Apple Tips & Tricks: How To Unlock iPhone To Use it on Another Carrier

Are you wondering how to unlock your iPhone so you can use it with another carrier? Then wonder no more!

Although initially the phone will only work with the SIM card provided to the carrier they’re locked to, there are ways to unlock your iPhone so that they can work with any SIM card. And there is no need to take it anywhere; Lovefone may be the best place to get your cracked screen fixed, but this you can easily do yourself.

Of course, you could use a third-party service, but this is often very expensive and your mobile operator will usually offer this service for free. Plus, it is easy to start the process by using an online web form or over the phone.

Some iPhones are easier to unlock than others – in fact, most purchased within the last year will be unlocked already. So, how do you know if your iPhone is locked to a particular network? Simply inserting the SIM card from another network will tell you – if you attempt to make a call and it doesn’t work, then your phone is locked to the network.

If it is locked then here is how you can unlock your iPhone from all major networks:

EE (Orange and T-Mobile)

To unlock an EE phone, you need to have had your account for at least six months and all your bills need to be up-to-date. It will cost you £20.42 and take up to 20 days. However, if you are not an EE customer but you have a phone locked to EE you simply need to find out the original account information and then fill out an online form.

Vodafone

Again, you need to know the original account details and then fill out an online form – they will then get back to you within 48 hours – 10 days. Unlocking will be free if you have been with the company for more than 12 months. If not, you will need to pay £19.99.

Three

All iPhones purchased after 1st January 2014 from Three will be unlocked as soon as you activate it over WiFi or connect it to iTunes on your computer. For older iPhones you will need to fill out an online form.

O2

O2 requires you to fill out an online form to unlock your iPhone. As a pay monthly customer you can do this at any time, however, you will need to finish paying your contract first.

Virgin Mobile

All recent Virgin iPhones will be unlocked, older iPhones need to be updated to the latest version of iOS to automatically unlock the phone. If your phone isn’t compatible with iOS 8 you can perform a full restore of your phone instead.

Tesco Mobile

Tesco will only provide you with a code to unlock your iPhone if you have been with the carrier for 12 months or if you have completed your contract. You can get this code by calling 0345 301 4455.

Giffgaff

Giffgaff has a handy tool that helps you unlock your Apple iPhone from its network.

Once your phone has been unlocked you will receive confirmation from the carrier – you can then remove the old SIM card and enter the new one.