Not everyone will be familiar with the concept of an unlocked phone or how to determine if their device is unlocked. However, this has a big impact on the potential changes you can plan for.
If you’re considering switching to one of the best mobile networks or you want to sell your phone and need to check its carrier lock status, it’s useful to know how to check if your phone is unlocked or not.
This article will guide you through the steps to check if your phone is unlocked, ensuring you can make the most out of your mobile experience.
What is an unlocked phone?
An unlocked phone isn’t tied to a specific carrier. This means you can use the phone with any carrier that supports the device.
Unlike locked phones – which are restricted to the network of the carrier they were purchased from – unlocked phones offer greater flexibility; especially when traveling internationally or switching carriers.
They also often have higher resale value, and can be used with the best SIM-only deals from various carriers; allowing for cost savings and more tailored service plans.
How to check if your phone is unlocked
If you have the phone on your person – whether it’s one of the best iPhones, best Android phones or something else – then the easiest thing to do to check whether your phone is unlocked is by trying different SIM cards from other networks/carriers in it.
Borrow a SIM card from a friend or family member who uses a different network to the one you’ve been using, and pop it into your phone to check whether you have any signal. If not, it’s likely that your phone is indeed locked.
You might also be greeted with a message asking for a SIM unlock code, which is also proof of a carrier-locked phone.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
We’d also recommend restarting the phone before checking, as it sometimes takes a restart for the new SIM card to be picked up by the device itself.
If you can’t readily tell whether the newly inserted SIM card is working or not, try making a phone call. If the call doesn’t connect, it’s likely that your phone is locked.
If you don’t have the phone yet, because you’re the one buying it, you’ll have to ask and trust the seller to find out. Even if it does turn out to be locked, however, there’s an easy fix in most cases; so it’s unlikely to render your new phone useless.
You may find apps claiming to be able to tell you if your phone is unlocked, but we’d avoid using this method, as they can’t necessarily be trusted. Simply trying different SIM cards is your best option.
In the UK, all phones have been sold unlocked by law since December 2021, so it’s likely that your phone is unlocked. But if not, read on.
How to unlock a phone
If you find that your phone is indeed locked, follow the links below to go to the unlock page for your network.
- Unlock an EE phone
- Unlock a Vodafone phone
- Unlock a Three phone
- Unlock an O2 phone
- Unlock a Tesco Mobile phone
- Unlock a GiffGaff phone
- Unlock a Virgin Mobile phone
- Unlock a BT Mobile phone
- Unlock a Sky Mobile phone
- Unlock a VOXI phone
Alternatively, use a third-party unlocking app like DoctorSIM. We would recommend being careful to only use an unlocking service you trust, though.
We have tested DoctorSIM and found it to be successful and fairly priced, but other similar services will charge significantly more, and not all services are legitimate, so research is recommended before you part with any cash, should you decide to go this route.
We have more information about how to do this in our article how to unlock a phone to use any SIM.
