How to Unlock Cell Phones via IMEI

By Lettie Amendola

If you acquire a mobile phone through a cellular provider, you'll find it locked into that company's service. If the company provide you with a free or discounted phone, you ordinarily have to agree to a 1- or 2-year plan as well. You can avoid this contract and freely swap between providers, as well as travel overseas and use domestic networks, easily by unlocking your smartphone using the IMEI code. In order to unlock your mobile phone, simply follow the three steps below.

Step 1

Find the 15-digit IMEI number. This is usually written on the smartphone beneath the battery. You can also generally locate it in your phone's setting page or by keying in a special code to get your mobile phone to show the number on your screen. Most of the time, this code is *#06#

Step 2

After you have found the IMEI code of your phone, speak to your current network and ask them if they are willing to offer you an unlock code. Dependent on your circumstances, they may grant your request. Although, different service providers may have thier own set of guidelines that need to be met before they will supply you with an unlock code, and many may refuse. Generally, if you have finished your contract, your smartphone provider may very well provide you guidelines on how to unlock your cell phone, but in most cases they'll insist you are the original owner of the handset (the contract on thier system is in your name). In the event that you're not, for example, you bought the smartphone second-hand, you will need to find an alternative unlocking strategy to unlock your mobile phone.

Step 3

If you're not the orginal owner of the mobile phone, you will need to purchase an unlock code from a third party supplier. Fortunately there are loads of on line companies offering services simply by providing them with your cellphone's IMEI number, it's make and model and the network it's locked to. The price of the service and the time it takes to unlock your phone depends upon the above mentioned factors, and may vary quite considerably for more obscure devices or networks. Using a 3rd party unlocking provider is generally the fastest and most convenient way to unlock your phone, as it will be conducted remotely without your smartphone ever needing to leave your pocession. Once your mobile phone's been sucessfully unlocked it can then be used on any network and in any country you wish.