AT&T last week announced that it would start unlocking customers’ iPhones. In a statement given to 9to5Mac the carrier said: Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer’s account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded fewer than one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.
The Next Web comes up with the same thing:
- Navigate to Settings > General > About on your phone, and make a note of its IMEI number
- Visit your local AT&T store and give them the number (this can also be done via online chat on its website)
- Within 72 hours you should receive an e-mail saying your unlock is ready
- Follow the instructions in the e-mail, which usually consist of plugging your device into iTunes and running a backup and restore cycle.
AT&T customers that the process will take around an hour time, but a small section of customers are being told to wait for long for one week. The delay appears to be an issue with customer accounts rather than the phones themselves. AT&T has set a limit of five unlocks per account, per year, and will check to ensure there is no existing contract on a device before unlocking it.
