AT&T iPhone Unlocking Process Detailed, Successful for Some

[gillboyzz]

I chatted with a rep about 10 hours ago and was able to get a case number however never received any emails from AT&T.

I'm overseas & my iPhone 4S was bought thru a Business account and I just thought it doesn't hurt to ask. After I told her this & gave her the IMEI, she created a ticket and when I asked if that meant it would be unlocked, she replied I don't see any reason why not.

So right now, I'm not sure what to do. Do I go back & ask about the email or just wait it out? I've read thru the posts here and it seems like anything is possible right now.

Don't loose heart dude ! i am still waiting for the activation from at&t but for now i have been able to unlock my device using the link below. It needs you be jailbroken.

http://laforeta.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/how-to-spoof.html

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

UPDATE:

I tried to check if it was unlocked, I'm on 5.0.1 jailbroken so I downloaded SAM, deactivated using SAM, Rebooted with my overseas SIM, connected to iTunes, went straight to details of the iphone & sync options like normal (no pop ups, nothing), then I found my Overseas Carrier's Network on my phone with full signal. Used it & it works. Voila! iPhone 4S is now officially factory unlocked for free!!!!! I'm sooooo thrilled....I had paid upto $150 several times with so many companies operating sim unlocks but it never worked & I got my money refunded from paypal & now with just little effort I'm free from AT&T...woohoo!!!!

Note: I was using my phone previously with the GPP sim which works quite well.

are you at&t customer? i tried calling them to unlock my 4s but they havent given me the exact response till yet!

 

[monkeydodo3]

Thanks psejcf,

I tried first link and this is what I got:


Thank you for contacting an ASR!

Unfortunately, we are closed at this time.

ASR Chat is available 7-days a week, from 5:00 AM - 11:00 PM PST.

If you have received this message during normal hours of operation, please email (*)BDS Care.



Then used the second and filled in "Don't have one" in the number and user name fields and this got me in. A CSR replied and gave a case number and said I should get an email by the 27th.

Well I tried the 2nd link as you had said with the "Don't have one" answer for both and got to talk to Tech Support supposedly. They asked me for my IMEI number and how I bought this phone. I told him that I had gotten it from my friend who was out of the country now, even though I had actually bought it off of CL. In the end, they said that I was ineligible. The owner of the phone told me that he had closed his AT&T phone last week, so maybe that's the reason why I can't unlock it for now. Maybe I just have to wait until this billing cycle ends. I really don't know what to do now. Any suggestions?

 

[renteriafilms]

Well I tried the 2nd link as you had said with the "Don't have one" answer for both and got to talk to Tech Support supposedly. They asked me for my IMEI number and how I bought this phone. I told him that I had gotten it from my friend who was out of the country now, even though I had actually bought it off of CL. In the end, they said that I was ineligible. The owner of the phone told me that he had closed his AT&T phone last week, so maybe that's the reason why I can't unlock it for now. Maybe I just have to wait until this billing cycle ends. I really don't know what to do now. Any suggestions?

When I first called them I told them that I got my iPhone from a friend, they denied me because of "security reasons". I called again and got another rep but this time told her I bought it off eBay. She ran my IMEI number and now I have a case number waiting to see if Im able to unlock or not!!

So I think you should call again and tell them a different story. Or, you just need to keep calling until you get a good rep that will hook you up with what you want.

Good luck my friend!

 

[miniis]

in and click here

 

[peanut48]

are you at&t customer? i tried calling them to unlock my 4s but they havent given me the exact response till yet!

I'm not an AT&T customer. I'm not even in the US.

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

I'm not an AT&T customer. I'm not even in the US.

yeah i got it!! are u unlocked? what date did they give you for the unlock?

 

[blairwillis]

Just wanted to let anyone interested know: I submitted an unlock request this afternoon via tech support online chat, and they said the case was submitted and I would receive an email with unlocking instructions no later than May 1.

 

[aschmano]

Just wanted to let anyone interested know: I submitted an unlock request this afternoon via tech support online chat, and they said the case was submitted and I would receive an email with unlocking instructions no later than May 1.

they're only throwing the ball out off their fence as usual, you'll have to wait longer than that i bet

 

[John.B]

Can anyone tell me what should (and shouldn't) be in my hosts file, based on a 3GS that once was jailbroken?

Assuming both of these should be commented out?

#74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com
#127.0.0.1 gs.apple.com​

FWIW, I had to dump both of the above entries from /etc/hosts to get the restore to factory settings to work. With that taken care of, the restore (to factory settings) unlocked the phone:

Then it was just a matter of the time it takes to restore from the last backup.

Good luck to everyone else.

 

[WannaGoMac]

Finally got my unlock this morning (April 9 -> April 24).

RedSnow to deactivate, then itunes re-activate. Done.

 

[Tinmania]

Finally got the unlock message for my iPhone 4 (my original iPhone was unlocked first).

Oh, I had AT&T SIM cards in both iPhones. The reports about "needing" a non-AT&T SIM are false.



Michael

 

[ffvans]

Just to let all of you know: I am not an at&t customer and did buy my iphone 4 locked to at&t for the full retail price in september 2010. After the news on 8th april i tried to call at&t on the 9th an request my iphone unlock.

The representative opened a case for me and i had to fax a proof of purchase. My resolution date was the 17th of april. Did never get an email till today (24th) or any information regarding my case. Tryed to call them twice. Only thing they told me was that my case is still open and in process but they can not tell me how long i will take to be resolved.

After many hours of frustration i did try to deactivate my iphone with redsnow for one more time and reactivate it with itunes. And what a suprise, i got the Congratulation message for unlocking my device.

So long story telling short: I think every one will get there unlock if you are eligible. Only thing you have to do is wait. They are really just overwhelmed by many many unlock request.

Ps.: Did never recieve an confirmation email though.

 

[chagla]

... Many non-US providers have an contract rate and a non-contract rate. T-Mobile used to have a non-contract rate which was $10 or $20 a month cheaper than their contract rate but I don't think they offer it anymore.

What will happen with all these unlocked iPhones hitting the market, however, is a lot of people moving to an AT&T MVNO, something like Straight Talk's $45+taxes/month unlimited talk, text and voice!

tmobile still offers that sort of pricing. value plans are cheaper when you bring your own phone. on contract but rates are lower. and you were right, in the past they offered cheaper price without contract.

 

[Tjzoo]

Just FYI the ATT chat is not working anymore

i tried to check status on my case number and i got this message

"Thank you for your interest. Support for non AT&T customers is not supported via chat at this time. If you are an AT&T customer and need assistance with data related issues, please visit att.com/chat to access chat support. Thank you for choosing AT&T. "

 

[jmpage2]

so, what's the trick to doing this?

I requested my unlock code a week ago, and they emailed my wife (she's the main account holder) today indicating that my unlock request was processed and to backup/restore the iPhone for the unlock to take effect.

The problem is, I've backed up and restored (both a "restore from backup" as well as a full factory reset) twice now and I never get the message indicating my iPhone is unlocked. I've tried removing and re-inserting the SIM card and that doesn't seem to do any good either.

I've verified that my IMEI number in the email from AT&T matches what is in my phone.

What am I missing? Why doesn't this work?

 

[imaginex20]

I requested my unlock code a week ago, and they emailed my wife (she's the main account holder) today indicating that my unlock request was processed and to backup/restore the iPhone for the unlock to take effect.

The problem is, I've backed up and restored (both a "restore from backup" as well as a full factory reset) twice now and I never get the message indicating my iPhone is unlocked. I've tried removing and re-inserting the SIM card and that doesn't seem to do any good either.

I've verified that my IMEI number in the email from AT&T matches what is in my phone.

What am I missing? Why doesn't this work?

Did you try putting a tmobile sim card in? Mine didn't show the "Congrats, your phone is unlocked" when plugged into itunes. I just put in my tmobile sim card and it just worked

----------

I got my iphone 4S 16GB unlocked by AT&T. I called CS and asked them to unlock and each time they told me that they couldn't unlock it because the iphone 4S hasn't even been out for a year yet and the phone has to be out of contract for 2 years.

So, i did what another member suggested and tried the chat method. When I did this, the chat representative told me that he couldn't find the IMEI I provided on my account (I purchased this phone on another account) and to submit Proof of purchase. I told them it was a replacement phone from Apple (i had it replaced due to the poor battery life) and faxed my work order from apple. The CS said he would submit the unlock claim and I would hear something from AT&T by the 17th. April 23rd comes around and I finally get an email from AT&T stating my claim has been resolved and gave me instructions to follow to unlock the phone, followed it but no go. Sticking a T-Mobile sim card in, did the activation process on the phone and it gave the "invalid sim" message.

Called AT&T again and made sure they had the correct IMEI # to unlock and in the claim the IMEI was incorrect. They had it listed with only 13 digits whereas it was suppose to be 15 digits. The CS then said he has to make another claim with all the notes and told me to submit the Proof of purchase by fax again. I did that and today April 25th, I randomly put in the T-Mobile sim card to see if it would work, viola..unlocked. I never got the "Congrats your phone is unlocked" message.

Of note, I did tell the representatives that I needed my phone unlocked as I would need to go out of country next month. I don't know if that would help in unlocking an iphone 4S.

 

[jmpage2]

I don't have another SIM card to try with. Everyone I work with is on AT&T so it appears I am stuck other than buying a pre-paid SIM card.

Is there some other way of seeing if the unlock took?

My wife and I are taking a trip to Europe later this year and I was really looking forward to being able to just buy a pre-paid SIM card over there and have a phone during our time in France and Germany.

Thanks.

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

I don't have another SIM card to try with. Everyone I work with is on AT&T so it appears I am stuck other than buying a pre-paid SIM card.

Is there some other way of seeing if the unlock took?

My wife and I are taking a trip to Europe later this year and I was really looking forward to being able to just buy a pre-paid SIM card over there and have a phone during our time in France and Germany.

Thanks.

whats the Carrier? under the About screen? is it Carrier 11.0 then it is unlocked for sure!

 

[jmpage2]

Carrier says AT&T 12.0

 

[victorbla]

Result of my unlock request!

The result of my request:

THIS IS AN AUTOMATED EMAIL PLEASE DO NOT REPLY BACK TO "OKCQSubsidyUnlock" AS ALL MESSAGES SENT TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS ARE AUTOMATICALLY DELETED WITHOUT BEING READ. PLEASE CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-331-0500 FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE.


Dear AT&T Valued Customer:

We recently received your request for the unlock code on the following device:

EMAIL: EDITED@gmail.com
CASE: CMxxxxxxxx_39063xxx (edited)
MOBILE: Non-ATT
MANUFACTURER: Apple
MODEL: iPhone_4
IMEI: EDITED

Thank you for contacting AT&T Customer Care about unlocking your iPhone. We have reviewed your request and confirmed that you are eligible to have the requested iPhone unlocked.
To complete the unlock, simply:
1. Open iTunes on your Mac or PC and verify that you have internet connectivity.
2. Connect your iPhone using the dock connector to USB cable that came with your iPhone.
3. Backup and restore your iPhone using iTunes .
For information on backup and restore, please visit http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414.
4. After restoring, your iPhone will be unlocked.
Additional information on unlocking can be found at http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3198.
For questions regarding AT&T’s wireless service and iPhone, please visit the Phone/Device Learning Center. We thank you for your continued business and look forward to providing you with the best customer service.

Thank you for contacting AT&T Mobility. We appreciate your business.


----- I restored my iPhone and it's unlocked. I got the "Congratulations" screen in iTunes!.----
I was never an AT&T customer and I live in Brazil.

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

Carrier says AT&T 12.0

u should try some other SIM! or try checking it on imei.info website!

 

[RulinSmoove]

Original request was on April 9th and finally received email with unlock instructions on April 23rd.

I purchased the iPhone 4 on launch day in 2010. I purchased an iPhone 4S (from Craigslist) maybe Jan/Feb of this year. I spoke with AT&T and told them that I purchased an iPhone 4S at no-commitment pricing. I gave them the IMEI, they built the ticket, they gave me my case number and I faxed in the Proof of Purchase (used the Apple site that shows Valid Purchase Date / Apple Care Date and phone support date). They even updated my iPhone 4 unlimited data plan to iPhone 4S unlimited data plan.

iPhone 4S is now unlocked. Pretty surprised I was able to get this done.

 

[Sora]

AT&T e-Mail

It took me 3 days to get this email response from AT&T.


THIS IS AN AUTOMATED EMAIL PLEASE DO NOT REPLY BACK TO "OKCQSubsidyUnlock" AS ALL MESSAGES SENT TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS ARE AUTOMATICALLY DELETED WITHOUT BEING READ. PLEASE CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-331-0500 FOR ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE.


Dear AT&T Valued Customer:

We recently received your request for the unlock code on the following device:

EMAIL: ****.****@mac.com
CASE: CM********_********
MOBILE: ***-***-****
MANUFACTURER: Apple
MODEL: iPhone_4S
IMEI: 0***************9

Thank you for contacting AT&T Customer Care about unlocking your iPhone. We have reviewed your request and confirmed that you are eligible to have the requested iPhone unlocked.
To complete the unlock, simply:
1. Open iTunes on your Mac or PC and verify that you have internet connectivity.
2. Connect your iPhone using the dock connector to USB cable that came with your iPhone.
3. Backup and restore your iPhone using iTunes .
For information on backup and restore, please visit http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414.
4. After restoring, your iPhone will be unlocked.
Additional information on unlocking can be found at http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3198.
For questions regarding AT&T’s wireless service and iPhone, please visit the Phone/Device Learning Center. We thank you for your continued business and look forward to providing you with the best customer service.

Thank you for contacting AT&T Mobility. We appreciate your business.

This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are the property of AT&T are confidential, and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which this e-mail is addressed. If you are not one of the named recipient(s) or otherwise have reason to believe that you have received this message in error, please notify the sender at (1-800-331-0500) and delete this message immediately from your computer. Any other use, retention, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. DR2792

 

[Tjzoo]

It took me 3 days to get this email response from AT&T.

Are you a ATT customer?,

I am not one and mine has been submited since 04/13, i was supposed to recieve a response by 04/25 and i have yet to recieve one