Verizon to lock phones in spring

[Coaxialgamer]

13 hours ago, Ginger137 said:

I don't see why this matters? The only people that should be affected is people buying stolen phones, and so screw them I couldn't care less. 

 

If your buying a phone from Verizon, you're going to use it on Verizon til you sell it, which it will be unlocked then. So, The problem is...? 

The point is that you already bought the device. You should be free to use it wherever. 

I change contracts semi regularly, so yes, I'd be affected by carrier locked devices. And no, i did not steal my phone

[DreamWave]

OK, I have a very serious problem with this.

 

It's actually against the law. Not kinda-sorta, no.

This is directly in violation of block c open access regulation that Verizon agreed to abide by when bidding on parts of the 700mhz spectrum.

I'm doubly pissed off about this because it basically invalidates a year of my life that I spent arguing about a subset of the regulations that I allege, based on reasonable interpretation, disagree with the practice of bootloader locking. Now, Verizon is basically saying "just **** off with your laws and stuff" and entirely violating an explicit provision in the rules for their use of block c of the 700mhz band.

In case you're wondering what the text I'm talking about is, here's a link to a copy: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxwYn8K9RD7ZMjVLQ0VYZnE1aGM/view?usp=sharing

 

Relevant text is on page 230. If you're wondering where I got that doc, I honestly don't remember at this point. It was absurdly difficult to locate at the time, probably intentionally so. I do promise that that is an unedited copy with no intentional omissions.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

On ‎2018‎-‎02‎-‎12 at 9:19 AM, Bouzoo said:

It's funny because even my country has a law that prompts carriers to unlock all new phones. 

It's funny because their neighbours to the north has pretty much outright banned that sort of stuff.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

On ‎2018‎-‎02‎-‎12 at 9:17 AM, Nena360 said:

But carrier locked phones are always full of bloat ware, not to mention many carriers if its to long after will refuse to unlock the devices and these devices will be dumped or stay in a old warehouse.

Even if the carrier doesn't perform a network lock on their devices, they can still preload it with bloatware. Buying a device directly from the manufacturer is pretty much the only guarantee of a clean device. 

[Drak3]

18 minutes ago, Sawyer B said:

OK, I have a very serious problem with this.

 

It's actually against the law. Not kinda-sorta, no.

This is directly in violation of block c open access regulation that Verizon agreed to abide by when bidding on parts of the 700mhz spectrum.

I'm doubly pissed off about this because it basically invalidates a year of my life that I spent arguing about a subset of the regulations that I allege, based on reasonable interpretation, disagree with the practice of bootloader locking. Now, Verizon is basically saying "just **** off with your laws and stuff" and entirely violating an explicit provision in the rules for their use of block c of the 700mhz band.

In case you're wondering what the text I'm talking about is, here's a link to a copy: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxwYn8K9RD7ZMjVLQ0VYZnE1aGM/view?usp=sharing

 

Relevant text is on page 230. If you're wondering where I got that doc, I honestly don't remember at this point. It was absurdly difficult to locate at the time, probably intentionally so. I do promise that that is an unedited copy with no intentional omissions.

If you read the entire post OP had, the network lock is only in affect until the phone is activated, meaning if you stole one off the shelf, it's useless. Seeing as Verizon will only sell you a phone in store if you get one of their plans, thus activating it in store (or at your leisure), you walk out of the store with an unlocked phone. It'll eventually move to a waiting period, but so far, that looks like it'll only be for automatic unlocks. Unless US law changes, Verizon will be required to manually unlock phones at customer request.

[DoctorWho1975]

Verizon will make the unlock process a complete pain in the ass, considering they control the FCC (Pai was a former Verizon Wireless lawyer) I suspect it will be a brutally hard process.

[Nena Trinity]

49 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Even if the carrier doesn't perform a network lock on their devices, they can still preload it with bloatware. Buying a device directly from the manufacturer is pretty much the only guarantee of a clean device. 

In my country no device have carrier bloat anymore it seems, and locking seems to be dying out...

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

1 minute ago, Nena360 said:

In my country no device have carrier bloat anymore it seems, and locking seems to be dying out...

The phone I picked up last month came unlocked thanks to new legislation yet still installed carrier specific apps once I installed the SIM card. So it does depend on how much of an arse your carrier wants to be.

[Nena Trinity]

30 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

The phone I picked up last month came unlocked thanks to new legislation yet still installed carrier specific apps once I installed the SIM card. So it does depend on how much of an arse your carrier wants to be.

Well there are many perks to download the carrier apps such as buying data, check amount of data and more! A good carrier should know how to make a app that makes people want it not force it on people. LMAO! :3

[You_are_a_cunt]

Carrier locking is something not all that new. I still have pre-2000 phones locked to dead carriers. Quite common practice these days. On the one side it sure does reduce the price for used phones, on the other it limits you to pick a carrier and stick with it.

Sometimes, if you're lucky, a nice operator will unlock it for free. Other times, you'll just find a bored kid on his first job that "sticks to the book" and charges you $150 to unlock a phone you bought for $100 off some dude on a listings site (been there, done that)

[AnonymousGuy]

2 hours ago, DoctorWho1975 said:

Verizon will make the unlock process a complete pain in the ass, considering they control the FCC (Pai was a former Verizon Wireless lawyer) I suspect it will be a brutally hard process.

Hell on ATT it was bullshit.  "Oh you need to wait for your billing cycle to get the unlock".  No I paid the fucking thing off and I want to sell it tomorrow, give me the fucking unlock code now!  (between Verizon, TMo, and ATT...ATT is by far the shittiest account management.  You can tell their systems haven't been upgraded in 30 years and holy fuck could they have any more random fees in their billing?)

 

Now I buy my phones from an Apple Store and problem solved.  Reason #42 to buy an iPhone.

[themctipers]

On 2/12/2018 at 12:21 PM, Hidden Orange said:

Didn't Canada recently pass a law that made it illegal for carriers to lock phones?

 

Now if only that could happen in the US...

im pretty sure that ruling was for making unlocks free in canada after you have fully paid for your device if you are on contract.

[Jito463]

On 2/13/2018 at 6:01 PM, Drak3 said:

If you read the entire post OP had, the network lock is only in affect until the phone is activated, meaning if you stole one off the shelf, it's useless. Seeing as Verizon will only sell you a phone in store if you get one of their plans, thus activating it in store (or at your leisure), you walk out of the store with an unlocked phone. It'll eventually move to a waiting period, but so far, that looks like it'll only be for automatic unlocks. Unless US law changes, Verizon will be required to manually unlock phones at customer request.

Actually, it's initially going to be locked until activated.  However, further down the article says:

On 2/12/2018 at 11:05 AM, LittleRedRose said:

The new policy will roll out in steps. First, Verizon will lock phones initially, unlocking them once customers finish the activation process, which would be in line with the company’s explanation of preventing thieves from stealing phones from retail stores.

Sometime this spring, Verizon will be instituting a wait period, where new phones will be locked to Verizon for an unspecified amount of time before customers will be able to unlock them. The company has yet to detail how long customers will need to wait or whether they’ll have to submit manual requests to have their phones unlocked.

The lock until activation is only the first step in the plan.

On 2/13/2018 at 8:42 PM, AnonymousGuy said:

Now I buy my phones from an Apple Store and problem solved.  Reason #42 to buy an iPhone.

What does your dislike for AT&T have to do with buying an iPhone?  AT&T sells iPhones, and you can buy plenty of unlocked Android phones that will work on any carrier.  Your logic is convoluted.

[Eaglerino]

I want to be annoyed but I've been with Verizon since my first cellphone in the early 2000s because they're the only carrier to have continuous service on the interstates where I drive and that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon

[Drak3]

1 hour ago, Jito463 said:

Actually, it's initially going to be locked until activated.  However, further down the article says:

Maybe read the entire thing again.

[Mooshi]

So much overreaction.

 

Kay, for starters, how many people are buying phones from one carrier, not using their service and then going to another carrier to activate service? Chances are this isn't really a thing. Realistically, when someone buys a phone from Verizon, they are either an existing Verizon subscriber or signing up for service -- not taking their newly purchased Verizon branded phone to AT&T or whatever. 

 

Current rules before the change had you pay your device off to use it with another carrier anyway, so literally nothing changed from that perspective. Most customers have their carrier pay off their competitors phones to entice them to get new phones anyway.

 

Regarding bloat, ALL carriers do this outside of select phones where the company forbids any carrier specific apps that can't be removed like Apple and Google branded devices (Pixel line). Unlocked phones are always an option, but you run the risk of certain features not working correctly like visual voicemail in exchange and/or lose insurance from the carrier as an option. (Asurion is a 3rd party anyway, but still partnered with the major carriers)

 

If a phone was stolen (and we're not talking just shoplifting), this effectively is hurting only the thief. I deal with this stuff on a regular basis of adding devices to a national negative list in cases of relationships gone wrong etc. where an ex takes a phone that isn't paid off thinking they have a free device to do whatever they wish with. Even without the full lock going into effect, phones had restrictions placed on them where only the account owner could request that phone to be removed from the negative list to be used again.

 

All this new rule set means is that if you bought a Verizon phone, you have to activate it on the Verizon network first. Once the phone is paid off in full, it's yours to do whatever you wish unlocked! Again, going back to the first point. Who is going to buy a phone from Verizon, never use it on the network and then go and activate elsewhere? You would have either purchased that carrier's phone or went unlocked making all the anger about this moot.

[Guest]

On 13/02/2018 at 6:17 AM, Nena360 said:

But carrier locked phones are always full of bloat ware, not to mention many carriers if its to long after will refuse to unlock the devices and these devices will be dumped or stay in a old warehouse.

Let’s be honest it’s not too hard to unlock a phone or get rid of bloatware. We’re all pretty tech savvy here 

 

If you buy a phone from a carrier it’s more than likely you will use it on that carrier anyway. I don’t know why else you would buy from a carrier cause it’s usually more expensive! 

 

[Nena Trinity]

23 minutes ago, RorzNZ said:

Let’s be honest it’s not too hard to unlock a phone or get rid of bloatware. We’re all pretty tech savvy here 

 

If you buy a phone from a carrier it’s more than likely you will use it on that carrier anyway. I don’t know why else you would buy from a carrier cause it’s usually more expensive! 

 

I buy unlocked! :3

[AnonymousGuy]

2 hours ago, Mooshi said:

Kay, for starters, how many people are buying phones from one carrier, not using their service and then going to another carrier to activate service? 

Everyone who wants to sell their phone and have a decent resale value.  Unlocked is worth more than locked.

[Mooshi]

47 minutes ago, AnonymousGuy said:

Everyone who wants to sell their phone and have a decent resale value.  Unlocked is worth more than locked.

Pixel's and iPhones are the same regardless of where they came from. Other phones from all carriers comes with a carrier specific bootloader unless flashed.

 

It's been like that and will continue to be like that after Spring. When your VZW phone is paid off in full, it's 100% yours. The only thing new is you have to have Verizon service first when you buy a Verizon phone...which is what people have been doing anyway.

[Jito463]

6 hours ago, Drak3 said:

Maybe read the entire thing again.

I did.  Care to point out what you seem to think I missed?

[Drak3]

4 minutes ago, Jito463 said:

I did.  Care to point out what you seem to think I missed?

The second half of my comment that acknowledges the planned switch to timed delayed unlock.

[Jito463]

14 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

The second half of my comment that acknowledges the planned switch to timed delayed unlock.

Ah, I see.  My bad.  I did overlook that part.

6 hours ago, Drak3 said:

Maybe read the entire thing again.

I thought you were talking about the first post, not your previous post.

[Hiitchy]

On 12/02/2018 at 12:21 PM, Hidden Orange said:

Didn't Canada recently pass a law that made it illegal for carriers to lock phones?

 

Now if only that could happen in the US...

Yes they did. It's not much, but it's something. Now if they could just cut down on aggressive pricing for everything else, that'd be great. 

[LordofGangsters]

Who buys a phone from a carrier's store then gets a plan with a different carrier? If you wanted to buy an unlocked phone you'd go to a tech store.