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Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone

arstechnica.com

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Re: Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone

#31

Post by 3JPLW »

mayneack wrote: post #2

From the AT&T page: > All the device’s service commitments and installment plans are completed, and all early termination fees are paid in full. I assume that means that if you got a "free" phone with a two year contract, you have to wait two years to unlock it. https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/#/

No, the cost of the discounted phone is incorporated into the ETF. I left ATT for T-Mobile after paying an ETF to unlock my phone. The trouble was that it left me without a phone for ~2 weeks: You cannot pay your ETF until your account is cancelled and your final bill posts. I cancelled the account just before the final bill was generated, but still had to wait a few days for the bill to post, another few days for my payment to process, and another few days for my phone unlock request to go through. They drug their feet through every step of the process.

Re: Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone

#32

Post by [deleted] »

jacob019 wrote: post #30
digitalmaster wrote: post #23

Personally I don't think they should be locked to begin with. We've already signed an agreement in which i've agreed to terms which include making payments until the cost of the device is paid. Given that contract there should be no reason why I can't use the device as I please so long as I haven't violated those terms. People who travel with a locked phone know how useless it is. No one is stupid enough to want pay…

No one is forcing you to buy a locked phone. It's easy enough to buy unlocked phones and sign up with any of the carriers without a contract. You get a lower monthly rate too and often pay less in the long run. People have been voting for the carrier locks with their dollars by mortgaging their phones through carrier subsidies. We can all agree that carrier locks are stupid, but I don't see why the government needs t…

[deleted]

Re: Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone

#33

Post by mgkimsal »

dorfsmay wrote: post #26
digitalmaster wrote: post #23

Personally I don't think they should be locked to begin with. We've already signed an agreement in which i've agreed to terms which include making payments until the cost of the device is paid. Given that contract there should be no reason why I can't use the device as I please so long as I haven't violated those terms. People who travel with a locked phone know how useless it is. No one is stupid enough to want pay…

I know my point of view is really unpopular, but in my opinion if you value your freedom and privacy you should buy a phone. Just get one that is cheaper or a used one if you can't afford the latest greatest. Would you take a subsidise laptop with a bunch of restrictions from your ISP?

I bought a used one, but I think it's still locked, and I'm not using a major carrier, so they're not going to 'unlock' me now (was an AT&T iPhone 5s, now using net10). Maybe it's 'unlocked' enough to use net10, but I think it's not truly 'unlocked', and may never be.

Re: Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone

#34

Post by mullen »

31reasons wrote: post #25
fpgaminer wrote: post #21

Can we please just get rid of carrier locking altogether? It is clearly anti-consumer and dangerous in the oligopoly ruled wireless market. So just outlaw the practice and be done with it.

Exactly, its a horrible policy. I can't believe it even exists. Imagine if Gas companies lock you into using only certain brands of cars. OR If your computer comes locked with Comcast internet access only!

Makes perfect sense. What if the gas company knocked 3/4th off the cost of the car but you could only buy their gas at an inflated rate? Same thing. After buying an unlocked phone at full price and using a pre-paid plan, I am never going back to the "buy the phone from the wireless carrier" plan. I am saving a ton of money, can easily use it internationally and I can easily resell the phone when I upgrade.

Re: Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone

#36

Post by ptaipale »

laxatives wrote: post #28
dorfsmay wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know my point of view is really unpopular, but in my opinion if you value your freedom and privacy you should buy a phone. Just get one that is cheaper or a used one if you can't afford the latest greatest. Would you take a subsidise laptop with a bunch of restrictions from your ISP?

Of course it is unpopular. You're treating freedom and privacy as a commodity. If I cared and spent enough money, could I also restrict other people's freedom or privacy? Neither should be a function of ability to pay. That being said, that is more or less how it is now -- you pay in cash/time/effort.

I think he was saying precisely that: when you take a locked-in phone with a fixed deal, you're treating freedom and privacy as a commodity.

Re: Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone

#37

Post by rdw »

jacob019 wrote: post #30
digitalmaster wrote: post #23

Personally I don't think they should be locked to begin with. We've already signed an agreement in which i've agreed to terms which include making payments until the cost of the device is paid. Given that contract there should be no reason why I can't use the device as I please so long as I haven't violated those terms. People who travel with a locked phone know how useless it is. No one is stupid enough to want pay…

No one is forcing you to buy a locked phone. It's easy enough to buy unlocked phones and sign up with any of the carriers without a contract. You get a lower monthly rate too and often pay less in the long run. People have been voting for the carrier locks with their dollars by mortgaging their phones through carrier subsidies. We can all agree that carrier locks are stupid, but I don't see why the government needs t…

It has not been that easy, in my experience.

Apple did not sell an unlocked iPhone 6 until last month, and I think they may have done the same locked-only-for-a-few-months thing with the 5s. I don't recall seeing earlier iPhones for sale unlocked at all, you had to do something illegal to them up till surprisingly recently -- maybe the 4, not sure?

I think the legislation is responsible for the easier access these days; I've wanted to buy unlocked phones since 2005, but haven't really been able to until this year.

Re: Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone

#38

Post by raverbashing »

fpgaminer wrote: post #21

Can we please just get rid of carrier locking altogether? It is clearly anti-consumer and dangerous in the oligopoly ruled wireless market. So just outlaw the practice and be done with it.

Or, you know, just buy an unlocked phone.

Not too hard. Of course, if you want the latest bells and whistles you'll have to pay, but it's not hard to get a phone for cheap.

Re: Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone

#39

Post by dazne »

I think these phones should be unlocked the day you sign up for a contract. What's the point in keeping them unlocked? You can't violate your contract. I can think of one downside for them carriers: they won't be able to charge you extra when you travel abroad, but then you have to ask if that's really in the best interest of the customers? Perhaps not.

Re: Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone

#40

Post by NoPiece »

dazne wrote: post #39

I think these phones should be unlocked the day you sign up for a contract. What's the point in keeping them unlocked? You can't violate your contract. I can think of one downside for them carriers: they won't be able to charge you extra when you travel abroad, but then you have to ask if that's really in the best interest of the customers? Perhaps not.

You definitely can violate your contract. Just stop paying your bill. Or declare bankruptcy. The carrier will try to collect, but even if they do they'll end up with a fraction of the value.
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