AT&T and Verizon agree to change their eSIM practices

Two years ago, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into whether AT&T, Verizon (Engadget's parent company) and the GSM Association (GSMA) worked together to limit eSIM technology. Today, The New York Times reports that the DOJ is c...

Man charged with bribing AT&T staff to illegally unlock phones

There's no question that there's a market for unlocked phones, but one man may have been too eager to profit from that demand. The US has charged Pakistani citizen Muhammad Fahd with bribing staff at AT&T's call center in Bothell, Washington to...

How to Unlock Your Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge

How-to-unlock-Samsung-Galaxy-S6

The following article is brought to you by Unlockunit.com. -Ed.

Let’s face it, when it comes to smartphones, the best one you can get right now is the Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge. Since last year’s flagship, the S5 wasn’t exactly what fans were expecting, the South Korean manufacturer had to come up with their best phone ever. And guess what? They did.

After craving for it since the launch, you finally got your hands on it. No matter if you bought it or received it, your brand new Samsung is just one step behind achieving the “perfect phone” status.

It’s not something related to it specs, as we’re talking about the fact that it’s carrier locked. That’s right, you can’t use it in the network you want and this can be a bit frustrating. But what if we told you that you can unlock it in just a few minutes and give it some well-deserved freedom?

Below you will find everything you need to know about the most effective way to unlock your Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge, alongside all the advantages you’ll have after doing it.

So, let’s start with the advantages shall we?

1. Most people want the freedom of using any carrier they want due to the various offers they receive. For example, if you find out that a new carrier has a cheaper monthly plan, with way more data included, why wouldn’t you switch to them? Not to mention that if all your friends and family are using a specific carrier, you want to use it too. In this case, unlocking the phone is the only solution.
2. Secondly, there are those roaming fees you want to avoid when traveling or even moving to a new country for a while. Yeah, we all hate them, as they’re ridiculously high some time. But you can avoid them by simply unlocking your Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge and use a local SIM card.
3. Finally, an unlocked phone is way easier to sell and you can get more money on it. You don’t know if a potential buyer is planning to use it in the same network as you did or a different one.

No you know what advantages unlocking your phone brings, so let’s find out how it can be done, shall we?

The safest and easiest way to unlock your Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge is by code. Online unlocking services, such as UnlockUnit.com or UnlockScope.com, can provide a code in just a few minutes, at great rates.

In order to obtain one, you need to follow 3 easy steps:

1. Complete the order form with a few details about your phone, like the IMEI and the name of the network and country you originally bought your phone from. Your email address is also needed, as this is how you will receive the code. After this, proceed to payment.
2. Shortly after, in a few minutes or hours, depending on the network your phone was locked on, you will receive the unlock code.
3. Insert a SIM card from an unaccepted network, other than the one your Samsung is currently locked on, and it will display the “SIM network unlock PIN” message, alongside a field where you need to input the code you just received. Once you’ve done this, your Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge will be unlocked and you’ll have the freedom to use it in any mobile network around the world.

If you’re facing any difficulties with placing your order or the unlocking process, both website have an excellent support team, available 24/7, which will shortly resolve your issues. Also, here you can watch a short but detailed tutorial about how to unlock your Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge.

Of course, we must mention that there are other methods of unlocking your phone, including rooting or asking your provider for a code, after your contract is done. Still, the first one is risky, while the latter can be be pretty costly. Therefore, unlocking your phone by code is the safest and easiest method you can use, as it can be done by anybody, with no technical knowledge required, at a very low price!

Rogers’ more reasonable unlocking policy takes effect

Rogers Plus store

See where an appropriate amount of public pressure will get you? As promised, Rogers' long-due rational unlocking policy is in full effect. You can now pay $50 to have Rogers unlock a device bought on contract if it's either fully paid off or has been on the network for 90 days, making it easier to take your phone on a vacation -- or to a rival carrier, if you also pony up any relevant cancellation fees. Likewise, you won't have to make a phone call now that retail staff have resources to unlock devices in-store. We can't say that the gesture delivers more freedom than buying already unlocked hardware like the Nexus 4, but those lured into a contract by a sweet deal on an iPhone 5 or HTC One won't have to feel completely fenced in for the whole three years.

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Source: Rogers RedBoard

Bipartisan bill to re-legalize cellphone unlocking introduced in Senate

Bipartisan bill to re-legalize cellphone unlocking introduced in senate

We should have known that it wouldn't take long for someone in congress to take up the fight to re-legalize cellphone unlocking. Those championing the effort on the floor of the Senate are Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) , Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) who introduced the Wireless Consumer Choice Act this afternoon. After the Librarian of Congress declared that unlocking a cellphone violated copyright law under the DMCA (that's Digital Millennium Copyright Act) activists kicked into high gear in an attempt to prevent or reverse the decision. Consumer advocates quickly collected 100,000 signatures on a petition, forcing the White House to take a position on the matter. To the relief of many, including the globe trotters and ROM fanatics here at Engadget, President Obama backed our right to circumvent carrier locks -- within reason, of course. This is after FCC chairman Julius Genachowski voiced concerns that the ban could hamper competition and innovation.

Anna Eshoo, a Democrat from California, is pushing a similar bill in the House of representatives, but its the bipartisan senate version that seems to be garnering the most attention. In a statement Blumenthal called the legislation "common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice and important for ensuring healthy competition in the market." Obviously this is just the beginning of a long long journey and all the sponsors can do is hope and pray their sad little scrap of paper will one day become a law.

Update: It turns out that there's another bill that has been introduced in the Senate as well, penned by Oregon senator Rob Wyden.

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Source: AllThingsD

FCC Chairman voices ‘concerns’ about US phone unlocking ban, says he’ll look into it

FCC Chairman voices 'concerns' about US phone unlocking ban, says he'll look into it

Bad news travels fast, so by now many US phone buyers ought to know about this country's depressing u-turn on phone unlocking. The latest policy -- which makes it illegal to unlock a phone without a carrier's permission -- looks to be set in stone for at least three years, but that isn't stopping people in high places from voicing serious reservations about it. The latest to pipe up is FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, who told TechCrunch that the "ban raises competition concerns" and "innovation concerns." Genachowski said the FCC will look at whether it "can and should enable consumers to use unlocked phones" but he also admitted he isn't sure what kind of authority he has over the issue. It all feels a bit late in the day, frankly, especially when the FCC appears to have largely stood aside while the unlocking policy was being hammered out.

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Source: TechCrunch

Smartphone petition breaks 100,000 signatures, forces White House response

Phone unlocking petition breaks 100,000 signatures, White House now obliged to respond

The petition to reinstate the DMCA protection of smartphone unlockers has reached 100,000 signatories on We The People. As it's now hit the golden limit, the White House will have to issue an official response explaining its stance on the matter. The petition also asked that if the Librarian of Congress wouldn't bring back the exemption, that a bill should be passed that enshrines the right into law. As soon we see the message from the West Wing, we'll let you know what they say.

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Via: The Next Web

Source: The White House

Rogers adopts sane device unlocking policy, $8 pay-per-use US roaming

Rogers adopts sane device unlocking policy, $8 payperuse US roaming

Rogers has had an unlocking policy in place for awhile, but it isn't what most would call reasonable: an unlock isn't even an option until the contract is over, which could involve a 3-year wait and obsolete hardware that isn't worth the effort. Logic is about to prevail, thanks in part to pressure from proposed CRTC guidelines on customer rights. A policy change in March will see Rogers unlock devices as long as they've been on the network for at least 90 days, delivering freedom while the equipment is still relevant. Subscribers will just have to swallow the $50 fee, although that's a relative bargain next to buying outright.

The provider is also making a gesture of goodwill to those who frequently cross into the US through a new roaming add-on launching this spring. Border-hoppers will have the option to pay $8 to get a quick, 50MB hit of data for one day. It's not quite the revolution the carrier claims when many of us could blow past the limit within minutes -- Instagram, anyone? Still, it's good enough for emergency directions or an email check among those of us who won't commit to a permanent roaming plan.

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Source: Rogers

Confirmed: AT&T offers complimentary unlock of in-contract iPhones for deployed military personnel

Finally. A bit of closure. AT&T has confirmed the long-lived speculation of its policy to unlock in-contract iPhones for our military men and women deployed overseas. To qualify for the complimentary service, active military members must have an account in good standing and provide the carrier with deployment verification -- that's it, no other hoops to jump through.

The revelation was made today as part AT&T's new Device Unlock Portal, which allows off-contract iPhone owners to apply online to have their handsets unlocked. Previously, this unlock service was available only through the carrier's retail outlets, online chat support or by dialing 611. As a quick rehash of the non-military policy, all users -- either current or former AT&T subscribers -- must have completed their contractual obligations to AT&T, and the phone cannot be flagged as lost or stolen. All those eligible should certainly apply for the service, as an unlocked iPhone is infinitely more useful when traveling abroad -- a reality that deployed military members know all too well.

[Military photo via Shutterstock]

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Confirmed: AT&T offers complimentary unlock of in-contract iPhones for deployed military personnel originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 21:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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