It used to be that all iPhones purchased directly from Apple in the US came unlocked, meaning you could use them with any carrier – even if you purchased the phone with financing from another carrier. Now that’s not the case.
Apple has updated its FAQ and it now says that iPhones purchased with carrier financing will remain locked to that carrier until the phone is paid off. Once you complete the final payment, the phone will be unlocked and you will be free to switch to a different carrier.
Updated FAQ states you can no longer get unlocked phones with carrier financing
This applies to AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, which are the three carriers Apple works with. There are two more options – Apple Card Monthly Installments and Apple iPhone Payments. These require activation on one of the three carriers, although as far as we can tell, this doesn’t lock the phone to that carrier.
What’s confusing is that the “View Details” popups for T-Mobile and Verizon still claim you’ll get an unlocked iPhone, but perhaps Apple forgot to update that text. AT&T’s popup does not promise an unlocked phone.
Conflicting details for T-Mobile and Verizon’s device payment programs
Previously, people were able to get better deals by choosing a favorable carrier financing plan and linking the phone to another carrier as the main SIM or second SIM. There is very little scope now – you either live with the SIM lock or you go through Apple’s financing schemes.
P.S. A possibly related and certainly coincidental change is that Apple no longer offers Boost Mobile carrier deals.
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