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Carrier Help Unlocking AT&T off contract devices

A

annay49

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 13, 2010
85
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Hi! I'm traveling internationally next week and have been trying to get my off contract iPhone 6 and iPad Air unlocked. Both were purchased at best buy at full price for AT&T and then taken to the AT&T store to activate.

I've tried using their unlock page but it's saying my IMEI number is invalid. I called AT&T and they are seeing it locked on their end. When I try their testing tool it's saying since I didn't buy directly from AT&T it's not locked but I'm pretty sure it is.

I'm planning on picking up Sim cards (at least for my phone when I get to the country I'm traveling to) but I want to make sure it gets unlocked before I go. Any ideas?

Edit: So I just realized that my iPhone was replaced about a month ago at the Genius bar (screen broken, couldn't fix it so they gave me a new one) That's probably why my IMEI number isn't recognized in the system. Does this change my phones status? As in, does this mean it is it already unlocked?
 
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Try putting a T-Mobile SIM in to see if it is unlocked. You can get one at BestBuy for $4.99 if you can't find one anywhere else. If your phone shows a T-mobile signal than it is unlocked and ready for your international trip.
 
annay49 said:
Hi! I'm traveling internationally next week and have been trying to get my off contract iPhone 6 and iPad Air unlocked. Both were purchased at best buy at full price for AT&T and then taken to the AT&T store to activate.
Click to expand...
What model do you have? If you have the SIM-free model, then it is already unlocked. Why didn't you buy directly from Apple if you were buying full price?
 
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annay49 said:
...purchased at best buy at full price for AT&T and then taken to the AT&T store to activate.
Click to expand...
In this circumstance, it's possible the device is locked. Best Buy would have been an agent for AT&T, a reseller, so their devices might very well be locked.

The iPad is probably already unlocked, however.

I called AT&T and they are seeing it locked on their end.
Click to expand...
If you're off contract, then they can help you unlock it. They'll have to talk you through it and it involves iTunes, but they can help you do it, and they should, because you're off contract.

It might be annoying if your helper at AT&T is not an iPhone person, but they can still talk you through it.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I bought the phone at Best Buy at full price during the first week iPhone 6's came out - only place I could find a phone, and I was using a really broken device that I wanted to switch out of. I've never traveled internationally and been on AT&T for so long that I didn't even think twice about it. Didn't realize how much of a headache this would be.

My iPad air was specifically an AT&T one from Best buy as well and was told it was designed to work only on the AT&T network when I bought it, are you saying that's not the case? I checked, and both devices have Sim's in them.


I put in a case with AT&T they're supposed to call me when they look into it, but I'm cutting it close, and I'm guessing I'll have to press further with them.
 
annay49 said:
Thanks for the feedback. I bought the phone at Best Buy at full price during the first week iPhone 6's came out - only place I could find a phone, and I was using a really broken device that I wanted to switch out of. I've never traveled internationally and been on AT&T for so long that I didn't even think twice about it. Didn't realize how much of a headache this would be.

My iPad air was specifically an AT&T one from Best buy as well and was told it was designed to work only on the AT&T network when I bought it, are you saying that's not the case? I checked, and both devices have Sim's in them.


I put in a case with AT&T they're supposed to call me when they look into it, but I'm cutting it close, and I'm guessing I'll have to press further with them.
Click to expand...

You can remove the AT&T SIM out of the iPad and place any other compatible GSM SIM in and the iPad will work fine on that cellular network. iPads have never been locked since the first generation.
 
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EDH667 said:
You can remove the AT&T SIM out of the iPad and place any other compatible GSM SIM in and the iPad will work fine on that cellular network. iPads have never been locked since the first generation.
Click to expand...
I agree. I have bought succeeding generations of iPads and I have transferred my unlimited data plan to each new iPad. When I have traveled internationally, I get a local SIM for data and pop it in. When I come back to the US, I put my AT&T SIM back in. I have no problem changing the SIMs.
 
Edit: So I just realized that my iPhone was replaced about a month ago at the Genius bar (screen broken, couldn't fix it so they gave me a new one) That's probably why my IMEI number isn't recognized in the AT&T system. Does this change my phones status? As in, does this mean it is it already unlocked?
 
Apple will replace a locked phone with a locked phone and an unlocked phone with an unlocked phone. Whatever the phone status in their system, the replacement will be the same.
 
I used a website called Keys 2 Iphone to unlock my iphone for intl travel!
 
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