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

AT&T iPhone Unlocking Process Detailed, Successful for Some

cacophony555: You were correct!

cacophony555 said:
I don't have a non-ATT sim yet so can't test, but it sounds like that tech didn't know what he was talking about (is that really a surprise?)
Click to expand...

I picked up a T-Mobile micro-sim today, inserted it into my iPhone 4, powered up and it worked.

Later I went from T-Mobile to AT&T and back to T-Mobile without a single hitch. So you were absolutely correct: An unlocked iPhone is an unlocked iPhone. Period. I'm going to contact the tech support guy at Apple tomorrow and fill him in.

:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
I tightened my belt and got the unlocked iPhone. I feel silly because I gave Apple more profit and got the 64G model, but now feel gypped a little because by now my 4 would be close to being OOP.

But anyway...

I've got an old Orange chip around here somewhere... I wonder if it really is unlocked...
 
I got the callback from AT&T today (as promised), and told them I never got the "Your iPhone is Unlocked!" message after two separate backup/restores. They offered to help again, but I'm just too buried at work tonight to get to it right now. They offered to call back on Monday to try again.
 
trina27 said:
Hmm...I contacted AT&T tonight via online chat about my iPhone 3GS
Click to expand...

Update....just got my email confirming I am eligible and giving me the instructions, so took basically 48 hours from when I contacted them. About to try the actual backup and restore now.

2nd update. Did the backup and restore. NO "congratulations you are unlocked message in itunes." Will try another backup/restore tomorrow. May have to invest in a t-mobile SIM to verify if it worked or not. What is the cheapest way to obtain a non-AT&T SIM?

Final update. Did it wrong before. I did a backup and then "restore from backup" instead of the mack daddy restore. So I did the other restore...and waited...and finally got the "Congratulations" screen. So now I am restoring from my backup and syncing and all is well. And I am unlocked.
 
Last edited:
littyboy said:
Then use SAM or Redsn0w. It will just deactivate your phone, you will NOT lose anything. Make sure you have a sim that reactivates in case the unlock hasn't been processed.
Click to expand...

I have an iPhone 4 and the original AT&T SIM, what should I do? The SAM tutorial is very confusing!
 
I'm still on 5.0.1 with 4.11.08 BB. I just received the ATT email.

Can I safely update to 5.1 as well as the updating to 4.12 BB without losing the unlock?

If the phone is whitelisted already, it should be okay yes?
 
fullmanfullninj said:
I'll share my experience too.

I called two days ago at around 11am. Dialed 1-800-331-0500, pushed 1, pushed 0, talked to a guy and told him that I needed to unlock my iPhone. I do not have an ATT account. I told him my aunt from abroad gave me this phone because she discovered it was locked to ATT. The guy asked for my name, email, IMEI, and my aunt's name (wtf?) and created a ticket. He said I would receive an email within 5-7 days.

Today, at around 10:30am, I decided to just try the chat approach. I talked to a very friendly rep, after waiting 20-30 minutes?


She asked for my IMEI and my email address.



Immediately after the chat, I received an email from ATT linking to the PDF others have posted where ATT says:



I gave it some time, came home and decided to try it out at 9:30pm. Took my Gevey SIM out, put just my Tmobile SIM in the phone. DFU'd my iPhone and deactivated it with redsn0w.

Rebooted it, shows the activation screen. I opened up iTunes and it told me I had a passcode and needed to enter it. I left it at the activation screen and went "oh sh-t, did I have to disable that?"
I swiped to unlock and breathed a sigh of relief as I just entered my passcode. Restarted iTunes, and pops up with the beautiful Congratulations screen.

I will consider doing this for my old 3GS, although it is jailbroken and has ultrasn0w...probably will not? I dunno. I will also try this for my friend's iPhone.

Some "background info":
-this iPhone has been active on ATT...I bought this on craigslist and the person had this device on her ATT account at the time (this was around August 2011)
-I received no case number for both the phone call and chat; I received no follow-up emails after the phone call
-I used the chat link that other MR users have posted because normally chat can only be accessed after logging into your ATT account; ATT uses a third party chat system, so you can technically just click that link and be connected

I will try again sometime this or next week to see if I can get my old 3GS or my friend's iP4 unlocked. I am not going to say for sure that the chat works best, but in my one device, chat worked much quicker.
Click to expand...

Just want to update: I told my friend about IMEI unlocking today via ATT and told her to do exactly what I did and listed above. Needless to say, her phone was unlocked today after going through live chat. She and I are both running iPhone 4 devices, that were previously locked to ATT, on Tmobile. Both of us so far accomplished what we needed in one go (if you don't count my first phone call).

Cheers
 
fullmanfullninj said:
Just want to update: I told my friend about IMEI unlocking today via ATT and told her to do exactly what I did and listed above. Needless to say, her phone was unlocked today after going through live chat. She and I are both running iPhone 4 devices, that were previously locked to ATT, on Tmobile. Both of us so far accomplished what we needed in one go (if you don't count my first phone call).

Cheers
Click to expand...

hi , i want to unlock my iphone 4 locked with at&t , i called on customer care no. but it directly sya tht if u want to unlock plz request on some email id , i didnt get tht email id properly , can any1 plz help me how to request them to unlock my iphone4 , plz reply me i am waiting ,
helpers plz add me on also gtalk or yahoo messenegr id si - sahil77788@gmail.com , rocker_midha@yahoo.com
 
Here you go... use the first one

unlockintl@amcustomercare.att-mail.com
icare3@amcustomercare.att-mail.com

Hello,

I have an out of contract iPhone that is locked to AT&T presently. I don’t have an active AT&T account or wireless number. I am willing to request an unlock code via email. I’ll be more than happy to furnish any further information as of when required.


IMEI : xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Wireless Number : +91 xxxxxxxxxx

Email : xxxxxx@xxxxxxx.com



sahilmidha said:
hi , i want to unlock my iphone 4 locked with at&t , i called on customer care no. but it directly sya tht if u want to unlock plz request on some email id , i didnt get tht email id properly , can any1 plz help me how to request them to unlock my iphone4 , plz reply me i am waiting ,
helpers plz add me on also gtalk or yahoo messenegr id si - sahil77788@gmail.com , rocker_midha@yahoo.com
Click to expand...
 
fullmanfullninj said:
Just want to update: I told my friend about IMEI unlocking today via ATT and told her to do exactly what I did and listed above. Needless to say, her phone was unlocked today after going through live chat. She and I are both running iPhone 4 devices, that were previously locked to ATT, on Tmobile. Both of us so far accomplished what we needed in one go (if you don't count my first phone call).

Cheers
Click to expand...

Sorry, I seem to have missed this point in the long threads. How or where do you get to chat if you don't have an AT&T account and have never had an AT&T account or connection??? URLs? Steps? Thanks!
 
Yes! Got mine unlocked

I got my iPhone 4s that I bought in December unlocked even though I was not eligible. Thought that I would receive a message saying that I was not eligible but they approved it.

info: Thank you for choosing AT&T International Care a representative will be with you shortly. Please note: Protecting your personal information is one of our highest priorities; hence, you will be required to provide account related information to ensure whom we are working with. Data encryption is also enabled to protect your personal information during this chat session. For more information please go to http://www.wireless.att.com/privacy/ or http://www.att.com/privacy/. Please wait for a site operator to respond.
info: All representatives are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 9 minutes and 39 seconds. Thanks for your patience.
info: All representatives are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 8 minutes and 4 seconds. Thanks for your patience.
info: All representatives are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 8 minutes and 4 seconds. Thanks for your patience.
info: All representatives are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 6 minutes and 28 seconds. Thanks for your patience.
info: All representatives are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 4 minutes and 59 seconds. Thanks for your patience.
info: All representatives are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 3 minutes and 32 seconds. Thanks for your patience.
info: All representatives are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 2 minutes and 42 seconds. Thanks for your patience.
info: All representatives are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 1 minutes and 47 seconds. Thanks for your patience.
info: You are now chatting with Gladys Kotey.
Gladys Kotey: Hello! My name is Gladys Kotey and I am an International Care Representative. I’m reading your inquiry and I will be right with you.
Gladys Kotey: I will be more than happy to assist you with that, for security reasons, can you please verify the name on the account and the last 4 digits of the account holder’s SSN.
xxxxx xxxxx: Name is xxxxxxxxxxxxxx and SSN is xxxxxxxxx
xxxxx xxxxx: I think name on account says: xxxxx xxxxx
Gladys Kotey: Thank you.
Gladys Kotey: I will need to submit a case and it may take up to 7 business to get a respond.
xxxxx xxxxx: ok. that's fine! do you need my IMEI?
Gladys Kotey: Yes.
xxxxx xxxxx: xx xxxxxx xxxxxx x
Gladys Kotey: What is your email address?
xxxxx xxxxx: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.com
Gladys Kotey: Thank you.
xxxxx xxxxx: no problem. So how will this work? Will I receive an email regarding this within 7 business days?
Gladys Kotey: Yes.
xxxxx xxxxx: ok. thank you very much for your help! do you have some kind of confirmation number for me?
Gladys Kotey: One moment please.
xxxxx xxxxx: ok. that's fine
Gladys Kotey: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Gladys Kotey: Thank you for your patience, I have submitted the case for you and your case number is CMxxxxxxxxxx_xxxxxxx
xxxxx xxxxx: thank you very much!
xxxxx xxxxx: have a great day
xxxxx xxxxx: bye!
info: Your chat transcript will be sent to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.com at the end of your chat.
Click to expand...

Could this possibly lead to AT&T letting everyone with an account in good standing unlock?
 
Just to throw in my experience successfully getting an iPhone 3GS I acquired used unlocked:

I have a iPhone 3GS that I acquired from a friend and I was able to get it unlocked. I am currently an AT&T customer with a 4S. I did a text chat last Sunday and the rep initially had an issue, but was able to get past it. He said 24-72 hrs. After two days I contacted them again for a status update, the rep said at earliest it would get unlocked after 72 hours, and the latest April 16th. I got the e-mail that it was unlocked on Thursday night.

I put in a T-Mobile SIM and did a restore in iTunes. I never got the "Congratulations" message, but everything worked fine.
 
psejcf said:
Sorry, I seem to have missed this point in the long threads. How or where do you get to chat if you don't have an AT&T account and have never had an AT&T account or connection??? URLs? Steps? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Here: https://sales.liveperson.net/hc/518...=WirelessSupportChat&SESSIONVAR!Section=MyATT

That's all you need.

sahilmidha said:
hi , i want to unlock my iphone 4 locked with at&t , i called on customer care no. but it directly sya tht if u want to unlock plz request on some email id , i didnt get tht email id properly , can any1 plz help me how to request them to unlock my iphone4 , plz reply me i am waiting ,
helpers plz add me on also gtalk or yahoo messenegr id si - sahil77788@gmail.com , rocker_midha@yahoo.com
Click to expand...

If you read my posts, you'll notice that I said I used chat...I called once and it was unsuccessful kind of. When I used chat, as well as my friend, we both got our devices unlocked. This post has that link in it. Check it out.
 
Ok, someone please help me out, this is pissing me off. I got my unlock e-mail and everything but I don't have the original sim that came with my device.

So I restored in itunes and got stuck on the NO SIM screen, so I had to run the current redsn0w and used Cydia to install SAM... which was perfect and I deactivated redsn0w and SAM let me get past the NO SIM screen so I saw the Congratulations screen.

Now if I turn off my device and turn it back on I can't use safari, mail or Cydia without having to use redsn0w to Boot Tethered. It's now working like a semitethered jailbreak instead of the full iTunes Unlock. Anyone else have this problem or know a fix?
 
Unfortunately, it appears you have updated the firmare to 5.1, which as a matter of fact is teethered for now. You'll have to wait for the untheered jailbreak for the app's to work correctly. Just fetch your 5.0.1 blobs using Tiny Umbrella from Cydia and make a custom firmare to restore back to 5.0.1. Jailbreak once restore is complete and you should be up and running.

drakeshadow3 said:
Ok, someone please help me out, this is pissing me off. I got my unlock e-mail and everything but I don't have the original sim that came with my device.

So I restored in itunes and got stuck on the NO SIM screen, so I had to run the current redsn0w and used Cydia to install SAM... which was perfect and I deactivated redsn0w and SAM let me get past the NO SIM screen so I saw the Congratulations screen.

Now if I turn off my device and turn it back on I can't use safari, mail or Cydia without having to use redsn0w to Boot Tethered. It's now working like a semitethered jailbreak instead of the full iTunes Unlock. Anyone else have this problem or know a fix?
Click to expand...
 
Damn, unfortunately I don't have 5.0.1 saved in TinyUmbrella because I updated from 4.1 or something like that to 5.1 thinking the unlock would work the first time. The only thing I can do now is wait for the 5.1 untethered jailbreak. I'll just have to keep my device running until then. Thanks for the help, I figured this was my only option. Better than not having a working phone though.
 
Well no word from ATT and it's been almost a week. They said I would have the code on or before April 16.... nothing so far.
 
You are now connected with 'Allison'.

Allison: Thank you for contacting Business Data Support. My name is Allison. Before we begin, can I confirm the wireless number that we will be working with is ?
ffg: Hello Allison
Allison: I understand you would like to have your iPhone unlocked, is that correct?
ffg: I have requested an unlock on April 9 or 10 (I'm almost sure is 9), and the person told me in 48h I would receive an e-mail with instructions of the unlock
ffg: I lost my case number :( but i remember I talked to Dane Spencer
ffg: I gave my IMEI and e-mail
Allison: Can I have the IMEI again please.
ffg: I tried already something but it seems still locked, the phone
ffg: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Allison: Thank you.
Allison: One moment please.
ffg: Okay
Allison: Okay.
Allison: I went ahead and filed the unlock request for this phone. Can I send the email of the unlock information to the one provided in the pre-chat?
ffg: yes! xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxx ?
ffg: fnie
Allison: The unlock request has been processed, this can take up to 72 hours to complete. You will receive an email with the unlock information and instructions. You must sync to iTunes and perform a backup/restore to complete the unlock process. This process can take several hours to complete.
Allison: Do you have any questions regarding the information we discussed today?
ffg: what happened to the previous request? You did a new one?
Allison: I went ahead and unlocked the device.
ffg: It's unlocked ?
Allison: Yes.
Allison: You just have to plug into iTunes.
ffg: Okay Allison
ffg: Thanks a lot :D
Allison: Do you have any questions regarding the information we discussed today?
ffg: No
ffg: Have a nice day
ffg: Thanks
Allison: If you need additional assistance specific to your device, you can view our website at <a href="http://www.att.com/biztech" target="_blank">http://www.att.com/biztech</a>. We welcome your feedback; please take a moment to complete our Customer Satisfaction Survey. Thank you for your business and have a pleasant day.
Chat session has been terminated by the specialist.

WORKED!!!!! UNLOCKED!!!! REAL TIME!!! :D:D
 
ffg91 said:
You are now connected with 'Allison'.

Allison: Thank you for contacting Business Data Support. My name is Allison. Before we begin, can I confirm the wireless number that we will be working with is ?
ffg: Hello Allison
Allison: I understand you would like to have your iPhone unlocked, is that correct?
ffg: I have requested an unlock on April 9 or 10 (I'm almost sure is 9), and the person told me in 48h I would receive an e-mail with instructions of the unlock
ffg: I lost my case number :( but i remember I talked to Dane Spencer
ffg: I gave my IMEI and e-mail
Allison: Can I have the IMEI again please.
ffg: I tried already something but it seems still locked, the phone
ffg: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Allison: Thank you.
Allison: One moment please.
ffg: Okay
Allison: Okay.
Allison: I went ahead and filed the unlock request for this phone. Can I send the email of the unlock information to the one provided in the pre-chat?
ffg: yes! xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxx ?
ffg: fnie
Allison: The unlock request has been processed, this can take up to 72 hours to complete. You will receive an email with the unlock information and instructions. You must sync to iTunes and perform a backup/restore to complete the unlock process. This process can take several hours to complete.
Allison: Do you have any questions regarding the information we discussed today?
ffg: what happened to the previous request? You did a new one?
Allison: I went ahead and unlocked the device.
ffg: It's unlocked ?
Allison: Yes.
Allison: You just have to plug into iTunes.
ffg: Okay Allison
ffg: Thanks a lot :D
Allison: Do you have any questions regarding the information we discussed today?
ffg: No
ffg: Have a nice day
ffg: Thanks
Allison: If you need additional assistance specific to your device, you can view our website at <a href="http://www.att.com/biztech" target="_blank">http://www.att.com/biztech</a>. We welcome your feedback; please take a moment to complete our Customer Satisfaction Survey. Thank you for your business and have a pleasant day.
Chat session has been terminated by the specialist.

WORKED!!!!! UNLOCKED!!!! REAL TIME!!! :D:D
Click to expand...

Did you use the chat link posted above ? I guess they are for now unlocking at&t active subscribers.
 
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