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IT4nextgen > How To > Unlock iPhone 101: Where To Start

Unlock iPhone 101: Where To Start

Last Updated March 9, 2021 By Subhash D Leave a Comment

Unlocking your iPhone can provide a lot of benefits, such as contacting other people with different providers or simply expanding the number of contacts you can have. If you bought your iPhone from a carrier and not directly from Apple, chances are your device is locked in that specific carrier and you won’t be able to use another sim card that’s not produced by them. Most providers lock phones and prevent users from accessing different sim cards primarily because they haven’t paid the full amount of the unit yet, besides other reasons.

Fret not—you can do something about your locked iPhone. This is also not illegal in any way. Keep reading to discover how you can unlock your iPhone on your own or through the help of a mobile technician.

What To Do First

Apple now offers unlocked iPhones at the same price as regular iPhones. Before, they used to charge extra for purchasing an unlocked iPhone.

Buying an unlocked iPhone from other phone companies can also be your option, but be careful not to get a monthly installment. This is not very ideal as you’ll end up needing to pay the whole installment plan first before they would unlock your phone. This means that you’ll be stuck to that phone company’s sim for the whole duration of the installment and that defeats your purpose. Your aim here is to have an unlocked iPhone from the start, so you should be wary of your first steps.

However, if the only way you can pay for your iPhone is via an installment, you can check out Apple’s iPhone upgrade program instead. It’s a convenient way to purchase an iPhone because they let you switch providers as you see fit even without finishing paying the whole plan yet.

Benefits Of Unlocking Your iPhone

Why do you need to unlock your iPhone? Here are some of the benefits:

Access To Any Mobile Carrier

One of the benefits of having an unlocked iPhone is having access to more mobile carriers and providers. These can include those that aren’t partners with Apple and aren’t usually accessible on a locked iPhone.

These providers may have great rates and promotions that are much cheaper or worthy than what another courier offers, making them a good reason why you should unlock your iPhone. By unlocking your iPhone, you’ll have the freedom to choose and use any sim provider that you prefer and need.

Use Your Phone Abroad Without Roaming Charges

You might also be someone who frequently goes overseas for business. Having your iPhone unlocked will let you enjoy the benefit of using another country’s localcarriers without paying for roaming charges. This method is more cost-efficient than buying a new phone abroad.

By doing this, you can enjoy more benefits from the local provider’s offerings. For instance, you’ll be visiting the Philippines for work. Instead of using your current provider, you can take advantage of the local providers such as Globe, which has a data promo of five gigabytes for three days that will only cost you roughly USD $1. Ignoring the roaming rates, you would be paying a flat $35 on Verizon’s cheapest data plan.

Enjoy Strong Signal Anywhere

Another benefit of having an unlocked iPhone is the ability to change to a sim card that has a stronger signal in a specific area or region. If Verizon has a strong signal where you live but has a weak signal at your workplace, having a backup provider like Comcast or AT&T, which you can use when the situation calls for it, helps you circumvent that issue well. You can also avoid the usual ‘no service’ issue of iPhones by having this workaround.

How To Unlock Your iPhone

Before anything else, you must check if the phone is already unlocked or not. Start by putting a sim card from a different provider into your iPhone. You should receive a prompt to put in an unlock code next. If you don’t receive a prompt, then that means your phone has already been unlocked. You can also go to your phone’s Settings. Tap on ‘General’ then ‘About’ and check the Carrier Lock section. If it says ‘No SIM restrictions,’ then your phone is already unlocked.

In the event that it isn’t yet, here’s what you can do:

1. The Pay-For-It Or Shop Method

If you have a tight schedule or don’t want to explore your phone yourself, you can just get someone to do it for you.

First, you’ll need to get your iPhone’s information—your phone model and IMEI number, among others. You’ll be using these to get an unlock code for your phone.

To get a technician who can do the unlocking for you, you may go to a local, independent phone shop or book an appointment using an online service. Then, you’ll need to provide the information you have to them. Starting from around USD$20, you may already have your iPhone unlocked. Prices may vary depending on the model of the phone though. This is completely legal but may void your warranty.

Another option to do this is to contact your provider and ask them to remove the sim restriction for you. This usually incurs a fee, but if you’re lucky enough, some providers do this service for free.

2. Use The Code

After that, just insert a new sim card from a different provider on your phone. Just as with testing it, you’ll receive an unlock code. Enter the code you obtained from your provider or the online phone shop on your phone.  If you decided to visit a local shop, they would usually do this process for you. If they only give codes to customers, you can go ahead and do it the same way as told above.

3. The Jailbreak Method

If you don’t prefer to visit the nearest phone unlocking shop, you may also unlock your iPhone by yourself by jailbreaking your iPhone. However, this demands some technical skills and can easily brick your phone if done wrong.

Essentially, you’ll be doing some tinkering yourself on the phone in simple terms. You’ll be downloading certain software tools and programs, deleting inner files on your iPhone, and entering modes that would need patience and knowledge to use, as they can get very technical and perplexing. After you’ve done the jailbreak method, your iPhone should already have its sim unlocked.

4. What Happens After Unlocking Your iPhone


Once you’ve done everything above, you should now have an iPhone with its sim slot unlocked, or in the case of the newer models, both sim slots. You may now enjoy all the benefits that come with unlocked phones—being able to use more providers and their benefits, not needing to pay for roaming fees when visiting other countries, or simply having a strong signal, especially in remote areas. Your unlocked iPhone should have no further issues after the unlocking process. Rather, it’ll be more like an upgraded version that provides you with more options and endless mobile possibilities.

Filed Under: How To Tagged With: Apple

About Subhash D

A tech-enthusiast, Subhash is a Graduate Engineer and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. Founder of it4nextgen, he has spent more than 20 years in the IT industry.

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