Techniques to Unlock Smartphones via IMEI

By Sharan Mohr

Any time you obtain a mobile phone via a mobile provider, you'll find it locked to that company's service. If the company provide you with a free or reduced price smartphone, you normally have to agree to a 1- or 2-year plan as well. You can avoid this contract and freely move between networks, and travel outside of the country and use domestic networks, simply by unlocking your mobile phone using the IMEI code. In order to unlock your cell phone, simply follow the three steps below.

Step 1

Get the 15-digit IMEI number. This is generally printed on the cellphone under the battery. You can also sometimes locate it inside your smartphone's setting page or by keying in a specific code to get your phone to show the number on the screen. In most cases, the code is *#06#

Step 2

When you've found the IMEI code of your smartphone, contact your current network and ask them if they will provide you with an unlock code. Based on your circumstances, they may grant your request. Then again, different providers will have thier own criteria that need to be fulfilled before they are willing to supply you with an unlock code, and many could refuse. Usually, if you've completed your service contract, your smart phone provider could provide you instructions on how to IMEI unlock your smartphone, but usually they will insist you're the original owner of the mobile phone (the contract on thier system is in your name). When you are not, for example, you bought the cellphone pre-owned, you will have to locate an alternative unlocking technique to permanently unlock your smartphone.

Step 3

For anybody who is not the orginal owner of the smartphone, you will need to buy an unlock service from a third party supplier. Fortunately there are a lot of on line providers selling services by merely giving them your cell phone's IMEI number, it's model and make and the network it is locked to. The cost of the service and the time it takes to IMEI unlock your phone will depend upon these factors, and may vary quite significantly for more obscure mobiles or networks. Utilising a third party unlocking service is frequently the fastest and the most straightforward option to permanently unlock your cell phone, as it can be performed remotely without your mobile phone ever having to leave your pocession. Once your smartphone has been sucessfully unlocked it can then be used on any network and in any country you decide.