The Essential Tutorial On How To Unlock An iPhone 6 Plus

The Essential Tutorial On How To Unlock iPhone's

So, you've at long last completed the contract on your iPhone and that bad boy's eventually all yours. So you’re able to use it while traveling overseas with a local SIM card and have the freedom to switch networks when you want, right? Don’t start booking your flight to London or running to T-Mobile quite yet as, unfortunately, it’s not quite that straightforward.

In order to stop people from switching to a rival’s network before they’ve paid off their iPhone or satisfied their contract, a large number of carriers place a sim lock (commonly known as as a carrier lock) on their cell phones. This ultimately makes sure that you, or anyone who you sell your second-hand iPhone to, are tied to them in the future. If you’re thinking this sounds like a pretty dysfunctional partnership, we’d have a tendency to agree with you. Fortunately, along with a little effort as well as an account in good order, you can be on the right track to a network-unlocked iPhone before you know it!

Before we continue, just a quick note about the type of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should steer clear of! There are apps around that provide the ability to unlock your cellphone yourself, but they require you to jailbreak your iPhone, and this is a dumb move, for lots of reasons. You can do your own homework into jail-breaking, but it's not a sensible choice, and not recommended. The best way to unlock your iPhone is actually by speaking directly with your network provider. Your journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone hinges largely on your network, with the procedure being either reasonably quick and painless or painfully tedious. To help you get one step closer to a life free from carrier-locked tyranny, we researched all the steps on how to obtain an iPhone unlock in this comprehensive guide. Please be aware that although this was written with iPhone owners in mind, most of the recommendations may be used with other smartphones.

What Is SIM Unlocking?

As noted previously, when you purchase an iPhone or other smartphone from your cellular carrier, that smartphone will only function on that individual network until you either request to have your carrier unlock it or your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (read more about that later). Often known as a SIM unlock, factory unlock, or network unlock, carrier unlocking means removing a network’s restrictions on a device, allowing you to use it with a different cellular provider.

Fortunately, not every iPhone require unlocking. For example, if you purchase your iPhone straight from Apple and pay for it in full, it will be unlocked and ready to use on a variety of networks.

Take note, however, that not all phones bought outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. For example, although sold as “unlocked”, smartphones purchased at Best Buy are actually considered universal. So, if you insert a Sim initially, the device will basically lock itself to the provider linked to the SIM card. Then, given that certain service providers like T-Mobile will only unlock your iPhone if you bought it directly from them, you could potentially end up getting an permanently network-locked device. Basically, you wind up paying factory-unlocked prices to get a network-locked mobile phone.

Why would I Unlock My iPhone?

Having a IMEI-unlocked iPhone comes with a good number of rewards which include the ability to utilize (almost) any network in the Unites States and abroad together with increased secondhand values.

Factory-unlocking provides you the choice to use your mobile phone with the network provider of your choice, almost wherever and whenever you want (with a handful of exceptions, as you’ll see in a while). For example, if you are currently using T-Mobile but are relocating to a new part of the country with poor T-Mobile coverage, you can swap to AT&T in a heartbeat

A IMEI-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a breeze. Unlocking also offers you the flexibility to use your cellphone in foreign countries. Global roaming fees, costly international plans, and mad dashes for WiFi become a distant memory with an unlocked iPhone. Simply put in a SIM card from a local service provider and you're good to go.

IMEI-unlocked iPhones have significantly higher resale values.

Even when you don’t intend on swapping service providers or heading internationally in the near future, unlocking your iPhone remains a smart idea. If you ever plan on trading in your old iPhone if you upgrade, you’ll almost always get more cash for it if the iPhone is already network unlocked because of a greater demand for them in the resale marketplace.

Is it illegal to SIM Unlock your smartphone?

No! Thanks to the 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 service provider will unlock a cell phone differ greatly from service provider to service provider. On the whole, most service providers require you to complete your contract, pay for your financial obligations in full, or at least have an account in good standing before they’ll assist you to unlock your iPhone.

The way to verify that your iPhone is Unlocked

Before you start the SIM-unlocking process, you’ll first need to determine whether your iPhone has already been unlocked (no sense in suffering the hassle when you don’t absolutely need to). All you have to do is ensure that you’re connected to WiFi and insert a new SIM card from another cellular provider and your mobile phone will do the rest automatically. This verification check typically takes under a minute to finish as soon as a new SIM has been inserted.

During the verification process, you’ll observe that your iPhone will boot to a white screen and attempt to validate that it has been unlocked with your provider. Should Apple verify that your iPhone is SIM-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 phone has not been unlocked.

How to Unlock iPhones from a Carrier

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

Please note that, provided you have met the unlock conditions and therefore are completing the network-unlocking directly with your carrier, asking for your iPhone be unlocked is likely to be completely free. If you use a 3rd party unlocking company, you have to pay for the service, but utilizing a 3rd party service is going to be your only option if you bought the phone pre-owned. Before you spend money unnecessarily, try using the directions outlined below first.

Find An iPhone’s IMEI Number

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

You can also locate the IMEI number on the mobile phone housing itself. For earlier iPhone's (1st-generation SE, 5s, 5c, 5, 6, 6 Plus), the IMEI number will also be printed on the back or the SIM tray.

After you’ve established the IMEI number, it highly advisable that you store it somewhere for safekeeping.

Unlock an iPhone on AT&T

Unlocking your iPhone from AT&T is about as simple as A-B-C. Just pop on over to the AT&T website, answer a few easy questions, and you'll be well on your way to IMEI-unlocked freedom.

After you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to review your AT&T unlocking status. When you obtain your validation text or email, simply open it up then click on the confirmation link. That's all there is to it! AT&T will unlock your iPhone in just 2 working days.

For any iPhone to get unlocked from the AT&T network, it needs to fulfill 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 needs to also adhere to 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 precise eligibility requirements, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Sprint

Depending on when you bought your phone and if it has SIM-unlock capabilities, there are a couple of different unlock choices. In the event you obtained a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it should be SIM-unlock capable) and it is actively being used on their network, Sprint should unlock it automatically after it meets their eligibility requirements. So, you honestly don’t need to do anything more besides keep your account in good order. Even so, if your iPhone is inactive or was purchased prior to February 2015, you’ll have to get in touch with Sprint Customer Service directly to ask for an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or call 888-211-4727).

There are reports from some Sprint users that the auto-unlock program doesn't necessarily perform as it should, so it’s certainly a good idea to confirm that your iPhone has been unlocked before trying to move to a different service or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you propose to sell it to a buyback business or on eBay.

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

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

If the iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it's got to also adhere to these conditions:

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 your reading this and own an Android phone and your handset matches the eligibility conditions, consider yourself lucky: You can unlock it easily from the handset itself. For all you iPhone owners out there, you’ll have to contact T-Mobile’s Team of Experts directly (either dial 611 from a T-Mobile iPhone, call 877-746-0909.

To have an iPhone unlocked from T-Mobile, it has got to fulfill the following conditions:

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 on a pre-paid plan, it has to 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 conditions, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Verizon

Verizon is, hands down, the leading carrier to work with for unlocking an iPhone. Why? Because Verizon will automatically unlock your phone Sixty days after the purchase of the device. If you purchased your iPhone at a retail partner, it will be unlocked automatically 60 days after device activation.

There are no catches. You don’t have to pay off your phone, fulfill any specific conditions, or even get in touch with them to request to unlock your phone from their network. Provided that your iPhone hasn’t been reported stolen or lost, merely wait two months following purchase or activation and your phone will be all set.

Hard to believe? Just click here.

Now I've Unlocked my iPhone — now what?

A few years back, you’d have to connect your iPhone up to iTunes and do a software restore to finish the unlock procedure. Fortunately, it’s much simpler these days. All you have to do is go through same steps you used earlier to determine if your phone is unlocked in the first place.

In the event you don’t have access to a SIM card from an alternative 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 hit the “restore” option. After the restoration process has completed, you will see a message that says “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

Well done! You successfully network-unlocked your iPhone! That means you can use what ever service provider you want to now, right? We hate to tell you this, but no. Due to the two different kinds of networks in use in the Unites States, GSM and CDMA, your available network providers will depend on the type 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 most providers in other countries are GSM (Global System for Mobiles) networks.

As you may have guessed, both of these different network types don't talk to each other (because that would be too easy). Fortunately, as we move closer to world wide 5G access and as older networks are phased out, it will hopefully no longer be a challenge.

To determine which carriers you have access to based on both of 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?

Yup! After your phone has been officially-unlocked, it will remain that way for the lifetime of the handset. You can restore your iPhone or update applications without worrying about your unlock vanishing afterwards.