Are iPad Pros Unlocked from AT&T?

[TechnicallyTee]

So I picked up a 2nd Gen 12.9" iPad Pro from my local AT&T Store with a data plan and it has come time for me to sell it since I just picked up a Macbook Pro. I still owe on it and I plan to pay it all off and post it up for sale. What I wanted to know is do I have to go through the process of unlocking it through AT&T or can the buyer just pop any sim in it since they are unlocked from Apple?

 

[bensisko]

So I picked up a 2nd Gen 12.9" iPad Pro from my local AT&T Store with a data plan and it has come time for me to sell it since I just picked up a Macbook Pro. I still owe on it and I plan to pay it all off and post it up for sale. What I wanted to know is do I have to go through the process of unlocking it through AT&T or can the buyer just pop any sim in it since they are unlocked from Apple?

iPad Pros are not locked to a carrier. You can pop in a new SIM card and use it on any compatible network.

 

[TechnicallyTee]

iPad Pros are not locked to a carrier. You can pop in a new SIM card and use it on any compatible network.

OK thats whats I was thinking, I just wanted to make sure before I try to sell it to someone else. Paying the device off as we speak and then will be putting it up for sale. Thanks for that!

 

[rui no onna]

Clarification, the embedded SIM is locked to AT&T. The physical SIM card slot is unlocked for use with any carrier.

 

[TechnicallyTee]

Clarification, the embedded SIM is locked to AT&T. The physical SIM card slot is unlocked for use with any carrier.

Got it. I paid the device off and I will take my SIM card out of it. Should be good to go.

 

[Eric5273]

I got my first gen 12.9 from AT&T. After paying it off, and before attempting to sell it, I went to the AT&T website to try to unlock it, but kept getting messages that the unlocking failed. Then I checked and there was indeed an AT&T SIM card in the SIM card slot, meaning that AT&T doesn't use the internal SIM when you buy from them direct. Instead they must put their own SIM into the SIM card slot -- at least this was the case for the first gen 12.9.

So I simply removed that SIM, and then sold it. The new owner never complained about it being locked, so I assume all is well.

I haven't checked the SIM card slot in my new 10.5, which I also purchased from AT&T, but I assume it's the same.

If your 12.9 had an AT&T SIM card in the SIM card slot when you purchased it, then that must mean they did NOT lock the internal SIM to their network, since there would be no reason to use 2 SIMs.

 

[TechnicallyTee]

I got my first gen 12.9 from AT&T. After paying it off, and before attempting to sell it, I went to the AT&T website to try to unlock it, but kept getting messages that the unlocking failed. Then I checked and there was indeed an AT&T SIM card in the SIM card slot, meaning that AT&T doesn't use the internal SIM when you buy from them direct. Instead they must put their own SIM into the SIM card slot -- at least this was the case for the first gen 12.9.

So I simply removed that SIM, and then sold it. The new owner never complained about it being locked, so I assume all is well.

I haven't checked the SIM card slot in my new 10.5, which I also purchased from AT&T, but I assume it's the same.

If your 12.9 had an AT&T SIM card in the SIM card slot when you purchased it, then that must mean they did NOT lock the internal SIM to their network, since there would be no reason to use 2 SIMs.

I just checked mine and there is no SIM card in there so I’m assuming everything is good to go.

 

[bensisko]

Clarification, the embedded SIM is locked to AT&T. The physical SIM card slot is unlocked for use with any carrier.

Good clarification!

I’m not sure what the internal SIM is used for - any modern iPad I’ve seen on cellular network either doesn’t use the SIM or can be overridden by adding another SIM.

 

[TechnicallyTee]

Good clarification!

I’m not sure what the internal SIM is used for - any modern iPad I’ve seen on cellular network either doesn’t use the SIM or can be overridden by adding another SIM.

Yeah I thought there was a sim in my iPad and then I look in there and there wasn't so I was like cool.

 

[rui no onna]

Good clarification!

I’m not sure what the internal SIM is used for - any modern iPad I’ve seen on cellular network either doesn’t use the SIM or can be overridden by adding another SIM.

The embedded SIM acts similar to the Apple SIM in that it can support multiple carriers. Supposedly, you can just sign up for service directly from the iPad without needing to get a physical SIM card.

While I expect the goal for eSIM is to make signing up for plans and switching carriers (both domestic and international) easier, the various fine print and gotchas, and limited carrier support just means the unlocked physical SIM card slot is a more reliable option. In my case, local SIM plans are cheaper, too, compared to data plans available via the iPad's eSIM.

 

[wellnator]

It is possible to get the embedded Apple SIM unlocked from AT&T. After switching to T-Mobile from AT&T I ended up using T-Mobiles SIM since AT&T locked the embedded Apple SIM. Not being to concerned about it I all forgot about the issue.

Investigating data roaming options for a Northern Europe vacation, I came across many using Apples embeded SIM to setup data plans. Knowing my eSIM was locked to AT&T I went to the Apple Store for help first. They sent me to AT&T’s unlock site, which was little help since my iPad was never locked in the first place. I used their online live support to inquire about an eSIM unlock. After lots of chatting the lady understood what I was needing and assured me the eSIM would be unlocked in 24 to 48 hours. Checked this evening and the eSIM finally shows all the available data providers and no longer locked to AT&T.

 

[MacKid1983]

I have an iPad pro 10.5” and the person who I bought it from had an ATT sim in the slot. I’m not sure if they purchased from an ATT store or apple. I believe Apple because they said they got it the same day they got ther MacBook.

I want to add Verizon service to it but the cellular data screen keeps showing ATT. How do I get the option to show the Verizon plans?

The ATT sim was taken out of the iPad after I got it. I reset network settings and restarted iPad several times. When I click ATT only ATT plans pop up. No way to select another carrier. I even went to ATT unlock site and entered IMEI and it said it’s already unlocked. So not sure if something is wrong with the embedded sim?

 

[rui no onna]

Verizon doesn't support embedded Apple SIM. Get a Nano SIM card from Verizon (or ebay). I think Apple may be giving those away to LTE iPad owners for free, too.

 

[MacKid1983]

Verizon doesn't support embedded Apple SIM. Get a Nano SIM card from Verizon (or ebay). I think Apple may be giving those away to LTE iPad owners for free, too.

Thank you for the reply!!

 

[Kegs22]

My iPad Pro 10.5 embedded Apple SIM was locked to AT&T. I was able to get it unlocked after speaking with Apple, who called AT&T on my behalf. I believe AT&T did something on their end, and then I needed to Restore my iPad by tethering to iTunes on my computer. By the way, this was after calling AT&T myself, and going to an AT&T store. They kept saying my iPad was unlocked, and there was nothing else they could do. When I went to the AT&T Unlock website, it also said it was unlocked despite the embedded SIM being locked to AT&T.
So, if anyone else is facing this, you can try to Restore your iPad, and then if that doesn’t work contact AT&T and ask them to unlock the embedded SIM, and hopefully someone can and will do that for you.
By the way, I had been using my free T-Mobile 200mb/month SIM card, and never was able to get that to work. I called T-Mobile about other plans, and they told me I could pay $25/month for unlimited data, or $10/month for 2 GB/month. However, when I enrolled on the iPad itself under Settings, I was able to purchase a plan for 5 months, 5GB total, $10 (so $2/month for 1 GB/month, which I’m happy with since I won’t use cellular data very often).