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Apple Sued by Consumers Over iPhone Locking Policies

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Not and Apple Fan, but...

crood

Oct 22, 2012, 8:25 AM
Isn't locking a carrier mandated thing? Does Apple really have a choice in the matter? Locking phones was around well before the iPhone existed.
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Haggard

Oct 22, 2012, 8:38 AM
Pretty much. Apparently these people have never bought a phone with a 2 year contract in their lives, let alone an exclusive phone to the particular carrier that can only function properly on that network. When the iPhone was jailbroken and could be unlocked to T-Mobile, it wouldn't receive Push notifications at all.
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GdotBoots

Oct 22, 2012, 8:43 AM
I could be wrong, but by reading the article, it seems Apple created software to Keep the at&t version of their phone locked onto at&t. meaning if my contract is up, and i wish to cancel my contract but keep my phone and go to, let's say, net10, then i am unable to because the software only permits the phone to run on at&t's network. again, pardon me if i' mistaken.
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Jellz

Oct 22, 2012, 8:47 AM
If your contract is up, AT&T will unlock the iPhone for you for free.
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Haggard

Oct 22, 2012, 8:58 AM
IDK about then, but AT&T and Apple had a 5 year agreement that didn't allow this if I remember correctly.

If you pay full retail for the phone now, it's factory unlocked.
If you are out of your contract, you have to submit a request through AT&T and they will send you instructions on how to unlock your phone after they submit the information to Apple.
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Jellz

Oct 22, 2012, 11:04 AM
I'm fairly certain if you pay full retail now, it's still locked and you have to go through the unlock process. You can start that process immediately after purchasing the phone at full retail, though.
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Haggard

Oct 22, 2012, 11:09 AM
Ah okay, I thought buying full retail made the phone factory unlocked immediately, but you can still do the process online as soon as you get home. It takes no more than 30 seconds so it's easy to do.
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Jellz

Oct 22, 2012, 1:09 PM
Yeah, if you buy through AT&T that's how it's done. If you buy from Apple, then they sell their phones already unlocked at full retail. I think part of it is that AT&T just stocks up iPhones that are already locked to their network, so they need the extra step.
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Kana11

Oct 22, 2012, 9:01 AM
They should unlock it, but if you but the phone out right, AT&T has a bad habit of saying they can’t unlock it because it’s (your phone) on a contract.
You can even tell them you can produce a receipt showing that you paid full price, & they will not care. This is on any phone, not just Iphones.
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Haggard

Oct 22, 2012, 9:12 AM
I paid full retail and had no problem unlocking it via AT&T's website when they made it available. Probably just had a bad rep on the phone.
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newfoneguy

Oct 22, 2012, 9:14 AM
Yes. I have had multiple people tell me i couldnt unlock my phone. But three calls later I found someone who knew what I wasn't talking about I guess and had no problem unlocking.
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Kana11

Oct 22, 2012, 9:44 AM
I gave up after the 3rd rep, & went to some dealer that offers to unlock any phone for $20.00
It was some guy that was recommended on Yelp. It took about 5 min to do, & I can still update my phone.
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Haggard

Oct 22, 2012, 9:46 AM
https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/? »

This is specifically for iPhones though.
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Kana11

Oct 22, 2012, 9:48 AM
Cool, Thank you! Do you also have 1 for android? I have & like both O.S.
I know, I am a major sinner in the wireless phone world.
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Haggard

Oct 22, 2012, 9:57 AM
No problem. Unfortunately I only know of the iPhone one and have personally used this one.
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Jellz

Oct 22, 2012, 10:58 AM
I sympathize, I like both too.

As far as I'm aware (and I work with AT&T's online site a lot), only the iPhone unlock page is available. Doesn't work with other phones.
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T Bone

Oct 22, 2012, 9:55 AM
You couldn't....not legally anyway.....there was no way for at&t to provide you with an unlock code because we didn't have one..there was literally nothing in the database...

But the iPhone was literally the ONLY phone we could not unlock, every other phone had an unlock code that we could get, the iPhone ONLY had no code....and if we tried to search for it our database told us that no unlock code existed...

The rules at at&t when I worked there were pretty loose, basically we were allowed to unlock any phone provided we could verify that it wasn't stolen (a simple search on the IMEI could determine that), they were at least 6 months into a contract and the customer had no past due balance....during my time at at&t I unlocked literally...
(continues)
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T Bone

Oct 22, 2012, 10:07 AM
More likely the request was made before at&t reps were allowed to unlock iPhones....when I worked there it was absolutely forbidden, we were instructed to tell customers that iPhones cannot be unlocked and were warned that if we attempt to assist a customer in jail breaking the phone so that it could be unlocked, we would be immediately terminated, neither were we allowed to tell them where they could go to find instructions online, nor even to talk about jail breaking AT ALL...the policies related to the iPhone were very strict.
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T Bone

Oct 22, 2012, 9:50 AM
But they didn't until just recently...when I worked for at&t (quit in August 2010) an iPhone could not be unlocked for any reason, ever, off contract. There was a lot of speculation about who was to blame for it, when customers asked us at at&t we said it was Apple, and Apple told customers it was at&t.......I don't know the real truth....at at&t there was (I have to assume still is) a great deal of bitterness and resentment against Apple, so we tended to reflexively blame Apple for everything that customers complained about....
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Kana11

Oct 22, 2012, 9:52 AM
I would think they would have went after the carriers on this issue. Why just Apple? Why not add Samsung,Motorola, LG, Nokia, ect. to that list?
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T Bone

Oct 22, 2012, 9:57 AM
Because the iPhone is the biggest target....honestly this is stupid....if you don't want to deal with carrier locks, buy an unlocked phone and be done with it, but if you buy carrier equipment you have to play by their rules....I don't think that's unreasonable....
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Jarahawk

Oct 22, 2012, 5:14 PM
*Shrug* It's worth a shot.
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johnhr2

Oct 22, 2012, 9:57 AM
I agree they should have went after the carries or all of the manufacturers or both. But its the carriers faults for subsidies the phones not the manufacturers. Its probably some Apple fan boys who wants his iPhone 5 to work on T-Mobile and know nothing of the unlocking process or why phones are locked to begin with.

🤣 This lawsuit will bring the end of subsidies. 🤣
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Haggard

Oct 22, 2012, 10:00 AM
Then they will sue for making phones too expensive and they can't afford them. 🤣
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T Bone

Oct 22, 2012, 10:00 AM
"Laughing This lawsuit will bring the end of subsidies."

Talk about screwing over consumers then...millions of people will be forced to stop using wireless and go back to landlines...
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Kana11

Oct 22, 2012, 10:17 AM
Or people will puchase prepaid devices & get them activated on the carrier they want. (With the carrier supported device of course)

I dont expect much to happen with this case, as it has more to do with the carrier than the device maker. Also it could be said they have a choice to purchase a device without a contract.
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