Can iPhones be relocked by the carrier - eviltoast

So Xfinity was refusing to unlock my device on the basis I was not the first account holder to own the device, I eventually looked into it and the fcc states it should of been unlocked within 60 days of being paid off, and furthermore and that the restriction of me not being the original account holder didn’t seem to be defined by the FCC. I decided to do an FCC complaint and two days later got a call back from Xfinity where they unlocked the phone since it was on my Xfinity account. I have been using the phone with visible but I’m kinda worried could they reverse the unlock in the future?

  • fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 months ago

    I have never heard of a carrier re carrier locking a phone before. If they really hated you they’d just blacklist the iemi and then you wouldn’t be able to use it on any carrier. But they’re not that petty, they don’t care.

    • ITeeTechMonkey@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Specifically MVNOs would be stupid to do this since they are leasing from primary network operators (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) and have to play be the rules of the contract with those companies.

      Plus in OPs case Visible is owned by Verizon and Xfinity runs on Verizons network. It’s not Xfinity’s interest to piss off Verizon who could kick them off their network. That would result in less negotiating power with other networks and result in higher costs for them.

  • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    Like fuckwit said, they can (and will) blacklist a device if it’s been reported stolen. The only reason phones are locked is because they’re not paid off. After that they don’t get relocked.

    • skymtf@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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      3 months ago

      Yeah, this isn’t stolen and I’m pretty sure it was paid off, my mom bought it at a phone shop a couple of years ago and than gave it to me when she bought another phone. It just so happened to still be locked to Xfinity, and she had Xfinity so she didn’t notice

  • Fuzzypyro@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Blacklisting is definitely a thing. It also depends on the device and the firmware it runs. There can be a lock on the firmware that can be triggered depending on the carrier (and the firmware of the device). I have heard of a bug in the past where a carrier that had no right was locking iPhones that were unlocked on a byod but that was like in 2013. It was also a bug.