Verizon has quietly rolled out a major change to its prepaid phone policies, reinstating a full 12-month device lock for customers using TracFone and several related brands. The shift comes shortly after the Federal Communications Commission approved a waiver that removed Verizon’s long-standing obligation to unlock phones after just 60 days of service.
Under the updated rules, customers who activate a phone on or after January 20, 2026, must complete an entire year of paid, active service before they can request an unlock. Unlike previous policies, unlocking will no longer happen automatically once eligibility is reached. Customers must now initiate the request themselves, adding another step to a process that has already become significantly longer.
For prepaid users who rely on flexibility and affordability, the change represents a notable rollback of consumer-friendly protections that had been in place for nearly a decade.
FCC Waiver Removes Longstanding Consumer Safeguards
The policy change was made possible by a recent FCC decision granting Verizon relief from unlocking requirements tied to its wireless licenses and its 2021 acquisition of TracFone. Those conditions were originally imposed to ensure competition and protect consumers, particularly lower-income households that depend on prepaid and Lifeline-supported mobile service.
Until now, Verizon had been required to unlock devices after 60 days of paid use, regardless of whether the phone was sold through its own brand or a subsidiary like TracFone. With the waiver approved, Verizon is no longer required to follow that timeline or provide automatic unlocking.
The company moved quickly to adjust its prepaid policies, updating TracFone’s terms within days of the FCC’s ruling.
What the Updated TracFone Policy Means for Customers
The revised unlocking requirements apply not only to TracFone but also to a wide range of Verizon-owned prepaid brands. These include Straight Talk, Net10 Wireless, Clearway, Total Wireless, Simple Mobile, SafeLink Wireless, and Walmart Family Mobile.
To qualify for an unlock, customers must now maintain 365 days of paid, uninterrupted service. Any break in service pauses the clock, meaning customers who miss payments or temporarily deactivate their plans will see their eligibility date pushed back.
Phones purchased or activated before January 20, 2026, are exempt from the new rules and remain eligible for unlocking after 60 days, preserving earlier protections for existing customers.
For new buyers, however, the updated policy significantly raises the commitment required to fully own and reuse a device, especially for those who frequently switch carriers to find lower prices or better coverage.
Policy Marks a Return to TracFone’s Pre-Merger Practices
Although the change may seem sudden, it effectively restores TracFone’s historical approach to device locking. Before Verizon acquired the company, TracFone generally required customers to complete a full year of service before unlocking phones.
The company’s unlocking practices first came under regulatory scrutiny in 2015, when it reached a settlement with the FCC over compliance issues involving the federal Lifeline program. As part of that agreement, TracFone committed to clearer and more accessible unlocking rules.
Those requirements were later strengthened during Verizon’s purchase of TracFone, with the FCC mandating a much shorter 60-day lock period. That condition remained in place until the recent waiver removed it.
Visible Aligns With the Same Yearlong Standard
The shift in policy extends beyond TracFone. Visible, Verizon’s digital-first prepaid brand, has also updated its unlocking requirements to match the 365-day standard.
Under Visible’s rules, customers must accumulate a full year of paid service before requesting an unlock. As with TracFone, progress toward that total pauses if service payments stop and resumes only after the account is reactivated.
The move suggests Verizon is standardizing its prepaid unlocking policies across subsidiaries, limiting flexibility for customers who choose lower-cost service options.
Verizon’s Core Brand Policy May Be Next
For now, Verizon’s main postpaid and prepaid brand still lists a 60-day automatic unlocking policy, last updated in May 2025. However, industry analysts widely expect that policy to change.
With the FCC waiver in effect, Verizon is no longer required to unlock devices automatically or adhere to the previous timeline. Any future update could introduce longer waiting periods or require customers to manually request an unlock, similar to the TracFone and Visible policies.
Verizon has not publicly confirmed when or how its primary brand policy might change, but the recent updates across its prepaid portfolio suggest further revisions are likely.
How Verizon’s Policy Stacks Up Against Rivals
Among major U.S. carriers, unlocking rules vary significantly. AT&T allows postpaid customers to unlock devices after 60 days once the phone is fully paid off, while prepaid users must wait six months.
T-Mobile unlocks postpaid phones after 40 days if they are paid in full but requires prepaid customers to complete 365 days of service.
By adopting a yearlong lock for prepaid brands, Verizon now aligns more closely with T-Mobile’s approach, while remaining more restrictive than AT&T in the prepaid segment.
Fraud Concerns Versus Consumer Impact
Verizon and current FCC leadership have argued that longer lock periods help deter fraud by reducing the incentive to steal and resell newly activated devices. Regulators approving the waiver said Verizon’s previous 60-day requirement was unusually short compared to industry norms and could make devices attractive targets for criminal activity.
Consumer advocacy groups strongly disagreed, arguing that Verizon did not provide clear evidence that extending the lock period would meaningfully reduce fraud. They also warned that longer locks harm consumers by limiting resale, increasing electronic waste, and making it harder for smaller carriers to compete.
