How to unlock an iPhone to switch carriers – Guide
If you’re looking to make a change in your iPhone coverage, there are a few things you can do. You could try moving to a new area, or reducing your monthly fee. If you’re locked to your current carrier, there’s also a way to unlock your iPhone.
Before leaving the ship, make sure your iPhone is fully paid off. If you have an installment plan, you will have to complete all your payments before your carrier releases you.
If you paid all the money for your iPhone up front, it is almost certainly unlocked. If you’ve purchased from AT&T, Verizon, or another carrier, you may be limited to their network.
How do I know if it’s locked or unlocked?
Apple last year added a way to check if your iPhone is locked or unlocked that doesn’t involve calling your carrier and navigating to a human who can answer this simple question. As long as you’re running iOS 14 or iOS 15, you can go to Settings > General > About and scroll down to Carrier Lock. If you see no SIM restrictions on this line, then – good news! – your iPhone is unlocked. If you see your SIM locked, however, you probably still have a few payments to make before the iPhone is fully paid for.
What if it’s blocked?
If your iPhone is not yet unlocked, you will need to contact your service provider to request an unlock. Before calling, however, you can start the unlocking process on your carrier’s website. Check AT&T Device Unlock Pages, T-Mobile and Verizon – you may need to wait a day or two for your request to complete. Once confirmed, you are ready to go.
Your new service is up and running, so don’t forget to cancel your old contract.
OK so how do I remove the SIM card?
To turn off your iPhone, first remove the battery by pulling out the battery connector. Then turn off your iPhone by pressing and holding down both the power button and home button at the same time until you see the Apple logo appear. Finally, remove the SIM card by using the SIM eject tool or a safety pin and place it in a safe place. ..
The SIM is out. What now?
Put your new operator’s SIM card in the tray and put it back in your phone.
Final note
If you’re looking to switch carriers and want to keep your iPhone unlocked, this guide will show you how. ..
