What do the AT&T IMEI statuses mean: Clean, Active Line, DEVICE_SOLD_DATE_60_DAYS, Account2_Locked, Past Due?
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When AT&T refuses to unlock a phone, the refusal is never arbitrary: a status attached to the IMEI in AT&T's database says why. Unlock services mirror those statuses, which is why an "AT&T unlock" is really a family of services, each accepting one status and rejecting the others. Order the wrong one and the order is consumed without an unlock.
This guide lists the statuses you will see in a status check or in an unlock reply, what each one means at AT&T, and which service path accepts it.
How to learn the status of an IMEI
The cheapest way is the AT&T clean unlock + check status service. If the device is clean it is simply unlocked, typically within minutes. If it holds a blocking flag the order completes with the status instead of an unlock: Lost_or_Stolen, Unpaid_Payments, Account_Past_Due_Payments, No_Longer_Active_On_AT&T_Account, or NON_AT&T for a phone that is not in the AT&T database at all. That reply is the paid result of the check, and it tells you which service to order next.
Clean
No unpaid balance, no lost-or-stolen report, not active on another account. AT&T USA, AT&T Prepaid and Cricket USA devices with this status are unlocked by the clean unlock service (iPhone 4 to 17 series and generic non-Apple devices). iPhones come back Unlocked after a restart with a non-AT&T SIM; non-Apple phones receive an unlock code in the reply. A second source with the same rules exists as a fallback.
Active Line
The IMEI is still active on another AT&T account, so AT&T will not release it to a new owner. The Active Line service accepts exactly this status for iPhones of all models and generic devices; Account2_Locked, Fraud and lost-or-stolen statuses are rejected by it. An automatic 24/7 variant accepts both Active Line and DEVICE_SOLD_DATE_60_DAYS and rejects NOT_SUPPORTED, Account2_Locked, lost-or-stolen and IMEIs missing from the AT&T database.
DEVICE_SOLD_DATE_60_DAYS
AT&T flags devices sold within the last 60 days. The phone is otherwise clean, but AT&T applies a waiting period after purchase and will not unlock it yet. The dedicated DEVICE_SOLD_DATE_60_DAYS service handles this status for iPhones and generic devices; any other status (unpaid, past due, lost or stolen, Account2_Locked) is rejected by it as NOT_SUPPORTED. If you can wait, the status expires on its own and the phone becomes clean.
No Longer Active On AT&T Account
The line the phone was on has been closed. AT&T does not treat a closed line as clean, so a separate service accepts this status; two variants exist with different ratios and times, and a broader "30 days / No Longer Active / GoPhone" service also covers devices sold less than 30 days ago and prepaid (GoPhone) units. Unpaid payments, Account2_Locked, NOT_SUPPORTED and IMEIs missing from the AT&T database are rejected by these services; past-due accounts and devices reported Not eligible go to the Past Due or Semi-Premium path instead.
Account2_Locked
An account-level lock on the IMEI. It has its own service for iPhones of all models and generic devices; past due, NOT_SUPPORTED and "IMEI threshold reached" statuses are rejected by it. Account2_Locked is also explicitly rejected by the Active Line, DEVICE_SOLD_DATE_60_DAYS and No Longer Active services, so do not try those first.
Account_Past_Due_Payments
The account behind the phone has overdue bills. The Past Due service accepts this status for iPhone 14 to 17 series dual-SIM models and generic devices; unpaid-bills instalment devices and denied requests are rejected by it. Past-due is not the same as Unpaid_Payments, see below.
Unpaid_Payments (instalments, in-contract)
The device is still being paid off or is under contract. The clean unlock reports this status and does not unlock. The Semi-Premium tier (one service up to the iPhone 15 series, one up to the 16 series) accepts unpaid-instalment, in-contract and active-line iPhones; lost, stolen, fraud and blacklisted IMEIs are not supported by it. These are slow services: processing takes weeks, not hours, and the order stays in progress until AT&T releases the unlock.
Lost_or_Stolen
AT&T has blocked the IMEI as lost or stolen and shared the report with the GSMA database, so no unlock service accepts it. The AT&T unbarring service removes the report so the IMEI reads clean in GSMA: one service for iPhones up to the 15 Pro Max, a separate one for the iPhone 16 and 17 series. Fraud-flagged devices are not supported, and devices blacklisted elsewhere (other carriers, GSMA-level reports) are rejected. Unbarring changes the blacklist status only; it does not SIM-unlock the device and does not clear unpaid balances. Allow up to 24 hours for GSMA to show the clean status, then order the unlock for the status the phone now has.
NOT_SUPPORTED, NON_AT&T and "not found in the AT&T database"
NOT_SUPPORTED is how a status-specific service reports a status it does not accept: the phone is not necessarily hopeless, it was sent down the wrong path. NON_AT&T and "not found in the AT&T database" mean the IMEI is not an AT&T device at all; submitting the wrong carrier still consumes the order, so when in doubt run the Carrier + SIM-Lock check first and read the activation policy. Fraud is the one status no service on the site accepts.
Status replies from the AT&T clean unlock + check status service
Unlocked — the device was clean and is now unlocked Lost_or_Stolen — blocked by AT&T, order unbarring first Unpaid_Payments — instalments or contract, Semi-Premium path Account_Past_Due_Payments — overdue bills, Past Due service No_Longer_Active_On_AT&T_Account — closed line, No Longer Active service NON_AT&T — the IMEI is not in the AT&T database
The example is for preview purposes only; identifiers are masked. As shown on AT&T USA IPHONE & GENERIC CLEAN UNLOCK + CHECK STATUS.
Check it now
Not sure which status your IMEI holds? The AT&T clean unlock + check status service unlocks a clean device and reports the blocking status for everything else, so the next order is the right one.