this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2025
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I don't think I've had a locked phone since around 2012.
I'm guessing people still get them because they need financing? Seems like a poor choice most of the time.
I remember when carriers not just locked the phones, they also had custom firmwares filled with bloat and customized skins and even locking down features and all that shit. For example, I had a Sony Ericsson K700i and it had a disgustingly customized FW on it, and aside that it was ugly, I could only play MP3 files that I purchased through Vodafone. Sending them via bluetooth (or even with IR) didn't work, the phone refused to play it back.
(Then of course I found out that Sony Ericssons were pretty moddable phones so I replaced the FW with an original one and that solved all my problems. For some reasons, the fact that I patched the FW with countless of VKP patches and even unlocking it with a patch, didn't void my warranty so whenever I fucked up the FW beyond my abilities to repair it or simply bricked it, I just sent it to Vodafone and they fixed it.)
And they did this even when Android became a thing. (Though, it was a Vodafone branded phone so... it was sort of OK. (technically it was a Huawei though, also pretty moddable phone))
One of the best things about iPhone, carriers can’t touch shit on the OS.
Except disabling WiFi hotspot/connection sharing.
They still lock down features, as of like maybe 5 yrs ago. Idk about today specifically but I wouldn’t doubt it, if only because most people don’t realize that it’s locking something the OS can do by default.
For example, if you have a major brand phone (smaller brands that don’t have contracts with phone companies are unlikely to have this issue) with OEM OS, on a plan in which you pay separately for the WiFi hotspot feature, even though it’s built into your operating system, hotspot is locked and you can’t access it.
This is even true if you buy your own device, I discovered, and was very very very angry about. Enough that I switched providers, because fuck that nonsense.
I loved firmware modding on pre-smart phones! My first eBay purchase ever (with the help of my parents) was a USB cable for the ridiculously large port on my flip phone. I blew my friends' minds with my custom text on the front panel
When I left my company, I had to get a new phone. When I talked to the rep, the phone cost was essentially free with a contract.
The offer was that Verizon would pay for the phone over the course of three years.
So it's not financing so much as it was free with a contract. When I asked why this was, he said that it was due to how the market was. Everyone has a phone at this point so now cell service provides have to compete to keep people. So they are willing to pay for your phone so long as you are locked in with them.
But the contract is more expensive than without phone? Or is it the same?
It was the exact same. the math of this is that verizon makes enough money on the contract that they can pay for a phone within your 3 year contract.
Sometimes you can get a really good trade in deal. Just pay it off immediately and it will be unlocked, then you'll usually get bill credits for 2 years. You'll have to stay with that carrier for 2 years if you want the full discount but every month is you saving off of the full retail price, so as long as you plan to stay a few months anyway you're still saving.
Because a locked loader only really affects an absurdly small percentage of people.
That is a separate issue. This is a lock to prevent use with other service providers,
Which people don't care about. They were getting a new phone when they switched.
People... don't care about being able to switch phone carriers while keeping their phone? I think you're quite mistaken.
Even if few people actually do that, they certainly care about the effect of the resulting competitive pressure on the market.