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How to test At&t unlock

G

gaanee

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 8, 2011
1,437
253
I backed up and then restored 3GS to unlock it from At&t. So it took about a minute or so and looked like it restarted and after it was restored it didn't display any message about unlock. So, how do I test if its unlocked?
 
if you restore the phone by using itunes it will give you an unlocked message in itunes.
 
By putting in a sim card that isn't an AT&T one.

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mattopotamus said:
if you restore the phone by using itunes it will give you an unlocked message in itunes.
Click to expand...

I didn't get that message, unless I missed it when I blinked. My 4S is unlocked and I tested it with a pre-paid T-mobile sim I ordered online for $0.99. It's got $3.34 on it too.
 
I didn't get any message saying unlock, so that's why I'm wondering. The restore process appeared like it restarted the iphone. Is there any other way to test?
I want to unlock now so that its restored to 5.1.1 which can be jailbroken before iOS 6 is released.
 
Search the web for IMEI Lookup sites. They will check to see if your IMEI has been unlocked.
 
Or do I need to restore to factory settings as a fresh iPhone instead of from the backup to get unlock message?
When I click to restore to factory settings, it shows a message saying that you can restore your contacts, text messages after fresh setup. What other things you can restore? Does it restore Notes?
I would actually like to do factory settings but don't want to take a chance with the the important notes on iPhone.
 
Yes, restore...not restore from back. Then after that completes you can restore from backup.
 
Does restore to factory settings restore Notes as well besides Contacts? Can someone please confirm this. Where can I find the full list of what else can be restored and you know then can you please share that info?
 
ericrwalker said:
By putting in a sim card that isn't an AT&T one.

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I didn't get that message, unless I missed it when I blinked. My 4S is unlocked and I tested it with a pre-paid T-mobile sim I ordered online for $0.99. It's got $3.34 on it too.
Click to expand...

Where did you order the T Mobile Sim card from? Link?
 
gaanee said:
Does restore to factory settings restore Notes as well besides Contacts? Can someone please confirm this. Where can I find the full list of what else can be restored and you know then can you please share that info?
Click to expand...

Assuming you've initiated the unlock with your carrier and have given Apple sufficient time to update their database with your unlock. Remember, Apple unlocks your phone, not the carrier! This took a couple of weeks for me, yours may happen sooner. Then:

1. In iTunes do a backup of your phone (performing a Sync does the same thing).

2. When that's complete, in iTunes click the "Restore" button on the right. This will restore the phone to its factory state. At the end of this process you may or may not get the "Congratulations, your iPhone is now unlocked" message.

3. Next, right-click on your iPhone in the left column of iTunes and select Restore from Backup. This is where your phone is completely restored just as it was when you performed Step #1.

I didn't get the unlock message after the factory restore process, so I had to use this site to check my status. It may take a day or two after you do the Backup-Restore-RestoreFromBackup procedure for your phone's lock status to get updated in their database, but it's a lot simpler than buying another carrier's sim to test the phone's status.
 
Geckotek said:
Yes, restore...not restore from back. Then after that completes you can restore from backup.
Click to expand...

This. I had the same issue - no message when restoring from backup. You have to click "Restore" under device settings in iTunes and then you'll get the "Congratulations your iPhone has been unlocked" message. After that, it will prompt you to restore the backup.
 
tugger said:
Assuming you've initiated the unlock with your carrier and have given Apple sufficient time to update their database with your unlock. Remember, Apple unlocks your phone, not the carrier! This took a couple of weeks for me, yours may happen sooner. Then:

1. In iTunes do a backup of your phone (performing a Sync does the same thing).

2. When that's complete, in iTunes click the "Restore" button on the right. This will restore the phone to its factory state. At the end of this process you may or may not get the "Congratulations, your iPhone is now unlocked" message.

3. Next, right-click on your iPhone in the left column of iTunes and select Restore from Backup. This is where your phone is completely restored just as it was when you performed Step #1.

I didn't get the unlock message after the factory restore process, so I had to use this site to check my status. It may take a day or two after you do the Backup-Restore-RestoreFromBackup procedure for your phone's lock status to get updated in their database, but it's a lot simpler than buying another carrier's sim to test the phone's status.
Click to expand...

when I was unlocking my phone Apple tech all informed me that AT&T was responsible for my unlock and it seemed to be that way.... I confirmed that it was unlocked with Apple AFTER AT&T did their thing
 
I had the exact same issue, OP. I used Applejuice's link and it showed me the unlock worked.
 
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