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PSA: 60 unlock policy may come to an end on Verizon and its MVNO
January 12, 2026 at
02:50 PM
Deal Details
https://www.reuters.com/business/...026-01-12/
"The FCC said Verizon is the only major provider that the FCC requires to unlock its mobile phones 60 days after activation, which is earlier than standard industry practice. Verizon said that it "saw a spike in fraud of approximately 55% after TracFone moved from its earlier policy of a one-year lock to Verizon's 60-day lock" as a condition of the FCC's approval of the transaction.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr said that sophisticated criminal networks have exploited the FCC's handset unlocking policies to carry out criminal acts—including drug running and human smuggling."
So FCC is hinting that Verizon no need to do the 60 day unlock policy anymore. It may mean that the currently 60-day unlock policy applied by Verizon, Total Wireless and some Tracfone may all end. Go get a Total wireless phone deal while it's still available.
"The FCC said Verizon is the only major provider that the FCC requires to unlock its mobile phones 60 days after activation, which is earlier than standard industry practice. Verizon said that it "saw a spike in fraud of approximately 55% after TracFone moved from its earlier policy of a one-year lock to Verizon's 60-day lock" as a condition of the FCC's approval of the transaction.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr said that sophisticated criminal networks have exploited the FCC's handset unlocking policies to carry out criminal acts—including drug running and human smuggling."
So FCC is hinting that Verizon no need to do the 60 day unlock policy anymore. It may mean that the currently 60-day unlock policy applied by Verizon, Total Wireless and some Tracfone may all end. Go get a Total wireless phone deal while it's still available.
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank BeigeCrow552
Either way, the almost-free unlocked phone gravy train was going away. The MVNO unlocked phone deals had become so popular (SD helped!) it wasn't a rounding error in their bottom line anymore.
Either they close the loophole or they charge normal phone prices like some of the other MVNOs do now. The end result is the same.
There's nothing pro-consumer about locked phone (it's for the benefit of telcos), so yes, requiring longer lock periods is anti-consumer. Not to mention anti-environment - how many locked drawer phones do we all have?
In a meta sense, telcos should be disallowed to market phones as 'free/cheap' then charge the cost of the phone back to consumer via higher bills. Beyond deceptive, this is the cause of all the locking non-sense.
(I'm 17 days out.)
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on the other hand my iPhone 12 mini from ST may be affected. Won't be unlocked until 25 Jan. Stay tuned
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