Should I call or text the person who has my old phone number on what steps they need to do to get my EIMI removed from their account?

🤦🏼‍♀️.  No.

First of all your devices IMEI is not on someone else's account. Not if you own the device, it can't be. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

If you previously used the device with a freedom top Sim card, it must have been from a different service provider than you are trying to use now. Despite it being locked through at&t, FreedomPop is your service provider and always was. AT&t cannot help you.

FreedomPop uses AT&t and t-mobile. You must be trying to insert a T-Mobile SIM card. Switch SIM cards to an AT&t SIM card in your problem will resolve itself.

Just to be clear, Freedompop needs to provide you a sim that uses ATT’s network. Just FYI, you didn’t buy an unlocked mobile hotspot. It has always been locked. Also, that “other” account the imei is still associated with is your old Freedompop account. When they closed that account, they apparently didn’t notify ATT.

@sandblaster You say when they close the account, they apparently didn’t notify AT&T, how do I get them to notify AT&T? How come when I enter my IEMI enter att.com/unlock > Enter my IMEI > first, last name, phone number, email verify my email, click on the verification email they say it can’t be unlocked until it is removed from a users account.

@formerlyknownas If somebody had posted this I probably would think it is also ridiculous or impossible as well but according to AT&T’s website when I enter my Mobile hotspot IMEI into the form to get it unlocked it is telling me that it must be removed from the users account and when I have called customer service, live chat and even contacted the store they can pull up that it in fact is in someone’s account and I have given them the phone number that I used to have and the phone Number I used to have matches what they have in this user’s account. 

why is customer service, live chat and the store telling me and also their own website telling me that the IEMI needs to be removed from the user’s account before I can get it unlocked?

You say when they close the account, they apparently didn’t notify AT&T, how do I get them to notify AT&T?

I have no idea. I’m sure it would be much easier to get FreedomPOP to provide you a sim that uses ATT’s network than it would be to get them to either remove that imei from that account or notify ATT there is no account. 

That's because you're trying to get AT&t to unlock a device that was not used on at&t.

You used freedompop.

You would get the same response if you used cricket or net10 or consumer cellular.

You ARE the other account.

If the device has never been used on anything other than FreedomPop then it is FreedomPop that you have to contact about getting the device unlocked.

In the meantime get them to send you an AT&t compatible SIM card instead of the T-Mobile one you're trying to use now

We're here to shed some lights on how our unlock request works @Antilocked.

Thank you @sandblaster and @formerlyknownas for the useful information. 

As one of our ACES mentioned in order to unlock a device the wireless number assigned to the device must be active on AT&T network for at least 60 days. If the device was on a prepaid plan, the device has to have had paid service for at least six months.

It seem as if you bought a device that was locked to our network, meaning this device was still on a installment plan when you purchaed the device. We advise you to reach out to the seller of the device to see if they can assist you with unlocking the device.

Thank you for choosing AT&T Community Forums and have a great day.

Marilyn, AT&T Community Specialist

🤦🏼‍♀️. Ignore the response from att no help at all.  It does not apply to you