The Definative Tutorial On How To Unlock An iPhone XS Max

A Definitive Tutorial On How To Unlock iPhone's

So, you've finally fulfilled the contract on your iPhone and that baby is eventually all yours. Which means you’re able to use it while traveling in another country with a domestic SIM card and are free to move networks as you want, right? Don’t start booking your flight to Europe or running to AT&T quite yet since, unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy.

So as to stop individuals from switching to a rival’s network before they’ve paid off their iPhone or fulfilled their contract, many carriers put a sim lock (commonly known as as a carrier lock) on their smart phones. This inevitably makes sure that you, or anyone who you sell your pre-owned iPhone to, are tied to them for the long haul. If you’re thinking this sounds like a rather dysfunctional arrangement, we're inclined to agree with you. Happily, along with a little legwork plus an account in good standing, you are on your way to a SIM-unlocked iPhone very quickly!

Before we proceed, just a quick note about the sort of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should avoid! There is software out there that offer the ability to unlock a handset yourself, but they require you to jailbreak your cell phone, and this is not a smart move, for numerous reasons. You can do your own investigation into jail-breaking, but it's not a sensible choice, and not recommended. The best way to unlock your iPhone is by speaking directly with your wireless provider. The journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone depends largely on your network, with the procedure being either relatively quick and simple or painfully challenging. To help you get one step closer to a life free from carrier-locked tyranny, we rounded up all the steps to be able to get an iPhone unlock with this comprehensive guide. Please note that although this was written with iPhone owners in mind, a great deal of the recommendations could be used for other smartphones.

What Is SIM Unlocking?

As noted previously, when you purchase an iPhone or any other smartphone from your cellular provider, that smart phone will still only function on that specific network unless you either request to have your network unlock it or your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (more on that later). Often known as a SIM unlock, factory unlock, or network unlock, carrier unlocking means removing a network’s restrictions on a device, letting you use it with a different cellular provider.

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

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

Why Should I Unlock My iPhone?

Having a factory-unlocked iPhone comes with a number of perks such as the ability to utilize (nearly) any network within the US and abroad as well as increased second-hand values.

SIM-unlocking provides you the choice to use your smartphone with the service provider of your choice, almost whenever and wherever you want (with a handful of exceptions, as you’ll find out in a while). Such as, if you're currently using T-Mobile but are relocating to a new area of the country with weak T-Mobile coverage, you'll be able to switch to AT&T in a heartbeat

A Network-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a cinch. Unlocking also provides you with the ability to use your cell phone in another country. Global roaming fees, costly international plans, and crazy dashes for WiFi become a distant memory with an unlocked iPhone. Merely pop in a SIM card from a local carrier and you’re in business.

Officially-unlocked iPhones have much higher resale values.

Even if you don’t intend on swapping networks or going abroad any time soon, unlocking your iPhone remains a good idea. If you intend on trading in your old iPhone when you upgrade, you’ll usually get more money for it if the iPhone is carrier unlocked because of a greater interest in them in the resale market place.

Is it illegal to Network Unlock your phone?

No! Due to the 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 smartphone vary widely from carrier to carrier. On the whole, the majority of networks require you to complete your contract, cover your financial obligations in full, or at a minimum have an account in good standing before they’ll let you unlock your iPhone.

How you can determine whether your iPhone is Unlocked

Prior to starting the phone-unlocking process, you’ll first want to determine whether your iPhone is already unlocked (no need in going through the hassle if you don’t actually need to). All you have to do is be sure that you’re connected to WiFi and insert a new SIM card from another service provider and your cellphone will do everything else automatically. This authentication check generally takes less than a minute to accomplish as soon as a SIM has been inserted.

Throughout the verification process, you’ll notice that your iPhone will boot onto a white screen and try to confirm that it has been unlocked with your provider. If Apple determine that your iPhone is network-unlocked, it will go back to the home screen and service bars ought to appear from the new provider. However, if you see a white screen that says SIM Not Supported, your mobile phone is not unlocked.

How to Unlock iPhones from a Provider

Having verified your cell phone is definitely locked to your current cellular provider, next you'll need to start looking at your network’s unlocking eligibility conditions. If your iPhone meets their criteria, you can then request that the handset can be unlocked from their network. As recommended previously, both the eligibility requirements and the unlocking process vary from carrier to carrier. They all have been outlined below for the major carriers including Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T.

Please be aware that, as long as you’ve met the unlock prerequisites and therefore are completing the network-unlocking directly with your service provider, requesting that your iPhone be unlocked can be completely free. If you opt to go through a 3rd party unlocking service, you'll be charged, but using a 3rd party provider is your only option if you are not the original owner of the phone. Before you spend any money, try using the directions outlined below first.

Find An iPhone’s IMEI Number

When network-unlocking your iPhone, you'll have to give your service provider your device’s IMEI number. This unique, 15-digit identifier is effectively your mobile phone’s VIN or social security number. To find your IMEI, on your phone, select Settings > General > About and scroll down to the bottom section where it will be listed listed next to IMEI.

You can also locate the number on the cellphone housing itself. For earlier iPhone models (6, 6 Plus, 1st-generation SE, 5s, 5c, 5), the number will also be imprinted on the back or the SIM tray.

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

Unlock an iPhone on AT&T

Unlocking an iPhone from the AT&T network is about as uncomplicated as 1-2-3. Just run on over to the AT&T unlock portal, answer a couple of questions, and you’re well on your way to network-unlocked freedom.

When you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to review your AT&T unlocking status. When 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 two business days.

For any iPhone to get unlocked from the AT&T network, it must satisfy the following requirements:

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
Must not be active on a different AT&T account

If your iPhone is part of a term agreement or installment plan, it's got to also adhere to 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 detailed eligibility requirements, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Sprint

Depending on when you bought your phone and if it has SIM-unlock capabilities, there are a few different unlock choices. In the event you obtained a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it will be SIM-unlock capable) and it's actively being used on their network, Sprint will unlock it automatically after it meets their eligibility requirements. So, you really don’t need to do anything more besides keep your account in good order. However, if your iPhone hasn't been activated or was purchased prior to February 2015, you’ll have to contact Sprint Customer Care directly to ask for an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or dial 888-211-4727).

There has been reports from some Sprint users that the auto-unlock program doesn't always function as it needs to, so it’s certainly a very good idea to verify that your iPhone is unlocked before trying to switch to a different carrier or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you want to sell it to a buyback company or on craigs list.

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

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 your iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it must also adhere to these requirements:

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 conditions, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on T-Mobile

If your reading this and own an Android phone and your device matches the eligibility prerequisites, consider yourself lucky: It is possible to unlock it right from the phone itself. For those iPhone owners out there, you’ll have to contact T-Mobile’s Group of Experts directly (either dial 611 from a T-Mobile iPhone, call 877-746-0909.

To have an iPhone unlocked from T-Mobile, it has to satisfy the following conditions:

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
Must have been purchased directly from T-Mobile

If your iPhone is part of a postpaid plan, it needs to also meet the following prerequisites:

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

For detailed eligibility prerequisites, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Verizon

Verizon is, by far and away, the top network to use for unlocking an iPhone. Why? Because Verizon will automatically unlock your phone Sixty days after the purchase of the handset. If you obtained your iPhone at a retail partner, it'll be unlocked automatically 60 days after device activation.

There are no catches. You don’t have to pay off your phone, satisfy any unique conditions, or even contact them to ask to unlock your phone from their network. As long as your iPhone hasn’t been reported lost or stolen, merely wait 60 days after purchase or activation and your phone will be ready to go.

Hard to believe? Just click here.

Once I've Unlocked my iPhone — now what?

In the past, you’d need to hook your iPhone to iTunes and conduct a software restore in order to complete the unlock process. Luckily, it’s much easier nowadays. All you have to do is follow the same steps you used earlier to verify if your phone was already unlocked to begin with.

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

Great job! You successfully officially-unlocked your iPhone! Which means you're able to use whichever carrier you would like to now, yes? We hate to tell you this, but no. Because of the two different kinds of technologies deployed in the US, CDMA and GSM, your available mobile providers will depend on the model of your iPhone as well as the original carrier 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, these two different network types will not talk to each other (because that would be too easy). Fortunately, as we approach worldwide 5G access and as older networks are phased out, this will hopefully no longer be a problem.

To determine which carriers you can access determined by these two 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?

You got it! Once your phone has been carrier-unlocked, it'll remain that way for the life of the device. You'll be able to restore your iPhone or update software without having to worry about your unlock disappearing afterwards.

About This Author

Huber Sander
Joined: February 14th, 2021

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