How to Unlock Your Phone From Any Major Carrier

First things first: How do you know if your phone is locked?

If you purchased it directly from your carrier and you’re still paying it off in installments, then your phone is locked to the carrier’s network. This is also true if you just started service with your current provider, as carriers typically lock phones for a brief period after activation, even if the phone is fully paid for.

To confirm your device’s status, you can ask customer service at your current provider to quickly check for you. You can also usually find this information in your phone’s settings.

On an iPhone: Go to Settings > General > About. Scroll down to “Carrier Lock.” If it says “No SIM restrictions,” then your phone is unlocked.

On a Samsung Galaxy phone: Go to Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Network operators. From there, toggle off “Select automatically.” If a list of available networks appears, then your phone is unlocked.

If you’re looking to move to a new service provider, you need to see whether your phone model is compatible with its network first. While most phones can work with any carrier in the U.S., some—especially some older or budget devices—might still be confined to specific network types. This is separate from unlocking your phone, but it’s a good idea to do this step early in the process.

The quickest way to check your phone’s compatibility is to type your phone’s IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) number—a unique identifier for every mobile phone manufactured—into an online tool on the carrier’s website.

Almost every carrier, whether one of the three largest (AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon) or a smaller provider, will have a section on its website where you can enter your IMEI to confirm that your phone is compatible with its network. A provider’s customer support rep can also check your phone’s compatibility with its network for you.

Once you’ve confirmed that the device will work on the new network, get ready to unlock it from your current carrier. Be sure to keep the IMEI number handy because you’ll probably need it again. And you should have some other info ready before you start, including the account number, the account holder’s name, and the phone number attached to the device you want to unlock.

If you’re in the military and about to be deployed overseas, the carriers will expedite the unlocking process. But you’ll need to provide proof, so gather up your deployment papers, too.

Ready to go? Choose your carrier and complete the final steps.

AT&T automatically unlocks eligible phones made by certain manufacturers. Apple and Google phones are automatically unlocked once eligible, but you must put in a request to unlock a Samsung phone.

To request that your eligible phone be unlocked, go to AT&T’s unlock page and select “Submit an unlock request.” You’ll need to agree that you meet the requirements—your device must be fully paid off and your AT&T account must be in good standing—and then submit the form. Note: If you paid off your installment plan early, you’ll need to wait 48 hours after you make your final payment to submit the unlock request.

After that, you’ll get a confirmation email with the unlock request number. Click on the link in the email within 24 hours to confirm the unlock request. If you wait too long, the request will be canceled and you’ll have to start over again. AT&T will respond within two business days to confirm that your phone is unlocked. You can also check the unlock status on this portal using the IMEI and request number.

Here’s AT&T’s SIM unlock policy.

T-Mobile automatically unlocks any device within two days of it becoming eligible, as long as it can be remotely unlocked. A device most commonly becomes eligible when you pay it off fully. Additionally, at least 40 days must have passed since first connecting the phone to T-Mobile’s network.

To request that T-Mobile unlock your device, go to T-Mobile’s unlock page and follow the steps listed for your phone’s manufacturer. The company may send you an unlock code or ask you to unlock your phone via a T-Mobile app. You can also have your phone unlocked by calling 611 from your T-Mobile phone or 800-937-8997.

Keep in mind that T-Mobile restricts how many devices you can unlock in a 12-month period, which can create problems for those on a family plan. If you ask to have more than two T-Mobile phones unlocked in a given year, the company might deny your request.

Here’s T-Mobile’s SIM unlock policy.

This carrier automatically unlocks all phones bought through Verizon after an initial 60-day waiting period. After those 60 days, you should be all set—no additional action required. To confirm that your phone is unlocked, you can check your online account or call Verizon’s customer service by dialing *611 from the device or calling 800-922-0204.

Here’s Verizon’s SIM unlock policy.