For Those Who Took the iPhone Home to Activate!/New Activation Process?

[adebaene]

I have a simple question.
Basically the short of it is this.

Wife and I are wanting to port numbers. I am from Sprint, she is Verizon.
We moved out of state, but want to keep our current numbers.
AT&T says its not eligible on their website. However, reading about iPhone V1, when activating with iTunes there was a workaround. Seems simple enough. I read that you tell iTunes a different address, and you can get it ported.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...ligible_mobile_numbers_to_att_and_iphone.html

So, question is...During the activation on itunes, does it let you port numbers there, or can this only be done when you sign the contract? I want to buy them from the Apple store, I know my store is sold out of all of them.
Has anyone had a Port experience during this launch, or has someone bought it out of town?

iTunes has to ask you if you want to port a number when you "unbrick" the phone doesn't it?

Thanks!

 

[FarSeide]

Your gonna want to do this at the AT&T store to insure that the number portability is taken care of before you leave the store. If all goes well, you should be able to use your phone within 20 minutes after the numbers been ported.

 

[adebaene]

We are traveling to the state where our numbers our valid. Should we wait until hen and buy it from the ATT store where our area code is valid. We went to the ATT store where we live now, and they say its not a valid number. We were thinking about buying two phones from our Apple store, with two new numbers, and then porting 1 at a time. Maybe over the phone with ATT.

thanks for your reply.

 

[FarSeide]

I dont remember seeing a Number Portability Option through iTunes but I could be wrong. If the option is available through iTunes, then maybe you can take care of this at the Apple store but I would highly recommend you go into the AT&T store because the reps have more knowledge in this field since Apple employees dont have much experience in this field.

As far as traveling to where the area code is, it doesnt matter. You could do it from anywhere so save gas and go to the nearest at&t or Apple store.

 

[szsz]

I don't fully understand your question but I was able to port my Verizon 310 area code number to an iPhone yesterday in the Apple store in a 619 area code. I called ahead they said it would be no problem. And it was not.

 

[adebaene]

szsz,

How far away are those area codes?
Did you remember the process they took to port your number?

Was it during the iTunes activation process?
I remember seeing the Port number option during the activation process of the V1 iPhone, and I am very confident we could get this to work if it follows the exact activation process as the V1 iPhone.

Mainly I am working up a case to convince my wife about this. So again, all thanks for your help.

 

[Aiphanes]

Where are you guys getting your information? The apple store can port numbers if you number is elligible to be ported. That is why they ask you to have you old cell phone provider account number, pin number, username, and password.

Just bring a copy of your bill, pin number, username and password to the apple store.

The only thing the apple store can't do is do an upgrade if you are already on ATT and are not elligible...you have to go to ATT for that.

 

[schmoopy.design]

I am in the same boat. I moved from San Diego (619) to Champaign, IL (217) and want to keep my (619) number when I switch over from Verizon. I too found the other thread on AppleInsider that you mentioned and was worried about the lack of at home activation this time around.

After searching I found this thread at Howards Forum that may be helpful to you.

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?p=11281523

My plan is to change my billing address with Verizon and my bank to my old CA address. I checked my Verizon account online and my primary usage address for the phone is still my San Diego address. Since I get electronic billing from both V and my bank this temporary address switch shouldn't be a problem.

Since my Verizon contract isn't up until August 7th I have some time to find a fix to this problem. I plan on going to the AT&T store in Champaign and telling them straight up my situation and see if they want my business enough to find a way to port my number. If that doesn't work I have a flight scheduled August 9th to San Diego for vacation and I will go to an AT&T store there with my old CA license and try to make the switch.

Hope some of this helps and please keep me posted if you get this figured out.

 

[adebaene]

This is all very helpful information, and I am beginning to think the Apple Store can port both of our numbers. The problem as the link I posted earlier, is that the ATT software is stupid. It can be tricked, if you give it an old address. My and my wife's parents still live in the area that our numbers are eligible. We could tell them that we will be using the phones primarily in the Moline area (309), this will trick the ATT computers into thinking we can port our numbers, if we need to setup our billing to a (309) area code, and then log online and update our billing address to our current address in Wisconsin. (608). I am pretty sure this will work, but I guess I am wanting the phones before August 9th (we will be back in (309) coded ATT stores. So, if we could walk into our Wisconsin Apple store, and tell them we live in Moline (309), would they let us port our numbers? Because the ATT computer will not let us port those numbers. Its a funky situation to be in.

thanks!

So, I have re-read the replies, and I am pretty sure everything will work. I am just impatient, and am wanting the iPhone soon. I avoided the 2G one, but my wife and I are ready to get one each.

Here is my plan. Apple store, 2x16GB iPhones, white and black one.
Hello Apple employee we would like 2 phones please. We would like to port.

Will they let me port if we are from out of town.
What is the questions they ask, and what are the things they put into their computers?
Will they ask what our billing address is? Can we then put in a Moline (309) address, and then they ask what our phone numbers are and then if they are eligible?
I am thinking since we are now living in Wisconsin (608), this makes our numbers ineligible here in Wisc. I am thinking the Apple Store is going to tell us these numbers are ineligeble. I basically need to ask an Aple Store employee what the exact Port process is.

Thanks!

 

[emjems21]

We are traveling to the state where our numbers our valid. Should we wait until hen and buy it from the ATT store where our area code is valid. We went to the ATT store where we live now, and they say its not a valid number. We were thinking about buying two phones from our Apple store, with two new numbers, and then porting 1 at a time. Maybe over the phone with ATT.

thanks for your reply.

Hi,

I'm in the same situation, where I happen to be traveling to the area where I originally got my phone number, and would like to switch to ATT. Were you able to buy/activate/port your number even though you were just visiting? Do you have to be in the physical, geographic area for the whole porting process (I may only be visiting a couple days)? Do they require your billing address to be in that zipcode as well?

Thanks for your help!

 

[jlwillia]

Hi,

I'm in the same situation, where I happen to be traveling to the area where I originally got my phone number, and would like to switch to ATT. Were you able to buy/activate/port your number even though you were just visiting? Do you have to be in the physical, geographic area for the whole porting process (I may only be visiting a couple days)? Do they require your billing address to be in that zipcode as well?

Thanks for your help!

I'm in a similar situation and was looking into this a few months ago. I'll share what my research indicated. As a disclaimer, I didn't actually go through with the porting because I was afraid it wouldn't work, but I could be wrong...

I think you have to provide a billing address within the location of the area code to keep that number. For example, let's say your number is (999) xxx-xxxx and you move to another location with a different area code. As I understand it (and I've done some research), to port your number, your billing address would have to be in the (999) area code.

That being said, I think you can port your number using a hypothetical address and then once you are an ATT customer with your ported number, you can just change your billing address to your new address across the country (if that's the case).

Here's a real-world application of this....

Let's say you are a Verizon customer and wish to move to ATT. You live in area code (999). You simply provide your address to ATT and your number is ported with no problems. Now the next day you move across the country to area code (000). The only thing you need to do is change your billing address with ATT. You are now a ATT customer with your (999) phone number living in area code (000) and your ATT billing address is in (000).

PLEASE NOTE that the seemingly minor detail that you moved BEFORE you ported your number may not be a minor detail. The phone number porting laws specifically prohibit people from porting a number to a different area code for a reason. Lying about your address is probably illegal.

Long story short, it's definitely possible. Whether it's legal or not is a different question.