The Ultimate Guide On How To Unlock iPhone's

So, you have at long last made the last payment on your iPhone and it's eventually all yours. This means that you’re able to use it while traveling overseas with a local SIM card and have the freedom to swap networks as you please, right? Don’t start booking your flight to the Caribbean or running to AT&T quite yet since, unfortunately, it’s not quite that straightforward.

In order to prevent people from shifting to a competitor’s network before they’ve paid off their iPhone or satisfied their contract, lots of carriers put a SIM lock (commonly known as as a carrier lock) on their cell phones. This inevitably makes sure that you, or whomever you sell your second-hand iPhone to, are saddled with them in the future. If you’re thinking this sounds like a pretty dysfunctional relationship, we’d tend to agree with you. Thankfully, with a bit of effort plus an account in good order, you are on the way to a carrier-unlocked iPhone before you know it!

Before we go on, just a quick note about the type of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should avoid! There is software available on the market that offer the ability to unlock your device yourself, but you need to jailbreak your smartphone, and this is a stupid idea, for lots of reasons. You can do your own investigating into jail-breaking, but it's very risky, and not recommended. The best way to unlock your iPhone is simply by talking directly with your network provider. Your journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone hinges largely on your network, with the procedure being either comparatively quick and simple or painfully tedious. To get you a step closer to a life free from carrier-locked tyranny, we researched all the steps to be able to obtain an iPhone unlock in this comprehensive guide. Please note that although this was written with iPhone owners in mind, most of the recommendations can easily be carried over to other smartphones.

What Is IMEI Unlocking?

As noted before, when you buy an iPhone or any other smartphone from a network carrier, that cell phone will only function on that individual network unless you either request to have your network unlock it or your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (read more about that later). Also referred to as a SIM unlock, factory unlock, or network unlock, carrier unlocking means removing a network’s restrictions on a device, so that you can use it with a different cellular provider.

The good news is, not every iPhone require unlocking. As an example, should you buy your iPhone straight from Apple and pay it off in full, it will already be unlocked and able to use with a variety of carriers.

Please note, however, not all phones purchased outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. In particular, although sold as “unlocked”, smartphones purchased at Best Buy are in fact considered universal. So, whenever you insert a SIM card initially, the iPhone will effectively lock itself to the service provider associated with the SIM card. Then, because certain networks like T-Mobile will only unlock your iPhone if you got it directly from them, you could end up having an permanently network-locked device. Quite simply, you find yourself paying factory-unlocked prices to get a network-locked cellphone.

Why Should I Unlock My iPhone?

Having a officially-unlocked iPhone comes with a good number of rewards such as the ability to operate on (just about) any network within the Unites States and in another country in addition to increased second-hand values.

1. Factory-unlocking offers you the ability to use your cell phone with the cellular provider of your choice, almost wherever and whenever you want (with a few exceptions, as you’ll see in a while). For example, if you're currently using T-Mobile but are relocating to a new area of the country with poor T-Mobile coverage, you can switch to AT&T in a heartbeat




2. A Officially-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a cinch. Unlocking also offers you the ability to use your cell phone overseas. Worldwide roaming fees, expensive international plans, and crazy dashes for WiFi become a distant memory with an unlocked iPhone. Just pop in a SIM card from a local network and you're good to go.




3. Network-unlocked iPhones have much higher resale values.

In the event you don’t anticipate changing networks or going internationally in the near future, unlocking your iPhone remains a smart idea. If you intend on trading in your old iPhone when you upgrade, you’ll more often than not get more cash for it if the iPhone is already network unlocked due to higher demand for them on the resale market place.

Is it illegal to IMEI Unlock your smartphone?

Definitely not! Because of Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2014, all US-based cellular providers must allow people to unlock their phones. However, the conditions under which a network will unlock a smart phone vary widely from service provider to service provider. Generally speaking, many service providers require you to complete your contract, cover your financial obligations fully, or at best have an account in good standing before they’ll allow you to unlock your iPhone.

The way to check if your iPhone is Unlocked

Before starting the smartphone-unlocking process, you’ll first need to find out if your iPhone has already been unlocked (no sense in suffering the hassle if 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 another network provider and your mobile phone will do the rest automatically. This verification check usually takes less than a minute to complete after a new SIM has been inserted.

Through the verification procedure, you’ll notice that your iPhone will boot onto a white screen and attempt to confirm that it has been unlocked with your provider. Should Apple verify that your iPhone is IMEI-unlocked, it will return to the home screen and service bars should appear from the new network. However, if a white screen appears that says SIM Not Supported, your phone will not be unlocked.

How to Unlock iPhones from any Service provider

Having confirmed your smartphone is definitely locked to your current cellular provider, next you'll need to take a look at your carrier’s unlocking eligibility demands. If your iPhone meets their criteria, you can ask them if the device can be unlocked from their network. As suggested before, both the eligibility requirements and the unlocking process vary from carrier to carrier. Each has been outlined below for the major carriers including Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T.

Please be aware that, provided you’ve met the unlock conditions and are completing the network-unlocking directly with your provider, requesting that your iPhone be unlocked is likely to be absolutely free. Should you decide to use a 3rd party unlocking provider, you will have to pay for the service, but using a 3rd party company is your only option if you bought the phone second-hand. So, before you spend money unnecessarily, try using the directions below beforehand.

Find An iPhone’s IMEI Number

When network-unlocking your iPhone, you'll have to supply your service provider your device’s IMEI number. This unique, 15-digit identifier is fundamentally your phone’s VIN or social security number. To locate your IMEI, on your phone, select Settings > General > About and search to the bottom of the list where you will see it listed next to IMEI.

Additionally you can locate the IMEI number on the smartphone shell itself. For earlier iPhone models (1st-generation SE, 5s, 5c, 5, 6, 6 Plus), the IMEI number may also be branded on the back or the SIM tray.

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

Unlock an iPhone on AT&T

Unlocking your iPhone from the AT&T network is about as simple as 1-2-3. Just pop on over to the AT&T unlock portal, answer a couple of questions, and you’re well on your way to carrier-unlocked freedom.

Once you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to check on your AT&T unlocking status. When you acquire your confirmation text or email, simply open it up and click on the confirmation link. That's all there is to it! AT&T will unlock your iPhone within 2 working days.

For any iPhone to get unlocked from AT&T, it needs to satisfy the following requirements:

• Must not be reported as lost, stolen, or blocked
• 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

If the iPhone is part of a term agreement or installment plan, it requires to also adhere to these requirements:

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

For precise eligibility prerequisites, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Sprint

Dependent on when you bought your phone and if it has got SIM-unlock capabilities, you have a several different unlock choices. In the event you bought a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it should be SIM-unlock capable) and it is 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 more apart from keep your account in good standing. However, if your iPhone is inactive or was purchased prior to February 2015, you’ll have to speak to Sprint Customer Service directly to ask for an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or dial 888-211-4727).

We have seen reports from some Sprint customers that the auto-unlock program doesn't always work as it should, so it’s certainly a good idea to verify that your iPhone has been unlocked before attempting to change to another service provider or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you propose to sell it to a buyback business or on craigslist or ebay.

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

• Must be on an account in good standing
• Must not be reported as lost, stolen, or associated with fraud
• 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

If the iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it has to also adhere to these requirements:

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

For precise eligibility requirements, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on T-Mobile

If you’re an Android cellphone owner reading this and your handset matches the eligibility prerequisites, consider yourself in luck: You can actually unlock it right from the handset itself. For all you iPhone owners out there, you’ll have to get in touch with T-Mobile’s Team of Specialists directly (either dial 611 from a T-Mobile iPhone, call 877-746-0909.

For an iPhone to be unlocked from T-Mobile, it must adhere to the following requirements:

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

If your iPhone is part of a pre-paid plan, it has to also meet these requirements:

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

For in-depth eligibility prerequisites, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Verizon

Verizon is, without a doubt, the best provider to use for unlocking an iPhone. Why? Because Verizon will automatically unlock your phone Sixty days following the purchase of the device. If you obtained your iPhone at a retail partner, it can be unlocked automatically Sixty days after device activation.

There are no catches. You don’t have to pay off your phone, fulfill any specific demands, or even get in touch with them to ask to unlock your phone from their network. As long as your iPhone hasn’t been reported stolen or lost, merely wait two 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 — now what?

Back many years ago, you’d have to hook your iPhone to iTunes and do a software restore in order to complete the unlock process. Luckily, it’s much easier nowadays. All you have to do is follow the same steps you used earlier to find out whether your phone had been unlocked to begin with.

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

Well done! You successfully network-unlocked your iPhone! Meaning your able to use what ever network you would like to now, yes? We hate to tell you this, but no. Due to the two different types of technologies deployed in the US, GSM and CDMA, your available mobile phone providers depends on the type of your iPhone as well as the original network it was locked to. Primarily, Verizon and Sprint are CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networks, while AT&T, T-Mobile, and most providers abroad are GSM (Global System for Mobiles) networks.

As you’ve probably guessed, both these different network types do not talk to each other (because that's too logical). Fortunately, as we approach world-wide 5G access and as older networks are retired, it will hopefully cease to be an issue.

To find out which service providers you have access to depending on both of 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

Is the Unlock permanent?

You got it! After your phone has been officially-unlocked, it'll stay that way for the life of the handset. It is possible to restore your iPhone or up-date apps without having to worry about your unlock disappearing afterwards.