Carrier unlocking: straight answers to common questions

Is unlocking my phone legal?

In the United States, yes. The Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act made it legal to unlock your own phone once you have met your obligations to the original carrier, such as paying off the instalment plan or contract.

Will unlocking erase my data?

A carrier unlock request doesn't wipe the phone. It changes the network setting or the carrier's record for the device, and your photos, apps and files stay.

Passcode recovery is a different process, and the official routes for it do erase the phone. Back up whenever a reset is involved.

Is carrier unlocking the same as jailbreaking or rooting?

No. A carrier unlock, also called a SIM or network unlock, lets the phone accept SIMs from other carriers where its radio and bands support them. Jailbreaking or rooting changes how the operating system's security works. That is a different thing, and this site doesn't cover it.

Why does the carrier need my IMEI?

The IMEI is the 15-digit identifier for the phone's cellular radio. The carrier uses it to find the device in its records, check whether it is eligible, and issue the code or apply the unlock. Dial *#06# to see it.

Give your IMEI to your carrier, not to strangers.

Can I unlock a phone that is still being paid off?

Most major US carriers require the phone to be paid off and free of fraud flags before a permanent unlock. Verizon is the main exception: it unlocks after a set period whether the phone is paid off or not. Some carriers offer temporary travel unlocks with their own rules. Check your carrier's current policy.

Several carriers publish separate procedures for deployed military members. Use the carrier's official exception channel.

What about found or secondhand phones?

A carrier unlock doesn't remove Activation Lock, Factory Reset Protection, a lost or stolen report, or someone else's account. If a phone isn't yours, don't try to get around those locks. Return it to the owner, the carrier, or the police.

Stop and get help when

• Someone offers to change an IMEI, clear a blacklist status, or force an unlock.
• The phone is not yours and the owner's account is still on it.

Official route

The carrier that locked the phone. In the US, the FCC takes complaints when a carrier refuses a request that meets its published policy.

Who this is for: Carrier unlocks are for the account holder or someone they authorise.