AT&T Confirms It's Locking Apple's New iPad SIM Card After Activation

For consumers, at least, the news that the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 would support a SIM card that could freely be switched out among AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and EE in the United Kingdom seemed like a dream come true. Unfortunately, AT&T refuses to play along. Word surfaced at numerous sources today that anyone who connects their new iPad to an AT&T data plan will find their Apple SIM cards locked to the carrier.

As Apple says on its site, “When you choose AT&T on iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, AT&T dedicates Apple SIM to their network only." That means that if you ever want to switch to another carrier, you'll need to buy another Apple SIM card from an Apple retail store or approved partner. On the bright side, they typically cost only $10 or so.

It's a low blow, no doubt, but hardly surprising considering how tenaciously the carrier held on to the iPhone during its early years. But at least AT&T customers have the option to switch, even if it's saddled with petty inconveniences — Verizon customers can't use Apple's self-branded SIM card at all.

If you're worried, no, AT&T's locked SIM card doesn't mean that the iPad itself is locked. (AT&T confirmed this earlier today in a statement to Re/code.) When it's time to switch, just pull out AT&T's antisocial card and pop in a new Apple SIM card, and it should work as well as before.

Photo via MacRumors

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