The Ultimate Tutorial On How To Unlock An iPhone 11 Pro Max

The Perfect Tutorial On How To Unlock iPhone's

So, you have finally made the last payment on your iPhone and that baby is officially all yours. So you’re able to use it while traveling in another country with a local SIM card and are free to swap networks as you please, right? Don’t start booking your flight to Australia or running to AT&T just yet since, unfortunately, it’s not quite that straight forward.

In order to stop somebody from switching over to a competitor’s network before they’ve paid off their iPhone or satisfied their contract, countless carriers place a sim lock (sometimes known as a network lock) on their phones. This consequently guarantees that you, or anyone you sell your second hand iPhone to, are stuck with them for the long haul. If you’re thinking this sounds like a rather dysfunctional partnership, we're inclined to agree with you. Thankfully, along with a little effort and an account in good standing, you can be on the right path to a carrier-unlocked iPhone very quickly!

Before we proceed, just a quick note on the kind of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should stay away from! There is software available offering the ability to unlock your cellphone yourself, however you need to jailbreak your cell phone, and this is inadvisable, for a lot of reasons. You can do your own homework into jail-breaking, but it's very risky, and not recommended. The simplest way to unlock your iPhone is by discussing directly with your wireless provider. The journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone relies largely on your network, with the process being either reasonably quick and painless or painfully challenging. To get you a step closer to a life free of carrier-locked tyranny, we accumulated all the steps on how to get an iPhone unlock in this comprehensive guide. Please be aware that while this was written with iPhone owners in mind, most of the recommendations could be carried over to other smartphones.

What Is SIM Unlocking?

As mentioned previously, when you buy an iPhone or some other smartphone through your cellular carrier, that smartphone will still only function on that specific network unless you either request to have your service provider unlock it or maybe your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (more on that later). Also called 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.

Thankfully, not every iPhone require unlocking. For example, if you purchase your iPhone directly from Apple and pay it off in full, it will be unlocked and ready to use with a variety of carriers.

Please note, however, that not all phones purchased outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. In particular, although sold as “unlocked”, smartphone's bought at Best Buy are in fact considered universal. So, when you insert a SIM card for the first time, the phone will essentially lock itself to the carrier linked to the SIM card. Then, given that certain service providers like T-Mobile may only unlock your iPhone if you bought it directly from them, you could potentially end up having an eternally carrier-locked device. Quite simply, you wind up paying factory-unlocked prices to get a carrier-locked phone.

Why would I Unlock My iPhone?

Possessing a factory-unlocked iPhone comes with its fair share of perks including the flexibility to operate on (almost) any network in the US and abroad as well as increased second-hand values.

Network-unlocking provides you the choice to use your smartphone with the cellular provider of your choice, almost wherever and whenever you wish (with some exceptions, as you’ll see later). For instance, if you're currently using T-Mobile but are relocating to a new part of the country with weak T-Mobile coverage, you can switch to AT&T on a dime

A Network-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a piece of cake. Unlocking also provides you with the flexibility to use your phone in another country. International roaming fees, costly international plans, and mad dashes for WiFi become a distant memory with an unlocked iPhone. Merely put in a SIM card from a local carrier and you're good to go.

IMEI-unlocked iPhones have considerably higher resale values.

Even if you don’t anticipate changing service providers or traveling overseas any time soon, unlocking your iPhone is still a smart idea. If you anticipate trading in your old iPhone whenever you upgrade, you’ll usually get more cash for it if the iPhone has already been network unlocked because of a greater demand for them in the resale market place.

Is it unlawful to Network Unlock your smartphone?

Absolutely not! Because 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 customers to unlock their phones. However, the circumstances under which a provider will unlock a smart phone vary widely from service provider to service provider. As a general rule, virtually all service providers require you to finish your contract, cover your financial obligations in full, or at a minimum have an account in good standing before they’ll assist you to unlock your iPhone.

The way to check if your iPhone is Unlocked

Before beginning the smartphone-unlocking process, you’ll first need to determine whether your iPhone has already been unlocked (no sense in dealing with the hassle when you don’t actually need to). All you need to do is make sure that you’re connected with WiFi and insert a new SIM card from another network provider and your cellphone will do everything else automatically. This verification check typically takes under a minute to finish as soon as a Sim card has been inserted.

Through the verification procedure, you’ll observe that your iPhone will boot onto a white screen and attempt to validate that it has been unlocked with your carrier. Should Apple verify that your iPhone is network-unlocked, it will go back to the home screen and service bars will appear from the new network. However, if a white screen appears that says SIM Not Supported, your cellphone will not be unlocked.

How to Unlock iPhones from any Provider

Having established your phone is definitely locked to your current network provider, next you'll need to take a look at your network’s unlocking eligibility conditions. If your iPhone meets their unlocking criteria, you can ask them if the device can be unlocked from their network. As suggested before, both the eligibility requirements and the unlocking process vary from carrier to carrier. Each has been outlined below for the major carriers including Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T.

Please note that, as long as you’ve met the unlock prerequisites and are completing the network-unlocking directly with your carrier, asking for your iPhone be unlocked is likely to be completely free. Should you decide to work through a 3rd party unlocking company, you're going to be charged, but using a 3rd party company is going to be your only option if you bought the phone second-hand. So, before you spend money unnecessarily, try using the directions outlined below beforehand.

Find An iPhone’s IMEI Number

When officially-unlocking your iPhone, you'll have to supply your service provider your mobiles IMEI number. This unique, 15-digit identifier is effectively your 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 you will see it displayed next to IMEI.

You could also locate the IMEI number on the mobile phone casing itself. For older iPhone models (6, 6 Plus, 1st-generation SE, 5s, 5c, 5), the number may also be written on the back or the SIM tray.

Once you’ve found the IMEI number, it highly advisable that you keep it somewhere for safekeeping.

Unlock an iPhone on AT&T

Unlocking your iPhone from the AT&T network is about as uncomplicated as A-B-C. Just run on over to the AT&T website, answer a few straightforward questions, and you'll be well on your way to IMEI-unlocked freedom.

After you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to check on your AT&T unlock status. After you receive your verification text or email, simply open it up and click on the verification 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 needs to fulfill the following requirements:

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
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 your iPhone is part of a term agreement or installment plan, it's got to also meet these requirements:

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

For precise eligibility prerequisites, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Sprint

Based on when you acquired your phone and if it has SIM-unlock capabilities, you've got a couple of different unlock choices. If you obtained a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it should be SIM-unlock capable) and it is actively being used on their network, Sprint can unlock it automatically after it meets their eligibility requirements. So, you actually don’t need to do anything besides keep your account in good order. Even so, if your iPhone hasn't been activated or was purchased prior to February 2015, you’ll have to contact Sprint Customer Service directly to ask for an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or call 888-211-4727).

We have seen reports from some Sprint users that the auto-unlock program doesn't always function as it needs to, so it’s unquestionably a very good idea to confirm that your iPhone has been unlocked before trying to swap to a different carrier or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you plan to sell it to a buyback business or on craigs list.

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

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
Must not be reported as lost, stolen, or associated with fraud

If the iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it's got to also satisfy these requirements:

Any lease or installment payments must be fully paid
If leased, the end-of-lease purchase option must be fully paid
Any early-termination fees must be fully paid

For precise eligibility prerequisites, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on T-Mobile

If your reading this and own an Android cellphone and your device meets the eligibility prerequisites, consider yourself in luck: You can unlock it easily from the phone itself. For the iPhone owners out there, you’ll have 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 must meet the following prerequisites:

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

If the iPhone is on a postpaid plan, it's 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 detailed eligibility conditions, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Verizon

Verizon is, without a doubt, the top provider to work with for unlocking an iPhone. Why? Because Verizon will automatically unlock your phone 60 days following the purchase of the handset. If you obtained your iPhone at a retail partner, it will be unlocked automatically 60 days after device activation.

There are no catches. You don’t have to pay off your phone, satisfy any unique requirements, or even contact them to request to unlock your phone from their network. As long as your iPhone hasn’t been reported lost or stolen, just wait two months following purchase or activation and your phone will be a-ok.

Hard to believe? Just click here.

Now I've Unlocked my iPhone — now what?

Back many years ago, you’d need to connect your iPhone up to iTunes and conduct a software restore to perform the unlock process. Fortunately, it’s a lot easier today. All you have to do is follow the same steps you took earlier to verify if your phone is unlocked in the first place.

In the event you don’t have access to a Sim from a different carrier, you may still confirm that your iPhone has been unlocked by performing iTunes software restore. Just hook up your iPhone to a computer running iTunes and hit the “restore” option. After the restoration process has completed, you will see a message which says “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

Congratulations! You successfully carrier-unlocked your iPhone! That means you can use whatever carrier you would like to now, yes? We hate to tell you this, but no. Due to the two different types of systems used in the US, CDMA and GSM, your available network providers will depend on the type of your iPhone as well as the original network it's locked to. Primarily, Verizon and Sprint are CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networks, while AT&T, T-Mobile, and most providers abroad are GSM (Global System for Mobiles) networks.

As you’ve probably guessed, these two different network types do not talk to each other (because that's too logical). Thankfully, as we move closer to world wide 5G access and as older networks are retired, it will hopefully no longer be a challenge.

To see which networks you have access to depending on these two 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

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

Is the Unlock permanent?

You got it! Once your phone has been carrier-unlocked, it'll remain like that for the lifetime of the device. You can restore your iPhone or up-date apps without having to worry about your unlock vanishing afterwards.

About This Author

Hurst Bradshaw
Joined: February 26th, 2021

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