FCC Ends Verizon's 60-Day Automatic Unlocking Requirement

The Federal Communications Commission has officially waived a long-standing requirement that forced Verizon to automatically unlock mobile devices 60 days after activation. The ruling, released late yesterday, fundamentally alters the landscape for Verizon customers, allowing the carrier to keep handsets locked to its network for significantly longer periods. The Commission cited an urgent need to combat sophisticated fraud and international device trafficking as the primary justification for the decision.



Effective today, January 13, Verizon is no longer bound by the 60-day unlocking rule that was originally imposed as a condition of its 700 MHz C Block spectrum license purchase in 2007. That regulation, which prohibited C Block licensees from locking handsets to their networks, was intended to foster an "open platform" for consumers. Verizon was granted a partial waiver in 2019 allowing for a 60-day lock to combat theft, a policy that was later extended to TracFone customers following Verizon's acquisition of the prepaid carrier in 2021.


Under the new waiver, Verizon will align its unlocking policies with the voluntary CTIA Consumer Code for Wireless Service. This change drastically shifts the timeline for when customers can take their phones to competing carriers. Under the CTIA guidelines, prepaid mobile devices can remain locked for up to one year after activation. For postpaid devices—such as the popular iPhone 17 Pro—carriers are only required to unlock handsets upon request, and only after the customer has fulfilled the service contract, paid off the device financing plan, or paid an early termination fee.

The FCC justified the move by pointing to a sharp rise in criminal schemes specifically targeting Verizon due to its unique unlocking policies. Because Verizon was the only nationwide provider subject to the strict 60-day requirement, the FCC noted that criminal networks were prioritizing its handsets for theft and resale. The order highlights that these unlocked devices often command premium prices on the black market, particularly in countries like Russia, China, and Cuba. Verizon reported to the Commission that fraud spiked by approximately 55 percent after it acquired TracFone and implemented the 60-day rule, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses annually.

"Sophisticated criminal networks have exploited the FCC's handset unlocking policies to carry out criminal acts," said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. "By waiving a regulation that incentivized bad actors to target one particular carrier's handsets for theft, we now have a uniform industry standard that can help stem the flow of handsets into the black market."

The waiver applies prospectively to all handsets activated on Verizon's network beginning today. Existing customers with devices that have already been unlocked will not be affected. The change effectively puts Verizon on the same footing as competitors like AT&T and T-Mobile regarding device locking policies.


Consumer advocacy groups, including Public Knowledge and iFixit, had opposed the waiver request. They argued that automatic unlocking lowers switching costs for consumers, reduces electronic waste, and boosts competition by allowing users to move freely between providers. These groups contended that Verizon possessed sufficient tools—such as flagging suspicious purchases or blocking stolen IMEIs—to detect fraud within the 60-day window without needing to extend lock periods.

However, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau rejected those arguments, determining that the 60-day window was insufficient to deter the scale of fraud occurring. The Bureau concluded that the public interest benefits of curbing international trafficking and organized crime outweighed the potential harms to competition, noting that Verizon has committed to following the CTIA transparency codes.

This waiver will remain in effect until the Commission adopts a formal, industry-wide approach to handset unlocking. The FCC is currently considering a broader set of unlocking requirements for all mobile wireless service providers through a pending rulemaking proceeding, though a final decision on that matter has yet to be reached. Until then, buying a new iPhone from Verizon will come with significantly tighter strings attached than it did just yesterday.