Only unsafe when you didn't pay your bill for more than x number of months as Telco can perform Phone Locking as their last resort.

You can check with the counter on this.

Other than that you are the one who owns the phone but you need to be in full tenure for the contract period as per signed if not there will be additional penalty charges.

And also if you are planning to resell the phone after that, you are pretty much in dead end as most buyer will avoid telco set especially those that is under 2 years unless you can share proof that you had purchased fully or proof that the phone is already out of contract.

During contract, depend on the phone, they have the authority to control the phone. I remember green telco sets got some stuff cannot access but forget which one but it is in Android though
After contract ends, you own the phone
If they perform locking, you can actually blast them for unauthorized lock

Its actually an app called device guard. Cant uninstall or delete it.

#Ban_Contract_Plans

From a personal experience, I got an iphone with maxis 360 under a supp line of a family member plan, but they did not pay the bill and my line got cut out, and maxis locked the phone, so any local sim card won't work on the phone.
- but sim card from other country worked, i guess there is some sort of system between telcos in malaysia to block a phone

Just change the IMEI number....

The only difference is in ownership.

Same like hire purchase to buy vehicles lah.
Until you paid off, the vehicle belongs to the financing company. You don't pay, they come tarik.

For telco set, the financing company is the telco.
they retain the right to bar usage if you did are a bad paymaster. And since Malaysia have a industry-wide ISP blacklist, you will not be able to get telco and internet services from any provider again until you clean up.

i'm not sure if CTOS also note if you are blacklisted in the industry database.

There is no rights for any third party to access your phone data especially when we talk about iPhone which the data is strictly locked to the owner.

The only way for third party to access your personal data is either the owner shared the password to another person such as Family Member or by sharing your icloud detail to third party.

BrightDays Thats it's why better buy non telco set

anyway, TS was asking for iPhone hire purchase with telco.

i don't think the so-called Maxis Device Guard is anything he needs to be worried of if he really goes for iPhone and Zerolution.

Thats why i say it may not but an app but some settings stuff is restricted/locked

I hope so then, thank you @azhar97

I have been Digi iPhone contract (not PhoneFreedom 365) since iPhone 6s and just got the iPhone 13 last month, Digi never install any software on your iPhone, Apple has very strict security policy, basically Telco will not be able to install software on iPhone unless Apple approves it (which I really doubt Apple will allow Digi to do so)

Digi can lock your phone by locking IMEI if you don't pay your bill during contract time, this is what Digi can do, but it cannot read your phone data at all.

I have been Digi iPhone contract (not PhoneFreedom 365) since iPhone 6s and just got the iPhone 13 last month, Digi never install any software on your iPhone, Apple has very strict security policy, basically Telco will not be able to install software on iPhone unless Apple approves it (which I really doubt Apple will allow Digi to do so)

Digi can lock your phone by locking IMEI if you don't pay your bill during contract time, this is what Digi can do, but it cannot read your phone data at all.

noted, thanks

Digi give fully sealed box, warranty inactivated phone.