Unlocking your phone may not be the easiest task, that’s why it is important to be well-informed about the carrier policies along with all new regulations. For that matter, we are creating a robust list of requirements for each carrier in which we will be able to give you all the information that you need. It is fair to say, that compiling such a list can be difficult, as companies are free to set their own rules. On this article, we will give you some general requirements to make it easier and from there we will cover every single one ranging from popular phone providers to regional ones.

Why is my device locked?

There are several reasons why your device ended up being locked, it is important to realize that not all cases are the same. Although, most situations share some similarities, there might be specific reasons why your device is blacklisted or restricted. We will be general on each case to simplify things, but, remember that every mobile phone lock may have their own reason behind.

Carrier Unlock

The carrier lock is a restriction imposed by your phone carrier in which the phone owner will not be able to switch networks without having their phone unlocked. The reason behind this lock is rather strategical, carriers are able to give you a better deal using an installment plan, and instead you compromise to keep using their services. 

Even though, this is rapidly changing, many people are still eager to adhere to such conditions to obtain a better device. As you can see, this lock is very straight forward and for the most part users are fully aware of it. In some other cases, some devices, such as a T-Mobile phone or AT&T phone, are only produced to be sold and used on that specific network (Mostly cheap prepaid phones).

Blacklisted IMEI

The blacklisted IMEI lock is a more sophisticated ban that has nothing to do with a business strategy, as we saw with the previous lock. On this case, this lock was created to discourage the reselling of stolen devices. This is made possible thanks to the IMEI number that each phone contains, and it is unique.

If your device happens to be blacklisted, it is likely that the carrier or some authority has reported your IMEI, and now it is in a blacklist shared by all carriers. If that is the case, the device won’t be able to use any SIM Card as all provider’s networks will refuse your request. To oversimplify things, when you use a mobile network, your phone must generate requests using your Sim Card along with your IMEI. If your phone is blacklisted, the carrier has the right to reject it, making it impossible to use it.

Can I unlock my phone?

Yes, as a regular consumer, you are able to unlock your device regardless of the case. However, not all cases are the same and for the most part it is all up to the phone provider to grant you or not the unlock code. Nevertheless, there are other options you can consider that we will cover further in case you do not meet all requirements.

Eligibility requirements

To generate an unlock request, you will need to follow certain rules that are a must regardless of the country: