Scarykid9

Q: I got permission from AT&T to unlock my iphone 5, but when I follow the steps I don't get any message saying it's unlocked. Am I doing something wrong?

So I contacted AT&T and gave them my IMEI number and requested an unlock. After I got the e-mail back saying that it was ready to unlock I followed these steps (and yes it has been 24 hrs since I received the e-mail, in fact it's been over a week now and still no difference);

  1. Back up your iPhone.
  2. When you have a backup, erase your iPhone.
  3. Restore your iPhone from the backup you just made.

I've completed those steps multiple times but I still have yet to see the message saying it's unlocked. Anyone have any idea why this isn't working for me? Do I need a new SIM card from another carrier to make it work? I'm using my old SIM card from AT&T because that's all I have right now. I can't think of anything else that could be causing the issue. Any help is greatly appreciated!

iPhone 5, iOS 8.1

Posted on Oct 23, 2014 10:51 AM

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Q: I got permission from AT&T to unlock my iphone 5, but when I follow the steps I don't get any message saying it's unlocked. Am ... more

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  • by Lastminuteguy,

    Lastminuteguy Lastminuteguy Oct 23, 2014 10:58 AM in response to Scarykid9
    Level 1 (75 points)
    Oct 23, 2014 10:58 AM in response to Scarykid9

    Try setting it up as a new phone and then restore the backup. Inserting a new SIM from a different carrier could also do the trick.

  • by Scarykid9,

    Scarykid9 Scarykid9 Oct 23, 2014 12:12 PM in response to Lastminuteguy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2014 12:12 PM in response to Lastminuteguy

    I tried setting it up as a new phone but still no luck, I also don't have a different SIM yet so I'll have to try that later. I wonder if using a different computer than the one the phone was originally backed up on makes a difference? I'm using my work computer to try to unlock it but the phone was originally backed up on my home computer. I'll try doing it on my home computer and see if that makes a difference.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Oct 23, 2014 12:33 PM in response to Scarykid9
    Level 8 (38,117 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 23, 2014 12:33 PM in response to Scarykid9

    Scarykid9 wrote:

     

    So I contacted AT&T and gave them my IMEI number and requested an unlock. After I got the e-mail back saying that it was ready to unlock I followed these steps (and yes it has been 24 hrs since I received the e-mail, in fact it's been over a week now and still no difference);

    1. Back up your iPhone.
    2. When you have a backup, erase your iPhone.
    3. Restore your iPhone from the backup you just made.

    I've completed those steps multiple times but I still have yet to see the message saying it's unlocked. Anyone have any idea why this isn't working for me? Do I need a new SIM card from another carrier to make it work? I'm using my old SIM card from AT&T because that's all I have right now. I can't think of anything else that could be causing the issue. Any help is greatly appreciated!

    You need to restore the phone (that is, iOS), not the backup. Those instructions have always been ambiguous. After iOS restores you should get the unlocked message, and you can then restore the backup (it should prompt you to). And you need to wait "long enough" after you got the instructions; it can take several days.