How do i know if a phone is locked

Q: Can you unlock a phone yourself?

Unlocking your phone isnt hard to do—and its completely legal—but a little help can go a long way, because the process varies from phone to phone and carrier to carrier. If you didnt make a point of buying an unlocked model when you purchased your phone, its likely tied to your current network.

Before buying an Android Phone it is really worth making sure whether the Android Phone that you are considering to buy is an unlocked Phone or Locked Phone. You will find below the methods to find out whether an Android Phone is unlocked or locked.

Table of Contents Show

Difference Between Locked and Unlocked Android Phone
Check Using IMEI Number
Where did you buy it, and how?
How to check if your phone is unlocked
Do you need an unlocked phone?
Can I check if my phone is unlocked with IMEI?
Is my phone a locked phone?
Can you unlock a phone yourself?

Difference Between Locked and Unlocked Android Phone

It is important that you know about the difference between a Locked and an Unlocked Android Phone, so that you can go for the type of phone that suits you better.

Unlocked Android Phone: In general Android Phones that are sold by the makers of the phone like Samsung, Nexus, Xiaomi and others are sold as Factory Unlocked Android Phones.

The clear advantage of owning an Unlocked Android Phone is that it can be used with any Carrier or Network. You can insert SIM card from any service provider on an unlocked Phone and it will start working.

Locked Android Phone: Android Phones that are sold by Carriers are generally locked to the network of the Carrier and cannot be used on any other network. Most Locked Android phones are sold with a network plan and are generally locked for a period of 18 to 24 months.

After the lock-in period ends, a locked Android Phone becomes eligible for being unlocked. The unlocking can be done by the Carrier or by other Phone unlocking services.

The easiest way to confirm whether an Android Phone is Locked or Unlocked is to take out the existing SIM Card from the phone and insert a SIM Card from another Carrier into the Phone.

In case you are buying your Android Phone from an independent seller, you can arrange a meeting with this seller and seek his/her permission to check the Android Phone with another SIM card.

1. First, make a phone call using the Android Phone (with the current SIM card). This will ensure that the Phone is working with the current SIM.

2. Next, Power OFF the Android Phone and remove the existing SIM card from the Phone and Insert the SIM card from another Carrier into the Android Phone.

3. After replacing SIM, press the Power button to start the Phone.

4. Now, make a phone call from the Android Phone

The Android Phone is definitely Unlocked, in case the Call goes through, even after changing the SIM Card. In case the Call does not connect after changing the SIM Card, it confirms that the Android Phone is Locked to a Carrier.

Check Using IMEI Number

In case you do not want to go through the process of changing the SIM Cards, you can ask for the IMEI Number of the Android Phone and follow the steps below to check whether your Android Phone is unlocked or Locked.

1. First, get the IMEI Number of the Android Phone from its seller. Depending on the stage of the deal, most genuine sellers should have no problem providing the IMEI Number to you.

In case the seller does not know the IMEI number you can refer them to this article – How to Find IMEI Number of Your Android Phone.

2. Next, go to imei.info website using your phone or computer.

3. Type the 15 digit IMEI Number of the Android Phone into the dialog box as shown below and click on the Check button (See image below).

4. On the next screen, you will see information about the Android Phone belonging to the IMEI Number that you had just entered. Click on SIMLOCK & WARRANTY button.

5. Once the process is complete, you will get information about the network to which the phone belongs to and whether it is an Unlocked Android Phone or a Locked Phone.

After IMEI check, the website also offers unlocking service for a fee in case your Android Phone is locked.

How to Set Up SIM Card Lock On Your Android Phone

Device lock status shows unlocked on a OnePlus Android phone

(Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Android Central)

Best answer: Many models will tell the phone's locked status in the about section of the settings. If you can't find that, you can simply try another carrier's SIM card in your phone to see if it will read. Finally, if you bought it from a carrier, you may need to call support to check its lock status, or request an unlock.

Where did you buy it, and how?

Carrier-locked phones are limited to using a SIM from just one carrier. This means that if you want to change carriers, you'll need to make sure your phone is unlocked or get ready to buy a new one. The good news is that if you've paid off your phone, you can get it unlocked and bring it to another carrier.

If you bought your phone from a carrier, the first thing to do is make sure it's paid off. If you were paying it off with a series of payments, you'd need to make sure you have paid the full balance.

One thing to keep in mind is that some carriers use buy one get one deals with monthly bill credits to lock customers into a cycle of paying off the phone for the full term. If you've participated in one of these promotions, you may need to pay off two phones rather than just one.

Once it's paid off, it will either unlock automatically, or you can request an unlock from the carrier. If you're switching to a new carrier, make sure to get your phone unlocked before you leave your old carrier. You can still get your phone unlocked down the line, but it can take a lot longer, and may require account information you don't have handy.

If you bought your phone from Amazon or another online retailer, the phone would be listed as unlocked or carrier-specific. Be sure to choose the unlocked version for your region. International models will work with U.S. carriers, but you may not have access to all carrier bands and 5G support may be weaker than U.S. models.

Of course, if you bought your phone directly from the manufacturer and listed it as unlocked, it would be. All phones sold directly from Google are unlocked, and many phones from other manufacturers like Samsung, OnePlus, and even Apple are sold directly, and SIM unlocked.

For the rest of the phones out there, there's really only one fool-proof way to check: Try it.

How to check if your phone is unlocked

Visible Swap with an older Huawei phone

(Image credit: Source: Samuel Contreras / Android Central)

You'll see websites that claim you can check if your phone is unlocked online. While that might be true, these services cost money and are often incorrect. I'll come right out and say it: Don't bother.

Instead, you can call your carrier, or the carrier/MVNO you're thinking of switching to. Companies keep a database of IMEI numbers that says which phones are compatible, unlocked, or blacklisted.

You might not have any luck here, though, because the person answering the phone might not be able to give you that information — they either don't have access to it, or aren't allowed to tell you over the phone. It's worth a try if you don't have access to a SIM card from a different company, though.

Skipping all of that, the easiest way to find out if your phone is unlocked is to just put in a SIM card from another carrier. It doesn't have to be a SIM card connected to an active account — the phone will try to initiate a connection with any SIM card in place. Some carriers like Google Fi will even send you a SIM for free, and you aren't charged anything until you activate the card. The process is as follows:

Visible SIM card next to Pixel 3a

(Image credit: Ara Wagoner / Android Central)

Make a phone call using your current SIM card, if possible. This is to check that the phone is working properly. (Call your mom and tell her "hello"; she'll appreciate it.)
Shut off the phone and remove the SIM card. Look in the manual or online if you're not sure how to do this, and if you need a SIM card removal tool, a paperclip usually works fine. You may also want to give it a SIM PIN code first, so no one can steal and use your old SIM card.
Put the new SIM card in your phone and power it back on.
If you're greeted with a dialog box telling you to enter a SIM unlock code, your phone is SIM locked to the carrier it was originally purchased from.
If you don't see an unlock code prompt, check that it says you have service if you used a valid SIM card. If you do, your phone is probably unlocked. Try making another phone call. (Mom won't mind two calls on the same day.)

If you can't call using the new SIM card, you'll probably get a recorded message with some error code. You can jot down the code and check online to see why the call can't be completed, so you know if it's because of a SIM lock, or because of incompatible hardware. Having a wholly incompatible phone with another network is unlikely nowadays, but it's worth checking.

If you don't have access to another SIM card, you can also take your phone into a carrier store and tell them you're thinking of switching carriers and want to check if it's unlocked. Don't feel bad about telling a little white lie to a carrier — they tell them to us all of the time. They should be able to help you put in a SIM card and check.

If your phone is SIM-locked, don't fret. Carriers are required to SIM unlock your phone provided it has been paid for in full, and your account is in good standing. Each carrier has slightly different rules regarding how long you have to own the phone and how long your account has to be open.

You may be able to request an unlock directly from your phone's settings. T-Mobile has a help page (opens in new tab) dedicated specifically to showing customers how to request an unlock. You can also download the T-Mobile Device Unlocker app (opens in new tab) if your phone doesn't have the option.

AT&T also has an unlocker app (opens in new tab) as well as a website to request unlocks (opens in new tab). This might take a little time depending on your device, so be patient if it doesn't unlock immediately.

In many cases, you may need to do nothing at all. Verizon, for example, states that it will automatically unlock phones 60 days after they have been paid off.

If all of that doesn't work, you can give customer service a call, and they'll help you out. The long and short of it is; if you've paid the phone off, and it hasn't been reported lost or stolen, you should have no trouble getting it unlocked.

Do you need an unlocked phone?

Nothing phone (1) SIM eject tool

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Most smartphone owners ask how to check if their phone is unlocked because they plan to switch carriers. You may or may not have heard of MVNO carriers, which are gaining popularity as a cheaper alternative for service.

We think that's great because having even more choices can't be a bad thing. And even if you go with one of the "big" carriers, having the ability to switch whenever you want puts the power in your hands.

But no matter which of the best cell phone plans you want to adopt, you'll need to make sure you have a SIM-unlocked phone first. That means you can use a SIM card from any company, so long as the hardware is compatible with the network, with no restrictions.

Most of the best Android phones are available unlocked, but if you're paying a monthly fee to your carrier for a phone, it's more than likely locked. Just be careful not to get trapped into a buy one lease one free agreement, with monthly bill credits that keep you on the carrier for 24 or 36 months.

Switching to an MVNO

Now that you know how to check if your phone is unlocked, your next question should be what to do with your newly freed phone. There are several important considerations you should make when switching to an MNVO, including checking if your phone works with MNVOs.

If you've already decided that's your path forward, then your next step is choosing an MNVO. Since your phone may be restricted to a single provider, we have round-ups on the best Verizon prepaid carriers, best T-Mobile prepaid carriers, and all AT&T prepaid carriers to help you decide.

Top of the line unlocked

There's a lot to love about the Galaxy S22, from it's incredible build quality, beautiful display, and top-shelf software update policy. Perhaps one of the best things is its great compatibility with nearly any carrier unlocked, including some tough ones like Visible and Google Fi with network switching.

When Samuel is not writing about networking or 5G at Android Central, he spends most of his time researching computer components and obsessing over what CPU goes into the ultimate Windows 98 computer. It's the Pentium 3.

Can I check if my phone is unlocked with IMEI?

An IMEI number can be used to determine the device make and model, and whether the device is locked or unlocked. If a device has been lost or stolen, the IMEI can also be used to block it from being used on most carrier networks, including T-Mobile's.

Is my phone a locked phone?

First go to Settings and then Cellular. If you see a Cellular Data option under the Cellular menu, then your iPhone is unlocked. If you don't see “Cellular Data Network” as an option under Cellular, then the phone is locked.

Can you unlock a phone yourself?

Unlocking your phone isn't hard to do—and it's completely legal—but a little help can go a long way, because the process varies from phone to phone and carrier to carrier. If you didn't make a point of buying an unlocked model when you purchased your phone, it's likely tied to your current network.