Q: AT&T No commitment iPhone - purchasing outright & Unlocked

[acadiel]

I don't think I've seen this variation on the question before...

Can I walk into AT&T, purchase a no commitment iPhone, and have them unlock it? I know Apple sells them, but it's easier for me to walk into the local AT&T store.

For the full price iPhones that AT&T sells, is it a different SKU from the locked ones? (I've seen threads where people claim full price iPhones they bought from AT&T were unlocked and got the congratulations message when attached to iTunes).

Thanks.

[spdickey]

I don't think I've seen this variation on the question before...

Can I walk into AT&T, purchase a no commitment iPhone, and have them unlock it? I know Apple sells them, but it's easier for me to walk into the local AT&T store.

For the full price iPhones that AT&T sells, is it a different SKU from the locked ones? (I've seen threads where people claim full price iPhones they bought from AT&T were unlocked and got the congratulations message when attached to iTunes).

Thanks.

It is a different sku. Here's what happens at the Apple store if you want an unlocked iPhone 4s and they only have the locked phones in stock...

Customers who buy new iPhone 4s at Apple retail stores may be given an AT&T version that’s unlocked on the spot at an Apple retail store should the store run out of the unlocked model, which suggests that Apple has the capability of unlocking the AT&T edition of the GSM iPhone 4 units. According to 9to5 Mac, if Apple retail stores are short of unlocked iPhone 4 units, they can grab an AT&T iPhone and the checkout system can unlock the device if the customer pays the full, unsubsidized price for the phone.
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/06...ay-full-price/

Its more convenient to order it unlocked direct from the Apple Store online.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/hom.../family/iphone

[acadiel]

Well, I called the local store... they said they don't have a different SKU for the 64GB models No Commitment Vs. Commitment price... so I don't know how they unlock a straight out purchase.

Apple has to ship the unit to me (and I'm nowhere near a store) and wanted to pick up one before vacation. Oh well.. it'll just have to wait.

Thanks!

[spdickey]

Well, I called the local store... they said they don't have a different SKU for the 64GB models No Commitment Vs. Commitment price... so I don't know how they unlock a straight out purchase.

Apple has to ship the unit to me (and I'm nowhere near a store) and wanted to pick up one before vacation. Oh well.. it'll just have to wait.

Thanks!

Did you ask if they unlock in the store at purchase? Apple Stores sure can. Its a simple connection to iTunes that does it once AT&T sends Apple the permissions.

[acadiel]

Nope, the store (corporate one) said they can't unlock anything in the store.

AT&T Premier Telesales also told me that I can't buy anything without contract from them over the phone.... so I guess Corp stores have leeway to sell full price devices.

[spdickey]

Nope, the store (corporate one) said they can't unlock anything in the store.

AT&T Premier Telesales also told me that I can't buy anything without contract from them over the phone.... so I guess Corp stores have leeway to sell full price devices.

So now ask if they sell you a full priced no contract phone will it be unlockable by you at home if you connect it to iTunes, per the policy detailed at:

Unlocking an iPhone with AT&T Web Tech Support
Go to AT&T’s online account tech support page, login with a valid AT&T ID, and click on “Technical Support” to start a chat with a live representative.

State that you would like to unlock an off contract iPhone and provide the iPhone IMEI number.

Let the AT&T representative check if the iPhone is indeed without a contract and give them an email address when asked
If everything checks out, the AT&T rep will provide you with a case number and an estimated date of completion for resolution. The date they provide is a rough estimate and by no means represents the date you will get an email from AT&T. Sometimes AT&T sends the unlock emails out within an hour but it can take up to 10 days as well, the time varies widely based on the volume of unlock requests. I have completed this process several times with multiple different iPhone models and it has worked every time, though the time between request and completion has varied.
http://osxdaily.com/2012/04/21/unloc...nical-support/

Good luck, getting a straight answer from anyone at AT&T seems to be most difficult.