The Ultimate Guide On How To Unlock iPhone's

So, you have finally made the last payment on your iPhone and that baby is officially all yours. What this means is you’re able to use it while traveling overseas with a local SIM card and are free to switch networks as you want, right? Don’t start booking your flight to the Caribbean or running to Sprint just yet because, unfortunately, it’s not quite that clear-cut.

So as to prevent people from transferring to a competitor’s network before they’ve payed off their iPhone or completed their contract, loads of carriers put a lock (sometimes known as a network lock) on their phones. This ultimately guarantees that you, or the individual you sell your pre-owned iPhone to, are stuck with them in the future. If you’re thinking this sounds like a pretty dysfunctional working relationship, we’d tend to agree with you. Fortunately, with a bit of legwork plus an account in good order, you are on the way to a SIM-unlocked iPhone before you know it!

Before we continue, just a quick note about the sort of unlock's that are avialable, and the one's you should avoid! There are apps out there offering the cabability to unlock your cell phone yourself, but you need to jailbreak your iPhone, and this is a stupid idea, for lots of reasons. You can do your own investigating into jailbreaking, but it's not a sensible choice, and to be avoilded. The easiest way to unlock your iPhone is simply by discussing directly with your wireless provider. The journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone will depend largely on your network, with the process being either reasonably quick and easy or painfully tedious. To help you get one step closer to a life free of carrier-locked tyranny, we accumulated all the steps on how to obtain an iPhone unlock in this comprehensive guide. Please note that while this was written with iPhone owners in mind, the majority of the advice may be used with other smartphones.

What Is SIM Unlocking?

As noted earlier, when you buy an iPhone or other smartphone from a network provider, that smart phone is only going to work on that individual network unless you either request to have your service provider unlock it or your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (more on that later). Often known as a SIM unlock, factory unlock, or network unlock, carrier unlocking means removing a network’s restrictions on a device, letting you use it with a different cellular provider.

Thankfully, not all iPhones require unlocking. For example, if you buy your iPhone from Apple and pay it off in full, it should be unlocked and able to use on a varitey of networks.

Please be aware, however, that not all phones bought outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. In particular, although sold as “unlocked”, mobile phones bought at Best Buy are actually considered universal. So, if you insert a SIM card initially, the cell phone will basically lock itself to the provider associated with the SIM card. Subsequently, because certain service providers like T-Mobile may only unlock your iPhone if you got it directly from them, you could end up getting an permanently network-locked device. Basically, you find yourself paying factory-unlocked prices for a network-locked mobile phone.

Having a network-unlocked iPhone comes with its fair share of rewards like the freedom to work with (almost) any network in the United States and overseas as well as heavily increased resale prices.

Why Should I Unlock My iPhone?

Possessing a carrier-unlocked iPhone comes with a number of rewards including the flexibility to operate on (pretty much) any network both in the US and abroad together with higher second-hand values.

1. IMEI-unlocking offers you the choice to use your phone with the network provider of your choice, almost wherever and whenever you like (with some exceptions, as you’ll see later). As an example, if you're currently using T-Mobile but are relocating to a new area of the country with bad T-Mobile coverage, you'll be able to swap to AT&T on a dime




2. A Network-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a breeze. Unlocking also provides you with the flexibility to use your phone abroad. Worldwide roaming fees, pricey international plans, and crazy dashes for WiFi are a thing of the past with an unlocked iPhone. Simply put in a SIM card from a local network and you’re in business.




3. Carrier-unlocked iPhones have higher resale values.

Even when you don’t anticipate switching service providers or heading internationally anytime soon, unlocking your iPhone remains a smart idea. If you ever anticipate trading in your old iPhone whenever you upgrade, you’ll more often than not get more money for it if the iPhone is already carrier unlocked due to greater interest in them on the resale marketplace.

Is it against the law to IMEI Unlock your smartphone?

No! Thanks to the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2014, all US-based cellular providers have to allow customers to unlock their phones. However, the circumstances under which a service provider will unlock a smart phone vary widely from service provider to service provider. For the most part, almost all providers require you to finish your contract, cover your financial obligations in full, or otherwise have an account in good standing before they’ll permit you to unlock your iPhone.

How to verify that your iPhone is Unlocked

Prior to starting the smartphone-unlocking process, you’ll first want to determine whether your iPhone is already unlocked (no need in undergoing the hassle when you don’t actually need to). All you have to do is make sure that you’re connected to WiFi and insert a brand new SIM card from a different cellular provider and your handset will do everything else automatically. This verification check normally takes less than a minute to accomplish once a SIM has been inserted.

During the verification process, you’ll note that your iPhone will boot to a white screen and try to establish that it has been unlocked with your network. If Apple verify that your iPhone is IMEI-unlocked, it will return to the home screen and service bars should appear from the new service provider. However, if you see a white screen that says SIM Not Supported, your cell phone has not been unlocked.

How to Unlock iPhones from any Network

Once you verify that your mobile phone is definitely locked to your current network provider, next you will need to take a look at your carrier’s unlocking eligibility prerequisites. Should your iPhone meet those unlocking guidelines, you can ask them if the device can be unlocked from their network. As hinted at previously, both the eligibility requirements and the unlocking process vary from provider to provider. They all have been outlined below for the major carriers including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Please note that, provided you’ve met the unlock conditions and are completing the network-unlocking directly with your service provider, asking for your iPhone be unlocked is often absolutely free. If you opt to go through a third party unlocking company, you're going to be charged, but making use of a 3rd party provider is your only option if you bought the phone pre-owned. So, before you spend money unnecessarily, try using the directions outlined below beforehand.

How To Locate Your iPhone’s IMEI Number

When network-unlocking your iPhone, you will have to supply your service provider your handsets IMEI number. This unique, 15-digit identifier is effectively your smartphone’s VIN or social security number. To locate your IMEI, on your phone, select Settings > General > About and scroll down to the bottom section where you'll see it displayed next to IMEI.

You can also locate the IMEI number on the cellphone outer shell itself. For earlier iPhone models (1st-generation SE, 5s, 5c, 5, 6, 6 Plus), the IMEI number will also be written on the back or the SIM tray.

After you’ve established the IMEI, we strongly recommend that you store it somewhere for safekeeping.

Unlock an iPhone on AT&T

Unlocking your iPhone from the AT&T network is about as easy as A, B, C. Just run on over to the AT&T unlock portal, answer a few questions, and you’re well on your way to carrier-unlocked freedom.

When you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to review your AT&T unlock status. When you obtain your validation text or email, just open it up then click on the confirmation link. That’s it! AT&T will unlock your iPhone in just a couple of working days.

For an iPhone to be unlocked from AT&T, it has to meet the following requirements:

• Must not have a past-due balance
• Must not be active on a different AT&T account
• If it is a work phone, you must have your employer’s permission to unlock it
• If it is an AT&T PREPAID phone, it must be active for at least six months
• Must not be reported as lost, stolen, or blocked

If your iPhone is included in term agreement or installment plan, it must also adhere to these requirements:

• The term agreement must be complete
• The device must be active on the AT&T network for at least 60 days
• The installment plan must be paid off

For in depth eligibility requirements, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Sprint

Based on when you acquired your phone and if it has SIM-unlock capabilities, you've got a few different unlock choices. In the event you obtained a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it should be SIM-unlock capable) and it's actively being used on their network, Sprint can unlock it automatically once it meets their qualifications requirements. So, you really don’t have to do anything at all apart from keep your account in good order. However, if your iPhone is inactive or was purchased prior to February 2015, you’ll need to get in touch with Sprint Customer Care directly to request an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or call 888-211-4727).

There have been reports from some Sprint users that the auto-unlock program doesn't necessarily operate as it should, so it’s certainly a very good idea to verify that your iPhone has been unlocked before trying to swap to another service or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you plan to sell it to a buyback company or on eBay.

In order for an iPhone to get unlocked from the Sprint network, it must meet the following requirements:

• Must have SIM-unlock capabilities (if it doesn’t, it is MSL (Master Subsidy Lock) locked and you will need to call Sprint for the MSL code)
• Must be active on the Sprint network for at least 40 days
• Must be on an account in good standing
• Must not be reported as lost, stolen, or associated with fraud

If the iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it's got to also satisfy these requirements:

• Any early-termination fees must be fully paid
• Any lease or installment payments must be fully paid
• If leased, the end-of-lease purchase option must be fully paid

For in-depth eligibility prerequisites, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on T-Mobile

If your reading this and own an Android phone and your handset satisfies the eligibility conditions, consider yourself fortunate: You can unlock it easily from the handset itself. For all you iPhone owners out there, you’ll have to speak to T-Mobile’s Group of Specialists directly (either dial 611 from your T-Mobile iPhone, call 877-746-0909.

To have an iPhone unlocked from T-Mobile, it must fulfill the following conditions:

• For prepaid accounts, it must have been active on the account for at least 12 months
• Must have been purchased directly from T-Mobile
• Must be paid for in full
• Must not have been reported as lost, stolen, or blocked

If your iPhone is on a pre-paid account, it must also satisfy the following requirements:

• Must have been active on the account for at least 40 days
• The account must be in good standing

For in-depth eligibility conditions, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Verizon

Verizon is, hands down, the best service provider to work with for unlocking an iPhone. Why? Because Verizon will automatically unlock your phone 60 days after the purchase of the device. If you bought your iPhone at a retail partner, it'll be unlocked automatically 60 days after device activation.

There are no catches. You don’t have to pay off your phone, fulfill any specific prerequisites, or even get in touch with them to request to unlock your phone from their network. Provided that your iPhone hasn’t been reported lost or stolen, just wait 2 months after purchase or activation and your phone will be ready to go.

Hard to believe? Just click here.

Now I've Unlocked my iPhone — what now?

In the old days, you’d have to connect your iPhone up to iTunes and conduct a software restore to perform the unlock process. Luckily, it’s much simpler these days. All you have to do is stick to the same steps you took earlier to check if your phone is unlocked to start with.

When you don’t have access to a SIM card from an alternative carrier, you may still verify that a iPhone has been unlocked using an iTunes software restore. Just connect your iPhone to a computer running iTunes and hit the “restore” option. Once the restoration process has finished, you will see a message saying “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

Congratulations! You successfully officially-unlocked your iPhone! That means you're able to use whatever carrier you would like to now, true? We hate be the bearer of bad news, but no. As a result of two different kinds of systems used in the US, CDMA and GSM, your choice of mobile phone providers depends on the model of your iPhone and the original network it's locked to. Specifically, Verizon and Sprint are CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networks, while AT&T, T-Mobile, and the majority of providers abroad are GSM (Global System for Mobiles) networks.

As you may have guessed, both these different network types don't talk to each other (because that would be too easy). Thankfully, as we move closer to world-wide 5G access and as older networks are phased out, this will hopefully no longer be a challenge.

To discover which service providers you can access based on both these factors, continue reading.

AT&T

GSM networks only (AT&T, T-Mobile, international GSM carriers):  Original iPhone, iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X

Any carrier worldwide:  iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

Sprint

International networks only:  iPhone 4s and iPhone 5

Any carrier worldwide:  iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

T-Mobile

GSM networks only (AT&T, T-Mobile, international GSM carriers): Original iPhone, iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X

Any carrier worldwide: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

Verizon

Compatible with any carrier in the world, but with limitations when using GSM networks: iPhone 4s, iPhone 5

Any carrier worldwide:  iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

Will the Unlock last forever?

Yes! Once your phone has been officially-unlocked, it will remain like that for the lifetime of the device. You can restore your iPhone or update applications without worrying about your unlock vanishing afterwards.