If you purchased your iPhone through your service provider or carrier, its probably locked to the network itself, unlike buying from a third party, which is more or less an unlocked device.
We’ll show you how to check if your iPhone is unlocked in a few easy steps below.
How to Check if Your iPhone is Unlocked
There are different methods you can use to do this: via a SIM card, Settings menu, or using IMEI service. Let’s look at how you can check through each of these different ways.
SIM Card
To do this:
- Turn off the iPhone and remove your SIM card using the ejector tool. If you don’t have one, a paper clip or safety pin will do
- Check how the SIM card fits in the SIM tray and take a new SIM card and place it the same way you removed your first one
- Return the SIM card tray back into the iPhone and power the phone back on
Try making a call with the new SIM card in place. If the iPhone can connect to the network using the new SIM card, it is unlocked. If not, then it is locked. You can always ask your carrier to unlock it for you though some may charge, or use a third party tool for this.
Settings Menu
To do this:
- Open Settings
- Tap Cellular and then tap Cellular Data options
- Check for Mobile Data or Cellular Data Network. If any of these are visible, there’s a likelihood the iPhone is unlocked. If not, it is locked.
IMEI Service
The IMEI service on your iPhone has all the information relating to your device. You can use several services to tell whether the iPhone is unlocked using the IMEI number search, but most aren’t reliable, some are inaccurate, and others charge. The paid ones are much more reliable.
To use your IMEI service, do the following:
- Find a service to use with the iPhone
- Tap Settings and then tap General
- Tap About and go to the IMEI number
- Enter the IMEI number in the search bar of the IMEI service
- Click Check and complete the information required
The service will show you a lot about your phone and reveal whether it is locked or not. It also reveals if the device is stolen or not.
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Image credit: Apple
Elsie is a tech writer with 8+ years professional experience. For Tech News Watch, she brings rich experience contributing to topics such as Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS among others. In her spare time, she loves checking out the latest tech trends, gadgets, and news, listening to music and cars.