All That You Need to Know About Unlocked Phones (Video)

It used to be you bought a phone and it was more or less tied to a single carrier. You did your time, and if you asked nicely, the carrier you purchased your device from might unlock your device. Today, it’s easier than ever to swap between carriers if you buy your phone unlocked.
Epoch Video
12/24/2014
Updated:
12/24/2014

It used to be you bought a phone and it was more or less tied to a single carrier. You did your time, and if you asked nicely, the carrier you purchased your device from might unlock your device. Today, it’s easier than ever to swap between carriers if you buy your phone unlocked.

The market’s biggest flagships support the bands necessary to get up and running on multiple providers, whether it be Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T (Sprint is a little more tricky). One of the easiest examples is Apple’s latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which, if purchased unlocked directly from the Cupertino company, can be used on multiple carriers no problem.

When Jon purchased his iPhone 6 Plus from Apple (Model A1522), he initially used the device on AT&T before switching over to T-Mobile; he later switched to Verizon, and has been bouncing back and forth ever since. Because he got the phone from Apple, he has the ability to switch between the different carriers at his leisure.

Unfortunately, Sprint has a different model with different bands, so it won’t work for what Jon explains in the video above. It sounds confusing, but Jon completely breaks down how you can use Apple’s new device (or the Nexus 6 and a ton of other phones, if you prefer) on different U.S. carriers.

“If you pay full price for your phone at an Apple store, your device will be unlocked. You’re going to get exactly the same phone you get if you bought it from AT&T, exactly the same phone if you bought it from T-Mobile, and exactly the same phone if you bought it from Verizon.”

If you’re still unsure how this all works, check out the video above to hear what Jon has to say.