This guide discusses some of the issues that arise when you unlock today's more modern cell phones. This guide is meant to be a follow up to my previous guide: Unlocked Cell Phones: What it Means to Be Unlocked, which should be read before this one.  That guide discussed basically why cell phones are locked, what it means to be locked and some general suggestions on where to go to get your phone unlocked. This guide takes it one step further and is meant to inform you of some of the short comings of unlocking.

As it relates to GSM phones (ones that use a sim card), unlocking the phone basically means that you can insert any active sim card into the phone and it will be able to make calls.  That definition is still correct.  However, the newer cell phones generally have software (called firmware in the cell phone industry) that effects the non-calling functions of the phone that is unique to each cell phone carrier.  For example, AT&T/Cingular and T-Mobile may offer the same phone model, however, AT&T has its own software loaded on the phone and T-Mobile has software that is unique to them. The software effects things like how the menu accesses your phone book, to what the special buttons do (on one phone it takes you to voice mail on another carriers phone, the same button takes you to their web site). 

Once the phone is unlocked, you can download AT&T/Cingular's firmware to the phone or T-Mobile's firmware (its called flexing the phone) which will convert a T-Mobile phone into a AT&T/Cingular phone.  However, if the phone is not flexed, it will work fine to make calls and most of the menu function will not be effected.  Nevertheless, there will be some functions, most notably the ones dealing with the internet browser, that will not function in most cases, and picture mail, advanced text messaging (I Village) will often not work if the phone is not also flexed as well as unlocked. 

As a general rule, a T-Mobile or AT&T/Cingular Store will only Flex a phone that is already loaded with their software and mainly as an attempt to fix a phone that is having problems.  There are people/companies that Flex and Unlock, however, it requires a lot more searching, because you need the firmware for each model of phone and the firmware is not readily available.  So if you just want to make calls, unlocking is fine, if you want to use all the phone's features, you need to have the phone flexed to the carrier you want to use it with as well.  You can find the companies that provide this service on eBay or on the Internet by typing "unlocking cell phones" into google.  Just make sure you clarify with the person or company that you want the phone flexed to (T Mobile or AT&T/Cingular) and unlocked.  The flexing function is more expensive than unlocking because it can take 15 minutes or more to download the new firmware into the phone.  Shop around and you can find someone that can do it.

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