If you lot're considering switching to a new network to salve money, looking to ameliorate signal or if yous're selling your phone and demand to know the state of its carrier lock beforehand, here, we show you how to check to see if your phone is unlocked and how to unlock it if it isn't already.

There are a number of reasons why you might want an unlocked telephone or tablet if it has cellular connectivity. Peradventure you want to utilize a different SIM card when away for cheaper calls, texts or browsing, or desire to simply switch mobile networks. Perhaps you've purchased a telephone online and desire to know if it'south locked to a detail network, or want to make sure it's unlocked in social club to sell it.

If your telephone or tablet is locked, you lot will only be able to use a SIM card from the mobile network it's locked to. This can exist very frustrating if you need to employ a SIM from a dissimilar network, simply to find that your phone (or tablet) won't let you.

If you purchased your phone SIM-free (and you lot've purchased it brand new, rather than second-hand), it'due south almost definitely going to exist unlocked to allow you to decide which SIM you desire to put in it. Notwithstanding, buying one on contract from a telephone retailer or a network might mean that it'due south locked from the get-become.

Locked phones are much less common now than they used to exist, and information technology'due south much easier to unlock them than it one time was, then in that location's no need to worry if you do discover that your telephone won't accept SIM cards from other networks out the gate. It might toll you a small fee, and sometimes you'll demand to wait until your contract is upwardly to unlock your phone, but these factors really hinge on the network your phone is locked to.

How to cheque whether your telephone is unlocked

If you lot accept the telephone on your person – whether information technology'southward an iPhone, Android phone or something else – then the easiest matter to do to bank check whether your phone is unlocked is by trying different SIM cards from other networks/carriers in it.

Borrow a SIM card from a friend or family member that'south from a different network to the ane you've been using, and popular it into your phone to check whether you have any signal. If not, it's likely that your telephone is indeed locked. You might besides be greeted with a bulletin asking for a SIM unlock code, which is also proof of a carrier-locked phone.

Is my iPhone locked

We'd also recommend restarting the phone earlier checking, every bit it sometimes takes a restart for the SIM card to be picked upward by the device itself.

If you can't readily tell whether the newly inserted SIM card is working or not, try making a phone phone call. If the telephone call doesn't connect, it'southward likely that your phone is locked.

If you don't have the phone however because y'all're the one buying it, y'all'll have to inquire and trust the seller to find out. Even if it does plough out to be locked, however, there's an like shooting fish in a barrel set in most cases, so it'southward unlikely to render your new telephone useless.

Note: You may find apps claiming to exist able to tell yous if your telephone is unlocked but we would avoid using this method, equally they can't necessarily be trusted. Simply trying different SIM cards is your best selection.

If y'all find that your phone is indeed locked, follow the links below to go to the unlock folio for your network.

  • Unlock an EE phone
  • Unlock a Vodafone phone
  • Unlock a Three phone
  • Unlock an O2 phone
  • Unlock a Tesco Mobile telephone
  • Unlock a GiffGaff telephone
  • Unlock a Virgin Mobile phone
  • Unlock a BT Mobile telephone
  • Unlock a Sky Mobile telephone
  • Unlock a VOXI phone

Alternatively, employ a 3rd-party unlocking app similar DoctorSIM. We would recommend being careful to simply use an unlocking service you lot trust. We have tested DoctorSIM and found it to be successful and adequately priced, but some volition accuse significantly more and not all services are legitimate, so research is recommended earlier you lot part with whatsoever cash if you decide to get this route.

We accept more data well-nigh how to practice this in our article how to unlock a phone to employ any SIM.