Bill allowing smartphone unlocking now approved by the House of Representatives, set to become law

After the decision last year to make unlocking smartphone and tablet devices illegal, the US House of Representatives today voted yes to allow the practice to become legal once again. This is already the second time the government has voted on this issue, as just a few weeks ago the US Senate approved the legislation to move on to the House. The final step in getting the law approved is the President’s signature, which should come with little delay as he has already spoken out in favor of the bill.

If you’re unclear as to what exactly this means for you, unlocking a phone allows you to use it on any compatible carrier (i.e. GSM) without being restricted to the original carrier.

This means if you purchased an AT&T smartphone, but then moved to Canadian carrier, you can legally unlock the device without jumping through hoops. It’s unclear when the specific date when unlocking phones will become legal again, but nevertheless, the wait is soon to be over.