Happy with your iPhone, but think you’re paying too much for data and texts? We’ve all been there, to be honest. Sometimes swapping mobile carriers is a good idea, but there might be a slight snag: If your iPhone is locked to a particular network, it’ll need to be unlocked before it will accept another carrier’s SIM card.
If this sounds complicated, don’t worry. We’ve reviewed all of the information you need to understand carrier unlocks below. Just keep in mind, a carrier lock is different from a screen lock. The latter keeps you from accessing a phone while the carrier lock keeps you from using another network provider (if you have Verizon you can’t use AT&T until the device is carrier unlocked).
How to tell if your iPhone is Locked
Not sure if your phone is locked? Well, this bit’s pretty easy. Just pop out your existing SIM and try a new one from another carrier. If you bought your iPhone direct from an Apple Store, it’ll be unlocked by default, so swapping between SIMs from different networks is quick and easy – and you shouldn’t even need to restart your phone.
If however, your iPhone is locked, you’ll get error messages such as “Invalid SIM”, or “No SIM card installed”. This might not mean that your phone is locked – it could just be iOS throwing a fit. If you’re in this bracket, it’s just a simple case of flicking Airplane mode on and off and restarting the phone – or just cleaning out some pocket fluff and reseating the SIM card.
Alternatively, go to Settings | General | About and tap “Check for a carrier settings update”.
Check with the Carrier
Most carriers have the option to check if your phone is ready for activation on their network. AT&T for example has this website. You can input your phone’s IMEI number and receive an alert if it’s ready for activation or if it’s still locked into a previous carrier.
If you get the “SIM locked” message, you’re out of luck and will need to find a way to unlock your phone – and here’s how.
What Do I Need to Unlock my iPhone?
If you got your phone as part of a contract your phone will be locked to their network only until the terms of the contract, lease, or installment, are met.
If you bought your phone second-hand, it’s a little trickier: if you can’t get the seller to unlock it for you, you may need to jump through some hoops.
If the phone was originally purchased on a contract or lease agreement, you’ll probably need the original account holder’s information to have the phone unlocked. Otherwise, that phone will be stuck with that carrier forever.
How to Unlock Your iPhone
If your phone was purchased on a post-paid account on one of the top four carriers in the U.S., you will need to go through that carrier to have the phone unlocked. Each carrier has its own process and criteria to release the phone.
AT&T
AT&T devices must be active on the network for a minimum of 60 days before the company will entertain unlocking it for you. AT&T’s unlock policy, assuming you meet the requirements, is one of the easier and more straightforward options.
To have your phone unlocked, AT&T makes it really simple. Visit their website for device unlocking and input your account/device information. You’ll receive a T&C email once you submit the request.
Check your email and follow the steps to confirm you’d like to unlock your device. Once done, you will receive an email that your device is unlocked within 24 to 72 hours.
T-Mobile
Your iPhone will need to be free of any commitments or contractual obligations and will have had to be active on the T-Mobile network for at least 40 days to be eligible.
Visit your T-Mobile online account and access the phone you’d like to unlock under ‘View Account’ then ‘Lines and Devices’. Submit the request to unlock that device and wait for the confirmation email.
Once the request is approved (about 48 hours) your phone is automatically unlocked for use on another carrier’s network.
Verizon
Verizon has one of the most consumer-friendly unlocking policies because it will automatically unlock a device sixty days after purchase. If you have any trouble with this, you’ll have to contact the Verizon Customer Support Team to have your iPhone unlocked.
Aside from the iPhone 5 unlock confusion the company has maintained a pretty straightforward policy on device unlocking. Based on the age of your iPhone it’s most likely already unlocked.
Sprint
Sprint will automatically unlock a device once the conditions are met as long as they are SIM unlock capable. Unfortunately, devices manufactured before 2015 and incapable of being unlocked for domestic use (you can take it overseas after contacting customer support). The company will provide an MSL code for those devices but iPhones do not use MSL (Master Subsidy Lock) codes so it is pointless.
The company’s basis for this is that iPhones manufactured before 2015 were not required by law to be carrier unlocked so the company never gave its customers the option. If you’re using an iPhone 6 or older, it isn’t likely that your phone will ever be unlocked from Sprint’s network.
If you need your device unlocked for international travel, or your device doesn’t unlock automatically, you can contact Sprint Customer Service.
Note – This information is subject to change as T-Mobile and Sprint have just completed their merger. Although the official word as of August 2020 is that the unlocking policy will remain the same, you can check the latest information regarding Sprint’s device unlock policy here.
Final Steps
Now that the carrier has (hopefully) unlocked your phone; put the new carrier’s SIM card into your phone. If you do not have a new SIM card yet (like you’re waiting to travel), back up your iPhone, reset it, then restore it with all of your data.
Doing a reset will ensure it is unlocked and ready for international travel. Before leaving, try to use another friend or family member’s SIM card (preferably AT&T or T-Mobile) in your phone to ensure it will work on the GSM network.
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The iPhone X is the phone we’ve been willing Apple to make, partly so that we’ve got something new to write about, but also so those who look forward to the arrival of a new iPhone actually have something to get excited about.
Let's skip to our piece of advice on how to better deal with iPhone X screen resolution while designing.
The notch or sensor housing, is probably the most controversial solution that intended to place all these brainy sensors.
However, Apple had good reasoning for taking this step -- additional useful space on the screen.
Concerning apps using custom layouts, the adaptation promises to be relatively easy in case Auto Layout was applied and you followed iPhone X safe area along with margin guides (we're going to talk about them further).
In its Human Interface Guidelines, Apple notes that the status bar doesn't change its height regardless of the background tasks that are currently switched on (e.g.
Between, the company recommends you to refrain from using a custom status bar in your iPhone X app design and reconsider design solutions aimed at hiding it.
No matter how much care we take of our precious smart devices, accidents still happen.
What can you do to fix your iPad if this happens to you?iPad cracks come in quite a few distinctive ranges of severity and often grow from one stage to another after you first discover them.
Your iPad probably functions just fine with a crack, and it’s likely not interfering with the experience at all.
Treat your iPad gently to help stop the problem from becoming worse.
It’s not too late to invest in an iPad screen protector, which may preserve the crack from developing further.The iPad can still function with a crack in the screen.
It can even work if the display is shattered, although it may be tough to actually read the text on the screen.
