HowTo: Unlock Out of Contract AT&T Phone

unlock at&t phone

Do you have an out of contract AT&T phone that you would like to unlock but you don’t know how to do it? Don’t worry, today I’ll show you how to do it with this short and simple tutorial.

I terminated my AT&T contract/number a few months ago and because my LG G3 was carrier-locked, I couldn’t use it outside of AT&T even if I had a SIM card from a different mobile carrier. If you’re planning on unlocking your device but don’t have an idea on how to unlock an out of contract AT&T phone, I’m going to share with you the steps I followed that enabled me to unlock my device.

Btw, the instructions below could also be used to unlock any AT&T phone even if it is still under contract as long as the requirements listed below are met.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

  • The device must be designed for use on, and locked to, the AT&T wireless network.
  • The device must not be reported lost or stolen.
  • The device is not associated with fraudulent activity.
  • All the device’s service commitments and installment plans are completed, and all early termination fees are paid in full.
  • The device is not currently active on a different AT&T customer’s account.
  • If you performed an early upgrade, you must wait the 14-day buyer’s remorse period before you can request to unlock your previous device.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

  • Postpaid Customers – must be active for at least 60 days and doesn’t have any unpaid balance.
  • GoPhone or Prepaid – device must be active for at least 6 months of paid service.
  • Non-AT&T Mobility Customers – user has never had an AT&T wireless account who meets the General Requirements
  • Deployed Military Personnel (Current AT&T Customers) – must provide deployment verification and meet all General Requirements.

If you meet all the requirements then you can proceed and follow the instructions below.

AT&T DEVICE UNLOCK REQUEST

First thing you’ll need to do is send a device unlock request to AT&T and you can do that by going to this link – https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/.

at&t device unlock request

Fill up the online form with the appropriate information. If you need help finding the IMEI number of your phone, check out this tutorial. Once you’ve finished filling up the form, click Submit.

You’ll receive a confirmation email which will contain a link that you’ll have to click/visit to confirm your request. It doesn’t usually take long for AT&T to send the unlock codes especially if you meet all the requirements. I received mine the next day after I submitted a device unlock request for my LG G3.

UNLOCK OUT OF CONTRACT AT&T PHONE

ANDROID
Once you receive the email containing the unlock code, then you can proceed to unlock your phone.

  • Turn OFF the device.
  • Insert a SIM card from another carrier (anything that’s not AT&T).
  • Turn ON the device.
  • Enter the unlock code and select UNLOCK.
  • The device is now unlocked.

IPHONE
For devices running iOS 7 and above, the Find My iPhone service should be turned OFF before unlocking.

  • Open iTunes on your Mac or PC.
  • Verify that you have Internet connectivity.
  • Make sure that the original SIM card that came with the device is inserted in the iPhone.
  • Connect the iPhone using the dock connector to USB cable that came with the iPhone.
  • Backup the iPhone using iTunes.
  • Restore the iPhone using iTunes.
  • The iPhone will be unlocked after restoring and you will see this message “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked“.

That’s it. The device is now unlocked and you can start using it on other carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile, or other foreign mobile carriers if you plan to use it when you travel to other countries.

Hope you find this short and simple tutorial on how to unlock out of contract AT&T phones helpful and useful. Please don’t hesitate to share this tutorial to your family and friends via email or social media.

[image source: flickr.com/photos/trippchicago]

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