Can I unlock my AT&T phone yourself?
Different from an AT&T Internet contract phone which restricts you by rendering your device locked to the carrier even though you are allowed to bring your phone. Here is what you need to know about unlocking an AT&T phone yourself.
It means that you remove the lock on a particular phone thus having full access to use it as you wish.
That is when you SIM unlock a phone, which means that the carrier lock or SIM lock has been decoded on the phone. This enables you to connect your phone with other SIM cards belonging to other internet service-providing companies. As it is common knowledge most phones bought with a direct connection to a certain wireless carrier such as AT&T or Verizon are usually locked in a way that they only accept SIM cards from that specific carrier. Unlocking them offers you more flexibility than plugging them in.
Why to Unlock Your AT&T Phone?
There are several reasons why you may want to unlock your AT&T device
- Take your current mobile phone that you use together with other domestic or international service providers when traveling to other countries. This is an advantage because it implies that instead of necessarily renting a phone, you can get a local prepaid SIM card.
- Choose a different carrier but use your current AT&T phone, device, or Verizon device. Unlocking enables the user to carry the phone they have to the new carrier instead of having to purchase a new phone.
- Dispose of your phone after you cancel your wireless service with AT&T and go for selling the phone instead of trading it. An unlocked phone will make a buyer want to have your used phone more than the other because there will be freedom of choosing their wanted network.
ATT Phones – The General Guidelines and Procedures About Unlocking Terminal Equipment
There are still certain regulations even if U.S. carriers are now obliged to unlock phones for consumers and past customers who meet specific criteria: There are still certain regulations even if U.S. carriers are now obliged to unlock phones for consumers and past clients who fit specific criteria:
- Only customers on their chosen AT&T cellular service plan free of outstanding debt will be eligible to access this feature. The second reason is that should you have an outstanding debt on your phone or any other account, AT&T will unlock your phone.
- Before the unlock is handled, the user has to have a valid postpaid account for two months free from any outstanding or unpaid payments.
- To qualify for a free AT&T GoPhone, for prepaid accounts, your AT&T GoPhone must have had more than $25 refills, the GoPhone must have been activated for over six months and all phone payments must be fully paid.
- AT&T has a policy that it can unlock up to five phones per year depending on the account conditions.
- The FCC requires that if you are qualified for device unlock then AT&T must unlock your device within two days.
How to: Make AT&T Unlock Your Phone
Should you satisfy all the unlocking criteria above, you may ask AT&T for an unlock via one of these approaches: Should you satisfy all the unlocking criteria above, you may ask AT&T for an unlocking via one of these approaches:
1. Request Unlock Through Your Online Account: Visit the myATT.com website, log in to your account, and find the unlocking request page to unlock the phone via your online account. These guidelines will help you to send a request as follows:
2. Call AT&T Customer Support: To talk with customer support should you have any problems with AT&T Wireless or any of its services. 800-331-0500 Certain agents will ask you to officially ask for an unlock, then they will handle it for you.
3. Visit an AT&T Store: See an employee at a store run by the AT&T Company rather than an AT&T reseller shop. Tell them you are eligible and desire them to legally apply for an unlock request for the device while you wait for the same.
Should AT&T accept your unlock request, you will get guidelines on how to carry on the unlocking procedure. Usually, this involves connecting your phone to the computer to enter an unlocking code or maybe answering phone prompts. Please use these instructions, derived from AT&T, to finish unlocking either iPhone or Android.
How to Unlock AT&T Phone by Yourself
Although the right way to unlock an AT&T device is to have the company unlock it for you, numerous websites will offer to generate unlock codes to unlock AT&T and any other domestic carrier on your own. However, many of the services listed here asked for a fee or offered to unlock methods that were either unreliable or temporary. Manually inputting unlock codes from third parties also has risks: Manually inputting unlock codes from third parties also has risks:
- Too many wrong codes can make your device blacklisted by the carrier providing the service for the device.
- Unlock codes that are not provided by the official service can be lost after updating the build of your phone.
- Using software unlocks one may not be able to make calls, send messages, and access LTE data.
It’s recommended and most secure to get it unlocked directly from AT&T if that is where your phone was purchased. This guarantees full calling and dat trafficking functionality together with the non-application of blacklists. In case AT&T declines to unlock and you qualify to be unlocked, then you can also file a complaint with the FCC. However, one must not go for third-party unlock websites that claim to unlock phones with many features and sometimes they unlock but not appropriately or permanently.
Six Things to Understand about Re-Locking Policies
As soon as you start using the services of AT&T, your phone may be re-locked by this carrier following the first SIM unlock. This is possible if you attempt to return it to AT&T, exchange it, or bring it for repair or if you again activate the service with the original carrier. Just remember this if you ever had your AT&T device unlocked but then wished to have some work done or redo your wireless plan later.
The possibility of transferring a phone to another carrier increases choice and freedom in using your preferred phone. To request AT&T unlock your iPhone or Android and experience proper use of your device and all the possibilities of a wireless plan, it is necessary to meet certain criteria and find out some rules about re-locking.
Upgrade to faster, more reliable AT&T Fiber Internet today! Call us at +1 844-905-5002 and get connected with speeds that keep you ahead.
