How to Determine If Your Phone Is Unlocked

My iPhone: Is it unlocked?

You can quickly unlock your iPhone if you run iOS. If you purchased your smartphone directly from Apple (either at full retail price or through their iPhone Upgrade Program), through a third party (if the seller did not have a carrier agreement prior to purchase), or through your carrier, you are the only person who can use this function.

If you purchased your iPhone straight from Apple, you could select a model from a pre-selected carrier or buy the phone entirely without any carrier ties. The second option automatically unlocks your handset, allowing you to use any SIM card and receive a strong signal from any provider.

How to Check iPhone's Locked/Unlocked Status:

1. When using iOS 14 or later, go to Settings,
2. Tap on General after scrolling down and choosing About.
3. Your iPhone is unlocked if the No SIM Restrictions statement appears next to Carrier Lock.

Alternatively, you can power down your phone, place a new SIM card (for your new carrier) into the SIM tray on the side of the iPhone, then power the device back on.

To check if your smartphone is compatible with your carrier, try making a call or using mobile data, but first make sure you have an active service. Check the signal icon at the top to see if it has a "x" over it or next to it, or see if "No service" displays on the screen, if you don't want to activate your new SIM card just yet. You can use the phone on another network if it can make calls, access the web without Wi-Fi turned on, or displays a signal without any marks.

Do I Have a Locked Android Phone?

Unlike newer iPhones, Android devices do not have the opportunity to check SIM restrictions in the settings, but that does not mean you are completely without options.

How to Check Locked/Unlocked Status on Android:

1. Access Settings from the drop-down menu or through your App Drawer.
2. Tap on Connections, Network & Internet, or other variations depending on brand and model.
3. Select Mobile network, Cellular network, or other variation depending on brand and model.
4. Tap on Advanced (if needed) and select Choose Network, Automatically select network, or another variant to open the list of carriers.
5. If several carriers appear, the chances are that your phone is unlocked and just needs the appropriate SIM card. For further confirmation, continue to Step 6.
6. Remove the old SIM card from your phone and insert the newly activated one from the other carrier. Try using mobile data to browse the internet but ensure that Wi-Fi is disabled.
7. If you successfully browsed the internet, your phone is definitely unlocked.

If you want to know if your phone is unlocked without having an activated SIM card for the new carrier, try borrowing someone else’s SIM card and see if you can make a call or browse the web.

Aside from inserting a valid SIM card, you can try calling the current carrier to confirm the locked/unlocked status.

On Android phones, how to Remove and Insert a SIM Card

It's a little more difficult to provide instructions for every model because the Android OS is utilized in devices from many different manufacturers. The SIM Card is inside or under the battery if your phone has a detachable back. It could also be present in the outside frame. Look for a pinhole that is included in the tray's outline. Open the tray and use a paperclip, earring, or SIM popper to insert the SIM card from another carrier.