When you buy an iPhone through your cellular carrier, chances are that the iPhone is locked on that cellular carrier's network. Usually this isn't a problem, but if you're going to be traveling overseas or want to switch carriers before your contract with your cellular carrier ends, you may want your iPhone to work with another carrier. Some time ago, you could unlock an iPhone network by jailbreaking it and installing software to unlock it. Unfortunately, Apple has closed the loophole, and unlocking with the above method is no longer possible. Follow these steps to unlock your iPhone through the official channel.
Step
Method 1 of 1: Unlock via Mobile Operator
Step 1. Contact your carrier to learn about their unlocking rules
Most major carriers will unlock your iPhone as long as your contract is up or you've paid a fine to cancel the current contract. They may also allow unlocks if you want to travel and need to use a local carrier in your destination country.
Step 2. If you want to switch carriers, contact your destination carrier
Some carriers will be happy to unlock your iPhone if it was previously locked on their rival carrier. Contact your destination carrier to find out their unlocking rules.
Step 3. Make sure your iPhone is compatible
If you unlock your iPhone to switch carriers, make sure your destination carrier accepts your iPhone. For example, you can use your iPhone on the Indosat network only if your iPhone is a GSM iPhone.
Unlock via Paid Service=
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Find an unlock service. Many online services accept iPhone unlock services. These services usually operate outside of America to circumvent the laws there.
Unlock an iPhone Step 4 -
Find out your options. Before paying a company to unlock your iPhone, find out as much about the company as possible. Find reviews of users who have unlocked at the company, and ask in the phone user forums. Be careful with scams, especially if you pay to violate your carrier's rules.
Unlock an iPhone Step 5 -
Get your iPhone IMEI code. Your iPhone will be placed in the carrier's official list of unlocked iPhones on Apple's servers, so your iPhone won't be locked again if you update the iOS version. To add an iPhone to the list, the unlock service provider requires a unique IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) code from your iPhone. There are several ways to find this IMEI code:
Unlock an iPhone Step 6 - On any iPhone, you can enter *#06# in the phone app and the IMEI code will be displayed on the screen.
- On iPhone 2G or iPhone 5, the IMEI number is printed on the bottom back of the iPhone.
- On the iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, and 4S, the IMEI is located on the SIM card holder.
- In iTunes, clicking on the connected iPhone will display the IMEI code in the Summary window, below the iPhone's storage capacity.
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Pay for the service. Sometimes, you need to wait a few hours to a few days to receive the unlock code. This is because most unlock service companies have employees at cellular operators who fetch unlock codes for them.
Unlock an iPhone Step 7 Make sure you provide the right information about your device so that you get the right code for your iPhone
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Unlock your iPhone. After you receive a notification that your iPhone has been unlocked, you need to activate the unlock.
Unlock an iPhone Step 8 -
Insert a SIM card from a carrier other than your carrier. If you have received a signal, you have successfully unlocked your iPhone. If not, continue with the following steps.
If your iPhone has been jailbroken, go to Settings > General > Reset. Select "Reset Network Settings", and restart your iPhone. Proceed to the next step
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Activate your iPhone. If you are prompted to activate your iPhone, you can do so in two ways:
- Directly from your iPhone with a Wi-Fi connection
- By connecting your iPhone to iTunes on a computer.
- If you still can't activate your iPhone, do a restore on the latest version of iOS. Keep in mind that doing a restore will remove the jailbreak if your iPhone is jailbroken. After this process is complete, your iPhone will get a signal again.
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