iPhone unlocking questions and discussion

[Bashir_Amin]

You can really loose your hair with ATT support.

I finally unlocked it at an online shop for $85, took only 2 hours )

[RAA12]

I got my notice from Att advising me that I had qualified for the unlock and all that I needed to do was to back up and restore my unit via itunes for it to take effect.  I have done this but unfortunately it did not work.  As I complete the restore process, it says invalid SIM (the SIM currently in the unit is a SIM from the Philippines).  The process of restoring is only completed if I put back the original ATT SIM which is no longer active.

I called the ATT hotline and they said that the unlock will only work for if I have a US based SIM from carriers like sprint, verizon etc. which defeats the purpose of an unlock.  Need advise if this info is accurate or ATT did not unlock my unit properly.

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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Bashir_Amin wrote:

You can really loose your hair with ATT support.

I finally unlocked it at an online shop for $85, took only 2 hours )

---

more then likely whe it updates the IOS you will be payinhg $85 again to unlocked it, if it is not done through apple it is not authorized or reliable

[Bashir_Amin]

Come on friend, don't spread false information.

It is legal factory unlock from att like it is done. I have been researching this 

for 5 days and trust me it will stay unlocked. I unlocked it from iTunes

after their confirmation.

Cheers

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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Bashir_Amin wrote:

Come on friend, don't spread false information.

It is legal factory unlock from att like it is done. I have been researching this 

for 5 days and trust me it will stay unlocked. I unlocked it from iTunes

after their confirmation.

Cheers

---

It is NOT false information, period. Up until April of this year there was absolutley no authorized method of unlocking a ATT issue Iphone. There was a website at one time that "offered it" but Apple shut them down.

[dwill05]

I think that only AT&T can officially request an unlock for an AT&T locked iPhone from Apple. And AT&T does it for free if you meet their conditions. If you're paying some website, it's not official and most likely some company who had access to Apples servers for other carriers, not AT&T. It may work for a while, or it may work forever, but who knows. If someone wants to use these sites and pay money for something that others get for free, that's their choice.

[danfoster]

how i can unlocked my iphone 4 ?

Type: Value:

Device Family:	iPhone
Device Model:	IPHONE 4 32GB BLACK
Device IMEI:	{Personal content removed for your safety}
iOS version:	5.1.1
Country Code:	USA
Purchase Country:	US
Purchase Date:	(Purchase Date Validated t1)
Warranty:
Is Activated:	Yes
Activation date:	2011-10-14
ICCID:	{Personal content removed for your safety}
Locked Status:	Locked
Carrier:	AT&T USA

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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danfoster wrote:

how i can unlocked my iphone 4 ?

Type: Value:

Device Family:	iPhone
Device Model:	IPHONE 4 32GB BLACK
Device IMEI:	{Personal content removed for your safety}
iOS version:	5.1.1
Country Code:	USA
Purchase Country:	US
Purchase Date:	(Purchase Date Validated t1)
Warranty:
Is Activated:	Yes
Activation date:	2011-10-14
ICCID:	{Personal content removed for your safety}
Locked Status:	Locked
Carrier:	AT&T USA

---

If you are out of the country get a skype account, call 1-800-331-0500 and talk to them, that is the only avaialble method, chat, email, posting here does not work.

If the phone is still active on and under contract on the ATT netowkr it will not be unlocked until after the 2 year commitment is up or the etf is paid.

In short the requirements for unlock are :

1. the att telephone number that was assigned to the phone when it was on network -OR-

2. the att account number that the phone was activated on when it was network -OR-

3. a invoice showing that you paid full retail price for the phne from a authorized dealer

If none of the above are supplied there maybe a chance that the phone will not be unlocked.

[Edson13]

Has to be activated.. but how..

how should i activate it ???

i already activated with the ATT sim card.. but i am in Brazil, and its is without signal..

[Edson13]

i just got this email as answer..

[Edited to comply with Guidelines]

So that means, just with the proof showing that you payed full price dosent work.

you need to have a mobile/account associated with the case.

and i dont have it.. 

i dont know what else to try..

i bought it, and it came with an ATT sim card inside, but i havent used, i took straith away to Brazil !!

now i cannot unlock it, 

someone has any other way for me to tryyy !!!

thanks

[Edson13]

now without my personal informations

Dear AT&T Valued Customer:

We recently received your request for the unlock code on the following device:

EMAIL:  [edited for privacy – please do not post personal information]
CASE: xxxxxx
MOBILE: Non-ATT
MANUFACTURER: Apple
MODEL: iPhone_4
IMEI: xxx


Thank you for contacting AT&T Customer Care about unlocking your iPhone.

We are unable to complete your request at this time due to the following reason(s):

Invalid or no mobile/account associated with request. 

Please click the following link for AT&T’s General Eligibility Requirements for Unlocking iPhone.
( www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB414532&cv=820#fbid=suz-sqOD-V4 )

[Edson13]

i am starting to think that the problem in my case, is the fax procedure..

does someone in the USA dont mind to send a fax for me please..

i send my receipt and case number by email, and you please send the fax for me..

i am in Brazil now, and i am having trouble to send this fax from here.

thanks

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

Reach out to Jamileh here who is a Communuty Manager. Send her a private message and see what she can do?

[Edson13]

how can i send a private mensage ??

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

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Edson13 wrote:

how can i send a private mensage ??

---

When you go into a profile, there is a link under contacts for sending a private message.

Jamileh

[Edson13]

i contact her.. she cannot do anything about it..

i asked my friend that is in the US to fax for me..

i dont know i think the problem maybe something else..

on my receipt is saying ..

AT&T account information:

No wireless service activation during iphone sale..

i think because of that, they dont unlock..

even that i payed full retail price

[nikita1987]

I have locked iPhone 3gs with modem 06.15 AT&T IMEI number *******.I live in Tver,Russia.I bought my iPhone in nonoffical shop because we don't have offical store in my city.In the shop seller said me 
that my iPhone was never locked.But I upgrade it on 5.0.1 and it is locked now!Please can 
you unlock my iPhone? Becouse I don't heve enough money to buy new one! With regard NIKITA! 
Please unlock it. I like Apple very much.

[edited for privacy – please do not post personal information]

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

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nikita1987 wrote:

I have locked iPhone 3gs with modem 06.15 AT&T IMEI number *******.I live in Tver,Russia.I bought my iPhone in nonoffical shop because we don't have offical store in my city.In the shop seller said me 
that my iPhone was never locked.But I upgrade it on 5.0.1 and it is locked now!Please can 
you unlock my iPhone? Becouse I don't heve enough money to buy new one! With regard NIKITA! 
Please unlock it. I like Apple very much.

[edited for privacy – please do not post personal information]

---

You need to call ATT to see if you are eligible to have your iPhone unlocked.  Given that you bought it second hand, you may not have much luck but if you use Skype to call the number below they will see if you can.  If not, sell it and/or take up your issue with the seller who misrepresented what they sold you.

What you bought was an iPhone that someone jailbraked and applied a software unlock.  Once you updated, you reverted back to the official firmware from Apple.  What ATT is now offering is a permanent unlock.

[gasyuen]

Hello,

I was buy an iphone 4s at Bestbuy, It was no conrtact issue. Can I unlocking the phone ? How can I do. Thank you very much.

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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gasyuen wrote:

Hello,

I was buy an iphone 4s at Bestbuy, It was no conrtact issue. Can I unlocking the phone ? How can I do. Thank you very much.

---

If you are outside the US - get a skype account and  call: Customer Support: 1-800-331-0500

here are the requirements for unlocking the ipohne, if you meet them they your phone should be unlocked, ifnot, then it wil not be

[Klinosborn]

Guys who can help!
I bought two iPhone 4 on ebay and they turned out to be Locked in the AT&T (I have in my city (Minsk, Belarus) is not AT&T).
I know I need to call AT&T. Called them on Skype a few times, but do not understand what they are asking.
I really do not know much English, who can help to talk to them?
Please help!

[aslikolcak]

Hi! i got my at&t i phone 4 through a friend therefore i dont have a bill and contarct. Now im in another country and my phone is locked, how can I unlock it? please help me, thanks

[kdfederer ACE - Wizard]

I can't be done, at least not here. Your friend (whom you got the phone from), would have to contact AT&T and get the phone unlocked.

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

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Klinosborn wrote:

Guys who can help!
I bought two iPhone 4 on ebay and they turned out to be Locked in the AT&T (I have in my city (Minsk, Belarus) is not AT&T).
I know I need to call AT&T. Called them on Skype a few times, but do not understand what they are asking.
I really do not know much English, who can help to talk to them?
Please help!

---

YOU need to call ATT at the number below or find a friend who can call.  Odds are though that ATT will not unlock the iPhones since you have not been or currently are an ATT customer.  Did the seller on ebay tell you they were unlocked?  if so, dispute the sale with eBay.

[kirezad]

well i have a 3gs and an iphone 4 att refuse to unlock both phones.
on both occasions when i call customer service was very ignorant and rude, as with the iphone 4 was a gift from a friend most likely he got it from craigslist but customer service dont even knew what craigslist was and insuinated that i have stole the phone so the choice that att suggested was...
1.- get a purchase receipt (from craiglist??? really)
2.- jailbreak it ( to bad i can not be done since the baseband is lock)
3.- use it as expensive paper weight.

both phones are not reported stolen or lost but still there is no way for me to get att to unlock my phones.

no only the service is horrible with att but their customer service and polices are a big joke.

i have see many sings around town, on line and yes craiglist offering factory unlock for any iphone, how they are doing this?? when att can not do it.

in overall i think att should just send emails to ther prefered customers or those that they think are the perfect candidates for unlock, because for sure the rest of us have to sit and wait for a miracle, use or phones as ipods or just leave them laying around collecting dust, dont mind the money i pay for them....

what a big joke!!!!

[youngjm ACE - Professor]

---

kirezad wrote:

well i have a 3gs and an iphone 4 att refuse to unlock both phones.
on both occasions when i call customer service was very ignorant and rude, as with the iphone 4 was a gift from a friend most likely he got it from craigslist but customer service dont even knew what craigslist was and insuinated that i have stole the phone so the choice that att suggested was...
1.- get a purchase receipt (from craiglist??? really)
2.- jailbreak it ( to bad i can not be done since the baseband is lock)
3.- use it as expensive paper weight.

both phones are not reported stolen or lost but still there is no way for me to get att to unlock my phones.

no only the service is horrible with att but their customer service and polices are a big joke.

i have see many sings around town, on line and yes craiglist offering factory unlock for any iphone, how they are doing this?? when att can not do it.

in overall i think att should just send emails to ther prefered customers or those that they think are the perfect candidates for unlock, because for sure the rest of us have to sit and wait for a miracle, use or phones as ipods or just leave them laying around collecting dust, dont mind the money i pay for them....

what a big joke!!!!

---

ATT unlocks iPhones for past or present customers who have had an iphone and fulfilled the terms of their 2 year contract or paid full price for the iPhone from an authorized dealer.  Craigs list is not an authorized dealer and the seller may have come across the iPhone that was stolen?  In your case, you are out of luck if you do not have an account with them and you cannot prove you bought the iPhone from and authorized dealer.

What others are selling online is unknown as only the carriers are supposed to have access the ability to permanently unlock an iPhone.  These might be hacks that could be undone after an upgrade?  If you really want an unlocked iPhone, the best bet is to sell your iPhones to someone who wants to use it on ATT and buy an unlocked version of the iPhone from Apple.

[kirezad]

---

youngjm wrote:

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kirezad wrote:

well i have a 3gs and an iphone 4 att refuse to unlock both phones.
on both occasions when i call customer service was very ignorant and rude, as with the iphone 4 was a gift from a friend most likely he got it from craigslist but customer service dont even knew what craigslist was and insuinated that i have stole the phone so the choice that att suggested was...
1.- get a purchase receipt (from craiglist??? really)
2.- jailbreak it ( to bad i can not be done since the baseband is lock)
3.- use it as expensive paper weight.

both phones are not reported stolen or lost but still there is no way for me to get att to unlock my phones.

no only the service is horrible with att but their customer service and polices are a big joke.

i have see many sings around town, on line and yes craiglist offering factory unlock for any iphone, how they are doing this?? when att can not do it.

in overall i think att should just send emails to ther prefered customers or those that they think are the perfect candidates for unlock, because for sure the rest of us have to sit and wait for a miracle, use or phones as ipods or just leave them laying around collecting dust, dont mind the money i pay for them....

what a big joke!!!!

---

ATT unlocks iPhones for past or present customers who have had an iphone and fulfilled the terms of their 2 year contract or paid full price for the iPhone from an authorized dealer.  Craigs list is not an authorized dealer and the seller may have come across the iPhone that was stolen?  In your case, you are out of luck if you do not have an account with them and you cannot prove you bought the iPhone from and authorized dealer.

What others are selling online is unknown as only the carriers are supposed to have access the ability to permanently unlock an iPhone.  These might be hacks that could be undone after an upgrade?  If you really want an unlocked iPhone, the best bet is to sell your iPhones to someone who wants to use it on ATT and buy an unlocked version of the iPhone from Apple.

---

craigslist of course is not authorized dealer, getting it from some one that upgrade to 4s is not an authorized dealer as well, att polices are not the same for everyone, do a google search and see how many people have had their phones unlock with out ever been an att customer at all, however this is the only responce that everybody gets i have see it a least 10 time in this post alone, yes i could sell my iphones, but i dont want to, and what is it to att to have iphones lock to their network when people dont want to be with att, im sure that a big % of iphones that are lock to att are use in diferent networks and why is that??? is because att dont care about customers, their plans are horrible as well is the service and no to mention the customer service department which is nothing but rude.

and other fun fact i forgot to mention earlier, att refuse to unlock iphones beause are in a contract or for whatever reason but did you know that i can go get a att pay as you plan and use the same iphone that att refuse to unlock for been in a contract or other person account, why is posible?? can you explain it??

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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kirezad wrote:

---

youngjm wrote:

---

kirezad wrote:

well i have a 3gs and an iphone 4 att refuse to unlock both phones.
on both occasions when i call customer service was very ignorant and rude, as with the iphone 4 was a gift from a friend most likely he got it from craigslist but customer service dont even knew what craigslist was and insuinated that i have stole the phone so the choice that att suggested was...
1.- get a purchase receipt (from craiglist??? really)
2.- jailbreak it ( to bad i can not be done since the baseband is lock)
3.- use it as expensive paper weight.

both phones are not reported stolen or lost but still there is no way for me to get att to unlock my phones.

no only the service is horrible with att but their customer service and polices are a big joke.

i have see many sings around town, on line and yes craiglist offering factory unlock for any iphone, how they are doing this?? when att can not do it.

in overall i think att should just send emails to ther prefered customers or those that they think are the perfect candidates for unlock, because for sure the rest of us have to sit and wait for a miracle, use or phones as ipods or just leave them laying around collecting dust, dont mind the money i pay for them....

what a big joke!!!!

---

ATT unlocks iPhones for past or present customers who have had an iphone and fulfilled the terms of their 2 year contract or paid full price for the iPhone from an authorized dealer.  Craigs list is not an authorized dealer and the seller may have come across the iPhone that was stolen?  In your case, you are out of luck if you do not have an account with them and you cannot prove you bought the iPhone from and authorized dealer.

What others are selling online is unknown as only the carriers are supposed to have access the ability to permanently unlock an iPhone.  These might be hacks that could be undone after an upgrade?  If you really want an unlocked iPhone, the best bet is to sell your iPhones to someone who wants to use it on ATT and buy an unlocked version of the iPhone from Apple.

---

craigslist of course is not authorized dealer, getting it from some one that upgrade to 4s is not an authorized dealer as well, att polices are not the same for everyone, do a google search and see how many people have had their phones unlock with out ever been an att customer at all, however this is the only responce that everybody gets i have see it a least 10 time in this post alone, yes i could sell my iphones, but i dont want to, and what is it to att to have iphones lock to their network when people dont want to be with att, im sure that a big % of iphones that are lock to att are use in diferent networks and why is that??? is because att dont care about customers, their plans are horrible as well is the service and no to mention the customer service department which is nothing but rude.

and other fun fact i forgot to mention earlier, att refuse to unlock iphones beause are in a contract or for whatever reason but did you know that i can go get a att pay as you plan and use the same iphone that att refuse to unlock for been in a contract or other person account, why is posible?? can you explain it??

---

If those other people supplied a fully price invoice from a authorized dealer then yes they did get their phone unlocked, even if they where not a customer of att.

Sorry you disagree with ATT's policy for unlocking the Iphone, up until April of this year the iphone was not eligible for a unlock at all, so the policy has changed - since you bought it off of craigslist contact the buyer to have them request the unlock.

Sorry you might be able to put a pay as you go sim in the iphone, but it is up to you to get it to work correctly, att does not support the iphone in that plan - someone has mentioned that they do support the 3G but have never seen ATT validated documentation stating they do support it.

Bottom line - that policy stands as it is, it is ahead of what the policy was back in March, but ATT set the rules and requirements, so your only options of the 3 that you posted are 2 and 3. 

[CODYQX4]

I have an iPhone 4S I got in Fall 2011. If I upgrade to iPhone 5 (or whatever it is called) when it comes out, can I have the iPhone 4S unlocked?

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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CODYQX4 wrote:

I have an iPhone 4S I got in Fall 2011. If I upgrade to iPhone 5 (or whatever it is called) when it comes out, can I have the iPhone 4S unlocked?

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CODYQX4 wrote:

I have an iPhone 4S I got in Fall 2011. If I upgrade to iPhone 5 (or whatever it is called) when it comes out, can I have the iPhone 4S unlocked?

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One of the requirements for unlock is that the obligations and all term commitments are completed for the phone, since you got the phone in fall of 2011 your commitment on the phone will not be up till fall of 2013, the new device from apple is due out sometime this year (maybe) so more then likely you will not be eligible for a upgrade. Given that senario I suspect that you current iphone will not be eligible for unlock until fall of 2013