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AT&T Will Unlock Off-Contract iPhones Starting Sunday, April 8

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,455
30,660



AT&T has announced it will begin unlocking customers' iPhones once their 2-year contracts have expired. The move will free up the currently-locked devices to use a micro-SIM from any carrier offering a network compatible with the device.

attlogo375wide.jpg



AT&T issued this statement to MacRumors:
Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer's account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.
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Last month, 9to5Mac reported that AT&T had agreed to unlock a user's off-contract iPhone 3GS under a "special one-time exception" after the user sent an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook about the issue. AT&T had previously refused to unlock the device, which the customer wanted to continue to use after moving to Canada, but relented after being contacted via Cook's office.

There have been many different hacks to unlock iPhones over the years, but this policy change will make it extremely easy for AT&T customers to legitimately and permanently unlock their iPhones for use on any network.

Article Link: AT&T Will Unlock Off-Contract iPhones Starting Sunday, April 8
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/04/06/att-will-unlock-off-contract-iphones-starting-sunday-april-8/
DJsteveSD

DJsteveSD

macrumors regular
Mar 4, 2011
175
19
Dallas, TX
oh Happy day!

and I was gonna take my old 3gs to a local business today that unlocks iphones! I can wait 2 more days!!:):apple:
 
S

SDub90

macrumors 6502a
Nov 9, 2009
685
3
Long Island
brendu said:
AT&T you just kept my business for doing the right thing.
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I've been hassling them every week for the past 6 weeks trying to get them to unlock my iPhone for my trip this summer. I was willing to leave my unlimited data plan to switch to verizon, but now I'll be sticking with them for a while.

I just hope they're flexible with the contract date - my trip starts in the end of june, but my contract doesn't end until mid July. Worst case, I bring my iPhone 3G with me instead of iPhone 4.
 
A

appletowns

macrumors newbie
Oct 11, 2007
14
0
This is great news, but now I'm wondering if there is anyway to get my 3GS back to normal since it has the ipad baseband on it...

Any gurus have insight about that? :/
 
K

kolax

macrumors G3
Mar 20, 2007
9,181
115
I always thought it was a legal requirement for them to unlock it once you had completed your agreed contract. Or is that just in Europe?

EDIT: Surprised it wasn't a legal requirement, since you've seen your agreed contract and you now own the device. Why isn't it a legal requirement in the US?
 
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3

3282868

macrumors 603
Jan 8, 2009
5,281
0
Great! So for an iPhone 3GS device that I have laying around not on contract can be unlocked? No more jailbreaking and unlocking?
 
B

britboyj

macrumors 6502a
Apr 8, 2009
814
1,086
Going to need some details on this before I jump into it.

My contract expires on June 24th of this year. I have an iPhone 4S that my Mum bought on her upgrade and gave to me, I gave her my iPhone 4. Did all the AT&T jazz where they updated everything etc.

So here's the question - Is it my CONTRACT that determines whether I can unlock a phone or is it the purchase date of the phone bought on-contract, even though it wasn't mine?

Hope says option A, since AT&T still have my Mum in on a contract and therefore still making up the subsidy they paid to Apple.

Pessimism says option B, since it's still AT&T.
 
V

viperGTS

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2010
1,560
941
Never thought I'd see the day.
EDIT= too bad i'm a tmobile customer so i cant just walk into an AT&T store and have my 3GS unlocked :( it'd be nice to finally be able to update iOS without going through a custom FW. Or even a jailbreak
 
balamw

balamw

Moderator emeritus
Aug 16, 2005
19,366
979
New England
Well now at least I should be able to get them to unlock my 3G and my wife's 3GS. Will have to wait until June for them to unlock my 4. :p

B
 
Mr Fusion

Mr Fusion

macrumors 6502a
May 7, 2007
841
1,061
brendu said:
AT&T you just kept my business for doing the right thing.
Click to expand...
While I applaud them for doing this, they'll still be losing my business with the next iPhone for the throttling of my unlimited data plan. :cool:
 
D

d0vr

macrumors 6502a
Feb 24, 2011
603
1
About f***in time!!

Maybe my gf's iPhone will be able to work in Australia without a gevey at some point in the future after all!
 
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