How To Unlock A Boost Mobile Phone
So you purchased a phone from Boost Mobile, whether from the store, or off the shelf. Now, you’re headed to an area where the signal on the carrier isn’t so good, or you’re looking for more affordable options as far as international travel goes. You don’t want to purchase a brand new phone for either scenario, so you’ll need to grab an unlock code from Boost Mobile in order to use that phone on other networks.
Boost Mobile, being a subsidiary of Sprint, makes it a little more difficult than most to unlock Boost Mobile devices; however, it’s far from impossible. So let’s get started, shall we?
Prerequisites
To unlock a smartphone on Boost Mobile, this is the criteria that you have to meet before Boost Mobile will move forward with that:
- The person requesting the device unlock is an authenticated current or former customer or an individual owner who can provide the account number or account name for the account last associated with the device.
- The device has not been reported as lost or stolen or otherwise flagged as ineligible to be unlocked, otherwise known as blacklisted.
- The device has been active for at least 12 months on the same account (under Equipment History) and a payment has been made within the last 90 days of that 12-month activation anniversary.
It’s worth noting that if you get a replacement device, such as under warranty, it will come with the same unlock eligibility date as the original device.
Before we get started, it’s worth noting that after you unlock your Boost Mobile device and activate it on another carrier, you may never be able to re-activate back on Boost Mobile. With that in mind, we can unlock your Boost Mobile device.
How to unlock a Boost Mobile phone
Boost Mobile doesn’t have any easy, automated way to unlock your smartphone. However, so long as you meet the requirements that the subsidiary has in place, you can give the carrier a call to request a SIM unlock. You can call Boost Mobile Customer Care at 1-888-BOOST-4U.
Since Boost Mobile is a subsidiary of Sprint, you can also get in touch with Sprint to see if the device can be unlocked, though it’s generally better to go straight to the source.
It’s worth noting that Boost Mobile uses Sprint towers, and so, it all essentially operates on a CDMA network. That means that a Boost Mobile device pre-2015 generally isn’t going to work well on other GSM networks, but can work fine on other CDMA networks like Verizon.
However, if you have a Boost Mobile phone that was manufactured after 2015, and as long as it meets the prerequisites, you should be able to have it unlocked and use it on any GSM network, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and as well as those that are abroad. However, it’s always worth doing some added research and making sure that the phone being unlocked has all of the necessary radios to use talk, text, and 4G LTE in a GSM setting.
Use a third-party service
Boost Mobile not allowing you to unlock your smartphone? Well, not all hope is lost yet. The good news is that you can also use a third-party service to unlock your phone. Using a third-party unlocking company can get your phone operating on another network in no time, and without all of the red tape from your carrier. It does usually cost some money, which can range from a couple bucks all the way up to an average of $60.
You’ll want to search around and research good companies for this, though. Make sure they’re reputable, otherwise you might end up handing your money to one in return for, well, nothing. Once you purchase a code, it’s usually sent directly to the provided email.
Verdict
Here we’ve shown you how you can unlock your Boost Mobile phone to take on another carrier’s network. It’s not an easy process, as like many carriers, Boost Mobile has some pretty stringent requirements that you have to meet before they will even unlock your device. However, if you want to skip all of the red tape, you can always use a third-party unlock service to get your Boost Mobile phone working with another carrier.
Have you gotten a Boost Mobile phone unlocked before? How did the process go for you? Let us know in the comments section below.