Metro deal - translation please

https://www.prepaidphonenews.com/2020/09/metro-by-t-mobile-now-offering-free.html

So how long before the phone gets unlocked? Oh, 6 mo, so 6 mo $40/mo = $240 gets you 6 mo svc plus unlocked iPhone 7. Not bad. Question is how much longer will one get iOS and security updates....

https://www.metrobyt-mobile.com/terms-conditions/phone-unlock-policy.html

Service Requirements

Your handset must have had active service for a minimum of one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days from the individual phone’s activation date.

The first month of service is actually $60 when you factor in the activation fee. However, I've read on several other boards that if you buy any Metro phone on a new plan, only pay and use it for a month, then let it sit in a drawer for 5 months without porting out the number, the phone will automatically unlock on day 181. A bunch of people bought Metro iPhone 7's back in February using new numbers activated on Visible during the first Moto E6 swap frenzy. If the unlock loophole holds true for this deal, you could theoretically pay $60 plus taxes to receive an unlocked iphone 7 in 6 months.

Does locked Metro phone work on T-Mobile?

No. The other direction does work, from reports. (Using a locked T-Mobile device on Metro.)

(And I'm assuming the same rules work for iPhones as for Androids.)

I'm thinking of going in on this deal using my Visible number on which I just let a plan lapse about 10 days ago. The number is still good for porting out. I'm thinking of not just getting the iPhone 7 but going in on the $60/month unlimited plan so that I can also pick up an Amazon FireTV Stick 4k. I would be paying an extra $20 to pick up a $50 item. As for the phone, I'm going to try and see whether or not the phone truly unlocks after 6 months, even when you don't pay for months 2-6.

I went in on the free iPhone 7 deal at the $60 rate plan on Oct. 10, although I had to pay another $20 fee for activation. I ported in a number from Visible that had lapsed but was within the 60-day period before it was erased completed, Today, I got my text from Metro for an amazon.com code for a free FireTV stick, and I redeemed it. The device is a $50 value.

My next step is to see if one of the big box retailers will let me "return" the unopened FireTV stick for store credit. I did something similar a few years ago when eBay had a competing deal on Amazon prime day that let you earn you a free EchoDot with the purchase of at least $119 on a single checkout.

Then, I've just got to let my iPhone 7 sit for about 5.5 months to see if it unlocks.