the devices, despite the project Legal Cell Phone.

Vivo and TIM customers report problems

Responses to the iPhone Blog on Twitter also show that the biggest difficulty seems to be related to Vivo. Some were able to activate eSIM, while others were not.

In the other operators, at least one TIM customer said he was unable to activate the virtual chip in the store.

Internal sources of the companies say that the problem would be related to the validation of EID, demanding an update of the systems used by the operators.

Lucas Braga, specialist telecom reporter for the technoblog, explains that the EID is a kind of “eSIM serial number”. Vivo uses this data in its system to activate the virtual chips. Claro and TIM sell cards with QR Codes, without needing data from the devices.

O technoblog contacted Vivo and will update this text as soon as there is a response.

US iPhone 14 has no SIM tray

One of the novelties of the iPhone 14 is that the model sold in the USA abandoned the physical chip — it only accepts eSIM virtual chips. This change only applies to the North American country. In other countries, the nanoSIM tray still exists.

Support for virtual chips is nothing new — it’s been around since 2018’s iPhones XR and Xs. This is the first time, however, the physical chip is completely dropped. This frees up more space for internal components and helps protect against liquids.

On the other hand, using an eSIM in Brazil can be inconvenient. Of course, TIM and Vivo use non-reusable virtual chips — that is, it is not possible to transfer them from one device to another, requiring a new one from the operator.

With information: iPhone Blog.