XPost: comp.mobile.android   
   From: arlenholder@nospam.net   
      
   On 18 Aug 2018 03:24:27 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:   
      
   >   What IS that!? "unlock"? Does that mean that the phone is "locked" in   
   > some way?   
   >   Just kidding!   
      
   I realize you're kidding, but to let others know how it kinda sorta works   
   in the USA, if you buy a phone from the carrier, then they give it to you   
   "locked" until you pay for it, and then, once you pay for it, they allow   
   you to unlock it.   
      
   In my case, I bought the phone from Costco who had some kind of deal with   
   T-Mobile such that it was locked for 40 days - then you an unlock it.   
      
   In reality, unlocking doesn't get you much since if it's a GSM phone, you   
   only have, realistically, T-Mobile or AT&T to choose from.   
      
   >   In our country - The Netherlands - (carrier-)locked phones are a thing   
   > of the past, both for postpaid/contract and for prepaid.   
      
   That's good to know as we're moving toward that here in the USA, where my   
   phone was $130 and it's a fine phone for that price, so it's affordable to   
   buy in full at the time of purchase.   
      
   >   'Free' postpaid/contract phones are illegal. The phone part is   
   > considered a loan, which is seperate from the running costs. So there's   
   > no point (carrier-)locking the phones (other than to annoy one's   
   > customers.   
      
   Good for you. Unlocking a phone isn't hard, but I'll bet a lot of people   
   don't do it.   
      
   >   
   >   I think that 'free' prepaid phones would still be legal, but the   
   > suppliers just don't bother to (carrier-)lock them anymore, for various   
   > reasons.   
   >   
   >   But indeed my last Australian phone was still (carrier-)locked when I   
   > bought it.   
   >   
   >   BTW, in our country, cars aren't fuel-supplier locked either!   
      
   Good point.   
      
   Still - the question remains if it's only T-Mobile or if the other carriers   
   supply a *native* tool that *unilaterally* unlocks the phone (i.e., there's   
   no need to contact the carrier).   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)