Apple Can Now Unlock AT&T iPhones At Checkout

Following up on news earlier this month that Apple began selling the iPhone 4 unlocked, a new report indicates that, in addition, Apple is now able to unlock AT&T iPhone 4s purchased at full price.

The report (from 9to5Mac) cites sources within the Apple Retail circle, and are fueled by a note received from an Apple Retail Project manager The note suggests that Apple tores will now be able to unlock retail AT&T versions of the iPhone 4.

While customers have previously been able to purchase an iPhone 4 contract free by paying the full $649/$749 retail price, those phones, up until now, have still been locked to AT&T in the US.

Basically, how it works is that if an Apple Retail Store is running low on unlocked iPhone 4s, they can simply pull out an AT&T model, and unlock it using the checkout software before handing it over to the customer.

Now I’m just waiting for Apple to offer a solution for unlocking iPhones that users already own outside of a contract. How about it, Apple? Hmm?

J. Glenn Künzler

Glenn is Managing Editor at MacTrast, and has been using a Mac since he bought his first MacBook Pro in 2006. He lives in a small town in Utah, enjoys bacon more than you can possibly imagine, and is severely addicted to pie.