Before buying a used iPhone, you may want to confirm that the iPhone that you are planning to buy is an Unlocked iPhone. You will find below the steps to Find if iPhone is Unlocked or Locked to a Carrier.
In iOS 14 it is very easy. Just go to Setting / general / about and lock for Network provider lock tab. Just next to this tab you will see no sim restriction that mean iPhone is unlocked. For older iOS insert other sim and if it works than there is no lock. Power off the iPhone. Hold down the Sleep/Wake button and use the Slide to Power Off option to switch off the iPhone. Insert your second SIM-card via the ejector tool (or a paper clip) to eject the SIM card from the iPhone. Insert your second SIM card. Locate the SIM card slot. Use the SIM eject tool and push it into the small SIM tray hole. If you cannot find the SIM eject tool, you can use a paperclip. Remove the old SIM card and replace with the new one. Then slide the tray of the SIM back to the iPhone. Turn on your iPhone.
Find If iPhone Is Unlocked or Locked
An iPhone that is sold directly by Apple is always sold as an Unlocked iPhone and it can be used with any carrier or network.
An unlocked iPhone requires more upfront or initial cost to buy and has a good market value (in case you want to sell it).
iPhones sold by Carriers or Telephone companies are often made available to customers at attractive down payments and may even be offered at zero down payment.
However, the downside of buying a Locked iPhone is that you won’t be able to use this iPhone with any other Service provider.
In general, Carriers Lock iPhones for a period of 18 to 24 months, after which you can request the Carrier to unlock your iPhone.
How to Find if iPhone is Unlocked or Locked
If you are buying a used iPhone, make sure that you ask the seller whether or not the iPhone is locked to a Carrier.
To confirm, you can use any of the following methods to check whether the iPhone that you are trying to buy is Locked or Unlocked iPhone.
1. Use Settings to Find if iPhone is Unlocked or Locked
If the seller has provided you with access to iPhone, you can follow the steps below to check if iPhone is Unlocked or Locked to a Carrier.
1. Open Settings > scroll down and tap on Cellular.
2. On the Cellular screen, tap on Cellular Data Options.
3. On the next screen, see if you can find Cellular Data Network option.
If you can find Cellular Data Network option, you are most likely dealing with an Unlocked iPhone. This option does not appear, if the iPhone is locked to a Carrier.
2. Use SIM Card From Another Carrier
While the first method does indicate whether the iPhone is Locked or Unlocked, it is better to confirm this by using a SIM Card from another Carrier.
You will need to arrange a meeting with the Seller and seek his/her permission to check if the iPhone can make a call using SIM Card from another Carrier.
1. Press and Hold the Power Button, until you see ‘Slide to Power OFF’ screen. Use the Slider to Power OFF iPhone.
2. Remove the existing SIM Card from iPhone and Insert SIM Card from another Carrier into the iPhone.
3. After replacing the SIM Card, press the Power button to start iPhone.
4. After the iPhone restarts, try to make a Call from the iPhone
Check If Phone Is Unlocked
If the Call goes through, it confirms that the iPhone is Unlocked. If the Call does not Connect, the iPhone is definitely Locked to a Carrier.
3. Use IMEI Number to Find if iPhone is Locked or Unlocked
The first two methods require access to iPhone and are convenient only when your deal to buy a used iPhone is almost in its final stages.
If the deal is still in initial stages, you can request the Seller to provide you with the IMEI Number of the iPhone and use this info to check whether the iPhone is Locked to a Carriers Network.
1. Get the IMEI Number of iPhone from the Seller.
If the Seller does not know where to look for the IMEI Number, you can refer the seller to this guide – How to Find IMEI Number On iPhone.
2. Using your Mac or Windows computer, go to iphoneimei.info website. This is considered to be one of the better known websites to check the Locked or Unlocked status of iPhone.
3. On the website, enter the 15 digit IMEI Number of iPhone and press and click on the Right-Arrow.
4. If the displayed result reads ‘Locked’ it means that the iPhone is locked. If the displayed message reads ‘Unlocked‘ it confirms that the iPhone is Unlocked.
If the iPhone is still Locked to a Carrier, you will find the website offering you its Unlocking service for a Fee.
Going by information on the website, the Unlocking is done remotely and you won’t be required to send your device for unlocking.
Also, the website offers a Full Refund, in case it is unable to Unlock your iPhone for some reason.
You might have heard about free iPhone unlock codes and jailbreaking software, but these methods can damage your phone and invalidate your warranty.
By far the best way to unlock your iPhone is by an official IMEI unlocking service such as iPhone Approved Unlock. You don’t need to install any complicated software, use any special passwords or even give them your phone.
Unlike most iPhone unlock services, these specialists will be able to unlock your iPhone by IMEI within 24 hours. They can unlock all models of phone quickly and permanently, including all the latest models of iPhone.
How To Check If Iphone Is Unlocked Without Sim Card Free
Unlocking a second hand iPhone
A common reason you might want to unlock an iPhone from its carrier is if you bought it second hand. When you buy a used iPhone you will need to unlock it in order to use it with your own sim.
This can be difficult because the carrier stores won’t unlock the phone if you didn’t buy it from them, and it’s hard to trust an eBay seller. If you try to use jailbreaking software it could damage the device and you will certainly lose your warranty.
iPhone unlocking services like iPhone Approved Unlock can unlock your iPhone from any carrier so you can use it with any SIM straight away. This is the perfect solution for unlocking second-hand iPhones.
How To Check If Iphone X Is Unlocked Without Sim Card
Unlocking iPhones by IMEI
Using an iPhone unlocking service is convenient because it works remotely. You don’t need to send them your device. They perform the unlock ‘over the air’ – all you need to give them is your IMEI number and they’ll do the rest. The IMEI number is the identifying number for your phone – you can find it by typing *#06# into the keypad.
Apple Iphone Check If Unlocked
iPhone Approved Unlocked works by whitelisting your IMEI number in the Apple database, so your phone is officially recognized as unlocked. This means once your device is unlocked via the database you can use your iPhone with any SIM worldwide.
How to check if my iPhone is unlocked
After paying to have your phone unlocked, there is a simple way to check if your iPhone has been successfully unlocked.
Simply try using a new sim card from a different carrier with the phone. You can easily get hold of a new sim card as all carrier stores sell them cheaply for pay-as-you-go customers. If the phone is unlocked successfully, it will work with any sim you insert into the device. An iPhone unlock service like iPhone Approved Unlock can unlock all types of iPhone, including iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone SE, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.
It’s certainly worth paying the small fee to get your iPhone unlocked officially by IMEI. Once you’ve unlocked your iPhone this way, you’ll have the freedom to use any sim worldwide. This means you can use a local sim when traveling to save on roaming costs, sell your phone more easily, and change providers for lower fees.
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How To Know If Iphone Is Unlocked Without Sim Card