Unlocking cellphones without carrier permission will be illegal come Saturday - Page 3

If that is true then everyone beware of AT&T agents lying to you. I was told I would have to return the phone.

Originally Posted by kent909 
If that is true then everyone beware of AT&T agents lying to you. I was told I would have to return the phone.

Again, you WILL, but only if you cancel within the first month. Afterward it's yours, having paid at purchase and the ETF.

Now, they may have decided to change crap up, but that's the last thing I heard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

Is there operationally any difference between a user unlocked device and a carrier unlocked one? Aside from needing to redo it each software update, that is. If not, it doesn't matter, as the telecoms won't be able to tell.

None.  The actual unlocking process is exactly the same whether you bought an unlocked iPhone directly from Apple, had AT&T grant an unlock request, or had a third party (ahem) request the unlock on your behalf:

From the iPhone Summary tab in iTunes 11:

1) Backup the iPhone with the "Back Up Now" button in iTunes (or perform an iCloud backup if you aren't in any hurry).

2) "Restore iPhone..." (note: NOT "Restore Backup...") which wipes the phone back to factory settings (and downloads/updates iOS to the current version in the bargain).  At the end of the restore (after the reboot, when iTunes first connects to the now reset iPhone) it should display a "Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked." message.  That's all there is to it.

3) Now "Restore Backup..." to bring back all your apps/data/settings, or skip this step to set it up again from scratch.

To test the unlock, power off the iPhone, replace the factory AT&T nano SIM card with one from T-Mobile (or cut down a larger Straight Talk, etc. SIM card to fit) and restart on the T-Mobile EDGE or Straight Talk 3G network (should see "T-Mobile", "HOME" etc. in the status bar).

If you are dealing with an unlocked AT&T iPhone, you'll still have to work around the APN issue because factory AT&T iPhones don't allow direct APN entries for data, etc. as they have a custom Settings/General/Cellular configuration page with no Cellular Data Network option.  Not a huge deal as websites like unlockit.co.nz can set APN settings automatically, but you won't get MMS without an eventual jailbreak.

Originally Posted by John.B 
From the iPhone Summary tab in iTunes 11:

1) Backup the iPhone with the "Back Up Now" button in iTunes (or perform an iCloud backup if you aren't in any hurry).

2) "Restore iPhone..." (note: NOT "Restore Backup...") which wipes the phone back to factory settings (and downloads/updates iOS to the current version in the bargain).  At the end of the restore (after the reboot, when iTunes first connects to the now reset iPhone) it should display a "Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked." message.  That's all there is to it.

3) Now "Restore Backup..." to bring back all your apps/data/settings, or skip this step to set it up again from scratch.

But the so-called "unlock code"; where does that come into play? 

I've always hot-swapped my SIMs and they've worked fine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

But the so-called "unlock code"; where does that come into play?

I got my brand-new iPhone 5 unlocked late last week from chronicunlock.com.  They just needed the IMEI number -- and $20 from my PayPal account.  It's all done on the back end.  Took about 24 hours to get notified that the phone was unlocked, then about a half hour for the backup/reset/restore process.  Same process as when AT&T unlocked my 3GS.

I'd guess the result from this ruling will be that the unlockers will be driven offshore.  That, and the value of my unlocked 3GS -- and eventually my unlocked iPhone 5 -- will go up. 

Ass

Quote:

Originally Posted by NasserAE 

It is all about the phone software being a copyright material. This is why the Copyright Office requested the review and why it is related to the DMCA. Even the text of the ruling says so:

 

"The Register concluded after a review of the statutory factors that an exemption to the prohibition on circumvention of mobile phone computer programs to permit users to unlock “legacy” phones is both warranted and unlikely to harm the market for such programs. At the same time, in light of carriers’ current unlocking policies and the ready availability of new unlocked phones in the marketplace, the record did not support an exemption for newly purchased phones. Looking to precedents in copyright law, the Register recommended that the class designated by the Librarian include a 90-day transitional period to allow unlocking by those who may acquire phones shortly after the new exemption goes into effect."

Assuming, for the sake of argument, both of the following are true:

1. Legacy phones should have an exemption to be unlocked.
2. Newly purchased phones should not have an exemption to be unlocked.

Nothing in this ruling accounts for the fact that "new" phones will become "legacy" phones in short order.

Solomon these guys are not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dasanman69 

Btw the unlocking of 'global' phones on VZW and Sprint are allowed to be unlocked to be used overseas. Those are the 'certain' phones that are exempt.

Ironically, Verizon World Phones have often been a better choice for heavy travelers, over choosing a locked AT&T iPhone.

You get the CDMA network in the US for geographic coverage, and promptly unlocked GSM for overseas if you're a good customer.

Heck, I've heard of people using Verizon world phones on GSM carriers here in the US, although I have no personal experience to confirm that.

Originally Posted by tonton 
"Communism"? WTF? I'm no supporter of communism, but that was a pretty ignorant statement.

I was under the impression that communism is when the state is in possession of everything. I was simply going off of that, nothing more.

The EFF has posted a clarification of what the new rules mean. At least they think this is what they mean

https://www.eff.org/is-it-illegal-to-unlock-a-phone

"First, the good news. The legal shield for jailbreaking and rooting your phone remains up - it'll protect us at least through 2015. The shield for unlocking your phone is down, but carriers probably aren't going to start suing customers en masse, RIAA-style. And the Copyright Office's decision, contrary to what some sensational headlines have said, doesn't necessarily make unlocking illegal...."

"...Now, the bad news. While we don’t expect mass lawsuits anytime soon, the threat still looms. More likely, wireless carriers, or even federal prosecutors, will be emboldened to sue not individuals, but rather businesses that unlock and resell phones. If a court rules in favor of the carriers, penalties can be stiff - up to $2,500 per unlocked phone in a civil suit, and $500,000 or five years in prison in a criminal case where the unlocking is done for "commercial advantage." And this could happen even for phones that are no longer under contract. So we're really not free to do as we want with devices that we own.

Originally Posted by Gatorguy 

…carriers probably aren't going to start suing customers en masse, RIAA-style.

They're putting too much faith in the carriers. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

 

They're putting too much faith in the carriers. 

You're right. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curtis Hannah 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallest Skil 

 

	Jailbreaking	Unlocking
Smartphones	Legal	Illegal for all future phones
Tablets	Illegal	Has always been illegal

 

Thanks for the up to date chart so it is in tablets only, with it the only thing left it will probably come soon

The iPad tablet platform has never been SIM-locked.  Are there other tablets with cellular radios that come SIM-locked to a specific carrier?

Originally Posted by John.B 
The iPad tablet platform has never been SIM-locked.  Are there other tablets with cellular radios that come SIM-locked to a specific carrier?

Probably, which is why it's illegal to manually unlock one.