Now that unlocking your smartphone, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t unlock yours, right? In fact, that’s correct: unlocking your smartphone provides you, the owner, more power over your device. So if you can, here are three major reasons why you should take advantage of the option: It Makes It Usable Internationally... Without Ridiculous Fees To attract customers, carriers typically subsidize the purchase cost of a device when a user signs up for a new two-year contract and lock the subsidized phone to their service. For example, if you purchase an HTC One (M8) from AT&T without a contract, the device would cost $669.

If you sign up for a two-year contract, AT&T will sell you the phone for $199, but the device will be locked by the carrier and will only work on its network. That also means that if you travel internationally, you can’t just switch out the AT&T SIM card for a local one—it won’t work. Instead, you’ll have to pay AT&T to use the phone internationally through the carrier’s partners. This almost always costs much more than buying a cheap SIM card, partly because mobile service in most of the world is much cheaper than in the United States, and partly because carrier partnerships cost the end user a lot of money. Of course, if your smartphone is locked, then you don’t have a choice in the matter. It Lets You Switch Carriers How To Unlock An Iphone 6 Using Itunes here. ...

Without Buying a New Phone Tired of your carrier but like your phone? Before smartphones, this wasn’t a problem; just cancel the service, get the appropriate SIM card, and sign up for a new service plan with the new carrier. Today, thanks to contracts and locking, that’s not so easy. If you want to switch service providers for any reason, such as a poor cell coverage in your area, then you’ll need to buy a new device if your phone is locked.

An unlocked phone, however, can be used on your new carrier’s network, as long as the device itself is supported. Almost all GSM phones work on AT&T and T-Mobile, and those work almost anywhere in the world.

However, CDMA-based phones, like those used by Verizon Wireless and Sprint, may not provide all of the wireless bands needed to work on all carriers, so check with the device manufacturer before making the decision to switch. It Makes the Phone More Valuable... When You Decide to Sell It Eventually, we all sell or give away our old smartphones, but it inherently has less value if it’s stuck on a specific wireless provider.

If you want to get the most value from selling that old device, or if you want to give it to someone who isn’t necessarily on the same carrier as you are, then unlocking your phone is the best way to get the full value out of the deal. Curious about how to unlock your phone? If you’re on a two-year contract or bought your phone on contract, then just call up your service provider and ask them to unlock it. If you’ve had it for at least a year, most will do it for free. Otherwise, plenty of online services will do it for a fee. Do you plan to unlock your phone? Have you already?

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Your two-year contract is finally up, and you want to save some money by bringing your phone to a carrier with lower rates. Sadly, odds are that your phone is locked to your carrier, which prevents you from jumping ship and. Thankfully, made the process of unlocking your phone easier than ever.

Now that unlocking your smartphone is legal, there's no reason why you shouldn't unlock yours. Here are three big reasons why. Why do people unlock their phones? We show you the top 5 reasons to unlock your phone. Best of all, it's FREE!

More importantly, it superseded an earlier decision made by the Library of Congress that interpreted cell phone unlocking as a violation of copyright (a ruling that actually saw phone unlocking ). Cell phone unlocking, in other words, is legally permissible. Just because unlocking your phone is legal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy to do, though. To that end, let’s dive into how to unlock a phone and break free of your two-year cycle with your carrier. What you’ll need Before you set your mind on unlocking your phone, you’ll need to keep in mind that doing so isn’t a fast process by any stretch of the imagination. Unlocking your phone can take several phone calls and hours of work. In addition, unlocking your phone before you leave your current carrier would be wise, as the incentive to help you through the process won’t be as great. With that in mind, there are a few nuggets of information you’ll need: • The account holder’s name and account number • IMEI of your device • Your phone number • The account holder’s social security number or password • A finished contract and/or device payment plan • Overseas deployment papers, if the nature of your inquiry involves you being in the military and wanting to unlock your phone before your contract is up Now that you have that information by your side, let’s see how each carrier handles unlocking your phone.

Unlocking a Verizon phone Even though Verizon uses CDMA instead of GSM, most of Big Red’s devices come with an unlocked SIM card slot., its 4G LTE devices aren’t locked, and, if you want to bring one of them to another carrier, there is no code you need to rejig the phone’s radios for other networks. Even though SIM-equipped phones can be used on AT&T, T-Mobile, or other GSM carriers, the phone will need to have roaming GSM radios in order to make phone calls and send texts in the United States. While most recent Verizon handsets will work just fine on American GSM bands, your mileage will vary when it comes to LTE support.

Verizon doesn’t have an online unlock request, but you can call 800-711-8300 and request a SIM unlock. The procedure’s a bit different for postpaid 3G devices on Verizon’s network. Most aren’t locked, but require that you enter a code — either “000000” or “123456” — to enable third-party cellular compatibility. Verizon’s specially branded World Devices, on the other hand, can’t be unlocked without the assistance at the request of a store tech, which you can request by dialing the company’s support line at 800-922-0204. Unlocking a prepaid device can get a bit dicier.

A vast majority of the prepaid 3G phones on Verizon can be unlocked with the code “000000” or “123456,” but Verizon’s off-the-shelf Phone-in-the-Box Prepaid handsets are locked into the network for 12 months after activation. And, as with Verizon’s World Phones, you have to call Verizon support at 888-294-6804 in order to start the process. Unlocking an AT&T phone The process on how to unlock a phone from AT&T is a bit more complicated than with Verizon – indeed, you’ll need to with AT&T than you do with Verizon. Here’s the checklist of prerequisites you’ll need to meet in order to unlock your AT&T handset: • You must be a current or former subscriber. • The device in question must be from AT&T.

• It must not have been reported lost or stolen. • It must be attached to an account with “good standing” — i.e., one not associated with fraudulent activity. • It must not be active on a different AT&T customer’s account.

• It must have been active for at least 60 days with “no past due or unpaid balance.” • If you’ve upgraded early, you must wait for the 14 days “buyer’s remorse” period to pass before unlocking your old phone. Unlike Verizon, AT&T offers you can fill out online. After submitting it, you’ll have 24 hours to click the link within the confirmation email sent to you.

After about two business days, AT&T will send instructions for unlocking your device via email. AT&T no longer specify a hard unlock limit per year, as was previously the case – instead, the company crack down on individual cases.

But unless you’re sending a hundred unlock requests a month, you shouldn’t need to worry. Apple’s iPhones, however, don’t need an unlock code.

Instead, after receiving the email specifying that your unlock request was approved, remove your AT&T SIM card and insert the SIM for your new carrier to begin the setup process. In the case of prepaid devices (anything on AT&T Prepaid/GoPhone), AT&T also requires that they’ve been active for at least six months. The network offers limited unlock support via its support line, 800-331-0500, but doesn’t officially unlock handsets over the phone.

Unlocking a T-Mobile phone There are several things to keep in mind if you want to: • It must be a device from. • It must not have been reported lost, stolen, or blocked. • It must be attached to an account that has not been canceled, and is in “good standing.” • It must have been active at least 40 days on the requesting line. • If the device is on a service contract, at least 18 consecutive monthly payments must have been made. • If using T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment Plan, or if your phone is leased through JUMP! On Demand, all payments must be made and the device must be fully paid for.

• You’ve made fewer than two unlock requests, per line, in a single year. • T-Mobile may request to see proof of purchase.

If your handset is a prepaid model, it’ll need to have been active for at least one year, and the account associated with it must have had more than $100 in refills. So long as you satisfy those requirements, you can use T-Mobile Mobile Device Unlock app to complete the unlocking process. Alternatively, you can unlock your phone through a live chat with a T-Mobile customer representative, or by calling 611 from a T-Mobile device, or 1-877-746-0909 from any other phone. Unlocking a Sprint phone Before, you’ll need to ensure your device and account meet the requirements below. • It must be a device from.

• It must be Domestic SIM Unlock capable (if unlocking for the domestic United States). • It must not have been reported lost, stolen, blocked, or associated with other fraudulent activity. • It must be attached to an account with “good standing.” • It must have been active at least 50 days on the requesting line.

• There must be no outstanding or pending payments or fees. • You’ve made fewer than two unlock requests per line in a single year. If you’re unlocking for international use, there are a couple of other requirements you need to meet: • The device must be capable of international SIM unlock.

• The device and associated account must have been active for at least 90 days. If you’re a member of the U.S. Military deployed overseas and you want your Sprint phone unlocked, the aforementioned requirements still apply. In addition: • You, and any relatives on the same account, must be active members of a branch of the United States military, and need to have overseas deployment papers, if applicable.

There’s a massive caveat when it comes to Sprint’s unlocking capabilities, however. Because the carrier, like Verizon, relies on a relatively obscure networking technology (CDMA), Sprint-branded phones that have been manufactured with a SIM slot within the past several years can’t be unlocked to accept a different carrier’s SIM card. Sprint says that domestic SIM card-based devices launched after 2015 will automatically unlock when they become eligible.

Alternatively, you can request an unlock either with a customer representative or via a call to 888-211-4727 (*2 from a Sprint device). Uniquely, Sprint offers short-term unlocking for international travel. Assuming you meet the above requirements, you can log into your online account and navigate to the relevant page. Simply click on the “My Account” tab, pick your phone from the resulting list, and select “Unlock device to use int’l SIM” from the “Manage this device” drop-down menu.

If you’d rather have a Sprint rep walk you through the process, though, you can request an over-the-phone unlock at 888-226-7212.