Verizon is pretty much the only company out there that lets you unlock your phone after just 60 days. This was due to an agreement Verizon made when they purchased some network spectrum back in 2008, and later extended in 2021 with the purchase of TracFone. These days, that’s a huge selling point, but now the FCC has stepped in with a very favorable change for Verizon—and less so for users.
The FCC has formally revised a long-standing regulation that required Verizon Communications to unlock its mobile phones just 60 days after activation. For years, Verizon has operated under a unique requirement that forced it to unlock handsets automatically after 60 days, a timeframe significantly shorter than the standard industry practice.
Most wireless carriers and MVNOs adhere to a 365-day locking requirement for prepaid devices—or require postpaid devices to be paid in full before unlocking. Yes, this even applies to most of Verizon’s own MVNOs. But Verizon’s main brand was legally bound to the two-month limit.
This regulatory disparity, while technically a boon for users, also made Verizon devices a primary target for fraudsters (allegedly). According to filings cited by the FCC, criminal organizations have exploited this policy to acquire phones, wait out the short 60-day period (or use illicit software to bypass it), and then resell the unlocked devices at premium prices online. The stolen hardware is frequently trafficked to overseas markets, with the FCC specifically highlighting Russia, China, and Cuba as major destinations for these illicitly obtained handsets.
Verizon reported to the Commission that in 2023 alone, it lost an estimated 784,703 devices to fraud across its prepaid and postpaid offerings. The company argued that these losses are not merely a business expense but the result of crime that was “organized globally through connected criminal networks.”
The FCC’s decision to align Verizon’s unlocking policies with broader industry standards was apparently heavily influenced by data regarding TracFone, a prepaid carrier acquired by Verizon. Verizon noted that after the acquisition, when TracFone was forced to transition from its standard one-year lock to Verizon’s mandated 60-day lock, the carrier witnessed an alleged fraud spike of approximately 55%.
It’s great news for Verizon’s bank account, but if you were looking to break free from your lock early, this will be annoying. A lot of people have legitimate reasons to unlock a phone other than taking advantage of carrier deals to flip a quick profit, and those people now have to wait a significantly longer time.
For now, it seems anyone that purchased a device prior to the January 16th decision will retain the 60-day unlock. Devices purchased after that will be subject to the new 1-year lock.
