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AT&T Will Unlock Off-Contract iPhones Starting Sunday, April 8

Can anyone tell me how to contact online support for unlocking? I live overseas and I have iphone 4 1 year ago from bestbuy in Savannah. But I didnt activated my sim because I paid full price of phone. Now when I try to open online chat with customer support it tells me I should add my wireless account but I dont have any contract or something. Anybody has any ideas? :confused::confused:
 
somawawe said:
Can anyone tell me how to contact online support for unlocking? I live overseas and I have iphone 4 1 year ago from bestbuy in Savannah. But I didnt activated my sim because I paid full price of phone. Now when I try to open online chat with customer support it tells me I should add my wireless account but I dont have any contract or something. Anybody has any ideas? :confused::confused:
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If you paid full price for an unlocked phone maybe you should contact Apple.
 
Merlyn3D said:
When did you receive the notification? After the restore completed and your phone finished syncing? Before? I think everyone's trying to get an idea of when to expect this notification to show up.
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it showed on iTunes right after the restore completed.
 
Well I just gave a chat representative the IMEI of my 4S and they pushed it through and gave me a confirmation number. They claimed Apple will contact me with the "unlock code" - we'll see if this works.

If it makes a difference, my 4S was replaced by Apple once so it was not associated with my upgrade. In fact, the model number points to an unlocked model even though it's locked. My account is also a business line (with a US government FAN).
 
Just got off the phone with a rep. I had to convince the first rep to look into the fact they can now unlock the phones. The second rep probably thought it was weird I was unlocking three older iPhones from the family. She said I would be called back tomorrow because she couldn't get through to the final screen or something like that.
 
guys, contact the tech support either through Phone or Chat NOT the customer service rep. CSR do not know anything at this moment.

Tech support knows what is going on and taking the unlock requests.
 
DJsteveSD said:
it showed on iTunes right after the restore completed.
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So I think I got the 4S and 4 on my account unlocked. Been an ATT customer a long time. The restore thing didn't show me the screen, but when I put a non-ATT sim card in there, it said activation required. I connected it to iTunes and it told me the phone was successfully unlocked. Then it picked up the UK number in iTunes that was programmed into that SIM. Unfortunately, that SIM is no longer active, so I need to see if I can find a cheap T-mobile prepaid microsim that I can use to verify everything worked before I actually go on my trip overseas.
 
Do I need to ask the original owner of the iPhone to contact at&t if I got my phone off ebay? Any way to do it myself? I tried to do the live chat on at&t's website, but I couldn't start a chat without an account.
 
CBR900RR said:
My lucky day, iphone4s still under contract with a different IMEI # from their database, and they still help me to get it unlock.:D




info: Please wait for a chat representative to respond.

info: You are now chatting with AT&T

AT&T: Hello. You want an iphone unlocked?

Me: yes

AT&T: Is the iphone currently active with an ATT phone number?

Me: yes

AT&T: May I have that phone number?

Me: 808-696-6969

AT&T: Just need a few moments to bring up your information

Me: thanks

AT&T: Thank you for holding. One requirement to unlocking iphones is that they be out of contract and your contract ends June 23, 2012. So we won't be able to unlock your phone until that date. Sorry about that

Me: I am planning to use the iphone in Hong Kong end of this months with a local sim over there

Me: Can you make an exception since it is only 3 months away

Me: I mean 2 months

AT&T: What I can do is file a case and send it to the unlock team. They take roughly 72 hrs. to get back to you with a decision. It takes me about five minutes to file the case. That would be the only way to go as we have no control over the process. Would you like me to file the case?

Me: yes please

AT&T: I'll be as quick as I can

Me: do you need my IMEI number

AT&T: I have it here, thanks

Me: is it what you got? 01 696969 696969 8

AT&T: That's odd. The imei attached to the 8082556969 number is 696969006969695

Me: I did 2 exchange at the apple store because of the phone problem

AT&T: OK. I have it straightened out now

Me: thanks

AT&T: Would you like the team to contact you by phone, text, or email?

Me: email please 696969@hawaii.rr.com

AT&T: Ok. Thanks

AT&T: Thank you for holding. The case number is CM20120408_38696969 and the team will contact you within 72 hrs. Is there anything else I can help you with?

Me: thanks, that all

AT&T: Have a good day

Jimmy Lum: you too

AT&T: Thanks

info: Your chat transcript will be sent to 69696969@gmail.com at the end of your chat
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Well, isn't that a @#!^! Same scenario for me and they wouldn't do it.
 
Fredericks said:
Do I need to ask the original owner of the iPhone to contact at&t if I got my phone off ebay? Any way to do it myself? I tried to do the live chat on at&t's website, but I couldn't start a chat without an account.
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If you want, I can try giving them your IMEI on my account and just tell them its off contract, see if they unlock it.
 
Fredericks said:
Do I need to ask the original owner of the iPhone to contact at&t if I got my phone off ebay? Any way to do it myself? I tried to do the live chat on at&t's website, but I couldn't start a chat without an account.
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you can try calling the 1800 technical support and submit your IMEI and see if that works or not. ;)
 
shanmugam said:
i think you have to call the 1800 number and there is a option for tech support, see the previous replies.
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I just called at&t asking about the unlock. The lady filed a case and gave me a case number. She said she'll give me an update within 24 to 48 hours. Hope I could get my phone unlocked.
 
Fredericks said:
I just called at&t asking about the unlock. The lady filed a case and gave me a case number. She said she'll give me an update within 24 to 48 hours. Hope I could get my phone unlocked.
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Same thing here. This is a phone I got off eBay so I'm hoping for the best. They did the IMEI lookup and originally told me that they couldn't because the phone had to be 2+ years old (PHONE itself, not even the contract which made no sense), but I explained that the iPhone 4 isn't even 2 years so by that logic no one would be able to get it done. Also that it no longer is associated with an AT&T account. She said she'd create a case for it and pass it along to the unlocking people and that I'll be called back regarding the "resolution" (hopefully positive).

So yeah, your mileage may vary if you bought your phone from someone else. Also, depending on the rep you get. Perhaps I should call back to their tech guys?
 
So, theoretically, could you and a buddy swap phones for 20 minutes, call AT&T, and get each other's phones unlocked?

I'm trying to figure out how to best approach getting an on-contract 4S unlocked. :cool:
 
So I just called AT&T from Istanbul and gave them my iPhone4 IMEI #. I paid an ETF when I moved to Turkey. The phone has since been jailbroken to work on Vodafone's network here in Turkey.

The AT&T tech said that I was eligible and that he sent the IMEI code to apple for unlocking. He didn't give me a conformation number or ask for my email, give me a ticket number or tell me to wait until the 16th. He said I need to restore my iphone in iTunes and that the phone will be unlocked after that. I am hesitant to restore my iphone because I don't want to lose my jail break (I paid a guy to jailbreak it as I didn't know how to).

I guess my experience has been different compared to others but I am not sure if I should try restoring just yet.

Thoughts?
 
guitarboy53 said:
So I just called AT&T from Istanbul and gave them my iPhone4 IMEI #. I paid an ETF when I moved to Turkey. The phone has since been jailbroken to work on Vodafone's network here in Turkey.

The AT&T tech said that I was eligible and that he sent the IMEI code to apple for unlocking. He didn't give me a conformation number or ask for my email, give me a ticket number or tell me to wait until the 16th. He said I need to restore my iphone in iTunes and that the phone will be unlocked after that. I am hesitant to restore my iphone because I don't want to lose my jail break (I paid a guy to jailbreak it as I didn't know how to).

I guess my experience has been different compared to others but I am not sure if I should try restoring just yet.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

just restore on the 16th. Jailbreak tutorials are all around the web + youtube.
 
called at&t from skype and 15minutes on phone and I have my case number. all info i provided was date of purchase, contact phone and e-mail and imei number of my ip4.

ANd guy told me that i will have answer by 16 april.

weird thing also my skype credits still same. I didint even pay a penny from abroad :S
 
guitarboy53 said:
So I just called AT&T from Istanbul and gave them my iPhone4 IMEI #. I paid an ETF when I moved to Turkey. The phone has since been jailbroken to work on Vodafone's network here in Turkey.

The AT&T tech said that I was eligible and that he sent the IMEI code to apple for unlocking. He didn't give me a conformation number or ask for my email, give me a ticket number or tell me to wait until the 16th. He said I need to restore my iphone in iTunes and that the phone will be unlocked after that. I am hesitant to restore my iphone because I don't want to lose my jail break (I paid a guy to jailbreak it as I didn't know how to).

I guess my experience has been different compared to others but I am not sure if I should try restoring just yet.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Don't restore, just put a foreign SIM into the iPhone and it will ask for activation. Then hook up to iTunes and it will unlock it. If it fails the first time, try it a couple more times. Worked for me on a JB iPhone.
 
Wanted to say for anyone that is wondering if its possible to unlock an iPhone you got off eBay, my answer is probably not. I was asked by someone on MacRumors to try to unlock their phone for them using my AT&T account. The problem I ran into is that they require a proof of purchase if the IMEI isn't registered to your account.
 
kentsommer said:
Wanted to say for anyone that is wondering if its possible to unlock an iPhone you got off eBay, my answer is probably not. I was asked by someone on MacRumors to try to unlock their phone for them using my AT&T account. The problem I ran into is that they require a proof of purchase if the IMEI isn't registered to your account.
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does that apply to contract free one (brand new) from ebay?
 
alexcrazy said:
does that apply to contract free one (brand new) from ebay?
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If you buy it contract free, you should be able to just put in a foreign sim, then plug it into iTunes and it will be unlocked (Not always the case). In my opinion, it would be better if you don't have At&T to just stick with buying a factory unlocked iPhone (Its just much safer).
 
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