# Yay or nay on a free IPhone ?



## IKE (Feb 28, 2019)

Mama and I have ten or twelve year old flip phones (we're currently with Consumer Cellular) and I very rarely even carry mine but mama has hinted a time or two that she'd like some sort of smart phone to play with.....she doesn't have a email address (nor want one), she doesn't get on the computer (nor want to) and she won't be texting....I'm thinking she just wants a cell phone that looks a little more modern and that has something on it to monkey around with.

A buddy sent me a note saying that he upgraded his wife's phone and if I wanted her current and in perfect working order IPhone 6S that he'd give it to me for nothing......he said if I didn't want it he was going to erase it, pulverize it with a hammer and then set it on fire. 

I know squat from sic'em about this kinda stuff but I assume that everything stored on the IPhone now can be erased / deleted and then the phone would have to be re-setup for mama correct ?

What's with the term 'locked' or 'unlocked' ?

Would the sim card in her current flip phone and telephone number work in the IPhone or would we have to go to Target, who sells Consumer Cellular, and get a new card and or account ?

Until I figure out if it's going to more trouble than it's worth I'm staying tight lipped about the free phone offer around mama......shhhhhh. 

Whatcha think, go for it or pass ?


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## Ronni (Feb 28, 2019)

Go for it, maybe.    

He has some things he needs to do/tell you, first.  

If he's going to pass that phone on to you or someone else, he needs to restore the iPhone to its original factory settings.  That will erase all the data on it, and will then present as a new, unused phone. No one else can do that but him.  

Secondly, he needs to tell you if the phone is locked or unlocked.  If it's locked, it will only work with certain carriers.  If that doesn't happen to be YOUR carrier and you're not willing to switch, then the phone is going to be essentially useless to you.  

Armed with that information, you can then go to your carrier and ask if that specific model of phone AND the carrier it's linked to is going to be compatible with your carrier.  If it's not, then you either decline his offer, or decide to switch carriers.  

I don't know what kind of SIM card your current phone uses, and if it will be able to be switched to an iPhone...outside my knowledge base.  If you do have to buy a new SIM card, they're not expensive.  A quick search showed them to list between $5 and $10 on amazon, depending on carrier etc.  

It's not a complicated process, but it does have several steps to it.


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## IKE (Feb 28, 2019)

Thank you for the info Ronni.

I'm 95% certain that Frank isn't with Consumer Cellular and is with Verizon which more than likely means the smart phone locked with Verizon......based on that I think that I'll pass on his offer.

Thanks again.


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## Mike (Feb 28, 2019)

I could be wrong Ike, but as I understand all
smart phones are unlocked, they are over here.

Mike.


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## Happyflowerlady (Feb 28, 2019)

The iPhone 6s should be unlocked for any carrier, and if your chip does not fit, then a proper one can either be ordered online , or your carrier probably has one. 
This phone probably sells for about $200 still; so if you are thinking about a new one, you should DEFINITELY. Grab this offer ! 

I think that it will take a little bit of adapting if you are not used to having a touchscreen, but once you get used to that, this phone is totally AWESOME  !  Even if you don’t use it for anything else beside making phone calls and taking pictures, it is worth having, and once you get used to using apps, there is not much that you can’t do with this phone. 
If your wife wants to play games, there are (probably) zillions that she can download and enjoy (I can’t give you a more exact number because I never play games).
It has Siri voice activation, so if something happened and she needed help, she can make a phone call for help just by telling Siri to call the number. 
Also, if you have any family with an iPhone , messaging is quick and easy, and you can do video calls (called FaceTime) if you want. A lot of people use this feature for grandparents to “visit” with their long distance grandkids. I actually watched my son’s wedding that way, just on the iPad and not a phone, but it is the same premise. 

With the Kindle app, it is great to sit and read when you are stuck waiting (think doctor office), and you can easily do text messaging if you like to do that, much easier than with your old flip phone.

The photo is a clip from Best Buy, showing the current price for this phone. I meant for it to be at the bottom, but it is stuck at the top of the post..... Sorry !


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## Buckeye (Feb 28, 2019)

Mike said:


> I could be wrong Ike, but as I understand all
> smart phones are unlocked, they are over here.
> 
> Mike.



Things are different here in the colonies - they are "locked" to a specific carrier

http://ttps://www.howtogeek.com/173049/how-to-unlock-a-locked-cell-phone-and-why-you-might-want-to/


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## Oldguy (Feb 28, 2019)

If you are tired of listening to your wife, get the phone...

She will be on it all the time (ignoring you, her dogs, life in general)...

mine stated (pre-phone) "I'll never be like DIL, texting and checking her phone every minute"...

Within a month, mine was texting, on instagram, facebook...

it also started costing more $ since she joined a Corgi items spotted list...every couple of days she jumps up, leaves for hours, comes back with more Corgi items to fill the house with...

or worse, comes back with nothing because the stores around us don't have that item yet.

But be aware...you still have to listen...and figure out if she is talking to herself about something she just saw/read or talking to you about something she just saw or read.


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## norman (Feb 28, 2019)

IKE said:


> Mama and I have ten or twelve year old flip phones (we're currently with Consumer Cellular) and I very rarely even carry mine but mama has hinted a time or two that she'd like some sort of smart phone to play with.....she doesn't have a email address (nor want one), she doesn't get on the computer (nor want to) and she won't be texting....I'm thinking she just wants a cell phone that looks a little more modern and that has something on it to monkey around with.
> 
> A buddy sent me a note saying that he upgraded his wife's phone and if I wanted her current and in perfect working order IPhone 6S that he'd give it to me for nothing......he said if I didn't want it he was going to erase it, pulverize it with a hammer and then set it on fire.
> 
> ...


  take it before they change their mind,  :thumbsup1:


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## Keesha (Feb 28, 2019)

Oldguy said:


> If you are tired of listening to your wife, get the phone...
> 
> She will be on it all the time (ignoring you, her dogs, life in general)...
> 
> ...


Haha. That’s cute. 
I think :whome:

The only cell phone I’ve ever had has been on iPhone and I love it. It can do anything except the kitchen dishes. If you can get one I’d get it.


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## Gary O' (Feb 28, 2019)

iPhones ain’t cheap

But

The price of an iPhone is the least expensive thing about ‘em


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## Happyflowerlady (Mar 1, 2019)

Gary O' said:


> iPhones ain’t cheap
> ButThe price of an iPhone is the least expensive thing about ‘em



Why do you say this, Gary ?  
Once you have a phone, the monthly charge is going to be the same for whatever phone you have , providing the phone use stays consistent. 
Most of the apps are free, and ones that cost would probably cost on an Android phone as well. Phone cases seems to run about the same price for all phones that are similar. 
So, please explain your post, Gary, because I have not found anything that qualifies your statement in all of the time I have had an iPhone .


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## IKE (Mar 1, 2019)

Not trying to influence her decision one way or the other I ran the free IPhone idea by mama last night and she said that after rethinking it she likes the compactness of our flip phones and wants to stay with them for now......being together for 43 years I pretty much know who rules the roost and I was fully prepared to go ahead and get it for her if she really wanted it but for the time being we're going to keep our current flip phones.

Immediately after hearing her decision I'll admit to inwardly breaking into my happy dance......


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## Gary O' (Mar 1, 2019)

Happyflowerlady said:


> Why do you say this, Gary ?
> Once you have a phone, the monthly charge is going to be the same for whatever phone you have , providing the phone use stays consistent.
> Most of the apps are free, and ones that cost would probably cost on an Android phone as well. Phone cases seems to run about the same price for all phones that are similar.
> So, please explain your post, Gary, because I have not found anything that qualifies your statement in all of the time I have had an iPhone .



Good catch
I need to retract that statement

I’m hooked up with Verizon and an iPhone out of necessity, since it’s one of the few ways, being off grid and in the sticks, for us to remain connected to the outside world 
We are saddled to a little device called a Jetpack, 







of which picks up the nearest microwave tower hot spot

When we first moved out here, our phone bill was over $300/mo
Figgered we needed to cough it up, since we were doing things, like building cabins and falling trees, that were a bit risky, 
especially for retirees, and 911, and the ability to meet life flight with descriptions of where were vs where they could land, was something we shouldn’t be without.

Since then, the cost has dropped to a more palatable $115/mo

Sorry for the OT explanatory thesis, but, heh, we're definitely the exception


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## CeeCee (Mar 1, 2019)

I have Verizon and my monthly bill is consistent and has been for the last few years.  Rounded off it’s $85 a month.

That includes unlimited text and not sure what else....probably a lot because I’ve never gone over that amount.


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## Happyflowerlady (Mar 1, 2019)

Before my daughter bought me my first iPhone, I didn’t want one either, IKE,  and barely even used the little flip-phone that i did have.  Once I got used to having a touchscreen, and learned to use apps, there was so many great features that it opened up a whole new world for me, phone wise. 
I don’t play games on my phone, and I don’t make any more phone calls than I ever did, but I love that I always have a camera with me, in case I want a picture of something. 
I have every health app known to man on my phone, because I am so health conscious, and i like being able to track everything. 
Now that I also have the Apple Watch, this happens even easier. 
I can check my heart rate, read ebooks, get map directions when I don’t know where I am going (or get lost), see where my family is at, check facebook, and there is even a flashlight should I need one. 

Since the phone is free, you could get it from your friend, and then just use it with WiFi to see how you like having it, and then if you decide you like having the iPhone, you could go ahead and get it connected with your phone service.
 Otherwise, it is basically like having a small iPad or tablet, and can be used for everything else (besides a phone) that you do online.


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