Verizon Pixel 3 phones were initially SIM locked but aren’t now

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In the past, if you purchased a Verizon Google Pixel with hopes of moving it to a new network without activating it on Big Red, you were pretty much out of luck. This year, consumers were hoping the carrier’s Pixel 3s would reverse that policy but early purchases appeared to be SIM locked going into the device’s launch. Awesome, right?

Initially, in order to use the new Google flagship on another network, you had to first activate a Verizon SIM card and have it in the device for roughly 24 hours. After that, Big Red would unlock the device. Then, you could take the phone to a different carrier if you so desired. There are those who don’t want to use Verizon, or have access to the carrier, so this route wasn’t an option for some.

There was a lot of flack regarding the move, though. Verizon stated that the SIM locking was used to curb theft and resale issues but people buying the phone weren’t happy about the move. So much so, in fact, that Verizon has temporarily removed the SIM lock on Pixel 3s (who knows if they’ll turn it on again). Soon after, people started seeing this notification on their Verizon Pixel 3 smartphones.

Carrier Unlock notification FI
The Verizon carrier lock was eventually removed following push-back from consumers.

Of course, if you want to avoid the carrier SIM lock issue entirely, you can trade the promotions and perks of buying from Best Buy or Verizon itself. All you have to do is head to Google’s store online and pick one up. The search giant also offers 24 month financing. The device won’t ever be SIM locked so you’ll be able to use it on other carriers. 

Does the idea of Verizon SIM locking its Pixel 3 devicess bother you or does it matter to you? Will you be picking up a Pixel in the Google Store instead? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.

[button link=”https://www.androidcentral.com/google-pixel-3s-purchased-best-buy-are-sim-locked-verizon” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Android Central[/button]
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