Upgrading A Cellular Phone Tutorial

This is based on an AT&T phone and service, but, it may apply universally. I haven't wanted to switch phones. I hate the hassle (some times it is a bitch to cancel the original service) and your data never transfers correctly. The last time I did, I switched from another carrier and the people at the AT&T store helped me all the way through buying an older/cheaper model and setting it up. This time, they would not help at all and didn't have any phones for sale. Just for lease. Costly ones. However, my battery barely stayed charged and I had purchased three replacement from Amazon and they all were either dead on arrival or just as bad. I then went to Wal-mart and some kid tried to sell me a new contract too. Best Buy checked my phone number and said my phone plan wasn't transferable to a new phone (unlocked or not). It turned out that they all were liars or wrong and it was fairly simple.

I went back one last time (with some info from the internet) to the AT&T store and I squeezed it from one guy that I could indeed buy a phone (AT&T sponsored) elsewhere and switch the Sim cards. He thought I'd have to update my account online though. I kind of knew that. The internet said I'd have to log into my cell account (I never set it up) and change an IME number. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do that. However, I found the info (in my docs) and created an account to see what I could do online that I couldn't at the store. Similar situation. They had phones for sale, but, you had to switch to a more expensive plan. It was unclear if you could buy the phone alone. I went back to Walmart (cheaper than Target with same two phones) to buy a phone from them and met a shopper that worked for AT&T. She said I could just switch the Sim card and that would be all I had to do. I looked up some how to videos on the internet and it seemed easy. I went back to Walmart and bought a pretty good phone for $50. 

I slipped the Sim card (a little paper looking square resembling a smaller additional memory card) out of the old phone and into the new one. I turned it on and it found the network. That is the key thing. If it finds the network, you are golden. It needed to update the software over wifi. But, that's all I had to do. I was billed as usual and everything works. I test texted and called. Certain things on the phone had changed and it is too big, but, it was fairly painless. So don't fall for their up sell bs. 

I should also mention that I tried a few other AT&T stores and they all had few workers whom were busy with others and/or others were also waiting to talk to them ahead of me. Plus I was going to use them for home wifi, but, they make you sign up for a plan BEFORE they will send someone to see if your infrastucture supports their system or you have to buy their equipment (online) and sign up for the plan and self install BEFORE you know the same. I'm sure it's real easy to untangle that mess if it doesn't work out.