T-Mobile has finally done away with contracts, offering single-line monthly plans with limitless talk for less than $50 monthly. The shakeup will work for everybody, but when you need to AT&T iPhone and will be ready to switch service providers, T-Mobile new bargain plans are searching you straight within the eye. A $50 no-contract plan sounds too good to be real, however the company's formula is straightforward: rather than subsidizing a telephone upfront and shifting the price towards the fee every month, new clients pays the entire or in some instances, slightly reduced cost from the phone and revel in a lesser monthly. But when you have an AT&T iPhone and also you aren't locked right into a contract, it is simple to use that phone on T-Mobile network. The operation is simple, but needs a little setup, as well as for some, sacrifice. Step One: Read the fine print Before you decide to jump for pleasure, beware that utilizing an AT&T iPhone on T-Mobile is not always an optimistic experience. Yes, both use GSM Sim cards, which makes them a great match, but an issue is based on the network. Should you discover that the area isn't supported and also you aren't in a single of T-Mobile's new LTE metropolitan areas, you may still make use of your iPhone on T-Mobile to create calls and send messages, however it will run reduced data speeds than you'd find on AT&T. Actually, individuals speeds might be so agonizingly slow which you may be prepared to carry on having to pay AT&T's premium until T-Mobile's network transition and LTE rollout gains more steam. Step 2: Unlock your iPhone Once you get past the fine print, it's time to unlock your iPhone. (Without an unlock, an AT&T iPhone will reject a T-Mobile SIM card.) According to this help article, AT&T will unlock iPhones for eligible customers in good standing. Meaning:

• You own the phone, or can identify the person who owned it.
• The phone hasn't been reported as lost or stolen.
• You are no longer tied to a contract (either because of expiry, or you've paid the early-termination fee to cancel it).
• Your account is in good standing, and you have no unpaid balances.

Finally, AT&T will grant no more than five unlocks per customer. If you meet these requirements, you're eligible to request a phone unlock. Before you do, though, be sure to back up your iPhone in iTunes -- your phone will be completely erased during the unlocking process. When the backup is complete, fill out this form to request the unlock. Once you've been approved by AT&T, you'll be asked to sit tight during a "wait period" of up to seven days. In many cases, this wait period will be much shorter, but if you'd rather not take the chance, you can instead call AT&T directly and speak to a representative who may grant an unlock immediately. If you're still subscribed to AT&T, do not cancel your contract yet, as you'll lose your phone number. Instead, wait until the very end, when your phone is up an running on T-Mobile (more on that in a bit). Step 3: Visit T-Mobile and complete the setup During the wait period, visit T-Mobile (online or in person) to sign up for a monthly, no-contract service plan. At this time, you'll need to request a SIM card for your iPhone. If you're still an AT&T subscriber, you'll also want to ask T-Mobile to transfer your AT&T phone number to the new SIM card. iPhone 4/4S uses a micro-SIM, and all earlier models use a regular SIM card. For reference, the iPhone 5 uses a nano-SIM, If the waiting period is over and you have your T-Mobile SIM card in-hand, you'll need to complete the unlocking process. Depending on how you approached the unlock (on the phone or through the Web), you'll be provided with the instructions to complete the process. Once the unlock is complete, use iTunes to restore your iPhone from backup. At this point, you can cancel your AT&T service plan. Step 4: Tweak a couple iPhone settings The one side effect of switching carriers is that a little extra setup is required to get the Web and MMS (picture messaging) functioning again. Follow this help article on T-Mobile's site to restore these features. After completing this process, you're set! Just remember that if you travel to an area where T-Mobile's iPhone support has not yet been rolled out, you'll experience slow data connections. Original Post: http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57576116-285/how-to-use-an-at-t-iphone-on-t-mobiles-no-contract-network/