Dumped T-mobile finally.
The sent me the unlock authorization. Email says restore phone to the original then plug into iTunes and it will unlock.
I wiped the phone and plug it into iTunes but no dice on the unlock.

Call the idiots at T-Mobile.

They gave you the code and instructions, they owe you satisfaction.

RMD

I had to get Apple to help me on an iPhone 6.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204306

It is pretty damn hard to get it done with AT&T. But I eventually succeeded.

^^^^^How? Because I need to unlock an old iPhone 4S so I can simply use it as a music and wireless browsing device.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
^^^^^How? Because I need to unlock an old iPhone 4S so I can simply use it as a music and wireless browsing device.

I think that the lock is just to lock you into cell service with the carrier that sells you a subsidized phone. If you just want to use it as a music player, the lock should not matter.

For browsing, if you're using cellular data, you either need to go through your original carrier, or else get it unlocked. On the other hand, if you're browsing through WiFi, the lock should not be a factor.

In any event, if the phone is now paid for, if you have fulfilled your contractual requirements, just contact customer NO-service and tell them that you want it unlocked. They have to do it. The law.

I can't make the phone respond to anything, because it has no sim card.

quote:

Originally posted by recoatlift:
I had to get Apple to help me on an iPhone 6.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204306

I am referring to a carrier unlock so it can be used on other networks.

I got the authorization and instructions from T-Mobile but it is not unlocking.

I took it to the Apple store and they said they don’t do carrier unlocks.

Though this guy was unable to copy a 6S data to a new 8.

Guess I’ll have to go to the T-Mobile store.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
I can't make the phone respond to anything, because it has no sim card.

No need just turn on WiFi. I have a couple old 4s that I use for the kiddos with no sim.

I unlocked 4 iPhone 5Ss a little while ago. It did seem to take a long time for each...
We were T-Mobile as well.

Sprint did it on my 6s plus so I could move to att about a 18 months ago. Had to argue a little.

Funny this. We were dumping AT&T for T-Mobile. We owned our 4-5-6 phones outright. Just went online and followed the prompts. Had to confirm via email and wait. Just a few minutes for the 6's and within a few hours for the final.

We did still have the SIM cards though.

quote:

Originally posted by Augen:
Funny this. We were dumping AT&T for T-Mobile. We owned our 4-5-6 phones outright. Just went online and followed the prompts. Had to confirm via email and wait. Just a few minutes for the 6's and within a few hours for the final.

We did still have the SIM cards though.

So did you leave it plugged in for the few hours? Maybe that is what I am doing wrong.

AFAIK, you must have the ORIGINAL SIM card inserted in the phone when you do the unlocking.

A few years ago, I purchased a 3GS from a tourist and she had her AT&T SIM and the phone had more than the two years contract but it turned out the she wasn't the original user of the phone and had swapped SIMs when she got the phone.

Never managed to unlock it.

0-0

quote:

Originally posted by 0-0:
AFAIK, you must have the ORIGINAL SIM card inserted in the phone when you do the unlocking.

A few years ago, I purchased a 3GS from a tourist and she had her AT&T SIM and the phone had more than the two years contract but it turned out the she wasn't the original user of the phone and had swapped SIMs when she got the phone.

Never managed to unlock it.

0-0

Still have the original Sim in

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
^^^^^How? Because I need to unlock an old iPhone 4S so I can simply use it as a music and wireless browsing device.

Went to "my AT&T" and followed the convoluted and unclear instructions 3 times over a period of 2 or so weeks. Then contacted a live human using the phone number they provided when, after assurance from their computer prompts, the promised unlocking didn't occur. The second or third time I spoke to a real human™ (Went up the food chain to some kind of supervisor) I got results. Note that this was my phone from the time it was new. All I had to do was threaten to terminate my service with AT&T altogether to get the unlocking accomplished.

I was under the impression that once you have met all your obligations such as paid for the phone in full, met the terms of your contract, then the carrier MUST unlock your phone on request. This is a requirement that took effect in February 2015.

The carrier has no choice. They MUST unlock the phone on request, providing that you have met all your obligations with respect to service contract, paying for the phone, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
I was under the impression that once you have met all your obligations such as paid for the phone in full, met the terms of your contract, then the carrier MUST unlock your phone on request. This is a requirement that took effect in February 2015.

The carrier has no choice. They MUST unlock the phone on request, providing that you have met all your obligations with respect to service contract, paying for the phone, etc.

tell that to Straight Talk. Trying to get it out of them took a coworker of mine several hours (I sold her my old phone, and she had to unlock hers for her sister to use.) It was 4 or 5 people up the ladder saying "nope, we don't do that/can't do that/never do that," etc. before someone finally said they would, and even then, she said they treated her like it was a huge problem for them or like she'd stolen the phone the whole time.

Maybeso. AT&T indicated repeatedly that they were going to do it, they just failed repeatedly to get it done. A very frustrating endeavor for me and the forum member who bought my phone, which I sold him after a local AT&T store rep told me she unlocked it the first time I asked them to, some months before I sold the phone. I never figured out whether the problems I encountered were incompetence or intentional refusal and obfuscation. If Verizon was any better I would have quit AT&T over the sorry handling of my request. Those are the only two options for carriers here in Jerkwater.

I guess I am in the minority here, ATT unlocked our phones within 24 hours after requesting it via some url they sent us to.