AT&T iPhone 4 unlock procedure?

Hi! Thank you for such a quick response! I apologize in advance- I don't have much experience with iPhone or iTunes and my last experience with iTunes a number of years ago involved all of my music being deleted without warning as the result of an automatic sync of an iPod which was plugged into my computer to be charged. This has left me rather warry & distrustful... and wanting to be very certain & clear about every step & detail.

So, when you say "restore as new", you mean first click "Restore iPhone..." (next to 'Check for updates') and then after the iOS is updates and the device is erased & reset to factory conditions, I click on "Configure as a new iPhone..." instead of "Restore from backup"? Correct? And this will not erase or replace my prior backup? Or prevent me from using it with this phone anymore, right? (This is all being done with the original SIM installed, right?) Then once setup/activation & initial sync is complete, I should get a message about the phone being unlocked to use any carrier?

Then I can just swap out the SIM cards and it will work? Or do I need to erase & reset all settings on the iPhone- which I complete with the alternate carrier SIM installed (while it is connected to iTunes)?

I bought the iPhone from a friend of my roommate who requested the unlock & gave me the request # so that I could check on the status. So I don't have access to the e-mail confirming that the unlock was complete (containing instructions or the exact time from when I must wait 24 hours). But I'm assuming the email was sent no later than the time that the unlock status portal would report the unlock request as successful. It was Friday (more than 48 hours ago) when I checked to find the unlock was possible & issued.

Beginning yesterday evening (at least 24 hours after I first discovered the unlock had been approved), I have clicked "Restore iPhone..." (updating & erasing) several times (5+?)- with both the original & an alternate SIM installed. I have also reset & erased the iPhone through the settings menu on the device a number of times (with and without it connected to my computer, with & without iTunes running- with the original AT&T SIM & the alternate carrier SIM installed). I have never received the unlock confirmation message- and whenever the alternate SIM is installed I get the corresponding error about the device being locked...

Most of the time after erasing it (whether in iTunes by restoring or on the phone itself) I have restored the backup (when it was connected to iTunes)- but I have proceeded to go through activation without restoring or being connected to iTunes.

Only this last attempt have I restored the iphone & configured as new while connected to iTunes... I did not receive the unlock message BUT my original backup has been replaced (hopefully the previous ones are not erased!!!).

I don't know what to do now. It seems that there's no point in continuing to try using the alternate SIM at all until I've received the confirmation of it being unlocked, right? (although there are forum posts by moderators on the AT&T boards which say they were not able to get the unlock confirmation UNTIL they erased it & configured it with the alternate SIM installed after restoring & activating it with the original SIM).

I'm wondering if perhaps the "24 hour waiting period" is either longer in my case or if it does not include the weekend? Could there be additional instructions contained in the email sent to the previous owner which were not included on the unlock status portal? (in addition to the 24 wait & the specific details of restoring the iphone which I seem to have figured out- well, actually I've just tried every possible combination of variables- I believe...)

Otherwise, I can't imagine what the problem could be.

Is there any way to check the status of my IMEI number somewhere other than the AT&T site (using the unlock status portal)?

Message was edited by: Gionni22 (to include a thought I had but forgot to include initially)

Hi! Thank you for such a quick response! I apologize in advance- I don't have much experience with iPhone or iTunes and my last experience with iTunes a number of years ago involved all of my music being deleted without warning as the result of an automatic sync of an iPod which was plugged into my computer to be charged. This has left me rather warry & distrustful... and wanting to be very certain & clear about every step & detail.

So, when you say "restore as new", you mean first click "Restore iPhone..." (next to 'Check for updates') and then after the iOS is updates and the device is erased & reset to factory conditions, I click on "Configure as a new iPhone..." instead of "Restore from backup"? Correct? And this will not erase or replace my prior backup? Or prevent me from using it with this phone anymore, right? (This is all being done with the original SIM installed, right?) Then once setup/activation & initial sync is complete, I should get a message about the phone being unlocked to use any carrier?

Then I can just swap out the SIM cards and it will work? Or do I need to erase & reset all settings on the iPhone- which I complete with the alternate carrier SIM installed (while it is connected to iTunes)?

I bought the iPhone from a friend of my roommate who requested the unlock & gave me the request # so that I could check on the status. So I don't have access to the e-mail confirming that the unlock was complete (containing instructions or the exact time from when I must wait 24 hours). But I'm assuming the email was sent no later than the time that the unlock status portal would report the unlock request as successful. It was Friday (more than 48 hours ago) when I checked to find the unlock was possible & issued.

Beginning yesterday evening (at least 24 hours after I first discovered the unlock had been approved), I have clicked "Restore iPhone..." (updating & erasing) several times (5+?)- with both the original & an alternate SIM installed. I have also reset & erased the iPhone through the settings menu on the device a number of times (with and without it connected to my computer, with & without iTunes running- with the original AT&T SIM & the alternate carrier SIM installed). I have never received the unlock confirmation message- and whenever the alternate SIM is installed I get the corresponding error about the device being locked...

Most of the time after erasing it (whether in iTunes by restoring or on the phone itself) I have restored the backup (when it was connected to iTunes)- but I have proceeded to go through activation without restoring or being connected to iTunes.

Only this last attempt have I restored the iphone & configured as new while connected to iTunes... I did not receive the unlock message BUT my original backup has been replaced (hopefully the previous ones are not erased!!!).

I don't know what to do now. It seems that there's no point in continuing to try using the alternate SIM at all until I've received the confirmation of it being unlocked, right? (although there are forum posts by moderators on the AT&T boards which say they were not able to get the unlock confirmation UNTIL they erased it & configured it with the alternate SIM installed after restoring & activating it with the original SIM).

I'm wondering if perhaps the "24 hour waiting period" is either longer in my case or if it does not include the weekend? Could there be additional instructions contained in the email sent to the previous owner which were not included on the unlock status portal? (in addition to the 24 wait & the specific details of restoring the iphone which I seem to have figured out- well, actually I've just tried every possible combination of variables- I believe...)

Otherwise, I can't imagine what the problem could be.

Is there any way to check the status of my IMEI number somewhere other than the AT&T site (using the unlock status portal)?

PS- sorry for the double post- but I could not reply to more than one response with a single post- and seeing as both of your answers/suggestions were essentially identical and posted at the same time there is no reason to formulate a unique response for each...

OK, so what is/are my next step(s) of action???

I have restored this iPhone "to new" (configuring as a new iPhone after restoring to the latest firmware & erasing/resetting to factory defaults- with the original SIM installed) at least half a dozen times now (not to mention all the times I'm subsequently erased & reset it through its internal nenu interface)-

and I have NOT ever received this "Congratulations your unlock was successful" message.

I first became aware that the device was indeed elligible for unlocking & the request accepted to unlock on Friday afternoon (it's now Monday evening).

Is there something I have done incorrectly or neglected to do, or something that I should try (again perhaps, or ina different way/sequence)?

Otherwise, what are my options? What would be the most logical next step? Any feedback, ideas, thoughts or suggestions would be welcome! Thank you!

That is correct, a non-AT&T SIM does not work...

As mentioned previously, I am not the original owner/AT&T customer, so I can not contact AT&T (well, I 'can' but they will not deal with me since I'm not their (former) customer).

I'm having a hard time getting ahold of the original owner (who is a friend of a friend) and getting them to help me because they assume that I must be doing something incorrectly since the unlock was approved (which is not unreasonable on their part).

I found a post that has the best advice I've encountered so far for anyone in a similar situation with an unlock that has somehow gotten derailed before successfully completing. Check this out: http://discussions.apple.com/thread/4842952?start=15&tstart=0

I haven't had a chance to test the suggestions yet but I am confident that one of them will work.

Yes! Thank you!!! I can not contact them myself (they won't speak to me since I am not the original owner of the phone), but I will ask the original owner/account holder to please do this on my behalf. It was also suggested to me on another thread where I joined the conversation that I ask him to simple fill out the form to request an unlock again. I'm not sure which would be more effective or quicker or if there would even be a difference; or which method would be easier for him to do... Probably filling out the unlock request again. Talking to support staff, having to repeat information & explain yourself over & over, and wait on hold certainly sounds like a lot more time and effort. And it's unclear whether doing so would provide any advantage over simply requesting another unlock...

I'm beginning to realize that these incomplete unlocks are not too uncommon and may even be increasing in frequency.

It would be nice if the e-mail notification of the approval included provisions for failed unlocks- like a link to follow to have the unlock status automatically reviewed if the customer is still unable to successfully unlock the device after 24 hours.

The absence of any statement acknowledging the even possibility of complications and what to do makes it seem as though the process is so perfectly refined, automated & verified that if it doesn't seem to be working it must be because you're doing something wrong... Which is clearly not the case; however, that is the impression I got so I just kept restoring & erasing the device hoping it would finally work.

I can't speak for what kind of service hrudka_cz might be referring to. But the "service" for which I expressed an interest in my previous post is what would amount to an end-user access portal to check Apple's server which is the definitive source of whitelisted (IMEIs of unlocked) devices. The same one that iTunes checks... But without having to go through the entire rigmarole of restoring the device over & over- just being able to enter the IMEI & query the database. If it's there, then your device will be unlocked if you follow the procedure correctly; if it is not, then no matter what you do or how many times you erase your iPhone or how many SIM cards you throw in it- your device will NOT be unlocked.

I found one such service- well, something similar anyway... However, I haven't been able to determine for sure whether it's telling me that my IMEI is or is not on the whitelisted/unlocked device list OR if it's telling me whether the device itself has actually been unlocked or not. (It says "not unlocked"... I have started testing my IMEI with that site (since it's free) immediately before each restore attempt. If the site declares my IMEI as unlocked before I unlock it in iTunes then I will know that it is indeed querying Apple's list of unlocked IMEIs. I have no idea what source or method this service might possibly be using to determine whether the device itself is actually unlocked as opposed to whether the IMEI is whitelisted to be unlocked (or if such a source or method even exists), but I can not rule out the possibility based on any evidence at my disposal at this point.

In reference to the kind of service you were referring to, I can neither confirm nor deny anything about any 3rd party unlocking "assistant" services (although I have been led to such sites during my search for a solution). But I would not even consider using any of them- and I appreciate your warning and confirmation for my decision. I think the main reason for myself and for anyone to NOT utilize any 3rd party service would be that AT&T's service is FREE!!!