The Definative Tutorial On How To Unlock An iPhone X

So, you have finally fulfilled the contract on your iPhone and that baby is eventually all yours. So you’re able to use it while traveling overseas with a domestic SIM card and are free to swap networks as you please, right? Don’t start booking your flight to Australia or running to T-Mobile quite yet because, unfortunately, it’s not quite that straight forward.

In order to prevent users from swapping to a competitor’s network before they’ve paid off their iPhone or satisfied their contract, a lot of carriers place a sim lock (commonly known as as a network lock) on their phones. This consequently makes sure that you, or whomever you sell your used iPhone to, are stuck with them for the long term. If you’re thinking this sounds like a extremely dysfunctional arrangement, we're inclined to agree with you. Thankfully, with a bit of effort plus an account in good order, you will be on the right track to a carrier-unlocked iPhone very quickly!

Before we carry on, a quick note on the type of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should avoid! There are apps around offering a chance to unlock a phone yourself, however they require you to jailbreak your cell phone, and this is inadvisable, for numerous reasons. You can do your own investigating into jail-breaking, but it's very risky, and to be avoided. The easiest way to unlock your iPhone is actually by talking directly with your wireless provider. The journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone will depend largely on your network, with the procedure being either relatively quick and simple or painfully tedious. To help you get one step closer to a life free of carrier-locked tyranny, we put together all the steps in order to get an iPhone unlock in this comprehensive guide. Please note that while this was written with iPhone owners in mind, a great deal of the recommendations may be used with other smartphones.

As mentioned previously, when you purchase an iPhone or another smartphone from a cellular carrier, that mobile phone is only going to function on that specific network until you either request to have your network unlock it or maybe your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (read 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, allowing you to use it with a different cellular provider.

Luckily for us, not every iPhone have to be unlocked. For instance, should you buy your iPhone directly from Apple and pay for it in cash, it should be unlocked and able to use with a variety of carriers.

Take note, however, that not all phones bought outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. In particular, although sold as “unlocked”, smartphones purchased at Best Buy are in fact considered universal. So, if you insert a Sim initially, the cell phone will basically lock itself to the network linked to the Sim. Subsequently, since certain networks like T-Mobile will only unlock your iPhone if you got it directly from them, you could potentially end up getting an eternally network-locked device. In other words, you wind up paying factory-unlocked prices for a network-locked cellphone.

Having a IMEI-unlocked iPhone comes with a good number of perks which include the freedom to operate on (virtually) any network within the Unites States and overseas and increased resale values.

1. Carrier-unlocking offers you the ability to use your phone with the cellular provider of your choice, almost whenever and wherever you want (with some exceptions, as you’ll see in a while). Such as, if you're currently using T-Mobile but are relocating to a new area of the country with bad T-Mobile coverage, you can switch to AT&T in a heartbeat
2. A Factory-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a cinch. Unlocking also gives you the ability to use your mobile phone overseas. Global roaming fees, pricey international plans, and mad dashes for WiFi are a thing of the past with an unlocked iPhone. Simply pop in a SIM card from a local service provider and you’re in business.
3. SIM-unlocked iPhones have significantly higher resale values.

Even if you don’t intend on changing service providers or traveling overseas in the near future, unlocking your iPhone remains a good idea. If you ever intend on trading in your old iPhone when you upgrade, you’ll almost always get more money for it if the iPhone is already carrier unlocked due to greater interest in them in the resale market place.

Definitely not! A result of the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, finalized 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 network will unlock a mobile phone differ widely from service provider to service provider. As a rule, the majority of networks require you to complete your contract, cover your financial obligations in full, or otherwise have an account in good standing before they’ll let you unlock your iPhone.

Before beginning the phone-unlocking process, you’ll first want to determine if your iPhone has already been unlocked (no sense in going through the hassle when you don’t absolutely need to). All you have to do is ensure that you’re connected with WiFi and insert a new SIM card from a different network provider and your mobile will do everything else automatically. This authentication check generally takes no more than a minute to accomplish after a Sim card has been inserted.

Through the verification process, you’ll notice that your iPhone will boot to a white screen and try to check that it has been unlocked with your service provider. Should Apple determine that your iPhone is carrier-unlocked, it will go back to the home screen and signal bars will appear from the new carrier. However, if a white screen appears that says SIM Not Supported, your smartphone will not be unlocked.

Having confirmed your mobile phone is definitely locked to your current cellular provider, next you will need to start looking at your carrier’s unlocking eligibility prerequisites. Should your iPhone meet their unlocking criteria, you can then 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 AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

Please be aware that, as long as you’ve met the unlock requirements and so are completing the network-unlocking directly with your provider, requesting that your iPhone be unlocked is often completely free. If you choose to work through a 3rd party unlocking service, you have to pay for the service, but making use of a third party company is going to be your only option if you bought the phone pre-owned. Before you spend any money, try using the directions outlined below as a first step.

When permanently-unlocking your iPhone, you'll have to give your provider the cellphones IMEI number. This unique, 15-digit identifier is essentially your cell phone’s VIN or social security number. To locate your IMEI, on your phone, select Settings > General > About and search to the bottom of the list where it will be listed listed next to IMEI.

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

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

Unlocking your iPhone from AT&T is about as easy as one, two, three. Just pop on over to the AT&T website, answer a couple of questions, and you'll be well on your way to IMEI-unlocked freedom.

When you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to review your AT&T unlocking status. After you receive your validation text or email, simply open it up and click on the verification link. That’s it! AT&T will unlock your iPhone in just two working days.

For an iPhone to get unlocked from AT&T, it's got to satisfy the following requirements:

• 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
• Must not be reported as lost, stolen, or blocked
• Must not have a past-due balance

If the iPhone is included in term agreement or installment plan, it has to also meet 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 in depth eligibility requirements, click here.

Depending on when you bought your phone and if it has got SIM-unlock capabilities, you've got a few different unlock options. In the event you bought a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it should be SIM-unlock capable) and it's currently being used on their network, Sprint should unlock it automatically after it meets their qualifications requirements. So, you really don’t need to do anything apart from keep your account in good standing. However, if your iPhone hasn't been activated or was purchased prior to February 2015, you’ll have to get in touch with Sprint Customer Service directly to request an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or dial 888-211-4727).

There have been reports from some Sprint users that the auto-unlock program does not always perform as it needs to, so it’s most certainly a very good idea to check that your iPhone is unlocked before attempting to switch to a different service provider or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you wish to sell it to a buyback company or on craigslist or ebay.

For an iPhone to get unlocked from the Sprint network, it must adhere to 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 must also meet these requirements:

• 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 precise eligibility conditions, click here.

If you’re an Android smartphone owner reading this and your device meets the eligibility requirements, consider yourself in luck: It is possible to unlock it straight from the handset itself. For all you iPhone owners out there, you’ll need to speak to T-Mobile’s Group of Experts directly (either dial 611 from your T-Mobile iPhone, call 877-746-0909.

For an iPhone to be unlocked from T-Mobile, it has got to satisfy the following prerequisites:

• 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
• Must not have been reported as lost, stolen, or blocked

If the iPhone is part of a postpaid account, it must also satisfy these conditions:

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

For in-depth eligibility requirements, click here.

Verizon is, without a doubt, the best network 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 will be unlocked automatically Sixty days after device activation.

There are no catches. You don’t have to pay off your phone, meet any unique requirements, or even contact them to request to unlock your phone from their network. Provided that your iPhone hasn’t been reported stolen or lost, simply wait two months after purchase or activation and your phone will be ready to go.

Hard to believe? Just click here.

Back many years ago, you’d have to hook your iPhone up to iTunes and conduct a software restore to carry out the unlock procedure. Luckily, it’s a lot easier now. All you need to do is follow the same steps you took earlier to determine whether your phone had been unlocked to begin with.

When you don’t have access to a SIM card from a different carrier, you may still confirm that a iPhone has been unlocked by performing iTunes software restore. Just hook up your iPhone to a computer running iTunes and press the “restore” option. Once the restoration process has finished, you will see a message which says “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

Congratulations! You successfully network-unlocked your iPhone! That means you can use whatever network you wish to now, yes? We hate to break this to you, but no. Due to the two different types of networks used in the US, GSM and CDMA, your choice of mobile phone providers will depend on the model of your iPhone and the original network it was locked to. Specifically, Verizon and Sprint are CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networks, while AT&T, T-Mobile, and most service providers in other countries are GSM (Global System for Mobiles) networks.

As you’ve probably guessed, these two different network types don't talk to each other (because that's too logical). Fortunately, as we move closer to worldwide 5G access and as older networks are phased out, it will hopefully no longer be a major problem.

To see which service providers you can access determined by both of these 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

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! Once your phone has been IMEI-unlocked, it'll stay that way for the lifetime of the device. You can restore your iPhone or update software without worrying about your unlock vanishing afterwards.