The Definative Guide On How To Unlock An iPhone 6s Plus

Today’s the day you at long last made the last payment on your iPhone and that baby is eventually all yours. Meaning you’re able to use it while traveling in another country with a domestic SIM card and have the freedom to change networks as you please, right? Don’t start booking your flight to New Zealand or running to T-Mobile just yet as, unfortunately, it’s not quite that straightforward.

So as to prevent individuals from moving to a competitor’s network before they’ve paid off their iPhone or fulfilled their contract, many carriers put a sim lock (sometimes known as a carrier lock) on their smart phones. This consequently ensures that you, or whomever you sell your pre-owned iPhone to, are tied to them for the long haul. If you’re thinking this sounds like a pretty dysfunctional arrangement, we’d have a tendency to agree with you. Luckily, with a bit of effort and an account in good standing, you are on the right path to a network-unlocked iPhone very quickly!

Before we proceed, just a quick note on the type of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should stay away from! There is software in existence that provide the capability to unlock a device yourself, however you need to jailbreak your smartphone, and this is a stupid idea, for many reasons. You can do your own research into jail-breaking, but it's very risky, and not recommended. The simplest way to unlock your iPhone is actually by speaking directly with your cellular provider. Your journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone will depend largely on your network, with the procedure being either comparatively quick and easy or painfully challenging. To get you a step closer to a life free from carrier-locked tyranny, we researched all the steps in order to get an iPhone unlock with this comprehensive guide. Please note that even though this was written with iPhone owners in mind, a lot of the recommendations can easily be used for other smartphones.

As noted previously, when you buy an iPhone or other smartphone through your network carrier, that smartphone is only going to operate on that individual network unless you either request to have your carrier unlock it or maybe your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (read more about that later). Also referred to as 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 for us, not all iPhones need to be unlocked. For example, if you purchase your iPhone straight 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, not all phones purchased outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. For example, although sold as “unlocked”, smart phones purchased at Best Buy are in fact considered universal. So, if you insert a SIM card for the first time, the cell phone will effectively lock itself to the carrier associated with the SIM card. Subsequently, seeing that certain networks like T-Mobile may only unlock your iPhone if you bought it directly from them, you may end up with an eternally network-locked device. Simply put, you wind up paying factory-unlocked prices to get a network-locked cellphone.

Possessing a SIM-unlocked iPhone comes with a number of advantages such as the flexibility to use (virtually) any network within the US and overseas together with higher second-hand values.

1. IMEI-unlocking provides you the flexibility to use your mobile phone with the cellular provider of your choice, almost whenever and wherever you wish (with a few exceptions, as you’ll see in a while). For instance, if you are currently using T-Mobile but are moving to a new part of the country with weak T-Mobile coverage, you can shift to AT&T on a dime
2. A Factory-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a breeze. Unlocking also provides you with the flexibility to use your phone overseas. International 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 carrier and you’re in business.
3. SIM-unlocked iPhones have significantly higher resale values.

Even when you don’t anticipate moving networks or traveling abroad in the near future, unlocking your iPhone is still a smart idea. If you ever intend on trading in your old iPhone if you upgrade, you’ll almost always get more money for it if the iPhone has already been network unlocked due to higher interest in them on the resale marketplace.

Absolutely 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 service provider will unlock a smart phone differ widely from provider to provider. Generally speaking, nearly all carriers require you to complete your contract, cover your financial obligations fully, or at best have an account in good standing before they’ll allow you to unlock your iPhone.

Before you begin the phone-unlocking process, you’ll first want to determine if your iPhone is already unlocked (no sense in enduring the hassle when you don’t really need to). All you have to do is be sure that you’re connected with WiFi and insert a brand new SIM card from another service provider and your iPhone will do everything else automatically. This confirmation check generally takes less than a minute to complete as soon as a Sim card has been inserted.

During the verification procedure, you’ll observe that your iPhone will boot to a white screen and attempt to authenticate that it has been unlocked with your service provider. If Apple determine that your iPhone is SIM-unlocked, it will return to the home screen and signal bars should appear from the new network. However, if you see a white screen that says SIM Not Supported, your mobile phone has not been unlocked.

Once you confirm that your cellphone is definitely locked to your current network provider, next you'll need to start looking at your provider’s unlocking eligibility prerequisites. Should your iPhone meet their criteria, you can then request that the device can be unlocked from their network. As recommended before, both the eligibility requirements and the unlocking process vary from network to network. Each has been outlined below for the major carriers including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Please be aware that, provided you have met the unlock requirements and therefore are completing the network-unlocking directly with your service provider, asking for your iPhone be unlocked is often absolutely free. If you opt to use a 3rd party unlocking service provider, you'll be charged, but working with a third party company will be your only option if you bought the phone pre-owned. So, before you spend any money, try using the directions outlined below as a first step.

When officially-unlocking your iPhone, you will need to give your provider the device’s IMEI number. This unique, 15-digit identifier is fundamentally your cell 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'll see it listed next to IMEI.

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

After you’ve located the IMEI number, it highly advisable that you keep it someplace for safekeeping.

Unlocking your iPhone from the AT&T network is about as uncomplicated as 1-2-3. Just run on across to the AT&T site, answer a few easy questions, and you'll be well on your way to carrier-unlocked freedom.

Once you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to review your AT&T unlock status. After you receive your validation text or email, just open it up and click on the confirmation link. That’s it! AT&T will unlock your iPhone within 2 business days.

For an iPhone to be unlocked from the AT&T network, it has 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 included in term agreement or installment plan, it has to also meet these requirements:

• The term agreement must be complete
• The device must be active on the AT&T network for at least 60 days
• The installment plan must be paid off

For precise eligibility requirements, click here.

Depending on when you purchased your phone and if it has got SIM-unlock capabilities, there are a few different unlock choices. If you obtained a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it should be SIM-unlock capable) and it is currently being used on their network, Sprint can unlock it automatically after it meets their qualifications requirements. So, you actually don’t need to do anything more apart from keep your account in good standing. Even so, if your iPhone is inactive or was purchased before February 2015, you’ll need to contact 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 clients that the auto-unlock program does not always operate as it needs to, so it’s undoubtedly a very good idea to check that your iPhone has been unlocked before attempting to change to a different network or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you wish to sell it to a buyback business or on auction web sites.

For an iPhone to be unlocked from the Sprint network, it has to meet the following conditions:

• 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
• Must be on an account in good standing

If your iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it has to also adhere to 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 detailed eligibility prerequisites, click here.

If you’re an Android mobile phone owner reading this and your device meets the eligibility prerequisites, consider yourself in luck: You can actually unlock it easily from the device itself. For those iPhone owners out there, you’ll need to speak to T-Mobile’s Team of Experts directly (either dial 611 from your T-Mobile iPhone, call 877-746-0909.

To have an iPhone unlocked from T-Mobile, it must meet the following conditions:

• 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
• Must have been purchased directly from T-Mobile
• Must be paid for in full

If the iPhone is part of a postpaid account, it has got to also adhere to these prerequisites:

• The account must be in good standing
• Must have been active on the account for at least 40 days

For in depth eligibility conditions, click here.

Verizon is, by far and away, the leading network to work with for unlocking an iPhone. Why? Because Verizon will automatically unlock your phone Sixty days following the purchase of the handset. If you bought your iPhone at 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, satisfy any specific prerequisites, or even contact them to request to unlock your phone from their network. So long as your iPhone hasn’t been reported lost or stolen, just wait a couple of months after purchase or activation and your phone will be all set.

Hard to believe? Just click here.

Several years ago, you’d have to connect your iPhone up to iTunes and perform a software restore to perform the unlock procedure. Thankfully, it’s a lot easier nowadays. All you have to do is stick to the same steps you took earlier to find out if your phone is unlocked to start with.

If you don’t have access to a Sim from an alternative carrier, you may still confirm that your iPhone has been unlocked using an iTunes software restore. Just hook up your iPhone with a computer running iTunes and click the “restore” option. When the restoration process has completed, you should see a message which says “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

Great job! You successfully officially-unlocked your iPhone! That means you're able to use what ever carrier you wish to now, right? We hate to break this to you, but no. Because of the two different types of networks in use in the US, CDMA and GSM, your choice of mobile phone providers is determined by the model of your iPhone and the original carrier it's locked to. Primarily, Verizon and Sprint are CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networks, while AT&T, T-Mobile, and the majority of service providers in other countries are GSM (Global System for Mobiles) networks.

As you’ve probably guessed, both 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, this will hopefully no longer be a major issue.

To find out which networks you have access to depending 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

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

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

Yes indeed! After your phone has been Sim-unlocked, it'll stay that way for the lifetime of the device. You'll be able to restore your iPhone or up-date software without having to worry about your unlock disappearing afterwards.