How To Check iPhone Carrier Lock Status Quick and Easy Way

There are several things that you need to consider when getting an pre-owned iPhone. The most important factor for most people is if the device is carrier locked. If you plan on using the phone on a different carrier other than the one that it is locked to then you will have to spend a considerable amount to have the device unlocked. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will show you how to check iPhone carrier lock status.

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How To Check iPhone Carrier Lock Status

Use a SIM card

One of the best ways to check if the phone is carrier locked is to use a SIM card from a different network. If you don’t know what network the phone is originally running on then use two different SIM cards from different networks.

  • Turn off your iPhone holding the Power button.
  • Remove the current SIM card from the iPhone by using the ejector tool.
  • Insert the second SIM card.
  • Turn on the iPhone.
  • Check if your iPhone works with the new SIM card.
  • Try to make a call with the new SIM card, to confirm if it works.
  • If you made the phone call successfully then iPhone is unlocked.
  • If you didn’t manage to make a phone call then the iPhone is locked.

This is the quickest way to check iPhone carrier lock status.

Use the IMEI number

You can also get the iPhone carrier lock status by using the IMEI information of the device.

First you will need to get the IMEI of the phone.

  • Go to Settings and tap on General
  • Choose the About section
  • You will see the IMEI number.

Once you have your device IMEI you can use this on any CTIA-Accredited IMEI checker to get the information about your carrier lock status. You can also use the carrier IMEI checked which is available from AT&T and T-Mobile.

Take note that you should also check if the device has been blacklisted ( which can easily be done using the IMEI). If it is indeed blacklisted then you won’t be able to use it.

Contact Apple

If in case the above steps fails to provide any information on the iPhone carrier lock status then you can contact Apple and explain to them the issue. They will need the serial number of your phone before they can give out the information you need.


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