1st time unlocked phone question

[russell1997]

The Pixel XL will be my first unlocked phone purchase. I have purchased my past phones through AT&T and also still my carrier.
How easy is it to hook up the phone to my account?
Will Tethering and Wifi hotspot still work? (my carrier plan offers that)
Do I have the option when I get the phone to choose what network it's for or is it more universal than that?
Are there any gotcha's?

I've always wanted to get an unlocked phone but carrier subsidy's have always made it difficult. After my last phone the moto x 2014 i saw that that really wasn't a thing any more. not only did i pay $200 for the phone i was paying $40 a month for 2 years. It truly makes no sense to get a carrier phone anymore.

 

[Unobtanium]

Disclaimer: I am on Verizon, not AT&T for my primary line. I have a secondary phone that I ported an AT&T landline to a GoPhone.

In both cases, I am using unlocked phones (Moto X Pure on VZW, Moto G 2nd Generation on GoPhone). I have had zero problems with either. In the case of the GoPhone, I had to go into AT&T to do the line port and get a SIM card. In the MXPE, I simply moved my SIM from my old VZW phone.

I have had zero issues in each case. Hotspot works on each, VoLTE works on the MXPE on Verizon. Verizon app and account info shows my device as an XT1575.

I am not ready to pull the trigger yet, but I am fairly confident that I could buy a Pixel and use either SIM in it.

 

[PapaGary]

How easy is it to hook up the phone to my account?

Put your SIM in the new phone. turn it on, enjoy.

Will Tethering and Wifi hotspot still work? (my carrier plan offers that)

It should.

Do I have the option when I get the phone to choose what network it's for or is it more universal than that?

I'm not sure what you are asking here but you should not need to "choose" anything.

Are there any gotcha's?

None that I can see.

Note:

Do you have a Google account? With a Google account I have switched phones three times and every one is a duplicate of the previous one. When booting a new phone for the first time I set up wifi, enter my Google account and password and a few minutes later I'm ready to go. I went from a Moto X 2013 to another Moto X 2013 to a Blu Vivo XL to a Samsung Tab S2 to a Moto X Pure Edition. I have done a factory reset on two of my phones and doing the above resets every thing as before. No problems.

BUT-

It does not restore texts

 

[Mooserman15]

Usually, you can just go in and buy a SIM card. You will not get tethering and wi-fi hotspot through the carrier. Instead, you will get that through Android itself. You just pay for the data you use. No extra fees for tethering. You can change the phone's network and number at any time, not just wh3n you buy it. It is also cheaper each month.

 

[russell1997]

thanks everyone that helps for sure and eases my concerns.

I've been all Google for my phones since i switched from the old Windows mobile. I won't loose any data other than carrier text which i barely use as google voice is my primary number Plus there are apps to backup text.