A Definative Guide On How To Unlock An iPhone 7

An Essential Tutorial On How To Unlock iPhone's

Today’s the day you at long last made the last payment on your iPhone and that bad boy is eventually all yours. That means you’re able to use it while traveling overseas with a domestic SIM card and have the freedom to move networks as you want, right? Don’t start booking your flight to Europe or running to Verizon just yet because, unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy.

In order to prevent somebody from moving to a competitor’s network before they’ve payed off their iPhone or satisfied their contract, quite a few carriers place a sim lock (sometimes known as a carrier lock) on their smart phones. This inevitably means that you, or the person who you sell your second-hand iPhone to, are saddled with them for the long haul. If you’re thinking this sounds like a extremely dysfunctional working relationship, we’d have a tendency to agree with you. Thankfully, along with a little legwork plus an account in good order, you can be well on your way to a carrier-unlocked iPhone in no time!

Before we carry on, just a quick note on the sort of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should stay away from! There is software on the market that offer a chance to unlock a mobile phone yourself, however you need to jailbreak your cellphone, and this is a dumb move, for a lot of reasons. You can do your own research into jail-breaking, but it's fraught with danger, and not recommended. The easiest way to unlock your iPhone is as simple as talking directly with your cellular provider. The journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone relies largely on your network, with the process being either comparatively quick and simple or painfully challenging. To help you get one step closer to a life free from carrier-locked tyranny, we accumulated all the steps on how to obtain an iPhone unlock with this comprehensive guide. Please be aware that even though this was written with iPhone owners in mind, plenty of the recommendations can easily be used for other smartphones.

What Is SIM Unlocking?

As noted earlier, when you purchase an iPhone or another smartphone from a cellular carrier, that mobile phone will only operate on that network unless you either request to have your carrier unlock it or maybe your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (more about that later). Also known as a SIM unlock, factory unlock, or network unlock, carrier unlocking means removing a network’s restrictions on a device, permitting you to use it with a different cellular provider.

Luckily for us, not all iPhones have to be unlocked. For example, should you buy your iPhone from Apple and pay for it in full, it should be unlocked and ready to use on a variety of networks.

Please note, however, not all phones purchased outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. For instance, although sold as “unlocked”, cell phones purchased at Best Buy are in fact considered universal. So, whenever you insert a Sim for the first time, the iPhone will effectively lock itself to the provider linked to the SIM card. Then, seeing that certain networks like T-Mobile may only unlock your iPhone if you purchased it directly from them, you could potentially end up with an eternally network-locked device. Quite simply, you find yourself paying factory-unlocked prices for a carrier-locked mobile phone.

Why Should I Unlock My iPhone?

Having a officially-unlocked iPhone comes with its fair share of rewards such as the ability to use (practically) any network both in the Unites States and overseas as well as increased secondhand values.

Officially-unlocking offers you the freedom to use your mobile phone with the service provider of your choice, almost whenever and wherever you like (with some exceptions, as you’ll find out later on). For instance, if you are currently using T-Mobile but are moving to a new area of the country with weak T-Mobile coverage, you'll be able to shift to AT&T on a dime

A Carrier-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a breeze. Unlocking also gives you the flexibility to use your cell phone overseas. International roaming fees, pricey international plans, and crazy dashes for WiFi become a distant memory with an unlocked iPhone. Just pop in a SIM card from a local carrier and you’re in business.

SIM-unlocked iPhones have far higher resale values.

Even when you don’t plan on swapping carriers or heading overseas soon, unlocking your iPhone remains a good idea. If you plan on trading in your old iPhone when you upgrade, you’ll generally get more cash for it if the iPhone has already been carrier unlocked due to greater demand for them on the resale market place.

Is it illegal to Network Unlock your cellphone?

No way! Due to Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, finalized into law by President Barack Obama in 2014, all US-based cellular providers must allow people to unlock their phones. However, the circumstances under which a carrier will unlock a smart phone differ widely from network to network. Typically, many providers require you to finish your contract, pay for your financial obligations fully, or at best have an account in good standing before they’ll allow you to unlock your iPhone.

The best way to verify that your iPhone is Unlocked

Before starting the network-unlocking process, you’ll first want to determine if your iPhone is already unlocked (no need in suffering the hassle if you don’t really need to). All you have to do is be sure that you’re connected to WiFi and insert a brand new SIM card from another cellular provider and your iPhone will do the rest automatically. This authentication check generally takes less than a minute to complete after a new SIM has been inserted.

Through the verification process, you’ll observe that your iPhone will boot to a white screen and attempt to establish that it has been unlocked with your network. Should Apple determine that your iPhone is SIM-unlocked, it will return to the home screen and signal bars should appear from the new provider. However, if a white screen appears that says SIM Not Supported, your cell phone has not been unlocked.

How to Unlock iPhones from any Provider

Having established your mobile phone is definitely locked to your current network provider, next you'll need to take a look at your carrier’s unlocking eligibility prerequisites. If your iPhone meets those guidelines, you can request that the device can be unlocked from their network. As suggested previously, both the eligibility requirements and the unlocking process vary from provider to provider. They all have been outlined below for the major carriers including Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T.

Please be aware that, provided you’ve met the unlock requirements and so are completing the network-unlocking directly with your provider, requesting that your iPhone be unlocked may possibly be completely free. If you opt to use a third party unlocking company, you're going to be charged, but working with a third party company is going to be your only option if you are not the original owner of the phone. Before you spend money unnecessarily, try using the directions below beforehand.

How To Locate Your iPhone’s IMEI Number

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

Additionally you can locate the IMEI number on the smartphone housing itself. For older iPhone models (1st-generation SE, 5s, 5c, 5, 6, 6 Plus), the IMEI number may also be printed on the back or the SIM tray.

After you’ve found the IMEI, we strongly recommend that you store it someplace for safekeeping.

Unlock an iPhone on AT&T

Unlocking your iPhone from the AT&T network is about as uncomplicated as one-two-three. Just run on over to the AT&T site, answer a few basic questions, and you’re well on your way to network-unlocked freedom.

Once you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to check on your AT&T unlocking status. Once you acquire 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 two business days.

For any iPhone to get unlocked from AT&T, it must fulfill 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

When the iPhone is part of a term agreement or installment plan, it's got to also adhere to 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 conditions, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Sprint

Depending on when you bought your phone and if it has got SIM-unlock capabilities, there are a couple of different unlock options. If you purchased a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it will be SIM-unlock capable) and it's 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 besides keep your account in good standing. However, if your iPhone is inactive or was purchased before February 2015, you’ll have to get in touch with Sprint Customer Care directly to request an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or call 888-211-4727).

There have been reports from some Sprint customers that the auto-unlock program doesn't always operate as it should, so it’s undoubtedly a very good idea to verify that your iPhone has been unlocked before attempting to swap to a different network or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you intend to sell it to a buyback business or on craigslist or ebay.

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

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 the iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it has to also meet 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 precise eligibility conditions, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on T-Mobile

If you’re an Android phone owner reading this and your device matches the eligibility requirements, consider yourself lucky: You can actually unlock it easily from the device itself. For the iPhone owners out there, you’ll need to speak to T-Mobile’s Group of Specialists 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 adhere to the following prerequisites:

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 must also fulfill these conditions:

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

For precise eligibility prerequisites, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Verizon

Verizon is, by far, the top service provider to use for unlocking an iPhone. Why? Because Verizon will automatically unlock your phone 60 days after the purchase of the handset. If you purchased 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, meet any special prerequisites, or even contact them to request to unlock your phone from their network. So long as your iPhone hasn’t been reported stolen or lost, merely wait a couple of months following purchase or activation and your phone will be ready to go.

Don’t believe us? Just click here.

Now I've Unlocked my iPhone — what do I do now?

A few years back, you’d have to hook your iPhone to iTunes and conduct a software restore to perform the unlock procedure. Fortunately, it’s much easier today. All you need to do is go through same steps you followed earlier to determine if your phone had been unlocked in the first place.

If you don’t have access to a SIM card from another carrier, you can still confirm that a iPhone has been unlocked by performing iTunes software restore. Just hook up your iPhone with a computer running iTunes and press the “restore” option. When the restoration process has completed, you will see a message saying “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

Well done! You successfully factory-unlocked your iPhone! That means you can use whatever network you wish to now, right? We hate to break this to you, but no. Due to the two different types of systems used in the Unites States, GSM and CDMA, your available network providers is dependent upon the type of your iPhone as well as the original network it's 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 may have guessed, both of these different network types will not talk to each other (because that would be too easy). Thankfully, as we move closer to global 5G access and as older networks are retired, it will hopefully cease to be a problem.

To find out which networks you have access to based on both 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 factory-unlocked, it's going to remain that way for the life of the device. It is possible to restore your iPhone or up-date applications without worrying about your unlock disappearing afterwards.