AT&T unlock policy in 2026, for the shop holding the phone

AT&T is the one national carrier whose unlock route is a public web form rather than an account toggle. That makes it look easy, and for a clean, paid off, 60 day old device it is. This page lays out the rules as AT&T states them on a support page last updated June 29, 2026 (source), the business and prepaid variants, how to read lock status on the device, and where a wholesale unlock fits for trade-in stock.

Last reviewed 2026-10-28. Written for shops by STACKS. Not affiliated with any carrier.

AT&T wireless (postpaid) requirements

AT&T's support article lists four tests (source):

1. Device bought 60+ days ago. You purchased the device more than 60 days ago and it is not active on another AT&T account.
2. Device paid in full. You paid in full at purchase or paid off the installment plan. "Your installment balance must be zero before unlocking."
3. Not lost, stolen or fraud. The device has not been reported lost, stolen or involved in fraud.
4. Account current. If you are a current customer, your bill cannot be past due.

Droid Life's February 2026 round-up summarises the same thing: purchased from AT&T 60+ days ago, paid in full, not reported lost or stolen, and the customer must request the unlock (source). Unlike T-Mobile, AT&T does not push the unlock automatically to most devices; someone has to ask.

The online unlock portal

Requests go to the device unlock portal at att.com/deviceunlock/unlockstep1. AT&T's support page states that customers without an AT&T account can still submit a request through it (source). You enter the IMEI and contact details, confirm the request from the email AT&T sends, and wait for a decision. The portal is also where you get the clearest signal that a device is financed or flagged: an IMEI with an installment balance or a fraud marker is declined, with a reason code.

The business and early upgrade rules

AT&T Business devices follow the same 60 day, paid in full and not lost or stolen rules, with three additions: the controlling company must permit the unlock, any contract or term agreement must be completed, and a device on a two year contract that was upgraded early "requires a 30-day wait" (source).

Two numbers you will hear quoted are not on AT&T's official page as of 2026-10-28, so we mark them clearly:

• The 14 day rule. AT&T's own community support posts describe a 14 day buyer's remorse period after an early upgrade before you can request an unlock for the previous device (source). The official article gives 30 days for the business contract case and does not state a consumer figure. Unverified as current official policy.
• 48 hours after final payment. A third party guide says that after paying off an installment plan early you wait 48 hours before submitting the request (source). Another secondhand excerpt says 24 hours. Unverified on att.com; the practical advice is the same either way, give the payoff a day or two to post before you submit.

AT&T Prepaid

The prepaid rule has moved. Droid Life reported in February 2026 that AT&T Prepaid needs "six months of paid AT&T service" (source). AT&T's support article, updated June 29, 2026, now says an AT&T Prepaid device can be unlocked if it "has 12 months of paid AT&T service", is not active on another AT&T account, and is not reported lost, stolen or involved with fraud (source). We treat 12 months as current. The direction of travel matches the rest of the market: Metro, Cricket and the Verizon prepaid brands all sit at 365 days now, which is the ceiling the CTIA Consumer Code allows ("no later than one year after initial activation") (source).

How to check lock status

AT&T gives device level checks that work with the phone in your hand and no account access (source):

• Any AT&T wireless or business account: sign in, select the device, and look for "Device unlocked" under Device info.
• iPhone: Settings > General > About, scroll to Carrier Lock. "SIM locked" means locked.
• Samsung released before September 1, 2025: Settings > About phone > Software information > Service provider software version. A value ending ATT/ATT means it can be unlocked.
• Samsung released after September 1, 2025: Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Network lock status.
• Prepaid SIM test: insert a non-AT&T SIM. A message that the SIM is not compatible with the AT&T network means it is still locked.

AT&T also notes that qualifying Apple, Samsung and Google devices on a business account should unlock automatically, and that Apple Watch is unlocked by default (source).

Financed and installment balances

This is where AT&T stock trips up buyback shops. Installment plans run 36 months, and a device that is one payment short is as locked as a device with 30 payments left. The portal will decline it. The deeper problem is not the lock: if the original customer stops paying after the trade-in, AT&T can report the IMEI and it stops working on every US network, unlocked or not. The financed and blacklisted page covers how that happens and the free check to run before you buy.

Where a wholesale unlock fits

The typical buyback case is a paid off AT&T phone, no account holder left to use the portal, and a 25 to 57 percent trade-in value gap between locked and unlocked that is worth closing (see locked vs unlocked value). Our AT&T services are listed near the top of this page as The STACKS App sells them: each row states the condition it applies, the turnaround and whether it is refundable if it fails. A carrier unlock does nothing for Activation Lock; Apple's guidance is not to take a used iPhone that still asks for the previous owner's Apple Account (source).

If it is your own phone

Use the portal. It is free, it works without an account, and a clean device is usually unlocked within a couple of days (source). Unlock STACKS serves approved businesses. See how approval works.

Regulatory context

AT&T has never been under a 60 day federal unlock rule; that rule applied only to Verizon through its 2007 700 MHz C Block licence, and the FCC waived it on January 12, 2026 (source). The standard AT&T follows is the CTIA Consumer Code's six unlocking commitments, adopted on February 11, 2014: publish the policy, unlock postpaid devices after the contract or financing is fulfilled, unlock prepaid devices within a year of activation, notify customers when it qualifies or unlock remotely, act within two business days, and unlock for deployed military (source). The FCC's 2024 proposal for a uniform 60 day rule remained pending as of that order.

Questions shops ask

RELATED T-Mobile Verizon Cricket, Boost and prepaid Locked vs unlocked value Financed and blacklisted

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