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

How to unlock iPhone 5 AT&T

hmm... like this one? All the feedback are EUR$1.00 but the auction is US$25...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Factory-Per...2?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_205&hash=item27d923e930

I really want to get it unlock before Oct, I need to use it in other country for a week...

And I do agree with about those sites...


scotrinaf said:
I still prefer the eBay unlock method... Websites pop up and disappear overnight... At least on eBay you can read their feedback... A current unlock will cost you $25+ for an AT&T phone...

However, with the iPhone 5, your phone does not have to be unlocked to use Straight Talk (at least not if you do the T-Mobile SIM swap hack)...
Click to expand...
 
zzz99 said:
hmm... like this one? All the feedback are EUR$1.00 but the auction is US$25...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Factory-Per...2?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_205&hash=item27d923e930

I really want to get it unlock before Oct, I need to use it in other country for a week...

And I do agree with about those sites...
Click to expand...

Those sites disappear because the owners commit fraud with their suppliers - so they switch domain names every x amount of time in order to continue fooling others as there are some trusting suppliers who let their resellers pay after. I work with a few large suppliers and hear their stories so often of such people out there.
 
Thanks Satnam.

http://www.unlockfusion.net/contact

This is the site I used to get all my 5 to unlock on the first week since launch, I think I paid ~3-5bucks for each unlock.

According to this site, here is what is going on...

""Good Day,

NOTE: If you do not see the AT&T IPhone unlock service available on site, it is because we have too many orders are working to clear the older orders first. Once we are caught up we will enable it on our site for ordering. All orders that are in process,we will try to clear as soon as possible. As you know AT&T service is very unstable and can take up to 72 Business Hours.

We are aware that there has been a sudden price increase in AT&T Iphone unlocking pricing. This is due to AT&T and Apple changing its policies & limiting the capacity of unlock requests. For time being, the pricing will be reflected (its a Global increase). Rest assured, we will pass down the savings to our valued customers and update pricing if there is future changes.

Current time frame is: 1-48 Hours (some can take upto 72 Hours)
Service is currently working great.

Thanks for understanding. We guarantee to have the lowest pricing and retain the same GREAT services.

Regards""




EDIT:

Not just mine and my wife's iPhone 5, also the iPhone 2G, I am just too lazy to submit the request to at&t. And also refer this site to my friends.
 
Last edited:
Richdmoore said:
If you are eligible for a free official AT&T unlock, they have a easy web site, It took 5 minutes for me to get the approval email after filling out the form.

Of course if the phone is 2nd hand you may not have the info they need, but if you do it is worth a try vs the $30 it now costs.

https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/termsAndCondition
Click to expand...

Yeah but that doesn't work if your currently in contract, I need an unlock as I will be going to India for two weeks for work. I would like to use my phone while there with a pre-paid sim but ATT is not making that easy.
 
Exactly, even 30bucks to unlock, I would pay for that.

Not only I can save the $ from data/voice roaming, it is also so much easier to sell it.

I have been upgrading every year, and the people around me always wait online for my used iPhones since they know I keep them in very good condition.



EDIT:

The same eBay auction that I posted few days ago, the price went up to 40bucks from 25... I guess the demand is really high, just like the sales of 5s.

Goodeye said:
Yeah but that doesn't work if your currently in contract, I need an unlock as I will be going to India for two weeks for work. I would like to use my phone while there with a pre-paid sim but ATT is not making that easy.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Funny I argued with another member and said watch, when 5s comes out things will change, and he yelled at me, called me names, told me I didn't know what I was talking about, and low and behold, I was right.

It's no longer cheap... it's now like it was initially.

It's still quite reasonably priced I'd say.
 
Why did you believe it will change?

shenan1982 said:
Funny I argued with another member and said watch, when 5s comes out things will change, and he yelled at me, called me names, told me I didn't know what I was talking about, and low and behold, I was right.

It's no longer cheap... it's now like it was initially.

It's still quite reasonably priced I'd say.
Click to expand...
 
zzz99 said:
Why did you believe it will change?
Click to expand...

The change was that in the past, AT&T allowed third parties (such as Authorized Dealers) to have direct access to the unlock platform. They've caught on that the third parties are adding unlocks to the database that aren't eligible, and that goes against ATT's business model. So they've taken the control back in house. The only explanation as to how the unlocks are now being processed, albeit a slower pace, is that the internal employees (i.e. those who actually work for ATT) who have access to the system are assisting sites to complete the unlocks.

This is why it went from easy and fast, to harder and slower. AT&T tightened the reins as to who has access.

At the end of the day, I'm not really sure why they do it aside from the control. The problem is when other carriers have the iPhone, it doesn't make sense to lock it because it's not an "us or nothing" .... people have choices today. They initially locked it to prevent someone from taking their phone to T-Mobile because ATT had the exclusivity on the US iPhone market .... but now that every major carrier has it, it's just them trying to use one more tactic to hold someone to their network. But to the consumer, it's just pissing us off.
 
I see, I didn't know the story about at&t, I just know it was easy and cheap last year when I did it for 5, I didn't travel to other country... but not this year...

Right... I really don't understand why it has to be locked since we can't leave the store without activated the phone... without signing the 2years contract... even we jump ship, we will still have to pay for the smartphone termination fee.

Well, I am just glad that there is still a way to unlock the phone permanently(jb-unlock is just cat and mice game... no please), and so happy that Apple doesn't allow any carrier to put their damn logo on the phone and startup screen.



shenan1982 said:
The change was that in the past, AT&T allowed third parties (such as Authorized Dealers) to have direct access to the unlock platform. They've caught on that the third parties are adding unlocks to the database that aren't eligible, and that goes against ATT's business model. So they've taken the control back in house. The only explanation as to how the unlocks are now being processed, albeit a slower pace, is that the internal employees (i.e. those who actually work for ATT) who have access to the system are assisting sites to complete the unlocks.

This is why it went from easy and fast, to harder and slower. AT&T tightened the reins as to who has access.

At the end of the day, I'm not really sure why they do it aside from the control. The problem is when other carriers have the iPhone, it doesn't make sense to lock it because it's not an "us or nothing" .... people have choices today. They initially locked it to prevent someone from taking their phone to T-Mobile because ATT had the exclusivity on the US iPhone market .... but now that every major carrier has it, it's just them trying to use one more tactic to hold someone to their network. But to the consumer, it's just pissing us off.
Click to expand...
 
zzz99 said:
Right... I really don't understand why it has to be locked since we can't leave the store without activated the phone... without signing the 2years contract... even we jump ship, we will still have to pay for the smartphone termination fee.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately for every one of "us smart people" in here there are 100 people who just listen to AT&T and nod their heads at whatever they're told. The sad part is the ones losing are consumers... but until people start challenging it, it won't change. I really hope the current legislation requiring phones to be sold unlocked goes through, but much like the credit card consumer bill of rights, any government regulation will only be met with alternative ways for the companies to make money.

It's better letting the marketplace dictate policy as opposed to the government. The recent T-Mobile "uncannier" thing will help push the other carriers... but it's still going to take more people getting fed up and moving to Straight Talk and Simple Mobile and T-Mobile before the big carriers start feeling the financial pinch and start changing their ways.
 
Back to iPhone 2G, I got it on the 2nd or 3rd day and unlocked it for my Tmobile sim card.

But I got tired with this cat and mice game... and finally switched to at&t, there are still something good about at&t, in NYC, the data speed is still way better than Verizon, and the carry over minutes is a big + to me.

Since few years ago... Tmobile, at&t, and Verizon are all on 2 years contract term... did we have any choice? No...


In Hong Kong, the hotspot has been free for years... what about US? 20 per month to activate it... and it will kill my unlimited data plan...


Anyway... I can't switch until I see Tmobile LTE(do they have it yet?) can do as good as at&t, I can catch up most of the tech. news but not all these changes from the US carriers...

As for the contract, this is how I look at it, I don't have any plan to move to other country so it is fine, and if I really have to move, I deal with the smartphone-termination-fee...

Moreover, I have 2 iPhone and 1 regular line for my family plan, 1 iPhone with unlimited, my wife has 3GB for $30 plan, no sms. My monthly bill is 150 per month included all the BS taxes, not that bad.




shenan1982 said:
Unfortunately for every one of "us smart people" in here there are 100 people who just listen to AT&T and nod their heads at whatever they're told. The sad part is the ones losing are consumers... but until people start challenging it, it won't change. I really hope the current legislation requiring phones to be sold unlocked goes through, but much like the credit card consumer bill of rights, any government regulation will only be met with alternative ways for the companies to make money.

It's better letting the marketplace dictate policy as opposed to the government. The recent T-Mobile "uncannier" thing will help push the other carriers... but it's still going to take more people getting fed up and moving to Straight Talk and Simple Mobile and T-Mobile before the big carriers start feeling the financial pinch and start changing their ways.
Click to expand...
 
zzz99 said:
In Hong Kong, the hotspot has been free for years... what about US? 20 per month to activate it... and it will kill my unlimited data plan...

Anyway... I can't switch until I see Tmobile LTE(do they have it yet?) can do as good as at&t, I can catch up most of the tech. news but not all these changes from the US carriers...

As for the contract, this is how I look at it, I don't have any plan to move to other country so it is fine, and if I really have to move, I deal with the smartphone-termination-fee...
Click to expand...

Yeah anywhere outside the US the hotspot is free. How can they really charge when you pay for the bucket of data? ATT only prohibits it on unlimited because they have to "protect" the network.

Yes, T-Mo has LTE in almost all major cities. It's obviously not as amazingly fast\in depth as ATT's, but for the price ($70 for truly unlimited plus intl roaming) it's worth it, I made the switch yesterday.

I first went to Walmart and bout the $29.88 sim and tested it for a couple weeks to make sure it worked wherever I go. My biggest sell was the free international roaming now included. That's worth $200 a month in itself for me as I travel 1-2 weeks a month internationally.
 
I have used this guy Dani. His email address is 2005dani@gmail.com, send him an email about specifics. He is also on twitter! search for iphone5s_nerd, I used him for my 4s and 5, but not for my 5s, since I bought it at full price. He communicates well to your questions as well. Oh, it was $35 last year. He came highly recommended and he has not disappointed.
 
It was only few bucks last year... hmm...

finetings said:
I have used this guy Dani. His email address is 2005dani@gmail.com, send him an email about specifics. He is also on twitter! search for iphone5s_nerd, I used him for my 4s and 5, but not for my 5s, since I bought it at full price. He communicates well to your questions as well. Oh, it was $35 last year. He came highly recommended and he has not disappointed.
Click to expand...
 
Zzz999

I am sure it was a few dollars last year but you get what you pay for, this guy was highly recommended from a tech reviewer on a well known website. Check out his twitter page. He actually lives in Belize, but I am all for supporting those who work hard for us tech junkies, you paid $2 and I paid $35(with peace of mind).
 
I never heard of his name from any well known website, but thanks for the reference.

I am happy with the 2dollars McDonald cheeseburger and you are also happy with the 35bucks McDonald cheeseburger.


http://www.unlockfusion.net/brands/apple

I am still camping this site, since I have unlocked few of my iPhones from there.


I will go with this site below if I still don't see it by the end of this month.

http://www.unlockwithsam.com/siteerror404.html



finetings said:
I am sure it was a few dollars last year but you get what you pay for, this guy was highly recommended from a tech reviewer on a well known website. Check out his twitter page. He actually lives in Belize, but I am all for supporting those who work hard for us tech junkies, you paid $2 and I paid $35(with peace of mind).
Click to expand...
 
Trying to Unlock iphone 5

Ok, total newbie here. Reading this forum, registered I went to swiftunlock.com but do not at all see that AT&T Iphone 5 is an item to buy.

Did they remove it?

Any other recommended sites that are cheap? Every other place is wanting $75+.
 
needanswers23 said:
Ok, total newbie here. Reading this forum, registered I went to swiftunlock.com but do not at all see that AT&T Iphone 5 is an item to buy.

Did they remove it?

Any other recommended sites that are cheap? Every other place is wanting $75+.
Click to expand...

Yeah they removed it again. Was $39 for a few days, I submitted my order, a week later they said they can't do it right now. So I just got my money back. Compared to $4 I paid at the end of September and got iPhone 5 unlocked in several hours. I hate AT&T.
 
Last year I contact AT&T to unlock my iPhone 5 because I was going out of the country for a few weeks. Unfortunately they declined me although my account was in good status and I've been a customer since the iPhone 3G. I ended up using a service that I found on eBay and it worked like a charm.

I recently got a replacement iPhone 5 from Apple and will be going out of the country again in a few months. However I went searching on eBay for the same or similar services that I used before and I couldn't find ANYTHING. The only results that came up were very expensive. After googling around a bit more I stumbled across this thread. I was willing to pay to have my phone unlocked but after I went to swiftunlocks.com as everyone recommended I was not able to find an AT&T iPhone 5 option. Continuing down the thread I read some other success storied about contacting AT&T about requesting the unlock through them. Due to my previous experience I was a bit hesitant but they granted me the unlock and legitimately within seconds. I received a submission email stating the following: "Thank you for contacting AT&T Customer Care about unlocking your AT&T Mobile device. Your unlock request is presently being reviewed." And then within seconds I received another email from AT&T stating: "We have reviewed your request and confirmed that the device may be unlocked." I also checked a few IMEI checker that I used last year (http://iphoneimei.info/) and they verified that my device was unlocked as well. I'm pleasantly surprised.

The short of it is, give AT&T a shot to unlock your phone first. You might be surprised by their answer.

I do have a question for the group however. Within AT&T's steps they tell me that I need to restore my phone to have it unlocked: "5. After restoring, your iPhone will be unlocked." However I checked the IMEI checker online and it indicated that my phone was already unlocked. Do I still need to restore my phone or am I good to go? Just want to make sure I'm OK before to get aboard and realize that it wasn't fully unlocked. Thanks.
 
I am not a lucky person... I think I have tried twice, and no luck...


I am at HK now and using a LG Android phone with HK simcard, fast LTE speed, cheap prepaid, FREE tethering...

Next year, I will just go for unlocked.


Apple/at&t better don't change any rule...

I ordered a 5S ~9amEST on 9/20(the first launch date)and got it 2 weeks ago...

Ordered another 5S 3 weeks ago, and got it 2 weeks ago...


I see Apple is helping the US carriers to push us to a contract phone...
 
airj1012 said:
...I recently got a replacement iPhone 5 from Apple ... I received a submission email stating the following: "Thank you for contacting AT&T Customer Care about unlocking your AT&T Mobile device. Your unlock request is presently being reviewed." And then within seconds I received another email from AT&T stating: "We have reviewed your request and confirmed that the device may be unlocked."
Click to expand...

Here's what I think happened:
1) When Apple replaced your phone they transferred your unlock (people have reported in this forum that the unlock transfers to a replacement iPhone, I haven't needed to do this so I can't confirm).
2) AT&T checked your unlock status and found that it was already unlocked. However, being lawyer-driven, they didn't want to say "your phone is unlocked" because if it somehow became re-locked you might sue them, so instead they say "it may be unlocked".
 
please help unlocking

i got an iphone 4 from my uncle a few years ago it is locked to at&t.
i really wish i can this phone.

if anyone on at&t can try to get it unlocked please.

imei is 012756008292552
 
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