After reading the article and related comments, I bought one "off the contract" AT&T iPhone 4s from apple retail store on Sunday. After connecting to iTunes with an AT&T sim card in, the message "Congratulations your iPhone has been unlocked" popped up. I subsequently switched the Sim card to one from China Mobile, which is also activated for international use. I got a bunch of text msgs from the carriers after a short moment of searching. Then I called a friend in China using the unlocked iPhone 4s, it went through and the quality was great.
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"Off Contract" AT&T iPhone 4Ss Already Come Unlocked
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Don't click update, hit restore. Also, I had to do a reset on my iPhone before I saw the unlocked message.
Don't click update, hit restore. Also, I had to do a reset on my iPhone before I saw the unlocked message.
That's normal. Most "non-official" carriers don't automatically provide the necessary settings for data access. You'll have to enter them manually, or try this site: http://help.benm.at/
So if I buy a contract-free iPhone 4S, I can send it to my cousin in the Philippines and she can use it on their GSM network?
I'm with you man. People have been getting screwed by the carriers in this country. I've had my iPhone 4 on GoPhone for about 4 months now. I realized that I very rarely used voice minutes and half my bill was my being dedicated to it. I paid my ETF ($205) and I spend around $15 a month on GoPhone now. I'll gladly pay the full price if it means not getting into a 2 year contract where AT&T screws me every month.
Use callingmart.com to save even more money. They have frequent 10% off deals on GoPhone refills.
We'll see what happens tomorrow. I have a 32GB AT&T version "reserved" at 5th Avenue.
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Yes.
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Yes.
No, you should get the unlocked message regardless of which SIM you use. The message simply appears in iTunes the first time you activate the phone following a restore (or firing up a fresh iPhone for the first time).
I'm on an AT&T family plan, and my particular line was not eligible for upgrade. I was all set to buy an unlocked model on pre-order day only to see the message "coming in November" on apple.com. I'm authorized to make changes on the account, so I ended up using the master account's upgrade to order (line belongs to a friend of mine who indicated he had no intention of upgrading to 4S at this time), figuring I could return it within 30 days if I had any regrets.
What do you think the chances are that if I went to an Apple store with my pre-order phone, still sealed, and returned it(thus undoing changes to the AT&T account), and then asked to re-buy the same phone back at off-contract price? Would they agree, and would it get entered into the system as an unlocked phone?
-- Nathan
EDIT: Reason I ask is closest Apple store to me shows "unavailable" for ALL models of 4S on reservation web page.
EDIT 2: I'm an idiot: it says you can't start reserving until 9 P.M. My question still stands, though...if I could just walk in the door and do a return/buyback without having to worry about stock, that would be the best option...especially since my closest Apple store is 80 miles away.
What do you think the chances are that if I went to an Apple store with my pre-order phone, still sealed, and returned it(thus undoing changes to the AT&T account), and then asked to re-buy the same phone back at off-contract price? Would they agree, and would it get entered into the system as an unlocked phone?
-- Nathan
EDIT: Reason I ask is closest Apple store to me shows "unavailable" for ALL models of 4S on reservation web page.
EDIT 2: I'm an idiot: it says you can't start reserving until 9 P.M. My question still stands, though...if I could just walk in the door and do a return/buyback without having to worry about stock, that would be the best option...especially since my closest Apple store is 80 miles away.
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Hey guys, just a heads up.
For those doubting whether or not AT&T can "re-lock" these handsets like Sprint or something... I was told today there's no way.
I was at the Genius Bar picking up my laptop and I had the guy run my serial number. He said my phone was an "authorized unlock" and therefore there's nothing AT&T can do.
So, enjoy the unlocked phones to whoever managed to snag one!
For those doubting whether or not AT&T can "re-lock" these handsets like Sprint or something... I was told today there's no way.
I was at the Genius Bar picking up my laptop and I had the guy run my serial number. He said my phone was an "authorized unlock" and therefore there's nothing AT&T can do.
So, enjoy the unlocked phones to whoever managed to snag one!
Hey guys, just a heads up.
For those doubting whether or not AT&T can "re-lock" these handsets like Sprint or something... I was told today there's no way.
I was at the Genius Bar picking up my laptop and I had the guy run my serial number. He said my phone was an "authorized unlock" and therefore there's nothing AT&T can do.
So, enjoy the unlocked phones to whoever managed to snag one!
Sounds good to me. Glad I din't have to wait till November, thanks for the info.
Try restoring it without a SIM Card in. That's what I did. (I think?)
... Mine never asked me to activate. Didn't have any problems.
I'm liking the sound of people switching to GoPhone in this thread, but what about Visual Voicemail and Facetime? Wouldn't you lose that stuff?
Hey guys, just a heads up.
For those doubting whether or not AT&T can "re-lock" these handsets like Sprint or something... I was told today there's no way.
I was at the Genius Bar picking up my laptop and I had the guy run my serial number. He said my phone was an "authorized unlock" and therefore there's nothing AT&T can do.
So, enjoy the unlocked phones to whoever managed to snag one!
That's good - thanks. This whole thing is kinda bogus, but at least Apple had the guts to sell unlocked iPhones. And the iPhone 4S is great - the 1080p is crystal clear, and the OS is snappy, Siri's a good start and Steve Jobs was right that it's the first artificial intelligence available in a mass product.
FaceTime is wifi only anyways so still works fine. Visual voicemail is not an issue for me as I use google voice for voicemail, but I heard it doesn't work. If u need data, gophone data is pricey. Since I don't need it, the $25 plan is awesome.
Really? I never use Voicemail, so I would just rather have a cheaper cellphone. I thought GoPhone was $50/unlimited per-month for everything now?
That is one option but if u have smartphone data is extra. Unlimited data is only on Non smartphones which is bs. $25 is another plan, 250 minutes with unlimited text and no data
I walked into the Apple Store at Tice's corner in Woodcliff Lake NJ and purchased an unsubsidized 32GB black iPhone 4s. I preordered a 64gb one on the 7th that I haven't received. The phone is indeed unlocked. I received the message after connecting to iTunes congratulating me that my iPhone has been unlocked. I guess it is what it it.........
Alright, I think I'm going to stick with my current plan. Which is only $67/month since I'm grandfathered into 1000/msg and unlimited data, and get an educational discount. I only use minimal minutes so no biggie there.
I think it's my best bet. Thanks though!
Nice. I used to work near that store. It's nice in that it's usually not very crowded, being out in the middle of nowhere (by NYC standards, at least). The only time I ever saw that store really crowded was at the iPad 2 launch. I have a reservation at 5th Avenue tomorrow, so I'll see what happens.