At&t new unlock policy?

Massie

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All the news reports about the new AT&t unlocking policy mention upgrading as a way to become eligible for an unlock...but does that just mean your OLD phone is eligible, or can you unlock the phone you get with the upgrade?
 

ghostface147

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No one will no until it goes live in a few hours from when I type this, but I believe it only applies to phones not under any current contract.

How does this work if you bought an iPhone via Craigslist or eBay? Who knows. I assume it's eligible.
 

itsalexaye

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I also heard about it!! If AT&T does in fact start doing this, it's a good move for their customers. I'm on Verizon so it doesn't matter for me.


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Timhewitt

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All the news reports about the new AT&t unlocking policy mention upgrading as a way to become eligible for an unlock...but does that just mean your OLD phone is eligible, or can you unlock the phone you get with the upgrade?

Any phone that is still on a subsidized contract will stay locked

When you upgrade, only your old phone will be eligible.
 

Massie

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Any phone that is still on a subsidized contract will stay locked

When you upgrade, only your old phone will be eligible.

That's what I figured...guess I'll have to wait a couple of months to get my iP4 unlocked. Hope AT&T doesn't change their position on this during that time!
 

swsmpbaby985

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Any phone that is still on a subsidized contract will stay locked

When you upgrade, only your old phone will be eligible.

Damn! And I just bought a 4S over the weekend, was hoping the new phone was eligible.

Sidenote I wonder what made AT&T have a sudden change of mind?
 

Just_Me_D

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Once Tim Cook ordered the unlocking of that person's device, that act rendered their policy of not unlocking devices for any reason whatsoever moot, in my opinion.


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Timhewitt

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Once Tim Cook ordered the unlocking of that person's device, that act rendered their policy of not unlocking devices for any reason whatsoever moot, in my opinion.


Just Me, D
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I suspect you are correct, and their desire to avoid legal action over future unlock requests was likely at the forefront of this decision.
 

Eileen89

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My iPhone 4 is now unlocked and running on T-Mobile, which is nice because I won't have to switch my AT&T sim in and out of my factory unlocked iPhone 4S anymore. :)



***Note to jailbreakers*** Unlocking requires you to restore in iTunes which will unjailbreak your iPhone. If you have an iPhone 4S and want to remain jailbroken, wait till a jailbreak is available for 5.1 before going ahead with the unlock process.


The unlock process is really easy, and AT&T was really good about putting the unlock request through for me. Anyone reading this, if you have a iPhone that you would like unlocked simply call AT&T customer care and choose the option for technical support. They will ask for your iPhones IMEI number Settings, General, About) and mobile number that the phone was linked to. After that the rep will check your eligibility status ( out of contact with account in good standing, or paid full retail for your iPhone). There is a few minutes of waiting while the rep puts the request through, then you'll receive a email shortly afterwards that looks like this:

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I was told the unlock request could take several hours but it didn't. I did a back up and restore in iTunes the minute I got off of the phone and as soon as that was completed I tested it with my T-Mobile sim and it worked!!



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Just_Me_D

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AT&T unlocked my iPhone 4S today after the 5-7 business day wait. No ETF.

That is a smart move by AT&T. Think about it. Heck, I'd unlock my customers' phones if they requested and I'd do it for free. If they are still under contract, more than likely they are not going to change providers and if they opted to switch before the expiration of their contract then they will have to pay an ETF. Even if they went ahead an inserted a competitor's sim card and used it exclusively they are still being charged by AT&T until they terminate their service. It's a win-win for the customer and AT&T, in my opinion.


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Eileen89

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i just unlocked my iphone 4 with at&t and it work for me and like 7 days the iphone got locked againg what can i do or what happend??

Something wasn't right the first time you unlocked it through iTunes because once you unlock your iPhone through AT&T and using the iTunes method the iPhone stays unlocked. My iPhone 4 is still unlocked after having it unlocked a few months ago.


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Eileen89

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AT&T came through for me again. This time they unlocked my AT&T White 4S. Only took 15 minutes from the time I hung up with Customer service till I connected and restored my 4S in iTunes to get the unlocked message. Now I can use my T-Mobile PP sim once in a while too. :)

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