Verizon Customers Will Have to Wait to Unlock Their Phone Going Forward — Here’s Why

Verizon customers will have to wait to unlock their phone going forward — here’s why

The FCC approved a waiver to the 60-day phone unlock rule after a Verizon petition. Here's what that means for you.

Verizon gets FCC permission to end 60-day phone unlocking rule

Verizon can keep phones locked to its network for longer after the Federal Communications Commission agreed to waive the carrier's 60-day unlocking requirement, as reported by Ars Technica. Following this decision, Verizon must follow a looser set of guidelines set by the CTIA wireless trade group, which says carriers should only unlock a customer's postpaid phone after their contract is up, when they finish paying off the device, or following t…

Verizon to Stop Automatically Unlocking its Cell Phones after 60 Days

The FCC took action to bring a more uniform approach to its handset unlocking rules that it says will benefit carriers and consumers. Specifically, the agency waived a 2007 rule that required one wireless carrier – Verizon  – to unlock their handsets earlier than standard industry practice. The FCC says that created an incentive for bad actors to steal those handsets to carry out fraud and other illegal acts. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says those…

FCC Unties Verizon From 60-Day Phone-Unlocking Rule

A waiver issued Monday by the FCC means you’ll have to wait longer or pay off your phone’s balance earlier to take a phone purchased from Verizon to another carrier. The change to the FCC's handset-unlocking rules, which had required Verizon to unlock phones it sold after 60 days, is “a more…

Verizon (VZ) stock slides as FCC eases phone-unlocking rule, earnings next on deck

NEW YORK, Jan 13, 2026, 20:44 EST — The market has closed. Shares of Verizon Communications Inc dropped 2.08% to $39.01 by Tuesday’s close, marking their third consecutive session of losses amid fresh regulatory developments and a turbulent market for defensive, high-yield names. (StockAnalysis) On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission gave Verizon a waiver from a longstanding rule that forced the carrier to unlock handsets 60 days after…

Verizon doesn't have to unlock your Samsung phone after 60 days anymore

Verizon is the largest mobile network in the United States. Carriers make their bread and butter on service plans, which is why they often subsidize phones so that subscribers can stay on their network. To that end, locking devices on their networks has long been a preferred option for carriers. There was a restriction that required Verizon to automatically unlock devices 60 days after they were activated on its network. It can now keep them lo…