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

Is there a trick to get AT&T rep to unlock iphone on the phone?

D

dndandrea

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 10, 2010
265
0
Is there a trick to get a AT&T rep on the phone to unlock my iphone 4? I originally went to the store and they said they don't unlock it in the store and I have to call AT&T to get it unlocked. So i call AT&T and they say they don't do it over the phone and I have to go to att.com/deviceunlock. On the site it says it takes 5-7 days to complete.

Ive seen multiple threads online where people have called and they have an AT&T rep unlock the phone much faster over the phone. Am i missing something here? Bad rep? Wrong extension? Very confused but i have someone who has already paid me the money and I'm looking for quicker ways to get this done for him.

Thanks for any help!

PS: Yes i have already fulfilled my 2yr contract with this phone and its officially out of contract now. I did just renew my contract when i bought my iphone 5.
 
dndandrea said:
Is there a trick to get a AT&T rep on the phone to unlock my iphone 4? I originally went to the store and they said they don't unlock it in the store and I have to call AT&T to get it unlocked. So i call AT&T and they say they don't do it over the phone and I have to go to att.com/deviceunlock. On the site it says it takes 5-7 days to complete.

Ive seen multiple threads online where people have called and they have an AT&T rep unlock the phone much faster over the phone. Am i missing something here? Bad rep? Wrong extension? Very confused but i have someone who has already paid me the money and I'm looking for quicker ways to get this done for him.

Thanks for any help!

PS: Yes i have already fulfilled my 2yr contract with this phone and its officially out of contract now. I did just renew my contract when i bought my iphone 5.
Click to expand...

The trick is to keep trying. Eventually you'll get one that will do it for you. I haven't done it in over a month (and before that I did like 30 of them), but usually how it would go is that you'd get connected with customer care who would verify your information. then they'd transfer you to tech support who would push through the unlock. I'd say keep trying. If someone denies you or something, then just call right back.

Best of luck!:)
 
Probably just an uninformed rep. I called last night and had my wife's iPhone 4 unlocked. Of course after backing up and restoring in iTunes, I never saw the "Congrats, your iPhone is now unlocked" message. Called AT&T and they said it just shows for a second so you have to be watching iTunes as you restore.
 
I also did it through live chat (before there was a website setup) and I was also told 5-7 days so that's probably just to cover themselves.
I received a generic email the next day saying that my problem was resolved but I still waited the 7 days for some kind of specific confirmation of the unlock.
When I went back to chat to inquire about it I was told that the unlock had gone though the next day.
 
AT&T LIVE CHAT said:
Reggie: Thank you for contacting Business Data Support. My name is Reggie. Before we begin, can I confirm the wireless number that we will be working with is **********?
Drew Dandrea: Yes
Reggie: At this time we are no longer processing iPhone unlock requests via chat. You can request the device unlock at www.att.com/deviceunlock and fill out the form. This goes to a team that handles iPhone unlocks only.
Click to expand...
Just tried the live chat...

Another problem I have is that the sim card in it no longer has service. I asked a rep to give me a new card for my iphone 3 (since the iphone 4 card doesn't fit) so the old sim card in the iphone 4 is basically a dummy card. Will they still be able to send a signal to have it unlocked if the sim card receives no service?
 
HazyCloud said:
Probably just an uninformed rep. I called last night and had my wife's iPhone 4 unlocked. Of course after backing up and restoring in iTunes, I never saw the "Congrats, your iPhone is now unlocked" message. Called AT&T and they said it just shows for a second so you have to be watching iTunes as you restore.
Click to expand...

This simply isn't true I'm afraid... You want to backup and then click "Restore" rather than "Restore from Backup." When you get the "Congrats, your iPhone is now Unlocked" screen, it stays up until you click "Continue." Then you have the option to set up as a new phone or restore a backup.
 
Which support chat did you talk to. I really dont see a category for phone related problems.
 
Beware: I had my phone exchanged 2 times in an apple store for various reasons, with apple updating the imei for At&t, but I was getting rejection emails about unlocking my phone. After going back and forth with at&t and apple I was transferred to a technical guy who unlocked it in less than 2 minutes. I was given the run a-round by at&t so if your phone was changed make sure they update their system before you submit the online request
 
luisn17 said:
Beware: I had my phone exchanged 2 times in an apple store for various reasons, with apple updating the imei for At&t, but I was getting rejection emails about unlocking my phone. After going back and forth with at&t and apple I was transferred to a technical guy who unlocked it in less than 2 minutes. I was given the run a-round by at&t so if your phone was changed make sure they update their system before you submit the online request
Click to expand...

My original online request was denied for this same reason. The IMEI wasn't matching what AT&T had on file. A couple minutes on the phone with AT&T, she asked for the IMEI on my replacement iPhone, and it was all squared away and I was unlocked. After restore, of course.
 
I went through the website last week and was able to restore and unlock today. They sent the "unlock approved" email yesterday, but said to wait 24 hours to try it.
 
jrlepage said:
This simply isn't true I'm afraid... You want to backup and then click "Restore" rather than "Restore from Backup." When you get the "Congrats, your iPhone is now Unlocked" screen, it stays up until you click "Continue." Then you have the option to set up as a new phone or restore a backup.
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for that. I felt it was a little sketchy, so thanks for clearing it up. I'll give it another go once my wife gets my 4S.
 
I called AT&T today regarding my brothers iPhone 4..first they said do the live chat thing and they don't unlock iPhones over the phone anymore etc. I said I don't want to wait that long to get it unlocked, I also informed the rep that I been with AT&T for a long time and if they can do it over the phone then it'll be great. The rep asked my the IMEI number and said go to iTunes and follow the instructions. Now waiting for my brothers iPhone so I can see if it works #
 
https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/termsAndCondition

I just sent the request late last week and just got a reply tonight.

they said


Request number: XXXXXX
Thank you for contacting AT&T Customer Care about unlocking your iPhone.

We have reviewed your request and confirmed that you are eligible to have the requested iPhone unlocked.

Please allow 24 hours upon receipt of this notification to complete the unlock.

To complete the unlock, simply:

Open iTunes on your Mac or PC and verify that you have Internet connectivity.
Ensure a SIM card is inserted into your iPhone.
Connect your iPhone using the dock connector to USB cable that came with your iPhone.
Backup and restore your iPhone using iTunes. For information on backup and restore, please visit http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414.
After restoring, your iPhone will be unlocked.
Additional information on unlocking can be found at http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3198

For questions regarding AT&T's wireless service and iPhone, please visit the Phone/Device Learning Center.

We thank you for your continued business.
 
OP, the reason you see multiple threads where people called is because at&t only recently introduced the device unlock page.
There is no instant unlock, as at&t still has to send your imei to apple as authorized to get an unlock.

I'm not sure why you insist on getting an unlock via phone.
 
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