Reversal: Apple-store iPhones now lock under carrier financing — T-Mobile and Verizon require payoff
TL;DR
Apple still sells unlocked iPhones, but T-Mobile and Verizon carrier financing now locks them until payoff.
Reversal: In July, Apple's purchase page changed T-Mobile and Verizon carrier-financed iPhones to locked until payoff. Those plans previously combined installment promotions with an unlocked phone. 9to5Mac reported on July 15 that the change appeared to have taken effect this month.
Apple's purchase-page FAQ now names the AT&T Installment Plan, T-Mobile Equipment Installment Plan, and Verizon Device Payment Program as locked until full payment. AT&T financing already carried that restriction; T-Mobile and Verizon are the additions.
The scope is carrier financing only. An iPhone paid for outright by cash or credit card, or bought from Apple with “Connect to a carrier later,” remains unlocked. During the lock, the owner cannot freely switch to another U.S. carrier or install any travel eSIM abroad.
This is not a restriction on the iPhone 17 Pro's A19 Pro chip or Apple Intelligence AI features. It changes the device-payment contract: T-Mobile promotions can spread credits over 24 months, while Apple still lists unlocked configurations. The carrier installment buys a subsidy with switching freedom as collateral; the lock ends when the device balance reaches zero.
via 9to5Mac / Apple / Wccftech
Apple's purchase-page FAQ now names the AT&T Installment Plan, T-Mobile Equipment Installment Plan, and Verizon Device Payment Program as locked until full payment. AT&T financing already carried that restriction; T-Mobile and Verizon are the additions.
The scope is carrier financing only. An iPhone paid for outright by cash or credit card, or bought from Apple with “Connect to a carrier later,” remains unlocked. During the lock, the owner cannot freely switch to another U.S. carrier or install any travel eSIM abroad.
This is not a restriction on the iPhone 17 Pro's A19 Pro chip or Apple Intelligence AI features. It changes the device-payment contract: T-Mobile promotions can spread credits over 24 months, while Apple still lists unlocked configurations. The carrier installment buys a subsidy with switching freedom as collateral; the lock ends when the device balance reaches zero.
via 9to5Mac / Apple / Wccftech
