The Essential Tutorial On How To Unlock An iPhone 6s

The Essential Guide On How To Unlock iPhone's

Today’s the day you at long last made the last payment on your iPhone and it's officially all yours. This means that you’re able to use it while traveling abroad with a local SIM card and are free to swap networks as you want, right? Don’t start booking your flight to Paris or running to AT&T just yet as, unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy.

So as to stop somebody from transferring to a competitor’s network before they’ve payed off their iPhone or completed their contract, many carriers place a lock (sometimes known as a carrier lock) on their mobile phones. This ultimately makes sure that you, or whomever you sell your pre-owned iPhone to, are saddled with them in the future. If you’re thinking this sounds like a rather dysfunctional partnership, we’d have a tendency to agree with you. Luckily, along with a little legwork as well as an account in good order, you will be on the right track to a network-unlocked iPhone very quickly!

Before we proceed, a quick note on the type of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should avoid! There are apps to be found that provide a chance to unlock a cell phone yourself, but you need to jailbreak your mobile phone, and this is a dumb move, for numerous reasons. You can do your own research into jail-breaking, but it's fraught with danger, and to be avoided. The best way to unlock your iPhone is by discussing directly with your cellular provider. Your journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone hinges largely on your network, with the process being either comparatively quick and simple or painfully difficult. To help you get a step closer to a life free from carrier-locked tyranny, we researched all the steps to be able to get an iPhone unlock in this comprehensive guide. Please note that although this was written with iPhone owners in mind, most of the advice may be used for other smartphones.

What Is SIM Unlocking?

As mentioned previously, when you buy an iPhone or other smartphone from a cellular provider, that smartphone will only work on that network until you either request to have your network unlock it or your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (more about that later). Often 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, not all iPhones require unlocking. For instance, if you purchase your iPhone from Apple and pay for it in full, it will be unlocked and able to use on a variety of networks.

You should be aware, however, that not all phones bought outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. For example, although sold as “unlocked”, mobile phones bought at Best Buy are in fact considered universal. So, if you insert a SIM card for the first time, the cell phone will essentially lock itself to the carrier associated with the SIM card. Subsequently, given that certain carriers like T-Mobile will only unlock your iPhone if you purchased it directly from them, you can end up getting an eternally network-locked device. Quite simply, you find yourself paying factory-unlocked prices to get a network-locked mobile phone.

Why Should I Unlock My iPhone?

Possessing a network-unlocked iPhone comes with its fair share of rewards such as the flexibility to utilize (nearly) any network both in the Unites States and in another country in addition to higher second-hand values.

Factory-unlocking allows you the ability to use your phone with the service provider of your choice, almost wherever and whenever you want (with a number of exceptions, as you’ll find out later on). For instance, if you're currently using T-Mobile but are relocating to a new area of the country with poor T-Mobile coverage, you'll be able to shift to AT&T on a dime

A IMEI-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a cinch. Unlocking also provides you with the ability to use your phone in another country. Worldwide roaming fees, costly international plans, and crazy dashes for WiFi become a distant memory with an unlocked iPhone. Merely put in a SIM card from a local network and you’re in business.

IMEI-unlocked iPhones have higher resale values.

Even when you don’t plan on swapping carriers or going abroad anytime soon, unlocking your iPhone is still a smart idea. If you anticipate trading in your old iPhone whenever you upgrade, you’ll almost always get more money for it if the iPhone has already been network unlocked because of a higher demand for them in the resale market place.

Is it unlawful to IMEI Unlock your cellphone?

Definitely not! A result of 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 people to unlock their phones. However, the conditions under which a carrier will unlock a cell phone vary widely from provider to provider. As a rule, a lot of providers require you to complete your contract, pay for your financial obligations fully, or at a minimum have an account in good standing before they’ll enable you to unlock your iPhone.

How you can verify that your iPhone is Unlocked

Before you begin the carrier-unlocking process, you’ll first want to check if your iPhone has already been unlocked (no need in under-going the hassle when you don’t absolutely need to). All you need to do is make sure that you’re connected with WiFi and insert a brand-new SIM card from another service provider and your iPhone will do the rest automatically. This confirmation check normally takes under a minute to complete as soon as a SIM has been inserted.

During the verification process, you’ll find that your iPhone will boot to a white screen and try to check that it has been unlocked with your service provider. If Apple verify that your iPhone is carrier-unlocked, it will go back to the home screen and signal bars should appear from the new service provider. However, if you see a white screen that says SIM Not Supported, your iPhone has not been unlocked.

How to Unlock iPhones from any Carrier

Having determined your cellphone is definitely locked to your current network provider, next you will need to look at your provider’s unlocking eligibility prerequisites. If your iPhone meets those guidelines, you can request that the device can be unlocked from their network. As hinted at before, both the eligibility requirements and the unlocking process vary from company to company. Each one has been outlined below for the major carriers including Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T.

Please note that, provided you’ve met the unlock requirements and so are completing the network-unlocking directly with your provider, asking for your iPhone be unlocked can be completely free. If you want to go through a 3rd party unlocking company, you will be charged, but utilizing a 3rd party provider will be your only option if you bought the phone second hand. So, before you spend money unnecessarily, try using the directions below beforehand.

How To Locate Your iPhone’s IMEI Number

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

Additionally you can search for the IMEI number on the cellphone housing itself. For older iPhone's (1st-generation SE, 5s, 5c, 5, 6, 6 Plus), the IMEI number may also be imprinted on the back or the SIM tray.

Once you’ve located the IMEI, it highly advisable that you keep it somewhere for safekeeping.

Unlock an iPhone on AT&T

Unlocking an iPhone from AT&T is about as uncomplicated as it gets. Just run on across to the AT&T unlock portal, answer a few questions, and you’re well on your way to network-unlocked freedom.

When you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to review your AT&T unlock status. When you receive 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 within a couple of business days.

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

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
Must not have a past-due balance
Must not be active on a different AT&T account

When the iPhone is part of a term agreement or installment plan, it must 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 conditions, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Sprint

Based on when you bought your phone and if it has got SIM-unlock capabilities, there are a couple of different unlock options. In the event you obtained a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it will be SIM-unlock capable) and it's actively being used on their network, Sprint will unlock it automatically after it meets their qualifications requirements. So, you really don’t have to do anything at all apart from keep your account in good standing. However, if your iPhone hasn't been activated or was purchased before February 2015, you’ll have to speak to Sprint Customer Care directly to ask for an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or phone 888-211-4727).

There have been reports from some Sprint customers that the auto-unlock program does not always function as it should, so it’s unquestionably a good idea to verify that your iPhone has been unlocked before trying to move to another network or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you intend to sell it to a buyback business or on craigslist or ebay.

In order for an iPhone to be unlocked from the Sprint network, it needs to satisfy the following conditions:

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 your iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it must also meet these conditions:

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 cell phone owner reading this and your device matches the eligibility conditions, consider yourself in luck: It is possible to unlock it right from the phone itself. For those iPhone owners out there, you’ll have to contact T-Mobile’s Team of Experts directly (either dial 611 from your T-Mobile iPhone, call 877-746-0909.

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

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 plan, it must also meet these prerequisites:

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, the best service provider to work with for unlocking an iPhone. Why? Because Verizon will automatically unlock your phone 60 days following the purchase of the device. If you bought your iPhone from 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 requirements, or even get in touch with them to request to unlock your phone from their network. Provided your iPhone hasn’t been reported stolen or lost, just wait two months after purchase or activation and your phone will be ready to go.

Hard to believe? Just click here.

Once I've Unlocked my iPhone — what now?

In the old days, you’d need to connect your iPhone up to iTunes and complete a software restore to complete the unlock process. Fortunately, it’s much simpler today. All you need to do is stick to the same steps you took earlier to check if your phone had been unlocked in the first place.

When 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 hook up your iPhone with a computer running iTunes and click the “restore” option. After the restoration process has finished, you should see a message which says “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

Great job! You successfully factory-unlocked your iPhone! Which means you can use what ever network you want to now, true? We hate to tell you this, but sadly not. Because of the two different kinds of systems used in the Unites States, CDMA and GSM, your available mobile phone providers depends on the model of your iPhone as well as the original carrier 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 of these different network types will not talk to each other (because that's too logical). Thankfully, as we move closer to world wide 5G access and as older networks are retired, it will hopefully no longer be a major issue.

To determine which service providers you can access based on these two 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

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?

You got it! Once your phone has been IMEI-unlocked, it'll remain that way for the lifetime of the device. You are able to restore your iPhone or up-date software without worrying about your unlock disappearing afterwards.