Though inconvenient, it's the most reliable way to determine the lock status of your phone. To unlock your Straight Talk phone, it must meet the eligibility requirements. The options are there, and it's up to you which route you should take. AT&T will respond within 2 business days to inform you of the status of the unlock request. If you havethis idea that someone might be breaking into your iPhone or iPad behind your back, then it's a no brainer to install this little package right away. Signal-blocking materials, distance from the nearest cell tower, and heavy network traffic can all contribute to poor cell signal. Use the IMEI-Method to Check Locked or Unlocked Phone They will not charge to unlock devices from current and former customers, but Straight Talk might charge a fee to unlock a device for non-former customers. Here are a few examples that may make the concept clearer to you, as it is practically not possible to cover the unlocking method of every mobile carrier and phone manufacturer. That could make a big difference to you when you decide to purchase a used phone. Connect the iPhone to iTunes and click the Restore As New button (NOT Restore from Backup.) Open Settings. How To Check If Your Phone is Rooted or Not, Some Windows 10 Users Can't Make Phone Calls With Your Phone App, Device Unlock Status page of the ATT website. To unlock the device: To unlock iPhones, devices that cant be unlocked through the app, and warranty exchanged handsets, contact Metros Customer Service (1-888-863-8768) or visit a store to request an unlock code. In addition, prepaid devices purchase from Verizon and certain devices purchased from their retail partners are automatically unlocked after 60 days of activation. 2. Methods to Check and Unlock it. Please select the make of the device you would like to . Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Business-owned devices require authorization from the company. For an iPhone, when you submit an unlock request to your carrier and once the request is approved, then the carrier may send a little carrier update to the iPhone and the iPhone is unlocked. There are a few ways to tell if your phone is unlocked. Tested. How to check if your iPhone is unlocked in Settings 1. They can (usually for a fee), relock the phone. All Rights Reserved. If you meet these requirements listed above, call. For detailed instructions go here. What type of vehicle do you need to booster? After the unlock process has been completed, restart the device. If the call doesnt connect, the phone is locked to the other carrier. If youre buying a used locked phone from the original owner, have them unlock the phone before you pay for it. If you have an Android phone or a cellular-enabled tablet, you can navigate through your settings to determine if the mobile device is unlocked. You can check the status of your phone, whether it is locked or unlocked; the methods are below: If so, chances are your phone is unlocked, but this method is not 100% accurate. However, if you live in another country or are willing to be a rebel and flout a law everyone agrees should be changed, you can often unlock phones on your own without anyone's permission. Since cell phones can be pretty expensive, many people prefer to purchase them used. If the phone is no longer under contract or if it was purchased outright, rather than on an installment payment plan, you can have it unlocked by the carrier. If you are getting your phone unlocked from a 3rd party, not from the carrier, then that could (not must) be illegal depending upon the particular case scenario. At this point, you may also see on the screen a message explaining that the phone is locked. In most cases, this can be found on your account dashboard, on the back of the phone, or in the phone's settings. 1. If the phone has a removable back and battery, the SIM card will probably be located behind or near the battery. Unlocking your cell phone allows you to use any carrier SIM card in your phone. Below are the methods to check if your Samsung phone is unlocked or locked. Prepaid devices are eligible to be unlocked after 1 year of activation. If you now cant place a call, the phone is locked to the first carrier. Note: You can find other free software for the same use, for e.g. Cricket Wireless: 1-800-274-2538 The process to unlock a carrier-lock phone is purely carrier and phone based. We'll now discuss how to check if your Android or iOS phone is unlocked with IMEI. Lockwatch. If you decide to go this route, ask the seller if the device is locked or unlocked. "Confirmed information I had obtained throughout the Internet. You dont want to get into a situation where a used phone youve purchased doesnt work on your cell carrier. We are going to discuss this in detail in this article. They take your existing cell phone signal, amplify it, and broadcast it for better use. Carriers will install software on the phone to lock it to their network. For illustration, we will discuss some examples below. That's the good news. What is Share Focus Status and How to Enable it? Is My iPhone Unlocked? Write down your device's IMEI number. Method #1 First go to Settings and then Cellular. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. On the next screen, you will see information about the Android Phone belonging to the IMEI Number that you had just entered. An option like Cellular Data Network indicates an unlocked iPhone. Meanwhile, you can get the same phone unlocked at Amazon for $1,136.57. Most GSM phones will not work on the CDMA network, and vice versa. AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24 GB Unleashed: Flagship Navi 31 XTX RDNA 3 Chiplet GPU, 70% Faster Than 6950 XT For $999 US, You Will Get A Free 32 GB DDR5-5600 Kit & $50 US Off AM5 Motherboards If Your Purchase An AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU At Microcenter, AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT Unveiled: Navi 31 XT GPU With 20 GB Memory, Faster Than NVIDIA 3090 Ti For $899 US, ASUS & EK Unveil AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX & 7900 XT Custom Air-Cooled Models & Water Blocks, Watch The AMD Radeon RX 7000 RDNA 3 GPU Unveil Livestream Here, Gaming GPUs Enter The Chiplet Era, Intel Desktop Meteor Lake-S CPUs To Feature Up To 22 Cores, Arrow Lake-S Up To 24 Cores, Quad Xe iGPU Cores & 125W TDPs, Some AMD Ryzen 5 7600X Desktop CPUs Comes With Dual Zen 4 CCDs, NVIDIAs Unlaunched GeForce RTX 4080 12 GB Graphics Card Benchmarks Leak Out, Slower Than 3090 Ti In 3DMark, GALAX GeForce RTX 4090 HOF PCB Pictured: Dual 16-Pin Connectors, 36 Phase Power Delivery, White Color Design. The Federal Communications Commission (in the U.S.) requires carriers to unlock phones that are not under contract. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, Apple Stops Signing iOS 16.0.3 What You Should Know With Respect to Fugu15 Jailbreak, DOOM Eternal: Super Gore Nest "Ultra Nightmare" 4K Gameplay | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, DOOM Eternal: Arc Complex "Ultra Nightmare" 4K Gameplay | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, Spiderman Remastered 4K PC with NVIDIA DLSS 3.0 'Quality' Preset | NVIDIA RTX 4090, 3DMark DLSS Feature Test with NVIDIA DLSS 3.0 'Quality' Preset | NVIDIA RTX 4090, F1 2022 4K Demo with NVIDIA DLSS 3.0 'Quality' Preset | NVIDIA RTX 4090, Cyberpunk 2077 4K Demo with NVIDIA DLSS 3.0 'Quality' Preset + Psycho Raytracing | NVIDIA RTX 4090, A Plague Tale 4K Demo with NVIDIA DLSS 3.0 'Quality' Preset | NVIDIA RTX 4090, Microsoft Flight Simulator 4K Demo with NVIDIA DLSS 3.0 'Quality' Preset | NVIDIA RTX 4090, Enemies 4K Tech Demo with NVIDIA RTX 4090 | DLSS 3 + RT + Unity Engine, Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPUs & Z790 Motherboards Rumored To Launch on 17th October, Intel Xeon W9-3495 Sapphire Rapids HEDT CPU Spotted Rocks 56 Cores, 112 Threads, GeForce RTX 4090 Graphics Card Allegedly Delivers Over 160 FPS In Control With RT & DLSS at 4K, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Graphics Card Almost Twice As Fast As RTX 3090 In 3DMark Time Spy Benchmark, Intels High-End Arc A750 Limited Edition Desktop Graphics Card Pictured, Sleek Reference Design, UP 4000, an Intel-based Raspberry Pi alternative is currently available for around $116, Netflix Wants You to Create Your Own Account, Introduces New Profile Transfer Feature, Apple Has Stopped Signing iOS 15.6 What You Should Know With Respect to Jailbreak, YouTubes New Experimental Feature Lets You Zoom In On Videos, Game of Thrones in 4K HDR is Coming to HBO Max in August. A locked phone is built to achieve optimal results on the network its locked onto. On the other hand, if the phone was purchased directly from a cellular service provider, its probably locked. The phone is locked to the Cricket network. Thanks! To unlock your Cricket phone, it must meet the eligibility requirements. How to check if your phone is unlocked The easiest way to check is simply to put a SIM card from another network into your phone. Also, when a carrier provides a customer with a phone in instalments, it may want to play safe and sell a locked device. Once payment is received, we process your unlock remotely. Just open 'Settings' and select . So, how else can you tell if your phone is already unlocked? You may need to provide your phones IMEI code to the carrier (steps to find the IMEI code of your phone are discussed in the above method). If you have contacted your carrier and the rep is saying that the iPhone is already unlocked, but it is showing a SIM or network lock here, then simply put in another carriers SIM card, and your iPhone will be unlocked. We know the . These include, but are not limited to: If your phone meets the requirements, Sprint automatically unlocks postpaid devices when they become eligible. We do not recommend this method, but we list it here only for educational and information purposes. Switch SIM Cards. Read and agree to the eligibility requirements, complete the request form, and submit it. On iOS 14 and later, there's an easy way to check if your iPhone is unlocked. Once you get your phone unlocked, there are maximum chances that you will end your warranty with your initial carrier, and you may get this point cleared from your initial carrier. First, make sure you are connected to the T-Mobile network or WiFi. 4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/4f\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-1-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-1-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/4f\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-1-Version-5.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-1-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8e\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-2-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-2-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8e\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-2-Version-5.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-2-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/ec\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-3-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-3-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/ec\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-3-Version-5.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-3-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/55\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-4-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-4-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/55\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-4-Version-5.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-4-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/0d\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-5-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-5-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/0d\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-5-Version-5.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-5-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-6-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-6-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-6-Version-5.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-6-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/ea\/Turn-On-an-Android-Phone-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Turn-On-an-Android-Phone-Step-4-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/ea\/Turn-On-an-Android-Phone-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Turn-On-an-Android-Phone-Step-4-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":334,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":529,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d1\/Activate-a-Replacement-Verizon-Wireless-Phone-Step-18.jpg\/v4-460px-Activate-a-Replacement-Verizon-Wireless-Phone-Step-18.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d1\/Activate-a-Replacement-Verizon-Wireless-Phone-Step-18.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Activate-a-Replacement-Verizon-Wireless-Phone-Step-18.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":334,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":529,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/45\/Activate-a-Replacement-Verizon-Wireless-Phone-Step-19.jpg\/v4-460px-Activate-a-Replacement-Verizon-Wireless-Phone-Step-19.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/45\/Activate-a-Replacement-Verizon-Wireless-Phone-Step-19.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Activate-a-Replacement-Verizon-Wireless-Phone-Step-19.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":334,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":529,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/ff\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-10-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-10-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/ff\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-10-Version-5.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-10-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)
\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/33\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-11-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-11-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/33\/Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-11-Version-5.jpg\/aid173837-v4-728px-Find-Out-if-Your-Phone-Is-Unlocked-Step-11-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"