Unlock an AT&T iPhone from the Web with AT&T
If you own an iPhone that is not part of a contract with AT&T, you can now officially unlock the device for use on other networks. We’ve discussed this before and our previous guide on unlocking the iPhone through AT&T focused on calling a special direct line, but now we’ll show you how to unlock an iPhone entirely through the web with the help of AT&T’s online technical support chat. This method is extremely quick, there are no wait times, and it’s easier for international users or for those without access to an active phone line.
Requirements for Unlocking an iPhone with AT&T
- Any out of contract iPhone
- AT&T Login – if you’re not a current AT&T customer we’ve heard reports that you can create a new AT&T login but YMMV
- The iPhone IMEI number found in Settings > General > About
- A valid email address to receive updates from AT&T
- About 5 minutes of your time
Assuming you meet all the requirements, jump ahead and start the simple unlock process.
Unlock an iPhone with AT&T via the ATT Website
Updated with an all new easier method! AT&T has provided a new simpler method to start the unlock process for iPhones:
- Go here and fill out the Support Request through AT&T, get to that page and scroll to the bottom to find the checkbox and then choose “Agree” to begin the form process
- Wait for the unlock to process by AT&T
Unlocks through the web request form are quick and you should hear back within a few days.
Sometimes the process is even faster though. Regardless, you will hear back as to whether the iPhone is eligible for an unlock (if the requirements are met, it usually is), or if its not eligible and then AT&T will tell you why. Often iPhones are rejected because they are not out of the contract period yet, so sometimes it’s just a matter of waiting a bit longer to be able to unlock the device.
When the unlock has been approved, it’s just a matter of restoring the iPhone through iTunes to get the unlock to complete. It’s a very simple process, though as always you should backup the device before doing any kind of iOS system restore.
Alternate Method: Request an Unlock through AT&T Support
The old method through AT&T support is still listed below and may work if you have problems with the request form, or if there is some technical issue that would prevent the aforementioned technique from working.
- Go to AT&T’s online account tech support page, login with a valid AT&T ID, and click on “Technical Support” to start a chat with a live representative
- State that you would like to unlock an off contract iPhone and provide the iPhone IMEI number
- Let the AT&T representative check if the iPhone is indeed without a contract and give them an email address when asked
If everything checks out, the AT&T rep will provide you with a case number and an estimated date of completion for resolution. The date they provide is a rough estimate and by no means represents the date you will get an email from AT&T. Sometimes AT&T sends the unlock emails out within an hour but it can take up to 10 days as well, the time varies widely based on the volume of unlock requests. I have completed this process several times with multiple different iPhone models and it has worked every time, though the time between request and completion has varied.
There are a few potential situations that could complicate the otherwise simple unlocking process:
- Did you buy an iPhone used, or through a service other than AT&T or Apple? You may need to provide a receipt of purchase
- Is the iPhone still on a contract with another AT&T customer? You may need to wait until that customers iPhone contract period is up
- Do you have a past-due balance on an AT&T account? You will need to pay that before AT&T will unlock the iPhone
Once you do receive the unlock instructions from AT&T , they are basically telling you to restore the iPhone to activate the unlock. Backup before doing this so you can get back to where you were, and you’ll know the unlock worked because after restoring you get a “Congratulations, your iPhone is unlocked” message in iTunes.
Yeah i had a sim and i dnt remeber i updted using at&t or not and today i reset it totally erase i phone. No we dont have purhase bill.
Hello, my frind gifted me i phone 5 and i want to ulock how would i unlock it. Actually he too purchase it from craiglist. AT&T chat supports asks for name of that person and we dont have. So how should i unlock it fro at&t. Please help me i am in trouble.
plss i dont know how to unlock my iphone 5c and i will like some one to help me outā¦.i cant even explore the phone and its kind off nervingā¦can some one plss help me out!!
[…] have run through the process here before, but it’s worth repeating how simple it is. You’ll need an iPhone that is locked […]
Thanks for this post, is very good. Very help me to Unlock my imei. imeiunlockpro.com is good service for me . thanks
I want to unlock my iPhone 4 for your information I buaught it to my frienD
Saw a lot of people wasted money and time with ATT, which i personally did as well, but I have finally unlocked my phone. Searched att iphone unlocking in google, I think the first search result was the one that i picked, unlocked my phone in 1 hour.
Did any of you provide the receipt for prove of purchase?
I did submit my imei number through the online form application and i received a email where i was told to fax a receipt for prove?
I live in Denmark, and i am not able to fax them with a receipt, is there an email i can contact them, or can international customers use support chat?
Thanks a lot for your help.
I bought my iPhone 4 used and I don’t have any receipt to fax to ATT. What can I do to become my phone unlocked?
I sent a request through the site and got a response that said I needed to provide a receipt. – No good since I bought iPhone 4 from a friend.
I tried calling and the first CS rep told me to have my friend, who is with AT&T, call them and they can send him an invoice of when he originally bought the phone. – Untrue; He was not able to obtain a receipt. On his fourth attempt, he spoke with a helpful and informative rep that explained that the unlock requirements have shifted 3 or 4 times. After providing IMEI number to the rep, she saw that the phone was not stolen and his account was in good standing and the phone was unlocked instantaneously.
Moral: if you bought from someone who was/is with AT&T and they are willing to call in for you then your chances of unlocking increase by a lot. It may take more than one call and being kind and treating the person on the other end of the phone like a person probably wouldn’t hurt either.
[…] to their network under the terms of the two-year contract agreement, though anyone is welcome to try unlocking it through them anyway. Compelling cases may be honored, but typically AT&T does not unlock the iPhone sim card slot […]
hi everyone, its been done i talked to att rep and she did all the things and she said its unlock but i am preserve bb so i didnt update/restore then i called them again and some other idiot rep said that ur not elligible, i requested her alot to check the status but she said ur not eligible. yesterday again i took the way chatt and then some rep transfered my chatt to techniquel support and there he said tht the process from our side unlock has been done u go ahead its been unlock. then again i was confused so i just took out my gevey and inserted sim and tried connecting almost 3-4 times and then while connected only i reeeboted my phn and there my iphone screen said u need to activate the phone with wi-fi and then i activated and its done i am working without gevey IOS 5.1 with bb 4.10 with my IDEA india sim.
THANK U ALL YAHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Dear All,
I bought an iPhone 4 “full price purchase” 2
years ago. After leaving US, I could not use that iPhone anymore because of the Carriers in my country (Vietnam) do not support and my iPhone became a locked device.
Now, in order to unlock my iPhone, ATT requested for a faxed copy of my original receipt that I can not provide because I can not know where is it.
Could you please advise, is there any other way to complete my unlock request?
Thank you so much.
I must admit I just followed these steps and the representative put in the work and unlocked my iphone. Since i carry my laptop with me to work all i did was backup then restored my iphone and i got the unlocked message! Cheers to ATT for supporting veteran customers who been with them since day one!
Yes i tried and it can be unlocked without sim as well.
Submissions to unlock your iphon via chat are no longer accepted. They chat rep pointed me to this online form to get the unlock process started:
https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/
Just chatted with AT&T. They told me to just unlock it myself via this webpage=https://www.att.com/deviceunlock
Good Luck!
[…] you sell, check if your iPhone is eligible for an unlock through AT&T or your cell carrier, and if so, be sure to unlock the device before putting it on the market. […]
i got my ATT iphone 4 unlocked after i contacted ATT twice. i got the phone as a Apple Store replacement for $150 for a phone a friend gave me that the wifi didn’t work. it may have some warranty left on it, i forgot, and it was under some random person’s name.
first time, i called att i gave them my phone number and name and other info they requested including receipt, which was in my email from the apple store. i was never a ATT customer so a few days later i got an email from a random email address denying my request for an unlock.
second time, i used all my friend’s info and used the online chat with his login info since he was an existing customer. same as before, i faxed in the same receipt (with a free online fax service) and got an email a few days later with the instructions.
i used iTunes on my mbp and did a restore. it had to download the latest backup from the web. i tried using an old version (5.0.1) just in case the newest did allow a jailbreak but itunes wouldnt install it. when it was done i got no confirmation that it had unlocked it successfully or not.
to confirm the unlock, i had to find a t-mobile store and borrow someone’s micro sim card. after turning off the wifi, a t-mobile signal showed up a few seconds later.
I dont have AT&T account . How to chat with them ??
I called AT&T and chat two week weeks before to unlock my iPhone. It was refused to unlock my phone, since it was business phone. Few days later I called their 1 800 331 0500 and indicated that I have the business phone which is not on contract now. The rep after taking IMEI number connected to some one. AT&T agreed to unlock my phone. I got an email and unlocked the phone following the procedure they sent in the email. I did not get the unlock message. I was not sure if my phone is unlocked. I called Apple store and gave the IMEI number. They confirmed the phone is unlocked.
Hey I called at&t using my friends at&t phone and when i gave him my imei he checked for a while and then he said he got an error and he could not unlock. He said that it doesnt tell him why he got the error.
So later I told another friend to log in to at&t and chat. He said he couldnt help him and he needs to file a “Request a device unlock for your iPhone”. So I got a email and it says:
Thank you. Your request has been submitted. Your Request Number is 2****
Thank you for contacting AT&T Customer Care about unlocking your iPhone. Your unlock request is presently being reviewed. Please retain your Request Number for reference. You will receive the status of your request at the email address you provided in 5 to 7 business days.
Sincerely,
AT&T Customer Care
So what does that mean and you think they will unlock it?
i have an iphone from another country it have a code i cant open my sim card because of that code please how can you help me what is my code
I do not see ‘Congratulations, your iphone has been unlocked’ message after restore. I tried couple of times. Does it mean my iphone is still locked?
i used the online chat option
Hi!
I don’t have AT&T sim but I still have locked iPhone 4
May someone can call? I can present your 10$ refill :)
8=)
Iām currently using TMOBILE, but was using ATT family plan 3 years ago. Every 2 years I switch between TMOBILE and ATT, because every switch I have a new phones.
Two day ago I called to ATT and using my old account asked them to unlock my new 3GS. Today I receive the letter with unlock information. Just did it and now I upgrading iOS 8=)
So, if you was ATT client in past you still can unlock iPhone using your information.
Good luck 8=)
I did the AT&T Live Chat and requested unlock code; the agent paraphrased my request as if I wanted to check my phone’s eligibility for unlock. I said yes and was asked to provide my phone number and IMEI. It took a few minutes but was otherwise pretty simple. I opened iTunes, backed up the old iPhone (3GS), Restore, and was told Congratulations the phone was unlocked. I did have to put my SIM card back for it to work. iTunes just took care of it… no code to enter. Thanks for this tip.
Hi, I tried like 5 times speaking to at&T reps and they’re not filing a request to unlock my iPhone 4 because they’re asking the receipt and the name on the account which i really don’t know coz i purchased this via ebay. If u can call or chat att please include my device to be unlock, Please help me I’ve been stocked with baseband 4.12.01 for more than a year now. Please shoot me an email if your ready so that i can give u the IMEI of my device..I really appreciate it.
I’m out of AT&T service zone and need the account or all these unlocking steps …help me to make an account
guys,
is this the same email that you received saying that the issue has been resolved and you are able to unlock your iphone by restoring? i did not received any official email witht the instructions to unlock it. kindly help.
this is the email:
Dear Customer:
Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding your AT&T service. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. The issue has been resolved.
Should you have any further needs regarding this issue, please do not hesitate to call us at 1 800 331-0500 and reference the tracking number shown above.
Sincerely,
AT&T
does this mean that i can unlock my iphone? and ill just have to restore it? kindly help for those who received the same email above and was able to unlock your iphone.
thanks.
Michael
Hello i was wondering if someone could put the request for me, because i dont live in the us and i dont have an atnt account, i have my iphone as a brick right now and that depresses me, thank you very much.
yesterday my friend was not knowing that the iphone is of at&t or rogers .he ordered a unlock to at&t and now at&t says that the iphone is of rogers canada.will at&t refund money back ?????????
well… like i said yesterday, after two rejects calls, another guy from at&t insert my case…(keep calling, i dont have a phone number, or a name or anything like that, im from argentina with an iphone 4) he told me that in a week i will get an email for yes or no… today.. (1 day after i call) i connect mi phone to itunes and the congrats appear.. saying that my phone is unlock.. im sooo happy… it works people.. it works… i have a doubt.. can i update my phone to ios 5.1.1 now that is unlock? thanks all for the help
Emiliano, will u share what ATT told you in the first 2 times? I called them 2 times too, they gave me the same reason, “Based on the history of the phone, we can not unlock it”. i asked them what is the history of the phone, they told me I am not the original owner, they can not tell me.
I don’t have an at&t account.. :(
Could anybody please help unlock my iphone for me?
I bought my Iphone in california a year ago, im in DUbai…was working with GEVEY but after updating did not work…Called AT&T…gave my IMEA, email address, they asked for the receipt of the phone…after 2 hours a got an email saying the issue is resolved…i restored and now its Unlocked!!! Thanks AT&T!
can anyone help me and unlock my iPhone 4? :(
Please help !
unlock my iphone4
012418006712160
I checked your IMEI and found your phone was unlocked. How did you do. Could you share your experience? Thanks
ughhhh can’t even get an own family member to call in.. might as well sell the damn thing
I bought a locked AT&T locked iPhone 4 off an ebay-type place here in Prague and I had to have a friend who has an AT&T account in the US use the online support to request an unlock. We did it a couple times and each time they asked for the receipt because they couldn’t find any record of her purchasing it. Then on the third time, they didn’t ask for anything – just said they will put a ticket in and 5 hours later I got a confirmation that my issue was resolved. There was no other info so I thought it was maybe a mistake but I tried to restore it on iTunes anyway. I didn’t get any message saying that my phone was unlocked but just for the hell of it I tried my sim card anyway and IT WORKED!
hi can someone please help me get my phone unlocked please i called them 10 times but i am not an AT&T customer so i dont have an account with and i really need to get the phone unlocked.can someone be kind and help me out please.
Follow these instructions to unlock your AT&T iPhone:
https://osxdaily.com/2012/04/21/unlock-iphone-att-web-technical-support/
I am from Germany and I donĀ“t be an AT&T customer.
Who can help me?
Who can unlock my phone?
i have AT&T bulk order’s please contact me who can unlock this need best price & time
Note that by “out of contract” AT&T means “you didn’t pay the early termination fee to GET out of your contract”. They just refused to unlock my phone because “the contract was not completed”
For those of you having trouble unlocking with ATT, there is an alternative. Gevey Ultrasim from Applenberry works really well. I’ve been using it for 6 months in Africa. All you need is a pair of scissors to cut your sim card. Nothing fancy. Be sure to only buy it directly from Applenberry because there are apparently fakes on eBay, craigslist and amazon.
hey
I’ve bought an Iphone 4 but obviously it’s still locked. Since I live in Belguim I’m no costumer of at&t. is there anybody – with an account – who want to help me?
thanks in advance
i just went through this process. i’ve always preserved my baseband on my 3gs for future unlock and now this comes along.. of course!
I got a new phone and asked to unlock my old. called in, got an email within a few minutes, restored in itunes and got the success message. not sure what will happen if i upgrade my iOS like the comment above me, but i would be calling in again to get it unlocked again. you get 5 a year per client, so maybe that would use up another one.. not sure.
now i need to test this before i travel..
unlocking At&t iphone 4/4s express service in good price time 12-48hrs contact us on skype user name amsalahmed +9710506824892
How much it cost? I am from Romania, and i have a blocked iphone 4 on AT&T. The IMEI is 01 254600 754841 3
I was on the phone 2 days ago with AT&T. I have been a customer for 12 years, never missed a payment, have 5 phones on their plan. Their policy specifically states they will only unlock iPhones that are out of contract. I’m 6 months into my new contract with my iPhone 4s…bought it because I need it for business mostly. I have a couple trips to Europe coming up where in the past I have unlocked my other phones and used country specific telecoms because the rates are significantly less expensive than AT&T’s international “honk you” plan. So the rub with AT&T now for me is I will never be able to use my iPhone internationally if I upgrade every 2 years. They will only unlock phones out of contract. I tend to upgrade phones every couple years so I guess I’ll have to look for a different provider when my contract is up this time. I’m not aware of anyway around it.
why dont you use your current phone in the US and unlock an older phone and use that abroad with a sim?
or jailbreak and unlock it, but you sounds like the type that needs to rely on a good stock iphone, not a buggy jailbroken one. i would carry an old phone. you can sync your contacts and set up email on an older one.
I had asked my friend in USA who had purchased my iPhone long time back to get my phone unlocked. He has received the mail with the unlock procedure from atnt. I did a baseband preserved upgrade (to preserve my baseband to 4.10.01). Is it because of the baseband preserved restore?
preserving baseband means you are using ‘cooked’ firmware. you just need to click restore i itunes so it downloads an official one. at least that’s how i did it.. one try and i got the success message.
I have an Iphone 4 with 4.12.01 and 5.1.1 that I bought from someone under the impression that it can be easily unlocked. Can an existing at&t account holder help me with the unlock process.
If I donāt have an ATT account how can i resigter? What is YMMV?
I don’t have a at&t account, a non US resident, can anybody help me with unlocking my phone? I can tell you my IMEI number.
If I don’t have an ATT account how can i resigter? What is YMMV?
My phone got unlocked after I connected it to iTunes but my applications don’t seem to open,should I upgrade to 5.1.1 or let my version stick to 4.1 and remove the jailbreak?
Can anyone help me unlock my iPhone 3G?? I called AT&T customer care w/o any luck, they said I need an active AT&T account (not prepaid) for them to open a case…
Please help!!
Finally, I got my iphone 3G unlocked through AT&T. My advice for those who still have the iphone locked is to keep calling to the ATT Customer Service until you get the right rep. I called like 5 times and talked to different reps. I’m a recent Gophone customer and bought the iphone from an amazon-like retailer about 4 years ago, I had no info about previous owner/account, I said I was an intl student who required my iphone unlocked so I could use it abroad, and that the iphone was a gift from my parents. Only received an email from ATT w/ case number and w/ the answer that it was resolved. That’s it, the next day I restored it and was effectively unlocked.
Hope this helps!!
How much I phone 4s AT&T unlocking
Hey guys, just reading from all your experiences. I got an Iphone 3 as a gift from the States which is locked. I live in the UK and need it to be unlocked, can you please offer any advise.
hi there, i bought an att iphone from craigslist, can i be able to unlock it through att customer service?
Contact AT&T to find out. https://osxdaily.com/2012/04/21/unlock-iphone-att-web-technical-support/
AT&T will unlock an iPhone under the following circumstances: the person requesting the unlock is a current AT&T customer or a former AT&T customer who can provide the phone number or account number for the account; the iPhone was designed for use on AT&T’s network; all contract obligations, including any term commitment, associated with the device to be unlocked have been fully satisfied; the iPhone has not been reported lost or stolen. Also, current customer accounts must be in good standing with no past-due amount or unpaid balance and has been active for at least sixty (60) days. Former customer account may be eligible for unlocking so long as they owe AT&T no Early Termination Fee or other unpaid balance. AT&T will unlock an iPhone for an active and deployed member of the military who is a current AT&T customer in good standing and is able to provide AT&T with deployment verification; and a person who purchased the iPhone from an authorized location at the ‘no commitment’ price and can provide proof of purchase.
For questions about iPhone unlocking please contact AT&T Customer Care at 1-800-331-0500 or visit our Call Us page.
so, once unlocked do you have access to the cellular data tab to edit settings?
Got a 3gs that just unlocked, but I still can’t edit APN settings or get mms working on straight talk.
Please wait for a site operator to respond.
Chat InformationYou are now chatting with ‘N N’
N N: I will be more than happy to assist you today. It is my priority to help you with your account and respond to any other questions that you may have. As a valued customer, I will also review your account to ensure that you are getting the best value for your money.
Me: Hi NN!
N N: Hello Mr. Me. I see that you would like to unlock your iPhone 4, is that correct?
Me: yes
Me: My IMEI # 999999999999 (your actual IMEI)
NN: Please allow me 2-3 minutes to review your account and see what we can do.
Me: sure
N: Thank you for your patience. I am submitting the iPhone unlock case now. It normally takes 7 business days to process an iPhone unlock. You will be notified either by phone or by email once the case is completed. Which would you prefer?
me: email to me@myemailaddress.com
NN: Okay, I have just submitted that case. Your case number is CM9999999_9999999 and the expected resolution date is June 6th.
NN: Is there anything else I might be able to assist you with today?
Me: Ok sounds good, NN! Thanks a bunch for your help!
NN: You are very welcome. Are there any other issues I might be able to assist you with today?
Me: Thats it so far thank you! Have a great day!
NN: You too! And thank you for choosing AT&T. We value you as a customer with AT&T and we appreciate your business. Thank you for visiting AT&T Live Support Chat. It has been my pleasure to assist you today. Please click the close button to end your session.
Chat InformationChat session has been terminated by the site operator.
Select Billing Chat for ^
Today I made a case with AT&T to unlock my iPhone 4 fully paid no contract with a prepaid simcard and they want me to fax the proof of purchase of the iPhone, this i don’t have as i have lost the same, can help me how to move forward. they asked me to fax in 48hours.
I called AT&T again on the international number and with my prepaid phone number i can’t go through so i guess no further support is rendered to my pre paid account after my initial call and case created.
I am kind of desperate now, i wrote to apple and also the fifth avenue ny store where i bought the iPhone to help me with proof of purchase with all my info and account details hope i can get some reply from there.
I lost my window of opportunity with SAM unlock tried that too today it won’t work, so going and updating and restoring my iPhone to 5.1.1 so at least my warranty stays intact.
i bought one year ago online, and i hope i can unlock it, but they ask me about seller’s name and ssn….. i have no idea of those things, and i can’t even remember my phone number already, so they can’t unlock my, unfortunatlly….
Hello,
I have a question. Do I need to do:
1. Backup and then complete system restore (clicking the Restore button in iTunes)
2. or do I do a Backup by right clicking on my iPhone in iTunes and selecting Backup and then right click on my iPhone in iTunes again and select Restore from Backup.
I would prefer option 2 if any way possible. Also has anyone else experienced what Joe stated that his unlock went away after upgrading to 5.1.1? That would truly suck.
Please advise.
Hi,
I have the ATT emil confirmation for my iphone 4 4.3.2 BB and gevey sim for tmobile..My questions 1) Shall I use my Tmobile sim with gevey interposer to unlock the phone per ATT instructions or shall I borrow any ATT sim, just to unlock the phone?
2) Will visiting ATT store help as I don’t have an ATT sim anymore (closed att account 1 yr ago and bought this iphone off CL may 2011)
3) Since I have been using BB 4.3.2, do I have to update it to the latest BB and restore the phone?
Thanks
A
In China,we just need an att account,and the name,the last 4 ssn.If we have these,we can resolve it.And in China Ebay,we cost RMB 300 yuan,we can get the unlock service.Why?I don’t find unlock service cheaper in America.They all need $80~$150.It’s crazy.It’s more expensive than China.
Can someone please with an ATT accaunt help me. i have an iphone from att but they say i need an accaunt to unlock my phone. i Would appreciate it !!
Bought an iPhone 4 off of Craigslist locally; owner said it was off contract. Had the owner’s name, but that’s all. I am AT&T tv and internet customer, but tmobile phone customer. I called AT&T today to try to get phone unlocked, gave imei number. CSR was very kind, asked if I am AT&T customer. I replied I am tv, Internet at&t customer. After pause CSR came back on and asked who had phone before me. I gave her name of person I bought from, and after another pause CSR came back and asked me for previous owner’s AT&T account # and/or last four of social security. Told her I didn’t have either (of course), and she replied that I need to call person and get info, then they can unlock for me. Anyone else have this experience? Is this a new requirement (previous owner account or social) to unlock? Can’t jailbreak as phone is 5.1.1, 4.12bb.
yes, same for me. ATT told me only the previous owner can request to unlock my iphone 4s. This doesn’t make sense, becasue he doesn’t own it anymore.
Call them again and talk to other CSR, the same happened to me and i called back, taked to other CSR and…. VoilĆ”!!!
just called att and they have filed a case for me. The customer service folks are nice and helped me through the process.
I used to be att’s customer but have moved back to india and am no longer in contract.
Will have to wait for next 1 week to know what happens.
just connected the iphone 4s and performed a restore. It says, its been unlocked. wow…that is quick…
I might be a different case than most in this forum.
1) I was a att customer
2) I have a login name and password to att.com
3) Cancelled my contract a month back and called at from india
Here is the outcome
1) on may 21st, called at customer service from india
2) The rep from att was very nice and made a CASE for unlocking (procedural)
3) I was told that I will get a mail from att/apple (not sure) with unlocking procedures
4) Reading through this forum, I connected my laptop within few hours of talking to the rep.
5) Did restore with att SIM inside and in itunes, it said, unlocked.
There you go…hope this helps
hi anna,
since you were an at&t customer is it possibleto do it for me too?
i will really appreciate it!
So I have an iphone 3gs, I guess the new model of it. My aunt bought it from the u.s. and it was locked to At&t. She took it to the philippines, got it unlocked so her brother there could use it. Now I’m using. At first it was working. Then I stupidly decided to restore the phone to factory settings & for some reason it won’t recognize my sim card anymore. I jailbroke it twice and made several attempts to unlocking it and still won’t recognize my sim card. There’s nothing wrong with my sim card because it works with other phones just not this one. I don’t understand, it was working perfectly before I restored the phone and updated it to the new ios version. I even followed the jailbreaking process that dealt specifically with that update. So basically I just have an itouch. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Hi all,
I have got an email from AT&T asking to restore for unlocking but I dont have the original AT&T sim or any AT&T for that matter, i have a vodafone india sim in it. I am just afraid if there is any issue in restore it would brick my phone which is ipod now
Pls pls suggest soon, Thanks
If AT&T told you to restore, then that is what you should do. To complete the unlock the iPhone must connect to a remote server and verify the unlock with Apple. It is very unlikely to brick your phone.
Are you currently using the iPhone with Vodafone India?
Can anyone tell me that is att unlocking all iPhone even it’s from UK-Orange !!!!
Got a 64gb 4s off of Craigslist. Seller said he’d call AT&T and get it unlocked for me. He supposedly called and gave them my email for them to send the email to. He said wait 72 hrs. He gave me he phone and it was already restored. I waited my 72hrs (and then some) but no email. I read on here to not wait for the email so I put my TMOUS sim in and it shows full signal and ‘E’ for the internet but it says “invalid sim”. Anyone else have this?
Unlike many of these cases, something weird happened to me..
first, I bought the att prepaid go, and i activated.
then, i called the att and ask them if they can unlock my iphone for me.. however, they want to know the original owner’s phone number.. which I thought I do not have… it’s probably because I told them that I bought it from ebay? maybe? does anyone has tried telling them that they bought it new? help?
anyway, luckily i found the sim card that came from with the iPhone and I gave em the number.. and they gave me the claim number..
Anyone got any idea how to deal with this?
I’m really trying to unlock my other iPhone but i dont have the iPhone first owner’s number for it.
Just fine some one whit AT&T account to help you …
I Dit 5 IPhones 4 April 20 and they unlock them all thanks AT&T
i know but they demanded the original owner phone numbered…. so yea. did they ask u for the original owner’s #?
Could you help me to find somone who have an AT&T account ?
Just to share my experience, I purchased in iPhone locally on craigslist sometime last year and obviously didn’t get a receipt for the purchase. I was able to unlock the phone because the user never updated past the 1.59 firmware. I called AT&T to verify if I was eligible and at the time I was told that I am eligible BUT, I must be an AT&T customer to start this process or have a valid purchase receipt from eBay or Amazon, or the like. The first thing I thought of was getting a gophone sim and plugging it in for a meesly $39.99. The Agent told me I could do that and all would be fine since there are no contractual agreements to make me ineligible, then it dawned on me. Since all I need is a receipt showing a recent purchase, I can simply buy the phone from myself on eBay. I have a personal account and a business account on ebay so I tried it. FYI, this is against eBay rules…..but who cares theyll get their fees. Anyway, I sold myself the phone for .99/ free shipping and the total cost including ebay fees are far cheaper than $39.99 (I think something like .90). I sent in the receipt, my case number, and my email address to the fax number they gave me and BOOM 24-hours later I got my email. So for those of you who are in a jam because of the newly enlisted rules, try one of the above options. Now I need to figure out how to do this without causing a huge problem with my connectivity.
THIS WORKS! Thank you all you wonderful people out there! I used my phone for over a yr and then ended my contract after paying the ETF since I was moving back to India. I called the toll free number the rep told me that my imei number was not on att, ever. I called again, and the this other rep was super nice and he asked me all the relevant questions and though i couldnt provide my account number or even the last 4 digits of the SSN (since a friend bought this for me), he still went ahead and prepared a case for me. I did not wait for an email and tried to activate on itunes with adifferent sim and it worked. Thank you AT&T!
really, did he switch you to an technical support guy and say ur iphone will be unlocked in an hour?
No, he did not transfer me, he just took my email and asked me to wait for 10 days. But, i did not wait and tried activating the very next day :)
Good luck!
Don’t buy an AT&T Iphone because it cannot be unlocked now unless you are an AT&T customer. I live overseas and cannot be an AT&T customer if I wanted to and they told me that they are not unlocking anymore phones for people like me. Chances are that companies on ebay that are selling them won’t give your money back. Iphones are made in China by forced labor and are garbage anyway. Don’t believe me Google iphone china and read up on how the advertisement has made the iphone something that it is really not. Every Iphone is made in China by thousands of people who live at the factory just waiting for the increase in sales. They get out of bed and leave their families so they can make your Iphone. Can the US ever compete with this level of commitment? Find out for yourselves.
I tried contacting AT&T and they told after 10 days giving case Id, that my IPhone is unlock, and I can just restore to get in unlock, but after unlock I got error that “The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported.”
I called again to AT&T, they told its unlock from that side for more issue need to to to Apple customer care.
Now my Iphone again become lock.. and i need to do jailbreak.
Do i need to use AT&T sim card while unlocking, or do i need to be in US for uncloking.
Kindly provide me some input if any one have like my situation.
Thanks
jack
If you’re already jailbroken, just use SAM to deactivate.
I got a case number from ATT almost a month ago. The rep told me that my iphone is eligible for unlock and she told me to wait for 5-7 business days for an email with unlock instruction. So I waited. A week later, I called to check on the status. A rep told me that my request is in queue and I should get the email in 3-4 business days. A week later, I called again, same answer from ATT…
Last week I called, the rep apologized to me and said I will be called within 48 hours when my iphone is ready to be unlocked. 5 days later, still oo phone call or email.
So I called ATT again today. The rep said, oh, looks like an email was sent to you two days ago. Of course that’s not true. I am 100% sure I didn’t get any email from apple or ATT about the iphone. Then I asked her to please resend the email to me. She put me on hold, and came back a few minutes later and said, sorry, your unlock request has been denied. What?! I asked why. She said it’s the policy that they don’t unlock any iphone unless the request is initiated by an ATT customer who is/was the owner of the iphone. I was really pissed – that’s the first time ATT saying this to me. I called 4 times and talked to 4 reps before, and each one of them assured me that my phone will be unlocked, and no one ever mentioned this restriction.
Long story short. The rep apologized profusely and was not able to help me. So I asked to talk to her supervisor. The supervisor also apologized profusely but still insisted that there’s nothing he could do. He said the restriction is by Apple and therefore he could not help me. I’m like, yeah, right, you guys just make things up along the way, why would Apple make such a restriction.
The poor guy eventually said, okay, actually an unlock email would not have any unlock code. You just need to try this: connect your iphone to itunes and do the recovery…
Now you are talking! So I did what he suggested, and of course during activation, the iphone gives a message “SIM not valid”, because I have a tmoble sim in it. Now I’m stuck with an iphone stuck in the activation mode, I can not even use it as an ipod!
ATT sucks!!!! Now I remember why I stopped being an ATT customer years ago.
You need to put an AT&T sim in your phone (working or non-working) to activate your phone. Sure it won’t get unlocked but atleast you can use your phone as an ipod.
yayyyyy!!!!! I had such a hard time looking for a method to unlock my iphone 4 and I called At&T yesterday and today after reading these posts I just de-activated my iphone with SAM, plugged my iphone in my computer, and there we go…its unlocked!!!! without restoring. And without receiving any email from AT&T.
Yup, same here. the email comes couple days later LOL!
could your show the step you unlock your iphone using SAM?
I called att on the 30th of april and they gave me a Case number and said 5-7 business days…. So i got an email today and they said I was ineligible to unlock since there was ” No valid current or former mobile/account number associated with request.”
BUT i did have an att account with them before. so i called back and told them but they said it had to be on the account in order for it to be unlocked. I had an account with them over 2 years ago and its an iPhone 4. So should i call back and open a new case even though its the same IMEI number?
have you try to activate your iphone anyways? I also got an invalid IMEI, but itunes unlocked my phone anyway.
I submitted my request over a month ago, i was supposed to hear back by April 23rd. Nothing yet. I submitted to unlock 3 phones- 2 I bought from work, and 1 bought over the internet. I tried plugging it into itunes and nothing happened. Was i supposed to have a sim card in it? I didn’t want to get a new sim only to be stuck without a phone!
For those of you with unlocked phones- did you have a sim in it to unlock?
mardi you need to pop in a foreign (non ATT) sim or if you’re jailbroken, use SAM to deactivate or do a restore so itunes can unlock it during activation process.
just got off the phone with ATT and they are no longer unlocking phones without an actual ATT account.
AT&T refused to unlock my iphone 3G because there is no number/account attached to my IMEI number,
What can i do now ?
call back and tell them u bot it from apple and did not activate on AT&T. They will ask you to fax in you receipt. I’ve read on other forums that they may not wait for the receipt and will send the request. Others have “found” a receipt to fax in.
Hi bc – Can you advise in a little more detail on how to “found” a receipt to fax in?
appreciate your help!
Hey Diddles, thanks alot.. i have again called to AT&T they said to send a receipt of my phone thru FAX, also she had created my case number and asked about my email ID.
Diddles and Joe can u tell me.. will my iphone 3gs gets unlocked after some days ?
and my iphone does not show any imei number of phone.
how do i reset it ?
Thanks in advance.
AT&T refused to unlock my iphone 3G because there is no number/account attached to my IMEI number,
what if i purchase a prepaid and make an account to unlock, will it work?
hey, i got the first email. but when i plugged it in, it wouldnt unlock.. is that mean they didnt unlock my iphone.
Also, what if i purchase a prepaid and make and account to unlock. will it work?
I was able to check my unlock status at “imei dot info”
You will need to register inorder to check for sim unlock (I used an email I use for spam)
Anyways, you can look up info on you iphone via IMEI, after you enter your IMEI there a button near the bottom that you can request more info….this is the part you need to register.
Request usually take around 3 min, but once it comes back, look for “SIM UNLOCK” if apple had done the request, then it will say NO, but not, it will say YES.
im guessing, they didnt since im getting another email from ATT that said im not eligible since im not a customer.. i dont mind purchasing a ATT prepaid account just to unlock my iPhone btw. I’m just wondering, if I get a prepaid account would they unlock it for me?
anyone knows about this?
Thanks for the reply
@Johan : I put in a request like the same way you mentioned like 2 days ago.. with ATT prepaid card… I will update on how it goes..
thank you so much @pissed_with_att !! how much did you buy the sim card for? im thinking to get one from ebay, just to unlock my phone.. also, im wondering if there is a limit for the unlock.. cause im trying to unlock two phones.
@Johan: I bought it from amazon for around 2$ and called up ATT to activate it.. they didnt charge for activation.. I don’t know whether they charge for activation in the first place…
did it work/
After so many drama’s, finally it worked…. I think I got almost all possible responses from ATT to deny my request… called up international number (8003354685), local number sucks..
Here is my scenario..
– Don’t have the receipt/account number with att.
– Got the duplicate receipt by calling apple care with serial number.
– have been using att prepaid sim card for 2 weeks.
– used prepaid # to create a case
– ATT sent out all possible denial request.. 1. no account# 2. No proof of purchase 3. Fax was not received within 48 hours 4. proof of purchase doesn’t have name or imei mentioned…
funny part is, every time they deny, representative will talk into you to create a new case.. total crap.. Finally decided to take this really serious and started yelling at a representative left and right for ATT playing all sort of smart and trick game to deny the request… and told him I am not getting off this phone unless i talk to whoever is denying the request.. finally the rep I was talking to was able to connect all the cases. he also tried to create a new case by connecting all the previous cases. told him straight that I am not ready for this crap.. convinced him to put me to the second level support or the appropriate person.. call got disconnected while he tried to put me through.. tried again after 5 minutes and told the rep(new) with the latest case and asked him directly connect to second level support.. 20 minutes hold… someone from tech support told me the request is approved for unlock…
hey does this mean my iphone is unlocked?
the carrier is still on att us, well i checked my friend his dont have the carrier att us~~!
so wat the deal? does urs have the carrier att on? thanks in advance.
activated: yes
carrier: AT&T United States
SIM locked: no
hey does this mean my iphone is unlocked?
the carrier is still on att us, well i checked my friend his dont have the carrier att us~~!
so wat the deal? does urs have the carrier att on? thanks in advance.
activated: yes
carrier: AT&T United States
SIM locked: no
Thanks, Joe.
bc & joe
I got the exact e-mail from AT&T.
I had no idea what to expect because I thought AT&T normally has a separate attachment e-mail with the bright orange header that tell you your iphone request has been approved and you can go through the following steps to unlock your phone.
To keep this short, I plug in my 4s to itunes and after a few seconds, I got a prompt – Congratulations, your iphone has been unlocked.
I didn’t do the restore either. Have you guys tried to change to a different SIM card to see if it’s really unlocked? Or did you switch off your phone since? I haven’t done mine because I worry I might not get back my network signals again.
BTW, I lost my the network signals 2 days after unlocking my 4s using the SAM method because I switched off the phone. I couldn’t get it back on because I had not properly saved the SAM activation ticket. That’s until I got this e-mail from AT&T.
In response to IP…Yes i tryed 2 different sim cards :))
Rogers wireless and telus both work perfectly full bars!
Its factory unlocked
Hope that helps…If you got the congratulations message ur factory unlocked have fun. Use any sim.
use SAM to de-activate only! because once you’re factory unlocked, you won’t need SAM to activate anymore.
Hi ip,
Yes, I am using PetroCanada Mobile (Rogers Network). I don’t have AT&T. Was using Gevey Sim to access in the past, but would have to go through the unlock process everytime i turned off my phone. Once I got my unlock through, I turned on and off my phone several times, and each time I connected no problem. I even got an email from Apple about my “new” iphone as I had to go through the activation again.
Factory Unlocked now…….F*&K YOU ATT for trying now to help.
Funny because of this if I need to open a plan in the states, it WILL NO be AT&T.
wow i submitted like 5 cases on april 16th
all phones got unlocked today!! after 3 weeks!!
so anybody who received a message saying the issue has been resolved. plug it into itunes and it should say congratulation your iphone has been unlocked.
im so happy wow!
cheers
1 business day is all it took for both of my iphones after i have a case number. emails came about 4 days after lol. one even said IMEI is invalid.
Thats kind of hard to believe, the Apple computer system has phones to unlock in que.
I opened 5 cases all on the same day april16th all got unlocked May 4th. In order to which i opened the cases.
I tryed repeatedly during those 3weeks.
tell that to both of my unlocked iphones :)
Never mind, I followed the following instructions:
connect your phone to iTunes with not accepted simcard and wait until iTunes detects the phone. Then disconnect the phone and reconnect after 10 seconds. iTunes will display a massage: “Congratulations, Your iPhone is now unlocked”. This service supports all versions of firmware.
got the congratulation unlocked message.
No more Gevey SIM!!!!
good luck!
btw, I did NOT restore, I just followed the instructions above. (took out my gevey sim first)
Called them, they refused to help saying that they needed to talk to the original owner of the phone to go through the steps to unlock.
Does anyone know if this is true? That he orginal owner of the account the phone was purchased has to call? Or can anyone with an AT&T account in good standing unlock the iphone?
Anyone with an AT&T account willing to help me unlock my iphone 4?
wtf? I got another email from at&t:
Dear Customer:
Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding your AT&T service. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. The issue has been resolved.
Should you have any further needs regarding this issue, please do not hesitate to call us at 1 800 331-0500 and reference the tracking number shown above.
Sincerely,
AT&T
Still no unlock email.
don’t wait for the email people! after 1 business day you have your case number, plug the iphone to itunes and let it activate it.
Bamboo is right! I got the exact email as bc above and didn’t understand it, because it came with no unlock instructions. So I called and got an AT&T rep who was super nice, but fairly clueless. When he typed my IMEI into his computer he said my iPhone 4 was “unlockable” and he blamed Apple. But then I found this forum and Bamboo’s advice, and the unlock was available as soon as I plugged in my iPhone to iTunes with a Rogers Wireless SIM card installed. I got a weird message on iTunes that said my iPhone failed to activate – please try again later. But on the iPhone itself it said “Activation Required,” and when I pressed on that and followed the instructions the “No Service” message changed to AT&T and I got a message from Rogers saying I was roaming … so all is well. (I did NOT update the OS in iTunes to 5.1.1 because my phone is jailbroken on 5.1.0 and I don’t know the consequences of updating yet. But updating wasn’t necessary for the unlock activation for me.) Thanks for your help Bamboo — I did not get any kind of unlock instructions at all, but just the same email that bc did saying my issue had been resolved. I will say it took me several emails and an AT&T secure website message (requested by one rep to verify the phone and owner) to get customer service to even put my unlock request in the queue. It was on 4/29 that I made my first unlock request and not until 5/3 that an AT&T rep said she would submit my case for review. Today 5/11 I got the email saying my issue was resolved. My iPhone was bought from AT&T last summer but is off contract now.
I have a case submitted on the 15th. The next following day I submitted another case on the 16th. We’ve gotten two iphone 4 regulars since my parents are moving over seas and Im residing in California for college. I have yet to hear anything from AT&T and 3 days ago they said wait several more days..
Im getting really irritated because they leave early June and I want to get this thing set up for them since theyre not really tech smart on iphones as they never owned one. Come on, why are there people here that only wait for 3 days in comparison to me waiting weeks? It should be done first come first serve type of scenario!
I post back whenever I get my email..
@undecided.
you are lucky, that ur phone got unlocked very fast.
i have called to AT & T they are saying there is not phone exist with the provided IMEI number, even i called Apple customercare number they said they are able to trace the details of my iphone with same IMEI number, which i provided to AT&T Cust service.
Please help me. What can i do now ?
Shall i call them again ?
Hi Rekha,
Call again. I got told the same thing in one of the calls I made of the Customer Service Centre. Eventually you’ll get a decent person that’s willing to help you.
Good Luck
those email are bogus. I got one myself even tho itunes unlocked my iphone.
Hi all i opened a case back on April 15 and still haven’t receive any email from at&t i have called twice and they told me on may 1st is your resolution date,but nothing still waiting i was wondering on calling again next week and see what’s going on
I would give them a call and see what’s going on. My suggestion if you’re in another country is to phone using Skype. It’s free to toll-free numbers (well, aside from the data usage)
Awesome I didnt know I could use skype for toll free nos. Will do that next time. I just wasted more than 30 minutes of international calling to talk to csr.
I am an non customer of ATT. i left the country so canceled my accnt. I told them the story and gave my ssn to prove it. They gave a case number and told me to wait till May 28th :((i know its a long time). The first csr was not ready to look but later obliged but still couldnt help me. The second time csr was much more smart i guess.
Hopefully ill get the result in a couple of days.
i know. i’ve been reading everyone else who also has been. i’m starting to think maybe call back with your case number and just make sure they didn’t forget about you. if i didn’t receive any emails, i was going to call in for sure. but then, on the other hand maybe it’s because I’m using a 3gs instead?
I have new 3GS too.. Still
Called in to the 800 number on 5/1/12 at 4:00 pm, got a case number and got the confirmation email this morning 5/3/12 at 9:00 am. Updated to the latest firmware. It ddin’t say anything about unlocked or anything like that but I was able to call from the line to a lanline and it worked perfectly! Very easy and fast. Glad I stumbled across here.
@undecided.
In 3 days you got the confirmation email?
you must be lucky. I have been waiting for more than 13 days…. :(
don’t wait for the email… just activate your phone via itunes. the turn around time is about 1 business day for both of my iphone unlocks. you can activate by inserting a tmobile sim or any foreign sim and connect the phone to itunes. or if you’re jailbroken, install the SAM utility and select de-activate then connect to itunes. Restore is not required.
got reply from At&T today. Unfortunately they won’t unlock my iphone purchased from craigslist.
—-
Attached is the information referenced during your discussion today with an AT&T representative. If you have any questions, please refer to our online support site at http://att.com/wireless.
Please do not respond to this e-mail. This mailbox is not monitored and does not accept mail.
Attachments:
Ineligibility Service Commitment
https://mycsp.cingular.com/mycsp/externalcontent/Static_Files/Attachment/Support/Wireless/iPhone%20Unlock%20Ineligibility%20Service%20Commitment.pdf
This message, including any offer and attachments, is intended for the named recipient and may contain confidential information. No other person should rely on any offer or information in this message. If you are not the named recipient, please immediately delete this message.
@ Fabian,
Dude! is there any way around to get my iphone unlocked by AT&T?
You will have to wait until the contract is finished
I have unlocked 5 iPhones by sying the same thing over and over! I do not have at&t. I just say that I am in the military and that im being deployed. Then they will speak with a manager. Then tehy opened a case and asked me for proof of purchase and a letter of delpoyment
But all I do is just send the proof of purchase and after 2 days i get the message that my iPhone is unlocked!
@ fabian, can you help me with a link to a iphone purchase receipt ? I am thinking of creating a proof for my self and trying my luck with AT&T one more time.
Thanks in advance!
hi fabian …. can u help me with the proof of purchase.
thanks in advance
can you tell the email address which you send your purchase proof?
Hi , I have not contract with At&T. I was never an AT&T customer. I bought the iphone from craigslist. What should I do now ?
Purchased iPhone4 in USA. Used it for 4-5 months there.
Had to move out of US so paid ETF. Called up AT&T December last year to unlock it since I paid ETF but they refused to unlock it. Requested again last month for official unlock after reading it on web that AT&T is officially unlocking the iphones. Request processed and issue resolved on first trial but never received any mail from AT&T on unlock. Reinitiated the case and finally received the instruction today after 4 weeks since first request.
Got a hold of a super helpful Rep at AT&T and managed to get a case opened. I’m supposed to be getting my feedback sometime tonight (Today for the States I suppose).
Although from what I see in the Googlesphere AT&T has a staffing problem atm and until that’s resolved we’ll have to phone up to see the progress of our own cases.
Pity no one like Gawker, Redmondpie or CNET are doing follow up stories so we can get a clear idea of the situation.
Anyway, I’ll keep the details coming of my own experience as they progress.
Still waiting for my email from AT&T to allow my unlock. Don’t feel brave enough to try unlock on my own to see if it’s already done at the back end. I’m gonna try phone AT&T after work 2nyt and see if I can get an update
Phoned AT&T today, my resolution date has been moved out to May 9th.
However I already received the how to unlock my iPhone email from AT&T so I’m a little confused to be honest.
I tried the Redsn0w deactivation method to be on the safe side since I didn’t want to lose my current unlock. It didn’t work but thankfully I still have a phone while I wait instead of a brick
By any chance did u get any luck on unlocking ur iPhone?
I got a iphone 3GS as a gift from my brothers friend in USA, and this phone is cerrier to AT&T, but not able to reach them phone as our geographic regions are different, present am at India.
Can anyone help me out to unlock my iPhone please.
rsc60640 can u help me pls ?
Regards,
I called AT&T today 4/30 to unlock my iphone that I bought from Ebay. I told them that I don’t have an AT&T account. They said you have to have a former AT&T account in order for them to unlock your iphone. Before, they didn’t even need that info. They just ask for the imei number, your name, call back phone number, and email address. They said the policy just changed. So no luck for me :( And I can’t even use the new Gevey sim to unlock it since it was recalled. My iphone is updated to 5.1 with the new baseband. Anyone had the same problem recently when calling to AT&T?
I’ve just had the same! But my iPhone is currently JB’d and running ultrasn0w I also used the SAM method just in case and saved all the data collected! But an unlock from AT&T would beat all the above mentioned methods I am working on!
Today I got this from a case after waiting since 14th!
I Have seen many cases where the iPhone is not an AT&T customer iPhone and they unlocked it! I purchased it off ebay and my account is no longer available I tried calling them with no luck skype internet coverage here sucks big time!! Please any one advice me what to do I have sent them an email again with no luck in response I can’t do online chat because I do not have an AT&T wireless number I live out of the U.S!
Admin please delete the email address if I get notifications when someone replies to my comment :)
Sorry forgot to paste the reply I got from AT&T
IMEI NO: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -invalid per does not contain enough digits but NON AT&T customers are not eligible regardless.
I called in today as I was promised to get an unlock email by today(30th April). But they are saying they are very busy with unlock requests. Resolution has been extended further.
No future date was given.. :(
Hi,
I’ve been trying to contact AT&T to unlock my iphone 4, but automated voice keeps asking my wireless phone number. I didn’t activated my AT&T account, thus I don’t have a phone number. What should I do?
grazie
Davdi, call again 1-800-331-0500, then press 0, 0, 1, 0 to go straight to the agent…
Thanks to rsc60640! after reading his/her post. I called up AT&T customer service (even though I’m NOT their customer) spoke to a representive and told her that I would like to have my iPhone4 which was a gift from a friend to be unlocked. It was easy and pretty fast, pretty straight forwards, she said OK no problem. Gave her the IMEI # & email, and she put me on hold for a min or 2, came back said the phone is eligible to be unlocked. She then proceeded to give me my case number, and said it would take up 72hrs to take effect, I would recieve an email for instructions to unlock.
I have to say this is the best experience I had with AT&T customer support yet, I was previously their customer years ago, due to poor support, insane charges… etc I switched to another carrier. After this incident, I just might go back to them when iPhone5 comes out. (if they get rid of the mandatory data add-on with smartphones) lol
not work for me :(
So here’s my story why I think AT&T tech support chat rocks! Apologize for a very long write-up.
I’m from Philippines and my brother who lives in the States gifted me an iPhone 4 he bought from e-bay which is locked to AT&T. I called on 4/13 via 1-800 number and requested to unlock the unit. The CS rep asked for IMEI number, asked for e-mail address, created my case, and told me to wait for the confirmation for potential unlock instruction by 4/20. So 4/20 came and I got no e-mail at all so I called AT&T again on 4/21 to check the status. The CS rep indicated that my case is still in-process and the resolution date was moved to 4/23. I asked the CS rep if he can confirm if the unit is eligible for unlock (since i don’t know if it is a clean contract) and the CS rep said that he doesn’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be unlocked (meaning it is eligible…why can’t he just say that?). So yeah, I’ve waited on 4/23 to get the magic e-mail (while from 4/20 – 4/23, i’ve been trying the unlocking process couple of times hoping it goes through) and it didn’t come. I called again on 4/24 to check status and asked what is going on. The CS rep this time indicated that my case has been resolved and moved to close status. I said, I didn’t get an e-mail from AT&T and asked the CS rep if he can double check. The CS rep once again confirmed that the unit is unlocked and case was closed but then offered to resend the unlocking instruction to my e-mail. I did get the e-mail afterwards but still the phone is not getting unlocked. I was so frustrated given that I have to stay up midnight to dawn (calling from the Philippines) just to reach CS rep in the US so yesterday 4/27, I called again the 1-800 number, talked to a CS rep then this time was transferred over tech support. Once again, the CS rep and the tech support confirmed that their records indicated that my unit has been unlocked and told me couple of ways to do the restore. Everything failed..felt sad, frustrated, annoyed, stressed out, as I have this thing for weeks now and it is not getting resolved. I thought for a second that the unit maybe faked, or my PCs have problems (yes, tried it to different PCs). Reading couple of forums, I learned from others that I can verify unlock status by going to IMEI.info and entering my information. So yeah I did try this morning and it indicated that the unit is still locked to AT&T. I felt like even if I call AT&T 1-800 number again, i would just get the same blah blah answer that the unit is unlocked so I tried calling Apple iPhone tech support this time. Got connected to Apple tech rep but pushed me away and said that I should resolve the issue with the carrier. I felt hopeless and feel helpless again….I called my brother in the US and see if he can reach out AT&T for me since he has an account with AT&T. My brother logged on to his AT&T account and reached CS rep via CHAT. SUPRISINGLY, we learned that the unit is still locked all this time and the CS rep was able to UNLOCKED it in just few minutes!
Here’s the transcript of the chat conversation.
My brother: Hi, I need help in unlocking an iPhone unit that I gifted to my brother. We called AT&T several times everyone we talked to indicated that the unit has been unlocked. However, we followed the unlocked instructions sent through e-mail but the unit remains locked to AT&T. We thought that the unit could still remain locked with AT&T and we need help verifying the true status. The unit’s IMEI number is XXXXXXXXXX.
info: Please wait for a chat representative to respond.
info: You are now chatting with ‘XXX XXXXy’
ATT CS rep: Hello XXXX.
ATT CS rep: Thank you for contacting us using AT&T Live Technical Chat, and verifying your account in the pre chat survey.
ATT CS rep: I will be happy to assist you with your iPhone today.
ATT CS rep: Do verify, you have tested a non-AT&T SIM card in your phone?
My brother: Yes…I did and it still indicates invalid sim
ATT CS rep: Do you still have your Case Reference Number?
My brother:: Yes I do have but it is under my brother’s name (My Name) Case ref is CMXXXX_XXXX3025
ATT CS rep: Thank you. Would you be able to provide me with his account information as well? Mobile number, first and last name and last four of his Social Security Number, please, in order to access his information?
My brother:: He does not have an account with AT&T.
ATT CS rep: Okay, one moment please.
ATT CS rep: Did you receive an email stating that your case had been closed with instructions to restore?
My brother:: Yes. we got the e-mail and also talked to CS rep via phone couple of times… We are a little bit frustrated because the case status indicated it is resolved and closed but still unable to unlock. We thought maybe it is still not unlocked at apple’s database. We called Apple directly and we were referred back to ATT.
My brother:: We just don’t know what to do.
ATT CS rep: I can certainly understand your frustration, and thank you for your patience. I am further researching your issue.
My brother:: Appreciate your assistance..
ATT CS rep: I am reaching out to a manager for further assistance, thank you again for your patience.
My brother:: Thanks..i am just hanging in here…
ATT CS rep: My manager has been able to access to see that your phone is, indeed, not unlocked. She is researching further as well.
My brother:: awesome news… at least we know the real status
ATT CS rep: She has been able to unlock your phone for you. You can go ahead and connect to your iTunes and restore again.
ATT CS rep Did you require us to send you the email again?
My brother:: THANK YOU XXXX and to your manager!
ATT CS rep: You are most welcome. Thank you again for your patience.
My brother:: Please can you send an e-mail to XXXX@XXX.com
ATT CS rep: I do apologize for the inconvenience, was very glad to help you today.
ATT CS rep: Is there anything more that I can assist you with?
My brother:: no more! THANKS!
My brother: bye
ATT CS rep: We realize that you have a choice in Wireless providers and thank you for giving us the opportunity to assist you today. We appreciate your business and thank you for visiting AT&Tās Live Support Chat.
——
Moral lesson – don’t trust anything that the live CS rep person is saying.. go to AT&T chat tech support. If you don’t have an AT&T account, have someone (a friend or a family member), reached out AT&T viat chat and request to unlock the iphone…
I’m glad this is over, my unit is unlocked, and I can move on!
——
Location: Philippines
First date reported: 4/13
Date resolved: 4/28
Resolved thru: AT&T chat
Others: Unit purchased on e-bay.
I contacted AT&T about my iPhone4 unlock, after couple of days they sent me an email stating im eligible for unlock and sent me the instructions to unlock i.e connect to itunes and restore/update. I’m scared to do that, what if it doesn’t work and gets updated to the latest version so that myt gevey sim will also not work??? incase if we restore/update do we have to remove the gevey sim before restoring/updating??
Anyone have success or tips with iPhone 4 on a GoPhone plan? I tried to call the number above but all I got was robots answering menus so I hung up.
It works!! finally i had my iphone 4 officially unlocked.
Just follow the procedure mention here. you will receive an email from saying your phone has been unlock. Please go to itunes and update. That will do, i dnt need a Gevey sim anymore. Even the signal strength seems to be good. never drops a bar.
Congrates Nasir…! :)
When did put a request tough?
Hey Naseer – I also have iphone 4 with gevey sim. and i just received an email from At&t that i should follow the following process.
To complete the unlock, simply:
1. Open iTunes on your Mac or PC and verify that you have internet connectivity.
2. Connect your iPhone using the dock connector to USB cable that came with your iPhone.
3. Backup and restore your iPhone using iTunes .
For information on backup and restore, please visit http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414.
4. After restoring, your iPhone will be unlocked.
Should i go ahead and do it? or is there a certain way to backup the baseband before restoring?
Hi, i bought my iphone 4 in the us, locked to at&t. I use my iphone 4 in indonesia with the help of gevey sim. After accidentally updating my iphone 4 to ios 5, my gevey seems useless. For quite sometime my iphone 4 now transforming into an ipod. How can i get an official unlock? Can i use your method? Should i need to update my software to ios 5.1 beforehand? Thx so much for your answer.
If your iPhone was bought off contract you can contact AT&T and they will unlock it for you but it may take a few weeks to process. It won’t matter if it’s on iOS 5 or iOS 5.1 with the official method, though when you go to restore the device to achieve the unlock it will want to update to iOS 5.1 anyway.
You can also unlock an iOS 5.0 or iOS 5.0.1 device by using the new SAM Method but that will require a jailbreak.
https://osxdaily.com/2012/04/23/unlock-any-iphone-4s-iphone-iphone-3gs-using-sam/
I recommend trying the official AT&T approach, that way there is no software or hardware mods required and it will be permanently unlocked.
got this email yesterday:
We have reviewed your account and submitted a case to request for the subsidy unlock code and unlock instructions for your iPhone w/ IMEI ############ to be sent to you. Your Case ID is CM20120414_########.
We would like to inform you that we will be extending the expected resolution date of your request for 5 – 7 working days since it is still under review. You will be contacted by email on or before 05/02/2012 to advise you on the status of your case.
If you have a question about your wireless service, we have the answer. Visit our Answer Center at http://www.wireless.att.com/support today! Please feel free to contact us with any future inquiries. Thank you for choosing AT&T!
dear friends i got this mail from at& t “AT&T is following up with you to request the unlock code for your device. My name is Richard. I can definitely help you with your inquiry.
Ā
I have reviewed your account and submitted a Case to request for the subsidy unlock code and unlock instructions for your iPhone to be sent to you. ”
can anyone tell about this
I think, it is a scam, I don`t think that AT&T and Apple represent anybody to do their secret work.
mostafa it’s not a scam, att unlock all of there phones except iphone, now they included the iphone, all you need is the ime code and your good to go and don’t have to have an account with them as long as the phone has a clear record your good to go..
salam
Dear asa, i couldn`t contact AT&T without creating account.
I tried to create an account, but i couldn`t, because of my IP address.
I did that through a friend in the sates, I got a case number and waiting.
Regards
Wow really all that is basically saying is to restore ur iPhone so everyone might as well try restoring as soon as they put in the request to get the phone unlock!! I’m just saying!!! But thank u jojo I’ve been dying to see the email!!!
Lizz, the unlock has to be processed on AT&T’s end, restoring before that request has been processed will not unlock the iPhone.
Yea I know what u mean but hey it never hurts to try right?!
some people have repported that they unlocked by restoring before the email, however that was in the early days of the annoucement.
I would not recommend it though if you are using via Gevey SIM as it will update your baseband making your Gevey SIM useless.
this is the attachment that we get https://mycsp.cingular.com/mycsp/externalcontent/Static_Files/Attachment/Support/Wireless/iPhone_unlock_email_sample.pdf
Hi jojo,
If we this attachment it means our iPhone can be unlocked? I also got this attachment but I’m not sure. Do you have unlock your iPhone successfully?
Just followed online instructions, they advised I would get notified by May 4th that its been unlocked.
Just to clarify my comment above. When I said “wirelessly” I mean through my wireless network at home.
I used the chat method described above to unlock my old 3GS. It’s probably a good idea to make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed before attempting this. I also found there were a few extra ‘hoops’ I had to jump through to make this work.
I got the unlock confirmation from AT&T yesterday (the 24th). I followed the instructions to the letter but did not get the “Congratulations …” message. I tried putting in a T-Mobile prepaid SIM but just got the “No Service” message (no “Invalid SIM” message though which was a good sign).
I repeated the process again today but without the SIM in the phone. After the restore completed the phone performed a sync with iTunes. After this was done I put the T-Mobile SIM into the phone. All the while I left iTunes open and running and the USB sync cable connected. When I put the SIM in the phone rebooted then I got an “Activation Required” message. The phone connected to iTunes and within about 90 seconds had been registered on the T-Mobile network.
I’m not sure why the activation process did not complete wirelessly but for me it seemed that until it had hit iTunes with the activation request the unlock was not functioning properly.
I’m posting this in the hope that it may help others who have similar issues.
The way I understand it. When you go through web tech support for unlock, at the end you will get a reference number. It does not mean it’s unlocked yet, however. If you call in, you won’t get the reference numbers. But usually the rep will tell you if there is a problem or not (as I understand it), you get an email and is told to wait (last I heard is long wait time now). My guess is AT&T forwards the IMEI#’s to Apple, who daily uploads to their system to officially unlock through Itunes when you update. But no one knows how much wait it is for Apple to do that, maybe they will do 5000 a day, or 50,000 a day no one knows.
I have personally unlocked more than 10 Iphone 4’s, through calling in & through web tech support. But believe me, seems each time it’s a little different…
Spoke to an AT&T representative last night who refused to unlock my iPhone over chat, she told me that you couldn’t do it over chat and had to call in, I linked her to screenshots of chats with other reps but she told me this information was incorrect.
WARNING. I received an approval code and email but it didnt work. I called ATT and found out it was not approved. I asked why did I get the email when it wasnt approved and they didnt know. So now I have an unlockable updated baseband and am hosed. SO DO NOT DO THE RESTORE even if you get the appproval email. Use Redsn0w and preserve the unlock until you actually are verified.
I got an email from AT&T after 10 days from requesting an unlock, it had a URL which opened up to show the standard unlock complete message and the steps published in many forums, with the orange cloud and AT&T logo. It said my case was reviewed and completed and asked to restore the phone to complete the process. I did the restore (which also updated the iOs and baseband to latest) and sigh the unlock did not happen. In the process I lost my Gevey unlock.
Contacted AT&T and Apple through them , but they just opened a new case with 10-12 days wait time.
Feeling stupid and helpless now…
There are definitely co-ordination issues at AT&Ts end.
Did you get an unlock? I am facing the same problem. Only thing is, I didn’t restore after the email. First I tried the deactivation method using Redsn0W. Not happening. Phone is still locked. Please please keep me posted.
No I tried restoring again and the success message has not come yet. I should have also deactivated using redsn0W. Advice you to deactivate and activate using redsn0W if you are relying on other unlock solutions, do not rely on AT&T mail or wait until they have cleared some backlog and reprocess the request faster.
Will call ATT again and check if they can expedite.
Had a long chat with AT&T rep and Apple tech. support (almost 51 mins) and end of it got nothing, except AT&T confirmed the iPhone was eligible for unlock (which I don’t think they check while creating a case on the helpline). Will have to wait for the confirmation of another request AT&T created for this issue.
Process is really ad-hoc, people who got it painlessly are really blessed…
What details did you give? I have iPhone 4 locked by At&T but I don’t know the phone number or Account number for it? I have IMEI, will that help?
I called At&t about a week ago and was told i would receive an email on the 25th i called today (24th) just to check the status and was asked for the case number … after looking it up the cust rep . informed everything was looking good and that i should be receiving the email tomorrow in the morning.. so crossing fingers.. if you guys can cross your fingers and pray that i get it unlocked i would greatly appreciate it .. ive been using my iphone 3 with a cracked screen and messed up lcd for about a yr… :) thanx guys
On april 20 i filed a case to get my iphone unlocked and was told that i would receive an email on april 30. So in the mean time i decided to just do a restore on my phone. I placed it in dfu mode and clicked restore. iTunes prompted me to “restore and update” because it detected a phone was in recovery mode. So I did. When the restore finally finished I was brought to the “congratulations your iPhone is unlocked” screen. I was shocked. I even have a video of the “congratulations screen” for proof. It definitely was unintended and might have been a glitch in the apple servers either unlocking all iPhone 4’s that try to restore, OR my case was already approved and AT&T just didn’t plan to email me until the 30th, but it looks to me like my iphone 4 is now unlocked š. Looks like I don’t have to wait till April 30.
what version are you on and software?
Ios 5.1
Bb 4.12.01
damn well ima have to try it out then …. i have nothing to lose anyway …. thanks cdc i’ll let you know how it goes..
Yo Cdc one more question …. When you restored what version of itunes did you have? did you have an older version or did you have 10.1.6 or whatever?? if you can get back i would appreciate it ….
I was using the latest iTunes. I did it because I had nothing else to lose too lol do just give it a shot, it wouldn’t hurt
alright thanks alot bro im gonna do it in about 20 mins just waiting on the damn laptop
Thanks Cdc90 for your comment..!
I can probably try to do the same thing as you. As the phone is already NO USE for me anyways.
I will let you know what happens…. :)
We need the experienced people who did unlock there iphones.
What is the procedure, that we know how to do that if we receive unlock code.
Should AT&T explain how to do that in their e-mail ?.
Accept the jailbroken iphone the unlock code, or have we do anything before ?.
Accept the unlock code an older software ( eg 4.3.3 ), or have to upgrade to the latest first ?.
I think these enquiries needs to be discussed
I called today AT&T Customer Care at 1(800) 331-0500.
They gave me a case # and informed me that I will receive an email probably after May 2nd or later due to high volume calls.
We will see how it goes. Thanks for posting all the info guys. I found it helpful.
Same story here. Based in deepest darkest Africa waiting for an unlock. I phoned and got a fantastic call center operator. We had a chat while he prepared the case and gave me the case number.
Waiting for the outcome 2nd May.
Agree with Coyote Vegas, Thanks to everyone posting here. Helps a lot to see how others are getting it done.
So pretty much if we get to the “congratulations your iPhone is unlocked” screen, my iPhone is officially unlocked even if I restore the phone to an older backup?
Yes, exactly. Once your iPhone is unlocked officially, it’s unlocked permanently even when you restore from old backups.
There’s no server. It’s many “case departments” filled with employees who just “flip the switch” after considering your iPhone. Eazy Peezy Lemon Squeezy.
Unlock Request time is 7-15 Business Days..i have called customer care and they have told me that time is raised because of the lots of unlock request.
One of the Problem is the server jamming also..So be patient if your iphone is out of contract then it will be unlocked..
thanks.
Ive been waiting 12 days…………………..still no word from AT&T
Here’s my experience:
At&t limits the iphone to 5 unlocks per account per 12 months.
1) I am an ATT customer.
2) I called ATT tech support last week, 04/17 to unlock 3 iphones. Got an email confirmation an hour later, and was able to unlock the iphones via itunes a day later!
NOTE: If you just upgrade the iphones to IOS 5.1, you dont need to backup & restore. Once you plug in the iphones to itunes. You will get a message that says congrats, your iphone is now unlocked. Since its a factory unlock, updating the iphone to IOS 5.1 is ok since it will always be unlocked. But be aware if you wish to keep your jailbreak, then updating will not keep the jailbreak.
3) I contacted ATT through web support today logging in using my ATT web acct, 4/23. I gave them 11 iphones to unlock. I was told its limited to 5 per account. So I had to limit to unlock 5 iphones, and I was giving 5 reference numbers. I was also told there is a long delay to the unlock, and may take as long till May 1st for the unlock to happen!
4) I recontact ATT again thru web support to unlock 6 more iphones, even giving them a different telephone number (I have a family plan w 3 different tel#’s). But I was told ATT cannot unlock any more iphones for me, because I had already unlock the max 5 per account per 12 months.
So, base on my experience, ATT is tracking how many iphones are unlocked per customer. Of course, I will try one more time tomorrow and see.
Dear G
My inquiry is, since the iPhone is unlocked and can be updated to the latest software .
Why i require to jailbreak it any more !.
Jailbreak is to be able to install unofficial Apple apps, or to get free apps, or do other things not authorized by Apple.
Unlock is just for transferring from your locked wireless carrier (ie AT&T) to any GSM wireless carrier around the world.
Previously, in order to unlock, the iphone will need to be jailbreaked first. However, anytime you update your iphones you risk losing the jailbreak and unlock.
But now, if your phone is factory unlocked by AT&T/Apple, it will ALWAYS be unlocked, forever. However, you will likely lose the jailbreak when updating.
Hey G,
So did you ever get the 6th phone unlocked or more with a single account?
thanks, just called them, they are stilil working on the request, will be done by the end of the day. hope this works!
Let us know how it go!
Did you have an ATT account ?
nothing yet….no I do not have an account with at&t
I’m in the same boat. I initial called them on the 12th for the unlock the gave me projected date for the 19th of april to receive the email. Called on the 19th , I was told that they were still “working,” on it. Called again yesterday and was pretty much told to wait till I received their email ( indefinitely ). I’m not an ATT customer.
I’m in Canada with a AT&T iphone 4 using Gevey SIM. Called last week and was told I would get an email April 23. Nothing yet. Just wondering should I try and do a restore as many people have indicated they have not received an email. Just concerned if I do a restore and it is not unlocked, then my Gevey SIM won’t work. Does a restore update my baseband?
thanks for any help.
Do not restore unless you get an email from AT&T specifying you have an unlock.
if you have case number cm xxxxxxxxx ring AT&T back abd ask you should of got email either way
Just wondering, What is the content of this email? Does it give you some sort of instructions on how to do it? Like theyll send you a firm ware and we have to update it to that firmware? I am a little confuse on the process.
Also, what if i dont have my ticket number? I lost it because i accidently closed the window without writing it down somewhere.
Finally, will i be able to unlock multiple phones under my name? How about phones that are overseas (i live in the states), can i just get the imei of the phone to unlock it? Thanks
I’m from the Philippines, I have iphone4 BB 4.11. AT&T locked. I Called AT&T last night, I dialled 00-1-800-331-0500 just follow the options. I remember I selected “More Options” and “Option to speak with a customer Rep”. I just forgot the numerical value for those options. I spoke with a CSR, told her that I’m from in the Philippines who bought a phone from a friend who was based in USA. I told her that I want to use the phone with international sim and I wish to have the phone unlocked. I provided my my iphone4 IMEI and Email add. She checked if my phone is eligible for unlocking.. Unfortunately, she said that it’s still in the contract and NOT ELIGIBLE FOR UNLOCK. HOWEVER, WHAT SHE DID SHE SENT IT FOR RECONSIDERATION AND PROVIDED ME A CASE NUMBER AND TIMEFRAME. Now, I’m just praying that this will still work eventhough she said that it’s not eligible. But I was kindda happy becasue the CSR was so nice and still send it for reconsideration. I just need to wait until end of this month for the result.
Hello,
Please confirm about unlocking the iphone4 at&t locked? have you received confirmation email from at&t support to unlock?
what is the current status after getting email?
HEY !!!! I FOUND A WAY TO CHAT WITH AT&T WITHOUT HAVING AT&T SERVICE!
Here are steps for doing it !
1) Go to this link:https://www.att.com/olam/passthroughAction.myworld?actionType=tech
2) Click on forgot password
3)Just type ]a random phone number
4) Its going to say that that UserID is incorrect and to double check it.
5)A option to click to chat is going to appear(Dont get emotional, it is not the customer support)
6) A screen is going to appear next to enter you name email and reason why your are chatting blah blah blah. Just fill it in with your REAL NAME and EMAIL and the rest with made up info.
7) After you filled that out your are going to chat with tech support and then your are going to say if they can transfer you to customer support that you are NOT a AT&T customer and than you are having problems with your phone.
8) After you are transferred just tell them you want to unlock your iPhone!
And thats it !!!!
Hope this helps XD
Fabian you rock, thanks for this info!
Fabian,
Thanks for this info. I tried it but the lady of customer service can’t or won’t transfer me to customer area, but she gave me this phone number and they helped me all the way.
AT&T Customer Care at 1(800) 331-0500 or 1(916) 843-4685
Thank you!
It depend on which agent you get. Some of them can be real SOB’s and not transfer you while others are supper happy to transfer you
tried chat option twice got told no account ring numbers above did that and 15 mins later request to apple to unlock will be 7 days countdown starts
Hi Fabian,
Before actually seeing your post, i followed the similar steps to unlock my iphone 3gs. The representative took IMEI number and gave me a ticket number. Next day i got an email saying the issue is closed. Did you get the similar email? How long did it take you to receive an email about unlock steps. I’m confused whether my request is processed or rejected or being processed. Please help. What about the steps to unlock? Is it a manual restore in ituens or its automatic when the device is connected. Please help.
Tried doing this. The Rep at the other end was unable to transfer the chat to the CS Rep. He did leave me with a number to get in touch with.
Hey guys!!!!
I called AT&T on 19th June (AM) and registered a request. I told them that I had an iPhone 4 which I needed to be unlocked. The lady at the AT&T end took down my IMEI number and email ID as told me that the TAT was around 3-4 days. I told them that it was gifted to me and that I did not have any proof of full payment etc. She told me that she had put in the additional comments against my request.
I received an email from them in less than 24 hours stating that my issue was resolved.
Here’s what i received on mail:
“Dear Customer:
Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding your AT&T service. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. The issue has been resolved.
Should you have any further needs regarding this issue, please do not hesitate to call us at 1 800 331-0500 and reference the tracking number shown above.
Sincerely,
AT&T””
Now I am only waiting to get back home and try to restore the iPhone.
On 2nd thoughts, do I need to have the AT&T SIM in the phone while doing the restore or I can do the restore without a SIM inserted?
Please advise.
Thanks!!
No restore then insert new sim while still conncted then should say unlocked and u will have service
Thanks Noman! I am assuming that I need to do a restore with the new iOS and then insert the SIM that I want to use while still being connected to iTunes.
Please let me know if it is otherwise.
Thanks much.
hi can you help me please to unlock my phone cause I live in Egypt and I can’t do this from here even when I called them They told me in phone that anyone of ATT customer can help
I have the recite of purchasing but the friend who get it for me i can’t contact him anymore :-( So, I’m really in a big trouble
I use the phone with gevey sim now ?
If you can help me it would be aappreciated
I tried to create an at&t account to proceed with unlock my iphone 4, but i couldn`t, because i`m not a US resident appeared from my IP address.
on the requirements section of the main topic said,
ā¢AT&T Login ā if youāre not a current AT&T customer weāve heard reports that you can create a new AT&T login but YMMV
WHAT IS YMMV, That i try to do that>
“Your Mileage May Vary”
If it didn’t work online, just call them. AT&T is very helpful.
Dear MC,
Thanks.
My iPhone is gailbroken an unlocked on older IOS.
Now if everything is OK with unlock, am i Eligible to upgrade the IOS.
Mostafa ….. if you contact att and they submit the information and you do the unlock through them you can update the ios no prob and it would still be unlocked … the jailbreaking .. that you would most likely have to do that again on your own
I found when attempting to get my iPhone 3G unlocked, we had to go thru a number of hoops due to the original IMEI number being different due to a phone swap while the phone was under warranty. Apple didn’t update AT&T’s records on that swap so when AT&T requested the unlock from Apple it was for an incorrect IMEI number. We’ll see this week if that actually gets correctly unlocked or not.
The AT&T is the U.S. carrier is it? If the U.S. already allow the out of contract iPhone to be unlock, how about the other country? For example, my own country which is Malaysia? Is there any possibilities that the carrier of the iPhone in Malaysia to unlock the iPhones as well especially the 3G and 3Gs?
AT&T is USA yes, you would have to contact your local carrier to see if they offer the same unlock service in Malaysia or elsewhere. Good luck!
hello,
I called AT&T to unlock my iPhone, the process was quick on the phone. an hour later, I got an e-mail with instructions to restore it and all that stuff, so I did but at the end of the restoring process that message that you said it says ” Congratulation your iPhone is now unlocked” or something like that didn’t come up. I called AT&T to ask if my unlocked was perfomed well they said they wouldn’t know!! how do I make sure of my iPhone was successfully unlock?
My iPhone 4 was unlocked that way, it didn’t show me message congratulating me that the iPhone was unlocked but im using my iPhone on Claro Honduras, so just insert a different simcard and if it works its unlocked, if its not, ur screwed, the weird thing ur saying is the an hour later u received the AT&T email, it usually takes 48-72 hours.
Call your AppleCare Hotline – they can provide you the Information if your iPhone is still locked or not. Google for Applearticle HT1808 – proceed with this and afterwards it should work.
insert a non AT&T sim and see if it works, if it works then you’re phone is unlocked!
unlock time is about 7 days. Try it again on Apr 28th
Use any working sim to check
If i give you mine imei can you unlock my iphone? Please help me
Use a SIM card other than AT&T
Not having an AT&T account (e.g. acquiring my AT&T iPhone 3GS from a third party source) I was unable to figue out how to make an account online. However, upon calling them up, they were happy to help my over the phone without having an account of any sort. Food for thought.
A friend got me my iPhone around 2 years ago, I live in Bahrain and I threw away the sim card when I first got it and unlocked the phone . I updated to iOS 5.0.1 by mistake and now it’s locked (Baseband 4.11.08). Problem is I forgot the number associated with my iPhone, so AT&T can’t unlock it! Help?!
Your friend would need to unlock the phone for you. Your old # is not needed. They are asking for SSN to pull up the records. If you friend has purchased it in his name… he’d have used his SSN. Ask him to contact AT&T and submit a request for the unlock…
The info you posted is not correct. And now that its posted on the web, tons of people will bombard at&t wtih unlock requests. Nice job!
Worked for me. You have no idea what you’re talking about.
“wrong” –> you are wrong!!! Please keep up with the latest :)
If you want to unlock, just call AT&T wireless support # 1-800-331-0500.
They are doing it for me as I type this. I just have to wait for the unlock email.
Serious question – how does this benefit the user?
Once a phone is unlocked – don’t you still need ATT’s service to make it usable again?
If you travel or want to use tmobile you just put in a new sim card. Bam you have service. No AT&T required after its unlocked.
Increase a value of your phone should you want to sell it. Only works on GSM network like Tmobile and other GSM carriers. Not on CDMA like Verizon or Sprint.
Did my 3GS this way. Still use AT&T but its nice to have the option.
[…] can also complete the entire unlock request process online with AT&T technical support, read how to do t… stLight.options({ publisher:'fe5e0a84-1fac-40de-8014-9f89fc1cbe6a' […]
I put a request on 21st April. I’ve been told to wait for Resolution till 30th April.
In fact, I just called to know the status as I thought it should only takes 48-72 hours.
So far, nothing. I will keep posting if I get something.
But anybody knows, is there actual “Unlock Code” or just restoring process with iTunes on Apple Server?
Got the iPhone 4s and 4 unlocked the same day. Depends on who you are talking to on AT&T.
Is your 4S still under contract? I thought it has to be out of contract for them to unlock it. I’ve been with ATT for years now. I was out of contract with my 3Gs last year but finally upgraded to the 4S a few months back (Jan 2012), renewing another 2-yr contract with ATT. Does it mean they would only unlock my 3Gs and not my current 4S? Thanks!
that’s correct. the phone with the contract that has been satisfied will be unlocked. not the new one… unless you bought the new one outright for $600+
Hello i was wondering if someone could put the request for me, because i dont live in the us and i dont have an atnt account, i have my iphone as a brick right now and that depresses me, thank you very much.
Just call them on this number and you can open a case file on your own. have your IMEI number and other details handy, before you call.
If you are calling From Overseas
1-916-843-4685
how did you do that?
There is no unlock code. AT&T submit your phone’s IMEI numbers to Apple’s server. Once a request is accepted and being processed, Apple will until your iphone through Itunes. Your job is to:
Fire up Itunes
Do a complete backup of your phone
Do a restore/update
Apple will dectect your phone’s IMEI and compares these numbers with its database. If there is a match, Apple is unlocking your phone. You should receive a congratulation message that your phone is now unlocked.
i did all the above. i was eligible. i live in hong kong and already had (have a smart tone sim card). my phone crashed on an iphone update, and restore locked my phone again. i received the free at&t unlock, but it doesn’t work, it still, when finished, doesn’t recognize the smart tone sim card.
I requested for the unlock on 12 April still following up with AT&T, no proper response. Looks like they are doing it forcefully, they do not want to do it at all.
U just need a receipt of the full payment or if u have an account with AT&T then it needs to be settled ,I just can’t believe my phone got unlocked in 10 days .
Hi Anuj
I bought the iPhone from a friend who went there for job. He does not remember the AT&T phone number as well as Account number. How can I get these details? Can just having iPhone IMEI help me?
Good People,
Just got off the line with ATT customer service and was told that as of today (4/28/2012) they are no longer unlocking for non-ATT customers.
Apparently, they got overwhelmed with the number of requests.
I bought this phone off of ebay hoping I could unlock it and use in on tmobile. I’m having no luck with iphone unlocker pro and when I stumbled across this, I thought I had a winner.
I can understand ATT not being excited about spending their time unlocking a phone for someone that isnt spending any money on them. How many of you out there would be willing to pay ATT a fee to unlock the phone? I know I would if it was quick (like within an hour) and would guarantee me an unlocked phone that i didnt need to worry about installing the latest OS on. I’d give them $50 for their time to make the request to apple.
I have already pissed away $25 on iphone unlocker pro and countless hours trying to make it work and learning about all sorts of things about jailbreak and unlock and stuff I could care less about.
Just curious what the rest of you think about this.
I called them right on 4-28…i really hope they can still take my request.
I was in the same situation as you, I bought my iphone from ebay about a year ago, I sent them an email, and even called them but no luck. So what I did was, asked a good friend of mine who’s on at&t, to go online and chat with a rep to request my iphone to be unlocked. I gave him my imei #, and to my surprise… It worked, within minutes I received an email (i asked him to forward me the email once he got it to me ) giving me the instructions to unlock my iphone. The easiest method is to chat with a customer rep online
P.S. the friend who did the request for me, had never ever purchased or owned an iphone before, meaning that as long that the person that’s doing the request on your behalf is an at&t customer, your very likely to get your request approved
Would your friend be interested in doing for me also?
i live in New Zealand. Brought an iphone 4 like 2days before they changed their mind on the unlocking for non att customers im still waiting for phone to arrive.
Could also be some $$ involved if he could??
Cheers
Hey would you do mine too my iPhone I mean, pretty please
Hi Sleepy,
Can you help me to unlock my IPhone 4 AT&T?
Grettings,
Mauro from Arg.
You are right @Waldo. I can confirm this. I talked to AT&T representative and they told me that they can’t unlock it because I’m not an AT&T customer and the new policy was put into effect last week. Additionally I put in a request on April 22nd for an iPhone 4 unlock, and I got an email today with an attached titled: Ineligibility Invalid Mobile or Account. It states inside the email that they are not able to unlock the iPhone due to stating I was ineligible due to “Invalid or no mobile account associated with the request”.
I bought At&T brand new sealed iPhone off eBay and saved couple hundred $$. Called AT&T to unlock my phone as I am not in any contract with them. I went even to retention department but they told me that phone not bought at full retail price from authorized AT&T store are not eligible for unlock. After few days I chatted with CSR and gave him my IMEI and he generated service request. Next day I restored my iPhone and i got āCongratulations your iPhone is unlockedā message on iTunes.
But today I received email from AT&T and they have declined my request for getting my phone unlocked.
Now my phone is unlocked and I am using T-Mobile service, and just afraid if iTunes can still lock my phone after next update. Any ideas or experience will be appreciatedā¦ Thanks
How can i chat with CSR ?
i had the same problem
device is not eligible for unlocking.
and its already more than 2 years :/
Im in brazil, so it makes everything harder to contact att
i saw it about CSR, i have no clue what it is, but i wanna try it
Pay AT&T more? If they phone is in good standings they already made hundreds off the phone through the contract! The phone no longer belongs to AT&T after the contract. This should be a law that they have to unlock it!
I just called to request my iPhone3, which I bought it at ATT and used it with during the contract. The customer service said my iPhone cannot be unlocked for security reasons!!!
I told her I bought it from ATT, all the criteria for being able to be unlocked on the website apply to me, then how come I cannot be unlocked?
She said they unlock iPhones even they are not from ATT as long as we can give them IMEI numbers(!!!!), but cannot unlock my iPhone and no one knows the reason and said to go to Apple(!!!???)
It DOES NOT make sense!
Always hate ATT customer services…
Call back and talk to someone else, they unlocked my iPhone 3G no problem
I called yesterday and they sent me a msg saying they couldn’t unlock it because I am not the owner – I, too, bought my iPhone used.. … wow… can someone write down the steps?
Download redsn0w_win_0.9.14b2 go through the dfu process check add cydia and install ipad band after that is done open cydia select user then take out sim and put in sim you want to use search for ultrasn0w and install after that is complete then open up safari and go to unlockit.co.nz and select the carrier you want to use and then create profile done unlocked and useing the carrier of your choice.
Where do you download redsnow from, and what goes on during the dfu process? No way to find out WHO contacts the Apple Server to get the iphone unlocked? Wow – what a racket.
I requested the unlock on Apr 16. AT&T representative told me that it will take 5-7 business days and so far nothing yet.
I also opened a case to unlock my iPhone 4 that i purchased from eBay and still not response.
Let me know when you get any updates.
Cheers!
I just got rejected from at&t and i opened the case on April 16th- Same message i got as well.
F*&^* AT&T
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:
– No valid current or former mobile/account number associated with request.
Please click the following link for AT&T’s General Eligibility Requirements for Unlocking iPhone.
Thank you for your inquiry.
Sincerely,
The AT&T Customer Care Team
submitted ma request on 29th April. Got ma phone unlocked dis morning afta connecting to itunes ba I av no received an e mail yet 4rm AT&T. I made d request 4rm west africa & called dem on skype. If u avnt received a mail yet. Jus try activating usin itunes after 5 working days. U av natyn 2 lose.
I sent a request on April 18th and received a reply on May 3rd saying that i am not eligible to have an unlock since i don’t have a contract with AT&T.
I called them up today and they say that they have changed their policy and now only those people will be eligible to have their phones unlocked who have an active contract or who use to have a contract with AT&T.
So everyone else should throw their phone away?
Any Help will be much appreciated.
This works.
I just used it on both my dusty 3G, and my wife’s 3GS.
Took about four days for AT&T to process.
Well written; thank you very much for the guidance.
I am now using the 3G in Bangkok, and you have made me a very happy guy.
I did this today. Did the web chat with technical support. It took about 20 minutes from start to finish and the tech even waited as I completed the process. Painless. Now I am happy again with my phone
Did you have an at&t account?
I have Iphone 4 from AT&T US, even though I terminated the contract I didn’t have to pay the termination fee due to corporate waiver. Now when I tried to get phone unlocked thru cus care few weeks back, I was told that Since I didn’t pay termination fee and it was waived off, I am not eligible for iphone 4 official unlock. I called up again last night and my request was taken and a case number was given to me. I was told that by 30th July I will get the code. Few questions –
1. Will I get the unlock message or will they turn down in secondary check saying I didn’t pay contract termination fee?
2. If my friends in US who are valid AT&T iphone customer call up and give IMEI , will it get unlocked?
3. Is there a loophole to get it unlocked?
Regards
An
8=)
I’m currently using TMOBILE, but was using ATT family plan 3 years ago. Every 2 years I switch between TMOBILE and ATT, because every switch I have a new phones.
Two day ago I called to ATT and using my old account asked them to unlock my new 3GS. Today I receive the letter with unlock information. Just did it and now I upgrading iOS 8=)
So, if you was ATT client in past you still can unlock iPhone using your information.
Good luck 8=)
Saw a lot of people wasted money and time with ATT, which i personally did as well. However, i have unlocked it eventually, dont remember which third party I used, was searching att iphone unlocking in google, I think the first result was the one that i picked, paid, and then they unlocked my phone in 1 hour.