Carrier-financed iPhones purchased from Apple will soon be locked to the carrier, ending a workaround used by customers to purchase an unlocked iPhone with a payment plan.
Until the rule changed, buying an iPhone from Apple and opting for financing through Verizon or T-Mobile meant you’d get an unlocked iPhone on either carrier’s network. This is no longer the case, and now iPhones financed through Verizon or T-Mobile will no longer be able to be used with another network. AT&T-funded smartphones have always been locked to the AT&T network.
Apple’s new policy was highlighted on Reddit after a user saw a new message “Will my iPhone be unlocked?” FAQ article.
In most cases, yes. An iPhone purchased from Apple is unlocked. Once your new iPhone is activated, it remains unlocked, which means you can use it with any carrier that offers iPhone service. However, if you choose to finance an iPhone through the AT&T Installment Plan, T-Mobile Equipment Installment Plan, or Verizon Device Payment Program, your iPhone will be locked to the carrier until it is paid in full.
An unlocked smartphone means it can be used with any carrier, while a locked smartphone is limited to the carrier it was purchased from. Locked smartphones can be problematic when traveling internationally, as activating a second eSIM for another network is blocked.
Apple didn’t explain why it was making the change, but buyers were able to take advantage of carrier exchanges and promotional discounts to get an unlocked iPhone. Some buyers may have purchased iPhones and resold them without making payment to the carrier, and carrier locking is standard practice to prevent the resale of unpaid devices.
Apple’s payment process still shows that iPhones financed through T-Mobile and Verizon are unlocked, so the new policy may not have gone into effect yet.
iPhones purchased directly or with monthly Apple Card payments remain unlocked from the time of purchase. When iPhones purchased through carrier plans are refunded, they are unlocked.
Popular stories
T-Mobile automatically moves customers from old plans to new plans
Some T-Mobile customers with older phone plans are automatically upgraded to newer T-Mobile plans, CNET reports. The company sent notifications to customers on old plans, letting them know they were being moved to a current plan. Customers pushed to a new plan could benefit from an automatic increase in their bill. The carrier plans to move its customers to…
Apple’s 2026 back-to-school offer is coming soon
Apple stores will roll out back-to-school marketing materials this week, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This suggests that the offer will begin in the United States in the coming days. Last year, students and education staff could receive a free accessory like AirPods 4 or an Apple Pencil Pro with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad model. The Back to School offer is…
5 new Waze features rolling out now: here are all the details
Google announced today that Waze is getting a handful of new features, including some Gemini-based personalization improvements for conversational reporting. Conversational Reporting already uses Gemini when users report traffic incidents like slowdowns, but now you can use it to suggest map updates like road closures or outdated addresses. Say something like “The road is closed here”…
