Unlock an AT&T iPhone - what is the "downside"?

What "warrantee" do I have now? I got the phone from AT&T, not Apple.

It is irrrelevant whether you got via Apple or ATT. Apple will offer service. If you hack your phone, neither Apple nor ATT will touch the phone after a hack for ANY service, warranty or no warranty.

You came for advice and you have been told not to hack your phone. Since you seem to be hellbent on hacking your phone anyways, good luck to you.

You cannot unlock an iPhone legitimately at a Phillipine shop. If you go down that route, they will hack/jailbreak your phone and you will void the warranty and will forefit any post warranty service from Apple. Hacks bring headaches, such as bricking your phone, etc etc.

So the only way to get a legitimate unlocked phone is through ATT. Contact them and ask what their unlocking policies are. Since you are in the middle of your contract, you might have to pay the balance of your commitment. If that's too expensive, you might for the same money be able to buy a new unlocked phone from the Apple store.

The process is contact your network supplier (AT & T) before leaving the USA

You request the unlock and pay any fees requested.

Your network supplier then contacts Apple to request the White listing (Unlocking) of your phone on the iTunes servers.

Apple do this -It takes anything from 3 days to several weeks to complete.

On completion Apple confirms this back to your Network supplier (NOT YOU)

Your network supplier contacts you via SMS inviting you to connect your iPhone with your computer via the supplied USB cable and launch iTunes and follow on screen prompts through to the "Congratulations your iPhone is now unlocked" screen.

All these steps need to be carried out with the ORIGINAL SIM and by REGISTERED account holder used when setting up the phone.

Once the Congats...... screen has been reached you can swap out the REGISTERED SIM and replace with a compatable SIM on another network.

Only the original SIM and Account holder can initiate an unlock- If you bought the phone used/second hand you CAN NOT UNLOCK through official routes

Once unlocked use of a Mobile Virtual Network SIM may result in difficulties sending SMS messages.

PRESEE -

ONLY REGISTERED ACCOUNT HOLDER AND SIM CARD CAN BE USED TO UNLOCK THROUGH OFFICAL ROUTES.

AT&T does not charge any fees (the link I provided is what is used to request the unlock.

It does not need to be the original SIM or registered account holder.

For AT&T it is no restricted to just the original SIM and account holder.

The unlock has nothing to do with wheter SMS/MMS etc. will work. Same for settings. All that is true even if you buy an unlocked iPhone from Apple directly, i.e. if it is not an officially supported iPhone cell carrier you may have to enter APN information directly. Authorized carriers will install the information via carrier settings when the phone is activated.

Again, AT&T has exceptions that will allow someone is is not the registerd account and sim card holdder to officially unlock the iPhone.

A) There is NO unlock fee.

B) Can take up to 5 days, is usually shorter.

C) If you have not paid off your subsidy you may have to do so to unlock it. AT&T will advise you of this when they respond to your iPhone unlock request.

D) If you are able to do an official unlock you will have no trouble rejoining AT&Ts network. Have you jailbroken your iPhone?

There is no fee to unlock it from AT&T, however, before the phone becomes eligible to be unlocked you will have to pay the Early Termination Fee to terminate the 2 year contract you signed with them. You can continue service with AT&T after that, but will not longer be under any obligation to do so.

As for your assumptions regarding having the phone "unlocked" in the Philippines,

A) This can not be discussed here.

B) This can not be discussed here.

C) This can not be discussed here.

D) This can not be discussed here.

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