AT&T to unlock your contract-less iPhones this Sunday

AT&T confirmed today that it will unlock iPhones beginning April 8 for customers whose contracts have ended and who are in “good standing.”

Unlocking an iPhone means that the customer is cut from its ties with their carrier and can use a sim card from another carrier if they like. Until this point, AT&T kept its iPhones locked, even if the contract had expired, binding those users to its service. The move is long overdue.

An unlocked AT&T phone, however, will not be compatible with Verizon’s service. iPhones built for these two carriers differ in hardware that cannot be overridden with the software unlock.

Prior to this, people had to jailbreak their phones in order to run separately from AT&T. This process is dangerous for the phone, as it nulls the warranty and makes the phone more susceptible to malware.

AT&T will begin unlocking phones on this coming Sunday, April 8. Accounts must be in good standing, have no unpaid balances, and must not be connected to a long-term plan with AT&T.

hat tip New York Times

Filed under: mobile