'How to check if my iPhone is unlocked or still locked to a carrier like AT&T? I would like to know whether my device is successfully unlocked and ready to be used without network restriction or not? How to tell if iPhone is unlocked?'
Unlock your device Be sure your AT&T phone, tablet, or mobile hotspot is nearby. FYI: We can only unlock devices that work on the AT&T network.Some unlocked phones may not be. Jun 04, 2020 If you can successfully make a call with another carrier's SIM card in your phone, your phone is unlocked; however, if you can't, the phone is carrier locked and you'll need to talk to your carrier about unlocking it. Before getting a new SIM card, figure out which size of SIM card your phone will use. Nov 23, 2020 An unlocked cell phone means that you can travel internationally or use your phone on different carriers. Your phone will accept a SIM card from another network (in most cases) or another provider. Part 3: How to Unlock SIM Card for Rooted Android Phone. For new Android devices powered by Android 5.0 and later, you should root the phone first. Then connect the phone to computer and launch Android Data Recovery on the computer. Now click 'Unlock', the phone will be unlocked in a few minutes.
Why bother checking your iPhone is unlocked or locked? Thus, if iPhone is factory or carrier unlocked, you can use any SIM and enjoy all GSM service.
What if your iPhone is locked to a mobile carrier? You can only use the specific networks with your SIM cards but can't use all GSM service on your iOS phone.
(You may also need: unlock a disabled iPhone without iTunes)
Therefore, it's important and necessary to check the unlock status of iPhone, especially before buying a new or pre-owned iPhone.
In addition, you should also check and make sure that your iPhone is not on the GSM Blacklist. Otherwise, it could result in troublesome after-sales problems.
(Besides, you should also check how to unlock iPhone backup if it is encrypted.)
Method 1: How Can I Check if iPhone is Unlocked with a Different SIM CardRecommend!!!
What's a Carrier Unlocked iPhone?
General speaking, a factory or carrier unlocked iPhone will a little bit expensive than a GSM locked iPhone. Most discount iPhone models basically have contract locks, so they'll ask you to sign a specific contract to protect the money in their pocket. Carrier Locked iPhone has manufacturer built-in technical restriction on GSM and CDMA handsets, which limit the use of these handsets in the network or in specific countries.
Therefore, be sure to check if your iPhone whether unlocked before you get a discount on the iPhone at a store or online.
For your convenience, here are some effective ways to tell if your iPhone is unlocked or still locked. Before you decide to buy a new iPhone X / 8/8 Plus or a second-hand iPhone 7 Plus / 6 Plus / 6s Plus, please read the following guidelines and check.
(Please know that Carrier unlock is different from unlocking iPhone without password.)
Compare 3 Check iPhone Unlock Status methods: (SIM card, iOS Settings, and IMEI Number)
1. Tell if iPhone is unlocked with two different SIM Cards
Accuracy: 100% Accurate
Weakness: This method does not tell you which network your iPhone is locked to.
2. Check the lock status of your iPhone with iOS Settings
Accuracy: 60% Accurate
Weakness: This method can give you a hint, but it is not an accurate way for you to check if your iPhone is unlocked.
3. Check if iPhone is Unlocked with IMEI Number
Accuracy: 100% Accurate
Weakness: This is the quickest and easiest way to check if your iPhone does not have a locked SIM card even if your iPhone is stolen or lost. And you can check it by using the IMEI number.
Method 1: How Can I Check if iPhone is Unlocked with a Different SIM Card
This is a reliable way to check if the iPhone is unlocked using a SIM card. To check your iPhone's lock / unlock status, you must have two SIM cards from different carriers for this test. If you can use your iPhone with another SIM card from another provider, your iPhone is unlocked. In addition, you can purchase a new SIM card or buy it from your friends or family.
Follow these steps to check the locked/unlocked condition:
Step 1. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until you see the 'Slide to power off' of the screen, then right swipe it to turn off your iPhone.
Step 2. Using your SIM eject tool or a small tool like a paperclip, toothpick etc. to eject the current working SIM card.
Step 3. Remove the current SIM card and insert the other SIM carrier's card, then slide it back into the iPhone.
Step 4. Turn on your iPhone just like the step 1.
Step 5. Now you can see the name of the carrier on the top left corner to check if the new carrier SIM works on your iPhone.
Step 6. To test the condition, you can make a call to check if is unlocked. And if you see an 'Activation Code', 'SIM Unlock Code', or a similar error before calling/opening the app, then your iPhone is carrier-locked. If successfully, then it means that your iPhone is unlocked.
Method 2: Without Sim Card? How do I Know if iPhone is Unlocked with iOS Settings
This is a very practical and easy way to know if your iPhone is unlocked and you can go to the settings menu and find specific options. However, this is not suitable for all iPhone, but if you want to check, you can try this way first.
Tap Setting option on your iPhone, look for the Cellular Data option, and if you can see it, then it means that your iPhone is unlocked. If not, your iPhone is locked.
Method 3: Check if iPhone is Unlocked with IMEI Number
To real-time unlock progress monitoring, the use of IMEI numbers should be the quickest way. The IMEI number is your iDevice's unique serial number, which provides all the information about your iDevices. Through the IMEI Checker website, you can easily check the iPhone's lock status. But most reliable IMEI checker service is not free. It will charge a proper fee.
But you are also recommended to use your Carrier IMEI check sites, like AT&T IMEI Unlock Check and T-Mobile IMEI Unlock Check. It will be appreciated if you know any free IMEI Check site and leave a comment. Here is a 3-party IMEI number Checker website.
Step 1. Open IMEI Info's registration page and create an account. (You may need to fill out the following forms including The Login name, First name, Email address, Country, Verification code, Password etc.)
Step 2. After activating your account, it will take you to IMEI info's main page, then you can enter your IMEI number.
And to know your iPhone's IMEI number, you can open your iPhone's Settings, and tap General > About to scroll down to the 'IMEI' section, then you will see your iPhone's IMEI number.
Step 3. After entering and verifying your IMEI number, you can click Check Apple Phone Details. Then you will see one of the text as below:
Unlocked: false - Your iPhone is locked.
Unlocked: true - Your iPhone is unlocked.
By the way, if you are considering transferring previous files from old phone to a new iPhone, you can use this Mobile Transfer to migrate data directly from phone to phone. In addition, transferring WhatsApp from Android to iPhone is also recommended. Moreover, you may also interested in the method to fix iPhone is disabled, connect to iTunes.
The Bottom Line
To sum up, knowing if your iPhone is unlocked or locked is crucial because this can help you avoid unnecessary hassles after buying an iPhone, no matter a used iPhone/iPad or a new iPhone/iPad. This post has discussed 3 practical solutions to tell if your iPhone is unlocked or locked with simple steps. The easiest way is to use another SIM Card to test. In case you don't own another SIM card on a different network, we've also listed two useful way to check if iPhone is unlocked without SIM Card. Why not follow the step-by-step guide and check iPhone unlock status right now?
Knowing whether or not your Samsung phone is network locked can come handy in certain situations. One such situations can be the time when you’re trying to buy a preowned phone. Learn what network unlocked means and other things related to it.
What does network unlocked mean?
Samsung devices are usually made-to-order by carriers. This means that Samsung build their devices according to specifications of carriers that buy them. In some cases, “global” or “universal” or “international” Samsung devices may be built for those wanting to have a generally “generic” device. Carrier-branded devices show the logo of the carrier and is generally custom made for its services. Thus, you’ll see that Verizon Samsung devices have the Verizon logo on them as well as Verizon proprietary apps installed. A modified Android firmware by Verizon is also installed on the device, which is also tailored for Verizon specifications. Such specifications include Verizon-specific network configuration too. This means that the phone may not work with other networks. This is what network locked means. Fortunately, most Verizon devices are network unlocked these days so they may work right off the bat if you use them in compatible network.
How to check if your Samsung phone is network locked
There are two ways to check if your Samsung device is network locked or not.
Method 1: Insert a different SIM from another carrier
This is the easiest way to know if your Samsung device is network locked or not. SIM card is carrier-specific so if another one is inserted to your phone and shows one of the messages below, it’s not unlocked at all. Your Samsung phone is network locked if it shows these messages:
Is My Phone Sim Unlocked Tracfone
- SIM Network Unlock PIN
- Enter Network Lock Control Key
- Network Locked
In some cases, “Emergency calls only” will be shown on the status bar to indicate the same situation.
Once you inserted a valid SIM card to the phone, try to place a call and see what happens. Make sure to take note of the error if you get one. You can then use Google to search for the meaning of the said error. Normally, if the SIM card works and your phone has been unlocked properly, your first call should go through without a problem.
Method 2: Use the Phone dialer
For some select Samsung devices, dialing this code will show you if it’s network locked or not: *#7465625#
If your phone shows an a screen with these three items, check out the explanations below to know what each of them means:
[ ] Network lock
[ ] Subset lock
[ ] SP lock
If all three items are indicated as OFF, then your Samsung phone must be network unlocked.
If Network lock says ON, then your Samsung device is network locked.
If Subset lock is ON, then your Samsung device has to be unlocked and requires a code from the original carrier.
If SP lock is ON, then your Samsung device has to be unlocked and requires a code from the service provider. Some third party retail shops can provide you this code.
If nothing happens when you dial *#7465625# you can assume that your phone’s firmware does not allow the code, or its service menu has been disabled.
What network unlocked is NOT
Having a network unlocked device does not mean it’s fully compatible with any other networks out there. Network unlock is only a modification at the software level to allow the device to use another network. If your Samsung device is network unlocked but its hardware is not compatible with the network you’re trying to connect to, it will not work. Any Samsung device has a specific radio frequency so if the other network has a different frequency band, your phone won’t be able to “talk” to the tower at all.
Is My Phone Sim Unlocked
A network unlocked Samsung phone also does not mean that all features in the device can work normally. For example, a lot of Verizon devices may not allow MMS or has trouble with mobile data when used outside Verizon networks. This is because Verizon’s software is coded differently and sometimes, there’s no way to modify them effectively.
Other reasons why a phone may be network locked
Aside from the fact that carriers may not voluntarily unlock their device, other factors may come at play.
Unsettled bills. This is a common reason for many network locked phones sold online. Some people may want to get rid of their phones and sell them online to ignorant users. The thing is, many of phones being sold online are carrier-branded with unpaid bills associated with them. In other words, the original owner may have intentionally tried to sell their phones despite the fact that they haven’t fully paid their subscription yet. If that’s the case, an unwitting buyer may find out too late that their purchased device may not be used in their own network because it still needs to be unlocked by the original carrier.
Is My Phone Sim Unlocked Phones
Blacklisted. In some cases, phones may be reported as stolen or lost by their original owner. This will prompt the carrier to blacklist the said device. If a device is blacklisted, it can no longer use any cellular services like texts, calls, or mobile data. Before you buy any preowned Samsung device, be sure to check if its IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number or ESN (Electronic Serial number) is blacklisted. You can either use a website to check it, or contact the original carrier.