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

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

It's the law

Kilamite said:
I always thought it was a legal requirement for them to unlock it once you had completed your agreed contract. Or is that just in Europe?
Click to expand...

Only in real democracies, where all the cell phones are on the same bands, where your contract price goes down when the phone is paid for, where broadband is cheap, and where everyone has health care. Not in the UNited States of Corporations.
 
springerj said:
Only in real democracies, where all the cell phones are on the same bands, where your contract price goes down when the phone is paid for, where broadband is cheap, and where everyone has health care. Not in the UNited States of Corporations.
Click to expand...

democracy: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

Don't see anything about cell phones or health care in there.
 
daxomni said:
Let those socialists have their silly consumer protections. I'd rather have a free and open market where businesses are able to write contracts however they please without fear of serious punishment.
Click to expand...

LOL, you think that somehow if the government stays out of you'll always get the best deal as customer. Just look at how much you have to pay for cellular service. :rolleyes: #idiot
 
I don't have a contract with ATT.

I wonder if it would be possible to ask someone that works for ATT to unlock it anyways, whether it's a friend or pay off a stranger.

----------
TechieGeek said:
*******....

I just bought an unlocked iPhone 4 for $450 and now prices will fall :/
Click to expand...

Dang that sucks man. Yeah it will definitely fall now.
 
bbowen said:
Can you ask him if there is any wiggle room on the "out of contract" clause for iPhone release day purchasers?
Click to expand...

I finally got a chance to speak to him. They didn't get much details as far as logistics are concerned. But he did tell me that it would be tied to your account and not the actual device itself.... So you don't have to worry about when you purchased the device, or if it was replaced by Apple... As long as your contract has been fulfilled..... And they did mention something about wiggle room for customers in good standing who's monthly bills are a certain amount being able to get unlocks before the actual 24 months. Mainly those on enterprise accounts and with family plans.
 
littyboy said:
I don't have a contract with ATT.
I wonder if it would be possible to ask someone that works for ATT to unlock it anyways, whether it's a friend or pay off a stranger.
Click to expand...

If the phone isn't under contract why couldn't you just get it unlocked by calling att yourself?
 
chuckd83 said:
Did you just do this through AT&T? Who did you call and what did you say?
Click to expand...

Some of the CSRs know. I am in very good standing on my account, and actually referenced the news threads going around. I happened to get a CSR that read the news article on his lunch break, and after seeing my account, he went ahead and forwarded the request to Apple.

Was doing some stuff on the computer, and happened to plug the iPhone in, and it gave me that message.

I wish that I had requested my 4 and 4S as well, because when I called back again, I got someone who didn't know a thing, and told me that it couldn't be done. *sigh*
 
Xenomorph said:
- Please STOP requiring a data plan. The iPhone works perfectly fine as an "iPod touch that can make calls and send SMS". It doesn't need a data plan.
I wanted to let my daughter use my old 3GS. It worked fine without a data plan, until you forced one on her. Now she's back to using her old phone
Click to expand...

My iPhone GoPhone works well w/o a data plan... I just turn off the cellular data, and I'm good to go.
 
If ATT reps can freely unlock the iPhone, I suspect a lot of eBay ads will be up soon offering the service. Hopefully it'll be for a cheap price.
 
I wonder If I sent and email to Mr Cook telling him, the AT&T price hike on the basic data plan PREVENTED, me from getting an Iphone, If he would put his foot up At&t's derierre, & get them to drop it back down?
 
There is no "service" to unlock the iPhones. AT&T CANNOT unlock them, no one who works at AT&T has the ability to do so. The unlocking will be handled by Apple. AT&T will simply forward the IMEI & serials to Apple. There is no "unlock", the phones are all the same. The difference is what is attached to your particular phones IMEI.
 
Macboy Pro said:
Where you going? Sprints unlimited turtle pace plan?
Click to expand...
Yup. Unlimited. No throttling. I'm all in.
So when you got your unlimited plan and could download at 800K to 1M, do you think AT&T should keep growing their network and infrastructure so everyone can download at 12M-15M. Or maybe AT&T should wait a few more years to even rollout their LTE so they can make it large enough to accommodate everyones unlimited plan at 12M-15M.
Click to expand...
Cry me a river. Network infrastructure's not my problem. And what do I care how fast AT&T is if I can only use so much of it?
#1 - AT&T is still providing you unlimited plan and at the same speeds you signed up for (probably didn't think of that).
Click to expand...
Actually, I did. And I don't care.
#2 - AT&T is still providing you the unlimited plan. When you are so much faster than everyone else, you have to balance your network
Click to expand...
Aww, you mean the network can't handle everyone because you didn't invest enough in network infrastructure? :( I'll take pity and accept your data caps for the greater good.. NOT!!
#3 - You have NOWHERE to go that compares. You can go to verizon and pay for every 5GB you use or you can go to Sprint and get your 800K to 1MB unlimited.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's a great reason to keep paying a crappy company more of my money: because everyone else sucks too.
At least with AT&T you get the fastest network for the first few GB, then you get a little slower network unlimited.

If the grass is greener with Sprint, JUMP SHIP! If you think it will be better with Verizon, you need a checkup from the neck-up. It will take 6 months of misery just to get an accurate bill from Verizon :=)
Click to expand...
Its logic like yours that keeps draconian entities like AT&T in business. Have fun paying through the nose while making pathetic justifications like these. :rolleyes:

----------
Codyak said:
That's why I got on Verizon before they ditched the unlimited. They only throttle if that particular tower is congested(which I have never seen). I've used 10 Gigs so far this month and still getting 20 Down/14 Up.
Click to expand...
I'm jealous. (No sarcasm.)
 
Question:

I early upgraded when iphone 4S came out, it's not 2 years yet but I've been with them for years.... Can I still have them unlock it for me?
 
I have two lines off contract and one line where I recently upgraded to a 4S. I wonder if I'd be able to unlock my 4S via one of my other lines...
 
Hello, first forgive my ignorance don't know much about unlocking business. I've been with AT&T since iPhone 3G and up to iPhone 4 and my contract with AT&T will expire June this year. I'm currently frustrated with the AT&T network signal in my area and I wish I could switch to Verizon. Am I to understand correctly that by unlocking my iPhone I can switch to Verizon without buying another iPhone from Verizon?

How do I go about getting my iPhone unlocked? Do I have to terminate my contract with AT&T and pay an ETF? And if I switch to Verizon, do I have to sign a contract with them?

What about the iPhone 5, let's say they do come out this year and I really want it, I guess I wont be eligible for upgrade discounted price of the iPhone 5 if I just switch and signed a new contract with Verizon right? So is it worth it terminating my AT&T contract now, pay the ETF, unlock the iPhone and then switch to Verizon now even if I plan to get the iPhone 5? Should I just stay with AT&T even with iPhone 5?

Sorry for all the questions, any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
edtorious said:
Hello, first forgive my ignorance don't know much about unlocking business. I've been with AT&T since iPhone 3G and up to iPhone 4 and my contract with AT&T will expire June this year. I'm currently frustrated with the AT&T network signal in my area and I wish I could switch to Verizon. Am I to understand correctly that by unlocking my iPhone I can switch to Verizon without buying another iPhone from Verizon?

How do I go about getting my iPhone unlocked? Do I have to terminate my contract with AT&T and pay an ETF? And if I switch to Verizon, do I have to sign a contract with them?

What about the iPhone 5, let's say they do come out this year and I really want it, I guess I wont be eligible for upgrade discounted price of the iPhone 5 if I just switch and signed a new contract with Verizon right? So is it worth it terminating my AT&T contract now, pay the ETF, unlock the iPhone and then switch to Verizon now even if I plan to get the iPhone 5? Should I just stay with AT&T even with iPhone 5?

Sorry for all the questions, any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...

No.

If you want to be on Verizon, you need a new phone. End of discussion (not trying to be short; this is a very black and white issue).
 
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