If you’re planning on buying a used iPhone or selling your old phone, it’s important to know whether it’s unlocked or not. Locked iPhones are harder to sell since they won’t allow you to use a carrier other than the existing one. So, how can you figure out if your phone’s unlocked?
You can find out if your iPhone is unlocked by checking the Carrier Lock status in ‘Settings’–>’General’–>’About’. If you see ‘No SIM Restrictions’ there, it means the phone is unlocked. You can also check by calling your carrier or using an online IMEI checker.
Let’s look at what it means for an iPhone to be unlocked, how to check whether your iPhone is unlocked, and whether you can unlock an iPhone that’s locked to a certain carrier.
What Does It Mean When a Phone Is Unlocked?
An unlocked iPhone can be used with any network carrier or SIM provider, while a locked iPhone is restricted to a certain carrier. If you have an unlocked iPhone, you can choose any network carrier for a SIM or data plan.
Most new iPhones purchased from a reputable seller will be unlocked, as is the case with most refurbished iPhones purchased through the Apple Store. However, if you have a contract with a certain carrier, your iPhone will be locked until the contract is paid off.
Unlocked iPhones like this iPhone 11 (on Amazon) have a higher resale value since you can use them with any carrier. They also offer more flexibility in terms of call, message, and data options, and you won’t be bound to use the services of a single carrier.
When you buy a locked iPhone through a certain carrier plan, you may get a better deal, but this may become a problem when you want to sell the phone.
Some iPhones are permanently locked with a certain carrier, and while they may be cheaper, they’re extremely difficult to sell.
If you’re buying a used iPhone, always check that it’s unlocked before deciding on an option. While there’s no harm in buying a locked iPhone if you’re getting a better deal, you may end up spending more on data plans that you don’t really need.
Apple Activation Lock
Your iPhone may also be locked with the Apple activation lock. When this is enabled, you won’t be able to access the phone without signing into the iCloud account with which the iPhone was registered. The activation lock will be active if the “Find My iPhone” feature is turned on.
To turn off the Apple activation lock, go into the Settings app and click on your name. Select ‘Find My‘ and use the slider to turn it off. This will disable the activation lock, but your account will still be active on the iPhone.
If you’re selling your phone, simply disabling the activation lock isn’t enough. You’ll have to delete your iCloud account and sign out of the device permanently to remove all locks and passwords.
Follow these steps to remove your iCloud account from your iPhone:
- Open the Settings app and click on your name.
- Select ‘iCloud.’
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on ‘Sign Out.’
- Enter your Apple ID and select ‘Turn Off.’
- Select a backup option and click on ‘Sign Out‘ to remove your iCloud account from the device.
How to Tell If the Apple Activation Lock Is On
If you’re buying a new or refurbished iPhone, always check that the activation lock is disabled and the previous owner has removed their data from the phone. The easiest way to check whether the iPhone is clean or not is to power it on.
If the “Hello” screen appears, then the iPhone is unlocked, and you can set it up with your Apple account. However, if you’re asked for a passcode that means the previous owner’s account is still associated with the phone.
Never buy an iPhone which still has an activation lock, as you’ll never be able to wipe the previous owner’s account off it unless they log out themselves.
How to Find Out if Your iPhone Is Unlocked
The easiest way to check if your iPhone is unlocked is by checking in the phone’s settings. Follow these steps to check whether your iPhone is unlocked:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Select ‘About‘ under ‘General.’
- Scroll down to ‘Carrier Lock.’
- If you see ‘No SIM Restrictions,’ the phone isn’t locked to a certain carrier.
While you’ll usually see if the iPhone is locked in Settings, sometimes it may show ‘No SIM Restrictions‘ even though the iPhone may be locked. To be absolutely sure, you can confirm by contacting the network carrier or doing an IMEI search.
Checking With Your Carrier or IMEI Search
If you aren’t sure whether your iPhone is locked or not, you can call your carrier to find out. Some carriers will instantly identify whether your SIM is tied with a contract or package, while others may request the IMEI number to confirm the phone’s status.
If you don’t want to go through the process of contacting your carrier’s customer service, you can use an online IMEI checker to see your iPhone’s status. You can find the IMEI number on the back cover of your iPhone or on the original packaging of the iPhone.
If your phone is locked to a certain carrier, your best option is to contact the carrier to see whether they have an option for unlocking the phone.
You may have to pay off the remaining dues on any contract or pay a lump sum to unlock your iPhone. Unfortunately, some carriers won’t unlock iPhones with permanent plans.