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AT&T will unlock your iPhone for free starting tomorrow

arstechnica.com

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Re: AT&T will unlock your iPhone for free starting tomorrow

#31

Post by joshmlewis »

billpaetzke wrote: post #8
g-garron wrote: post #3

This is going to lower the price of unlocked phones in ebay and the like. (used ones) Good news.

I heard there was a difference between factory unlocked phones and phones unlocked some time later (let's call them store unlocked phones). Such that the factory unlocked would retain the unlock if you wiped/reset the phone (for instance, to sell it to someone else), but the store unlocked phone would need to be re-unlocked (because its factory settings are of being locked). If someone could back me up or refute this…

There's a difference between being unlocked through normal processes and being unlocked with a special sim or jailbrake/unlock.

Re: AT&T will unlock your iPhone for free starting tomorrow

#32

Post by yuhong »

ben1040 wrote: post #30
runjake wrote: post #16

Verizon will "unlock" the SIM unit in their iPhone 4S units if you've been a customer in good standing for 60 days and the iPhone is on an active plan. However, it's not a real unlock -- it just allows you to use any GSM SIM EXCEPT from US carriers. I went back and forth between Apple and Verizon about it back in December, trying to get a true unlock but each blames the other. It seems clear at this point that it's t…

I am on Verizon and will not switch away (grandfathered into unlimited data, and AT&T coverage at my house is the pits). Back in November I wanted to get an iPhone 4S. I was not upgrade eligible, so I'd have to pay full retail price. If you pay full retail for an AT&T iPhone, the phone is automatically fully unlocked (this practice seemed to have quietly began around when the 4S was launched). You're basically buying…

I don't think the Verizon iPhone 4 has support for GSM at all.

Re: AT&T will unlock your iPhone for free starting tomorrow

#33

Post by lawnchair_larry »

runjake wrote: post #17
xnt14 wrote: post #6

Does this apply to iPhones that were bought off contract? (From the Apple Store.)

No. Those are already unlocked and will forever remain unlocked.

Not in the US. iPhones bought for full price from the Apple store in the US were still locked to AT&T.

Re: AT&T will unlock your iPhone for free starting tomorrow

#34

Post by po »

w1ntermute wrote: post #11
po wrote: post #5

I'm going to go and demand they unlock the first generation iPhone I bought the fist day they were released (for the full $600 price) just on principle. Still a bit annoyed that it was locked since it wasn't subsidized at all, although I knew what I was getting in to.

> Still a bit annoyed that it was locked since it wasn't subsidized at all Wasn't the original iPhone (at release) $600 with contract?

kind of... It was 'with contract' in that you had to bring it home and activate it with ATT. There were no other options. As far as I know, Apple wasn't paying any subsidies to ATT at that time. That was part of how they could drop the price a few months later.

I believe it was only after the next model came out that they started paying subsidies to ATT. That was how they got the price to 299 and 199.

Re: AT&T will unlock your iPhone for free starting tomorrow

#36

Post by seppo »

I just called AT&T and they gave me a rundown. The phone must:

1. Have been purchased through AT&T 2. Not be stolen 3. Have its 2 year contract fulfilled 4. BE ACTIVE ON YOUR ACCOUNT

The last one is the kicker and something NO news service has reported on up until now. It has to have its own line on your current bill and 'be active'. I asked 3 times what 'be active' meant, and the best they could explain was that it must have service and 'have been used' (i.e. phone calls made/accepted on it).

I asked if I could add it as a line, and she said yes: $36 activation fee, plus $9.99 per month, and then you have to use it. Then they can unlock it. There's no contract minimum time limit that you have to fulfill to do this (I was told...I was transferred to their activation department which was closed today, so I don't have more details), so as best as I can assume - set it up, use it for a couple of days, make sure your bill is paid, then ask for an unlock, and cancel the line.

There's definitely more than AT&T has told all the news outlets, and you have to call to get the details. Surprise, surprise - AT&T not totally forthcoming? Who knew...

Re: AT&T will unlock your iPhone for free starting tomorrow

#37

Post by fbpcm »

seppo wrote: post #36

I just called AT&T and they gave me a rundown. The phone must: 1. Have been purchased through AT&T 2. Not be stolen 3. Have its 2 year contract fulfilled 4. BE ACTIVE ON YOUR ACCOUNT The last one is the kicker and something NO news service has reported on up until now. It has to have its own line on your current bill and 'be active'. I asked 3 times what 'be active' meant, and the best they could explain was that it…

Can you just put your sim card into it and use it?

Re: AT&T will unlock your iPhone for free starting tomorrow

#38

Post by runjake »

yuhong wrote: post #32
ben1040 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am on Verizon and will not switch away (grandfathered into unlimited data, and AT&T coverage at my house is the pits). Back in November I wanted to get an iPhone 4S. I was not upgrade eligible, so I'd have to pay full retail price. If you pay full retail for an AT&T iPhone, the phone is automatically fully unlocked (this practice seemed to have quietly began around when the 4S was launched). You're basically buying…

I don't think the Verizon iPhone 4 has support for GSM at all.

The 4 doesn't, but we're talking about the 4S, which does.
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