HT201328: How to unlock your iPhone

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Gionni22

Q: AT&T iPhone 4 unlock procedure?

These instructions are somewhat vague and/or missing information.

 

It says that once I receive confirmation my device has been unlocked by the carrier to switch out the SIM cards & proceed with setup.  But no kind of setup appears when I switch the SIM cards and my new SIM card doesn't work/isn't recognized.  Is this referring to the initial setup? Are they assuming the device is new/unused or has just been erased or restored in iTunes?  If so, that should certainly be made clear!

 

I would like to use the new service provider without updated my phone's iOS version, and without erasing it if possible.  The instructions seem to indicate this is possible, but I'm having trouble with these shoddy instructions.

iPhone 4, iOS 5.1.1

Posted on Mar 1, 2014 5:35 PM

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Q: AT&T iPhone 4 unlock procedure?

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  • by Gionni22,

    Gionni22 Gionni22 Mar 5, 2014 1:52 PM in response to varjak paw
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 5, 2014 1:52 PM in response to varjak paw

    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!!!

  • by varjak paw,

    varjak paw varjak paw Mar 5, 2014 2:06 PM in response to hrudka_cz
    Level 10 (169,890 points)
    Mar 5, 2014 2:06 PM in response to hrudka_cz

    No, I did not contradict myself. There is again no third-party service that can legitimately unlock any cell phone. Only the carrier can authorize unlocking. And quite frankly I don't care whether you comment. I care about other people being given incomplete, misleading or incorrect information.

  • by varjak paw,

    varjak paw varjak paw Mar 5, 2014 2:13 PM in response to Gionni22
    Level 10 (169,890 points)
    Mar 5, 2014 2:13 PM in response to Gionni22

    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.

     

    No such service exists, and I think it unlikely that Apple would for reasons of security and privacy provide such a sservice. But you can suggest it to them if you wish:

     

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

     

    Third-party services that purport to tell you whether your phone is locked or unlocked are highly unreliable. The only way to get an official status is to call Apple Support.

     

    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.

     

    That was my sole intent, to make sure you and anyone reading understand what these third-party "unlocking" services really are about. Many people have been directed to or found such services without being fully informed, tried them and encountered nothing but problems if not immediately then later when they tried to update their phones.

     

    The main problem with unlocking is that the carriers have zero incentive to unlock a phone, so most either make it difficult to find instructions on how to request an unlock, drag their feet in processing the unlock, or both. AT&T is no different in this regard; it's by no means uncommon for a user to have to contact them two or even more times before the unlock is actually processed. They certainly aren't going to be interested in any procedure where they monitor the process and automatically follow up on failed unlocks.

     

    Regards.

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