According to an AT&T representative, the unlock should take about two to three minutes to process.

I first tried a local AT&T store near Philadelphia this past weekend to unlock my phone, but was quickly discouraged when a representative told me he had no clue what I was talking about. Next I turned to the Internet.

I visited AT&T online and waited 45 minutes to talk to an online support representative to ask for the unlock. Once connected to a representative, named Coleen, I was told I needed my phone's IMEI number, a numerical code that identifies your device (you can find yours by tapping Settings > General > About, then scroll down to the bottom).

Coleen then said I would receive directions shortly on how to unlock my iPhone via e-mail. She then told me that she needed to file a "case" and asked for my e-mail. It's unclear what a "case" is. I assumed it was a record of my request. Coleen assured me the entire process would only require a few more steps and I'd soon have an unlocked iPhone.