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Unlocked AT&T iPhone 5 at Subsidized Price?

blairh

blairh

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 11, 2007
6,115
4,832
Has anyone been able to get AT&T to unlock your iPhone 5 after paying a subsidized price for your phone? I know they technically do not allow for this, but I'm curious if any forum members have had some luck.

(If you got your iPhone 5 unlocked via Ebay I don't really care.)
 
thadoggfather said:
Source?
Click to expand...

I spent an hour researching it earlier this week. Found half a dozen forums where people discussed having their iPhones relocked. (Or people who unlocked iPhone's and then had angry customers when AT&T relocked iPhone's.)
 
blairh said:
I spent an hour researching it earlier this week. Found half a dozen forums where people discussed having their iPhones relocked. (Or people who unlocked iPhone's and then had angry customers when AT&T relocked iPhone's.)
Click to expand...

impossible
 
blairh said:
I spent an hour researching it earlier this week. Found half a dozen forums where people discussed having their iPhones relocked. (Or people who unlocked iPhone's and then had angry customers when AT&T relocked iPhone's.)
Click to expand...

Thats the exception in very rare cases and not the rule.
$6 is all you have to spend on ebay and you're done.
 
blairh said:
I spent an hour researching it earlier this week. Found half a dozen forums where people discussed having their iPhones relocked. (Or people who unlocked iPhone's and then had angry customers when AT&T relocked iPhone's.)
Click to expand...

Provide link to other forums please.
 
To anyone doubting me, click my username and you can see one of my recent posts where I provide a link. That was only one of several.

If you don't believe me, I don't care. I'd like to get back to my original inquiry.
 
blairh said:
To anyone doubting me, click my username and you can see one of my recent posts where I provide a link. That was only one of several.

If you don't believe me, I don't care. I'd like to get back to my original inquiry.
Click to expand...

This is false misinformation.
 
blairh said:
Any reason why? They seem dead set on not allowing this.
Click to expand...

There was another use who did the same thing and posted a thread about it a few weeks ago if I recall. I tried it and it worked.

They unlocked my 4S a month or so ago when I requested it through that online Subsidy Unlock form that AT&T has.

https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/

Submitted the same request for my iPhone 5, and they had me contact them. When I did, they said that they couldn't unlock an iPhone that hadn't finished its two year contract. I told them that they were being inconsistent since they unlocked my 4S less than halfway through my contract. I told them that all Verizon phones come GSM unlocked and that perhaps I should return my AT&T phone and take my business elsewhere. Within 2 minutes I had my phone unlocked by AT&T CS.
 
The New iPad said:
Can't believe OP is this misinformed.
Click to expand...

Considering @Chronic is openly saying he is having people who screw him over re-locked and there are complaints on unlock_fusion's eBay feedback complaining of being re-locked, I find the OPs assertion completely plausible. Not sure why you guys are arguing with him.

And OP, if the worst than can happen is a re-lock, why not take that gamble? Getting AT&T to unlock you is going to be next to impossible.
 
yeah and even if it were to hypothetically re-lock, wouldn't you have to do a restore for it to snap into place?

I dunno, maybe it happens and exists. But it seems to be the exception to the rule as previously mentioned.

I'm not worried about it, especially for $6. Plus, what other options do you have besides peoples' unlocking services? If it's subsidized, the only other alternative I can think of is getting another upgrade early (android phone or something) as an exception, then unlocking it. But even then, that's considerably more of a hassle.

Is there an accurate unlock checker site now? dev.mk i think says all of them are. Is iphoneox.com checking accurate/safe?
 
Geckotek said:
Considering @Chronic is openly saying he is having people who screw him over re-locked and there are complaints on unlock_fusion's eBay feedback complaining of being re-locked, I find the OPs assertion completely plausible. Not sure why you guys are arguing with him.

And OP, if the worst than can happen is a re-lock, why not take that gamble? Getting AT&T to unlock you is going to be next to impossible.
Click to expand...

Because I want a definitive unlock instead of something that may be relocked in the future.

I might call AT&T and politely threaten to leave them for Verizon if they won't unlock my iPhone 5. If they don't budge, then I'll use an unlocked GSM smartphone when I'm abroad. I absolutely will not pay AT&T for international use. Plus I want to use a local number abroad.
 
blairh said:
Because I want a definitive unlock instead of something that may be relocked in the future.
.
Click to expand...

Even if the vast majority have never been re-locked? While I understand your concern to a degree, I do not understand your aversion to even trying. The chances of getting locked in the middle of a trip are few and you can always pull out your existing standby or rent a phone.

Applejuiced said:
Same here, my i5 is still unlocked.
5-6 cases reported over thousands of unlocks sold on eBay.
I'll risk my $6:)
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
I had 2 iPhone 4's and 1 iPhone 4S unlocked 5 months ago, while all phones were still on contract, in fact 2 of them are still on contract and 1 has been upgraded to an iPhone 5. AT&T always makes exceptions, but it takes some effort on the customer part, i.e., more than a couple of calls to get the right rep who is willing to help you.

thadoggfather said:
Is there an accurate unlock checker site now? dev.mk i think says all of them are. Is iphoneox.com checking accurate/safe?
Click to expand...

Forget the checking websites and get the $0.99 cent T-Mo SIM activation kit!
 
blairh said:
Because I want a definitive unlock instead of something that may be relocked in the future.

I might call AT&T and politely threaten to leave them for Verizon if they won't unlock my iPhone 5. If they don't budge, then I'll use an unlocked GSM smartphone when I'm abroad. I absolutely will not pay AT&T for international use. Plus I want to use a local number abroad.
Click to expand...

You have about 99.9% that it will stay unlock!
 
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