With Apple's formally announced media event on September 10, the expectation is that Apple will be announcing one or more new iPhones. Here's a handy guide to help you determine if your current iPhone is eligible for an upgrade with AT&T.
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Method #1. Perhaps the easiest way to check is to call the number *639# (*NEW#) directly from your iPhone. Shortly, you'll receive a text message from AT&T. Here's how it looked on our iPhone 4S.
Dial *639# from your phone.
Method #2. Another way to check is to use Apple's Apple Store app. On the home (Featured) page is an entry called “Upgrade your iPhone.” That takes you to a page where you can also check your eligibility for a new phone. One wrinkle is that, for security, you'll be asked for the last four digits of your SSN. If you'd rather not provide that in an app, Methods #1 and #3 don't require it.
Use Apple's Apple Store app.
Method #3. From your Mac, PC or tablet, you can logon to your AT&T wireless account via a browser. Recall that your User ID is your mobile number.
Logon to your AT&T account.
After you're logged in, from the Overview page (tabs at top), in the drop down list labelled “I want to…
Select from the drop down menu in red
… select “Manage my plan & services.” Then click “Check upgrade eligibility” for the desired number. You'll see the verdict like this:
Result is in blue box.
Note that if your iPhone is eligible for an AT&T upgrade, you have two choices now. The first is the traditional two-year contract extension. The other is AT&Ts new “Next” plan that allows you to get a new iPhone/smartphone every 12 months by paying an additional fee.