You Can Now Unlock Your Out-Of-Contract AT&T iPhone Without Going To AT&T Store

Over the weekend, AT&T began allowing iPhone customers who were no longer locked into a contract to unlock the device so it could be used on any other compatible wireless network here or abroad. The best part? You don’t need to go to the AT&T store to get it done.

Ars Technica explains how to unlock your iPhone without going to one of their retail locations.

First, you’ll need to have your phone’s IMEI number, which you can get easily by going into your iPhone’s Settings menu, than clicking “General,” and then selecting “About.”

Armed with that info, you go to ATT.com’s wireless support chat to request the change. If you’re out of contract and in good standing they should approve the unlocking.

Apple will then send you an e-mail within 72 hours with an unlock code. to actually unlock the iPhone, you’ll need to hook your device up to your computer and perform a backup and restore in iTunes.

But, as Ars Technica points out, not everyone is having an easy time with the process. A read through one forum on MacRumors shows a wide variety of complaints that point to inconsistent responses from AT&T support.

Some people are having no trouble, while others are being told they need to provide receipts. As with many customer service issues, people who had trouble the first time through had more success by trying again with a different CSR.

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