Verizon Wins FCC Approval to Extend Phone Locking Period to One Year

Verizon has secured a major regulatory change that fundamentally alters how consumers can switch carriers. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved Verizon's petition to waive its previous requirement to automatically unlock devices after 60 days. Instead, Verizon will now follow the CTIA trade group's voluntary policy: locking phones for one full year for prepaid plans, and locking postpaid devices until contracts or financing agreements are fulfilled.

This decision reverses Verizon's decade-long obligation stemming from its 2008 purchase of 700 MHz spectrum licenses and 2021 TracFone acquisition conditions. Historically, Verizon phones automatically unlocked after 60 days—a consumer-friendly policy that no other major carrier offered. Now, devices remain locked for 12 months and require explicit customer requests to unlock, creating significant friction for those wanting to switch providers.

The FCC justified its decision by claiming the 60-day rule created "an incentive for bad actors to steal those handsets for purposes of carrying out fraud and other illegal acts." Verizon echoed this in a statement, asserting previous rules "benefitted... international criminal gangs at the expense of legitimate American consumers." However, this reasoning faces skepticism from consumer advocates who note device theft remains illegal regardless of locking policies.

Practical impacts for Verizon customers:

• Extended lock-in: Switching carriers now requires waiting a full year instead of two months
• Manual unlock process: Automatic unlocking is eliminated—users must contact Verizon to request unlocks
• Financing complications: Phones purchased through installment plans remain locked until fully paid
• Secondary market disruption: Reselling Verizon phones becomes harder during the first year

The CTIA policy Verizon now follows (available here) applies uniformly to prepaid and postpaid devices. While AT&T and T-Mobile already operated under similar one-year locking policies, Verizon's transition from a uniquely consumer-friendly approach to industry-standard restrictions represents a notable regression in user flexibility.

For developers and mobile ecosystem participants, this may influence:

1. App testing workflows: Longer lock periods complicate device switching during development
2. BYOD policies: Enterprises may face delays onboarding Verizon-locked devices
3. Cross-platform development: Extended lock-ins could reduce iOS/Android device sharing among testers

Verizon's policy shift (FCC waiver documentation) takes effect immediately for new activations. Existing customers with devices unlocked under the old 60-day rule remain unaffected. This decision underscores the tension between carrier security claims and consumer freedom—a balance now tilted firmly toward carrier control in Verizon's case.