The Ultimate Tutorial On How To Unlock iPhone's

Today’s the day you finally made the last payment on your iPhone and that bad boy's officially all yours. What this means is you’re able to use it while traveling in another country with a domestic SIM card and have the freedom to swap networks when you please, right? Don’t start booking your flight to Mexico or running to T-Mobile quite yet as, unfortunately, it’s not quite that straightforward.

So as to prevent somebody from switching over to a rival’s network before they’ve payed off their iPhone or completed their contract, a large number of carriers put a SIM lock (also known as a carrier lock) on their smartphones. This consequently means that you, or whomever you sell your second hand iPhone to, are saddled with them for the long haul. If you’re thinking this sounds like a pretty dysfunctional working relationship, we're inclined to agree with you. Thankfully, along with a little legwork plus an account in good standing, you are on the right track to a carrier-unlocked iPhone in no time!

Before we continue, just a quick note on the sort of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should steer clear of! There are apps in existence that provide a chance to unlock your cellphone yourself, however you need to jailbreak your cell phone, and this is not a smart move, for a lot of reasons. You can do your own homework into jail-breaking, but it's not a sensible choice, and to be avoided. The best way to unlock your iPhone is actually by talking directly with your wireless provider. Your journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone relies largely on your network, with the process being either reasonably quick and simple or painfully tedious. To help you get a step closer to a life free from carrier-locked tyranny, we rounded up all the steps on how to get an iPhone unlock with this comprehensive guide. Please note that although this was written with iPhone owners in mind, most of the recommendations may be carried over to other smartphones.

What Is Carrier Unlocking?

As mentioned earlier, when you buy an iPhone or another smartphone from your cellular carrier, that device will still only function on that individual network until you either request to have your service provider unlock it or your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (more on that later). Also called a SIM unlock, factory unlock, or network unlock, carrier unlocking means removing a network’s restrictions on a device, enabling you to use it with a different cellular provider.

Luckily for us, not every iPhone require unlocking. For instance, should you buy your iPhone straight from Apple and purchase it outright, it should be unlocked and able to use on a variety of networks.

Please note, however, that not all phones bought outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. In particular, although sold as “unlocked”, smartphone's bought at Best Buy are in fact considered universal. So, whenever you insert a Sim for the first time, the device will essentially lock itself to the network linked to the Sim. Then, because certain carriers like T-Mobile will only unlock your iPhone if you got it directly from them, you could potentially end up getting an permanently carrier-locked device. Basically, you wind up paying factory-unlocked prices to get a carrier-locked cell phone.

Why would I Unlock My iPhone?

Having a network-unlocked iPhone comes with a number of rewards which include the ability to utilize (pretty much) any network both in the Unites States and in another country as well as higher resale values.

Network-unlocking provides you the freedom to use your cell phone with the network provider of your choice, almost whenever and wherever you want (with several exceptions, as you’ll find out later on). Such as, if you are currently using T-Mobile but are relocating to a new area of the country with lousy T-Mobile coverage, you can swap to AT&T on a dime

A Network-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a breeze. Unlocking also provides you with the flexibility to use your smartphone in foreign countries. Global 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 carrier and you're good to go.

Factory-unlocked iPhones have much higher resale values.

In the event you don’t plan on swapping service providers or traveling abroad any time soon, unlocking your iPhone is still a smart idea. If you ever anticipate trading in your old iPhone whenever you upgrade, you’ll generally get more money for it if the iPhone is already carrier unlocked due to higher demand for them in the resale market place.

Is it unlawful to Network Unlock your mobile phone?

No! Because of the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, finalized 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 carrier will unlock a smartphone differ greatly from carrier to carrier. For the most part, virtually all providers require you to finish your contract, pay for your financial obligations fully, or at best have an account in good standing before they’ll permit you to unlock your iPhone.

The way to determine if your iPhone is Unlocked

Before beginning the network-unlocking process, you’ll first want to check if your iPhone is already unlocked (no sense in under-going the hassle if you don’t really need to). All you need to do is ensure that you’re connected with WiFi and insert a brand-new SIM card from an alternative network provider and your cellphone will do the rest automatically. This verification check generally takes no more than a minute to complete after a SIM has been inserted.

Throughout the verification process, you’ll observe that your iPhone will boot onto a white screen and attempt to verify that it has been unlocked with your carrier. If Apple confirm that your iPhone is IMEI-unlocked, it will return to the home screen and signal bars will appear from the new service provider. However, if a white screen appears that says SIM Not Supported, your cellphone has not been unlocked.

How to Unlock iPhones from a Carrier

Once you determine that your phone is definitely locked to your current cellular provider, next you will need to take a look at your service provider’s unlocking eligibility demands. Should your iPhone meet their unlocking criteria, you can request that the device can be unlocked from their network. As hinted at previously, both the eligibility requirements and the unlocking process vary from service provider to service provider. Each has been outlined below for the major carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

Please note that, as long as you have met the unlock requirements and therefore are completing the network-unlocking directly with your service provider, asking for your iPhone be unlocked is likely to be absolutely free. If you opt to work through a 3rd party unlocking company, you will be charged, but making use of a third party service is your only option if you are not the original owner of the phone. Before you spend money unnecessarily, try using the directions below first.

How To Locate An iPhone’s IMEI Number

When factory-unlocking your iPhone, you'll have to supply your provider the cell phones IMEI number. This unique, 15-digit identifier is fundamentally your cell phone’s VIN or social security number. To find your IMEI, on your phone, select Settings > General > About and search to the bottom section where you'll see it displayed next to IMEI.

You can also look for the number on the smartphone shell itself. For earlier iPhone's (6, 6 Plus, 1st-generation SE, 5s, 5c, 5), the number may also be imprinted on the back or the SIM tray.

Once you’ve located the IMEI, it highly advisable that you store it someplace for safekeeping.

Unlock an iPhone on AT&T

Unlocking an iPhone from the AT&T network is about as simple as a, b, c. Just pop on across to the AT&T site, answer a few questions, and you’re well on your way to SIM-unlocked freedom.

When you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to review your AT&T unlocking status. Once you acquire your validation text or email, simply open it up and click on the verification link. That's all there is to it! AT&T will unlock your iPhone in just a couple of business days.

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

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
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 your iPhone is included in term agreement or installment plan, it needs to also meet these requirements:

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

For in depth eligibility requirements, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Sprint

Dependent on when you acquired your phone and if it has SIM-unlock capabilities, you have a few different unlock options. In the event you bought a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it will be SIM-unlock capable) and it's actively being used on their network, Sprint should unlock it automatically after it meets their eligibility requirements. So, you really don’t have to do anything at all besides keep your account in good standing. Even so, if your iPhone is inactive or was purchased before February 2015, you’ll need to get in touch with Sprint Customer Service directly to ask for an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or phone 888-211-4727).

There has been reports from some Sprint customers that the auto-unlock program doesn't always function as it should, so it’s most certainly a good idea to confirm that your iPhone is unlocked before attempting to switch to a different service provider or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you plan 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's got to adhere to the following requirements:

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
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)

If your iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it has to also meet 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 conditions, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on T-Mobile

If you’re an Android cellphone owner reading this and your device satisfies the eligibility conditions, consider yourself fortunate: You are able to unlock it easily from the phone itself. For all you iPhone owners out there, you’ll need to get in touch with T-Mobile’s Team of Experts directly (either dial 611 from a T-Mobile iPhone, call 877-746-0909.

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

Must have been purchased directly from T-Mobile
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

If your iPhone is part of a postpaid account, it must 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, by far and away, the leading service provider to work with 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 from 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, meet any unique requirements, or even contact them to ask to unlock your phone from their network. Provided your iPhone hasn’t been reported lost or stolen, just wait sixty days following purchase or activation and your phone will be all set.

Hard to believe? Just click here.

Once I've Unlocked my iPhone — what now?

Back many years ago, you’d need to connect your iPhone up to iTunes and perform a software restore to finish the unlock process. Fortunately, it’s much easier today. All you have to do is stick to the same steps you took earlier to check whether your phone had been unlocked to start with.

In the event you don’t have access to a Sim from another carrier, you may still verify that your iPhone has been unlocked by performing iTunes software restore. Just connect your iPhone to a computer running iTunes and click the “restore” option. Once the restoration process has finished, you should see a message which says “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

Congratulations! You successfully IMEI-unlocked your iPhone! That means you can use whichever network you wish to now, true? We hate to tell you this, but no. Because of the two different kinds of technologies deployed in the US, GSM and CDMA, your choice of mobile phone providers is dependent upon the model of your iPhone and the original carrier it's locked to. Primarily, Verizon and Sprint are CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networks, while AT&T, T-Mobile, and the majority of service providers in other countries are GSM (Global System for Mobiles) networks.

As you may have guessed, both of these different network types will not talk to each other (because that would be too easy). Fortunately, as we move closer to global 5G access and as older networks are phased out, this will hopefully cease to be an issue.

To determine which service providers you have access to based on both these factors, carry on 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

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! After your phone has been officially-unlocked, it'll remain that way for the life of the device. You are able to restore your iPhone or up-date apps without worrying about your unlock disappearing afterwards.

william33wilder

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