Kathy writes:
“Hi, I’m not familiar with unlocking a phone so that it can be used ex-US. Do you have articles you can point to that discuss locked phones, etc?”
Why, yes I do, Kathy. As a matter of fact, here’s one now!
I spent about 2 1/2 years working for a “major cell provider”, so I am kind of in a unique position to answer this question for you. This was probably one of the most frequent questions that I was asked.
What does it mean that a phone is “locked”?
There are several situations that will cause a person to say that their phone is locked. One is a “screen lock”, which you just have to enter a passcode or a swipe to unlock. The second is a “SIM lock”, which means that you’ve entered incorrect passcodes too many times and this requires a PUK code to unlock, which you can get from your provider. The kind of lock that we’re addressing here means that your device is “locked” to a single provider, and can only be used on that provider’s network.
Why would I want to unlock my phone?
There are two primary reasons for someone to want to unlock a phone. One is to move the phone to another provider, and the other is to use the phone internationally without paying for international service. One caution… if you get a call from your provider saying that someone has tried to unlock a phone on your account, don’t panic. Simply add a passcode to your account so that no one but you can access it. This happens because people will steal phones in America and sell them wholesale to overseas outfits which will hack user’s accounts in the US and try to unlock the phones wholesale so that they can sell them there. The phone companies are figuring out ways to stop this, but crooks are always ready to come up with a new scam.
How do I unlock my phone?
That depends on a couple of factors. The first is your provider. Many Sprint phones, for example, have a solid-state SIM card (which can’t be removed), so they can’t be unlocked. Your provider will probably also require any contract that you have with them to be completed before they will unlock the device. And don’t let these “no-contract” plans, such as T-Mobiles “jump” or A T & T’s “next” fool you. Although you don’t have a contract, you are buying the phone on installments and will probably be required to finish paying off the retail cost of the phone before they will unlock it. A contract by any other name stinks just as badly.
The good news is that once you have met the requirements of your provider, it’s pretty easy to unlock a phone. The first step is to all your provider. They will ask for some information such as the IMEI number of the device (the unique phone identifier), your name, the phone number that was/is attached to the phone and some personally identifying information such as your social security number. If your device is an Iphone, the unlock has to be processed through Apple and typically takes anywhere from two days to two weeks. Once you receive a confirmation, hook your phone up to Itunes, do a backup and restore and you’re done. For any other type of phone, you will be given an unlock code and instructions for unlocking the device. Typically this involves putting a SIM card from another provider in your phone and entering the unlock code when prompted.
One final note… if you are buying a second hand phone, verify that the phone is unlocked or that it is locked to the provider that you want to use it on. Since you won’t have information such as the phone number that the phone was used on, you won’t be able to unlock it.
I hope that this helps!
~ Randal Schaffer
This is incorrect as far as international use is concerned. I had 2 Palm phones that I bought in the U.S., specifically to use here in Brazil. Palm and AT&T both told me the phones were quad-band world phones, meaning they could be used anywhere in the world where GSM phone service is available.
They lied. The most I could do was unlock the phone from the AT&T network in the U.S. for another GSM network in the U.S. I even sent one of them BACK to the U.S. to be “unlocked” at the local AT&T store where my parents live. $200 for the phone and another $100 in shipping costs, and the phone was a paperweight here. I ended up sending them both to a friend who works for the VA to give to wounded warriors in need.
What I have found is that for the most part, if your phone was built for use in the U.S., you’re going to be stuck with international usage fees. My recommendation is that you buy an unlocked phone while abroad and bring it home with you.
I have a “TRACFONE”® which I’d like to UNLOCK, not to move it to a different provider or for security reasons, but I’d like to access the address book and files that I store on the phone through my USB on my PC. I even tried to access them through a “BlueTooth” dongle which my phone has BlueTooth, NO GO! As soon as the phone sees a PC, it refuses to connect to it. USB is the same thing, the phone will not allow a PC to access the address book or my files. Even with a SIM card reader, it’s not formatted Correctly to read this type of sim card. I have the LG 420 phone which normally works GREAT! TracFone purposely does this so I use minutes, but I have have over 3,000 minutes now and sending pictures via E-mail is a pain in the RUMP!
Kathy,
There is also the option of purchasing unlocked phones on sites like eBay. Many various prices abound, from around $45.00 USD. Hope this helps 😉
my wife and I own 3 unlocked Windows Phones. They are in theory ATT Phones and we have used them with sims from Mexico and various European countries with no problems. You can but the sims in the states with enough money for a week or so and the sim price is usually in the $25 range with the time included. When we cross the border from U.S. to Mexico we switch sims and we are all set.
I have definitely had headaches trying to get phones unlocked for selling! We decided to try and make some extra cash by selling all our old phones last month, so we had a very hard time with a few. I didn’t see any mention in this article about Verizon phones. You did mention Sprint phones are unable to be unlocked, but what about Verizon?