Eligible to unlock device

[muzichead]

I paid my AT&T bill this morning and there was a notification on my account, "You're eligible to unlock your device"... Not sure as to why this came up other than my 2yr agreement ended as of thanksgiving weekend. Not sure what I should do here... I don't have any current plans on upgrading my device to any other model in the near future and am quite happy with my Galaxy S5, (never thought I'd ever say that about a device)... Anyone care to weigh in on the topic?

Is there any good reason (s) to unlock my device?
Are there any benefits to unlocking it?
Will AT&T still support the device?
Will I continue to have pushed notifications of updates from AT&T?

 

[hallux]

The only reason you'd unlock the device is if you're planning on moving to another carrier (such as T-Mobile) and keeping that device. Unlocking does nothing for you if you plan to stay with AT&T.

 

[Ry]

I paid my AT&T bill this morning and there was a notification on my account, "You're eligible to unlock your device"... Not sure as to why this came up other than my 2yr agreement ended as of thanksgiving weekend. Not sure what I should do here... I don't have any current plans on upgrading my device to any other model in the near future and am quite happy with my Galaxy S5, (never thought I'd ever say that about a device)... Anyone care to weigh in on the topic?

This just means that your commitment to AT&T has been met and you're free to SIM unlock the device.

Is there any good reason (s) to unlock my device?

Traveling abroad or switching carriers but still want to use the AT&T S5.

Are there any benefits to unlocking it?

Can use with any compatible carrier.

Will AT&T still support the device?

Yes - if still under warranty.

Will I continue to have pushed notifications of updates from AT&T?

Yes. But you may not get them if you switch carriers. We've seen some carrier devices require a SIM of that carrier in order to get an OTA.

 

[tadpoles]

Also, if you ever do plan to sell your device you'll typically get more for it if it's unlocked. That may or may not remain true on a model that is several years old.

 

[muzichead]

Just wanted to say thanks to all that replied. I will think about unlocking it just incase...

 

[can3gxw]

My advice is to get it unlocked right now. Even if you have no plans (yet) to get rid of the device or move carriers (yet), doing it now won't do you any harm whatsoever and will only provide you a bunch more options in the future.