Anyone unlocked their phone? [2011 thread]

[Passepartout]

My trusty, not-so-smart Samsung phone on AT&T is mine. I've outlasted the contract and warrantee. We are off to Europe fairly soon and it might be nice to have a phone I can just slip a SIM card into and use. No point on buying one if I can just unlock what I already own. I Googled 'Unlocking Samsung model xxx' There are lots of returns. Even YouTube videos. It doesn't seem too difficult, even for one with at least 8 thumbs. I was just wondering if anyone had done it and could bolster my confidence.

TIA

Jim Ricks

 

[Ken555]

I've unlocked iPhones earlier this year. I took an old iPhone to Europe with me and was able to get it working with both German and Italian SIMs, no problem. Just follow the directions and be careful. Or, you can easily find an independent in your area who will charge ~$100 and unlock it for you.

 

[djs]

I paid about $30 at the mall to have it done on my crackberry. In your case you ought to be able to get the code by calling ATT customer service. In my case I couldn't get the code from ATT as I didn't have my phone long enough. On a privious phone I did get the code from ATT and was able to unlock it myself.

 

[jlwquilter]

I too took our phone to the mall and the guy at the kiosk unlocked it for a0about $25-$30.

 

[glypnirsgirl]

Hi Jim = Two of my clients make a living selling unlocked phones --- and he unlocks them himself. Neither of them seems that smart, but they did figure it out when I phones were brand new and at one point were making $30K per month.

I did not realize that you could get an unlock code from your provider once the contract expired. Pretty smart.

Have a great trip!

elaine

 

[zinger1457]

I have T-Mobile and they will unlock your phone for you as long as you have been under contract for a certain period of time (I believe it's 1 year). I had it done, it's straight forward, they send you instructions along with a special code to punch in. If you still use ATT as a provider I would call them to see if they would unlock it for you.

 

[Passepartout]

If you still use ATT as a provider I would call them to see if they would unlock it for you.

Good suggestion, but it no joy. They are clueless and have no support or 'hands-on' type people here. Sales only. No surprise. I still haven't exhausted all the local independent phone places.

We won't really be on the ground in any one country all that long. Having a phone to use at lower cost would be more of a security convenience than necessity. If I can't unlock this one, I'll just turn on int'l roaming. Just seems stupid to pay for roaming to call for a museum time or restaurant reservation.

Thanks for the replies- I'll keep looking or get brave and do it myself.

Jim

 

[bogey21]

Call AT&T on 611 and ask for Tech Services. Without much trouble at all I was working with a very cooperative Representative who helped me with my issue.

George

 

[x3 skier]

I just picked up a cheap phone on eBay and used that with a local SIM.

I also have used Skype on WiFi with a personal hotspot and it works fine.

Unlocking is fine but I prefer to keep my regular SIM when traveling abroad just in case I need to be reached at my "real" number in an emergency.

AT&T will send you the instruction if you have passed the contract date. It's pretty simple to do it but if you are concerned, try one of the other solutions.

Cheers

 

[Passepartout]

This was a resurrected 2 y.o. Thread. Fwiw, I have an unlocked smartphone now. Bought on eBay. All is well in the phone dep't.

 

[Bucky]

I just did this on my iPhone this week. ATT has a link on their website to submit a request to unlock your phone and once approved the below is the email they sent me.

"Thank you for contacting AT&T Customer Care about unlocking your iPhone.

We have reviewed your request and confirmed that you are eligible to have the requested iPhone unlocked.

Please allow 24 hours upon receipt of this notification to complete the unlock.

To complete the unlock, simply:

Open iTunes on your Mac or PC and verify that you have Internet connectivity.
Ensure a SIM card is inserted into your iPhone.
Connect your iPhone using the dock connector to USB cable that came with your iPhone.
Backup and restore your iPhone using iTunes. For information on backup and restore, please visit http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414.
After restoring, your iPhone will be unlocked.
Additional information on unlocking can be found at http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3198

You may also check the status of your unlock request by clicking the link for AT&T's Device Unlock Status Portal.

For questions regarding AT&T's wireless service and iPhone, please visit the Phone/Device Learning Center.

We thank you for your continued business."