Note for NYS: Apparently all Long Island stores are not eligible for this offer as they don't have the appropriate licensing with T-Mobile. Must go to an NYC store.
Folks not receiving verification text from BestBuy - Opt for text messages from BestBuy by sending 'HELP' to numbers - 332211 and 22891 (do both). You should receive verification text on the next try
Additional Info that may help
Q: Do we have to pick a plan from Best Buy for T-Mobile if we are not a current customer?
Ans: You don't have to pick a post paid T-Mobile plan from Best Buy to get this deal. You can sign up for the plan anywhere and have it active before trading in your device at Best Buy.
Q: Can we cancel the plan immediately out of the store?
Ans: If you cancel the plan immediately out of the store then you won't be able to unlock the phone because you are no longer with T-Mobile.
Q: Can we unlock by messaging T-Force?
Ans: Yes, you can. But, you have to be with T-Mobile and wait times are long. People had success unlocking anywhere between 3 days to 40 days after getting the iPhone 13. T-Force can override the system after 30 days.
Q: Do we wait 40 days with service or without service?
Ans: With service, of course. Otherwise you are no longer with T-Mobile and why would they unlock the phone?
Q: Do they accept phones with a lightly cracked front or back?
Ans: Cracked front or back. Totally depends on the rep helping you but more than likely it won't fly.
Q. Can I insert a SIM card from a different carrier other than Tmobile?
Ans: Due to Flex Policy, the device is locked to the first sim card inserted.
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If you get the message "We're sorry, there was an issue processing your request. Please try again later." when trying to validate your T-Mobile account, try the follow procedure below. It seems to help some users but not all YMMV!.
Go to your T-Mobile account and turn OFF every block for "chargeable" things including sms, downloads, etc. If they are already OFF toggle them ON and OFF just to clear the system of residual blocks. You CAN leave scam block ON. Then send "HELP" (without quotes) text message from each of your mobile no. that you are trying to upgrade to 22891, 332211 and 66803. Wait 30 minutes after completing everything above and try again. If it does not work, you might an account that has employee discounts or something else.
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Almost instant unlock process via ATT (AT&T) SIM card (as reported by multiple users)
Note: The iPhone 13 must not be be activated with T-Mobile sim card at Best Buy by the rep in order to use this ATT unlock trick! It needs to be in brand new, inactivated state.
You don't need to be a current ATT subscriber to use the ATT unlock portal as mentioned below.
- Get an ATT sim card.
You can go to a local Apple store and ask for a new ATT sim card. Users reported: I visited my local Apple store and asked for an AT&T not activated SIM card. They ordered one on their iPad and a few minutes later they handed it to me. They didn't ask for any personal or iPhone information.
You can also order one for $2 plus tax from the Microsoft store if you don't have an Apple store nearby or it's not worth the gas: https:// www. microsoft.com/en-us/d/at-t-sim-card/8n0scjxn845k
(Remove spaces!) - Put the SIM card into your new Best Buy iPhone and go through the activation process and connect to WIFI. The iPhone will then state under settings that it's carrier locked.
- Go to the ATT unlock page: https:// www. att. com/deviceunlock/unlockstep1
(Copy, paste and remove spaces as we don't want to send a lot of slickdeals referrers to this page) - Select "No" for "Are you an AT&T wireless customer?"
- Enter the IMEI into the field. You can get the IMEA under settings or dial *#06# on your iPhone to bring up device information.
- Go to the next step and enter your personal information. The email needs to be valid as ATT will send a confirmation email to this address.
- If everything is correct, wait for the confirmation email and click on the link to confirm the request. Note: Use it within 24 hours or ATT will cancel your request.
Users reported that the "No SIM restrictions" info under "Carrier Lock" appeared within 60 seconds after clicking on "confirm your unlock request".
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Once you get the email, click on the link to confirm the unlock. It should be unlocked within a minute
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I can confirm that the ATT sim card unlock trick worked for my 3 Best Buy iPhone mini 13. I used an unactivated (new) prepaid AT&T SIM card when I started the iPhone and then proceeded to unlock via the portal.
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Top Comments
Good luck!
Jon
6,472 Comments
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On second read, the BB website says the tradein is eligible for both upgrades and new lines. So maybe no longer need to upgrade?
On second read, the BB website says the tradein is eligible for both upgrades and new lines. So maybe no longer need to upgrade?
I put in a very old, never-activated prepaid SIM intended for a Moto E5 and I was unlocked in three minutes using the ATT portal.
Dan
I put in a very old, never-activated prepaid SIM intended for a Moto E5 and I was unlocked in three minutes using the ATT portal.
Dan
Another question, anyone knows what happens if the new T-Mobile Sim card that comes with the 13 if it's not activated?
I put in a very old, never-activated prepaid SIM intended for a Moto E5 and I was unlocked in three minutes using the ATT portal.
Dan
Edit
6 months of service to unlock?
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Edit
6 months of service to unlock?
Read the posts and decide if you will take your chances. I had no risk as I was playing around with a spare iPhone I bought with all my recent savings.
For BB, the phone is FLEX policy which will lock phone to the first SIM. So you can activate it with ATT SIM, lock it to ATT and then unlock through ATT portal. But if you activate it with a non-ATT SIM (e.g TM), the phone will be locked to non-ATT carrier and ATT unlock portal will not work.
And I'm not planning to buy and Leave TMO. . .but was wondering if I buy a Flex BB iPhone, do the ATT unlock, then put it on my TMO account would it result in any less carrier bloatware on the phone vs not doing the ATT trick. . .and would both of those have less carrier bloatware than one bought straight from TMO? I don't care about the quick carrier unlock part. . .just trying to lessen bloatware (and I don't know Apple lol)
And I'm not planning to buy and Leave TMO. . .but was wondering if I buy a Flex BB iPhone, do the ATT unlock, then put it on my TMO account would it result in any less carrier bloatware on the phone vs not doing the ATT trick. . .and would both of those have less carrier bloatware than one bought straight from TMO? I don't care about the quick carrier unlock part. . .just trying to lessen bloatware (and I don't know Apple lol)
And I'm not planning to buy and Leave TMO. . .but was wondering if I buy a Flex BB iPhone, do the ATT unlock, then put it on my TMO account would it result in any less carrier bloatware on the phone vs not doing the ATT trick. . .and would both of those have less carrier bloatware than one bought straight from TMO? I don't care about the quick carrier unlock part. . .just trying to lessen bloatware (and I don't know Apple lol)
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I have not been with Cricket for years. If he was planning to use your flex phone on Cricket why did you do anything else but stick in his Cricket sim? He could try to unlock later or dispose of it with next year's trade-in program where they are not checking SIM lock status on phones.
I've been equally perplexed with folks wanting a "trick" for Mint Mobile. A TMo locked phone can run a Mint SIM but perhaps not vice versa. Can't and ATT carrier locked phone accept Cricket SIM cards? I seem to remember getting gear designed for Go phone or ATT prepaid and running those with Cricket SIM inside but this was years ago.
Dan
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