Carrier Unlock Canada

Although in 2017 the Canadian government created a law to benefit users and have a more competitive market by requesting all carriers to unlock their phones, the truth is far from that. It is not surprised for a lot of Canadian users to handle high prices and a market with very little choices. As of right now, carriers by law must sell their devices unlock, some carriers still do it with the excuse that the user can later unlock it at any point. As you might be aware, this doesn’t always occur and the process to unlock your phone can be tedious and a lot of users simply desist from ever trying it. 

How does the carrier lock work?

The carrier lock is an internal lock that can be set on your phone by the original carrier. This feature locks the device from accessing other networks except the original one by imposing a restriction on the signals it can receive. This can be done as each device is unique and has an IMEI number attributed by the factory, making it easy for the network provider to lock it. The main reason behind the lock has to do with a very common practice in which the carrier offers you a better price on the phone while making sure you use their services for a fixed set of time. This is nothing new, and it is widespread practice used on many phone networks across the world.

Why is Canada a unique case?

The practice of locking phones is very common among Canadian carriers, the main leverage of this practice has to do with the little offer users have in the country. Therefore, most carriers try to acquire new clients by offering them a good deal on new phones while having them signed up for a contract in which the user has to do use their services. Most Canadians choose to get this sort of deals as the cost of prepaid services or simply switching to a new carrier does not compensate the reduced prices on the phone.

Even though, this practice is far from finishing in the country, efforts by the government are now trying to switch this trend by allowing new competitors in the market. Unlocking your cell phone is also a great tool to sell your phone to someone using a different carrier. We hope to see new changes into the Canadian market to reduce prices and create more competition that will then help consumers.

Does it work on Android and iOS?

Yes, it is important to know that the network lock is an internal configuration made by your carrier where your IMEI is placed on a restricted list, so it can’t access any other network. If such lock is imposed on your phone, it will not matter the brand (Android Phone or iPhone), the OS, or anything else as anytime it tries to access a different network, your request will be rejected. It is common from people on the internet to talk about using their phone in another country, this actually can be possible as not all countries use the same frequencies for their phone communications. Be aware, that if you have a locked device, and you try to use under a different network it might work. 

How to get an unlock code for your Phone?

Getting your phone unlock is not the easiest neither the hardest process to do. It will all depend on your situation and how much time and effort you want to put up to unlock the phone. On these articles, we want to show you two different methods on how you can remove any restrictions on your Sim Card. Make sure to read this guide to know which method works to unlock your Canadian cell phone.

Requesting it on your carrier

The first and possibly the hardest way is to request an unlock code by your carrier, this will likely require lots of paperwork and meet some strict requirements. To give you an overview, you must have a clean account, fulfil the contract and have no restrictions imposed on your mobile phone or account. We do recommend this method if you have the time for it, and you have all requirements with you.

Using a third party tool

The easiest and probably the safest way is to use a third party tool, this not only avoids any bureaucracy but also makes sure your process is handled correctly. Here at UnlockHere, we know how difficult it can be to find the right tool, that’s why our team has developed Nifty, an AI Online tool that helps you remove the phone carrier lock. This software will take care of the whole process by only entering the necessary information, and the best part is that you don’t have to download anything.

Contact your Carrier

If you think you meet all the conditions to get an unlock request from your carrier, you will then need to contact them or go directly to the branch to submit your application. From personal experience, going to the store has much success rate as the staff might be willing to help you a bit more. Remember, that is your right to unlock your device. However, carriers follow and have their own rules then unlocking their phones to be used on another carrier.

What do I need to do?

To begin your application, you must first follow certain requirements to be eligible to unlock your device. Before you go ahead and contact your carrier, make sure to meet the following conditions:

• Have no outstanding payments with the carrier
• Your phone must not been reported as lost or stolen
• Your contract must have ended 

If you meet these requirements, you are likely to obtain your unlocking code by your phone provider. Now it is time to contact the customer service, remember that each carrier can set their own rules but most follow almost the same requirements:

• ID (Photo and Full Name)
• Good standing letter from your company
• Receipt or proof of ownership of the device

Remember that you might need to submit extra paperwork and at any given time you might be contacted to do. Failure or not providing the paperwork will result in the denial of the request. If everything goes correctly, you will receive a confirmation letting you know that the phone has been unlocked and can be used as you wish.

Is it worth trying?

It is, as long as you meet all the requirements, getting your network unlock code by your carrier is probably the safest and best things you can do as it will likely not result in getting a locked device again. Nevertheless, this process can be tiring and at some instances it can seem as impossible as carriers try to do it as hard as possible as it is something that doesn’t benefit them. We suggest you to check other alternatives if you don’t want to deal with this process at all.

Online Unlock Services

If you want to avoid all the trouble by unlocking your phone, carrier by the carrier. You can then use an Online tool to do the process for you. In this case, we will show you how to use the Nifty tool provided by UnlockHere to submit your application and let them do the hard work for you. Before we start the process, have your phone fully charged, as we will need to grab some information from the device.

Submit your application

To begin the process, you must first submit your unlock application with some information that is very easy to obtain, this consist on:

• Your Name
• Your Email
• Select the brand of your Phone
• Your IMEI Number

That’s all you need to begin the process, double check all information before sending it to the server, as this will avoid any further delays in the process that might require starting over again.

Activate your order

Once your application is submitted, you will then need to activate it, this has been implemented to avoid any commercial usage of the app and prevent a bad use of it. Simply follow all the instructions send to your email, make sure to follow each step, video tutorials and guides will be at your disposal to help you complete this process. 

Enjoy a fully unlocked device

If everything is successful, you will receive an email notifying you that the phone is no longer locked to the carrier. At this point, all is there to do is to try it using another sim card and verifying that indeed is unlocked. If you have any problem with the process, feel free to contact the team or read all our resources, remember that we are there for you to try to solve this annoying lock.