U.S. House Approves Bill Making Smartphone Unlocking Legal, Obama Pledges to Sign it Into Law

[HyperZboy]

Sprint / virgin mobile

SPRINT specifically had Apple design a different model # iPhone for them and for Virgin Mobile in the U.S., which they now own.

It's supposed to only be able to use GSM abroad, however I've never read of any physical difference in the phones from VERIZON or ATT.

So this bill is only more confusing to me since I now have a family plan with ATT, but everyone else in the family is on ATT but ME! :-(

Will I be able to use my SPRINT/Virgin Mobile iPhone on ATT now?
Obviously SPRINT is not going to tell me the answer.
Should I call an ATT store and see what they say? Anyone know?

 

[AdonisSMU]

If you buy your phone outright, it is unlocked by default. (At least, that's the case with an iPhone for which you pay full price.)

Not it was not when it first came out. I bought my iPhone the first week. They didn't get unlocked phones until later.

 

[C DM]

Not it was not when it first came out. I bought my iPhone the first week. They didn't get unlocked phones until later.

If you bought it for full price or bought a Verizon one then it was essentially factory unlocked from the beginning.

 

[AdonisSMU]

If you bought it for full price or bought a Verizon one then it was essentially factory unlocked from the beginning.

Good to know. I'm going to tmobile tonight. They are better than AT&T for data speed now.

 

[phillipduran]

I signed this! Got an email telling me it passed the house.

 

[devinci99]

Good to know. I'm going to tmobile tonight. They are better than AT&T for data speed now.

Why not just buy directly from Apple?

Apples sells unlocked phones for full price that work with AT&T or T-Mobile or any GSM provider (but not Verizon or Sprint -- they claim CDMA carrier requires it to be provisioned, and these are not provisioned.)

Whenever I ask Verizon, the kept saying their iphone are sim-locked against US carriers, but comes unlock for foreign Sims. So, they should work right away when you are traveling, but not supposed to work with AT&T or T-Mobile. Even when it does, you may only get EDGE, or 3G, and not 4G or LTE.

Too much hassle that unless Verizon or Sprint is selling iphones for much cheaper than Apple Store is at full price, I would just get it from the Apple store.

I have found the "contract free" and "full price/unsubsidized" pricing from carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon) cost $50 more than Apple's pricing.

 

[HyperZboy]

Why not just buy directly from Apple?

Apples sells unlocked phones for full price that work with AT&T or T-Mobile or any GSM provider (but not Verizon or Sprint -- they claim CDMA carrier requires it to be provisioned, and these are not provisioned.)

Whenever I ask Verizon, the kept saying their iphone are sim-locked against US carriers, but comes unlock for foreign Sims. So, they should work right away when you are traveling, but not supposed to work with AT&T or T-Mobile. Even when it does, you may only get EDGE, or 3G, and not 4G or LTE.

Too much hassle that unless Verizon or Sprint is selling iphones for much cheaper than Apple Store is at full price, I would just get it from the Apple store.

I have found the "contract free" and "full price/unsubsidized" pricing from carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon) cost $50 more than Apple's pricing.

Actually, I saved $100 by buying contract free from Virgin Mobile USA, but now my family has an ATT Family plan and I want to move. I know the phone is technically capable of operating on ATT, but will this bill affect me and would ATT activate the phone?

Totally confused.

 

[C DM]

Why not just buy directly from Apple?

Apples sells unlocked phones for full price that work with AT&T or T-Mobile or any GSM provider (but not Verizon or Sprint -- they claim CDMA carrier requires it to be provisioned, and these are not provisioned.)

Whenever I ask Verizon, the kept saying their iphone are sim-locked against US carriers, but comes unlock for foreign Sims. So, they should work right away when you are traveling, but not supposed to work with AT&T or T-Mobile. Even when it does, you may only get EDGE, or 3G, and not 4G or LTE.

Too much hassle that unless Verizon or Sprint is selling iphones for much cheaper than Apple Store is at full price, I would just get it from the Apple store.

I have found the "contract free" and "full price/unsubsidized" pricing from carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon) cost $50 more than Apple's pricing.

Verizon's LTE phones are completely factory unlocked by default due to an FCC agreement, so they will work in and outside of US with GSM carriers. As of iPhone 5S and 5C they will support the same LTE and other speeds as the GSM versions (the 5 didn't support some of the same LTE bands given its hardware design).

 

[Crunch]

OMGOMGOMG, I'm so excited. Thank you, Mr. President. This totally forgives everything, such as the torture, gitmo, lying, "droning", selling out the people, and stripping us of a hefty portion of our civil rights. I only wish I could vote for you a 3rd time, so we can all commit collective suicide with our - thanks to YOU, my friend - legally unlocked cell phones.

So, hail to the chief and all that jazz...

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

OMGOMGOMG, I'm so excited. Thank you, Mr. President. This totally forgives everything, such as the torture, gitmo, lying, "droning", selling out the people, and stripping us of a hefty portion of our civil rights. I only wish I could vote for you a 3rd time, so we can all commit collective suicide with our - thanks to YOU, my friend - legally unlocked cell phones.

So, hail to the chief and all that jazz...

It's a damn shame that some people so easily "forget" that it was George Bush that started almost every damn thing you mention. Ah, but don't let convenient things like the "truth" stop you from ranting on and on....