Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Should be an easy question

P

puma1552

Suspended
Original poster
Nov 20, 2008
5,559
1,948
I live in Japan and am on a 3G that is dying, with a spidercracked screen to boot.

I want to come home next year though.

If I sign a contract here with our provider, break it and pay the ETF, and jailbreak my phone to unlock it, can I strut into AT&T when I arrive in the States to live and get just a plan through them with my unlocked/jailbroken phone from Japan?

Some searching says that this is possible, and even better that AT&T won't give me a contract, just month to month.

Can anyone verify this, and can anyone verify that a jailbroken (not officially unlocked through the provider) phone will have no issues with this?
 
In theory, your unlocked iPhone shouldn't have a priblem working on AT&T's network.

However, AT&T's policy is such that if you're activating an iPhone, you're getting into a two year contract. Even if you didn't buy the phone from them.
 
scaredpoet said:
In theory, your unlocked iPhone shouldn't have a priblem working on AT&T's network.

However, AT&T's policy is such that if you're activating an iPhone, you're getting into a two year contract. Even if you didn't buy the phone from them.
Click to expand...

Where did you read that?



OP,
I think it depends when you are going back to the States and for how long. If you are going back soon, then I think you should wait. If you aren't, then perhaps you should buy it now. Personally, I would just wait because I wouldn't want to deal with *having* to jailbreak my new phone just to get it to work.

Also, do you plan on moving back to Japan soon? If so, then maybe you should just buy it there.

Just make sure you take a look to make sure that 3G will work and what not. (Like the AT&T 3Gs network doesn't have the same frequency as T-Mobile 3G's network in the States, so the AT&T iPhone won't connect to T-Mobile 3G.)
 
Get a cheap, no contract phone for use in Japan for now and get an iPhone 5 on contract (AT&T or other) when you return to USA. Waiting buys you all of the possibilities that you want.
 
wordoflife said:
Where did you read that?
Click to expand...

The Apple Website.

NmQMP.png


You might skirt around this by not telling AT&T you have an iPhone and hope that they don't figure it out, but if you're on an iPhone plan, you're getting on a contract.
 
scaredpoet said:
The Apple Website.

NmQMP.png


You might skirt around this by not telling AT&T you have an iPhone and hope that they don't figure it out, but if you're on an iPhone plan, you're getting on a contract.
Click to expand...

I think that is saying, "if you want to buy an iPhone from us, then we're making you sign a contract with AT&T."

To my understanding, you do not need to sign a contract if you already have the phone. The contract is only there to pay off the subsidized phone.
 
wordoflife said:
Where did you read that?



OP,
I think it depends when you are going back to the States and for how long. If you are going back soon, then I think you should wait. If you aren't, then perhaps you should buy it now. Personally, I would just wait because I wouldn't want to deal with *having* to jailbreak my new phone just to get it to work.

Also, do you plan on moving back to Japan soon? If so, then maybe you should just buy it there.

Just make sure you take a look to make sure that 3G will work and what not. (Like the AT&T 3Gs network doesn't have the same frequency as T-Mobile 3G's network in the States, so the AT&T iPhone won't connect to T-Mobile 3G.)
Click to expand...

I'm not going back to the states until the middle/end of Sept next year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back