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If you’ve recently purchased an iPhone, it’s likely to be unlocked and free to use with any SIM card. However, if your iPhone is older, it may be locked to a specific network or provider. But there’s no need to worry as in this article, we’ll give you a detailed guide on how to unlock all iPhone models, including the older ones like iPhone 5s, 6, and 6s. You can easily get an unlock code from the network operator or use a third-party unlocking service to unlock your iPhone yourself.
Is iPhone unlocking Legal?
Unlocking your iPhone is entirely legal if you have completed paying for your contract or if you bought it outright. However, if you’re still paying for your contract, you should contact your provider before unlocking it.
Is My iPhone Locked?
If your iPhone is locked, it won’t work on any other mobile network, and you’ll see an error message. In case you bought a second-hand device or inherited it, it may be a locked iPhone.
How to Unlock Your iPhone
Here are the four simple steps on how to unlock an iPhone:
- Contact your supplier to request an unlock
- If you don’t have the original SIM card, you may need to reset the phone
- Turn off your phone and replace the SIM card with a new one from another network
- Check if the iPhone can make a phone call over the new network
Let’s take a closer look at these steps below:
Contact Your Network Operator
You can contact your network operator as the first option to get your iPhone unlocked. Here is the step-by-step process for the most popular networks in the UK:
How to Unlock an iPhone on EE
If you’ve had your EE account for at least six months and have paid all your bills, you can request to unlock your iPhone for free. But if you’re still within the contract, EE charges £8.99, and it may take up to 7 days to unlock the phone. If you’re a Pay As You Go customer, you can unlock your iPhone if you have enough credit to pay the £8.99 administration fee. However, if you have an iPhone locked with EE, and you are not an EE customer, you may need to do some digging around to find the original owner’s details and EE phone number.
How to Unlock an iPhone on Vodafone
To unlock an iPhone on Vodafone, you’d need to have an account or know the details of the account holder. You can use the Vodafone online unlock form, and it takes up to 48 hours for the company to contact you and up to 10 days to unlock the phone. The process is free.
How to Unlock an iPhone on 3
3 makes it easy for you to unlock an iPhone bought from them after January 1, 2014, which will automatically unlock when you connect it to Wi-Fi or iTunes/Finder. But if you purchased it before that date, you can connect your iPhone to iTunes/Finder and restore the device to unlock it. However, don’t forget to backup the files first, because restoring will erase everything. You can also fill in 3’s online form to request an unlock.
How to Unlock an iPhone on O2
If your iPhone is locked with O2, you can unlock it through the My O2 app, or through My O2 online. If O