They get a lot of shit, but AT&T isn’t so bad in my book! For one thing, I’m happy they agreed to Steve’s terms and let him have control over the iPhone - something Verizon wouldn’t do (Steve went to them first!). For another, they’re now unlocking phones for free, all you need to do is ask. I have a Samsung Blackjack that my iPhone replaced; I just unlocked it with a bit of help from AT&T and it was super-easy.

First off, there are a couple of things you need to know: if you’ve had the device for less than 90 days, they probably won’t help you unless you sign up for international roaming. This is presumably because the device was subsidized by them; typically if you cancel your contract within this time you are required to pay the balance of the phones MSRP. The other thing is Blackjack specific: Only 5 unlock attempts are permitted. I can’t confirm this myself, as my unlock worked on the first try, but it’s something to keep in mind. On to the procedure.

The process took about ten minutes total. First I called AT&T from my iPhone by dialing 611, and hit the option for a human. This connected me to a service rep who was able to fulfill my request, no problem. I told her I wanted to unlock my phone so that it could be used overseas, and she said she would need my IMEI number. This can be found three places: on the box the phone came in (likely gone if you got a rebate), under the battery on the device, or by dialing *#06# on the phone. Once given the IMEI number, the rep put me on hold for a few minutes, checked her records, and returned with an unlock code. I was able to use this code along with the instructions here to unlock my phone in about thirty seconds. The rep also emailed me the code and instructions for use, though the instructions included weren’t quite as clear as the ones I followed. The unlock code is IMEI specific, though, so you need to call AT&T for that. There’s a possibility they won’t have your code on file, in which case they will contact the manufacturer and then send the code when they hear back. There’s also a possibility that some devices may require hardware to unlock; my Sony Ericsson T637 required a special device - though I imagine this is very uncommon.

Anyway, here’s the protocol for unlocking the phone:
1) Remove the battery and SIM card, note the IMEI number.
2) Call AT&T, either 611 from a wireless phone or (916) 843-4685 for the International Care center.
3) Tell the rep you want to unlock the phone; they’ll need the IMEI number.
4) Note the unlock code they give you.
5) Put the battery back in the phone, but NOT the SIM. Power it up.
6) After the warning about no SIM, dial #7465625*638*
7) You should see an “Enter Network Control Key” prompt, or something similar. Enter the unlock code.
8) Hit “Done” and you should see “Successfully Disabled Locking Status” or something similar. This means you are done!

Filed under: Gadgets | Technology, Phones, Reviews | Guides — Max @ 8:49 pm