How Do I Unlock My Iphone?
If you have an iPhone and are planning to travel, you may want to get your iPhone unlocked, so you can use it with new carriers. You will have to contact your carrier to get it unlocked. Once you do, there are a few steps you need to take to finish the unlocking process. There are different steps depending on whether or not you have a new SIM card.
If you own an iPhone and plan to travel, it's probably a good idea to get it unlocked, so that you can use it with other carriers in areas your present carrier doesn't reach. This article will teach you how.
How to Get Your iPhone Unlocked with a New SIM Card
If you have a new carrier's SIM card, follow these instructions to unlock your iPhone:
- Contact your carrier and ask to have your iPhone unlocked. Apple cannot do it for you, only your carrier can. The process might take a few days, so be prepared to wait.
- Turn off your phone.
- After you have received notification from your carrier that your phone is unlocked, locate the SIM card tray on your iPhone.
- Insert the end of a paperclip or SIM-eject tool into the little hole beside the SIM tray. Push it gently but firmly in to eject the tray.
- Remove the old SIM card.
- Insert the new SIM card.
- Push the tray back into place.
After you complete these instructions, if you get this error message: "The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported," then follow these instructions (if your device has iOS 14):
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap on General.
- Tap on About.
- Look under the Carrier Lock header. If you do not see "No SIM restrictions," contact your carrier.
If your device is running an earlier version of iOS, you're going to need to ask your carrier for help.
How to Get Your iPhone Unlocked without a New SIM Card
If you don't have a new SIM card, follow steps 1 and 2 above and then these instructions:
- Back up your iPhone if you have data on it that you don't want to lose.
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap on General.
- Tap on Transfer or Reset.
- Tap on Erase All Content and Settings to erase the data on your phone and restore it to factory settings.
- Enter your password, if asked.
- Wait for your iPhone to erase all the data. The process may take several minutes.
- If you made a backup, restore your phone from the backup.
Contacting Apple
If you have any questions about your iPhone, you can get help from an Apple customer service representative. You can reach one by phone or help forum.
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